"Say It Aint So Joe"

"....a mainstream African American who is articulate bright and clean..."

That quote came from my man, the prattler extraordinaire, Joe Biden, while he was talking about his opponent for the Democratic party nod for President, Barack Obama. Now first, I am glad to know Obama is clean, God forbid we have a dirty senator mixing with his colleagues every day. "Hey did that Obama fellow take a bath today? I think so, I don't smell him anymore" No seriously folks, I hope you are not surprised by this little faux paux. Biden is, after all, an old white man. And whether they be democrat,republican, or independent; old white men tend to think this way. You know, if a black mother f****r can put two words together-see Colin Powell-he is a f*****g rocket scientist. So please forgive old Joe, it's just that his mouth moves so fast at times, that he just slips and says what many of his ilk think, but don't dare say.

The sad thing about Joe's latest slip of the tongue, is that it's is going to give some gasoline to the republicans fire. See we aren't the only ones who make racially insensitive remarks, your guys do it too. -See Senator Robert C. Byrd- republicans love to play gotcha with this type of sh** as if it excuses all the crap they do. And of course, there are some of those conservative republican bloggers, defending Biden's comments, and declaring them to be true. So say what you will, at least Joe's comments brings the slime to the surface and out of hiding once again.

Anyway, here is one field negro who hopes Biden stays in the race, we need stuff like this. We need this type of honesty and openness on matters of race throughout the campaign. I see where Biden called Obama and apologized. And it seems Obama issued a statement to the effect that many other blacks have run for President and have articulated a positive and important message, blah blah blah, or something like that' I am paraphrasing here. But Obama's answer seemed to rise above the fray. Kind of like Tiger Woods did when Fuzzy made his black folks and fried chicken comments. (What is it with these half and half brothers ? So graceful, so classy. Damn the field wishes he could be like that!)

So on the eve of our month, (February) the field would like to thank Joe for saying what he really feels-even he took it back- America needs that type of honesty, I just wish more people would be like Joe and say what's on their minds.

Dear Mr. Cheney...

What can I write about this war that has not already been written, and talked about? Just yesterday thousands and thousands of our fellow Americans participated in protests on both costs in objection to this horrific, and foolhardy mess we now find ourselves in.

And do you know who I blame for all this? No, it's not the frat boy, but his "Robin", his right hand man, although in this case, Darth Vader is really Batman, and the frat boy is Robin. So that's who I blame, VIce President Cheyney. Anyway, out of pure frustration, I decided to pen him a letter. This is what I wrote:

Dear Mr. Cheyney:

I hope this letter finds you in good health... well, not really. Let me say this; I know this letter will probably never reach you, but I can only hope that someone else reading it will understand the frustration that myself and many other Americans feel about this war.

Let me start by saying sir; that I cannot believe that you are still saying that we are making "significant progress in Iraq". I mean honestly, do you even live on this planet? I know that you only watch the FAKE NEWS NETWORK, and when you do that it's hard to get a grip on reality, but sir, believe me when I tell you, the war is not going well in Iraq. And, we are not making "significant progress" with the war effort or with the war on terror.

With all due respect sir, it is very hard for me to write this letter, because I consider you a despicable human being who has no conscience or no soul. And I believe with all my heart, that there is a special place in hell for people like you. My Jamaican grandmother used to say: "Gawd na sleep" (God is not sleeping) which was her way of saying that the evil you do to other people will catch up tp you. Sir, I can only hope she was right. Sorry if I am coming off as a little harsh. But you see, I have a personal stake in this war. My brother in law was severely injured in Iraq, and I have watched him cry trying to hold his baby girl, but can't because his arm was so disfigured. So yes, I am a little pissed off! I am quite sure you will never understand that type of pain or emotional connection to this war. Because your sorry ass have never been in the military, and I doubt seriously if any of your daughters are signing up anytime soon. So it's easy for you to score political points with the lives of other people's children, and I am sure you don't lose any sleep at night either. Yep, as long as those Haliburton checks keep coming in, you will be just fine.

I have to ask you though; when you said U.S. troops would be "greeted as liberators", did you really believe that? Because as much as I despise you, I know that you are a smart man, so you couldn't have. Yet you stated that the comment you made was "based on information we had". Sir, I think you are lying, I don't think those comments were based on anything but your Machiavellian attempt to deceive the American people. And when people like Joe Wilson tried to expose you, you lashed out at him with all the powers of your office. So much so, that one of your underlings is on trial to try to stay out of Club Fed himself right now.

And one final thing; I don't for a minute think you shot your hunting buddy by accident, I think you did it on purpose, -I saw that Wolf Blitzer interview-because you are an evil man. And when your colleagues on the hill criticize you, you make statements to Newsweek Magazine like;"well I am the Vice President and they are not". And let's not forget that f-bomb you dropped on the floor of the senate. You are a real classy guy sir, just the type of Vice President I want for my country, and the type of role model we need for our children.

Speaking of children, I hear your daughter and her partner are expecting a child; good for them, and good for you. I just hope that child will grow up in a country where there will never again be leaders like you or the frat boy to take the country down a path of destruction and despair.

Sincerely,

The Field Negro

P.S. Tell Lynn hi for me, I really miss her on CNN.

The Blacker The Berry The Less The Juice

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Light-skinned immigrants in the United States make more money on average than those with darker complexions, and the chief reason appears to be discrimination, a researcher says.
Joni Hersch, a law and economics professor at Vanderbilt University, looked at a government survey of 2,084 legal immigrants to the United States from around the world and found that those with the lightest skin earned an average of 8 percent to 15 percent more than similar immigrants with much darker skin.
'On average, being one shade lighter has about the same effect as having an additional year of education,' Hersch said.
The study also found that taller immigrants earn more than shorter ones, with an extra inch of height associated with a 1 percent increase in income.
Other researchers said the findings are consistent with other studies on color and point to a skin-tone prejudice that goes beyond race.
Hersh took into consideration other factors that could affect wages, such as English-language proficiency, education, occupation, race or country of origin, and found that skin tone still seemed to make a difference in earnings.
That means that if two similar immigrants from Bangladesh, for example, came to the United States at the same time, with the same occupation and ability to speak English, the lighter-skinned immigrant would make more money on average.
'I thought that once we controlled for race and nationality, I expected the difference to go away, but even with people from the same country, the same race _ skin color really matters," she said, "and height.'
Although many cultures show a bias toward lighter skin, Hersch said her analysis shows that the skin-color advantage was not due to preferential treatment for light-skinned people in their country of origin. The bias, she said, occurs in the U.S.
Economics professor Shelley White-Means of the University of Tennessee at Memphis said the study adds to the growing body of evidence that there is a "preference for whiteness" in America that goes beyond race.
Hersch drew her data from a 2003 federal survey of nearly 8,600 new immigrants. The survey used an 11-point scale for measuring skin tone, in which 0 represents an absence of color and 10 the darkest possible skin tone.
From those nearly 8,600 participants, she focused on the more than 2,000 who were working and whose skin tone had been recorded during face-to-face interviews.
William Darity Jr., an economics professor at the University of North Carolina, said Hersch's findings are similar to a study he co-authored last year on skin tone and wages among blacks.
'We estimate that dark- or medium-skinned blacks suffered a discriminatory penalty of anywhere from 10 percent to 15 percent relative to whites," he said. 'his suggests people cue into appearance and draw inferences about capabilities and skills based on how they look.'
Darity said it is not clear whether the bias is conscious or subconscious.
Hersch said her findings, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science next month in San Francisco, could support discrimination lawsuits based not on race, but on color.
'There are very few color discrimination suits, but they are on the rise,' she said. 'But these suits can be hard to prove.' "

