A woman accused of cutting in line at a Wal-Mart, shoving merchandise and assaulting police officers will plead guilty to disturbing the peace and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. Under the plea agreement, which was reached after the jury received the case for deliberations. Heather Ellis will plead guilty to disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. She will serve a year of unsupervised probation, attend an anger management course and serve four days in jail before the end of the year. Ellis, then a college student with no criminal history, has said that some white patrons shoved and hurled racial slurs at her when she switched checkout lines. Store employees refused to give her her change and called police, she said. As she left the store, Ellis told the Dunklin County Circuit Court, a police officer told her, "Look at this stupid bitch. Take your ass back to the ghetto. Ellis was also charged initially with assaulting a police officer" She did not resist, but said her body was "flung around" by officers. She screamed loudly for help as officers "choked" her and pulled her hair, but she did not hit or kick them, she testified. I don’t know whether she did any of those things or whether this is a racial issue or not according to CNN.com a camera from above the cash register appeared to show Ellis' arm shoving merchandise to the side on the register's conveyor belt. Another camera showed her being led out of the store by police, with her arm in the air. A third, from the parking lot, showed her being handcuffed and put into a police car. It appeared to show Ellis kicking backward at police, as authorities allege. Her defense maintains she did so after police had assaulted her.
A Louisiana justice of the peace who drew criticism for refusing to marry an interracial couple has resigned the secretary of state's office earlier this month. Keith Bardwell resigned in person at the Louisiana secretary of state's office. The state Supreme Court will appoint an interim justice of the peace to fill Bardwell's position, a special election will be held next year to fill the position permanently. Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, refused to perform a marriage ceremony for Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend Terence McKay, 32 because he was concerned for the children that might be born of the relationship and that, in his experience, most interracial marriages don't last. The two were married by another justice of the peace. Bardwell also stated I'm not a racist," he said. "I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children."
‘It's kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven't done wrong," he said. There is the problem right there too many people still feel like this and have positions of power. I’m not one to pull out the race card on a whim, I am honestly not sure is this man is a racist or just plain ignorant. I know black women and men, who do not believe in dating or marrying outside their race. Are they racist? Or is it just keeping it real when we say it? As far as Heather Ellis goes, not everything is black and white or racially charged sometimes people just act like asses and have to the pay the price.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Death Row..what a brother know!!!
Charles Manson has spent more than half his life in prison for masterminding the notorious Helter Skelter killing spree that left actress Sharon Tate(wife of Roman Polanski another blog altogether) and six others dead in Los Angeles during the summer of 1969. While his appearance has changed significantly from the wide-eyed cult leader who appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1969, Manson continues to wield influence over some who consider him a wizened messenger. According to CNN.com Prison officials say Manson still gets lots of mail and spends most of his days singing and playing guitar in a high security unit. This crime happened 40 years ago yet Charles Manson is still alive and actually has followers. He just celebrated his 75th birthday, he is able to celebrate and enjoy his birthday albeit in prison, but he is still aboveground and in reasonably good health. After the Manson Family killings probably the most notorious serial killer would be David Berkowitz , otherwise known as The Son of Sam. The twelve months of terror that David Berkowitz inflicted on the people of New York that culminated in 1977 was such a huge event that it became known as the Summer of Sam. Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and wounding seven others in the course of eight shootings in New York between 1976 and 1977; also this week John Allen Muhammad was executed by the state of Virginia on Tuesday night. During three weeks in October 2002, Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, Muhammad’s step son then 17, killed 10 people and wounded three, while taunting police with written messages and phoned-in threats and demands. During two trials and in years of appeals, Muhammad professed his innocence. One of his trials included testimony from Malvo, whose youth excluded him from consideration for the death penalty.
