Raid on a flotilla.

As some of you might or might not know, I am a big defender of the Jewish people. Usually my biggest fights with my ideological soul-mates are over issues having to do with the Jewish Palestinian conflict, and Israel's right to exist in the Middle East. No need rehashing that fight tonight. My position on the matter is pretty clear.

Still, tonight we have to revisit that subject, because Israel is once again in the news. Chalk it up to a raid on an alleged humanitarian boat taking supplies to Gaza. Quite a few activist were killed, (I am hearing anywhere from 7-16) and since most of them were Turkish, the Turkish government, along with the rest if the International community, is pissed. The Turkish Ambassador is calling it a very sad day and as is usually the case when Israel is involved with these types of incidents, the usual suspects are all coming to the fore.

They are burning Israeli flags in Istanbul and Athens, the UN has called for an investigation, and the Israeli PM canceled a trip to meet his O ness because of the crisis. They are calling the people who lost their lives pro-Palestinian peace activist and they allege that Israeli commandos stormed their boat and slaughtered them.

"So field, are you going to come out and condemn your beloved Israel now?" Come on field, it's clearly an act of aggression on their part which caused these poor people to lose their lives. The Turkish aid group involved released a video, field, why don't you look at it?"

Yes, I am sorry for the people who lost their lives. But unlike the folks who have been e-mailing me and commenting on this subject, I don't know all of the facts. I do know that the Israeli government has denied that this is how things went down, and they have pointed to the very same video in the link above as proof of their position.

And, for the record, if we are going to keep it real with each other; let's talk about Turkey for a minute: What's with all the outrage when they have a Kurdish population in their own damn country who have been at the shitty end of some serious human rights abuses? "People in glass houses." I mean if we are going to keep it real.

Look, I am no fan of Benjamin Netanyahu. As far as I am concerned he represents within Israel what right wingers represent in this country, and I think that there is a dangerous escalation taking place in the Middle East right now. (Poor Obama) With Netanyahu in charge there is no telling where that region is heading. So I have some concerns.

But I will end this post where I started: I don't know all the facts, so I will take a wait and see attitude before I jump all in. Unlike some folks who I just know can't wait too tell me about the evil Israelis.

Stress!!

I see that there is a new poll out showing that folks are stressed out here in A-merry-ca. Maybe not as stressed as this guy. (WTF?) But stressed nevertheless. Nooo, not A-merry-ca. I thought everyone was happy here in A-merry-ca. Oh well, it just goes to show you what two active wars, money worries at home and abroad, and a Gulf full of jheri curl juice will do to you. Folks are worried about their jobs; worried about their homes; and worried about their debts:

"Cynthia Bryant, 73, feels stress from her bills - much of that heartburn related to medical expenses. ..."I need a different car. I can't afford it. I have to watch every penny that comes in," says Bryant, who worked as a purchasing agent for a computer company before she retired. Bryant, who lives in a Denver suburb, gets by on a fixed-income that hasn't budged, although her expenses - rent, groceries and other basics- have risen. "

Wow, so much for the A-merry-can dream. But Cynthia, you are 73, why are you even worried about your bills? Tell the bill collector you will pay him whenever. What's he going to do, turn you over to the credit bureau? And if you are retired, you don't need a car; walk or take a bicycle. It might do wonders for your health.

I have this uncle who still lives in the western part of the island of Jamaica. -Way Out in the country. Of all my aunts and uncles he was the least successful education and money wise. Yet I swear he is the happiest, and I am taking bets that he will outlive all of his brothers and sisters. Why? Because he has zero stress in his life. He looks younger than all of his siblings as well. Whenever the family gets together they always comment on how good he looks. Go figure. They worked all their lives to achieve success in their various fields, they have all the outward trappings of success, and yet, when it's all said and done, they aren't as happy nor do they look as good as their brother who just took it easy, mon.

We could all learn a thing or two from people like my uncle. I know I did. I work in what is supposed to be an extremely stressful job in a very stressful city, and yet, I always try to keep things in perspective. You can't get too high. (Or stuff like this and this might happen to you) And you can't get too low, either. (Or you will do stuff like this to yourself.) Suicide rates are way up in A-merry-ca. I wonder why? Life is never as bad as it might seem, there is always a silver lining somewhere, you just have to find it. That sounded hokey, but it's true. Folks living in A-merry-ca and other "developed countries" need to just slow down and smell the cannab.....I mean coffee a little bit. We would all feel so much better about ourselves and our surroundings. And I know, I know, you Negroes in A-merry-ca are feeling particularly stressed out. Hell just getting up and walking through some neighbor-hood-s is stressful. The whole urban environment is tailor made for stress. But don't let it get to you, repeat after the Field: I will make it in A-merry-ca. I will make it in A-merry-ca. I have cable television, a cell phone, and Chrysler 300 parked outside with a full tank of gas, how bad can life be?

Finally, Happy Memorial Day and shout out to all the vets out there who put their butts on the line on a regular so that folks like me can get on a blog and talk shit to a few thousand of my closest friends on a daily basis. They are the only ones in A-merry-ca who should be stressed right now, and they are stressed so that you and I don't have to be. Let's not disappoint them.

Not all religions are created equal.

If they weren't the ones who blew up our buildings and killed our people in the "Big Apple" we probably wouldn't have a problem with one of them winning Ms. USA. But, it was one of them, so we do have a problem. Yup, these same folks want to build a place of worship close to that very spot. There is just so much tolerance a good A-merry-ca can take.

And, just to make sure that those of us who don't have problem see that we should, we are going to try and state our case right smack dab on the side of some city buses:

Motown has no use for the anti-Muslim ads plastered across the sides of buses in New York City.

Detroit's SMART bus system has rejected the button-pushing placards that read "Fatwa on your head? Is your community or family threatening you? Leaving Islam?" - and direct Muslims to a Web site urging them to leave the "falsity of Islam."
"It's a purely anti-Muslim hate issue," Dawud Walid of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told the Detroit News on Friday.

"The SMART bus company, or any bus company, should not be used to marginalize a minority group."

Defenders of the ads, dreamed up by Manhattan-based right wing blogger Pamela Geller and the New York-based Stop the Islamization of America, say it's a free speech issue and they have sued.

"Americans have a right to know the truth; Islam is a religion of intolerance and violence," said Michigan lawyer Richard Thompson, who filed the suit. [Article]

Yes, that's what you say Mr. Thompson; but are they alone? I am not so sure.

And finally, before I go back to watching my fly guys play soccer on ice with the boys from "The Chi." I have a couple of other things on my mind:

First, it's important to remember that it's not only conservatives and right wingnuts who struggle with prejudice and ignorance. Sometimes liberals have issues as well. The latest example is my man Bill Maher. (h/t Miranda) I usually agree with Bill on most things, but my man really needs to broaden his horizons a little bit. Bill, not all black folks like to pack gats. Lay off the MTV Raps a little bit. Wow! First Beck now this guy. This oil spill is really bringing out the worst in folks.

