tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171508662024-03-07T02:30:35.855-05:00The Thinking Black ManA frank, politically incorrect, passionate and honest-to-God perspective on 21st century America and the World.The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-13120399694380701222012-02-18T20:07:00.003-05:002012-02-18T20:35:53.970-05:00Whitney's "Home Going..."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfEVpYHZHD-lqOAmbwAvqaroVnGHTZ2o5aT0KNZP3enaTrZsaknpqaMIph_wjpJOq7b0yaIyakdGPeE40qPv5olqw4iTS3wL8Oiv7Lln0COEiD1YoNR76EtJclKvSKoOvbKSV/s1600/Whitney.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710648878616220210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfEVpYHZHD-lqOAmbwAvqaroVnGHTZ2o5aT0KNZP3enaTrZsaknpqaMIph_wjpJOq7b0yaIyakdGPeE40qPv5olqw4iTS3wL8Oiv7Lln0COEiD1YoNR76EtJclKvSKoOvbKSV/s320/Whitney.jpg" /></a> <span style="color:#000099;">Like millions of others, last weekend I was stunned when Whitney Houston passed away. I was on my sofa browsing Google News and I saw about halfway down the page "Whitney Houston, 48 pronouced dead."</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I had to read it several times because it didn't make sense. "What do they mean pronounced dead?" "What do they mean dead?" Then after a few seconds, my brain told me, dead meant dead.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I was sad. </span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">The 17 year old me was supposed to marry Whitney Houston back in '85 when I first heard her debut album and saw this pretty woman with her shoulder out starring back at me and me alone.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I guess this post is really less about my feelings for whitney and more for my feelings toward the media. Maybe the 'white' media, but the media none-the-less.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I saw a crawl yesterday on CNN that said, "Whitney Houston's funeral to be called "A Home Going Service". Then I saw something similar on another channel and I read it on certain websites.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I just want to scream to the media world... BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CALLING OUR FUNERALS "HOME GOING SERVICES" SINCE WE FIRST STARTED DYING!</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">I think the media is under this insane assumption that "Home Going Services" are something we reserve for famous Blacks. Sorry media - you look stupid! We all get "home going services" - it is NOT some ceremony that we've been holding secret from you people and we only break it out for our famous folks.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Just thought you should know.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">TTBM</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;"></span>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-128142854203675152011-03-04T21:11:00.008-05:002011-03-04T21:56:52.944-05:00Republicans... again.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6NLrg4HHI5P97uuKzpId-15zz3ajokeX9gRyPWo6waG25W-uuCt6klMi7FQAro8RDkIw9G_X1T4CuQzLAWLRRhxOnhc_ijG2W4psHstYD5Hhk2cCTUA2uNGI59IhOGppAiiI/s1600/Flag.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 311px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 136px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580414473574077810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6NLrg4HHI5P97uuKzpId-15zz3ajokeX9gRyPWo6waG25W-uuCt6klMi7FQAro8RDkIw9G_X1T4CuQzLAWLRRhxOnhc_ijG2W4psHstYD5Hhk2cCTUA2uNGI59IhOGppAiiI/s320/Flag.png" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">A lot of times I find myself saying, "America will never truly be great again." This upsets some people and they write me off by thinking that I'm just being grumpy.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Well, I AM grumpy a lot, but I'm not wrong.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">As long as we have the current Democratic mindset at odds with the current Republican mindset, America will never be great again. I think Dems are too damn timid and too damn giving at the negotiations table and I think the Republicans are simply too worried about protecting the richest two percent of the country's citizens; too worried about keeping the fat cats on Wall Street happy; too worried about keeping their foot on the neck of everyday Americans; and too worried about spreading fear and ignorance in the furtherance of the previous three issues.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Today, the Republicans pushed hard to force Democrats into signing off of over $60,000,000,000.00 in Government spending cuts. Yet, most Republicans are war mongerers that desperately crave us to contract-out the majority of war operations at greater cost than paying our soldiers for the job. Republicans also want to keep massive tax breaks in place for the wealthiest corporations in our country, which keeps billions of dollars out of our Government's hands and they also crush any chance for economic growth by cutting down and cutting out thousands of programs designed to HELP Americans and HELP create jobs.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I think Republicans are evil. AHHHHHH, there I said it.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">God that feels good.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Re-pub-lic-ans-are-eeeeeeeeeeee-vil.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">AHHHHHHHHHHH, sounds like music to my ears. Feels like honey on my tongue.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I just don't respect Republicans. I can't, for the life of me, understand how a decent, compassionate, intelligent person would ever want to align themselves with a party that wants to oppress poor people and minorites, women and children, foreigners and Americans. A party that agressively seeks profits for the wealthiest companies in the world while ASSURING that these companies don't pay a dollar in taxes to AMERICA. I political party that demonizes gays and anyone that may be different what they think should be the norm. A party that uses spending cuts as a tool to make sure the hungry stay hungry, the poor stay lacking and the children get a less than stellar education. All the while they wave the American flag and scream, "We are Patriots."</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">They are liars.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Republicans are everything that America should never be. America will always be shy of greatness because of the petty, greedy, blood thirsty, evil, Republicans.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">They need to be waving an upside-down flag. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">America is in distress.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">TTBM</span> </span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-36168936096448970072010-02-27T19:04:00.005-05:002010-02-27T19:51:32.999-05:00TSUNAMI WARNING!!! Sort of...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vRzTIAblGYRatwbvVuyIGYtKO9z2oeglAbL3muZWdBGmkp99j6kKlQrNUxXc3_R-BEc0DVKdOmfL2Y1H6bLj-B51b8nvEzXpWKJPITOccuhoH5BMGJvllZT-mBk4uquSLTvz/s1600-h/52477952.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443079137375380818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vRzTIAblGYRatwbvVuyIGYtKO9z2oeglAbL3muZWdBGmkp99j6kKlQrNUxXc3_R-BEc0DVKdOmfL2Y1H6bLj-B51b8nvEzXpWKJPITOccuhoH5BMGJvllZT-mBk4uquSLTvz/s320/52477952.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">At 5:20 today, I found myself sitting in my living-room flipping from CNN, to HLN, to FOX NEWS. I was trying to see who was putting the scariest spin on the possible tsunami headed toward Hawaii.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">I think CNN actually made a very docile event sound threatening and dangerous. They showed the waves coming in, but they laid down some serious "The worst may be yet to come..." dialogue over their split screen images. HLN didn't do bad, they had some good interviews and they made the potential three foot waves sound like a 50 feet wall of watery death. FOX though... well, they really disappointed me. They mentioned the potential tsunami, covered some other news, brushed past the tsunami again, covered the earthquake, did the weather and briefly mentioned the tsunami one more time.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">WTH?</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">FOX news stunned me! I figured that if any network could scare me - here on the east coast - about a tsunami 3000 miles away, it would be FOX! But alas, I was wrong. I guess FOX can only scare folks with political nonsense. I guess they can only play to their strengths. They've got real heavyweights when it comes to spinning the most innocent political issue into the next Holocaust, but they just don't have the journalistic depth to exploit anything else. I feel like I should be happy, but I simply find myself confused.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">CNN on the other hand was really pulling out the stops. I felt a little sad for them though - they wanted so badly to catch a person getting dragged to their death in a rip-tide, or smashed against a wall in a massive surge of water. When the scientists began to tell them that the worst was over and the water level had only raised a little, the newscaster was practically begging him to give him a glimmer of deadly hope. "But technically the threat could still go on for hours couldn't it? Technically?" The scientist gave him a slight bit of hope. I could almost hear the reporter going, "YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">Don't worry cable news networks - you'll have plenty of other chances to try to scare us to death this year - it's only February.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000099;">TTBM</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-11513690663941787932009-06-23T17:25:00.006-04:002009-06-23T18:01:31.898-04:00GIVE METRO A MINUTE!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iLhPP3kfP-vc88APTM6KGz2nPLmEtx0NW7UvA2ojNtNebTJEUlKtZZQ8_hyphenhyphenrzsI4ipIFjhmwJPEdEwO4LU05ThVNaPf7AgSp4k-JJ94NhWNi78PJ-EDg4d0FuXXVEzJyzSLU/s1600-h/crash.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350638317176270498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iLhPP3kfP-vc88APTM6KGz2nPLmEtx0NW7UvA2ojNtNebTJEUlKtZZQ8_hyphenhyphenrzsI4ipIFjhmwJPEdEwO4LU05ThVNaPf7AgSp4k-JJ94NhWNi78PJ-EDg4d0FuXXVEzJyzSLU/s320/crash.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Let's give the DC Metro Transit Authority a few minutes! </span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">It is Tuesday afternoon and just a few minutes past the 24 hour mark for the worst accident in Metro's 30+ year history. And the media is in a frenzy!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Reporters for the local news stations, especially FOX5, are just chomping at the bit and asking anyone with a camera in front of them to explain why "Metro" [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] hasn't issued a formal statement explaining why two Red Line trains collided yesterday killing over 7 people and injuring dozens more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I've heard a few intelligent people, telling the local media, through clenched teeth, that investigations are on going and neither Metro or the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NTSB</span> have any idea of what happened just 1 day ago. I don't even think emergency workers are 100% sure that they've gotten all of the bodies off the trains. A big section of of one train is just a compressed heap of tangled metal! Anything could still be in there at this point!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I'm pretty steamed about how the media outlets in this area are acting like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">bloodthristy</span> sharks over this tragedy. Yesterday afternoon in the first hour after the crash, a few of the local newscasters were trying their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">damn'dest</span> to be the first to use the phrase "confirmed casualty" in a complete sentence. I think FOX5 might have been the winner, but it was close!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Now, in the aftermath, everyone in the media is looking for the next sexy lead-in... "Who can we BLAME?" I've already heard that it appears to be a toss up between an automated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">mechancial</span> system that failed and a possible operator error. One radio station reported that the driver of the train was ranked 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> from the bottom [in experience] in a system with over 500 operators. The news guy was actually drooling when he said that. I bet he was giddy that he could find such a stat. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">The driver and at least 6 others died.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I truly wish that the media would just calm down a little bit. Report what they have and not make a circus of speculation out of what they don't have and out of what they don't know. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">And, let's be real, law suits are going to start raining down from the sky on Metro, so that too is a legitimate matter that must be considered by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WMATA</span>. No matter how you slice it, there is no reason for Metro to rush out with an inaccurate statement only to have to issue a corrective statement days later... which of course, The Media would beat them to death over!