Easter Trouble

My favorite Easter story involves my late cat and took place before I knew Jesus and attended church. My cat's name was Trouble. Actually he started out as my mom’s cat. She got him as a kitten when we shared a house. He was so small when we got him. He would hide under things and attack our ankles. A few months after she got him I had to move to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania for work. Mom decided (again) that she wanted to move to San Diego, california so she left Trouble in Ohio with my sister. I returned to Ohio after eight months and stayed with my sister for awhile. She made it clear that Trouble was MY cat.

And what a cat he was. He was a grey and white tabby. And he was HUGE!. I think a good 75% of his body mass was just attitude. Trouble was an outdoor cat and a perfect one at that. He could be found at the door in the morning waiting to come in. He would eat and occasionally nap but when he was ready he stood by the door and yelled until someone let him out. He would be gone all day and night and repeat the process. You couldn’t tell my sister had a cat because the litter box was always clean. Trouble never used it. He preferred to do his business outside.

And he was a man’s cat. I would find him in the morning with a squirrel, chipmunk or rabbit by the door. He was quite an accomplished hunter. Well I eventually got my own apartment but Trouble couldn’t come with me. No pets were allowed. It was okay though, he had become a fixture at my sister’s place and her three kids all loved him. He was still my cat so I had to take him to the vet for shots and pay for all his food and medicine.

A couple years later on Easter morning I arrived at my sister’s place and sitting by the door was Trouble. He had caught and killed a rabbit, easily as big as he was. He had ripped the leg off the creature and was enjoying his Easter feast. I was all puffed up with pride that my cat had brought down such a fine specimen. My sister who just happened to open the door while I stood there was less thrilled. She told me that I needed to get rid of that carcass (the rabbit’s) before her girls saw it. So I grabbed the dead meat and headed for the dumpster.

But before I could turn away from the door, my youngest niece, who was only three years old at the time came out and saw me with the dead rabbit. She saw Trouble licking his chops. She put two and two together and started screaming, “Trouble killed the Easter Bunny! Trouble killed the Easter Bunny!” Poor thing. We had to calm her down. My sister, being the quick thinker that she was said that it wasn’t the real Easter Bunny, it was a helper, like Santa Claus uses sometimes to sit with kids at the mall. But my niece was no fool. She insisted her mom call all her friends to make sure they got their Easter goodies.

Trouble obviously jumped him after he made his rounds that morning. The Easter Bunny helper was obviously tired from carrying all that candy so he couldn’t put up a fight or get away. Yeah, that’s what happened. That's our story and we're stickin' to it. We were just glad that all of my niece’s friends got baskets that Easter. She would have hated to tell them that the reason they didn’t get any candy was because her cat killed the Easter Bunny.

12 Angry Men and Two Alternates (Part Three)

The defense has only one witness and it was Lola. She obviously was told what to wear and didn't own it judging by the fact her jacket was several sizes too large. She was definitely more calm on the stand than her mother. She mentioned church and her pastor and her boyfriends' belief in strong family as reasons she wanted to mend fences with her mother. She repeated the events of the night in question but explained that Lulu became agitated at the questioning and attacked her. She defended herself and fled with her daughter to her boyfriend's house where she was picked up and charged with OVI. The prosecutor went straight for the jugular on cross examination, revealing Lola's work as a stripper. He also got her to admit she did professional fetish work. I guess she got paid to stick her feet in some guys face while wearing leather and latex is what came to my mind. She didn't elaborate too much.She had a professional name, Trinity something or other. She had a website too that the prosecutor had a screen scrape of but the judge wouldn't allow it to be shown to us. She said she hadn't done that type of work in quite awhile.

So the defense rested, both sides gave closing arguments and then the judge explained what we had to do. It was all very clear and typed out for each of us to read once we started deliberating. Lola was presumed innocent. The state had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Lola committed Domestic Violence against Lulu. We were all in agreement that the State did so. Lola claimed self defense so she and her attorney had to prove self defense with a preponderance of evidence. That means when weighed against the states evidence, there were more things showing self defense than not. Our initial vote was 8 not guilties, 1 guilty and 3 undecideds. Each juror in turn then explained there feelings and thoughts on the case. We all agreed that neither witness was credible. So how do we decide what happened?

