The World According to Esquire

Man Up Already Democrats

2009-08-17T19:10:00.001-04:00

I am having a hard time concentrating on my work today. I am trying to stop reading this stuff, by I can't pull away.

The war on healthcare is still well under way. But, surprisingly, my soldiers in the fight appear to be backing down and waffling.

And that has had me pretty much pissed off all damn morning.

I just am not understanding the Democrats at all. You fought so hard for a majority. Now, you have it and instead of pushing through the agenda, you are waffling at every damn term. Nothing illustrates this more than the current healthcare debacle....i mean debate.

First off, whose absurd idea was it to run these Town Hall meetings anyway? Especially the ones not being conducted by Obama. It is painfully obvious that most of the senators just are not equipped to handle this topic. Beyond that, the entire concept of a town hall for this subject matter was a bad idea from the beginning. You are practically being for these people to come out of the woodwork and yell at the top of their lungs about things that are not true. Mission accomplished.

And I am extremely disappointed by the handling of this by the administration. I questioned Obama's team a bit when he put it together, and now I am even more so. The hallmark of Obama's campaign was always knowing what to do and when to do it. The administration appears to be completely on its heels right now. Even if it really isn't, the media is doing a fantastic job of making it appear that way.

Then, this morning I get the final stab in the gut. They are considering doing away with a public option in favor of co-ops. I am trying to find out more information on co-ops, but right now I am firmly with Howard Dean. I don't see how you can have meaningful health care reform without a public option.

Even bigger than that, you would be letting them win. They have completed twisted around what is and is not in the bill, whipped people up into a frenzy, and dominated the health care debate from moment one. By removing the public option, you send the clear signal that those tactics can be used to attack anything you do.

This just doesn't make any sense.

The democrats are trying to play the middle. Most are doing so in fear of losing their next election. Again, this makes zero sense.

Why are you catering to people WHO MORE THAN LIKELY WILL NOT VOTE FOR YOU ANY WAY?

The instant someone yells out WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK, your mind should instantly see the underlying meaning of that statement and understand that they did not and will not vote for you.

SO WHY ARE YOU SELLING OUT YOUR SUPPORTERS TO CATER TO THEM?

For the love of everything, democrats, please grow a pair and get this damn thing done. Stop whining and fight back. Where are your counter-arguments? Where are you guys pointing out all the benefits and plusses of this?

How can you lose an image war with INSURANCE COMPANIES? There are literally hundreds of thousands of people getting ripped by the current system every day. Why I am not being flooded with sob stories every time I turn on my television? I have thought of about 6 while I have been typing this.

Also, how could you let them run away with all this death panel crap? How many people have already died in this country, regardless of age, because the insurance that they were paying for denied them coverage for a surgery or procedure they needed? Again, why aren’t we being overwhelmed with these stories on our TV?

If not now, WAIT! I actually agree with some conservatives on this. Better to wait even another year to get this right, than to push through some bullshit now. If you, for some unexplained reason, can not fight this war now, then circle the wagons and come back later, full force. This is just too important to punt the ball and far to important for the current half assed strategy being enforced.

And, please, PLEASE, do not hold any more freaking town halls unless it will be hosted by Obama.

Crime and Punishment Part 2

2009-08-14T08:01:00.004-04:00

As I write this the talking heads are going crazy discussing Vick's signing by the Eagles. My personal take is that I think its a good spot for Vick. Good organization and McNabb seems to be in his corner. There's also very little pressure for him to contribute immediately. If he and McNabb click and with Dungy already in his corner, I honestly think this could be a great thing for Vick. There's also the angle that Andy Reid has gone through quite a bit with his children. But, I'll have more on all this later on after the official press conference. For now, the callers on Mike and Mike are presenting pretty much the same drivel about him never getting another shot in the pros, blah blah blah. Whatever. Again, Vick has paid a stiff penalty for his crimes. He deserves this second shot.

For now, I'm taking a step back to discuss the other two high profile NFL cases, Donte Stallworth and Plaxico Burress.

Stallworth is actually brief. Although I still am not 100% on Commissioner Goddell, I can't argue with his punishment of Stallworth. If the average person does this, they're still in jail right now and it would be very tough for them to get back working afterward. Hell, for a doctor or lawyer the punishment could be even more severe. This is the case where everyone in America should have been outraged. Drunk driving is a much larger problem in our country than dog fighting both in terms of occurrence and impact.

Then there's Plaxico.

Its tough for me to say anything in his favor because I think what he did (if he actually did shoot himself and there is something else more serious going on) was just so dumb.

Loaded gun in the club.
Safety not on.
Shoot yourself in the leg?

Come on.

But, I have to speak out against the way the NY mayor and DA office has treated this.

Declaring guilt before trial? Check.
Trying case in media? Check.
Ruining jury pool? Check.
Overblown reaction to a crime that only hurt the person involved? I gotta check here too.

I completely understand taking a tough position on crimes and guns. Far too many black men are killed due to gun violence.

But I think that's my problem with this whole thing.

A real thug probably would have been on the streets with this after a few days. I have had a hard time getting stats on this specifically for New York, but I have a hard time seeing someone with no priors getting two years for this.

Plaxico's attorney's tried to get him in for a year for this. That sounds like more than enough here. The push for more time in this case reeks of grandstanding and I think the trial will be a massive waste of public resources.

Meanwhile, real thugs will still be on the streets shooting people and dealing drugs. It just doesn't make sense.

The Fives

2009-08-14T07:58:00.004-04:00

I have been keeping track of my iTunes play counts for a while, and as I figured, the songs I think I like and the songs I actually end up listening to are not always the same.

Anyways, in between ranting about the world I'm going to plug in posts about my top five songs from artists based on the number of times I play them. I'll start out with a handful of the past and present kings of rap and work from there.

Jay-Z
My recent posts on Jay-Z and arguments with others has created the thought that I don't like him. That's not true at all. But, I have to be honest and say that he's not been bringing it like he used to. No one would like to hear a return to glory from Jay-Z as much as me and I'm hoping the Blueprint 3 is that (even though I found D.O.A. to be alright at best).

5. Tie - Hard Knock Life - the one that made him a star / Song Cry - About as real as a song gets for a rap artist. If this list wasn't based on play count, I might have put this one Number One. Everything from the lyrics to the sample are on point.
4. What More Can I Say - title speaks for itself.
3. Girls, Girls, Girls - this is one of my favorite beats and I just felt the whole vibe of this song. The video, while not groundbreaking, really threw it over the top for me.
2. Bring It On - Probably my favorite track on Reasonable Doubt. The beat by Premier was on point and everytime I hear this, I wonder what would have happened if Jay, Jaz, and Sauce Money had kept on rhyming together. The chemistry between the three was incredible. Oh well, time and money have destroyed even the strongest of friendships.
1. Public Service Announcement - The White Albulum Remix - "Well, allow me to reintroduce myself....My name is HOV...Oh, H to the O V.." Not sure if its actually the best song, but its the one I listen to the most. The White Albulum by DJ Kno seemed pretty slept on, but I thought it was the best of the Black Album remix projects.

Nas
I go back and forth over Nas' place in the rap Hall of Fame. His ability is unquestioned, but his inability to truly follow up Illmatic shadowed his whole career in my opinion. But, he’s managed to create plenty of hits over the years. If this was purely on my favorite songs, there's no way The World Is Yours and One Mic wouldn't be on here.

5. Life's A Bitch - Nas and AZ at their best.
4. Ether - If Jay'z Takeover was the Empire Strikes Back then this was the Return of the Jedi. Not many people thought Nas could answer Jay-Z in that battle (even Jigga himself I would imagine). I thought Nas was being underestimated and he more than proved it on this track. Takeover was a good track, but I thought Jay-Z wasted the first verse and delivered a much stronger shot at Prodigy than Nas. "Put it together, I rock ho's, ya'll rock fellas." It was also the first time Jay-Z was called out for his....liberal...use of Biggie's lyrics.
3. Made You Look - Probably my favorite of Nas' more commerical songs
2. NY State of Mind Part 2 - The Premier beat seals the deal on this one.
1. It Ain't Hard to Tell - "Nas' raps should be locked in a cell, It ain't hard to tell." The first song I ever heard from Nas is still the one I listen to the most.

50 Cent
Like Nas, I think 50 also released his best cd first. More known now for beefs, I'm also kind of hoping his next cd is a return to just the music. There is no middle ground on him though. Either you like him or you hate him. But I still think 50 is a better artist than most give him credit for and him and the G-Unit are definitely in constant rotation while I workout. I can't dispute that the beats on most of the songs really take them over the top. I could probably listen to instrumentals of all of them except number one.

5. Ski Mask Way - overlooked song on 50's second cd. I go back and forth over whether the Massacre was really not a good cd or just not nearly as good as Get Rich or Die Trying. It definitely sold a lot, and I guess that's all the mattered to 50 in the end.
4. What Up Gangsta - When this song comes up, my intensity instantly goes up in the gym.
3. If I Can't - Dre just gave 50 some great beats on this one. I really hope Detox comes out before I die.
2. Back Down - Once again, 50 at his best + Dre beat = hit. Probably the final nail in Ja Rule's coffin.
1. G-Unit Anthem - Like Nas, the first song that I heard from G-Unit is still my favorite. Definitely not for the kids, this song is about as violent as it comes...and yeah, i love it.

Next time - Tribe Called Quest, Outkast and Wu-Tang

Crime and Punishment, Part One

2009-08-05T18:34:00.005-04:00

Over the past few weeks, we have been literally bombarded with news and updates on notorious felons Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress. Vick and Burress have been responsible for numerous crimes against the entire world that have resulted in the collapse of society as we know it and there can be no punishment great enough to keep these two guys off the streets and certainly, far away from a football field.

Yes, I am being sarcastic. But if you were a child who couldn't read between the lines and see past what people were telling you, you could easily come to that conclusion.

With Michael Vick, we have a guy who has done more than his fair share of time in jail for what he was convicted of. Yet, when you hear some people talk (particularly about him playing again), you get the feeling that he really hasn't done anything up to this point. There's this prevailing notion that some way, some how, Vick must now now do "something" else to prove he is worthy of being in society.

That is absurd.

First, I just don't think these people really understand the realities of jail. Or at the very least, they don't understand Leavenworth. Nickname the "Hot House" because of poor ventilation, Leavenworth is not the country club prisons that most stars enjoyed.
No, Vick was in the pen. The real pen. For 18 months. With people who did things a lot worse than what he did. The place where they are currently considering sending Gitmo detainees.

People seem to question if Vick has done enough.

What exactly do they think Vick was doing in there for the last year and a half?

No, going to Leavenworth and losing about 150 million is more than enough punishment for damn near anything. The continued anger against him is just over the top. One local radio show questioned when he should be allowed to have a pet again (I'm serious). Some people said never. Others, 5 or 10 years. I could only shake my head.

So we're okay with drunk drivers getting their licenses back and operating automobiles, but Vick getting a dog again at some point is outrageous? As someone who has lost a couple of friends to drunk drivers who presently own vehicles and drive around freely, I just can't understand how people are so lax toward an issue with true impact on humanity but yell from the top of their lungs about another issue that is pretty much only practiced by a small percentage of the population.

Then there's PETA. For an organization so bent on keeping Vick punished, they sure aren't doing a very good job of protesting animals themselves. PETA itself has killed over 17000 animals it "rescued" since 1998 (Newsweek) 95% of the animals it took in 2008 (Center for Consumer Freedom). In 2008, PETA killed 2,124 dogs and only found homes for 7 despite a 32 million dollar budget. You can read more about this and find more documentation at www.petakillsanimals.com. So, the next time someone wants to roll out PETA you've got more than enough facts to combat them with. The Humane Society is no better.

Looking at some of those stats, I can't help but wonder if PETA spent more time and resources coming after Vick than on trying to actually find homes for those animals.

Also, consider that in what is being called the largest dogfighting bust in US history, about 400 dogs were seized. (LA Times) That's still about 1700 short of the amount of dogs PETA killed. No matter what side of the fence you are currently on, it is pretty hard to believe than an organization with the resources of PETA could only save 7 of over 2000 animals.

On the other hand, a whopping 13000 people die every year from drunk driving. ( CBS News ) Keep in mind, that's just the amount of people that actually die. It does not include those who are hurt.

Naturally, this isn't to condone dogfighting. But it is to shed light on the actual problem and some perspective on one of Vick's main attackers. So while there is crusade to keep Vick off NFL sidelines, the 18 players who have been charged with DUI's over the past three years ( Yahoo Sports ), with the notable exception of Donte Stallworth, are flying under the radar. And Stallworth's big punishment? A whopping 24 days in jail.

Stallworth met with the league today so we'll see how his punishment goes. But what about all those other guys? A couple games here and there and they are right back on the field with lil to no fanfare.

I bring all this up to illustrate another point. Goddell is often lauded as some kind of enforcer who is looking to "crack down" on people in the league.

Whatever.

Goddell simply goes after whoever the villain of the week is. There is little punishment toward certain people because there is little media attention surrounding them. When the media rolls on a player (Vick, Pacman, Tank Johnson, Plaxico, etc) Goddell swoops in with a heavy hammer. When there is no media fanfare, there is little punishment from Goddell.

Which all brings me back to Vick.

With Vick, no matter how you fell about him, you have a guy who actually faced a stiff penalty for his actions. He has suffered plenty. He deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself and play football again.

I'll give my thoughts on Plaxico in Part II.

Excuses, Excuses

2009-07-28T19:14:00.004-04:00

Realizing that I am quickly squandering all the wonderful weight loss and health improvements I've made over the last year (why oh why does it take a month to lose 10 pounds but only a couple of trips to McDonalds to gain it? It's just not fair God!), I finally returned to the gym the other day to continue my quest to get back down to my undergrad college weight.

The scale told me that instead of being 20 pounds from that goal I am now 29 pounds from that goal (just...not....fair), so I laced up the gym shoes and proceeded to the instruments of doom (treadmill, stairmaster, elliptical, bike, etc...).

Although I hadn't worked in about 3 weeks, I only kinda sucked and did not totally sucked. I'm pretty sure I can wipe off that pouns I've gained pretty quickly and be back on track before the middle of next week. So naturally, I felt pretty decent about myself.

Until, of course, THAT GUY, came along.

You know THAT GUY. The one who knows everything but actually knows nothing at all. The one who doesn't do _______(fill in activity) because of _________(fill in excuse). And best of all, he loves to freaking tell you about it.

Normally, THAT GUY doesn't bother me much. He's basically been telling me stupid shit since I was a kid. But every now and then he catches you off guard and you have to stop and put him in his place.

So what happened?

Well, I'm exiting the gym and THAT GUY sees my workout bag and asks me if I work out at the gym. I guess that fact that he just saw me walking out of the gym was not good enough confirmation so he needed to ask me to be sure. Then he says something that just set me off at that particular moment.

"Yeah, I used to workout but, you know, I don't have all those self esteem problems. I'm happy with how i look so I don't worry about it. Its just not worth it."

Normally I'm able to catch myself before I go into complete nigga mode on someone but today, maybe because I was tired, my first thought got through.

"Well, its great you have high self esteem, but you should be working out because you're getting pretty fat."

He looked back at me like what. I thought about cleaning that up, but decided to just go for broke. I told him, no offense, but working out isn't just about having low self esteem. Ask anyone and they'll tell you I am a pretty cocky son of a bitch when I wanna be. But that doesn't stop me from recognizing that I've gained a lot of weight over the last few years and I need to go ahead and lose it before it gets any worse. It also doesn't stop me from recognizing that obseity is growing problem in the black community that needs to be addressed now. That gut bulging over your pants is not a good thing at all man.

Naturally, he was on the defensive and began to rattle on about how he has been big all his life and he doesn't think that spending all the time in the gym is worth it.

I fired back that I know people who have been alcoholics for years who have decided to quit. Should they just keep going on too? Also, what is it and if taking care of yourself and preserving your own life isn't worth "it" then just what the hell is?

Then, in full retreat, he says I didn't expect you to go all "lawyer" on me. I just think all that working out is bullshit and you're not going to lose any more weight anyway.

I smiled and said well we'll see how much weight I lose, but luckily I've still got my handsome face to fall back on. Then I walked off.

I've seen him a couple more times, but he hasn't spoken to me. Think the "friendship" is over.

But seriously, two things here.

First off, enough with the nonsense that someone who works out or wants to be in shape has some kind of problem. Give me a break. Unless they are anorexic, taking steroids, etc, please don't come to me with that garbage. This is a ridiculous thought and is really just another way to escape the very real possibility that you might not need to skip McDonald's and hit the treadmill. The reality is that black people die at exhorbitant rates from diseases that are highly preventable and most of that is because we are obese. Happy or not, if you are overweight, you would be wise to try and do something about it. Even if you don't end up looking like a fitness model, even a relatively small weight loss like 10 to 15 pounds and daily exercise can have enormous health benefits.

Second, if you see someone trying to workout, how about you just shut up and leave them alone if you don't have anything positive to say? Seriously, save the excuses and dime store psychology.

End rant.

What the Game's Been Missing

2009-07-25T19:00:00.006-04:00

During a stroll down memory lane with BlackInk we touched on the current crop of new rappers and the relative absence of NY from the hip hop scene. But, I think my thoughts are a bit different from where it seemed like I was going in my comments.

