Politics

Why can Pres. Bush push for an immigration bill which he has been on a bad side of all this time but he is stuck on one side of the war situation. Politics. He sees that he has to a certain extent lost the battle with the immigrants so he is sort of waving a white flag. Why isn't he doing that with the war effort. Doesn't he know when to lick his wounds. I would think that looking at this situation that he does but this just shows me that he is at the point to where he does what he wants when he wants and damn anyone who has a problem with it. God help us if he has any problems with a nuclear powerhouse.

Black Village

I read that it is uncertain the future of Leimert Park in Los Angeles which was a hub during the riots in the 90s riots. Of course this area needs to be preserved. Why wouldn't it be. If people are trying to make a positive out of a negative which they were before the riots as a matter of fact, then why should that be held up. That was a rough point in American history and a functional place as a monument to me means more than any statue, especially because of what happened. I mean how can you put a monument up to mark the moment when the officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted. You can't. But it needs to be remembered for future generations so that the past doesn't repeat itself. Look at that place and remember white folks what can happen when you piss us off.

So Many Breakups

When I look at my local paper I can't help but notice all of the divorces. I can't understand why. One reason I think is because I think that people rush into marriage too young. People think that just because they get with someone in the ninth grade and stay with them through graduation that means they should be together through life but that is apparently wrong. I understand that youngsters aren't the only ones who make up the divorce bracket but they make up quite a few. What anyone needs to know is that divorces cost more than marriages regardless of the circumstances. Problems, problems.

Some Blame

I have to believe that the head people at Virginia Tech have to be held somewhat responsible for some of what occurred on that tragic day last week. After the first shootings, there was no reason for that campus not to be shut down. They played right into the killers hands. That just shows you that the campus was more worried about putting on a front to cover up a tragedy than getting the word out to make sure everyone was safe. The way I look at it, just because of a rumor, I would rather have safe students and a drop in enrollment than 33 dead people and 25 wounded because of the way I thought it would make my school look to the public. I mean they act as if even if they did shut the school down and the mass shooting wouldn't have occurred or if it was an isolated incident as they claim they thought it was, they still would have had to go to the press about the first 2 student shootings. Jail time, nah, but some lost jobs, probably.

What's Deserved

I have heard that the young guy that has been charged with raping and killing a 2 year old little girl has been having a hard time in jail. Rumor has it a couple of broken arms, broken ribs, continuous beatings, and serious anal damage due to continuous rape. Can the guy even blame his fellow inmates. They're giving him the same chance he gave that little girl. I have heard over the years that child molesters and the like have the worst time in jail and I guess that must be the truth. Lord be with him and I guess he is getting or will get whatever he deserves.

Lives Changed

Today was the first day of the 2007 NFL draft. For these guys there lives have changed forever. Money and notariety are at their feet. As for what they will do with both of them remain to be seen. I wish as a 23 year old that I could look forward to the coming months and know that I will be seeing a couple of million dollars in the mailbox. And the sad thing about it is that some of these guys have been given to key to changing generations in their families that aren't even born yet and will blow it. If I only knew back in the day what I know now.....

We Wonder Why

As a young black man, I hear my peers all the time complain about why we don't have too much to do in my area but after going to Conway, AR last week for the festivities tied in to the End of the World Greek show, it is no wonder why there isn't much for us to do because there is always going to be a good number of people out there to mess things up. Cars getting hit, fights, people getting shot at, drugs, drunk driving, I see why the Man doesn't want to give us too much to do because there will always be ignorance. Now if we as a people knew how to get together peacefully and chill there wouldn't be too much but people look for that one little thing where we mess up to hold it against us and thats what these young folks don't seem to understand. This was my sixth and most likely last year going because it seems that the generation after me is more worried about looking tough and making bad names for themselves than just getting out of town and having fun. I don't know where my people are headed honestly. Children are the future my ass. They say one apple spoils the bunch, well how about a couple of hundred.

Controversy Coming

I see that Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has hit 10 home runs in 10 games. He is on pace to hit, well we're not going to talk about how many he is on pace to hit, but at this early point in the season everyone is applauding his skill level and off-season preparation. I bet that at the end of the season if he has broken a couple of sacred records by a rediculous amount, someone will come out and scream controversy. Especially steriods. Now I know that I am not the only person to see that A-Rod has filled out quite a bit. Personally I am not one of these people that would claim that, keep in mind that I am a Barry Bonds fan, but regardless what people need to keep in mind is that if you can hit a little round ball with a skinny round bat and the ball is going 100 miles per hour, it's a treat to even make contact, let alone hit it out of the park. A-Rod the greatest baseball player, not of all times, but for the moment and for Yankees fans hopefully the season, take ya' curtain call homie. Just know that the haters are lurking.

Copy Cat

Well after I have seen that the shooter at Virginia Tech sent a tape to NBC to boast about what he was about to do I knew that it was bad but when I saw that on the package he paid tribute to the Columbine High School shooters, I knew that this was on a whole other level. That means to me that people need to be on the lookout for people that may idoloize mass murders, especially school shooters, and attempt to take what they did to another level as in this case. To send a tape to the news to exploit what you are about to do, man. And to see all the preparation that he went through like calling in bomb threats the week before to check the police reaction time and when he did the first shooting, this guy knew that he was going to get his plan across to the extent that he had time to go to the post office and mail a package. Psyciatrist, beware and be ready to break the law of patient, doctor confidentiality. Which would people rather have, a doctor's license taken away or a campus of dead students. Speak out.