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Let <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">NTSB</span> do their job, let Metro cooperate fully and keep their other lines servicing their hundreds of thousands of riders and let the information come out as it becomes clear. Nobody is going to forget about this DC Media, I promise - let's bury the dead, heal the injured, make sure this doesn't happen again and move forward. </span></p>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-5726033359145184562009-04-24T23:42:00.004-04:002009-04-25T01:04:21.587-04:00Mama's House - ENOUGH ALREADY!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXy-5Y3W7YZ0E_SuUNyTbQXciFDFbFDjyNdC0BjpXRiHkniYtdmziqVveUXDepBFoau9U1Fo-juWQgB-wji5TTvJfFQEUpu9n6i6EjUttX14mfisKkMPuzdp87YyxeMlJ4CVq/s1600-h/thug.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328471464871579842" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXy-5Y3W7YZ0E_SuUNyTbQXciFDFbFDjyNdC0BjpXRiHkniYtdmziqVveUXDepBFoau9U1Fo-juWQgB-wji5TTvJfFQEUpu9n6i6EjUttX14mfisKkMPuzdp87YyxeMlJ4CVq/s320/thug.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000099;">Damn, I missed My Blog!!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I've been wanting to write, and wanting to write and wanting to write and finally, tonight - I stumbled into the perfect storm of free time, access to my laptop, being awake, and something bugging the hell out of me.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">No, not the TEA Baggers - I'll get to them tomorrow...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I was just told that this 31 year old guy I know just went out and bought a brand new Mercedes. That by itself is not a bad thing, the bad part is that he still lives at home with MAMA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I have been hearing so many stories of grown-ass men, mainly Black Men, but I believe that is largely because of the circles I travel in, being well into their 30's and still living at home WITH MAMA. Some even live with MAMA and DADDY, so they can't even say "I'm just looking out for my mom."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">There is a 47 year old guy at my job who PROUDLY still lives at his mother's house. I know a 44 year old guy who still lives with his dad and his dad's new wife. I know a 27 year old guy that trots around his parents house carefree like he's 16 and trying to borrow the car keys. I know a 35 year old guy that makes over $90K a year and isn't thinking about leaving home. He's quick to declare that he gives his parents $430 a month. Uh, last time I checked - there were no apartments in the city for $430 a month, so that, combined with the fact that he makes over $90K a year makes him one cheap bastard, one VERY cheap bastard. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">What the hell is this about?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I'm going to go ahead and put a little of my family business out there. I have two brothers that are well into their 30's and they are well set to stay at MOM and DAD's house until <em>somebody</em> dies. Honestly, it is that fact that makes me visit my parents less and less. They sit back and accept the fact, almost welcome the fact that these two are just never going to leave home and I just can't grasp that logic. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">My mother often says that she knows that my brother X is going to meet a good woman and get married. I've tried to tell her that most Sister's in their 30's that are about anything - have their own places and their own money and they want to go places and do things and enjoy life with a man that is doing his thing, being his own man, LIVING IN HIS OWN PLACE, and not collecting video games and DVD's in his mom's basement. I told her that no self respecting woman is going to want anything serious with a man that has to take her to a motel or a hotel everytime he wants to be close to her. Most women are not going to want to sit in the basement of their 35 year old boyfriend's parent's house on Friday and watch movies. I tried to reason with her to push my brother's into grown-manhood. She declined, said nothing was wrong with them living 'at home' and said that they would leave when they were ready. Then she got a little mad at me so I cut my losses.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I've tried talking to my brothers, well sort of, brother Y and me aren't that close, so we just stay cordial with each other, and brother X always seems to breeze past my suggestions that maybe he needs to get an apartment or something. I think to him, there is nothing to be gained by having your own place, and I guess he expects my parents to live another 50 years and just take care of the house they live in. I try to school him sometimes but he ignores me, he always seems to have some story about how this 'girl' he met at the mall... I'm sorry, he calls women 'fee-males' now... so he'll tell me about how some 'fee-male' he met at the mall is trippin' and won't return his calls. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">Sure, maybe I'm being a d*ck, or maybe I'm getting into other folks' business, but to me, I care about my brothers and I care about my parents and I think it's time for my 30+ year old brothers to become independent men and learn to live on their own. Especially my brother X, he is such a nice guy and has such a great heart - I just wish he would mature some and get his own place and try to see the world beyond that little 20 square miles he almost refuses to leave.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">But, enough about my brothers - I have been coming across more and more men that live with Mom'an'em. It's funny to me, because I've often wondered how these men present their living situations to women they meet. There is no way I could imagine being 34 again and telling some gorgeous woman, "Yeah, I live on the westside at my mom and dad's house. It's cool, my mom does my laundry on weekends." As fate would have it, I was talking to a guy who was telling me about a buddy of his that makes almost six figures a year and still lives with mommy and daddy. I said, "He still lives with his Mom?" He told me this - exactly, "Yeah, yeah, he lives out there with his people." I said, "His mom and dad?" Again he replied, "Yeah, with his people." So I concluded that maybe that is the cool term to describe living at home with mom and 'em - 'I live with my people." I guess that works.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I think I find myself bothered by the whole 'grown man living with his mom' phenomenon because it seems to be growing and spreading. I believe too many of these 'men' are missing the crucial maturing aspect that comes with being self sufficient. Many of these men are making children of their own who are living with <em>their</em> mama's while daddy refuses to make strides to either marry mama or at least make a Daddy's home for their children. We are in enough of a predicament now with well over half of all Black children being born to single mothers - allowing grown, healthy men to just live at home and sleep in the same bedroom they had when they were 4 years old is insane to me. Insane and crippling in the long run.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">Absolutely nuts-</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">TTBM </span>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-23363766537168319612008-11-04T23:09:00.005-05:002008-11-04T23:36:45.931-05:00President Barack Obama<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1-PYf9dmWhMAVtyQ0-kZi2HuXSYRDhOCT7pzsY7u60gvjou_S38PYVC6HeEtOiAS2TPfi05f1cQU0HsgEaLjulGvwPxfcitQYsYixGbhqUEy9edlUN6oe0mKFNIjpKu-mJND/s1600-h/President+Obama.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265021313772439810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1-PYf9dmWhMAVtyQ0-kZi2HuXSYRDhOCT7pzsY7u60gvjou_S38PYVC6HeEtOiAS2TPfi05f1cQU0HsgEaLjulGvwPxfcitQYsYixGbhqUEy9edlUN6oe0mKFNIjpKu-mJND/s400/President+Obama.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">I'm actually in tears.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">CNN has just called Barack Obama - PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA! California has just checked in and his electoral count is 299. I just can't believe that we are here. After two years of campaining. After fighting the powerhouse Clinton's, after fighting the dirty lies of John McCain and his GOP croanies, Barack Obama has come out on top. AMERICA's FUTURE has come out on top. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">Thank God for this day, and this opportunity, and this achievement.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#000099;">THBM</span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-6204580409354524392008-10-26T22:29:00.001-04:002008-10-27T22:39:28.189-04:00E Minus 9 days "The Palin Factor"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy22wYwrgsI0oku1EVzTquUboGFb5GQnL2qzUqmVp161xLy2yv141a7K6B9_BhyphenhyphenoCpiFZejcpfHQ-JQMQBd1wJyWl5woBo_MpaGcJKiJoACkms-iialns23lm3NANpFIe9XYL/s1600-h/palin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262028579034538482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy22wYwrgsI0oku1EVzTquUboGFb5GQnL2qzUqmVp161xLy2yv141a7K6B9_BhyphenhyphenoCpiFZejcpfHQ-JQMQBd1wJyWl5woBo_MpaGcJKiJoACkms-iialns23lm3NANpFIe9XYL/s320/palin.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">If you love something, you want to see it thrive. You want to see it flourish. You want to see it being the very best that it can be. This applies to everything, your friends, your spouse, your kids, and even your country.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">I love America.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">I do.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">I think America is the greatest nation in the world, and I wouldn't want to wake up anywhere else in the world except for AMERICA. Now, while I say this - I want it clear that I respect any citizen of any other country in the world to feel the exact same way about their country. It can be just as true to them as it is to me.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">But is that statement as true to John McCain, as it is to me?<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">Case in point: Let's suppose that John McCain believed that he was going to be the next president of the United States, this is reasonable and quite true I assume. So, if he thought that he was going to be president and the Commander-In-Chief of our armed forces and the leader of our great nation, that I assume he truly loves, why would he not intrust our nation to a qualified partner in his vice-president?<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">We're all human, none of us are immortal. We are all sharing this moral plane on even footing. Within reason we all need to make plans, contingencies if you will, to assure that the things that we love are able to thrive and flourish in the unexpected event that we are no longer present or able to care for and support them the way we believe they should be cared for and provided for. That's why many of us that are fortunate enough to afford life insurance, purchase it - we want to help provide for our loved ones financial security if we can't do it any longer; that's why some people leave large endowments to schools, churches, colleges and organizations - so that that can thrive and continue for years and generations anew.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">But John McCain has told America and told the world that if, 'I am elected the next president of the United States, a counrty with the most powerful military in the world, a country that is a central hub of global finance, a country with one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, a country that is a 232 year old democracy, and if I am unable to complete my four year term in that office, I shall willingly turn over control of that nation to Sarah Palin."<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">God, I wish I could insert the silence that should follow that last sentence.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">He is telling not just America, but the whole world that he really doesn't give a damn about our country. Now I have no idea how bad a president John McCain will be. Maybe not as bad as Bush, but close I'm sure. But I certain of one thing - SARAH PALIN would be worse than George W. Bush. In fact, I'd rather have 4 more years of Bush than two years of Palin. Now think about that. Four more of Bush v. Two of Palin.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">Now, I don't dislike Sarah Palin, the woman, the mother, the Governor, the big game hunter - I don't know the woman. But what I have seen from her scares me. She's worse than Bush in an interview - My God, did anyone see her with Couric? Sure, she was thrust upon the national stage - but she has shown day-by-day that she is not smart enough or politically saavy enough to play on the main stage. As I've heard older folks say, "She plays well in the 'sticks'." The Sticks being the small venue of Alaska. I've got no beef with Alaska, but being the mayor of a small town where she wanted to ban books she didn't like, and where she wanted to allow guns in schools, and where she let meth overrun the streets and then the Governor of a state for a year or two where she voted for a 9-figure bridge to-nowhere, and tried like hell to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job in law enforcement, it doesn't qualify you to have a shot at possibly being the next president of the United States. When you hear her trying desperately to explain how living across the Bering Strait from Russia gives her National security experience I feel terrified knowing that she might end up as our President.