The Essence of Politics

Saturday, August 15, 2009

My Perspective: America Needs Healthcare & Health System Reform

If the healthcare debate was not already murky and muddy than here is yet another twist to the health debate coming from former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher where Dr. Satcher says our nation doesn’t just need healthcare reform but it needs health system reform. David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2009 TRUST Award from the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) and Dr. Satcher is the director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, where he holds the Poussaint-Satcher-Cosby Chair in Mental Health. Therefore Dr. Satcher is a credible source on healthcare and the fact he served as the 16th surgeon general of the United States under Bill Clinton makes his credentials even more impressive. In an interview with Maulik Joshi, Dr. Satcher spoke about health care reform, health care disparities, public health interventions and leadership in a wide-ranging interview that paints a clear picture of what’s need in this nation to have viable healthcare and a viable healthcare system.

Dr. Satcher says, “I served on a task force with Hillary Clinton when we attempted to reform health care in the beginning of the Clinton administration. I think two things were done wrong. First, the proposal sent to Congress was too complex. Second, it was not a bipartisan effort. It was put forth as a Clinton health reform plan.” Dr. Satcher believes that President Barack Obama is taking the right approach by listening to people, including Congress. And he thinks President Obama is going to have the proposal come from within Congress, not from within the White House. Dr. Satcher also says the imperative for health reform is much greater than it was in the early 1990s, even though it was pretty high then. Many more people are dissatisfied with the health system today, including medical practitioners and payers. There are enough people upset with the health system that I think it's going to be easier. Dr. Satcher went on to say that we have to look at the health care system as a patient who is very sick. The symptoms are uncontrollable, with runaway costs, restricted access, questionable-to-poor quality and major problems in health disparities. To respond, we have to look at the determinants of health: access to health care, genetics, biology, environment and human behavior. Unless we come up with a system that responds to all those determinants, our health care system is not going to recover.

He goes on to speak on what healthcare leaders need to do to support healthcare reform regardless of specific legislation where he says healthcare leaders should be out front working to help reform the system. He says they should be acknowledging that we have a real problem; they should be contributing to the solutions. For example, the need for patients to have a medical home, so we can deal with health more comprehensively, is important. Dr. Satcher said, “We need a stronger primary care system. Hospitals are now developing primary care clinics in neighborhoods around them.” He also acknowledged that President Obama had leaders from the health care industry at his first White House meeting, and he'll have those leaders at other meetings. Therefore Dr. Satcher says, “We need to come to the table with proposals from our perspective. We cannot do our job as well as we would like because the system is failing.”

Dr. Satcher also was asked how professional schools like Meharry Medical College and Morehouse are preparing our next generation of clinicians to be more patient-centered and work better in teams where he says, “Physicians have to be better prepared to work as team members. Some are going to be leaders of teams, but not every physician should or will be a team leader. Regardless, they're going to have to work with a team of people providing quality health care to patients and doing it efficiently. Understanding the health team, what everyone brings to the team, and how to maximize the team's role is very important for medical education.” Secondly, Dr. Satcher feels it is important to prepare physicians to be culturally competent. He says, “We have a diverse population, and its diversity is growing. To the best of our ability, we need to prepare physicians to deal with different cultures. That gets back to the first recommendation. As we say at Morehouse, none of us can become experts in other people's culture, but we can understand enough to know that we have to have a team that has broad expertise.”

So with raising awareness and creating tools and knowledge about health disparities and health care disparities, it is time to finally accelerate the elimination of these disparities according to Dr. Satcher which is why health system reform is essential right along with healthcare reform. Dr. Satcher says, “We have to do a better job targeting health care disparities. First, we have to reform the system so that it better responds to the health needs of different populations and different cultures. But it has to be a system that provides universal access. Over the last 10 years, we've had an increase in the uninsured in this country. We haven't had an improvement in access to care—we've had a decline. In addition, we haven't done a good job diversifying the workforce so it's sensitive and more capable of responding to the needs of different populations. And we haven't adequately dealt with other determinants—like genetics, environment and human behavior—that are so important in disparities.”