Oprah

I watched the Oprah Winfrey Show Tuesday and she showed me why she is so popular with women. She is a man basher, like people have told me before but I have never really watched her show. But I have seen through blogs on the net that she is a rapper basher for sho'. She had entertainers and CEO's of record companies on her show and damn near roasted them fully for the Don Imus incident blaming the rap industry fully for the way people portray black women. The bottom line is people look at black women as they are. Oprah doesn't want to admit that there are bitches and hoes out there. Now I will say that they're not only black, but to say that rappers portray all black women is wrong. The girls that are willing to get in those videos half naked are the ones that they are speaking about, a woman that is willing to use her body for fame or to get what she wants or to get where she wants to be, the street meaning of a hoe. To bash Russell Simmons, a non-rapper and peace advocate as well as Common and others alike is unfair. She sees rap as totally woman hating but I see her as fully man hating. Oprah, Stedman is there, marry his ass and maybe you won't be so negative towards anyone with a penis between their legs and be less prone to be booty buddies with Gale whatever her name is. Is there a problem, yes. Do rappers and entertainers cause it, no. Do they add to it, maybe, but if yes minority wise. Don't dump society's woes on one category of people. If Oprah was so smart she would see that she is doing the same thing that white folks said about black folks generations ago about ruining society. Get off the high horse O.

God Bless

Lord's prayer be with the families or any grieving over the tragedy at Virginia Tech University on Monday. This is just another senseless shooting at another institution that had no idea that this was in the plan of a madman. The only thing that I'm angered about mainly is how the adminstration handled things. After the first shooting two hours before the mass shooting, the campus should have been shut down and evacuated as most say. As a college student, if I come to school and there was a shooting earlier that morning, damn trying to make the school look good and safe and let me know the deal so I can get outta harm's way. That's one thing that I see in TV that translated Monday, adminstration at a campus worried about school outlooks than student safety. In my mind had that been tended to, there would have been at least 30 plus lives spared. God be with those lost and with their families and friends.

After Jackie

I found it honorable that Major League Baseball allowed players to wear Jackie Robinson's number 42 on the 60th anniversary of him crossing the color line in baseball. The thing is that people always have to look for contraversy. Some people said that it shouldn't be allowed and that the number should be held sacred but I say as most that if people want to pay tribute to a great man for a great feat, why fight it. As for what Jackie would say today about the state of baseball, well his wife said there is much to be done because of the percentage of blacks in baseball but the way I look at it, where we have dropped off in baseball, we have picked up and made great strides in other major sports. Jackie, we're tryin' to hit em' outta the park for ya'.

Shocking Results?

How many people didn't know that the paternity test for Anna Nicole Smith's baby wasn't going to say that Howard Stern wasn't the father. Personally, I guessed as much from day one before she passed. I think she knew that even if she lived, that there was going to be money drama with Larry Burkhead if she admitted it was his baby. Plus I think that Howard probably has more of the baby and Anna's best interest in mind. But in Burkhead's defense, how many men wouldn't want to knock up a gorgious millionaire. The last sign to me of what was coming was when Howard dropped his petition to keep the results a secret. He knew it was just a matter of time before the truth came out. So know the question is will there be any of Anna's money left when the baby turns of legal age after her birth father gets through with the money if the court's don't mandate it to be put into some kind of trust. Again, as with the rest of this soap opera, only time will tell. It seems that everytime I think I have written my last blog on this saga, something else arises. Stay tuned.

Who's To Blame?

I don't know whether it's hipocritical or not that Snoop Dogg spoke out on the Don Imus situation. This is a rapper that is notorious for downgrading women in a nice percentage of his songs, not that he's not my boy. But it's that all the black leaders are saying that they are trying to get the black community to stop downgrading our own people to show that it's not okay for anyone else to do it, but at the same time, other folks embrace their negative monikers also. Take white people, they embrace cracker, honkey, redneck, good-ol' boy and the like. We can't say it but they can. Mexicans can say wetback. There are many other examples. But it is bad that black folks are under the microscope but at the same time it's sort of because no one else has been degraded and stepped on as much as us. So is it good to get our entertainers to set a good example, maybe because it seems that our music is the most highly embraced among all races and if they sing it in a song they seem to think it's okay to say it during regular conversation, which both times are wrong. People need to know regardless of music or anything else that there's just some things that can't be said by certain people. A white person will put a rebel flag on their car with the name redneck under it but if a black person says the word, they get as offended as we do when we hear the N word. Maybe we need to throw all the words away, hmm.

Respect Finally

A couple of weeks ago the US government announced that soldiers who die overseas will no longer be transported back to the states in the baggage section of commercial jets and unloaded by forklifts unceremoniously in faver of private jets and having full honor guard at the airport to greet the bodies. This is wonderful because the soldiers didn't leave home in a crate under a jet so why should they have to return home that way. To relegate them to be stowed away like so much baggage is just a great disrespect. The government say that flying them back under jets with baggage saves time and money when they don't seem to care about spending extra money anywhere else dealing with the war effort. Finally all extra war dollars are being spent on something that everyone can agree on.

Milkin' It

Looks like the Flavor train hasn't come to a stop just yet. I bet VH1 never thought they would have all these shows after they had Flavor Flav on the Surreal Life. That spun into Strange Love, which led to Flavor of Love seasons 1 and 2, I Love New York, and now the newly dubbed Flavor of Love girls Charm School. You have to wonder where this chain will end because there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. When you have Flavor Flav still roaming around, two seasons worth of women to have their own shows, New York not knowing if she wants to settle down, and now the whole cast of men from her show. I hope Flav's black ass was smart enough to get production credit so he can get the max money out of this situation but hey, probably not.

Done

Well today, to add insult to injury Don Imus lost his radio show on CBS. This coming a day or so after MSNBC dropped the TV simulcast of his radio show. This is way more than I thought would ever happen to him but oh well. This happened to a person who slammed a person some years ago for making distasteful comments about Judge Lance Ito who presided over the OJ Simpson case. Looks like he forgot about his own good example. I guess he'll have time to think about what he's done while looking through the want adds.

Example set

Yesterday, it was learned that two troubled players in the NFL will have to sit out for a while. Pacman Jones of the Tennessee Titans will miss the whole season while Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals will have to miss 8 games because of their off season run-ins with the police off the field. This is good and bad to me. Good because it will teach players that just because they are millionaires they can't do what they want to do but bad because if there is a mishap with anything say racial profiling, an innocent person may have to pay for a misunderstanding. I like the fact that these young black players will have to carry themselves with alot of prestige from now on instead of maybe resorting back to what trouble they were used to getting used to at younger ages. Only time will tell all the positives and negatives.

