It's about the Squad Thing

Dear America,

it started with this...

So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly..........and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how.......it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!

Trump's twitter fritter strikes again.

one itty bitty problem --  so only one of the four congresswomen was not born in the great US of A, only one. And namely, Ihlan Omar came from Somalia.

details.

His message was meant to sting and scorch the earth underneath their feet in equal portion. 

He then moved into this...

So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, “RACIST.” Their disgusting language.......and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!

then this:

When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions! If Democrats want to unite around the foul language & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can tell you that they have made Israel feel abandoned by the U.S. “We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own Country, they’re calling the guards along our Border (the Border Patrol Agents) Concentration Camp Guards, they accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the Benjamin’s,.......they are Anti-Semitic, they are Anti-America, we don’t need to know anything about them personally, talk about their policies. I think they are American citizens who are duly elected that are running on an agenda that is disgusting, that the American people will reject..........What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our Country - See how that works for controlling Immigration! They talk about Israel like they’re a bunch of thugs, not victims of the entire region. They wanted......to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE. Make them the face of the future of the Democrat Party, you will destroy the Democrat Party. Their policies will destroy our Country!” @LindseyGrahamSC Need I say more? We will never be a Socialist or Communist Country. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE, YOU CAN LEAVE! It is your choice, and your choice alone. This is about love for America. Certain people HATE our Country....

July 15th was a busy day in twitter world.

Wonder what Ihlan Omar has to say about Hodan this morning, or like yesterday, or even the day before that?  what? like  nothing?   Read her feed for yourself, but only if you are on an empty stomach...go here.

But you would think Ihlan would have some stronger words to use with regards to what IS happening  in her home country, for that's what Somalia truly is -- her one, true, home country; and it's a crappy,  sh@*hole country as it falls apart today.   

To say that Ihlan would not have the liberty to say what she wants to say in Somalia, against the atrocities going on there, against the acts of terrorism upon her home country and people every single day, is an understatement.  She would be attacked, if not killed, if she tried to improve conditions on the ground. let alone aim to improve the Somali government.   SHE would be murdered, just like the Canadian-Somali Journalist --  the one who was pregnant and nearly about to give birth -- Hodan.

We may be a diverse country, but the thing is, America works because -- on our best days -- we aim to assimilate, to become one American culture, as one body of citizens.  There is no white America, black America, brown, red, yellow America; America is designed to be color blind, race blind, religious blind, gender blind....and so on and so on. (Remember some of that from Barack Hussein Obama?...of course you do, it was the speech that led him into the spotlight at the 2004 Democratic Convention.)

A perfect example of what is racist and/or discriminating, is thinking that everyone of a certain color should vote a certain way.  And it goes something like this:

 "We don’t need any more brown faces 

that don’t want to be a brown voice. 

We don’t need black faces 

that don’t want to be a black voice. 

We don’t need Muslims

 that don’t want to be a Muslim voice. 

We don’t need queers 

that don’t want to be a queer voice”

You are all welcome to come on over to the other side any day of the week, just sayin'.
Wish I was seeing the president tweet a response to this!

Are her words uniting or dividing us, as a people, as a whole?

but thank you, to the people's representative, Ayanna Pressley, democrat from Massachusetts, for making it so easy to understand how ya'll roll in the squad.  Appreciate the refreshing, raw honesty.  (for more on this, go here)  You can bet she sounds like a racist through and through, even if she isn't.

I wonder what would happen if Trump actually called Rashida Talib a motherf*&er...it's just her words, not mine.  January 4th, 2019 -- "we're going to impeach the motherfucker."  Is it because he is white and is fighting to protect America's foundations?  You can bet she sounds like a racist, too, even if she isn't.

oh but let's return to Ihlan Omar, from one immigrant to another (although illegal!), and in her own words:

"If you are an undocumented immigrant, 

please know that you are 

in my thoughts and that I will keep fighting 

to make our immigration system 

welcome all who seek a better life in our country."

You say this, and in the next breath or on another day, you dare say, "I probably love this country more than anyone who was naturally born... I want America the great to be America the great."

When, in fact, your first allegiance, Ihlan, should be to American citizens, American sovereignty, and America's protection and security, including securing the border. 

And if you cared so much, how come you have voted, alongside your fellow democrats, EIGHTY times against a true blue Humanitarian Aid package to bring about improvements to the border chaos?

Not to mention another fact,  Ihlan -- that America's immigration system is the most open and welcoming in the entire world!  And this goes without saying, but will say it anyway -- the truth is, people immigrate to America because the whole world sees something in America that they like, that they want.  America must be doing something right, right?

My home country origins run the scope of England along with a good portion of European descent, west to east, east to west.  I don't want to go back... to any of my home ancestral counties.  I love America and I'm an American girl through and through. 

And NO, Ihlan -- you don't love America more than me.  Not even close.   I can say so based upon two things -- evidence of my 1010 blogs addressed to Dear America vs. your evidence of a nasty twitter feed.  Neither the color of my skin or yours has anything to do with it.

Is America perfect?  Of course not.
Show me a country without issues.... without a history... without reprehensible acts peppering the landscape with indiscretions, injustices,  and corruption...  and I'll tell you you're a liar.

hmmm wonder how Somalia fits into this conversation? 
No wonder you left.
No wonder you get so hostile if you are threatened with the idea of going back.

As much as I hate the over consumption of who hates what and why, I  must say, I like that we are having the conversation.  And I'm not a racist if I happen to side on the side of this American president.

Certainly, there are days when we expect more from our elected officials, ALL of them- - including our president; but when it comes to Trump, we expected no less.   He is fighting for AMERICA, and is willing to take the hits, left right and center.

The thing is --
Open borders will not make us more compassionate, as a people
Free college tuition will not make us smarter, as a people
Universal Healthcare will not make us healthier, as a people
Higher taxation will not make us richer, as a people of this glorious republic
and we can go on, but I'll leave it at this...

Taking the long view, indiscriminately throwing around the label "racist" will only desensitize us to the ugly reality of witnessing true racism and prolong our ability to come together as a people, as a country, as any group of  300 million decent human beings, striving to live in harmony, in a republic, in a democracy, alike, can be.