Second, speaking of oil spill; I see that BP's latest plan to plug the leak in the Gulf failed. Oh oh, it could be a long summer. Just remember these two words, O man: Stay engaged.

A new low....well, maybe not so new.

I see Glen Beck had a spring time version of Black History Month ,tonight. He lectured white A-mery-ca on his program about all the contributions black folks made to help our founding fathers start this great nation. Men such as James Armistead, Crispus Attuck, and Prince Whipple. Throw in Frederick Douglas, a couple of clowns masquerading as historians, (one black one white) an audience full of house Negroes, and Beck's black history bona fides were complete.

If only it was that easy. First, Beck has an ulterior motive: Sanitize the suffering of black folks during the early days of our republic by showing that they helped to build A-merry-ca and had an equal stake in it. Second, he was not telling us anything about our history that we didn't already know. (Those of us who actually read) It was a typical Beck public relations scam. Thankfully, most of us who actually have a brain aren't buying it.

Besides, I come to rip Beck with this post not to praise him.

Today on his radio program he reached a new low by mocking the president's daughter. This, after making it a point to call out folks for making fun of Sarah Palin's little rug rats.

I suppose to all of his wingnut supporters and others who are so inclined, it was funny.

But I am not laughing. And you shouldn't be either.

Anyway, since it's now open season on daughters, I guess we can talk about his daughter, Hannah, who tried to sell his drool on E-Bay. Yes, you read that right: she tried to sell his drool on E-Bay. Talk about funny. They could write an entire Saturday Night Live program around that one.

But, as is always the case with folks who wear political blinders; he is being defended by folks on the right. ( I am pretty sure there will be comments after this post from the usual suspects defending him as well.)

"First, the idea that Beck is being hypocritical over his “leave the families alone credo” is ridiculous. He isn’t mocking Malia, he’s mocking the president for using his daughter to score political points. In the interview with Sarah Palin, he plainly stated that everyone should leave their families out of the political debate, and other people should respect that. Well, Obama DID inject his daughter into the political debate, so I’m not seeing the hypocrisy here. If he were actually mocking Malia, maybe, but he’s not. He’s mocking Obama. "

Wow! Wingnut logic: He is not actually mocking Malia; he is mocking her father by mocking her. Okaaaaay......

BREAKING NEWS! Beck has issued a written apology.

"May 28, 2010 – 14:25 ET
In discussing how President Obama uses children to shield himself from criticism, I broke my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates. The children of public figures should be left on the sidelines. It was a stupid mistake and I apologize–and as a dad I should have known better.”

Yes, a dad whose daughter sells his drool on E-Bay no less. Sorry Glenn, judging from the DNA in that drool, I am guessing you couldn't "know better".

Losing their religion?

As if I don't have enough to be pissed off about tonight: Down in my homeland, thanks to the work of the politrickster in charge, an entire section of "concrete jungle" is at war with the po po, because he finally decided to extradite a drug Don he has been protecting.

Then there is yet another disaster in my favorite part of the country (this time man made) and now we learn that the agency charged with watching these greedy avaricious cretins were on the take all along.

And damn it, Arnold is in the hospital and could check out any day now. "What you talkin bout", field?

Yes, all of the above is pissing me off. And, to top it off, I have to still deal with ignorant Negroes here in A-merry-ca.

Like the two clowns I am about to talk about down in Florida. (I love teachers, but what is it with teachers lately?) Now some of you Negroes really need to get a grip. Massa really did a job on your heads when you were on the plantations with the whole religion thing, and it worked. It was necessary to keep you in line. Get ready for the after life and all the glory that comes with it, and you don't have to worry about the hell you are living here on earth. Just keep picking that cotton and singing those hymns and everything will be alright. But I digress. So back to these two Negroes.

It looks like they allegedly played exorcist with a colleague in front of a room full of students.

"Two Florida teachers have been suspended and could lose their jobs following an incident in which they sprinkled holy water on an atheist colleague. The Broward County school district is treating the case as "an act of bullying." Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson are accused of sprinkling holy water on fellow teacher Schandra Tompkinsel Rodriguez, who was discussing her disbelief in the Christian god with students.

The alleged incident took place during a "lively discussion" in Rodriguez's classroom, during which a student said the January 12 Haitian earthquake happened because of the island's Satanic pact made 200 years ago.

Rodriguez reportedly brought up points that refuted not only the "Satanic pact" theory but Christianity itself. At some point, Rainer and Robinson entered the room with a bottle of liquid.Several students witnessed the events and have come forward on behalf of Rodriguez, but Rainer and Robinson deny the accusation. The two were escorted out of their classrooms, in front of students, and told not to return to school grounds until the investigation is concluded." [Article]

Yes, the teachers have denied it, and I know we should give them the benefit of the doubt until all the facts come out. But.....well, it's my blog, and I am entitled to my opinion. So, just for tonight, I am following the old Napoleonic code, you are guilty until proven innocent. I don't know, maybe it's because the teabaggers have gotten involved with the case, but I am not feeling these two teachers. Sorry, they look like holy water throwers to me.

Ms. Ariemma's class.

Hold up folks, I just put on my Air Rs (those are my racism track shoes) and I am running something down real quick. Let me check out this story:

"When Georgia high school Advanced History teacher Catherine Ariemma asked her students to dress up in costumes for a project re-enacting different historical periods, four of her pupils dressed up like the Ku Klux Klan.African-American students at Lumpkin County High School became upset and angry, especially after some of the teens dressed in KKK robes asked one Black student if he would help them re-enact a lynching for their project. Ariemma has been suspended with pay and could possibly be fired. She defended her decision to hold the re-enactment. "We have to discuss racism in our society because if we don't, we are condoning it and I don't cover it up and you can't discuss racism and not include the Klan," she told CNN.

[Check out the CNN story]

Hmmm, I have to be careful with this one. The thing about my man racism is that sometimes he can send decoys for your ass. I mean sometimes you know it's racism, like the latest crap in Jena, or this kind of ignorance. But sometimes.......I don't know.

See folks, it's like this: I have no problem with Ms. Ariemma using visual aids to teach history. The klan is a part of our history and we can't just close our eyes and pretend that they didn't exist. They did and they still do. So I am not mad at Ms. Ariemma for trying to teach her children about the klan.

Still, when I heard that there were no African Americans in her class, and that she just let the kids go out into the school population with their robes on, I have to admit that I started to have second thoughts about Ms. Ariemma. (And, as if to make matters worse, she lives in Georgia.)

So I don't know.....OK, I thought about it: I don't think Ms. Ariemma should be terminated, and I don't think that she is a racist. I think that she is a clueless Southern women from the majority population who was trying to do the right thing. I think that the powers that be should get with Ms. Ariemma and let her know in no uncertain terms that she handled this in the wrong way, and because of her carelessness something really ugly could have happened. (Yeah, I am sitting in the cafeteria and some kid comes in with a klan outfit; please believe that we are going to get all Marvin Gaye with each other.)

