So, with Christmas around the corner, 'tis the season to get ya grab on, and...
So, I've known a few boosters in my day, and I've always been amazed at what they've been able to do. And just like clock work, they would hit us up around this time of year taking orders. What can I say, everybody's trying to get paid this time of year so they can stuff some stockings, right?
Besides, ain't nuthin' like a hood discount!
However, I'd like to know just how on this green friggin earth do you get three pairs of boots and lord know what else under your titties, and back fat? I mean, $2600 worth of merchandise from T.J. Maxx is alotta shit!
Um, hopefully they didn't have to stuff or hide anything in the vageen, or heavens forbid the uterus. But, something tells me they did, and have done this before. But hey, see what happens when we don't have jobs?
The city of Memphis TN. has a huge problem with panhandlers [watch this]. So much so, that they recently passed a new ordinance to which the "lemme hold a dollar man," has to adhere to; no seriously, it's really that bad.
Now, I don't have a problem with people begging for money. And, for the most part depending on how I feel, I may "donate" without even questioning just where my money is going, and for what cause it's being used.
Yes, like you, I've questioned the genuineness of a solicitor for funds - be it the guy on the street, or someone calling me at home. But for the most part, it doesn't determine my willingness to give to the needy. And by needy I'm not talking about the guy with the whiskey stank breath either...
Because I'm a giver...!
Well, that is unless someone pulls off the ultimate scam that may piss you off; a scam much like my fellow Memphian, Alisa R. Harris of South Memphis was able to pull off, until being exposed. No seriously, this is a trip:
Well, you know they say the road to hell is paved with people with good intentions, bibles, Master P's cell phone service, and rusty No Limit platinum chains. So, naturally this being a city with an enormous panhandling problem located in the bible belt where there are churches on every corner...
It isn't surprising that someone here had the gall to go to the lengths as Harris has, to take advantage of poor folks as she has. The burning question I've had since seeing this story on my local news is: why Master P.? Sure he's obscure and forgotten, but why associate the name of his brother - Corey Miller aka C. Murder - with your organization when he's currently serving time for murder?
I'm gonna continue donating to the needy as I always have. I realize stuff like this happens all the time across the country. But the next panhandler I encounter downtown, I'mma make 'em say "uuuughhh!" And as for Alisa R. Harris? I guess the sistah is just "Bout It, Bout It" like that.
I had a great holiday weekend, folks. Actually, I knew it was gonna be great weekend the day before Thanksgiving when I saw white folks on CNN bitching about getting felt up at airport security checkpoints. One dude was righteously indignant about being anally probed after opting out.
Now I can understand if you didn't know opting out of walking through a scanner would result in a three finger anal cavity search without Vaseline a pat down much like bouncers do at a night club minus the cover charge. But damn, don't hit me with the, "Do I look like Osama Bin Laden," after the fact.
Dude was actually on CNN being interviewed and he said that. Not really surprising especially when it's coming from a white person who isn't used to being subjected to such intrusive tactics in the interest of ghetto security. However, it was hilarious hearing white folks declare:
"How dare you ask me to bend over, spread my butt-cheeks, and give you two good coughs! I'm White, Goddammit!! Do I look 3/5ths human, bitch!!!"
Moral of the story: That's what you white folks get for moving out of the hood. Had you people opted to stay there instead of run to the 'burbs, you'd be used to this shit like we black folks are.
Yeah, don't blame this shit on Barack Obama! It's Michael Chertoff, bitches!!
But anyways, I had a great weekend with family and friends. I also celebrated my wedding anniversary on Saturday and had the opportunity to catch Kevin Hart's "Laugh At My Pain" tour stop here in Memphis.
Shit was seriously funny, and my wife was in tears the entire time. No seriously, if you get a chance to catch him on tour, please do so. I promise, it's well worth it, and much better live. And, well, your date might be more willing to have sex with you after the show... yeah, pineapples bitch.
Speaking of marriage and anniversaries... it's Cyber Monday, y'all! As you know, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the jump-off to the Christmas holiday season. And who needs getting trampled outside of stores and America's modern slave plantation, Wal-Mart, when there's Cyber Monday! I gotta tell you, nothing sells like convenience in this country and I love it!
Seriously, being at work today getting paid to shop online and take advantage of those huge discounts on internet porn is the shit, son! Cyber Monday has only been around 5yrs, but I'm glad that someone somewhere found it imperative to fully embrace online porn; and, decided to keep the "cyber" in cyber-sex for the promotion of commerce. Hey, gotta keep the "Christ" in Christmas, no?
Lastly, I wanna give a big shout out, and mad props to the good folks over at No Wedding, No Womb. We've had our differences in the past, but it's great to see that my influence has served as a shift in paradigm from the unrealistic idea of no sex (or kids) before marriage. Maybe they caught the latest article in Time Magazine, Who Needs Marriage? A Changing Institution.
It's really good that these folks have now spurned the idea of shaming black women and single motherhood, to go as far as to create a new theme song for the movement. A song that better carries the "message" that is #NWNW. A song (and message) which will be better embraced by the black community. A song that says a lot more than "get your tubes tied and have all the raw sex you want."
Man is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself, and cuts his throat if his ideology isn’t straight. -- Mark Twain
What I find interesting when confronted by “holy rollers” is that it always comes down to this: I’m going to hell for daring to challenge their beliefs. It is common for someone to state unequivocably that (for my sake) I had better be right, because (presumably) God is gonna have his vengeance on my blaspheming ass! LOL! It has been my experience that “true believers” are more interested in defending dogma rather than actually living what they purport to believe. If you’re a Christian and you find satisfaction in your belief that your God will sentence me to a hereafter of eternal damnation, then what kind of Christian are you?
Beliefs can be a ma’fucca some times… SMDH
Personally, I do a “belief spring cleaning” at least once a year as a matter of habit. What that means is that I regularly taken an inventory of my beliefs and dump the ones that have no real foundation. Now, this is no easy feat. Over the years, I have had to throw away some really cherished beliefs. One such belief was my belief in me! I used to believe that “Eddie” existed, but when I sat down to look for “Eddie,” I couldn’t find him. What I found instead, when I looked closely while suspending my belief, was an on-going process -- a series of beliefs -- that I cobbled together to create this entity we’ve all agreed to call “Eddie” (as well as some other choice names). In fact, what I found was an amalgam of defense mechanisms, beliefs, fears, personality quirks, that if you ran it really fast, looked like what I consider my personality -- or “Eddie.” It’s a lot like a film. A film gives the viewer the illusion of movement and substance because the individual frames move at a very fast rate through the projector.