I think a long hard look into the mirror and quickly forgetting what color of skin we were born with, might be a good idea right about now.  enough already.

love this country or leave....amen
and this may sound totally out of left field, but if you don't love and respect this country, perhaps one should reconsider which soccer team to play for....but most especially stand and salute the flag during the playing of the team's anthem, duh (and for another view from Prager U dude, Dennis Prager -- go here!)
Love this country, in thought word and deed....amen


Make it a Good Day -- and nobody gets hurt,
G 

It's a Tale of Two Oscars Thing

Dear America,

Once Upon a Time at the Oscars

this morning, how about we "hold the powerful accountable," right, Mark Ruffalo?  ...just an actor who happened to have portrayed somebody of principle -- and a journalist, of all things, but not so much the main thing on the day...

So let's not dither while second guessing either the lighting, the staging, the approach, or the tone.

The thing is, Hollywood is good at story telling. It's what they do.

And second, Hollywood is pretty powerful, with pretty people to boot.  Oh my, to the heights of influence, of persuasion, of indoctrination, of power we go.  It's Oscar worthy, the level of polish, of sanctimony, of corruption against pure unadulterated substance.

Indeed.

Hollywood is good at story telling --- just not always the whole story (with some exceptions, of course).

Oh look, here's an exception now:  A Girl in the River....Every year, more than 1,000 girls and women are the victims of religiously motivated honor killings in Pakistan, especially in rural areas. Eighteen-year-old Saba, who fell in love and eloped, was targeted by her father and uncle but survived to tell her story.

It's a US/Pakistan collaboration, with HBO carrying the water, so to speak.   When Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was accepting her Oscar last night, she made note that the Pakistani government was in the midst of writing into law new protections against such honor killings, and to that end, we must honor the means and applaud such courageous activism through film. (Honorable Mention goes to Tina Brown, too)

It's a mad mad mad mad mad mad Mad Max World.

But let's get back to Spotlight guy, Mark Ruffalo...

The point was made, more than once, that on behalf of the greater good, staunch global investigative journalism is not dead, and deserves accolades for continuing to bring justice to the disenfranchised of all sorts.  SO how about we do that right now.

First take: this thing called sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, perpetrated by priests worldwide, and the entire story back behind SPOTLIGHT...  Here's another part of the story, not mentioned:

Here are some statistics that should be familiar to us all, but aren't, either because they're too mind-boggling to be absorbed easily, or because they're not publicized enough. One in three-to-four girls, and one in five-to-seven boys are sexually abused before they turn 18, an overwhelming incidence of which happens within the family. These statistics are well known among industry professionals, who are often quick to add, "and this is a notoriously underreported crime."

This is a piece of America Has an Incest Problem, from the Atlantic, two years ago.  Stunning is the reality that nearly 30% of our entire population is affected by incest. The Atlantic goes on to include how this translates into well-documented consequences.  (Please, don't be afraid -- read the entire post, and click the links.)  

Sure, Spotlight did cast a laser beam on the horrific occurrences of abuse within what is considered the definition of sacred space -- church; and what about the intergalactic, celestial harmony of family?  What could be more sacred than creating a safe space at home?   What about this generation of abused children giving birth to another generation of abused children in some way, shape, or form? We suddenly realize we are no longer under a spotlight at all.  In reality, it exposes a blind-spot.

How can the United States possibly realize its full potential when close to a third of the population has experienced psychic and/or physical trauma during the years they're developing neurologically and emotionally—forming their very identity, beliefs, and social patterns? Incest is a national nightmare, yet it doesn't have people outraged, horrified, and mobilized as they were following Katrina, Columbine, or 9/11.

Indeed.

shhhhshhhhshhhhshhhh

hush pretty baby

Second take; moving on to the first time Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio, taking Best Actor for The Revenant, and his acceptance speech....

"Climate Change is Real...It is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world... who speak for all of humanity...[blah blah blah] politics of greed."

Let's take the Ryan Gosling stance against Russell Crowe, shall we?  Let's agree to disagree.

Yes, it is happening right now; it's been happening since the beginning of time, you dim wit.

BUT, if you want to go there, let's discuss the reality of carbon footprints, in the general,  and the movie industry, in the particular.  Here's where we begin the story, at a place called Capitalism Magazine:

But first, it should be pointed out that movies and the entertainment industry in general are a recent phenomena. They are a by-product of the enormous wealth created by capitalism. Specifically, movies are an American creation. Not only is the technology and ingenuity of movie making distinctly American, but the concept of the “Hollywood ending” could only have been created in a benevolent and optimistic culture which in turn depends on the prosperity, wealth, and freedom of a capitalist culture. Twentieth century socialism gave the world Mao, Hitler, and Stalin. Capitalism and Hollywood gave the world Fred Astaire, Lucy and Mickey Mouse.Could anyone even one hundred years ago imagine that we would have a society with so much wealth that it could afford an entire “entertainment” industry? Would they have imagined that actors and musicians considered by most at that time to be rogues (I guess not much has changed) could make enormous fortunes plying their seemingly insignificant trades? You would think that those who make their living in the entertainment industry today would have the most profound gratitude for capitalism, technology, industrial civilization and those who make that civilization possible: the scientists and businessmen. Wouldn’t they understand that their profession could only exist in the most advanced, most sophisticated and wealthiest of societies? 

isn't this fascinating!

It goes on, saying..."Imagine how much energy is used in the making of a film?"

And you know what, how about we edit ourselves right here and now.  This girl isn't going to copy any more for you; read about Hollywood's Carbon Footprint, here, and everywhere [See also Emission Impossible], and make up your own mind....no doubt your conclusions will be similar to mine, for you people who read G are not just a pretty face, now are you....

The hypocrisy runs rich in Hollywood. Watching the Oscars was like watching a walking, prancing, singing and dancing, dolled up forum of award winning contradictions.

It's On US.org 

to know the truth.

EVERY truth

and 

the whole truth

[love Gaga..Till It Happens to You]

Lady Gaga's performance was the highlight of the entire night.  No doubt.

And yet, all of a sudden the truth about incest in America creeps into my head, making me wonder when will we discuss sexual abuse in all places -- church, no problem, let's talk about it -- college, no problem, let's sing a song about it...and what about home?

It just leads me to believe, Hollywood only loves you as long as you sit, stand, applause for THEIR agenda, THEIR ideology, THEIR side of the story, THEIR propaganda. and so on and so on, much the same way as liberalism, in general, performs.