Class

I can't help but admire the Rutgers Women's basketball team of there reaction to the comments of Dan Imus. Instead of getting up there during their press conference and cussing or acting out, they spoke calmly and fluently and showed the education and class that people said that they had since this incident arose. Now I see that MSNBC will no longer broadcast a simulcast of Imus' radio show. Maybe next time should talk about a white school's basketball and see what happens. Hey he claims that it wasn't racially motivated so that shouldn't be a problem huh?

Shameful

Today it came out in the news that here in Pine Bluff a couple of days ago, a nineteen year old boy raped his girlfriend's two year old daughter which caused her death. What was he thinking. I mean damn what was his girlfriend doing or not doing for him to where he had to do that to a little girl. To be honest this is just dispicable and there isn't much I can say except that child molesters have the worst time of anyone when they go to prison. In a little while he is gonna feel what he made that poor little girl feel.

Imus?

There has been an uproar the past week over radiocaster Imus's racist comments about the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team. He has been suspended but some are calling for him to get fired. He says that he made a poor choice in words but is not a ranting, raving racist. Personnally, I don't want to see him fired. I want to see if he can stand behind what he says. Now if he is what he says he is, I think it is up to him to prove it. I want him to be under the heat of the lights. If he is let go, then he can fade into obscurity and that isn't fare. From now on, everything he says will be under a microscope and that to me is probably a harsher punishment that termination. Let him feel what people like Howard Stern feel after every broadcast where every word that comes out of his mouth is critiqued. Bet he won't say anything else about nappy hair.

Over At Last

It has been said that the divorce of Bobby and Whitney will be finalized this month. I know that there are a lot of tabloid writers who are very upset over this. The critics may say that Whitney should have done this years ago and that she would stupid to stay in a situation like this, but had she done so, what would they have talked about. There would have been no embarrassing interviews. There would have been no drug induced concert appearances. There would have been no reality show that looked into the madness. So while the marriage cost Whitney millions of dollars while paying Bobby's court fees, child support, and everything else, there are a lot of media producers out there who put there kids through college because of them.

End of an Era

This week, a sports legend Eddie Robinson died. He coached the Grambling University football team for over 50 years and became is the second winningest coach in college football history. One thing that was made clear long before he died was the kind of man, leader, and pioneer he was. And to make it even bigger the accomplishments that he made were that he did the at a HBCU. He made people look and a conference, the SWAC, that probably would have paid it no attention. When a black coach has nationally known leaders speak of him after his death, you know he was large, not to mention that he sent over 200 players to the NFL and has 7 players in the football hall of fame. Damn, just imagine what would have happened if he was at one of those big name white folk schools.

Price of Fame

I saw on the news today that Justin Timberlake was upset about how the celebrity tabloids make celebrities lives seem like a soap opera. Well, my words to him are that when they print positive things about them, they like the exposure but when things turn sour, they are referred to as the bad guys. I really don't like how the people get portrayed myself but it's that exposure along with the good that makes celebrities into the people we love or hate. One day you see these people posing for pictures and sometimes hiring publicists to make sure they are seen on camera and the next the people are fighting the same cameramen they posed for a day earlier because they are having a bad day. When you choose to live your life in a fishbowl, sometimes you will be stared at.

Pig Sooey

In another embarrassing moment in Arkansas Razorback athletic history, the basketball team hired a coach on Monday, called a press conference to introduce him, had the previous coach get hired to another team the same day which meant they didn't have to pay his remaining contract, and had the new coach renig the very next day. If this isn't a black eye to the program I don't know what is. It was bad enough in the national eye with the Nolan Richardson situation, but this sullies an already bad situation. It makes you wonder who is to blame for all the woes in Fayetteville, the coaches or the administration. Now the question remains who would be dumb enough to come into a circus of a situation like that next. Only time will tell.

Reality

A couple of days ago, Anna Nicole's "companion" dropped his petition to keep DNA results about her baby secret. To me, his petition only confirmed that he doubts the baby is his as many people has said before. As a fan of the woman I would like for the baby to be his because I don't think he would take too much advantage of the situation, unlike the other guy Larry Burkhead. But in Burkhead's defense, how many people go have sex with multimillionaires and don't expect anything in return. Basically he knows that if the baby is his, he stands to gain millions from the bank account that the baby won't be able to enjoy for years. Must be nice to be a couple of months old and know that you're set for life.

Big Loss?

Last week, I tuned in to a Los Angeles Laker game and as always they showed the celebrity fans that showed up and I saw a wig bearing Britney Spears. This made me think of the big uproar that arose after her break from Justin Timberlake. The talked about the fact that he was so hurt but if you look at the events from her life over the past three years or so, was it a big loss really? She got married twice, divorced twice, had two kids, shaved her head, showed her privates on numerous occasions, had addictions that sent her to rehab, etc. On the otherhand, Justin kicked it with numerous fine ass celebrity women and did his thing. So nowadays, who do you think is really crying a river over their split?

Unappropriate

Today, they released yet another statement about Anna Nicole Smith. This one to me hit below the belt and I mean literally. The reports talked about how during the autopsy they remarked about how she had cantelope sized implants. Well duh. Then they went on to say on national television about how she had an imaculate anus. Who in the hell examines breasts implants and anuses during an autopsy that is supposed to be centered around an autopsy. To me it seems that some sick individual got a cheap ejuculation at a dead woman's expense. Sick world we live in huh.

Bonehead?

Last week, the owner of the New York Yankees George Steinbrenner's daughter got divorced. The crazy thing about it is that he has been saying that when he steps down that his son in law would take over the team. So that means to me that this guy gave up millions upon millions of dollars for what? What problem between them was that serious to where he couldn't stick it out to become the head of one of the most storied sports franchises in the world. Years from now when he is old there is no doubt that this will haunt him to his grave. I understand that they say that money can't solve all problems but damn. To "The Boss" if your lil' girl needs a replacement, tell her to give me a call.

