For those who watched the Cosby Show, I’m sure you remember Bill getting excited over his favorite cowboy hero Colt Kirby. The Wild, Wild West was a time when you could walk around with your gun on your hip and challenge anyone who offended you to a duel at high noon. Times have changed, but the discussion around the right to carry a gun around in public has not.

I was listening to a local talk radio show and they were discussing the issue of allowing Texans to open carry in public places. This means people, other than police officers, would be able to walk around town with a gun on their hip in plain sight. Their argument was that it would be a deterrent of crime and would allow them to protect themselves if the need arose. One such proponent of open carry policy are the folks at opencarry.org. They are making a big push here in Texas (and around the country) to get the governor and legislature to allow open carry in public. I’m interested in seeing how it goes.

While I do believe every American citizen has the right to bear arms, I have some reservations about open carry. While it might make criminals think twice, it will in my opinion just force them to work a little harder in getting what they want. And imagine me and five of my boys walking around the Galleria (an upscale mall) open carrying our legally acquired handguns. If you think people are already on edge, this will just make things worse. Sure the local hoodlum will not think twice about harming you, but there are other things we can do to curb crime. I like the element of surprise. Concealed handguns allow you to keep that.

What do you think? If you live in a state where open carry is legal, how many people actually participate in their right to do so? Would we be making law enforcement’s job harder?

Recently I was reading an article on Yahoo! that profiled Black Conservatives conflicted with the choice of party loyalties vs. communal allegiances. In particular, JC Watts noted that the Republican party has largely ignored and forgotten poor and disenfranchised African-Americans. Other Black Republicans mentioned in the article included Joseph C. Phillips (Cosby Show’s Martin Kendall), Colin Powell, and John McWhorter from the Manhattan Institute. The aforementioned all have varying opinions on Obama’s campaign and his votability as a candidate, but they all see his candidacy as hope for the African-American community as well as the entire country.

Additionally, I read an interview with rapper Nas on www.hiphopdx.com. He discussed in the interview his aversion to politics. However, Nas gave Obama credit for giving birth to his interest in the 2008 elections saying, “You’re gonna start seeing more rappers evolve into politicians. If we have a change this year and it’s a positive thing, we trusting the system now. We believe in it more. We see something positive coming out of it that makes us want to get involved more. Five or 10 years from now, you might see somebody like me trust it more. Who knows? I won’t say for sure.”

These are just isolated examples of what I believe to be proof of a larger “political renaissance” in the Black community that hasn’t been seen in over 30 years. I still talk to people trapped in the “why vote when it doesn’t matter” concrete bubble. Those people have always and will always be present. Obama’s candidacy has caused a groundswell that is managing to unite peoples of a wide variety of colors and, even more so, ideologies without polarizing the majority of those who will never vote for him anyway.

Hopefully, whomever Obama chooses as a running mate can join his campaign and blend with his platform without being a token or lap dog. I think it will enhance his votability if he can find someone who will present ideas alternate to his own without becoming a distraction or threat to his power as president.

...or at least one who doesn’t wear a jersey. Still, he may be the best competitor, jersey notwithstanding. On Monday, June 16, 2008, Tiger Woods won his 3rd US Open on one bad knee and only months after surgery. In order to achieve the win, Woods had to persevere through excruciating pain to sink two eagles and a birdie on the 3rd day along with a 4th day marathon playoff round of 18 holes PLUS one sudden death par to bring in the eventual win. It was the stuff that defines a champion and gives evidence to why we immortalize athletes like we do. The up-and-down drama of Tiger’s play throughout the tournament played out like a film with all the dramatics of Tiger using his clubs as a cane intermittently on the course.

Tiger’s dominance speaks for itself:

#2 all-time majors winner trailing Jack Nicklaus by only 4 wins in less than half years of Nicklaus’ career

#3 PGA Tour wins all-time

#2 PGA Tour win streak

Named PGA Player of the Year 9 times

#1PGA Tour record for most consecutive rounds at par or better (52 rounds)

First golfer to win four PGA Tour events five times or more.

He’s only been out of the Top 5 on the Golf Money List ranking once. His first year on tour.

I think you probably get the point. He’s the best golfer around. What makes Tiger legendary is his unyielding desire to truly dominate his competition without relent every single time he steps onto a course. Even when he went through his “slump” in 2004 he still managed to win one PGA Tour event and finished 4th on the Money List.

With Tiger’s re-injury of his knee at the US Open, he will need to go through ACL surgery which will force him to miss the remainder of th 2008 season. Here’s to hoping a speedy recovery for Tiger post-surgery as he moves onward towards tying Jack Nicklaus.

I received a video message from the Obama campaign announcing his decision to opt out of the public financing system. By doing this he will forgo some $84 million that would have been available to him in the general election. This is a big deal and something like this hasn’t been done since Watergate.

While $84 million is a lot of money, Barack has proved he can get over and above the spending limits set if he were to participate. There’s a lot of chatter on there about whether he broke his pledge about reforming the system. But I’m sure he’s taken everything into consideration and is trying to push McCain in a corner. Let’s get ready to rumble! You can listen to the video message and donate a couple of bucks while you’re there.

It’s Official: Barack Obama Opts Out Of Public Financing System; Did He Break His Own Pledge?

It’s finally over. Last night the Boston Celtics annihilated the Los Angeles Lakers by 39 points to become the 2008 NBA World Champions. When the playoffs started this is exactly how I wanted it to go. The Lakers and the Celtics are basketball dynasties and it was only fitting that they would battle it out in the end. I watched most of the post-game coverage on ESPN and was extremely happy for the “Big 3″. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Finals MVP Paul Pierce put it all on the line from the beginning of the season to the end. You could feel their excitement during the on-camera interviews.