Third take: this, from Caitlyn Jenner, a republican -- who says SHE gets more flack from being conservative than being transgender.

And now for an explanation, go here, @The Daily Signal, for Kim Holmes take, The Rise of Intolerant Liberals.

Here's a good part --

Finally, liberalism has become hostile to open inquiry. Liberal intellectuals used to love open-ended debates because they thought they could win people over with their intelligence and wit. No more. Today’s liberal intellectuals are much more interested in stifling debates than having them. After all, who needs debates when all the big questions have been answered by their ideology? 

Indeed.
and also, along these lines...here's a shocker.  PLEASE Read THIS WHOLE POST and THIS, both from The Patriot Post.  [These are two must reads as we run up against Super Tuesday.]

And now, in my final bow...

Fourth take:  to this thing called racism in Hollywood.

The truth is, people of color are represented in close proportion to the 12.6% of the entire population in America; and not only that, once people of color are nominated -- a higher percentage, a whole 15%, goes on to win...go here for How Racially Skewed are the Oscars?

But really, given the data -- Hispanics and Asians prove to be the real demographics sight unseen. Where's the spotlight on that?

One of my favorite parts of the night was when Chris Rock was opining upon why the Oscars even split the categories of men and women...he's like...what?  why do we do that, it's acting...it's not like track and field...and then runs with it...leaving what we thought was pure logic in a heap of dust with a laugh on top.  He's got a point, does he not?  Where are the feminists in Hollywood kicking and screaming for total equality? Equal pay, equal chances of award, the whole shebang.

Oh this thing called perspective, story, the big picture.  It's highly entertaining, to say the least.

Sometimes it's all a masquerade -- as in last night's production, as in SOME of the truth IS well hidden.

And sometimes, sometimes this masquerade lights a fire under us to effect change, and speak up for the disenfranchised...

like me...

...just a girl who is, often times, the target, the minority in the Hollywood audience, who has to sit and watch such a spectacle of sanctimonious dribble when properly placed in direct view with the whole truth, with reality.

And on that note, one more day is in the can.  boom.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's an Ugly Blend of the Day and Times Thing

Dear America,

"It's easier 

to build 

strong children 

than repair 

    a broken man."  

Frederick Douglass

as go the people, 

so goes the nation.

Like a good cheese or a yummy wine, the natural maturity of man or country does not come simply with age alone; for the aging process requires a proper environment, quality ingredients, a nurturing guide and. of course, loving attention.   It's through a compilation of knowledge, experience, lofty dreams, and high expectations that collide together to bring forth something of value, worthy to be called good in every way.

Any creation worth anything comes from this, while the virtuous, full and able bodied character is the result, a semblance of fine artistry -- a unique collection of products the reward, enabling the whole to be labeled utterly exceptional.

There was a time when this nation spent much of it's time aging our young with a moral compass (see McGuffey's Readers), a spiritual connection to each other  and our God, understanding of the difference between right and wrong, proficient in the works of splendid literature of the ages.

We took the time to put good in.

There are many times I feel like we are filling our children up with not only Flaming Cheetos and Oreo cookies, but with the empty calories of gossip via facebook and twitter, stupid tv, degrading music, filthy mouths, pretentious and superficial goals resting on making a quick gain, with the ambitions to be nothing more than a Kardashian or a Bieber.   

And yes. The exaggeration going to extremes fully intended.  And the provocation  fully warranted. 

As somehow -- when it comes to the stories picked up on the mainstream and scattered like pixie dust on ecstasy -- it seems like that reality is all we see.   As a nation, we are TMZ to the nth degree.

Oh and we all sit back and gawk, judge, pick it all apart and throw it all away in a day.

But what do we learn; what do we gain; how do we use it to make us better, not worse, in this mad, mad world from  tidbits of titillation?

For me, if we put it all together, it seems like we are being manipulated and steered in one direction. But perhaps the conspiracy is all in my head.  Time will tell.

One thing that stands out in recent days  -- in reaction to the stunning remarks coming from an NBA team owner and others -- is clear:  racism in all of it's forms is ugly.

[I also believe in my heart that MOST Americans want no part of that.]  

Racism is ugly and thankfully, unpopular -- growing more so every day.

But what may be just as unpalatable might just be the follow the herd, knee-jerk reaction to it; as if the work of our own critical thinking has been left to someone else to decide.

I feel drawn to an opinion from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and want to share it with you:

“So, if we’re all going to be outraged,” the former NBA star concluded, “let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident. Let’s be outraged that private conversations between people in an intimate relationship are recorded and publicly played. Let’s be outraged that whoever did the betraying will probably get a book deal, a sitcom, trade recipes with Hoda and Kathie Lee, and soon appear on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ and ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And you can read the whole story on The Daily Caller, here.

You see, in other reactions -- some might even consider as equally disturbing as Sterling's -- is this, from Larry Johnson, former NBA player and Knicks Executive:

“Black people your Focusing on the wrong thing. We should be focusing on having our own, Own team own League! To For Self!!’’

Yes.  Indeed.  Fight racism with racism.

People are fascinating.

Do we really think the only racists come in  white shells?

In a post slavery America, the possibility of a fresh perspective is constantly being challenged, warped from our past experiences and framed by a history unshakable and unfortunately perpetuated by a few ignorant souls unworthy of our attention.

What do we want to create? 

What is the ultimate goal?

Where do we go from here?

Let us not fall back asleep and pretend we can cultivate good from the low-life sustenance we seem to put in.

And speaking of falling asleep, in a best offense is a good defense kind of way....

This is totally unrelated and going in a tangent far, far away, but it's a lively blend of ignorance and bliss, condensed in a speech from Brian Kennedy, President of The Claremont Institute.  Here is an excerpt from Early Warning:  The Continuing Need for National Defense:

 It was important, he thought, to understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation. His classes served as an antidote for students who had grown up in post-war America—a much needed antidote, because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms. We today, and our elected leaders—in whose hands we place the responsibility for national defense—are in urgent need of such an antidote, because the U.S. is increasingly and dangerously vulnerable, and our elected leaders appear oblivious.

Indeed.

To understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation, through and through.

"...because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms."


