Get a grip on life

I never cease to be surprised by my people. After spending a day overwhelmed and consumed by the media coverage of the VT massacre, and just really being speechless that such an atrocity took place. I have heard 2 comments from Black people that are really working my nerves.

The 1st was a Black broadcaster that chose to compare this incident to the Don Imus situation. Saying that these were just helpless students trying to pursue an education and were the victims of senseless attacks. You can see the parallel being murdered versus being called an offensive name? This one isn't even worth a response.

The 2nd was a large group of Black people that are enraged at Bush's plan to visit VT to show support for the victims of this tragedy. They say he never made an effort to visit the Katrina victims, and if this would have happened at a Black College he would not be going there to offer his consolation. They say how can he go there for a tragedy that affected 33 people when Hurricane Katrina affected thousands.

I open my impression of these statements with this statement "get a grip people, and recognize that the world does not revolve around you."

If you share the thoughts above, and you have a hard time understanding Bush's logic for not getting on the ground in Katrina just take a look at yourself because you are just alike. You decided this event has lesser importance based on the demographics of the people involved, if this event had happened at a Black College you would have no issue with his visit at all.

Lord knows I hate Bush as much as the next person, probably more than most, but I try to have an opinion of his administration that is based on the facts and not self-serving. So let me start with the assertion that the impact of the VT massacre is about 33 people?

Not only have the 32 victims and the shooter suffered this tragedy, but all of their family and friends share this loss. Not to mention the 25K students that attend this university and their family and friends, the alumni of this university and their family and friends, and the entire community of Blacksburg. So we are already at thousands.....but let's add on the rest of the population impacted by this event. This event represents 2 major concerns in American society: 1) the safety of our children while at school, 2) and the continuous gun violence that plagues this nation.

You add that and we are talking millions impacted. I fully support Bush's presence and support for the victims of this tragedy, and I do that as a human being and as an American not as a Black person.

I have been in a hurricane zone, I have witnessed flooding, I have driven by tornadoes, even floated around from place to place for a period of time w/o a place to call home, but if you gave me the choice to experience all that again vs. being in a building with some lunatic shooting and killing people all around me. I would go through it all again every day of my life rather than going through the experience of the victims of the VT massacre.

This message is not at all to downgrade the horrible tragedy experienced by the victims of Hurricane Katrina or to pacify the hatred I had for Bush at that time and still have now. It is an attempt to recognize that each tragedy stands on its own, you do not have to degrade one tragedy to have an appreciation for another.

When I decided to make this post I had planned to do a spill on how the disappointment and anger about Hurricane Katrina goes far beyond the Bush administration, although I did expect that he would assert himself as the President and provide all assistance he had within his power and restore order. He did not, he failed. I decided not to really go into that because at this moment I don't want to detract from the issue at hand.

Bush along with all of us, need to get a grip, step away from our selfishness and focus on supporting the victims of the tragedy. Read more!

Would one of us had said that....really???

A friend of mine brought to my attention he was surprised at my anger about the Imus controversy. He reminded me that I never get mad about these type of remarks. I didn't even get angry at Michael Richards (although I no longer watch Seinfeld re-runs). For goodness sake I listen to conservative talk radio on a regular basis.....

So it made me think, why did this incident make me so angry, and it dawned on me. I don't think one of us would have made this comment. Most Blacks that actually sat down to watch this game or those familiar with the story of Vivian Stringer and the Rutgers women's basketball team have nothing but a sense of pride for what they had accomplished and what they had been through as a team and as individuals. I believe that if Vivian Stringer walked into any congregation of Black people she would have received a standing ovation.

Then to hear Imus discard them like they were crackheads on the street, welfare mothers with 5 illegitimate children, or Celie from the Color Purple. It reaffirms for me exactly why White people can't use words they hear Black people say; because they do not understand the context. I think even the so-called rappers and comedians that keep being assaulted for their use of this offensive language would have showed this group of women nothing but love if they were speaking in a public forum. If they had watched that game they would most likely have been commenting on how "fine" Candace Parker looks.