These are just a few instances where I’m perplexed by the justice system. Charles Manson and his followers brutally slaughtered 7 people yet he gets to remain alive and basically living off of tax dollars for 40 years and counting. John Muhammad had so little regard for human life that Prosecutors say he intended the killings to provide a smokescreen to cover up his real goal -- killing his ex-wife Mildred and gaining custody of his three children. Muhammad was put to death by lethal injection 7 years after the fact. David Berkowitz was sentenced to 365 years in prison. Since being imprisoned, David Berkowitz has undergone “religious” conversion. He has become a writer and evangelist, his supposed strongest desire is to repair the evil that came out of him during his madness. While redemption and repentance are things that I do believe in, I still think after killing people there has to be some type of retribution by the justice system. Some states don’t have the death penalty and others such as California spend more than $130 million a year on its capital punishment system -- housing and prosecuting inmates and coping with an appellate system that has kept some convicted killers waiting for an execution date since the late 1970s Forty executions have occurred so far in 2009 in 10 states, all by lethal injection. That total is up from 37 for all of last year, but less than half of the high of 98, from 10 years ago. The Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
The Death Penalty Information Center study found that death penalty costs can average $10 million more per year per state than life sentences. Increased costs include higher security needs and guaranteed access to an often lengthy pardon and appellate process. The group is an information resource on capital punishment, and opposes its application as unworkable, inefficient and prone to mistakes. Many death penalty proponents say part of the problem is that states have added unnecessary, time-consuming delays, and have been reluctant to carry out the death penalty that their own legislatures have enacted. They say states should carry out the wishes of judges and juries that weighed evidence and imposed death on the worst murderers. In states with the death penalty, the average county obtained sentences of at least 20 years in almost 51 percent of cases in which the defendant was charged with murder and convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter. Those sentences were reached through a guilty plea in about 19 percent of the cases. In states without the death penalty, sentences of at least 20 years were obtained in 40 percent of those cases, but only 5 percent were guilty pleas, about one-quarter of the number in the death penalty states. That study relied on U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 33 large urban counties. When it comes to worst murders, who is worse someone that shoots his victims or someone that stabs his victims? Does it matter no of course not murder is murder and if someone is sentenced to death then they should be put to death. There are mitigating factors in certain instances, and yes some innocent people have been put to death (mainly minorities), and that’s not to say that the death penalty is used disproportionately against us. My point is that when you have serial killers and admitted murders …KILL EM
These are just a few instances where I’m perplexed by the justice system. Charles Manson and his followers brutally slaughtered 7 people yet he gets to remain alive and basically living off of tax dollars for 40 years and counting. John Muhammad had so little regard for human life that Prosecutors say he intended the killings to provide a smokescreen to cover up his real goal -- killing his ex-wife Mildred and gaining custody of his three children. Muhammad was put to death by lethal injection 7 years after the fact. David Berkowitz was sentenced to 365 years in prison. Since being imprisoned, David Berkowitz has undergone “religious” conversion. He has become a writer and evangelist, his supposed strongest desire is to repair the evil that came out of him during his madness. While redemption and repentance are things that I do believe in, I still think after killing people there has to be some type of retribution by the justice system. Some states don’t have the death penalty and others such as California spend more than $130 million a year on its capital punishment system -- housing and prosecuting inmates and coping with an appellate system that has kept some convicted killers waiting for an execution date since the late 1970s Forty executions have occurred so far in 2009 in 10 states, all by lethal injection. That total is up from 37 for all of last year, but less than half of the high of 98, from 10 years ago. The Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
The Death Penalty Information Center study found that death penalty costs can average $10 million more per year per state than life sentences. Increased costs include higher security needs and guaranteed access to an often lengthy pardon and appellate process. The group is an information resource on capital punishment, and opposes its application as unworkable, inefficient and prone to mistakes. Many death penalty proponents say part of the problem is that states have added unnecessary, time-consuming delays, and have been reluctant to carry out the death penalty that their own legislatures have enacted. They say states should carry out the wishes of judges and juries that weighed evidence and imposed death on the worst murderers. In states with the death penalty, the average county obtained sentences of at least 20 years in almost 51 percent of cases in which the defendant was charged with murder and convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter. Those sentences were reached through a guilty plea in about 19 percent of the cases. In states without the death penalty, sentences of at least 20 years were obtained in 40 percent of those cases, but only 5 percent were guilty pleas, about one-quarter of the number in the death penalty states. That study relied on U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 33 large urban counties. When it comes to worst murders, who is worse someone that shoots his victims or someone that stabs his victims? Does it matter no of course not murder is murder and if someone is sentenced to death then they should be put to death. There are mitigating factors in certain instances, and yes some innocent people have been put to death (mainly minorities), and that’s not to say that the death penalty is used disproportionately against us. My point is that when you have serial killers and admitted murders …KILL EM
Friday, November 6, 2009
Back to The Future
“Well we did it!!! I have to tell you this was beautiful. Now we as black people can really look into our children’s eyes and tell them that yes you can aspire to be anything you want to be in this country, yes you can!!! It was beautiful in more ways than one. The first person to call me when they announced that Obama had won was my daughter. My 19 yr old college sophomore. The first thing she said was "We did it Dad and my vote counted!!" I told her "Yes your vote counted". See what we can achieve if we all work together for the common good? It was also symbolic because the first people I called were my grandparents; to tell them how happy I was that they got to see this moment in their lifetime. See they are in their 80's and have lived through Jim Crow in the south. So they know first hand how much of a triumph this was. We have to savor the moment, but remember that there is still much to be done. We can't rest on this, but let's build on it.”
