Searching for Teleka, and Stephen A. Smith defends black conservatives.

I would like to start this post by bringing some attention to a missing young lady from Michigan.

"The parents of missing Kalamazoo medical resident Teleka Patrick issued a statement Saturday that shares both their grief and their hopes for finding their daughter.

Mattahais and Irene Patrick, of Florida, hope the statement touches a chord with someone who knows where their daughter may be. It was accompanied by a poster by the Indiana State Police, also asking for help in locating the young woman.

Teleka Patrick, originally from Queens, N.Y., is a first-year medical resident in psychiatry with the Western Michigan University School of Medicine who has been missing since Dec. 5. She was dropped off at her car – a gold 1997 Lexus ES300 – in the parking lot of Borgess Medical Center on Gull Road, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office.
The car was found that night in a ditch off westbound I-94 near Portage, Ind. It was found by an Indiana State Police trooper who responded to a report of an unknown accident.

On Friday, Irene Patrick told Kalamazoo Gazette reporter Rex Hall Jr. that she last spoke with her daughter Nov. 28, although the two usually talk by phone every Sunday. She said Teleka spoke with her by telephone as she was driving back to Kalamazoo from a cousin’s house in Chicago, where she spent Thanksgiving.

The Patricks traveled to Kalamazoo earlier this week to comb the area for their daughter.

Investigators said earlier this week that police found nothing suspicious in Teleka’s car the night of Dec. 5 and they don’t suspect foul play in her disappearance. But that has not calmed her family's fears.
Following is the Patrick's statement:
It's been seven days, and we still can't find our daughter. Teleka Cassandra Patrick is our eldest and has always been the light of our lives. The dark unanswered questions: Where is she? Who is she with? Is she OK? Is she alive? The questions claw at us, tearing us to shreds. It takes all of our energy not to fall to the floor and scream our hearts out because it's cold outside and she is just a girl.

(She is) the sweetest, kindest and most hopeful girl you could ever meet, who was never too shy to show every single last one of her teeth when she smiled. Never too shy to help someone in need and never too shy to laugh out loud at her own sarcastic corny jokes (she thought she was hilarious). And oh, do we need to see her smile again." [Source] 

I hope that this story will have a happy ending and that the Patrick family will find their daughter.

Finally, I see that my boy Screaming Stephen A. Smith has jumped into the debate between Kobe and Jim Brown.

Jim Brown seems to think that Kobe is somewhat of a sellout because he doesn't see him as the type of Negro who would use his fame to advance a social or political cause like some iconic black athletes back in the day.

Kobe, of course, fired back. And he basically let it be known that just because he was not raised as an African American that does not mean that he does not understand the struggle they went through, or that he is any less black than Brown.

This is where Stephen Smith comes in to declare that Kobe is a victim of anti- conservative sentiments within the black community.  Frankly, it's a screed that was totally out of left field.

"On Friday, Stephen Smith told First Take co-host Skip Bayless that he spoke with Kobe before that tweet was sent, and that Bryant told him that this is “not a conversation that he’s running from. He welcomes the opportunity to have that conversation.”

Smith then used the Brown/Bryant flap to illustrate what he sees as a partisan political dynamic within the black community (transcript via TRS):

When it comes to the African-American community, you have a plethora of individuals. For example, the black population hasn’t given the Republican Party more than 15% of its vote since 1964. And anybody who is deemed a black conservative, I am not one of them — I’m a registered Independent, just to get that out of the way — but those that I know who are black conservatives are considered pariahs and are ostracized in our communities and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

But this is how — this is a problem that exists within our community. Because you are from our community, everybody believes that everybody is supposed to be identical to one another and we can’t display or exercise any kind of versatility, alright, or range in our thinking. It’s a problem that we have to deal with. It’s an internal problem that exists and we’re going to have to handle it because if we don’t we’re gonna see more Jim Brown’s speaking out against more Kobe Bryant’s and we’re gonna see more Kobe Bryant’s retaliating against the likes of Jim Brown. [Source]

Why is this a problem that we have to deal with? Maybe conservatives should deal with their own problems when it comes to black folks.

When they do that, get back to me and we can talk. Until then, I would say that  15% of black folks giving them a vote is 15% too many.

The power of the booty.

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I have tried to hold out posting in more detail about the Air McNair tragedy, but I can't anymore. I just have to drop a few lines about the power of the booty and some of the pitfalls that come with chasing it.

