Understanding the Culture of Violence in America: The Death of Derrion Albert

Hopefully after reading this post you're able to look at this issue differently. To do so, I suggest taking the time to view the following videos starting with this one:

So everyone has heard the story - or watched the video - of 16yr old Derrion Albert savagely beaten to death in Chicago. In my opinion, I don’t know if the video or the knee jerk reactions to it was more appalling. I’m sorry and I apologize if that last line offended anyone, but it’s just the way I see it. I’m disappointed that a young man had his life cut short in the manner he did, but I’m not angry. Am I a bad person for not being angered by this incident? No. Am I apathetic because I’m not as “enraged” as some people claim to be? Of course not, but some may think that I am. But hey, the cynic in me tells me that this “rage” will quickly disappear as it did after the Oscar Grant incident earlier this year. Everybody was mad then after watching the video of him being killed by a police officer, but no such rage at the fact that currently murder charges against said officer might be dropped.

If you ask me, it is this very “anger” which is essentially a part of the problem. Let’s be honest, Derrion Albert wasn’t killed because people were “Steppin’ in the name of love,” in the streets of Chicago. I say that because I doubt he was caught up in the midst of two separate but very happy groups of teenagers. Real talk: How do we solve problems if angry? When has anything positive ever developed from a position of anger? Shouldn’t this be yet another albeit teachable moments as it relates to conflict resolution? Ironically, it is this “anger” which has fueled some of the most unproductive discussions and commentary surrounding this incident and the blame game.

So in the spirit of “community” where community exists only when there is real commitment to go beyond rhetoric, beyond the limitations of tolerance, beyond the accusations, attacks and suspicions often experienced when people try to talk through the tough issues. I offer some Socratic questioning in an attempt to provoke rational thought and hopefully move towards solutions.

1) Bad Parenting: I’ve heard it said that what happened to Derrion is a resut of bad parenting. How can one watch the video of this or read about this story and come to this conclusion? Were there parents at the scene acting as agitators and or instigators? I’m sorry, but unless that was the case, I’m not buying that “bad parenting” cliché explanation. If you feel differently than I, feel free to explain that one to me in your commentary. And please give me more than that “babies raising babies” talk.

2) Absentee Black Fathers: Yet another one of those silly arguments to explain this incident. Can anyone prove to me that every single solitary soul involved in that melee came from single parent homes? Again, I’m sorry, but Black people, as a people we need to stop believing the hype as we’re fed by the media. Using absentee fathers as an excuse negates this being a teachable moment as far as personal responsibility and consequences in my opinion. Absentee Black fathers may be a problem in itself. But let’s not use this incident as one of those soapbox moments to promote Black fatherhood when it is not known whether it's even a contributing factor in this instance. If that's what you think to be a contributing factor in this and all instances of violence, pay attention to the last video.

3) Hip Hop: Let’s see, Hip Hop as we know it in the mainstream has been around how long? I don’t know, but I seriously doubt whether it has been around as long as Black on Black violence and crime has, no? Hell, a White rapper was just arrested for murder a couple of weeks ago. How come nobody submitted Hip Hop to be the causation of his crime which had multiple victims? Do we blame, or are other musical genres the motivation behind acts of crime committed by non-minorities? But hey, we can debate that issue in the commentary as well; actually being a Hip Hop head I welcome that debate. Shit, I know plenty of cats my age who love Mobb Deep's “Shook One's PT. II” who have yet to just lose it causing the end to the life of an individual.

4) The Black Culture of Violence: I know and understand Black on Black crime is an issue itself. But, why make this incident, or use similar incidents to give the perception that “it’s a Black thing”? Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there something in the DNA of people of African descent that predisposes them to violent crime? I’m just curious, but isn’t crime – be it violent or not – a problem throughout society that affects us all negatively? Why then see it as another one of those Black problems? Also, I’d like to take the time to remind people that gang culture has always existed in this country, and that the U.S. Gov’t did not create Ricco law statutes to take down the Bloods and the Crips. Yes, there is a pathology associated or attached to Black folks which directly impacts behavior. But how can we challenge this issue without tying it in to a larger societal problem?

All in all people, the problem here as I see it is violence in America; yes, we live in a violent nation. Is it any surprise that a country that was birthed through violence, where people are comfortable packing guns to political town hall meetings, and creating “Should Obama be Killed” polls on Facebook that these type of incidents occur? Derrion was caught up between an incident which involved two rival groups – you know that same “mob mentality” currently occupying our national political discourse? But hey, I guess that’s to be expected when the country you love has, is and will always be the biggest bully in the world community. Yeah, mobs and gangs have long been a part of American culture; why worry about violence here when this country exercises its “violent will” on other people and other cultures abroad.

What’s sad to me Black people, is that we view Derrion’s demise within the “Black community” to be tragic but yet accept or are apathetic towards the culture of violence within our country at large. Hell, a White kid was beaten on a school bus recently by a group of Black kids, but yet I didn’t hear this much “rage” from the Black community. Lemme guess, he lived, so it was no big deal, right? But since I’m trying to offer solutions I’ll ask: how can we stop the violence when we all live or are a part of a larger society within which such behavior is commonplace and not addressed?

Let the healing begin after this video:

SUGGESTED READING: Whose Responsibility is it Anyway? by soulbrother v.2

Democracy in Action: The Kill Obama Facebook Poll

As if the Secret Service wasn’t currently having a hard time keeping Barack Obama safe and alive; now they have to add one more investigation to the oh, thirty or so death threats Barack Obama gets daily. Oh the sacrifices one has to make here in post racial America. Earlier today someone had the brilliant idea to start a poll on Facebook asking the question: “should Obama be killed?” Not exactly a death threat, but…

I gotta give it that person because hey, at least he/she took it to a vote – way to go keeping the American ideal of Democracy alive; usually presidents get killed in America without any of its citizenry having a voice. Not only that, but I also have to give he/she credit for following through in that democratic tradition by giving us those great poll answer choices. If you took the poll, you had the option of voting “yes”, “no”, “maybe”, or “if he cuts my health care.”

I’m surprised that there wasn’t a “hell yes and I’ll bring the rope,” option.

Now surely some of you are going to say that this is just another one of those racially motivated deals like all the recent protests. But hey, at least the poll creator made it clear that his poll was all about policy (health care reform) and not race. Yep, so I don’t wanna hear anything about the lives of Black people not having any value in this country, mmkay? Yep, you Negroes kill each other every day.

Of course most of you race baiters out there wouldn’t see it like the majority of “us” real Americans. With you people it’s always about race. Well you know what? This isn’t about race; instead it’s what logical thinking people would deem freedom of speech. You damn right; and the U.S. Constipation affords me said right. Besides, even Barack Obama said that all of this isn't about race recently. And of course if he says so, then obviously it isn't, right Negroes?

What?

It’s not like they yelled “fire,” into a crowded theater; they did it on Facebook.