But when I sat down and slowed down, suspended my belief system, what I saw wasn’t “Eddie,” but a bunch of different components that added up to what I call my personality or “Eddie.”
At first that was a fucked up revelation. How could it be that I don’t exist?!! I must be seeing things wrong, I surmised to myself, so I began researching this. After all, I had worked very hard and was very much attached to the “Eddie” I had created.
But nowhere could I find the basis of Eddie. The brain/ mind has no specific function that creates a personality -- an “Eddie.” There’s no central processing area in the brain responsible for “Eddie.” It’s all made up! At first, this was a very scary revelation. I mean, how will “Eddie” go to heaven if there is no “Eddie”? But then, upon further reflection, I realized that this kinda/ sorta liberated me. I mean if “Eddie” was something I made up as a way to cope with life, then that meant I didn’t have to defend myself as much. “Eddie” was a story I made up in order to explain shit, but it wasn't really who I was. Sure, I use the construct “Eddie” for stuff like paying the rent and crossing the street, but “Eddie” is still just a story, a movie I made up.
And that’s how I lost “Eddie.” Or my belief in it.
Another belief I lost early on was the hand-me-down belief in a God that lived in the sky somewhere and who either punished or rewarded you according to your behavior. That one was a lot easier than losing “Eddie.” I realized that belief in Divine Hierarchy that needed to be petitioned in order to curry favor was pretty much juvenile to me. And that shit about the world being created in seven days? Yeah right! I lost that one when I was about seven or eight years old (and got in trouble for it!). And why he gotta be a man?!! What’s up with that? Why can't God look like Halle Berry?!! What I came to experience and realize was that we’re all part of the Divine Spark, that God isn’t somewhere out there, but here inside of me (and everyone else). And some day, even that belief will be discarded!
Any hand-me-down belief system is a subtle appeal to your deepest fears and longings. It’s like a parasite that wraps itself around your mind -- almost like a demonic possession.
I am not a "white anti-racist". I do not understand the whole concept of the "white anti-racist" identity. I know "white anti-racists" LOVE Tim Wise, and treat his books as if they are bibles. I notice on anti-racist web sites/blogs when I disagree with someone's method/opinion I am met with the answer "Well Tim Wise says POC think that...." and go into a white man's explanation of what a non-white person wants/needs.
Tim Wise is like a translator, he lets "white anti-racists" know what "people of color" want/need/think without them ever have to go through the messy process of actually SPEAKING TO or INTERACTING WITH, or God forbid, HAVING TO ANSWER TO non-white people. Apparently Tim Wise KNOWS what is on the mind of ALL "people of color", and for a nominal fee, he will come and TELL your organization what that is. Or, you can just buy his book, pronounce yourself a "white anti-racist", and move on with your life, safe in the knowledge that you can ADMIT white privilege and DENOUNCE white privilege without ever really having to DO ANYTHING about it.
There are a lot of rules to being an "white anti-racist." And, if you go to an "white anti-racist" website, and you make the mistake of actually thinking differently than other "white anti-racists", you will be given a link to a long list of rules of "white anti-racism", and told you have some reading to do. I was recently at a prominent "white anti-racist" blog, and said that I believed racism can be more effectively fought by a multi-racial coalition than by an all white group. I was then informed by a white woman that I needed to read and absorb the wisdom of Tim Wise so I could realize why white people need to form their own organizations.
So, I said I do not consider Tim Wise an expert on racism, and I would much rather listen to an ACTUAL expert on racism (a person of color) and do as I am asked/instructed to do by them! So, I was told by this woman that by responding to her, I was "showing my privilege" (I try to respond to everyone who addresses me on blogs), and that if I tried to join a multi-racial coalition of activists, I would just be a nuisance.
I don't know... to me it sounds like two issues going on at once. According the the "white anti-racists", people of color do not want white people around because we "try to take over". True enough. To me, that can be solved simply by sitting back and allowing a person of color be in charge, and do what is requested of me. But, according to the "white anti-racist" handbook, apparently that is the wrong answer.
The true solution is to form an all white group. So, in other words, to avoid being accused of trying to take charge, form your own group where you CAN be in charge! Seems to me like a good way to avoid having to answer to a non-white person. In addition, "white anti-racists" seem to be afraid of rejection.
When they are told by one organization that they are not needed, instead of sucking it up and figuring out where they CAN be of service, they would rather go off on their own. There are so many different organizations fighting racism with so many different needs/methods, I simply cannot believe that the ONLY way a white person can be an activist is if they work with only other white people.
Another thing I do not understand about the "white anti-racist" movement is the assertion that people like Tim Wise and other "professional white anti-racists" are vital because "white people are more likely to listen to other white people". In other words, they are MORE COMFORTABLE hearing about racism from a white person, and God forbid we should do anything to make white people uncomfortable! So, instead of getting a person who has actually EXPERIENCED racism to speak, we should get a "professional white anti-racist" to make the lesson more palatable to those delicate white sensibilities.
This "white anti-racist" movement seems like a way for white people to make money talking about ending racism without actually having to do anything to end racism, or even challenge specific incidences of racism.
And there’s a storm that’s raging through my frozen heart tonight…
-- John Waite
[Editor's Note:Before I move on to the sex part, allow me to bring to your attention my articlefor the online magazine,Subversify. Every year this day I celebrate an anniversary of sorts. Over the years, I have received many personal messages in response to this story. To be sure, it is my story, but it is also your story as well. I post it in the hopes that it will reach those who need to hear it the most...]
It’s no secret to my lovers (and others) that I have a thing for wrist-slashing love songs. I’m really bad. I once wrote about La Lupe and her mastery of the bolero (ballad), and I still get goose bumps when she sings the opening lines to her La Gran Tirana (The Great Tryant):
Segun tu punto de vista/ Yo soy la ma/ Vampiresa de tu novella/ La Gran Tirana…
(According to your point of view/ I am the bad one/ Vampiress of your soap opera/ The Great Tyrant… )
As sung by La Lupe the words ooze with irony. Not an easy feat. Irony isn’t easy. Melodrama is easy (blah!). Anyone can do melodrama, but irony? Irony, you can’t fake irony. Irony comes from experience. No one else will ever sing that song like her. She owns it, it’s hers...
