It is Jealousy or Crazy?

I am a person who believes a little jealousy, when it comes to your significant other, is a good thing. In moderation, it is a way that you can show another how much you mean to them and want them in your life. Not in a smothering way like the Bugs Bunny and the Abominable Snowman cartoon. (Yes, I had to reference that cartoon.)



Ask yourself these two questions and comment on your choice of an answer. If the answer is not one of those listed, write your own and advise why.

When you find that your significant other appears to be jealous of some attention (innocent or not) by another person towards you, what process goes through your head?

1. What is wrong with them? Nothing wrong with a little flirting.

2. Awww, isn't that cute, he/she is getting a little upset about this person. He/She must care about me.

3. I don't know why he/she is jealous. They could never be as good as this person checking me out.

4. Dang, I must have "put it on 'em" because now they are acting crazy.

5. Uh oh! This person better leave me alone before they feel the wrath of my significant other.

Well if it was 4 or 5, you may need to get away from this person quick before they find you in a shallow grave missing your arms and legs.

What do you think when your significant other never appears to get jealous of the attention (innocent or not) you may receive from another person?

1. He/She must believe our love is so wonderful that nothing can come between us.

2. They know that there is nothing wrong with a little flirting. Go ahead and look.

3. Go ahead check him/her out all you want. I know I got the best looking guy/gal in here.

4. I am not worried - I got that "good good" and they will be coming back for more.

5. They must not care as much for me as they say they do or led me to believe.

6. Oh, he/she must think that they are all that and a bag of chips and that I can't just find someone better than them.

So what do you think? Is a little jealousy healthy for a relationship? Why?

Another Fox News Crazy and Unbalanced "Journalist" - Geraldo Rivera

This clip from The Daily Show again shows the insanity which is Fox News. Geraldo Rivera has not had any credibility since he tried to open Al Capone's vaults. How do you keep this man on your staff? Oh, wait a minute, it is Fox News. I forgot what "news outlet" I was talking about.

Rivera is SUPPOSED to be a seasoned journalist but he is reduced to chasing down embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in the parking lot where The View is produced. He is trying to prove his point but he comes off comical.

Again, remember the source that I am pulling this from but if the nuttiness wasn't there, it would not be so damn funny. See for yourself again.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Scumdog Million-Hairs - Geraldo Interview

Daily Show Full Episodes
Daily Show Tickets

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

Fox News - Crazy and Unbalanced

Politics! It is something you do not discuss with friends because it is a quick way to make enemies. The Fox News Channel has got to have the most insane bunch of alleged journalist out there, in my opinion. I have quite a few friends who watch this channel for their "news". I believe that everyone has to the right to speak their mind even when it may not be the most popular things to say. It has only been 3 days since the inauguration and it is like this "news" outlet's goal is to tear down President Obama.

Now, let me set one thing straight. I know of a lot of African-Americans who voted for Obama just because of the color if his skin. I kind of feel bad for those people if that was their DECIDING factor because there is more to the man. I voted for Barack Obama because the other candidate didn't say anything that made me think things would get better for this country, not because he is a black man.

I know Comedy Central's The Daily Show is not the pinnacle of news but when I want to find out who is being nutty out there, it is a good source. Here is a sampling of the "supposedly Fair and Balanced Fox News" in regards to President Barack Obama and our country.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Fox News Fear Imbalance

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Moment of Zen - Hannity Reveals the True Obama

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Does Rupert Murdoch take himself seriously? It seems that Fox News is still the like the Fox Television Network of 1986 - poor quality, juvenile, and lacks substance.

Should the Past Be the Past?

I was checking my FEEDJIT Live Traffic option and found a very curious search to get to my blog. Basically, the search was "dealing with my girlfriend's past, black guys." I found that quite interesting. I would make the assumption that the person doing the search was not black. Then it got me thinking, when in a relationship, should the past be the past? What do you NEED to know regarding someone you are having a relationship with? Does the type of relationship you have present the deciding factor on what information needs to be put out there (if any)?