If you think differently then you must be a communist, socialist loving half-white person like Obama trying to destroy America. Yes, what other country on earth can anyone have a vote or a say in the assassination of the head person in charge irrespective of the color of his skin. If you ask me, I don't see the big deal; hell, the way things have been going in the country, it's a wonder someone hasn't produced an “American Idol” type of show to address the problem that is the 44th president of these United States.

Power to the people!

STORY HERE:

Glenn Beck, White Culture, and Knowing When to Play Dumb

Glenn Beck might be an asshole, or play a clown on television. But best believe, he’s not an idiot – he knows where his bread is buttered. Sure some of you may think he was being his normal self – an asshole – when he refused to answer Katie Couric’s question as to what exactly is “White Culture”. Don’t think for a minute that this guy didn’t know what he meant when he said what he said about the current president. He knew full well what he meant when he said that president Obama has a “deep-seated hatred for White culture.”

So why didn’t he just answer the question? He did not answer because he has lost enough ad revenue due to the activism of colorofchange.org. Yes, and he isn’t trying to lose anymore than he has. To date, he has lost about 50% of his sponsorship for his show. Bottom line: Glenn Beck is just like everybody else in this country – he’s a slave to the almighty dollar. Which when you think about it, happens to be the very reason he’s on the air. That said, for his sake, it was best that he not answer the question so as to give those colored Negroes who love change more fuel as his pockets are becoming deflated. I'm willing to bet if he was asked just what white culture is not, he would have had a lot to say.

QUESTION(S): What is white culture? Is it really white culture considering that much of it has been “stolen” from other cultures?

Your Baby Can Read: From the looks of the commercial, I don't think MY BABY could or will ever read

It’s Saturday, and my 2yr old daughter Ashley has been losing her mind all day. She’s a bit perturbed because in honor of International Children’s Day of Play, Nickelodeon has cut their programming. On all of their network channels there’s a message telling kids to go outside and play, or urging parents to take their kids out to play. Of course she’s 2yrs old and doesn’t understand. Shoot, we’re still trying to get her to understand that there’s nothing we can do when the rain knocks out our satellite service.

If only she was able to read what’s on the screen maybe she could understand. But of course you know Black 2yr olds aren’t able to read (nor will they ever be) according to those “My Baby Can Read” product commercials. Yeah, all the reading babies are White; no need for me to waste money on that product. Oh well, I guess I’ll take her to park once it looks like it isn’t gonna rain – something that it’s been doing all week. Yeah, forget the reading thing. Just as long as I can get her started early athletically, it should get her a leg up on the competition for an athletic scholarship; yeah, that’s the ticket.

Until this thing on Nickelodeon I haven’t given thought to the fact that kids don’t play outside anymore - my two oldest are 15 and 15 respectively. Which I guess would make this International Children’s Day of Play thing a good idea. I guess we can blame the problem of obesity and the inactivity of our kids to the rise in the number of pedophiles instead of the video game industry. I mean why take a chance on being abducted by some sicko at the park when you can be at home playing video games, right? I mean, who else better to entertain and raise our kids than television stations and video game makers, right?

When I was a kid, we didn’t need someone on TV to tell us to go outside and play. Usually it was the other way around. Usually it was an adult Nazi killjoy who saw to it that our childhood fun idea of playtime reduced to the arduous task of reading a book or some other form of torture. Oh well, maybe they’ll have an International Children’s Day of Reading. Of course you know since reading is “White Folks Shit”, us Black parents will have to figure something else out for ours. Oh well, Nickelodeon will be back on the air soon and all will be well in my house. Yep, Dora The Explorer and her sidekick red Timberland boots wearing monkey friend shall be my savior. My baby may never be able to read, but she'll be able to speak Spanish fluently.

Hey Mr. Police Officer sir, why did you put your penis in the mouth of that cow?

Ok look, I just, I, I, I just, I just don’t even know what to say about this one; n-n-n-no seriously, I don’t…I just read this article, and I just, well…I just don’t know:

If animals could talk, a few cows in Burlington County might ask state legislators to hurry up and outlaw bestiality.

During a bizarre hearing there yesterday, a Superior Court judge dismissed animal-cruelty charges against a Moorestown police officer accused of sticking his penis into the mouths of five calves in rural Southampton in 2006, claiming a grand jury couldn't infer whether the cows had been "tormented" or "puzzled" by the situation or even irritated that they'd been duped out of a meal.

Morley said it was questionable whether Melia's alleged crimes against cows, although "disgusting," fit the definitions in the animal-cruelty statute.

"I'm not saying it's OK," [Judge James J.] Morley said. "This is a legal question for me. It's not a question of morals. It's not a question of hygiene. It's not a question of how people should conduct themselves."

Did you catch the part that this guy is a police officer? Ok good. Did you also catch the part where it said that what he did was not a question of morals? Sure it’s disgusting, but they can’t really say whether the cows were tormented so the charges are dropped? Hello!! Judge!! You’re supposed to be the one person able to determine or be a judge of moral character if nobody else is. What gives? I mean, should there even be a friggin debate about what he did?

Um, normal people don’t go around sticking their penis’ in the mouths of cows.

Now remember that this guy is a police officer, and supposedly unlike that mentally disturbed brother we discussed not too long ago who has a thing for this certain horse, right? Remember that brother? Yeah, he was kinda not right in the head. But this guy was entrusted to uphold the law while he served and protected the fellow citizens in his jurisdiction, right? Well, if you think what he did to the cows was bad, check this out:

Sex with cows is the least of Melia's problems, though.

He and former girlfriend, Heather Lewis, of Pemberton Township, are also accused of sexually assaulting three young girls over a five-year period, sometimes in Melia's Cottage Avenue home in Moorestown, where he was a patrolman, authorities said.

Melia has been suspended from the force, said a spokesman with the Prosecutor's Office.

Melia and Lewis were both arrested in April 2008, shortly after one of the girls told her stepfather of the alleged abuse.

During the course of the investigation, authorities also discovered child pornography on Melia's home computer as well as videos of him with the cows.

Like I told y’all, I’m too through with this one. Um, why does this fool still have a job? Hopefully the judge even with all that evidence would be able to determine whether what him and his then girlfriend did was a question of morality; or maybe a question of how people should conduct themselves. I hope those cows didn't know how to give head (like some women) and teethed the shit out of his lil' ass dick. Yep, and I hope he goes to prison as should all child molesters; and get anally raped at least three times a week or get his ass kicked.

READ STORY

There's a gay demon on the loose!!

Holy shit! You mean to tell me that there’s a gay demon running around and nobody told me?!! No seriously, you mean to tell me that all that talk about being born gay was a lie? No for real, you mean to tell me that all this time it’s been Casper the friendly but homosexual ghost?? Shit, how do I protect myself from that thing? Ok y’all, maybe I’m a little late on this or maybe I’m just not up on the bible and religion. I don’t know if you’ve heard the story, but apparently this gay teenager in Connecticut was recently at some church or another and, well, the Black dude from the movie Ghost Busters performed an exorcism on him. Which is kinda cool because I always wondered what the Black Ghost Buster dude has been up to since OZ went off the air – hey, a brotha gotta get paid, right?