While I readily admit a fondness for cheesy love songs, I withhold my greatest admiration for those in-yo-face-grow-a-fuckin-backbone-muthufucka love songs. I love angry love songs! In fact, I like to call my poems full-frontal angry love poems.
For example, Tina Turner, one of my all-time favorite artists, sings a love song as if she were sucking a raw cock. This is not meant as a put down. What I mean is that Tina can milk every ounce of emotion out of a love song and somehow you come away from the performance not feeling all cheesy. Tina can do more with an arch of an eyebrow or sneer than most women can do with a whole song. Look at what she did to What’s love Got to Do with It? When she sings the title, you know you’re in the presence of someone who has felt deep, deeeeeeeeep pain and she’s slinging it out, no holds barred. She's almost saying:
Muthafucka, what’s love got to with it?!!
If recovering from a broken heart or a loss of a relationship is comparable to grieving, then denial and anger are its first stages. And many love songs (at least the good ones) speak from that painful, desolate, and barren landscape. One of my favorite love songs is John Waite’s (I Ain’t) Missing You. Waite sings this tough song of loss with a raw transparency reflective of the denial he’s feeling. It’s a denial he readily admits, but when he bangs out, I ain’t missing you… it’s more of a defiant cry borne of profound anguish. Left alone and abandoned by his lover, admittedly missing her and totally consumed by this loss, his only last ounce of dignity is to belt out…
It is clearly apparent with anyone with a relatively functioning pre-frontal cortex that Rush Limbaugh is so dedicated to destroying Obama at any cost that he is doing everything he can to undermine the prospects for GM’s rebirth from the ashes of bankruptcy. The reality is that General Motors is gaining business and reducing the government ownership share. Nevertheless, that hasn’t deterred the Lush from beating the war drums against “Obama motors.” Politico reports:
Limbaugh told listeners that his radio program last year canceled an advertising campaign with General Motors because he “knew this was coming.”
Wow, Rush! Why not just actively discourage companies from hiring people, since that would help destroy what’s left of the middle class.
The fact is that GM’s plug-in hybrid electric car, the Chevy Volt, has been rolled out to rave reviews by car magazines across the board and was named 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year. Motor Trend raved:
This is a fully developed vehicle with seamlessly integrated systems and software, a real car that provides a unique driving experience. And commuters may never need to buy gas!
… This automobile is a game-changer.
Now, you know this shit got the prissy-assed conservatives’ panties in a collective wad. In fact they went into their patented, feces-flinging act. This also forced Limbaugh to expand his attack to include the respected car enthusiast magazine. ThinkProgress has the story (and Motor Trend’s too-pretty counterpunch):
... Motor Trend announced that it had named the breakthrough plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt as its 2011 car of the year. Conservatives immediately picked up on the story and attacked Motor Trend. The magazine “awarded the Obama-approved, government-subsidized Chevrolet Volt its annual ‘Car of the Year’ appellation,” the Weekly Whore Standard whined. Referring the federal government’s auto bailout -- which turned out to be hugely beneficial for GM and the ailing industry -- conservative Washington Post columnist George Will complainedabout the government “spending some of your money” to produce the Volt. But right-wing radio blow-hard Rush Limbaugh was perhaps the most vocal critic. The Volt has been in Limbaugh’s sights for quite some time. His campaign against the innovative car was launched last August (!!). Staying completely in form, Limbaugh said of the Motor Trend award this week, “[O]f all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year? Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold [and] the Volt is the Car of the Year.” Last week, one of the magazine’s editors, Todd Lassa, shot back at Limbaugh, noting that GM hasn’t sold any Volts “because it’s not on sale yet”:
So, Mr. Limbaugh; you didn’t enjoy your drive of our 2011 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt? Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since… I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person? [...]
Well, it is almost that time of year again. You know what I am talking about right? That special season that we wait for all year round. Those last few weeks of the year, when our hearts and our minds are filled with thoughts of peace, love and joy....
Come on now, let's be real. We all know what he holiday season is REALLY about... and it is sure as hell not spreading goodwill to our fellow man. Nope, what the holiday season is REALLY about is.... Spending all of our money! Going into debt to purchase "must have" items essential to our every day lives.... things like toys, video games, jewelry and consumer electronics. Ah, yes, shopping... the TRUE "reason for the season"!
Friday, November 26 will be the annual kick off of the holiday season... the day known as "Black Friday". That one special day of the year when people wait on lines from the wee hours of the morning to purchase items they do not need at stores that pay their employees next to nothing. All to find that "special gift" for people who really don't give a damn.
Well, I am going to participate in the festivities this year by celebrating Buy Nothing Day on Friday. Buy Nothing Day is an annual event started in 1992 to protest the mindless consumerism affecting the public during the "holiday season". Adbusters is promoting Buy Nothing Day, and encouraging individuals to have meet ups and organize their own local protest events.
In the past, protesters have staged "credit card cut ups" and "zombie walks" (a group of individuals walking through a shopping area with blank expressions to protest the mindlessness of shopping) to bring attention to the problem of rampant consumerism. There have also been "whirl mart" protests (in which participants push a conga line of shopping carts through a Walmart without purchasing anything) and Winter Coat Exchanges.
Other individuals have simply decided to participate in alternate activities rather than shopping. Bike rides, kayaking and nature hikes are all great ways to replace shopping. Some people simply stay home. They put away their credit cards for the day, keep their cash in a drawer, and just DON'T SPEND MONEY.
Look, I luh' me some social networking sites; yeah... Facebook, Twitter, or even the freaky chicks site Tagged makes me happy. OK, forget Tagged; I'on even mess with that shit anymore. But anyway, the one benefit about social network sites for me, is that I never allow my "real life" and my "innanet life" to intersect.
That's why I laugh when I see "net drama" on these sites. I mean why the f@%k would you be on the internet arguing and fighting with you man's ex-baby muva that he slept with last night when you can do that shit in the streets and get your weave pulled out and become a YouTube innanet star?
