Y u biching

Yep, I am asking a question, why are you bitchin'? Why are you complaining? What do you have to complain about? Why you getting mad over bich shit? Did some one call you out your name; are you just a soft person who gets offended at the drop of a dime? If so, then I am likely talking to you.

I have written a zillion of times how I think folks should just work hard and don’t complain and how if you like what you see when you look in the mirror and live every day with kindness in your heart, then each day is a good day to die.

After my homeboys dispatched of Maryland by 19 points, I left the shop early. And it wasn’t a block buster day with respect to sales so I came home and cooked. For the first time in a while I watched the NCAA Wrestling championships. Great matches I must say. But what struck me was a match in which this kid loss. He ended up getting 4th place but he was truly a champion and a representation of what it means to not feel sorry or get upset or complain about shit. His name was Anthony Robles.

And although he did not win he was an All-American for the 2nd year in a row. What struck me besides him walking off the mat with his crutches and the 10 minute standing ovation he received from the entire arena was what he said in his interview. In essence he said he had been made fun off, called all sorts of names and that it never bothered him. That he knew who he was and that they were just words. That he made it because of focus, determination and hard work, and that he never let anything anyone said distract him or hurt him, that he believed and knew he was always a champion.

So for me, it’s a great look to hear such refreshing words in a time when folks get mad and upset over small things; over words, or complain because they think it is hard. It is refreshing to see some one that I would love for all kids to look up too and focus on as opposed to Chris Brown and his court case, or Lil Wayne, Andre 3000 or Kanye West.

So the next time you feel like bitchin about something, or your feelings get hurt when someone’s says something you don’t like, or get mad when a monkey in a CARTOON is shot – reflect and just try and walk in his leg. Yep, he has just one, and although he did not win the NCAA national championship, in my heart he did, and he is a champion. Many of us say can't, or I can't do that, but the real winner never use the word can't. He never did.

21

As a kid growing up in Memphis I was very much into sports. From organized sports including the big three to golf and tennis. But it was nothing like my favorite two games growing up. Pick up and run football and 21.

Pick up and run was the best because there was normally only one kid in the neighborhood with a football. Everybody it seems had basketballs but such wasn’t the case with footballs. So on any one of them three open fields from Castalia Heights, to Magnolia Elementary School of the field by the ditch next to South Parkway Gardens Apartments. In Pick up and run would be any where from four to forty young men playing no-holds bared football in which who ever got the ball would run and be subject to being gang tackled (which was usually the case) by all else playing.

Now I loved that, but didn’t love it more than 21. 21 was the basketball equal to pick up and run. The best games were played with 15 or more people. Object was to be the first one to get to 21 in points via free throws or a regular basket. We never played the tip version, for real ball players had to take it back pass the free throw line and score between all those playing. We had another version called Arkansas 21, which was also called rough house – which was strange since the winner had to score 36 points.

I say this because not always do I get the chance to talk of my love of sports and politics without a discussion of economics or some other mundane esoteric stuff. But I just wanted to know if folks imagined like me, what the games of 21 will look like for the future occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt, that he does enjoy 21. I mean James Joes, although 54, was a forward at Georgetown back in the day and Eric Holder (next AG) played ball at the reputable Stuyvesant High School in NYC. Add to the mix Obama’s personal assistant – Reggie Love who played round ball and football at Duke University and Arne Duncan, who lettered in Basketball at Harvard - Mr. Obama (a member of a Hawaii state basketball championship team back in the day – may need to step his game up. I mean I hear Susan Rice was one of Washington, DC’s best point guards back in the day.

What does this mean, well really nothing, except I love sports, and wish they would televise some of the games one day – I mean professional basket aint like what it used to be, and well 21, is always 21, especially if you aint got enough folks to run a 5 on 5 full court game.

powell driver

Ok, Jones, main, your folk been putting in some work, albeit I feel I aint got to tell you that. I mean it’s just what I do. But it has been good. I was working with an interior designer, but she was talking crazy for a store for dogs, like it was some retro chic Lenox Mall boutique. I had someone else before her, but it aint pan out. But that being said, the ruminations have still been going on. I admit, I have been trying to stay away from the primaries, but it’s hard so I am going to drop this on you – thanks to a conversation with Kelso, UCLA, rooting against Memphis monkey ass. Otherwise, like I said, it has been good, not because around this time at age 13, Shakespeare penned his first play, which turned out to be Romeo and Juliet, but cause I have ratcheted the fortitude to write about politics once more and because Memphis throttled UCLA.