Check it out:

How come it took so long for this gay ghost to be outted. I mean, whenever I have conversations about homosexuality with Christians they always say that homosexuality is a choice. Well, what is it? Is it a choice or a demon? Do straight people by choice have sex with gay demons which in turn makes them gay?!?! Ok, so now I’m confused and I’m gonna need one of you reading this to explain this shit to me. But anyway, this 16yr old kid was on the Tryra Banks show recently talking about his experience and just how his life has changed since. Which is real ironic because I heard Patrick Swayze is gonna be on The View next week. But the only problem with that is that he can only talk to Whoopi Goldberg.

Check out the interview:

I’m more confused than ever folks. First off, if you were gay by the actions of a gay demon who somehow took over your body obviously by anally raping you (because it’s a choice). Now that the demon is gone, why do you still have homosexual temptations? Secondly, and probably what should have been the first question since it came to me about 20 seconds into the interview. Um, how come dude still talks with that gay lisp? Am I the only one who spotted that? And last and probably not least pending the responses this post gets, and totally unrelated: how come the gay demon is allowed to live in choir directors at churches? Do gay demons get a pass only if they can carry a tune?

Jokes aside...

do you believe this or is this just how religion affects the human mind?

Are there as many gay demons as there are people in the LGBT community?

Talk to me somebody…

The FBI pays White Supremacists to incite racial violence...

But they only prosecute them if they threaten the lives of White people?

Ok, hold up, wait, lemme check my back pocket to see if I can find a new race card. I’ve been pulling them out left and right for a while and I hate to approach another blog post without one. Ain’t nuthin more embarrasing than reaching for a race card when you don’t have one; ain’t that right former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton? Ok cool. Whew! I’m glad I found one; I thought I was out. So anyway, have you heard about this guy Hal Turner? Never heard of him? Oh ok. Well he’s this White Supremacist blogger, activist, ex-radio show from his basement having, one time FBI informant. Yeah, he’s done a lot to advance the cause of White Nationalists, all while being on the gov’t payroll as he supposedly helped them take down White Supremacist organizations. Isn’t that funny? A White Supremacist working for the gov’t to help take down White Supremacist groups by promoting White Supremacy? Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Hal is currently in some jail cell awaiting trial after being arrested for sending death threats to a few politicians, judges, federal prosecutors who just so happen to be white. You know, important people who also work for the government like him.

In a recent article in the Associated Press, Katie Nelson wrote:

“Prosecutors have acknowledged that Turner was an informant who spied on radical right-wing organizations, but the defense has said Turner was not working for the FBI when he allegedly made threats against Connecticut legislators and wrote that three federal judges in Illinois deserved to die.

“‘But if you compare anything that he did say when he was operating, there was no difference. No difference whatsoever,’ [his lawyer] said.”

Sounds like the ultimate dream job doesn’t it? Talk about getting paid to do what you love; how can a brotha be down Uncle Sam? So where’s the race card RiPPa, and why did you have to even waste it on an asshole like Hal Turner? It’s not like we don’t know he’s not fond of Blacks, Jews, Hispanics, or green men from outta space. Yeah, I understand and you’re right, different people have acknowledged this very fact. But see, this isn’t about Turner; this is about the government. They paid Turner to say and do what he did. Yes, Hal Turner’s lawyer said recently, and prosecutors agreed, that Turner was “trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative” and “worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an ‘agent provocateur’ and was taught by the agency ‘what he could say that wouldn’t be crossing the line.” Isn’t it ironic that while employed by the FBI, the number of White Supremacist groups have increased drastically?

So what the gov’t used him and flipped on him; big deal.

Well, how come they didn’t flip on him back in 2006 when he said that then Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (who is Black by the way) should be lynched on her way to the polls for being “a violent, Black, racist bitch.” An act which he also said would send a message to other “uppity” Blacks that “white people are tired of your bullshit, behave or die.” Oh, and lemme not forget to mention that he put McKinney's address out there on the internet on his site just like he did the federal judges. Let’s see, maybe Cynthia McKinney wasn’t important enough? Or could it be since his job was to say and do things to incite people to act as he was trained to do, could it be that “somebody” wanted Cynthia McKinney dead? Maybe I’m trippin’, but if threatening the lives of white politicians and federal judges is a crime. How come doing the same to a Black female sitting in Congress, isn't?

Damn, watch your back Barack…

A white man who was working for the U.S. Census bureau was found hanging from a tree in Clay County Kentucky with the words “Fed” scribbled on his chest. Who's to say that this was not an act sanctioned and paid for by tax payer dollars and motivated through the actions of somebody like Hal Turner? I tell you one thing for sure: whoever killed that poor guy wasn't Black. In Clay County Kentucky, or more specifically The Daniel Boone National Forest, the only Black person or people there, are the ghosts of those who were lynched and still hanging from trees. But yet Turner is now mounting the defense that he was just doing what he was paid to do?

Talk about that victim mentality...

Please don’t tell me I wasted my race card.

Who said George Bush don't like Black people!

You know I get sick of you people crying about racism as it applies to Barack Obama. Bill Clinton was the first Black president, but did y'all cry about racism then? No you didn't; and even he (Bill Clinton) came out recently and said that all these protests were not racist. Yeah, Jimmy Carter is just an old man from the south stuck in the time period of his youth as are all Black people who are still stuck on slavery. But anyway, while you people dwell on the trivial and insignificant elements of our culture. Allow me to take a moment to praise our former president George W. Bush. The last thing I'd like to see happen is for you people to have him go down in history as a racist man as y'all have erroneously done to the great Abraham Lincoln.

There's a new book on shelves, Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor, written by Matt Latimer, a former Bush administration employee. In it he describes a 2008 California GOP fundraiser he attended while he worked at the White House. The president gave a speech to his donors which described his fight with alcoholism as only he has lived it. Check out the following excerpt from page 177 of the book as it describes just how Bush reached out to give hope to a few bad apples as he visited a prison ministry program. It must be noted that Mr. Bush is really big on those faith based initiatives, hence him taking time out of his busy schedule to do God's work such as invading Iraq, but that's another post:

He talked about his own failings with alcoholism as the reason he supported his faith-based initiative. “My philosophy is, find somebody who hurts and do something about it,” he said. “Don’t wait for government to tell you what to do.” He bluntly talked about his own situation. “I was beginning to love alcohol over my wife and kids. It got to a point when Billy Graham came into my life. But I was hardheaded and didn’t want to listen for a while. And then I stopped drinking overnight. I am a one-man faith-based initiative. Alcohol was competing for my affections. And it would have ruined me.”