Most men I know, do not want to know. I guess this is another case of me being "The Exception" because I am naturally curious. Of course it starts when you are getting to know each other and you may ask questions such as "what do you look for in a person?"; "had any long term relationships?"; "have you ever been with a woman?"; "am I the 'biggest' man you have been with?" (Okay, referring back to my blog "Female Teachers Gone Wild or Crazy", that third question is because it is in our male DNA to think that. And fellas, that last question, you really don't want to know the answer to that one unless you can star in your own porn movies.)

I have come to find out that if the person you are with is willing to tell you (on their own) all the deep dark secrets and show you the bones in their closet, they want to be up front and open with you. They do not want anything from their past to come up and be misconstrued as something that it is not. Take it for what it is worth, this person might see you as "The One" and don't want to lose you by hiding anything from you. You, as a man, should come clean too if she is willing to let you know about things before you.

Some men cannot take that the fact that this person in their life might have actually had a life before them. Look at yourself before you attempt to judge another (which you should not do anyway). I have said this before and I will say it again, women are sexual beings just like men. They have needs and urges just like us. Sometimes those things might be outside of our realm of thinking but remember they are with you now and sharing everything with you now.

Of course, I cannot speak for every relationship. This is only what I know personally. So the question is, should the past be the past? Women who might see this, do you want to know the past of your man (or woman)? (Yes, I went there again, I told you it is in our DNA.) Would you tell your man on your own about everything? What makes you decide to tell him?

The Daily Show - Barack Concert

I am going to be busy watching the Presidential Inauguration today so I don't think I will be thinking of too much else today. So I am posting something funny I saw last night from The Daily Show. This clip has them picking on a few people such as Garth Brooks, the cable news networks, and Martin Luther King III.

Ever heard of the saying "some things are better left unsaid?" One of the things that baffles me about the press sometimes is the fact that they report news that really doesn't need to be reported. Case in point, talking about the security vulnerabilities of Obama's train trip from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.

Enjoy the clip everyone. Congratulations President Barack Obama. Yes We Can!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Barack Concert

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Shuffling

I did this at the request of a friend by putting my media player on shuffle and answering these questions based on the songs that came up in the order played.

Now, she is into Praise music whereas I have a variety of genres that I like including some that are on the opposite range of the spectrum of religious and praise music. This is what I came up with. Some of them make some sense with the question and some don't. And some that do make sense are totally not the answer to the question if you asked me, so readers keep that in mind. I guess you have to find the lyrics in the song that will relate to the question.

Q: What does next year have in store for you?
A: “Lyric To Go” by A Tribe Called Quest

Q: What does your love life look like next year?
A: “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
A: “Gettin' In The Way” by Jill Scott

Q: Song that reminds you of good times?
A: “Lapdance” by N.E.R.D.

Q: What do you think when you get up in the morning?
A: "Sandstorm" by Darude

Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: "I'm Gonna Just Love You a Little More, Baby” by Barry White

Q: Your favorite saying?
A: "Can't Forget About You" by Nas

Q: Favorite place?
A: "Know the Ledge" by Eric B. and Rakim

Q: Most Missed Memory?
A: "Give Me the Night" by George Bensom

Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: "Poor Goergie" by MC Lyte

Q: Where would you go on a first date?
A: "Touch the Sky” by Kanye West

Q: Drug of choice?
A: "Gimme Some More” by Busta Rhymes

Q: What song describes yourself?
A: "Paid in Full” by Eric B. and Rakim

Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: "Loungin” by LL Cool J

Q: The song that best describes the president?
A: "Hell Yeah” by Ginuwine

Q: Where will you be in 10 years?
A: "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears

Q: Your love life right now?
A: "Hot Sex” by A Tribe Called Quest

Q: What is your state of mind like at the moment?
A: "Procelain” by Moby

Q: How will you die?
A: "Nobody Does it Betta” by Mint Condition

How Can They Justify The Hate?

Constantly, I am amazed me how people can have a way of thinking that is a complete opposite of mine. I was watching something on the National Geographic Channel yesterday that inspired me to write this. It is not something I hadn't seen before but yesterday it just made me think a second of what I consider the "stupidity" of people sometimes.

