Vision Circle

Random Edness

• This happened during business travel.

  I'm late leaving the office because of administrative issues. I get to the airport one hour before the flight is scheduled to leave. I grab a salad and eat it for lunch.

  My stomach was already.... Uhhh.... Bubbly. So, no cheese.

  I'm on the plane and lower the window shade after it takes off and I fall asleep. Two hours later, the plane is descending and I wake up.

  *Snif*

  OK.... Someone cut a good one.

  *OH DAMN*

  I cut a good one.

  "Oh well, I'm the only one on the row."

  The plane lands, and is at the terminal. I get up to get my bag out of overhead and this Asian woman cuts me a look. The man next to her also gives me a look.

  OH. Well.
  You should have moved.
  

• Hillary Clinton used the term "plantation" in a speech and, of course, set the political opposition off. Well, you can't say jack until you say something about this.

  I find this type of political games to be childish, illogical, and appealing to hard core partisans who are irrational, IMO, any way.
  

• 24 is one of the best shows on television. Overall, I'm enjoying this season, even if it has some major holes.
  
• The implementation of "work ethic" is dying in this country. All you have to do is do a job to meet standards, and you will be seen as a shining star.
  
• The Venus and Serena Williams have lost their competative fire. It's a shame. I hate McEnroe and his comments are turning out to be right.
  
• If Black politicans, on both sides, become adults for 1 year, I wonder what would happen. That's why I think a race between Mfume and Steele would be a good thing for Blacks in Maryland.

  One, they both say they are friends.

  Two, I've seen evidence to support what they both say.

  Three, it would force them, even if not their supporters, to hit on all issues without the race baiting. If Blacks are evenly split, it's a win because Steele should then be looked at as a model. I think he should anyway because he actually talks TO people instead of AT them. If Steele wins the Black vote by a large margin, then he would definitely be a model. If Mfume wins, then you can look at Steele's performance and try to find out why he has done so bad.
  

• Ray Nagin cracked under pressure, real-time. And his melt down is continuing under stress of attempting to rebuild New Orleans on what is now (actually, has been for some time), a toxic waste dump.
  

P.S.

Payton Manning is a punk.

Marion Barry: I Told You So

I told you so:

Barry Tested Positive for Cocaine Use In the Fall
Drug Check Ordered After Tax Case Plea

By Yolanda Woodlee and Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 11, 2006; A01

D.C. Council member Marion Barry tested positive for cocaine use in the fall in a drug test ordered by a court after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, according to two sources familiar with Barry's case.

Barry, who served four terms as mayor and was elected to the Ward 8 council seat in 2004, has since begun treatment for drug use, the sources said, but Barry's failure to pass the mandatory drug test puts him in legal jeopardy.

Because he violated the terms of his release, Barry, 69, faces an increased risk of serving the maximum 18 months behind bars -- rather than probation -- for his failure to file tax returns for six years. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8, but a federal judge could jail him or sanction him at any time.

"Mind, body and soul" that!

That reminds me.

If anyone remembers Barry saying that at the press conference, they may have overlooked his surprised reaction when people really responded to that phrase. He KNEW then he had a winning theme and his "come back" started at that moment.

The Media: 01/04/2006

I go to bed last night and the news is reporting that one miner is dead with the fate of the others unknown.

I wake up and I hear that all miners except for one is dead. Then I hear a woman saying that orginally, they were all lived except for one and that they found out the truth hours later. This woman is now saying she's going to sue someone.

WTF?!?!?!?!??!?!

Your "loved one" has just been confirmed to have been killed in a mine accident and the first thing you think of is to sue someone?

Then I get home and my wife is livid because it's being reported that they were all in church praying when an "outsider" came in and said they were all alive except for one person. The people in the church start cheering. Then the pastor of the church asks people to pray for the family of the dead person, and very few people came up to pray for that family. The, later....

Right now I'm doing something dangerous, and that's writing when I don't have all of the facts. That's the blame being put on the media by the standard media critics, but I have to say if a rumor that the people are alive is going around, it's not a surprise that the media will report it, especially in this age of media competition. But they should have tried to fact check.

The media screwed up.

In the Baltimore area, a columnist for The Baltimore Sun resigned because "he had used sentences and paragraphs from other newspapers in some of his columns without attribution."

So another white newspaper person resigns because of suspect reporting/sourcing. What does this say about white newspaper writers?

I guess affirmative action is to blame.

The Depths of Black Boogie Man Thinking?

I really don't like what I am about to do, but this is another moment, to me, where something must be said.


Again, off of this post, in the comment section:

But the question I really have for anyone is this:

Cowgirl

I'm sorry, but this is the sort of race baiting, making the Black Boogie Man garbage that I cannot let stand.

My response:

The supposition is wrong.

So tell me why your comments should not be considered race baiting.

OK, now the reply?

Please get my comments straight - It has nothing to do with race baiting - it is factual.

Black Americans are the fast growing segment of the total population jumping on the Muslim bandwagon here in the US. Most of the recruiting is done in US Prison where Blacks make up a disportionately amount of the prison population. ...

Fact 1: After leaving jail, most of the people who joined Islam, don't maintain the adherence to it.
Fact 2: We are STILL talking about a Black Mulsim population of about 1-2% of the Black population.

Again, that's 1-2% of the Black population. Wow.

By the way, please don’t start on the poverty band wagon....

Given, I never mentioned poverty, and I am on record as saying poverty is not an excuse, why would that poster go there?

Farrakan, Ali, Mumia are Black Muslims who make racists statements about America and whitey keeping them down and enslaving them. Yet they belong to a Religion that has done more damage in the past and today to the African nations and Their African ancestors than another other nation, country or group of people that exists today or ever existed. These are all facts and have nothing to do with race baiting.

When a person writes "asks", So why do blacks so hate America, and then goes on to make 1-2% of the population as representative of the entire population, why is that NOT race baiting?

This Just Needs to be Said

The below are comments I put on LaShawn Barber's blog in response to this post.