Seems like every time you look up someone is declaring hip hop dead or on life support and going on & on about how good hip hop used to be. While I do miss the variety hip hop used to offer, I'm not sold that it is dead or dieing.

Nah, I don't think the popularity of "Stanky Leg" or "Ice Cream Paint Job" has as much to do with people wanting dumbed down music as it does something way simpler.

I think the kids just want to listen something new.

I thought about that while listening to the radio the other day. Everyone was going on and on about Jay-Z's new album and the apparent "Death of Autotune". The death of autotune came as a shock to me as at least 5 of the previously played songs all featured autotune.

And to be perfectly honest, I'd much rather listen to some of those autotune songs than D.O.A. The track just didn't really move me at all nor has much of the other stuff I've heard pumping from the East Coast these days. Then the DJS hit us with some Drake and Kid Cudi and I was back in a riding mood.

And that's when the thought really hit me. I think I'm just tired of some of these dudes and the kids probably are too.

To the average 15 or 16 year old, D.O.A. is probably the equivalent of some old man on his porch shaking his cane and telling them to knock off all the racket.

I heard a new track by Nas the other day and I couldn't help but think about the fact that I was in high school when I first started bumping Nas. That was like 3 degrees and a bar exam ago. Nothing against him or Jigga or any of the East Coast vets, but the next time one of them decides to jump in there soapbox and complain about the fall of hip hop, maybe they should look in the mirror.

I mean, where are all the new east coast artists? What happened to Saigon, Papoose, Red Cafe, Joel Ortiz, Tru Life, etc, etc, etc. Why did we not get an real album from ANY of those rappers?

Sure, its easy to just jump up and declare that something is wrong with hip hop, but the reality is that there are artists pushing the envelope like Drake, Cudi, Kanye, Wayne, etc. They may not be from NY, but they're cd's have delivered the goods.

If you want to "fix" hip hop, how about you do something really crazy like...I don't know...make really good music? You know like you guys all used to do.

NY had an incredible stretch back in days with everyone from Nas to Biggie to the Wu-Tang dropping cds. Now, promising artists pop up on mixtapes then fade away before they can even release a cd.

That's got to change.

Stop hogging the spotlight and complaining about the state of the music and start developing some of the talent you have out there.

Twice as Good

2009-07-24T07:28:00.003-04:00

So, Bush gets 8 years to run the world in the shitter and Obama gets not even 8 months to fix it? Yeah, that sounds about right.

As a kid my grandparents always told me that familiar saying that to be successful as a black person you had to be at least twice as good.

For Obama, that's more like 100 times as good.

I won't lie, the numbers being run up by the current administration are eye popping and I haven't exactly been thrilled with how we have handled a lot of the banks.

But, I'm still not ready to shovel dirt on Obama. From minute one, I think most of us knew this wasn't going to be an easy fix. We're in deep folks and its going to take time to turn this thing around. I'm willing to give Obama that time to get things done, but it doesn't look like the rest of the country will.

That's why I think its important for Obama to get as much of his agenda accomplished in his first four years as possible. Its going to be very difficult for him to get reelected. Yes, I know it was tough for him to get the job to begin with, but the short memories of the talking heads out there is mind boggling. Obama is taking a lot of heat for problems he inherited. I'm not sure if he will be able to shake that off enough to win again if the Republicans get their heads out of their asses and pick a more moderate candidate instead of someone from the looney bin (see Sarah Palin).

That opinion quickly changes if we start to see a lot more positive ticks in the economy and on the health care front, but for now I think Obama and the Democrats need to just push full steam ahead with their goals.

That's why I am upset with the current waffling with health care. Enough catering to the Republicans on this. They simply will not support it. Let's not forget that Reagan was very much against Medicare calling it.....socialist medicine. Can anyone imagine what things would be like without Medicare?

As someone with a spouse fighting a daily battle against lupus, I'm definitely biased on this issue. We are extremely blessed to have good income and even better insurance. But even for us, the monthly bills are large and definitely have an impact on our daily life. We're pretty much stuck having to go with an employer provided plan, because with anything private we would either a) not be covered because of prior illness or have to wait at least six months for her to be covered and/or b) have to pay a huge amount for coverage.

It's just wrong.

I'm all for other opinions on this issue but so far all we've gotten is the typical Republican BS. It will raise your taxes. It's socialist medicine. Blah Blah Blah.

Ok, fine. You don't think its the best plan. How about you come up with something more reasonable?

The problem the conservatives don't seem to be getting is that so many Americans are struggling to pay their bills right now that the typical person really does give a rat's ass that someone making over 250K is going to have pay more taxes. The only way for them to get back into the game is to come up with sound policies and solutions to problems.

Or borderline racist attacks and rhetoric. Whichever works you know.

In the meantime, the Democrats need to take full advantage of their position and stop being so wishy washy. Unless a Republican idea is truly sound and advances their goals, its time to stop letting them slow down progress.

You wanted the majority. You got it. Now use it.

Obama really seems to be intent on helping people. That's a bigger deal than most think.

One of the greatest problems for the average politician, at least from the view on my couch, is that most of them simply can't understand the problems of the average person. They really have no clue what its like to not be able to afford medicine, pay bills on time or worry about how to put food on the table.

Obama seems to get that and its part of what pushed him into office.

Now, its time to see a bit more anger and a lil less smooth. I have liked his current media blitz and hope he continues to push Congress to get health care reform passed. I'm still not sold on his "team of rivals," but he picked them so its time to get them on the ball.

Obama should be a man on a mission and as I said above, I think he would benefit from an approach that he only has four years to get things done.

4 less years to get ten times as much accomplished as his predecessor? Yeah, that sounds about right.

After all, isn't that pretty much the same situation we all face when we head to work everyday?

Black People Are Never the Victims Part II

2009-07-23T08:09:00.003-04:00

So a man gets arrested in his own for looking "suspicious" to some random white lady and he has no right to be angry about it?

Also, if he thinks, maybe, possibly, that the only reason anyone called the cops on him is because he was black then he is of course needlessly playing the "race card" and should just move on.

Yeah.... How 'bout no on both of those.

First off, once Prof. Gates showed the officer that he did indeed live there, that should have been the end of the whole thing. The officer had no right (repeat NO RIGHT) to remain on his property once it was proven that it was Gates residence. In the police report, the officer clearly states that he believed it was Gates' home. So why did he stick around?

According to the average commenter on the Boston Globe, he wanted to fulfill his duties as a police officer.

As convincing as their comments are, I'm going to roll with my initial thought and that was to "put the uppity nigger in his place."

Back to the police report for a sec, so we're supposed to believe that a Harvard scholar really yelled to the police officer "Yeh, I'll speak to your mama..." Because you know, no matter how much education we get, we can't resist an opportunity to drop a "yo mama" reference into the conversation. Come on folks, if you're going to make stuff up at least get with some current slang. That's as bad as the hey whitey crap with the Obamas.

I would love to link to the report itself, but, for some strange reason, the boston globe has taken the original one down and replaced it with another one! Wonder why?

Also, yelling at an officer who should not be in your house to begin with, is not a crime. So he should not have been arrested.

Beyond those glaring issues, thoughts remain on the woman who called the police and all the wonderful commenters out there accusing Gates of playing the race card.

On the woman, isn't great how someone who doesn't live in a neighborhood can call the cops and get someone who does live in the neighborhood arrested?

On the commenters, is anything racist guys? Anything? Is there something that someone could do that would qualify as being racist and not a misunderstanding or somehow thrown back at the victim. Once upon a time, I would have said that hanging a noose would clearly be racist, but the Jena 6 incident proved that wrong.

Sigh.

So to all the people who keep insisting that they would have called the police regardless of who it was at the door, I simply say
NO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE!

These were two middle-aged men with luggage sprawled about! Why would a criminal try to get in the front door when he could go around the back? What criminal on earth would just sit there banging on a door IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! What criminal would go around the back, unlock the door, take inside HIS LUGGAGE, and then come out front and again try to get the door open. What criminal stands outside in broad daylight with glasses on, slacks and a polo shirt....

You know what, I could go on for days.

No, you wouldn't have called the damn police on anyone. You see black guy, young or old, big or small, educated or thug, and you see criminal. Period.

It reminds me of my criminal law class when we discussed racial profiling. One of my classmates couldn't understand why people didn't just let it go. I asked him how many times he had been stopped, questioned, ticketed, etc by the police. He said twice. I said, you know, the first two times I was questioned by the police, once while riding my bike at age 5 and the other playing basketball at age 8, I let it go too. By the time I was 18 and the number was well into the double digits, I was a lot less hospitable. Having people stop you anytime they feel like, not because you have actually done anything, but to ask you questions about things you haven't done and people you don't know kind of wears on you over the years.

At the very least, I am still relatively young and really expect nothing less out of cops. I can only imagine what it felt like for Gates.

While he has not lost his connection to the community, you have to think the brother felt like he was beyond this sort of thing at this point in his life. Unfortunately, he wasn't and neither are any of the rest of us.

Time to Start Speaking Up

2009-07-12T08:04:00.004-04:00

As I've been watching TV the last few weeks, I've again find myself both saddened and appalled by the behavior of a lot of men in power and influence.

Its not just greed. Its a pretty much wreckless disregard for the feelings and lives of others.

Its also based off a feeling that they could all get away with these things and there would be no consequences.

Nothing is worse than Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign. Having affairs is bad enough, but these two really take the cake.

Sanford with his trips to Argentina while he was supposed to be governing. Ensign giving hush money to the family to cover up his infidelity. Both incidents are just horrid.

Yes, this stance is tougher than my stance on McNair, but I'm getting back to him in a sec.

However, the standard for elected officials is higher than that for athletes. Society slaps higher standards on celebrities and athletes because they make more money, even though we all know full well most of those people are not good role models.

With elected officials, you hold yourself out to be someone of higher character and take on the responsibility of representing groups of people. You are accountable for not just yourself but for an entire state. If you are not ready for that burden, you should not run.

But I can't turn a blind eye to our stars either. As Dwil and the 2 Guys and A Mic discussed a couple of days ago, it seems like guy code rules the day when it comes to athlete behavior. Athletes at times do whatever they want and unfortunately, the results can be tragic.

Its time for this stuff to end.

At the heart of it all, at least to me, is just that men (me included) often feel like we can handle anything. That there is no jam we can't get out of and that we have everything under control.

This is worsened by two other things. First is the fact that we generally don't communicate well. Second is that when we do hear of something, guy code prevails instead of common sense.

While I try to speak up when I feel like a friend is doing something reckless, I generally say my piece and leave it alone. Only with relatives and extremely close friends will I really push the envelope on bad behavior. Beyond that, I know plenty of doctors, lawyers, etc who are quite out in the open about their vices whether it be drugs, alcohol, women or domestic abuse. I would imagine that quite a few of us are in the same boat.

Yet, when these situations inevitably boil over, everyone is stunned.

While the incidents are different, another common thread between Sanford, Ensign, and McNair is that there were people around them who knew what was going on. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if all of them had taken strong stands against their behavior.

I'm not saying that everyone should become a self righteous blowhard, harping on people everytime they sip a beer. But, at the same time, we do need to step up to the plate more often and let people know we find their behavior unacceptable and warn them of the dangers of their conduct.

I can't say you won't lose a friend. But you might just save a life.

Black People Are Never Victims

2009-07-08T21:41:00.005-04:00

Isn't it great how we are never the victims in crimes.

Sleeping around is wrong. Hey, I can even roll with the people who say it tarnishes your rep and makes you a bad person.

It doesn't mean you should be killed.

Steve McNair was murdered folks.

That's wrong, oh, I don't know... 100% of the time.

Just a thought.

I've read a lot of posts attacking McNair and "keeping it real" about his mistakes. The worst was probably written by Jason Whitlock (I wont link to it, but hell, if you found my blog you can definitely find his article). I'm still wrapping my mind around everything that is wrong with the current direction of Whitlock and his writings, but several more capable bloggers have completely ripped him to shreds on both his McNair take and his equally awful rip on Serena Williams.

Enjoy.
Sports on my Mind
The Starting Five
The Black Snob
And The Valley Shook

Breaking News! BET Stinks! Oh. Wait. That's not really news at all....

2009-07-08T20:48:00.005-04:00

The BET Awards was 100% the hot shitty mess I anticipated. In the back of my head, I held out a small bit of hope that they might change things up, scrap the scheduled performances and just do a night of musical tributes to MJ while presenting the awards. Hell, a night of just Ne-Yo covering MJ classics would have even been ok to me.

But, that was just too much.

So we ended up with everything from pre-teen girls to Ving Rhames mumbling some BS about guns.

Pretty much business as usual at BET and the reason why I rarely watch "our" television network anymore.

But, I must say I am surprised by all the outrage about the awards.

Or better yet, I am surprised that people were surprised at how bad the awards were.

Most of my circle had abandoned BET a long time ago. We just got sick of the constant negative portrayals and complete lack of substance.

Now, BET has failed rather spectacularly in front of what was likely a pretty big audience. With a chance to really make a statement and push the network toward something meaningful (or at least fool the rest of the world for one), BET was pretty much business as usual.

Now people are pissed, but I'm just shrugging my shoulders.

BET has been complete shit for years now. So many have poured so much energy into trying to get "our" television station to change its ways and present a better image of us.

That has all resulted in such wonderful programming as The Tiny and Toya show and Frankie & Neffie. When I sit and think about my friends who are struggling to make positive films and shows, but these 4 get their own shows on "our" network, it used to make me angry and sad.

Now, I am just left with more shoulder shrugging.

I guess I'm just tired.

To those who have been fighting the good fight and continue to fight it, much respect.

But to those who just showed up after the BET Awards, I really just want to know where have you been? BET didn't become coon central overnight.

Its been setting new lows for years.

There is nothing I would love more than for us to have a positive TV network discovering talented up and coming artists. Hell, I could easily forgive some rap videos if there were just some balance in the programming.

But, I guess I have just conceded that BET is not and never will be it.

It's long past time to throw our support behind other networks and other avenues to get better black entertainment out there.

Bill O'Reilly Questions Black Support of MJ

2009-07-07T22:47:00.005-04:00

O'Reilly wonders why Black America is rallying behind Michael Jackson, especially given his decision to have children with white women and his complexion issues.

I think he's off base, but I guess I can see where he is coming from. I won't waste energy on the other morons on his show.

Basically, I don't think Michael ever really turned his back on the black community.

First, Jackson was a superstar on a whole 'nother stratosphere. There simply has never been a more popular black entertainer in history. I think Jackson just embraced his fans of all colors and backgrounds. I never really felt like he openly pushed away any of his fans.

Second, and I'm sure many will disagree with this take, but I don't take his selecting white women to birth his children as an outright shunning of the black community either. I guess I am so used to interacial couples and children that it just doesn't much phase me either way. Yes, he could have chosen a black woman, but...well...he didn't. I'm not sure that is an out and out turning his back on the community either.

Last but not least, is his complexion and his alleged surgeries. This is what really seems to give people trouble. Michael always claimed his changing complexion was the result of disease and denied the number of surgeries he had. Of course, the internet is full of allegations and rumors about whether he really had a disease and how many operations he truly had.

What's true and what's not? We will probably never know.

But I don't think it matters. Whether by disease, surgery or a combo of both, Michael's changing appearance never struck me as a turning back on the black community.

More like, trying to fix things his dad convinced him were flaws.

When pressed about the change in his appearance by a reporter, Michael responded that white people spend millions of dollars each year on tanning and no one ever questions it or attacks their whiteness. I couldn't agree more.

Michael and the entire Jackson family have always embraced the black community. Michael's charitable works are literally in the record books. Michael soared to heights most of us didn't think were possible. He was a pioneer in every sense of the word and it will take a lot more than surgery and interacial children to shatter that.

Respect the Dead

2009-07-07T20:53:00.008-04:00

The community has been rocked twice on both ends of the entertainment spectrum with both Michael Jackson and Steve McNair passing away. While McNair was nowhere near the star that Michael Jackson was, his age and the shocking circumstances surrounding his death have left even the most casual sports fan glued to their computer for more information.

Despite the various controversies surrounding both men, the reaction of the general public has been pretty respectful toward both of the deceased.

The media? Well, that's a different story.

No doubt, Michael Jackson has gotten a ton of attention and everyone has an opinion.

Off top, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. I'm really sick of people slapping that "self-proclaimed" qualifier on his King of Pop title. The man had more talent than probably every artist currently on the Billboard charts excluding himself. His music knew no bounds and touched the hearts of people from other countries who could not even understand the words.

But what about the children? Well, say what you will, but although I found his views on children to be disturbing, I don't think Michael did anything sexual with any of the boys. And the disturbing aspects for me was more toward how sad Michael's life must have truly been.

Jackson, at least from the view here on my couch, didn't surround himself with children for sexual reasons. He did it not only because he never had a childhood, but also because the kids were likely the only people in his life who just treated him like a person and not some thing.

While media pundits are quick to add in the whole "self-proclaimed" label to Jackson, its what they leave out that bugs me most. He was never found guilty of anything in a criminal court. Yes, he settled a civil suit, but rich white people do stuff like that literally all the time and no one brings it up anymore.

Jackson, for all his talents, was a very also a man deeply hurt by both the stardom he achieved starting from his childhood and the harsh treatment by his father. Go back and listen to him talk about people staring at him as he walked in stores and his father ridiculing him because his nose was "too big." It is really no wonder that the man had wrestled with so many issues.