He said things that could ruffle feathers, such as how he’d recently gone to a faith-based program run by “former drunks.” He said he went to see a prison ministry program, noting that ‘everyone was black, of course.” All eyes turned in search of the sole African American in the audience of donors. They wanted to see if he was offended.

Of course the author, Matt Latimer went on to add that the African-American man didn't “appear to be” offended at all. As a matter of fact, he went on to defend Mr. Bush's statement by saying “[He] didn’t mean it in a derogatory way. He just liked making blunt observations to shock his audience.” Now see, if only we could get you people to all start thinking like this Black man (who's probably a devout Republican Christian) things would be right with America.

It's obvious that you people are unappreciative of George Bush’s pedigree. Uh huh, I've heard that some of you people are still upset because of what Barbara Bush said about those poor evacuees’ refugees after Hurricane Katrina “who were underprivileged anyway.” Sure some of you may think that a turd doesn't fall too far from the ass crack, but, I think you people who think that are just being racist as always. If George Bush didn't like God or Black people, would he have taken the time to visit all those irresponsible Black drunken addicts in prison?

The Dalai Lama, The Memphis Mayor, The Fist Bump, & The Wu-Tang Clan

The older I get I find myself becoming less and less a fan of Negro greetings. You know, like the high five, a pound, dap, or as some of our melanin deficient kinfolk have now termed the “terrorist fist bump”? Back when I was coming up, there was a new Negro handshake at least twice a week and it was cool to learn them with your boys. But then after a while it got complicated and nothing was more embarrassing than not being in sync with the current handshake and making yourself look like a complete fool in front of your peers. Being the nerd I was, this was always a problem at parties and such.

“Yeah son, tha’ hell you doin’, that shit is like two weeks old, son!”

Did white people ever have that problem? I doubt they ever did; and I’m pretty sure the standard handshake was always good enough. That said, why is that when they encounter “the brothers” as they call us they feel the need to go out of character and hit us with that “gimme five,” thing? I’m sayin’, we don’t even greet each other like that anymore; and I don’t think we have since The White Shadow was canceled. Shit, this ain't the 70's, and we don't play that “J.J. Evans” type shit. We still giving head nods, but we ain't down with that shuckin' and jivin' bullshit; at least me and the people I know are not down with it. No suh, us folk ain't be down wit dat!

Nothing chaps my ass more than when I'm witness or a direct recipient to such shallowness or disrespect. And please believe, I’ve seen it a time or two in my short time on this planet. What, is it too much to shake my hand when you meet me or we’re introduced? In a professional setting no less? One time the Vice President at my then place of employment greeted my then 6yr old like that on one of those “take your kid to work” days. I was never more proud of my daughter when she told him that we shake hands in our family. I guess he was a bit embarrassed as he gave me that nervous but awkward look. Shit, after that encounter he should have given me a raise; I’m just sayin, yo, protect ya neck.

I guess this is why I’m a bit disappointed in Myron Lowery our current Mayor Pro-Tem (who’s Black by the way) when he greeted his holiness the Dalai Lama here in Memphis yesterday. You see, Mr. Lama (hope he doesn’t mind me calling him that) was in town to try out some of that good ole Memphis BBQ he’s heard so much about and smoke weed with Elvis receive the International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum. Upon his arrival in the city, he was greeted by our mayoral fill-in Myron Lowery with some “Dap” (or a fist bump), and a “Hello Dali!” Supposedly he was joking about the “Hello Dali,” line, and supposedly it took Mr. Lama (see how respectful I am? I called him mister.) some time before he got the joke. But you know what they say: after the laughter comes tears.

I don’t know if Myron Lowery thought it was an audition for the movie Rush Hour 15, and he was the new Chris Tucker, but that shit wasn’t funny. He’s lucky Mr. Lama didn’t take offense and commence to put one of those Shaolin beatdowns on his ass; he did say he thought it was a violent symbol; you never know, he might be down with the Wu-Tang Clan and ain't nuthin to f*ck with. Of course you may not see this as a big deal. But if it isn’t, try the very same gesture the next time you’re on a job interview. Yes, the minute you walk in for your interview, do yourself a favor and greet your interviewer with a fist bump and a “wassup dawg!” Yeah, do that if you’re Black and see how far that gets you. Yep, this is why I get pissed when I see people of color on the receiving end of hipsters who obviously don’t view them as equals or deserving of respect.

Click to read story here

Recommended reading: Another Black Stereotype

Could you imagine singing in heaven next to Glenn Beck?

Listen, all you people trying to get to heaven after Hey'sus comes back need to be reminded of one thing: There's surveillance tape outside of those pearly gates that will be used in your judgment. That's right, you cannot escape the surveillance tape folks. You know, sorta like the clowns you see on your 10 o'clock news robbing some convenience store or bank? I'm sure that right now some guy is currently sharing a cell with Bubba and being anally raped on occasion all because he was caught on tape.

Yeah, in this digital age you cannot get away with anything. Hell, in some places you run a red light and then you get a ticket in the mail with a picture of you digging your nose, as you're car dancing to some Barry Manilow as you zoomed through an intersection. Period point blank, you can't get away with anything anymore.

Yep, not even you Glenn Beck...

Now a guy is entitled to change his mind, right? Of course. But when you cry on national TV and get people riled up running around with pitch forks and rope in Washington DC talking about "We want Amur'cuh back," as they knock on the White House door furious over gov't spending? And you actualy supported the bailout of financial institutions under Bush last year??

Tha' fuck?!!

You were down with that, then?

For the banks??

But now against any spending to benefit everyday regular people??

Ordinarily I'd call this hypocrisy, but this time I'll just say that obviously he forgot about the surveillance tape in heaven. But then again, I hear where he's going is guaranteed to have him sweating more than Caster Semenaya in a game of strip poker.

BREAKING NEWS: Tavis Smiley is a sellout, and a Slave Catcher. Yep, he's the new Negro fall guy for Wall Street greed.

“So, Tavis Smiley has been officially “Outed” as the hustler he really is, and needs to drink his six pack of STHU about holding President Obama accountable when his ass is probably going to have to testify in that Wells Fargo discrimination lawsuit. He has never said jack about predatory lending, and now, we have an idea WHY.” - The Christian Progressive Liberal (The “Outing” of Tavis Smiley)

No but seriously, I'm having a hard time with this one. Yeah I know some of “our folk” are still mad at my brother from Indiana for supporting Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries. Plus I heard he said some shit about bloggers or something sometime or another. But is he really a Slave Catcher? I don't know about you, but the brother doesn't strike me as the type to pimp Black folks for profit as some people assert. Which is funny when you think of it because Negroes talk shit about people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton etc. as being race pimps who profit off the backs of Black folks? But yet these very same people go to church every week and drop money in “Rev. Do Dirty's” collection plate like it ain't nuthin'. Oh well, lemme stay on topic and avoid the hate mail.

