When did the black vote shift Democratic?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Education, My Thoughts, Politics, Society & Culture
In high school, I remember sitting in U.S. History learning only what I needed to pass the exam. I used to say that’s “his-story”, not “my-story”. But little did I realize that “my-story” and “his-story” very closely intertwine with each other.
During this election, there’s been a lot of talk about the Constitution and what the forefathers of this country meant in the writing of one of America’s most treasured documents. I’ve heard the Republicans argue their party is the “party of Lincoln” who freed the slaves and pushed for major changes in civil rights in America. I’ve heard discussions about socialism, communism, capitalism and every other type of -ism out there. There’s so much information out there and at times it can get pretty overwhelming.
My question is how many of these people really know what they’re talking about? The political pundits aren’t giving me anything and it seems like both sides are trying to scare you into voting for their party. Who do you trust? We’ve been bamboozled twice in the past eight years, so I’ve made up my mind to base my decision on the performance of the candidates during the election. All the promises we’re hearing are just that. Promises. Bush told everyone he would be the one to “cross party lines” and you see how well that’s gone.
I feel when you vote you have to go with your gut. Learn what you can about the candidates and be prepared to hold them to their word. We live in the Information Age and we have more of it than we can possibly consume. I’ve learned a lot about the need to understand the past.
Through blogging I’ve had the opportunity to learn a lot from people all over the world. So why not try it again?
If the Republican Party was the one who freed the slaves, what caused the shift moving the black vote to the Democratic Party?
Here’s the inspiration for this post
What have you learned?
Palin Parody on SNL
Filed under: Blog Entries, Laughable, My Thoughts, Politics
For those who didn’t get to see the entire parody on Saturday Night Live, here it is. I’ve been a fan ever since Eddie Murphy was a cast member and they’ve made many careers in the time it’s been on the air.
I thought it was really funny. You have to know Hillary is thinking the same thing. I’ve always thought choosing her as VP was McCain’s way of getting back at the Dems. I guess he felt he had nothing to lose. and it does make for an interesting election. Something to definitely tell the kids.
When Palin Says Country First, She Means It!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Community, Education, Entertainment & Sports, General, Life, My Thoughts, Politics, Society & Culture
There’s been a lot of debate over Sarah Palin and whether she can “do it all” as a Vice Presidential mom. It’s become a hot topic over the last couple of days, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. My wife works and she has had this same discussion with other moms many times. Being the soft-spoken, politically-correct Democrat that I am, I tend to keep my mouth shut regarding the subject. But I do have my own opinion and after seeing Sarah’s speech I was inspired to write this little post.
Being raised in a Christian household, I was taught the Bible has the answer to any situation you can face. While it may not always give you the exact answer, through prayer and studying there’s enough to get you on the right path.
Here’s a post from gotquestions.org regarding women in the workplace. I heard a similar response in a family ministry Bible study my wife and I attended a couple of years ago:
Are You Black or African-American?
On the way to and from work, I listen to a lot of talk radio. I love my music stations, but sometimes I get tired of hearing the same songs over and over. In listening to talk radio hosts, some liberal and some conservative, I’ve noticed something as they talk on topics dealing with race. On the more liberal stations, you can tell they are trying to be PC, so they use the term African-American. While most of the conservative stations use a mix of black or African-American.
I’ve heard friends and family make comments about their preferred “race title”, so I wanted to ask you. Do like being called black or African-American? I ask because some people I know really have an issue with white people calling them black. Even on college and job applications, they put African-American/Black as a selection. For those reading this who aren’t black, which term do you use the most? Do you switch between the two based on who you’re talking with?
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, I try to remain politically correct while getting my point across. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes I just have to say what’s on my heart and forget those who might be offended. So, just so you know I prefer the term black over African-American. While my ancestors may be from Africa, I am not. I’m a black person born on the south side of America. I’m proud to be black because we are the builders of this country and our history is one of strength and overcoming obstacles. When it comes down to it, I’m just a human being who happens to be black. I love who I am and I use the history of my ancestors to inspire me to create my own page in American History.
Let’s stop getting upset up over terms and titles when it comes to race. I know a lot of people who cringe at Dave Chappelle’s comic relief, but I think it’s on the lighter side of pure genius. Sometimes we can be too uptight when it comes to discussing race in this country. Check out one of my favorite clips.
WTF Huck!
Filed under: Blog Entries, My Thoughts, Politics, Society & Culture
If I was forced to choose a Republican nominee, it would have been Mike Huckabee. He seemed to be a down to earth guy who made the most sense during the countless debates shown earlier in the year. Sure he was stubborn and didn’t want to concede when he knew the numbers were stacked against him, but I thought his point was made by not letting McCain win the nomination as early as he could have. Demonstrating you have common sense is important to me and at times it gets you more points in my book than having book sense.
But here is one time where Huck forfeited some of his common sense by making a tasteless joke regarding Barack Obama. His comments were out of line and touched on a topic that has the potential to breed fear and uncertainty in the minds of those who support the Obama ticket. While Huck may have meant it as a joke, there are some sick people out there who see things differently. Check out this post from the Electronic Village to learn more about them. This is the stuff you definitely won’t see on Fox News.
I Don’t Want to Go to School My Ass!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Entertainment & Sports, My Thoughts
I’m sure I’ll catch some hell for bashing a kids song, but it’s Friday and this kinda bothered me. I was watching Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon with my son and heard them advertising the song “I Don’t Want to Go to School” by the Naked Brothers Band on a commercial.
I’ve defended hip hop music and I realize not all of it is good for young ears (or even adult ears). I also realize the affect it has on the black community and society as a whole. But what gets me is why this song was chosen to be played on a kids station (teens are kids too) and why weren’t the parental censorship groups out there protesting? Sure the Naked Brothers Band is one of those teensational groups, but need to be held responsible for their lyrics. Kids look up to them.