Oh wow,  yummy, critical thinking for the greater good;  oh the idea of it -- oh the splendid blend of knowledge and experience, questioning what has come before, and wondering how wonderful our future could be, having mastered the art of cultivating the best and the brightest of ideas into one thing.

Now, granted -- the entire post at Imprimis requires your full attention.  I have only used a fraction for nothing more than my own selfish purposes today.  Kennedy makes valiant and remarkable points all the way around.  We must not take for granted what we have and forget the absolute necessity of protecting it.

But returning back to the start,  my plea is that we not squander and discount all that we have learned to date from one bad seed.

Our strengths and vulnerabilities must be crossing for a reason.

Make it a Good Day, G

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.

It's a Saturday Night in the Kingdom Thing

Dear America,


i won't be here for long.... BECAUSE it's SATURDAY Night!  In spite of every urge not to say a word until Monday, the reversal of fortune going on is just begging for a bloggin'.

According to Gallup, the president now sits at an uncomfortable 49% DIS-approval rating and a 46% approval rating.  Don't believe me?  Go here -- the October 24-26th compilation, added just this morning, puts Obama down 2 points in the approval department and up 2 in DIS-approval.  While for Romney, he continues to be pulling out ahead in the "likely voter" column at 51% to 46%.

Now let me tell you what else is going on...in my humble opinion, of course --

AMERICA, as a whole,  is tired of being divided.

And more than that, we want a happy president.

We want good relations with our brothers and sisters.

We want decent jobs, a purpose in life and Sunday dinners with the family.

We want to see the country move forward while still clinging to our founding principles and first intentions.

We do NOT want a president who puts tired, worn, divisive, separation tactics and rhetoric between us.

Let's just say, for a majority of us, we've evolved.   And putting it another way, we're over it.

Our leader, President Petty Pusher, is failing us; and it seems highly unlikely he will ever get the popular nod and wave back in his favor -- let's just say, not even all the king's men or his band of merry media can save him now.

But oh, are they trying....are they trying...

Beginning with a fresh headline from the AP, also this morning, which clearly intends to remind America we're all a bunch of racists....still, by all 'evidence' anyway (and when I say "all" -- let me clarify -- just white people).

Really AP?  Are we?  are we?    "AP Poll: A Majority Harbor Prejudice Against Blacks"  What is that?  Honestly, how did we get back to the sixties?  But maybe more important, let me see the questions that were asked....

Perhaps this is your idea of entertainment for the next ten days leading up to the election -- juggling stories to hype fanaticism, charming and demagoguing, all in good, clean jest and in the spirit of saving the kingdom?  Or is it more simple-minded than that, and just dropped upon us to guilt us into re-electing someone who clearly doesn't deserve it?

Let me remind the AP -- given that America holds a white majority --it was WHITE people who gave Barack Obama the office of the presidency in the first place.

Let me remind the AP --  we (all of us, even if we didn't vote for him) had the overall  impression that he would be different (if you didn't know any better, that is).  But more than that, this man -- Barack Hussein Obama --  deserved our trust and confidence for greater reasons other than the color of his skin; and taking this even further, we believed and hoped that he held the explicit power to finally bring whatever racial divide that still lived in this country to it's knees, and thereby proving to ourselves, as well as to the rest of the world, America had truly transcended prejudice in a most powerful and demonstrative way.

Let me remind the AP -- that IF you dare to be so bold to announce such claims, it would be wise to include evidence of racism from the other side, too.... but nooooo.  We are all led to assume all the way through to the bitter end that mirror, mirror, on the wall, a black person is the most tolerant of them all.

Let me remind the AP -- there are a 300 million ways to look at this thing called racism, but clinging to the tired, worn, divisive foregone conclusions over and over again doesn't get America anywhere good.

Here's a comment from the director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, Fredrick Harris. "The last Democrat in the White House said we had to have a national discussion about race. There's been total silence around issues of race with this president. But, as you see, whether there is silence, or an elevation of the discussion of race, you still have polarization. It will take more generations, I suspect, before we eliminate these deep feelings."

I just can't help but get stuck on the deep seated self-fulfilling prophecy.  Which reminds me of something that might work and it goes something like this:

"be the change.".    

And sure, what do I know, I was born a white girl... there is that.  And  I get that, too, Whoopie.


And on that note, may I recommend to the AP a good read HERE, from Kevin Jackson @American Thinker -- in all of it's brute honesty and rare courage, may I commend this brave American, Kevin.   And FOR MORE from him, please go to his website, The Black Sphere, here.  Something tells me I've got a new favorite place to hang...

Looking back, way back, here's another headline -- "Can Obama hold onto the African-American Voter in 2012?"  It's old news considering the post is from the Washington Post -- a paper which recently endorsed Obama, I might add --  from the fall of 2011.   But no matter...this year, last year, aren't they beginning to run all together by now.   But seriously, isn't the question itself alarming -- proposing that the president should have an edge with a certain group of citizens based solely upon the color of his skin alone; while the article continues, it articulates a rather startling concern -- can he, can he, can he possibly hold onto the office by color by number in 2012?

Wow and wouldn't this idea of winning be right out of the book of Grimm, taking the crown by whatever means necessary, and stooping however low -- be it racism, class-warfare, discrimination,  or simply attacking another man's castle for no reason but at the expense of real change for the entire country.

Isn't the Aftrican-American community able to think outside the color of their skin much like white people?  Did the oh so very white Hillary ever stand a chance back in 2008?

You know what I hate, AP?  I hate this!  I hate this garbage you throw around like pennies for a comment.

AND why are we speaking in voting blocks at all?   Oh we've met the enemy, alright, and they are us.

WE ARE ALL AMERICANS first, and foremost.  E Pluribus Unum!  Let's act like it!

Real enlightenment is an age and a process that happens underneath one's skin -- and it begins with being taught not to hate.  And it happens to be an explicit duty of every parent, every mentor, every teacher, every preacher, anyone who comes into contact with our children to make it so.

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  Martin Luther King

Just where did the 'old' candidate for office go? Where, oh where, did the 'we're not a white america, or a black america, or a latino america ... president of these United States wander off to?  If a president gets lost somewhere in the deep, dark political woods and falls down, and nobody is around, does he make a noise?

Oh enough, I say, ENOUGH!  away with this chatter...

