HERB, BEER, OR CIGARETTES? OR SHOULD WE JUST LET OBAMA RAP ABOUT IT?

This is a good way to start this post because the World Cup is fast approaching. But I was a pretty good football (soccer) player in high school, and I played for a club side in Jamaica that traveled to various rural venues to play different teams. On one such outing we played in a little village called Royal Flat, (Only you true yawdies will know where this is) and as is usually the case at such venues, because many folks have a literal interpretation of Psalms 104:14, the smell of the good collie weed was in the air. No biggie. But then, while glancing around the crowd, I saw one of those images that has stayed with me all my life: There, on the sidelines, was a kid who couldn't gave been more than eight or nine, -dreadlocks flowing- with a big fat spliff hanging from his mouth. And what was just as amazing is that none of the people in the crowd even seemed to notice or care. Still, I guess it's beats smoking a damn cigarette. What is it comedian George Wallace used to say? "The world has gone crazy."

Now fast forward. Here I am in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, far removed from those days on the rock. I am chilling with my morning coffee, (Community from Louisiana, it's a Mrs. Field thing) when the reporter leads the morning news with this. Talk about deja vu. WTF? The Rastafarian kid might have been on some sort of religious mission. I mean some religions baptize their kids at an early age, so I get the whole ritualistic possibilities of what he might have been doing. (Unlike the little rug rat who is just hooked on cigarettes in Indonesia) But a beer at the ball game for a kid who couldn't have been more than ten?

I swear these fans in Philly never cease to embarrass the hell out of me. But field, are you sure it was beer. I mean his mother or father could have put his milk in a beer bottle. Well, yes, I suppose it could. And now, the Phillies, in order to save face, are saying that the little frat boy in training might have been drinking from an empty bottle. (Memo to MLB; removing the video clips from your broadcast won't make it go away.) Yeah, OK, well he was sure enjoying the hell out of that empty bottle.

And look, I know that things aren't always as they might appear. Videos sometimes lie. Have you heard the latest about Obama? Seems folks are claiming he was in a 90's rap video ,aptly named: "Whoomp there it is". I swear you can't make this s*&t up. Although, I must admit, dude does look like his O ness. Oh stop it field, you know they say we all look alike. You of all people should know better. OK, let me stop.

But on a serious note, if that was beer in that little party animal's bottle, his parents got some "splaining" to do. I laughed when I saw the little dread back in the day, but I am older now, and that s@#^ ain't funny no more.

Hey, that ain't Chase Utley.

Looks like philly sports made the national news again, for, as usual, all the wrong reasons. Here in town all the talk is about the young man who must have had one too many and decided that he wanted to live out his life long fantasy and play ball with the Phillies. Bad move. Philly's finest tasered his ass and now we are back in the news with another black eye. Here in Philly folks seems to be split down the middle: "Serves him right" some are saying. "He got just what he deserved." Some, on the other hand, are saying that the po po should have shown more restraint.

Of course this taser stuff is nothing new. Afrospear bloggers have been crying foul about the po po and their taser tactics for some time now. And, as is always the case, it takes some suburban kid getting his ass shocked by the po po for some people to get up in arms about the po po going high tech. For the record, I thought that the po po over- reacted, that kid did not present a threat to anybody. But maybe next time his ass will think twice before he starts pretending that the Phillies signed him to a major league contract.

And finally, at least that kid is still alive to consider his silly actions. Unfortunately for Howard Williams, he is not. An off duty Philadelphia police officer is facing murder charges for allegedly shooting the young man execution style after a domestic dispute.

"The fatal shooting of Howard Williams, 22, happened about 6:30 p.m. on a crowded South Philly block where at least 50 people were engaged in "an all-out water fight" with squirt guns, hoses and balloons, Shanae Williams said.

Gary, 26, and his girlfriend had driven to Hoffman Street near 19th to pick up the 8-year-old son he and Shanae Williams share custody of, she said.
Their car windows were down and Gary's girlfriend became enraged when Williams' niece sprayed her with water, Williams said.

An argument ensued between the women and then between Gary and Howard Williams, according to witnesses.

Gary then went to his car, grabbed a handgun and shot Howard Williams in the neck at point-blank range, Shanae Williams said.

Howard Williams' brother, Antwion "Demetrius" Strickland, 19, said he went to run to his fallen brother's side, but Gary stood over Williams' convulsing body and fired four more shots into his chest.

"When I seen the blood just squirting up in the air, I knew it was serious" Strickland said.
Shanae Williams said Gary then grabbed their son, threw him in the car, locked the doors and put a gun in her face before he sped away." [Article]

Oh well, one more to add to the murder count. Maybe Philly's finest should only be allowed to pack tasers while they are off duty as well.