~I would like to thank Travis Loller from the AP for that article~~~

Cry cry cry! That's all you people do. Now here comes this lady, Joni Hersch, a so called educator from some fly by night school named Vanderbilt. And she is trying to tell us that skin tone matters in America. I mean come on, hasn't she read our declaration of Independence? Doesn't she know that every body in America is equal, and has an equal chance regardless of their color and race?"We hold these truths to be self evident". That's like saying: Da, it's self evident! She must be a communist, I bet she hates America. "On an average being one shade lighter adds up to one extra year of education" ? What hogwash! More of the same, we have seen this fraudulent studies and stories before.

Next these so called researches will want to tell us that it's why we like Will Smith, and not say Don Cheadle, and why we love Halle, and not say Nia Long so much. Come on people, get over this race thing already, it's so yesterday's news. New immigrants coming to this country all have an equal chance of the American dream regardless of how dark they are. Hey, look at the Haitians, don't they have just as equal a shot as the Cubans? Look at the Mexicans, I bet the are afforded the same chances the Canadians are; and they don't even speak English like the Canadians. Well...except the French Canadians. But you see what I am trying to say; all equal!

Thank goodness Barak Obama was not poisoned by the cesspool of hatred like the rest of you black Americans. He sees that all immigrants and people who come to this country and work hard can make it. Hey, he saw it first hand; his father was an immigrant. Well, he did marry a white woman, but you get the point. Hey, Obama isn't that light, and America loves him. Heck, the man might be President one day. And please don't tell me it's because he is lighter than say Jessie, or J.C. , or some of those darker brothers in politics. Hey, look at Clarence Thomas. He is a fairly dark person, and he did alright now didn't he? Although he did marry a white woman. But that's not the point. That dark brother made it.

Look at FOX NEWS for crying out loud, do you see all those black people on their station? That Harris Faulkner is pretty dark, and then there is Juan Williams, he...well never mind him. How about ....never mind. Forget Fox, let's look at NBC. They have that Al. Rocker on, and he is a pretty dark....well, you know what, I don't think the dark look comes across as telegenic on T.V. anyway, so we can't really look for allot of dark people on television. It's tough on the makeup people.

Yeah the darker people are doing alright. As if it's not enough to divide America by race, now we are dividing by skin tone too. Geeez folks, let's come together, we are all Americans now. No matter how light or dark you are, we are all living the American dream together. Forget all these crazy fly by night studies which have no merit, the name of the game is hard work, and no matter how dark you are, you will make just as much...well almost as much- as your fellow Americans. Hey, which would you rather do; make $7 an hour in America even though it's less than your paler brethren are making, or make $3 an hour in some miserable Third World country? Yeah that's what I thought dark person, you will take America, even if it means slightly less pay than your lighter comrades.

So stop complaining, enjoy America, and all she has to offer. Watch FOX NEWS, pledge your allegiance to the flag, go to church on a regular basis and pay your taxes. Then it won't matter how dark you are, you will still be on your way to becoming a real American, just like all the lighter people.

FIELDIFORNIA ANYONE?

"ATLANTA - A potentially explosive dispute in the City Too Busy to Hate is taking shape over a proposal to break Fulton County in two and split off Atlanta's predominantly white, affluent suburbs to the north from some of the metropolitan area's poorest, black neighborhoods.
Legislation that would allow the suburbs to form their own county, to be called Milton County, was introduced by members of the Georgia Legislature's Republican majority earlier this month.
Supporters say it is a quest for more responsive government in a county with a population greater than that of six states. Opponents say the measure is racially motivated and will pit white against black, rich against poor.
'If it gets to the floor, there will be blood on the walls,' warned state Sen. Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat and member of the Legislative Black Caucus who bitterly opposes the plan. Fort added: "As much as you would like to think it's not racial, it's difficult to draw any other conclusion."
The legislation calls for amending the Georgia Constitution to allow the return of Milton County, which succumbed to financial troubles during the Depression and was folded into Fulton County in 1932.
The former Milton County is now mostly white and Republican and one of the most affluent areas in the nation. Atlanta and its southern suburbs are mostly black, are controlled by Democrats and have neighborhoods with some of the highest poverty rates in America. (Buckhead, a fashionable Atlanta neighborhood of clubs, restaurants and mansions, would remain in Fulton County.)
"The only way to fix Fulton County is to dismantle Fulton County," said state Rep. Jan Jones, the plan's chief sponsor. "It's too large, and certainly too dysfunctional, to truly be considered local government."
Jones, a former marketing executive who lives in the Fulton suburb of Alpharetta, cited the county's troubled library and public transit systems and a jail that was taken over by a federal judge because it was filthy and unsafe. He denied the move is racially motivated.
Don Petree, the 62-year-old owner of Don's Hairstyling in Roswell, another northern Fulton suburb, said many of his customers "feel like they're not being taken care of like they should be with the tax dollars they're spending. I think there's some truth to that."
Milton County would have a population of about 300,000, instantly making it Georgia's fifth-largest county.
Residents of north Fulton represent 29 percent of the county's population of 915,000 but pay 42 percent of its property taxes, according to a local taxpayers group. A split would lead to the loss of $193 million in property taxes alone for Fulton County.
About 25 miles to the south in downtown Atlanta, the Rev. J. Allen Milner said he is afraid the tax revenue loss would have a devastating effect on those who need government help the most.
"If you take that money out of their coffers, human services will suffer greatly," said Milner, a black man who runs a homeless mission and is pastor of the Chapel of Christian Love Church.
Critics of a split also worry about the future of Grady Memorial Hospital and the Atlanta area's MARTA commuter-rail system — both of which have contracts with the county.
In addition, some warn that a breakup of Fulton could harm Atlanta's international reputation as a progressive city and hurt its appeal as a business, entertainment and convention destination.
While other Southern cities erupted in violence a generation ago, Atlanta came through the civil rights movement with little strife, earning the nickname The City Too Busy to Hate. It is now home to one of the nation's largest black middle-class communities.
"This would send a clear messages to companies around the country that Atlanta may not be as progressive as it would like people to think," Fort said.
The measure would require the support of two-thirds of both the House and Senate. Then it would have to put to a statewide vote. Also, residents of what would become Milton County would have to endorse the plan.
While Republicans have majorities in both chambers, they would need to win over three Democrats in the Senate and 14 in the House to get it passed.
The legislation has support from some of the Legislature's key leaders. Republican House Speaker Glenn Richardson has referred to his top lieutenant, Rep. Mark Burkhalter, as "the member from Milton County."