I have wondered to myself who would, will or would make the best running mate for Barack Obama. This is especially true since the mantra of the Clinton team is experience, experience and experience. It seems they talk and hammer the experience card more than her plans to deal with the recession or the conflicts abroad in Asia (Afghanistan and Iraq).

Unfortunately as the reader may expect, I will not take the “most electable ticket” route. Instead, I have dug deep in the shallow capacity of my brain to figure out what would make the most appealing and winnable ticket. I know the pundits have mentioned a few names, and some of them make sense to me.


The names that I have heard thus far include Senator Bill Bradley, Senator Russ Feingold, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Jack Reed, General Wesley Clark and last but not least, former Presidential hopeful Senator John Edwards. Sure there have been others including Governor Brian Schweitzer, Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Congressman John Murtha, but the last three don’t really cut the cake, especially Murtha with his history or shady political dealings.

However, I must admit there are some strong benefits to some in the first group. Bradley once ran for the presidency, and has strong name recognition, not to mention the championship ring he won when playing with the New York Knicks back in the day. Add to that, he could help him carry New York, thus he has a serious upside. Fiengold, well she is known for her work with the Republican winner, John McCain. For me, she has done enough damage to McCain from the way many in the GOP see it and thus, cannot add anymore by being on the Obama ticket. Bill Richardson has more up than down as well. Not only can he assist with the Hispanic vote, he also is a good man to provide some experience on Defense, AIDS and the economy. Then there is Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. She would help carry white women and would likely bolster Obama’s policy positions on energy, education and the environment.

I could talk about them all but like the above, I’d be talking about shit folk already know. This is why I don’t see any of the above being able to give Obama a winning ticket, electable yes, winning no. So I suggest that as a running mate, Obama select Colin Powell. Yes former Secretary of State and Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell. Obama is the ma to do it and it would definitely show up John “McCain/Feingold” McCain what reaching across the isle really is. America would love it and bam. White house folk.

Now you may laugh and suggest such is far fetched, but I want to recount the serious amount of thought, wandering thought I have put into this since December. In fact in my book, it’s a essay called remember this name, about Obama, written in 2004 that predicted he would run successfully for the democratic nomination – even against my libertarian sensibilities.

The Harlem born Powell is a Vietnam veteran. On his this second tour he was injured in a helicopter crash yet still was able to rescue his peers from the burning helicopter. For this he was given the Soldier's Medal. He has a MBA from George Washington University and even served as Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor, under President Ronald Reagan.

So laugh all you want, but this is the winning ticket and don’t play the lottery. Show your hand folk, give me one better. In wrestling this would be called a pile driver, but I refer Powell Driver. Cause if he doesn't, MCain will lkely have Condie Rice as his.

Hook, line & sinker

As you can see from the prior post, your folk may be rawdawgbuffalo, but I do have a heart, at least my children think so. But back to the regular rigamaroo. I had to get this off of my chest before the Memphis-Gonzaga game that comes own at noon (when i started this post). But I do have one question? How many of yawl votes hands down for democratic candidates? I am just asking because I personally don’t feel they (nor the republicans) have our best interest at hand. As well, I do not subscribe to the argument that they are the less of two evils. Unfortunately, I just think they are better a marketing their selves to black folk. This is to say that Republicans do not care that much about us and as result do not even attempt to secure any part of the massive voting block we represent. In contrast, the democrats do not care as well but their over-zealous pursuit for becoming elected enables them to smile and address us as a community more than the republicans. If you look at it, its just like fast food restaurants. Burger King and Churches have more joints in our community than Ruth Crisp Steakhouse and as a consequence, we eat at Burger King and Churches more. Couple that with the fact that the advertise to us more we eat there more but it doesn’t mean that they are inevitably healthy food choices for us – but we eat there anyway. Historically, the democrats use race as a form of political marketing more than any other party. Often, their sissified nature makes them; especially if they are white, use key words like “the poor”, “underclass” and “under-employed” to represent black folks. The strange thing is that I is they and the republicans equally who talk about playing the race card, in addition to the media. I mean, just the other night, I passed through the channels looking for some basketball and stopped on CNN. The question they were asking: “Was Bill Clinton the first Black President?” Now I could not figure why any REAL news outlet would make such a query. To me it was like asking if George Bush was the first Martian Bigfoot president. It is not us who own these outlets or produce the nature of the political shows, but sensationalist that prefer to have folks focus on the inconsequential.


