Tiger and my other cousins.

Tiger, how is that "Cablasian" thing working out for ya? While you keep trying to work that "Cablasian" angle, certain folks will have no problem reminding your black ass that you are just another N*&&#r who happens to have a sweet golf swing. I know that you are probably the greatest golfer of all time, but now that you aren't smoking fools and going in the red on your score card come Sunday, folks are feeling more comfortable about calling you out.

"Is Tiger Woods another Mike Tyson?

Woods hasn't won a tournament since the scandal over his extramarital affairs that cost him his marriage, multiple corporate sponsorships and world's No. 1 ranking. Johnny Miller, lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, compared Woods' crash and burn to Tyson's during Golf Channel's first State of the Game Live special Friday night.

After winning the WBC heavyweight belt at age 20 in 1986, Iron Mike flamed out. He was divorced by wife Robin Givens and knocked out by Buster Douglas in 1990. Tyson was sentenced to prison for rape in 1992. He declared bankruptcy in 2003.

"It's a little bit like a Mike Tyson story to be honest with you," said Miller during the Golf Central special. "Sort of invincible, scared everybody, performed quickly under pressure. Until a Buster Douglas came along...His life crumbled. It's like Humpty Dumpty. He was on the high wall, way above all the other players, and had a great fall, and there's pieces all over the place trying to put them together." [Source]

Yes, that's the ticket Johnny; Tiger Woods and Mike Tyson. They have so much in common: One is a boxer, the other a golfer. One went to prison for rape. The other...wait.. Woods didn't rape anybody. Never mind.

Finally, if I told you that folks in a suburb of Detroit are up in arms because some...ahem, ahem, "city folks" are moving into their neighborhood, I bet you would think there goes whitey again trying to keep us out of their neighborhoods. You would think it, but you would be wrong. This little saga playing itself out in Southfield, Michigan happens to pit cousins against cousins.

"SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Three years ago, Lamar Grace left Detroit for the suburb of Southfield. He got a good deal — a 3,000-square-foot colonial that once was worth $220,000. In foreclosure, he paid $109,000.

The neighbors were not pleased.

"They don't want to live next door to ghetto folks," he says.

That his neighbors are black, like Grace, is immaterial. Many in the black middle class moved out of Detroit and settled in the northern suburbs years ago; now, due to foreclosures, it is easy to buy or rent houses on the cheap here. The result has been a new, poorer wave of arrivals from the city, and growing tensions between established residents and the newcomers...

"There's a way in which they look down on people moving in from Detroit into houses they bought for much lower prices," says Grace, a 39-year-old telephone company analyst. "I understand you want to keep out the riffraff, but it's not my fault you paid $250,000 and I paid a buck."

The neighbors say there's more to it than that. People like John Clanton, a retired auto worker, say the new arrivals have brought behavior more common in the inner city — increased trash, adults and children on the streets at all times of the night, a disregard for others' property.

"During the summer months, I sat in the garage and at 3 o'clock in the morning you see them walking up and the down the streets on their cell phones talking," Clanton says. "They pull up (in cars) in the middle of the street, and they'll hold a conversation. You can't get in your driveway. You blow the horn and they look back at you and keep on talking. That's all Detroit." [More here]

Real talk. Some of my cousins can be...well, how do I say this? Not quite as considerate as they should be of their neighbors. I hear it from some of you Negroes right here in Philly when your less desirable cousins move into your neighborhoods. ----White folks, don't trip. I hear it from you as well. I know some white folks with homes at the "Jersey Shore", and they absolutely lose their minds if a "certain type "of white person buys (or rents) a shore home even on the same block with them. So this little issue seems to be color blind.

Still, to my friends in Southfield, all I can say is can't we all get along? Why don't you throw a big block party and invite all the neighbors. After barbecues and a brew or two, folks will open up and feel free to talk. At that point tell Pookie an em to try to be more considerate of their neighbors and then duck.

And the best actor award goes to Scott Walker.

It's Oscar night. Yawn. Mrs. Field is in another other room watching the Oscars right now, but I could care less. I think that of all the movies nominated for best picture I might have seen one: The Social Network. BTW, shout out to my homie, M. Knight, for winning a Razzie for the worst film of the year. WTF happened to you? Ever since The Sixth Sense it's been all down hill. (I see bad movies.)

I know that a lot of you Negroes are lamenting over the lack of people of color in this year's parade of nominees, but you will have to get over it. I agree with Anthony Mackie; you Negroes in Hollywood are too damn lazy. You need to start making and producing your own movies. Stop sitting around and hoping and praying that major studios will green light a deal for you. Make your own. There has to be more than Tyler Perry and Oprah out there. Jesse and Al care about black actors in "Hollweird", I don't.

Finally, if I was wearing a hat right now I would tip it to those protesters in Wisconsin. I must admit that I didn't think that they would hang in this long, but they have. I am sure that the wingnuts were hoping that it would be over by now. And you can sense their frustration mounting as their man in Madison makes some PR missteps. They have even attempted to make it racial. Yes, in the Twilight Zone of wingnut politics, it's black wingnuts who are subjected to racism from left wing liberals. But any confrontation to fire up the base is good. Blame the unions for putting us into this mess when Stevie Wonder can see that it's not the evil union's fault.

Since it's Oscar night I will stick with the theme and say that the phony governor should get a best actor award for his job of hoodwinking people into believing that his union busting tactics is about balancing his state's budget. If it really was about balancing the budget, he would forget about trying to end the right to collectively bargain by state union employees and accept all the financial concessions that the unions have given. But he will not. He is the main actor in this play and he is enjoying being on stage.

"Work it girl! Field come look at Jennifer Hudson's gown....."

I give up!

A (white male mind) is a terrible thing to waste.

I am glad that I don't have kids who are going off to college who are not athletically gifted or posses an IQ above 145. College tuition seems to be getting higher and higher, and parents have to make tremendous sacrifices to get their children a proper education.
Kids need all the help that they can get. Scholarships are in great demand, and the competition to get one is fierce. So, I wasn't surprised to read about a group in Texas who is offering scholarships to white men only.

"Texas white men scholarships are available to those who do not fit into certain prescribed categories or into any targeted ethnic group.

Many say it’s a response similar to the controversial affirmative action laws created for blacks and other minorities. Creators say its creation is only meant to help an unrepresented group.

During Black History Month, it is somewhat of a paradox to have a conversation about whites not being represented in entitlement programs or other programs that provide some form of assistance to a certain group.

Texas 'White Men' Scholarships -- Why was it created?

Caucasian Americans have been part of the so-called majority since the beginning of this country's history. It's been part of the status quo, or the accepted way of things in everyday life.

