Your Grandfather wouldn't know you.

I have had a few regrets in life. One of them was supporting Clarence Thomas during his bitter confirmation hearings back in the early nineties. I was still in Law School then, and although I knew his views on things like abortion was right of center, and he was selected by a republican president, I still thought it was nice that a second person of color was about to join the supremes.

I even believed Thomas and his "high- tech lynching" bullshit line. A line that he used to hoodwink us black folks into supporting him, and scaring the rest of the country away from talking about his lack of qualifications and intellect.

For the record, I believe Anita Hill now. I can just see him (Thomas) with that Coke can talking about pubic hair and making pornographic references. It's a fact that three of her colleagues backed her story in sworn depositions, and from where I sit, three is a sufficient crowd when it comes to this issue. Thomas says it was powerful interests groups that were out to stop him at all costs. And, according to him, they used the "age old blunt instrument of accusing a black man of sexual misconduct" to try and bring him down. Yeah right. Amazing how Clarence played the race card when it suited him, but now that he has what he wants, the race card is no longer relevant in A-merry-ca.

I am writing all this about my favorite uncle tonight, because his new book, "My Grandfather's Son", hits the book shelves tomorrow. (I hope Chris has a review because I won't be buying it) In it, he will talk about his childhood living in poverty with his mother and brother in a one bedroom apartment with no running water. And he will talk about his transformation from a George McGovern supporter and protesting college student, to a right wing Reagan appointee and Bush loving lap dog for the right.

So Anita, sorry it took so long, but I owe you an apology. Wherever you are today, I want to say sorry for not believing you about what a creep this guy is. You were right about Clarence Thomas, and our country should have believed you and not him. If we had, I honestly believe that we would have all been better off today.

My favorite uncle will get a million dollar signing bonus for his book. Wouldn't it be nice if he took his million dollars, his fat government pension, and just retired to Idaho or Montana some damn place? I am sure he would get lots of love in both of those places. But you and I know that won't happen. The republicans still have too much for him to do, there is still work to be done around the house, and no one is better at working in the house than Clarence.

What's a little slavery among friends?

I am sorry. I know I mentioned this on my side bar, but I keep going over that essay by Michael Medved, and quite frankly, the range and scope of the stupidity of some of his assertions baffle me.


For instance, in making a comparison between the Holocaust and slavery he says:


"By definition, the crime of genocide requires the deliberate slaughter of a specific group of people; slavers invariably preferred oppressing and exploiting live Africans rather than murdering them en masse. Here, the popular, facile comparisons between slavery and the Holocaust quickly break down: the Nazis occasionally benefited from the slave labor of their victims, but the ultimate purpose of facilities like Auschwitz involved mass death, not profit or productivity. For slave owners and slave dealers in the New World, however, death of your human property cost you money, just as the death of your domestic animals would cause financial damage. And as with their horses and cows, slave owners took pride and care in breeding as many new slaves as possible. "

But wait there is more. Here he argues that the real victims of the slave trade were the slave traders:

"Historians agree that hundreds of thousands, and probably millions of slaves perished over the course of 300 years during the rigors of the “Middle Passage” across the Atlantic Ocean. Estimates remain inevitably imprecise, but range as high as one third of the slave “cargo” who perished from disease or overcrowding during transport from Africa. Perhaps the most horrifying aspect of these voyages involves the fact that no slave traders wanted to see this level of deadly suffering: they benefited only from delivering (and selling) live slaves, not from tossing corpses into the ocean."

"NO SLAVE TRADERS WANTED TO SEE THIS LEVEL OF DEADLY SUFFERING"?

What? Folks, let's be clear, there is some serious shit going on in this country. And if we don't wake the fuck up main stream America will be saying that slavery never really existed as we like to portray it in the first place. That slavery was really a good thing for the millions of African Americans that are here, because, after all, they could have ended up in Africa....but wait, I think I am already hearing this shit.

Make no mistake, Michael Medved is as main stream as it gets.--- The guy does movie reviews for crying out loud-- And he has joined a large group of right wing black and white conservatives who have taken to intellectualizing black suffering and the over all issue of race in A-merry-ca.

But as long as I have a computer and a keyboard, I will call them on their bullshit. And I hope
every person of conscience feels the same way that I do.

As far as I am concerned we are in a war, and I intend to win this motherfucker!

Where is the love?

It's Friday evening and I have some down time, so I decide to peruse the blogosphere. While perusing, I run into this wonderful post about...well, me. I copied it, (no link for you) so please read.

"My smelly little rabble-rousers,
Please see the wonderfully racist article by “The Field Negro” regarding criticizing the Enemy.
Perhaps nowhere is our ongoing work better displayed then on “The Field Negro” website. It is truly a classic example of how we can twist a human’s perspective to be completely one-sided. In this case, this unfortunate is transfixed on the color of skin and victim-hood. It matters little to us if the “injustice” is real or imagined. What is important is that the flames of hate are fanned. This kind of dialog is very, very good for us.

The double-Jeopardy bonus (Jeopardy as in “the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense” as opposed to the popular television show), is that “The Field Negro” not only spreads hate, but rails against the Enemy. This will be a difficult rap to beat when the earthly life ends and it’s time to face the Enemy.

Also note the amusing irony that seeing the world through race-colored glasses can yield. Evidently this human feels strongly about the black race, yet demeans it with the self-named, ”The Field Negro”. The human also feels strongly about speaking freely, but vilifies others (even of the human’s own black race) when they disagree. This is excellent.

Special kudos to “The Field Negro’s” handler, our own devil BillyBubba. BillyBubba, you may recall, was a former Klu Klux Klan member who in the afterlife is no longer white (like all of us, a burnt-umber-charcoal colored…9753 degree heat of Hell will do that). BillyBubba’s gentle cajoling of “The Field Negro” is a model of corruption. I suspect ”The Field Negro” would be very discouraged to understand it is a former white racist who is encouraging his diatribes. It is funny, is it not?

Yours in black and white
Bweaselgub

P.S. - I did attempt to post an encouraging comment on “The Field Negro’s” site…but perhaps it was not racist enough."

Hey, at least he/she spelled my avatar right :) Now I have to go back and look where Bweaselgub commented---he/she obviously didn't stand out. Maybe they felt slighted. Black folks can be so cold at times.

What's troubling is that they think the term field Negro is "demeaning". I would give them a link to my field Negro 101 essay; but, honestly, I really don't care if they learn anything or not. Some people actually prefer to remain in a state of ignorance. It helps to make them feel better about themselves...Jason is that you? If it is, couldn't you have come up with a better handle than Bweaslegub?

Divine intervention!

"The only way _ let me stress that _ the only way that I believe that me or this community has been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community...."I firmly believe and am confident of the fact that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened. You can quote me on that."

I just did Mr. Walters.

But let me get this straight, the only reason there wasn't any trouble at the march on Jena, is because of the intervention of good old JC. Is that it Mr. Walters? Wow, JC must really love the people of Jena to "directly" intervene so that there would be no trouble. I guess the fact that the marchers were well disciplined and behaved had nothing to do with it huh Mr. DA?

Folks, are you as amazed as I am at how certain people can just throw out the name of JC when it suits their own purpose? The thing is, if JC is so omnipotent, why did he (or she) let Jena happen in the first place? I mean since he (or she) prevented the violence from happening shouldn't he (or she) have intervened from the jump and allowed the black kids to sit under that tree?