The program was called "Inside: American Nazis". I have seen programs like this before and I am drawn in as a black man who choses to be with white women. Nazi, Skinhead, Aryan Nation, Ku Klux Klan - it is all the same to me whether they think their ideologies are different.

What I can't understand is how someone can come to hate someone they have never met? I know it is not right to hate someone but at least the people that I dislike with a passion are people who I have met before. How can someone generalize one group of people as being evil? I will concede that some of my bruthas may not always be on the up and up but they same can be said about the white race (and for that matter, any other race that is out there). Every race has their own "black sheep". My personal opinion is that it is weak minded indivduals who get sucked into these groups. They want to blame their "problems", lack of initiative or achievement, or just plain laziness on other people who worked for what is theirs.

As I have said before, I grew up with a father in the military and with that I admit that I was sheltered from "hate" like that while living on military bases. When I had to live or go to school off base (especially high school), I was rudely surprised on how the color of my skin seemed to be a small factor in things. I am not one of these sensitively militant bruthas but it was not always subtle. It was very strange to me. It is not as though I didn't know it ever existed because I was a history junkie growing up. I read about it and saw pictures and film of it but to actually experience underlying "racism" was very new to me.

After I graduated from high school and started dating outside of my race again - yes you heard right - i actually noticed the looks when I was with a white female in what I now refer to sometimes as "the real world". The real world being anything outside the confines of a military base. It was almost always older white people who more than likely lived in the time when things were segregated and just couldnt let that sh!t go. There were young people who you could tell did not particularly care for the "swirl". For a time there, I was so cautious of my safety and that of the person I was with that I would carry my weapon with me for fear of a confrontation with an idiot.

Everybody believes in something and has the right to their opinion. Whether I think it is right or wrong, who am I to tell someone how they are supposed to feel. All I can do is present my side of an "argument" (if they are even interested in listening) so they see where I am coming from. But with your belief in something, you shouldn't have to hide yourself to stand up to your beliefs. I am referring to the people that "belong" to these extremeists groups that choose to hide their faces. If it is something that you truly believe in - be all out there and show yourself. This goes from the white sepremacists to the radical Islamic groups that chose to speak their rhetoric and at times create mayhem from cover.

So the question is, how can you justify the hate that you speak and you cannot show the true face behind that that hate? Also if you are one who proudly will be open about your beliefs, why put yourself on the outside of the mainstream and ostracize yourself?

Female Teachers Gone Wild or Crazy?

Yesterday, I was just skimming through the news online and I run into yet another scandal where a teacher had sex with a student. I remember growing up, all you heard was male teachers having inappropriate relationships with female students (and males as well). My math teacher from the 7th grade was convicted of several molestation charges dealing with young boys he coached in swimming. This happened years after I was in his class and thank goodness he didn't take a liking to me. LOL.

I have had this conversation in the past with people who want the males to be more nurturing. Of course, in our society, the male is the "hunter and provider" and the female is the nurturer. Well times have been changing and the roles are reversing and sometimes combining.

There was a young man who open a day care here in town and everyone thought it was a good thing - man who wants to promote a healthy learning environment for children and be that nurturer effect. But alas, he fooled us all by being arrested for inappropriate behavior with children under his care. He left the city with people still supporting him after he was acquitted in Montgomery and got in trouble in Florida for what you may ask, inappropriate behavior with a child. I guess he fooled a lot of people here (and there).

We want male coaches on kids teams and male role models and mentors with other organized event and groups involving children. I would say that 99.999999% of those males are straight up and want to better a child's life but all it takes is one and then we are sometimes suspicious on why any male wants to be around children other than his own. It is a wrong way of thinking, but I am sure it happens.

Now I say that because what in the world is going on with these female teachers and their students? Of course, I grew up thinking women were the more saner of us when it came to sexual relations. Then I got to college and realized that women are sexual beings just like men. If a women wanted to have sex with 3 or 4 different guys (whether at different times or as a big ol' group) then so be it. Get your freak on but just be safe about. But I see picture of some of these teachers and I am like, goodness she is gorgeous. Why is she trolling her classroom for some sexual action? I mean I was not that good at 15 or 16 years old to (completely) please a girl my age much less a grown woman. Heck, I don't think I got any real "skills" until I was about 21 or 22 years old. (Now don't get me wrong, they never left unsatisfied. LOL.)