However, a non-profit group says that Texas white men scholarships are being created for Caucasians who are now in the so-called minority group of American citizens.

Reportedly, a newly-formed not-for-profit group was formed by a student with the help of others who share his stance on the matter of reverse discrimination.

Its founder, Texas State University student Colby Bohannan, hopes that he and his group can raise enough funds before July to award four $500 scholarships to white Caucasian students for school.

Texas 'White Men' Scholarships -- Reverse discrimination Opponent?

The name of the group providing scholarships for white men is called the Former Majority Association for Equality.

Here's the mission statement:

"To provide monetary aid to those that have found the scholarship application process difficult because they do not fit into certain categories or any ethnic group."

Bohannan said the sole purpose is to merely help other students, similarly situated, who no longer are in the majority and don't fit into traditional minority groups. He insists there is no political agenda among his group.

However, if one looks at the population mix by race and ethnicity in Texas, non-Hispanic whites make up less than half of the larger demographic.

It's likely that Bohannan has created Texas white men scholarships to address the growing discontent of programs like affirmative action that inherently disparages a group, while providing entitlements to others.

Whatever the motivation is behind the creation of the program, it is likely to be met with resistance and will be looked at as divisive..." [Source]

Now I know that some of you folks reading this are going to automatically assume that I am against these scholarships, but you would be wrong. I am not. As long as this group, "The Former Majority Association for Equality, (love the name) is not getting public funding in any way, I say go for it. Hey,white men have to learn, too. An educated A-merry-ca is a better A-merry-ca as far as I am concerned.

I don't want to hear you Negroes complaining about this, there are plenty of scholarships available for you all. You just have to study and take advantage of them, that's all. It's not like the folks sending money to fund the white male only scholarships were going to send money for your black assess.

Honestly, I think that am going to try and find out more about this organization and send them some money. It's the least I could do. I will feel so much better about myself knowing that I am actually doing something to help my fellow man. A-merry-ca has given me so much; I feel obligated to give back.

I am getting out my checkbook as soon as I am finished typing this post.....

Sorry doggie, too bad we couldn't shoot something else.

Hey remember that old Eddie Murphy skit where he did a bit on what it would be like if we had a black president? In it, Murphy pretended he was dodging bullets while he talked to the American people. It was funny then, but it ain't so funny now that we really do have a black president. I am quite sure that his O -ness knew that it wouldn't be easy. I bet he picked his Secret Service detail himself. (That was a joke)But seriously, the guys in the Secret Service had to have been shaking their heads when he won, because I am sure that they knew they would be working overtime. (30 death threats a day?!)

Still, this is not new for A-merry-can presidents; all presidents get threats. What is new, is that this president's life was threatened while the person making the threat was speaking to a member of someone in the opposition party, and that the elected official simply laughed it off.

"Who is going to shoot Obama?" an unidentified person in the audience asked Broun. The question elicited a "big laugh," according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

Rather than confront the question head-on, Broun responded by changing the subject to health care: "The thing is, I know there's a lot of frustration with this president. We're going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we'll elect somebody that's going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare." [Story]

Mr. Broun didn't "confront the question head-on" because he is a gutless coward. And he would rather keep that deranged wingnut voter in his camp than do the right thing and tell the man that he is a dangerous lunatic, and the type of language and rhetoric he was using would not be tolerated in his presence.

But this is nothing new for Broun. He is a man, after all, who really believes that the president is a Socialist. Is it any wonder that his constituents are as crazy as he is? I wonder if all you Negroes moving to Atlanta realize just how crazy the folks are in that state? Criminalizing miscarriages?! Are you serious? Yes, it's Georgia, I think you are.

Finally, we all know that Roger Ailes is a partisan hack and a scumbag, but now it seems that he might be something worse: Someone who encourages others to break the law.

Turns out Ailes allegedly told Judith Reagan to lie to the feds about her affair with the former New York police commissioner- and convicted felon- Bernard Kerick. Why? Because news of the affair would have embarrassed his buddy, Rudy Giuliani, who was running for president at the time. I guess the 10 million plus that FOX paid her to go away wasn't enough because girlfriend is still talking. [Source]

Murdoch money can bury a lot of things. It has been doing a great job of burying the truth for years. All it takes is a long legged blonde reading the news with her skirt hiked up, slick graphics, and some sensational [over the top] reporting laced with fear.

"What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."

I am going to do a little racism chasing tonight, but it's not going to be easy to follow, because my man the Big R is not running out in the open. He is dodging behind organizations with fancy sounding names and your typical Washington D.C. stonewalling.

I am afraid that the FCC is not doing a very good job of allowing us to communicate right about now.-- Where is Cool Hand Luke when you need him?--

So anyway, tonight I am calling out the FCC and Julius Genachowski ,who is the O- man's point person with that agency. Most of you know by now that I believe in the power of communication. I believe that radio and television, for instance, are powerful tools in the propaganda wars in this country, and that they can be used, in a serious way, to benefit those who want to control the message in our day to day discourse. It is imperative that minorities have a seat at this very profitable and powerful table, and that when we do get a seat, we don't waste the space on bulls^%t. (Are you listening Bob Johnson?)

But back to my man Julius:

Julius I am not pleased. You have cut the two offices in your organization that focus on minority issues (the only ones, BTW, that were cut) in your latest budget; you have stopped enforcing EEO rules; you have not reported to Congress about the market entry barriers (to minorities) that were due damn near 14 months ago, and you still have not designated a staff person in your office to explain the non-discrimination rules to broadcasters. What gives?

Julius, it's 2011 and we have not even gotten your 2009 report (which Section 257 of the Communications Act requires) dealing with barriers to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Minority television ownership has decreased 50% since 1999. Minority radio ownership has declined by 9% over the past three years, and minority wireless and cable system ownership is almost at zero. Entry level positions for minorities in radio, television, and journalism is down to 1%, which is what it was in...wait for it....1950! Yes, 1950! -You Negroes are watching television, but you do not have a seat at the table. You are just watching.-The FCC has not supported an initiative to promote more minority and female ownership in the telecom industry, and they actually proposed cutting out the funding for that particular initiative all together. (I bet they wouldn't do that to Comcast.)And they still have not acted on the petition (outstanding since Hurricane Katrina) to act on multilingual emergency broadcasting. I know I know, if they are in this country they have to learn the language. But what if they just got here and there is a major disaster before they can learn how to understand "GET OUT STORM APPROACHING"?

In spite of all of this, some of you are trying. There are seventy two minority ownership and EEO proposals before the FCC for some of you minorities, and one day (yes, I know it has been ten years for some of you) but one day, the FCC will get around to it. What a Joke!