I wrote that last year after the historic election of Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States. I was elated and hopeful because “We were who we had been waiting on”. This was a campaign born of hope and promise. I have to admit when I first heard his name as a candidate I was skeptical. I was a Hillary backer, I figured “this guy doesn’t stand a chance and I’m not going to vote for him just because he’s black” Then something happened, I heard the Iowa caucus victory speech He said” we are choosing hope over fear, unity over division and sending a clear message to the whole world that change has come to America.” I was done after that caught up in the message and the mission. There were some roadblocks along the way. Rev Wright, ACORN, Bill Ayers the “He’s a Muslim “rumors. None of that could derail or stop one of the most flawless campaigns ever run. I have to admit I was swept up in the moment also, but was still a realist. I didn‘t expect him to fulfill every campaign promise, It would be a process, but I did think that we would eventually end the war in Iraq, that there would be more transparency in government, that we would have universal healthcare. I’m still hopeful that President Obama will set his agenda and get these things done.
The only complaint I have with our current president, I don’t want people to take this the wrong way, is that I wish he had some George Bush in him. I don’t mean “your doing a heckuva job Brownie”, while New Orleans is underwater and FEMA was days late with a response George Bush. Nor do I mean let’s start an illegal war with Iraq over faulty intelligence, that they knew was faulty, but wanted to get a dictator that threatened my father and could not use that as an excuse to go to war George Bush either. I mean the one thing I admired about Bush was that right or wrong if he believed in something he stuck to his guns and didn’t let republicans or Democrats sway him. He did what he felt was right party be damned. I want to see President Obama be more assertive and take on his own party if he feels its right. Now that is not a dig at our President according to Politifact.com of the over 500 promises that were made on the campaign trail 52 have been kept and another 134 are in the works. He has compromised on a few and almost 300 are not yet rated. I understand Rome was not built in a day and it will take time. As I said on the historic night a year ago we must not rest, but build on this. We are who we have been waiting on. It is up to us to hold our elected officials responsible and to make sure they live up to our expectations. I know that is a lot to ask with a horrible economy, unemployment at the lowest it has been since 1983.These are the cards that President Obama was dealt, lets make sure he doesn’t fold until the job is done.
I wrote that last year after the historic election of Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States. I was elated and hopeful because “We were who we had been waiting on”. This was a campaign born of hope and promise. I have to admit when I first heard his name as a candidate I was skeptical. I was a Hillary backer, I figured “this guy doesn’t stand a chance and I’m not going to vote for him just because he’s black” Then something happened, I heard the Iowa caucus victory speech He said” we are choosing hope over fear, unity over division and sending a clear message to the whole world that change has come to America.” I was done after that caught up in the message and the mission. There were some roadblocks along the way. Rev Wright, ACORN, Bill Ayers the “He’s a Muslim “rumors. None of that could derail or stop one of the most flawless campaigns ever run. I have to admit I was swept up in the moment also, but was still a realist. I didn‘t expect him to fulfill every campaign promise, It would be a process, but I did think that we would eventually end the war in Iraq, that there would be more transparency in government, that we would have universal healthcare. I’m still hopeful that President Obama will set his agenda and get these things done.