But I was even more excited for Doc Rivers. During the photo shoot with the NBA trophy, he said he didn’t want to touch it until it was actually his. Well now he’s got it and I’m sure he’ll enjoy it. The hard work and sacrifice has paid off. He said in an interview that it was hard to not begin planning for next year. Now that’s a coach on a mission.

History was made last night and due to a team effort a deserving group of basketball players are living their dream as champions. Way to go guys.

I was listening to a talk radio show this morning and they were discussing possible vice president possibilities for both candidates. One of those combinations was an Obama/Colin Powell ticket. When I heard them say, that I thought it would be interesting to see something like this play out. But one of the hosts on the radio show made a good point. He said he felt while America has come a long way, two African-Americans on a ticket would not win. I thought race and racism was still too big of an issue for them to win.

I was offended at first, but after thinking about it for a while, it made some sense. I have to admit, as a kid I thought I never would get the chance to see someone of color be a serious contender in a presidential race. It’s sad that I would think that, but it was the reality of how I viewed this country. I realized racism was real (my birth certificate shows ‘Negro’ as my race) and I knew that while I could rise above it, a glass ceiling was there waiting for me. But after seeing history in the making, you better believe I’m going to make sure my sons have a different frame of thinking than I did.

Can two very qualified African-Americans win the White House? Obama’s weakness is foreign policy and Powell has the experience needed to offset what Obama lacks. Would America vote for an “all black” ticket? Who knows. Obama is smart enough to choose someone who will help him reach his goal. This is not an easy task, so let’s hope he choses right. America’s watching.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell Thinking Of Voting For Obama

How to Pick a Vice President

This is the first of many pictures I wanted to share with you in the Photo Phenish. Have you ever felt like the duck in the background? This photo makes me think how I felt on my first day at college. I’d gone to majority black schools all my life, so attending Texas A&M was definitely a culture shock. But as I’ve stated in many posts before, attending A&M was good for me. I met a lot of great friends (including my wife) and learned a lot about myself and the world around me in the process. Sometimes you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone to make things happen. That’s the only way change can happen.

As a Father’s Day gift to myself, I finally went out and purchased me a decent camera. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do and I’d saved up the money over the last couple of months so I afford it. I made the decision after returning from an East Coast Mancation (vacation for guys only) with my brother-in-law.

During the trip, I got to visit my dad’s side of the family, who I hadn’t seen in a long time. I hadn’t seen them since 2001 when my dad passed away, so it was good hang out with them and hear stories about my dad as a kid. He was very big into photography and he shared that love for photography with his brother. My uncle told me stories of how meticulous he was when it came to organizing and taking photos. I knew this to be true because as a kid I got in trouble a couple of times for messing them up. But I also remember how he let me use his camera and taught me the basics of taking a good picture. He gave me the photo bug.

I’ve always known it was there, but I never took the time to do something about it. Photography allows you to take a moment in time and freeze it forever (or until your hard drive crashes). it’s a great way to see God’s beauty in the surroundings He’s given us. It forces you to stop and notice the little things we take for granted in this fast-paced, microwaving, instantly gratified world of ours. Best of all, it’s a stress reliever.

Every now and then, I’ll post a picture that I’ve taken in Photo Phenish with a description of why I like it. I’d like to hear what you think.

I’m sure most of you have seen Oprah’s interview with Thomas Beatie, the world’s first pregnant man. I watched it with my wife so that I could form my own opinion of the matter so I wouldn’t be accused of pre-judging them. Even though Beatie is legally considered a man, I have a hard time hearing people calling her/him the first pregnant man. Now the definition of a man is subject to your interpretation, one thing holds true. Scientifically, a man has different chromosomes than a woman. You can change the outside as much as you want, but in my opinion the Beatie is a woman in a man’s clothing.

As a man, it’s offensive to hear people call her a man. It just doesn’t seem right and really does bother me. I consider myself to be a pretty open-minded person, but in this case I don’t feel I can make the stretch. But it’s her body and she has a right to do whatever she pleases. Just don’t make me feel as if I’m in the wrong for not feeling otherwise. Cause if your momma call you Clay, I’m gonna call you Clay.

A man cannot have a baby. Plain and simple. When people can show me one who hasn’t been altered in any way, then I’ll change my mind on the subject. Read the article below and let me know what you think.

Pregnant Man: Transgender Husband Becomes Pregnant Dad

It’s true when they say “don’t hate the player, hate the game”. Billionaire Bob “BET Booty-Shakin” Johnson is a business man and I can’t hate him at all for continuing the fight for his girl Hillary. He showed true feelings when he spoke out for her and now I guess he feels obligated to do his part in getting her in as VP. He seems passionate in his cause, but I’m wondering how many people he’s reaching in his efforts. To me, he’s just making the situation worse.

In a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus, Johnson urged “I, as a longtime supporter of Senator Clinton and the Democratic Party, urge you to do everything possible to unify this party to win the Presidential election in November. For me and millions of other Democrats, I believe that the most important step that you can take now is to encourage the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Senator Obama to select Senator Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate.”

I’ve always been down for an Obama-Clinton ticket, but as the primary moved along I’m not so sure it’s the best thing. It’s like she’s hurt because she lost and needs to prove to her supporters that she is a fighter. Okay, we get it Hill! Can you imagine them duking it out in the Oval Office over the best ways to improve our health care system?

I wish everyone would just let the chips fall as they may and let Obama make the decision on who to choose as a VP. Last night on television, I watched Lanny Davis make a plea for Hillary as VP. I’m sure all the petition signing and urging supporters to visit her website is making the decision a tough one for Obama. But in order to be President, these types of decisions have to be made. I hope whatever the choice, people will respect it and rally behind him to beat out John McCain.

BET founder to push for Clinton as Obama’s VP pick