So no harm here, we are moving right along. I guess I can take off my Air Rs now.

Ms. Ariemma was a decoy.

*Pic lifted from Essence.com

"Just plug the damn hole"

This is what his O ness allegedly told his aides while venting frustration over this whole BP mess.

O man, I am sorry, but just giving your aides a piece of your mind ain't gonna cut it. Not now. We are way past the "just plug the damn hole" stage.

When wingnuts first started saying with glee that this could be your Katrina, I was one of the first people to say that they are full of s*&t and just trying to score cheap political points. (Which, by the way, they were.) But now, as this crisis grows, I am starting to think that it very well could be. Not because of what the wingnuts think, they will never be with you. But some of your liberal friends are starting to get restless as well. They want to know, and rightfully so, why the hell the Army Corp of Engineers are dragging their feet in granting permits to start building channels to protect the Louisiana marshland. Boby Jindal is going to start crying like Ray Nagin any day now, and when he does, you are going to be toast O man. I don't care how much BP is at fault. Ken Salazar will be your Mike Brown. You remember him, don't you O man? "Brownie you are doing a heck of a job". Yeah, that guy. Salazar has been posturing and fuming at BP for days now, but the oil is still coming, and we are no closer to a resolution today than when that rig exploded what seemed like an eternity ago.

And I know I know, this is an oil company problem. They have the expertise, and they should know how to cap the hole. (Which reminds me, why aren't more companies coming together to try and solve this problem?) I have heard some folks say that if the government tried to step in and do something it could only make matters worse. So we can only sit around and wait and hope that the clowns at BP get it right. They will be using something called the "Top Kill Method", (somehow that name seems fitting) and the poor folks down in South Louisiana all have their fingers crossed. Their entire way of life and livelihood is being threatened.

But back to his O ness, because while Rome burns......just remember O man, the folks over at BP don't have to get elected. Yes, that brit with the cute accent might be the most hated man in A-merry-ca now, but he has become infamous under your watch.

And O, I hear you are going to a fund raiser out in Cali tonight. I know it's probably too late, but please don't go. Tell Barbara you will get her the next time. The stuff happening in the gulf could be life altering for A-merry-cans. Just like Katrina was. Imagery O man, imagery.

I hear that if BP messes this up the oil could be spilling into the Gulf Of Mexico for the rest of our lives. That's how much oil we are talking about. That, my friends, is some scary stuff. Most of us are far away from where this is happening, and we could care less about a bunch of Cajuns on the Bayou. Well, unfortunately, you are not as far away as you think. This tragedy will touch you in some way.

And if you are an Obamaholic, you will only have to wait until November 6, 2012, to feel it.

"European style Socialism": As if that's a bad thing.

"I can see November from my house" That is my girl Sarah's new rallying cry, and she unveiled it for her fans in Denver a couple of nights ago. This was in between calling for an "Awakening of America."( BTW, can someone tell me just what the hell that means? Awaken from what?) You go girl. She was joined by Dennis Prager at the University of Denver. Prager, like Palin, is another wingnut, however, unlike Palin, he actually reads a book now and then.

"Let's stop and consider how ironic it is, though, that just as the Europeans are forced by market realities - this is reality - to dismantle their socialist welfare states, we're being marched towards that state, the European style socialism,"

These have been the buzz words among the wingnuts of late: "European style Socialism." It's everywhere. On their blogs; on their networks; their newspapers; their radio programs; you name it. It seems that every right wing pol is crying a river over the evils of "European style Socialism", and the beige man in the people's house who is taking us there.

Read what this blogger says:

"Obama wants to undo the American Dream and turn us into a European economy, where all benefits flow from the government, rather than individual effort. You can call it “socialism,” or “big government,” or “spreading the wealth,” or whatever else suits you, but the outcome will be the same: People will be locked into government induced poverty in perpetuity, the middle class will become slack, the economy will enter into stagflation, unemployment will rise, and service in every area of American life will fall as people lose their incentive (because they’ve lost the ability) to rise upwards and join in the American Dream."

Now I guarantee you that the poor schmuck who wrote that paragraph probably is living a very middle class existence. He probably has a household income of $75,000.00, to $100,000.00 per year, pays a mortgage, has kids who are in -or soon to be in college, and has almost as much debts as he does assets. In other words, your typical A-merry-can. Yet his dumb ass thinks that he is living some kind of a damn dream.

Unlike Sarah Palin,- who thanks to him and others like him, is now worth millions, because she has learned how to pimp people like him into believing that the average A-merry-can can achieve that dream- he, more than likely, will not achieve the A-merry-can dream. (No wonder she rolls with nine personal bodyguards. I would too if I knew I was running such a scam on ordinary folks.) Unless, of course, you consider the stress of working a 9-5 with three weeks vacation a year a dream. I know I don't.

What I consider a dream-like society is one where hard work will be rewarded. One where the size of a man's pocketbook doesn't make him better than the next guy. It doesn't allow him to buy politicians in order to influence them into making laws to help him make more money. It doesn't allow lobbyist to lobby on behalf of weapons that cause death and destruction because of some archaic language in a document the society holds dear. It doesn't spend billions and billions of dollars to promote some form of mythical exceptionalism by force or clandestine measures.

When Sarah Palin and other idiots like her rant and rave about the dangers of "European style Socialism," I wonder who they think it is a danger to? Certainly not people who will be able to get health care without having to take out a second mortgage on their homes. Certainly not the poor single mother of two who has to clean old people's shit every night to earn $9 an hour. Certainly not the primary bread winner in a home whose spouse just got laid off, (because the company they were working for downsized to make a few people enjoy the dream even more) and who now has to work two jobs just to make ends meet.

And for my altar call, I will leave you with the words of Brian Hines, a man who gets it:

"Driving back to Salem from Portland today, a single glance across the median of I-5 gave me a vision of how much better this country could be if we became more Euro-socialist (I prefer the term, " communitarian").

A car had stopped in the break-down lane. Next to it was a pickup with a seal on the door. I'm pretty sure it was one of the vehicles that helps drivers who are out of gas, or otherwise need assistance.

A government vehicle.

With that glance, a warm feeling of Wouldn't it be great if this act of governmental kindness extended across our whole society? rolled over me.

If people who needed health care were guaranteed they'd get it.If losing your job didn't entail the risk of being tossed out onto the streets.

If getting a good college education was available to all, poor and rich alike.

If public transportation made it possible to get around without private cars.
Whenever friends come back from Europe, they extol the way of life there. The United States is horribly backward in so many ways, compared to the rest of the industrialized world.
I'm ready for some European style socialism. So are a majority of Americans, given the results of the past few elections. We're tried of unfettered individualism and irresponsible capitalism.

