america was built by people who said something different. who said yes we can. we said see say pointing and as long as i have the privilege of being your president i will be a long side you president obama is out again today looking for support and minority community this week is going out to the latino vote but as has the first african-american president forgotten the black community will question more. there's three. three areas of the economy that tend to do ok in a recession alcohol makeup and sex toys one booming industry sure knows how to stimulate the economy during these tough times the several billion dollar business that mixes business with pleasure that americans can't seem to get enough of these days i'll tell you why sex toys are arriving in the u.s.

even when money's tight. friday june twenty second seven pm in washington d.c. i'm audie martin and you're watching our t.v. one of the first black president done for the black community in america nothing according to some just recently obama has been catering to a number of minority communities in the u.s. first of the l g b t community. point out just concluded that. for me personally. it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same sex couples should be able to get married then it was the immigrant community. this is a temporary stop gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented driven patriotic young people

it is that it is the right thing to do. but where does that leave african-americans obama hasn't made moves to deal with african-american any qualities in this country an op ed titled obama's not the first black president he's the first president who is black well merely on describes obama as quote a functionary of a government in the service of wealth and empire dr wellner leon himself joined us earlier talk about his article i first asked him what he meant by saying that obama is not the first black president here's his take what i mean by that is as i see in the article that a black president would have come to the oval office with a black agenda he would be using his bully pulpit to articulate and advocate for positions in issues that are specifically relevant to the african-american community for example disproportionate. levels of incarceration in this country

disproportionate levels of poverty in terms of the black community in this country health care issues that are specifically targeted to the african african-american community. as the first president who is black president obama is focused more on the national agenda as the president of the united states as a functionary of the united states government as opposed to an individual who came to the oval office with an agenda that was. created or designed to specifically target issues in the african-american community and i want to be very clear and say that as i say in the article that this has everything to do with policy it has everything to do with an agenda and has absolutely nothing to do with the person or personalities and you also mentioned in your article the n.d.a. accident jessel judicial assassination and also guantanamo bay yes how is that part

of the black agenda well it's not so much a part of the black agenda as it is say in the piece that an african-american president would not have signed the two thousand and twelve defense authorization act that in part of a louse for indefinite detention of american citizens that an african-american president would not have backed the assassination of moammar gadhafi an american president an african-american or black president would not have. had a attorney general come out and say that the united states government can assassinate americans anywhere in the world and the reason is because a black president would have come into the office with a historical understanding for example of the f.b.i. counterintelligence program a black president would understand how the united states government infiltrated the civil rights organizations. in the sixty's and undermined the efforts of the civil

rights organization he would understand how the government has been used over time to undermine efforts for civil rights and civil liberties by african-american organizations so a having that historic understanding he would be less inclined to to support legislation or or support ideas that would enable the government to engage in those types of behaviors today do you think that he doesn't have a historical an understanding of what has happened in the civil rights and also i'm sure that president obama particularly being a constitutional scholar is very much aware of that history but again because he does not bring that agenda into the oval office that that's not what is controlling his thought process that is not what is controlling his vision he is more concerned with as he says he's the president of everybody and also i want to be very clear to say i'm not saying that he should bring this to to the oval office i'm making the

observation that he has not and that it's very important at the end of the day what i believe the african-american community needs to understand that is if we as a community if we as an interest group are looking to have our issues addressed then we have to get we have to make it happen we have to do as roosevelt said to a philip randolph in one thousand thirty six he said yes mr randolph i have i agree with you go out and make me do it i think there are too many of us in the african-american community that are sitting idly by waiting for president obama to do what we believe needs to be done instead of being in the streets as the gay and lesbian community has been being in the streets as the hispanic community has been we need to be in the streets championing our issues the same way that other organizations such. as a pac there's no way in the world that

a pac is going to sit idly by and allow an american president not to focus foreign policy on on israel in in the manner in which they want it addressed and so if if we have concerns in our community then we need we need to move away from the politics of personality. and start understanding the politics of policy because it's one thing to have an african-american individual sitting in the white house that's that's wonderful that symbolism is incredibly powerful and incredibly valuable but at the end of the day politics is not about symbolism politics is about policy well now are you surprised i mean obama didn't really grow up in any relation to the black culture he didn't grow up in the ghetto he has always been a very privileged man with a rich family are you surprised at him kind of evading really honing in on the focus of the african community well first of all the african-american community is much more diverse than than urban and president obama did not grow up wealthy i