Of course, me being a male I am going to say something stupid - if I had a hot teacher who was doing me when I was in high school - NOBODY would have ever known. That would have been my very special secret. She would not have to threaten me not to tell anyone. She wouldn't have to lie to me and tell me it was "love" because all I would be thinking is that I am getting sex without even trying hard and from a grown woman to top it off. That is me speaking as a horny teenager which I am not anymore.

Now let me be responsible. What the f*uck is going on out there? When we hear about a male teacher and a student having sex, we are all appalled. We want to lynch him up, cut off his d*ick, and boil his nuts if he did it to a girl but lord forbid if he did it to a male student. We would kill him, bring him back to life, then lynch him, cut off things, and any other horrible thing we could imagine. But when a female teacher does it to a student, we do not always look so harshly. Why is that? Are we still in the mindset that the regardless of how old (young) the male student was, the female teacher could not succumb to the animal magnetism of this child? Now something I really can't wrap my mind around is when a female teacher seduces a female student. Some guys are probably thinking "girl on girl action" - all right! (Sorry ladies, it is coded in our DNA. Yes, we are pigs sometimes).

Lastly, why do the female teachers, when caught, usually get a "slap" on the hand and male teachers are thrown in the worst prison only to be gang raped by Big Bubba and "Third Leg" Leroy for messing with children. If women want to be sexually free in today's society and not referred to as loose, a slut, a tramp, or anything else, they have to held in the same standard as a male educator would be if the broke that student-teacher trust.

Some say that it is for sexual excitement. That taboo of it all or touching the forbidden fruit. Not to pick on white female teachers but that is all I ever see hit the news. The prettier they are, the more the media covers it. I can refer them to some bruthas that would give them the sexual thrill of their lives - nice adult clean (well maybe not so clean) fun.

Here is a comprehensive list of female teachers who crossed that line. Check it out!

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53859

Now that you are older and everything and hopefully a well rounded individual, do you recall any educator seem a little "too into you" growing up? What do you think causes all this inappropriate behavior? Have you ever been taught by a teacher who later got in trouble to inappropriate behavior to a child?

The US Presidency - Age Accelerant?

There is something that pops up every time there is a change in the position of President of the United States for me. I have always marvel the men (and hopefully one day a woman) that step up to the plate with the ideals of making this country greater and leading us, as a people, to achieve higher plateaus in life, love, and dedication to the basic principles that this country was founded on. I reflect on their accomplishments (and failures) and ponder what changes will come to pass in the passing of the colors to another idealistic person.

Another thing I look at is how the pressure of the position of President of the United States takes it toll on a mere human being. The daunting decisions that this person (who has many advisers) has to ultimately make of the span of a full term or two (under current term restrictions). The job is not for the faint of heart. Sure we (the people) give you a nice house, a pretty indestructible car, and a nice shiny airplane but even with all that and more, the stress of the job may make you an old man (or woman when we finally get one in) prematurely.

Michael F. Roizen, MD, is cofounder of RealAge, a consumer-health media company and provider of personalized health information and management tools, and chairman of the RealAge Scientific Advisory Board states that "a formula he helped develop suggests that for every year in office, the average president ages two years."

Why don't you be the judge?

Can A Brutha Be Sharp?

Maybe it is the mentality of some of the people I work around? Maybe I just look that good? Maybe it is a just a way to stay on my good side. Maybe it is an homage to a brutha breaking through a perceived ceiling. Please don't think of me as a guy with "the big head" but the one thing I like to pride myself on is looking good. I see it almost as breaking that stereotype that some of my bruthas showcase sometimes. You know what I am talking about: the pants around their kneecaps, wear a ridiculously long t-shirt, or have a baseball cap turned a little to the side. Again, no individuality. The look like everybody else they see on TV.