The only complaint I have with our current president, I don’t want people to take this the wrong way, is that I wish he had some George Bush in him. I don’t mean “your doing a heckuva job Brownie”, while New Orleans is underwater and FEMA was days late with a response George Bush. Nor do I mean let’s start an illegal war with Iraq over faulty intelligence, that they knew was faulty, but wanted to get a dictator that threatened my father and could not use that as an excuse to go to war George Bush either. I mean the one thing I admired about Bush was that right or wrong if he believed in something he stuck to his guns and didn’t let republicans or Democrats sway him. He did what he felt was right party be damned. I want to see President Obama be more assertive and take on his own party if he feels its right. Now that is not a dig at our President according to Politifact.com of the over 500 promises that were made on the campaign trail 52 have been kept and another 134 are in the works. He has compromised on a few and almost 300 are not yet rated. I understand Rome was not built in a day and it will take time. As I said on the historic night a year ago we must not rest, but build on this. We are who we have been waiting on. It is up to us to hold our elected officials responsible and to make sure they live up to our expectations. I know that is a lot to ask with a horrible economy, unemployment at the lowest it has been since 1983.These are the cards that President Obama was dealt, lets make sure he doesn’t fold until the job is done.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Innocence Lost
Rape is an ugly word, Rapist an even uglier person. To be accused of raping someone is one of the most heinous crimes to be accused of. The damage to someone’s reputation and credibility is mind boggling. What’s even worse is someone watching it happen and doing nothing. I know by now you have heard about the young men who were attending a party at Hofstra University last month that were charged with raping a woman while there
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/cops-hofstra-student-s-rape-was-planned-by-group-1.1449126 It turns out these young men were tried in the media before even stepping in front of a judge. I have to admit I was thinking to myself at the time "Please don't let them be black ”. I could hear the pundits, talking heads and the internet ablaze with derogatory, degrading and downright racist rhetoric. I was Alternately happy and saddened when it was confirmed that the young lady lied on the Young men. http://gothamist.com/2009/09/18/details_about_hofstra_students_fake.php
Much like the Duke Lacrosse case http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/11/national/a113721D83.DTL&hw=duke&sn=012&sc=466
I was happy that these young men did not commit this horrible act, but saddened that this young woman, who obviously has self esteem issues would let herself be put in this type of compromising behavior. Then I was angry at these young men that they felt this would be alright to basically run a train on a woman and have the audacity to film it (granted it was the filming that actually proved the sex was consensual) It is still an ugly incident on the part of all parties involved. I was at first in favor of having this young woman charged with reporting a false crime, being that these young men’s faces and names were plastered all over newspapers, the internet and TV. I think this woman really needs help and can only hope that she finds it. I brought up that story to talk about an incident that just happened last week a 15 year old was apparently raped and beaten for 2 ½ hours out side of a high school homecoming dance http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/california.rape.investigation/index.html
According to police reports as many as 10 people were involved in the actual rape and beating. while as many as 20 more watched as this young woman was brutally assaulted.What does this say about a person, that would stand there and watch this happen and do nothing.
One of the victim’s friends Kamie Baker blamed school district officials for not doing enough to protect her school -- and her friend. She said none of the four officers who were at the homecoming dance was patrolling the school premises even though there were a dozen young men hanging out just a few feet from the gym entrance. She says school officials chose not to take any action "I looked outside of the gym and I saw 12 to 15 guys, sitting there, with no IDs," Baker said at the hearing. "The officers -- not only did they not check the IDs of those students or men sitting outside of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no ... checking either. The assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men, and did nothing about it." What does this say about our ability to protect our children when the people hired to do just that can’t or won’t protect them. I will not rush to judgment on this case, but whoever did this to that young girl needs to be put in prison where they can see how it feels to be raped and brutally beaten for a few hours. Fake rape accusations make it harder for real victims to report sexual assaults. The problem is that both women are not through being victimized, by the system, family ,friends both schools and the memories they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/cops-hofstra-student-s-rape-was-planned-by-group-1.1449126 It turns out these young men were tried in the media before even stepping in front of a judge. I have to admit I was thinking to myself at the time "Please don't let them be black ”. I could hear the pundits, talking heads and the internet ablaze with derogatory, degrading and downright racist rhetoric. I was Alternately happy and saddened when it was confirmed that the young lady lied on the Young men. http://gothamist.com/2009/09/18/details_about_hofstra_students_fake.php
Much like the Duke Lacrosse case http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/11/national/a113721D83.DTL&hw=duke&sn=012&sc=466
I was happy that these young men did not commit this horrible act, but saddened that this young woman, who obviously has self esteem issues would let herself be put in this type of compromising behavior. Then I was angry at these young men that they felt this would be alright to basically run a train on a woman and have the audacity to film it (granted it was the filming that actually proved the sex was consensual) It is still an ugly incident on the part of all parties involved. I was at first in favor of having this young woman charged with reporting a false crime, being that these young men’s faces and names were plastered all over newspapers, the internet and TV. I think this woman really needs help and can only hope that she finds it. I brought up that story to talk about an incident that just happened last week a 15 year old was apparently raped and beaten for 2 ½ hours out side of a high school homecoming dance http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/california.rape.investigation/index.html
According to police reports as many as 10 people were involved in the actual rape and beating. while as many as 20 more watched as this young woman was brutally assaulted.What does this say about a person, that would stand there and watch this happen and do nothing.
