It's About the American Currency, and it's a pretty big Thing

Dear America,

there is a lot to say about this subject...

not even going to try to say it all in one day.

But let's be clear of what defines a racist, shall we?

A racist is someone who believes "one's own ethnic stock is superior."  That is, by definition, what a racist is.

Do we gather all of that from the rather misguided ramblings of a simple man -- Cliven Bundy?

Because he addressed the African-American community, generally speaking, as "the negro" -- and basically unveiling a different world view coming lock, stock, and barrel with a certain old age and being born of a  certain generation?  Or was it in the asking of the provocative question...are they better off now or then?  Taking the wide angle of an issue, he "wondered"....were they better off "pickin' cotton" -- he said -- or being totally dependent on the government doll, enslaved to a lifetime of limited opportunity, and thereby squandering any potential to use one's own natural resources from within for personal gain? -- clarifying not so eloquently and sounding more like the oh so simple man he seems to be, having grown tired from a career working the herd and laboring in the high, rugged county air, with perhaps a limited education, if not also lacking in the study of social graces.  

At best, he was careless in his remarks -- you know, given the broad audience of so many of us watching his every move these days.  But a racist?    I don't see it.  Not sure until I know more information.  

Perhaps bigoted -- for that comes with having a conviction leaning prejudicial; surely, the visual of "picken cotton" brings us all back to a place we never wish to return.


And then again, he may very well be long off his rocker on them there porch of his -- there is that.

But do we really get from his sharing of opinion, screaming racist?   After hearing this rather narrow view of a problem within the African-American community explained by a rancher who seems to have inhaled a wee bit too much alfalfa --   do we really arrive at the intersection of racist and idiot full stop and take away the understanding that he, Cliven Bundy, believes that he and all of his whiteness is better, no, SUPERIOR, to "the negro?"  With the way he speaks --  leaning more on the ignoramus side of things -- not sure Bundy thinks of himself superior to anyone but perhaps these here United States of America goven men', no?

Stark raving idiots have said worse.  What about Harry "he's electable because he's light skinned-and no negro dialect- Reid",  who after saying such remarks, was allowed to keep the title of Senate Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate?

I would point you to a post at The Daily Beast for it's Bundy-take away, but that would be pointless; for clearly, anyone who chooses to lump all of us in a group over one man's idiocy --  Michael Tomasky -- is an even bigger idiot.

That is merely, sadly, a lazy man's, knee jerk, left brained loon,Saul Alinsky-ite response to use anything and everything to pummel the opposition into the ground en masse.  Really, Michael?  Seriously? I mean, really?   "Republicans are all racists" ? Is that all you got?  Oh okay, Michael, I guess then we can also assume now that journalists are all stupid.    Grow up.  But I digress.

Don't get me wrong, people, all people, red white black and yellow; Cliven Bundy pointed out a real problem in America; and not just one.   Central Booking e pluribus unum, dot yeah!

But for today -- let me steer you to something new under the sun, mother may I?

First, and foremost, Dr. Ben Carson not only rocks, but he seems to be one of my favorite people on the planet right now, in this moment, and with every intention to last a lifetime. 

But here's the scoop...  

We just might  say he is a Founding Father of a brand new website called AmericanCurrentSee.com, a media outlet hellbent on changing the conversation and more important, the startling, failing demographics and socioeconomic realities of the African-American community.  Scratch that. Not just within "the negro" community, but to effect change for ALL of us, even us whitey's, together!  And it's really good -- SUPERIOR even -- so check it out!

But hey yo -- we are not stopping there, no sir ree, Dr. B --  

Next, READ THIS; comes straight from americancurrentsee.com as one woman's perspective and experience on the reality of family heartbreak -- growing up without a father in the black community -- and it's real; and it's beautiful.  Thank you, Kira Davis, for the candid, gutsy, thoughtful exchange of reality meets race, straight up and with stats to boot.