Nah yo, I refuse to let "life" interrupt my virtual f@%kery. Speaking of which, checkout what happened to Melanie Beacham who was hassled and harassed by a bill collector on Facebook recently. Melanie has a lawsuit pending against the company, so do check this out and tell me if she has a case:
I just had to share the following video. Most of you from the NYC area know this shit happens all too frequently. Now... I'll poke you on the train, but only if I know you. This here behavior is not about sex, it's about power and domination. Our intrepid young lady is easily a foot shorter than her assailant, but she had the fuckin eggs to stand up to the creep...
When this flasher woke up this morning, snapped a condom on his dong, threw on a messenger bag and headed into the subway to delight one special lady with the fruit of his loins, he probably wasn't expecting this. Here's a video of the woman every woman wants to be when confronted by a flasher, calling him out and screaming, 'Oh, you're getting fucking arrested. I'm not leaving your side.' You almost feel sorry for the flasher, who seems so flabbergasted at the whole thing he can't even form a defense. Almost.
The best part has to come from the brother taking the video, who just says, This shit's going on YouTube, yo... LMAOOO!
You know, I'm really gonna miss Michael Steele once he's gone in January. However, I'm kinda glad that there's a new Negro in town in Washington DC. Yes, Allan West is his name, and yes, as I've mentioned before, he is truly the symbol of our arrival at a blissful post-racial utopia in Amuur'cuh.
As I do almost every week, I wanted to use him the centerpiece for my slave-catcher of the week award. But I decided against it because, him being a black republican having won a seat in Congress on the Tea Party ticket means that Amuur'cuhs are not hung up on race anymore; yes, Jim Crow is dead.
So even though I heard him say some things that are slave-catcher-like on yesterday's Meet The Press with David Gregory, I decided to change my ways.
Obviously we've entered a new era in racial politics so I figured, well, maybe I'll give the brotha a chance since he might know more than I do. So here he is advocating for the permanent extension of the Bush Tax Cuts yesterday, and said something that has left a profound and indelible mark:
Heralded as the most quoted living thinker, Noam Chomsky is one my favorite scholars. In the following he makes a great point, that the Liberal-Conservative divide in our country is no more than an illusion in the minds of ordinary Americans. Yes, politically we tend to think left, right, and center. However, in effect they're all one in the same with little distinction; more importantly, both parties have shifted to the right.
I would drop the term left, 'cause, I mean, what is called the left in the media is what used to be called moderate Republicans. The so-called new Democrats are barely—they're essentially what moderate Republicans were 30, 40 years ago. The Republicans are just brashly and openly the party of private power, private tyranny. They—I mean, they talk about we're the common man and elites, but so does everyone. But if you look at the policies, that's what it is. Take, say, Obama. I mean, the core of his funding in the 2000 [sic] election was actually financial institutions. And when groups of investors get together to control the state—what we call an election—they expect to be paid back. And they were.
[...] Well, you know, I think the term stimulus has been turned into a dirty word, like taxes. But if there was real discussion about this, public discussion about it, I think most of the population would probably agree with leading economists, Nobel laureates, who say what we need is a big stimulus. Deficit reduction down the road, maybe. But we didn't have a stimulus. I mean, if you take a look at the Obama stimulus, I mean, contrary to tons of lies about it, there's good objective evidence that it did save maybe a couple of million jobs. However, it was a very small stimulus, and it was wiped out by cutbacks in government spending at other levels. So the stimulus was actually more or less the same as the cutback in state and local spending. So that means there was stimulus.
[...] for roughly 35, 30 years, a little more, wages for the majority, real wages, have pretty much stagnated, working hours have increased. People have been getting by by having two adults working, or women in the workforce at lower wages, and by debt, and by asset inflation, like, say, the housing bubble. Well, that's just not viable. And meanwhile these same people see that there's plenty of wealth around, but it's going into very few pockets. I mean, the top maybe 1 percent or even one-tenth of 1 percent of the population have been making out like bandits. And so we now have this incredible inequality, maybe back to the '20s, or maybe even a record. And this is part of people's consciousness. I'm working harder. Things are getting worse. I'm working more hours. Benefits which were never very good have declined. Meanwhile, other people are getting very rich. Something's wrong. Give me an answer. They were right to ask for an answer. They're not going to get it from the Democrats, the people who are called the left, because they are the ones who have been denying and implementing policies. They're not going to say, yeah, that's true; that's what happens when we participated in the huge growth of the financial sector, which is of dubious significance for the economy, may be harmful, largely; we did that, and we assisted the policy of hollowing out production, which is a policy of setting working people in competition with each other throughout the world. So what we call our trade policies—a bad term for it. Certainly not free-trade policies. What are called free-trade policies are essentially a program setting working people against each other throughout the world, but protecting the privileged people. So, for example, we don't allow foreign doctors and lawyers and economists and others to practice here. There's all kind of barriers to it.
OK, so I'm gonna remain silent on this one and let you guys have at it. If you're been a longtime reader of this site, I'm sure you know where I stand or what I may think about what was said by Cornel West in the above interview via Democracy NOW! Not taking sides, but I dare you to show me where Dr. West is wrong. Yep, this should be interesting; but then again, I expect you neo-Negroes to remain silent. Surely one of you will say that he's just another hater.
Read his words and think it through:
[...] I think what happened was that President Bush understood this and individualistic way, which is the way most fellow Americans understand racism: "Do I actually hate black people individually?" No, I don’t think President Bush individually hates black people. His policies were racist in effect and consequence and especially classist in terms of generating misery among poor and working people, disproportionately black and brown.
[...] And I would say that even about the Obama administration. The Obama administration seems to have very little concern about poor people and their social misery. Look at the policies vis-à-vis Wall Street downplaying Main Street. Look at the policies of black farmers, a settlement already in place but they don’t want to executed because they don’t want to be associated with black folk too explicitly. Look at the dilapidated housing. We can go across the board. Look at the New Jim Crow system: the Prison Industrial Complex. We’re not talking just about individual presidents. We’re talking about a system that is tilted against poor people, against working people, disproportionately black and brown and red.