Oh, George

President Bush is at it again I see. He is threatening to veto any bill that will put a timeline on pulling troops from overseas. Why? Well basically I see it as that he knows he made his bed so now he knows that he has to lie in it. He has less than two years left in office and he knows that it's a mess over there but he has to stand behind his mess which I had to admit but takes a lot of balls. Maybe most may say that he is being hard-headed, maybe they are right, but I don't see why the President is so adiment on making the next guy's job that much harder. Whoever the next President is will not only have to worry about their own term but trying to clean up the mistakes of the previous "regime" also, which isn't fair. My opinion is know when you're licked just like we had to do with Vietnam and know when to cut your losses and bow out semi-gracefully. We have already made fools out of ourselves over there to the rest of the world so the smart thing to do is try to start regaining some prestige. Hey, I guess my views are why I vote Democrat. God be with Bush and whoever has the tough job of cleaning up after him.

Racist?

A couple of weeks ago I remarked on the racist implications of the name NAACP but there is another race that has problems and they are the Native Americans. Now for years they have been protesting the fact that sports teams have used a people as a mascot and they are right. How would white people like it if there were the Florida Crackers or how would blacks like it if there were the Chicago Black Hitters? Also I take offense to the fact that they are still referred to as Indians. They aren't. Indians are people that derived from India. Just because Christopher Columbus made the mistake a couple of hundred years ago, why are they still paying for it. Looks like black folks aren't the only ones still needing to fight for civil rights.

Oh Scooter

Is there any citizen in America that doesn't believe that Scooter Libby will be pardoned by President Bush? The answer I believe is no. Even when I have seen Libby on TV lately after his guilty verdict, he doesn't even seem to be too worried. I guess he thinks he knows something that everyone else doesn't know. The thing is that I believe that had this been earlier in Bush's term and his reputation wasn't as screwed up as it already is, then Bush might let everything alone to prove a point to the people but this isn't the situation. He has made his bed and if he does anything more to piss the US citizens off, there is not too much that can be done politically in retaliation against him and he knows it. Must be nice to know low people in high places.

Watch Ya Back

I really don't know what to make of the fact that terrorist groups have said that once Prince Harry gets deployed, he will be either killed or kidnapped. I will have to say that he is showing either great courage or great stupidity by wanting to be treated like any other troop. Be it what it may, this is a very patriotic and honorable stand that the prince is making. On another note, after he is through with his military obligation, this should make everyone forget about the antics that he pulled a couple of years ago. They say the armed services will make a man out of a boy. I guess Harry is proving just that.

Wanted: More Bloodhounds

I heard last week that the government is stepping up the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Hmm, I wonder why. At a time where political sides are trying to gain leaway for upcoming elections, of course everyone wants to be the one claiming to come up with Osama. Plus, Bush doesn't have too much time left in office and he knows that the next President will most likely spend his time on more pressing issues so of course he is going to step his efforts up. But you have to wonder what will happen after they catch him, if they do. They are trying to act like he is responsible for all world terror. What don't they understand about the fact that as soon as they catch him, hundreds will step up to take his place and terrorism will excalate in retaliation. My opinion is to target the whole lot of these guys. The allegiance has been pledged to this guy by his people so we need to drop a metaphoric Hiroshima A-bomb on them. It's sad to say though that regardless of what happens, in 100 years there will be a new terror threat plagueing the world. Parents please prepare your great-grandchildren.

1st Amendment

Last week I heard that at a high school somewhere they are trying to ban booing at sports games. How are you going to tell someone that pays their money that they can root for someone but can't boo if they want to. This to me is a violation of the first amendment which is for free speech. If they are trying to do this because some of the players are getting their feelings hurt, if the child is too much of a punk to take some criticism by fans, then they need to have their little timid asses kicked off the team. I just can't see a reason for this to be done. I guess this is just another trivial thing that some bored school officials are trying to pass off to try and flex their "muscles". Good job, lol.

Time For Change?

Lately there has been a call to change the name of the NAACP which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In my opinion, there needs to be action because if a white person ever came up to a black person and called him colored, the black person would be ready to fight. This is 2007 and that word needs to be done away with reference to race just like the word nigger. No one disagrees that even black people shouldn't refer to each other as nigga so why should one of our most prestigious organizations have the word colored in the title. Why the old school people want to keep the name the way it is I don't know. If they are so much about tradition, then why don't they bring back race titles for bathrooms and drinking fountains. This word is probably confusing the young generations who were taught to take offense to the word but see this prominent organization representing it proudly. To the old school, just change the one word and see that it won't be that big a deal.

Division?

The question has been asked the last couple of weeks as why has the Democratic party picked two minorities as their front runners for president. I wonder that too because a black man and a white woman (who just so happened to be married to the black folks favorite president) are running at the same time. People have speculated whether this was influenced by the GOP's. I have to ask that question too. Black folks are always gonna be prone to vote for Obama for that fact that he is black but they need to take in the fact that Hillary is still a Clinton. My first mind tells me to vote for her because of her platform and not her color. Just like a motivational speaker said at my school a couple of weeks ago, Obama talks a good game for the black folks of New Orleans but has yet to step foot in the city. My first mind when I hear that makes me say Uncle Tom. My statement to black folks, look at the issues and not the color; what looks good might not always be that way; and if we get a token in the White House that is working for the other man, it's a null point. THINK BLACK PEOPLE.

Helping the Little Man

Last week I hear that Arkansas governor Mike Beebe signed a bill that lowered the level where people have to pay income tax. They say that over 89,000 people will be affected. My applause because for the past seven years that Bush has been in office there have been so many tax cuts for the wealthy that it doesn't make any sense. Why would you make sure that someone worth 100 million dollars doesn't have to spend 500,000 dollars but you don't care if someone that makes 25,000 dollars a year has to pay Uncle Sam 4000 dollars. At least someone is stepping up for the little man. Too bad no one in D.C. has the same guts or common sense.

Big Money

It seems that Jay-Z made a large bank deposit recently when he sold his Rocawear clothing line for over 200 million dollars. Theoretically, his great-grandchildren will never have to lift a finger. It's bad enough that the man was already worth nine figures but now his worth is just ridiculous. The crazy thing is that he still has money coming in by the boatload from Rocafella Records, Armadale Vodka, President of DefJam Records, and don't forget that he owns a share of the New Jersey Nets. If he is not the epitome of maximizing your earning power, then I don't know who is. Not bad for a guy who really just came on the national scene in maybe 1994. Pretty soon, entertainers will probably rule the Forbes 500 it seems like. Damn I wish I could rap.