I gotta tell you though, thank goodness for JC. If it wasn't for him protecting good Southern white towns like Jena and it's DA, Reed Walters, can you imagine how much trouble we would have had with those black folks dowen there ? Thank goodness we have JC, to protect all those God fearing white people. (God is JC's dad in case you were wondering) I mean every body knows that JC is just there to protect them. Not the black folks, they (the black folks) are Godless. I mean if JC was looking out for black people, do you think that three times as much blacks would be sitting in prison than on a college campus this fall? Do you think that damn near seven out of ten black households would be run by single mothers? Do you think that over 300 people would have been slaughtered in the bloody streets of Killadelphia, Pistolvania this year alone? And that most of those killed would be black men killed by other black men? I don't think so.

Nope, JC couldn't love us. The protection we got in Jena was collateral protection. The real people being watched over were the good white folks of Jena. The black people marching were just at the right place at the right time.

But thanks again JC for keeping those marchers down in Jena in line. No wonder all those Southern white people love you so much, and they spend so much time in those fancy homes they built for you. But we built some fancy homes for you in the hood too, how come we don't get that kind of love? I mean you protect the town folks of Jena from us, but you won't protect us from each other.

Oh well, at least you were kind enough to let the subject of all this fuss get out of jail. Hey, he and his family might just want to talk to you, just like the white "christian folks" in Jena do.

Calling all house Negroes, white man needs support

"I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship." O'Reilly went on to say, 'There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' "

I am sorry folks, I just had to post this again. Especially since Mr. O-lie-ly is all over FAKE NEWS complaining about how his words were distorted and taken out of context, and because some new to the house Negroes like Philly's own Stephen A. Smith, and Juan Williams --"They want to shut you up. They want to shut up anybody that has an honest discussion about race"-- has been supporting the guy. O-lie-ly says his words were taken out of context, and he is not a racist. After all, he told Rev. Al, don't we go out together in the hood all the time? And there, right on cue, was the good Reverend live from Baton Rouge, agreeing with the lie man and cooning in the Louisiana heat. (Although the heat and humidity didn't seem to affect his perm). How sad was that? And to top it all off, the other Reverend (Jackson) will be on O-lie-ly's show tomorrow. Oh oh, there must be a racial controversy, another white man needs public racial atonement, gotta call Jessie.

Now, for the record, the guy might not be a racist, because I could never know what's in someones heart, (although in this case I can take a pretty damn good guess) but his statements would sure lead me to believe that he is incredibly stupid and ignorant. Which if he is,what does that tell you about A-merry-ca when 1.5 million people tune in to him every night?

Gotta give it to O-lie-ly though, he has gone on the offensive, and, as is usually the case, he has found willing house Negroes to play along with his little game of spin my racist comments.

I know one thing; tomorrow I am going to Chinatown for lunch, and I am going to find a nice Burmese or Vietnamese restaurant so that I can chow down on some seriously spicy Asian food. And now, thanks to O-lie-ly, I can look for other things too. Lunch should be fun.

Lay down with dogs.....

"NEW YORK - After eating dinner at a famed Harlem restaurant recently, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly told a radio audience he "couldn't get over the fact" that there was no difference between the black-run Sylvia's and other restaurants.

"It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun," he said. "And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all."

O'Reilly said his fellow patrons were tremendously respectful as he ate dinner with civil rights activist Al Sharpton... "

Stop right there: Did David Bauder of the AP really write that Bill O-lie-ly was having dinner with Reverend Al up in Harlem?

Now, see, this is going to get me in trouble with some black folks, especially the ones who support the likes of Reverend Al and Jessie. But I am sorry, my dear Mama used to tell me that you can know someone by the company they keep. And quite frankly, if the good Reverend is dining with an ignorant racist self delusional buffoon up in Sylvia's, well, Harlem, we have a problem.

Why for the life of me people like Juan Williams and other blacks even give this guy the time of day I will never know. Are they that caught up in their own self promotion that they fail to see that this guy is using them? Goodness Al, haven't you been in front of enough cameras, and in enough homes? Do you really need O-lie-ly that bad?

So now, like the ignoramus that he is, O-lie-ly shows his true colors. He is shocked, shocked, that black people act just like white people. Hell, he even went to an Anita Baker concert and there was no mofuing from anyone in the audience. Can you believe it? You mean they weren't throwing watermelons and chicken bones from the balcony Bill?

But you gotta love it, the shit would actually be funny if it wasn't so sad. And if it wasn't such a terrible commentary on where we are in A-merry-ca. This guy gets over one million viewers every night, has sold millions of books, and has a popular radio program. He is the darling of FAKE NEWS, and they have come out and vigorously defended him against these latest attacks from "Media Matters." But was it true? Of course it was. So what attacks? Telling the truth?

And yet, this is Rev. Al's dinner buddy. See, this is why I couldn't do certain things, because I couldn't sit through an entire dinner with an ignorant racist knowing that he exploits my people for ratings, and poisons the minds of millions of A-merry-cans by distorting the images of black folks and other minorities.

So Reverend, you hung with the guy who can get you the most shine, and who you can run to when you want to sell your latest book. I hope you have a flea collar, and I hope you ordered the chicken, I bet he did.

JENA IN BLACK & WHITE:ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING.

"Scenes from America, circa once upon a time.
White men taking sledgehammers to the door of the jailhouse in Marion, Ind., intending to murder three African-American prisoners. The sheriff orders his men not to interfere.
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White men hearing testimony tying two white defendants conclusively to the kidnap, torture and murder of a black boy in Money, Miss. The jury takes less than an hour to set them free.

White men with badges arresting three civil rights workers for an alleged traffic violation in Neshoba County, Miss. Forty-four days later, the workers' bodies are dug out of an earthen dam.

There are other examples -- literally thousands -- but let three suffice to make the point. Which is that African Americans have frequently found the justice system to be about anything but justice. From the day slavery ended, that system has often been its surrogate, a tool used specifically for the suppression and control of black people.
There was no artifice about it. This conspiracy of beat cops and county sheriffs and DAs and judges and senators and attorney generals operated openly and with impunity.
Everyone knew there were simply different rules, different enforcement, and different punishment for blacks.

Maybe your impulse is to seal all that off in a mental box called history, interesting, lamentable, but hardly relevant. In which case, what will you say about Jena?
Meaning, of course, the tiny Louisiana town now infamous for a series of events that began a year ago when a black high school student asked the principal if it was OK for him to sit under a shade tree white kids claimed as theirs. The principal told him yes. But the next day, nooses were found hanging in the tree.

The principal wanted the white kids who did it expelled, but the superintendent overruled him, briefly suspending them instead. Expulsion, he felt, was excessive for this 'prank.'
There followed weeks of racial brawls and even an arson fire. A black student, Robert Bailey, was hit in the head with a beer bottle by a white kid who was later charged with simple battery and released on probation.

After a white student, Justin Barker, supposedly taunted Bailey about it, six black kids allegedly jumped him, kicking and stomping. Barker was knocked out and had a black eye. He was treated and released at the hospital and felt well enough to go out that same night.
Yet the DA called it attempted murder.

Yes, charges against five of the six were eventually reduced. Yes, an appeals court just overturned the aggravated battery conviction of the only student whose case has been adjudicated.

