Hurricane Katrina

I have to say that I have no words that can describe the devestation of Hurricane Katrina. I really am so sad for the people who lost their homes in the hurricane. Even worse, those people who lost family members in those areas. It is one of the saddest things I had ever seen.

Another thing that struck me about the whole hurricane thing is the reporting. Not necessarily the reports themselves, but the reporters who were down there in Mississippi and Louisiana. I don't know how to feel about these people. On one hand, they were pretty brave to be in the middle of a hurricane and still do their job of reporting. On the other hand, what the hell were they trying to prove? One of the greatest storms in United States history, and there the reporters are, in the middle of the streets, in the middle of 150 mph winds and heavy rainfall. What the hell?!!! I do have to say that if they weren't there, viewers would not have the true understanding of what a hurricane feels like. But still...

My thoughts and prayers are with the people who live in those areas and their families everywhere.

Butterscotch and Now-and-Laters

Butterscotch & Now-and-Laters
by J. Grant

Butterscotch and Now-and-Laters for 25 cents at the corner candy store
Six years old without a care in the world
Planning our strategy in freeze-tag
Because we were too cool for dodge-ball
And too fly for hide-and-seek
Our claim to fame was being masters of the open fire hydrant
Champions of “Connect Four”
This was our little world…
Our little universe…
Of handball and “suicide”
While the big kids played “craps” and blackjack
We survived on “Uno” and “I declare war”
Three o’clock meant more than the end of the school day
It signified the afternoon main event
“Which heavyweight bully would challenge the unsuspecting lightweight nerd in the battle for elementary school supremacy?!!!”
Butterscotch and Now-and-Laters were our candy of choice
Jolly ranchers and jawbreakers not too far behind
As we sat, reciting the words to “Beat it” and “Billie Jean”
Moonwalking on concrete
Spinning on the pavement
Watching the big kids play football in between traffic and parked cars
While we took turns trying to outrun every car that sped down the block
Waiting for the unforgettable tune of the Mister Softee Ice Cream truck to pass through
Begging our less than pleased parents for one dollar to buy an ice cream cone
I never liked sprinkles, but most kids did…
Not too far behind Mister Softee was the Italian Ices man
Just in case you couldn’t get the dollar from your mom fast enough to catch Mister Softee, the Italian Ices man was there to fulfill your craving
This was our world…
Watching it all from the front of our six floor apartment building…
Or the better view from our third floor fire escape…
Six years old without a care in the world…
This was our universe…
We didn’t have pool parties at the neighbors
We had block parties and “party at Janet’s crib”
While the latest hot records blasted from Tony’s boombox…
Or from every other car that rolled through the avenue…
And all we could do is smile and laugh
Because… we had it all

Dumb-ass Pat Robertson

Televangelist Calls for Chaves' Death Source: Associated Press 08/23/2005

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested on-air that American operatives assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club.""We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him.

U.S. officials have called the
accusations ridiculous."You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

Robertson, 75, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, accused the United States of failing to act when Chavez was briefly overthrown in 2002.Electronic pages and a message to a Robertson spokeswoman were not immediately returned Monday evening.Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier of oil to the United States. The CIA estimates that U.S. markets absorb almost 59 percent of Venezuela's total exports.Venezuela's government has demanded in the past that the United States crack down on Cuban and Venezuelan "terrorists" in Florida who they say are conspiring against Chavez.Robertson has made controversial statements in the past.

In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device. He has also said that feminism encourages women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
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Okay, I already knew that Pat Robertson was crazy fanatic who uses Christianity to make everyone on earth who isn't a "Jesus freak" like him miserable.
But calling for the assassination of the president of Venezuela? Diablo!!!

Pat Robertson and Jerry Farwell are both jack-asses who say stupid stuff in the name of evangelism. It's pitiful that these people actually have faithful followers of their rhetoric... At the same time, it is necessary to have those in opposition of these fools to gather their strength to battle the ignorance that Farwell and Robertson preach.

Honestly...

I think I have trouble with criticism. It seems if someone doesn't think something I do is really good, I get moody.
I'm going to work on this... really.

Israeli Pull-out of Gaza

Okay, I just had to speak about the situation in Gaza.
First, I admit that, even though I am for Israel getting out of Gaza, it is really hard to watch people being dragged from their homes. However, the land belongs to the Palestinians, and the only way that area can move towards some sort of peace is for Israel to stay in Israel and stay out of Palestine unless invited.

Second, I am tired of people who say that what is happening in Gaza should be compared to what happened in Nazi Germany. THAT'S BULL!!! The holocaust was brutal, inhumane etc. This is Israeli soldiers doing what the majority of Israelis agree is the only way to start on the road to peace. Damn Benjamin Netanyahu!

Third, Palestinian statehood needs to happen quickly or the pulling out of Gaza will be irrelevant to the peace process.