There has been some attention to quality of care in some settings. But the system hasn't changed and become more public health-oriented so that we are targeting not just access to quality health care, which is important, but also targeting the environments where people live. Take obesity, which disproportionately impacts African-Americans and Hispanics, and take children: The Action for Healthy Kids program, which I founded in 2002, targets schools because we believe schools are the great equalizers. Children come to school from all kinds of backgrounds. When children go to school, where they will spend about 1,000 hours a year, it's an opportunity to habituate them to what constitutes healthy lifestyles: regular physical activity, good nutrition, even the free meal program. What do we feed them in the free meal program? We have an opportunity to use an approach broader than just health care in trying to eliminate disparities in health—one that requires not just health care intervention but public health interventions.

Therefore it is extremely important to accelerate the adoption of known best practices, whether in public health, disparities or other issues. Dr. Satcher says “We have to invest more in translation research and intervention. There is a gap in health services research and community-based intervention research. How do we build those up? An example is the CDC's REACH program—Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health—which has modeled interventions at the community level. The program funds communities, which have to be organized to receive support. They have to contract with academia or the county health department. Some programs have been very effective, virtually eliminating disparities in mammography and in the need for amputation for diabetics, for example, which means they have done a great job controlling diabetes.”

We have done too little research in how we make things work in communities. So we wait and wait after we've done the research to show that it can happen. We then don't invest in programs to help make it happen. Programs of physical activity and good nutrition can reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes by more than 50 percent. But have we taken the next step? Have we invested in research to help communities implement these programs? We need to invest in translation and translation research, in health services research, and in community-based interventions. Also on topics like sexual health and behavior and mental health, the current environment must be more open to listening and I believe they are to a degree and Dr. Satcher does too. He says in order to address gaps in those areas, he explains how when we released the surgeon general's report on mental health in December 1999, it was the first surgeon general's report on mental health. It raised the issue of mental health and mental illness to a new level. We still had people questioning whether mental disorders were real and questioning whether it was fundamental to overall health and well-being. Dr. Satcher thinks the report put that to rest, and it raised this issue to a level of respectability that it did not have before. The report started an effort to achieve comprehensive parity of access to mental health services.

According to Dr. Satcher the good news is that, when the U.S. bailout plan was passed, the Mental Health Parity Act was passed too. It didn't get a lot of publicity, but it's a major achievement. We've had to deal with a mental illness stigma that not only keeps individuals and families from seeking care but also impacts how policies are made. This act is a great step forward. Over the next few years as the act is implemented, I think we're going to see dramatic improvement in mental health care. It comes at a critical time when many veterans—probably more than we've ever seen—are returning from the Iraq war suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders. We're seeing the highest rate of divorce that has ever existed in the armed forces population. We need to get serious about mental health care. Dr. Satcher even spoke about responsible sexual health where he says, “We have a Center of Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse, which I direct. We have been running consensus panels, bringing together people who are very conservative, very liberal or moderate, to talk about sexual issues. We've had some success trying to get them to agree on some things that would be in the best interests of children. For example, we released a report in which they agreed on what should be the components of education of children about sexuality, what was an appropriate "vision for sexual health in America" and what should be our research agenda for sexual health. In addition, we have a leadership scholars program at Morehouse. Some of the emphasis is on sexual health and disability. One person is interested in sexual health in Africa and how we get African men to take more responsibility for the AIDS problem. Hopefully, we're going to get comprehensive sexuality education in schools. I'm happy that President Obama has changed policies on grants that we make in Africa and on teaching comprehensive sexuality and not abstinence only.”