Remembering how agitated Lulu got during questioning and how aggressive she was on the stand, we felt she could have very easily exploded at the accusation that she was some kind of madam. Then we remembered that both of the police from Lola's boyfriend's community mentioned that she said "Even drunk, [Lola] can defend herself". Why would she say that unless she had to defend herself? She didn't know that Lulu had called the police on her. She had know way of knowing she was going to be up on Domestic Violence charges so she wasn't trying to position a defense at that time. So we the jury decided that Lulu attacked Lola and she defended herself. We found her not guilty. She broke down and cried.

After the verdict we returned to the jury room and the judge came in and answered questions. He had a couple too. When he was finished both the prosecutors and the defense attorney came in for questions and answers. It was an incredible experience and I recommend every body sit on a jury when your time comes to serve.

12 Angry Men and Two Alternates (Part Two)

Well the State of Ohio requires that Lola face her accused so Lulu had to testify. Her credibility as a witness was immediately suspect when it was revealed that she had killed her husband (who was not Lola’s dad) by shooting him once in the back of the head and then four times through the heart. She said he had ties to the Mafia and threatened to kill her. She was convicted and served seven years in prison and eleven years on parole. She has filed a vast number of appeals in her case. Twenty six were dismissed by the Supreme Court as frivolous. She maintains that she remembers nothing of the incident and she was “told” that she shot her husband. Then she went o a weird tangent saying that she had evidence that things didn’t play out the way she was told on the night she shot her husband. She wanted to know who all those men were and what they were doing on the bridge at that time in the morning. Then she said she had evidence that suggested that she wasn’t even there at all.

When asked if she saw her daughter in the courtroom, she looked around confused at first, then asked if she could take off her bifocals and put on her trifocals which were heavily tinted. After donning the glasses she took a oddly long look at Lola. I thought it was going to be a toss-up as to whether she would recognize her but she said “There she is. Wearing the nice jacket. She looks nice today.” Moms. Well aside from that she pretty much laid out the details as they occurred. Nice visit, dinner, back to the house. Then she said Lola began to accuse her of some terrible things, and saying bad things about her mom, whom she didn’t know. She thought that the mob was trying to get to her through Lola. She was sure the mob owned restaurant where they had dinner and the club where Lulu thought Lola stripped. And Lulu was sure that the Mafia had gotten to Lola since she accused Lulu of running a brothel.

If that wasn’t enough the defense brought up the fact that Lulu was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. She testified that she was sure people were pumping gas into her house through the walls. And when she went outside, the same people hired folks to dress up as students and surround her in her wheelchair. These “students” would then release gas from their backpacks to prevent her from getting fresh air. I mention the wheelchair because she entered the courtroom with a cane. The defense tried to show that during t he time she was confined to the wheelchair she really didn’t need it and her family was appalled that she would perpetrate such a fraud. During one recess, Lulu left the courtroom to go to the restroom. When she returned it was pointed out that she didn’t take her cane which she claimed to have needed.

In Part Three I will tell you about Lola’s stripping, and professional fetish escort work (she had a web site!)

12 Angry Men and Two Alternates (Part One)

Well I just completed my civic duty for the first time. I have been a registered voter for 29 years and this is the first time I had jury duty. I must say it was an extraordinary experience. Now that the case is over I am free to talk about it as I see fit. During the two days we heard the case we could not say a single word to anyone.

I was on call all week but I didn’t have to report to the courthouse until Thursday. I showed up with a couple of books expecting to sit and wait most of the day. I think it was thirty minutes before they took about twenty five of us to the courtroom. The Judge made some opening remarks and started the “voir dire”. We were asked collectively and individually questions about our backgrounds and any feelings we might have that might bias us one way or the other. One interesting question, and I have to assume it is a standard one, was “Do any of you feel that it is not your place to judge another person?” There was one. After more questions from both sides, six potential jurors were “excused and thanked”. I was surprised that some were let go, but not surprised at the others. Because it was a criminal trial there were twelve jurors, nine men and three women and two alternates. I was juror #3.