Some of my circle are quick to jump on me and say "what if it was my child?" Well, that's a real easy one.

My kid would not have been over there without me present and maybe not even then. Period.

As for Steve McNair, this one really hit me off guard. It has been very hard for me to really formulate thoughts on this one as I wrestling with the guy I idolized in college and the mistake that cost him his life.

I remember seeing McNair play in college as I also attended a school in the SWAC. I had never seen a guy play like that and I'm not sure if I have seen anyone else display that kind of ability on the college level. McNair always came across as good, humble guy. He was beloved in Mississippi and had a large presence in the community.

He was also, apparently, an adulterer.

McNair was apparently carrying on a relationship with a girl almost half his age and it looks like that mistake cost him his life. For everyone who tries to take the high road and simply choose to remember the good things about McNair, there are others who insist that this transgression tarnishes his legacy, blah, blah, blah...

I guess.

Look, McNair was not the first nor the last man to go out and date a younger woman. I literally can not name all the politicians who have been caught in the middle of the same scandals.

I say this not to minimize adultery. McNair was wrong and I think everyone knows that.

But, the man appears to have paid for his mistake with his life. His sons will be fatherless. His wife appears to be completed blindsided and stunned. The family of the young lady seems to be equally shocked. All these people now have to pick up the pieces and try to move on with their lives.

I think that that is more than enough of a price to pay for making a mistake. There is really just no need to pile on here. If this event changed your opinion of McNair, and it probably did, that is pretty understandable. However, I can do without people jumping up and spitting out some self-righteous bullshit. Again, there are just far too many examples of people being exposed for taking the moral high ground on an issue that they were also failing to live up to.

Respect the dead folks.

Back on the block....

2009-07-07T20:50:00.002-04:00

Wow. The last few months have really been a blur. Between work and traveling there was just no time for me to write. But, with the 4th behind me and things settling down at work a bit, its time for me to start back rambling...

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T11:46:00.001-04:00

The Playoffs

2009-05-01T10:34:00.006-04:00

Its still the first round, but this years NBA playoffs has been pretty damn awesome so far. I can not remember the last time I was this interested in pretty much every series that was going on. Everything just seems...different.

I thought it was just in my head until I came across this post by the crew at The Starting Five. This really does seem to be leading up to a pretty special playoffs.

On the surface, it seems like there is just more passion and hustle out there. I always hate it when people make those kinds of statements because I think, for the most part, that players always play hard. But this playoffs, its almost like every team (except the Hornets and Pistons), really feels like they could win and are really leaving it all out on the floor.

So is it because guys are playing harder?

I say no. I think a lot of these younger teams have just grown up. Players have been in the league for a few years and now really understand what it takes to win. Guys like Ben Gordon, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Andrew Bynum, etc, etc have really come into their own this year.

Add that to some exciting rookies and second year guys and vets showing that still got it (Billups is on fire in Denver and I'm loving Artest with the Rockets) and the overall level of play across the league has improved and we're seeing it this playoffs.

We'll see if the playoffs can keep this early momentum, but its definitely been great so far.

The Freedom of Marriage

2009-04-29T00:17:00.001-04:00

It seems every Friday or Saturday I get a series of phone calls from my friends asking me what I am doing that day. My answers usually range from watching the game to laundry to errands, etc. They're looking for something more in the way of "I'm going to Club fill in the blank." From time to time I succumb to peer pressure and head out to a "fun" night of clubbing only to realize about an hour or so into it that I have absolutely no desire to be out at all.

Pretty soon, I'm standing around making idle conversation with randoms and pretty much on a full countdown until its time to leave. This is pretty much by the usual comments of me "not being fun anymore" blah blah blah. My reply is that its not that I'm not fun anymore, but that I am now an adult and my view of what is and is not fun is radically different from what it was 10 years ago.

In other words, I'm too old for this shit.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not that old (31), but I am married. I also went to Southern University and anyone who went to an HBCU will probably agree with the feeling that they partied enough the first couple of years to last a lifetime (and they probably also send a quick thanks to God that they actually withstood all that and graduated). The thought of going out to Club X and staying their all night just doesn't hold the same sway that it did when I first unpacked my stuff in my dorm room on the yard.

This line of reasoning is often met by a round of "marriage has changed you" arguments from the crew. Marriage has no doubt changed me. But my boys are implying that I am not as free as I used to be. That marriage is restricting me from doing things that are fun.

I beg to differ.

Their mindset is not uncommon. When people think of marriage today, the first thought on their minds seems to be how restricting it is. I look at things from the other direction. While marriage may limit you from being able to date a bunch of people, it does something (or at least it should do something) that's even greater than that.

It frees you to be you.

Maxwell - Pretty Wings

2009-04-29T00:03:00.003-04:00

After a LLLOONNNNGGG hiatus, Maxwell returns. Seems to be picking up right where he left off.

Saints Draft Recap

2009-04-27T19:42:00.004-04:00

There is nothing more worthless than trying to grade a draft. There is just no way of knowing how a player will pan out. There are so many variables both on and off the field that affect how a college player reacts to being in the NFL. Why so many people spend so much time obsessing over this every year is beyond me.

So, without further adieu, here is my opinion of the Saints draft..

1st Round - Malcolm Jenkins.
Honestly, if the Saints hadn't picked him here, I think my conversion to one of the DC/Baltimore NFL teams would have been pretty much a done deal. While some question his speed, there's really no doubt that Jenkins is a ball player. He was the best corner in the draft and the Saints needed a corner.

Sounds simple enough, but rumors floated in that the Saints were considering taking a running back. While for most teams this would be an easily dismissed rumor, with the Saints history of stellar draft moves, such a completely dumb ass move could not be taken for granted. I got no problem with Wells, but the Saints offense is not the problem. I'd love to have a premier running back, but the combo of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas worked pretty well last season. I also think Thomas has a ton of potential especially in our offense.

No, grabbing a running back with our first pick when we desperately need help in the secondary would have been silly. I could have easily forgiven picking up an inside linebacker or even another defensive tackle to pair with Ellis, but a RB would have been unforgivable.
So back to the actual pick. Again, Jenkins was the best corner in the draft, but teams waffled because of slow times at the combine. Why teams throw out four years of production for one day at a combine is also beyond me. But, if it weren't for the slow time, there is no doubt he would have gone earlier and the Saints couldn't have grabbed him. Everyone else's loss is our gain.

2nd & 3rd round - The Saints traded their picks for Jonathan Vilma and Jeremy Shockey. While Shockey's been injured, I think these were good deals especially Vilma. These three guys alone make me feel like the Saints draft should be an A or a B. Getting a guy as good as Jenkins along with a couple of Pro-Bowlers at their respective position is a pretty good draft in my eyes. Hopefully Shockey can stay on the field this season.

4th round - Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux
It's tough for me to get too worked up on second day picks. Sure, great players are to be had, but I can honestly forgive a team for missing on one of these picks. With that said, I think the Saints got two solid prospects in Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux. The film on Chip Vaughn looks solid. He's definitley not afraid to lay a hit on someone. With him and Jenkins, our secondary will look a lot better the next few years.

Arnoux was a bit of a head scratcher at first, but from everything I can gather, he is a good prospect. His coach seemed to think he was just as good as first rounder Curry. We will see if that holds true, but it shouldn't be too hard to knock Scott Shanle to the bench.

5th round - Thomas Morstead
Now this one was just bizarre. Sure, it looks like this guy is a good punter, but moving up to grab him just seemed strange. I have to believe there is someone out there they could have gotten without having to move up. Still, with the difficulties our kicking game has had, I can see us trying to get a good punter. Just strange for a team to trade up to get him.

So overall, with the inclusion of Vilma and Shockey, I give Saints a B+ for the draft. We'll see how well that holds up over the next season.

Love and Marriage

2009-04-26T21:01:00.002-04:00

Last week another man killed his family and then killed himself. Beyond the sadness of these events, I naturally found myself wondering why these men chose to do this.

And even more, I wondered if they sought help or counsel when things started going south? And if they didn't why not?

In relationships, I think its easy for guys to fall even further into the trap of not talking about things. Right or wrong, being able to provide for and take care of your family is a huge part of being the guy in the relationship. I can definitely understand how the inability to do that could have a negative effect on a guy's self esteem and lead down a road to depression.

But being a good mate isn't just about paying bills and buying stuff. The other side of the coin in being a good husband or boyfriend is taking care of yourself, mentally and physically. Too many of us are lax on both of those, especially the mental part.

No matter how tough people are, the simple act of sitting down, picking up a phone and telling someone about your problems is difficult and almost impossible for some. I definitely have trouble talking about things sometimes.

However, when it gets to the point where violence toward your family is floating through your head, its time to drop the BS and go get help.

And that's not just in the extreme, unfortunate cases of these men and their families. Its also for the physical and verbal abusers out there. There is just no reason to sit and allow yourself to go down a dark road mentally. You owe to your family and yourself to go and get help.

Let The Rail Revolution Begin

2009-04-16T21:01:00.001-04:00

Obama shed some more light on his vision of high speed rail transit for America. Like most of the country, I'm all for this. And yeah, I've got questions on how in the world we will pay for this, but it's still an important step for this country.

But there were a few other thoughts on my mind too. First is how big this could be for Obama's legacy. If he pulls this off where so many have failed, it would easily be a highlight for his administration.

But the other thoughts come from my inner conspiracy nut. High speed rail makes a lot of sense to pretty much everyone. Most people want it and a lot of politicians and groups have tried to get it going.

They've all failed miserably.

Closest we've got is the Acela Express up here in DC and considering its only 10 to 20 minutes faster than the other trains running up here it is pretty much a rip off.

So, my thought is really just why haven't we been able to get this thing going?

Most will say just bad leadership, but part me thinks it has to be more than that. I think there had to be something pushing against high speed rail and that something was Big Oil, the Big Three, and the Airlines (or their lobbyists to be more specific).

And if I'm even partially right, that makes this the best time ever to go after high speed rail. Those factions could not possibly be weaker than they are now. Americans see the need for additional modes of travel more now than ever. Hopefully Obama can get this done.

The last thought is just basically how many battles can Obama fight at once. He's simultaneously taking on all comers at home and abroad and we haven't even started working on health care yet. Sure, if he can only accomplish a few of his broader goals he'll have done a lot for this country. But I hope he doesn't end up being spread too thin.

If that were the case he could end up not getting anything accomplished.

If there is one chink in his armor right now its that I'm not as sold on some of his staff choices as I at least tried to be initially. I still like his broad vision, but a coach can only do so much. He's got to have the players on the court that can execute his gameplan. Let's hope he really has picked the right people for the job.

The Play Count Never Lies

2009-04-15T19:56:00.001-04:00

As I continue to examine the play counts of songs on my ipod and home computer, I'm starting to realize there is a bit of a disconnect between what I think I like to listen to and what I am actually listening to.

The first explanation for this is pretty easy. What I listen to when I work out and what I listen to at pretty much any other time is vastly different. Given that working out is the main time i listen to the Ipod, I think those play counts kind of throw the other numbers out of wack a bit. So, I'm going to take them out and look at them on their own. With that in mind, I present my top 25 workout songs according to how often I listen to them.

Saliva - Doom aka MF Doom aka Viktor Vaughn
Fakin Jax - I.N.I.
Stand and Fire - M.O.P
For Heavenz Sake - Wu Tang Clan
Shut Em Down - Public Enemy (Pete Rock Remix)
Wipe Me Down - Lil Boosie, Webbie, Foxx
Hip Hop Drunkies - The Liks
Cash Money Is An Army - BG
Brooklyn Zoo - Ol Dirty Bastard
Where My Homiez - Il Al Scratch
Do Ya Thug Thang - Max Minelli
Kick In The Door - Notorious B.I.G.
NY State of Mind Pt. 2 - Nas
Diamonds Remix - Slim Thug
Back Down - 50 Cent
I'm a Beast - Lil Wayne
You Can't See Me - Tupac
Where The Party At - E-40
We Got Your Money - The Lox
Rock co. Cane flow - De La Soul
Still Ridin Dirty - UGK
G-Unit in The House - G-Unit
Beasts From The East - Lost Boyz
Dipset Anthem - Dipset
Allustrious - Mobb Deep

Of the first five, I probably would have guessed that Shut Em Down would be number one because its one of my favorite tracks ever. The Pete Rock beat with all the horns and Chuck's lyrics are just perfect on that track. But, I can see how I would end listening to the other ones more, especially during a workout. I've wrote about Saliva and For Heavenz Sake before. But Fakin Jax kind of surprised me just because the beat is a bit more mellow (but still fire) than the other songs on this list. Stand and Fire is pretty much M.O.P. at their best.

My Louisiana brethren (Boosie, BG, Max Minelli, Wayne) nabbed several spots. Again, I'm surprised Wipe Me Down ended up so high, but that beat definitely gets me amped up during a workout.

Hip Hop Drunkies is a pretty big surprise. Like that song, but I would never have guessed I actually listen to it that much.

Beasts From The East is another one. I would definitely have thought I listened to that one more. Canibus' verse on there is one of my favorite of all time.

Other than that, I'm not sure there are many other tracks that I would move around. The bigger thought on my mind is that I really can't remember when I put what song on my ipod. So if a song has been on the ipod longer, it could definitely end up with a higher play count than something I like better. So, I actually think I will reset my play counts and just see what I end up listening to over the next couple of months and then putting up another post.

Grown Folk Music....

2009-04-14T20:50:00.002-04:00

Slowly working my way back into the regular posting game. Just had too much real life stuff going on for the last few weeks to keep up with my blogging.

But, alas, things are finally settling a bit and I'm able to spend more time doing my favorite brand of therapy...writing.

Which brings me to today's post. Both Avery and Blackink turned in nice lists of Grown and Sexy / R&B tracks. I honestly can't quibble with any of their picks, but my own similar list looks way different.

Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson
Wait For Love - Luther Vandross
One Hundred Ways - Quincy Jones & James Ingram
Inside My Love - Minnie Ripperton
All Your Love - Raphael Saadiq
Voyage to Atlantis - Isley Brothers
You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles
Two Occasions - Babyface
Faithfully - Journey
If You Were Here Tonight - Alexander O'Neal
Take It To Heart - Michael McDonald
Dear Lover - Teena Marie
Softly, Softly - Maxwell
Can I Touch You - 112
I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
Piece of My Love - Guy

I would tinker with this list, but my IPOD play count doesn't lie. So the first glaring inclusion is probably Faithfully by Journey. All I can say is that song hits close to home on a number of levels. Even though I'm not a musician, I'm on the road a lot and I just like that track. I don't care what anyone says, Steve Perry could blow.

As for the rest, I could listen to Quiet Storm, Wait For Love, One Hundred Ways and Inside My Love on repeat all day and probably not get sick of them.

There are a ton of Tony Toni Tone songs I could have thrown in here, by my IPOD says I like All Your Love the best.

Voyage to Altantis might be my favorite Isley song and that's saying something. This one doesn't seem to get as much love as other tracks in their catalog, but it's definitely my favorite.

You Don't Know Me is one of those songs that just takes me to another place. Ray was a genius, plain and simple. The next few songs are just some of my faves by those particular artists. Not much commentary on those.

But Softly Softly might be the track where I really just up and realized that Maxwell could really really blow. Yeah, I liked him and knew he could sing. But he just seemed to really cut loose on that one.

I feel another post coming about 112. I'm honestly debating if these guys aren't the most underrated group of our time. Yes, they've sold records and have a ton of hit songs. But I'm not sure if people really give these guys their due skills wise. Their first cd is easily one of the best R&B cds of their time. This track is just one of the standouts.

I listen to Whitney sing sometimes and I can't help but shake my head. How could this voice end up where it is now? Whitney's voice is just unreal.

You Don't Say

2009-04-11T12:27:00.001-04:00

The last couple of weeks have presented a handful of stories that just make me shake my head in disbelief.

First up is ASU as it stiffs Obama on an honorary degree. The university really seems to be caught off guard by the backlash they have received over this. It is in moments like this that I really wonder what exactly it is that some people do to con their way into positions of leadership. Can anyone with a brain really be surprised that their would be a negative response to this? What were they thinking? A Harvard Law Grad who just happens to be the first black president isn't worthy of an honorary degree from ASU? Yeah, nothing controversial about that at all.

Next is the family that just won't go away, the Palins. Or more specifically, the now outcast father of Bristol's child, Levi. Seems that maybe things weren't as rosy as the campaign lead us to believe. Or tried to make us believe. I honestly feel a bit of sympathy for Levi. It was obvious from the jump that he was being drug into something he wasn't close to being ready for. I also feel sympathy for the child, who may be deprived of a good relationship with his father. And to think, this could have all been avoided if Palin had simply said no when called by John McCain.

Last up are the pirates. Pirates. It really was hard for my mind to really process and take this seriously at first until you I started hearing about the hostages. The whole thing is crazy and my prayers go out to the people and their families. But, I also have to wonder how long these kinds of incidents have fone on and for how long. I'm also puzzled and a bit frightened by the fact that our military can't just swoop in and take these guys out. Yes, I realize this is not the movies, but sometimes its easy to get lulled into a false sense of security about the military might of our country and the ease of which we can get out of tricky situations. I have no doubt in the honor and integrity of our soldiers and know that the situation will be resolved, but it is a bit unsettling to think that something like this can happen during this day and age.