But it is hard to be sanguine. This unjust justice is hardly unique. Consider Genarlow Wilson, 17, sentenced to 10 years for a voluntary act of oral sex with a 15-year-old. And Marcus Dixon, 18, who drew 10 for having sex with an underage white girl. And Shaquanda Cotton, who shoved a white teacher's aide and got seven years from a judge who had earlier given probation to a white girl who burned down her family's house. A 2000 study cosponsored by the Justice Department codifies the obvious: People of color receive starkly unequal treatment in the 'justice' system.

Where blacks are concerned, it seems, that system often still exists not to enforce law and protect order, but to intimidate and compel. But at least they care enough about appearances these days to lie.

'Race? This has nothing to do with race. Oh, no.' Prosecutors justifying the unjustifiable. Utterly convinced of their own blamelessness.
One might ask why it is that black justice so seldom looks like real justice, even today.
The answer is that history does not fit in a box. And once upon a time is now. "

Thank you very much Leonard Pitts, you spoke for me in that essay.

"Much as with the original O.J. trial, the uproar over the arrest of six black students in Jena, La., has white people shaking our heads.

"The facts of the case are not in dispute: Six black students beat a white student unconscious. The blacks were identified, charged and arrested. On the face of it, the only issue was whether the charge should be one of attempted murder or of assault.

It may also have been a hate crime against the white student, but, as usual, the news media only report on such things when the black person is the victim.

Somehow, the story has been turned around. Somehow we are led to believe that the attackers are the victims in this small Southern town. It's Emmitt Till all over again, but wasn't Emmitt Till the one who was attacked and murdered, not the attacker?

Are blacks now to be absolved of crimes simply because they are black?
By the way, the white student's name is Justin Barker. He is doing fine, if anyone cares about the real victim here."

Thank you Abe Krieger, you spoke for the rest of white A-merry-ca with your essay.

I know he doesn't care about black people, but does he care about children?