After an hour and a half lunch the state presented its case. A woman was accused of Domestic Violence. In fact it was the third time she had been charged. The first time was a misdemeanor and the second a felony. She pleaded no contest to the first and not guilty to the second but was found guilty. We found this out after the trial. We knew she had two previous convictions when we started but they were not allowed to be considered during the trial and deliberation. They were only mentioned because if she were found guilty, it being the second felony conviction would weigh heavier. I found that rather confusing.

It appeared to be pretty open and shut. The defendant, who I will call Lola, invited her mom, who I will call Lulu, to town. They had been estranged for 10 years and Lola wanted to mend fences. After two days of peaceful visiting, Lola takes Lulu to dinner. Lola has several beers. They return to Lola’s house and begin to discuss old times. The conversation turns violent and 42 year old Lola strangles and scratches 65 year old Lulu. Lulu breaks free and flees the house. Lola leaves and goes to her boyfriend’s house in a neighboring community. Meanwhile the local police arrive and take Lulu’s statement, photograph the lacerations abrasions and bruises and then take her to the hospital where her injuries are documented in a medical report.

In the neighboring community the police are called on Lola. She and her boyfriend are having a spat. Lola leaves the scene and almost runs over a police sergeant in the process. She is pulled over by another officer and given a sobriety test. The results are inconclusive. She is taken back to her boyfriend’s house and given four more tests. She fails and is arrested for OVI. All of this is captured on the police cruiser video.

Well our verdict might surprise you given the above were all recorded facts and no less than five police officers from two different departments testified. You see the state had to put Lulu on the stand. And they had to make sure we knew Lulu, shot her husband once in the back of the head and then four times through the heart. More on Lulu in part two.

Pennies

Well as you know my friend Scott is having a book published. I asked him if his "pennies article" was in the book and he said "No." I thought it was a great article so I asked his permission to preprint it here. He said "Yes." As you will discover, he is not a man of few words. Enjoy.

Many years ago while proceeding to work, I saw a penny lying on the sidewalk. Picking it up I realized I had just made the equivalent of $36 an hour. The logic being it took me one second to pick the penny up, and there are 3600 seconds in an hour, hence the “minimum wage”!

When I got inside I told my boss about my good fortune; he wasn't impressed. I don't suppose he had much of a sense of humor.

I have heard many people say that they would not pick up pennies since they don't have much, if any, value today. There's nothing left that you can buy by itself for a penny. Those specials where you “buy one at regular price, get the next one for a penny” don't count.

But for whatever reason I continued to pick them up, until I became an Owner Operator. That is, I bought my own truck and worked for myself, leased to a local trucking company.

Then the bad luck started to happen. It seemed every time I found a penny and picked it up, I would have a tire go bad on the truck. If I saw a penny and walked on by, nothing would happen. But if I picked it up, POW! a tire would go. I “proved” this theory. At a truck stop in New Mexico I saw a penny and walked on past into the building. I saw it again on the way out, and continued on. I had no tire problems on that trip.

I figured since others would not pick up pennies, there was a strong probability that it would be there the next time I was in the area. Sure enough, it was still there, so I picked it up. Not a hundred miles down the road I had a tire blow! So from that point on I refused to pick up any pennies.

Now I digress for good reason. Hang in there.

Just a few years ago God finally got my attention. In the process of studying the Bible and learning about Jesus, I realized how silly my superstitions were, but never got around to addressing the penny issue.

Then recently I received an E-mail about a rich man finding a penny and acting like he'd won the lottery. When asked why he was so happy about finding a penny, he replied, “Because it says right on there, ‘In God We Trust.’ What could be better than that?”

Since reading that I've been picking up the pennies I “find,” averaging one for every day I've worked. It isn't enough to just know the saying is there; I make it a point to read the caption: “In God We Trust.”

Later when I meet up with somebody I show him or her the penny. The usual response is “So what?” That opens the door for me to tell them about the motto, and to profess my belief in God and Jesus.

It's ironic that the smallest denomination of our currency could be a tangible reminder of God's grace. I may not have a lot of money, but by God's grace I'm rich.