I was at a baseball game last week, and it was Dollar Dog Night. So the lines at the concession stands were 30 minutes long. So my brother comes back with a stack of hot dogs and this White guy in front of us is like, "man, you must have been in line for a long time." My brother responded, "yeah I was in line for a minute." The guy says, "really, you must be a VIP or something." We all just laughed he obviously did not understand.

So I thought I would offer up the following qualifications for White people to be able to have a "free pass" to say the things that we say. If you want to say what we say you must do what we do.

If you meet all of these qualifications you can tell anyone you have earned your stripes:

1) You actually own a CD of 2 of the so-called rap music artists that use offensive language, and have listened to at least one of them within the last 6 months.

2) You have purchased and attended a concert of a Black Comedian.

3) You have visited an African American Art Museum.

4) You have read a book written by a Black author that you did not hear about on Oprah.

5) You have seen at least 3 Black movies in the past 5 years, not directed by Spike Lee, or one that you heard about on Oprah (look for a future blog on the power of Oprah).

6) You can drive to a "soul food" restaurant for dinner w/o looking up the address or calling someone to help you remember how to get there.

7) You have had Black people in your house that are not the parents of your children's friends.

8) You can pick up your cell phone right now and in your contact list is a Black person you can call and say hey man let's go out to the Bar tonight have a drink and watch the game (someone besides me).

9) You realize that for Black people Kwanzaa is a celebration of culture, not a replacement for Christmas.

10) You hate George Bush!

What the White people that meet these qualifications will realize is that if you have this type of identity and understanding of the Black race you would never make that statement! At some point you have to ask yourself why would I even want to say somethimg like that?

I will say this and close on the Imus situation (I promise)! This is not written to give Blacks a pass to use offensive language towards one another, this still needs to be condemned. It is just to illustrate that there is a perfectly rational reason why Whites should not share this freedom (what I said plus the fact you may lose your job, or get your butt kicked).

I will give credit where it is due, as I heard this controversy polarize this nation as a race issue, I realize that most Whites were outraged by this as well. I can't say that I patronize one single Black media outlet, yet I constantly heard this action being condemned on televison and radio.

Ultimately, Imus did not lose his job because a bunch of Black people were outraged, he lost it because the advertisers were pulling support from his show. So really his demise was a product of pressure from White people!

So you all get love for that....really!

Read more!

The NFL got it right this time...

The New NFL personal conduct policy and subsequent suspension of players Adam Jones and Chris Henry for violating this policy has created quite a stir. I am generally not a proponent of employer's imposing rules that dictate what employees can do in their own free time. For this case I make an exception to that belief.

When the rule being imposed is targeting conduct that is criminal I have to support the rule. Off the top let's be clear the point of this policy is not to kick players out of the league. This policy is to save the players from themselves. To save them from societal ills that perpetuate this activity. Based on the negative publicity this criminal activity brings to the league the NFL would hope never to have to enforce this policy.

The policy allows for due process so a player gets a chance to get legal representation and a chance to come in and explain why he beat up his girlfriend, or why one of the boys from his crew shot some guy in the head before a punishment is administered. Although I will argue that Jones and Henry were not given due process, but with 10+ criminal charges between them in less than 2 years I think they are actually far beyond what the NFL is trying to control. It has been reported that over 50 players have faced criminal charges in 2006. The NFL has already shown they will allow for some pretty reasonable discretion in administering punushment. Otherwise they would have suspended them all!

This policy has the support of the players themselves so what is left to debate? Let's face it, the guys that get in trouble always want to claim to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is said that if you are at some club at 3 a.m. in the morning the likelihood of getting "caught up" is higher. This is true to a point. Think about it though, these clubs are open 365 days/year and even at the worst of clubs i.e. "strip clubs," on most nights nothing happens. Guys go in and out and there are no issues. The difference is the element that decides to show up on a given day and all of a sudden trouble. These NFL players are that element they are not the victims... 95% of the players realize this and that is why they support the policy.