Come on O- man, it's time to kick your boy in the ass and tell him to get it popping. I know that folks like Verizon, Comcast, and At &T are going to always go to the head of the line and get your ears first, because, well, they have the money. (You gotta buy air time come 2012 in Florida.) But at some point we have to make all the goodies in the telecom and cable industry available to everybody. I know the table is only so big, but I am sure that there is room for a few more chairs.

H/t to my man David Honig over at the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council for much of the 411 I used for this post. David, keep fighting the good fight down there in the "belly of the beast."

Governor, there is a billionaire on line one for you.

There is a sign over the free- weights in my gym that says, "If you can't put it down, don't pick it up." The good governor of Wisconsin has picked up some very heavy weights and now he has a problem. (I mean when the "Cheese Heads" start "bashing" you in Wisconsin, if you are that state's governor; that is not a good thing.)

Governor Scott Walker is looking worse ever day. He has dug himself in such a deep hole that it's hard to see him getting out of this one. He has exposed himself to be nothing more than a political ideologue and not a practical politician who cares about the well being of the people of Wisconsin. It's so bad that even his fellow wingnut governors are backing away from him.

The unions have offered to give a little, but Walker won't move. He has become the darling of the wingnut and FOX News crowd, and they are telling him to dig in and fight the good fight. He claims this is about balancing the state's budget, but who is he kidding? This is about cutting off a major source of money for the dumbocrats. Wisconsin is "Ground Zero".

The wingnuts hope to break unions one state at a time, and they were hoping that the dominoes would start falling with the Badger state. They haven't. Not yet. Of course getting punked by a left wing blogger and showing the country what a fraud you are doesn't help your cause.

"UPDATE, 11:54 a.m.: In a key detail, Walker reveals that he is, in effect, laying a trap for Wisconsin Dems. He says he is mulling inviting the Senate and Assembly Dem and GOP leaders to sit down and talk, but only if all the missing Senate Dems return to work. Then, tellingly, he reveals that the real game plan here is that if they do return, Republicans might be able to use a procedural move to move forward with their proposal. "If they're actually in session for that day and they take a recess, this 19 Senate Republicans could then go into action and they'd have a quorum because they started out that way," he says. "If you heard that I was going to talk to them that would be the only reason why." Then the fake Koch says this: "Bring a baseball bat. That's what I'd do." Walker doesn't bat an eye, and responds: "I have one in my office, you'd be happy with that. I've got a slugger with my name on it."

12:09 p.m.: Another key exchange: FAKE KOCH: What we were thinking about the crowds was, planting some troublemakers. WALKER: We thought about that. My only gut reaction to that would be, right now, the lawmakers I talk to have just completely had it with them. The public is not really fond of this.The teachers union did some polling and focus groups... It's unclear what Walker means when he says he "thought" about planting some troublemakers, but it seems fair to ask him for clarification."

Wow! So this wingnut governor takes (what he thinks is) a call from a fat- cat wingnut donor but won't negotiate with his fellow citizens from his own state? I guess money talks and all that other stuff walks in Wisconsin as well.

Neocon folly, and Rush's fat jokes.

Muammar Gadaffi would make a great wingnut politician. He is one crazy and delusional dude.
I wonder if this is what W and the Neoconartists envisioned when they invaded Iraq? A wave of protesters sweeping the Middle East and demanding freedom from their leaders. If it is, I am pretty sure that they didn't think this one out to its logical conclusion. I think I will go shopping for a smaller more fuel efficient car this weekend.

With all due respect to Steven Cook, (a man I respect) who wrote about this a year ago, I don't see any stability on the horizon in the Middle East. And, if the region does stabilize, (stabilize being a relative term for that part of the world) and the governments all become more democratic; was it really worth the thousands of American and Iraqi lives it cost us to invade Iraq to achieve that goal?

What is going on in the Middle East now has left my Neocon and conservative friends in somewhat of an ideological pickle: Do you embrace democracy even if it's not exactly the democracy you want? And are some dictators actually better than others? ----How is a secular dictatorship any better than a religious one?

"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe - because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export."

We will see Mr. Bush. We will see.

Finally, I see that Rush is up to his old reprehensible tricks. My man was actually making fun of the First Lady's weight on Monday, and he joins Andrew Breitbart and other republi-clowns, who have made a sport of taking personal shots at the First Lady's appearance. Nice.

As if those two can talk about someone's weight. I mean honestly; wouldn't that be like Charlie Sheen lecturing us about the dangers of drug use?

Anyway, shake em off Michelle. Don't worry about the haters. Just keep doing what you do and history will be kind to you. Rush and Andrew? Not so much.

President's Day.

Before I get into this post, I want to acknowledge the blogger, African American Pundit, and thank him for the wonderful work that he has been doing with the Recy Taylor story. I reached out to a few bloggers about the injustice this woman suffered many years ago, but so far Rock is the only one to really get on board. I hope that some of you other bloggers of color will look into her story and leave posts on your sites as well.

So it's President's Day here in A-merry-ca, and although white folks love to cast Negroes as Presidents, -----from Eddie Murphy to Blair Underwood--- we have only had one real black President in these divided states. (Well, a half one at least.) And, because he has been the first, he has been getting a lot of (unfair) pressure from you black folks to deliver. Like Janet Jackson, you want to know what he has done for you lately. Well, I have no problem telling you Negroes that he has done as much for you as he could. He is, after all, the President of all A-merry-cans. You Negroes can only get so much.

His O-ness is facing a very troubled world, and here on the home front the opposition party is over- reaching. They are trying to break unions in Wisconsin, and threatening to shut down the government if they don't get their way. It's not easy being president of these divided states. No wonder the poor guy gets a Day.

Finally, no matter how my girl Beyonce tries to go....ahem, white , it seems that there are still some folks who just won't let her forget that her ass is black. Yes Beyonce, you might as well just embrace your blackness. Just think, if you do, you might get a chance to play the president one day in a movie.

First Nanny?

*

It's tough on Sundays these days for a red blooded A-merry-can sports fan. Right now I am typing as a dreadful up and down the court spectacle known as the NBA All Star game is taking place. Today they played an NHL game outdoors and the ice was so hard that those cats could barely move on their skates. It was ugly. NASCAR? No offense to my friends down in Dixie, but if I want to watch a bunch of cars go around and around in circles I would just as soon stand outside of City Hall here in Philly.

So anyway, I could do some racism chasing tonight, but I will leave Big R alone for now. (Noose in the workplace? So what else is new? Just another day at work for black folks here in A-merry-ca. h/t Nordette.)