So, anywhichaways, Tavis Smiley has come under some heat recently and The Christian Progressive Liberal over at Jack & Jill Politics let it be known just why she thinks, well, that he's Slave Catcher material [read it here]; the debate that followed the post was quite interesting. You see, Wells Fargo was a well known sponsor of his annual State of the Black Union conference, or as some put it “The Negro Superbowl”. Just in case you've been living with your head up an Atlanta housewife's ass on Bravo, lemme tell you: Wells Fargo has been implicated in several lawsuits for predatory lending practices. Well as the story goes, Tavis served as the keynote speaker at so-called “Wealth Building” seminars conducted by Wells Fargo beginning in the year 2005, which targeted minorities. These events were held in various cities across the country and according to the Illinois Attorney General in a recently filed lawsuit against Wells Fargo: Tavis Smiley was the bait employed by Wells Fargo to rope Blacks and other minorities in only to become victims to their predatory lending practices:

Wells' plan for the seminars all along was to target black borrowers for higher-cost subprime mortgages, not for wealth-building, the suit charged. And the seminars were a part of the bank's overall illegal and discriminatory practice of steering black and Hispanic borrowers into riskier and more expensive loans, the suit said.

According to a former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage employee, one of these "Wealth Building" seminars held in Maryland was planned for an audience that would be virtually all African American, the suit said. The plan for the seminar was for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage employees to talk about subprime mortgages, although they were directed by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to use the term 'alternative lending' when marketing these products." The former employee, who is white, was scheduled to speak at the seminar, but was told by a manager that she was "too white," and that only black employees could make presentations, the suit said.

Wells Fargo, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders and a recipient of $25 billion in government bailout money, has denied all the charges in the Illinois suit, as well as other allegations of unfair lending. The bank did not respond to requests for comment on the seminars. Smiley, an author and advocate who hosts the late-night talk show, 'Tavis Smiley,' and who organizes the State of the Black Union symposiums each year, also declined comment. [Source: The Washington Independent]

Listen, do you remember when the housing bubble burst, and the eventual economic shitstorm of epic proportions of which we are all witnesses came about? Do you remember who the fall guys for the financial crisis became? Oh you don't remember? Well, in short, minorities were blamed. Yep, it was those irresponsible Negroes and Hispanics [Read: Let's Blame the Negro]. Yeah, never mind that many financial institutions and Hedge Fund Managers on Wall Street profited heavily from the exploitation of those irresponsible colored folk; never mind that; what else is new in our culture. Don't tell me we're supposed to stop blaming minorities for anything because we're post-racial now. Maybe it's just me and my ever present racial prism through which I see things. But, to make Tavis the fall guy just seems like more of the same.

OK, yeah, so Wells Fargo may have had this plan all put together to reel in minorities. But, can anyone prove to me that Tavis Smiley had full knowledge of said strategy or design? No you can't; not right now at least. That said, why even believe the hype, or put it out there and make Tavis some sort of a pariah? I mean I don't know the brother personally, but I'd like to think, putting his financial best interest aside (which would be his radio and TV show), that what he did was well intentioned for the Black and minority community considering that he had a sponsoring partnership with Wells Fargo. Let’s be real, Tavis is no Oprah Winfrey and he has to rely on corporate sponsors more than she does, right?

Listen, this thing is bigger than Tavis Smiley; Wells Fargo is just one company in a long list that profited from predatory lending. Last time I checked, Tavis Smiley wasn’t the one responsible for the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act just before the turn of the millennium. What good is it to crucify Tavis when he's just a small fish in a big pond filled with hungry piranhas that has done more damage to minorities all across the nation? Why make him complicit when there's no proof that he himself got fat like “certain people” on Wall Street.

Believe you me, I'm always on the lookout for the Slave Catcher types among us - you know, the Negroes who should know better? You know, like Ervin "Magic" Johnson? I don't know if you've seen or heard his commercials for Rent-A-Center in the media lately, but to me, that's Slave Catcher behavior. As a wealthy and successful businessman, the last thing "Magic" should be doing is promoting ghetto rip-offs as opposed to saving. I’m sorry, but find this “outing” of Tavis Smiley to be quite egregious, but that’s just me. One good thing, is that Tavis has cut ties with Wells Fargo since this lawsuit hit the airwaves. Hmm, now that doesn't sound like Slave Catcher behavior, now does it? But then again, Black folks would see this as a move too little too late and still think of him as a sellout pimp hustler. This is America, isn't everybody hustling?

Check out the following clip to see how Tavis screwed up the economy...

Look Mommy, there's a Negro wearing a cowboy hat, singing and getting those white folks on TV mad at Barack Obama!

"The Black community has not gotten the message yet." - Lloyd Marcus

Well, that's what the wannabe Black Republican "Cowboy Troy" said...

Maybe he knows more than I, or we know...

Whoever he is, obviously he's not one that I would label on this blog as a misguided Negro, right? But then again, maybe he is. Could it be that he hasn't gotten the message just yet like so many other people of color about the Republican Party?

I wonder what Republican leader John Boehner has to say about that socialist label...

So, how am I supposed to believe the argument that there are no racist or racial undertones to the recent protests, when these guys can't even get it together. Lloyd Marcus the authority on politics and Black people says Obama is socialist, but John Boehner says he's not?!! I can't take this new racism thing anymore; it's hard to keep up; especially when people can't even get their shit together.

But yet they're winning the battle as (R-Ky) Rep. Mitch McConnell says?

Sure I know Lloyd has been riding that Tea Party express bus all across the country lately. And no he might not be riding at the back of the bus as some of our ancestors. But who is he taking the country back from and who exactly is he going to get it when they do take it back? Surely he doesn't think his Black ass will be one of the shot callers in this nation should they be victorious in 2010, does he?

Don't let me find out that his silly ass like some of the people protesting health care reform are without health coverage.

I'm outta here...

These silly Negroes are just too much for me today...

Men lie, women lie, but numbers don't - let's talk about women and poverty shall we?

If you're like me, after watching the above video of a 19yr old single mother talk about her struggle, you feel bad for her. Her story is nothing new, and can be heard all across the country. The one thing that stands out, was when she said that she hadn't seen the father of her child since her delivery 8mths prior to shooting that interview. Her being Black it's easy to assume that she's just another sister who has to suffer at the hands of an irresponsible Black man. Yep, you know how that infamous 70% of Black kids being raised in homes lead by single mothers line has us programmed to believe that Black men aren't shit. But see ladies and gentlemen, the problem is way beyond what's perceived.

You see, many of you may think the woman in the video above represents the norm. That would be, a single unmarried female who has kids out of wedlock, but this is not true. In fact, many currently unmarried mothers were married at some point, but too often, the loss of a husband greatly increases a family’s likelihood of falling into poverty. In 2008, 36% of poor unmarried mothers were divorced, widowed, or separated. So much for the notion that all poor unmarried mothers, making the mistake of having children out of wedlock, right? But keeping it real as I always do, I can't help but to note that risk of poverty for women of color is even greater, especially for those who are unmarried. Thirty percent of unmarried black women and 29.5% of unmarried Hispanic women - of any race - were poor in 2008, compared with 18.5% of unmarried white women. Hmm, so I guess Hispanic men, just like Black men aren't shit, right?