At work, I walk through the building with a suit, shirt and tie. On some days, I get a little fancy with a handkerchief and a lapel pin. To me, it is nothing out of the ordinary. But to several women (and the fellas too), make me feel like I have just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. Now of course, that kind of attention can dangerously fuel the ego if you do not have your head on straight. Some women stop me in the hall and have to comment on my style of dress - which to me isn't even a STYLE. I have nicknames such as "Pimpalicious" (which started off as a joke and turned into a whole other monster). I had one female co-worker that just called me "Suit and Tie" in a slow seductive voice. It is as though these particular black women have never seen a black man in a suit before now. I got male co-workers that check out my tie everyday and ask if they can have it (if they like it). Of course the answer is no. I love my ties.

Now, I do not get "aggressive compliments" from my white female (and male) counterparts. It is almost as if it is expected of me a a member of the management team, so why even say anything to me. I may get the "love that shirt and tie combination" or "looking sharp" from time to time but no big production. Now, some of my white female friends outside of work (who love the swirl) do bump it up a notch and the compliment is just the right level where a brutha can feel a little debonair and not running around with a "swoll" head.

I personally call it professionalism. I have to be out there in public eye when people come to my place of business and the last thing I want them to think is that we don't run a first class establishment. When I am working, I am coming in contact with celebrities, politicians, and captains of industry. I do not see what all the "hub bub" is regarding the way I dress.

The only thing that I hope for is that anyone who sees me realizes there is something better and that if they put forth the effort, they can achieve it. I have worked hard for everything that I have and part of that is dressing for success.

So the question is still out there, Can a brutha just be sharp?

A Case Study of Getting Old

For Christmas, I got an MP3 player. I have been slowly filling it up with the music that I love to listen to - old school Hip Hop/Rap; Classic R&B; a select number of the new Hip Hop/Rap songs where the artist is NOT always talking about their 26's, 27's, 28's or whatever the biggest size wheel is today; some Dance and Electronic; some true Classics - Frank Sinatra, Little Stevie Wonder; and some Salsa/Caliente. I think that my musical tastes raise eyebrows sometimes (because I am a Black man). I attribute it to the fact that I was lucky to be exposed to a lot of things growing up. In fact, a friend of mine reminded me of the fact that I am "The Exception" to a lot of stereotypical behavior of some of my fellow "bruthas". Hence, I changed my moniker on my blogs to reflect that.

This past Saturday, a slow day at work, some co-workers and I were listening to the tunes on my MP3 player. There are a few people close to my age in my department. They listened and could recognize a lot of the tunes. We were reminiscing on what we were doing and places we were listening to those songs. And then it happened. I also have a good number of younger people under my supervision. I am not that old - a mere 38 years of age. But as we were going through some of those songs, I was reminded by BT, a female in my department, of how old I actually was. Then I remembered that I had seen my parents do this same ritual - reminisce with friends with music. OMG.

When we were initially picking on her saying, "you don't know nothing about this song" or "you don't know anything about that music", she literally did not know some of the songs. Of course, there were some songs I (and others) deemed timeless, but she had no clue on some of them. Then she put the nail in the coffin when she said that she was BORN in 1988. 1988? Did she say 1988? You may ask, what is the significance of that year to me? Well that was the year I graduated from high school in Columbus, GA. Hardaway High School - Go Hawks!

My goodness! Where has the time gone? My 20 year class reunion was last year (which I missed due to work). I guess it really didn't hit me! Man, I am old! I am now part of the "establishment". LOL! I am the same age as my father was when I graduated from high school. Unbelievable! I have always been a FIRM believer of the old adage that "you are as young as you feel" but thinking that this girl was still "cooking" in her mother for another 2 months after I got my diploma really had my mind scrambling.

This revelation has also made me reflect on my parents as well. Mom was a perfectly vibrant woman who was always on the go and now has a neuromuscular disease that doesn't allow her the freedom she used to experience. My father, who used to run through the swamps of Georgia with a pack and face paint being an Army Ranger, study karate, and used to be a weightlifter, is now diabetic and has some coronary issues. These were two people I never thought of as old even when I was a kid. Now I am going to have to think of what is ahead for both of them. Dad has remarried so that probably won't even be an issue as far as care. Mom has not remarried however. She will probably need looking after in a decade or so ahead (if I am lucky).

Where did the time go and why is the time we have left seem to be going by so fast? Your thoughts?

