Gay Marriage: A Political, Social, or Religious Issue

       The topic of Gay Marriage has been burning up the Media since President Barack Obama officially voiced his support for it. A lot of folks have come out in support of the president & his stance on it, but a lot of negativity has been voiced as well.  Like I stated in previous posts, I really don't care if Gay people can get married or not. I just don't think that ALL their needs can be addressed though Civil Rights as we know it. This brings me to my question & topic for this post, Is Gay Marriage a Political, Social, or Religious Issue?
       When you look at the Politics behind supporting or opposing Gay Marriage it all boils down to one thing, VOTES. The main reason that President Obama came out in support of Gay Marriage  is to secure the LGBT vote. If you look at his record, President Obama has always supported Civil Unions & Legislation aimed at supporting the Gay community. But he waited until he was in an election year & his reelection campaign had officially started before he voiced his support. But I cant hate because it worked & now he is reaping the benefits of his move. Now Mitt Romney, on the other hand, vehemently opposes Gay Marriage & we see how unpopular he is in the LGBT community. Honestly, politicians have made this a Political issue solely because of the large number of voters that makes up the LGBT Community & those votes cant be ignored.
       The Social Issues associated with Gay Marriage aren't as big as the Political & Religious issues. Mainly because the American society has grown to accept the whole LGBT Lifestyle. This is evident  by some states already having Laws allowing for Gay Marriage & Protection of the Gay community. Society use to frown upon Gay people, but now they are freely accepted just like everyone else (for the most part).
         More than ANYTHING, Gay Marriage should, in my humble opinion, be viewed as a Religious issue. The most widely used scripture to combat the whole LGBT lifestyle is Leviticus 18:22 (KJV), "Thou shalt not lie with Mankind, as with Womankind, It is abomination". Some other versions & translations make reference to Lesbian acts as well. It sounds pretty straight forward, RIGHT? Now if you read the verse in the context of the passage, instead of by itself, some may say that it relates  to some forbidden idolatrous  activity in a Pagan Temple from which the ancient Israelite's must separate themselves from. Which interpretation you chose to believe, is yours to make. The Black Church, for a long time shunned homosexuality, until their Choir Directors positions started getting taken over. Now most of them just turn a willing blind eye to it.
             All in all, Gay Marriage is a Social, Political, AND Religious matter that really needs to be addressed head on instead of being used as a tool in Politics & tricked into believing that their needs can be addressed as Civil Rights as we know it.

What happened to all the Positive Black Role Models?

       Where have all the Positive Black Role Models gone to? Sure the most polarizing one is President Barack Obama, but becoming president of the United States is realistically a far stretch for anyone. Especially a Black man. Back in my younger days we had neighborhood guys that helped to show kids that they don't have to run, shoot, or throw a ball to be successful in life. But now a days it seems like those guys have disappeared or just stop giving a shit.
       When you go into most Black neighborhoods these days you have to look hard to find the Doctors, Lawyers, (Legit) Businessmen, & Teachers. But you don't have to look to far or hard for the Jack Boys, Drug Dealers, & Gamblers. I cant leave out the guys that where awesome in sports but never made it out of the hood. I'm not putting down anybody that chooses to live that way, but we need to show our youth that there are other options out there for them. The younger we show them the better.
       I ask the question, "What the fuck is going on in the hood?". I cant pinpoint the exact answer but I can say that a lack of Black Fathers & Role Models is a huge part of it. When you are absent in the lives of the youth then naturally they will look for something or someone to fill that "Role Model" void. And to add to that the Coaches, Counselors, & Teachers that were filling that void are getting old & not enough Black men are stepping up to fill the gaps. Of course we can turn on the TV & see guys like Eric Holder, Micheal Eric Dyson, & Kasim Reed & draw inspiration from them. But to be honest the message is stronger and means more when you can realistically relate to the role model. Most Black Males in our community are your everyday 7am-6pm workers & are to tired when they get home to do ANYHING. Lets be honest for a moment, this life is not really interesting to a young man who sees the Dopeman make his Dad's yearly salary in a week.
      What we need in our community is for more programs with successful Black Men & those striving for success to go back into the community & show the youth that "Yes, I came from rags to riches & so can you". And I don't mean no BS outreach programs that are championed & supported by Politicians that will be up for election soon. I mean programs that utilize people from humble beginnings to prove to the youth that becoming a College Graduate & gainfully Employed is realistic & worth putting in the work.
       Most of all, we need more Black Men to step up & be FATHERS instead of a sperm donors. Stop letting those Child Support payments & shopping trips take the place of you being in your child's life. Kids need love, guidance & affection more than Jordan's & Levi's.
     