Identity Theft

Today I found out more about a comment I posted the other day about males pledging AKA. It seems that a group of homosexual men at either Texas State University or Tennessee State University didn't try to pledge Alpha Kappa Alpha but formed MIAKA. The problem that has arrisen is that they stole the colors, the shield, part of their name, and etc. to have their group, sorority or whatever they want to call it. My advice is that you can form whatever group you want to but don't steal someone else's identity in the process. If they wanted to form their group they could have made up all their own things and everything would be okay from the standpoint of people who don't dislike homosexuals as I don't myself. I would say this about anyone may they be straight, athletes, other females or anyone who tries to steal someone else's style. There is an old saying that copying is the most sincere form of flattering. This might not be the best place to impose that flattering. To these guys, get your own gig. Right now the attention may be flattering to them but eventually, it will most likely turn negative because of the world we live in and even just because they ripped off another prestigious organization that is going almost 100 years strong. Not just to them but anyone else out there who wants to perpetrate, stop hatin' and do your own thing. Hell you never know, one day you might be able to trump the people that you are trying to mimick.

Probable Origin?

Today I was just sitting around thinking and I was thinking about where black folks got the idea to swing their cars(weave side to side from lane to lane). I remembered back to the days when I was a little kid and I remembered that when race cars in NASCAR and INDYCAR pick up tread while following the pace care, the swing from side to side. Now not saying that this is where tippin, swangin, or whatever came from, but it makes you wonder. Basically to me, it would be funny if one of the things that white people say is a big traffic nuisance came from the whitest and dare I say most redneck sport on the planet, stock car racing.

It's Raining Men

Recently I heard that some men at Texas State University are trying to get into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The problem I have with this is obvious. What the hell are they doing? As of the writing of this post, it is unknown but highly speculated that these men are gay. As a person who believes that homosexuals have the right to everything that anyone else, I believe that this is something that they don't. If these are some straight men trying to prove a point, they are still wrong because what is the purpose? I say this because the reason the sorority was created was as a organization for educated BLACK WOMEN. Not MEN. Not straight men, not gay men, not white men, not black men, not white women. It is the same as the Kappas in Jonesboro, Arkansas allowing a white male to join. This goes against the reason the organization was formed. You don't see black people trying to join the Klu Klux Klan. Even if you did, it would be pointless since their basis is on white domination. I believe in breaking down barriers as much as the next purpose but this is just a place that needs to go unventured. If these guys have to be part of an organization, there are numerous societies that have both females and males on college campuses. Gay, straight, or otherwise, as a straight man who believes in equal human rights and understanding, guys please just leave this one alone. But if there is some deeper point to be proven, I am fully willing to stand corrected if need be.

Lesson Learned

It seemed to me from the response that the tornado ravaged town of Dumas, Arkansas is getting that someone has learned a lesson from the debocle that was Hurricane Katrina. There was rapid response, good follow-up aid, etc. Given that this wasn't as big a tragedy, but it seems that no state or local government wants the reputation of FEMA. There have been so many drives supporting food, shelter, clothing, vaccinations and the like and this impresses me to the point that where I trust local government to help me in a crisis more that the federal government. At least someone out there is working on earning the public's trust back with regard to emergency management response and control.

Motorists Beware

Lately Arkansas lawmakers have tried to upgrade motorists not wearing a seatbelt from a secondary offense to an offense that officers can pull someone over for. This is going to be one of the biggest profiling greenlights that we will have seen in a long while. Now when an officer wants to pull someone over because they don't like them for one reason or another, all they have to do is make sure the person is not wearing a seatbelt. Gone are the days of trying to prove someone was speeding or had their music too loud. This is going to lead in a spike in search and seizures. Some good. Some bad. Lawmakers will have you think that the only people who have to worry about this are people out there doing wrong. As a law-abiding black man I can tell you that isn't the truth. If people don't want to wear seatbelts and risk their safety, that should be their business. You don't see laws banning people from smoking, drinking, eating the wrong foods, and all the other things that could lead to death so why should wearing a seatbelt be any different. And wearing a seatbelt doesn't insure survival. What's next, a law saying what size rims a person can have on their car.

Murder Incentive

I read today that they are coming out with a movie about the Zodiac killer in San Francisco in the '60s. The thing that gets me is that this may be incentive for serial killers if they know they are going to get a movie. They said one thing that drives serial killers is the fame the comes behind it. Well you can't get more high profile than a big budget Hollywood movie. Now when it comes to black folks, they say they need to get rid of rap, music videos, jewelry, big rims, or basically anything that will intice someone to go get money. But in the white folks case, they throw the rules out the door for preventing things if they think it will make a quick buck. Why do white "experts" seem to think that if you get rid of something, then people will forget about it and never think of it again. Wrong. If you get rid of hip-hop culture as they have been driving for, black folks are still not going to be the conformists that they want us to be. But back to the point, I don't see them doing away with their own dirt. I guess pretty soon, there will be a movie chronicalling the Columbine and Jonesboro school masacres. Hey Hollywood, that might be a quick dollar.

R.I.P. Getting Closer

The courts today finally upheld the verdict for Anna Nicole Smith to be buried in the Bahamas with her son. My question is why has the woman been dead for almost a month and she is just now headed to the cemetary. First off, the woman said she wanted to be buried with her son. Secondly, why did her mother think that she had a claim. I'll tell you why. The redneck saw the dollar signs and probably would have made a million dollars off the funeral if she had things her way. She already proved that she was about money during the first hearing. When it came out that she took $30,000 to take pictures at Anna's son's grave, she was so speachless that she didn't even deny taking the money but claimed that she didn't understand the question. She also claimed that over the years the only person making money off of Anna was her lawyer Howard. What part of lawyer doesn't the woman understand. That's what he's supposed to do. The mother has never gotten along with her and in all the interviews before the death never had a nice word about Anna but now she is all concerned. Now if she were really concerned, why would she want to take the body back to Texas and ignore all Anna's wishes; and also when the medical examiner called the court to tell them that the body was decomposing unusually fast, why wouldn't she try to just get her daughter in the ground. The answer as stated above and I will add that she doesn't give a damn about her daughter and just saw a quick payday. When judgement day comes for her, I hope she feels that this was all worth it.