I'll end with a story. When I was in HS we had a guy that was a star football player and the anchor of our track team. About a week before the state championships in track he beat up this girl. He was not defending himself from her, he beat her up like she was a man. The track coach decided to suspend him from the championships. There was an unbeleivable outcry from the community, they felt the punishment didn't fit the crime, suspending him punished the whole team not just him. Even the girls parents supported allowing him to run in the meet. The principal rescinded the suspension, and the coach ended up quitting. This kid graduates, he was one of the top recruits in the nation and he goes to a big-time D-I program. He lasted 2 years! He could not stay out of trouble...

I tell this story to re-affirm that society perpetuates this complex in star athletes that as long as they are big-time they can pretty much do anything and get away with it. Somebody is going to cover for them, someone will look the other way, maybe get a slap on the wrist from time to time. I can't say for sure that serving the suspension would have changed his life, but by not serving I think it crippled him. He missed an important life lesson about being accountable for his actions. The NFL has decided to step in where society has failed! Read more!

U have got 2 b "freakin" kidding me

The Don Imus Situation:

Ironically when I first heard of this incident, the only part of the story I heard was that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were calling for the resignation of Don Imus for making racist comments. My thought was here we go again tell them fake preachers to go away and stop trying to get yet another 15 minutes of fame.

It was almost a day later when I actually heard the statement, my whole body just stopped. I was listless I could not believe what I was hearing. I was enraged by this statement. I wanted to hear this in context as opposed to sound bytes (although I really didn't care about the context). Sidebar: Why do I have to go to youtube.com to get a news stories nowadays?

I had to stop and ask myself if I heard a Black radio host making these statements on his show would I have been so pissed. Probably not I would have thought it was funny, but hearing it from a White man made me feel terribly offended. I felt like he was talking about my wife, my mother, all of the Black women I love.

So this is what I surmise of this whole ordeal. This has helped to put in to perspective for me just how degrading we as Black people really are to each other. We need to challenge our own intelligence as a race. We can be much more creative than using remarks that we would feel would be inflammatory and offensive when we are trying to be humorous are communicate a thought. I need to vow to myself to no longer indulge in this hypocrisy. I can't continue to be enraged for someone saying or doing something I might say or do myself.

That being said, I can't change human nature. The fact is these comments stated by a Black person may very well be found comical, but when said by Don Imus I was ready to beat him over the head with a baseball bat. I know that, and he knows that when he said it, and chose to say it anyhow. He showed a blatant disregard for my feelings as a Black person. I can't blame Don Imus for being Don Imus, he should not have to apologize. The blame goes to any media outlet that continues to support him knowing that he has become an inflammatory figure to all Blacks. If the media decides that his value is bigger than the emotions of Black people, and if they decide his right to free speech is more important than being offensive to Black people then they should be held accountable.

I had never heard of Don Imus before this news report. I have never listened to his show and probably never would have or ever will. If he stays on the air I imagine his ratings will improve from White people who support him, or from people listening in for his next slip up. So terminating Don Imus is not just about Don Imus. It is about his remarks being inflammatory to a large sector of the American public which is served by the media. At some point the media has to be accountable for the service that they provide to the people of America. Read more!

You need a warm glass of shut the hell up!

Flying out of SFO back to DFW tonight. A couple of things happened that I had to post on the blog.

The first, the man that should be arrested for excessive talking. Especially to a woman that would prefer not to be bothered. Sitting behind me was this loud mouth that just would not quit. To make matters worse he had no concept of "inside voice." He was going on and on about everything that came to mind. At one point he was on some spill about coffee and going through all of the brands at the grocery store and what is good and bad. In a desperate attempt the woman was like, " I only drink coffee at Starbucks." Dude didn't even break stride, five minutes later he was talking about some problem he had on a flight 3 weeks ago. D-U-D-E, take the hint. She would have wrote a check on the spot for $250 for you to shut the HELL up!!! I would have put $20 on it myself. I really had a mind to get this guy told, and to save the poor woman, but my wife was there and discouraged this wholeheartedly. I looked back and the woman was a hot blond, so she probably had it coming..... Also, probably the reason my wife did not want me to help.