~~I would like to thank AP writer Doug Gross for that story~~

Like I didn't see that coming. "Too busy to hate" huh. Yeah right. Here is the deal black folks; we had better get our sh** together real fast, or you will be seeing more and more stories like this one. Now personally, I could care less. White folks and all the house negroes and like minded people could pack up and designate 40 states off limits to the rest of us, and I really wouldn't give a f**k. The problem is, that you negroes left behind with me will have to carry your weight, or the field will be leaving this mother f****r all together. (Heck, the American dollar is exchanging at 70 to 1 in Jamaica right about now. And if you ever feel the weather in Mandeville you will never want to leave )

The field will be fine. It's you other negroes I am worried about. Too spoiled to live in the Third World, and too afraid to break away from your Masters. What will you do when your Masters want to break away from your black asses? I know I know, cry racism, and call Jessie, and the federal government, -"there will be blood on the walls". Why, because the white man is sick of paying taxes for your black ass?

So a word from the field; if white folks in Atlanta-supposedly the new Mecca for black folks. Yeah right, don't get it twisted, just because you have a few black colleges and a bunch of pro athletes make their home there, don't for a minute forget that it's in GEORGIA! You know, home of Forsythe County, Newt Gingrich, Robert E. Lee, and the Confederate Flag-want to get away from your black asses, what do you think white folks in the rest of the country are thinking?

May I suggest that we start going to school-not just High school and throwing a big fu****g party for Pooky when he graduates!) When I say school, I mean college and beyond. Stay the f**k out of the criminal justice system, start staying with our families, and start getting these high paying jobs. Then we can pay our taxes, strengthen our neighborhoods, and get these little knuckle heads off the crack corners that's netting them $500 a week cause they can make that doing a real nine to five.

Then I hope we won't cry bloody murder when white folks decide to incorporate their own county and pay for their own goods and services. Then America can give me a bunch of states for me and all the other field negroes in this mother f****r. I think I will call it FIELDIFORNIA.

Before I go, nice to see that the feds finally prosecuted that animal who helped to drag beat and kill two innocent black men in Mississippi in 1964. Henry Dee and Charles Moore were at an ice cream stand trying to pursue some f*****g happiness, when the Klan picked them up beat them within an inch of their lives and threw them into the Mississippi river. Yeah, I hope the racist SOB,James Ford Seale, meets the same faith as Sadaam. But field he is a poor old man now, shouldn't he just be able live his life out in prison? OK, I guess, after all he is old, and I am, after all, opposed to the death penalty. Mmmmmm, maybe they can put him in general population with some brothers, who, let's just say know their history a little bit. I will take that. Old James living out the rest of his miserable life as some old black man's bitch.

If You Build It Some Will Come

Well folks, it's legacy time again, and like everything else he touches, the frat boy is f*****g up this one too. In case you haven't heard, the frat boy wants to build his Presidential library-all three books-at SMU in Dallas, Texas. It's appropriate right, I mean the guy is from Texas, SMU is a well respected research University with a pretty good academic reputation. And many of the frat boys big money benefactors are from the Dallas area, so there would be no problem raising money.

But there is one little problem: well, a couple of problems actually. First, it seems that the land that the University wants to use for the library was...well let's just say possibly illegally taken from some condo owners in the area. These good folks are now suing the University over eminent domain issues. How fitting is that? To build the frat boy's library, they probably seize private land owners property illegally. I guess given what we know of the frat boy this is kind of ironic, since his legacy will really be about the government and powerful entities skirting the law to get their own way.

Now the second little problem is a more public one, and one that is more problematic for the frat boy. Did I mention that the "M" in SMU stands for Methodist? Well it does, and apparently some distinguished ministers who call SMU their Alma mater have some serious issues with the man who started a war which have killed thousands and thousands of people, using their University for his library. "We believe that the linking of his presidency with the University bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate" This from Reverend Andrew J. Weaver, who is one of the leaders of an Internet petition drive to block the library.

So anyway, being the good guy that I am, I would like to help out the frat boy, and suggest another site for his library. It's perfect. Ready? How about Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana? I know I know, it doesn't have the academic clout as SMU, but think about it, it's the largest Black University system in the country, it's in Louisiana-what better way to bond with the people devastated by Katrina, and Kanye West would have to eat his words. Hell yeah George Bush cares about black people. He just put his multi million dollar library in the middle of an HBC campus. Take that Kanye! Oh, did I mention that Southern puts out tons of Jag officers and they have a great ROTC program. Remember that General guy, Honor'e, yeah the Katrina take charge one, well he went to Southern. So the frat boy could score brownie points with the military people too....

...you know what, I think I will call the frat boy and run this one by him.

Rrrrrrrrng,rrrrrrng.