I must admit that I was inspired to write this post after reading one of my favorite writers, Elmer Smith's take on all this cheating and creeping going on in the news lately. At first, like everyone else, I thought it was great to see powerful men get caught with their pants down. Especially powerful men who happen to be first class hypocrites. But then, one of the the booty calls, took a tragic turn for the worse, and it (the booty) took the life of a man who most of us still want to remember in a different way.

Steve McNair was creeping on his wife. We have heard that it was getting serious with the "jump off" ( Will one of you Negroes reading this please explain to our white readers what a "jump off" is? Thanks). Now from all indication (and I am just speculating here, so please save your journalism 101 lectures) McNair's "jump off" was getting in too deep, and he wanted to end it all. Well, the "jump off" wasn't having it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now I have a partner or two (or three) with "jump offs" (don't worry, I am not going to do a Kobe on you guys) and if you think it's just rich athletes who stash their "jump offs", you would be wrong. There is quite a lot of that going on in society. *In my best Bernie Mac voice.*Long ago. Long long long ago. Waaaaayyy before Mrs. Field..... I was seeing a sister who, as it turns out, was a "jump off" for someone else. Girlfriend told me in no uncertain terms that our relationship couldn't go anywhere, because her benefactor was doing way more for her than the kid could ever do. I got the hint, and kept moving. BTW, I suspect that there are quite a few women with male jump offs as well, so please lets not make this a gender issue.

Now the thing about athletes is that they don't have to work as hard as the rest of the guys in society when it comes to dating. Women go looking for them. It's a whole different ball game (no pun intended) when you make millions and you have a high profile. I am not excusing what McNair did, but let's not pretend that what he was doing was that rare. And money is not the only aphrodisiac, power is a powerful one,too. Just ask Bill Clinton or any of those philandering clowns (from both parties) in Washington. Sadly, no matter how many of them the booty takes down they never seem to learn. Family,career, constituents, they can all be damned. Nothing beats the power of the booty. Nothing.

Personally, I don't come down as hard on those folks who fall to the power of the booty. We all have our weaknesses and shortcomings. Whatever happens is between the booty chaser, his wife, and his god. As long, of course, as he is not a hypocrite. Translated: As long as he is not some family values wingnut republican telling me how to live my life.

Steve McNair, wasn't telling me how to live my life. Steve McNair was a great athlete who I enjoyed watching play football and who played with great courage. Steve McNair also had some personal flaws and those flaws, more than likely, cost him his life. Steve McNair was unlucky, he picked the wrong "jump off".

Fellows, this is a PSA from the field: Always remember Steve McNair.

Oh, on a final note: I caught some of the MJ funeral today, and I must say it seemed like it was all done in good taste. --Color me surprised.--- The family really looked dignified and the send off had a good old fashion Southern Baptist feel to it. Good for the Jacksons, and good for all the people who were fortunate enough to be there.

*Pic. compliments of TMZ.

A stunning statement and a couple of not so stunning wins.

A few months ago I said the exact thing that Leon Penetta said recently. I bet some of you thought back then that it was just pure hyperbole. But now, since the head of the CIA is saying the same damn thing, maybe you will give the field a little credit for picking up what old Dick was putting down.

The only thing that bothers me a little is that Penetta actually says that Darth Dick "smells some blood in the water." Ahh hello, Leon, is there something you should be telling us ? Should I cancel all future trips to New York City? Should I stay off the mass transit system when commuting? Inquiring field Negroes want to know.

Come on folks, is it only me who thinks that the head of the CIA calling out a former VP in such a manner is stunning?

"It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that's dangerous politics." No shit Sherlock! I have been saying the exact same thing all along. But I have some news for you Leon; it's not only him, it's the entire right wing machine in this country. Starting with their blogs and ending in their halls of power. They want his O ness to fail so bad that if it will cost a few A-merry-cans their lives..... well, so be it.

Give me liberty or give me someone else's death. I am just saying.

Finally, a couple of congratulations are in order: Congrats to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for winning his election in Iran. Mahmoud, I see you learned something from the man who declared your country a part of the "axis of evil. " Question; do they have a Florida in Iran? Just curious.

And congrats to Kobe and his La-girls for being the new NBA champions. At least you didn't steal the title, Kobe. (Although the NBA sure tried o steal it for you) To many people here in A-merry-ca Kobe and Mahmoud is the same guy. But don't believe it. Mahmoud is much shorter.