"The Human situation overall is in the seventh inning, and humanity is down by two runs"

~~~Ted Turner~~

If humanity is down by two runs, to stay with Mr. Turner's baseball analogy, it's because people like George Bush are managing the team.

Now comes the latest from the man "who doesn't care about black people". It seems our President and great decider has decided that he will veto the CHIP bill because it's "too risky". Now in case you didn't know; CHIP stands for Children's Health Insurance Program. Right now, as it stands, states get federal subsidies for insuring the children of low income families. The families that fit into this program are the ones who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private medical care. In other words, the hard working people who work nine to five and pay taxes on their hard earned money.

But what does our great leader and his rethugilican cabal decide to do? Veto the bill because it would add an additional 4 million people to the 6.6 million that are already in it. But alas, in the world of the frat boy, this is unacceptable, because it would mean raising taxes on a box of cigarettes by 61 cents to one dollar a pack. The frat boy also said that expanding the program that actually helps our children smacks of a move towards federalized health care. God forbid we actually do something to help the least among us. After all, don't we need all the money available to nation build in Iraq? The frat boy's claim is, of course, false. Because the bill actually gives states the flexibility to expand the eligibility of the program if they so choose. Now tell me, what governor in his right mind would blow his budget by offering health coverage to families who can afford private providers?

So the beat goes on, and the clowns in Washington, led by the the clown in chief, will not come to an agreement on this important piece of legislation. The frat boy will veto the bill, and thousands of uninsured children will suffer as a result. If that sounds a little melodramatic, it's because it was meant to be. Here in A-merry-ca, the welfare of our children is not as important as scoring political points with 28 percent of the people in this country.

Sorry Mr. Turner, we are in the bottom of the ninth, and unless this team makes some changes soon, this game is lost.

Instapundit bum rush.

I consider myself pretty much on top of the blogging world and all that goes on around it. But today I learned about something that I did not know existed.

I got up this morning and noticed that my site pages were moving a little slow. Usually this means extra traffic. So I checked my site meter only to find that I had already had more hits before 9:00 o-clock in the morning than I do in an entire day. A further check revealed that all these hits were coming from a site called Instapundit. It seems that my man Glenn Reynolds will just post a link on his site, and his disciples will all drill on that site and basically do a bum rush on the site that Reynolds is linking. I think they call it an "Instalanche" or some shit. Which according to Wkipedia is a portmanteau for Instapundit avalanche. And quite a few of them were in the fields today. Just call Glenn Reynolds the Jimmy Buffet of the blogosphere, and call these people, "Parrot Heads". Or, as they call him, the "Godfather". Now black folks, if that's not some blasphemy for your ass I don't know what is. We all know the real Godfather's name is James and not Glenn.

But seriously, I thought it was all kind of ironic, since Reynolds (along with house Negro Lashawn Barber) was the person that pushed me over the edge to start a blog. I caught him on CSPAN one morning while I was having breakfast, and he was going on about how easy it was to start a blog and how essential it was to share your thoughts if you were a person with strong opinions. He was a person who also happens to be a member of my profession, which gave him a certain amount of credibility from where I sat. So a blogging I went, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now with all due respect to Mr. Reynolds, and his Instalanche people, ( I wonder what they call themselves. I mean doesn't every group have a name? Think Kossacks for example) I think it would be nice if they maybe read some of the shit on the blog that they bum rush before they start making stupid ass comments about the host and the blog itself. Just read the comments below from my post on Jena ("With friends like these") and you will see where I am coming from. Unbelievable.

Now these folks are right of center, and I think Reynolds is a big supporter and cheerleader for the Iraq war. --Which just goes to show you, that anybody can be hoodwinked-- So I guess that would explain the tone of his peeps who were bum rushing the fields, and making stupid ass comments about shit. Memo to white people; the quickest way to end a meaningful dialogue with me is to start talking about Jessie Jackson, and Rev. Al and how they represent black people. This just shows me that you have no fucking clue and you are basically stuck in a time and place long ago. You get your talking points about black people from the MSM, and you therefore have no credibility. At this point in our conversation, you will sound just like the grownups in a Charlie Brown cartoon.

The Instalanche people obviously represent a group of people in A-merry-ca, like most folks on the right, who think we are past racial problems in this country, and all the racial problems black folks think they have are perceived and not real. Self induced as a cop out to not face up to what they really have to do to make it in A-merry-ca. An excuse not to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Never mind the fact that most regulars to this site are probably doing better than they (The Instalanche people) are. And most of the people who come here are quite capable of living the A-merry-can dream thank you very much. It's just that we refuse to see injustice and not speak on it. It's just that we understand that real power in this country is still held by just a few people. And that in order to make this a truly great country, A-merry-ca will have to be honest about her racial problems and confront them.

The Instalanche people seemed to enjoy the fact that I was ripping the left, (which is why I suspect Reynolds linked me in the first place) and it gave them great joy to tell me that the left doesn't care about black people. But sorry, the only reason I even get frustrated with the left is because I actually think there is hope for them. Because most people who call themselves progressives can at least be embarrassed into doing the right thing; or, at least, they genuinely want to try and work with us (Black People) on common goals and causes. Not you folks on the right. In your world, it's you against them. The only reason you even care about us is because you figure that if you get more black support, you will take political power from the left. So sorry, I am not buying the party of Lincoln, big tent bull shit! Let me put it to you like this: I will never ever be in a tent with a right wing republican. Never! Because we have nothing in common. The America of your dreams with a big fucking wall around it, church every Sunday morning, and a gun rack in every pickup truck, is not my America, so save your breath for the type of black person-insert your house Negro here- who can't see through your bullshit, or who wants to use you to get ahead.

Now I might hang out in the tent with some progressives, but please believe that I will be keeping an eye on their asses too. Because at the end of the day, if your convictions are driven by your politics and not your condition---such as your race-- then I have no fucking use for you, because you can get up in the morning and switch parties. My black ass, on the other hand, can't get up tomorrow and suddenly decide that I am going to be a white man. (Well, unless I am Michael Jackson) So for better or for worse, I am going to stick this black thing out, and I am going to do everything in my powers to make sure I have all the same rights that you do; and, that I am treated equally under the law, even by motherfuckers who hate me.

Where is Steve when you need him?

" Here are 146 blog posts on dailykos on the Jena Six. I just did a google blog search and found 25000 blog posts on the issue. I've written about it several times. I wrote about it yesterday in fact, mentioning the fact that I was otherwise occupied because the Senate condemned Moveon and we also lost 6 votes on Iraq, habeas, etc. But thanks for the 'white progressive blogosphere' insult, it's appreciated."


These are the times when left wing bloggers really miss what used to be their only ingress into the black community, Steve Gillard. (May his soul rest in peace) My man had a way of telling our side of the story to them which didn't make them uncomfortable. Left wing bloggers lament Steves' passing every time something like this comes up. "Gee I wish Steve was here, he would really tell us what's going on. You know, I never even knew Steve was black until I heard him mention his mother's fried chicken one day.." Sorry, I don't have that particular... ah, skill.


The above quotes was from a guy named Matt Stoller-- who I think is an "A" list blogger-- which he posted as comments over at Jill Tubman's fine and informative blog.


Now I have to tell you, this guy must think that we are all really fucking stupid. Kos, a user driven blog, gets what, a half a million hits a day? And this guy writes a comment and tells us about "140 "posts he found on Kos about Jena. Huh? And I am sure they are posting on the shit now trying to make up for lost time, but too late, I am talking about posts before Thursday's march.


You are fucking kidding me right? You were preoccupied because the "Senate condemned Moveon" ? Gee, God forbid we miss that vote about Moveon and the General Betray-us ad. Sorry folks, I am not in the mood for this kind of bullshit tonight. Not when after all the marching, and the speeches, and the outcry from decent people of conscience; in a move of unbelievable defiance, a Judge down in the "boot" denied bail to Mychal Bell. Yeah, he was a real flight risk that Bell fella. Not to mention, a racist web site, according to CNN, is publishing the addresses of these six boys involved with this case, and the authorities in Louisiana say that they can't offer them any protection because the state cant afford it. Then there was the motherfucker driving around Alexandria, Louisiana with two nooses hanging from his pick up truck (Pic above) to intimidate peaceful protesters. Notice I said peaceful protesters.