Catching Up

2009-03-08T09:47:00.001-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been crazy, but I'm still here. To catch up on what I've missed rambling on, I'm going to blatantly steal the format of False Hustle and break things down countdown style.

1. I must admit, I agree with the sentiment of this Saturday Night Live skit on a lot of levels. As I stated in another post, I'm all for Obama reaching across the aisles and I don't think he can just sit back and let all these companies go under.

But there is a limit.

How many dollars do we hand to these companies before we just let them go ahead and die? Everyone warns of the dire consequences of letting these big banks and insurance companies go over, but one has to start wondering a couple of things. First is how much worse it can get. Second is even if it gets worse, maybe that's necessary to really get things back on track. So far, it looks like the government is putting very expensive band-aids to patch up severed limbs. Maybe we need to sterilize these wounds and just move on.

2. Rihanna may be back with Chris Brown? They could be getting married? They are currently kicking it at one of Puffy's mansions?

Oh boy.

You know, I temper everything with the obligatory disclaimer that they are just kids. But once you take a glance at the official police report (Illseed it's really tough to have even an ounce of sympathy toward Chris Brown. In fact, if Rihanna were my daughter/sister/friend I'm not so sure Chris wouldn't be in a hospital somewhere nursing his own injuries. Not to condone violence, but I understand why reports stated that Jay-Z was furious. That shit was just unacceptable.

To Rihanna, all I can say from my small corner of the web is "For the love of God, get away from this dude." Parents, friends, inner circle, handlers, everyone needs to step in and get her away from him.

Period.

The only reason dude is doing this is because he realizes just how much he is about to lose. The only way for him to soften this is for Rihanna to take him back.

No one should be supporting that especially when the brother hasn't had some kind of counseling yet. Why Diddy is involved in this, I have no clue.

All I can do is plead with black America - DO NOT GIVE THIS BROTHER A PASS! Read that police report and imagine that was any black woman you care about.

Harsh? Maybe. But domestic violence, particularly against black woman just runs too rampant in our community. At the very least we should see some acts showing Chris is trying to get himself together before he is embraced by anyone.

I'll leave the last word to the Queen of black America:

3. T.O. to the Bills? - Ugh. Don't like the move for either party, but we'll see what happens. Unlike most, I'm rather indifferent about Owens (I've always thought he just drops too many catchable balls. Imagine his numbers if he had great hands), but I definitely don't like the way the media treats him. Sorry, but there is just too much true venom and hatred for a guy who has never been arrested. No matter how you feel about him, you can't question his work ethic or desire to win. For this guy to not be playing on a team is pretty ridiculous.

Also, the problems in Dallas pretty much started with the exit of Jimmy Johnson. Yeah, they won one with Barry, but Johnson should still be roaming the sidelines of the Big D and everyone knows it.

Also, the next big problem is Romo. He's not clutch at all. Also, TO had a point. Why ARE you throwing the ball to the double covered tight end toward the end of the game when you've got two freaks of nature at the wide-out spots?

Dwil of Sports on My Mind breaks it down in his usual thorough fashion.

4. I'm starting to think we have to support Michael Steele.

No, he's not making it easy. But the fact is that he is the first black person to hold his position. We've gained a lot with Barack Obama, and I'd hate to see this guy ruin it by completely crashing and burning.

He's a hard brother to like. But if he does too badly, it will be decades before we see another black person in that kind of position. He's got to get his shit together and soon.

5. Watchmen. Caught it on Friday afternoon. Actually not bad. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised.

6. Song of the Week - Large Professor - Sizzling, Scorching, Torching, Blazing

How I missed this when it first, dropped, I don't know.

No Privacy

2009-02-22T22:24:00.001-05:00

I, like most of America, took a look at the Rihanna photos. My reaction runs the gamut.

Right off the bat, Chris Brown is done. I had a conversation with some friends about this. Some felt like Chris would get the R. Kelly treatment. I disagree.

At the end of the day, I think Kelly got a pass because the alleged victim and her family weren't interested in pursuing it. While I hate how much sexual abuse is ignored in the black community, there's no denying that the now adult woman's refusal to take apart in the R. Kelly trial affected my thoughts on the whole thing.

With Chris Brown, I just don't see that happening. The photo is just too damaging on a number of levels. While quite a few of us wanted to reserve judgment at first, its obvious the young man has a number of serious problems and needs counseling.

First, its obvious he hit her multiple times that night. Hard. With his fists. I just can't imagine hitting a woman like that, ever, for any reason other than to protect the life of me or a family member. Even then, I wouldn't want to see the pics of the damage I had done. Initially, I think there was some room for Chris on this. Given his age, I think some people could have forgiven him following some counseling had it been only one hit.

But the severity of the hits shows he didn't just have a one time lapse in judgment. I think they provide some proof that he has been hitting her for a while. It's hard for me to believe he would be so bold and repeatedly hit her in public like that if he hadn't struck her before.

In my opinion, that all adds up to a tough road for Chris to climb to get back into the limelight. Or at least it should.

Which kind of brings me to my other thought. Why don't stars get any measure of privacy? One look at the picture and I immediately understood why Rihanna wouldn't want it released.

Imagine getting hit like that. Then imagine a photo of you after getting hit like that being all over the internet.

There has got to be some dividing line between entertainment and privacy. Rihanna should have had the right to release that picture if and when she ever decided she wanted to share it. Whoever leaked it from the police station should be fired immediately. Laws and rules protecting privacy are there for a reason. And celebrity or not, protecting the privacy of a person who is the victim of abuse is one of them. Countless woman don't report incidents for fear of humiliation or some other kind of negative backlash.

This does not help.

When you add in all the comments trying to lay the blame for all this at Rihanna's feet, I've got to wonder how far back this whole thing will set abuse cases.

If a celebrity like Rihanna can't get support, what hope do any of the regular young girls in the neighborhood have?

What's That All About?

2009-02-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

Well, if you have any interest whatsoever in the entertainment world, you have heard something about Chris Brown and Rihanna. Like many, I have been bombarded with information on this incident despite my best attempts to avoid it.

However, one night I heard people calling into the radio station to talk about it. The station was contemplating taking Brown's songs off the air until more was known and put the choice to the callers.

Well, the callers voted an overwhelming no to that one. That's not a big deal in and of itself, but what I couldn't ignore was the overall venom being directed at Rihanna from the callers. Of the 15 or so calls I heard, around 12 were woman and they all attacked Rihanna.

Yes, that's a random sample of people, but I've read a lot of other articles that seem to be reflecting the same attitudes (unless somehow we were all listening to the same station at the same time). There was just this overwhelming sentiment that Rihanna somehow caused this to happen to her.

I honestly can't believe that people are taking this stance.

First, it must be said that no one knows what happened yet. Until the facts come in, there should be no blaming of anyone. No one should be attacking Chris Brown OR Rihanna. You weren't there. You don't know what happened.

Period.

Second, and much bigger, is this blame the victim mentality. It just has to go, especially in our community. Violence and sexual abuse against black girls and adult women often goes unreported and this is the reason why. The anger and fury at Rihanna was insane. One male caller basically came right out and said that sometimes women go too far and are just asking for it. I could not believe my ears.

Unless she is trying to steal your car, break into your house, kidnap your child, etc; men shouldn't hit women. A "heated" argument is no reason to strike a woman. End of story. Woman makes you angry, you walk away and calm your ass down. If you can't stay calm, then just stay away from her period. Abusive relationships don't do anyone any good. If the only way to solve problems in your relationship is violence then its time for both parties to walk away.

I guarantee you Chris Brown now wishes he would have just walked off.

On the other side, those women who jump to the conclusion that another woman was somehow asking for it need to take a long look in the mirror and probably a few hourly sessions with a therapist. It really makes me wonder what is going on in their heads. Do they feel this way about themselves? When they get into arguments, are they, on some level, actually trying to push the guy into hitting them? That is insane to me on a number of levels and anyone who thinks along those lines needs to get help.

Last, the entire community has to stop justifying this kind of behavior. Domestic abuse is a problem in the black community. I am not naive enough to believe it can be completely eliminated, but I do think it could be lessened if we all took a tougher tone on it.

No Video, No crime

2009-02-15T09:01:00.001-05:00

When Oscar Grant was murdered, I wrote a post basically stating that if there wasn't a video of the incident we would never really know what happened and the cop would walk away scott free.
It looks like that is exactly what will happen in the case of Billie Joe Johnson.

A host of other writers have done a great job of writing about this whole incident. I'll link to several of them, but the point can not be missed here.

No video, no crime.

A grand jury came back with a ruling that Johnson's death was accidental. The family doesn't buy it and neither do it. I have no idea of exactly what happened that day, but I find it hard to believe that this kid killed himself. I also don't want to immediately label the cop as a racist with an agenda. The death could very well have been an accident by either party.....

but the whole "suicide" and "accidental shooting" angles reek of bullshit.

All the elements for a tragic ending are there:

Small town in Mississippi - Check
Black star athlete - Check
White girlfriend - Check
Community disapproves of relationship - Check
Incident with a police officer in the middle of the night - Check
No witnesses - Check
Video camera on policeman's car mysteriously doesn't work that day - Check

But, we are supposed to believe that this young man, an experienced hunter, would somehow accidentally shoot himself by picking up his gun for no reason at all after being pulled over by a cop?

Sorry, can't buy that.

There are those who just want to move on from this. Sorry, can't do that either. We spend months being bombarded with news on the missing white girl of the week. I think we can spend a little time on how this brother got killed.

Yahoo Sports
MSNBC
Sports On My Mind

Maybe Its Time To Move On

2009-02-05T06:22:00.001-05:00

Obama is in a tricky spot....as usual. His inspiring words swept him into the White House. The question now becomes, how much does he have to do to live up to them?

It's a tightrope Obama needs to find his balance on quickly. He promised efforts at bi-partisanship and transperancy.

He has done both.

Unfortunately, the early results are less than stellar. Cabinet picks that would have been with little resistence in other administrations are being held up. The stimulus plan is floundering.

There is nothing he can do about the failed appointments. I was glad to see everyone just step down rather than drag things out.

The stimulus is a whole 'nother subject.

At this point, Obama has made more than enough efforts to reach across the aisle. It is time to get this stimulus package on the books and move on to healthcare. Obama has to accept the fact that the GOP simply does not want him to succeed. The future of their party is in flux. Their brand of politics is in danger.

There is no quicker way to turn things around than by notching a few victories over Obama.

I know the President is aware of this but I think he is torn by a legitimate desire to work with both parties. I understand that, but at a certain point you have to adjust your gameplan and move on.

Now is that time. Let's get this stimulus package on the books.

50 Cent - Hip Hop's Greatest Villain?

2009-02-03T09:31:00.001-05:00

50 Cent. Just the mention of the name polarizes hip hop fans. Some would argue he is one of the best. Others would say he can't even rap. I'm torn....as usual.

Like many, I liked 50 and the G-Unit a lot initially, but that has greatly waned. Personally, I feel like 50's debut was so good he couldn't live up to it. Each subsequent album was him trying to find the magic again. I, unlike a lot of others, didn't think his other CDs were bad at all. Just not Get Rich. But I think if most hip hoppers are honest, the problems with 50 have little to do with his music and everything to do with him.

50 constantly seems to be at war with someone and a lot of people got tired of it. It really never bothered me. That's just part of his thing.

It doesn't hurt that he does it pretty well.

50 has battled more crews than I can think of including battles with several better lyricists. Yet, for the most part, he has either prevailed or held his own in every encounter. Some will say that statement gives him too much credit, but I don't think he gets enough for a couple of reasons.

1. He really did destroy Ja Rule. That doesn't seem like a big deal now, but think about how big Rule was at the time. Murder Inc was rolling at full strength during that time and Ja was all over the radio. Given his popularity, he should have been able to easily handle 50. We all know how that turned out.

2. He withstood an attack from Jay-Z. I must admit, I was never clear on who started this one. One thing is sure, Jay was again in the position of power and 50 held his own. There are only a couple of other rappers who can say that.

I highlight those two because they came before 50 blew up. Since then he has had conflicts with damn near every rapper you can think of, but still he manages to take on all comers. His crew isn't as popular as it was, but I honestly think that's more a result of changing times and tastes than a rapper truly besting him. Again pretty remarkable given how much beef he has been in.

As a result, I was pretty stunned that Rick Ross decided to start something with him. Has he never heard the saying "let sleeping dogs lie?". Ross had just gotten over his own controversy. Why start this?

See, 50 is like the Joker of hip hop in my eyes. Always up to something and way smarter than he is given credit for. Most important, there is truly no limit to where he will take a conflict.

Rick Ross wasn't happy with 50 replying to his diss and gave him "48 hours" to come up with something better. So 50 went out, interviewed Ross' "baby mama," took her shopping, dissed his mother, made a cartoon of him, and put it all on YouTube.

Over the top? Yes.
Out of bounds? Yes.
Just plain wrong? Yes.

Classic 50? Absolutely.

I honestly don't know if a lyrical response is even close to being enough to come back from all that. Going and getting the mother of his child is just plain disrespectful. I just have no clue what Ross can do to respond that doesn't involve violence.

The villain strikes again.

Stick With Your Position

2009-02-01T10:09:00.001-05:00

Socialism.

Just the mention of the word riles people up. Few concepts anger people more than socialism....

...unless its for their benefit of course.

This NY Times article highlights the view on Wall Street with respect to their bonuses. To the surprise of noone, they think they are worth every penny and any attempts by Obama to curb their big checks would be.....socialism of course.

And you know what, they may actually have a point. Capping how much people can make reeks of socialism.

Problem is, so do government bailouts.

Wall Street workers feel like they deserve a piece of the pie when they bring in 30 million or so worth of business. Fine by me as long as you take some of the hit when you lose 30 million or so.

Unlike some of my friends, I honestly have no problems with people earning a lot of money in and of itself. That's a part of capitalism. But, don't come on the corner with your change cup when you screw everything up either.

The fact is that when your bank goes belly-up and/or needs 300 billion or so of government help, you have not earned a damn bonus. What could any of those people have possibly done to earn a bonus given the current state of their industry?

Give me a break.
Obama and every taxpayer in America is absolutely right to question bonuses paid out to anyone at a bank that received bailout money. And any one of them who doesn't like that because it is socialist should immediately return the bailout money they received.

Stick with your position folks.

A Blaze of Glory

2009-01-30T19:52:00.002-05:00

I had a good chat today at lunch with one of my new co-workers. The subject was a certain former governor of Illinois and I had to admit something.

That was unbelievable television.

I can't recall seeing a guy so guilty go down swinging so hard. Unreal.

That was going out in an absolute, both guns firing blaze of glory. The speech, the news interview, the kids he was trying to get in the shot (didn't one of them ask him if he play basketball with him?), the message in spanish...

Holy shit. There was just so much going on there.

Blagojevich is on a whole 'nother level of slimeball politician. But, I can't lie, much like a train wreck, I couldn't take my eyes away from the whole thing.

The Next Episode

2009-01-30T19:48:00.000-05:00

Posts have been light over the last week, but for good reason. My new job is in full swing and so far so good. The vibe of the place is definitely better and so are the people. So, at this point, hope definitely springs eternal.

But, even though I don't have as much free time, I definitely want to keep blogging. It will probably be down to 3 to 5 posts a week instead of everyday, but there's just too much going on in the world for me not to come on here and ramble about.

Oscar Grant and The Indirect Gifts of Technology

2009-01-17T13:37:00.002-05:00

To be honest, I wanted an explanation to present itself. I wanted ex-transit officer Johannes Mehserle to have had some reason for shooting Oscar Grant. Something. ANYTHING to justify pulling his gun out and firing the shot that ended that young man's life.

But as we all know, my eyes were seeing quite clearly.

There was nothing wrong with any of the cell phone videos.

The same thoughts flood through my mind every time I watch the video.

A young black man was shot and killed.

A young black man was shot in the back and killed.

A young black man was restrained and lain on his back by police officers and killed.

A young black man was restrained, lain on his back by police officers, and one of the police officers shot him in the back and killed him.

And now, a mother is left without her son and a tired community picks up its burdens once again and heads out to battle. But, as I try to digest this whole thing one thought keeps floating back through my mind.

What if there hadn't been any cell phones around?

Consider these facts

The California Supreme Court has held that displinary and misconduct records of police officers are sealed from media and public scrutiny - See Copley Press, Inc vs. Superior Court
Statements to internal affairs investigators can't be used against a cop in criminal or civil proceedings.
We are all aware that cops stick together and will rarely go across the line to blow the whistle on another officer.

So, there is really very, very little information that the public can discover about police activity on its own. Accordingly, numerous incidents involving the police and public can be easily swept under the rug.

Unless, someone just happens to be recording with their cell phone, digital camera, mini-camcorder, etc.

If it hadn't been for those devices, would we even know about this? Probably not. Sure, there would have still been witnesses, but there were witnesses to the Sean Bell execution....oh sorry..."shooting incident." We all saw how that one ended.

If there was no video, then there would be no shot at justice here. Fortunately, cameras were rolling that horrible night and the cops actions were filmed for all the world to see. The cop's arrest and murder charges were a direct result of that video. The image of him firing that shot into Grant's back is powerful evidence that simply can't be ignored.

I'm normally very skeptical of these kinds of cases. It is very hard to successfully prosecute a police officer. But the videos give me a lot of hope that justice will be done and the officer will be held accountable for murdering Grant.