I just shake my head and wonder how I see positives and negatives while others seem to see just the negative or just want to focus on that, but not both.

In context, there was nothing wrong with what Morgan Freeman said. Those in my circle of the universe who heard the complete comment, in context, agreed with his comment. Most said that when Black history is accurately engrained in American history, then Black History Month, which is just designation, can “go away”. Wasn’t that the intention Dr. Carter G. Woodson creating Black History Week in the first place? Why does that bit of history get removed from the picture? Pun intended.

OK, now a specific comment:

Rarely, if ever, do you hear black people expressing disgust for out-of-control crime rates or lecturing other blacks about their responsibility to stay out of the criminal justice system.

Strange, I hear it on a not infrequent basis. My circle of travel includes poor to well off and I hear it across the boundaries.

But, hey, I’m considered “liberal” by some and thus can be discounted.

BTW, others consider me "conservative", so I think that says A LOT about the definitions.

Honestly, between the negativity coming out of public Black liberals and the comments coming out of public Black conservatives, it’s a wonder more Blacks don’t blow their brains out (drinking, drugging, or literally) in dispair.

Merry Christmas.

Upset About Happy Holidays

I'm really upset about the use of happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas.

This time of year is about Christmas which is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

If you are upset about people saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, I trust:

• that you are upset that the commercialization of Christmas has led to some stores advertising Christmas before Thanksgiving.
• that you are upset about the fights and mayhem that happens on "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving.
• that you are upset that many stores need the consumerism of Christmas to stay in business.
• that you are upset of the near deity status of Santa Claus.
• that a mall Santa, coming late from lunch break, can cause a near riot. (I would not have believed it would be possible).
• that you are saddened by the rise in suicide attempts and successes this time of year.
• that you are saddened by the level of stress that results from people running around trying to buy gifts.
• that you are saddened by the debt that families find themselves in after Christmas?

If not...

*S*M*A*C*K*

That cyber pimp smack was for you to knock some damn sense into your head!!!!

Where are your priorities?

So what if store management tells its employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"?

What is Christmas really about anyway?

Merry Christmas.

A Thought About "Saving Christmas"

Well, there are some people out there who seem to be on a crusade to save Christmas in the public square of business. Some want businesses to continue wishing "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays".

Well, if you ask me, those who really care about Christmas should want to disassociate Christmas from the "holidays".

Read this post I did earlier and you should get my point.

Black Intra-Racial Politics: Name Calling

I've written about the alleged name calling against Michael Steele.

I've written about my distaste for the name calling, but questioned the article because of what was directly quoted vs. what was paraphrased.

This is now national news and I'm wondering why:

• When Black Democrat politicians and commentators in Baltimore called Mfume a sellout because Mfume backed Martin O'Malley and refused to get involved in the case of the Baltimore City Public Schools hiding the fact of lead in the drinking water, it wasn't national news.
  
• When Black Democrat politicians and commentators called the Black members of the Baltimore City Council sellouts and Uncle Toms because they were a rubber stamp for Martin O'Malley, it wasn't national news.
  
• When Black Democrat politicians and commentators called Black people on the Baltimore City Public School board sellouts and Uncle Toms because they are useless, it wasn't national news.
  

Actually, I do know why and I have to ask why Michael Steele, someone who, from what I know, I think I like, politically, needs to be protected from normal Black politics?

What I Have Witnessed

I know you don't care, but this is what I have personally witnessed:

• A womb after child birth.
• A cesarean.
• Three "fresh" dead bodies.
• A woman scream, "I got 'em!" when she walked out of the church after just getting married.
• Stonehenge.
• The Eiffel Tower.
• The Mona Lisa.
• Westminster Abbey.
• Pure love.
• Prince.
• James Brown.
• Earth, Wind, and Fire.
• Rick James.
• Eddie Murphy.
• Oprah before she was national.
• Pure hate.
• Jerry Lewis.
• Being "walked" by an Olympic champion.
• Sam Donaldson prove that he is a pompous ass.
• Live fish in the waters of Caribbean islands.
• The wonder of a child after seeing something new.
• Life.

Hate Mail: Redux

The following are samples of hate mail that Colbert I. King received:

Some folks are really touchy these days. Take, for instance, these four readers: D.G., J., W.T. and D.L. They didn't care for my column on Harriet Miers ["The Right, on Fire Over Miers," Oct. 8] and thus availed themselves of the opportunity to tell me so by e-mail.

Wrote D.G.: "Some portly Episcopalian [an indelicate reference to moi ] who condones the systemic elimination of the helpless Unborn styles himself a good heart because he happens to be black and benefiting from the Graham family's quota mania. What a joke!!!"

From J.: "If you weren't Black, you wouldn't get a job in journalism. You are in due to a tacit quota system."

And W.T.: "Reading your article is like watching a black minstrel doing his song and dance with words. Pure buffoonery! Affirmative action writer in action."

Finally, D.L.: "king...your article was biased and fulla[expletive] . . . so pack it up your liberal [expletive] sideways."

I seem to remember Michelle Malkin showing some hate email that set off a round of faux disgust from around the right leaning blogosphere.

I wound up writing:

So, Michelle Malkin gets hate mail. What's the big deal?

Really.

What makes her special?

Since I have time to waste, I decided to check the blogspot.com domain to see if anyone referenced the hate emails Colbert I. King received. I found one reference to the article but it was for the article itself.

I searched the typepad.com domain as well, and saw references to other articles, but not this one.

That's different from Michelle Malkin's situation, isn't it?

It seems, to me, that "minority" conservatives are being given special treatment by conservatives. Some would call that patronizing.

Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Movement was about changing public policy to allow full access to the promise of America.

It was about allowing full access to all schools.

It was about allowing full access to the voting booth.

It was about allowing full access to jobs.

It was about allowing full access to opportunities.

It WASN'T about disallowing people to "act the fool". That is a home training and/or moral and/or gray matter issue. It's not a "Civil Rights" issue.

Stopping rappers from spewing filth isn't a "Civil Rights" issue, it is a moral and human rights issue.