Also people who aspire to help this nation move forward, in the health of people in this country and the health system, need to understand policy—to begin early to study health policy, how policy gets made in this country, and what it takes to change policy. Dr. Satcher backs this up by saying, “There was a time when I thought all you had to do was get the science right. I learned—certainly during my time at the CDC and when I was surgeon general—you can have the science right, but to get health policy, you have to deal with the politics. You have to deal with advocacy. You have to face lobbyists who can be much better funded.” Therefore young people interested in becoming leaders need to know how to deal with policy and translate science into policy change. The earlier people get interested, the better. People also need to know how to develop sustainable programs. We reach sustainability in three ways: (1) Build a resource base that has some lasting value rather than receive one grant after another. (2) Know how to identify and develop partnerships—they can sometimes be as valuable as money, if not more so. With the right partnerships, you can do a lot. (3) Develop a reputation for integrity and excellence. If you're going to be a leader, people need to be able to trust you and feel that you're going to do your best. Dr. Satcher says, “Too many young people go into a new setting and say, "I have this vision for this institution." The first question is, "What about preserving what we have?" We see people every day losing what they found when they went to an institution because they didn't focus on the question "How am I going to sustain this institution?" Once you do that, you can say, "Where are we going together?"—not just what is my vision but what is the shared vision for moving this institution. We have to be better communicators to be leaders.”

Healthcare reform is not America’s only problem according to Dr. Satcher but the health debate is focused on that. However Dr. Satcher wants to ensure that health system reform is the next challenge tackled if isn’t tackled now. Dr. Satcher and I both believe that healthcare reform is important but we both believe that we need to change the healthcare system in this nation as well because the problem in this nation is that health care costs have skyrocketed in recent years. If no action is taken, experts expect them to grow another 70 percent in just 10 years. This astronomical jump in costs will make it even harder for employers and families to get the health care they need. There is no denying this and even if the numbers are a little off, the cost of healthcare are going up while the quality of care is getting farther and farther from ordinary Americans.

So we need sensible reform now. More than 100 million Americans at risk of being denied health insurance due to a preexisting condition. One in three Americans – 133 million people – have a chronic health condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure. In 44 states, insurance companies can deny an individual coverage for having a chronic or “preexisting” condition, meaning that nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population is at risking of being denied healthcare coverage. [Association of Schools of Public Health, May 13, 2009 ; Center for American Progress, April 2009] Families Finding It Increasingly Difficult to Pay Medical Bills. In 2007, nearly 20 percent of Americans – more than 57 million people - had trouble paying their medical bills. That’s a 28 percent increase since 2003. Of those struggling to pay for healthcare, almost three-quarters had some form of health insurance. [Commonwealth Fund, August 2008] Healthcare costs are eating up a huge portion of the U.S. economy. In 2009, the United States will spend a staggering $2.5 trillion – over 17.5 percent of GDP – on health care expenses.[http://content.healthaffairs.org]

If those statistics are not enough to convince anyone that we need healthcare reform and health system reform than with Fewer Small Businesses Offering Insurance Because of Costs. Between 2000 and 2007, the percentage of small firms offering their employees health insurance fell by 13 percent and more than two-thirds of small businesses switched to plans that covered fewer services or had higher out of pocket costs. Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. [Current Population Survey, March 2008, and Kaiser Family Foundation, September 2008] 20 Percent of Employers Planning on Ending Insurance Benefits Because of Costs. Unless the current health care system is reformed, nearly 20 percent of employers plan to drop employee health insurance altogether over the next 3 to 5 years. [Center for American Progress, May 2009] Waste and inefficiency in health care system cost billions. Wasteful and inefficient spending in the U.S. health care system costs roughly $700 billion a year – effectively levying a $20 surcharge on every American man, woman, and child. [http://www.cbo.gov]

The Number of Uninsured Expected to Increase by More than 50 Percent. Currently 46 million people in the United States are uninsured. In the absence of comprehensive health care reform, this number is projected to rise to about 72 million by 2040. [The White House, Economic Case for Health Care Reform, June 2009] Costs Lead to Diminishing Benefits, Higher Deductibles. Because of rising health insurance costs, employers are increasingly offering coverage that requires employees to pay more out of pocket for health care. In one year, the percentage of workers enrolled in insurance with a deductible of $1,000 or more jumped from 12 percent to 18 percent. [Kaiser Family Foundation, September 2008] Individual Market Offers Few Options Because of High Costs. According to a study by the Commonwealth Fund, more than two-thirds of people shopping for health insurance in the individual market found it “difficult or impossible to find adequate coverage.” [Center for American Progress, May 2009]

