Lil Kim and Martha Stewart: A Comparative Analysis

Two public figures, both wealthy, and both haved lied to federal prosecuters under oath.
Any guesses on who will do hard time in a real women's prison?

Martha Stewart does five months in "prison", comes out of prison richer than she ever was from lucrative business deals conducted while she was in prison (a violation of the conditions laid out for her during her conviction), and is currently complaining about her "uncomfortable" house arrest ankle bracelet that she must bear during her confinement within the luxury of her 153-acre home.

Lil Kim, despite her sex vixen mass appeal and successful hip-hop career, is still a BLACK WOMAN convicted of a crime in America. She now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

I'm curious to see what her sentence turns out to be compared to what Martha, the now celebrated ex-convict (who's now starting up her appeal--cause she can), got.

Ruling class, white corporate America continues to celebrate the obscenely rich white-collar criminal. They overlook their checkered and conditional moral convictions for the sake of power and revenue. If the white-collar criminal continues to generate wads of cash a-la Donald Trump, the public accolades know no limits. Their "trump" card obsolves them from upholding the Christian right moral convictions that currently sweeps the nation--backed by the Bush adminstration. The corporate media-driven collective consciousness methodically eradicates their documented unconventional (and often lawless behavior), then re-writes history to justify their wrong-doing as if their financial success is somehow altruistic by becoming a symbol of America's economic strength. Often, if the white-collar criminal happens to be white, with the inherent character flaw of a false sense of personal entitlement, which I find most endearing, it boosts their plight.

Lil Kim may not be so lucky. Let's hope her road dawgs are as supportive to Lil Kim throughout her sentence as Martha Stewart's employees, business partners (i.e., Donald Trump), and
K-Mart shoppers were to Martha.

2005: The Year of the Gun

Is it me, or is this year off to a poor start with frequent reports of shootings in the US? What is it about the easy access to assault weapons in this country? National Rifle Association and their influential political ties, which successfully continues to prevent the banning of assault weapons to private citizens perhaps?

This past weekend, in Houston, Texas, a 2-year-old toddler remains in critical condition after he is shot in the head by his 4-year-old brother, with a .32-caliber semi-automatic pistol he found in his mother's purse.

In suburban Brookfield, Wisconson, the otherwise friendly, mild-mannered computer technician and churgoer, Terry Ratzmann (44), shoots down fellow worshippers at the Sabbath for the Living Church of God last Saturday with a 9 mm handgun, killing 8.

14-year-old Calil Gross-Mininall is buried last week after being shot in a mall parking lot by a gang-related shooting.

Police are currently investigating this weekend's subway shooting of a 39-year-old man @ the 145th Street A-train stop in NYC.

Overall, this has been a busy month for shootings around the country. Yes, the availability of guns in this country is still an issue that begs the attention of every private citizen whose life is endangers by other unstable citizens, gun manufacturers, sellers and the NRA.

As you may already know, filmmaker, Michael Moore, targets the issue superbly in his Bowling for Columbine documentary and using the medium to promote social reform.
Here's his action link where you can learn more and actively lobby against assault weapon distrubutors.