So let's talk breasts. Get your mind out of the gutter, I am not talking about breasts in a sexual way; I want to talk about them as they relate to nutrition. Seems that there is a dust up between our First Lady and wingnuts over whether "the breast is best":

"Ms. Bachmann lashed out at the campaign on Tuesday on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, saying that it reflected a “hard left” position that “government is the answer to everything.”

While noting that she had breast-fed the five children she gave birth to, Ms. Bachmann said, “To think that government has to go out and buy my breast pump — You want to talk about nanny state, I think we just got a new definition.”

Yes, the IRS is apparently going to give a tax- break to mothers who use the breast pump. But this debate is all over the place. Apparently some folks on the left agree with Queen wingnut, and some folks on the right agree with the First Lady. My my, these are confusing times in which we live. Politics has reared its ugly head into our infant's breast milk.

Now I am not an expert on this subject.....the feeding part....well....the milk part...let me quit while I am ahead. But I think it's amazing how quick the wingnuts will jump on damn near anything (and everything) those Obama folks try to do.

Poor Michelle Obama, she just wants A-merry-ca's kids to be healthy. And whether you agree with her stance on breast feeding or not, you can't, deep in your heart, say with a straight face that she does not care about mothers and their children. She wants our children to be healthy. It's better for their families; it's better for A-merry-ca.

But, in spite of this, they make fun of her and resort to juvenile name calling and cartoons.*

(And they wonder why we can't have a grown up debate in this country)

I say keep doing what you do Michelle. We need a "nanny state" for some of our damn kids and their parents out here. Hell, I see stories like this one out of my hometown, (Some of you Negroes and these Play Stations, I swear) and I start thinking to myself that we might need a lot more than that.

What did they do to deserve this?

Now that we know that former Chicago Bear, Dave Duerson, committed suicide, I hope that the "billionaire boyz club", otherwise known as the NFL, will take note. Duerson joins a growing list of former players who took this route to self destruction. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a direct correlation between concussions and what is happening to these former players. I just hope that more groups will come out and hold the league accountable.

And, speaking of holding people accountable, there are 235 people down in Washington that A-merry-cans should be holding accountable. These folks just voted to slash the federal budget by 61.5 billion dollars. Of course they didn't have the guts to touch Social Security or Medicare and *Medicaid. That would have taken something that they don't have: Integrity, and the courage of their convictions.

Those 235 poli-tricksters remind me of the bully that goes to the playground looking for a fight, and ignores the bigger kids shooting hoops and heads straight to the swing and jungle gym to pick on the smaller kids.

Sesame Street, (goodbye Big Bird) job training programs, the EPA, food nutrition programs for children, and Head Start. These are all the smaller kids on the playground. It's always easy to pick on children and poor people; they can't afford lobbyist.

"Remember, this is historic," Cantor told reporters after leaving a closed-door Republican conference meeting at which lawmakers were hashing out their differences on the cuts. "The level of cuts here have not taken place in Congress since World War II. That's how big these cuts are. We have now produced a working document, a bill that will be brought to the floor, that will make history again."

Bully!

Doggie "diss"?

Did I just watch Justin Bieber pull a wicked a cross-over on Common in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game? Noooo!

Anyway, if you are a fan of Lady O, you might want to skip this post.

A few weeks ago I listened to Michael Vick do an interview with local sports talk show host, Mike Missanelli. He was asked about his upcoming interview with Oprah and if he knew about the bet she had with Piers Morgan as to who would get an interview with him first. Vick assured Missanelli that Ms. O would win because he didn't even know who Morgan was.

Well Michael, you probably should have gone with Morgan. Seems Vick pulled out of his interview with Ms. O because she was going to ambush him by bringing a dog lover who adopted one of his dogs on her show. (I wonder if she told that to Vick's people? I doubt it.)
Of course Ms. O was not pleased about the last minute cancellation which left her scrambling to replace him, and folks in the know say you don't diss Ms. O. Well, I am sorry, but unless she plans to strap em up and play defensive end for an NFC East team this upcoming season (if they have one) I wouldn't worry too much about Ms. O.

"After careful consideration, I will need to postpone the taping of the Oprah Winfrey interview scheduled for February 22. I admire and respect Oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future..."

Good move Mike, your Mom will be pissed, but nothing good could have come from that interview. I don't know why you agreed to it in the first place. At the end of the day, Ms. O is going to pander to her dog loving fans, and I can just imagine how that ambush would have gone. Great television for Oprah, but it might have been career suicide for you. Poor pet owners confronting angry black man (who might be getting angrier with every minute) you get the picture.

Anyway, now it seems that Ms. O is upset, and she told the Hollywood Reporter that she prepared for months for the sit down and even did a field trip to Philly with her staff. (*Yawn*) Trust me, she will get over it. The money spent on that field trip is a drop in a very large bucket to Ms. O.

As an Eagles fan I am glad it didn't happen, and if the Eagles themselves stepped in and said don't do it I can't say that I blame them. They are about to give Mike 20 plus million and possibly more down the road. After his meltdown -or if he comes off looking like a jerk- Ms. O won't even give Vick a second thought. She will be long gone and looking for her next Dr. Phil or Rachael Ray.

Let them eat cheese.

As the wingnuts in Washington keep calling for more cuts, the states are now preparing to pass on those cuts to their citizens. In "cheese country" the natives are restless, and hard working union workers stormed Madison today demanding justice. The republi-clown governor is threatening to end 50 years of collective bargaining which protects Wisconsin workers, and as I write this post there are some dumbocratic state legislatures from Wisconsin on the run. (As long as they don't go to Pittsburgh they should be fine.)

At some point during this debate folks are going to have to start looking at the "haves" and their sacrifices. The only folks making a sacrifice right now are "have- nots" and the hard working folks in the middle. Americans seem to know it, but you would never hear about it in the press.

The new demons for wingnuts are public sector employees, such as school teachers, police officers, health- care workers, and firefighters. According to wingnuts, it is their pension plans and onerous salaries that are holding us down. They are the reason America can't rise out of this recession.------Not a war that was never paid for, tax breaks and shelters to major corporations, and tax cuts for the very wealthy among us who do nothing towards reinvesting in the economy. Not "hyper-speculation" on Wall Street which...well, we all know that story by now.

But the okie doke continues, and everyone of you are falling for it.

Here is an example:

Public sector employees are much better compensated than private sector employees. That might be true, but there is a reason for that: Public sector workers are older and better educated than private sector workers, so yes, it makes sense that they would make more in terms of pay.

Here is another myth:

Social security is going broke any day now, and it is imperative that we raise the age of retirement here in A-merry-ca. This, of course, is false, and it is just another wingnut talking point you all have been hoodwinked into believing. I have to co-sign with Robert Reich who writes that social security is not responsible for the federal deficit, and it took in more in payroll taxes than it paid out. -----BTW, it actually lends what it has left over to the...wait for it... federal government.