Tyra Tyra Tyra

Today I saw a bit of the Tyra Banks Show and at the end she said that she takes some of the responsibility for females thinking they need to be very skinny because of her other show America's Next Top Model. She said to change the image of the show that this season there would be two full figured women featured on the show instead of the occasional one per season. To me this is a cop-out for the simple fact that I don't care whether she has one, two, three, or fifteen full figured chicks on there she isn't going to pick any one of them. She probably said that crap on her show today to get the crowd behind her and to look good. Bitch please. Two out of how many. And also I think she feels guilty because fine ass Tocarra took off without her ass. And as a dude who doesn't know too much about fashion and modeling but quite a bit about fine ass females, Tyra picks some bullshit. Just like whatever season that was when she cut the fine ass Nik who won just about every competition of the season and dominated her compitition in favor of the plain faced Nicole who just about got cut every single week and even up to the last week got major criticism. Tyra said this plain jane hoe could do better in the fashion world. Whatever. After that I haven't watched since. Well one other reason is because they have had some ugly chicks on there the last couple of years. Tyra, stop being jealous of the fine chicks and let them shine. You had your time, let them have theirs.

Blind Eye

Last week I was reading an article in the paper where they are trying to make it mandatory for people leaving prison to have to go through disease screenings, just as they do when they come into prison. The thing that kills me is that some legislators were asking why do screening when someone leaves prison because how could they possibly get a sexually transmitted disease in prison. The person asked responded that he couldn't comment but did say that sexual activity and rapes aren't a major problem in Arkansas prison. Bull. How dumb first off is someone to ask the question about how does a person get an STD in prison. Has this person never watched OZ or any prison movies. Come on. And then a legislator asked that if a person came into the prison with a clean health record and was tested by the prison system upon exit and was dirty, could the person have a lawsuit. My answer is it is a case by case deal but if someone got AIDS from being raped in prison and tried to seek help from jailers and they turned a blind eye, then a person deserves to get paid. Also, that is one of the main things that people fear about jail is rape. Then, what gets me is the legislator that wanted to know about the lawsuits must be more concerned with the prison system's image that the health of the public that the convict is reentering. To clear up any misconception, let some of these people have to spend a week in jail and then we'll see if they're a little more attentive to prison needs.

Rice Luck?

I was just thinking today and it occured to me that every team that Jerry Rice signed to went to the Super Bowl the next year. Now I realize that the only team to win was the San Francisco 49ers but the Oakland Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks at least made it there. There is a grain of salt with the Seahawks for the simple fact that the year after he retired they went to the big game and he didn't play but the simple fact is that he still was there and they still went. Maybe some of these teams that can't make it that far just need to sign him to a 4 game contract and that might turn the fates around. Hey, it's worth a try.

In Perspective

Today, I saw that Britney Spears went crazy and shaved her hair off. The reason that I am talking about this is for two reasons. My first reason is that it is sad that she has gotten to a state in her mind where she feels compelled to shave her hair off. The good thing is that with the reporting of this, it was only on the entertainment shows which lets me know that at least the journalists from the news shows that I watched feel that there are more important serious things going on in the world. Now if they would let Anna Nicole rest in peace, we really might be getting somewhere.

Fed-Ex No More

I woke up this morning and flipped a few channels and I realized that we have passed the Kevin Federline period. It has been a good couple of months since I have seen any print or news coverage about the guy who is famous because of who he knocked up. Am I the only person that is relieved by this small but significant thing. And the good thing is that after the divorce between him and Brittney Spears is over we will NEVER have to hear from him again. Now if we can just do something about that pesky Paris Hilton.

Too Sensitive

Last week I saw that there were numerous Super Bowl ads that had people in an uproar demanding action. One was a GM commercial showing a robot jump off a cliff because he messed up on the job. Suicide activists are claiming this makes fun of depressed people and such. Oh please. Another commercial that raised eyebrows was a Snickers ad that showed two men momentarily kissing; critics said it was homophobic. I'm not sure how many people responded in print to the Snickers ad but the GM ad got 250 responses from some stupid people who must not have anything else to do with their time. Some of the people with problems with the GM ad claimed that because of it, they would never by a GM vehicle. Oh my God, like GM is going to hurt if these losers don't by from them. What these people need to understand is that everything in this world, and I mean everything, is disliked by someone. If everyone got a chance to get rid of one thing they don't like, there would be nothing and no one on this Earth. If you don't like what you see on television, change the channel. If you don't like what you read, turn the page. If you don't like a song, turn off the radio. Hell, I personally don't like country music but you don't see me calling my congressman trying to get CMT and all the country stations taken off the air. These too sensitive people in my opinion need to be boxed away so that they will never have the chance at being offended. To all of those people and anyone who believes that just because they don't like something it needs to be eradicated, get a life and a clue.

Anna Nicole

Last week saw the untimely death of Anna Nicole Smith. The really sad thing to me about the death other than the obvious is how the media is turning it into a circus. It's like no one has any respect for the woman. For whatever people want to say she was, a model, a golddigger, an intoxicated media figure or whatever, she was a person and a human being who deserves some dignity and respect in death. Just like when her son died a couple of months ago, because of his relationship to her, the media was jumping everywhere and not even caring about the fact that a mother had lost a son. How do these people sleep at night? However, at least Anna won't be losing anymore sleep over them, R.I.P.