And I know some of you don't like me engaging with these ignorant ass motherfuckers on the left. (Max Julian comes to mind) But sorry, as far as I am concerned, they are no different than the mother fucking authorities in Louisiana and the people who perpetuated this kind of ignorance and double standard in the first place. They might not have committed the actual acts; but sadly, they are co- conspirators, and enablers, who will ignore the festering sore of race until it's too late. And then, the ugly pus that has been hiding just beneath the surface, will ooze to the top and explode on all of us in A-merry-ca.

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

With friends like these....

By all accounts the March on Jena, Louisiana today was a huge success. And quite honestly, it could have started a whole new era for the civil rights movement in this country. I felt proud of my peeps and their activism today, and it gave me serious hope for the future. It was amazing to see all the people of color here in Philly, coming together for a common cause, and showing solidarity by dressing in black. And one only has to read the comments section of my last post, to see that that spirit was not only here in Philly, but it was nationwide as well.

That was the good. So now let me tell you about the not so good. It would seem that our so called progressive friends in the "blogosphere" have been strangely silent about Jena. Yes folks, once again, our so called friends on the left, have shown that they only care about our causes when it suits them and their agendas.

Shame on you Kos, MyDD, Huf Post,and all the usual suspects. You guys had a chance to step up to the plate and show us that you are our friends and you came up small. I expect this kind of treatment from the folks on the right, not you guys. Look, I blog about the war constantly, because it's fucked up, and young Americans are losing their lives to make some fucking oil companies rich. So I understand your issues with the war, and the fact that you have to blog about it. But would it kill you to show some passion and blog about social injustice and domestic terrorism in our own fucking country? Would it kill you guys to get a fucking clue and not be so far behind the eight ball? Folks, when the gang at CNN are ahead of Markos and company on Jena, we have a problem. The entire orange crush crew ought to be ashamed of themselves.

But honestly, I don't even know why I bother. I am feeling like a hypocrite for telling people like Francis Holland to leave the progressives alone, when I am doing the same thing by even tripping about this. I don't know, I guess I was just hoping....aah fuck it.

Yep, this was almost a perfect day, until I read this wonderful post, from a blogger with a coffee avatar, and realized that even perfect can be a relative term.

I'm out.

My heart is in Jena

Sometimes you are a part of something big and you don't eve realize it. The Jena 6 case comes to mind. Thanks to the Afrospear movement and other bloggers of color out there, I have known about the Jena 6 case for months now. It seemed almost surreal to watch it grow and take on a life of it's own. A newspaper story here, a local news clip there, little by little the country started to take notice, and now....

For those of us black activist who use the web as a tool for change, we have been e-mailing each other, blogging about Jena,calling each other, and organizing on the web for months, about this travesty of justice down in Bayou country. Now, finally, the rest of America has caught on. This is now national news, and the Jena 6 has springboarded into our national conscience. It also reinforces my belief that the Internet and the world wide web can also be used as a tremendous tool for activism and organizing for social change.

Today is the culmination of all the work that everyone that rallied around this case has done. There will be a huge rally in Jena today in support of those six men, and from all indications so far it is going to be massive. Countless buses have already left my area, loaded with activist and people who want a change, and who are all just sick and tired of being tired. African American College students have mobilized and united around this cause, and activism seems to have taken the place of apathy.

It would also be a shame if I didn't mention one newspaper reporter, Howard Witt, from the Chicago Tribune, who was on top of this story from day one, and who was the first in the main stream media to bring attention to Jena. Yes, long before Jessie, Al, and all the usual civil rights camera hounds, Mr. Witt was on this shit like Skippy on Wonder Bread.

So off to work I go. I wish I could be in Jena, but sadly, I guess I am not such a field Negro after all. The plantation work needs to be done, and massa is calling. If I were a real field Negro, I would have told massa to kiss my ass, flew down to Baton Rouge, rented a car, and headed up to Jena. But that's alright, I will get my protest in somehow.

I am wearing black today. It took awhile, but I pulled it off. Black suit,dark gray shirt, and black silk tie. I look like Regis from those old "Who wants to be a millionaire days". But hey, I had to do my part. I am also going to be heading off to a protest this morning out in Westchester, Pennsylvania, because I just had to be a part of this incredible day somehow.

Let's keep those marchers down in Louisiana in our hearts, and let's walk with them---at least in spirit---every step of the way.

Peace.

Sports is a BITCH these days.

"Shawn Laidlaw Says: September 18th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
When black athletes or black people in general fail at anything then the race card comes out. It seems nowdays that anytime they face any kind of adversity they cry that white america is keeping them down. This is why they will always get scrutinized. Some day they will realize that your accountable for your own success or failure in life. No one gives you anything easy, no matter what color you are. It’s also tough to have symapthy for black athletes who make 10 million a year and can’t stop getting arrested. Who’s fault is that?" ~~Lifted from the "Morning Buzz" blog.~~

Ahhh the delicate little problem that is race in America. It used to be that the one place we could get away from all this racial talk was on the athletic field. But now, I am not so sure. Vick,O.J., Bonds, NFL players behaving badly, and even "5" calling out the fans in Philly and American sports fans in general, for viewing African American QB's a little differently than the more melanin challenged ones in their fraternity. The racial hits just keep coming in even the sports world now. Geez, what is America to do? If we can't use sports to escape our real issues---like this damn war for instance---where else are we going to turn? I mean, after all, we can only look at Paris Hilton's narrow behind for so long.

And did I mention Isiah? Yes, it seems "Zeke" (His nickname from his playing days) was sued recently by an African American sister for creating a hostile working environment for her. The sister alleges in her complaint, that Thomas constantly referred to her in private as a bitch and a hoe. Now as a result, she is seeking serious damages from the Knick executive, and his organization. If Thomas was ignorant and insensitive enough to do what this woman is alleging, well, then, I hope the sister breaks the bank. If he didn't....(I am thinking of a Kanye West song here) Apparently allot of nasty things have already came out in this trial, (I am hereby revoking Stephan Marbury's field Negro status for his little ep, in his Jeep with that intern) and I suspect there will be more to come. I saw clips of Isiah's deposition today, and his statements about white men calling African American bitches, as opposed to black men using the "B" word was rather...how do I say this kindly? Strange. I mean, on some levels I understand what he was saying, I am sure on just a gut level it would piss me off more if I saw or heard a white man call one of my sisters a bitch. (Too much history and pain there, so I know it would affect me) Now fortunately for me, and the person who would have said it, I have never witnessed such a thing, and I doubt it many real brothers have. ( You don't think there were any real brothers around in Durham that night do you?) But I have to take issue with Isiah for seeming to imply that it's cool for "us" to call our women bitches. By saying there is a different standard, he seems to be implying that some "bitch" calling is better than others. It's not.

But this has already become an issue in the white blogosphere, and with the usual suspects like FAKE NEWS. "Why is there a different standard for calling a woman a bitch? I swear these arrogant athletes, not only are they racist, but they are sexist as well."

I know one thing, I hope O.J. won't think all the people converging on Jena , Louisiana Thursday will be there to protest his latest arrest. Unfortunately, knowing O.J., he probably will.

The Shunning

So what are you doing on September 27, 2007, at around 9:00 PM? Well, if you are a republican candidate, running for president of these (not so) United States, I know what you won't be doing; you won't be hanging out at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Mmmmmm, I wonder why? Could it be because this is the black folks debate hosted by that uppity Negro, Tavis Smiley, at a predominantly black University ? Gee, let me see now.....yeah, I am going to take a wild guess and speculate on this one. I am going to say that not one of the leading republican candidates would want to jeopardize his red state vote by showing up at the "live at the Apollo" debates. You see it's like this, unfortunately for Tavis, they have their own little covenant too. But unlike his, their covenant is with their white conservative base, and there is no way in hell that they are going to participate in a debate that his black behind moderates.