¡Hola!I've been very busy with work lately and my back is acting up again, making writing painful -- hence my absence and sparse writing. On the professional front, the good news is that I've been able to save my project (in the short term).The following from one of my contacts (h/t Joe.My.God.) is too rich not to share:
From today's Ask Reddit, which queries the Reddit community on legal issues.
Question: A relative of a close friend helped a school bully drink piss, and now the family is suing. Is he liable?
Background: Relative of a close friend (we'll call him Todd) carried Mountain Dew in his backpack to school every day. For a few weeks, this bully ("Brian") would go in his bag, say fuck you, and drink the Mountain Dew. Fed up with this and being a cunning lad, last Tuesday Todd drinks the Mountain Dew before class, and pisses in the bottle. Brian drank the piss, shat brix, and Todd emerged the victor that day. Now, Brian's family is threatening to sue, claiming Todd endangered Brian's health. Todd's family is apparently shitting and scrambling to collect character references for Todd from teachers, letters from doctors saying urine isn't harmful, and generally thinking their son is a psycho. I applaud Todd and think that he should walk into court holding a bottle of piss, it's freedom of expression, some people like piss filled bottles, but IANAL.
Edit: The school became aware of the incident when it happened. I believe Todd was suspended for a short period of time. The principal is actually instructing Brian's parents to press charges because the school doesn't want to get further involved.
Now, setting aside the fact that Brian is a fuckin thief and his parents should be liable for raising an asshole, I have to ask how Todd should be liable? I mean, shouldn't the fact that Brian had to violate someone's private property before he drank the piss play into this issue somehow? For example, what if I'm on way to the doctor's with a urine sample and bully reaches into my bag and drinks the urine sample? I'm not a lawyer, so perhaps my point is moot, technically speaking, but still.. Go Todd! LOL
Uh-huh, or in other words, "bitch, sit'cho stupid ass down somewhere." Yep, did ya get that Mama Grizzly? Hopefully you listen and listen well because obviously you're an embarrassment to the GOP establishment.
And just in case Palin might wanna get slick with Mama Bush (like she did with Michelle Obama). Just remember, Barbara keeps a dead fetus is a glass jar on her nightstand; yep, she may not have a problem bussin' a cap in Palin's ass! Shoot, ya think she got old and wrinkled-looking by being nice all her life?
This from an upcoming interview on Larry King Live airing on Monday night:
Here I was just minding my own business trying to forget all about my man, Alvin Green, now that the elections are over. And here he goes popping back into my life and everyday consciousness with a bombshell announcement. Yeah, just when you thought he'd be history, this brotha is trying to find out just how much it's gonna cost to run for president; and has contacted the South Carolina Democratic party for an answer.
Yes; Alvin Green for president?
It shouldn't really be a surprise considering that the idiot savant great white hope, Sarah Palin, thinks that she can beat Mike Tyson Barack Obama in 2012. Hell, even fellow media whore Donald Trump thinks he has a shot against Barack "The Incompetent Negro" Obama in 2012. So if they think they have a shot at the title, who is Alvin to think differently. These days it's believed that anybody with a pulse (and Hillary Clinton's balls) can do better than Barry.
Nothing wrong with Alvin being ambitious; no, not at all. Shit, he he saved and spent $10,000 to be able to run for Senator against Jim DeMint - the man who started the recession. That said, and it only being months away from the kick-off to the 2012 presidential election season. The brotha has to start counting those coins he has stashed in his purple Crown Royal, no? Can't run for office without those funky dividends, son!
At this point he's just as qualified as the other Republican plants:
A little overly confident to you I'm sure. But what do you expect after Obama has opened up doors for every black or brown boy and girl with a dream in America? Shoot, because of Barack, brothas like Alvin are walking around singing R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" as they reach for the stars. Yep, the brotha believes in himself, and that's a good thing. He might not be rocking a new age afro, but he sure is an unusual fellow.
Shout out to Alvin Green the ackniculous one, and the greatest man alive!
I tell you what: even after the losses taken by the Democrats a couple of weeks ago, some of you Negroes still don't get it. Yeah, I've had conversations with some of you about just where the White House went wrong by not pursuing a more aggressive and progressive agenda, and you still defend his lack of action.
Nothing wrong with supporting and loving the brother: hell, I love Barack like a play-cousin too! However, as I've said before: a more progressive agenda targeting urban communities should have been the way to go as part of the now 2yr old stimulus. But no, all I ever heard was, "give Barack a chance, bro; give him some time." Yep, "a rising tide floats all boats, RiPPa." Well, how's that floating thing working out, black folks?
Well, obviously the suffrage of people of color in this day and age isn't too important when people who look like me fail to recognize what Martin Luther King Jr. called, "the fierce urgency of now." But thankfully some of us get it; namely, that political organization you love to hate: the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus). Which is rather ironic because Obama asked the CBC to push you Negroes to get out and vote recently.
Since becoming the incoming chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus this week, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) has stressed the need for the caucus to chart its own course.
Cleaver said he recognizes both the need to support President Obama and that the agendas of the black caucus and the White House sometimes conflict.
"The CBC has had disagreement with every president that has come to office since it was created," Cleaver said. "All of a sudden, it's like, 'Oh my goodness, black people are disagreeing with somebody black.' There is absolutely no way that we can function in a manner consistent with the wishes of our constituents and always be in lockstep with the president."
You know that feeling you get when you're all excited. The anticipation sets in. You feel anxious, yet a little intimidated by the big date. You know it's coming and you just can't wait!
As a result, you begin exercising trying to tone up just a little bit. So Folk thought about doing some squats or kettlebell throws to tighten up the thigh muscles. You know a motherfvcker wanna be prepared when those hands slip up the insides of the legs. You want the sensation to be positive to the hands that slowly make their way to the promise land where the bawlz of glory dwell.
You'll feel a slight release as those hands cup 'em and you'll take a deep breath, but Folk will be wondering if this Uncle Sam is enjoying this a little too much?
What? Y'all thought Folk was talking about a $exual experience with the lil lady or some other world prostitute from delinious twelve? Hell nawl! Folk talking about the upcoming trip on the motherfvcking airplane!
A woman's behind -- an altar to be worshiped on ones knees...