One of the victim’s friends Kamie Baker blamed school district officials for not doing enough to protect her school -- and her friend. She said none of the four officers who were at the homecoming dance was patrolling the school premises even though there were a dozen young men hanging out just a few feet from the gym entrance. She says school officials chose not to take any action "I looked outside of the gym and I saw 12 to 15 guys, sitting there, with no IDs," Baker said at the hearing. "The officers -- not only did they not check the IDs of those students or men sitting outside of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no ... checking either. The assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men, and did nothing about it." What does this say about our ability to protect our children when the people hired to do just that can’t or won’t protect them. I will not rush to judgment on this case, but whoever did this to that young girl needs to be put in prison where they can see how it feels to be raped and brutally beaten for a few hours. Fake rape accusations make it harder for real victims to report sexual assaults. The problem is that both women are not through being victimized, by the system, family ,friends both schools and the memories they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A hero ain't nothing but a sandwich
I was watching a video the other day of rapper Chamillionare talking about the time he met Michael Jordan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUlIa3pt0o8. .He found out the hero and the man he worshipped, were two different people. Which is usually the case. We tend to worship people based on perception, rather than any real knowledge of their personality. I have read stories for years about Michael Jordan being arrogant and self centered.That is what probably made him the greatest player ever. That is not an excuse to act like an ass. When you think of a hero, who do you think of? What makes someone heroic? Think about this, some people say their heroes are Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, even Muhammed Ali. Now MLK was a great leader and the things he did for us as a people can never be underestimated, but according to rumor he was a womanizer. Does that make him any less heroic? Does it matter? Jesse Jackson had child out of wedlock, does that diminish Operation Push, The Rainbow Coalition or the fact that he was the first African American to win a presidential primary. No it doesn’t diminish anything it just means he’s a flawed individual. Muhammed Ali was a known womanizer does that take away from his greatness in the ring? Of course not.
The point I’m making is that we put too much stock in peoples public persona, cultivated images and their exploits on the playing field. We need to stop the hero worship of athletes and entertainers. It’s fine to admire someone for their abilities, but understand they are human just like us. They make mistakes just like us and most of them don’t deserve “Hero Worship”. The problem is, a lot of our kids don’t have realistic expectations.They look to sports and entertainment to show them the way. Not enough kids know who Dr Ben Carson is http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1 or even Dr Vivian Thomas
http://www.medicalarchives.jhmi.edu/vthomas.htm . I’m not saying you have to idolize Doctors or surgeons, but understand there are other alternatives than being Lil Wayne or Kobe Bryant. Two talented individuals but hardly the role models you need to emulate. The closest person I have to a hero is Joe F Smith my grandfather .The patriarch of the Smith family. He and my grandmother have been married 63 years and still talk to each other like newlyweds. My grandfather was not a rich man moneywise, but he is rich in character, integrity and honesty. My grandfather taught me about family ,hardwork and sacrifice. Life lessons that being young and hardheaded I didn’t heed until I was older.I am eternaly grateful for my grandfather.he taught me how to be a man. The best thing anyone can do is to take the life lessons that your elders teach you and use them to become a better person. Stop Hero worshipping celebrities. In the Immortal words of Chuck D “Most of my hero’s don’t appear on no stamp”. I’ll take it a step further a hero ain’t nothing but a sandwich.