Stopping the insane use of "nigger" by Black people is not a "Civil Rights" issue, it is a self-respect issue.

Stopping crime is a moral and community issue not a "Civil Rights" issue.

Lowering the high rate of out of wedlock births is a moral issue and a poverty issue and a social issue, not a "Civil Rights" issue.

At least that's how I see it.

Thoughts While on Biz Travel

• Job well done Mrs. Parks. Thank you.
• Black women with apple bottoms should not wear low/no waist pants. The sistas look like they have a fully loaded diaper. Yes, I've written that before, but some things need to be restated.
• When you are on biz travel, and you are socializing with customers, you shouldn't drink so much that you get tipsy or drunk. It's not good business. Saying "I don't remember what happened" will erase the memory of you "acting the fool."
• Some nomination was withdrawn. blah blah blah. Somebody faces obstruction of justice charges. blah blah blah. But that's big news but not government abuse of power?
• It's interesting that the common question after Katrina was, "Why didn't they leave when they were warned?" Well, how come the national media isn't asking that question about Wilma victims?

  The local media is asking the question and the response being shown is, "I didn't think it would be that bad".
  

• Business travel gets very old very fast.
  
• So, when you make a flight reservation, you KNOW that you are leaving a warm climate to go to a colder climate. Yet, you insist on wearing shorts, flip flops/sandals and no coat. Well, in doing so, you have no reason to complain about how cold you are when you are standing outside in 40 degree temperature waiting for your ride. And, yes, I SAID so to a stranger.
  
• Southwest has opening seating, but they let you board based on 4 groups: kids/special needs, A, B, and C grouping. A, B, and C grouping is determined by when you check in. Southwest needs to put lines on the floor to help maintain the A, B, and C lines. When the flight is delayed by an hour or so, and people jump the line "by mistake" because they were in the wrong letter line, some people can get nasty.
  
• Job well done Mrs. Parks. Thank you.
  

On The Road Again

Some thoughts:

• Traveling during a hurricane is an interesting undertaking.
• I don't eat as well as I do when I'm at home. Actually, I eat too well, it's good for the palate but not for the cholesterol.
• Expense tab is nice.
• Hotel rooms and suites, are nice in the short term, but now it's old. Real old.

Biz Travel Gets Real Old

The title says it all.

I remember when airlines served "decent" food, now you have to load up before the flight, in the airport.

I had to laugh when I saw a Black woman break out aluminum foil from a big bag and pass out home fried chicken.

I started to pay her for a piece of the bird.

Random Edness

• Business travel gets very old, very fast.
• I understand supply and demand. I understand how people panicing helped to drive the price of gas up.

  I still don't understand why speculating can drive up gas prices so fast, but reality causes downward adjustments to happen slowly.
  

• As I get older, I get to know more of the "adult bizness", otherwise known as the family secrets. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
  
• For the past few years, people have been complaining about the bias of the press. Those same people have been pointing out how the press gets things wrong but refuses to correct what they reported. But these same people will trust the press to present racially tinged issues truthfully.

  You tell me that makes sense.
  

Don't Get to Start Givin' Oxford props

"Amerikkkan" has made it's way around the world.

The Government Fails, Time and Time Again

The government fails, time and time again, and it is due to its massive size, politics, hubris, incompetance, and graft.

While I wasn't blogging when the Department of Homeland Security was created, I stated in web forums and email lists that creating that department was nothing but a waste of time and money.

If its main job was to prevent another 9/11, all that had to be done was to add a cabinet position to head over seeing of the different 3 letter agencies to make sure that they share information in a timely and efficient manner. Then all that had to be done was to give that position the authority to fire people at will and remove regulations that prevented information from being shared. That position should also have had an inside track to be able to go to congress and state what laws needed to be changed or removed to bring down the legal barriers between the different 3 letter agencies.

Note: Some of those laws are the reason for "The Wall" and those laws are on the books because of prior abuses by the different 3 letter agencies. I know this, but some of the resulting regulations were a burden.

As anyone should be able to see right now, putting FEMA under Homeland Defense was a stupid move. And putting Brown in charge of FEMA was also a stupid move. Yes, it was everyday politics, but the man is in over his head.

Before the hurricane, the mayor of New Orleans said that because of the size of the hurricane, the people of NOLA would be essentially on their own. After the hurricane hit, he was on the air, rightly, blasting lack of a response from the federal government.

Well, he should have included local government and state government in that, but he didn't.

Note: I'm on the road again and I just don't feel like web surfing to find the links to back what I'm writing. Yeah, I'm lazy, cranky, my head hurts, and I ate some bad airport food that is tearing my stomach up. So go look for it for yourself.

The local and state authorities told those who couldn't get out to go to the Super Dome. They did. Then they were subject to searches before being allowed to enter the Dome. The local authorites in the Dome, apparently, couldn't do anything about the criminals who entered the Dome and took advantage of the situation. They should have let people keep knives and such.

Note: I've started to question what is being reported about the crime. Not because of race issues, but because of things like this. Yeah, I linked it. It's in another tab right now, that's why.

Trying to get back on track....

The local and state government failed those who couldn't get out. They failed the hospitals. When the local police were in search and rescue mode, they let the looters rules, so they failed to protect those who needed protecting.

The authorities are sending children without parents or guardians to locations outside of LA. Now you have parentless children, possibly STATES away from their family. Children are being harmed while being saved. This is like foster care. When it goes right, it goes right. When it goes wrong, the foster care system destroys families and harms kids. (Don't. Even. Get. Me. Going. About. The. Foster. Care. System).

There is a radio interview being played on talk radio concerning a woman who is relaying her experience with FEMA. FEMA asked her for an address. She has none. They asked her for her telephone number. She has none. She was calling from a temporary space set up by Allstate. The location? A field. They asked for a fax number. She had none.

Oh, and let us not forget about the NOLA evacuation plan that called for buses to be used to transport people out of The Big Easy. Instead, they are flooded.

That's the government in action.

The government is best at confiscating money from tax payers. But otherwise, people should consider to be on your own and operate from that premise.