Quick Hits

2009-01-15T21:53:00.001-05:00

1. Sarah Palin - For the love of everything, will the media please force this woman into the background. Can we at least get, I don't know, a year without having to hear anything about her?

2. Bush's Farewell Speech - "There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there can be little debate about the results," said Bush. Again, just go away man. Go far, far away.

3. Obama's First Senate Win - The Senate has given Obama the green light to tap into the remaining bailout funds. The pressure is on for Obama to turn things around. I'm skeptical that he can do even half as much as is expected of him, but it is beyond critical that he gets off to a good start. This will be the most scrutinized first few months in office ever. On top of that, all the initial efforts to help ease the current economic crisis have pretty much failed. Obama doesn't have to end the crisis in one swoop, but he does need to calm the waters. Wise use of the remaining bailout funds could do just that.

4. US Airways crash - Crazy. Amazing that no one was hurt.

To Hell and Back

2009-01-11T13:16:00.001-05:00

After what seems like forever, I am back in the land of the employed.

My previous employer had been struggling for the past year. Over the last few months the big partners were pulling out left and right and moving on to literally greener pastures. Everyone else was left bracing for the worst.

Some of us got laid off.

Some of us just quit to cut our losses and try to move on.

At the end of the day, the how and why didn't really matter. All that counted was that we were all amongst that growing number of Americans with no jobs. The news on the job front was beyond grim as each month the ranks of the unemployed have grown.

Despite this, I remained optimistic throughout the ordeal. A combination of family, prayer, blogging, sports, and my Xbox 360 kept my spirits high. It was beyond difficult at times. Each potential opportunity seemed to lead to a dead end. Those once rock solid contacts were now just hollow shells.

Then finally, right around new year's, I broke.

What the Hell was I going to do?

Maybe that was what God was waiting for me to do. To stop trying to figure the whole thing out on my own and put it in His hands.

The phone finally started ringing.

The interviews came through.

And then on Friday afternoon, after countless prayers, phone calls, interviews, lunches, dinners, happy hours, letters, job boards, "give this guy a call"....

I got a job offer.

Praise the Lord.

Things are hectic as I have to scramble up our belongings and move to another town, but that's a much better problem than how am I gonna pay the bills. Blogging will probably still be a bit light as my family makes this transition. Again, small problems.

To all those still looking out there, keep knocking on those doors. Eventually, someone will open it and a better opportunity than the one you left behind will be waiting for you.

Never mind...

2009-01-06T12:46:00.001-05:00

My attempts to stay out of politics lasted maybe an hour. Burris has been denied a seat in the Senate. That's not unsurprising, but deep down, I had really hoped the Democrats would be able to avoid a spectacle. No such luck. More on this one a bit later.

And now for something completely different...

2009-01-06T11:59:00.001-05:00

My blog has taken quite a political slant, which I don't mind because I love politics. But, I'm also a sports junkie and I feel the need to vent a bit today about college football. I start with a question -

Am I the only person who is pretty much completely bored by the bowl games this year?

I don't think I am alone on this. These have been some of the most boring and uninteresting bowl games I can remember. Utah peaked my interest a bit by knocking off Alabama (even though I thought the Tide was a bit overrated this year). The last quarter of last night's UT/OSU match-up was great. Other than that, the bowl games this year have been a pretty uninteresting.

Beyond the terrible match-ups you have the extended wait between games. The championship game doesn't even take place until tomorrow. That's ridiculous. I truly long for the days when all the games were wrapped up around new year's. This attempt to stretch out the bowl games has only lessened my interest.

The answer to all this is of course a playoff. The whole thought of voters deciding a championship instead of having it decided on the field is ridiculous. Also, all the talk of the "best regular season in sports" is also ridiculous as so many 6-6 and 7-5 teams end up with the "reward" of going to a bowl game. There is really nothing special about that at all.

With a playoff system, you could still keep all those lower bowl games. The big plus would be that they would now actually matter. Each team would have a shot at the national championship. You could still give them a trophy or whatever for each individual bowl game they won. Then, at the end of the year, the two truly best teams would square off and you wouldn't have to worry about USC, Texas, Utah, etc feeling like they got the shaft.

It just makes a lot of sense....so of course it hasn't happened yet.

The Big Day Rapidly Approaches

2009-01-04T11:09:00.001-05:00

The inauguration is a lil' over 2 weeks away and personally, it can not get here soon enough. I feel like everything has been in a bit of a holding pattern since Obama won the election. Now its time to see Obama put his ideas into action. Here's what I'm most looking forward to in an Obama administration:

1. Job growth - This is probably on the top of most people's lists, but knowing so many people who have lost their jobs really makes this one personal for me. The carelessness of the powerful in corporate America has truly shattered the lives of millions across America. This is something that will take some time, but the administration appears to have ideas that will help them get this situation turned around faster than most of us think.

2. Health care - The status of health care in this country is terrible. As someone who has a wife with medical issues, the challenges of health care coverage hit home pretty much every day and we have "good" insurance. The entire concepts that people can be denied medical coverage for already being sick or have to pick and choose between medicines due to what an insurance company will or will not cover is sickening. Again, I'm looking forward to seeing Obama advance the ball on this issue.

3. The Economy - I think remedies to #1 and #2 will automatically increase #3. However, I think government spending will get worse before it gets better and I'm not sure how that is going to effect the overall state of the economy. In my mind, by getting people employed and healthy, the overall mindset of the people will improve to a degree that encourages everyone to start spending again. However, any false moves by the government when it injects funds to get the economy back going could result in a set back. There is little doubt this is a tough issue for Obama to address, but I think the team he has assembled can handle this job.

4. Global Image - The view of America around the world has taken serious hits during the Bush administration. It will be nice to see America go back toward being an admired country instead of a hated one.

Return to Jena

2008-12-31T17:35:00.003-05:00

So, now that I am off my hiatus, I noticed there has been quite a bit going on out there. This story naturally caught my eye.

Being from Louisiana, the Jena 6 story really hit me hard in all of its different aspects. Given the nature of what occurred there, it's no surprise that the entire incident caught national attention. Thousands marched, blogged, and protested to give the teens justice and it was awarded.

However, it seems that some of the boys are still getting into trouble. Apparently one of them was caught stealing last week and later shot himself. So, obviously all those efforts to free the young men was a complete waste of time.

Right?

Wrong.

I fail to see how the continuing struggles of these young men takes away from those protests. Sorry, but any place that has students hanging nooses and a "white tree" needs to be exposed and rallied against. Period.

The DA in the case was on a power trip and wanted to send a message of fear to not just the Jena 6, but the entire black community of that town. The message was that we can have "white trees" and nooses all we want, but if you people step out of line I'm gonna throw your asses in jail for as long as I can.

It was wrong. The protests accomplished what they were supposed to accomplish and that was shining a light on an injustice. No one should feel like they did the wrong thing here. The subsequent mistakes of some of the young men is unfortunate but doesn't take away from the need to protest those issues.

What the mistakes do show is our community is still struggling to nurture our young men. We marched in and helped give these kids a second chance and then we.... Well, I don't know what happened next, but apparently it wasn't enough. Time and time again we march in to help kids when they are in trouble with the "system." However, we don't do enough once we get them out or to keep them from getting in trouble to begin with. Until we do, we'll keep seeing our young men blow their second chances.

My Favorite Rap Groups

2008-12-31T17:34:00.002-05:00

My workout was pretty long this morning as I'm shaking off the last of Christmas dinner. I work out to pretty much all hip hop with a couple of R&B songs mixed in to change the pace. As I huffed and puffed on the treadmill, I started thinking about who my favorite rap groups were. At the end of the day, these groups stood out. Naturally, everyone won't agree with this list as there are some pretty surprising admissions. My criteria isn't based on record sales or popularity, but I don't think that can be entirely ruled out either. I tried to focus mainly on the strength of the individual MC's. Meaning that pretty much any group that consisted of one great rapper and his homies was instantly weeded out. You had to come out with more than one album and at least two guys had to rap. No Eric B & Rakim because only Rakim rapped. Without further rambling, here's my list.

1. Wu-Tang Clan - I simply can't think of a better collection of MC's top to bottom. The Wu's roster was pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Everyone brought something a lil bit different to the table, but somehow it still all worked.
2. NWA - I went back and forth on whether to put NWA at Number 1. Ice Cube and Ren were both incredible lyricists and this group spawned a whole generation of rappers. At the end of the day, the Wu did the same thing and I just feel like their music has held up a bit better over. But there's no question NWA had a strong influence on rap.
3. De La Soul - See below.
4. Tribe Called Quest - This was another close call and I could easily flip these two groups out. At the end of the day, I just think Posdunous carries De La over Tribe with strength of his lyrics. Again, a close one.
5. Outkast - The first southern entrants into the list, but there's no denying the strength of Andre 3000 on the mic and Big Boi always did his thing as well.
6. EPMD - Part of me feels like they are too low on this list, but I can't say that they were better lyricists than the other groups on this list.
7. UGK - This pick may seem strange to people who aren't from the South, but UGK has been putting out good music for years. Don't let the southern slang fool you, both Bun B and the late Pimp C were great rappers.
8. The Fugees - Lauryn gets most of the props, but Clef and Pras weren't bad on the mic at all.
9. The Roots - Black Thought carries the day on this one. I debated putting them on the list mainly because so many MC's joined and left the group. But, their music and influence is pretty undeniable.
10. Tie - The Hot Boys, & Bone Thugs - I just couldn't decide between these groups. Most purists will immediately dismiss them because they are commercial, but I honestly have to disagree. I think the individual rappers in these groups were pretty damn good, commercial rap or not, especially The Hot Boys with Wayne, BG and Juvenile. Also, they came with different styles and represented new parts of the rap scene.

Didn't Quite Make It
Black Star - just not enough music as a group, but I love both of these guys.
The Lox - This group just didn't achieve as much as it should have. Strong individual MCs, but not enough memorable music.
G-Unit - I think 50 was actually on to something, but couldn't keep the group together. Young Buck and Game were definitely capable MCs and 50 is 50. Banks was better on the mixtapes than on the albums (at least to me), but could still hold his own and for whatever reason, I just liked Yayo.

Song that represents how I felt about 2008 - Wu Tang Clan - CREAM

2008-12-31T11:02:00.001-05:00

2008 was historic in so many ways it's not even funny. I've been trying to write down all my emotions about this last year, but it's been pretty difficult. But today while continuing my quest to get back to my college weight, thing song came up on random.

Bailout Spending is a Secret

2008-12-22T19:07:00.001-05:00

With the holidays here, my posting will probably be light this week. But, I couldn't help but notice this AP report.

Where'd bailout money go? Shhhh, it's a secret
By MATT APUZZO – 12 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's largest banks are refusing to say how they're spending billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
The Treasury Department has been dolling out cash to banks as part of the unprecedented financial bailout. But there's no system in place for monitoring what the banks are doing with the money.
The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that have received at least $1 billion in taxpayer money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest?
None of the banks provided specific answers.
Congress rushed the bailout into law so quickly, no public disclosure was required. Now, lawmakers say, they're going to try to go back and get some answers retroactively.

This is just unacceptable folks. We have no idea what these people are doing with the tax money they have received. On the other hand, the autoworkers were raked over the coals for weeks about how they would spend funds. The hypocrisy here is just unreal.

The Untold Story of Hurricane Katrina

2008-12-19T15:38:00.003-05:00

Just watch.

Hat Tip - Raving Black Lunatic

And Now Complete Silence on Jesse Jackson Jr

2008-12-18T20:11:00.001-05:00

Couldn't help but notice how little we have heard about this since its been revealed that Jackson Jr has been cooperating with the FBI and helping expose corrupt politicians for years. The only thing we are getting are articles calling him a snitch and a rat.

And we wonder why more people don't do the right thing and expose corruption. First your name is dragged through the mud. Then you're labeled a snitch and a rat for bringing the truth to light.

Jesse Jackson Jr should be commended for standing up to the corruption in IL politics.

The End of HBCU's?

2008-12-18T11:56:00.001-05:00

In a move to "trim the budget" and "save money," a Georgia Senator wants to merge some HBCU's in GA with white colleges. Naturally, this has caused some uproar.

Personally, I call bullshit on his whole premise. The budget shortfall in Ga is a reported 2 billion. The money allocated to the HBCU's is likely just a fraction of that.

No, this is something that has been tossed out there on a number of occasions to just put an end to black schools. Literally, thousands of black people are able to get an education through an HBCU and there are forces who would like to prevent that.

We just can't let that happen.

Full disclosure - I went to an HBCU by choice.

I got into several predominately white schools but chose to keep my family tradition and went to an HBCU. The experience for me was invaluable. Never had I been surrounded by so many positive black people. Also, I personally know quite a few people who would not have been able to attend college if it had not been for HBCU's. The number reflect this as black students at HBCU's have lower drop out rates and most black students perform better in those settings.

But even larger is the significant part of our culture and heritage that HBCU's represent. Getting rid of any of them would completely erase that and I can't get behind that.

Also, when people roll out some lame reverse racism bit, remember that HBCU's DO NOT exclude ANYONE from applying or attending their schools. Anyone can attend an HBCU.

Hat Tip - The State of...

For more information, see here - Black Planet

Interracial Marriage - Part 2

2008-12-18T11:22:00.001-05:00

I remember when I first told my family I was bringing my fiance with me to our family reunion in Mississippi. I had been out of law school for a year and had just passed the 3 day long torture session known to the general public as the "bar exam." I was thrilled to finally be done with school and just get to sit back, eat some BBQ, and hang out with relatives I hadn't seen in years. My fiance was nervous, but looking forward to meeting my family.

We got there and everything went smoothly. My family quickly accepted my fiance, but one of my aunts did express some dismay over my selection. As I stood in line waiting for another burger, she said (loudly and in front of everyone):

"Well, I'm glad she is black. I figured since you had went to law school you was gone bring home one of them white girls."

Everyone laughed. I was a bit stunned shook my head a bit, not only because of what she had just said. But also because a few weeks earlier the same thing had happened to another of my law school classmates. And a year earlier, the same thing had happened to another friend of mine who went to med school. A part of me thought the question was wrong. What did it matter what color she was? At the same time, I understood what my choice of spouse represented to my family. It sent them a signal that I hadn't turned my back on the little town that I had come from and the community I grew up in.

That was not the last time I heard that sentiment.

So as I sit here typing, I honestly am at a bit of a loss for words on this whole issue. Over the last few days, much has been made (including on this site) of the problems facing some black coaching candidates because of their decision to marry white women. Even Charles Barkley had to take the time to weigh in on the issue of Turner Gill not getting the Auburn coaching job with his wife being a factor. While some of us immediately find that to be reprehensible. Others give it the Kobe Bryant treatment - that's what you get for messing with them white girls.

Right off the top, I believe we have to acknowledge and admit that we don't understand the feelings that obviously go through the mind of a black woman when she sees that brother cuddled up with a woman of another race. It's personal. Also, we often forget the historical perspective of this issue. From white slave owners raping black women to it being illegal not so long ago, there is very painful history of interracial relationships in our country.

Yet as I close in my one year anniversary, I just have to say that if you find someone who is willing to be around you 24/7, forever, you should grab that person and hold on for dear life no matter what they look like. Cliche, but true. Marriage is tough at times, period.

Yet, the problem I think most people have, at least from a black point of view, is that black men get good jobs and then immediately search for a woman of another race to validate their success and turn their backs on the community. I can't lie. I have met brothers who fit that mold.

BUT, I have met far more who just simply fell in love with someone. And that's what marriage is all about.

At the end of the day, Grandma Esquire pretty much nailed my feelings on the matter. "Focus on keeping your own house in order and don't worry about what going on next door unless its a criminal or child molester or something."

Regardless of personal feelings on this subject, there is simple fairness. A person should not be denied a job because of who they married. Period. The fact that people are being told they would NEVER get a head coaching job because they married white women is just ridiculous and sad. It's also not a validation of the thought that people shouldn't marry outside of their race.

It's racism. End rant.

What's So funny About Being Blind?

2008-12-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

I thought I was just being overly sensitive when I saw the Saturday Night Live skit, but it looks like America agrees with me. The Gov. Patterson skit was in poor taste and just wasn't funny.

Also, why do they keep getting Armisen to portray black people? So do the Saturday Night Live producers really expect us to believe that there are no black comedians they can add to their staff in NEW YORK CITY? Insane.

I have been a fan of this show for years and still am. Their election coverage this year was great...except for Obama. It's pretty shameful that they can't bring in a black guy to play a black guy.

Also, picking on blind people? Not cool guys.

Come on. We're not asking much here.

Interracial Marriage Preventing Coaches From Getting Jobs?

2008-12-14T14:28:00.001-05:00

It's been whispered about and hinted at behind closed doors and on blogs, but ESPN's Mark Schlabach let the cat out of the bag today on ESPN's Outside the Lines.

When coaching spots opened up in the SEC, it wasn't long before the names of top black coaching prospects Turner Gill and Charlie Strong popped up. If you believe the positive buzz, these guys are among the best and brightest coaching prospects in the country. Yet, there were some who doubted whether these guys really had a shot at getting these coaching jobs. Why? Because they are black men married to white women.

The very thought that someone is being denied employment because of their choice of spouse is something that no one wants to believe or hear. Most of us pretty much try and put that kind of internet rumor to the side.

Given the low number of black coaches in college football, it wasn't much of a shock to watch these guys get passed up for others, including two gentlemen who have failed miserably at previous coaching destinations.