GB: Hello
FN: Hello Mr. President. this is the field negro, how are you?
GB: Not too good field this war thing hasn't been going so well, and...
FN: ..Mr. President, I don't mean to cut you off but I didn't call about the war this time.
GB: Yeah why did you call, to ask me why I didn't go to James Brown's funeral? Look field, I understand that James Brown was....
FN: ..No Mr.President, I didn't call to talk about that either. I want to talk about your Presidential library, I hear you might be having some problems with it.
GB: Yeah, do you believe it? As if I don't have enough problems.
FN: Well I have just the University for you sir. It's a historically black college. I know how you and your family feel about HBC's, and I think this one would be perfect.
GB: Oh yeah, we are big supporters of UNICEF.
FN: Sir, that's UNCF.
GB: Yeah that one.
FN: So anyway sir, it would be a great way to show the people of Louisiana and black people that you care about them, and you are willing to think outside the box. I think it would really help your legacy sir.
GB: I don't know field,I mean I want all Americans to visit my library. Isn't in a bad part of town?
FN: Well its in North Baton Rouge sir, which is predominantly black, but it's not bad.
GB: No offense field, it's not bad for you, but I am not sure if my peeps will be comfortable there. If you know what I am saying.
FN: I understand sir, but hey, it was worth a shot.
GB: Nice try field, but I have to stay loyal to my peeps too. After all, they shelled out allot of money to get me elected. And no offense field, but other than Oprah, your people don't really have a whole lot of those "dead presidents" if you know what I mean.
FN: I know exactly what you mean sir.
GB: But hey, tell Eddie Robinson hi for me, the guy is a heck of coach.
FN: Well he coached at Grambling sir, and he is no longer coaching.
GB: Oh, well that's a shame, he was a good man. I gotta go field, I got Condi on the other line.
FN: Bye Mr. President, and please tell Madam Secretary that her hair is looking much better these days.
GB: I will field, and don't be so hard on me, we are working on that little Iraqi problem. The evil doers are on the run.

Barack's "Cultural Learning Of America"

Barack Obama's new book is titled the "Audacity of Hope", and you have got to respect a guy who at only 44 years old is the only African American in that exclusive club of 100 known as the United States Senate. And who has declared himself ready to run and be elected to the most powerful position on earth. That's a man who dares to hope, and who obviously worked hard to get where he is and live out his dream. Now I have never lived in Illinois, and I am not familiar with Illinois politics, so until Obama burst on the national scene in his run for the U.S. Senate, I knew nothing about the man or his politics. What little I know about him now I like. Because, after all, he did and still does, oppose the use of force in Iraq. And I know that he has to be pretty smart, because he edited the Harvard Law Review which is no easy feat.

But this is not so much about Obama and his politics; no, it's more about America and hers. First, if I were advising Obama, I would strongly advise him to understand the political reality he faces, and not to get drunk off the rock star treatment certain segments of white America have been showering on him. In other words, as my man Chuck D used to say: "don't believe the hype". I know all about the sold out tour in New Hampshire, and all the favorable press he has been getting; with Oprah, of all people, leading the charge. But he better be careful, because this is still America. And trust me, as I heard one journalist say: "America ain't ready to play 'jungle fever' with it's Presidency". Colin thought about it for a minute, but where is he now? He aint running for President that's for sure. Colin knew the polls weren't a true reflection of how white Americans felt.

I am no big fan of Juan Williams, but he made a very good point when asked on the Fake News Network if Obama had a better chance than Hillary to be elected President. His answer was an honest one, which impressed me. He told the moderator, Chris Wallace, that Hillary had a better chance because America is more ready for a white female being its leader than an African American. Another member of the discussion panel, Brit Hume, quickly jumped in and said that Obama has a chance of winning because he is black. That the only reason he is getting this star treatment is because he is a black man, and if he were white he would be just another Senator running for President. Folks, it's exactly because most white men in this country think like Mr. Hume that Obama won't win. Brit, here is a news flash for you: of course the guy is different, his mother is white and his father is African-not African American, but African- for crying out loud! I think that makes him a little different than most Americans. So his story is an unusual one. But Brit, typical of the white male anger always brewing under the surface, chooses not to see it that way. No, he prefers to compare Obama to another white male, as if there can ever be a fair comparison between the two races at this point in our history.

But this is what Obama will face, and in Brit Hume's case it was subtle, but as his campaign heats up, the subtleties will leave, and true feelings will start to come out. Its already started on the FAKE NEWS NETWORK, and it will only get worse. Now I know Obama might be looking at things like the one recent Newsweek poll which said that 93% of white Americans would support a black President. Well Barack, I have one name for you: Tom Bradley. Yes folks, in the 1982 Governor's race in California, whites told pollsters they were voting for Bradley, but when they got in the voting booth, they couldn't do it. Happened to Doug Wilder in Virginia too. He thought he had a double digit lead going into election day but in the end he barely won. Why, because again, white folks just couldn't pull the trigger. And that was for Governor, not President.

Then of course, there is the other no slavery in his background issue which liberal and conservative whites have been putting out there. Apparently this makes him attractive to whites because they have no guilt when dealing with him, so as a result, he transcends race. Huh? That has got to be the most disingenuous and most intellectually lazy argument of all. And I have heard many whites make this point as if it has some merit. It has none. For the record, Obama's fathers ancestors might not have been enslaved in America, but trust me, I am guessing that as an African, his ancestors and his country were effected by the slave trade just like any descendant of slaves who were born in America. And Obama, by living in America, suffered and continues to suffer from the same stigma from slavery that all other black people in this country suffer from. This attempt to separate him from other black people whose ancestors can trace their roots to the North American slave trade is ludicrous, and it's something I hope that the good Senator does not fall for.

Barack, a little word to the wise from the field: It's good to be a unifier and try to transcend the racial issues that divides us. But don't get it twisted and lose sight of the realities in modern day America, cause we ain't there yet. You still have lots of unifying to do.

But still, I respect you, and I would never discourage a person of color for aspiring to hold the highest office in the land. Hey, even if you lose, you might bolster voter registration among minorities and young people, and that's always a good thing.

So good luck Barack, as you continue your tour of America, and your quest for the White House. I think you will find your experience very interesting, and you will learn so much along the way about your fellow Americans. When you do start learning some ugly truths though, don't say I didn't try to warn you.

Not That There Is Anything Wrong With That.

Black people can we talk? Seems like one our actors, Isaiah Washington, has done gotten himself into a lot of hot water by dropping the "F" word while referring to a co-star,T.R. Knight, from the hit T.V. show, Grey's Anatomy. No not that "F" word, it seems Mr. Washington referred to Mr. Knight as a "faggot". Now before I get into this, let me say for the record, that I loved my man Isaiah in the "Love Jones" and I was feeling his scene stealing cameo in "Out Of Sight" with Ms. Bootyness. But Isaiah, you have got to chill my man, and enjoy this whole Grey's Anatomy thing. Not only is it executive produced by a sister-Shonda Rimes-but you are making some long dollars by being on the show. So I have to ask you; just what the fu*k is your problem?