I could give you more, but I think you get the point.

As I watched those protesters in Madison I kept thinking about Tahrir Square. Could it happen here? People won't really protest, take to the streets, and call for a revolution unless they lose all hope. ("A hungry mob is an angry mob.") That's why all those tea party protesters were such a joke. After fighting Obama- power all day they went home to their leather sofas, flip flops, and tea by the pool. Those union workers are about to lose their jobs and their homes. They might be feeling something else in their gut.

I feel it too. But the thing is, most of the people in A-merry-ca are afraid of that feeling.

These clowns are not funny.

Call this the republi-clowns gone wild post. WTF? Republican governors calling the po po idiots, and elected leaders telling the working man that if budget cuts causes him to lose his job, "so be it"? Yes, if you can't feed little Johnny and if you lose that house to foreclosure, it's all on you. You should have started a business when you went into the work force. Busting your ass while serving your government is just no good. Next time become a politician. (Whenever I think of poli-tricksters I think of that song by Dire Straits .)

Here is the thing about John Boehner, though. The man is actually sending about $450 million in earmarked "pork" to his own Ohio district while he gives his cut em high and cut em low speech. (We are talking a million jobs if tan man gets his way.)I swear, if honesty was a bed that man would never sleep. Well, unless it was a tanning bed.

And then there is that other republi-clown from Ohio:

"In a speech last month Ohio Gov. John Kasich emphatically referred to a police officer who ticketed him for a driving violation as "an idiot."

Kasich, now the Republican governor, was ticketed on Jan. 11, 2008, for "approaching a public safety vehicle with lights displayed" on Route 315 in Columbus and later paid an $85 fine. But he was not happy about it.....

"Have you ever been stopped by a police officer that's an idiot," Kasich asked the seated audience, pausing his speech as he moved around the room. "I had this idiot pull me over on 315. Listen to this story. He says to me, he say, uh, he says you passed this emergency vehicle on the side of the road and you didn't yield."

"I said, officer I, are you kidding, I didn't, I didn't see any, I didn't even see any, where the heck was it?" a stammering Kasich recalls. "The last thing I would ever do would be to pass an emergency, are you kidding me?"

View full sizeAP fileOhio Gov. John Kasich, shown in a 2010 photograph.
"He says, 'Well I understand that. Give me your license,'" Kasich continues. "He goes back to the car, comes back, gives me a ticket and says you must report to court, if you don't report to court we're putting a warrant out for your arrest."

Then Kasich stills himself and bellows, "He's an idiot! We just can't act that way. What people resent are people who are in the government who don't treat the client with respect.'" [Source]

Nice.

Finally, Tucker Carlson joined the wingnuts gone crazy parade by saying that the first lady wants to "raise your children at GUN POINT." To Tucker, there is nothing like a gang banging first lady to scare your children into doing things her way. It's what they do in Chicago. They might be living in the White House, but those two Negroes are still representing the South side.

Honoring Recy, and some Thor-ny movie issues.

Well, since it's Black History Month, I think a post about 91 year old Recy Taylor would be quite fitting. Just one more field Negro who allowed me to stand on her shoulders so that I can get on the Internet every night and type what's on my mind.

"Sept. 3, 1944: It's a damp evening in the Alabama black belt, nearly midnight, but services at Rock Hill Holiness Church in the small town of Abbeville have just let out. Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old sharecropper, sets out along the town's fertile peanut plantations, accompanied for the walk home by two other worshippers from the African-American congregation. Moments later, a green Chevrolet rolls by -- and their routine journey takes a horrifying turn.

Wielding knives and guns, seven white men get out of the car, according to Taylor and witnesses from a state investigation of the case. One shoves Taylor in the backseat; the rest squeeze in after her and ride off. Her panicked friends run to tell the sheriff.

After parking in a deserted grove of pecan trees, the men order the young wife and mother out at gunpoint, shouting at her to undress. Six of them rape Taylor that night. Once finished, they drive her back to the road, ordering her out again before roaring off into the darkness.

Days after the brutal attack, Taylor's story traveled through word of mouth, catching the attention of a Montgomery NAACP activist named Rosa Parks. A seasoned anti-rape crusader, who focused on the sexual assaults of black women that were commonplace in the segregated South, Parks would eventually help bring the case international notice. Despite her efforts, however, in Jim Crow-era Alabama, Taylor's assailants were never punished.

It's curious, to say the least, that Taylor's name is not mentioned in history books. While most analyses of circumstances that inspired the civil rights movement focus on black men -- being lynched or railroaded into jail, or facing down segregationists -- the stories of countless black women like Recy Taylor, who were raped by white men during the same era, have gone understated, if not overlooked entirely.

Nearly 70 years later, having such a brutal attack swept under the rug is still a source of pain for a surviving victim.

"Wasn't nothing done about it," Taylor, now 91, told The Root in a phone interview from her Florida home. "The sheriff never even said he was sorry it happened. I think more people should know about it … but ain't nobody [in Abbeville] saying nothing."

Organizing a National Movement

At the time, others -- more than she ever knew -- did speak out in defense of Taylor. Her brother Robert Corbitt, now 74, was just 8 years old when his eldest sister was kidnapped, but he remembers that night well, and all that followed. [More here]

I know I rip some of these corporate blogs from time to time, but h/t to The Root for bringing us this story.

Finally, I see that my man Idris Elba is still going to play Heimdall in the movie Thor. (That brotha could play book on a shelf and Mrs. Field would drag us to watch the damn movie. "Come on field, it's supposed to be a really good movie". "But honey, it's about a bunch of books on a shelf". "Yes, but Idris Elba is in it".....) And some folks are still losing their minds. Hey, I get it, a black man playing Norse god really kind of stretches the imagination. (Ain't no brothers in Norway.) I guess it would be kind like a white man playing Jim Brown in a movie to us black folks. But wait, Jim Brown is a real person. Heimdall, on the other hand, is a fictional character. Never mind.

Still, I suppose if you are a fan of the comic book, you could argue that the PC police are ruining the product for you. When do you say enough already with this artistic liberty stuff?

"At the risk of sounding like a bigot, I think this is nuts....Not too many un-fair complexion types roaming the frigid waste land up there....."

"Thor has a hammer that flied to him when he clicks his fingers. That's okay, but the color of my skin is wrong?"

Idris, maybe you would have been better off playing a book.

I guess this Forde was built a little too tough.

Put down your Valentine's Day chocolate for a minute and check this out:

Shawna Forde was found guilty of murdering two people today (including a nine year old girl) in Arizona, and I couldn't be happier. Ms. Forde was a vigilante hell bent on ridding the country of illegals, and the poor people who lose their lives were...wait for it...Mexican immigrants.