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">I find it strange that no one in the big media talks about the fact that her and her husband are staunch supporters of the "Alaskan Independence Party" a group that has publically called the Government of the United States their sworn enemy, and pushed for legislation that would allow them the ability to secede from America. How is it that no one is crying foul on this one? If someone caught a picture of Barack Obama lighting up a Newport, the three major networks would interrupt broadcasting with a "Special News Report."<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">John McCain is telling all of us that he really doesn't have our nation and its best inteests in his heart and in his mind. He picked Sarah Palin because the shock value she brought the the table - she was a woman, and moreso, a woman that almost nobody had heard of. She is probably one of the most unqualified individuals in this country to be the next vice-president of the United States and the Republicans know it - unfortuantely for the rest of us - the die-hard Republicans care more about their party than they do about about our nation and its future.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">I think what turns my stomach most of all was something that Sarah Palin herself said. When asked what she said when McCain offered her the VP spot, she replied, "He asked me if I wanted to be his vice-presidential running mate and I didn't blink an eye. I immediately told him yes!" To me, this is the most troubling thing of all. It's either an arrogant lie, or it shows that she has no regard for our country. I think that a decent, humble and intelligent person would have acknowledged the scope of the request and would have needed a little bit of time to think about the question, to look at their personal capabilities, to maybe even pray about it - but they would have taken a pause to make sure they were the best for the job or at least mostly READY for the job. Not her, not Sarah Palin - she jumped in head first without hesitation and without giving our nation any real thought. She saw her name in lights and she saw hubby Todd making snow angels in the rose garden. Sadly, she is a vice presidential joke.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">This is a serious time for serious people, and Sarah Palin is just not ready for the job.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">TTBM</span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-26979709721709031142008-10-25T21:22:00.001-04:002008-10-25T22:04:12.114-04:00E MINUS 10 days: "A Time to be Smart..."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxgkvWsrexy0zF_0L9WKHAGHbjhqmFJPwJm4nyZ5FcGVRB60aL2NwevKTVrk4vkrSTj3HJdUwskiqcOopa_twOgfhbN4Py2ze_1h8RoAsY3BQUwdQVQ5toLTfDE3UluVljA9P/s1600-h/mccain-obama.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257185909908085842" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxgkvWsrexy0zF_0L9WKHAGHbjhqmFJPwJm4nyZ5FcGVRB60aL2NwevKTVrk4vkrSTj3HJdUwskiqcOopa_twOgfhbN4Py2ze_1h8RoAsY3BQUwdQVQ5toLTfDE3UluVljA9P/s200/mccain-obama.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;"><strong>"This is the most important election in our lifetime."</strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">I think this is the second time that I've heard this phrase, and its the second time I have believed it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">The first time was in 2004 when Bush stole yet another election from our country by using dirty, underhanded politics and singing the same old song to the same old people.</span></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">Now we find ourselves as a nation, under the gun again. Another narrow-focused, conservative-minded, protect-the-rich and piss-on-the-poor Republican threatening to further our doomed effort in Iraq, to keep his foot on the neck of the non-wealthy in America and to insure the continued prosperity of his mega-rich base.</span></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">I find myself very very scared lately. Our country has put George W. Bush in the White House TWO times. George W. Bush is probably the last American that should find himself in charge of our great nation. And now we find ourselves being told the same old distorted lies and twisted pipe-dreams again - by the same old party - on a somewhat different day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">I'm worried.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">Sure, the polls show that Barrack Obama is ahead in almost every way possible, but the Republicans are scared and they are backed into a corner. We should expect them to come out fighting... fighting AND cheating. It's funny how you ONLY hear about cheating and questionable ballots, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">harassment</span> of voters where Democrats are threatening to take Republican seats and so called "Red" states. Republicans... excuse me... some Republicans are the most devious and underhanded people in the world and their party means SO MUCH more to them, than OUR country does. Some of these Republicans are so scared of change and so fearful that they may have to pay an extra bit of tax on their "upper class" incomes that they are willing to bend. break and sometimes burn the Constitution to get their way.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">These are dangerous times for Americans. Not because George Bush has allowed bin Laden to stay alive and be the multi-billion dollar face of fear to us, and not because George Bush has allowed big banks and corporations to run rough-shod with no regulation and bring the world to the edge of complete financial collapse... NO - These times are dangerous for us because John McCain and his inept number two, Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Palin</span>, are supported by fear mongering cheaters and criminals that will stop at nothing to put them in The White House. We cannot allow this election to be stolen, we cannot allow 4 more years of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><em>Bushesque</em></span> politics to run and ruin our once great nation. We can't allow the lies and hype to take <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">center</span> stage. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">It is time for us all to be smart, to vote, to not be deterred, to watch these people closely on November 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>, and to encourage everyone we know to get out to the polls and vote. We honestly may never have another chance at the pace we're going now. And heaven help us if Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Palin</span> ends up as president... but I'll talk about that at <strong><span style="color:#000099;">E Minus 9 days.</span></strong> </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">TTBM</span>.</span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-30530746856209590852008-10-14T10:59:00.001-04:002008-10-14T21:21:53.644-04:00Thanks<a href="http://openphoto.net/cgi-bin/image?image_id=8214&filters=&rotate=&degrees="><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 158px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px" height="184" alt="" src="http://openphoto.net/cgi-bin/image?image_id=8214&filters=&rotate=&degrees=" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_0/1083885788In01Lh.jpg"></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">Thanks to everyone that has stopped by my blog in the last few months to try and catch some random thoughts from this Brother.</span></div><div></div><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I wish I had some glamorous, Earth-moving reason for not blogging, but sadly I don't. I think life just stepped in, along with some changes in the computer use policy at my job, and I figured I wasn't quite ready to give up my salary to blog during my lunch hour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Anway, I'm going to see if I can find my voice again and I'm going to get busy checking out my old friends in the blogosphere - I can't wait to see what you all have been up to. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">-TTBM!!!</span>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-39963288068369499162008-06-11T14:43:00.002-04:002008-12-10T23:14:04.801-05:00What on Earth are they doing?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfDGjRqbtCjEz2uuZkQVhhzhsl203WCmJYX6kkbPHM8OyQ-Wt8KiJLtgmnveqvwytT-CGoxk-rb-fuizG2SixDR-egVRujKXii6rK8QmD_YOeGYGFxPmd5tXNf7SPAvQuAzqi/s1600-h/obamasfistbump.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210696677827098754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfDGjRqbtCjEz2uuZkQVhhzhsl203WCmJYX6kkbPHM8OyQ-Wt8KiJLtgmnveqvwytT-CGoxk-rb-fuizG2SixDR-egVRujKXii6rK8QmD_YOeGYGFxPmd5tXNf7SPAvQuAzqi/s320/obamasfistbump.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#990000;">Why do I know that this will NOT be the last time the American media makes this current election a racist, ignorant, fear driven, sick-minded, debacle? I guess because, I have a brain.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">It appears that the ignorant, talking-heads that we have so graciously planted on cable-TV and given their own news shows, loud microphones and bright lights - want to be heard. They want to be heard and they want to say THEE stupidest things so that someone will pay them some attention.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">It seems as though Barack and Michelle Obama gave each other a little "dap" onstage last week in St. Paul and the media appears to have gone ape-sh*t over the gesture. Media people on all of the big networks were asking what was "meant by that gesture," and "Why did they do that?" and "What do you call that hand thing?". WHAAAAAAAAAT???</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">These people claim to be able to present NEWS to the masses. They are supposed to be intelligent enough to present world events, history making events, once in a lifetime events and they are unnerved and baffedly beyond words by a little "fist dap." Give me a freakin' break.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I started to define "fist dap" right here... but then I thought about it. If anyone is kind enough to read this, and living in the United States, and has NOT, repeat - NOT been living under a rock, then they should already know what a "fist dap" or "a pound" or "some dap" is. Therefore I won't waste your valuable blog-reading time.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Back to the talking heads - one Fox News reporter, E.D. Hill went as far as to call the gesture "A terrorist Fist Jab." Hill was promptly repremanded by Fox in public; behind closed doors I'm sure she's a water-cooler hero at Fox, and she probably got a neat little bonus check for the dig against the Obama's.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">But, this kind of foolishness, what I call "racial foolishness" is certain to spread in the coming months. I think Barack is going to come under fire for his party of choice, that's a no-brainer, but what we are going to see and read is an amazing amount of racial foolishness from the mainstream media. We are going to see the big media windbags from Fox, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, etc. saying things and making accusations that are going to sound nothing short of insane. The media is going to attack the Obama's because they are not White. Note that I didn't say Black, I said, "Not White."</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">For the simple fact that the media picked up the gesture and noted it, shows that even the tiniest of things that may not be done by "mainstream" Whites are going to be presented as alien, foreign, void of logic, you-name-it. Every little thing that Barack and Michelle will do overthe rest of this election is going to be hyper-scrutinized. John McCain can drag his wife out onto Pennsylvania Avenue and cover her in whipped cream and chopped nuts from head-to-toe and the media will glance over it with a chuckle and a grin and move into a detailed, three-part, round-table discussion over "Why the Obama's picked NOW to paint their Volvo station-wagon beige?"</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">We are going to be flooded with some of the dumbest, saddest, most ignorant news reporting in our country's history over the next five months, and I'm sorry to say The Obama's are going to be at the heart of most of it. We are at the most crucial time in our country's existence, employment is down, the economy is down, thousands of Americans are losing their homes each day, crime is up, education is WAY down, we are deep in a recession, gas is approaching $5 a gallon, healthcare is a joke, and our media is acting like the Black guy running for president is sharing a mysterious pact of some sort with his wife. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Until we demand our media to take us seriously as Americans. they never will!!!! </span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-45613607897064922762008-06-04T17:20:00.005-04:002008-12-10T23:14:05.028-05:00Michelle Obama<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXH9NqCOh30j6t42fuE-89yqSxBebXHLbm3J_R3dXYpcrQstaEWQyn6jDX5V67T1c8RCCDoGKUOpm1EgQf4_BVRIi6AtF5wu6LSnu2ifMqtG1wmPK8_ep6j_cWb5UtBzKcu9I/s1600-h/APObama3Jun08Minn190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208140279858094354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXH9NqCOh30j6t42fuE-89yqSxBebXHLbm3J_R3dXYpcrQstaEWQyn6jDX5V67T1c8RCCDoGKUOpm1EgQf4_BVRIi6AtF5wu6LSnu2ifMqtG1wmPK8_ep6j_cWb5UtBzKcu9I/s320/APObama3Jun08Minn190.