Let's climb back to the top of the parapet -- we have a huge reversal of fortune going on for President Obama.  More people are lacking the faith in this American President than not; it was just yesterday when the president was at 48% approval rating, while today, things have completely turned upside down.

Cue the round-table of what happened earlier in the day...

For a campaign all about moving "FORWARD" -- they sure spend a lot of precious time looking back.  For example, the president was campaigning and throwing down the big slam -- referring to Romney's policies as  the "big re-run"  of GWBush and incredibly still blaming his predecessor for his own demise!  And this is the president's framework for a second term?

And Romney, he simply proceeded to act in a rather presidential fashion, beginning with  calling for more cooperation in Washington.


The president's message is unraveling; the nation is beginning to question the flip-flop of his rhetoric to win re-election, and it's clearly not sitting well. It's like we've all been poisoned.  Between his desperation now showing, between his miscalculation on the big Lie in Libya now telling, we are beginning to look forward to something truly new, with only a memory of a lost presidency left behind.

We get that something new in Mitt Romney.

"something old, something new, 

something borrowed, something blue"

and a marriage awaits.

sound the trumpets.

and the kingdom, well it appears like it couldn't be any more happier.

America really truly wants to move forward; and to that end, we want to see our president walk in grace, peace, compassion, excellence, truth, courage, honor and honest to goodness might sunrise to sunset.   For if thy Excellency doth  perform anything less than thou hath honorably intended, than thy doth not shine good upon all of us. 

Now, without further adieu, thy must be excused to practice writing thy new name....and that's just a wink and a nod to the girls who know exactly what I'm talking about...

Yours truly, in this day of our Lord, amen, hallelujah. good night and god bless.

And Make it a Good Day, G
even though, still, it's Saturday Night!

It's Wrong, It's Vile, It's a Man-Made Continental Divide Thing

Dear America,

Which candidate is leading in the GOP primary polls?

Florida Straw Poll
37% of the vote.

Zogby.
28% of the vote.

Gallop.
see positive intensity rating...

And yet contrary to the popular belief that truly counts in a primary,  the 21st century continental divide downshifts anyway:

Here's Morgan Freeman, speaking to Piers Morgan:

"Their stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term...What underlines that? 'Screw the country. We're going to do whatever we can to get this black man outta here...It is a racist thing."

How about you get your facts straight, Mr. Freeman. Just how can you be so vile and so wrong while being so loved by so many all at the same time?  Up until now, in my experience, simply hearing your voice made me melt.  And now look what you've done.  This makes me so sad.

It's a policy thing; it's a push back against a redistribution of the wealth thing; it's a smack down against the socialist thing; and ah, just to be clear, for who are we kiddin', it's a racist thing just sayin' the Tea Party is a 'racist thing.'  

but nothing like getting the official response directly from the man of the hour, right.

And just last night, we gleaned a glimpse of another possible candidate (make that two) of perhaps another place and time (or two):

"In 2004, Illinois State Senator Barack Obama gave us a window into his vision for American leadership. He said, “Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us — the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of ‘anything goes.’ Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.”

Now, seven years later, President Obama prepares to divide our nation to achieve re-election. This is not a leadership style, this is a re-election strategy. Telling those who are scared and struggling that the only way their lives can get better is to diminish the success of others. Trying to cynically convince those who are suffering that the American economic pie is no longer a growing one that can provide more prosperity for all who work hard. Insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American Dream. That may turn out to be a good re-election strategy for President Obama, but is a demoralizing message for America. What happened to State Senator Obama? When did he decide to become one of the “dividers” he spoke of so eloquently in 2004? There is, of course, a different choice."  Chris Christie

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/27/chris-christies-reagan-library-speech-full-text/#ixzz1ZGggmTju

Yes, Governor Christie, just what happened to THIS Barack Obama?  Was he the candidate for the UNITED States of America before he was the sitting president against it?  What a fraud.  What a shame. 

 

Didn't he mean it when he called for us to be one nation undivided, acting without some kind of deep-seated, color coded, hidden agenda pitting one faction against another?  Didn't he mean it when he called upon us to come together right now?

Does it really make me a racist simply by not agreeing with THIS president's policy, as the liberal media and Hollywood would have us all believe?   What year is this?  Are we truly progressing?  Are we?

Herman Cain is on the rise and it ain't due to the color of his skin.  

 

HE speaks on behalf of not only the Tea Party enthusiasts, but to the majority of Americans who are clinging to the notion of a fundamental return to sanity.  

 

HE speaks in terms of the common man -- chock full of common sense --  because he is one.  

 

HE speaks his truth because he lives by it -- while his truth seems very much like yours and mine.  

 

HE speaks and we are beginning to listen because the liberal media does not control how conservatives think, for we think for ourselves.

Herman Cain is on the rise because he is exceptional, and holds to conservative principles better than any other candidate on the stage alongside him.

Yes, he is a black man from humble American beginnings.  There is that.  How admirable.

Yes, he does not come with political experience.  There is that.  How refreshing.

But more than anything else, I trust him.

The republican establishment is compelled to quash all possibility of a real run because HE REALLY IS different.  

 

While the Left -- the mainstream media and loudmouth's perpetuating liberal lies far and wide (just thinkin' of people like Morgan Freeman, Michael Moore, Jeannine Garafolo, to name a few)  -- is sensing a real change underfoot, and it makes them scared.  

 

The authentic grassroots revival of a campaign for a real live, conservative African-American scares the living daylights out of them and sends them into chaos -- for how in the world would they be able to use the racial divide as their shining line of attack?  And to that end, the methodology of UNITING the people before DIVIDING the people, also shows no merit (and from a president, no less).

"Our bi-partisan accomplishments in New Jersey have helped to set a tone that has taken hold across many other states. It is a simple but powerful message–lead on the tough issues by telling your citizens the truth about the depth of our challenges. Tell them the truth about the difficulty of the solutions. This is the only effective way to lead in America during these times.

In Washington, on the other hand, we have watched as we drift from conflict to conflict, with little or no resolution.

We watch a president who once talked about the courage of his convictions, but still has yet to find the courage to lead.

We watch a Congress at war with itself because they are unwilling to leave campaign style politics at the Capitol’s door. The result is a debt ceiling limitation debate that made our democracy appear as if we could no longer effectively govern ourselves.