It was a shock for me to hear Mark Schlabach reveal that a couple of coaches informed him that Gill would NEVER get the job at Auburn because he is married to a white woman. It was also refreshing.

The problem for black people is that no matter how racist something may be, you know you will face an immediate backlash if you speak on it. Your statements and concerned are dismissed as playing the race card. The entire conversation focuses in so hard on whether the act was racist that you never even get to discuss the act itself. Even worse, the person walks off looking worse than they had before.

So having a white journalist at ESPN speak on blatant discrimination was nice. The thought that these guys are being passed on because of who they married is beyond upsetting. Turner Gill took an absolutely horrible Buffalo program and has completely turned them around. Gene Chizik has taken a team that went to bowl games 5 of the last 6 seasons and won 5 games in two years with them. Chizik is not even as good a coach as the guy Auburn let go.

Yet, Chizik will be the new coach at Auburn and Turner Gill and all the other qualified black coaches wait for the next opportunity.

Welcome to post-racial America.

Update - Sir Charles weighs in - http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3770769

Jessie Jackson Jr's New Fight

2008-12-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

Jessie Jackson Jr recently announced that he wanted his name back once this whole thing is all over. This will be the second time he has had to fight for his own reputation because of issues with another person.

Jackson has done a remarkable job separating himself from the failings of his father. It's a shame that he will now how to try to do that again with the Blagojevich scandal.

I've been trying to hold back comment until more facts came out, but one glaring factor leads to me to chime in now.

Why haven't we heard the names of the other candidates?

When the bombshell about Jackson was dropped, I sat back and waited patiently for more facts and more names to drop before commenting. Yet, the trail has pretty much turned completely cold. Why is Jackson being singled out here? I think we know the answer, but I throw it out there anyway.

Jackson is being unfairly singled out right now. Thus far, he has not been accused of any wrong doing but he is still having to fight for his name.

Some have suggested that he should have waited before commenting. I'm not sure about that. I really think it was a lose lose situation for him. I think the negative press would have just been worse had he waited to comment. The instant his name was "leaked," he was pretty much screwed.

Hopefully, Jackson Jr will not be found guilty of anything and will be able to restore his reputation. At this point, its unfortunate that his reputation has been hurt at all.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-12-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Will Blagojevich "Stand Tall?"

2008-12-09T19:20:00.002-05:00

All my fellow Wire fans should recognize the concept.

As soon as the Breaking News blotter popped up about corruption in IL, you knew it was going to somehow end up on Obama's doorstep whether he was connected or not. Thankfully, Blagojevich pretty much told Obama to fuck off. Obama will still have to answer questions, but should come out clean in this.

But, you also know that Blagojevich wasn't alone. This guy was even trying to get his wife a gig. Who knows how many other people he has gotten bogus jobs? Just how many people were connected in all this and how high up does the corruption go? Will Rod stand tall and go down alone or pull down everyone else involved?

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. Pay for play is not a new concept, but Rod was pretty bold with his. He really seemed to think he could do whatever he wanted. That basically he means he's been doing this for so long that he really felt like he couldn't be stopped.

Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Is Money Really Worth It? Blagojevich Goes Down

2008-12-09T19:08:00.001-05:00

I've been following the news about IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich today and amongst all the pundits weighing in, that has been the biggest question on my mind.

Is money really worth it?

I have no access to Blagojevich's finances, but its hard for me to believe that the Governor was in any way struggling to make ends meet. So why do this? Greed? Power? All of the above?

Even a cynic like me was taken aback by the sheer gall of this man. The governor did not want to give this “motherfucker Obama his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.” I guess that comments clears up his mindset. He was a power hungry fool. I mean, who did this guy really think he was?

So now it is all going to be taken away from him and you have to wonder if it was in any way worth it. This isn't just a fall from grace. Blagojevich will live on in infamy forever.

And for how much cash? I can't imagine it was nearly enough.

The Supreme Court Makes The Right Call

2008-12-08T10:37:00.001-05:00

MSNBC reports that the Supreme Court will not review Obama's eligibility to serve. Needless to say, I am in full agreement with this.

If there were any valid issues about his citizenship, are there any doubts they would have come out by now?

Time for these folks to go away.

Princeton Seminary Professor Target of Racism by Students

2008-12-06T18:53:00.005-05:00

Really, really late to the game on this one, but I'll post about it anyway.

It appears that Princeton Professor Yolanda Pierce was the victim of racist flyer posted on that campus. To say that this saddens me is a gross understatement. I'd write more but a lot of people have expressed emotions on this better than I probably could. Unfortunately, I think we should all brace ourselves as more craziness is likely to follow the inauguration.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell
"I am also beside myself that you, Yolanda, were personally attacked in a racially hateful flier distributed on your campus. I know that you are not yet ready to talk about the event because you are considering a whole set of legal and personal responses. But sister, I need to tell our guests here at The Kitchen Table about this disgusting act. These hateful creeps, also cowering beneath anonymity, distributed a newsletter called "The Foreskin" all over Princeton Theological Seminary's campus on Thursday.

In their vile, racist, publication they mock the newly elected president of the student body who is a terrific young black man. They also went after you, Yolanda, belittling you as an African American woman and making fun your scholarly contributions and your service work on campus. When I saw this thing it took absolutely everything I had not to come over to your campus with a torch and start setting things on fire until we get some answers. (Notice how I am signing my name to this as I write it.) "

HAGAR'S DAUGHTERS: Princeton Seminary Professor Target of Racism by Students

Black Women Blow The Trumpet

Black on Campus

Down Goes OJ

2008-12-05T19:14:00.001-05:00

So, they finally got their man. OJ Simpson was sentenced today and will do at least 9 years in prison for killing his....oops.

No, OJ Simpson is going to jail for at least 15 years for...what exactly? OJ thought some people took his property. OJ got strapped and went after them. Those guys just happened to have video cameras, tape recorders, a live blog, a court stenographer, etc to record all the events that occurred. OJ is taken to court and found guilty. OJ is sent packing for a LONG time.

Before I go any further, let me clearly state I don't have any sympathy for the Juice. OJ turned his back on the community a long time ago. A friend mentioned how it surprised him that everyone in the black community has basically shrugged its shoulders about OJ's legal problems given the reaction to his first acquital. I explained to them that the reaction to the first acquital was more about beating the system than any true concern for OJ. Also, I think the majority of OJ's street cred was coming from Cochran and not him. So no, no one really cares that the brother is going down now.

So why I am writing about it? I can't get past the stench of all this. This verdict is pretty blatant revenge for OJ walking the first time around. While I can even understand him getting some jail time, he could do up to 33 years for his "crimes." That's just insane.

I just can't imagine that anyone other than OJ with no prior convictions would be sentenced to that kind of hard time.

Getting back at someone for being found innocent of previous crime isn't something new, but it's not something I can go along with. Cochran mopped the floor with the LA District Attorney's office and OJ was found innocent. Period. End of story.

Or at least it should have been. Not excusing OJ because he shouldn't have handled the situation like that, but come on. At least 15 years over some football cards?

This verdict and sentencing was all about revenge on this guy for being found innocent of a crime. Decisions like this should be frowned upon no matter who is at the receiving end of it.

OK, Fine - DON'T Reach Out to the Black Community

2008-12-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

Enough of the attacks on the black community by the gay community.

Hey! Andrew Sullivan and Dan Savage! You are not helping matters!

All you are doing is making those of us in the black community who are sympathetic to your cause angry.

And yes! I am religious! Sorry about that!

Here's a tip. Trying to bring people over to your cause by attacking them and their religious beliefs is probably not a sound strategy.

Big 3 = Big Change of Heart

2008-12-04T10:51:00.001-05:00

At least for me.

When I first heard about the automakers wanting more cash, my reaction was like most people - no way.

Now, I must admit that I have softened considerably on my position.

Why? Because as usual it's all the lil' people who will get screwed on this.

The leadership of the Big 3 is a mess. They have completely mismanaged their businesses and that plays a huge part in their current situation.

But are they really any worse than their Wall Street counterparts?

I gotta give a pretty loud no to that one.

Much was made of them showing up in corporate jets. Well, do we really doubt that the CEO's of the banks would have done the same if they had been flying in from Detroit? Is there any doubt that the Wall Street folks showed up in limos and have been eating at the finest restaurants in town for the last few weeks?

So why are the Big 3 getting so much more venom than the Wall Street folks? I gotta go with the White Collar vs. Blue Collar line of thinking and that's the main reason I'm softening my stance on this.

At the end of the day, no matter how stupid these guys were we all know they are not the people who will pay the ultimate price if they are not bailed out. It's all the workers they have across the nation that will. The last thing we need is more out of work people.

I agree that their should be tough stances on how the money is given. Specifically, there should be assurances that the Big 3 won't lay off any workers if they are given the bailout. Sorry, but if you're gonna take taxpayer cash you gotta make sure those people still have their jobs. If that condition is met, I won't have a problem with giving these guys loans.

The hearings have just begun, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Still, if the people standing to lose were a bunch of investment bankers instead of blue collar workers, I'm pretty sure the check would have already been written.

And that's just a shame.

Bloomberg & Plaxico Pt. 2

2008-12-02T12:13:00.001-05:00

Dwil of Sports on My Mind made a comment this morning that sparked my memory. I also think it explains Bloomberg's interest in this. One Word.

Diddy.

We all famously remember Puff walking on a gun charge several years ago. Bloomberg pushed this law through partially because of that case. Now Bloomberg has another target now and wants to nail him to the wall.

It's still wrong.

Bloomberg has essentially declared Plaxico's guilt with no trial. He has all but told the judges and attorneys of NYC that they better put this guy behind bars. You also have to wonder how this will affect a jury. I've got to think he's completely poisoned one.

Sorry, but I just don't think this was a good thing. Again, let the court system do its job. His speech was just over the top and out of line.

Also, I have searched the internet for a while now and I can't find any similar speeches aimed at all of his buddies on Wall Street. Surely he is just as upset at the folks who destroyed the American economy?

Again, just because he's a celebrity doesn't mean he deserves any more or any less attention than any other person.

Also, don't just jump on your soapbox when there is an easy target. America is always ready to destroy an a black athlete, guilty or not.

I would be FAR more impressed if the mayor had given this kind of speech condemning his wall street chums.

Side Note - Still waiting for the NRA to come out and defend Plaxico's right to carry a gun.

Mayor Bloomberg Obviously Has Everything in NYC Under Control

2008-12-02T00:42:00.001-05:00

What else can explain his grandstanding on the Plaxico Burress issue? Mayor Bloomberg has stepped up and wants the District Attorney's office to throw the book at the Giants wide receiver.

Before getting to the mayor, let's get a couple of things out of the way.

I don't think Burress was dumb for having a weapon. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, athletes are a target. And no, I don't think they should just lock themselves in a room somewhere and never go out. I don't own a gun, but the thought has crossed my mind. I hope I never feel like I need to go out and get one, but won't condemn those that do.

I do think he was dumb for not getting it properly registered. There is simply no way that his team of handlers could not have gotten this accomplished for him.

The cover up at the hospital was a bad move, but I'm not too angry with him for that either. Given everything he stands to lose, I can't blame the guy for trying to keep things on the hush.

I do think it was dumb that he shot himself (if that's what happened).

What Burress did was a series of stupid moves. Should he be punished. Yes. Probation and community service sounds just right.

3 or so YEARS in jail? Ummm. No.

And that's why I don't like Bloomberg's stance on this. Right off the top, there are just too many issues going on right now for the mayor of NYC to be flexing his muscles over something like this.

However, the bigger issue is that the only reason this is being pushed is because it's Burress. If I am wrong and someone can whip out stats proving that EVERY person who has violated this law was given at least the minimum sentence and no plea deals, then I will quickly write a retraction. But I'm pretty sure that is not the case.

And among those people who have gotten off with plea deals, you can bet that a number were dealers, rapists, murderers, robbers, etc...

You know, real criminals who hurt people (well, hurt people other than themselves).

If you aren't going to force this law down the throats of the real criminals who actually do hurt and steal from people then don't jump on your soapbox to take down a guy just because he is high profile. There are some very appropriate punishments for Plaxico. Even if you want to throw him in jail, 3 years is excessive. At the end of the day, the guy only hurt himself literally and in his own wallet.

Leave this issue to the lawyers and courts and stick to making things right in the city. Don't throw the book at the famous guy and let the actually crooks plea out of these offenses.

Yeah, No S$%t - The US economy is in a recession...

2008-12-02T00:40:00.001-05:00

I mean, seriously, did these guys get paid to make this announcement?

Worker Dies During Black Friday Stampede

2008-11-28T12:29:00.002-05:00

Last night I wondered aloud to my wife about whether people would really be out for Black Friday given the state of the economy. We both felt like there would still be the typical crowds as many would ignore the doom and uncertainty for a new TV. Unfortunately, one person lost their life over it. Apparently, the shoppers in Long Island just could not wait to get into Wal-Mart and scoop up $2 DVDS or $400 dollar TV, that they had to break the door open and trample the poor worker to death to get to all those low prices and great deal.

And that is just too sad for words.

I know there will be those who say that this is just one unfortunate incident, but given the madness at some of these events, it really is amazing this doesn't happen more often. I haven't gone early to a Black Friday deal in years because of all the chaos.

I mean, come on.

Is it really that important for you to get your 30 buck MP3 player that you have to trample someone for it?

I mean, didn't most of us just spend yesterday talking about what we were thankful for?

Meanwhile, someone else probably just died in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Lighten Up Folks...

2008-11-28T12:07:00.000-05:00

So I'm watching the game and out of nowhere this R&B dude comes on and is singing. The first thought in my head is pretty much "what the hell?" Then I heard the words - "Got that McNugget lovin" and I almost fell out of my seat laughing. Yeah, I'm talking about the totally lame and completely hilarious for all the wrong reasons McNugget commercial. It's come on several times and I have laughed pretty much all of them and put it out of my head.

But as I was checking out some sites today, I couldn't help but notice some people are upset by the commercial going as far as to write to McDonalds. I don't want to trample on people's feelings, but this seems like a bit too much to me. There are a LOT of things going on right now to be upset about and write letters on, but I just don't feel like this commercial is one of them.

Song of the Week - Illa J - Timeless

2008-11-28T11:27:00.001-05:00

I was supposed to blog about the continuing economic crisis, but to be quite honest, I'm sick of thinking about it. So on to something else, starting with this track.

Background info - Illa J is the younger brother of J Dilla, producer extraordinaire who passed away a few years ago. Illa J dropped a CD featuring himself rapping and singing over his brother's beats and I have been listening to it constantly for the last couple of weeks. The beats were crafted by Dilla during the late 90s, so they have a Tribe Called Quest / Pharcyde feel to them.

Some feel like the CD may just be a guy trying to cash in on his brother's celebrity. I think that's a bit out of bounds. How someone chooses to honor a deceased family member is truly on them. If the family has no problem with this album, then neither do I. Also, the more you listen to the CD the more you really feel like Illa J was channeling the vibe and spirit of his older brothers sound and the style of the late 90s.

While Illa J won't necessarily excite anyone with unbelievable lyrics, he more than holds his own performing over his brothers beats. The nostalgia of the the entire disc quickly grew on me and was a nice break from today's hip hop. The CD is definitely worth taking a minute to listen to at Last FM or through videos on YouTube.

What??

2008-11-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

So no help to the automakers (which I was actually kind of for), but we bail out Citibank? The same Citibank that had money a week or so ago to try and buy other banks, but now is mysteriously broke and needs government help? What happened to all the tough talk put on the Big Three automakers? Didn't we already bail our Citi with the original bailout plan?

Look, I buy the premise that we can't just let these huge banks fall apart. But, like with the Big Three Automakers, we shouldn't just be throwing out cash awarding the irresponsible management of these banks.

Plus, it sounds like this could result in higher interest rates for consumers. Where are the consumer protections in this?

Word is coming in that Obama is set to announce a 500 billion economic plan. More ranting afterwards, but I'm still wondering why they don't just give money directly to the consumers to get the economy back going. It would definitely be cheaper....

Thoughts on the Health of the Black Community...

2008-11-22T15:19:00.002-05:00

...and I mean that literally. While overall awareness of the need to eat healthy and exercise has spread to our community, I don't think we are acting on it. The numbers certainly back that up. A recent press release I read on Marketwatch was very disturbing.

"The top serious health concerns for African Americans are:

Cardiovascular Disease--The #1 killer of African Americans.
Diabetes--3.2 million African Americans have diabetes, yet more than 33% do not know it.
Vitamin D Deficiency--Low Vitamin D has been associated with several types of cancer as well as certain autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus.
HIV/AIDS--Nearly half of the people who get HIV/AIDS are African American, suffering more deaths than any other race.
Cancer--Lung, Breast, Colon, Prostate--African American men are 35% more likely to die from prostate or colon cancer than Caucasian men and African American women are 18% more likely to die from breast cancer because of a genetic predisposition to aggressive forms of cancer"

I don't know what's worse here - the actual rate of diseases, so many not knowing that have an illness, or the disproportionate rates of death. Immunization rates among Blacks and Latinos is not any better. And while the numbers here are high, are they really surprising at this point? We have been getting clear messages for years to clean up our acts regarding our health and get ourselves into better shape but people are not listening.