The point I’m making is that we put too much stock in peoples public persona, cultivated images and their exploits on the playing field. We need to stop the hero worship of athletes and entertainers. It’s fine to admire someone for their abilities, but understand they are human just like us. They make mistakes just like us and most of them don’t deserve “Hero Worship”. The problem is, a lot of our kids don’t have realistic expectations.They look to sports and entertainment to show them the way. Not enough kids know who Dr Ben Carson is http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1 or even Dr Vivian Thomas
http://www.medicalarchives.jhmi.edu/vthomas.htm . I’m not saying you have to idolize Doctors or surgeons, but understand there are other alternatives than being Lil Wayne or Kobe Bryant. Two talented individuals but hardly the role models you need to emulate. The closest person I have to a hero is Joe F Smith my grandfather .The patriarch of the Smith family. He and my grandmother have been married 63 years and still talk to each other like newlyweds. My grandfather was not a rich man moneywise, but he is rich in character, integrity and honesty. My grandfather taught me about family ,hardwork and sacrifice. Life lessons that being young and hardheaded I didn’t heed until I was older.I am eternaly grateful for my grandfather.he taught me how to be a man. The best thing anyone can do is to take the life lessons that your elders teach you and use them to become a better person. Stop Hero worshipping celebrities. In the Immortal words of Chuck D “Most of my hero’s don’t appear on no stamp”. I’ll take it a step further a hero ain’t nothing but a sandwich.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Rush ,Racism and The Rooney Rule
So Rush Limbaugh was dropped from the group trying to buy the ST Louis Rams. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4559454. I really don’t have a problem with it. I mean if he had the money to invest, why not let him invest? Granted Limbaugh has made many outrageous statements and racially insensitive remarks. In 2003, he was forced to resign from ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown after saying of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb: "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." He has also been quoted as saying “. I mean, let’s face it; we didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back; I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.” and “Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it”There you have it the comedy stylings of Rush Limbaugh.
I say if this racist wants to own a team, let him. I don’t have a problem with it at all It’s not like the majority of the NFL owners don’t agree with him. On the contrary they probably do. Think about this, if it was not for The Rooney Rule http://national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_the_rooney_rule The NFL would still be using the good old boy network and hiring and firing the same coaches all over again. None of whom were black. They all probably think like him, they just won’t say it for obvious PR reasons. I mean Marge Schott owned a professional sports team http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n17_v83/ai_13459219/ .
She was an outright racist and she only got suspended for 1 yr. I just think it’s hypocritical for all these athletes to now be concerned about who is trying to buy a franchise, when they haven’t even done the homework on their own team owners. How many of them give money and support racist organizations in government and the media? I do admire all those that spoke out about Rush, but don’t just pick and choose what you feel is the hot button issue of the day.
I said before I don’t have a problem with Rush wanting to own a team. What I do have a problem with, is him thinking there would be no backlash. Dave Checketts should have known that Roger Goodell was not going to just let that happen without some type of
misgivings or input from Jesse, Al http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4553445
And company. My problem now is with that fact that Rush wants to blame the Obama administration for him not getting to own a franchise. I was going to give him a pass on this nonsense, but he went and did what serial racists do, he blamed someone else. I say the Rams have a few more problems that they need to discuss that are more important than who actually owns them. I mean they are 0-5 Rush could have perked up morale by naming them the St Louis Porch Monkeys or how about the Jiggaboos. Rush wants to blame Obama for him getting dropped from the group. He did say he hoped Obama would fail, I guess he likes failures. I mean with the Rams record, he should be in good company.
I say if this racist wants to own a team, let him. I don’t have a problem with it at all It’s not like the majority of the NFL owners don’t agree with him. On the contrary they probably do. Think about this, if it was not for The Rooney Rule http://national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_the_rooney_rule The NFL would still be using the good old boy network and hiring and firing the same coaches all over again. None of whom were black. They all probably think like him, they just won’t say it for obvious PR reasons. I mean Marge Schott owned a professional sports team http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n17_v83/ai_13459219/ .
She was an outright racist and she only got suspended for 1 yr. I just think it’s hypocritical for all these athletes to now be concerned about who is trying to buy a franchise, when they haven’t even done the homework on their own team owners. How many of them give money and support racist organizations in government and the media? I do admire all those that spoke out about Rush, but don’t just pick and choose what you feel is the hot button issue of the day.