Playas, Pimps, and Posers

Playas’, Pimps, and Posers
By Jason Grant

What up pimp?
What up playa?
See, in this game of life…
You have your playas’…
Your pimps…
And your posers…
But really, they’re all the same
Dig it, brothas and sistas…
Pimps pimp to make money off of others
Playas play to make enamored fools out of the unsuspecting
But they all pose like they have power…
When all they have is temporary…
Temporary money
Temporary booty
Temporary influence
They pose strength…
But without their victims, their weak
To eliminate their weakness they reproduce others…
Others to follow in their poser-footsteps
You can see them all over
Don’t fall for the typical image of fur coats…
Shiny snakeskin shoes…
And “pimp hats”
Playas and pimps pose in “wifebeaters”…
Blue jeans…
Air Jordans’…
And doo-rags
Grabbin’ their nuts to hold up their lack manhood
Celebrating themselves on street corners and boardrooms…
Red carpets and project hallways…
Laughing all the way to the poser hall of fame

Reading and Listening

I'm currently reading "The Prosaic Soul of Nikki Giovanni." It's a collection of her essays. It's really interesting to read essays by Nikki Giovanni because she's very honest with herself and with what is going on around her. Stuff she wrote in the sixties are the most powerful because the essays are so raw and brutal to "the establishment." I don't think I have read a book that had the word "cracker" appear so many times.
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So I'm trying to listen to radio a little more the last couple of weeks, for the purpose of staying slightly relevant.
Okay, I still don't like this Mike Jones brother.... I'm not a fan of Young Jeezy, though the song he does with Jay-Z is pretty tight.
Will someone stop all these people who have the word "Lil'" as part of their names: Lil' Scrappy, Li'l Wayne, Lil' Jon - It gets on my damn nerves. Basically, if you have "Lil'" attached to your name, you're likely to suck. I think that 's the real reason Bow Wow cut that from his name.

Speaking of Bow Wow - okay, I have to admit I kind of like that song with Ciara, "Like You." It's a cute song, and I like the way they do the hook, even though it sounds like they mumble it all the way through.

I'm feeling that Teiarra Marie joint.... The two songs I've heard from Bobby Valentino sound the same, but I can't say I don't turn up the radio when I hear either of them.... I shamefully on occassion have enjoyed the song "Naked" by Marques Houston; I don't know why, it just happens.... I also like the Damian Marley "Welcome to Jamrock" - "out in the streets they call it murdaaaaaa!"

People not getting played enough on radio right now: Teedra Moses, Common, and Goapele.

People getting played too damn much: Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl"; Pretty Ricky, "Grind wit me"; anything by the Ying Yang Twins, Mike Jones, Tony Yayo (what kinda' stupid name is that), and Young Jeezy.

Still Jobless and other going-ons...

Sooooooo... Still ain't got a job. Can't even seem to get an interview. But it has only been two weeks. Still, Juris doctorate and still jobless... makes me listen to Kanye West's "College Dropout" CD with a whole new energy.
Y'all, if I end up at the Cheesecake Factory as "a mutha-f%@*in' waiter there," than I have truly slipped.
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So, last week had to be the most rollercoaster-like week I have ever had.
A friend, who I thought I was losing, was actually happy to hear from me when I called last Wednesday. It was great. We had a good little conversation. She told me she had been meaning to call me and I told her I missed her ("Awww, you're so sweet.").

But then I received a call that same day that made the whole week go to garbage. Another friend of mine called me late that night crying. She asked if she could stay with me for the night. Now this seemed very strange since she had an apartment and she also had a fiance who she could stay with. So, of course all types of things are running into your head - was she hurt? did someone break into her apartment? did her fiance hit her? By the time I asked her what had happened she decided that she should not stay with me for fear that she would get in my way. I begged her to stay with me (note: I have never begged a woman to stay in my home ever before; even better note: I have never had a woman call me asking to stay the night with me), but she said no, she didn't want to inconvenience me. Then she hung up on me. I haven't heard from her since.
I have never felt so useless and helpless in my life. Here is my friend, in need of help, and I can't help her. That is not a good feeling. I'm really worried about her. I hope I hear from her soon.

What a bad week....

Finding a J-O-B

You know what, it never amazes me that finding a job can be very difficult when you need it the most. How do people find work these days?!

Clearly, that "it's who you know" idea is really true.

I've gotten so desperate that I have applied for a job with BET... BET... goddamn BET!!!

Michael Jackson Racism?

Michael Jackson racism rears its head in Georgia

Date: Monday, August 01, 2005By: EURweb.com

"Is Michael Jackson not guilty because he is a nigger or [because he has] money?"

This statement appears on a sign that greets patrons outside a bar in Paulding County, GA. The owner, Patrick Lanzo, says the First Amendment protects his right to have the sign up. The NAACP quickly pounced on Lanzo, launching a petition to urge District Attorney Drew Lane to enact legislation that would force the sign’s removal.
“The sign is racist, hateful, and disrespectful, not only to the African American community, but to all of us who cherish equity and unity in our one human race,” reads a statement accompanying the online petition. “In addition to that, the sign is also a direct slander of Mr. Michael Jackson. No American should have to feel offended, or threatened as they travel through, or within, your county.”