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000099;">Last night as I sat glued to my TV watching <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barack</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Obama</span></span> acknowledging his history making <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ascension</span></span> to the Democratic Party's nomination for President, I was overwhelmed.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">Here we are in 2008 and there is a very good chance that the next President of the United States could be an African American man. I am nothing less than astonished. I'm astonished and tremendously proud to be an American on this day. The majority of Democratic voters were able to look [for the most part] past race and they were able to vote for a Black man. WOW! Way to go America!</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">I was on the e<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dge</span></span> of my seat for the whole speech. My wife and I were exchanging high-fives and clapping and giving our love to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Barack</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Obama</span></span> and the future of hope and optimism that we pray he brings. Then he finished with a couple of "God Bless America's" and then suddenly my whole perspective on the night's events changed. Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Obama</span></span> took the stage with her husband.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">I have become quite a Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Obama</span></span> fan over the last year or so. I think that she is a very dynamic, intelligent and downright <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">likeable</span></span> person. For <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Barack</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Obama</span></span> to have captured the heart of a woman like her, it says a lot about his character, and I admire the relationship the two of them appear to have. That is why my perspective changed. Michelle did not appear to be her usual happy and cheerful "potential future-first-lady" self, she looked worried.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">She tried to hide it, that stunned, worried look that people get when their spouses step into harms way. It was the look of spouses that kiss their loved ones goodbye before they head off to war. It was the same look that I imagine police officers and fire-fighters spouses give their loved ones when they leave for work. It was the look I assume Coretta Scott King and Betty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Shabazz</span></span> gave their husbands when they went out to change the world.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">I have an optimistic streak deep within me, it is in this streak that I believe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Barack</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Obama</span></span> will change the world, I believe that he will beat John McCain and move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and he'll do amazing things and he'll grow old and gray and write memoirs and give lectures and be an American icon for generations. But, my optimism aside, we live in a world of fanatics, lunatics, racists and hate mongers. We live in a world of danger. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">I think this is why My Girl - Michelle looked a little worried last night. She's given us her husband. She's allowed... YES allowed... our country to have a chance for renewed greatness on the back and shoulders of her best friend, her husband, her man, [in her own words] her babies DADDY. She's a smart woman, she knows the dangers that powerful people face, she knows the dangers that powerful men face, she knows the dangers that powerful Black men face - and yet, she's allowed her husband to try and improve our lives. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;">In all the wonderful and deserved <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Barack</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Obama</span></span> hype that we are now celebrating, let us not forget Michelle. Let us not forget that behind every good man there is an even better woman. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;">LUV U <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">OBAMA'S</span></span>!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">TTBM</span></span></span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-20111785332735361312008-05-28T16:33:00.003-04:002008-12-10T23:14:05.224-05:00Auschwitz or Buchenwald... who cares?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmf4fn5Kz8dBFw0eI21hVTQOMypILB6GPf8PFRjEsVnLHWHujx47kHJhKK2nf43bsTeinmj75-kuazwVMh5T8wVnsgj2wAr84FtNgXJ-CH8UAUxYmCqTWSp52NuIMnGw7qGyK/s1600-h/OB.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205545153318887186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmf4fn5Kz8dBFw0eI21hVTQOMypILB6GPf8PFRjEsVnLHWHujx47kHJhKK2nf43bsTeinmj75-kuazwVMh5T8wVnsgj2wAr84FtNgXJ-CH8UAUxYmCqTWSp52NuIMnGw7qGyK/s200/OB.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#ff0000;">Auschwitz or Buchenwald... who cares?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Obama's</span> Grandfather and/or Great Uncle helped to liberate tortured Jews from a Nazi death camp in World War II. That is a great thing and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Obama</span> family should be proud beyond words at the role their family members played in such a significant event.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">It seems as though the Democratic Heir apparent, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Obama</span>, was speaking before a crowd yesterday in New Mexico and he mentioned that his Great Uncle had helped to liberate Auschwitz in World War II. It didn't take Republicans long to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">wikipedia</span> Auschwitz and discover that Soviet troops in fact, liberated the death camp in January of 1945. "Oh, he's a liar! Tar and feather that Boy!" They were quick to yell!!! (okay, maybe they just whispered the tar and feathers part - but I'm sure someone said it!)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Barack</span> has since corrected himself. I believe he got his death camps mixed up. Don't you just hate it when that happens? </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">You have Auschwitz, where between 1.1 and 2.5 million Jews were killed, and then you have Buchenwald were 56,000 Jews were killed. That is what drives me to ask - Who Cares? </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">No... NOT "Who Cares about murdered Jews?" I mean - "Who Cares about an error in which camp was liberated?!?!?" You had hundreds of thousands and millions of people that were imprisoned, tortured, murdered and you have crazy Republicans trying to hold a slip of the tongue against a man and his family's military history. Someone is REALLY trying to make that an issue! My God - people, we have to get serious here!!!!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">Auschwitz or Buchenwald? Who cares? Why is it that people can't just <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">embrace</span> what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Obama's</span> family did? Why create such a furor over something like that? Especially when so few Republicans on The Hill have their own children in Service to our country. Why blow <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Barack's</span> comments so far out of line. So he said one camp and not the other. Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">woop</span>. The Bottom line is this - His Great Uncle was out there in the snow and mud and blood of Germany's battlefield. He was probably getting shot at and watching his fellow soldiers [or Marines] getting killed, but he and many brave others pressed on until a Nazi death camp was put down and liberated. As a lot of people like to say, "He was doing The Damn Thing!" Something like that should not be chewed on and chewed up and used a political fodder by anyone. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;">This is a serious time America and we need serious people to get our mess straightened out. Play time is over.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">TTBM</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#ff0000;"></span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-46932739938227815092008-05-19T18:55:00.008-04:002008-12-10T23:14:05.425-05:00As bad as it could be...<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWgSMyT2hoi6KHXQpd7ybjDrbtRmvPyBUKFoxxkKwfghitdzMNQ1ea5KvzhFC6O3KUNrZ26laPCiTfVB-1j6iIIz74PTt8qyjkk49-yEGSgy7raJ8J6vkUskzBXef_Ce2LQBX/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202562782682096978" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWgSMyT2hoi6KHXQpd7ybjDrbtRmvPyBUKFoxxkKwfghitdzMNQ1ea5KvzhFC6O3KUNrZ26laPCiTfVB-1j6iIIz74PTt8qyjkk49-yEGSgy7raJ8J6vkUskzBXef_Ce2LQBX/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">I filled up yesterday and I paid $3.79 a gallon, for regular. When the pump stopped ticking my money away, the damage came to $72.02. "My God." I thought.</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">To say I wasn't happy is putting it mildly.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">The whole time I stood at the pump and stared at my money disappearing, I found myself in my usual rage over the oil companies. This was so unfair. These rich bastards are making quarterly profits that are bigger than the Gross Domestic Product of hundreds of countries! Now they wanted my money too! It just wasn't fair! I was pretty pissed.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">Then I oddly thought of a woman that I saw on the cover of the newspaper today. It was the woman in the picture accompanying this post. The picture was a little different but the woman is the same. In the picture I saw, she was alone, kneeling and crying and the caption said that her daughter had died. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">Her DAUGHTER had died in the recent earthquake. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">Her DAUGHTER had died.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">My gas cost me $72 dollars... and her DAUGHTER died.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">My children were home, safe and sound with their mother. I was with them just a few minutes later. We had <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">spaghetti</span> for dinner. It was pretty good... and her DAUGHTER died.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">It is so very easy to overlook your blessings. For me, I suppose I get pissed off just a tad bit more than the average person. I'll be the first person to tell you that I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes. If you've read my blog before, I'm sure you'll agree with that. But, yesterday I really allowed myself to take in the good fortune that I have.<br /><br />These gas prices will not be the end of my life. $4, $5 even $6 a gallon will not be the end of my life. I won't really feel any pain from it. All that may happen to me may be... I won't be buying an X-Box 360 or a flat screen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">HD</span> television this year [or next]; I may have to get rid of my SUV and buy a neat <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lil'hybrid</span>; I may have to give up $200 Hugo Boss shoes and buy $60 Kenneth Cole's instead; I may have to stop fussing over $7 cooking oil and $6 a gallon milk. But, God willing I'll still have my wife and kids. I'll have what is really important to me.<br /><br />I have to remember to practice what I try to preach to my kids... I have to remember that I'm a citizen of the world and not just a citizen of my town, state and country. With 100,000 dead and dying in cyclone ravaged Myanmar and 50,000 feared dead in parts of earthquake shattered China, and dozens and dozens of families left homeless in the central plains of the United States after weeks of tornadoes - My Problems don't seem as bad as I sometimes think they are.<br /><br />Now, I'm a little less worried about my next trip to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Citgo</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">TTBM</span><br /></span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-72413407748571502722008-04-25T17:13:00.004-04:002008-12-10T23:14:05.649-05:00Blue Justice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-WsBNHiIxsymh8byqvvaTOaG00DxswGbehDPLEsoi-X38LDScSG9gO_y7sDiIs7O5ZrlgvNSnVjzNE5gDAxzAbeFo_HCYD10E3WI8OSqTIgIfBZ2PzOXNpHqbZ7PXLCKbZnn/s1600-h/Injustice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193294110713860546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-WsBNHiIxsymh8byqvvaTOaG00DxswGbehDPLEsoi-X38LDScSG9gO_y7sDiIs7O5ZrlgvNSnVjzNE5gDAxzAbeFo_HCYD10E3WI8OSqTIgIfBZ2PzOXNpHqbZ7PXLCKbZnn/s200/Injustice.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000099;">You have got to be kidding me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I am usually one of the first people to defend police officers. Sure, as a Black man raised in a big city I have enough reasons to dislike police in general. I've been stopped and sometimes harrassed by them growing up as a teen of the '80's and I know that all police share the one major flaw of being human. But, I will tell anyone that being a cop is a tough, dangerous and thankless job. I probably couldn't do it. I'm not sure if I'd want to.