If you didn't know before, now you know.

And to anyone who is surprised by what I'm writing, it's because you never asked, otherwise I would have told you something like this before.

Contradictions In Black

Black Americans have to be the most internally questioning people in the U.S.

The idea that Blacks "speak behind closed doors" is a farce. Things are mentioned on Black talk radio. Things are mentioned in Black print media. The idea about Blacks "speaking behind closed doors" rests on the idea that it's "behind closed doors" because media appointed "Black leaders" aren't QUOTED as saying certain things. Then, critics of the American Black community, white and Black, say that because those "leaders" aren't saying things, it isn't being said.

False.

Then those same critics will say that those "Black leaders" don't speak for all Blacks.

True.

Then those same critics will say that the Black community, in general, is being "lead" by the "Black leaders".

Then those same critics will point out where the "Black leaders" are not sychronized with the general Black community.

Ummm.... Ain't there some contradictions there somewhere?

The Human Spirit

• If you currently have the spirit of a criminal, given a bad situation, your criminal spirit will jump with glee and you will go the criminal route.

• If you love someone, like your sister, there is no way you are going to kill your sister over a bag of ice. You are going to share that bag of ice with your sister.

  If you love your brother, you are going to share that bag of ice with your brother.

• I bet there is a lot of human kindness going on that the media sees but isn't reporting.

• I would like to see the media approach someone suffering in this situation, only to have the person turn around and shove the microphone up the newscaster's nose, and then shove the camera up the backside of the camera man.

  A person I know was living in a multi-family dwelling. One of her neighbors was a crack head. This crack head started a fire because she fell asleep while cooking her next dose of crack.

  The house burned down.

  The "11 O'Clock News" arrived and went on air live. The camera approached the woman I know. The next thing you see is her mouthing, "If you don't get that camera out of my face, I'm going to shove that camera up your ___".

• The national media ain't jack.

• Anyone who, in the midst of suffering, takes the time to humiliate and denigrate a woman by raping her, deserves death by a colony of fire ants.
  

Katrina Thoughts

Some thoughts coming out of this mess:

• Open a bank account in a national bank. Set up a means of transfer from your main account.
• Buy hand guns and lots of bullets.
• Learn gun safety.
• Learn how to use the guns.
• When a hurricane is forcast for your area:
  • Load up cars with gas.
  • Get batteries for the flashlights and radios.
  • Gather important papers and place in water resistant containers.
  • Get bottled water and food supplies.
• When they say get out, LEAVE!

Grieving Mothers

I haven't written anything about Cindy Sheehan, because, frankly, I don't see the point in it.

The woman was anti-war before her son was killed. After her son was killed, she was still anti-war, and is doing what she thinks needs to be done so that no other mothers face what she is facing.

Other mothers take a view opposite of Cindy Sheehan. That's their view.

To date, I think many on the anti-Sheehan side have been pathetic and over the top in their opposition to her. Frankly, it's made me sick to my stomach. However, on the Fox News Sunday, I saw some sanity.

Chris Wallace had two mothers who each had a son killed in the war. One wanted the troops to come home IFF the reason for being there could not be explained well enough, while the other supported the mission as is.

Wallace and the segment producer did an outstanding job presenting rational women who presented rational views. And at the end, Wallace did something that too many pundits and news articles are not doing: he asked about their commonality.

Introducing the VisionCircleWiki

You asked for it, you got it. Let's get this party started HERE.

Black IntraPolitics

I bit the title of this entry from P6 because the phrase fits.

• Black Intrapolitics: So What Do We Call It?
• I Changed My Mind
• Black IntraPolitics: That most dangerous of activities

The more "conversations" I have online, the more hardened my idea becomes that Blacks shouldn't be involved in the "left" vs. "right" garbage.

From the online conversations, and a few "real world" conversations, I get more data points to support my thesis that most people don't understand what "conservative" means or what "liberal" means.

For example, I've been called conservative because:

• I know that the government wastes money and I don't think that the government deserves more of my paycheck than God.
• I don't think there is enough evidence to "prove" global warming.
• I support vouchers.
• I support charter schools.
• I don't trust the government to solve problems.
• I don't think that President Clinton was good for Blacks.
• I've criticized Jesse Jackson.
• I believe in a strong U.S. military because the best offense is a great defense.
• I think that the economic system of the U.S. is the best system in the world.
• I have criticized Democrats.
• I have criticized Black Democrat politicians.

But at the same time...

I've been called a liberal because:

• I've criticized Republicans.
• I've supported Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton when they have been right.
• I've criticized Black conservatives when I think they are wrong.
• I question the continuing negative representation of Blacks by self proclaimed conservatives.

Let's just state the obvious. The sad state of politics in the U.S. has lead to an even sadder state of politics within the Black community.

For liberals, if you support Republicans or too harshly criticize "Black leaders" -- although most Black criticize "Black leaders" -- or don't buy into the insane mau-mauing by the "Blacker than thou" cabal, then you are a conservative.

For conservatives, if you don't continuously attack "Black leaders", or you don't support Republicans, or you don't like Clarence Thomas, then you are a liberal.

It's insane.

What happened to the "right" to "think for yourself"?

But what do I know? This is just mental masturbation.

Giving The People What They Want

On the most segregated day in the country, a thought just occurred to me.

Some accuse "Hollywood liberals" of being racist because Blacks and other "people of color" have a very hard time getting roles. But Hollywood is a very capitalist system, meaning those who generate money, get money to generate more money.

If "Hollywood liberals" give Blacks and other "people of color" fewer roles, maybe it's because they think that Blacks and "people of color" won't generate the type of revenue that they are seeking. And if that's the case, is it Hollywood, or the audience, who is to blame?

A Rant

• Maybe I should do podcasting. I get a lot of quick streams of thought that I say I need to remember so that I can blog about it, but then I forget what I first thought.

• The Black community is suffering from a major case of scrambled brains, first scrambled because of the social situation in the United States. Our collective minds are still scrambled, but not it's scrambled as a residual affect of the prior scrambling.