Myth of the Ineligible Black Man or What Am I? Chopped Liver?

jimiizrael.com: Notes on The Myth of the Ineligible Black Man, re: The Washington Post joint "Singled Out"

I was surfing and wound up at jimiizrael.com. The eponymous jimi had this review on a series of articles by WaPo on the myth of the ineligible Black man. He has some very interesting things to say about the series and the most recent post in particular which just happened to have been written by a woman. She laments the lack of quality black men in bars.

Like most of the women in these kinds of pieces, Robyn's not REALLY looking for a husband. Not in a nightclub, because that would be ridiculous. Nobody smart looks for a life-mate in a nightclub. If the chances of you finding a suitable husband just out in the street are low, how much lower are they in a situation where the main objective is to meet someone to take home for the night? The same place you go looking for a husband is the same place pimps go to turn-out housewives and strip-bar managers recruit. Square biz. It's true, people find their life-partners in nightclubs. People hit the lottery too. But the odds are not in your favor.

I agree 200%. I think women, especially working women decide to unwind and go clubbing. When they get there they start sizing up the men as potential life mates, prizes that become more desirable and accessible the more they drink. And then they wonder why their great catch turns out to be a womanizing drunken bum. Well I got news for you. He was always a womanizing drunken bum. That's the kind of guy that hangs out in bars waiting for women. Hard working men are home sleep.
But there are other issues too.

The rest of the post is below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"

Jimi continues

Reading the Post joint, next thing you know, Robyn meets a nice cat, really digs him and ends up breaking things off because of their class differences, he's "too ghetto" you see. Class, like race, is a social construct. People come to you with prejudices about your background that they will dispose of, overcome or embrace. Class is mostly in your imagination anyways. Class is about the ability to get down with people from all walks of life. Turns out that some of Robyn's friends didn't dig her ex-boyfriend.

Nothing sinks the "Love Boat" faster than extra weight provided by well meaning friends and relatives. Momma may not like his background and girlfriend is sure he is a playa still but momma and girlfriend aren't the ones needing to makcommitmentttment and they won't be reaping the benefits of your long-term relationship. So what is their stake in this? Nil.

And jimi doesn't let the women off easy with their complaints about the quality, of black men. He lists some qualities that just might identify women as the problem and make them ineligible:

• If you have a law degree and can't cook or clean without whining about it, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are looking for someone to take care of you, I am not your Daddy. If you see him stop him cause he owes me money. But I am not that nigga and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are a gossip, you are not an eligible woman.


• If your dad is a punk, women want men like their dads, and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you moms is in our business, kick mud you are not an eligible woman.


• If you have no ambition beyond the acquisition and stockpiling of material things, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you play mind games, you are not an eligible woman.


• If you are on some "Slavery's legacy is still keeping the black man and woman apart" bullsh*t, you and Toby-he, who says that "Da White Man is keepin' me down" can put that sh*t on a t-shirt, Kizzy. You are not an eligible woman.


• If you have a tattoo on your breast, arm or *ss-crack, you are soliciting too much of the wrong kind of attention and you are not an eligible woman.


• If you can't hit the gym because it will mess up your hair, you are not an eligible woman.

There are a lot of flawed people out there. Some good and some not. Bemoaning the lack of eligible black men and blaming society or "the man" only contributes to the problem. Black men have an excuse now not to be more than the stereotypes. Black women have an excuse not to try as hard as they should since the eleigble black man is a myth. Speaking as an eligible black man I can tell you that you won't find me at a bar, or a club. Ever. You can find me at church, every Wednesday and twice on Sunday. And while I am not perfect, who knows, I just may be perfect for you.

(Hat Tip: Negro Please)

Don't Marry a Career Woman: The Debate Heats Up

What's that sound? Oh yeah its more liberal hypocrisy coming from femizons. It's seems that Michael Noer wrote a column for forbes.com called DonÂ’t Marry a Career Woman. It surveys marriages of career women and found that things were not all sunshine and roses. In fact most such marriages have high rates of dysfunction, infidelity and divorce. Big shock there huh. Carey Roberts notes the resultant meltdown and arguments in his piece Carey Roberts -- Don't Marry a Career Woman: The Debate Heats Up Carey says :

"Of course, these findings don't apply to every ambitious woman who has risen to the top of her field but the connection is true in many cases.
In practically every woman's magazine, you'll find advice columns to help the reader find Mr. Right and then entice her football-addled boyfriend to commit for the long-haul"

But when a male columnist dispenses relationship advice for men, that appears to be strictly verboten -- at least according to the Shrieking Sisters of Silliness who cut loose on Mr. Noer. "

So men can be objectified, analyzed categorized and stamped "MARRY" or "DO NOT MARRY" but don't dare touch the sacred woman. Lest the feminazis descend upon you and devour you.