This might explain why many of you reading this have never heard of Shawna Forde or the atrocious act that she has been convicted of. Of course you haven't heard about this case on FOX, because it doesn't play into their narrative. And, as is to be expected, the "lamestream" media has been very silent about it as well. (h/t to blogs in A-merry-ca )

Thankfully, the mother of the little girl ---and the wife of the man that was killed-- survived, and she was able to tell her story in open court:

"Brisenia Flores was gunned down at point-blank range in her own home in Flores, Arizona, as her terrified mother Gina Gonzalez, who had also been hit, played dead on the floor.

She sobbed as the court was told how she had heard Brisenia's desperate pleas as her killer stood over her.

'I can hear it happening,' Mrs Flores told the court describing how her daughter said: 'Why did you shoot my dad? Why did you shoot my mum?'

'I can hear her telling him to "please don't shoot me."'

Sorry Brisenia, sometimes the wages of being a little immigrant girl is death.

So, in spite of the best wingnut and tea party efforts, Ms. Forde will be looking at hard time, and she could probably lose her life.

You won't read any commentary from me about these vigilante and right wing groups in A-merry-ca. But you can learn more about Shawna Forde and this particular case and decide for yourself.

OK, you can finish your candy now.

My (not really an) ode to Valentine's Day

Cupid is a slick little SOB. And, honestly, I never really trusted the little guy. (Cupid is a he, right? Isn't he like the son of Mars or something?)

Sometimes the little asshole will shoot you with that arrow of his when you least expect it. ---Like he did to yours truly a few years back. And sometimes he will just do shit to be funny (Think Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree, J Lo and Ben Affleck, or Halle Berry and whoever.)

But you really have to wonder about a guy who wastes his time shooting people like Newt Gingrich and Elizabeth Taylor over and over again with that damn arrow of his, yet he still can't find the time to shoot the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, or the Jews and Palestinians, just once.

And now we have an entire day dedicated to this little asshole. --Like I need a day to be reminded that I have to bring Mrs Field flowers, or that I have to take her to a really nice restaurant every now and then-- Ladies , if your man only does nice things for you on Valentine's Day you might have a problem. Valentine's Day is great if you are a florist or a chocolate maker, but for all of us left vulnerable and exposed to that damn arrow; it's anything but nice. (Hell, here in Philly we literally have a love train for folks.) Now before you go ripping me for being all negative, I have some good things to say about Cupid as well: His arrow seemed to have been right on the mark with folks like Michelle and Barack, Will and Jada, and the Augers of Louisiana. So the little sucker doesn't always miss. Sometimes he shoots straight for the heart and hits his mark. Still, you have to wonder why he doesn't do that all the time. If he did, I wouldn't have a problem giving him a day, a year, or whatever the hell he wanted.

So, for now, I am officially not feeling Valentine's Day. But I am going to wish you all a happy one. Maybe you can put it to better use than I can.

OK, I gotta go. I am still checking with florist online who can deliver by tomorrow. :(

Nancy Grace plays the race card, and Jimmy is higher than the rent.

Oh Lawd! Nancy Grace is playing the race card:

"Let’s just say you send a black girl into that same jewelry story, or an educated person or a poor person, they come away with a $2,500 necklace, honey, and they would be thrown down on the asphalt and dragged by their feet back into the store and prosecuted."

Yes Nancy, celebrity (and a certain hue) does have its privileges here in A-merry-ca. And now that I know that you can chase the Big R a little bit you might want to ignore the ratings people sometimes and focus on the poor people and people of color who go missing.

Speaking of racism chasing, it seems that there is a certain basketball coach in Ohio who has been listening to his 2-Pac collection a little too much:

"AOL Black Voices reports that coach Jason Popp may see his entire undefeated basketball team at Richmond Heights High School in Ohio boycott the rest of their games after he allegedly used foul language and racial slurs against his players.

Many of the players are thinking about sitting out their game on Tuesday if their coach remains at the helm.

"He was like, 'Well, you guys don't go out and play n---er basketball.' He was like, 'Cause this is what they gonna expect y'all to do, play n---er basketball'," said varsity player Jordan Early.

Putting aside the obvious "Who can use the n-word?" debate and conversations about ongoing racist stereotypes about black versus white athletes and their style of play, was that honestly the best pep talk you could come up with, Coach Popp?" [Source]

Sorry coach Popp, there goes that college gig you always wanted.

Shout out to Jimmy (the rent is too damn high) McMillan for crashing the CPAC conference down in Washington. For those of you who don't know, CPAC is where the wingnuts get together to chart their political future for the upcoming elections. (And, of course, to make jokes about where the president was -or wasn't- born. And to trot out a keynote speaker who compared the president to Hitler.) Sadly, some of them won't be attending this year because there are actually going to be Gays there. Nice folks those wingnuts.

Anyway, Jimmy is a brave man. And I salute him for deciding to run on the republican ticket.--- All of you Negroes can't seek public office as dumbocrats--- "The rent is too damn high" sounds like a nice jumping off platform. But Jimmy, shouldn't you own and not rent? Especially if you are going to become a republican. Still, from what I have heard about some of your other musings, you will fit right in with the "grand old party".

Finally, I rarely give legal advice, but tonight I am going to make an exception and pass a little something on to you sperm donors out there. (I really wish I didn't have to, because you shouldn't be having kids unless you want an intact family.) Before you actually start paying your court ordered child support, (Notice I said court ordered. No emails from my feminist friends, please.) if you were not married to the child's mother when the little bundle of joy was conceived, it might be a good idea to get a DNA test. I know you are sure that you are the father, and the little guy has your eyes, but cover all your tracks before you start sending those checks. That way you won't end up like my man J-Kwon.

I'm out.

Field got mail!

Let me start this post by saying congrats to the people of Egypt. You deserve your freedom. You took to the streets and sacrificed your time, blood, sweat, and tears for it. I guess a revolution can be televised after all.

Now to the mailbag:

I never usually post the e-mails that I get from readers. Primarily because most of them are just the usual hate filled rants about N*&&%r this and N*&^$r that; with a few choice curse words sprinkled in between.

But every now and then I get one without the usual cursing that I can actually publish. I will publish this one and attempt to answer some of the writer's questions.

"Hello,

Somehow I stumbled upon your blog "Field Negro". I must say that although you state that you are a lawyer you are very good at playing the black victim status/role and pandering to others who want to keep this fraudulent stereotype alive.. Go ahead and refer to yourself as a so called field Negro (as if you really know what it is like to work in the fields) play victim to the mean WHITE society that's keeping you down. Sir this argument is growing older than dirt and you know it. A Merry Ca as you refer to it is the place where people from all over the world come to seek a better life. I consider myself lucky to have been born here. Some people (like yourself) just don't appreciate the freedoms and the sacrifices made by Americans of all colors so that you could be free to write the drivel that you do.