Bring it on, President Obama. "

And the godless progressives said amen!

Hunting "Dudus".

"Welcome to Jamdown, poor people a dead at random Political violence, can't done! Pure ghost and phantom, the youth Dem get blind by stardom Now the Kings Of Kings a call Old man to Pickney...To see the sufferation sicken me Them suit no fit me, to win election dem trick we" ~Damian Marley~

Because of some personal reasons-some obvious, some not so much- I have tried to avoid blogging about the following story. It involves an alleged Jamaican drug dealer, Chris "Dudus" Coke, and the A-merry-can governments attempt to have him extradited to this country.

Mr. Coke has been charged with leading an international drug ring by the authorities in New York. He fled to the rock where a government that is friendly to his political leanings is in power, and where he has been sheltered ever since. Even with the United States threatening all sorts of sanctions, Bruce Golding, the Jamaican Prime Minister, has refused to extradite the man to Uncle Sam. They have even paid a firm to lobby on his behalf.

Now, sadly, the streets of Kingston- to use the parlance of the natives-a gu bun like fiah.

"Jamaican authorities declared a state of emergency in Kingston after gang members supportive of an alleged drug lord wanted by the United States attacked police stations and blockaded a large swath of the city.

Two police stations were evacuated after being hit with Molotov cocktails, while the status of a third was unclear. Gang members blocked off a miles-long area of Jamaica's capital city -- mostly in West Kingston -- using vehicles, sandbags, barbed wire and anything else they could find."

My people my people, when will you learn? Robin Hood was only cool when he was in Sherwood Forest. Dons are not modern day Robin Hoods, and they sure as hell do not respect the life of the innocent. Political violence is a way of life on the rock, and we Jamaicans like to rally around each other, but why the hell are we rallying around Dudus Coke?

And here is the irony: the JLP who is the party Coke is affiliated with, has traditionally been the party of the right and more aligned with A-merry-ca. When the CIA destroyed the Manley government in the seventies, it was to put the pro western, A-merry-can friendly government back in power. Now, as Malcolm famously said: "The Chickens have come home to roost." JLP Dons have been in and out of A-merry-ca for years, and they have had no problem moving between both worlds. No one would be surprised if they had set up lucrative drug organizations (or posses as they have been called) and profited greatly from them. And, if you know anything about us yawdies, it's that we don't like to do anything small, so it's not only A-merry-ca that has been touched by this problem, but across the pond in Britain they are worried as well.

Chrisopher Dudus Coke is the latest in a long line of powerful political Dons from the rock who would moonlight as drug dealers. (Google Claude Massop) They were paid well by politricksters in charge to do their dirty work, which often involved killing entire families in the areas that were populated by political rivals. It's still going on, and it's as brutal as ever.

Jamaicans can be beautiful and loving people, but I am going to keep it real with you; Jamaicans can be the most vicious people you will ever want to meet. I have some stories.

Still, I love my people, I am who I am. But I have to call out my peeps when we do wrong as well.

This latest dust up, largely inspired by Laborites in Kingston, (Google Tivoli Gardens & JLP) is a perfect example of poor people with twisted loyalties. But this is to be expected when politricksters use people as pawns to profit from their political games. Jamaicans don't play games too well. Not when it comes to our politics. What was it that Damian Marley's dad said? Oh yeah, "a hungry mob is an angry mob."

"At Coke's direction and under his protection, members of his criminal organization sell marijuana and crack cocaine in the New York area and elsewhere, and send the narcotics proceeds back to Coke and his co-conspirators," the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said in a release accompanying the charges.

"Coke and his co-conspirators also arm their organization with illegally trafficked firearms," the DEA said in a statement at the time." [Article]

Translated: Coke would allegedly bring guns and weapons into Jamaica to arm his political allies in exchange for drugs and cash stateside. Thirty five years ago Uncle Sam knew about it, he still does. It's just that this time he is calling it illegal.

"Women be shopping!"

It's Saturday night and my dogs are barking. Why? Because, unlike most real men, I had my black ass dragged to the outlets so that Mrs. Field could buy a couple of handbags that cost what folks in some Third World countries earn in a year. Yes, I am experiencing some guilt. But hey, it's her money. And, to be fair, she can be generous with it at times.

Still, it's not cool sitting in the hubby-seat while women lose their natural minds in a store that is set up just for them. The poor old guy sitting next to me-newly retired, living in Chester County, granddaughter just going off to college, and wife doing what she does best. Shop. I know all this, of course, because the poor guy and I had no choice but to exchange pleasantries and our life stories while we waited- was feeling just like I was: Trapped. So in between checking my blog and messages on my crackberry, and listening to the poor guy talk, all I could do was watch and wait in amazement.

If I wanted to live my second life as Lothario, when I die I would come back as a designer handbag. Nothing gets a woman's attention like a designer handbag. Nothing.

Of course it didn't stop there. There were other stores to see. Other things to buy. This is the "for worse" part of those marriage vows. Why can't outlets and malls come up with a kind of day care for husbands? A big room with refreshments, and television sets on every wall with ESPN and various sports channels on every one of those bad boys. And while we are at it; let's throw in some magazines to read, pool tables, and the whole nine yards. Kind of like the VIP lounge at an airport. The mall that comes up with that concept will double their business withing weeks. I guarantee it.

Oh well, all is well that ends well. I am home, safe and sound, and I was not trampled by a pack of deal hunting females.

Finally, in keeping with the spirit of this post, I have a confession to make: I watch basketball wives because of Royce Reed. Does that make me a bad person, or shallow in any way? I sure hope not, because after what I went through today, I realize that I deserve some guilty pleasures in life. I think Mrs. Field would understand.

Some Rand-om thoughts.

Preachers killing their wives and storing them in freezers. Preachers claiming to be literally thrown under a bus . And rodents in the White House. (I swear they can't let you Negroes live anywhere.) What the hell is the world coming to? Wait, did I mention that the soon to be country of Texas decided to teach white only his...correct that; conservative white history in their schools? (The word slavery is now a no no. (It's now "Atlantic triangular trade" or some s#&t.) Must be nice. Nothing like a little white washing of history to make the natives feel better and soothe the jingoistic fever running amok here in A-merry-ca.

And through it all Rand just keeps talking:

“The thing is that, you know, the drilling right now and the problem we’re having now is in international waters, and I think there needs to be regulation of that and always has been. I think there are hundreds of pages of regulation.

What I don’t like from the president’s administration is this sort of, you know, I’ll put my boot heel on the throat of BP. I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business.
I’ve heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it’s part of this sort of blame-game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault instead of the fact that may be, sometimes, accidents happen.

I mean, we had a mining accident that was very tragic, and I’ve met a lot of these miners and their families. They’re very brave people to do a dangerous job, but then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe, sometimes, accidents happen."

I think I am going to like this guy. He is a bloggers dream.