Do I believe that a woman's place is in the home and she should be barefoot and pregnant? Not necessarily. You see the Biblical ideal of womanhood is a woman who exalts her husband, manages the household, instructs the children AND RUNS HER OWN BUSINESS (Proverbs 31:10-31). Not surprisingly God always has an answer. So why then do career women fail at relationships? Because of priorities. The Virtuous Woman's priorities are God, husband, children, household, business. Career women today are all about business first so everything else falls apart.

Hat Tip: Dani at Generation XPOSE

The Characters of Gen Con 2006

A Photo Tour of the Convention Through the People Who Dressed for the Occasion

More Movies That You'll Never See

This overwhelmingly popular feature is back. And by overwhelmingly popular I mean 3 comments. With such encouragement how could I not torture bless you with even more?

Again what I have done is researched (as much as is humanly possible from a chair in front of a computer) into what blockbuster sequels were planned and possibly made but will never be seen. Here are some I found:

Ben Affleck returns as Matt Murdock. He becomes the lawyer for the ruthless Miranda Priestly:
Daredevil Wears Prada

After losing an important race, Lightning McQueen starts hanging out in sleazy garages wanting quick meaningless tune ups:
Cars 2: Looking for Mr. Goodwrench

Denzel Washington reprises his epic role, this time he tries to enlist mutants into his civil rights cause:
Malcolm X3: Last Stand

The Rock is back. He returns from being cursed to wipe out all drug Lords and give their profits to NYC's poor and needy:
The Scorpion King of New York

Bruce Wayne flies to St. Lucia and Martinique and falls victim to the rhythm of a vigorous popular dance:
Batman Beguines

Damien opens a school for cursed youngsters and uses their demonic powers to fight for Damnedkind:
The O-Men

Robin Williams exacts revenge from all who ruined his family road trip vacation:
RV for Vendetta

As always, if you have a "movie that you'll never see" leave it in the comments. Be sure to check your locals listings! For all the good it will do you ! MMWWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Movies That You'll Never See

Summer is the blockbuster movie season. Films epic in scale and price fill the screens in theaters all over the country. If you want previews, reviews, praise and critism of these films, well you are in the wrong place. What I have done is researched (as much as is humanly possible from a chair in front of a computer) into what blockbuster sequels were planned and possibly made but will never be seen. Here are some I found:

Sean Connery and Peta Wilson return with matching shirts as they probe the dark world of beer swilling ten-pinners:
Bowling League of Extrodinary Gentlemen

Johnny Depp reprises his role as eccentric chocolateer. Now his empire is under attack by corporate raiders led by a creature made of chocolate alternative:
Willy Wonka and the Pirates of the Carob Being

Sometimes a hero comes from the most unlikely place. This time Karl Childers, now a wanted man by the FBI, must face his most challenging enemy yet; Dracula:
Sling Blade - Trinity

He's saved the world and billions of lives. But can he save himself from Metropolis Children's Services?
Superman Returns to Pay Child Support

If you have heard of some bad movie sequel, leave a description in the comments! Happy viewing!

Just the Way My Mind Works

True story.
Thirty one years ago I was privileged to have participated in the Upward Bound program which took inner city youth to a prestigious prep school for six weeks in the summer. The purpose was to help us improve our math and reading skills thereby increasing our chances of getting into college. My participation and subsequent post testing landed me a scholarship to attend the boarding school full time starting as a sophomore. The rest they say is history. But during the two summers I attended Upward Bound I made some lasting friendships.