Ultimately, the real problem here is the inequalities faced by women with or without children. But lets be honest: women with kids fare worse. This is America folks, and one can only imagine how much these numbers have been inflated from last year given our current economy. Speaking of which: Did you know that the majority of adults living in poverty were women? As a matter of fact, per recent U.S. Census results, 59% of adults in poverty are women; and 13 percent of all adult women are in poverty. Yeah I know, that's a lot of single women with kids left holding the bag, right? Well, that's not exactly true. According to the report, the majority of unmarried women living in poverty are elderly.

It's sad but true; more than one in five (22.2%) women living in poverty are elderly women age 60 and older. Losing a husband to death or divorce can be devastating to women’s quality of life and greatly increases risk of poverty. Because the vast majority (95%) of today’s elderly population has married at some point, older women who are poor are almost all previously married. The new Census figures bear this out. Widows accounted for nearly half (45.6%) of poor women age 60 and older in 2008, and 65% of those over 75. So next time you think about ridiculing Black men for the problems Black women face. Take a minute to remember that the problem of women in poverty is not just a Black thing. And more importantly, remember or realize that our society is not as egalitarian as we would like to think it is.


Data Sources:

U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008

U.S. Census Bureau, Data Ferret, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, March 2009 (Link)

Why do women lie about rape?

Well, well, well, looks like Tawana Brawley has grown up and done well for herself. She's at Hofstra now? I wonder if she's gonna get a Ph.D like Roxanne Shante? I bet Rev. Al Sharpton is so proud of her. Ok no, Tawana Brawley is not at Hofstra, and I don't know if she's lied about being raped lately, but I know Danmell Ndoye did this week at Hofstra University. According to her, she had been tied up and gang rapped by five young men in a campus dorm bathroom. This was last weekend, but we now know that this was all a lie, and four suspects (who were all minorities) have since been released from police custody. Dang, I wonder if she went as far as to carve a backwards "B" on her face.

Jokes aside, rape is a very serious crime and is not to be taken lightly. Possibly worse than being a female rape victim, is being one who lies about it. Well in this case, the alleged "gang rape" turned out to be a consensual gang bang, or "train" as us guys used to call it back in the day. Oh how times have changed. Luckily for the accused, they had technology on their side as one of them taped this act with a cell phone camera. When Ms. Ndoye was confronted by the police after displaying inconsistencies that there was a possible tape she then fessed up and said that the sexual encounter was consensual. Now I can understand a female being embarrassed after putting herself into a situation like that; I've been to college before, and I've been witness to shit like this. But to cry rape is foul, and I think it's sad that her only punishment was to be suspended from school. Clearly this young lady is troubled and needs help, but I think that a charge for filing a false report is in order here. But then again I could be wrong about that.

When I was in college I had one of my friends go to prison for rape after his then "girlfriend" claimed that he violated her sexually. His girlfriend with whom I too had a friendship (actually, her and I were friends well before him and I were.), wasn't disturbed or troubled and was quite normal. But as is the case with rape, it's one person’s story versus another’s where often there are no witnesses. In the case of my dude, he had been seeing this young lady for some time but they never had sex because she was a devout Christian. From what I gathered from both of them prior to the "incident", they came close to crossing that line several times, but just never did. After returning from an on campus party (which was one of the best ever that I attended) at his apartment she decided to spend the night. Well, one thing lead to another and they had sex after they had both been drinking.

The very next day things became weird between them. They were still together and in the company of each other but one could sense that something was wrong. In subsequent days and separate conversations with both of them (instigated by them and not me) they each revealed that they had done the damn thing. Evidently she was a bit bothered by the fact that she was no longer a virgin as she had intended to be on her wedding night and she pressed charges. I wasn't there, and I don't know what transpired other than what both of them told me. And I'll be honest, even as one who advocates for rape victims, this did not sound like rape in the traditional "he didn't stop when I said no," sense. Facing a long prison sentence and being a poor Black kid in college, my dude decided to cop a plea and do four years in prison rather than take it to trial.

To this day it's still my belief that my dude didn't rape that young lady. Yes, and I'm sure to some of you women reading this that last line is pretty typical coming from a man. I understand, in our culture it's easy to blame the victim and some of you chalk it up as the patriarchy as usual. Well, I happen to agree with you on that as it does happen very often. But at the same time, let's not pretend that there are not women who cry wolf among us; women who lie and cry rape for any one of various reasons. Now don't get me twisted, the women who do this may very well be a minority in relation to the many women who have been sexually assaulted and abused. As a matter of fact, there is no statistical data to back up that claim outside of the stories in the news like the Hofstra, Duke Lacrosse case, Ben Roethlisberger, or even Kobe Bryant case.

But, in a culture where women often are afraid to even report rape and other abuses from men (oh yeah, I heard rape is even a bigger unreported issue within the lesbian culture), I think women should be equally enraged and hold women like Danmell Ndoye to account. Yes, and people calling her a "hoe" as they've been is not the way to do it. But like I said, this is the culture within which we live; she's a hoe and the brothers who ran the train on her would be heroes even if she never cried rape. Yep, and fellas, let this be a teachable moment, please? Always pack a video camera to your jumpoff. Yeah, do like they do in porn flicks and do an interview and be sure to get her age before the clothes come off. I'm sure my man Mystikal who's currently sitting in a federal prison would agree with me. At the end of the day, can anyone of you tell me why women lie about rape or being sexually assaulted?

UPDATE (2:00 PM): One of my homies on Twitter (shout out to my man @ThroatChopU) sent me an update to this story. I was wondering from the day it broke if she was either Black or White. I'm sorry, but my so-called racist ass always asks that type of question (LOL). Folks, after reading this chicks story (yeah, that's her pic above), all I can do is shake my damn head. Apparently she had a boyfriend and the time of the incident' a boyfriend she had just started seeing when school started this semester. Well, not only did she cheat on him by entertaining and consenting to this bathroom gang-bang. When confronted on her whereabouts by her boyfriend. it was then that she ran with the "I was raped," line. Talk about a girl with an imagination! I've told some doozies in my day to my significant other(s). But I doubt any one of them would go for that "she raped me," bullshit if it ever came out of my mouth. [Click here to read it]

Michael Steele: The Signifying Monkey

"Ayo Michael Steele, I know you love kissin' ass for Republicans and all, and imma let you finish, but Chris Brown's bow tie was the greatest of all time!!" - Kanye West

So lets recap recent events shall we?

Ok, crazy "fringe" members of the republican party have been protesting Obama well before the health care debate and invoking race or a racial slant into our discourse. You've seen the signs; you've heard the talk.

Former President Jimmy Carter comes out and speaks truth to the ignorant.