Rand Rand Rand. First, Obama shouldn't put his "boot heel" on BP's throat, he should demand that the federal government put its hands in their pockets. And, for the record, those hands better be long, because those pockets are deep.

"Maybe sometimes accidents happen". The problem with that statement, of course, is that this was no accident, it could have been prevented. Just like those mining accidents could have been prevented. Tragic things happen when you put profits over people, and this was a tragedy (and continues to be) on a grand scale. But, to get all legal with it, the consequences were foreseeable. So Rand, I think you put your size 8 (OK 9)in your mouth again. (Second thought, make that a 7)

My man Rand is asking for a honeymoon. Don't worry Rand, over at Radio Rwanda you will get more sex than you could have ever dream of. That's because, fortunately for you, you will be on a very long honeymoon with them. You can thank your political leanings for that. You can thank your mouth (and to a lessor extent your brain) for the other stuff.

And finally, let's have a moment of silence for this guy's 2012 presidential run.............

"He has a doctorate in the social sciences and taught briefly at the college level. He has been married three times, divorced twice and confessed to an extramarital affair. He has never served in the military and lives in one of Washington's poshest suburbs. He is the very personification of his much-reviled "cultural elite." He is Newt Gingrich, and he is out to get himself."

Mr. Cohen, he already did.

Rand Paul has a bad hair cut and some interesting thoughts.

One of the beautiful things about a democracy is that everyone has a chance to express his or her political views and beliefs, and to be chosen by like minded people to lead them. I would like to apologize to the teabaggers and the rest of the wingnuts who have been pushing hard for a seat at the A-merry-can political table over the past few months. Here I thought you folks were bad for A-merry-ca and that you would dumb down debate and poison the intellectual well. I was wrong. You gave us Rand Paul, who, I am sure, is going to make some folks uncomfortable with his views on civil rights and Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But we needed Rand, if only because maybe, just maybe, he will shed some light on a movement that might not like the glare.

Here is an exchange between the good Doctor and Rachel Maddow on her show, recently:

"Maddow: Do you think that a private business has a right to say that 'We don't serve black people?'
Paul: I'm not in favor of any discrimination of any form. I would never belong to any club that excluded anybody for race. We still do have private clubs in America that can discriminate based on race."

`Oh come on Field, what's wrong with that? The guy takes a position that any decent A-merry-can would take. `

Yes, but then he said this:

"Maddow:... How about desegregating lunch counters?

Paul: Well what it gets into then is if you decide that restaurants are publicly owned and not privately owned, then do you say that you should have the right to bring your gun into a restaurant even though the owner of the restaurant says 'well no, we don't want to have guns in here' the bar says 'we don't want to have guns in here because people might drink and start fighting and shoot each-other.' Does the owner of the restaurant own his restaurant? Or does the government own his restaurant? These are important philosophical debates but not a very practical discussion..."

Hmmmm, "philosophical debate". OK let's have one: So following your logic, Doctor; If a private person owns a movie theater (a public place, just like a restaurant) and decides that the colored folks should sit in the balcony and the white folks downstairs, that would be cool with you? See folks, Dr. Paul believes that private business should be allowed to do whatever they want when it comes to whatever. He has stated this before which is what prompted Maddow to ask him these questions.

The good Doctor believes that a truly free society will allow people to discriminate against whoever, and the free market will decide whether that person's business should prosper or not. Like many other conservatives and wingnuts, he doesn't believe that the Commerce Clause (which applies to interstate commerce) should have been used by the the advocates of civil rights to do away with segregation in public places. The ruling in this case pretty much said that A-merry-cans could go ahead and use the Commerce Clause to stop segregation in public places, but that is not cool with Dr. Paul and his ilk. Stunning!

For the record, I have no problem with folks doing whatever with their own private clubs and organizations. If they want to keep out blacks, Gays and Jews, they can go for it as far as I am concerned. But I think that doing away with the Commerce Clause as it relates to civil rights would be wrong. I don't see anywhere to hold on to on that slope. It's just way too slippery.

So sorry Doc, I have to agree with the following quote taken from Crooks & Liars:

"Obviously, the tea party adulation, in all its authoritarian and uncritical glory, did not prepare Rand Paul for prime time. He's clearly uncomfortable with follow up questions and being confronted with his own stances. Even though he brought it on himself by telling the Louisville Courier-Journal and NPR that he thought the Civil Rights Act should be done away with, Paul whines about "red herrings" and that the act is forty years old, so why is anyone asking him about it?"

Yes, but Rand is just the first. I am sure that there will be many more like him to come.

Post Mortem.

So the elections are over in A-merry-ca and all the pundits are out with their two cents. The general consensus seems to be-as I said in my post last night- that A-merry-cans are fed up with incumbents and the people in Washington.

Specter went down, but contrary to what you might have heard elsewhere, it was to be expected. Those of us here in Pistolvania know that the dems were ready to kick Arlen to the curb because of his history as a republican, and the stench of political opportunism that followed him everywhere he went. So there is nothing to see here A-merry-ca, move along.

The tea party folks are feeling a little full of themselves, but they shouldn't. Not after what happened in Pistolvania yesterday. Tea party wingnut, Sam Rohrer, got his ass handed to him by a guy named Tom Corbett in the republican primary for the governor's office. And the same can be said for their senate candidate, Peg Luksik, who also went down hard.

Will the teabaggers affect republican politics in the coming years? Of course they will. But only republican politics. The folks in the tea-party movement were damn near all republicans to begin with, and they weren't going to vote for the democratic candidate regardless.

I also know that the baggers are chirping over Rand Paul's win in Kentucky. But honestly, I don't know why. The guy had millions of dollars worth of free air time on Radio Rwanda and he was running against some clown who was hand picked by Mitch McConnell. Oh, and by the way, the democratic candidate, Jack Conway, had more votes in his primary than Mr. Paul.

" We have come to take our government back," he said in his victory speech, drawing thunderous applause from his supporters. "It's just a tremendous mandate for the Tea Party," he said. "It cannot be overstated that people want something new. They don't want the same old, same old politicians and I think they think the system is broken and needs new blood."

Easy there Rand, slow your roll. The people might want "something new", but there is nothing new about the tea party movement. We have seen this all before.

Finally, I want to talk about some really messed up crap going on in the Southwestern part of our country. (No, not the new Arizona law, or the beat down the Lakers gave the Suns) It involves racism against the real A-merry-cans, the only folks who can claim first dibs on this country.

"The Community Relations Commission in Farmington, New Mexico, is holding a special meeting today to discuss an incident in which a mentally challenged man from the Navajo Nation was branded with a swastika. The city started the commission in response to race-related incidents involving tribal members. The commission normally meets every month but decided to convene earlier in response to the latest case.