Our nation needs an overhaul of our healthcare system and the type of quality of care we deliver as well. However this can’t be done until we deal with the costs of healthcare because the Number of Uninsured Middle-Class Families Expected to Rise Because of Costs. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the number of middle-class families without health insurance probably will jump 45% by 2019.” [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation] Most Uninsured Americans Are Employed but Have No Coverage. 86.7 million people went without health insurance for some period of time during 2007 and 2008. Of these uninsured, four out of five were from working families who did not get coverage from their employer. [Families USA, March 2009]

Thus the healthcare debate has shifted many times but even if we fix the costs of healthcare we must also fix the quality of healthcare right along with a major overhaul of the system. That is why reform of the health system must be centered on coverage, prevention and reform that include health insurance stability, affordability, quality, and patient choice. I know Dr. Satcher would agree with this but this is just the beginning to true reform of healthcare and the health system.

Sources:
Americans for Stable Quality Care
www.stablequalitycare.com

Americans Healthcare Reform.org
www.americanhealthcarereform.org

Healthcare for America Now
www.healthcareforamericanow.org

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Jay-Z - History



(Jay-Z - History)Jay-Z - History with Lyrics

LYRICS : [Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighter)
And the battle's finally won
(Gimme a lighter)
Victory (Lighters up) is finally ours
(Lighters up)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
In search of victory, she keeps eluding me
If only we could be together momentarily
We can make love and make history
Why won't you visit me? until she visit me
I'll be stuck with her sister, her name is defeat
She gives me agony, so much agony
She brings me so much pain, so much misery
Like missing your last shot and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams for the other team
I practice so hard for this moment, victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory? I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighters)
Victory is finally ours
(Yeah)
History (yeah), so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
So now I'm flirting with death, hustling like a G
While victory wasn't watching took chances repeatedly
As a teenage boy before acne, before I got proactiv I couldn't face she
I just threw on my hoodie and headed to the street
That's where I met success, we'd live together shortly
Now success is like lust, she's good to the touch
She's good for the moment but she's never enough
Everybody's had her, she's nothing like V
But success is all I got unfortunately
But I'm burning down the block hoppin' in and out of V
But something tells me that there's much more to see
Before I get killed because I can't get robbed
So before me success and death ménage
I gotta get lost, I gotta find V
We gotta be together to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters. Up.)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighter. Up.)
Victory is finally ours
(Lighters. Up.)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Now victory is mine, it tastes so sweet
She's my trophy wife, you're coming with me
We'll have a baby who stutters repeatedly
We'll name him history, he'll repeat after me
He's my legacy, son of my hard work
Future of my past, he'll explain who I be
Rank me amongst the greats, either 1, 2, or 3
If I ain't number one then I failed you victory
Ain't in it for the fame that dies within weeks
Ain't in it for the money, can't take it when you leave
I wanna be remembered long after you grieve
Long after I'm gone, long after I breathe
I leave all I am in the hands of history
That's my last will and testimony
This is much more than a song, it's a baby shower
I've been waiting for this hour, history you ours


[Chorus: Cee-lo (2x)]
Now that all the smoke is gone
And the battle's finally won
Victory is finally ours
History, so long, so long
So long, so long



Man in the Mirror--By Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

I'm gonna make a change,
for once im my life
It's gonna feel real good,
gonna make a diference
Gonna make it right...

As I, turn up the collar on
my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
with not enought to eat
Who am I to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard,a broken bottle top
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)
(Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah)

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
(Washed-out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see
'Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me
(Starting with me!)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change his ways - ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that..
(Take a look at yourself and then make that..)
CHANGE!