By now I'm sure you've heard this all before and I'm quite certain that you have a steady and consistent argument in place in response to folks like myself. You mentioned in your profile that you were born in Jamaica. I just don't understand people like yourself who come here from other parts of the world only to spit on America and the privileges that are offered to all who really want to invest themselves. Invest not in harmful racist banter but with positive contributions to a country that right now needs less hate and more people to stand up and do what's right.

What is it that makes you hate America and white people so much? Do you realize that other's who come here, Chinese, Latinos Indian. etc etc are passing the black race by? Your failure to move forward is what is making this happen,sir. Your belief that slavery and victim status is the way to go is only holding the black people back. I don't see many Chinese complaining and bad mouthing America after arriving here from communist China.

Let's face it, America is not perfect. There will always be hate and racism and injustices done to some people of all races but why fuel the fires of hate and pain? Why not put that time and energy into helping others who need a hand pulling themselves up to possibly become an attorney like yourself or whatever dream they may have other than drugs and guns and a certain death on our streets?

In America today we are all free to come and free to go. No one is cracking a whip at our feet in the cotton fields. America needs your help,sir. You can either dive in and help out or you can keep spilling your negative hateful America bashing day in and day out. Just remember that you are free to make that choice. You are also free to go back to your country of origin if you really find it so bad here in A Merry Ca.

Sincerely,

Ralph Jones "

Well Ralph, first, let me say thanks for writing. I appreciate that fact that you tried to keep your tone somewhat civil. That must have been hard for you.

Anyway Ralph, let me start with your somewhat xenophobic premise that somehow you are entitled to claim A-merry-ca and I am not. Sir, unless you happen to be a Native American, you can make no such claim. I came to this country legally, and my status here affords me all the rights of citizenship. You happened to have been born here. Great. But remember, we have an equal claim to this country. You sir, by virtue of your birth, have no more rights and privileges than I do. (Unless, of course, we both decide to run for president)

You also fall into the trap of believing that everyone who comes to this country was living a miserable Third World existence. Nothing could be further from the truth. I can assure you, sir, that I did not come to this country needing a hand out. I know that throws off your narrative, but sometimes you just have to think outside of that xenophobic box. Also, I did not come here to spit on this country,--- my very A-merry-can wife would not allow it.

Ralph , you can't run away from your history, and the conditions that your history has created for generations of people (black and white) in A-merry-ca. There might be a day in A-merry-ca when uppity Negroes like myself wont post "drivel" on the Internet on a daily basis, but sorry, we are not there yet. There are still too many folks like you who are in denial.

I have contributed in many positive ways to this country, and, in spite of your red white and blue blinders, I am not so sure that you can say the same. I have also "moved forward" in my personal life. The difference between the two of us is is that I want others to move forward with me. You have deluded yourself under a cloud of white (or house) privilege, so you do not. I care about people not A-merry-can people. Just people. That might not be the A-merry-can way, but I am a human being first, not an A-merry-can.

So sorry Ralph, I will keep "bashing." Because no one (as you so conveniently reminded me) is "cracking a whip" at my feet. My job is to constantly remind people like you what A-merry-ca is capable of ,and if folks like me aren't always vigilant, she just might resort to her old ways.

Still Ralph, you are right about one thing; A-merry-ca does need help. But folks who are in denial like yourself won't be able to do much. In order to help A-merry-ca you have to first help yourself. The only way you can do that is by crawling from under that flag you conveniently use to shield yourself from the problems in this country. Problems, I might add, that were created over time by folks just like you.

Black History Month.

I wanted to blog about Black History Month so I went looking over at HuffPo (since they are reserving a section for us black folks now) and found this. Needles to say I was disappointed. More liberal guilt from a white woman named Helen Davey, ( that's not Helen in the picture) who just read "The Help" ,and as is to be expected with these sort of things; it brought back all types of childhood memories for the poor woman:

"My first best friend was Elisabeth Darity. I have an old, black and white photograph of the two of us, dated September 1943, when I was six months old. Nestled in Elisabeth's lap, I'm resting my tiny white hand on her large and comforting black one. My memories of Elisabeth begin when my older brother and sister went to school, and I felt left behind and lonely. Elisabeth was chosen to look after me, and I had no idea that I was her job -- I thought she was my friend who came to play. She was the first person who listened to me and took what I said seriously. My brother and sister, being older, would laugh at me, run away from me and call me a "crybaby." Elisabeth empowered me by pointing out that my siblings actually needed me as a third person to play most games. If they ran away from me, then I wouldn't play with them anymore. It worked! "

No Helen, Elisabeth didn't come to play. She came to work. Taking care of you was how she fed her family.

Anyway, I changed my mind about the Black History Month post. Every day is black history for me. I don't need a month that was set aside for me to reinforce A-merry-can exceptionalism. "See how we love you black folks? We even gave you your own month".

Let me start with Governor Kripy Kreme and go down from there. My man was in my city today to get an award from the very Blue Blooded Union League. The award is called....wait for it....."The Lincoln Award". Yes, the same Lincoln who freed the slaves. Maybe freeing people from their money and their jobs is the Republican version of Lincoln type values these days. That is certainly what the good Gov. has been doing in Jersey.

And speaking of the party of Lincoln; it looks like the GOP infighting has started already. Seems that former Senator Rick I should be in a Sanitarium called out Sarah:

"I have a feeling that she has some demands on her time, and a lot of them have financial benefit attached to them,"

Are you saying that it's all about the money with Sarah, Rick? Well she has a little something for you:

“I think the reports were much worse than what he really said. I think some things were really taken out of context. So I will not call him the knuckle dragging neanderthal that perhaps others would want to call him. I’ll let his wife call him that instead.”

Ouch! A "knuckle dragging neanderthal"? Now now Sarah, is that anyway for one future presidential candidate to talk about another?

O man, if they are treating each other with such contempt and derision, I shudder to think what's in store for you.

Finally, if this Negro isn't the slave catcher of the year I don't know who is. You would think that with all the problems his flock might have to deal with this pastor would find other things to occupy his time than to save white men.

Come on Rev. I am sure that the white men of A-merry-ca appreciate the effort. But take my word for it when I tell you that they will be just fine.

See what you started Bishop Eddie?

Like I wasn't going to blog about this story.

Seems that yet another republi-clown (Family.God. Country) hypocrite has been caught with his pants down. --Well, in this case, it's trying to make his pants go down.