The White House releases a statement which pretty much said that Jimmy Carter was full of shit and that there is no racial undertone to any of these protests (shit, what else did we expect them to say.).

Then in steps RNC Chairman Michael Steele calling Jimmy Carter ignorant and wrong, and alluding to all of this being some sort of Democratic party distraction from the all too important discussion or debate on health care reform of which his party doesn't support.

"President Carter is flat out wrong. This isn't about race. It is about policy. This is a pathetic distraction by Democrats to shift attention away from the president's wildly unpopular government-run health care plan that the American people simply oppose. Injecting race into the debate over critical issues facing American families doesn't create jobs, reform our health care system or reduce the growing deficit. It only divides Americans rather than uniting us to find solutions to challenges facing our nation.

Characterizing Americans' disapproval of President Obama's policies as being based on race is an outrage and a troubling sign about the lengths Democrats will go to disparage all who disagree with them. Playing the race card shows that Democrats are willing to deal from the bottom of the deck. Our political system has no place for this type of rhetoric. As the leader of the Democratic Party President Obama should flatly reject efforts by those in his Party, including Jimmy Carter and Tim Kaine, to inject race into our civil discourse in ways that divide, not unite, Americans." - Michael Steele [source:msnbc.com]

Wow, Steele called them out didn't he? Way to go standing up for unity within the nation and calling out those racist Democrats. Yeah, the last thing those racist asshole Democrats would like to do is have a meaningful debate on health care reform, right? You tell 'em Iron Mike! Yep, they're always pulling the race card those silly Democrats.

Ok so never mind Republican smear tactics of old. Yeah never mind the Southern Strategy of days gone by. Yep, never mind this picture of Michelle Obama that's being used down in Virginia where Democratic National Chair Tim Kaine happens to be governor and lives. Nah, that poster is all about Obama's policy and has nothing to do with race. I don't know about you, but I think the White House should not have issued a statement in referrence to, or addressing Jimmy Carter's statement.

But hey, we've come to see the White House Barack Obama forever be the "nice guy" unless he's questioned about his racist pastor and is forced to give a great speech on race so he can get elected. In that now famous speech during his campaign, he said that could no more denounce Jeremiah Wright than he could his grandmother, who even she was without fault as a "typical" white woman as he put it. I guess that's about as close as Obama will come to addressing race and racism personally; minus an occasional beer at the White House of course. Could it be that Barack Obama has bought into this post-racial concept as shaped by the media?

Surely Michael Steele has, and me calling him a monkey isn't racist.

So that's why they call it Cracker Barrel

I don't know if White people in Georgia are pissed because Real Housewives of Atlanta has picked up where the Ying Yang twins have left off as an embarrassment to the state [read about that one here]. But I'd be damned if they haven't been trippin' lately down in the peach state.

Last week this grumpy old troll down in Georgia crawled out from under his bridge to slap a crying two year old, that wasn't his, four times in the face to because her crying annoyed him. Now this week some angry white man gives a Black woman who happens to be an Army reservist a beatdown while her seven year old daughter and everybody else watched.

A man beat an Army reservist in front of a Morrow Cracker Barrel, yelling racial slurs at her as he kicked her in the head, Morrow police said. The assault happened in front of the woman’s 7-year old daughter, who stood there, crying, witnesses told police.

Morrow police arrested Troy Dale West of Poulan after reviewing a video surveillance tape and talking to customers. He was charged with battery, disorderly conduct and cruelty to children.

The woman and her daughter were leaving the South Lake Plaza Drive restaurant last Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. as West was heading inside, Capt. James Callaway of the Morrow Police Department said.

The restaurant doorway nearly struck the woman’s daughter, prompting her to tell West, “Sir, you almost hit my daughter with the door, could you please be careful,” Callaway said.

West responded, telling the woman that she needed to watch her daughter and then began yelling racial slurs at her and kicking and punching her in the head, Callaway said. [click to read more]

Now, I'd like to think that in a moment of temporary insanity this guy did what he did. Yeah, and once he realized what he did, he got his ass out of there quick fast and in a hurry. Well, either he was really hungry (those Cracker Barrel rolls are the shit, son!), or he didn't really give a flying f*ck, because he went ahead like nothing happened and stuck around the restaurant. Thank God what he did was caught on tape so people and the police would believe her. I mean, you know angry Black women have been acting up on tennis courts lately and all.

Currently this is being investigated and authorities are tight-lipped as to whether this constitutes a hate crime considering his use of racial slurs. Somehow I think given the fact that this happened at a Cracker Barrel and not one of those racist Denny's restaurants from back in the day, the hate crime thing would be thrown out. You gotta love that Southern Hospitality that I spoke about this time last year. Somehow, this wasn't the type of hospitality I had in mind, and I think this may not have happened at a Waffle house. Hell, it wasn't that long ago (2004) that Cracker Barrel was wrapped up in a federal discrimination lawsuit in seven states. I doubt this story would gain any traction in the media like the current story being played out by Rush Limbaugh and company about the white kid who was beaten on the school bus by a group of Black kids. Also a deplorable act, but sadly, this one gets no play because, well, the victim is a Black woman?

How dare Jimmy Carter say that racism plays heavily into these protests against Obama! Jimmy Carter...."You Lie!"

Yeah, I'm gonna need someone to talk me down on this one because you know I agree with him, right? Surely he can't be right about this and what he said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and likening it to a system of apartheid like he did a few years ago, right? What is he a glutton for punishment? He took a lot of heat when he said what he said about Israel. What, is he trying to get kicked out of the country now? Surely he can't be right about this one. Nope, all these protests are all about policy and not race, right?

I mean, yesterday Rush Limbaugh said in response to an article in Newsweek [read it here] which alluded to babies being born racist that "If homosexuality being inborn is what makes it acceptable, why does racism being inborn not make racism acceptable?" Surely Jimmy Carter didn't get the memo as did Rush Limbaugh. Obviously Jimmy Carter doesn't know that racism, and or racist behavior is acceptable all due in large part to this country having the first Black president, right?

Oh lord Jesus I can't take this racism thing anymore.

America is changing and I'm so confused.

One minute we're post-racial, and the next we're not.

Now that racism is acceptable in America what is I's gon' do?

Oh well, I guess I'm gonna jig like the rest of these Black republicans...

Racism? If it ever be is, I ain't be seen't it!

BREAKING NEWS: Kanye West found hiding in Debo's pigeon coop

Well, he appeared on Jay Leno and, apologized last night? Did you see how the audience cheered for him before and after the interview? Clearly these were not the same people who were on twitter the last few days as Renee at Womanist Musing shared [Read it here]. Everybody is talking about him getting help as if he's hooked on crack or something. Sorry, but the only drug Kanye Kinte has been hooked on is fame and celebrity stardom. Though I can understand the loss of his mother weighing heavy on his heart and maybe, being used as an explanation for his behavior as explained over at The Sable Verity. His mother's death is no excuse for his actions the other night.