  Think about it. How can the collective group with one of the lowest average net worth be such consumers instead of savers?

• The true independent thinkers are always outside of the society's mainstream. They are admired and disparaged by the same people at the same time.

• "Victimology" is a red-meat phrase that seems to be applied to people who have a complaint about something in society. The people throwing around the phrase seem to be the people who are more likely to adopt that "mindset" and complain about what they believe are forces against their way of thinking. They need to either stop whining or drop the b.s. phrase.
  

• In writing that last bullet, I had a thought and lost it while I completed that thought. Damn.

• When Democrats where in office, the Republicans, rightly, said that the Democrats were drunk with power and were abusing the perks of office and using the government treasury as their personal bank accounts. Now that the Republicans control the both halves of congress and the presidency, they are doing the same thing that they accused Democrats of doing.

• Negative news sells. Even when it distorts the picture of society or a part of society, negative news sells.

  One day, Gregory Kane was the guest of a conservative radio talk show host. Kane was going on about some "problem" in the Black community. Actually, the "problem" was that "Black leaders" weren't saying something about a situation that Kane believed they should be saying something about.

  I called in and launched on him and the host. I asked why it is that "Black leaders" are blasted for thing they are "not doing" when Blacks who are doing things are not pointed out. Specifically, I pointed out Black Professional Men, Inc., and asked why they are not given more press when they are doing things that "Black leaders" are not doing.

  The host jumped in and said, essentially, because negative news sells. No one wants to talk about positive news.

  That's the mindset that is part of the scrambled brain syndrome that Blacks suffer from that I wrote about above.

• Read this.

• Whe the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, many on the right said that term limits need to be put into place to stop the abuses by the congresscriters. One of the voices AGAINST term limits was Rush Limbaugh. After the election which occurred prior to the Republican take over of the House, Rush Limbaugh was spitting fire about the Democrats retaining control of the House. He then became a term limits supporter.

  The next election cycle, the Republicans gained control of the House. For most people, term limits stopped being an issue.

  Does anyone else notice that the same people who were backing term limits of congress criters are now backing term limits for the Supreme Court?

• When someone says that capitalism is evil, do the following:
  1. Smack them.
  2. Tell the person that capitalism is an economic system. As such, it can't be evil. People are evil. It doesn't matter what system that person is in, if he is evil, he is evil and will find a way to exploit the economic system in a way that favors him.
  3. Smack them.
  4. Ask them if they realize that socialism and communism has similar abuses occuring those economic systems.
  5. Smack them.
  6. Tell them that you were mistaken. Capitalism is more economic based, while socialism and communism, while economic in theory, needs a repressive political system behind it to get it to work.
  7. Smack me for messing this up.
• The thrust is, people corrupt the system, the system doesn't corrupt the people.

• Many public Black conservatives, IMO, are just as much race hustlers as are "Black leaders".

• Women control relationships.

  Attractive women -- women who are physically beautiful, have bodies that are "ideal", or have personalities that shine -- know that they are desireable. They know that they are wanted. They know that they have a larger pool to pick from. As such, they act accordingly.

  Meanwhile, the men that go after them do some stupid and/or degrading, to themselves, things.

  Until...

  The women meet that man that they find attractive -- physically, financially, or socially -- then they lose control of the relationship. They tend to want that man so much that they "over look" things like behavior, attitude, the other women, etc.

  Then the men gain control. If the men want to take advantage of the situation, they will. Then the woman gets hurt and blames men.

  But in all of the bad relationships she has been in, she's the constant factor. So why doesn't she blame herself and get herself together?

• Men can only take advantage of women while the women allow men to take advantage of them. If women want better men, become better women who demand that their men are better men.

• Blogging, for me, is mostly brain spew, mental masturbation, throwing out of stuff. Spelling isn't a high concern for me. Make that of it what you will.

• It's easy to stand above the crowd because the average size of people in the crowd is small.

• Even though I wrote that Blacks as a group have scrambled brains, we still have a strength that cannot be denied. Well, actually, it is often denied. John H. Johnson is an example of the strength. The Perry family is an example of the strength.

  You never heard of the Perry family? Well, you're right. But I can tell you stories of my clan that are nothing short of inspiring and life affirming.

  I stand on their shoulders. I will not let them down.

• Being positive is hard work. Being negative is easy.

• Blacks can't afford to get caught up in the liberal vs. conservative garbage. The "conversations" based on "liberal" vs. "conservatve" proves it.

Ask DarkStar

Are you "tired" of my comments in blogs where you assume I never tell what I think or advocate?

Here's your chance to ask me a question. The ground rules are this:

• I won't answer vague, open ended questions. In my view, they can never be answered. For example, when I am interviewed, and the interviewer says, "Tell me about yourself", I always respond with, "What do you want to know?" By nature I am short and to the point. An open ended question leaves me wondering what is being asked so I am stuck in giving the answer.
• State if you think I'm a liberal, conservative, moderate, contrarian, or whatever and why.

Everyday Extraordinary

The worst thing about being ordinary is that since you are surrounded by same, there is nothing to remind you of your condition.

If the only place you know is the area of neurons where your consciousness was born, then no matter how much you glance around, everything seems fine and in order;

The ordinary human is born, wired & programmed in the nervous-system to be a seventy-year continuity; to live & die ordinary; to think only ordinary thoughts, and feel only ordinary emotions;

What are you if you choose to leave ordinariness – leave your natural-born-mind? Employing nothing but your own awareness, how might you accomplish a permanent escape from the ordinary?

Running Errands

While running errands with the wife and kid, all around me I saw young children, young adults, and adults, all reading a green book.

Amazing...

Sources of Destruction of the U.S.

The following are the sources of the current destruction of the U.S.

• The 24 hour news cycle which is forced to fill the "down time" with useless junk like Michael Jackson or emotional overloading of Terri Schiavo.
• The now full-time political campaign which now includes the use of talks shows.
• Congress spending out of control.
• More efficient means of communication, or better yet, the overloading of communication devices.
• Sensory overload.
• Willful ignorance of the general population.
• Cynicism.