"Rep. Christopher Lee , a New York Republican, has resigned after reports surfaced that the married congressman was trying to meet women on Craigslist, a GOP source told CNN.

Lee acknowledged making "profound mistakes" and said his decision to step down was voluntary.

"It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness," he said in a statement.

"The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately." [Source]

Blah blah blah. Yes, but you caused the "distraction". Don't try to make it seems like your little attempted Craigslist rendezvous was someone else's fault. You are in this one all by yourself congressman.

Still, I am not going to kill Lee like I would some of the other hypocrites in his party. He is not the worst of that loony lot.

"Lee apparently responded to the ad claiming to be a divorced, 39-year-old lobbyist who described himself as a "fit fun classy guy." He sent the woman a two photographs of himself, including one in which he is shirtless and flexing. When the woman discovered that Lee is actually married, 46 years old and a member of Congress, she sent the correspondence and pictures to Gawker.

Lee's office deflected media inquiries all day until his resignation statement was released, and Lee would only tell Fox News while walking to his car Wednesday afternoon that "I have to work this out with my wife." Gawker reported that his office first claimed in response to their questions that Lee's email had been hacked, and that Lee deleted his Facebook account following the site's initial inquiry. "

Oh my! Now now Congressman, you can't go lying to a sincere Craigslist inquiry. Especially if she is a sister. Don't ask how I know. I have people. (Shout out to Rippa)

Anyway, all is well that ends well. The congressman did the right thing by all involved and resigned. Let's hope that this is the end of it...

Finally, after seeing this poll, I am happy to announce that there still might be hope for the A-merry-can people. (h/t Greg) I wonder what else the A-merry-can people want that we have been led to believe- in this right leaning media world- that they don't? Tax hikes for rich folks?
Supporting environmental protections? Not cutting social security?

Wow! A-merry-ca is looking better and better every day.

The search is on for Dr. Booty.

"I like 'em round, and big
And when I'm throwin' a gig
I just can't help myself, I'm actin' like an animal"

Maybe it started with Sir Mix A Lot, I am not so sure. Maybe J-Lo, or, more recently, Kim. It could be all this interracial dating going on in A-merry-ca these days. Whatever the reason for this trend, white women now have another part of their bodies to upgrade. (I know I know, not all white women have certain....ahem , challenges in the booty area. And not all sisters look like Serena.) You poor folks, as if your breasts and your lips aren't enough to worry about.

Anywhoo, here in Philly it seems that Dr. Booty (my name for him/her) is on the loose

"A 20-year-old British tourist died early Tuesday after she allegedly flew to Philadelphia to get silicone injections into her buttocks at a Hampton Inn in southwest Philly, sources say.

Police executed a search warrant at the Hampton Inn on Bartram Avenue Tuesday afternoon with suspicions that a woman is renting rooms in which she performs non-FDA approved butt implant procedures, sources say.

Suspicions of these hotel-room medical procedures came about after a woman visiting from England died 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after she had a butt enhancement procedure at the Hampton Inn and was brought to a local hospital, according to court documents.

Sources say the butt injections occurred in room 425 of the Hampton Inn and the now-deceased woman complained of chest pain shortly after the procedure.

The preliminary cause of death is attributed to silicone injected into the woman's vascular system, ultimately stopping her heart, according to the Delaware County medical examiner. The autopsy is not yet complete.

Four women from England, including the woman who died, traveled to Philadelphia on Feb. 5, sources say. One of the women had gotten a buttocks-enhancement procedure in Philly last November and brought three of her friends to receive the same butt-implant procedures in hotel rooms this week, court documents say.

When the woman who later died began feeling ill, the woman who performed the procedure took off, sources say.

The women stayed in rooms in the Hampton Inn, which were reserved by the woman who was hired to perform the butt injections, sources say. "
[Story]

Look, I have heard of coming to Philly to get a nice cheesesteak, but a butt? That's a new one. --Oh the power of popular culture influences. These poor girls flew all the way over from England because they wanted to get all Serena when they put on their True Religions. Now what are they going to tell the loved ones of this poor girl? That she had an accident while trying to put more junk in her trunk? Her poor mother. I hope she doesn't blame herself for passing on a lighter trunk to her poor daughter. I mean some things just can't be helped. It's not everything mother nature gives us that we should go messing with. The booty is....well...you just don't mess with it. These booty doctors need to quit. Nose job? No problem. Breast job? Go for it. Lipo? Knock yourself out. Booty touch up? DANGER WILL ROBINSON!

Finally, on a far more serious note: Let's hope that Philly's finest got the right culprits who took that pregnant young lady's life outside of Philadelphia Traffic Court yesterday. You fight a woman and you beat her to death?! Are you serious?! Your parents should have been lining up at the police station to turn your sorry asses in.


I'm out.

Arianna goes black and Desmond's fear of an aging quarterback.

Nancy Grace and company won't do it, so I am going to start this post by making you all aware of little Octavius Powell, the 11 year old who has been missing from his Miami (Florida) home since last Friday. He was last seen wearing a red polo shirt and khaki pants. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this little guy will be found, and that he will return to his family as healthy as he was when he left. (h/t to Pamela for hipping me to this story)

Inside baseball time: I hear that HuffPo is planning to have a black section for us Negroes. (It's called "Global Black" but I am guessing it will be primarily for Negroes in A-merry-ca.) Nothing attracts more ad. revenue like your very own Negro section. Gotta have a place for those Chrysler 300 and McDonald's commercials. HuffPo will join NBC (The Grio), The Washington Post (The Root), AOL (BlackVoices) on the corporate black bandwagon. Good luck with that Arianna, but you should have checked with me before you picked your partner.

"But I really wanted to bring the real news, the story telling-to really bring back the voice of the black community on some relevant news and views."

You mean kind of like you did with BET?!

Anyway, some folks are already jumping ship. Maybe Arianna should have checked with a lot more folks.

Sticking with the media, I am going to have to rip my man Desmond Howard a little bit. Yo Desmond, what's up with you letting Phil Simms threaten you and then tweeting about it like a big baby to your fans? "Phil Simms just threatened 2 hit me b/c I said his son was 1 of the worst QB's in the SEC" . First of all, Phil, your son does suck! So you might want to get over it. And, as someone said recently, you are in the business of criticizing other people's sons every damn Sunday, so your kid is fair game. BTW, since we are on the subject: your other son sucks , too. Still, this doesn't excuse Desmond Howard's wimpy behavior. He should have told you what I just wrote and let the chips fall where they may.

Finally, I thought I had seen it all from you Negroes, but this one takes the cake. I swear, some of you Negroes need Jesus.

I'm out.