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">One of the usual points I like to bring up when police debates flare up is the fact that I think cops first promise should be to come home at night safe and sound to their familes. The second promise should be close behind and should be to protect and serve. I never think I have those two mixed up because if I were a cop, or a fire fighter, or a plumber or a truck driver - my FIRST promise is to always come home to my wife and kids!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I think when police are in a dangerous and life threatening position, they should use as much force as needed to protect themselves, their fellow officers and the public in general. They should be brave and smart and shoot straight and true.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">But then you have cops like New York's <span style="color:#333333;">Mike Oliver, Gescard Isnora, and Marc Cooper</span>. Murderers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">(In fact, I'm not even typing their names in <strong>blue</strong>, because they are not true cops)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">These guys murdered Sean Bell in cold blood. And worse than that - New York Judge Arthur Cooperman decided that they were justified in shooting 50 times at a car containing three unarmed Black men. 50 TIMES!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">Okay, granted. When this event was going down in the early hours of November 25, 2006 outside of a strip club in Queens. The shooters didn't know the car was empty, but they damn sure knew that NO ONE WAS SHOOTING BACK AT THEM! One of this men actually lowered his gun, popped a clip out, pulled a fresh one out, popped it back in, charged his gun and continued firing. 50 TIMES!!!</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">And this judge basically told them, "Nice job guys. No harm, no foul. One Black guy dead and two injured. Next time shoot straighter, see if you can get'em all."</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">That's what he told them. And, yes - I know that two of the cops where Black [looking].</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">This verdict is nothing short of a slap in the face of all minorities. This verdict is a sham and a travisty of justice. It shows that in New York, you can gun down Black men wholesale and as long as you are wearing a badge. You are teflon; you are safe, you are golden, you are held harmless to accountability.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">This is sadly not the last time that New York cops are not going to murder a minority in cold blood. The NYPD... excuse me... not the [whole] NYPD, just the arrogant NYPD assholes that equate gun caliber with genitalia size, will consider Cooperman's verdict as a free pass to claim "fear" as justification to rain down hot lead on innocent civilians.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">If there is a spirit of justice in this country, if she is blindfolded and truly issues her verdicts without bias towards race or stature, then today she must be sheding a tear, she must be sad, she must be blue.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">TTBM</span> </div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span></div><br /><div></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-37060308425906442552008-03-15T22:17:00.007-04:002008-03-16T01:59:18.093-04:00Wright and wrong...<a href="http://www.hiphop-elements.com/img/5006/95808757547d9e7ea7e2f9.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.hiphop-elements.com/img/5006/95808757547d9e7ea7e2f9.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;">I haven't blogged in a while and I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">certainly</span> hope I haven't lost my voice... let's see.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">This whole Jeremiah Wright thing has rubbed my nerves raw.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">The media is eating these little sound bites up- CNN, FOX, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MSNBC</span> and the rest are burning the airwaves to snatch as many ratings points as possible with the words of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Obama's</span> hometown preacher. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">I've heard most of the comments, which were clearly snatched in segments which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">guaranteed</span> the most shock value to the American listener. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">While I think the entire sermon should be heard in its full context before anyone should make a blanket denouncement of Rev. Wright, I live in America and I know 95% of the people complaining aren't going to go beyond 7 or 8 keystrokes to try and learn anything. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">But, full context aside, Rev. Wright's comments are his own, he believes in them and frankly that should be that. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Obama</span> didn't make these comments, so for anyone to try and hold Wright's comments to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Obama</span> is utter foolishness. Stupid, shallow, dim-witted election year foolishness! That's like people around the world holding the dumb stuff that George Bush says all the time to the citizens of the United States. Does anyone with an IQ higher than a bullfrog stand up and say, "George Bush's thoughts and feelings are mine?" No. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">Don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing Rev. Wright to George Bush, but I am truly saying that one man's comments should not be transposed over to another just because the two of them are associated. I am <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">embarrased</span> that as an American, my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">fellow</span> voting adults are so easily manipulated and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">herded</span> like a flock of dumb sheep into these little political columns as defined by the Republicans [and or Hillary Clinton]. Someone shows some nicely edited clips of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Obama's</span> preacher, and suddenly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Barack</span> is a hate monger and a racist and a bunch of other nicely scripted catch words. I'm stunned.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">I was reading some websites today and I am stunned by the number of people, [white people] saying dumb things like...</span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">"I didn't know blacks hate America so much. It's like an eye opener. Since it is a view shared by almost 100% black churches throughout the country (according to a black <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">FoxNews</span> guest), it explains <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">theoverwhelming</span> anti-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">socieity</span> tendency of the black community..."</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;">I can't help but say, "What the hell????" "Blacks hate America?" "A view shared by almost 100% of Black churches?" What kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">dumbass</span> wrote that? I will bet my next paycheck that this person has never been within 50 feet of a Black church! I feel so sad for this person that they are so weak minded and so prone to think just the way the MEDIA wants her to think. This is a great example of the power of the American media on people that are not strong enough to think for themselves. The media gave her a broad brush, and she ran off to paint with it. <em>(Just a little knowledge for her - Blacks do not hate America! Many Blacks may have issues with various aspects of America, but we do not hate America. For my two cents - ANYBODY of ANY RACE that hates America, needs to get the hell out of America! ANYBODY!!!)</em></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">Then I read:</span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Barak</span> sold his soul to win in Chicago and it's coming back to bite him. I voted for him for Sen. but will never vote for him again..."</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;">I have to ask, how does going to a church for years and years before you ever think about running for Senate count as "selling your soul." I hope this person didn't just vote for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Barack</span> because he went to church in Chicago, because frankly, that would be stupid. Use your head fellow voter - don't let the Media lead you by the nose like a little puppy!</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">And lastly, this one just stunned me:</span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Obama</span> has deliberately infected his own family with 20 years of anti-American racist hatred. He must not be allowed to similarly infect America. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright mentored <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Obama</span>. They have hijacked Christianity in the same way as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Osama</span> has hijacked Islam. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Obama</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Osama</span> really ARE the same person. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Obama's</span> fellow churchgoers simply haven't arrived at the point where the vests are strapped onto the children....yet."</span> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;">I've tried to cut down my profanity on my blog, but for this one, I'm gonna' dust off a 10 pointer... (here we go) <em><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"><strong>What the Fuck?</strong></span></em> Are you serious? Are you really serious? Infected his family for 20 years, huh? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Obama</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Osama</span> are really the same person, huh? See ,these kinds of people scare the shit out of me. So narrow and so easily brought into line. Pitiful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">I think what gets me in all of this is the fact that so many people that have never heard of Jeremiah Wright until this week and who know nothing of this man are so quick to pass judgement on him and a member of his church after hearing 30 seconds of a partial sermon by him. I'm not saying he was right or wrong, and I'm not saying what I agree or disagree with in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">SNIPPIT's</span> of his sermon. But what I am saying is that I know Rev. Wright does not spend every Sunday taking shots and America, American Racism, and American <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Imperialism</span> - sadly, many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">sheeple</span> have been lead to believe this. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">And on top of that - folks have to pick their argument when it comes to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Obama</span> and religion. Plenty of narrow-minded folks are worried about his name and assume he is Muslim [these people are an American <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">embarrassment</span>]! Yet, now we have a new cluster of folks that are taking arms against his relationship with his Christian pastor. So, somewhere these people have to decide - is he a Muslim or a Christian and for which one are they going to hate him!!! </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;">How are we going to ever get a decent person in the White House as long as so many Americans are weak minded, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">mailable</span>, vote clumps. So few people seem to be willing to look at the REAL political issues with clarity. People need to stay focused here - the consequences to this country and our future are so great! We have suffered under 8 years of George Bush's mismanagement of our economy and our military and we have to get serious. Let Jeremiah Wright be Jeremiah Wright and let <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Obama</span> be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Obama</span>. </span></div><div></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-48130269339598635802008-02-20T17:15:00.002-05:002008-02-20T17:28:38.112-05:00Armageddon has fallen upon DC!!!<a href="http://openphoto.androo.net/thumbs/volumes/mike/20050408/opl_IMG_5069.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://openphoto.androo.net/thumbs/volumes/mike/20050408/opl_IMG_5069.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">Oh my God!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">It's snowing in the District of Columbia! I see it with my very own eyes, right outside of my office window. Big fluffy snowflakes that seem to be melting on the sidewalk far below. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Snow in the District of Columbia spells catastrophe for men and women of all ages! People in DC, inside the I-495 beltway, loose their minds and all of their driving skills at the first sign of a snowflake. A mere dusting will guarantee countless pile-ups, road closings, and hours and hours of traffic. All is lost! All is lost!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Lock your doors and say your prayers because snow is falling in the nations capital! </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">How am I going to get home? Will I ever see my loved ones again?