"I am very concerned about what has happened," Mayor Tommy Roberts told The Farmington Daily Times. Jesse Sanford, 24, William Hatch, 28, and Paul Beebe, 26, have been charged with first-degree felony kidnapping, second-degree felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping, third-degree felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and fourth-degree felony conspiracy to commit aggravated battery Beebe also faces fourth-degree felony tampering with evidence. The men are believed to be associated with white supremacist groups. In addition to branding a swastika on the victim and shaving a swastika into the back of his head, the men allegedly wrote "White Power" on the victim's body. " [Article]

Wait, I know I know; I should be more worried about young black thugs going to New Mexico and popping a Native A-merry-can's top over a drug deal gone bad.

Tell you what; as soon as that (or something even remotely similar ) happens, I promise I will blog about it.

h/t to Tiffany for bringing this story to my attention.

Oil and Arlen.

There are a couple of big elections going on here in Pennsylvania. One, of course, is for Arlen Specter's senate seat, and the other is for the seat recently vacated by the now deceased, John Murtha. It's a big deal to some. Elections with national implications they are saying. But honestly, I could care less.

It won't make a difference, there is an anti- incumbency mood in A-merry-ca and whoever is sitting in Washington now should be sweating more than Mike Tyson at a spelling bee. Dem or repub, it doesn't matter, A-merry-cans, for whatever reason, are angry. They think that they are losing their country and they don't like it.

And speaking of losing our country; unfortunately there is something more important and earth shaking going in in A-merry-ca right now. Thanks to corporate greed and and politrickster enablers, the Gulf Of Mexico is looking like the bottom of a frying pan at a southern fish fry. And sadly, it looks like it's getting worse. The folks over at BP have lied and covered up as long as they can, but now, as the saying goes, "the jig us up". Five thousand barrels of oil per day into the ocean is no joke. When this is all said and done Tony Hayward might rank right up there with O.J. as one of the most despised men in A-merry-can history.

Our conservative friends who want businesses to do their thing without any regulations should all be rethinking their positions right now. But of course we know that they won't. They would rather score cheap political points. An ecological disaster is right at our door step and if you think you hear crickets you might be right. But take heart my conservative friends, I have found a link with some talking points to help you folks get through this thing.

Of course the sound of crickets would actually be better than listening to this nut put his two cents into the mix.

"When do we ask the Sierra Club to pick up the tab for this leak?" Limbaugh asked, and then proceeded to answer. Here's his logic: The environmental group has been driving oil producers off the land to "way, way, way offshore," into more high-risk situations. According to Limbaugh, the oil companies have had no choice but to drill for oil one mile underwater."

Huh? On second thought, maybe elections are important after all.

Well, color me not surprised.

I always hate to blog about colorism, because it always opens up to all kinds of craziness from black folks. Honestly, I would avoid it if I could, because lord knows we- as black folks- have enough stuff that divides us. (This is coming from someone who calls his blog the Field Negro.)

But sometimes when other people start talking about colorism and how it affects A-merry-can culture we can't help but talk about it.

My man Anderson Cooper (him of the very white hair) is running a series on CNN which is eye opening. Of course it isn't anything new for those of us in the know. The "Doll Test" might have been over fifty years ago, but it might as well have been yesterday. Colorism is real, and, sadly, it effects our children more than anyone else. (Lately I have been thinking a lot about our children, and for all the wrong reasons .) Most of us end up falling in love with ourselves and who we are as we get older. We learn to appreciate people for who they are and not how they look. And, as a result, we get in where we fit in within the grand scheme of things as human beings. Most us us. Some of us, like the children in CNN's program, sadly buy into what society is selling in terms of what beauty is supposed to look like. As a result,we live our entire lives with society's twisted projection on us or projecting our own messed up pathologies on others. We didn't need some fancy University of Chicago professor to do a study for us to realize colorisms lingering
effect on all of us. (Maybe even the people producing the show. Think about it.)

"(CNN) -- A white child looks at a picture of a black child and says she's bad because she's black. A black child says a white child is ugly because he's white. A white child says a black child is dumb because she has dark skin.
This isn't a schoolyard fight that takes a racial turn, not a vestige of the "Jim Crow" South; these are American schoolchildren in 2010. "

So where do they get it? We can't blame it all on television and marketing. Most of this behavior is learned right at home. Don't front, you have all heard that black parent: "Tenisha get your black nappy headed ass over here before I tear you a new one." I don't know what goes on in some white homes with their little children, but I watched CNN, so I can only guess.

"Spencer was also surprised that children's ideas about race, for the most part, don't evolve as they get older. The study showed that children's ideas about race change little from age 5 to age 10."The fact that there were no differences between younger children, who are very spontaneous because of where they are developmentally, versus older children, who are more thoughtful, given where they are in their thinking, I was a little surprised that we did not find differences."


Don't be surprised professor Spencer; it's called the real world.

Not everyone is going to feel great!!!!!

Hey Tony the Tiger, you should feel great!!!!. Your boss has done a pretty cool thing.

" In an unprecedented effort to address the devastating impact of racial inequities on communities across the country, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation launched today a five-year, $75 million initiative – America Healing – that aims to improve life outcomes for vulnerable children and their families by promoting racial healing and eliminating barriers to opportunities.

Children of color are over-represented among the 29 million low-income children and families in this country, particularly among families living in concentrated poverty. According to data from the National Center for Children in Poverty, about 61 percent of African American, 62 percent of Latino, 57 percent of Native American, 58 percent of children with immigrant parents, 30 percent of Asian American children and 26 percent of white children live in low-income families.

“The Kellogg Foundation’s vision is for a nation to marshal its resources to ensure that all children in America have an equitable and promising future,” said Sterling K. Speirn, president and CEO. “That is simply not the case in many communities across the country today. The goal of the America Healing initiative is to help make that vision a reality by engaging communities and supporting them in the hard work of racial healing and addressing the effects of historic and contemporary structural issues, such as residential segregation and concentrated poverty.”

During the first phase of America Healing, 119 organizations will receive grants totaling $14,613,709 specifically to support community-based organizations’ healing efforts among racial and ethnic groups that address historic burdens, disparities and barriers to opportunity. Their efforts will focus within local communities to increase opportunities for children in education, health and economic areas. Grantees represent 29 states and the District of Columbia and all racial and ethnic population groups.."

Oh ohhh, I bet conservatives are going to call for a boycott of Rice Krispies. Oh Lawd! All that money to fight racism when we all know that there is no racism in A-merry-ca? 75 million can buy a lot of band aid to start the healing if you know what I mean.

Folks like Paul Shepard are already giving their take on how conservatives will view this little "transfer of wealth."

" I can already hear the nonsense conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and others will spew over the grants. To them, racism is something that exists only in the warped heads of minorities looking for handouts. For them, racial discrimination in this country, if it ever really existed, ended in 1865 when the last slaves were freed in the United States.
Thankfully, the folks at Kellogg don't care about advancing the agendas of conservatives and instead are looking at how racism affects children today..." [Article]

Well it's not only to them Mr. Shepard. Ordinary folks on the Internet feel the same way:

"Will the money be used to combat blacks who are racist against whites?"