Black America: My View

Cobb wrote this about his view of the Black Political Spectrum.

I put the following in the comment section.

Thinks a bit...

But racism or other's ignorance ain't our greatest foe, though it is one that can beat down those who aren't prepared. Our own ignorance is greater. But I'm hard pressed to think of something that IS our GREATEST foe.

After writing that, I'll add some more thoughts.

There are those who will say that morality is our greatest issue. I understand that point as well and have some sympathy for it, but if you go strictly by the Bible, most of America is immoral. If you don't believe me, look up the statistics on out of wedlock sexual activity of those under 21 and ask yourself if it moral to have sex outside of marriage.

Education definitely is a problem as well as business creation. The latter is improving, the former has some bright spots and some bleak spots.

Now for the big "DUH" moment: it's not one thing is the combination of all things that provide the biggest challenge.

But African-Americans are Americans, and most Blacks know and understand this. I say to you, question all of those who say otherwise. Question all of those who say Blacks are not part of the mainstream. No matter what they tell you to support their idea, the are shoveling muck.

On Cobbs analysis, it breaks down in my view because it doesn't take into account the role of government. Despite what the critics state, the view of Blacks toward the government is more complex than "depending on the government for everything." Welfare doesn't define Black America, neither does "depending on the government."

Liberal, conservative, progressive, whatever. Trash those labels. Blacks can't afford to be a part of that nonsense.

Ignore The Messenger, Listen To The Message

The Good Reverend Pays A Visit

Rev. Jackson's message is to stay in school, stay off drugs, and get involved in civil service. Rev. Jackson was introduced by Key Club president, Kendra Chapman-Small. As he spoke to the student body, he emphasized society's continual confusion about teenagers' role in the community. "...we can't quite find a place for you," said Rev. Jackson.

"Life is full of choices and consequences," said Rev. Jackson.

Public Schools

Jesse Jackson likes to say that we don’t lower the basketball hoop to nine-and-a-half feet for our students and we shouldn’t lower the academic hoop either.

Sharpton and Rap in 1998

Sharpton recalled running into a couple of young gangsta rappers at a Los Angeles nightspot a few months ago. He said they approached him and commended him for his work.

Sharpton said he told the rappers, "You should not get paid to disrespect yourself and your mother and your wife and your girlfriend and your sister and your daughter."

Feeling A Bit Salty, II

OK, so if people constantly criticize the actions of the U.S. in Iraq, and never show the positive side of what is going on, then they are said to hate America.

Soooooo....

If people constantly criticize Blacks in the U.S., and never show the positive things that are going on, can they be said to hate Blacks?

Mind and Culture

· Patients with schizophrenia, a disease characterized by hallucinations and disorganized thinking, recover sooner and function better in poor countries with strong extended family ties than in the United States, two long-running studies by the World Health Organization have shown.

· People of Mexican descent born in the United States have twice the risk of disorders such as depression and anxiety, and four times the risk of drug abuse, compared with recent immigrants from Mexico. This finding is part of a growing body of literature that indicates that the newly arrived are more resilient to mental disorders, and that assimilation is associated with higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses.

· Black and Hispanic patients are more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia as white patients -- even though studies indicate that the rate of the disorder is the same in all groups.

· White women in the United States are three times as likely to commit suicide as black and Hispanic women -- a difference that experts attribute in part to the relative strengths of different social networks.

Reparations

Reparations for Jim Crow makes much more sense than does reparations for slavery.

The same holds true for Tusla riot victims and Rosewood victims.

My mother is still alive. Her social security "income" is based on her salary, which was retarded most of her working life because of Jim Crow, segregation and legal discrimination. In turn, money is coming out of my pocket because it is my honor to help my mother out.

That's generational affects of discrimination and Jim Crow.

Mental Health

OK, after a meeting I decided I need a mental health break, so I went out for lunch. Since I was in a mall, I decided to check out Batman Begins. This is the best in the series, both in the actor to play Batman, and in the story. I give this a rating of 9 out of 10.

On the way home, I turned into a talk show and the hour's guest was Gregory Kane.

The host and Kane were deriding something called "Ethnic Math". Now, I have no idea what it is, what is behind it, or if it works or not. But what I do know is that it set me off.

I called in, got through the call screener and was placed in the top of the queue.

I asked Kane why is it that he doesn't spend more time show casing that Blacks aren't total screw ups. Why is it that "Black conservatives", who claim that "Black liberals" only show that Blacks are pathetic people looking for a government hand out, don't show things like The Algebra Project, or Black Professional Men, or 100 Black Men, etc.

I asked Kane, directly, why he doesn't write MORE about them? He replied that he has written about Ted Coates, to which I responded that I asked why he didn't write MORE about such groups.

He was someone lost for words at that point. And I admit at being a bit animated in my speaking. The host thanked me and disconnected me.

When they returned, Kane wasn't saying anything but the host was saying, essentially, that bad news always gets reported and its bad news that makes for good talk show topics.

Make of it what you will. Too bad I'm not a gamer. I'd put on GTA or some such thing and go off.

Mo' Black Leadership

So a comment on Cobb has me somewhat torqued. And the comment can't get past a filter, so I'm putting it here and trackin' back.

I think he did answer your question, DarkStar; he simply declines to be constrained to answer it in a manner demanded by you. Because the question includes a presumption he doesn't accept, right?

Wrong, but thanks for playing.

Look at all that I wrote:

Why is that that "Black conservatives" and conservatives in general, in denouncing "Black leadership", never promote the people and organizations like those listed here, as being "Black leaders" or being representative of the Black community or the strengths of the Black community?

Note the bolded part?

I'm not pulling this question out of thin air. It's based on LONG TIME observations as well as taking part in a past "Black conservative email list" where they, THEMSELVES, were asking each other the same thing.

Look, I saw a dang near civil war over the 1st Trent Lott and CofCC association mess on that email list. What blew me away was a list of self proclaimed Black Republicans saying the same things about themselves that Black Democrats say about Black Republicans. When "sellout" was flying between them and when the phrase "Black CON-servative" was used, from a Gingrich staffer no less, I took notice.