Now here is the deal, you all might as well know this right up front about the field, I have no problems whatsoever with Gay's. None! As far as I am concerned, a mother fu***r could be sleeping with imported billy goats from Peru. As long as it's in the privacy of his own home, and he is not hurting anyone, it's fine with me. I guess I am what Bill Olie-ly would call one of those "secular progressives". My attitude towards these sorts of things is "live and let live". So I have to wonder what Isaiah's ignorant ass was thinking when he dropped the "F" word on his co-star. I mean, what would have been the fall-out if the guy had dropped the "N" word on him? But field it's different, people choose to be gay they don't chose to be black. Yeah right, save that sh** for your Sunday school class; no one chooses to be gay, just like no one chooses to have six fu****g fingers.

So here, another black man, ignoring all the sh%* and oppression we have had to endure, makes an ignorant statement about another group of people who face discrimination and prejudice from other Americans on a daily basis. Oh field, why are you so empathetic to the gays, you must have some tendencies yourself. Well actually I do, and when gay guys crack-maybe I should have used another word here- on me it's actually pretty flattering. And yes, I am about as metro sexual as a field negro can get. I get manicures, pedicures, have all sorts of moisturizers and face products in my medicine cabinet, and my style of dress is more Alex Vanderpool (It's a Philly thing) and Dickie Greenleaf (See Jude Law's character in The Talented Mr. Ripley) than say, Joe American straight guy. But as far as my sexuality, I am pretty sure I prefer women to men. Not that it's any of anyones fu****g business who I choose to share my Willy Wonka with.

And I am sure I have come farther than most people on this, because not only am I black, but I also happen to be from Jamaica; one of the most homophobic places you will ever see. Where as a child growing up, I would always hear stories of how "de batty man dem a ketch a beaten". So if I can overcome these ignorant ass homophobic tendencies, I know you can. The irony is, that some of the most homophobic among us, are taking part in dangerous "down low" behavior without their straight partners knowledge, and many of our choirs in church on Sunday and Saturday mornings are filled with...ahem ahem...let's just say some of the less masculine of our congregation. Yet, we turn our heads and act as if this phenomenon does not exist. Kind of like the military, don't ask don't tell.

So Isaiah, my word to you is this: do the Mia Culpa tour, and apologize to whoever you have to. Even if you don't mean it, you had better learn to be tolerant. You work in Hollywood for crying out loud! How can you not be? Stand up and set an example for the rest of us. Show the world that black folks can rise above the ignorance and bigotry of the general population, and that we can treat people who are different, with the respect and tolerance that was never afforded us.

No Tears For The Dukies

OK I tried to hold out as long as I could on this, but since it won't go away I am compelled to comment, and I am afraid allot of people won't like what I have to say.

If you are reading this, and you have heard of Gary Neal, or Michael Cleaves, you are either a basketball junkie or you attended LaSalle University in the fall of 2005. How about Lamar Owens, have you ever heard of him? Probably not, and I will tell you why you haven't. Lamar Owens, Gary Neal, and Michael Cleaves, are not rich privileged frat boys who went to Duke University. But like Messrs Finnerty,Seligman, and Evans, they are all athletes; and that's where the similarities end. All the young men I mentioned were accused of rape on college campuses. But unlike the three men you have never heard of, the men of privilege from Duke University have had the luxury of 24 hour FAKE NEWS coverage, Sean Insanity, and other conservatives like the camel neck one-Ann Coulter- and Bill Oliely screaming in their defense and for their freedom from day one. You would think Mike Nifong was Jessie Fuc***g James for crying out loud! Oh yes, the case is unraveling now, and yes, girlfriend probably lied on the frat boys-they probably stiffed her on her tip- but you would think that all these conservative pundits, including house Negro de jure and self hater, Thomas Sowell, were in that frat house with her on that faithful night. And they are outraged, outraged that such a travesty of justice could take place in America. And outraged that these poor boys won't be able to get their lives back, and that they are scarred for life.

Give me a fu****k break please! These boys will be just fine. They are each one book deal away from being set for life. They are even suing the University for crying out loud! I hope you caught their parents on T.V. the other night. They were furious that this was allowed to happen to their children. Well just who the fu** do they think they are? News flash! This kind of sh** has been happening to allot of poor black parents children for a long time. You must not have remembered how many of our boys were hung just for looking at Missy back in the day. Oh how soon we forget! Well I didn't, so excuse me if I am not crying any tears for the Duke Lacrosse boys right about now.

By the way, the gentlemen I mentioned in the second paragraph of this post, were all black and all were accused of raping white women. And like the Dukies, they were all athletes. And like the Dukies will all eventually be, they were all acquitted of all charges. In the case of the two LaSalle basketball players, they were kicked out of school, lost their basketball scholarships, and had to spend a ton of money in legal fees, to exonerate themselves and beat the charges. Lamar Owens was a quarterback for the Naval Academy football team, and was accused of raping a "blond athletic California type" classmate. He allegedly raped her at a party while she was drunk. Never mind that witnesses said she cursed Owens when he refused a lap dance from her. Anyway, he was also acquitted and the Judge in the case was so disgusted with the prosecution, that he publicly chastised them for having such a poor witness. Which trust me, is something Judges almost never do. So where were the conservative bloggers, pundits, and the FAKE NEWS NETWORK when these boys needed them? Where was the collective outrage at an out of control prosecutor and legal system that allowed these boy's lives to be shattered? Mmmmm, is that crickets I hear?

Sorry folks, with all due respect to the likes of William Anderson, I am going with the collective over individual rights on this one. Maybe I want to punish these Dukies for some of the sh** my people had to go through, and maybe I am just sick of all the hypocrisy. But I really don't give a damn about those boys from Duke, and what they had to go through. Sorry, call me callous, and non-caring, but you and I know those boys will be just fine. There are too many of my people buried in graves all over the South who will never have the luxury of going against a political opportunistic DA like Mike Nifong, or lose their damn Lacrosse scholarship at some exclusive University. Hell, that would have been the least of their problems. No, they lost their fu****g lives for their "inappropriate behavior". Somehow I think the Duke boys will be able to put their lives back together. After all, they have so many people in their corner.

Happy Birthday Martin!!!

Happy Birthday Doctor King, and thank you for all you did for this country. You dared to dream of a country that we couldn't even imagine back then. I think people are just now really starting to appreciate what the civil rights struggle meant to all Americans. Today is an official holiday celebrating your birthday, so that should give you some idea of how far we have come. Still, it wasn't easy, many states resisted making your birthday a holiday. (Arizona comes to mind) But that's all water under the bridge now, and I think we have moved on from that.

Oh, there is even a monument to you in Washington now, some people objected to that too, and it was done with private, and not government funding. But hey, it's there now, so I guess you could call that progress.