The real race issue is that race in Amerikkka is a factor and in this present campaign and all prior and future ones to come. In fact, outside of the economy, two of the major issues folks running on involve race: Iraq and immigration. So I ask you, why do many of us vote democratic only? Especially since now Senator John Edwards has dropped out of the race, what does this mean for the nomination. Will it solidify the block of voters that do not want to see another Clinton in office? Or will is serve to solidify white voters who do not want nor desire to see an African American in the Whitehouse? Even yet, will it solidify those men that do not want to see a woman in the Whitehouse? These are just a few queries. I mean based on history, a similar phenomena occurred when Richard Nixon was elected president. If my history serves me correctly after an assassination and Hubert Humphrey dropped out the race, the Republican Nixon was elected basically without contest. And the issue about race is real and does not let anyone tell you otherwise. America was built on racism and unfortunately, many whites will feel that their obligation, if democrat, will be to support Hillary. Even more so, those that move beyond this, and fell that if Obama is awarded the democratic nomination, although they say they are democrats, will likely vote for John McCain.

The great African scholar and politician Kwame Nkrumah in his book AFRICA MUST UNITE (wanna say page 24 but its been 20 yrs since i read it) defined racism and indicated that in order for one to be a racist, the had to be in a position of power to subjugate other races to adopt their standards. Not prejudice which can be equal across all individuals but racism. I say this on the eve of the democratic debate to extend the question, why is it that black folk vote hook, line and sinker for democrats? I think I explained it briefly in detail above. So don’t be surprised is one of the three voting outcomes occur, according to this life long Libertarian – yes my folks are libertarian. I mean, how many of yawl that happen to be African American can say the voted for someone other than a democratic candidate, even those who claim to be independent? I rest my case.

on premotating & other farce

For me, I think 2007, has been the year of the premonition. But before I go farther. I want to thank all yawls with the birthday wishes and those who purchased books. And I can’t forget my tiger’s pimp slapping Roy Hibbert and Georgetown. To both of the aforementioned, I am still smiling.

But back to premotating, I have premonated (don’t know if either are words but I don’t really care) that these folks, in particular the politicians, may be hitting the pipe too much – for they will say anything to get a vote. Such was even my premise in stupid pet tricks.

Check this: Mitt Romney is a perfect example, and while telling some people a tall tale, he got cold busted. Gone say some shit like he remembers seeing his father as a child, marching along side with Martin Luther King Jr. (I’m trying not to laugh at that shit now). The problem is that it never happened and was completely fabricated. He even said it was just a figure of speech, a metaphor. He was just pretending – make believe.

The Republican presidential said this while making a speech on faith and politics earlier this month in Texas. To quote him, Romney said: "I saw my father march with Martin Luther King."
They say it was the biggest speech of his political career thus far. Titled speaking on “Faith in America” at College Station, Texas.

Jones even started to like the sound of that shit and this past Sunday while on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said, "You can see what I believed and what my family believed by looking at our lives. My dad marched with Martin Luther King." He probably would have kept on saying this if it had not been for some serious investigative reporting by the Detroit Free Press and The Boston Phoenix. Not to mention the eyewitness accounts of one veteran Michigan civil rights activist who told the DFP that George Romney never marched with Dr King.

Trying to cover his ass, Romney's campaign cited a 1967 book written by Stephen Hess and Washington Post political columnist David Broder. They even released a press statement saying in essence; yes Virginia there is a Santa Klaus. King aint even march in Grosse Pointe in 1963 because he was not even there. Not To mention records indicate he was out of the country in some school in Europe at the time he say he saw or heard such.

But what it tells me is that not only is he a liar, but he don’t even know his father that well and aint spend that much time with him if he got to lie for them both. But they got the loot and time to investigate steroids in baseball, but neither of the priors to put themselves in check.

just wanted to say

thanks. birthday was un eventful, did get some foweres, but woke up fixed myself breakfast and served myself i bed (if u dont treat yourself good u may die waiting for others to do so). No kisses, no hugs, no cuddling no nookie. Finaly got the password to my myspace page (again-dont use it) and wrote myself a happy bday not - the only one). But my homeboys gave me the greatest gift, whooping up on Gtown by 14. Thanks agin for all yawl who cared.