Why White Women Date and Marry Black Men?

In my years growing up with a father in the military, I always saw that experience as opening my eyes and mind to different cultures and ways of thinking. As some people know, I love history and how it has changed or shaped us as we are today. In my growing up, I really never thought of color (except for Army green). As I tell people (and as other military brats know), everyone was the same. There were no real class differences except if you want to talk about the difference between officers and non-commissioned officers. Your father or mother was a cook, a tank driver, a mechanic, or a engineer, but everyone had the same boss - Uncle Sam.

I can pinpoint my attraction to white females - that is a whole other blog - but with all the "problems" that some white females could possibly face from family and friends for dating outside their race, I am curious on what drives them to do so. One question that I have always asked my white female friends who date black guys, white girlfriends, and even white females I have chatted with online who date black men is "what attracted you to black men?"

I have gotten a whole lot of answers across the board from the most sincere to the most absurd to the down right raunchy.

Here are some of the responses:

Black men are dominant and take charge.
Black men are more romantic and sensual.
Black men and the Black Culture are so fascinating.
Black men possess strong spirituality.
Black men have full thicker lips for kissing.
The contrast of a Black man's skin color against mine is so beautiful.
Black men have great stamina in the bed. (Of course I have been told that myth is not always true, present company excluded. LOL)
Black men have large d$cks. (Again, this myth has been proven to be false by these women's past relationships.)
Black men and white women make the prettiest babies.
Because I was a thick girl, black guys tended to talk to me more than white guy and give me the attention that I wanted from a male.
Due to their so-called superiority, white men are very arrogant.
I just didn't like how some of my white friends talked about black people growing up.
To be a little rebellious against my parents.
It was a little taboo.
There is nothing sexier than a clean cut, professional, and stylishly dressed black men walking into a room.
I saw an interracial porn movie and I wanted to do what I saw on the screen.
Just curiosity at first.
All white boys wanted to do was get drunk all the time in high school and get blowjobs.
The white guys I knew had trucks with big tires and it was hard to get in them but all the black guys had low riding cars. (That was the most insane thing I had ever heard.


So I pose the question to all non-black women, What first attracted you to black guys/men?

Ludacris On SNL

Today is one of those days that I needed a laugh. Some Ludacris on SNL with Andy Samberg as "Blizzardman". Enjoy.

OMG! Who's Dealing? Here Comes the Race Card!

I was just watching CNN and Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush is basically saying that because the US Senate will not seat Roland Burris in the seat formerly occupied by President-Elect Barack Obama it has racist undertones. Jesse Jackson, Jr. also seems to be joining into the fray.

I personally didn't realize that there was not a sitting black Senator in the US Senate at this time. I understand that the US Senate is the more "prestigious" side of the United States Legislative Branch but I do not believe that their lack of color has anything to do with its regal position above the US House of Representative.

Now my people are throwing out the race card. Goodness gracious! The Governor of Illinois is a crook. Doesn't anyone directly involved with this issue see that besides me? Everyone asked this man not to appoint anyone because they would not be accepted. Rod Blagojevich has selfishly brought his state down by staying in his position as Governor with all of his drama.

But getting back to Burris, there is such a thing as protocol. The Illinois Secretary of State will not certify Governor Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris nor does his credentials bear the Illinois State Seal. So therefore, he does not have the credentials to be seated in the US Senate. It is like writing me on a piece of paper that I am to represent Alabama and not have the signatures to prove it.

I knew this situation was going to be a problem when our local "our unofficial black spokesman for everything that Alabama has done wrong to black people" Alvin Holmes, also the STATE Representative for the 78th District of Alabama, "is calling on the US Senate to allow former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to take a seat in the Senate." Holmes also said that "Burris' appointment is legal and it would be racism for white senators to block him from taking a seat." This part-time, at best, legislator for the State of Alabama has NO PULL whatsoever to even demand anything such as this. Nobody is going to listen to the "angry little black man". I am sorry, I call it like I see it. This man is another one of those black people that sometimes make black people have to drop their head in shame for the things that come out of his mouth.