Here's her point

And what statistics are those? According the U.S. Census Bureau, children who grow up in fatherless homes experience four times the poverty rate of those who grow up in a two-parent household. Single-parent kids are twice as likely to commit suicide. They are more likely to experience mental illness, depression and aggression. They are more likely to turn to crime. 70 percent of all youth in juvenile detention facilities grew up in fatherless homes. 71 percent of all high-school dropouts are fatherless. A young fatherless woman is 7-8 times more likely to become a teenage mother than her counterparts from two-parent homes.
Notice a trend?
Match all of those statistics with the most disturbing statistic of all — 73 percent of black American children are born into fatherless homes. Is it any wonder that barely half of black male ninth graders go on to graduate from high school four years later? Or that 1 in every 15 black males over the age of 18 are currently incarcerated?
I read so many opinions about why so many of our young men are imprisoned, and they almost always seem to lead back to racism. But where is the discussion about why these men are turning to crime in the  first place? They may well be receiving unjust sentence lengths, but no one is disputing the levels of crime in our communities. It’s not racism that makes our young people turn to criminal activities. I’m sorry to tell you this, men, but ... it’s you.

now we are getting somewhere, no?

But we haven't even arrived at my favorite part yet.

Here you go --

I know modern feminists hate to hear this, but the relevant research is abundant, consistent and conclusive — there is no more reliable predictor for the success of a child than whether or not a loving father has been present in the home. Fathers are the bedrock of the family, and family is the bedrock of any healthy society.

says the African-American girl who grew up without a father and fell in love with a good man and is raising a family in spite of the cards she was dealt upon the day she was born.   oh my.

And now, let's just say Cliven Bundy may have been a little rough around the edges for our tastes in America, but the truth of the matter is --  he asked a damn good question.   Are you better off?  Seriously?  Is this dysfunctional dynamic of settling in on welfare and food stamps and free phones and healthcare along with serving a life of being in and out of incarceration, seemingly driven by drugs and crime and gang activity,  really doing your best and are you better off for it?  Newsflash:  Cliven's ugly, disturbing, verbally alarming and offensive and miscommunicated stats are Kira's stats.

Mothers and Fathers are the bedrock of the family and community in America; this remarkable, reprehensible reality of losing this position of strength conceived from our roots, our family, tells us everything we need to know about why we struggle in community with one another.   Amen to Kira Davis for not only breaking the cycle within her own family, but also for this courageous timely reflection of all things that  make this unfortunate, perpetuating circumstance of the fatherless family plight come to light.  From the bottom of my heart, bless you and yours.

Kira filled a gap for me today.  Boy, did I need her.

And even though there may be no way to repay her for her efforts, my hope is that we all take a moment to absorb the whole truth that has come before us, and in some small way make changes within our own family, our own community, our own world.   And before you know it, little by little, our race relations will regain the higher ground, and settle in, upon the hill, and shine -- learning to live firmly planted upon a higher level of understanding and conviction and conversation -- like a real family.

 As Dr. B pointed out in the email introducing AmericanCurrentSee.com just yesterday -- he says:

"Opportunity has been replaced by despair. Embracing character, values, marriage and family has been ridiculed. Government dependence has been substituted for self-reliance. And mediocrity has eschewed excellence.

I want you to join me today in demolishing this culture of failure and standing up to the media elite, who for too long have treated black Americans as a monolithic bloc addicted to a single political dogma. We need a new media source that embraces hard work, moral character, family values, good education and self-reliance and inspires the next generation with role models who have cast off the chains of mediocre expectations and proven that the America dream is alive and well."

The true wealth -- the American currency -- supporting an abundant, happy, secure American future demands that we begin tackling every issue one by one as intended -- AND from the foundation of the civic minded, conscious, caring, compassionate, hardworking, industrious, educated, self-reliant, honest, independent people we are supposed to be.