So back up. I'm not constraining anyone. And I don't ever expect a straight forward answer from Cobb, based on experience. And that's not a bad thing, that just is what Cobb is.

I don't accept that Blacks are not mainstream. I've traveled outside of the country enough to know that line is garbage.

A separate nation is foolish. A separate agenda is NOT foolish but will never happen because the Black community is not monolithic; radicals, conservatives, liberals, apathetic, all have a place in the mix.

I recognize and say that the civil rights battle has been fought and won and the next needs are economic and moral. You pick the order of importance.

Straight up, the questions about Black politics are annoying on all sides. I'm not being wishy washy or a "stick my finger in the air and see which way the wind blows" or whatever slander some conservatives place on those who proclaim the "moderate" label. BTW, I proclaim no label.

Straight up, it's all b.s. and I call 'em all on it. "Both sides" are equally pessimistic, negative, and degrading of the Black community. Neither show the positives going on. And as a parent who has one on the cusp of standing on her own damn 2 feet, and another just on the breast, I don't have the patience for the garbage being spewed.

When a proclaimed liberal calls a man like Clinton a brotha and gets cheers, and Fox News proclaims a semi-literate, race pimp reverend named Jesse Lee Peterson a "Black leader" while at the same time denouncing the label "Black leader" and the need for such, some Blacks need to stand up and call people on their b.s.

Yeah, I called Jesse Jackson a punk some years ago. And I just called Jesse Peterson a race pimp. What other man of God would say that if a person wants to get saved, they should not go to a Black church? No, he didn't say a particular type of Black church, but any Black church.

Yeah...
I'm pissed.
I'm sleep deprived 'cuz the new baby has "cholic", plus the ish is hitting the fan on the "9-5".

It took WHITE CONSERVATIVES to point to good goings on in urban schools across the country. Something REEKS about that.

Breathe....

Presumptions my fanny...

Feeling A Bit Salty

I'm doing Google web searches for a web site that I'm doing and I put in the search string black mentor program.

While scanning the result list, I noticed the number of colleges that had mentorship programs. Now, I realize I'm a bit short of temper due to lack of sleep, but I got a bit salty.

You see, I realized that I have NEVER read any of the well know Black conservative commentators, who have spoken out against "Black Student Unions" and "separatism in colleges", mention that the Black Student Unions provide mentor programs or study programs for students at the colleges or for students in surrounding areas. Then I remembered that offspring #1 mentioned that she learned of a mentor program of "inner city students" her first year attending a university, and she will help out the rest of her time at the school.

Again, it seems that "Black conservatives" voice opinions that are overwhelmingly negative about the Black community. Then this "revelation" hit me:

Why is it that it took white conservatives to write a book that demonstrates success of Blacks in public schools?

Transitions

Come July 1, I'll no longer be associated with Washington University in Saint Louis. Instead I'll be making the move to Johns Hopkins, the first modern research university. The decision to make the move was a lot harder than I thought it would be, so I'm taking the time to publicly thank the students and administration of Washington University in Saint Louis. I know some of them read the posts here. One of the things a school like Wash. U. promises students is personal relationships with their professors. At a school like Michigan, we never got those promises...and I wasn't mad. I WANTED a 35,000 Big Ten, Division I, Rose Bowl type groove. I expected to tolerate Wash. U. at best, with its 38,000/year tuition.

But going back for graduation it was clear to me how much I left there. I'll be back more than a few times. It's pretty cheap to get there, and the summers are cool (figuratively not literally). Damn it was a good run though.

For those of you reading, send this around. You know where to find me. If you need anything, LET ME KNOW.

Commentary Thoughts

• Hat tip: The Scott Wickham Experience

  1. The U.S. is a Constitutional Representative Republic.

  2. The Senate exists to protect the "wishes of the small states" against the "wishes of the big states". Thus Delaware's senators have the same weight as California's.

  The fillibuster is fine. "Secret holds" that prevent the committee from even voting is "undemocratic".

  Let's get down to the basics, senate and house committees are undemocratic. Why should, say, 12 representatives or senators get to decide the bills that make it to the floor or appointees that get a vote? Why should the chairman of a committee, ONE PERSON even get to decide whether or not a bill or appointee gets a chance to face a vote in the committee?

• Hat tip: Booker Rising

  I keep saying that Sharpton is doing more to break the binds of Blacks to Democrats than Black Republicans are doing to break the binds of Blacks to Democrats; and he is.

• Why is it that most "Black conservative" commentary, when the topic is the Black community, is overwhelmingly negative?

• By the reasoning of those who say Blacks shouldn't support the fillibuster because it was used to try to stop civil rights legislation, those who support the Confederate flag shouldn't do so because it was used by anti-civil rights supporters.

  And who are those Confederate flag supporters today?

• Black Self Help.