"Racism is dead we have a black President, lets move on to the next problem this one has been solved. 75 million for what?"

"The only children facing poverty and discrimination today are the male-children of white Christians. Let's cut the bunk."

That might be true Mr. Internet poster, but please let them eat their Frosted Flakes. They didn't ask for this fight, you did.

"Common Nonsense": Read it after you put down your bible.

Tonight, once again, I have to blog about one of the most dangerous men in A-merry-ca. The other day I was listening to Glenn Beck (don't ask) and he was actually comparing himself and his movement to Martin Luther King. In between breaking down in tears over losing the A-merry-ca he loves and taking calls from crack pots who worship at his feet (or at the sound of his voice), he was ranting on and on about the progressives and how dangerous they are for A-merry-ca. He went on to say the president should watch his back because those evil people are going to take him out. (If you can't hear that dog whistle don't feel bad, you aren't supposed to.)

Then I stumbled on the following blog post thanks to my man Mike over at Crooks & Liars, and I just had to repost it. Why? Because I think it's important for those of you who are asleep at the remote switch to see where your country is going, and for you to meet one of the people who is taking it there. Why do you think people are embolden to do things like this and this? It's because of the Glenn Becks of the world, that's why. And this mid-term if the republicans and their teabagging friends do as well as they are expected to do, we all better watch out.

"In November of 2000, Americans sat on the edge of their seats waiting to find out who would be the next president. Protests were held, counter protests were organized to meet the challenge and everyone had an opinion. The 2000 election remains capable of igniting passionate debate. Some look it as the time that the Supreme Court stole an election for George W. Bush. Some mark it up to Al Gore having the campaign skills and spinal fortitude of a slime mold. There are those who rue Florida’s hanging chads and aging Jewish voters for Buchanan. And not a few still point to those tense days as proof that Ralph Nader is a festering sore on the ass of the Republic.

Any or all of them could be right. But when you read Alexander Zaitchik’s new book, Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance, you’ll turn the last page with the understanding that election 2000 brought something far more sinister than Bush/Cheney down upon America. Worse, you’ll know that it ain’t over yet.
Beck was working in Tampa at the time, unsuccessfully trying to break into conservative talk radio. In fact, he was about to be let go because he was terrible at his job, saved only by Clear Channel’s local monopoly. But when Bush v. Gore came to a head in Florida and Beck was one of the few local voices on the airwaves, Clear Channel saw the opportunity and went national with Beck. That exposure formed the foundation for his current media empire, and the experience turned Beck into the “real conservative” he is today. No more making fun of rednecks: from then on, Beck would fashion himself as one."....And at least Kurtz had the good grace to live with the natives; for all of Beck’s soft-focus talk about the “real America,” the man lives in a mansion in Connecticut and takes a limo to work.

"I’ll let you read the book to find out what kinds of crackpot conspiracies Beck subscribes to and the kind of hard Mormon rightwingism that he’s bringing into mainstream American culture. A god among the natives he may be, but he’s not off the corporate reservation: he’s just packaging the fascism in a way that would make Goebbels proud.
My compulsion to dog-ear every page containing important information, a laugh-out-loud turn of phrase or Zaitchik wielding stinging, sarcastic wit deformed my review copy. The reader never has far to go between examples like, “Weirder still is the fact that Beck has successfully grown a mass following while stumbling through a remedial self-education in U.S. democracy, which reflects the carnival mirrors inside his mind as much as it does the reality he struggles, in futility and desperation, to comprehend,” and “It seemed that the [Tea Party] protesters’ main enemies were Russian history and apostrophes.” They’re all great, but Zaitchik plays them subtly enough that they never detract from his presentation of vital information.

And that’s what makes this book special. A great many writers from the left could have spent 258 pages lobbing insults at Beck. Zaitchik takes the high road, blending straight biography with solid, investigative journalism. Sometime in the future, professors will be assigning Common Nonsense and historians will be referencing it.
Read it. It’s not going to make you feel better, but it will give you a much deeper understanding of America’s current insanity." [Article]

Towards the end of his show Beck was making fun the way he believes that black folks talk by imitating some guy from one of the big unions. He and his co-hosts were yucking it up as they went on and on trashing the guy. They stopped long enough to take a call from some lady named Kathy in Colorado.

"Hi Glenn, I just want you to know that I love your show, and I really appreciate what you are doing for America. I honestly don't know what my husband and I would do without you."

Kathy, just keep praying for me, and pray for our movement. With God on our side we cannot fail. America will be strong again. It has to be for our children's sake."

What's that quote by Wordsworth? :

"We bow our heads before Thee, and we laud, And magnify thy name Almighty God! But man is thy most awful instrument, In working out a pure intent."

Maybe I will go to church tomorrow. If god made me just like he did Glenn Beck, maybe he will hear my prayer as well.

Robbie Tolan, you ain't no Will Smith.

I have said this before, and it is worth repeating for the purpose of this post: I think Orenthal J. Simpson murdered his wife and that young man on that tragic summer day in Los Angeles, California. And, I am sure, if most black folks are honest with you, they will tell you that they think he is guilty as well. That includes the black jurors who sat in judgement of him and found him not guilty.

White folks were fit to be tied after that verdict. They wondered how we could see what was clearly an overwhelming case for a murder conviction and find the man not- guilty. All that evidence-both circumstantial and direct-and yet he was found not guilty. How could those Negroes think that way?

Well, I will tell you how: It's because Negroes in A-merry-ca continue to see verdicts like that one down in Bellaire, Texas. How could a young man from a solid upper middle class family be shot in his own driveway? No weapon. No criminal record. Not committing a crime. Shot by a police officer -in a somewhat affluent suburb of Houston- who thought the young man was stealing his own damn car.

“As the jury’s finding clearly demonstrates, Sgt. Cotton acted in conformance and in full accordance with standard police training,” said Bellaire City Attorney Bill Helfand.

Yep, that would be Texas training for all of you in the other 49 states. See a suspicious black man, shoot first and ask questions later.

Of course, as is to be expected, black folks in the Houston area are pissed. But don't worry, I am pretty sure that they won't be going all L.A. on us. Those Negroes down south tend to be a little more laid back.

"Dozens of angry protestors gathered in front of the Bellaire Police Department, a day after Sgt. Jeffery Cotton was acquitted of shooting an unarmed black man named Robert Tolan."There is no such thing as the Fresh Prince of Bellaire in Bellaire Texas," said Community Activist, Deric Muhammad. "You are not safe in Harris County driving while black."Chanting "Rotten Cotton… has got to go", demonstrators were demanding that the officer not be allowed to return to work, and even made open threats against him and the police department."

The man's name is Cotton, you can't make this shit up, folks. "Fresh Prince in Bellaire"? That's the problem with you Negroes in A-merry-ca, you believe everything you see on TV.