And still we continue to wait and hope that our president will finally stop being a bystander in the Oval Office. We hope that he will shake off the paralysis that has made it impossible for him to take on the really big things that are obvious to all Americans and to a watching and anxious world community.

Yes, we hope. Because each and every time the president lets a moment to act pass him by, his failure is our failure too" just more from the Governor

We like "the idea of" and "the words of" a Chris Christie for the same reason we like Cain. 

 

Put straight talk with common sense together -- and you have a winner -- no matter the color of their skin or even, dare I say, really big and fat.  

 

It's magical, really.

This may surprise the left side of the man-made divide, but I know I am not alone when I look to Martin Luther King Jr. who said it best:

"I look to a day 

when people will not be judged 

by the color of their skin, 

but by the content of their character."

 

I have that dream, too... and just look at me... a white girl, a conservative, a card carrying republican, on this day in the life of an American girl.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

WHITE, STRAIGHT,

REPUBLICAN, MALE.

how else can I piss you off today?

two for two.  yes I did -- I'm on a fender bender. just because it cracks me up.

and you know who fits this today, for real?  retired Governator of Caleeforneeyah; how many ways of wrong can this man go?  Honestly.  Not to mention, how on God's great earth did it take Maria so long?

And don't you just love the idea that when it comes to life, especially in politics, everything eventually becomes known; secrets last about fifteen minutes.

But continuing along the same vein of white, straight, republican males -- because the subject is so topical these days -- this girl is loving how the contest is shaping up.  If for no other reason, the amusement factor seems to be carrying me; anticipation probably coming in a close second.

It's not so much the hysterics back behind those who come out announcing 'I'm in' and when and taking a painful amount of time just to spit it out (giving a respectable nod to Ron Paul) -- or even the sudden, 'I'm out...even though I could have won' guy (showing the disrespectful middle finger to Donald Trump).  Those are the things begging to be irrelevant when all things are said and done.

It's more like the battle hymn of the new republic being played out under the guise of the mainstream liberal media --  the juxtaposing the remaining field up against their Savior -- the extended critical eye hanging over the field of contenders, as if they really care -- the 'oh no, not Huckabee; he really had something going on there..that's gotta hurt'  --  and basically, making a continuous mockery and laughing stock of anyone who would dare step up to the challenge OR, falling back on yesterday's theme, simply calling them all 'racist' at every chance they get.... 

and the first one that comes to mind:

"First of all, you gave a speech in Georgia with language a lot of people think could be coded racially-tinged language, calling the president, the first black president, a food stamp president," just throwing it out for kicks and giggles, David Gregory, of NBC's Meet the Press.

"oh c'mon David," said Newt

"what did you mean? what was the point?" as Gregory digs a couple of nails in further...

"That's, that's bizarre. That--this kind of automatic reference to racism, this is the president of the United States. The president of the United States has to be held accountable. Now, the idea that--and what I said is factually true. Forty-seven million Americans are on food stamps. One out of every six Americans is on food stamps. And to hide behind the charge of racism? I have--I have never said anything about President Obama which is racist."

"Never," he said -- as Gregory responds with a gesture..making a big fat W with his hands...what ever...

and really, what Newt said is all true, as sad and unbelievable as it sounds; the use of Food Stamps has increased by nearly 20% over the last year alone. It is about the highest it's ever been in almost thirty years.  Go ahead....just punch in food stamps into your browser and see what happens.

So what, can we not talk about food stamps, government subsidies to needy families, welfare and the like with a president who happens to be black?  really?  how reverse racist and perverse is that?  Do we not all want a president to be able to address and speak and answer to the very things our nation and our people struggle with on a daily basis, no matter what the color of his/her skin?  doesn't Gregory find the reality of one in six Americans living on food stamps, having increased exponentially under Obama's watch, a concern?

Oh that's right: it's the 'white, straight, republican male' syndrome at it again.  Gosh, this is going to be a fun election cycle.

Now, if we are going to be honest here...Newt is following in the Governator's footsteps all too easily.  Please, Newt, bow out right now before somebody gets hurt.  We, the constituency, care more for Paul Ryan than we do for you, just sayin'; throwing him under the proverbial campaign bus was so wrong -- equating the Ryan plan to some form of extremism?  seriously?  ...ho hum, just another radical, right wing, social engineering scheme that won't work -- left or right -- these plans don't work...or something like that...(appearing in costume as the wise old ghost of budget's past)

But hey, let's not get in the way of Ryan's own response: "with allies like that who needs the left?" 

ha ha ha ha  (this is where we pal around and burst into laughter, like the bunch of guys on the new Weight Watcher's ad for men)

Hey Newt, don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Anyway, the thing is -- our media is having  a field day with second guessing, drop kicking, crash and burning, every potential candidate coming on down the pike.  They have been waiting for this -- open season -- for quite some time now.

For myself, I am enjoying the slow burn of who's in and who's not; for in the end, I KNOW, along with half of the American population, anyone who finally meets up with the challenges, gets over the hurdles, and manages to outperform the mainstream media long enough, will ultimately be the best future presidential candidate for the job; and more than that, they will become 'the one'; the one who has all the right stuff, so that all the rest of us can rally behind, and fully support, with all our heart, and with all our might.

As marvelous as the man is, Huckabee isn't really what we want, now is he?  And he felt it; and he responded to it appropriately when he said it just wasn't in his heart.  Mara Liasson was funny; on Special Report yesterday, she considers Huck bowing out to be a loss for the party (ah hello, little miss NPR liasson, it's a non-starter, move along now).

While as the world turns, it turns out that Ryan has decided not to run for the seat in the Senate;  where is the media on this one, you know, projecting the guy wants a run for what Newt wants?  Now that would be fun to watch.  Run Ryan Run!

In the meantime, if you happen to be a 'white, straight, republican, male' duck and cover -- or plan on having the race bombs, the cheap shots, the low blows, the punch lines right at the gut for.... oooh... for about another eighteen months or so, give or take your own move to jump in or jump out....and we do the hokey pokey and we turn ourselves around, that's what it's all about, clap clap.

Of course, something to think about is a race pitting Herman Cain against the Chosen One.  Back in Black -- mono y mono -- that would shut the media up.  No.  How about we genetically engineer our next dynamic duo to be Herman Cain and Marco Rubio?   

You wanna piece of me?  You wanna piece of me?