Thoughts

• Matt Drudge IS mainstream media. His web site is mainly links to news articles.
• LaShawn Barber points out "liberal" media bias. Media matters disagrees. I happen to think that media matters makes some interesting points. The media IS biased, but I don't fully by the "liberal" line.
• Michael Eric Dyson is making the rounds pimping his new book. I heard parts of different interviews. I find it funny he blasts the "Black middle class booo-zwaaa-ZE" for their ills of not embracing hip hop. Seems to me that many younger people did. But they don't embrace the crap, now. Dyson has been on my list since he defended the disrespect of Black women by some rappers.
• Is Project 21 representative of Black conservatives? If so, does it mean anything that I think most of the commentary is negative about the Black community? Is there nothing good to proclaim?
• I'm branded a "liberal" by "conservatives" and a "conservative" by "liberals". I think that "fact" alone means most people tossing the labels don't have a clue.
• I have a "secret"...
• Those who push the idea of "blue" and "red" states, are pimps pushing the divide of the country. They are intellectually lazy and it is easier to categorize people and thought instead of actually thinking. They mean the country no good.
• I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. Right now, I find the harshest criticism directed towards me from Republicans for daring to challenge them. Democrats concede my criticisms of the Democratic party. At least this is the case as it concerns Blacks and the Democratic party and Blacks and the Republican party.
• I'm not rich. I'm comfortible. I'm blessed. I see no reason why the government should take more than 10% of my money. Why is the government getting more than I give God?
• I don't get the WalMart haters. I like the prices. I hate going to the store because it is ALWAYS crowded. And, I'm sorry, but it seems like a large majority of the workers, excluding the door greaters, aren't too swift. But, they allow shoppers to save money. So, what's wrong with that?
• WARNING! Never mix the less mentally acute and self service check out lanes.
• The "discussion" between the "Black left" and the "Black right" has left me convinced that American Blacks, in general, are brain damaged. We can't afford to get caught in the mess. But yet, I'm in it.
• Tom Delay is not in trouble. Many of his ethic sins are sins that all congress-criters take part. The fact that most of the American public who pays attention, hasn't rushed the congress with burning stakes, shows to me, that the congress-criters can feel safe in continuing to play the American populace for fools.
• Booker Rising is a great blog.
• Black Self Help Dot Info. Yeah, I have to update it. I have a lot of links on the hard drive.

Imagine

Your mother and father are together.

They are having problems, but everyone has problems. You love them both.

The neighborhood finds out that your father is cheating with an old girlfriend. Your mother is embarrassed, you are embarrassed, and everyone knows your family business. Meanwhile, your mother is getting some on the side but is doing a better job keeping hush hush about it.

Later on, your mother is killed in a tragic accident. Then to your dismay, all of her business becomes neighborhood gossip as well as your father's business.

Some time later, your father decides to marry the woman who he was cheating with on your mother. The same woman who used to be an old girlfriend. And your father asks you to take a part in the wedding.

If that ain't Jerry Springer, what is?!?!?!

Poor trash meet royal trash.

Facts And Acts Don't Match

The answer is: “The facts don’t exactly match the acts.”
So what is the question? -- that’s right:
“How would you best describe an ordinary man’s intellectual life?”

Acts and Facts

Only acts have a past and future;
facts have only memory and imagination.

Schiavo Brain Spew

Some random thoughts that have arisen because of this sad affair:

• Congrats to Terri's parents for running one of the best media campaigns in recent history.
• Apparently, in Texas there is a law that allows hospitals to end life support if it is deemed futile and if the patient doesn't have money to pay for the continuing life support. If one of the issues in the Schiavo situtation is ending a life of someone who has a "poor quality of life," isn't this Texas law outrageous?
• When Tupac was shot, the doctors brought him back to life a few times. Finally, Tupac's mother told the doctors that if he died again, let him go.

  Suppose what happened with Tupac happened today. Suppose people found out that the mother decided to tell the doctors "DNR". Would his life be worth saving?
  

• We have a situation where a person has enough function to regulate breathing and heart beats. But the person can't feed themself. Someone wants to have the feeding tube removed. Terri is being murdered.
  
• We are in this situation because of the advancement of technology and medicine. Medicine has gotten to the point where someone like Terri can be kept alive after suffering brain damage. Technology has gotten to the point where someone like Terri can be kept alive after suffering brain damage and the story can be beamed across the world via satellite, talk radio, and the internet.

  Many of us will have to deal with this situation, if we haven't done so already.
  

• Updated:Tay–Sachs disease
  
  
  Inherited disorder, due to a defective gene, causing an enzyme deficiency that leads to blindness, retardation, and death in infancy. It is most common in people of Eastern European Jewish descent
  
  

  
  When I worked in the U.K., a woman needed to have the test done for Tay-Sachs disease. She had it done, but the test results got lost in the medical system. She and her husband had a window of opportunity to get the test done and they feared the second test results would not be returned in time.

  You see, on a regular basis, children in the womb who test positive for the disease are aborted.

  And the outcry there is where?
  

• This is worse than O.J.
  

Things I Forgot To Mention

• On "Meet the Press" last Sunday, the Dem. senate-critter said that private accounts don't address the issue of Social Security solvency. The Rep. senate-critter countered by avoiding the comment. When Russert pressed the Rep. senate-critter, he dodges again.

  Oh. My. How did I miss THAT okie doke? I've been doped on a rope. I didn't connect the dots.

• M.J., all the time. Just like O.J. This sucks.

• But because of the above, the brazen attack on property rights, one of the core elements of our economic system, has been over looked.

  What am I talking about? Eminent domain in New London.

  I read somewhere on the web where eminent domain was used by a local government to condemn a Toyota dealership so that someone could open a BMW dealership.

  I know why congress hasn't addressed it loudly. It's because the buggers benefit. The government doing a land grab and not paying fair value is something the critters like. The fact that they can do it for people who will fill their coffers, is even better.

  The bastards.
  

Race Hustling

[ Edited for some clean up ]

If "Black liberals" can be race hustlers, why can't "Black conservatives"?

[ edited ] Didn't Alan Keyes race hustle when he ran for the senate seat in Illinois? Come on, tell the truth.

From an exchange on Booker Rising:

Massie as race hustler, DS? Which race is he hustling?

LB, I number of times I've pointed out glaring inconsistencies in some of his pieces.

In this one, I point out that he's slamming Blacks for the idea of a Black community. If he believes that Blacks should look at Blacks as a part of America, then he should stop bashing the Black community because it's something that he doesn't believe in.

By bashing the Black community, which he doesn't believe in, he's using race when it's convienient. Thus, to me, he's hustling the race issue.

Next, the idea that most Blacks don't consider ourselves as being part of America fails under the light of inspection.

Start with the fact that Blacks are more likely to live in an integrated neighborhood than whites. Continue with the fact that most Blacks still strive for, and believe in, integration.

Consider the make up of the military, recent recruiting data not withstanding. The percentage of Blacks in the military exceeds the percentage of Blacks in the general population. If Blacks didn't consider ourselves as a part of America, the percentage in the service would be lower than in the general