</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I admit that I haven't been posting much lately on my blog - but, I still love my blog! I still love my readers! I still love reading the comments! But with snow on the streets of DC, my life will be in complete jeopardy as I set out to the subway! </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Am I man enough to walk several blocks and cross several streets in the District under a (gulp) raging snowfall?</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Pray for me.....</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">TSBM.</span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-56253012784175774072008-01-15T19:02:00.000-05:002008-01-16T18:46:08.144-05:00A special little place...<a href="http://openphoto.androo.net/thumbs/volumes/ppdigital/20040401/opl_img-10109.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://openphoto.androo.net/thumbs/volumes/ppdigital/20040401/opl_img-10109.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">I'm a dad. </span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">Being a DAD is a special thing. It's not the same thing as these numb-skulls that get women [and girls] pregnant and just roll out and treat their kids like lost socks... things you don't go back for.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">Dad's do the damn thing!</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">Dad's worry about their kids; Dad's feel all of their kids pain 100 times more than the kids themselves; Dad's hear the sneezes and the coughs in the middle of the night and we go pull the covers up on our babies; Dad's protect and place nothing at a higher premium than the safety of our children. While very few of us will say we deserve it, there IS a special little place in heaven for real Dads. </span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">But there is another little "special place" I hope, for fathers like Lam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Luong</span>.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2008-01/34664679.jpg">Lam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Luong</span></a> is the guy that threw his <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080111/00e04c44261a08f1a95802.jpg">four babies </a>off of an 80 foot bridge in Bayou <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LaBatre</span>, Alabama last week. </span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">I hope that there is a special little place in hell for fathers like him. </span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">Things effect me very deeply, usually to my detriment - the night after I heard about this insane and senseless quadruple homicide I barely slept. I tossed and turned and tried to keep my eyes closed for more than a few minutes at a time, but it didn't work. I sat on the edge of my bed for a long time around 2:30AM. I just keep thinking about how confused and terrified those children felt as the man that was supposed to be Dad, was murdering them. I just couldn't get the feel of drowning babies out of my head. I wonder if they understood that they didn't do anything wrong. I couldn't understand how this could happen. I found myself praying that God snatched these babies souls before they hit that water and they never felt a thing. (This is what I usually hope and pray when people die, especially from violence.)</span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">I found myself wishing that I could have just two minutes alone with Lam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Luong</span>. Two minutes to reach into some of the darker places in my primal being and two minutes to show him the terror and pain his dying children felt. But I knew that that wasn't right. He had broken the rules of our fraternity, not me, and there was no reason that should corrupt my soul because of his ill deeds. So I could only hope that there was a special little place in hell for fathers that murder their babies.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000099;">How was I to get to sleep? After a long bout with my own rage and anger, I wandered down the hall to my kids room and watched them sleep. MY KIDS. MY SONS. MY ANGELS. I went over and sat on the bottom bunk bed, where my youngest sleeps. After a few minutes, I laid down and pulled the covers up over myself and drifted off into a peaceful sleep next to him. Maybe I was the one who needed protecting that night.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">TTBM</span></span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-25023971991002970482008-01-12T22:06:00.000-05:002008-01-12T22:59:25.043-05:00Pardon the interruption...<a href="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_125/11725431956Ho36d.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_125/11725431956Ho36d.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">Today, I did something very rude. It was incredibly thoughtless of me and I want to apologize. And, the worst part is - I do this very often, and I never seem to learn. But today, I felt compelled to blog my concerns and MY APOLOGY.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Let me tell you what happened.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I went to buy a couple of dress shirts. I picked up three different colors and took about 20 minutes to match them up with appropriate ties. I looked at cuff links and then made my way to the register. This was in a place where everybody lines up in one <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aisle</span> right in the middle of the store and the line feeds perpendicular into a row of 6 cash registers. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">When I got ready to pay, no one was in front of me, so I stood at the point where the sign reads "line starts here". There were two women standing at registers directly in front of me and they were talking. One was in her 20's and one was in her 40's. The younger one glanced at me and then went on talking. There was third woman working her register to my left and ringing-up a customer. To my right was a young man ringing up a couple of people. The ladies in front of me were still chatting and I assume almost a minute had gone by. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Now I'm wondering if maybe I was standing in the right place. I checked and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">sure'nuff</span> I was in the right place. Both women glanced back at me, they knew I was still standing there! I'm pretty hard to miss! The young one looked annoyed with my lingering presence and finally asked me, "Can I help you?" I looked at her astonished and said, "Yeah, that's why I'm here." She rang me up, folded my ties and tossed everything in a bag and moved on to the guy behind me.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">On my way out to my truck it dawned on me. I was very rude to that woman. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I mean, when you think about it... I left MY house to come to HER job. I decided that I wanted to spend some of MY money at HER place of business. Honestly, how rude of ME was it to pick up shirts and ties that are sold at HER job and expect HER to take MY money for them? Really... what a complete jerk I was to wait so quietly and so patiently while she finished talking and didn't even want to be disturbed and do her job of taking MY money.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I've learned my lesson.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I'm a rude dude.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">So, to the young lady at the cash register at that men's store that I like so much - I apologize for interrupting your conversation. It was thoughtless, foolish and rude of me to expect you to be working while you were at your job. I'll try to do better next time by not expecting anything of you.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">TTBM</span></span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-70019453273710766762008-01-09T21:50:00.000-05:002008-12-10T23:14:06.412-05:00We're smarter than THAT! Aren't we?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ82ngQ4BjWQ14Ox4MP-R67a_hbqNapJ9oRehtkDaNSOFt7mFutzreI0clzFSirSXeg95DsArhWXDNwLs9WKtm_TOyQdKHHaWA7pI_BGxUqxfr4jbYpV8aX8lBHT2axmwmTw01/s1600-h/Hillary.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153681367135503346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" height="161" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ82ngQ4BjWQ14Ox4MP-R67a_hbqNapJ9oRehtkDaNSOFt7mFutzreI0clzFSirSXeg95DsArhWXDNwLs9WKtm_TOyQdKHHaWA7pI_BGxUqxfr4jbYpV8aX8lBHT2axmwmTw01/s200/Hillary.jpg" width="226" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">Okay, Hillary took New <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hampshire</span>. Nice job, Hill.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">It wasn't a blowout over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Barack</span>, but at this level of a campaign, and in a contest of this magnitude, a win is a win and every vote pushes you closer to your party's nomination for President.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Today, I couldn't help but hear all of the laughable pundits claiming that Hillary's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">shaky</span> voiced emotional comments from this past weekend were the reason she scored so well in Tuesday's primary. All of these expert, genius windbags were saying that voters saw Hillary's emotional side as a winning trait and suddenly the so-called Ice Queen had thawed. I couldn't help but say to myself, "Good Lord! Please let us [as American voters] be smarter than that!" </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Now, granted, George Bush won the last election and he is quite possibly the worst President in the history of the world - so we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Americans</span> HAVE done some stupid stuff. But, voting for a person because SHE ALMOST CRIED!!! Please God let us be smarter than that!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">For the record - I don't think of Hillary as an Ice Queen. Personally, I think Hillary's broken voice spoke her true and honest feelings, but the looks and the sounds were as staged as a Broadway musical and about as real as a seven dollar bill. Hillary and her handlers went fishing - they tossed a line to the media and the weaker minded voters and tried to see who they could catch. In my heart, I'd like to think she didn't really catch many people. I'd like to think that the people of New Hampshire voted on real issues and real concerns like the people of Iowa did when they voted for my man <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Barack</span>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I can only hope and pray that American voters can't be bought or swayed by some well acted blinking and some misty eyes. If that is all it takes, then maybe I should be running for President - as bad as George Bush has ruined our country, I find myself trembling with emotion damn near every day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">TTBM</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-3393144099919209382008-01-05T19:35:00.000-05:002008-01-05T20:55:14.039-05:00Damn... I think.<a href="http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0105/nfl_a_hasselbeck_412.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand" height="140" alt="" src="http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0105/nfl_a_hasselbeck_412.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#990000;">Damn.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I haven't posted in a while, so happy New Year to all of my fellow <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bloggers</span> and those wonderful folks who peek in on my ramblings from time to time. I hope you all have a great year and I truly wish you the very best! </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Back to uh, uh, oh yeah - Damn!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Everybody that knows me, knows that I'm a Redskins fan. I love football and I love my burgundy and gold. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">As I type this, the curtain has closed on the 2007 season for us. Seattle just beat us 35 to 14. Ah, there is the wonderful number 21 yet again. The same number worn by our fallen favorite son, Sean Taylor. Damn.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Actually, I am far from disappointed in my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wildcard</span> Skins. We lost a lot of games this year that we should have won; We missed a lot of catches we should have caught; We threw a lot of passes we shouldn't have; We called a lot of plays that we should have thought through. But, when all was said and done, we ended up where we wanted to be all along - in the post season. Damn.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">We flew to Seattle and we got beat by a better team. It was their day and it was in front of their fans. So, these things happen. We didn't play bad, we just didn't play as good as we should have. I would love to be able to point a finger at someone. I'd love to blame our veteran rookie quarterback Todd Collins, but he has had an impressive 5 games. I'd love to blame Clinton <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Portis</span>, but he's put down over 1200 yards this year, impressive. I'd love to blame the defense, but hell - I love all of those guys!!! Damn.