I recognize that there are deep deficiencies in insurance coverage and health information in minority communities, but the consequences here are too great for us to wait for someone else to come in and clean up this problem. The community has to get pro-active about this and do our part to address this issue.

That starts tonight at the dinner table. I am no stranger to fried chicken, greens, or any of the other stereotypical soul food that people roll out there and I'm not ashamed of that at all. Soul food is indeed a part of our culture. However, there are ways to prepare these foods without all the calories and fat and some things are just going to have be pretty much not eaten all together. It sucks, but our lives are worth it.

I've dropped 13 pounds this month and need to shed about 20 more to get back to my college weight. Like a lot of our people, I carry weight well. Sports and a good work out regimen in the past has allowed me to coast a bit these last few years. That's part of the problem as I think if I looked a bit more obese it would be easier to motivate myself to get back into the gym. The wake-up call has come in the form of a bunch of clothes I can't wear and "baggy" jeans that now look like something Lil' Wayne would wear.

So the dieting and exercise is back in full effect and yes it does suck. I'd much rather eat some fried chicken than baked chicken and I really sick of these stupid protein shakes. But, my blood pressure has dropped and I am fitting back into my clothes so it's all good. I'm definitely no angel on this as I have slipped and headed over to Taco Bell a couple of times, but my eating is so much better than it was.

And I think that's the first step for everyone. Just try to cut back, eat a bit better, and work out a couple of times a week. I honestly feel better and have more energy already. Even if that's not your bag, at least do yourself a favor and get to a doctor for check-ups and immunizations as often as possible. Most areas have free clinics that will provide these services to people who live in the area. Take advantage of these services and do whatever you can to stay healthy.

This is, after all, the only life you will get. Make the most of it.

People Watch as Teen Commits Suicide on Internet

2008-11-21T23:34:00.001-05:00

As a sci-fi nut, I have watched tons of movies about futures where people watch other folks get killed for entertainment value. As a kid, I never thought we would get to that point as a society. Until today. I can't believe this story from MSNBC. What's worse is that it details other similar incidents that have happened around the world. So while this is certainly not a widespread thing, it is still troubling.

How could anyone sit there typing "LOL" and "hahaha" while a guy attempts suicide? Some of the people interviewed said they didn't think it was real because the guy had made similar threats before. I'm sorry, but whether I thought it was real or fake, there is no way I could sit there and watch that. Seriously, are people THAT deprived for entertainment?

Song of the Week - Obama - I Can Do Whatever I Like

2008-11-20T01:25:00.002-05:00

Hat Tip - Jack and Jill Politics

Oh Ye Of Little Faith

2008-11-19T19:53:00.001-05:00

To say the reaction to Obama's staff picks have been mixed would be to say that Bush made some questionable decisions as president. I will admit, my eyebrows were raised on some of his picks initially but I have come around.

As a matter of fact, I now like what he's doing. I definitely believe in keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Therefore, putting Hillary in as Secretary of State makes a whole lot of sense to me. Its a big role. It gives the Clintons a vested interest in the success of the Obama administration. And, most importantly, I think Hillary can do just as good a job as anyone else one else thrown out there. I certainly wouldn't mind if Richardson ends up in the roll, but Hillary makes sense to me on a number of levels.

The obvious downside is Bill and the whole Clinton legacy. I get that and understand those reservations. Yet, let's not forget that Obama has already clearly shown that he knows how to handle the Clintons. In fact, Obama has shown that he pretty much knows how to handle damn near everything that has been thrown at him. Which brings me to my point.

Why the sudden lack of faith in Obama's judgment?

Yes. We all want change and change is what Obama promised. Obama's staff is looking anything but that as it has a ton of Clinton folks, but I get what he's doing. The thought of bringing in a fresh new staff is very appealing at first glance. But then I step back and think about just how deep in shit the country actually is right now. This is not a time to take gambles. We need people who can step in and get things done.

Or look at it this way, when you need someone to hit a game winning shot, you don't grab a rookie. You go get Kobe Bryant. When you need someone to lead a touchdown drive, you don't grab Matt Ryan, you get Tom Brady. When you need a hit record, you go get Kanye West...etc etc etc.

No doubt about it, this country needs a game winning bucket, multiple touchdown drives, and a couple of platinum albums. Obama may not be grabbing a bunch of new names, but he is grabbing people who should know what the hell they are doing.

That's a good thing in my eyes. Obama doesn't have time to feel things out. He needs to step in and immediately get things done. He can only do that if he is surrounded by a strong team of people who know the ins and outs of Washington.

So I really think everyone should just dial back the doubts for a second. If you believed in him up to this point, there is no reason to turn back and start throwing rocks now. Give the man time to get his complete team in place and start making some actual policy decisions before we break out the knives.

Prop 8 Debate Continues...But Where's the Education Component?

2008-11-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

As I expressed in another post the failing of Prop 8 and the role of minorities in it did disappoint me. I'm probably in the Keith Olbermann frame of mind on this one. I'm not gay, but I don't think anyone should be denied their rights. I also firmly believe in separation of church and state. If some crazy religion ever came to power (although I am sure the average non-Christian would argue this has already occurred), I would not want policy being dictated by their beliefs.

That is no doubt what is happening now. The religious beliefs of some are influencing the rights of others. It's wrong and it needs to stop immediately. The rights of all people should be respected.

However, all the protests and the laying of blame at the doorsteps of minority groups and Mormons have got me thinking.

Is this really the right approach to getting this issue resolved?

Maybe its time to serve this issue up with a bit of honey rather than vinegar?

That may sound naive, but I'm not sure it doesn't have some merit. At the end of the day, there is a segment of the population who will just never ever vote for this just like there are people who wouldn't vote for Obama because he's black. Those people are a lost cause.

But there are a lot of other people who I think could be swayed to the other side of this issue by explaining what's really going on, why this type of regulation is bad, and just showing them the other side of the debate.

A thorough discussion of how Prop 8 and any similar legislation is just plain wrong regardless of ones religious affiliation is the way to go in my mind. If I were them I would base my whole speech on the concept - If they can do this to us, what will they try to do to you? What right do you want the government to take away by popular vote?

I'm in no way against the mass demonstrations today. I think raising awareness is good and definitely respect everyone's right to protest. But let's get some true education going on here as well.

Bail Out For the People

2008-11-14T15:49:00.001-05:00

This idea has been rolled out in jest a number of times, but now I'm starting to think it should be given some thought.

Why not just bail out the people?

This rant is courtesy of me finally stepping back into the real world today and picking up a newspaper and watching CNN. I guess we all knew it was just a matter of time, but now the Big Three automakers have come out with their hats in hand looking for a piece of the bailout pie. I think the automakers may actually be less deserving of a bailout than the wall street guys.

At least with Wall Street, there were some regular citizens who were able to ride the wave of the last few years and make some cash. No such luck with the automakers. Their greed has no winners, just victims. Their management has been absolutely dreadful. There is really no better way to get these corporations to straighten up and fly right than to let them fail and get back on their feet they way all the rest of us do - through hard work. Their failures is less about the economy and more about their failure to keep up with their foreign competition.

I won't even start on their failure to produce more fuel efficient vehicles. Let's just say the automakers have dug their own graves and should be forced to regroup, restructure and pull themselves out of their own mess.

Right behind the automakers are the mayors of Atlanta, Philly, and Phoenix. All want aid to help their cities through this difficult time. I have not read too many specifics of what they are asking for, but my knee jerk reaction is that the cities probably have a better case than the automakers.

Yet, I just keep coming back to the thought of just pumping some more cash into the wallets of the citizens. And not just a couple of hundred bucks. I'm talking at least a few grand.

Obama is pushing hard for another stimulus package and I think he's on the right track. I just think it should be a substantial amount. Enough to really make a dent in some bills and get people back into stores.

The bailouts are aimed at helping financial institutions and that in turn helping out everyone else. I think freeing up credit is good, but the last thing most Americans need right now is more debt. I also think a more direct approach could help out everyone a heck of a lot sooner. People get money. People catch up on their credit cards, mortgages, etc. People start back buying cars, clothes, and food. The circle of financial life breathes again.

Silly? Maybe.

But seriously, if the government can give these horrible businesses who have no one to blame but themselves for their current predicament around $30,000,000,000.00 then why can't they give you and me $5000 or $10000?

I mean, its not like any of the bullshit ideas by the so called experts are working anyway.

Song of the Week - Wu Tang Clan - For Heaven's Sake

2008-11-14T01:48:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when you have the Ipod on random a song pops up that you haven't listened to in a while and it just takes you back. That happened to me this morning on the treadmill. The Wu catalog is filled with classics, but this song really highlights why I think Jason Hunter aka Inspectah Deck was the most underrated of the crew. The Wu was filled with lyricists but when he brought it, he really brought it.

Yo, aiyyo my rap style swing like Willie Mays
My eyes Purple Haze, my solar razor burn through shades
My grenades raid the airwaves, catch this rap page
I glide like, hovercrafts on the Everglades
Boom master, with the faster blade, track slasher
Manufacture poems to microphones, bones fracture
Limited edition composition spark friction
non-fiction, the calm bomb keep your arm distant
Zero tolerance, dominant intelligence
Wu original, true colors step from the melanin
The most high, most try, to get close by
and overthrow I, but choke, with they hopes up high
I circulate the tri-state and vibrate beyond the Richter
Flies sense to flock when they spot this live nigga
The crowd seducer black your third eye before I lose ya
Verbal high I leave stars in the eyes of Medusa
Top ten, parley like Cochran, it's often
narrow margin, of your odds to dodge the marksman
Murder rap, kill you soft like Roberta Flack
Words attack like a british bulldog, observe the stacks

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hey Obama! Just kidding when we called you a terrorist....

2008-11-09T23:52:00.001-05:00

The backpedaling is in full swing as some politicians pucker up and try to get back in Obama's good graces. The New York Times breaks it all down. Yet, I have a feeling no one is surprised by this behavior.

Obama is doing everything he can to hit the ground running and that makes me very happy. The Washington Post fills us in on plans to use Executive Orders to reverse some of Bush's actions.

Finally, the Republicans are still managing to completely miss the boat on just how bad they screwed themselves and the country. Talk Left highlight a Bill Clinton speech that really nails how the Republicans messed everything up.

Song of the Week - Ray Charles - America the Beautiful

2008-11-08T22:38:00.001-05:00

In light of the Obama win, I think this song sounds a bit better this week....

The Many Sides of the Sarah Palin Fiasco

2008-11-08T12:54:00.001-05:00

I can't lie. I have had my fair share of laughs on the expense of Ms. Palin. Yet, the recent revelations about her, while still amusing, ring about hollow in my ears. How disingenuous is it for the Republicans to now trash her by leaking out all these details about the campaign? I think Campbell Brown hit the nail on the head in the video below - YOU PICKED HER! This is why you have a vetting process you morons.

The fact that they kept pushing this person as a viable VP after she didn't know that Africa was a continent is worse than her lack of knowledge. Also, the attacks calling her a hillbilly, etc should (but won't) be ringing in the ears of all the people in "Pro-America" towns. Now that they couldn't use her to steal the presidency, they have pretty much thrown her to wayside - the exact same thing they do with the needs of the people in "Pro-Americaville" after they get in office.

These are just pathetic attempts to cast the blame on Palin for McCain's horrible campaign. Palin should remind them that the only reason why this thing was even as close as it was is because she was on the ticket. With an astonishing 91% of Republicans having a favorable view of Palin, the loss can not be solely put on her doorstep. Obama's campaign was certainly one of the best I have ever seen. McCain's was one of the worst. His staff members should definitely be looking in the mirror before zeroing in on Palin.

But before anyone thinks I have succumbed to the charms of the winking hockey mom, she is at fault here. I think of a time when my sister wanted me to babysit my niece. Her last question to me before she walked out of the door was "Are you sure you can do this?" It was a signal that she was leaving her only child in my care and if there were any doubts I could keep her, now was the time to speak up. I said yes, and my niece and I proceeded to have a fun filled night of Disney videos and PB & J.

Yet, that was just a teenage me in an apartment with my 2 year old niece for a few hours.

Palin was agreeing to a position that would have made her partially responsible for children and adults of an entire country for four years. She had to have known she wasn't ready to take on such a responsibility. A simple "not a this time" would have been a more than appropriate answer. Instead, she jumped into the role with all the smugness and viciousness that she could muter. She was all too willing to take shots at Obama, the media, and the Un-American, even though she was woefully unqualified to speak on much of anything.

Rather than study and research to make up for her lack of knowledge, she pushed forward attacking the media for their hard-hitting questions like "what newspapers do you read?" She fanned the flames of racism by accusing Obama of palling around with terrorists. She...well, I could go on for days. This woman was just not ready to assume the position of VP and she knew it. In the end, she is even scarier to me than Bush because she's not even as smart as he is (chew on that one for a few minutes).

Beyond that, how scary is her favorable rating? Another plus in the election ending was that we would no longer have to deal with her. With her favorable rating being so high, she will no doubt be a player for years to come in the Republican party. That is good, because i find it hard to believe America would ever vote her in to office. But it is also bad because it shows just how many Americans agree with this woman and her views (or lack thereof).

Black People & Prop 8

2008-11-07T10:59:00.001-05:00

Count me among those letdown by the number of my people that voted for Prop 8 in California. As I keep saying on message boards and the like, deciding civil rights by majority vote always equals bad for minorities. This was a terrible precedent to set regardless of where you stand on the issue. It really wasn't that long ago that it was against the law for black people to own homes, get loans, marry outside of the race, etc. Is it really that big of a stretch to think that people in, I don't know, Alabama, might be able to successfully pass laws to remove those rights from our people? I think that is something for everyone to go back to the electoral map for Obama and then stop and think about.

That said, was this really all our fault? I found it hard to believe from the get go that the number of black people in California would really be large enough to completely swing the issue in one direction or another. A closer look at the numbers appears to support my position. In a fantastic breakdown over at the Daily Kos, Shannika lays out the facts. It is a bit long, but well worth the read. There a number of telling stats in there.

First, black people only represent about 6.2% of the population of California. As she states, "There are 7 times as many white people in California as Blacks. There are nearly 6 times as many Latino people in California as Blacks. And there are double the number of Asian people as Blacks." We also have to keep in mind that quite a few of the black people in California can not or did not vote and all of them did not vote for this Proposition.

Even bigger was this: "However, we do know that there are, so far, 10,325,615 total votes on Proposition 8, nearly 80,000 less than the total votes for the main event. For Black people to have been 10% of that vote, they would have had to cast 1,032,561 votes on the measure, whether for or against. In other words, Black Californians would have had to both had an electoral turnout at the polls of almost 90% AND have all voted on Proposition 8 (i.e, NONE could have been amongst the 80,000 who just skipped the Proposition on the ballot) to reach that number of votes." I, like others, find it very hard to believe that 90% of all black people voted in California. As the author noted, it just doesn't happen.

There are more stats and analysis in her post. The bottom line is that while the disproportionate number of black people voting against the Prop 8 is troubling, it is pretty safe to say that is not the reason it passed.

CNN's role in scapegoating black people here can not go unnoticed.

Beyond that, there is the whole view of black people and gays. I think I'll leave that discussion to Raving Black Lunatic and Ta-Nehesi Coates. My view is that general problems that all black people have with homosexuality is tied in with our religious beliefs.

I believe in separation of church and state, so religion does not have much impact on how I vote. Obviously, a lot of other people don't see things that way, but does that really make them homophobic? I've been wrestling with that for a couple of days, but don't want to go down that road until I can speak somewhat intelligently on the matter.

The Obama Aftermath

2008-11-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

What WILL we talk about now?

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Obama Gets To Work ....

2008-11-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

So much going on today and I'm too busy soaking it all in to write about it. Luckily, some people went to work today...

The New York Times weighs in
The New York Times editorial sums up the key to Obama's win and surprise, it wasn't just race.
"His triumph was decisive and sweeping, because he saw what is wrong with this country: the utter failure of government to protect its citizens. He offered a government that does not try to solve every problem but will do those things beyond the power of individual citizens: to regulate the economy fairly, keep the air clean and the food safe, ensure that the sick have access to health care, and educate children to compete in a globalized world."

Obama's Transition Team
Obama isn't wasting any time. This is a good sign. He definitely will need to hit the ground running as there is a lot of work that has to be done. His first year will be vital.

According to ABC News, he has put together a transition team.
"Former White House chief of staff John Podesta, Obama family friend/businesswoman Valier Jarrett, and Obama campaign chief of staff Pete Rouse, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, former Clinton Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Peña, and former Clinton Commerce Secretary William Daley."

Other interesting reads
As Below the Beltway notes, the Republicans must learn from this defeat. I'm definitely not a conservative, but the country needs as many viable political parties as possible.

A Thin Man ponders if we are no longer racist.

The Reaction still revels in it all, but realizes there is tough work ahead.

Ralph Nader...Officially on the S*%t List

2008-11-05T13:11:00.001-05:00

You know, it's a shame what a joke Nader now is. He really did a lot as a consumer advocate. But asking if Obama will be an Uncle Tom on the night he was elected President is just ridiculous. And then getting called out about it by Fox News of all networks. And then having the nerve to try to act like Shepperd Smith was out of bounds for pulling his card. Despicable. It is far past time to stop putting this guy on TV.

Jessie Jackson Sums It All Up Last Night

2008-11-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Credit - Mark Lamont Hill, Getty Images...