Most people raised as Christians would consider the melding of sex and spirituality a heresy. I say, take it up with the man you call your God. After all, according to dogma, He invented everything in six days (even He had to rest). LOL
Seriously, most of us compartmentalize our lives. For too many people sex is something they do in the darkened chambers of their shame.
I would submit that fucking is the highest for of prayer any couple (married or not) can offer to the Divine. As an expression of the Universal Principle, it creates unity and joy which are surely signs of a Divine presence. As an expression of the couple’s love for one another, it is the deepest affirmation that love is their work. With such power to elicit the presence of the Divine, I have to wonder why there is so little written or taught about sex as prayer. This is especially puzzling as I browse the aisles of bookstores brimming with books on centering prayer, charismatic prayer, holistic prayer, The Jesus prayer, blah blah blah…
Don’t answer that question, it’s a rhetorical device. The answer is found in the Church’s two-thousand-year anti-sex campaign. Christianity sees the flesh as the domain of the devil -- as sinful -- and could never be integrated into Christian spirituality. On another, less obvious level, the neglect of sex is an expression of a deep-rooted fear: the fear of mystery. Due to an irrational dogma that has lost much of its relevance, we intentionally exclude this mystery from our daily lives.
Essentially, we have chosen to live in fear and anxiety rather than face the mystery. We push sex into the dark recesses of our psyches where it then becomes deviant -- a dark and twisted power that controls our motivations even as we deny its existence. We do this at our own peril.
I love pornography. I have loved pornography since the first clip I ever saw. I believe I was 12 years old. I went to my friend Josephine’s house, and her brother invited us into his room. An on his TV screen was a couple going at it. I was fascinated, and could not get enough. Yes, I was hooked on porn from day one.
I had a conversation with a man last night who told me he could not understand the purpose of porn. Not me, I have always loved it. the dirtier the better. None of that romantic, "female" oriented porn with elaborate story lines. Nah, I like to watch people just plain going at it.
Pornography has always been about fantasy for me. I enjoy watching people do things on camera that I have always been interested in, but have not had the balls to try (yet). I also enjoy watching people engage in sex acts that kind of disgust me enough that I do not want to try them myself, yet turn me enough that I want to watch someone else engage in them (like bukkake or water sports).
And I absolutely refuse to watch "fat chick" porn. I mean, if it is about fantasy, I want to go all the way, and fantasize I am someone else entirely. If I wanted to watch a fat chick fucking, I would just install a mirror on my ceiling. This created a little difficulty in the past, because my ex and I both loved porn, but he only wanted to watch fat chicks, and I did not have any desire to see that shit!
I started out watching your ordinary boy meets girl, boy fucks girl, boy and girl go on their merry separate ways. I remember watching through the squiggly lines back when you could actually see the scrambled image on the channels that were blocked on your TV. And when we had a descrambler hooked up to the TV, I would sneak out of bed late at night to watch the Playboy channel. With the volume turned off so no one would find out about my porn addiction. I remember watching soft core straight and lesbian sex on “Electric Blue” and just thinking there was nothing better in the world.
I've been communicating with the good folks at the Center for Community Alternatives via one of the producers at National Geographic Television, on the results of a recent study, which investigates the impact criminal background checks have on minority college applicants. I bet you can guess how that turns out, right?
More to come after I secure an interview with the Executive Director of the program. However, somewhat ironic considering my interview and subsequent piece involves pre-college minority youth, is the following from my people over at colorlines.com, which discusses life for minority college grads post-graduation.
A Generation of Black Youth is Losing its Future in the Jobs Crisis:
Recently, in speaking with my man Folk, who contributes to this site and blogs at Black Folks Don't Swim, he said something interesting that rings true today more than ever. He said that the only way black folks can make it and remain competitive in the job market, is to continually educate ourselves in our fields of expertise.
My man was right, and given our dismal economy, I'm willing to bet that many are doing just that in an effort to remain competitive in an already gnat-booty tight job market given today's economy. It's bad enough that "regular" folks are having a hard time finding employment. Add to that the countless numbers of black grads.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, from July 2007 through 2010, blacks between the ages of 16-24, the unemployment rate has been 33.4 percent. And Naima Ramos-Chapman's article at colorlines had this and much more to say about the plight of unemployed youth in this the worst modern economic downturn:
Black youth have the highest jobless rate among all races and ethnicities, and that rate is still rising. In the past year, while other youth jobless rates have flat-lined, blacks and Asians have continued to trend upward. And existing racial disparities have widened across the board since the recession began. As of July 2010, while white youth unemployment rate was 16.2 percent, the jobless rates for black youth was double: A whopping 33.4 percent.
Many things drive that alarming statistic. There’s the fact that African Americans as a whole are feeling the brunt of the recession more severely than other demographics. And then there’s the long list of other inequities that black youth face and that, in turn, make employment more difficult even in a good market: the high drop out rates and the uniquely aggressive policing of black neighborhoods, to name two.
But employment opportunities appear to be sparse even for black youth who have what it should take to get a foot in the door. Among youth with bachelor’s degrees, the 2:1 gap between the black and white unemployment rates remains the same. Algernon Austin of the Economic Policy Institute explains:
For the first half of this year, blacks who are under 25 who have a college degree have an unemployment rate of 15.4 percent; whites in that same group have unemployment of 7.9 percent. We are seeing basically a 2:1 disparity. Recent black college grads … have the highest rate of high student loan debt. So that’s another way blacks, even young black college grads, are being hit from both sides. They are less likely to get a job and more likely to have a debt load.
I spent the fall speaking with my jobless peers at job fairs and, as is plain in the video above, frustration with these realities is becoming a definitive part of our generational experience. Austin warns it also will impact generations above and below us, as our dependence lessens our parents’ wealth and our debt sets our children behind. “The debt is negative wealth so they are starting off well behind,” says Austin of the jobless college grads. “It’s another real problem facing blacks, and blacks whom people may assume—because they have a college degree—are doing well.”
That’s likely to make a bad thing worse. When the recession began, black families held a dime of wealth for every dollar held by white families; Latino families had 12 cents of wealth compared to that dollar.
Higher educational attainment is too often conflated with middle class status. Although this may be the case for those who can afford to put their children through college, it often cannot be said of many black college students. (source: colorlines)
My oldest daughter is in her last year of high school, and will be going to college next year. She will be closely followed along the college path by the second oldest the following year. My youngest brother who currently attends North Carolina A&T, will be graduating next year, as will my sister-in-law from Tennessee State. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that my one and only sister (the baby of the family) is a freshman at Rutgers.