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror - Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
(If you wanna make the world a better place)


Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cook






It's been a long time coming but a change is surely going to come in America and the World! I am the Future of America and the World and that is the message that each of us must carry with us each and every day that we wake up on Earth! I am the Future! You are the Future! We are the Future of America and the World! That is way every election is important--primaries, special elections and general! So vote every year and hold our politicians accountable. Hold our political officials accountable by writing them, calling them and making sure they attend meetings that we the people have. "The Time for Change is not Now but Right Now!"

"EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary" should be our anthem and should be our creed as we make the positive differences in America and the world that so many people beg for and hungry for year after year! A Change is Gonna Come, A Change is Gonna Come, that's what we must say as we say "God grants us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, Courge to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference" each morning before we go about the task of making a positive change in America and the world a reality.



Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen


“When will people realize that we are Americans first and foremost, not Democrats or Liberals, not Republicans or Conservatives, not Independents or moderates. We are Americans. Stop putting a political party above America and stop putting any politican above America. America succeeds because of us the people holding our government responsible no matter the political party because the main two political parties are to blame for the condition America is in."—Hodari P.T. Brown

America with its flaws and all is a country I am proud to have been born in. America is not perfect but my love for it is perfect. That’s why all Americans must realize that we are all Americans. In fact we are Americans first and foremost. We are not Democrats or Republicans. We are Americans.

We are not Muslims, Christians or Jews. We are Americans. Too many times we recognize our differences with others rather than appreciating our similarities which are, we are Americans. We are Americans first and foremost, no matter if we were born here or moved here legally. We are all Americans, here in this country to make not only our lives better but the lives of other Americans better so future Americans can enjoy the rights and freedoms that make us all Americans.

We are all Americans. We are one party united under God. We are Americans and this is the only political party that matters. We are Americans and this is our country so let’s make sure that we make America better than how we found it so future Americans can live prosperous and joyous lives. We are Americans and must not ever forget that.

America will prosper as long we make sure we are doing our part to make it prosper and that means we can’t put any political party or politician above America. Long live America forever and long live America’s service to the world. Together, America and the world will prosper for future generations to enjoy America and the world we live in.


Lift Every Voice and Sing


This video of the ' Negro National Anthem' was originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. Many of the esteemed individuals featured in this video in attendance and we presented with the ' Keepers of the Flame' award for the monumental contributions to social justice.

This version of the song was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James. The video was produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc.

If I Was President--Wyclef Jean




If I was President that is the people's anthem. We all have ideas of what we can do as President and through this website, we will fulfill our deam as a people!

Somethings Gotta Give--Big Boi ft Mary J Blige



Somethings Gotta Give people and it begins today for all us to make sure that something is us. We the people are sick and tired of suffering. Where is our piece of the Dream that so many people dead for so that we all could see today. This is our time people to change America and the world so that the Next Generation has a better future than the past we inherited.

This is our call to service. This isn't about one political candidate or one political figure. This is about us as people coming together to finally leave up to our potential and achieving the great feats that those before us have achieved. This is our moment to lead our nation and our world to greater heights.

Somethings gotta give people and it starts with us the people making it happen. We have to improve our education system in America. We have to rid the world of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have to go to the streets and lift a hand to another in order to decrease poverty in this world. We have to take a stand today and make sure that the future of America and the world is brighter than it has ever been.

Somethings Gotta Give and that is why we must "Remember Each One, Reach One and Teach One so America's future and the World's future continues to prosper."

John Legend - "If You're Out There"


If you're out there than you need to get started in helping to change America and the world. The world and America won't change until you get involved in making the changes you want to see in this world. If you're out there, than you must know that tomorrow started now and today started yesterday so you are behind in helping to the change. If you are tired of hatred, racism, poverty, war, and violence than the time to change it is now. If you want universal health care, world peace, democracy for every nation, equal rights, and happiness for all than you must get involved now to help the save world.