Naturally, some question his sincerity. But given my own surprising reaction, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Regardless of his many missteps, this is a brother who has been through a lot. I have to imagine that seeing that brother on the stage took him to another life and what might have been had he taken a different path.

McCain Concedes

2008-11-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

Great speech by McCain, but his crowd was still foul.

Hopefully none of these sour losers decides to do something crazy.

President Barack Obama

2008-11-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

I vastly underestimated how hard this would hit me. But seeing and hearing the crowd cheer. People of all colors and ages. All cheering for a black man who wasn't holding, catching, shooting or throwing a ball.

Amazing.

We've got plenty of time to think about the ramifications of this, good and bad.

For now, everyone should just allow themselves to soak in the moment.

A Word From Min. Farrakhan

2008-11-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

Definitely don't always agree with him, but I thought this was worth passing along.

"Here's my counsel to you. If brother (Barack Obama) wins, there will be more joy in the hearts of so many. More than we have ever experienced probably in our lives. People my age and older who have lived 75, 80, 85, 90 years will not mind dying because they will say in death, I saw what I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

But then others are going to go out in the street and celebrate with wild joy and revelry as though it was the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series, but that's not wise. That's not wise because your joy is somebody else's sadness and in your moment of revelry, there are those who will be so angry they can't get to him (Barack Obama) but they can get to you. And if you're out late at night just walking the street happy and drunk, you smoked a few of those funny cigarettes, you're just so happy and overjoyed.

Then someone rolls up on you, they don't tell you who they are but they're undercover and you're in a spot where they can just take your life. Don't think that some are not willing to do that with what we've heard coming from talk radio about people really hateful and would kill him (Barack Obama), but if they can't get to him and you are out drunk and partying 2, 3 o'clock in the morning when you should have been home.

How many Black people may die on that night across this nation. And just suppose the election is stolen. In your frustration, are you going to go out now and set fires and loot and act crazy. Not only is the S.W.A.T. Team ready and the National Guard but the Federal troops are already "posse comitatus" which forbids the Federal troops fr interfering in domestic affairs that's already put to the side now. If you act the fool you will be slaughtered.

So my counsel to you would be if he wins, rejoice intelligently. Don't overdo it. The Quran says it like this, 'when Allah's help and victory comes and you see men entering the religion of Allah in companies celebrate the praise of Thy Lord and ask His protection.' Well I'm not now talking about a victory in terms of men and women coming to the ranks of Islam in companies. I'm talking about a victory that we never expected but now we're full of expectancy of because we've heard the polls. If you win, celebrate the praise of God who brought us fr a mighty long way and made us in a time like this to ascend to the highest post in one of the greatest countries in the history of the world.

Don't act foolishly because Obama's rise is the rise of all of us who would be risen by his rise. Who would be inspired by his rise. These young children that are here who probably want an NBA contract or an NFL contract and want to be singers & comedians. Now they say well the sky is the limit. I can be what I want to be. Well, that's a key that can't ever go back in the box again."

Song of the Week - Sam Cooke - A Change Gonna Come

2008-11-01T17:48:00.001-04:00

It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gone come

Just a few more days folks....

Really Seattle? 5 Electonic Voting Machines?

2008-10-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

That's it? For all of King County's million or so people you could only scrap up one room in the middle of Renton with 5 electronic voting machines for early voting? Yes, I am aware that paper ballots are available and there are drop boxes all around the Seattle metro area.

But consider this. Maybe some of us didn't want to do a paper ballot.

Maybe some of us just wanted to bring our disabled relative in early to vote to avoid crowds and get in & out in less than an hour and a half.

I understand that there are other things that are going on right now, but it just seems like the city could have had....I don't know...maybe two rooms with ten total electronic machines?

Or maybe separate rooms for the people doing paper ballots and the people voting electronically?

Or, if you really wanted to just shoot for the moon, how about multiple sites across the area with voting machines in all of them? There seems to be a considerable amount of people in the actual city of Seattle. I think they might have appreciated not having to drive all the way down to Renton. I also seem to recall that there are a handful of people in Bellevue, Redmond, etc that also might have appreciated a room in one of the many federal buildings around the Seattle metro.

But I understand. I am sure there are more important things going on right now that require the resources of the city.

I mean, come on. Mass transit stinks. You gave away the Sonics. Must this city half-ass everything?

Greatest Campaign of All Time?

2008-10-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

It certainly has to be one of the best of my relatively short life.

I really think history will show that Obama ran one of the greatest campaigns ever. Every challenge. Every threat. Pretty much every opportunity to make headway in this election, Obama has snatched it and ran with it. And then last night, with victory pretty much a lock, he once again stepped back in the pocket and delivered another touchdown pass. Ta-Nehisi Coates (one of my favorite bloggers) sees visions of Tom Brady. I'm thinking more Joe Montana, but still. The fact remains that Obama has been cool under pressure and keeps marching his team down the field.

If you are one of the 3 people in America who has not watched this, check the video below.

Vote...It's The Only Way To Cancel Out Your Neighbor

2008-10-30T11:25:00.001-04:00

The NBA Returns....

2008-10-29T13:19:00.001-04:00

The new NBA season tipped off last night and we got treated to three teams that should make serious noise and one that might still be spinning its wheels. My initial thoughts...

The Kids Called Him "Mr. Glass"

If you don't get that reference, go out and rent Unbreakable tonight. You have to feel sorry for Greg Oden. The guy just can't seem to catch a break. But, if we're all honest with each other we know that neither him or Lebron are really as young as they claim to be. Just kidding. Kind of. While Lebron has always been a flat out freak of nature, Oden has always just looked old. Last night was no different. If I was a Blazer fan, I would be more concerned with how bad he looked out there than his ankle. The injury looked pretty minor when it happened and x-rays were inconclusive. I think he'll be fine as far as that goes.

His actual skills on the court looked terrible. His movements were slow. He had no offensive game whatsoever. He looked average on the defensive end and that is saved only by his skills as a shot blocker. He looked like he was laboring up and down the court BEFORE he hurt his ankle. I'm hoping he is just still out of shape from sitting out a year and was suffering opening night jitters, but he looked like a bigger project than I expected out there.

Can Mr. Glass bounce back and lead the Blazers back to greatness? Stay tuned....

Showtime?

Let me just get this out of the way. I am a Laker die hard and my posts concerning them will either be filled with praise or completely out of proportion bashing of a poor performance.

Last night's game gave me mixed feelings. I saw a lot of things I liked. Gasol and Bynum looked good together. I think they played off of each other pretty well out there and the duo showed a lot of promise. The team as a whole has been working on defense and it showed. They held Brandon Roy in check and never allowed the Blazers to get anything going all game. Odom looked good coming off the bench. Also, if Ariza can get his jumper steady I don't think it will be long before he takes Vlad out of the starting line-up.

Oh yeah, that Kobe guy looked alright out there too.

On the downside, the team still showed some of the sloppiness that has been plaguing them for a while now. While Kobe is definitely a good facilitator, he also has high turnover games. It is touch for me to figure out who is at fault on some of those, but a turnover is a turnover and better teams will capitalize on it. The entire team needs to play crisp if they are going to get back to the Finals.

The other problem is our guards are selfish. No, I'm not talking about Kobe. Fisher, Sasha, and Farmar jack up a lot of shots. It's good to have guys who are willing to shoot, but I'm definitely old school in this regard. I think the best player on the team should always at least touch the ball on pretty much every possession excluding fast breaks. So with the Lakers, either Kobe or Gasol should touch the ball pretty much every trip. But our guards like to pull up and take shots. Even worse, they like to pull up and take shots when guys aren't in position to grab rebounds. Now if we were talking about consistent shooters, I wouldn't be as upset. But Farmar, Sasha and Fisher are the definition of streaky. I want them to be confident to take open looks, but Phil should probably reign them in a bit if they continue being jump shot happy.

And yes, it is ridiculous to be so critical of a team after a 20 point win.

Lebron Still Can't Shoot or Defend

To me, Lebron and Dwight Howard are the most physically dominating players in the NBA. Lebron definitely knows how to use his size and power to deliver damage on the court. The problems for Lebron remain his suspect jumper and defense. Don't get me wrong, Lebron has definitely gone off on people and knocked down jumpers. He just doesn't do it consistently enough and it was apparent last night. He also is still lacking on the defensive end. Someone with Lebron's size, strength and athleticism could simply dominate an opponent on the defensive end any time he wants. If he truly commits himself on the defensive side of the ball and works out his jump shot, then the best player in the NBA tag is his and his alone.

Celtics Will Be Back in the Finals

The Celtics were the Celtics. I think the losses of Posey and PJ Brown will be bigger than people think, but they are still a force on the defensive end and ultimately I think that gets them through the East again.

Better to Be Silent

2008-10-26T23:31:00.001-04:00

There is one message that comes through loud and clear in this campaign, be careful what you say.

Case #1
The Candidate - Jack Murtha
The Quotes - “There’s no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area” “...this whole area, years ago, was really redneck.”
My take - There is really no doubt that there is truth in Murtha's statements. This was exposed pretty clearly in Democratic primaries. However, I was a little perplexed at why everyone seems so up in arms about it. In and of itself, while the comments were definitely blunt they didn't seem to be enough to justify Murtha's fall in polling numbers. And they weren't. There had long been an effort to paint Murtha as out of touch with his district. His comments have added fuel to that fire. With him still leading by 5 points, I think he will pull it out as long as he can keep his muzzle on.

Case #2
The Candidate - Michelle Bachman
The Quotes - "I would say, what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look -- I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the people would love to see an expose like that."
On Senator Obama - "Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are. That's why Joe the plumber has figured so highly in the last few days"
My take - Wow. That's all I can say every time I watch her Hardball appearance. It was downright scary. Fortunately, it also might get her out of office. An estimated 1.4 million in contributions have flooded into the campaign of her rival, Elwyn Tinklenberg and their race is now virtual deadlock. Had she just turned down Chris Matthews' invitation to Hardball, she likely would have cruised to victory.

Case #3
The Candidate - Sarah Palin
The Quotes - Good Lord, what hasn't this twit said? The latest, an attack on fruit flies. "For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference. Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not. "
My take - Does anyone do even the most basic research on what she is saying? Fruit fly research has lead to a ton of breakthroughs that benefit man. Including, as it turns out, autism...

"[S]cientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly.
The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism. " See Think Progress for more...

Palin's mistakes really just boggle my mind. Even the most basic google search could have prevented her from making that kind of gaffe. Actually, gaffe is the wrong word. That is just pure ignorance. No way should this woman be in any office, anywhere.

Final Verdict - There's certainly some poetic justice in all these people being directly responsible for their own downfalls. However, it does make you a bit more fearful. If these are the things that actually come out of these and other politicians mouths, what other terrible things are swirling around in their heads? On second thought, I really don't want to know.

Saints 37, Chargers 32

2008-10-26T20:23:00.003-04:00

Missed the game, but a win is a win. Geaux Saints!

The Cypher

2008-10-25T01:36:00.002-04:00

Definitely some stand outs in here as a ton of rappers freestyled during the BET Hip Hop Awards. No, I'm not a BET fan. But, I love Hip Hop and several of these rappers brought their A game. It definitely gets better as it goes on and it was nice to see cats like Q-Tip on the mike again.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

McCain Hoaxster Upset With Media

2008-10-25T01:23:00.001-04:00

File this one under "You gotta be kidding me." Ashley Todd, the now infamous liar who made up a story about being attacked by a large black man, is upset with the media for "blowing this into a political firestorm." Someone needs to get that girl to a psych ward ASAP.

This also ends up being another black eye for McCain. Instead of waiting for all the facts to come in, the McCain camp pushed the story. They are, naturally, back peddling now. Again, the McCain camp should just save themselves some time and put out an ad stating "Don't Vote for that N-word" and be done with it.

Song of the Week...MF DOOM aka Viktor Vaughn aka King Geedorah

2008-10-25T01:06:00.001-04:00

I have been digging in the crates this week and I keep coming back to Doom or one of his many aliases. MF DOOM is rumored to releasing a new cd soon titled "Born Into This." I personally can't wait as MF has come strong on pretty much every cd no matter which one of his personalities is rocking the mike. Thus, the song of the week is actually songs of the week as these tracks have been wearing out on my IPOD all week.

Viktor Vaughn - Saliva

MF Doom - Dead Bent

King Geedorah - Fazers

Not Racist At All...

2008-10-24T16:22:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, no matter how you try not to be, you just can't help but be amazed at the gall of some people. A picture of Obama on a food stamp surrounded by chicken, watermelon, etc...not racist at all say the people on this CNN video. Give me a break. Just go ahead and call him the N' word and be done with it people. Seriously

Tekenya Wooten - 12 year old child - Missing

2008-10-23T12:18:00.001-04:00

Although you won't hear much about it, a 12 year old child has gone missing. Unfortunately, young black girls don't move the ratings pins or drive up internet clicks so this young girl's only hope is the blogger world. Oh yeah, did I mention she was pregnant? So, the lives of two children are in jeopardy.

Naturally, What About Our Daughters is all over the story.

The Last Gasps of the Republican Machine

2008-10-23T11:13:00.000-04:00

There really isn't much left. Daily we are literally being buried under accusations of Obama's plans to make the US "socialist." The people who have been leading our nation for the last 4 to 8 years are casually throwing out phrases like Anti- American and Pro-America. For God's sake people, let it go. These silly attacks are getting you nowhere. Everyone in America recognizes it as typical campaign propaganda.

First, it is pretty tough to make the socialism label stick to Obama when Bush is nationalizing banks. Actually, it is down right hypocritical. This current push by the McCain campaign is basically saying that there is nothing wrong with the government helping out an investment bank but there is no way they should help an individual pay his or her medical bills. There is also the little matter of the Youtube video of McCain in 2000 discussing how Americans who have more should be willing to give more to spread the wealth around (funny how all these Republicans seem to fail to comprehend how videos never go away).

It also, in my opinion, pushes his campaign closer and closer to the elitist tag he tried to pin on Obama. The McCain campaign is completely missing the fact that most Americans are struggling. More importantly, part of the reason they are struggling is because of the greed and incompetence of people who were supposed to be looking out for their best interest. So yes, a lot of people would probably appreciate a bit of assistance from the government right now especially when it comes to their medical needs.

Anyone who knows someone who works for the government also knows that they get the best medical benefits in the country. A lot of people will strongly consider a government backed medical plan (I know I would). However, I think that helps in a number of other ways. It will pretty much instantly either drive down the cost of private plans, improve benefits of private plans or both. Assuming the government backed plan is affordable (and I can't see why it wouldn't be) that will be pretty stiff competition for the insurance companies. Anything to force those guys to stop denying coverage to people because of loopholes is well worth it.

Let me clear here, I do not have any issues with capitalism. Yet, when profits are being placed over the health of the people then are serious problems. Obama's stance that health care is a right is one of the biggest reasons I am voting for him.

Second, the mere suggestion that another person in office is Anti-American or one part of the country is Pro-America is...you guessed it...Un-American! America is supposed to be the land of the free, where everyone is allowed to have different points of view and express themselves. Only in a country like America could a guy like Obama rise to the highest office in the land.

These callous statements are waking up dormant sentiments in people across the country. People are screaming terrorist and kill him at campaign rallies. Obama effigies are being hung. Obama supporters are being attacked. This is already getting out of hand.

I think someone should sit the McCain campaign in front of TV and show him clips of the racist episodes of our country's past. Does he really want anything remotely similar to that being associated with his name a decade or so from now? Is this how he wants to remembered?

The Republican party is a complete mess right now. Never have they been more disjointed. It is time to take a step back and regroup. Get back to their core principles (which aren't all bad by the way) and load up for another run at this thing in 4 years. All they are accomplishing at this point is waking up demons they can not control.

No Rush, It's Not All About Race

2008-10-20T20:56:00.001-04:00

So, if the only reason Colin Powell and every other black person in America is backing Obama is because he is black, it's fair game for me to say that the only reason every white person is supporting McCain is because they are racist. Right?

After delivering a sound and thoughtful 6 minute speech on why he was supporting Obama, it should come as no surprise that certain segments of America are completely ignoring that and saying Powell is supporting Obama just because he is black. That is, of course, absurd. Powell is merely saying aloud what a lot of conservatives really think about McCain and his actions.

It is far past time for the Republicans to stop all the smears and focus on getting their party back on the right track. It is also far past time for America to reject the out and out hatred spewed by some of these talk radio personalities. They are only widening the divide in our country.

Joe The Plumber....FAIL

2008-10-20T15:35:00.001-04:00

Recent polls in Ohio show that only 6% of voters in Ohio felt that the Joe the Plumber angle would make them more likely to vote for McCain. 4% said it made them more likely to vote for Obama and a whopping 85% said it would not affect them. In Missouri, 8% felt that Joe the Plumber made them more likely to support McCain, 3% more likely to Obama, and 85% were not affected.

The McCain's camps next move? Will they go back to the issues on the economy, health care, etc? No. Of course not. Why do that when you could go back to beating the dead horse that is Rev. Wright

Panthers 30, Saints 7

2008-10-20T02:07:00.003-04:00

Well, that was just ugly. The game looked to be a good one until the second half when the Panthers completely ran away with it. Then, just in case we weren't all feeling crappy enough, came word that Reggie needs knee surgery. The offense did not look the same without him and with a trip to London looming, the Saints are truly in need of some help from above. Those earlier last minute losses are probably going to keep this team out of the playoffs...again.