“I thought he was pulling a gun to shoot me,” Cotton said. “The only option I had was to pull my weapon and fight back. If you wait to see the weapon, you’ve already been shot.”In prior testimony Thursday, both Tolan and his mother, Marian, said that Robbie never rose above his knees before being shot. Cotton disputed this Friday.“He jumped up,” said Cotton.After shooting Tolan in what Cotton considered self-defense, Cotton said: “I start checking him for weapons. When I can’t find the gun, I asked him what he was reaching for. He was groaning.”“I said a prayer for him,” continued Tolan. “I was happy he was going to live.”

See, now if that was Will Smith, they would have just said "cut!"

Dignity in death for Zeus.

Maybe it's nothing. But I am freaking out a little bit over a news story in my local paper. And it's not because of the story itself (although I do have some issues with it), but rather, it's because of the photo that accompanied the story.

Now I am not in the news business, and I know nothing about editing and journalism, so I am going to need one of you experts in this area to tell me when we started covering up pictures of dead animals like we do people. Seriously, if the dog in this picture was not covered, would the folks over at the Philadelphia Inquirer even consider running the picture?

Look, I know we really love our pets here in A-merry-ca, I have blogged about it before. And, unfortunately, some of you really believe that I don't like animals, when nothing could be farther from the truth. It's just that I have seen too many dead dogs -and cats- lying on the side of -and in the middle of the road to be freaked out if I see the picture of a dead dog in a newspaper. Does that make me heartless or less caring about our four legged friends? I think not.

Honestly,I can't remember if I have ever seen a dead domestic animal's pic in a news paper or news magazine. Is that something editors sit around and talk about?

"Bob we have a really good shot of the poor dog after the officer shot it." "Is he covered?" "No, he isn't." "Well we can't run it."

I love animals, I really do. And when Fido checks out I am sure that the last thing that poor Fido's owner wants to suffer is the indignity of seeing him dead and uncovered like some human in the street. That just seems so....well, Third World. Now that I think about it (and speaking of Third World) I think that they covered up the dead people in Haiti, too. Oh wait, maybe not. But I digress.

Still, animals, like people, can sometimes snap. And unfortunately, like people, this is why they can sometimes end up dead in the street.

"They all said he was a nice dog.
But something inside Zeus snapped yesterday morning.
The American bulldog who loved dog biscuits and backscratches went berserk and attacked an 11-year-old neighbor as the boy and his friend got ready for school in Port Richmond.
Thirteen-year-old Brad Bucher heard his brother Shane screaming and sprinted to help. The scene outside his home on Mercer Street near Tioga seemed straight out of a horror movie: Shane struggled frantically on the sidewalk, Zeus' teeth sunk into his bloodied neck.
"I was trying to push him off, to unlock his jaw. But he was just attacking him," Brad said four hours after the 8 a.m. mauling. "I didn't know what to do. I was panicking and in shock."
Neighbor Bill Reynolds had heard the horror unfolding outside too. Reynolds, 46, grabbed his .357 Magnum, bolted toward the boy and dog and aimed carefully, blasting Zeus twice until its grip on Shane loosened. Brad flew off to call 9-1-1 and his dad..."

R.I.P. Zeus. Sorry you had to go out like that. Still, your soul can take solace in the fact that the Inquirer treated your lifeless body with the dignity and respect that it deserves. [Article]

Reverend, you can sit this one out.

"Hey field, why don't you do an entire post about the racist cop from Philly? Once again a racist white man accuses black folks of something we didn't do. This is national news field, why aren't you talking about it?"

"Slow your roll" people. You know that I can chase racism with the best of them, but I am afraid that things might not be so black and white (pun intended) in this case. I heard half of Rev. Inc. on his show taking callers about the incident, and black folks in Philly are up in arms about the situation. Folks have been e-mailing me all day about posting about it and wanting to know where I stand on Sgt. Ralston.

Well, after further reflection, I am afraid that some of you won't like where I come down on this one. I have a problem with Sgt. Ralston being allowed to be on the street as one of Philly's finest, but it's not because he might be a racist. Nope, it's because he is (apparently) mentally unstable.

Here is the thing: This particular district where Sgt. Ralston claimed that he was shot is probably 98% black, so who else was he going to say shot him? Two Italians from South Philly? Philly is a city of neighborhoods Of course he had to claim that the perps were black, if he didn't,- in his mind- his story would not have been as credible. Now who I feel sorry for are the poor law abiding folks in that neighborhood who were worried that a potential cop killer was on the loose.

Still, Sgt. Ralston does not get a pass, because he is clearly unstable. Who shoots himself (with his own service revolver no less) in order to transfer from a district he didn't want to be assigned to? The fact that this man was on the streets in his mental state is scary. I have mad love for those who are charged to protect and serve, but Philly has got to do a better job recruiting these po pos.

Some folks in Philly want him criminally prosecuted, but Ralston received immunity for his confession, so that's not going to happen.

But field, isn't it possible that the reason Ralston wanted to be transferred out of that district is because it is all black? Wouldn't that make him a racist? ............Damn it racism, you just don't give up. [Article]

Finally, I want to warn you white folks about imitating stuff you see on the big screen.

I know that A-merry-ca loved the Blind Side and it's "Magic Negro" theme, but you have got to be careful. Not every young black man out there is the next Michael Oher.

There are Grifters out there who are all too willing to take advantage of you "Magic Negro" lovers.

I give you my man Guerdwich Montimere. Seems he had an entire Texas town hoodwinked for damn near a whole school year. He was taken in by the coach, played varsity basketball, led the team to the state playoffs, and was a big hit at school. But sadly, there was just one little problem:

"Authorities say the boyish-looking 22-year-old posed as a 16-year-old sophomore phenom to lead the Permian High School basketball team to the state playoffs. He was jailed on fraud charges, and the rabidly competitive West Texas high school that inspired the movie "Friday Night Lights" may have to forfeit its season."

Hey, "black don't crack", so I am quite sure my man had no problem passing himself off as a 16 year old. But this is not funny. What happens when some other poor kid is put in a situation where he might need the help of a good Samaritan? Grifters like this clown just hardens good people's hearts, and that is not cool in Obama's A-merry-ca.

"After admitting the person was a friend, not his half-brother, Montimere moved in with Permian boys basketball coach Danny Wright when the friend left the state last summer, Adkins said. ..On Wednesday afternoon, some players practiced shooting in the Permian gym as Wright looked on. He declined to comment, citing a directive from school officials.
Moments later while speaking with a substitute teacher who had Joseph in classes this year, Wright said he felt compassion for the young man...'I genuinely love that kid and wish him the best,' he told the teacher, Liz Faught. He said he chose to take Joseph into his family and hoped their time together 'showed him some virtues.'"

Oh yes, "virtues". That, unfortunately, is something Montimere, like Sgt. Ralston, is clearly in need of.