I don't know about your family, but to me and mine, this is a pretty important yet dire forecast for our youth. The good news is that through the efforts of the Obama administration, steps have been taken to make college more affordable - something that will positively impact minority you from lower-income families. The trick now, is in getting our economy back on track, so minority youth can at least see light at the end of the tunnel.
Seriously, having a college degree and $50,000 in debt while working at a call-center doesn't cut it. Yes education is and always will be the great equalizer for people of color; and I wouldn't dare suggest differently. But one has to wonder just how long must we suffer even as we attempt to make significant advances for ourselves. Oh well, so much for that "merit argument" often used in defiance of Affirmative Action policies.
The Light of the World (La Luz del Mundo) Church currently under construction in Phoenix Arizona has neighbors concerned. So much so, that they had to affix a banner to the structure in order to reassure passerby on the nearby I-10. The reason? It "looks like a mosque" Yup, this multidenominational church is the object of concern because it is topped by a dome. Ooooohhhh.... scary Muslim looking structure! The terrorists are about to invade Arizona! Hide the women and children!
Yes, Islamophobia in America has really gotten this bad! Church leaders have received numerous phone calls from "concerned citizens" who are opposed to the idea of there being a mosque in the area! So, they are now flying a large banner across the dome just to let the people who see the structure know that they are, indeed, a Christian organization, not one of those terrifying Islamic "terrorist" groups! Because God forbid those scary Muslims be afforded a place to worship in America!
I was about to say that this was typical of the state that brought us SB1070, and bans on "ethnic studies" classes AND affirmative action programs. But, the truth is, Anti-Islamic sentiment can be found all over this country. From New York City to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. From North Carolina to Waterport, New York. Muslims have become the "enemy du jour", and it is open season on any expression of the Islamic faith.
In typical obstructionist and regressive fashion, Senate Republicans all voted to end debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act. Because of this, women in America are forced to earn 77 cents on every dollar earned by American males. And yes, this is life in America 45 years after passage of the Equal Pay Act.
And of course, the gap is worse for women of color than non-minority women: black women earn 61 cents, and Latinas earn 52 cents per dollar earned by white non-Hispanic men. My guess is that Senate Republicans would love nothing more than for women to be barefoot and pregnant, while relegated to to a life of domestic servitude in kitchens all across America.
Not that I have to tell you how much of a slap in the face this is to women (and anyone interested in a more egalitarian society), but here's this via a researcher with Progressive Media , Rebecca Lefton, to help put this into perspective:
Women are half of all U.S. workers and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families. The Paycheck Fairness Act would be critical to strengthening the economic security of these families. The bill would have updated the landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 by closing loopholes, strengthening incentives to prevent pay discrimination, and prohibiting retaliation against workers who inquire about employers’ wage practices or disclose their own wages. The act would have also addressed pay secrecy, which is a prevalent problem prohibiting employees from knowing whether discriminatory practices are occurring.
I've discussed the economic crisis, and just how it has effected people of color a time or two on this site. I've done so because it's important to understand just how the economic inequality of minorities are impacted and fostered by the actions of members of the wealthy ruling class in our society.
Already we've seen the widening of the wealth gap just through the last few years of the economic crisis. And in a society where home-ownership is seen as a significant first step in an attempt to secure the American dream, people of color are currently in crisis, as we are losing what little we have.
This from ColorOfChange.org:
The big banks are at it again. First they targeted minority communities with subprime loans and other predatory lending schemes, helping to make Black Americans and Latinos 70% more likely than Whites to be in foreclosure.1
Now we're learning that the very same banks and mortgage lenders have been foreclosing on homes around the nation without verifying that they have the right to do so.
The stories are horrifying: in Ohio, a bank foreclosed on a man after insisting for months that it didn't hold his loan and refusing to accept his payments. In Florida, Bank of America tried to take a house away from a man who never even had a mortgage. The more we learn, the worse it gets.
If you're a homeowner, one possible way to protect yourself from the banks' bad behavior is to demand your note and make them prove they own your mortgage. A new online tool makes it easy. Check it out and please share this information with your friends and family. It could help to save your home or that of someone you love:
The banks have been trying to write off their failure to properly verify ownership as a mere technicality. But it's much more serious than that, and Attorneys General in all 50 states have banded together to investigate the illegal foreclosures, and several elected leaders have called for criminal charges to be filed against the banks.
Um, yeah... so... OK... you read the title and yes, it is about what it says it's about. In swear, some of these stories you guys send me via email sound like the type of stuff straight out of a Hollywood movie.
I mean there's no way that something like this is true, right? But there's a mug shot to accompany this story. Which means, that, well, somebody got arrested, and yeah... the mouse in the booty thing could quite possibly be true.
I promise, you can't make this shit up, people:
SENECA, SC (WCSC) - A burglary call for Oconee County sheriff's deputies turned bizarre Monday morning when their suspect was found naked with a mouse in his rectum and apparently drugged, an incident report shows.
Authorities responded to Bernwood Circle near the town of Seneca late Monday morning after a resident complained of a burglar. When deputies arrived, they found Noah Smith, 24, lying face down and naked inside the doorway of the victim's home, the report stated.
When the deputy tried to make contact with Smith, he slapped the deputy. In return, the deputy deployed his taser, which had no effect on Smith, the report stated.
With reinforcements, deputies approached Smith again in the victim's bedroom. A deputy managed to handcuff Smith before he jumped off the victim's bed and tried to kick other deputies in the room, the report stated.
“We were taught... that man’s business on this earth was to look out for himself. That was the ethic of the jungle... Take care of yourself, no matter what may become of your fellow man. Thousands of years ago, the question was asked, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ That question has never yet been answered in a way that is satisfactory to civilized society.
Yes, I am my brother’s keeper. I am under a moral obligation to him that is inspired, not by any maudlin sentimentality but by the higher duty I owe myself. What would you think me if I were capable of seating myself at a table and gorging myself with food and saw about me the children of my fellow beings starving to death?” -- Eugene V. Debs, 1908 speech
Previously, I have looked atjustice in general terms, purpsely excluding the role governments play in promoting it. In the following post I will explore the idea of social justice -- the idea that we can create a set of social and political institutions that ensures the just distribution of benefits and costs throughout a society.