You wanna call me some bug-eyed, dumb@$$, ignorant, bigoted, astroturf, nazi, extremist, tea party right wing radical, racist now?  Bring it.  Let's hope it all gets on tape so we can play it over and over and over again.

So Media-BUYER BEWARE:  Clearly, it is open season on right wing dodobirds according to all Media Research Outlets.  Things to look out for -- for easy pickings -- being WHITE, straight, republican and male; however, about half are known to be of the female persuasion, from either creation or evolution, and are equally protected under the new landmark authority expressly given to Mother Earth by the U.N.-- see also the latest 'endangered' listings -- so consider yourself forewarned (they get awfully nasty when teased, poked, and prodded).

While not so uncommon anymore and worth noting, many are not white at all -- some are half white, half black -- some are brown -- some are very light brown with just a hint of black -- and some are solid black through and through.  And one thing to consider may be to stay away from the Albino, all I can say is, they are sort of different if you know what I mean, dare I say, they're kind of on the fringe. something to look out for. but the good news is, we can normally see them coming from a mile away.

You should also be aware, Right Wing Dodobirds normally do not associate by color alone -- many, actually, are color blind; don't be surprised if you find a gathering of various birds of a feather.  What is important, is not so much the color of the feather, but the content of the character found deep down inside, especially in times that try avian souls.  Naturally, they gravitate together, like birds of a certain feather, seeking the like-minded -- seeking others aligned with founding principles and values -- seeking those fully accepting of their inherent duty and delight to participate with a certain level of responsibility to the whole bunch of birds...

Yes.  I could hurt you some more and just keep right on winging it; but let's just say I woke up on the right side of the bed featuring a deep seated compassion for mankind, especially those I venture to entertain.  I will stop myself right here.

As the narrative moves in and around the political birdcage, let us be enlightened, encourage open dialog, and treat each other with respect.  Will this be nearly impossible for the biased left wing media to pull off?  Will it be amusing to watch?  you betcha. and you betcha. it's gonna be fun.


Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

so there's this bumper sticker out there, and it goes like this:

WHITE, STRAIGHT

REPUBLICAN, MALE

how else can I piss you off today?

In the age of tolerance for everyone except...blank blank blank and blank...many fight back by bumper and find a simple way to amuse themselves.  Whatever gets you through the day, right?


But really, any deeper thought about all the ways in which the air of tolerance is polluted -- by hypocrisy, selective reasoning, clinging tight to the proper, politically correct and popular narrative -- one could find themselves in the cuckoo's nest.  As if the nation has already decided for us, popping propaganda into our mouths like a baby bird  -- this is good...that is bad (and racist). This is based upon broad intellectual opines far and wide ...that is just being narrow-minded (and racist).  This is a brilliant summation of all the parts...that is digging the great cultural divide (and racist).

It is no wonder "white, straight, republican, males" might be feeling a bit out of sorts.  Look at us!

My girl just put the finishing touches on a project for her Honors English class -- following the assigned reading of "Black Boy."  I love, love, love the fact that my girl read this; the addition of this African-American memoir written by Richard Wright, a heart-wrenching autobiographical account of a deeply troubled life, fraught with racial peril and inner struggle throughout, continues to touch aspiring young minds; the bright, pretty, sensitive, impressionable young white girl of my own discovered just how different life can be and I didn't need to say a thing.  The sharp contrast of the life of a young black boy touched her all on it's own.

Part of the project was to include current newspaper /magazine clippings with anything having to do with race.  Her first thought was thinking that this was going to be hard (funny).

She thought, 'how in the world will I find articles on  race these days' -- being of a generation who doesn't see people through color, has grown up in schools embracing multi-culturalism in all the colors of the rainbow, listens to a lot of hip hop, knows Oprah as a household name, and by the ripe old age of fourteen, bears witness to the first African-American president.  'How in the world will I find this stuff,' she thought... (again, funny).

And then the flood gates opened, her eyes got real big, as the incredible power of the written word and rampant thoughts of an underworld she did not recognize came rushing to her feet.  It was a deluge. Even with regards to subject matter where race has nothing to do with it -- somebody found a way to make it so.   And that's how it starts, therein the new reality begins to set it...

"[after moving to Chicago]  At first he thinks he will find friends within the party, especially among its black members, but he finds them to be just as afraid of change as the southern whites he had left behind. The Communists fear anyone who disagrees with their ideas, and Wright, who has always been inclined to question and speak his mind, is quickly branded a "counter-revolutionary." When he tries to leave the party, he is accused of trying to lead others away from it. After witnessing the trial of another black Communist for counter-revolutionary activity, Wright decides to abandon the party. Still, he remains branded an "enemy" of Communism, and party members threaten him away from various jobs and gatherings. Nevertheless, he does not fight them because he believes they are clumsily groping toward ideas that he agrees with: unity, tolerance, and equality. He ends the book by resolving to use his writing to search for a way to start a revolution: he thinks that everyone has a "hunger" for life that needs to be filled, and for him, writing is his way to the human heart."

Perhaps I should have admitted this already --  this summation --  of Black Boy -- came right out of what some may consider either a  minor detail, or a major caveat, depending upon the application, for it fell from the nest of Wikipedia.  But let's just focus on the ideas highlighted...

Wright must have been hungry to belong somewhere, to ultimately be drawn to the Communist party, huh?

So picture being a willing and able participant, within a group, which "fears anyone who disagrees with their ideas" -- or better still, frowns upon people who think, speak and breathe unlike them  -- as a black man?  How does that even compute?

Bear in mind, little Richard broke from southern tradition, becoming an atheist right in front of a family of believers; it was these very roots, that took a foothold from a young age, that made it easy to give way to a new belief system, like communism, as an adult.  And even though later shunned, he continued to cling to the things he believed from the heart, and equally shared within the party  which centered upon creating "unity,  tolerance, and equality" -- no matter how much of an odd couple they made.

To me, it just seems disingenuous with the whole -- so, you are going to raise the level of tolerance in others by way of taking action, under an organizational culture built on intolerance, a belief system furnished by a bunch of bigots, preaching nothing but more divisiveness through an army of radicalized followers?  As if the choice is to agree on no uncertain terms --  or be labeled, branded, and kicked out of the club forever?

Ah hello.  The answer to resolving issues of racism and divide isn't more racism and divide.