You must believe in the change that you want to see and you must act on making that change a reality. If you're out there than say it aloud and show the rest of America and the world that you're out here to make a real positive change in the communities we stay in. If you're out there than get involved now. I'm calling every women and men to join me as we take back our country right here, right now. If you're out there than the future started yersterday and we are already late so we have lots of work to do but I know we can do it together as one.

YES WE CAN



Yes We Can accomplish anything that we set out to do! We don't need charismatic or inspirational leaders to believe in ourselves and to take responsiblity for our own faith, we just need each other. Yes We Can build a new America and a new world if each of us would take action now to make the changes that we want to see in the world. Yes We Can control government by holding our political officials accountable for their actions by calling them out when they don't pass legislation that supports the common good of all man and by voting in every election to ensure that we have people representing the people locally, state wide, nationally and in the world.

Yes We Can be great! Yes We Can be what we want to be! Yes We Can be glorious in not only America but the world! Yes We can put action behind our worlds and change the world starting right here, right now! Yes We Can as Republicans, Democrats and Independents become one as we freely think about our fellow men and women and make decisions that will be in the best interest of all people and not one single group.

Yes We Can be the change that we want to see in the world! Yes We Can show the world that the youth are ready to lead! Yes We Can put our egos, our social economic statuses, our religions, our educational statuses and our skin color to the side for the better good of the world! Yes We Can be Greater than we have ever been and help others be Greater than they have ever be!

YES WE CAN and YES WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS IN ALL THAT WE DO! YES WE CAN, no matter what others may say, we will be glorious! YES WE WILL and YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!

YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN is what will be sung from every mountaintop, every riverbank, every household, every school yard, every factory, every sporting event, every college campus and even every place you can imagine in the world is where YES WE CAN, will be said and heard!

YES WE CAN!

Keep On Pushing - Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions


Wake Up People! No matter who is elected to any public office, we have to “Keep On Pushing” as a people to make sure they don’t leave us in a worst state than what they inherited. We as a people have to “Keep On Pushing” to make a difference in the lives of others. We have to have an “EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary” attitude as we continue to push our agenda that we the people deserve and want better. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change in a positive way that will benefit all Americans no matter their age, their religion or skin color. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will improve our education system, improve our military, improve our national security, improve our healthcare system and improve our economy. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will leave America’s future in a better than how we found it and that will leave the world’s future in a better state than we imagined we could live it. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to make life better for our neighborhoods, our families and even our quote on quote enemies. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to inspire, to uplift and to guide those who need help spiritually, physically and mentally. We have to “Keep On Pushing ” so that our lives, our future generation’s lives and the lives of those who came before us does not die in vein.

“Keep on Pushing”

A War For Your Soul

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.


The moment has come for us as a nation of people to finally wake up and realize that our destiny and fate in society has rests on our shoulders. We cannot allow the forces of evil and darkness to drain us out. We have to continue to overcome all odds in order to make the future of our nation better and the future of future generations of Americans better. We have to continue to pray to our Lord and we have to continue to uplift each other in prayer as well as take action against those things that are trying to destroy us. We have to stand up once and for all and be the future that we want to be. Now is our time and we shall do together by any means necessary.

This video was created to inspire young African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society. The use of the voice "Master of Darkness" represents evil, which is where the blame of all problems should be placed, and not on any one group of people. This video should not to be used to divide people (Black & White), there are images of heroes that are white in this video, and there are images of Black & White coming together with the words of Dr. King in the background. Some of the images from the past can be unsettling, but they are used to show all Americans how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. This film is being strategically placed in school systems, churches and youth orgs around the country, in hope of helping a lost generation of kids that we as Americans have forgotten. As fellow Americans we must continue to love each other, and take that love and spread it to the rest of the world. **THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR SALE & I AM NOT ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR THE FILM, I ONLY WANT THE MESSAGE TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY HIDDEN POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL AGENDA.

Sitting On the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding



"The time for sitting is over! The time for action is now! The time for hope without action is hopeless! The time for change without a positive attitude is a change that we can't believe in! We need change that is positive of helping all people! Our time for action is now, our time for hope is now, our time for change is now and our time to believe that we can do whatever we set our minds to is not now but right now!"

