Short Takes: Random Celebrities Behaving Badly
The Unspoken Fear Of Black America
Yesterday, however, the fear that Barack Obama's journey toward the White House could be derailed by violence inescapably bubbled to the surface. As news reports broke about the three men suspected of concocting a sinister plan to assassinate our arbiter of hope, black people across America were forced to face the suppressed trepidation that had silently tempered their hope.
Thanks to Tharin Gartrell, Nathan Johnson and Shawn Adolf, we can no longer ignore it. Their faces resemble those that have haunted the nightmares of black men for decades. They represent the faces of prejudice, ignorance and irrational hate. They symbolize the type of hate that induces men to head toward Denver with a stockpile of stolen guns and drugs allegedly on a mission to kill. Their suspected link to a white-supremacist group and lengthy criminal records come as no surprise.
As black people we know for sure that if there are three, there are more who wish ill upon the man who would be our first African-American president. There are thousands who, because of deep-seated intolerance, would rather elect a Christmas goose than a black man calling for change; and there are countless lost souls willing to kill and/or die to keep Obama's victory from happening. Our fear – no longer deniable – is warranted and real.
I hesitated to even blog about it, because I would much prefer to keep banishing all bone-chilling thoughts that there might be attempts on the presidential candidate's life to the background of my daily mental chatter.
I take solace in being sure that the best security money can by surrounds Obama. Every possible threat - both publicized and unpublicized - is curtailed quickly, I tell myself. I'm certain all I's have been dotted and all T's crossed for his historic acceptance speech Thursday at the open-air stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High. (Whose decision was that again?)
I keep these assurances at the forefront of my mind because anything else for me is unthinkable. I was not old enough to mourn first hand the loss of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or witness the riots that followed his murder. I was not yet born when someone did or did not hide in a grassy knoll to assassinate John F. Kennedy.
Our nation recovered after those tragedies. If America lost Obama -its most tangible chance for hope and recovery- I question whether the resulting rupture the fabric of this country could ever be repaired. That may be our biggest fear of all.
Related stories:
Report: Suspect confessed to Obama plot - Denver Post
Armed men were no threat to Obama: U.S. attorney - Yahoo News - Reuters
No evidence of plot to kill Obama: justice official - AFP
Should Gang Bangers Be Whipped?
Adulterous Tendencies Matter: Would He Trade The Country For A Harem?
"No one in the Democratic Party would want to be publicly associated with him,"
said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.
"Edwards is really damaged goods at this point." (source)
My friend could not understand why what a man does in the bedroom should affect his job, especially if it doesn't affect his job performance. He pointed out that if a politician is doing great things for the city, state or country, why should it matter that he has a chick on the side? Shouldn't he get credit for all the good he does? After all, Edward's reportedly has been a strong advocate for the poor. Isn't the affair between him and his wife, who says she knew and forgave him? (Yeah, they all say that in front of the cameras.)
For me, the bottom line is trust. I'd like to be able to trust my elected officials to do the right thing. Adultery, in any form, is a sign of weakness. It shows that a person is not able or willing to use sound judgment in the face of temptation.
These are people who stood before God and vowed to be faithful to their wives and families. If he can't do the right thing by his own wife and family, how can I expect him to have my best interest and the best interests of my family - people he has never met - at the forefront of his decision making? How can we be sure that when they stand on inauguration day, place their hands on the Bible and swear to do the right thing that - like on their wedding day - they are not telling a big, fat lie? How do we know that they won't go over to some foreign country and sell out America for a harem of virgins and a six pack of beer?
In most cases, I'm all for people keeping their dirty laundry to themselves. It is humanly impossible for me to care less about who the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker are sneaking around with. However, when your lust-and-stupidity-driven decision-making skills are crucial to the lives and livelihoods of hundreds, thousands or millions of people, including my family, it's my business.
I don't want to end up in poverty or at war because some idiot wanted to impress his mistress.