Well today while I was out doing my church rounds I ran into a fellow UB student. The conversion went something like this (I've omitted the names for obvious reasons)

TD: Hey Dane how you doin'?
DB: Great! How long has it been?
TD: Years. Say whatever happened to the guy what's his name? You know who I'm talking about.
DB: Short, big afro, always flirting with the girls, married my sister and had three kids, divorced and moved away?
TD: Yeah that's the one.
DB: He came back to Ohio and then passed away a three years ago.
TD: Oh. What about that big girl who wanted to do stand up comedy?
DB: Oh I ran into her a couple years ago. She did do an open mike night once. She passed away shortly after that.
TD: What about that girl you dated right out of high school?
DB: I saw her last year. She had some health issues and died shortly after I saw her.

He got this strange look on his face and told me he had to go. I didn't think much of it until I was driving away. It seems that everyone from UB (except my sisters) that I have run into during the past three years have all died. And I just ran into him. Coincidence? Yeah probably. But if he kicks the bucket then I will have proof positive that I am the Angel of Death.

Speaking of Epidemics, How About that Made Up One Called AIDS

I am not one of those wingnuts that believe that AIDS was created by God to punish gays, or manufactured by the government to control black population or anything like that. I do believe that most of the hysteria surrounding the epidemic spread of the disease is pure leftist hype. And I never get tired of being right. Media Monitor has this story: The Post and the Phony AIDS Crisis :

"The Post editorial declared, 'It's been clear for a while that UNAIDS, the agency responsible for these statistics, was reluctant to contemplate good strategies for fighting AIDS lest these undermine global support for expanded funding.' The Post found the U.N. guilty of publishing 'dubious AIDS data.'

The FAIR Foundation, which stands for Fair Allocations in Research, had known about and exposed the dubious data. On its website, it highlighted how the UN AIDS office, the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institutes of Health, and AIDS activists 'continually speak of AIDS decimating the world and use that argument to argue for more research funding.' It had posted the John Donnelly Boston Globe article of June 20, 2004, explaining how the figures had been exaggerated.

'Recent studies in Kenya have confirmed millions of Africans previously thought to have AIDS are disease free,' noted the FAIR Foundation. In Kenya, as the BCC reported on January 9, 2004, estimates had put the figure at 15 percent, when a subsequent survey found only 6.7 percent infected."

So the folks at the U.N. lied, as usual. Then the media picked up on it and spread the lies, as usual. Then two years later they finally admit they lied, well after the fact and when nothing can be done to undo the damage, as usual.

I have been accused by liberals of not caring enough for the poor victims of AIDS. Well I do feel for the infected children born to infected mothers, or a blood recipient who got tainted blood, or an innocent who was deliberatedly infected by some diseased jerk. But I have no sympathy for people who insist that they can continue to live in a self destructive fashion and demand that I fork over funding to cure their disease. The media has played the public for fools and has manufactured an epidemic. They employed terror tactics by claiming it is widespread among heterosexuals when it wasn't. And then they swore that Africa would be decimated by AIDS but again they lied.

Millions upon millions of dollars were directed toward resarching what is essentuially a preventable disease. Think how much closer to a cure for cancer or diabetes we could have gotten if the leftist fear peddlers had just been honest with us. But they know they couldn't convince sane people to divert funds from other research based on the truth. So they manufactured a crisis to manipulate us into doing what they wanted, as usual.

Little Known Facts About Ohio

Well you may have wondered where I've been (or not.) I am going to tell you anyway otherwise I would have nothing to post. I spent the weekend in the Ohio State capitol of Columbus. I went down to meet some people I only know from the internet. We told that to everyone we encountered this weekend. You can just imagine the stares. But it's true. I frequent GOPUSA, a conservative political forum. Some of the people decided to have a meeting in Columbus. Since it is only a couple hours away I went. Conservatives are crazy.

We went to the Franklin Park Conservatory.



It's a great place if you are into flowers and winged vermin.



Inside the conservatory there were wondrous displays. Here we find an Amish farm. Note how tiny the Amish people are.



This was a problem for border patrol agents when the Amish immigrated to Ohio. Entire communities of Amish people were smuggled into the area in a single suitcase. Many thought their fanatical adherence to archaic technology was faith based. In actuallity it was size based. They couldn't find cars, phones, or electric stoves in their size.