Your wife, Coretta, recently passed, and you would have been so proud of how she lived her life after you left. Always dignified, always pursuing your dream, and she never remarried. I guess she didn't think anyone was worthy of taking your place. Oh, your former colleagues did alright too. John Lewis is a congressman in Georgie, Jessie, is well, Jessie; he even ran for President, and his son is a Congressman. Yep, Jessie did alright for himself with what you started. As for Andrew, he might be in a Wal-Mart shopping somewhere. (Long story)

I can't believe you would be 78 today? Man time flies, seems like only yesterday that you were marching on the mall in Washington and giving that great speech. Oh, and speaking of that speech, you ought to see how conservatives have twisted it. Every time they want to push through a non-inclusive racist agenda, they invoke it. Especially the part where you say; "we should not judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." They love to throw that around when they want to justify shutting us out. They seem to forget that before we get to that point, you would want everything to be equal, and the playing field to be level. There are some other ugly things going on too. There is a war going on-some things never change-and I know you would be speaking out against this one just like you did Vietnam. In fact, you probably would speak out against this one even more, because this war was totally uncalled for, and had nothing to do with protecting our interest. Oh, did I mention that a child of the civil rights struggle is one of the architects of this war, and that she supports it one hundred percent? And remember how the FBI used to monitor your movements? Well they do that to all of us now. Yes these are very confusing times we live in, I really wish you were here.

But enough of that, it's your birthday, and I don;t want to upset you anymore with the negative stuff. There are some good things happening in America too, and I can honestly say that we have made some progress in this country since you left. Although I look around, and so much more needs to be done. I am pretty sure that if you were still around you would be keeping pretty busy.

So Happy Birthday Martin, America owes you so much.

The Stepin Fetchit Awards (The Coonies)

As we approach what would be the 78th birthday of a great American-Martin Luther the King-It is with great sadness and trepidation that the field brings you his semi-annual Stepin Fetchit awards.(The Coonies) Yes folks, in the great tradition of Mantan Moreland, Willie Best, and Stepin Fetchit, I bring you some more Negroes who are embarrassing the rest of us for all of white America to see.

I would like to congratulate some repeat winners like Clarence Thomas, and Cedric The Entertainer. And welcome some new winners to the list, like Paul Mooney, and Condi Rice.

So without further adieu, I bring you the latest winners of the Field Negro Stepin Fetchit awards (The Coonies):

1. Niger Innis- Mr. Innis this award goes to you, not because you are a black Republican conservative, but because like Jessie Jackson does with PUSH, you and your dad sell your organization (CORE) to the highest bidding republican benefactor. Also, when CNBC mistakenly placed Nigger Innis under your name, and profusely apologized to you. Your response was: "Oh God, I thought you guys thought I was a rapper or something" No sir, you are not a rapper, you are a Coon!

2. The Reverend Gary Hamm-Came out in support of the macaca man, George Allen, after Allen's true racial feelings were being exposed for the world to see. So you played football with him, and he helped line your pocket, and hooked you up when he became Senator. Still, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, I don't care how many hook ups he gave you. Don't you still have to look int the mirror?

3. Condi Rice- I tried to avoid this as long as I could. And on some levels I actually like the bad perm lady. But I must put you on this list, if only because you seem to have the Stockholm Syndrome. Like what the f**k? When will you get a back bone and tell the frat boy he is fu****g up American foreign policy? I know you know better, but it's like you have a blind spot for the guy. So for that, and being the frat boy's personal Coon, -he is the most powerful man on earth- you get a Coonie. (By the way, I might have to stop calling you the bad perm lady, your perm is looking much better these days)

4. Paul Mooney- Yeah I know you wrote material for Richard Pryor, and you helped quite a few black comedians get their start in the game, but your masquerading with Michael Richards after his "N" word issues was too much.

5. Clarence Thomas- No explanation needed. With all due respect to my man Plez. ,he will be a permanent fixture on any such list that I have. He might as well build a nice little Coonie trophy shelf in his house now, because he will be getting two a year for as long as I am doing this.

6. La Shawn Barber- This conservative blogger earns my respect and disgust at the same time. A true coon, who might be laughing all the way to the bank soon. I know she can't believe half of the self hate diatribe that she likes to expound upon. Yet it's working. Whites -especially red state white folks- eat her hustle up. She likes to brag that unlike many of us lowly black bloggers she uses her real name. No handle like "field negro", "skeptical brotha", or "free slave" for her, she keeps it one hundred with her white friends. Must work wonders when she tries to get tickets to those sold out NASCAR events. "Hello this is LaShawn Barber, I was wondering if you have any tickets left for tomorrows Talladega 500?" Of course Ms. Barber anything for you, just keep telling it like it is".

7. Cedric The Entertainer- Another repeat winner. Cedric goes on this list because he just keeps getting worse. (Have you seen his latest movie?) The sad thing is, that old Ced doesn't have to go the cooning route, because he has some real talent. Lets hope this brother comes around before it's too late.

8. Fifty Cent-You are a hip hop coon, and your ignorant ass statements and persona have only helped to reinforce stereotypes of what a typical ignorant ass rapper should look and act like. Fifty, please don't think you have made all that money by accident. (Think about it)

9. O.J. Simpson- Just when we thought we had seen the last of this Coon and murderer;desperate for money, he pens a book detailing how he might have murdered his wife and her friend. O.J. please go away.

10. Flavor Flav-I think I saved the best for last this time. Hard to believe that this Coon was at one time a member of one of the most conscious and influential acts to come along in decades. Yet there he is on national television embarrassing himself and his race, by starring in a coon fest called "Flava of Love". Folks, trust me when I tell you, it doesn't get much lower than this show.

That's my top ten for this award folks. As usual, there were some honorable mentions. People like Puffy, Snoop, the folks at BET,Armstrong Williams,Walter Williams,Ray Nagin,Marion Barry,William Jefferson, Arenda Troutman, The Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson,and many more. All contributing to cooning and coonery in America, and to the embarrassment of well meaning black folks everywhere.

Oh, before I go, I want to say good luck to a sister that's fighting the good fight against corruption in Louisiana. Many people forget that even before Katrina there were many corrupt forces at work in the "Big Easy". Katrina has just made it worse. This lady is a whistle blower, and without getting into the details of her case, I will only say that if successful, allot of people will be exposed, and will go down like some of the areas of that great city after Katrina hit.

Check out her story at: http://www.lawgrace.org/2006/06/30/casualties-from-corruption/ Or e-mail her at: Barbara@lawgrace.org

I hope my man over at wesawthat follows up on this, and I want to thank him for bringing this sister's plight to my attention.

Just remember, justice never sleeps!