Random Words To Live By
1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
Another Case of Adultery Road Kill
These stories are not even surprising anymore. What amazes me is that there are public officials, celebrities and other high-profile people who can still delude themselves into believing that they won't get caught. They continue to fix their shifty eyes on the closest cameras and proclaim innocence like they are made of Teflon or had sex with the invisible woman.
I guess being a super successful person must come with some built-in level of arrogance. They all seem to believe that they are so much cleverer than the last casualty of lust and that they can have sordid affairs that no one will ever know about. They seem to be oblivious to the fact that no relationship happens in a vacuum. There is always someone who sees something. Also, once the romance cools, old lovers' lips seem to get as loose as their morals and the blab fest begins.
Knowing the level of scrutiny that high-profile people -especially someone running for the top office in our nation - garner in this day and age, how could Edwards have believed for one second that this skeleton wasn't going to come tumbling out of the closet? Did he learn nothing from Bill Clinton? Has he not caught wind of the text message mayhem in Detroit? Anyone running for office on any level these days should know that having a paparazzi colonoscopy is part of the interview process.
Look, there is no way I would run for public office. I'm sure my past is pretty low key compared to most, but there was this little stretch of craziness in my 20s that, frankly, I don't want to see in any headlines. I know better that to invite close scrutiny. Others seem to be in a fairytale state of denial.
I'm sure Edwards is looking back on that affair today and seeing that it was not worth all of the damage it has caused to his reputation, his chances of being Obama's running mate and, most importantly, to his family. On the other hand, this is America. He and his wife will probably get multi-million book deals out of it and be fine.
Random Idiocy: Detroit Mayor Kwame Making Defending Hometown Difficult
A judge ordered scandal-plagued Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail today for violating the terms of his bond. If you aren't familiar with this story, Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff were indicted recently for a bevy of charges after they allegedly lied under oath about having an affair and firing a police official. It's a long sordid story. You can find more details about the whole hot mess here.
Suffice it to say, Kilpatrick and his boo have been accused of all kinds of shenanigans over the past few years. Apparently still believing himself to be above the law, Kilpatrick took a forbidden trip to Canada last month even though he was prohibited from leaving the state.
Sigh! For nearly 20 years living in the Chicago area, I have remained a staunch defender of my Detroit hometown. Sure, it's has always been little rough around the edges and I must admit that memories of my happy childhood there may have clouded my view of the burned out buildings and aging infrastructure. Still, anytime anyone spoke ill of my native city, I would quickly remind them that Detroit was the birthplace of the Motown sound and Madonna. Depending on who I was talking to, I also mentioned Eminem.
I could always boast about the thriving auto industry that employed many of my family members and friends. I remember fondly the bragging rights I had living in Chicago back when the Detroit Pistons dominated the NBA. That was before Michael Jordan put an end to their reign. Those were truly good times for the city and those of us with roots there.
Since Kwame took office, however, it has become increasingly more difficult to defend the Motor City. I had been hopeful that the influx of casinos would provide the needed revenue to turn the city around. Yet the ragged neighborhoods indicate that the gaming revenues must have evaporated into thin air or hidden pockets. Perhaps the city council has been too busy bickering and the mayor too busy sending freaky text messages (allegedly, of course) to use it to do what was best for the city. The negative attention generated by both has been a definite blow to the city's already troubled image.
Hopefully, Kwame's arrest today will be the catalyst the Michigan governor needs to use her power to remove him from office. My prayer is that the next mayor has more common sense, less arrogance and strong viable plans to dig the city out of the mires of this scandal and give us Detroit natives something to brag about again.
Random Rumble: If I Had A Nickel For Every Fight Caused By The N Word...
According to Usmagazine.com and TMZ, Nikki reportedly ended up in a neck brace and her dad jailed. Others also reportedly joined the fight. The reports claim Bianca's mom received srious head injuries and had to be flown to Miami, Fla., to receive medical care.
His & Hers Arrests for Nikki Blonsky, Dad - E Online