mean his he was born to a single mother. he grew up his mother worked a number of jobs he grew up with his grandparents true he did not grow up in the traditional will say african-american community but the point again is not individually focused it's policy focused so whether president obama grew up in harlem or whether president obama grew up in denver colorado it's still incumbent upon those in the african-american community to ensure that our interests are being articulated and that our interests are being acted upon no matter who is in the white house and i think that that to me is is the point that your audience needs to take away from this conversation is that the fact that there is an african-american in the white house is a wonderful thing but for us for too many of us to sit by and expect that

because he is african-american he is then going to address the issues that we need to address is a fallacy we have to be out in the streets we have. the civil rights movement was a movement and it was part of a process and too much of that process has been forgotten and so now because we have had the sixty force voting rights act and sixty four civil rights act in sixty five voting rights act we think that progress that progress has been made in that so now we don't need to engage in those politics anymore but now is the definite time that we need to as we see the rise of the tea party as we listen to mitt romney as we see that that ryan's budget is looking to cut social programs we have to be in the streets advocating championing championing ensuring that our

interests are addressed instead of expecting that someone is going to do so what would you say to people who look at obama and say i voted for him because he's black because that in itself is just such an iconic symbol of progress across the world that we elected the first african-american president and i will continue to vote for and just because he is black even now he's not really making any overtures to change policy that i would say you get what you vote for and you voted for symbolism and you got symbolism now but politics again has to be more than symbolic it has to be based on policy so there are those of us on the one hand in the again the symbolism is incredibly powerful incredibly valid but politics is about policy and so if we as a community are interested in policy outcome then we have to be putting pressure on the system to ensure that we get it and there are too many people with the champagne bottles left over from two thousand and eight that are walking around

still celebrating the fact that we have a president who is black those who have pay models are empty and now we have to invigorate ourselves we have to get back out into the street we have to get back into the process. yes and engage the process to be sure that we get disproportionate incarceration addressed and the other issues that are that are so important to our community and wilmer i just wanted to elucidate your point a little bit with visuals on we have a graph right now of showing how americans have twenty two times the amount of wealth i'm sorry white americans have twenty times the amount of wealth and blacks a figure that's doubled since the great depression and when unemployment was at eight percent in this country black unemployment was by far the highest out of any race that is an incredible incredible demonstration of the fact that their white americans in this country have over one hundred thousand dollars in wealth that's not salary that's that's tangible assets home stocks bonds cash on hand

african-americans have less than five on average five thousand dollars of actual wealth so it's one thing to talk about unemployment at eight point two or eight point three percent but it's another thing to talk about poverty because that is the actual the real systemic problem that has been a drag on this economy much longer than the last four or five years we've been dealing with this downturn in terms of employment and in the unemployment rate so for a president to be talking about unemployment but to not be specifically talking about poverty that is a perfect example of why we in the african-american community because we are disproportionately impacted by those poverty statistics and by those poverty realities we have to be out there advocating that the ryan budget not be

cut as it relates to social programs we have allowed the whole structure of the conversation to shift to be focused on what's not going to be cut instead of taking control of the narrative in understanding we have. to focus the conversation on what's actually going to be spent and where and broadening the perspective of the slogan on the systemic causes of why this is absolute thank you so much for coming on talking about your op ed it's a it's a great one thank you i was dr wilmer leon political science professor for howard university well it's been a tumultuous week on wall street to say the least the ongoing euro zone insecurity has caused unease among banks and governments alike and a solution is still far off to add fuel to the fire the credit ratings agency moody's announced yesterday that its downgrading the ratings of fifteen banks around the world bank of america j.p. morgan chase citigroup and goldman sachs were among the banks named this downgrade could lead to banks to post billions of dollars in additional collateral and curb

their ability to trade derivatives that many argue that these banks have had months to prepare for these cuts artie's moscow's to bang must stay spoke with max kaiser host of the kaiser report as he broke down some of the possible motives behind the bank downgrade as well as the global implications. look the banks are dead you know the famous russian short story the death of ivan ilyich about a dead man who hears everyone talking around him and that's what we're talking about when we're talking about the global banks they're dead they're corpses no amount of aerosol trying to make the stink go away is going to change that that's what christine legarde and these other folks at the i.m.f. have failed to come to terms with there's a huge problem in the banking sector in their core they are as dead as a corpse. dead as cool says this all comes up to you breathe a sigh all the relief i've agreed which formed a government after weeks of uncertainty what do you make of the timing. the timing