Stop Hatin'

This past Saturday saw the playing of the annual Pro Bowl of the NFL where all the All-Stars of each conference come out to compete against one another for the last game of the year which is purely exhibition. I saw a reporter talk to LaDanian Tomlinson on how his relationship was with AFC team coach Bill Belichick who Tomlinson had criticized after San Diego's loss to New England in the playoffs. Tomlinson told it like it was and said that he let some anger boil over because of a player dancing on the Charger's logo after the game to show disrespect and he said that he should have directed his anger solely at the player and not at the coach. The reason I am commenting on this is because after that altercation, everyone wanted to come out saying that Tomlinson had fooled everyone into thinking he was some nice guy when he is actually a thug at heart. Personally I think some of the comments are racially motived. Not every bulky brown skinned African-American is not a thug as some people would like to think. The bottom line is that everyone gets angry from time to time. No one can say that they don't. The NFL's sportman award is named after Walter Payton and I'm sure he blew up from time to time. Stop hatin' all you sportswriters who just want to attack someone when their not at their best. To those critics, I bet you wouldn't say all that stuff to LT's face, would you.

Why The Stupid Satire?

It seems that it the media, all ethics are dead and gone. Where are the Ted Koppels, Tom Brokaws, Peter Jennings, and Walter Kronkites. It seems like every story you here in the news now days has to have a cheap and taudry twist to get any coverage. It is damn near cartoonish. Everytime I watch the news, in order for a story to get any coverage there has to be some juicy plot twist in order for people to pay attention, or at least thats what the media wants you to think. When I was younger, my grandfather saw me reading a tabloid newspaper which at the age I knew was fake but the stories were entertaining, and he asked my why I read such trash and if I believed in such nonsense. I told him I knew the deal. Nowadays, it seems like all the serious media outlets have turned to such outlandish stories to get reader attention. Why, I don't know but everything from the evening news to CNN, ESPN, the E! channel and even some newspapers have begun milking scandal and legend instead of getting to the journalistic truth. I guess these days dollars speak over truth and justice.

Can't Get Right

This week in Pine Bluff, Arkansas the Royal Arkansas Hotel closed. This is especially disappointing because that meant that the ABA Arkansas Rivercats season was over because the hotel was their headquarters and home. Why is this hotel in so much dispair. It is supposed to be one of the elite in the city yet the hotel has changed hands more times than I can remember. You would think a hotel connected to a convention center should have no problems but that just tells you how bad the economy of Pine Bluff must be. Also they had some dumb regulations in the hotel to where they might have done themselves in like if you live in Pine Bluff you can't rent a room. I thought that was special occasions but that was all the time. Why not rent to residents of the city. What's the big problem. Oh well, they'll have plenty of time in bankrupcy court to figure out what went wrong.

Celebrities

Why is it that these days in the news it seems that more and more attention is given to celebrity activities than the real news action. I would care more about a controversy concerning my safety because a serial killer is on the loose than is Britney Spears broke up with her latest boyfriend or if Paris Hilton is feuding with Nicole Richie. I thought it was okay when they just talked about the stuff on the numberous entertainment shows, but some of these people's affairs are taking precedence over real news in the headlines. Some people can tell you the name of a celebrities pets and relatives but can't tell you a ballpark figure of the number of people killed in their own town. Maybe politicians, criminals, and other serious news subjected people need to put out an album or put out a sex tape to have people pay attention to them.

History Made

Tony Dungy became the first black coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl on Feb. 4, 2007. After all that has happened to him in the past few years including putting together a Super Bowl caliber team in Tampa Bay only to get fired before reaching the promised land, and having his son commit suicide, the man has nothing but class and I have to admit I reached a new plateau of respect for him. Where some coaches are overbearing, cold, and sometimes downright rude, Dungy matches none of that. In my opinion, that's the type of representative the black race needs.

Saving Isiah

I am really tired of seeing all of the strife of the use of the word faggot by "Grey's Anatomy" cast member Isiah Washington during a private dispute with a fellow cast member about another cast member. Due to heat he has taken from producers and others Washington has entered counceling. Number one, how did the press and everyone else get wind of what was said during a private dispute. The person Washington was talking to must have had a vendetta against him for all of this to reach the press. Number two, who can say that they have never made a derogotory comment about someone rather it be related to race, sexuality, or otherwise. How many whites can say they have never used the words nigger or coon. How many blacks can say they never used the words cracker, honky, peckerwood, or redneck. Dealing with sexuality, how many people can say they never used the words fag, dike, lesbo, queer, shittydick, or any other derrogatory term. Because Washington is in the spotlight everyone wants to have an opinion knowing they have said something they shouldn't have said in their lifetimes but now everyone wants to act self-rightious. Also, take the fact that some people have embraced some derrogatory terms such as nigga, redneck, queer, and others. Leave Washington alone. All he is guilty of is being famous.

What More Can We Do?

I heard on a radio talk show this morning that a woman had a problem with a man because he pulled out her chair for her at dinner, opened her car door for her, and other gentlemenly things. The way I look at it is why is he such a bad guy just because he was being nice. To make matters worse the woman had a friend at the police department run a background check on him after the woman's family and friends told her that he was too good to be true and that he must be hiding something. Would it have made her feel better if he would have slapped her around a little bit. Women say they want a nice guy but when they find one, they aren't satisfied. Maybe Ike Turner had the right idea.

Why Now?

I was watching the NFL network today and a reporter asked Lovie Smith that since there were now two black coaches in the Super Bowl, did he think that the head coaching ranks could now be opened to other minorities, namely the leading minority in the country Hispanics. My beef with that comment is why now is it okay to hire a Hispanic coach. Who laid out the rules and said that the only good head coaches had to be white males. Are there actually people sitting around in head offices in professional sports waiting for one minority to do something before they promote the next to the same ranks. My deal is that if I were Lovie Smith, I would have responded 'Why Now'. I'm sure this is not what the reporter meant but the way I took it is why does the Black race have to prove themselves before Hispanics, Asians, etc. could be brought to that position. I feel that if you know you stuff as a coach, you deserve the right to give it a shot and bring home the trophy. Hey, if he doesn't no matter who he is, they can always fire him.

Fulton Co. GA Racist?