I said before I don’t have a problem with Rush wanting to own a team. What I do have a problem with, is him thinking there would be no backlash. Dave Checketts should have known that Roger Goodell was not going to just let that happen without some type of
misgivings or input from Jesse, Al http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4553445
And company. My problem now is with that fact that Rush wants to blame the Obama administration for him not getting to own a franchise. I was going to give him a pass on this nonsense, but he went and did what serial racists do, he blamed someone else. I say the Rams have a few more problems that they need to discuss that are more important than who actually owns them. I mean they are 0-5 Rush could have perked up morale by naming them the St Louis Porch Monkeys or how about the Jiggaboos. Rush wants to blame Obama for him getting dropped from the group. He did say he hoped Obama would fail, I guess he likes failures. I mean with the Rams record, he should be in good company.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
When I B on the Mic
“Hip Hop they sat out in the dark, they used to do it out in the park” With this famous refrain we learned “how it all started way back when”. So what happened? I mean I love To see where Hip Hop has gone from the projects to Park Place, but where is the soul? I was on a hip hop website just today and there was an article about a semi famous rapper named Saigon who was cosigning 50 cents ‘gangsta” “he’s a goon, he’s in the streets”. When did being “in the streets” become a prerequisite for being a dope MC? What happened to MC’s trying to uplift the masses? I know I’m a hater or I’m just old and out of touch lol. That may be true, but all these rappers letting their ‘guns bust” and “laying bodies down” are basically caricatures and roles that they play .The problem is you have kids who try to emulate this nonsense and prove they can “bust a cap” at somebody http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0511091cred1.html
Now this idiot may have ruined his life trying to be a thug.
Don’t get me wrong I am all for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. The problem is how to counteract the ignorance with intelligence. You can go to Youtube or World Star Hip Hop and see an array of, I’ll loosely call them “MC’s” bragging about how gully they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Svo7ceIr4 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLs6MTf14g . The problem is a song like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOtFcuDtOLU will not get any airplay because it goes against the grain. I’m not saying every song has to be “Fight the Power”. I’m all for party records. I actually have to give props to Soulja Boy tell em, he’s following his own lane and not trying to follow any other formula. My problem is strictly with the studio killers. Right now if you’re a millionaire why are you talking about shooting and robbing? I know I know “I’m just speaking on the harsh realities of my existence” I am so tired of that BS line. Why not try and change that reality? I just want to see people with skills, show they have skills leave all the gun talk to people that really live that life.
I know plenty of street cats and former street cats.They laugh at these studio gangsters that perpetuate the ignorance in Hip Hop now. It seems like the thing to do is name yourself after a semi famous or infamous bad guy i.e. 50 Cent , Freeway Rick Ross, Noriega to name a few. They take the name and persona of said bad guy and use it to push their agenda of being Super Killer Thug . Now in the 70’s when you had Blaxploitation flicks all the heroes were pimps and gangsters. The difference in those movies was that the enemy was always the establishment, from The Mack to Superfly. They were always fighting the system and trying to get out of the game. Now the game is to act like a buffoon and talk about how many black men you can kill. How many guns you bust? Maybe it’s just nostalgia on my part ,or lack of any real lyrical skills from the “goons” that populate the culture, but I want to see MC’s really be MC’s and spit a hot 16 once in awhile without gun talk. In the words of Jay Z “It’s only so long fake thugs can pretend” I’m gonna leave you with one of the best to ever do it . Peace and Love people
Now this idiot may have ruined his life trying to be a thug.
Don’t get me wrong I am all for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. The problem is how to counteract the ignorance with intelligence. You can go to Youtube or World Star Hip Hop and see an array of, I’ll loosely call them “MC’s” bragging about how gully they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Svo7ceIr4 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLs6MTf14g . The problem is a song like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOtFcuDtOLU will not get any airplay because it goes against the grain. I’m not saying every song has to be “Fight the Power”. I’m all for party records. I actually have to give props to Soulja Boy tell em, he’s following his own lane and not trying to follow any other formula. My problem is strictly with the studio killers. Right now if you’re a millionaire why are you talking about shooting and robbing? I know I know “I’m just speaking on the harsh realities of my existence” I am so tired of that BS line. Why not try and change that reality? I just want to see people with skills, show they have skills leave all the gun talk to people that really live that life.