Lanzo, who has a number of racist images in his Georgia Peach Museum bar (including cartoons of Klan members lounging on lynched black men and items disparaging Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), has been putting up signs for the past 10 years that pose questions about celebrities in the headlines. When asked why he chose to use the N-word on the sign, he said: “Because it’s my choice of word.”
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Clearly, this is crazy. And people wonder why I always say that Michael Jackson cannot stop being Black just because he's pale. It's because of stuff like this. I would love to roll up into this bar with about 60 angry Black people and see how brave Mr. Lanzo would be then.

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not in Georgia... I might be tempted to burn some stuff down.

What's up with music these days?

Why is music so bad? If you listen to the radio these days, all that is on is stupidity. From Mike Jones to Lil Jon, it's all bad.
A friend of mine from the south asked me if I was one of those people from the north who didn't like southern rappers because they "are making all the money."

First of all, I could care less if southern rappers are making money. Of course they're making money, people will invest in crappy music because it apparently sells. I mean think about it, music that promotes ignorance (particularly in hip hop) seems to be on the top of the charts. But is that because people like crap, or is it because crap is easier to listen to, because you don't have to think about it too hard. I mean, when you listen to Talib Kweli or Dead Prez or The Roots or Common, you actually have to think. When you listen to the Ying Yang Twins, there is not much cerebral activity necessary.

Secondly, even if bad music was being made in the north (which there is too - 50 Cent, for example), I wouldn't support it either. If the music is stupid, I'm gonna say its stupid, can you dig it?

There needs to be better music for people to listen to. Some of this stuff is almost like poison to the mind.

Now That the Bar Exam is Done...

... it's time to get back to the stuff that has been on my mind the last couple of months.

1) There has been a lot of talk about relieving Africa's debt. The G8 conference apparently came up with a plan to relieve much of the debt owed by the African continent. Unfortunately, the agreement is laced with incentives for "Western" countries, not Africa. But, I guess that is to be expected.

2) I never really liked Sandra Day O'Connor (first female on U.S. Supreme Court), but dangit, I kind of regret that she is leaving, given the replacement that "country-bumkin Bush" picked as her replacement.

3) On a lighter note, I heard about The Fugees performing on the BET Awards. The world would a better place if The Fugees got back together... Well, at least Lauryn Hill and Wyclef. Pras is just "collateral."

4) Did you here about the department store in France that didn't let Oprah Winfrey in the store? Oprah said that she had a "Crash" experience. "Crash" is a movie that came out a couple of months ago about race relations in Los Angeles (my man Don Cheadle starred in it.). Anyway, it's funny how you can be the richest woman in the world and still be reminded that your just a nappy-headed little Black girl from the south. I do think there are much worse things happening to Black people in this world that makes Oprah's incident of not being let into a store that was a few minutes from closing look... well... unimportant. I know, I know, hell would freeze over the day something that happened to Oprah would be unimportant....

5) Oh, I have to openly admit to all of you... I, too was happy that Michael Jackson was freed. And yes, I have no shame. Another thing to anger Oprah ;-)

6) What the hell is up with Mike Tyson? It seems his career is over, but he still has to fight because he's millions of dollars in debt. Pitiful.

7) I'm sure the people in London are not too excited about using the subway nowadays. It is crazy that something like that could happen twice within two weeks. And now they're doing "random" checks of people's bags in New York. This is a scary new world we're living in.

8) Condoleezza Rice has created an interesting dilemna for me. It has been rumored that she might run for president in one of the next two elections. Now, I never thought that I would be thinking about voting AGAINST a Black woman presidential candidate, but anyone who is that loyal to Bush and his kin, is not ideal for me. I do think if she were to win, the Republican Party would get a surprise - Condoleezza gettin' "street" on Karl Rove. ;-)

9) Why is McDonalds working so hard to be "hip"? They are spending millions of dollars to have new commercials geared towards the hip hop community, as well as having urban fashion designers design the new McDonalds uniforms. Is this just another attempt to make young Black and Latino people fat, diabetic, and hypertensive?

10) On a sad note, two people who I went to school with were murdered within a month of each other - Elton (Howard University School of Law) on June 3rd, and Jamal (Syracuse University) on July 2nd. The similarities are that they were both killed in Black neighborhoods for NO DAMN REASON! I'm tired, and not tired in the Bill Cosby way. I'm tired because we just don't seem to learn.
Bill Cosby (and others) walk and talk about how Black people need to do this and that; and Black parents need to do this and that. Don't you think that Elton and Jamal's parents tried to do everything for them to make sure they walked a straight path? Do you think that they raised their children to go to college, and in Elton's case go to law school, to get shot and killed? -No. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of bad parenting going on, but it's more than the parents, it's us. It's what we're doing and not doing in this world that allows our community to go to waste.
I've used this quote before, but it is even more relevant now -
"I laugh when I hear people say that it is the parents who are to blame. It’s not the parents, it’s the society, stupid (emphasis added). The society with its venal, backward, and predatory values. This is what must be changed.” - Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael)

Just some stuff I had on my mind...

"I'm Back!"