makes no difference because it's starting in two thousand and seven two thousand and eight you had what's called an economics a minsky moment where the global indebtedness reached a critical amount of no amount of stimulus or any kind of policy changes would change the fact that the globe is embarking on this massive global deal leveraging which is going to end massive defaults and banks across europe across the world these major banks in europe are technically insolvent do it your bank is insolvent been p. is insolvent society general is insolvent j.p. morgan insolvent and of course lloyd blankfein is here at the conference in st petersburg his bank goldman sachs is also insolvent that this downgrade could relate to the boring costs will bend the could it also help the politicians push through the agenda of global financial governance. well they of course will use

this opportunity to put forward more global governance more centralized government more command and control more state run operations a less democracy less market activity less free competition so all of those things are being displaced by state controlled command and control. bank of fascist relationship with governments and that's growing to the detriment of people in greece who are now suffering the real consequences people are dying in the street they can't afford health care they can't afford food that's the result of this incredible kleptocracy that has destroyed the global banking system and nobody particularly in america particularly barack obama and his administration are doing anything about it was max kaiser host of the kaiser report still ahead on our team stimulating the economy one sex toy at a time all their industries are tightening their belt others are loosing theirs and more ways than one will tell you about it next. line of american

power continues. things are so bad might actually be time for a revolution. and it turns out the popular drink of starbucks has a surprising him greedy i'm bored. what

drives the world the fear mongering used by politicians who makes decisions to break through it's already been made can you trust no one. is your view with the global machinery to see where we had a state controlled capitalism its core fashion when nobody dares to ask we do our t. question morning. is the state run english speaking russian channel it's kind of like. russia today has an extremely confrontational stance when it comes to us.

they are. bucking the alona so you'll get the real headline with none of them are the problem with the mainstream media today is that they're completely disconnected from the viewers and for what actually matters to those viewers and so that's why young people just don't watch t.v. anymore if they want news they go online and read it but we're trying to take those stories that people actually care about and transfer them back to t.v. . a lot of everyone suffering in the recession there's one industry that's sex toys they don't toy industry in america is doing its part and stimulating the economy in tough times christine for our reports. it's waterproof it's battery operated it has multiple patterns of vibration they are pleasure tools with power so it's sort of like several toys in one and it turns out these toys for touching are actually untouchable there's three. three areas of the economy that tend to do ok in

a recession alcohol makeup and sex toys. and sugar in baltimore maryland owner jack jones is having her best year of sales ever i used to sell like one or two a month maybe three or four now i'm selling like ten a week there is a little tiny ball inside this ball sails of these luna balls thanks in part to the new york times best seller fifty shades of grey but she says sales of just about everything are up this is a trend that's happening all around the world and it's not just brick and mortar stores sales of sex toys online have never been better and it's bringing about new inventions and innovations sex toys have become a seven billion dollar a year industry worldwide and are set to bring in a fifty two billion in annual business by the year two thousand and twenty at jimmy jane dot com another thriving business it's not hard to tell the man behind the company has

a background in electrical engineering and industrial design so form six is unique in that it is completely waterproof and are chargeable its c.e.o. and founder ethan bowden says he's hoping to be the steve jobs of the sex toy industry products that are really designed for extreme of stimulation for clutter of stimulation are very popular this one takes the to the next level so what's taken the industry to the next level as the economy plunged more people are staying home to and sort of an investment write something to do at home something people have been doing at home for more than a century this vibrator is from around one nine hundred fourteen the vibrator actually just the fifth electric device to get a u.s. patent it's invention. back in the late eighteenth hundreds is the subject of the new movie hysteria. calling for the first think of something quick second that's what he was today you

don't have to ask for that if the new trojan vibrating trace for your message was out there everywhere from drug store shelves to t.v. commercials so much better at all blow your hair back from taboo to trendy from novelty to necessity it's undeniable the sex toy industry is now producing gratifying profits as well as pleasure. christine for example r t well clearly tough times are preventing people from having a good time with each other and themselves to talk more about the sex industry that continues to charge in the economy sherri williams owner founder of pleasures sherry thanks for joining me today so why is it that this industry is booming despite this economic downturn well i think like well a senator earlier. who are college things again is because a better investment to purchase toys that you can use at all which is one reason