The N Is For Nigger

OK , either I am just getting too lazy to write, or some of these Inky columnist have been playing "Jedi Mind Games" with me. Because seriously, I have really been feeling some of their articles lately. Like the one below from a sister that really struck a nerve with me. Partly because I am still trying to find myself with this issue, and partly because she just flat out made some damn good points. I don't agree with everything she said, but I certainly think her piece was well thought out and well written. So here goes:

"N-word: Don't play with fire
By Annette John-Hall
Inquirer Columnist~
This country has become obsessed with the word nigger.
Everywhere I go, I hear it. Out of the mouths of blacks and whites alike. From garden-variety bigots and platinum-selling rappers. Kids on the playground. Loose-lipped politicians. Washed-up comedians. It's been heatedly debated and used as a punch line. Spewed in profanity and tossed around in love.
As the word continues to wreak havoc on our cultural consciousness, more and more African Americans are calling for its total banishment because of its enduring legacy as a racist epithet. A couple of months ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Congresswoman Maxine Waters urged people to stop using it, along with comedian Paul Mooney, who had once sprinkled the word liberally through his act.
Now Jet and Ebony, the venerable magazines for African Americans, have picked up the mantle. In the February issue of Ebony, editorial director Bryan Monroe, introducing a package of articles titled "Enough! Why Blacks - and Whites - Should Never Use the 'N-word' Again," writes that the word will no longer appear in his publications, except in unavoidable instances that will be subject to his approval.
(The Inquirer's policy prohibits the use of the word unless it has a "compelling journalistic purpose." Even then, it must be signed off by a top editor.)
I called my friend Bryan, who is also president of the National Association of Black Journalists, and asked him, "Why now?" After all, the controversy over the word is not new.
"It has been something we had talked about for the past few months," he said. Though it was rare for the magazine to print the word, he felt it was important that the biggest publications targeting African Americans take the lead on "such a crucial issue."
Plus, Monroe said, "When the Michael Richards incident happened [www.youtube.com], it created all the more urgency."
Truth is, I took the word out of my vocabulary long ago. See, I'm old enough to have felt the sting of it as a racist pejorative, not as a greeting or a term of endearment, as so many younger African Americans use it today.
Even before my kids started school, my husband and I explained the word to them. We instructed them as our parents instructed us: If anybody assaulted you with that word, all bets were off.
That's why my middle-school daughter retaliated recently with a shove to the head of a white kid, who called her the name on the school bus - with malice, of course. The most troubling part of the incident, apart from my daughter's loss of innocence, is that some of the other white kids couldn't understand why she was so offended.
I do know intention means everything. Look no further than comic Michael Richards' vitriolic attack of a black heckler. It took him three seconds to go from lashing out with the n-word to making lynching references. Interestingly, the punditry afterward was focused on the n-word, not Richards' pleasure in reminding us that "50 years ago we'd have you upside down with a [expletive] fork up your [expletive]."
Such is the enduring power - and offense - of the word.
"If a white person calls me the n-word, supposedly out of some hip-hop kinship, I can't dissociate that from being called that by white kids in the suburbs of Boston when I was a child," asks Imani Perry, a 30-something professor of law at Rutgers-Camden and author of Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop. "It's not about rules, it is about history. We have a history of white people using the word and backing it up with violence and mistreatment."
While some young folks are trying to flip a historically horrific pejorative into an embraceable form of cultural expression, it doesn't erase its history.
Which is what the Web site www.abolishthenword.com shows in its powerful challenge to visitors to make a personal commitment to rid themselves of the word. Its graphic and searing introduction breaks down the history of the n-word, spliced with a horrific series of photographs of black men being lynched with Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday's mournful protest dirge, in the background.
Blacks who are still debating the use of the word and whites who don't understand why they can't use it, should have a look at the site and ask themselves not just Why would you use the n-word today? but How could you ever use the n-word again?"

True confessions? As recently as a few months ago I found myself using the N word as a term of endearment with some friends of mine. No one noticed, and no one checked me. In fact, as I recall, some of my buddies used it too, and no one checked them. Now I consciously do not use the word for all the reasons articulated in this sisters post, but I still struggle with the some issues pertaining to whether it's right for black leaders to call for an out and out ban of the word. After all, I laugh just as hard as every one else when Katt Williams or some other black comedian uses it in a routine that I find funny. And as a fan of hip hop, I can honestly say that some of the tunes would not be as artistically rich without it. (That "N word) So I am feeling folks like my man Max, over at Free Slave, when he says he struggles with using the word as well, and I can only imagine how many more of us are out there.

So help me folks, I need an education on this one. Miss Annette John-Hall certainly dropped some knowledge on me, and I appreciate it. I am still not totally on board, but I am pretty damn close.

Oh, before I go, I would like to leave you with a little poem:

"Ten little nigger boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little nigger boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little nigger boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little nigger boys playing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little nigger boys going in for law;
One got into chancery and then there were Four.
Four little nigger boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little nigger boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little nigger boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One little nigger boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were None… "

So if we banned the word, does that mean some folks wouldn't say this little poem anymore?

Mmmmmmm.

So Many Bombs So Little Time!

"Apart from the kingdom of the Lord there is not on this earth any nation that is superior to any other. Should it happen that a strong Government finds it may with impunity destroy a weak people...God and history will remember your judgement" ~ Haile Sellassie- Apppeal to the League Of Nations- June 1936~~

Yeah try telling that to George Bush Emperor Sellassie. Times have changed a little since 1936.
Yes folks, the frat boy and the bad perm lady have decided that they will give those Muslims a little taste of America's fourth of July celebrations just a little early. Oh we bombed the sh** out of those Somalians didn't we? Seems like we were looking for three -yes three- men who bombed our embassy in Tanzania back in 1998. You remember, the razorback was in the White House back then. So in the course of looking for these three men, we throw down some whup ass on a bunch of poor ass Somali villagers. According to the Somali government, who by the way, told the frat boy he could go a bombing in the first place, there was 31 people killed (including a four year old) and we are still not quite sure if we got these Al Qaeda operatives. You gotta love it, the nerve of some people. Do you think we would bomb Canada if we though a bunch of terrorist were hiding out in Toronto? Or do you think we would bomb Germany if we knew that a bunch of terrorist were hiding in Hamburg some damn place? Oh wait, we did suspect some terrorist were hiding out in Germany! No bombs huh? I didn't think so.