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">So, I'll just let my images of beating Dallas in round two of the playoffs fade from view. Training camp starts in seven months and I'll just make due with the NFL network until then.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Hold your heads up fellow Skins fans, the loyal followers of 20 other teams were green with envy at us before our game today and even now, we've had quite a season - lets be proud! </span> </div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-5001171709028591622007-11-29T17:24:00.000-05:002008-12-10T23:14:06.640-05:00Sean Taylor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMqUcY4cobGKbcqoNz_Cs8iKuwkErSbJRh-4ETIYUoI7-2JwgOftieGVoAyi2K-1sqN38Qk5ORxcTCkQAccWm__APgy0oE-uoCbGVv9laZCWNOc9RKs6qgPCHCpe0PVzFA69x/s1600-h/RJ4Y1526PG.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138396593931100706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMqUcY4cobGKbcqoNz_Cs8iKuwkErSbJRh-4ETIYUoI7-2JwgOftieGVoAyi2K-1sqN38Qk5ORxcTCkQAccWm__APgy0oE-uoCbGVv9laZCWNOc9RKs6qgPCHCpe0PVzFA69x/s320/RJ4Y1526PG.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I'm still pretty stunned about the death of yet another young Black man to pointless, stupid violence.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I'm a Redskins fan, and for the last few weeks my biggest concern was the fact that we've been playing so badly that we were going to miss the playoffs yet again. I was disgusted with The Great Joe Gibbs, I was disgusted with the play calling, I was disgusted with the poor execution I was seeing by a group of men that I was so loyal to. I was so disgusted with the Redskins that I refused to even watch their recent game against the Buccaneers. Then, Monday morning, suddenly everything took a back seat.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I was on the Internet at google.com checking headlines when "Redskin's Sean Taylor shot in home" popped up. I whispered, "Damn." and clicked on the story. "Okay, a leg wound. He should be okay," I foolishly thought. I followed the story all day online. All I kept hearing was "He's in a coma and in critical condition." I actually thought to myself on Monday night - He'll be fine. He'll be upgraded to serious in the morning and by Saturday there will be pictures of him smiling with doctors and nurses and signing autographs for sick kids in the children's ward. I assumed he'd miss the rest of the season and come back next pre-season as the Redskins Golden-Boy with smashing tackles and crazy interceptions." Yeah, he'll be fine.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Then Tuesday morning I turned on the radio next to the bed and they were talking about him in the past tense. "He was a talented player..." "He had this kind of spirit..." "He was well liked by..." And I thought, "Damn, why are they talking about him like he's dead. That's pretty thoughtless." With a knot forming in my stomach I went into the guest room and turned on the TV and there it was on channel 5, "Sean Taylor, 1983 - 2007" You could have knocked me over with a feather. I called to my wife, "Sean Taylor died!" </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">Just then my 3 year old son walked in, coincidentally wearing a Redskins jersey over his pajamas, and asked in a sleepy voice as he sat down next me, "Why did he die?" </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">What could I say?</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I looked at him, then the TV, and then him again and I put my arm around him and said, "Because a very bad person hurt him. And that's why he died." My son looked satisfied with my answer. I don't believe he fully grasps the concept of death and dying, and I guess at this point that is kind of a good thing - maybe. </span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I'm just stunned. </span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">The police are saying that right now his shooting looks random, but I believe that like I believe George Bush is a good president. I think that is a police ploy to capture the shooter. I don't believe this was a random crime. I'm confident that the person [or persons] that did this knew that was Sean Taylor's home, I'm confident they knew he was home, and I'm confident that he was a target for whatever reason. I think if someone just wanted to steal something, they wouldn't break into a bedroom and start shooting - they would avoid contact and flee. Or if they were startled they would run and just start shooting blindly during their excape. I'm sure that Sean's killer knew him and knew he was home. I truly hope that they bring him to justice!</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">I was so pissed off over the 'Skins not making the playoffs this year that I had vowed not to watch another single game. Now I can hardly give a damn. I feel for those guys. I feel for the whole organization. Football is just a game, a sport - life is REAL. Life is joy and strength and faith and happiness and pain and sorrow. Life is real and life is what is important. I'm ashamed that I had forgotten that on Sunday afternoons.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#990000;">TTBM</span></strong>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-45189393391162176062007-11-19T23:10:00.000-05:002007-11-20T00:30:52.496-05:00Nation's Capital or Murder Capital?<a href="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_170/1185879617lY86M6.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_170/1185879617lY86M6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#660000;">A few nights ago in Washington DC, a young man named Timothy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spicer</span> was getting into his car at a metro station when he was car jacked. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">It wasn't enough that some thug wanted to steal his car, but they shot him three times and left him to die, which unfortunately he did a short time later. Then this same ruthless animal took his car, drove it for a few hours and then abandoned it in south-east DC. This savage hoodlum, KILLED a man, KILLED a father in cold blood for what? For a joyride? To get to his girlfriend's of his mama's house a little faster than a cab or a bus? Actually, it doesn't really matter. No reason is justifiable.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">Of course, now almost everyone in DC is asking, "What can police chief Cathy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lanier</span> do to solve the high murder rates in the district? What can police chief Cathy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lanier</span> do to stop the violence in the streets?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">My question is, "What is DC going to do to stop the violence and the murders?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">I always hear around DC what is the POLICE CHIEF going to do? And, I'm always amazed. There is NO magic solution that the police chief is hiding or holding onto that is going to make these knuckleheads, hoodlums, thugs and monsters stop robbing, raping and killing innocent people. The police chief just can't reach into his or her [now "HER", but not too long ago "HIS"] pocket and pull out a substance that will make these people go away or at least stop being criminals. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">All a police chief can really do is strategically move and allocate manpower to try and put band-aids on gunshot wounds [no pun intended] around the city. A chief can also try to maintain a system of post crime investigation that truly hunts and fully prosecutes criminals. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">But, neither of these are REALLY and TRULY going to stop the vast majority of murders and violent crimes. Sure, they'll stop a few, but the bulk of crimes will continue. I think in DC there are probably over 1000 city blocks of varying sizes. Considering that you would need between 1 and 7 officers on foot patrol, shifts a day, almost 24 hours a day, for weeks, months and years to really make a big dent in the DC murder rate and frankly, DC doesn't have the manpower or the budget for such foolishness. Then when it comes to post crime follow up, the DC police constantly run into the 50 people standing over the body that "didn't see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">nuffin</span>'. " It is truly a lose-lose situation for those who think the police chief is the savior.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">It all comes down to simply one thing - if person A wants to kill person B for any reason... drugs, money, love, hate, whatever - there is a good chance that person B is going to be in the morgue in a very short time. DC is a city with tough, though useless, gun laws and getting a gun is not hard to do if you know the right people or can hop across the border into northern Virginia or central Maryland. Person A can get the equipment they need to slaughter person B and the police chief and police department can do little to stop it. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">There are really only a few ways to stop the violence and murder in DC, some are legal - though not politically desirable and still others are illegal and unfavorable and yet highly effective.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">-I think one solution to the crime rate would to be a massive overhauling of the public education system. The schools have to truly teach the children and teach them well. The teachers have to be talented and highly motivated [and yes, highly paid and highly recruited] and they must be supported by the parents! The parents are vital to children that become strong learners. It is only through solid learning that the young people can grow up to have options in their lives. With a school system that is just barely making it, kids just get pushed through and when they come out at 18 or 19, they are not prepared to find truly gainful employment. And these young people become very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">susceptible</span> to the call of the violent and hungry streets. YOUNG PEOPLE MUST BE EDUCATED!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">-The district of Columbia must also, constantly, seek to bring new business and industry to within its city limits. Young people must have job opportunities that will allow them to have comfortable and productive lives. I'm not knocking fast-food jobs, but before young people are drawn into the street life, they must be given professional and intellectual options to bring out the best in them, without that opportunity they will see no self-worth and will feel that being a thug or a "baby mama" is all they are good for. YOUNG PEOPLE MUST BE EMPLOYED!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;">-Lastly, law enforcement has to GET THE GUNS. I have no proof of what I am about to say, but in a city where civilian ownership of a firearm is illegal, I am willing to bet that there are easily 10,000 illegal guns inside the city limits. The gun violence is too high and there have been too many shootings and murders in the last 15 years to believe that there are less than 10,000 guns. Now, this is where it gets tricky. You can't just say, "Okay, everybody turn in your guns." That might get you a few hundred, and those will be 50 year old relics from law abiding citizens that didn't know what to do with Grandpa's old pistol from WWII. Police need to get out on the streets and do something akin to random spot-checks. YES, I KNOW that violates the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">th</span> Amendment, and there is part of the problem. It's illegal. But when I was a kid in Baltimore, my buddies and I seemed to always be getting stopped by the cops and frisked. They'd mumble something like, "Oh, a lady was mugged up the street and she said a Black kid did it." While we never knew when this was true and when it wasn't, typically in my neighborhood - if someone robbed someone - it was a Black kid. Yeah, that is sad, but it is true and I'd be lying or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bullsh</span>*<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">tting</span> if I claimed otherwise. But, a big <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">deterrent</span> to gun violence would be the danger of being caught at random in a police search and facing stiff jail time. The bonus would be dozens of guns coming off the streets almost every day. While this is very unsavory to think about - it would work. Then as Black people, we have to decide whether we want our young Black men to have hurt feelings or to have bullet wounds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#660000;">All this ranting and it still seems like a lose-lose to me. I hope I'm wrong.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#660000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#660000;"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color:#660000;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">TTBM</span> </span></span></div><div></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-6599152501134803772007-10-12T22:10:00.000-04:002007-10-13T08:54:52.599-04:00The Noose<a href="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_182/1188965801g6OxqQ.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand" height="251" alt="" src="http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumbimg_182/1188965801g6OxqQ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#000099;">It saddens me to see that the "noose" has suddenly made a resurgence as a tool of hate and fear in this country. In the Black community, those of us who give a damn about our history have always held the noose at a mental "arm's length." It was not something we talked about, nor was it something we went to great lengths to NOT talk about - it was just a quiet symbol of a time we had hoped was gone forever.