why of course you know we do very well in a down economic time. you know. what can be more fun you think you can go out have dinner. maybe have a few drinks but who are you taking new toy home and play with it. is it does i think more are attractive an option so it's a way to save money and find the fun things to do at home with your partner sharing your you own a store in alabama but there is talk more about this ban on sex toys and how it is you guys are operating there. well gosh back in nineteen ninety eight believe it or not they banned the sale of adult toys and i sued the state with the help of the seal you and for nine years we went back and forth filing briefs and you know getting appeals and finally we ran out of appeals who went to

the supreme court twice we asked them to hear it they will hear it so the bottom line was that said i'll stop selling toys when you cry them from my cold dead hands because i refuse to bow down to any of this i think lou christie is alabama's the only state i believe left in the nation then actually banned him so there is no longer a community standard. they can prosecute on. when you think of it you know how are you to say toys are immoral but only in alabama so and so do people come in with the doctor's notes how does that actually work and now we provide a questionnaire so that you can establish that you're purchasing these or any a medical reason because you can't purchase them for a moral reasons here in alabama and how do you volunteered to have

a drive through i've never actually been to a sex store where the drive through or window tell me how that evolved. well honestly i purchased this fabulous bank building which happens to be located right next door to mcdonald's and wendy's an arby's and they all have our stories and i'll be appropriate for an adult store drops are saying instead of getting your own happy meal you can get a quickie neal. what's your best seller sherry. well it depends on what price range. i guess you say overall the most. cost efficient. people part as here would be the vibrating bullet cheri i'm from san francisco and i'm used to naked men walking around in the castro district i mean the folsom street fair where you have bondage in and blowjobs

hopping on floats i mean why do you think it's so so it is a little interesting for me to hear that there is a state that actually has this much sexual repression why do you think this is in alabama. well i have to say they are starting to come around believe it or not the sit in on fallon bama is monitoring a gay pride parade this sunday and pleasures will be in it of course was a float depicts a bedroom scene of course and so they are actually starting to embrace it i must say and i donate lots of gift baskets to church charities and things like that that are of course you know not as not as we would like them to be but out so i i can say that there are trying to come around to the to the most recent trends and times. they are still quite a ways away there are so there are still some men that come in and shop for the

women waiting in the car. while i go to the leads me to rex question is it seems like a lot of women are scared to even admit that they masturbate or talk about these things than for males that so it's just like you know common plays the they do that but women are somehow are more timid why do you think this is why i think more so in the south because there are just so many more churches in there so to a bigger church influence so you're taught at very early ages to assess thoughts and feelings. in those dominated areas but like you say san francisco even though there may be a lot of churches as a community overall it's more acceptable to speak of such things so i think it has to do with demographics to some degree as to why that is why some women still feel like they can't speak about certain things but you know television and i and

the cable channels are helping to change as well so we're also i mean looking at pop culture. though in the entertainment industry it seems that we're sold sex at every corner billboards advertisements everything yet when you look at something like i was watching the movie braveheart and people's butts were blurred out but then you can see someone's skull being bashed in iraq and that somehow find i mean it just seems like there is some sort of sexual repression still where we're sold it but we're not really allowed to see it or talk about it is it just the titillating aspect of they just know what you know penetrates our deep psyche and then we can't talk about it but we all want to. there's a lot of times to that issue i imagine of course sex sells everything i believe and and violence is sadly more acceptable than sex is on television. you know which one

is much more natural obviously sex is more natural than violence like you say it is it more acceptable on television and i i couldn't tell you why honestly i did my best to promote into the communities i mean i pleasure sponsors baseball you know major baseball teams and and big city events and you know my name's on billboards i'm at the busiest intersection in the city i'm a sex store that's unheard of typically i've been able to cross those boundaries by becoming really involved as a community so i just think that it is very interesting to share and unfortunately we're out of time thank you so much for coming on that was sherri williams owner and founder of pleasures now does it for now for more on the stories we cover go to you tube dot com slash r t america we're checking our web site or to dot com slash usa also follow me on twitter abby martin we'll see you back here in a half hour.