But if you hear my man, the potential moderator, Tavis Smiley tell it, the debate will go on. This, in spite of the fact that the republican candidates are treating him like the Dixie Chicks at a FOX NEWS picnic. So all four of the leading candidates bailed out on you huh Tavis. Hey, don't feel bad, they did it to my Hispanic brothers and sisters too. But unlike you, my Hispanic bothers and sisters told them to go and fuck themselves, and canceled their debates. But what did you expect Tavis, that the leading republican candidates for president would actually debate each other with you as host? And, at a HBC (That's historically black college for my readers who aren't in the know) no less. Come on Tavis, don't tell me you are one of these people in America that really believes that republicans care about your vote? Don't tell me you actually believe that shit? You must have lots of black republican friends; that could be the only explanation for your naivity.

"There is a pattern here. When you tell every black and brown request that you get throughout the primary process that 'no, there's a scheduling problem. That's a pattern... Are we really supposed to believe that all four of these guys couldn't make it because of scheduling?" No Tavis, you are not. And quite frankly, they don't give a damn what you think. They are republican candidates for president trying to get out of a republican primary. They won't find their Kumbaya moment until the general election rolls around. That is when they will have to convince the rest of the country that they are kind, compassionate republicans; the kind of republicans who takes pictures with little black children, and who loves to quote MLK.

"I told them I thought they were making a grave mistake and I thought they should reconsider" Yeah right Tavis, just don't hold your breath.

They have your black ass now!

It's a wonderful fall day here on the east coast, and I am trying to relax and enjoy my Sunday routine of watching some football, kicking back with some cold ones, and talking shit to my buddies from other cities on the phone.

So then, like a bad breakup coming back to haunt me, here it comes; Mr. house Negro, and acquitted wife killer himself, O.J. Simpson, who is all over the freaking news. (Yes I like to channel hop). On FAKE NEWS they are having multiple orgasms, and trotting out the usual suspects, like, I never used the "N" word Fuhrman, to tell us all about it. And to be fair, CNN is wall to wall with this shit too. If you are a white person in America, who had to sit through that day when those Howard Law Students were cheering their asses off, this is your revenge. Dumb J has given you another bite of his black ass, and I am sure you are going to make sure that "justice is served" this time. The shit pisses me off on a bunch of levels. Not the least of which is that I am going to have to listen to all these over night lawyers and legal experts for the next few weeks talk about this shit. "So field what do you think about the O.J. case?" That's all I will be hearing at work and at every turn from now on until this latest O.J. nightmare is over.

Now for the record, I despise O.J., I think he is a despicable human being who did get away with murder, and who sold out his fellow athletes during the 1968 Mexico City games to be accepted into "Charlies" house. And in the house he sat for many years, until he fucked around and killed "Charlies" woman who was on loan to him.

But I hate racism as much as I hate O.J., and I think O.J. played right into the hands of every racist in America who hates his black ass, not because he got away with murder, but because he is a black man who got away with murdering a white woman. Not to mention, he was acquitted by a literal jury of his peers. Mostly black people who used his trial to get back at whitey for all the injustices we as black folks suffered at the hands of whitey's legal system.

So what does dumb J do, he goes to Vegas and bum rushes some guy who was trying to sell his sports memorabilia.---including the suit he wore the day he was acquitted for killing his wife---It seems O.J. tricked his way into the room, and brought, as FAKE NEWS described it, some "black guys" with him. And of course, you know, the black guys were packing. Yep, a bunch of packing "black guys" breaking into a room with O.J., is guaranteed to get you major headlines, not to mention an arrest, every time in America. So now that they have the house Negro in custody again, what are the chances he beats these charges? The Vegas police must feel like they hit the jackpot! "That nigger killed one of our women, and was running around, playing golf, and grinning like he owned the fucking world. Well, we have his black ass now." Yes O.J. they have you now, and this time, don't expect your people to come to your defense like they did the last time. This time, you are all on your fucking own.

If I want it I will ask.

I was going to post a long essay about religion, but I changed my mind. Primarily, because I am not religious, and it was going to be more of a rant than anything else. And, because, I realized, that I can be too hard on organized religion and the people that follow them at times. There are some really good people of faith out here---some of them comment on this site---who are really doing the work that it takes to get them to heaven which quite often benefits those of us here on earth.

But some things about religious people really do bother me, like when they try to proselytize all the time. I hate that. You know what I like about the Jewish faith? They don't proselytize. If you don't want to convert to Judaism, that's on you. No one is begging you to join. That is why I get along so well with my Jewish colleagues. We can hang out and talk shit, and nary a word about Jesus or salvation is ever spoken. (This particular post is timely now, because we are in the midst of Rosh Hashana, so Jewish friend, if you are reading this, Shana Tova.) So anyway, I thought about that yesterday when I was running to the train. (Yeah I know I have to do a better job at time management. Maybe it's because I spend all my free time on this damn computer) and there were these two very nice ladies blocking my path to the escalator like they play defensive line for the Eagles or some shit. "Good morning sir, may I offer you this to read?" No mam, thanks, I am running a little late, maybe tomorrow." "But tomorrow is Saturday, will you be going to work on Saturday? I just want you to take a minute to read this." It's a "Watchtower Magazine. Now I don't want to knock the Jehovah's Witness. I am sure it's a wonderful group and they do some good things. They have some beliefs I like--like the fact that the believe in salvation by works and not faith---and some things I don't like---like only 144,000 of the chosen ones can go to heaven, and they don't donate their organs after they check out. But overall, they are cool with me. (Hell Lark is a JW if I am not mistaken) But they are honestly barking up the wrong tree when they try to proselytize to me. My Daddy was a big time preacher and I was born and raised in the church. Had worship every night at home, Sabbath school, bible studies, the whole nine. So I really don't think there was anything these two sweet well meaning ladies could have told me about Jesus and his love for me that I didn't already know. Bottom line, I had to do like Donovan McNabb; damn near push them out of my way, dip around them, and ultimately left them talking to my back.

Now I am sitting on the train and wondering why well meaning people would even put themselves through that. I actually felt bad about having to diss the church twins. But then I thought about it, and I realized that they probably get dissed all the time.

But they sure were committed. I sure hope they have that kind of commitment and passion for their communities and their race. Promoting a cause they believe in, that's basically all they were doing. Their cause just happened to be tied to a particular belief system. In a way, that's all I am doing here too, proselytizing and pushing a belief system. Just a hard working "field Negro" who wants to uplift his race and his people's condition around the world.

Maybe I am not that different from my two Jehovah's Witness friends.

***On a side note. I have been getting some e-mails from people who are offended when I curse in my posts. Some of them, to the point, where they won't be back to my site, because cursing, in a any forum, offends them. To those people I say; it's not called the world wide web for nothing. There are lots of other sites out there that would more than welcome you, and where I am sure you will find no cursing.

But to those of you who stick around, let me explain my philosophy when it comes to the use of inappropriate language. (If there is such a thing) When a subject pisses me off, I curse. My previous post about dead beats is a classic example. I was pissed, and so I cursed quite often throughout the post. Sorry, I write how I feel. As people like "wo0zie" will tell you, I am no writer. I am just a brother who pounds the keyboard on my computer when my spirit so moves me, and when I see crap going down around me that I have to speak out about. Period. Sometimes I don't curse in my posts, because I have had time to calm down, and my language can reflect my mood. Sometimes I think a curse word would be appropriate, but I am not angry enough when I get around to writing, and as a result, I will write something like this: f**k. That is a compromise curse. It belongs there, but I am not angry enough to write out the full word. Got that?

You will also notice that I try not to curse in my comments section, because, unlike posts, I am more or less speaking to individuals one on one. I am not writing to everyone in general, but responding to an individuals comment. Cursing under those conditions would be like swearing at someone who came into my home, and that would be rude.

What's love worth?

Nothing gets my blood boiling more than hearing a parent tell me how much shit they do for their child. Especially when it's shit they should be doing in the first place. "I am no dead beat, I take my son to get his hair cut every month". Or, "I take care of my kids, I pay my support on time" So...do you want a fucking award or some shit? Isn't that what you are supposed to do for your own flesh and blood?

I mean, come on folks, let's keep it 100%. Without getting into too much detail, let's just say that I am in a unique position to hear this shit on a regular basis. The non-custodian parents making excuses for their absence, by inflating their involvement with their child's life. That, my friends, is the easiest way to get on my bad side. And I guarantee you that it will make for a very long fucking day for your ass if you happen to be at a certain address on 11th Street in Philadelphia.