This also explains why Amish like to stay away from "modern" communities in favor of their own. The first Amish settlement was in the backyard of Jerry Spencer next to his outdoor pool. The entire community was wiped out by a flood when Arlen "Fatty" Spencer did a cannonball off the high board. And now you know. If you want to read more about my trip and see pictures of the crazy conservatives who went, check out the forums at GOPUSA and find the "Ohio Road Trip" thread. Tell them ChristianBuckeyeMan sent you.

Booker T. Washington's Birthday

chrys over at Pettifog Jots and Tittles reminded me that yesterday was Booker T. Washington's Birthday. But it was Nightfighter at My Right Mind that came up with an incredible quote:

There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)

He could very well be describing McKinney, Jackson, Nagin, Sharpton, Bond, or Farrakhan today. Very prescient of the man don't you think? Or maybe leftist race baiters have always been around.

If you want to learn more about Booker T., read Shay's post at Booker Rising What Booker T. Washington's Legacy Means To Me

Freedom to Petition the Government to Redress…Ummmm Donuts.

I think it is a sad thing that more people can name the Simpsons and the judges from American Idol than can name the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. This is sad for two reasons. The first is that it shows that our schools aren’t teaching our kids what is important. You might think that it could mean that people aren’t as interested in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as they are in popular culture and TV. To me it is the same thing. Failure to teach is more than the inability to get someone to memorize facts. It is an inability to convey to them WHY something is important.

This leads to my second reason. If people do not know what their freedoms are, anyone can lie about them. How many times have you heard that “Separation of Church and State” is in the constitution? It isn’t. But if you didn’t know better you would swear it was because the ACLU uses it to put a barrier between Christians and government. What amendment guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion? There is no such right nor language to such. But “penumbras from the emanations” of the Bill of Rights apparently exist which contains this mythical right.

So if people think more of knowing who Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are than they do knowing that the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to Peaceably Assemble and Freedom to Petition the Government to Redress Grievances, then don’t let it surprise you one day to wake up and find your rights are gone. Every one of our First Amendment rights is under attack from the left. Every one of them.

Presidents Day Rant

It is a fact that there are fewer black conservatives than black liberals. Occasionally I find myself surrounded by people who under most circumstances would be rational thinking human beings despite the crimson hued area between their chin and shoulders. On one such occasion, such a person blurted out “I really hate how they took away George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s Birthdays and gave it to Martin Luther King”.  I was of course stunned. I know that the vast majority of whites in this country can not truly relate to the discrimination and hate that was targeted against blacks before civil rights movement of the sixties but come on, this statement was completely clueless. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the hard facts to counter this man. I remember a time when we celebrated Washington’s and then Lincoln’s birthdays. Then we stopped. So I had to do some research into the situation. (I was very young at the time of these events so I had no hard dates.)  I discovered that the time we started celebrating President’s Day and the time MLK’s birthday became a holiday were over a decade apart.

First off there is no such thing as President’s Day. Richard Nixon’s executive order declared some holidays to be celebrated on Mondays regardless of when they fell. This was done in ‘68.  Washington’s Birthday was one of them. It is still called Washington’s Birthday according to the law books and was first celebrated in ‘71.  I also discovered that no one “took” Abe’s birthday. It was never a national holiday. It had been celebrated as a state holiday in many states.  Once the so called “President’s Day” was established, states stop celebrating Lincoln’s Birthday.

Martin Luther King’s Birthday was signed by Ronald Reagan in ’83, some 15 years after Washington’s Birthday was made a Monday holiday.  It was first celebrated in ’86 but not celebrated in all 50 states in until ’93.  So whoever they are, they sure took their sweet time about taking Abe’s day and giving it to Martin.  

Just so we are clear, I have absolutely no doubts that much of what I am today I owe to men like Martin Luther King. But I have always wondered if his birthday should have been made a U.S. holiday. I felt this way even when I was a liberal democrat! I didn’t feel that way because of his accomplishments, nor did I buy into all the character assassination and talk about his womanizing and illicit affairs. I just wasn’t sure if the majority of Americans identify with his life enough to say he deserved his own holiday. It was 10 years after it became a holiday before all fifty states embraced it (remember the flak the Governor of Arizona caught because of it?) So I guess I have my answer.  Anyway that’s just my take on it.  Happy Washington’s Birthday!

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Technorati tag: Holiday Opinion   President's Day