Earlier this week I read in the news that northern Fulton Co. in Georgia is trying to split from the rest of the county to reform Milton Co. which was defunct during the Depression because of financial problems. The argument arises in that "Milton Co." contains the more upper class citizens and only comprises 29 percent of Fulton Co. but pay a majority of the taxes. That is one of the reasons they want to split because they want more of their tax dollars to make an impact locally instead of being spread throughout poorer southern Fulton Co. Is this a racist move? In my opinion, yes. They can sugarcoat everything all they want to but it is just a fact that they would rather use their money, influence, etc. to benefit themselves. What is the big problem with helping the poorer communities. It is done all over the country but some bookwork found a loophole and now all these "good-ol' boys" are trying to take advantage. I'm sure their are counties everywhere that merged for one reason or another but you don't see them almost a century later claiming some limp-dick excuse the leave the rest of the county. This is just proof that the spirit of the Confederacy is alive and well in the South.

Too Little, Too Late?

Lately two men have been brought to justice for the kidnapping and brutal murder of two black men more than forty years ago. The puzzling thing is, the two men were arrested shortly after the bodies were found, but were released. The way I look at the recent convictions of civil rights murderers from the fifties and sixties is that it is too little too late. Should they be punished yes but to put someone in prison for life who is on their last leg anyway and will be dead within the first year of incarceration doesn't make too much sense. Especially after they have enjoyed 40 plus years of holidays, birthdays, family occasions, laughs, smiles, tears, and etc. of which the victims never got to enjoy. The solution, since we can't turn back the hands of time to rectify the situation, I have nothing to contribute except maybe torture.

Tasers

Recently, I have seen that manufacturers plan on making tasers available to the general public. Opponents of this argue that people who purchase tasers that don't have guns will be quick to tase people, which in cases has resulted in death. My reaction to this is that I would much rather have a person have a taser than a handgun because a trigger happy person with a handgun can do a lot more damage than a person with a taser. Also, even if a person feels overly-provoked for the wrong reason, death would be highly more probable with a gun. I would also like to see tasers more in the hands of responsible citizens for the fact that even if someone has taken a concealed weapons class and has a gun license and shoots someone, sometimes the grey area of the force a person is allowed to take by law is still a tad large. This would be eliminated if a taser was used. I agree that they should only be available to responsible people for the fact that a taser is still a weapon and in the wrong hands can do a lot of damage but not for the reasons that are given by critics that people will get trigger happy with tasers.

Future gas prices

Everyone seems to be so excited about the upcoming hybrid vehicles. It is thought of by most that gas prices will be insignificant if you have a car that gets 40-50 miles plus per gallon. It is my prediction that as soon as 60 percent of the vehicles on the road become hybrid, then gas companies or gas stations will hike prices to contend with the fact less gas is being purchased. Just because you don't buy as much gas, when you come back to the station and have to pay $6.00 per gallon you will feel the crunch. As well as the fact that hybrids are so much more expensive that gas powered vehicles. Some of the vehicles that have outstanding gas mileage are a quarter of a million dollars. A car like that will have to be driven for 40 years to get your money's worth. I guess only time will tell.

Black Coaches Reach Benchmark in NFL

Another barrier for African American coaches went down Jan 21, 2007 with two prominent coaches going to the Super Bowl and by chance both are black. This should break the steriotype that a black man can't take a team to the big one. Regardless of who wins Feb. 4 an African American will be holding the Vince Lomardi trophy over his head triumphantly. For all of those naysayers who said it couldn't be done, it has been done with two franchises that haven't seen victory in over twenty years, all of those years being coached by caucasian counterparts I might add. Not to sound racially motivated, but as a black man and a Bears fan, this was a long time coming. The Bears haven't seen victory since '85 and have been a laughing stock in recent memory while Smith came in and had an instantanious impact in only two years I might add. Tony Dungy has taken a franchise that hasn't seen a Super Bowl victory since the seventies and haven't done much since they left Baltimore. He took an over-mediated quarterback and made him into the real deal. This also is his second team that he has built to play at that caliber with the first being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sad thing is he left before the hardware was handed out not to take anything away from John Gruden who has really struggled after his ring was given to him. So this black history month will see a nice turning point for pro-coaches. I think Martin and Malcolm and Huey (P. Newton for those of you who don't know) alike would be proud.

Sorry Mr. Vick

In a day and age where pro athletes are more famous and in the eye of the public more than ever, does it ever make you think why so many athletes are doing more stupid things to bring bad attention to themselves. We have drunk drivers, steroid users, wife beaters, and now one of the premier quarterbacks in the country trying to sneak weed onto a commercial airplane. Mr. Vick, do you not have enough money to buy drugs in the city where you are headed. Also have you not heard of a thing called 9/11. This means that airport security is heighted Mr. Vick. So in Michael Vick's defense that maybe stupidity doesn't run in the bloodline as he and his brother would make you think, maybe Virginia Tech University does some crazy things to a person's mind. Hokies beware.

Game Changing Politicians

In the upcoming 2008 presidential election, it will be very interesting to see who will have the honor of trying to break down a barrier from the democratic party. The two front-runners to be run for the domocrats are a woman and a black man. As a black male democrat it would be nice to see Obama in the White House but as an educated person it's all about who has the best to offer. Personally, I don't see how Hillary will win when so many people in the country, particularly redneck traditionalists, hate her husband and hate all the authority he gave her during his two terms. Will this next president be a change maker. To all traditionalists, please wake up and look at where the country is right now. Damn, we could be any worse of with a woman or a black man in office than we are right now with Bush.

Bush at it again

Lately, President Bush has stated that he wants to mobilize 20,000 more troops for the Iraqi war effort. Some of his backers have added that they would like to see as many as 90,000 more troops sent overseas. All major government forums have stated that they oppose any more troops being mobilized but the President has stated that he will have his way with the war even if his only supporters are his wife and his dog. My statement is that how can we trust a man and his backers to free a country and a people that have stated that they are able to handle their own business at this point but he still has to have his way. The same man who couldn't even get a single bottle of water to the grief stricken Gulf coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina for three days on his home soil and is reluctant in the funds set aside for their rebuilding but at the drop of a hat is willing to spend billions upon billions of dollars on a country were we have had strained relations for over twenty years while we have some of the same grief at home. I guess Bush will be spending quite a bit of time with his wife and dog, huh.