So no, I'm not buying the "take some time off" crap like he needs to go into some rehab clinic or run to Africa like Dave Chappelle. He needs to focus on his craft which is his music because at the end of the day, his music was the only positive thing that gave him the spotlight. He needs to go back to the lab and make beats again like he did when his jaws were wired shut after his near life ending car crash several years ago. The funny thing about all of this, is that Barack Obama called him a jackass. Why is this funny? Well, if he said Kanye "acted stupidly," would "certain people" have been in an uproar and think Obama's white side was racist for saying that? You know, kinda like how they played him out when his Black side called the recent actions of a certain police officer into question?

Call me harsh or an asshole, but I have no sympathy nor do I empathize with Kanye West. If you need somebody to empathize with or feel sorry for. Go with Caster Semenaya the 18yr old South African runner who as one idiot put it in a recent post: "she looks fucked up." Yeah, that "fucked up" Black woman is now on suicide watch, now that the whole world knows that she's a hermaphrodite. All due in large part to the media and the dummies who who never saw the underlying tones of racism as they put her out there to be a spectacle and less than human.

9/12 protests: once again proving how ignorant some of our "patriotic" citizens are.

Recently, I had a conversation with my man AverageBro of AverageBro.com, and he said something really interesting. Actually, he asked a very good question for which I don't have an answer. In our talk he asked: what freedoms has Barack Obama taken away from these angry mob-like people who are crying for "their" country back? Good question I thought, but like I said, I don't have an answer. Do you? Hopefully some of the supporters of these people will show up on this post and fill me in on just how oppressed they are under the Obama regime.

I'll be honest, I haven't paid much attention to Glenn Beck and his 9/12ers who protested this past weekend. I'm sorry, but I wasn't in the mood for all that "white noise". But after speaking with Mrs. Genma Holmes of the blog Genmaspeaks yesterday on the phone, and finding out that Glenn Beck didn't even attend his Million Moron March (I didn't know there were that many of them), I became a bit interested. Genma read to me a most excellent piece she wrote about the 9/12 clowns (read it here), and the hypocrisy of "their" patriotism as compared to one day removed from the tragedy that occured on September 11th 2001. Never one to lump or label people into categories [insert maniacal giggle here], I decided to see just what was up with these fine Americans.

So I did some digging, and this is what I came up with:

So what did you learn from this clip boys and girls? I learned that all conservatives are not created equal. Yes, I'd like to think that some of them like me, are laughing at these idiots in the video. Yes, all conservatives are not created equal; there are some of them less stupid than others. I mean did you hear these fools? They don't want the gov't touching anything and getting out of their lives. Damn, I thought that was the gov't I tripped over as I walked to my bathroom in the dark last night. Fuckers! I hate when that happens.

Silly gov't all up in my house n' shit drinking all my Kool Aid. Oh lord, and like I'm so afraid of ACORN pulling me over one morning as I take my kids to school to be indoctrinated. Yeah, we gotta get this country back because I currently enjoy not having any health insurance, and I'd be damned if someone tries to force me to go to the doctor and make me pay a co-pay or even try to stay healthy by taking all that Socialist German Nazi pills that are made in Kenya.

I heard there was some kind of Black Family Reunion thing going on this past weekend in DC as well. It's a damn shame the media didn't pay those Black racist free-loading people any attention with their fake concept of family. If they were real Americans they would have joined in the protests. But see, I forgot, Obamacare is actually reparations for Negroes. Besides, you know how those Black people love free stuff, and I doubt those Tea Party protesters had any chicken.

Kanye West is for the children; just like WuTang!: Another awkward Negro moment in television history

Mommy, there's a Black man on TV about to steal an MTV Award from this nice White lady. Oh, it's Kanye West. I thought it was Suge Knight. You know how all those Blck guys look and act alike. (whew!)

Yet another example of why "they never shoulda gave you n*ggas money," as my man Rick James would say. I don't know y'all, but I think Kanye West needs a hug, or a role model maybe? Hello, can we get Tony Dungy on deck here? You know he's probably the only Black man who can get young Black men to get their lives on track, right? Yeah, I think Jim Brown stopped that shit after Richard Pryor and the beat down he gave his wife and Tony is now the mentor of all Black men in America, but I digress.

Can any of y'all tell me what the hell is wrong with Kanye? OK, OK, OK, forget that question. It's not like we don't know his problem. I'm sayin, everybody knows that he's a midget with a Napoleon complex hence that whole calling himself the Louis Vuitton Don n' all. I swear this Negro is more of an attention whore than a latchkey kid. And you know what? Have you heard his music lately? His shit is garbage, and I'm willing to bet that even that is by design just to get attention. Somehow after watching the above clip I kinda wish the ghost of his mother would have walked on stage and slapped the Black off of his ass for coming out there like he doesn't have any home training.

OK, so he couldn't just fellate Jay Z backstage at the VMAs. No, that would be too homo; can't have that in hip hop. Instead, he had to jump on stage and protect the honor of Jay Z's wife and totally scare the shit out of that poor white girl Taylor Swift (you know she probably hasn't been that close to a Black man before). When her and the rest of them saw a Black man jump on stage they thought it was gonna be a robbery, right? If you watch the clip again I'm sure you can see someone tucking their chain and trying to hide it from "Debo". Poor chile', I feel so sorry for her and what she had to endure at the hands of one of our uncouth cousins. Now she has to have counseling and shit like that just to get through the rest of her life.

What he did was distasteful, immature and selfish. But what else is new when it comes to Kanye West. He lost me as a fan a very long time ago, and he almost had me back with the whole "George Bush don't like Black people," thing. But he fucked up when he continued to run his mouth at every opportunity. You know, like he was the dude everybody was checking for as to get an opinion. Make music dude and shut the fuck up and just walk like Jesus as you carry the cross that is your ego.

What gets me is that his Black ass would have never pulled some shit like that at the BET awards. Yeah Kanye, pull that shit on stage with Keisha Coles getting and award if you want to. Yeah, do that shit and see how fast her crackhead momma and sister beat his ass as Suge Knight stomped on his neck. Aww come on, you know how "we" do at "our" award shows.

So now America hates him more than ever. No seriously, you don't interrupt an up and coming female country singer and think you'll get away with it. He obviously hasn't been paying attention to the news to see all these angry white folks who are all pissed at Obama. As if it hasn't been hard enough for Barack Obama lately, Kanye had to go and do this...

Damn, this Negro is everywhere! What is he a republican now? Listen Joe Wilson...oops, I mean Kanye, here's some advice. Of course I know you're not gonna change, nor is that swollen ego gonna shrink anytime soon. But be that as it may, from one brother to another, just listen to me...

the next time you get on national TV to pull a stunt like that, people would appreciate you more as a man if you mentioned the kids. You see, mentioning the kids would help you out big time. When you mention the kids, people would be less apt to think that what you did was all about you, like it always is. Surely they didn't think it was about Beyonce and your love for her video.

Next time, do it like my man did it several years ago...