This is not a racial issue. I mean come on people, we have a black president. Yeah yeah I hear ya, he is multi-ethnic (black and white). Well let me enlighten you on something, if he had a birth certificate from Alabama, he would be black. Sorry to burst your bubble on that one.

Stop with the RACE CARD. There is a time and place for it and this is not one of those times. Overuse and it makes that "card" like a two of clubs in a poker hand with Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of Diamonds - utterly useless.

Watch Out For Who Your Kid's Role Models Are!

I have just noticed over the last few weeks that I have been hearing a lot of sports figures in the news and it has not all been good.

Who does your children look up to? Many kids are into sports, no big deal. Sports are healthy. It fosters teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship, humility, and strategic thinking. But does your kid look at these people in the sports field as their role models?

I am not hating on athletes or sports figures. Believe me, that is not the point I am trying to make but let me give some examples of some of your kid's "role models." Some are well known and some are obscure. Now remember, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers Wide Receiver, arrest on January 6th for Suspicion for DUI and is on probation for a earlier drunk driving conviction.

Jason Richardson, Phoenix Sun Guard, arrested on December 21st for Suspicion for DUI.

Deon Tresvant, Senior Guard for Cal State Northridge, arrested for commercial burglary and grand theft (along with 3 others including the son of his coach).

Antoine Walker, former all-star Forward for the Boston Celtics arrested for DUI on January 5th.

Mark Ingram, former New York Giants Receiver, arrested after being on the run for a month for failing to report to prison for bank fraud and money laundering.

Kirk Earlywine, Eastern Washington Men's Basketball Coach, was arrested on December 26th for Suspicion of DUI.

Charles Barkley, NBA Basketball Great, was arrested on December 31st for Suspicion of DUI.

Danny Villa, Former New England Patriots Lineman and a High School Football Coach, was arrested December 27th on charges of raping a child.

I am sure the list is longer. There is nothing wrong with your child wanting to strive to be like someone outside the home but be sure that you strive to show them how to be a good and upright individual.

A Sorry Excuse For a Father

This is definitely a "What's Going On?" moment.

This sorry excuse for a father says that he "had a whole bunch of reasons" for killing his 2 year old son. WTF? There are times when it might be justified (on the moral compass) to take a life such as to prevent the immediate death of you or another person and although it is an ugly subject, even war. But what DAMN reason is there to take the life of a defenseless 2 year old child - that is also your son.

Let's go to the video tape and see this Sorry Ass Black Man (SABM).

Danny Platt Apologizes for Killing Son, Ja'Shawn Powell

Now I have heard a comedian describe African Americans (or black people, whichever you prefer) as a race of people who all of us become embarrassed when one of our own screws up. This is definitely one of those times.

If this is over child support, that everyone seems to be speculating on, then it makes it an even sadder case. $4,000? I am sure that it is a lot if you do not have that much. I mean, I do all right financially but I could not come up with $4,000 immediately without a little effort. But only $4,000? He was getting a little over $100 a paycheck for the State of Louisiana to provide for his son what he should have been doing all along. You were getting off light Mother F$%ker!

I would love to know this man's reasons, no let me scratch that because he is not a man, this punk's reasons for doing this. A real man, in his situation, would be there for his child and had NO problem of helping to provide for him emotionally, financially, and even spiritually whether or not he was with the mother of the child.

This is what embarrasses me as a black man. You do not want to believe the stereotypes but it would not be a stereotype unless it actually happens enough for someone to notice. I don't have any child of my own flesh and blood but for those that have children, need to be there for their boys and girls. I understand that people do not get along after they have children. We have got to show these little boys that there can be some type of respect for his mother (and opther women) and these little girls that there are good men out there who can be a good provider, supporter, and partner (in every way).

Now I have no idea of Mr. Platt's background growing up. I don't know the situation with his own father (or mother). Maybe he is part of this "vicious cycle" but there has got to be a time where you look above it and see that there is something better. Prosperity and hope is all around us. It may not have been in the neighborhood that Mr. Platt grew up in (and again I am speculating) but it is there. Don't settle for being a stereotype, be an original (as I have discussed with someone close to me many times).

May God take care of Ja'Shawn and help his family with their grief.