Unfortunately I could not focus on the excessive talker too long; because I had my own problem in my aisle. The woman next to me was suffering from s-t-a-n-k-m-o-u-t-h... She was an older lady and her breath smelled like old wet clothes in storage at a thrift store. I immediately went to the headphones. She was still stinging the nostrils. I pulled out the Sudoku as well. This did finally get her off of me, but she then decided to talk over me to my wife. this was worse, I immediately looked at my wife and demanded that she cease and desist this conversation. I still have a burning sensation in my nose right now! She was talking to this little girl in line waiting to use the restroom. She was leaned over all in the child's face talking, direct hit! Before long the little girl was crying.....

It's a simple request, in close proximity please be cognizant of the toxicity content level of your breath. If it is above the legal limit be reminded it is a crime punishable by spending your next flight sitting next to the excessive talker!!! Read more!

White People and Ron Washington

I am a big baseball fan. It is not uncommon to see me in Texas Rangers or Houston Astros gear. Since I am the type to talk to anybody I often end up talking baseball with someone. Generally white males (probably do a future blog on black people and baseball). One thing I noticed as they all "LOVE" Ron Washington.

They talk about how great a person he seems to be, and how refreshing it is for him to be so plain-spoken and focused on the basics. They feel that his future and the future of the Texas Rangers is very promising. They will then ask me on how I feel the Rangers will do this season. To their surprise I open by saying I think the Rangers are going to "suck. "

Ron Washington does appear to be a great guy, but he has been placed in a piss poor situation. He has an owner who has little concern about this team. He hired Sammy Sosa, Eric Gagne, and Kenny Lofton to sell tickets. It is unlikely any of them will offer much by way of talent at this point in their career. The owner has hired a young GM that seems to think that the way to compensate for making a bad trade deal, is to make one even worse the next time.....

3 of the 6 best hitters on this team from 2006 have signed with other teams as free agents. There is a question mark at every single position in the outfield. They say the starting pitching is strong when there are only 2 proven pitchers on the roster. 1 of those has only had 1 promising season, the rest of his career has been very inconsistent. The other 3 prospect pitchers have not looked promising in their previous outings. The bullpen is supposed to be strong when the anchor is a guy that has not played in 2 years, and the rest of the staff is largely made up of unproven players. So all of this hope is based on "potential." The Rangers don't have enough credibility to sell me on "potential" just look at the "DVDs."

So as much as I wanted to see Buck go away, I was not overly excited about bringing in Washington. For 2 reasons: 1) I feel he has been set up for failure, 2) as a fellow UTA alumnus I feel Trey Hillman would have been the better choice between his previous MLB and minor league experience and the great success he has had in the Japanese baseball league.

So don't assume because I am black I am automatically excited about having a black manager for the Rangers, and because your white don't feel like you have to pretend to be excited when you are talking to a black person about Ron Washington.... Read more!

Virgin Column

I have been told by a few friends that I need to get a blog. This comes from diatribes that i give on numerous topics through speeches, poetry, conversation, or e-mail. In some cases it's because they like to hear what I have to say or think, sometimes it's just because they are tired of listening or reading my e-mail.

So here is my shot at blogging. I plan to cover a number of topics completely unscheduled and spontaneous. I may post several in a day, I may not post for over a month. Some blogs will be short, some will be long.

I will discuss mainly various sports topics. In many cases local to Dallas. Of course not completely limited or dedicated to sports. I am liable to cover politics, race relations, marriage, music, movies, various current events.

Typically my style of presenting thoughts is empirical, but not to the point that I will let that override my gut feeling or reaction. I will stay true to what people do like about my thoughts, they are almost always objective. Even when I am biased on a topic I can generally present it objectively.

So I am sure you tired of reading, let me start blogging....... Read more!