The idea first emerged in the late 19th century, and stood at the heart of political debate throughout the 20th. It requires that the state become much more involved in justice than earlier times. It was also a controversial idea: whereas only a few extremists have attacked the idea of justice, social justice has been ridiculed, mainly by critics from the libertarian right, who view it as a transgression against personal freedom, especially the economic freedom they feel a market economy requires.
Let’s look at these attacks more closely. Critics such as the Austrian economist Friedrich Hayekargued that there was a fundamental error involved in addressing social justice in the first place. According to Hayek (and many self-loathing neocons that call themselves “libertarians” LOL!), justice is a consequence of individual actions. An action is unjust when it violates a general societal rule that allows members of a society to interact with one another. For example, theft is unjust because it violates a rule protecting property. If we look at how resources -- money, property, employment opportunities, and so forth -- are distributed across a society, Hayek maintains, we cannot describe this as either just or unjust, since it is a consequence not from the actions of a single mediator, but from the actions and decisions of millions of separate individuals, none of whom intended to create this or any other outcome in particular.
I just had a conversation with an individual that I am going to be reflecting upon over the course of the day. I was discussing the global system of white supremacy, which my friend denied exists. Instead, he claims that the world is built on a system of economic domination, of the wealthy over the poor. He attempted to use the example of China as a major world power to "prove" that there IS no global system of white supremacy. The video above, which talks about Chinese businessmen hiring white men to pose as investors or employees to enhance the image and status of their enterprises proves that, even in China, the rule of the day is still "MIGHT IS WHITE AND WHITE IS RIGHT".
This individual and I have had this conversation before. Several months ago, when we discussed what we thought was the largest problem facing the world, I spoke of racism. He spoke of classism. I actually found it quite ironic, because here we are, a Black male business owner (ostensibly "middle class"), and a white woman living below the poverty level (which would be considered "lower class"), yet HE is the one touting classism as the dominant issue of the day while I am discussing the global system of white supremacy.
I dunno what's up with "Reverend Ruckus" and the gay shit other than possible his obvious need to repress his inner and existent gaydom. But this is the second time in recent weeks that he has attacked "the gays", or has framed a discussion of homosexuality around political correctness. Which by the way, happens to be a crutch for most people on the right who hide behind the First Amendment to advance their vitriol and hate.
Now I don't know if Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is gay or not; frankly, I don't give a damn. Or more specifically, I could give two shits if he is. As a matter of fact, I've never heard of him being "on the down low," as black men are egregiously thought to be. But, from a very good source, I have heard that he's somewhat of a playboy, and currently has a female ex-lover currently walking around at 3am with a flashlight, stuck on stupid because she's unable to get over him since their breakup. But I suppose to the mind of an idiot, him being "liberal" and working for Columbia University pretty much makes him a flaming and raging homosexual, who is possibly six months away from a sex change.
Whether Marc Lamont Hill or any openly gay (or closeted) person is in fact gay, does not give licence for any one individual or group to persecute them. Point blank, it is called discrimination, and they too should be protected by law, because said persecution comes from a place where hate is fostered.
Children, gather round. The United States harbor some very dark and difficult times. Many of the actions of our forefathers are atrocious and unforgivable. But it is best that you know about these times unfettered and honestly.
Blacks (and many minorities of color) were once considered property and denied basic rights as human beings. Many, but not all, white people considered black people as simple property. No different than a vacuum cleaner, trash can, toilet, or a chair. To be more specific, a cow was of more value than a n!gger of times long ago.
As a result of these views, many blacks were subject to various forms of violence. They were beaten just for showing expressions (happy or sad) and they were often sold (similar to selling unwanted items on craigslist or ebay). Imagine for a moment if you saw humans for sale on ebay or craigslist. These ads would be accompanied with photos of these n!ggers (property) with descriptions to their worth.
The headlines of these ads would proclaim "New shipment of n-----s just in." or,"Nine months after you buy one of these n-----s, you will have a plantation full of n----r babies..."
Hugson Jean must be the most patient man I have ever seen in my life. This witch, Erica Winchester (who teaches public speaking) went on a long ass, racist tirade and he kept his cool through the entire episode. She even slapped him, and still he did not even raise his voice. And, he is the one who lost his job! Thanks to youtube though, this woman's disgusting behavior did not go unseen, and hopefully will not remain unpunished.
People always ask me why I think about racism all the time. They think I am obsessed. In fact, I had a conversation with a friend this morning, who told me I need to stop thinking so much about all the ways in which white people spread evil throughout the world. But, how can I?
How can I ignore the fucked up legacy I inherited based on my skin color? How can I turn a blind eye to the ways in which "my people" have degraded, demeaned, and destroyed entire populations and cultures? How can I deny the racism that I see every day?
Some of the most ingenious individuals walking the earth, are drug addicts; no bullshit, I'm for real. I mean when you're a slave shackled to a drug addiction, you'll do just about anything you can to get your hands on money to get high. You'll lie, cheat, and steal all in the name of chasing that elusive first hit. No seriously, spend some time around your crackhead cousins and they'll tell you all about it, folks.
Now I've personally heard some stories and have met my share of addicts in my time. But nothing I've ever heard can compare to the following story of Angie Boyd from Richmond, Indiana. Not even on A&E's weekly show Intervention, will you hear anything remotely close to anything like this woman has done. I'm serious; this shit takes selling VCRs at 4am to get high to a whole new level:
As elaborate a scheme as she attempted to pull off, one has to wonder if she was trying to go for the motherload (um, no pun intended). She lied about the death of her daughter. And even went as far as to say that she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. I know Richmond Indiana is a small town and all, but I'd like to think that people would have known about the death of her daughter prior to this.
But hey, dope fiends are some of the most convincing people in the world, so, it's easy to see how she would be able to pull something like this off, had her brother not decided to drop a dime on her. I'm not sure if what she did was a crime, that is, if she hasn't defrauded anyone of any funds as a result of her scheme. However, I do hope they find her, and get her the help she needs.
“He who warned uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.” -- Sarah Palin on Paul Revere