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">But deep down I'm sure that most of us knew that it would take many years and several generations for this kind of hate and stupidity to fade out of our culture. And this is still the case. Fools are still trying to keep the images of lynched black men and black women and black children at the forefront of our minds and like the hey-days of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">klan</span> and the night riders, they perform this cowardice with stealth and darkness and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">anonymity</span>. They are like the dirtiest of roaches - they stir in the filth, thrive in the garbage, spread disease and hide from the light.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">It seems as though the nooses that sparked the troubles of the Jena Six have reminded a wave of narrow-minded <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">imbeciles</span> from one end of this country to the other that the noose is still a powerful symbol of racial hatred. There was an incident outside of the Black Student Union at the University of Maryland where a rope resembling a noose was left in a tree; then a noose was found inside the locker of a New York police officer; a noose was found in a partially completed store in South <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Elgin</span> Illinois; a noose was found outside of a Manhattan post office; some clown in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Punta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Gorda</span> has decided to hang bunches of nooses all around the outside of his house.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">I think most of these noose hangers are closet racists. I think deep down they are taking the time to shake things up and give into their darker racist desires. But on the flip side, I think some of these people are stupid jerks that know nothing of the true hatred and dark history of this deftly twisted rope. To some of them, the noose is just some artsy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">tid</span>-bit that gets people riled up, and to me these people are just as dangerous because of their sheer ignorance to history and their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">vulnerability</span> to repeat it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#000099;">The Noose is an interesting fabrication. My Dad taught me how to tie a modified noose with fishing line as a kid to secure my fishing hooks to the fishing rigs when we spent time on the Chesapeake. It was then that I learned that tying a noose is not an easy or quick process. You HAVE to WANT to tie a noose. It's not like a typical knot where you get two pieces of string and go over and under and over again with a pull. A Noose is a precise and methodical creation with lots if twists and loops and for someone to take the time to create one, they truly want... WANT... WANT... to use it. Whether that use is catching fish or taking an innocent life in 45 seconds of pain and terror - the noose is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">efficient</span>, effective, unbeatable and will always be with us - I only wonder how long it will take for people to stop using it as a symbol of hate, fear and days of terror. </span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-55691709483270432722007-09-27T23:09:00.000-04:002008-01-12T23:03:05.732-05:00The deception we see...<a href="http://www2.openphoto.net/thumbs/volumes/stg/20060617/openphotonet_PICT6015.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www2.openphoto.net/thumbs/volumes/stg/20060617/openphotonet_PICT6015.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">I was driving the other day and not really paying attention to anything other than the road when this commercial caught my ear. Basically, it was talking about a Air Force surveillance aircraft that picked up an enemy target and sent an electronic signal to an Army ground unit who relayed instructions to a Navy fighter to take the target out. Then it finished with some snazzy catchphrase like, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Netcentric</span></span> Warfare brought to you by Northrop Grumman."</span><br /><div><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I had been hearing this radio ad and others like it quite a bit over the last year. Then I got to thinking about the fact that I had been seeing a lot of television and newspaper ads for military contractors over the last few years. On the subway, on the sides of buses, in magazines, basically everywhere I go I see ads for the big military contractors. I don't seem to remember a lot of commercials for these types of companies until the last couple of years. I just don't think that these companies could have marketed themselves or their products so aggressively unless we as Americans hadn't gotten so conditioned to war, warfare and the images associated with both. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Certainly many of us had heard of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Grumman and these big companies, but they were back-burner companies when it came to the workings of most of our daily lives - we knew they existed, but they weren't household names until NBC Nightly News and CNN brought their products into our living rooms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Then I got to thinking about it and I found myself asking the question:</span> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">"Is the deception we SEE, the truth we DON'T?"</span> </p><p><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">Honestly I don't know if that question is sheer genius or the definition of stupidity, but none the less it made me look deeper at this awful war that an unfit President and a Congress that is so busy trying to keep their jobs that they don't want to do their jobs - has gotten us into.</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">First, everyone in the White House was bent out of shape over Iraq's ignoring certain UN resolutions, and then Bush excited over Weapons of Mass Destruction, and then suddenly Bush told us that WE had to liberate the people of Iraq, and I think now we are, uh, let me see... fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here. I'm sure there have been some other reasons for this war, but they'll come to me later. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">However, I think my eyes are opened a little wider now. Surely we all know that Bush and Cheney and their supporters want access to that precious middle eastern oil, but I think even more than that, Bush wants to make his economic base, his economic supporters even wealthier by financing the military manufacturing industry of this nation. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">It is no secret that WAR is great for a country's economy, at least for corporate side of the economy. Employment in related fields go up, raw materials are needed and gobbled up, technology goes through the roof - Industry Fat Cats laugh their way right to the bank! In the last six years, Northrop Grumman stock values have gone up nearly 100%; Lockheed Martin stocks have gone up over 150%; and United Technologies [the parent company of Pratt and Whitney who manufacture most of the military aircraft engines] has seen its stock rise by over 200% in the same period! The people behind our President - the people that funded his campaign for the White House, the people that he publicly called "his base" must now be repaid and thanked properly and what better way to do that than to give them a war, a war that has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into non-competed military contracts; a war that has built up massive numbers of tanks and jets and bombs, guns and bullets, and SOMEBODY has to make them! And then we have the support contracts from companies like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Blackwater</span> and the infamous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Haliburton</span> [who has since taken all of their tax generating income to the country of Dubai!!!] who are making billions of dollars with each passing year of our war in Iraq! There are actually more US contractors in Iraq than there are US soldiers and Marines!!! Somebody is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">GETTIN</span>' PAID!!!</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">So, we not only went to war for a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Presidential</span> vendetta, and not only did we go so that powerful people behind the scenes in our country can take a large stake in the global oil reserves - but, we went to war because our political leaders wanted to make the rich in this nation richer, they wanted to fund the mighty American war industry and they wanted George Bush to go out of the White House as the most generous president to corporate interests EVER - and they were willing to fuel it and finance this with the blood of our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brave</span> men and women. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">I'm not finished with this one yet...</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">TTBM</span></span></span> </p></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-18946107732284111732007-09-11T21:19:00.000-04:002007-09-11T21:51:04.632-04:00Could this change the world???<a href="http://www2.openphoto.net/thumbs/volumes/easement/20040329/opl_great_falls2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www2.openphoto.net/thumbs/volumes/easement/20040329/opl_great_falls2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">Every so often, I come across something that just blows me away. Today is one of those times.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">There is a man who has made a discovery that could very well change the world, provided he is not a fraud. His discovery could change the world as we know it unless the powerful people who are undoubtedly lining up against him as I type this bury him. Our world could change FOR THE BETTER, provided, armies of lobbyists are stopped in their tracks THIS VERY MOMENT before they can start poisoning the minds of our fragile congressional representatives.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;">This article was taken from <a href="http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/1570">yahoo.com</a>:</span> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Radio Frequencies Help Burn Salt Water<br /></strong>By David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">ERIE, Pa. - An Erie cancer researcher has found a way to burn salt water, a novel invention that is being touted by one chemist as the "most remarkable" water science discovery in a century.<br />John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kanzius</span> happened upon the discovery accidentally when he tried to desalinate seawater with a radio-frequency generator he developed to treat cancer. He discovered that as long as the salt water was exposed to the radio frequencies, it would burn. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">The discovery has scientists excited by the prospect of using salt water, the most abundant resource on earth, as a fuel.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Rustum</span> Roy, a Penn State University chemist, has held demonstrations at his State College lab to confirm his own observations.<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">The radio frequencies act to weaken the bonds between the elements that make up salt water, releasing the hydrogen, Roy said. Once ignited, the hydrogen will burn as long as it is exposed to the frequencies, he said.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">The discovery is "the most remarkable in water science in 100 years," Roy said.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">"This is the most abundant element in the world. It is everywhere," Roy said. "Seeing it burn gives me the chills."<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Roy will meet this week with officials from the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to try to obtain research funding.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">The scientists want to find out whether the energy output from the burning hydrogen — which reached a heat of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit — would be enough to power a car or other heavy machinery.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">"We will get our ideas together and check this out and see where it leads," Roy said. "The potential is huge."<br /><br />Information from: </span><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000099;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now, I must admit that I haven't researched this thing too much, but over the next few days I'm going to use the link on this blog (to the right) to E-Mail my representatives on The Hill to aid the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">research</span> of this discovery. Provided it is legit, this could end global warming, cut greenhouse gases down to next to nothing, wipe air pollution off of the map and give our children, grand children and dozens of more generations a world with clean clear air, clean water and endless fuel.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;color:#000099;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">TTBM</span>!!!!</span></div>The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.com11