That is where everything begins, or ends, all depending upon how you look at it.   But to make myself perfectly clear, piggybacking upon a thought from Kira just before we close:  I'm sorry to tell you, men and women, young and old, black and white, it all begins with....you.

Sign up and play a small part of the solution and revolution,  today.

Make it a Good Day, G

Unrelated but relevant in it's own way  --  
Perhaps it's the 'soul that needs the surgery' for each and every one of us, right Beyonce' --  as the faces of ugly and pretty collide.  watch the video.

Dear America,

Not everybody gets a trophy.

At least, that's the way it used to be here in America.

We were taught at a very young age that in order to get anywhere in this world, it would take work.  Hard work.  And perhaps a little sacrifice.

And even when we didn't win, get the job, defeat the other team, get the girl, bring home the contract, or have a good day -- we still kept our chin up.  We persevered; we went the extra mile -- we went over the mountain -- we made it to the other side and then made some lemonade.

Now, my favorite football star of all time has been catching alot of flack from the blogosphere and sports fanatics with regards to his behaviour on Sunday.  In case you missed it, our dear Peyton walked off the field in a huff, head down and not making nice with anyone. He made absolutely no effort whatsoever to prance on over to the other side as if nothing ever happened; not hiding a thing for all the world to see.

Oh, later in the day he took in the press conference and made very public, finally, a few conciliatory remarks to the Saints; he personally congratulated Drew Brees with a phone call; and Drew had nothing but good things to say about the Manning as well.  Everyone came to grips with their own reality in time and in their own way; when some people win, some people gotta lose, and that's all there is to it.

Oh, but the way people carried on about Peyton  -- the "lack of sportsmanship,"  the "lack of respect," the "show of an arrogant quarterback gone bad"...may this be a lesson to kids everywhere and often, they said.

What has happened here in America? 

If you bear with G just a bit, somehow I believe not showing our true feelings when we lose is all a part of this underlying progressive direction our country is heading. This new fab philosophy, that happens to be a century old, cutting into the natural ingenuity and drive that has made this nation the greatest collection of people that has ever lived is beginning to permeate into the American mindset -- that we must conform, follow along, not stand out, stifle our winning spirit, be told what is appropriate behavior, how much is too much, and what is ours, yours or the governments to use at will. 

Peyton wanted to win -- and he didn't. He may be one of the greatest quarterbacks of our day, but he still has feelings, he is still only human.  Peyton wanted to win and made no excuses about that as he hung his head down low and walked off the field.  He is a competitor -- and probably harder on himself than all of his teammates put together.  He is the fearless leader of the entire team -- and while expecting only the best of himself, he was unable to meet those demands with a winning performance along with it's hard earned triumphant outcome.  AND he didn't feel like hiding it either.

Obama doesn't "begrudge" a few Wall Street bankers getting obscene bonuses for creating wealth for their companies by amassing crazy profits -- referring to the Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, and the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, the two combined raking in 23 million dollars in stock bonuses -- with certain restrictions, of course.  This coming from the Oval Office and according to an interview with Bloomberg Business Week,  the President said:

“an extraordinary amount of money...there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don’t get to the World Series either, so I’m shocked by that as well...”


“I know both those guys; they are very savvy businessmen... I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free- market system.”

Peyton was quarterbacking big bonuses for his team, too -- and he didn't make it happen.  It was a loss he felt not only for himself, but for the whole franchise.  He wasn't ready in that moment to pretend that it didn't matter, when for all intents and purposes it was everything he ever wanted -- for his teammates, for the owners, for the city of Indy and all it's fans.  He let himself down and he let it show.  Big deal; for he was just keeping it real.

Isn't that what we want from our home team anyway? 

Isn't this thirst for bringing home the win every time exactly what we expect from our players, as fans?  

Printed in locker rooms everywhere is there 'hey, if we win we win, if we don't, we don't?'

Where's the fight? Where's the will?  Where's the come hell or high water, yes we can and we won't take no for an answer in that  -- and after all that -- when faced with a shining blow, how is it possible to go, oh hey, good game? 