In order to want unity, we must act accordingly in UNION, and that is all there is to it.

What amazes me, forty years after civil rights, is how much we are stuck in the past.  And even Richard Wright realized, geography (or generations) doesn't change what continues to percolate behind the mind's eye; life's great injustices continue to pick apart one's worth from the inside out.  There is no escape until we let it go and move on.

From The New York Times, just yesterday (yes, a paper I would never spend the $6.00 it cost -- but for the "A" let's just say, we had to do it) I was piqued by the title, "Why Worry?  It's Good For You" and so I continued to read... even though carrying the burden of a constant worry in the back of my mind that I might regret it in the end.

But hail to the Editor-in-Chief and the splendid deduction of behavioral economics at play in the world today, summarized by Robert H. Frank.

The whole thing bears down on the aspects and economics of bad circumstances and how we, as humans, ultimately recover.  And almost immediately admits, "Even when changes are huge -- positive or negative -- most people adapt much more quickly and completely than expected."

But further in he gives us a piece of Darwinism, noting:

"the motivational structures within the human brain were forged by natural selection over millions of years.  In his framework, the brain has evolved not to make us happy, but to motivate actions that help push our DNA into the next round....Anxiety, hunger, fatigue, loneliness, thirst, anger, and fear spur action to meet the competitive challenges we face."

These are the things that make us DO what a life of complacency and mediocrity can't even touch.

So maybe it was natural for Richard to seek refuge with a bunch of commies; it was his way of taking his anger to "the next round."  It was his way of finding a perfect vehicle to feed the revolution going on inside his soul... that part of himself that cried out for attention... that part of himself that needed to escape and fly free.

Frank also tells us -- almost arrogantly challenging anyone to disagree -- "Emotional pain is fleeting, too. Behavioral economists often note that while people who become physically paralyzed experience the expected emotional devastation immediately after their accidents, they generally bounce back surprisingly quickly.  Within six months, many have a daily mix of moods similar to their pre-accident experience."  And eventually arriving at the point, "when misfortune befalls us, it's not helpful to mope around endlessly.  It's far better to adapt as quickly as possible and to make the best of the new circumstances."

No matter the skin color, this is sound advice for every man, woman, and child -- crossing lines of being straight or gay, crossing lines of republican or democrat, the same goes for one as to another; all of humanity must take heed to sage advice when we hear it (even if it comes falling out of the tree of life at NY TIMES).

When we come to realize our future is in the hands of how we best adapt individually -- grow motivated by our own anxiety, grow stronger by our own pit in the stomach, grow tired of the Old Me to make way for the new, so that we may grow and evolve into a better person altogether -- we will then know in our heart  we have arrived at a place we can be proud.  And collectively, we will all stand together and realize the bounty of our accomplishments.

These times they are a'changin' and yet, to the disgust of millions, according to many stuck in the old world they continue to stay the same -- a liberal media is run amuck with a narrative holding all of us back (my girl's 22 articles in two weeks seems to show the proof). This doesn't help anyone.

It is time to release the ties that bind to a past which clearly no longer serves us. Holding to certain assumptions and convictions based totally upon a reality that is in constant flux is only the first mistake.

If we could just take a moment to look around, we are not the cause of your great grandmother's afflictions; most of us affirm the principles and values supporting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in equal distribution and equal opportunity for all.   Look around: we are facebook, we are Egypt, we are rapidly going global on almost every front -- and you want to sell us out running an old narrative?

What does Reverend Jeremiah Wright teach his followers these days?  Does he really teach to love one another as yourself?  Let me answer that.  NO.  He preaches Black Liberation Theology.

Black boys (and girls) in Chicago are still being told to question authority, despise the white man, demonize America and so on and so on, from the pulpit.  Is this the kind of unification someone like Richard Wright would have in mind, if he were alive today?  I wonder. Oh that's right, he wasn't into church; he would probably be against it before he would find a way to be for it, if the "ideas" were similar -- you know, getting back to the so-called underlining principles of "unity, tolerance, and equality."

How do we move forward held so tight to a belief system which doesn't serve anyone -- especially the young black impressionable mind?  Don't black mama's and daddy's want our children to get along as much as the rest of us?  Where are the proper role models speaking up, and speaking out, on behalf of a mindset that no longer serves, let alone lead young minds to find true fulfillment in any way? 

Yes, I was one under the belief a brand new president of mixed race might be up to the task from the get-go; how my faith in that happening has reached a new low.

I don't believe my expectations are set too high -- it's more like I just expect him, as president, to simply stand up and stand for this nation's self-reliant roots, encouraging all of us to do our part and get along and stop the nonsense (likened to the president's words, a general "stupidity").

I guess, as long as we can go around airing our bumper stickers, at least we're still talking, right?  It could be worse -- what if there comes a day when we cease enjoying the vigorous bumper car debate in any capacity; what will happen when dialog totally shuts down?

Interesting the times, what is it about the economics of preaching a divide when it serves no sound purpose?
 -- does it motivate us to grow all the wiser, better, stronger, as individuals to create the civil society of our dreams as a whole?  Hardly. It only further drives a wider divide.

Sure, I'm going to generalize here...because it is just a fact.  Those perpetuating a divide -- finding it even among issues it has no business being about, is pitting a dialog and a national narrative with one party against another based entirely upon making up salacious, fraudulent untruths, and at the very  heart of it, continue to ridicule an entire group of Americans (conservatives, republicans, straight or not) in one fell swoop.  And strangely, this kind of manipulation of the truth, pulling the race card at every chance the left wing media gets, even at the expense of one's own race, to justify any means to an end --  if it serves the social justice dialog, the writing must go on -- how warped is that?  It's all about the association of ideas and ideals, right?

But for the liberals, of all people -- those who normally associate with all things evolutionary, if not progressive -- this seems rather counter-productive, if not deadly.  We are likely to snuff out all that is good in America based entirely upon one great big misguided mindset that should have made itself extinct generations ago.

Just why isn't the anxiety level, the hopelessness, the hunger, making the changes we need to make?

Where is the adaptation?

Where is the progress?

...and you call us modern?

just when is the new day going to dawn?

just when will we  learn to fly and be free?

Just when I thought my girl would easily grow up party to that kind of reality, all my illusions get the best of me.  Good thing tomorrow is another day for all of us.

Make it a Good Day, G