LGBT Rights ARE NOT the Same as Civil Rights

     As of late, a  lot of attention has been paid to LGBT Rights with the main focus being Marriage. I'll let it be known right now that I can care less if LGBT folks have the right to get married or not. Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about anyway. Marriage hasn't been sanctified since the 1st divorce & 1st instance of infidelity. Now what I do take issue with is when people try to relate LGBT Rights to Civil Rights. The struggle that ensues because of Racial hatred CAN NOT be related to that of a Sexual Preference.
      One reason for thinking the way I do about this subject is the fact that a person chooses to be Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, or Transgendered, but we have absolutely NO control over what race you are. So being that you have absolutely no control over the basis in which you are discriminated against (Race), how can you even try to relate discrimination based on a Sexual Preference? YOU CAN'T!!!!!!!!
         The Civil Rights struggle endured DECADES of widespread violence, segregation, & flat out hate across the entire nation. And there was absolutely NOTHING that anyone could/can do to disguise your race in an effort to avoid such harsh treatment. LGBT people have the opportunity to conceal their Sexual Preference in order to avoid said treatment & violence. And like I stated earlier, Racially based violence was & is a widespread trend across the nation for decades but the LGBT struggle is relatively new & no where near the struggle of Civil Rights. For the most part they don't even experience the same type of struggle that Civil Rights Pioneers went through. I have yet to see a Pride Festival broken up using German Sheppard's & Fire Hoses.
       My last argument is the fact that their are absolutely NO FEDERAL LAWS pertaining to LGBT rights, only State Level Laws. After decades of widespread violence & discrimination President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into Law. George H.W. Bush even signed another Civil Rights Act into Law in 1991. In these 2 main peaces of Civil Rights Legislation  there is absolutely NO language making reference to LGBT rights, so how can you continue to try & relate the two? YOU CAN'T!!!!!!!
            LGBT Rights & Civil Rights are two very different struggles & they should be treated as such. I wont deny that LGBT people go through struggle & strife, but it does not compare to that of Civil Rights. I honestly feel as if trying to group the two struggles together actually downplays the struggle of the LGBT community. It also denies LGBT Rights the attention that it truly deserves. Can you imagine the history that would be made from a LGBT Rights Act? The true question is which President would draft & approve such an act.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like A Man. GTFOH

****These are my own personal thoughts on the "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" philosophy. This is not a diss on the new Steve Harvey movie directed by FAMU Alum Will Packer.*****

      I applaud any & every effort to empower, enlighten, & positively encourage any Race or Sex, BUT if a woman realistically thinks that she can think like a man then that woman has truly LOST HER FUCKING MIND. Being the product of a single mother home (for the most part) gives me a tad bit of insight into the Manly role that a LOT of women have to play in today's society. So I do realize that some women have to take on a mans role, but that doesn't translate to thinking like a man. My mom taught me a lot about life as I grew up through her kind (& sometimes harsh) words & actions. But even she knew that there was just some things that she couldn't teach me. As a strong Black Woman she accepted it & like other strong women she made a way for me to learn what she couldn't teach me. She also made sure that I was surrounded by Men that could "show me the ropes". 

     Steve Harvey didn't write his book in order to give you women the secrets of the Male mind, he wrote it to make money off the low self esteem women that think this will give them deep insight into how not to get hurt again. I will agree that some useful info can be found in that book but the title leads some women to believe that it's possible, when it's really not. The book also serves as a warning sign for some women because you fail to see the obvious when dealing with the opposite sex. 

      From my reviews of the book, I don't see anything in there that us guys wouldn't consider "Common Knowledge" or G-14 Classified, but as some people say "Common Sense isn't Common".  So for the women out there that think they hold the key to the Male psyche in their hands........THINK AGAIN. Thinking like a man includes a lot of accepting BS, tolerance of Female habits (from Men & Women), Humility, & a whole lot of other things that would take me way to many posts to list. But I can give you info thirsty ladies one major tip that I think will help you greatly when dealing with the opposite sex, THINK LIKE A WOMAN. If God wanted you to think like a man then he would have made you one. Don't get caught up in trying to guess what he's thinking & trying to react before he acts. We will only put up with so much of your nagging, guessing games, accusations & BS, before we make you a statistic (Non-Violent Statistics). 

           Lastly, my #1 reason that I say Women cant think like men is because we have a little used 2nd brain called a Penis that makes the tough decisions for us. And the last time I checked, God didn't make Penises standard issue for Women. LOL

It's Time to Move Forward with President Obama.

            This past weekend our President Barack Obama, "Officially" kicked off his 2012 campaign for re-election. I ,like most people, wasn't overly hyped for this event in history as I was 4 years ago when President Obama launched his bid for for his initial 4 year in office. This is not a cause for alarm, but it is a alarm for people to wake up & get ready for the fight that is coming up. Keep in mind that when President Obama launched his 1st campaign people were just hyped at the prospects of having a Black President in a country that was built largely on & through Racism. For a long time NO ONE thought that was possible. That was until November of 2008.
          4 years later & the nostalgia  of the 1st Black President has worn off & he is "just another politician" in some peoples eyes. But to others, he is in the fight of his life for another 4 years as President of the United States of America. Now the thing is that WE elected Barack Obama as President & also elected (or failed to vote against) a Republican majority into Congress. That move alone shows that the nostalgia quickly faded or that people just really didn't understand what voting in a mid-term election meant. Next time around I hope we don't make that mistake again. A side affect of those mid-term failures is the creation of Super PAC's & various BS Voter ID Laws. Even though the money isn't rolling in for President Obama like last time i'm still not worried. I'm not worried because I have faith in America.
           Me myself, I've been both critical & supportive of President Obama's policies once he was elected. I, like most, brought into the campaign slogan of  "Change" championed by the Obama Administration in 2008. Imagine my shock when Mr Obama sign the Bush Tax Cuts Extension. Republicans went hard over those tax cuts & those cuts are a major factor in why the economy is in bad shape. Now to his credit President Obama  has signed a lot of legislation that has helped to improve the state of the nation.
          Some people may still ask, "What has Barack Obama done to get reelected?" I cant lie, there hasn't been boat loads done but there has been some strides made to correct the mess that Bush left in his lap. And the prospects of what he can accomplish really impresses me more than anybody else in the running. I once heard the "Solutionism is the new Optimism" & I see Solutionism written all over President Obama. It's time to move Forward folks. And over everything else.........Do you really think that Mitt Romney can do any better? Mitt Romney = #EPICFAIL