And it's not just male non custodian parents, it's the females as well. (Yes, sadly, at least 10% of our non-custodian parents in Philly are female) " I had to carry his little ass for nine months, while his daddy was out fucking around." OK, five stars for Mommy. So after you fucked up your life, and Daddy had to step in and get custody of your child, don't you think you should contribute financially and emotionally to the child's welfare?

What got me thinking about all of this, was a couple of news items I saw this week: It seems that up in New York, Mayor Bloomberg has a pilot program to reward families for doing what they should have been doing in the first place. Complete two dental visits for the year, that's $100. Your child attends 95 percent of scheduled classes, that's $50 every two months. Your child passes a state exam, $300. Your child gets a library card, $50 in your pocket. Attend PTA meetings, $20. Huh? Look, I understand that we want to help families, and we are trying to do whatever it takes to motivate people into good parenting. But I am sorry, if it takes paying your ass to do the right thing with your child, well then you have a fucking problem.

Maybe, just maybe, that money should be used to prevent some families from having children in the first fucking place. Then there was the program right here in Philly at the start of the school year.(Which probably led to this idea) We made a big fucking deal about 10,000 (at least that was the goal) men walking their kids to school on opening day. Why? Why should this even be cause for celebration? Something that should be happening every fucking day. "Oh field, easy for you to say, you don't have any kids, you don't know how hard it is to raise kids these days." Yeah, you are right, that's why I don't have any. "But field, my baby mamma just uses our child as a tool to start shit with me and my new girl. I would rather just pay my support through the courts and not have to deal with the drama. " That's bullshit! Why don't you spend less time with your new girlfriend and more with your kid? Take some of those ends you were going to spend on her, and go out and buy your kid some shit; like a library card for instance.

I can't believe some of the ways we try to socially engineer shit. Why couldn't Mayor Bloomberg put that money aside for college tuition for children who could not afford to go to college? That would have been putting that money to good use. Not the shit they are doing now.

Can you imagine? Getting paid for shit you should be doing? Well I am up now, I am going to take a shower, that's $25. I am going to eat breakfast, that's $50. I am going to get ready and go to work, that's $100.......give me a fucking break!

I have to leave the bandwagon: But I could be back.

I got an e-mail from a friend of mine from D.C. today. The guy has never been politically active, but he was asking me to join him on the Obama team, and sign up as a volunteer with the campaign. I still haven't responded to fam, and I probably won't until after the 2008 elections.

Sorry, but with all due respect to Oprah, I am just not feeling Obama. Lord knows I have tried, and given the choice of candidates, I really wanted to support the guy. But....I have to keep it real with you, I just can't get up for him. It's kind of analogous to this: You have a really hot cousin, and you could really get with her on a physical tip. But one day you are both alone, and just when the sparks start to fly, you remember that she is your cousin, and... well, "Mr. Johnson" won't stand at attention if you get my drift. Obama is that hot cousin; nice to look at and says and seemingly does all the right things, but.....I just feel like "weeping for brunhilde,"who says she gets the practical pragmatic Obama, but not the passionate idealistic one. That's me right now, the brother is just not moving me, he is not making my Johnson stand up.

Maybe it's because I know in my heart that he can never win. Maybe if he really had a shot I would be more passionate about him, but you and I both know that he can't win, and that's why that part of my brain keeps saying don't waste your time with this guy. Not in 2008. Maybe in 2024, but not 2008, America just ain't ready for such a historic event yet. A woman Prez is a bit more acceptable now. "But field you are such a flip flopper, weren't you on board with Obama at one point?" Yep, and right about now I am jumping right off the good ship"O". Hey, I could change my mind three or four more times before I actually cast my vote, so don't trip.

I think at the end of the day, I might just end up supporting the ice Queen. After all, what's that saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Lord knows my enemies hate Hillary. Hell that's reason enough to vote for her from where I sit. I would do it just to piss off all those whacked out Hillary and Bill haters out there. Four more years of another Clinton. Yep, I can live with that. After eight years of the frat boy, I can damn near live with anything.

Higher Learning?

One reason I love blogging is because of all the wonderful e-mails I get from people all over the country. People send me stories all the time about shit that I still can't believe goes on.

I recently got the following story from an e-mailer named Aaisha. ( I promised I wouldn't reveal her full name) The shit happened months ago, but I just had to post this story.

I mean it's HAAAVARD for crying out loud! This is where we cultivate our brightest and our best to go out into the world and represent. (Although I am reading a very wonderful book now that says otherwise) If these brilliant and enlightened students have a fear of a potential brown planet; just what the hell do you think "Joe six pack" in Huntsville, Alabama will be thinking? Here is a hint; it ain't let's hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

So here is the paste job:

"Last weekend, on the bucolic Quad at Harvard University—typically, the site of a casual game of Ultimate, or perhaps an afternoon reading of some Shakespearean sonnets before English class—an unusual and, to some, frightening scene was played out. There were people throwing things! And running! And jumping! And most scary of all, every single one of them was black. So the Harvard students watching from their dormitory windows, growing increasingly agitated at the sights below, did what any normal, white Harvard student would do when they saw a large, seemingly unruly group of black people: They called the cops!
Except, well, oops—turns out it was just the Harvard Black Men's Forum and Association of Black Harvard Women:

As members of the groups played games of dodgeball and capture-the-flag in the Quad as part of the annual "BMF-ABHW Challenge," Cabot House residents fired off a string of impassioned e-mails questioning students' presence on the public lawn—and whether they were students at all. Eventually, the Harvard University Police Department was called about the commotion, and officers asked the students to "keep the noise down," according to police spokesman Steven G. Catalano. Perhaps croquet would have been more appropriate? "

I swear, we can't put those rowdy and loud black people anywhere. You would think that since they all are at Harvard they would know better and would at least try to avoid getting their asses Rodney Kinged. They all better watch it; I bet those night sticks hurt just as much in Cambridge as they do in L.A.

The Political Soldiers.

I swear I was going to try and hold off on posting about this damn war in Iraq for awhile. But sometimes, as a blogger, you just can't ignore the news. And the news of the day centers around the good general and his testimony before congress about the frat boy's war in Iraq.

Now when I say good, I am being sarcastic of course, because there is nothing good about the frat boy's latest military lackey being trotted out to hoodwink the American people. I am sorry, the weak and gutless national media is all over MoveOn.org for their ad. where they called the good general, "Betray us", for no reason, because he deserves that label. Let me put it you like this; the good general is a political animal, who gave a speech to congress today, just like the White House scripted it. I don't know about you, but when a military general who has already lost over 3,700 of his men, whose job it is to protect said men, totally mischaracterize the nature of a military engagement, he is certainly betraying somebody. If not us---the American people---then certainly his men.

"I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the congress."

Yeah right! And I have never wondered what Lark Voorhies looks like in her birthday suit.

Folks, it's like this: General Petraeus, like Colin Powell, was presented to us by the Bush White House to hoodwink us. Colin's big moment, and ultimate lie, was played out during the run up to the Iraq war, when he sat in front of the United Nations, and with a straight face, told the world that the mustache man of Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction. He is still trying to clear his name after that one. And sadly, he will spend the rest of what was a once promising life, trying to explain just what the fuck he was smoking that day. Like William Westmoreland did for Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam war, Powell and Petraeus keep doing the frat boy's bidding by telling the American people that there is a "light at the end of the tunnel". Or, in Powell's case, lets go into the tunnel to see if we can see some light.

But I have to give it to the frat boy and his brain. They had to know that not one sane American would believe their bull shit. So instead, they trot out two politically savvy, and media conscious career soldiers, with all kinds of medals on their chests, and stars on their shoulders. They know that Americans are suckers for a nice crisp uniform, and an aura of authority. And as one blogger I read wrote recently;"they use these central casting generals to give an illusion of objectivity."

