This could have been the Boston Massacre Part 2

        First & foremost let me send my prayers & condolences out to the families of the 3 people killed & more than 130 that were injured by today's cowardly actions. Now before I jump into the meat & potatoes of dissecting  today's bitch ass actions I'll give you a little background info on the scene of today's crime.

        If do not reside in the State of Massachusetts then you probably didn't realize that today was a state holiday called Patriots Day. This holiday is in observation of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. So this means that it technically was a 3 day holiday for the state concluding with a Boston Red Sox's Game & the Boston Marathon. Not everyone can get into the baseball game so naturally more people would be at the Boston Marathon making it the more ideal target for a terrorist. I don't doubt for one moment that there was more than enough security at the Boston Marathon but none the less they got us. The silver lining in this horrendous event is that, IN MY OPINION, this could have been way worse.

       Now you can look at whatever report that you choose to look at & see that their were two bombs that exploded & two that did not. The crazy thing is that all 3 of the 4 bombs are confirmed to be all along the same route down Boylston Street. The bombs that did not detonate are thought to be located between the 1st & 2nd explosions which went off within 15-20 seconds of each other. That means that had those bombs went off then the whole last leg of the Boston Marathon would have been bombed potentially killing & maiming hundreds. Thankfully terrorists are getting sloppy out here.

       The question now is, Who Did It?  Their are early reports that a Saudi Arabian man has been detained for questioning, but it is still to early to officially call him a suspect. Could it be another Domestic Terrorist trying to get back at "The Establishment" or "The Man". Mexican Drug Cartels pissed off at our efforts to stop their flow of drugs into the U.S. North Korea?????? Ehhhhh I doubt it. (But I would not be surprised). Unfortunately no one has a answer to the question, but President Obama & Seal Team 6 will be on their ass soon. Once again I am very happy that this did not turn into the Boston Massacre Part 2.

          

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.
     

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

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

        So now that you all have had time to soak everything in, I feel its time for me to give my take on this little peace of history. On May 1, 2011 The worlds Most Wanted Terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Great job Seal Team 6. Now, I in no way shape or form support, condone or glorify ANYTHING that this man has done in his life. But I have a slight problem with the way that we as Americans reacted to it, with so much joy & celebration. Their were MASSIVE Celebrations across the United States, every from West Point Military Academy to Times Square even strip club parties. Now I know that i'm not the only one who feels as if all of this is a little bit overboard. For all of you who are saying they burn our flag & celebrate our deaths, Do 2 wrongs make a right? FUCK NO. How can we in one breath call people barbaric for promoting & celebrating death & then we carry on in the streets until the early morning hours over killing a mad man. Please don't get it confused, this shit is very far from over. The "War on Terror" doesn't stop with Osama Bin Laden's death. I can tell you what I am waiting to celebrate though, is the day that my friends & family in the Armed Services come home from those BUSHshit wars. I for one don't blame President Barack Obama for not releasing the death photos of Osama Bin Laden. The man has  7.62 caliber bullet hole above his left eye, that can't be  pretty sight for kids to see on the evening news. Besides, the faster we forget about this maniac the faster thing s can get back closer to normal.

Where is the change President Obama?

           It seems as if there is misconception surrounding the people who critique or question President Barack Obama's policies and actions. Most African Americans who do it are said to be "bashing" him or not giving him enough time. When a white person does it, some would go as far as to call them racist. (Everything dealing with Black People isn't about race) I for one agree with some of the Presidents actions but I still am VERY critical of him because of the campaign that he ran. Most people forgot that the whole theme behind the campaign was change & honestly there hasnt been much in the two years he has been in office. Dr. Cornel West is the latest, and probably the most influential, person to realistically look at & critque what is going on in the Obama Administration. Ironically, the White House isnt concerned with WHY he is critical & what can be done to resolve the issue. They choose to focus on why he didn't try to approach them in a closed door behind ths scenes type of meeting. Doesn't that sound like the way that things are normally done in DC, what happened to transparency & CHANGE. The other reason that they seem to be concerned, is because Dr. West has a large influence in the African American community.  If someone of his stature were to back a different candidate, that would be disastrous to the Presidents Re-election bid.  We dont expect him to be "Super African American Man", but at least focus on some of the points that you campaigned (& got elected) on. I know he has a opposing party to work with but so did Reagan, Clinton, & Bush and the still overcame that because they held true to their title as  Commander & Chief not Compromiser & Negotiator.

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