I know plenty of street cats and former street cats.They laugh at these studio gangsters that perpetuate the ignorance in Hip Hop now. It seems like the thing to do is name yourself after a semi famous or infamous bad guy i.e. 50 Cent , Freeway Rick Ross, Noriega to name a few. They take the name and persona of said bad guy and use it to push their agenda of being Super Killer Thug . Now in the 70’s when you had Blaxploitation flicks all the heroes were pimps and gangsters. The difference in those movies was that the enemy was always the establishment, from The Mack to Superfly. They were always fighting the system and trying to get out of the game. Now the game is to act like a buffoon and talk about how many black men you can kill. How many guns you bust? Maybe it’s just nostalgia on my part ,or lack of any real lyrical skills from the “goons” that populate the culture, but I want to see MC’s really be MC’s and spit a hot 16 once in awhile without gun talk. In the words of Jay Z “It’s only so long fake thugs can pretend” I’m gonna leave you with one of the best to ever do it . Peace and Love people
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Things Done Changed
You know today I had a blog all ready to talk about Derrion Albert. The 16 year old honor student, who was brutally beaten last week and died from his injuries. I was ready to talk about the stupidity and lack of guidance in the lives of the young “men” that attacked and killed him. I was going to discuss the cause and affect of this type of ghetto mentality. I was all set to place the blame on everything from BET to Hip Hop music for their portrayal of black men in society. I had to take a long look in the mirror and place the blame where it belongs, squarely on our shoulders. Yes we are to blame for these incidents. As much as I want to disagree with Bill Cosby's comments on the black community, Dr Huxatble is on point.
Had this incident been racial, The NAACP, Al Sharpton and a host of others would be up in arms. Right now everyone is talking about it and saying what a tragedy it is. The problem is, it happens all the time. Nationally, homicide is the leading cause of death for black young men ages 10-24, and the second leading cause of death for black women ages 15-24. While African Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. Population, 43% of all murder victims in 2007 were African American, 93.1% of whom were killed were African Americans. http://www.hhscenter.org/
We are killing ourselves; we need to take responsibility for our actions. I want to see all the black organizations and so called black leaders take a stand against that. Right now we are our own worst enemies. When does it stop, when do we begin to take back our neighborhoods? We are going to mourn this young man as we should. What about all the others that have been lost to senseless violence.
The blame should be placed with us; the problem is what do we do to correct the situation. I remember when I was young our neighbors could chastise us even spank us if we did wrong.Nowadays you will end up getting into an altercation with someone for trying to correct their child. In the words of The Notorious B.I.G “Things done changed”. I’m not going to blame it only on single parent households, the lack of black role models, Reaganomics or any of the other myriad of excuses we want to use. The problem is us and until we change us and our attitudes as a people, there will always be another Derrion Albert. I do send my condolences to the Albert family as no parent should have to bury their child. We have to wake up and do something about the destruction of our people, our communities. No jokes today, peace and love people.
Had this incident been racial, The NAACP, Al Sharpton and a host of others would be up in arms. Right now everyone is talking about it and saying what a tragedy it is. The problem is, it happens all the time. Nationally, homicide is the leading cause of death for black young men ages 10-24, and the second leading cause of death for black women ages 15-24. While African Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. Population, 43% of all murder victims in 2007 were African American, 93.1% of whom were killed were African Americans. http://www.hhscenter.org/
We are killing ourselves; we need to take responsibility for our actions. I want to see all the black organizations and so called black leaders take a stand against that. Right now we are our own worst enemies. When does it stop, when do we begin to take back our neighborhoods? We are going to mourn this young man as we should. What about all the others that have been lost to senseless violence.
The blame should be placed with us; the problem is what do we do to correct the situation. I remember when I was young our neighbors could chastise us even spank us if we did wrong.Nowadays you will end up getting into an altercation with someone for trying to correct their child. In the words of The Notorious B.I.G “Things done changed”. I’m not going to blame it only on single parent households, the lack of black role models, Reaganomics or any of the other myriad of excuses we want to use. The problem is us and until we change us and our attitudes as a people, there will always be another Derrion Albert. I do send my condolences to the Albert family as no parent should have to bury their child. We have to wake up and do something about the destruction of our people, our communities. No jokes today, peace and love people.
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