But it seems like that whole horn of Africa region is becoming a serious problem doesn't it? ( I told you so) Oh if the bad perm lady running the state department would only read my blog she would have seen these things coming. But noooo; the good Doctor with the shoe jones, is too stuck up the neo cons ass, and too busy looking out for the latest style shoes from Bottega Venetta, to notice what's really going on in the world. So here we go again! Bomb another poor useless Third World ass country, so that we can pound our chest and say that we are doing something about terrorism.

Cowboy George, I am not impressed. You want to impress me; go drop a couple of those bad boys on Iran, or North Korea. Now that would seriously impress me. But it ain't gonna happen, because everyone knows that we are a little preocccupied in a little place called Iraq right about now.

So what about this latest smack down that we initiated? Well, it seems the European Union condemmed it. It seems that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned it, not to mention the Ethiopians, who are supposed to be our Christian allies in that part of the world. As it stands, the only ones who were for this little bombing excursion is the very fractured and unstable government sitting in Somalia. Seems they have a little Muslim problem themselves, and are locked in a fierce battle with some folks known as the UIC (Union for Islamic Courts) who have been playing musical chairs with them. Seems these UIC folks, is Africas version of the Taliban, and they are winning more hearts and minds in that region on a daily basis.

I sure hope it was worth it? And I sure hope we got those three-yes I said three-SOB's that bombed our embassies and committed other terrorist attacks. Cause if we didn't get em, we have just created yet another mess in that part of the world, and made the war on terror that much harder to fight.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the U.S. is now switching the focus of the military and closing basis in places like Germany, and Korea. And in the meantime, expanding and opening basis in places like Uganda, Djibuti, and Senegal. Great, just what we need, the militarization by western forces on the African Continent. Happens every time; we couldn't bring you Africans food and drugs to fight AIDS, but we will bring your ass guns, bombs, and three fu%**#g warships instead!

Somalia's President, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, said the U.S. has his support, and the military says that they are going after Al Qaeda's point man in the region. Seems like a no brainer right? Except with the frat boy, it's never that simple. Just remember folks, there is a big speech tonight, and the frat boy has to put that war on terror front and center on our minds. We can't lose our focus now folks, because the moment we do, Al Qaeda will strike. That's why we have to strike them before they strike us. Because under all the bodies of those innocent women and children, there has got to be a terrorist somewhere.

The field is out.

The Real Story

"A Germantown High School student is dead and an 18 year old from his neighborhood has been charged with his murder after an argument Friday night outside a corner store.

Police received a 911 call just after 7:00 P.M. and found Crawford lying unresponsive on the street near Baynton Street and East Walnut Lane. He had one stab wound in the chest.

'He was a happy child,' said his mother, Kelley Kenner, 41. 'He never bothered anybody.'

Kenner said she had given her son about $200 to buy a pair of Timberland boots and Adidas sneakers Friday night. He stopped at a corner store to get a cheese steak before shopping.

'Fifteen minutes later, he was dead,' Kenner said yesterday in a phone interview.

Police said that Crawford and Jones who knew each other from he neighborhood had been arguing at a nearby corner store when Jones stabbed Crawford and then ran away.

Jones later called 911 and said that he had been robbed and stabbed someone, police said Jones was taken into custody that night.

At the scene Friday night, Renee Fredricks, 16, identified herself as Crawford's girlfriend and said he had often joked with people, asking for money that he didn't really need.

She said a cousin had told her that Crawford approached someone outside the corner store and 'asked for a dollar.' The person rebuffed him and then pulled a knife and stabbed the youth in the chest she said.

'He was stabbed for a dollar' Fredricks said.'I guess the boy thought he had a gun and stabbed him for a dollar.'

No gun was found police said. Kenner said her son, one of 11 children was a student at Germantown High School and enjoyed music and drawing.

He often played basketball at the Wissahickon Boys and Girls Club. Crawford recently learned he was going to become a father."

Before I get to my post; I would like to thank Mari A. Schaefer, a reporter from my hometown paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, for that story.

The newspaper article I lifted and wrote for you above, is similar to many other articles from my hometown paper. In truth, I could fill this blog every day with similar articles about various killings and violence in the city of brotherly love, -also known as "killadelphia"- on a daily basis. And sometimes folks, you have to look behind the story you are reading to see the real story.

The purpose of this post is not to go off on the ineptitude of my cities leaders, nor the failure of moral courage and leadership by our Churches and social services. Or, for that matter, the disgusting way that we as black folks continue to ignore the growing crisis of youth violence in our community. No folks, it's to see if you can do a little total recall exercise with me.

Quick, without going back and reading the article again, can you tell me the three things that jumped out at you when you read it? Don't look back now, just think about it for a minute....... OK finished?

Now I will tell you the three things that jumped out at me, and let's see if you got the same ones:

1. First, just what the f**k was Markel's mother thinking, giving her 16 year old son $200 to buy two pairs of fu****g shoes? $200 for two pair! How sick is that s%*t? And we wonder why our children's value system is so screwed up. Here is the deal Markel; you need some shoes? What's your shoe size? OK mommy is going to head down to JC Penny and get your ass a pair of sneakers and a nice pair of winter boots for $100. Might not be Timberlands and Adidas, but if you don't wear what I get you, your little black ass can go barefooted . You know, kind of like some of those little children in Third World countries do.

2. Markel was one of eleven (11) children. Yes I said eleven! Read the story again, I am not making this up, and I doubt if Ms. Schaefer is either.-she is a reputable reporter here in Philly-
So let's do the math here folks, Markel's mom is 41 and she has eleven children, and no where in this story is there a mention of Markel's father. This of course is not unusual, I can go over story after story about these poor murdered black children, and there is never any mention of a grieving father.

3. Which brings me to the third and final little nugget that stuck out for me in this story: It seems that little Markel at sixteen fu****g years old, was going to be a father. (I wonder if the girlfriend mentioned in the story is the expecting mother? I seriously doubt it). And Judging from her age and the amount of kids she has, Markel's mother probably started having little Markel's just at about that age herself. So the pitiful and pathetic cycle in our community continues, with no end in sight. Children having children, only to lose them to the violent streets infested by other children who place no value on human life because no one ever valued theirs.

Now folks, before you start with the; "oh field you are being too hard on this lady who just lost her son" speech, save it. Somebody needs to start getting hard on her behind before she loses more children to violence.

Personally, I am sick of seeing the teddy bears and the make shift shrines on our street corners. Sick of being invited to funerals of former clients and their friends, and I am sick of waking up and reading about more senseless killings in my city. (seven so far and counting and we are only seven days into the new year) So excuse me if I am a little hard on Markel's mom. The real problem is, that somebody should have been hard on her ass years ago, then maybe it would not have come to this.