Of course we know now that nothing could be farther from the truth. These two clowns are as loyal to their political masters as any other flunky in the White House, in spite of what the rethuglicans, and some dim-ocrats try to tell us. How could Petraeus, for instance, be objective when he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post six weeks before the 2004 presidential elections? In that piece, he claimed that there had been "tangible progress" in Iraq, and the "momentum had gathered". Yep, I think "betray us" was an accurate name for the good general. And don't even get me started on milk carton Colin, cause dude has some issues.

Please America, do not go for the "flim flam". You heard the good general today judge for yourself. He said there will be 30,000 troops withdrawn by March of 2008, there is ongoing progress in Anbar province, some of the benchmarks are being met... and on and on. Think about it. All the good general was doing today, was giving cover for moderate rehug-licans, and rethug-lican presidential candidates this next election. By promising some modest withdrawals, he allows the polittircksters to go to the people and say;"see folks the boys will be coming home one day soon." That's what a slick ass general with a doctorate degree from Princeton does. (Sorry Chris) He does his bosses bidding, all the while seeming objective, and getting credibility with the public at large. In other words, like Colin before him, he straddles the fence, and gives an illusion of being honorable and above partisan politics.

"I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge levels...by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve"

And I believe you are full of shit general "Betray us".

Am I a sexist insensitive caveman ?

Lately, a couple of female commentors on this site have accused me of being insensitive, and even worse, sexist. One former regular--I think her name is kitty---said she was taking a hiatus from the fields, because she found my elephant donkey pic to be offensive and sexist.

Now I have to be honest, as someone who considers himself pretty forward thinking and tolerant, these accusations have thrown me off a little bit. I mean, part of the reason I blog is to inform and expose. And I can't sit here and blog on my high horse if I am guilty of the things I accuse other people of doing.

I have actually posted my own version of a racism quiz here before, because I think this type of exercise can be important. So in order to find out if I was actually too insensitive to the opposite sex, I took the quiz I posted below, which I happened to jack from Xy online. I think you should take it too---even if you are a woman---because although it might not be 100% accurate, I think it will give you an idea of how much work you need---or don't need---in this area.

Hey, it's football season, guys, this is the perfect time to see where we stack up. I will tell you my score later ;)

1. Your boss puts up a Playboy centrefold at work. You
a) blush and ignore it.
b) graffiti it or pull it down.
c) find the afternoons aren't as boring as they used to be.
d) put up a male pin-up.
2. How many erogenous zones are there on a man's body?
a) None.
b) One.
c) Eight.
d) An infinite number.
e) She decides.
3. Using condoms is
a) the greatest gift a man can give.
b) a last resort.
c) blocking the natural flow.
d) like having a shower in a raincoat.
e) not a problem.
4. You're having a drink with a friend and he starts talking about problems with his wife or girlfriend. You
a) tell him to get a grip on himself.
b) buy him another beer.
c) buy him another beer.
d) tell him "your shout."
e) feel much better about the fact that you've been sleeping with him.
5. Safe sex is
a) doing it in a Volvo wearing a seat-belt.
b) the only sex.
c) keeping your juices to yourself.
d) when she's on the Pill.
6. It's the middle of the night and the baby is crying. Do you
a) snore extra-loudly?
b) toss for it?
c) get up? She carried the kid for 9 months, it's the least I can do.
d) wake your partner up to tell her?
7. When a woman says "no" she means
a) you're on the right track, try harder.
b) no.
c) whatever she means, she said no.
d) she's a lesbian.
e) I'm oppressing her.
8. You find out one of your work-mates is gay. You
a) welcome him with open arms.
b) start wearing rubber gloves.
c) look to him for total guidance.
d) tell everyone.
e) sweat every time he smiles at you.
9. How would you describe your penis?
a) It's kinda cute.
b) My love-pump.
c) Inevitably oppressive.
d) Fun.
10. You hit your thumb with a hammer. You
a) break the hammer.
b) whistle 'Que Sera Sera' as you nonchalantly hammer in the next nail.
c) give up.
d) run crying to the nearest woman.
11. The vacuuming?
a) What vacuuming? The house looks fine to me.
b) is penance for the patriarchy.
c) just seems to happen.
d) is a sort of meditation.
12. You're accused of sexism. How do you respond?
a) Apologise. Keep apologising. Get on your knees.
b) Slap her.
c) Listen, give it some thought.
13. The film "Deep Throat" is
a) a manifesto for rape and exploitation.
b) in the top ten.
c) a dentist's training video.
d) the sequel to "Jaws".
14. A male friend hugs you. You
a) hug him back, bury your face in his shoulder and groan softly.
b) pat him on the back and get it over with.
c) flatten him.
d) assume he wants sex.
15. Women's periods are
a) sweeter than wine.
b) artistic styles, like Picasso's "blue" period.
c) disgusting.
d) like red rags to a bull.
e) not a problem at all.

Scoring
To find out how sensitive you are, circle your answer for each question, add up your score and match it with the descriptions.
1. a. 5, b. 4, c. 0, d. 4
2. a. 0, b. 1, c. 4, d. 4, e. 10
3. a. 6, b. 0, c. 2, d. 3, e. 5
4. a. 1, b. 0, c. 0, d. 0, e. 3
5. a. 0, b. 4, c. 3, d. 1
6. a. 0, b. 3, c. 4, d. 1
7. a. 0, b. 4, b. 4, d. 0, e. 6
8. a. 5, b. -2, c. 8, d. 1, e. 2
9. a. 4, b. 0, c. 15, d. 4
10. a. 0, b. 4, c. 2, d. 6
11. a. 1, b. 5, c. 0, d. 3
12. a. 10, b. 0, c. 4
13. a. 4, b. -2, c. 1, d. 1
14. a. 4, b. 2, c. -1, d. 0
15. a. 6, b. 1, c. 0, d. 3, e. 4

How you rate
Score of 71 to 90
You are a highly sensitive man, ever vigilant to the possibility of displaying sexist behaviour or thinking. You've given priority to the women in your life, even to the point of dependency. In fact, you're too sensitive - you've assumed a burden of guilt and self-hatred. This prevents you from developing a confident and truly non-oppressive masculinity, as you continually seek pity and forgiveness. It's time to break out of this cycle. You have real strengths, such as your ability to empathise and listen, but these must be combined with assertiveness and self-esteem.
Score of 15 to 69
You have managed to combine a healthy and pro-feminist sensitivity with self-esteem and autonomy. You've come to terms with basic issues of sexuality, and show awareness and tact. You sometimes make mistakes, but you can handle this and you learn in the process.
Score of -5 to 14
This can't be said nicely. You're a patriarchal bastard. You don't understand women, and you don't particularly care. You have less listening skills than a brick. You think gay men are punching bags. You're probably insecure and hostile. There is positive potential in your rough-edged strength, but the value of this is thwarted by your insensitivity.

Mr. Jefferson, you have some company.

"Today we witnessed another example of the disease that affects the state of New Jersey; the disease of public corruption that spread like wildfire from south to north,"

I will take it a step further Mr. Attorney General. Today we witnessed another example of African American elected leaders, violating the public trust, and letting down their race.

But my question to black folks would be this: Why do we keep electing these people? Where do they come from? Didn't they display the characteristics to be sleaze bags before we elected them?

Folks, meet Mimms Hacket, Jr., Albert Steele,Keith Reid, Marcellus Jackson, and James Pressley. Just five of the eleven public officials in the great state of New Jersey, arrested today by the FBI for public corruption. It seems these scum bags violated our trust and sold their offices for $1,500 to $17.500. It wasn't hard to set them up either. The feds had them all secretly recorded and on hidden camera. And, of course, they did the perp walk. Handcuffs, shackles, the whole nine. Just what "Charlie" wanted. These idiots accepted payments from companies that offered insurance, and roofing services to cities and school districts. Boy they know how to get us don't they. Just show us the money and we will bite. And before you give me the; field the white man does it too speech, save it. I really don't give a damn what the white politicians do. It's the black ones that bother me because of their unique charge. The people that voted them into office expect more from them because of the struggles we have had to face throughout this countries history just to get them in that position. And, not to mention, to be able to get the right to vote to put them there. Mr. Steele was a Baptist minister in Patterson New Jersey (I wonder if he was here this weekend?) and he of all people should have known better. But I guess he needed the $14,000 he took for a new wardrobe. Then there is Mr. Hackett, who is the Mayor of Orange New Jersey no less. He sold out his office for a measly $5,000. You would think as Mayor he would have at least aimed a little higher. But noooo, when you are greedy you will just take it where you can get it.

I can't say enough how I despise these people. By their despicable acts they embarrass their race, their communities, and their families. And that is as low as it gets from where I sit. It just doesn't get any worse than that. Now I have to watch these reverse Robin Hoods paraded over and over again on FAKE NEWS and CNN for all the country to see. "See America, that's why we can't give the black man shit, or trust him with any authority. He is too greedy and dumb to hold a position of power or influence."

Sometimes I have to wonder if there is not a direct correlation between this kind of incompetence and the fucked up state of some of our communities. I mean how can you be out crafting proper legislation and displaying proper leadership, when you are out trying to make a quick buck my any means necessary?

I know one thing, the next time I have to vote for somebody, I am going to take a long hard look at him or her. Just looking like me ain't gonna cut it. I am voting for the best man or woman for the job. This way, when the do the old perp walk, I won't have to feel like I am doing it with them.