I’m going to write a song called “You Better Get Your Butt to School, Right Now!”. Because that’s exactly what my kid will hear when I hear him utter those words. A song doesn’t have to talkabout ho’s, poppin caps or gettin dollas to be censored in my opinion. Am I making too big a deal about this? Or do you feel this was a post to get away from the discussing something of real substance? You tell me.
“I Don’t Want To Go To School”
Don’t wanna go to
School [X7]
I don’t want to go to school
Yes it’s true.
I don’t want to see a teachers
Face again.
I don’t want to go to school
Every morning.
I don’t want to go to school.School [X4]
I don’t want to go to school. [X3]
Don’t want to go to school school
And thats for sure.
Don’t take me in the morning or
I’ll cry some more.
And I’m really tired of being treated
Like a fool.
I don’t want to go to school.You can’t deny me of my [X3]
Of my freedom.You can’t deny me of my [X3]
Of my summer.I don’t want to go to school.
And you give us so much work
I go crazy.
Try to rest my head and you call me lazy.
I look aroud and all I see
Is depretion.And i’ll tell you teachers
I’ve got a confetion.
All those those kids wan’t to do
Is have some fun.
But the work
The work
The work is never done.
You always tell me to stop
To stop comin’ around
I can’t even make
Make make no sound
I can’t make no soundI don’t want to go to school
School [X4]
I don’t want to go to school
School [X3]
I don’t want to go to school
School [X4]I don’t want
I don’t want
I don’t want to go to schoolI don’t want
I don’t want
I don’t want to go to schoolI don’t want
I don’t want
I don’t want to go to schoolI don’t want to go to school
No I don’t
Lyrics found at AZ Lyrics
The Truth About the Tuskegee Studies?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Education, My Thoughts, Politics
I’d been meaning to do the post about the Tuskegee experiment for a while, but I had no idea this topic was being discussed on the Houston Chronicle website. On May 9th, syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg wrote a viewpoints column titled “Let’s start with the truth about Tuskegee studies” which attempts to shed some light on what “really” happened at Tuskegee, the government and black paranoia and why we continue to vote for a party that wants a bigger governement.
While I like to explore both sides of an issue, I think the real issue is being overlooked and Rev. Wright is the distraction to get people’s focus away from the current problems Americans face. It’s a good way to build readership, get people to your website or watch your television show. And I can’t blame them at all. People need to eat and businesses need to make money in order to survive. It’s called capitalism.
I don’t know the assumed intentions of experiment, nor do I know if those involved were racist. What I do know is that the men involved were lied to and thought they were getting help from a government agency. It was only until “the truth” surfaced that something was done about it. The lie in my opinion is the reason behind the paranoia. The whole AIDS in the black community is nothing new and Jeremiah Wright is not saying anything that hasn’t been said before. It’s just he was associated with a potential presidential candidate, which made him a target.
Obama’s Big Speech
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, My Thoughts, Politics, Society & Culture
It was only a matter of time before people realized and accepted the fact that race is still a big issue in our society. It’s something we try to sweep under the rug and pretend never happened. We make laws to “make everything equal”, all the while not addressing the real issues at hand. The people who lived during segregation are still alive and the things they faced continue to haunt them.
Fifty years is not a long time and this happened in America. In the land of the free and home of the brave. The place where success is possible with a hard work and determination. The place where all men are created equal. That’s where the frustration from the black community comes in.
I’m sure there’s more to Rev. Jeremiah Wright than we know. If he was the type of person the media is making him out to be, people would have caught on a long time ago. Why are his statements now a big issue? Do I agree with what he said? No. Is this the first time I’ve heard a minister say something of that nature? No. You can’t judge Obama’s character on a sermon from his former pastor. Wright played a significant part in his life and it would be wrong for him to “disown” him.
At best his speech was very presidential and I can see him speaking to America behind the Presidential Seal. In this speech he seems to understand the plight of all people. Whether he faced those challenges or not, he was able to at least articulate the feelings people are facing. That’s all I want in a president. Just make an attempt to understand how I feel.
If you want to read the text version of this speech a copy is posted on Obama’s website.
The Race Continues
It looks like Hillary has won Texas, but Barack is ahead with delegates with 39% of the polls reporting. No matter the outcome both have the intentions of running until the end, a strategy that might benefit the Republican party. I posted my experience at the caucus and I feel there’s a lot of work to be done in Texas with regards to its primacaucs voting.
It’s funny to see how quick the media is to change sides and give the advantage to the other candidate when one is on a run. But the people in some way have been heard. The Repubs need to be ready because once a nominee is chosen, they’re definitely in for a fight.
A lot of people want Barack to fight back and it seems like he might be doing that in his own way. I think he has to do something and soon. I’ve heard him make the comment that if the race is about having experience, McCain has the upper-hand. And he might have a point, but I’d really like to see him go on the attack and make her squirm a little. Knowing Hillary’s tax filings aren’t a big deal to me, so I’m not sure where he’s going with it. But as we all know it’s not over until it’s over. This is only the beginning for whoever goes up against McCain and it’s not going to get any easier.
It’s My Birthday, It’s My Birthday!
I’m a Leap Year Baby, so I only get to celebrate every four years, which means I got to do it big when it comes around. I made a pledge to stay away from my computer for a 24 hour period. No blogging, no internet, no e-mail, etc. I can count on one hand the times I’ve had to do that and most of the time it was for reasons beyond my control.
Shout out to all the Pisces out there. If you really want to show a brotha some love, check out this link or just leave a comment. Hey I ain’t too proud to beg.
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