A Little Fun Today - Some Favorites from SNL

Today, I looked throughout the news and saw nothing that made me want to blog about. There is a lot going on and to be honest, I needed to have a little pick me up. It may not be to everyone else's liking but it always gets a laugh out of me.

1958 University of Buffalo Bulls' Stand Against Discrimination

In my research for my blog on Turner Gill, I ran across this story on the 1958 University of Buffalo Bulls football team. I have always been a sucker for stories regarding the stand against things that are adamantly wrong. There was a lot of wrong decades ago against a lot of people (not just black people).



In 1958, the University of Buffalo football team won eight of nine regular-season games and was awarded the Lambert Cup as the best small-school program in the eastern United States. Team co-captains Nick Bottini and Lou Reale received the trophy during a Sunday night broadcast of "The Ed Sullivan Show" and dined that evening in Manhattan's famous Toots Shor's Restaurant.

Days later, the Bulls were invited to face Florida State in the 13th annual Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla. -- still the school's only bowl bid in 102 years of football.

In anticipation of their trip south, players were measured for new sport coats at The Kleinhans Company in downtown Buffalo. But before fabric for the coats ever was cut, the university learned that the team's two African-American players, starting halfback Willie Evans and reserve defensive end Mike Wilson, were not welcome in Orlando.

The Orlando High School Athletic Association, the Tangerine Bowl Stadium's leaseholder, prohibited blacks and whites from playing together. Despite the protestations of the Orlando Elks Lodge, the bowl game's sponsor, the Bulls would be allowed to participate only if Wilson and Evans did not play.

The university and coach Dick Offenhamer left it to the team to decide whether to accept the bid. The players gathered in a basement room of Clark Gymnasium on the Buffalo campus to take a vote. Bottini and Reale held small paper ballots in their hands, but before they could pass them out, the players spontaneously and unanimously rejected the bid.

"We weren't the same team without Willie and Mike," guard Phil Bamford remembers. "Whether they were benchwarmers or stars, we wouldn't have been the same team."

The "Real Reason" that Turner Gill was not chosen as the Auburn University head coach?

I am a reader of a blog called "I Date White" which deals in the life of Eathan and his life in Dallas as a divorced father of 2 sons. I find the blog interesting because his topics deal with interracial relationships.

I read his new entry this morning and had to comment on it and also share it with others. I am not one of those "angry black men" who think that "the man" is keeping us down because I have never in my life been kept down by anyone - black, white, yellow, tan, or red (hope no one took offense to that).

The blog was about Turner Gill, football coach for University of Buffalo Bulls and the reasons why he might have been taken out of the running of the Auburn University coaching job vacated by Tommy Tuberville. He certainly had a better record than Gene Chizik.

Although the "color barrier" of a black SEC coach was already broken by Sylvester Croom who coached Mississippi State University from 2004-2008, in my opinion, would have been a symbol of how the SEC and other southern collegiate conferences have changed over the last decades (as demonstrated in the HBO special "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football).

If the reasons given in Eathan's blog have any merit to why Coach Gill was not picked for the Auburn job, this is a sad day for college sports.

Check out the blog below and you decide.

http://idatewhite.com/2009/01/01/idw-person-of-the-year-2008/

What are we gonna do now?

Well that time is almost here.... the end of the college football season. And then another 8 months of mediocre sports and whiney millionaires in baseball and basketball who are not satified with a $35 million - 5 year contract. Boo hoo! Never been a fan of ice hockey. Do not like NASCAR all that much but I will watch a race every now and then. Golf, forget about it. To be honest, women's gymnastics on the collegiate level runs a very close second to college football.



Don't think I have forgotten about the pro football players. I just don't acknowledge them during college football season because they are a piddly runner up to seeing student-athletes strive to be the best on the field (and in the classroom). That title alone makes them better that any professional athlete EVER.



I am an University of Alabama fan - ROLL TIDE ROLL! - and cannot wait to watch my Tide play tomorrow in the Sugar Bowl versus Utah. Still do not know what a Ute is. I am not much of a guy who brags about my team but this is the culmination of a great season and definitely proud of my team.



So can anyone tell me - what are we gonna do now?