I'm so glad our President Obama went there with his analogy on Wall Street, as this country's love of baseball, football, all sports, most certainly exemplifies the American spirit inside us.  We win some and lose some every day.

But today, our kids are finding out that even with a loss comes a trophy.  We can't even have gold medal ceremonies for excellent readers, because the kids that don't do the required reading will stand out, get there feelings hurt.  We can't let one team grab the gold without the other team waiting to see what they get -- just for showing up. 

In a manner of speaking all the way around, we take the losing team out for ice cream while the winning team gets to buy -- that's where we're at these days.

Where is the will to climb out of the rough in that, make first down on 4th and inches, and spring the on-side kick at the start of second half as if you got nothing to lose? 

Where is the determination to work harder, play smarter, build stronger, and maybe next time bring home the victory?  The whole notion of the underdog breaking all odds comes from exactly this -- in order to be considered the underdog in the first place, it must come from a place of loss -- and a lot of them, continuously, unabashedly in your face defeats time after time after time...let me hear you say LOSER!
holding the customary fingers up in the air in the sorry ass-ed "L" position. 

The Saints, in all their years as a franchise, had never gone to the big show. Never.   

How much did that trophy finally mean to the team and to the heart of Louisiana, New Orleans?  How huge was the victory -- how sweet the success -- how deserving -- and how down in the bayou good did it feel to witness such a thing right before our very eyes?
 
How can you begrudge one teams outright success over another?  How can you put a value to the accomplishment or to it's affects on a city, a franchise, a company in the business of selling the home team and all that it encompasses...including, the outreach, the monies, the community support from each and every player that comes along free of charge.  Thanks to the million dollar salaries, fame and fortune trickles down and helps people back up from the brink. (see also the NFL and the United Way)
 
Can a president put a dollar sign in front of some body's worth to a company -- whether it is Wall Street, Main Street or Bourbon Street?   I think not; a president doesn't belong anywhere on that field of play.
 
And this is precisely why America is going through such hard times;  the administrations of the last forty years have tried to micro-manage the American franchise -- trying to do too much for people who don't deserve it -- trying to shelter us from losses that would ultimately only teach us to buck up, buttercup all on our own -- trying to take profits from one team's win and redistribute to the rest of the losers (jeopardizing future seasons for everyone) -- and ultimately disenfranchising future generations by gridlocking them into huge debt along with not enough of the market share to keep up, with teams wrecked by lack of motivation or reason to try harder, as what's the use -- even if I make it big, I don't get to keep it.
 
You are so right, Mr. President, we shouldn't begrudge success and wealth; does thou shalt not covet other people's things ring any bells?
 
As the American standard proves time and time again, when unpunished and left free to do as we please, we give back -- and then some.  When the "free-market" is truly left free, when the very idea of creating "success and wealth" is applauded --  growth naturally and exponentially and magically multiplies.
 
It takes people with a level of high expectation to get that; it takes people who hate to lose -- people who make no apologies for showing 106 million viewers that they feel pretty darn bad when they do.
 
Peyton didn't take home the trophy and, make no mistake, he feels pretty darn bad about it.  That is why he is a franchise player for the Indianapolis Colts -- and amongst the highest paid athletes of our day.  The Colts own him.  They made him a franchise player for his work ethic, his drive, his composure, his expertise, his skills, his maturity, his allegiance, his ability to create success and wealth for an entire team -- and you better believe, every bit of his team spirit and sportsmanship.  How do I know?  We watched it walk off the field in defeat on Sunday.
 
No matter what the equation, no matter who's dat or who's not, our free market works best when people are actually free to do as we so please.  And no matter how much we try to massage the numbers, tweak the stats, or spend our way out in record breaking dollars in order to hold onto something that is not meant to be and meant to be free -- all we will ever take home will be a loss.
 
God Bless Football
and God Bless the United States of America.
 
Make it a Good Day, G