STAR SPANGLED BANNER


The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;
'Tis the star-spangled banner; O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!


O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land,
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.
And this be our motto— "In God is our trust; "
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Black President



Our Time is not now but Right Now! Our Time has finally come to change the world not now but Right Now! If you don't believe that we can change the world than watch as we do it by changing your mind into believing in us and what we can do! This is OUR TIME RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

FIGHT THE POWER



We got to FIGHT THE POWER! We can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch injustices take place. We can no longer sit by and allow our right to vote to become unexercised. We must FIGHT THE POWER for our past, present and future! We can no longer allow our rights to be oppressed and our voice to become drained by the powers at be. We must FIGHT THE POWER and show that we have a lot to say that needs to be heard by the mainstream media. We must FIGHT THE POWER and live up to our potential as dynamic, unbelievable and phenomenal people.


We must not believe the hype but we must become the hype. We are not Harriett Tubman, Marcus Garvey, MLK, Malcolm X, Booker T. Washington, Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. DuBois, the Black Panther Party, SNCC, or any other activists but we are the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, uncles, aunties, and relatives of those who came before us to pave the way for us to FIGHT THE POWER! We are not next Generation of leaders who will not be honored and praised until they die but that’s the fight we accept. We are not fighting the power for glory or fame but we are fighting the power for just causes that most men and women will not understand until years or decades later.


We are fighting for our sisters and brothers in Darfur, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, China and Mexico. We are speaking for those who are poor and have no food or water. We are fighting for those who are sick and dying. We are fighting for universal healthcare across the world and human rights for all people. We are fighting for rich and poor! We must FIGHT THE POWER no matter how hard and tough the road may be. We must FIGHT THE POWER for a better today and an even greater tomorrow!


FIGHT THE POWER!

PEOPLE GET READY


“People Get Ready” our time is coming! We have come too far to turn back now. Our train is coming and it is coming in waves. “People Get Ready”, we don’t need a ticket but we need faith and the Lord will help guide us as we take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” our moment is now and we are ready to see the change we want in America and the world. All we got to do is have faith, hope and prosperity. “People Get Ready” to face your fears. “People Get Ready” to face your demons and the challenges of yesterday because today and tomorrow we will conquer & be victorious. “People Get Ready” a change is coming and our actions will make sure that change is a real positive change that lasts forever.


“People Get Ready” because we have had enough of just talking but now is our time to show action. “People Get Ready” to take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” to take back our communities and to make our streets safer and schools better. “People Get Ready” to make all our dreams come true. “People Get Ready” to see a better present for everyone and a better future for future generations. “People Get Ready” to live up to your potential and to help others live up to their own potential. “People Get Ready” to move past hatred, bigotry, racism and sexism. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the dreams of those who came before us and those who will come after us.


“People Get Ready” as we make our actions speak louder than our words. “People Get Ready” to make words mean something again as we put action to back up our rhetoric. “People Get Ready” as we embark on a new journey that will re-write America’s history as well as the world’s history. “People Get Ready” as we make the lives of others better and the lives of future generations better. “People Get Ready” because all we need is faith, hope and action to make this world a better place. “People Get Ready” to make a difference. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the American dream. “People Get Ready" to live out the American Dream as our founding fathers wanted us to live it. “People Get Ready” because our time is now, our moment is now and our moment in time to change America & the world is not now but right now. “People Get Ready” because a change is coming!


Alicia]
(Let me tell you now)
People get ready, there's a train comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord

[Lyfe]
People get ready, for a train to Jordan
Picking up passengers coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
There's hope for all among those loved the most

[Alicia]
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all man kind just to save his own (believe me now)
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the kingdoms throne

[Alicia & Lyfe]
So people get ready there's a train coming
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming,
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord


“PEOPLE GET READY!”

God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood


Lee Greenwood-god bless the U.S.A