Because I said so

As I watched Civil Rights Martyrs:Free at last it reminded me of lessons from my family. I remembered stories my grandfather told me of having to move to the back of the bus. Stories of my great-grandmother standing up to white people for mistreating her girls and the fear my grandmother had that her mother would be taken away from her because of it. Those were the stories I remember growing up and those were the stories that helped push me to want to be better.

When I read this story and particular the following comment I was dismayed.

In 2008, state officials in Alabama, Arizona and Washington delayed the start of the exit exam requirement and lowered standards after seeing that many students, including a disproportionate number of minorities, would fail the tests.

I am well aware of statistics which show that minorities underperform. Yet my mind has a hard time processing this information because I know it is not because minorities are intellectually inferior to whites. My personal belief is that families are no longer an integral support system for their children. Whether that is due to absentee parents or parents working too much trying to provide financially at the expense of a child’s emotional and behavioral needs.

We went to school year around in my home. During the summer time my mom found these student desks and we would have class, we would have recess,and even snack time. I even remember her having our room plastered with vowel sounds and numbers. We were very poor my mom was not able to provide financially for us but she invested heavily emotionally in us. At the time the exit exam in Texas was called the TASS Test my brothers and I all passed the test and on the first try.

Lessening the standards does little to prepare students for
college or young adults with productive futures. There are certain basic skills that should not be compromised. I think there is small percentage of people that have learning disabilities that will inhibit them from ever progressing pass a basic level for everyone else it just takes something called desire. A desire that is lacking in the students and administrators who believe that lessen standards is helpful.

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This is newsworthy.

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H/T to Siditty

Black students singled out to pick cotton by black historian.

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Player Lambert was suspended indefinitely as she should be, that kind of behavior has no place in sports.

No mention of thuggery blasted across sportnews anywhere in regards to this soccer player's behavior. I have no doubt that if this was a player of color they would have been suspended indefinitely.

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Mayor Deprives Rival of Black Clergy's Support is the title of an article that can be found hhere.

My first issue with this story is the title. Why was stating Bloomberg has the support of the Black clergy while his Black opponent does not necessary? I'll tell you why because the authors wanted continue to stir the race pot, as if we don't have enough of it today. Author's Confesore and Barbaro felt it was necessary to say hey a Black candidate doesn't have the support of the Black clergy which is his by "birthright" something must be going (I'll get to that in a minute). More than anything I think the title reveals something of the author's themselves. To me that reveal says

1. That most if not all White people BELIEVE Black people will stick together because they are Black and nothing more. Let me explain something being Black is the only true unifier in the Black community it’s what we have in common. Anyone who is not black and has spent any significant amount of time around Black people will know we are far from a united front. Nor do the majority of us blindly believe that another Black person has OUR best interest at heart. Nothing could be further from the truth there are numerous reasons as to why Black people are distrustful of other Black people I just don't have the time to venture into with this post.

2. Black people will blindly follow the pastor's direction.

A few weeks ago, the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, the influential pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, came to a difficult decision, one he had wrestled with all summer.

He would not endorse William C. Thompson Jr., the city comptroller and a longtime friend and ally, for mayor, as he had promised Mr. Thompson last spring. Instead, he would endorse Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Mr. Thompson was furious at the betrayal. But what he did not know was that Mr. Bloomberg gave a $1 million donation to the church’s development corporation — roughly 10 percent of its annual budget — with the implicit promise of more to come.

Damn! Does this not just prove what many people already believe to be true of clergy members at large? Corrupt bigots easily bought. If I was Mr. Thompson and a long time friend of mine who had previously pledged his support suddenly changes his mind when a milli ends up in his church coffers I would feel betrayed as well.

A message to the church attendees: RUN!


How is what Bloomberg is doing not the same as this.

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“I’m not saying women shouldn’t work. If you enjoy your job and it’s a fulfilling career, that is a positive choice. But if it’s not . . . it's almost in some ways that we got it all, then found that actually it wasn’t quite what we wanted.”

So true family matters most.

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GOP.COM

Why is this a dot com? This bothers me to no end.

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Nas responsed to the beating of Derrion Albert.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong wars! Killing each other is definitely played out. Being hurt from the lost of a love one was never cool.

Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one. But....

We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, Fila sneakers, and name plate chains. Deaths over "he say, she say"!!!!! "I'm from this block or I'm from that block", or "my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay"!!!

I remember feeling like I was the hardest "n*gga" breathing. And I couldn't wait to prove it. But let's think. What are we really proving?? And proving what to who?? Everybody knows Chicago breeds the strongest of the strong but I just feel, me, being ya brother from another state feels your pain as if I grew up with you in ya very own household.

You have the ability and mindpower to change they way we are looked at. Look who's watching us young warriors, look who's throwing us in jail constantly, look at the ignorance in the world. Look at the racist dogs who love to see us down. Loving to bury us in the ground or in jail where we continue this worthless war on one another.

Young warriors.... We are WASTING more and more time. We gotta get on our jobs and take over the world. Cuz this movie left the theaters years ago, Juice, Menace, Boys n the Hood , Blood n Blood Out, Belly!

When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS....and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the almighty. I'm with you young warriors. You're me and I'm you. But trust me! you are fighting the wrong war.

This sh*t sucks !!

--Nas

The mentality that killed Derrion Albert is one I struggle to understand. What parent or family members pollute their children into believing they are nothing and will never be nothing. That is what killed Derrion Albert. A mentality of contemptible hatred for anyone that is doing what you ought to be doing. Instead of Obama visiting for the Olympics his visit should have been precipitated by the continued death toll of teenagers in his beloved Chicago. Derrion Albert was killed by a familiarity that breeds contempt within our black communities. Derrion Albert was killed because we don’t believe that we can be what he was working towards. Rest in Peace Derrion. The world loses too many like you and in turn is left with the reprehensible do nothings that continue the cycle of hatred and low self worth from generation to generation.

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Woke up Wednesday morning around 3:30 praying God please let it be heart burn. I already knew my body was attacking itself again. I tried to wait it out hoping this would pass quickly but my gall attacks never pass quickly its always at least four days of oscillating discomfort to intense pain. I finally broke Thursday morning and called my doctor he was able to find a hospital that would allow me to come in for an ultrasound quickly. Went on Friday at 11:30 then got a call from the Radiologist and he asked if I could come back in tomorrow (which is today) I told him no he asked when was the last time I ate, he said don’t eat anything else and come back later tonight for a second ultrasound. WTF did you find!

Thank God I work in a hospital I am going to find out myself because there is no way in hell I am waiting until Monday to hear the results of that second ultrasound. When he first told me to come back in I thought it was the spot on my liver which was found over a year ago when I first began having really serious gall attacks. But the spot turned out not to be cancerous because there is insufficient blood flow and I do go ever six months to make sure it’s not getting larger. Back to my current problem damitt I am now hoping my “elective” gall bladder surgery which I have been waiting for months will now turn into a medically necessary surgery. The throbbing not’s so bad it’s when my insides begin to feel as if someone is wringing out a wet towel that I can find no release because no position alleviates the pain, vicodin helps but a morphine drip is much betta. Anyway I’m functioning today I believe I am at the end of this attack I am going to attempt to workout today I have not run since Tuesday and I hate missing days.

I am getting really good at my runs. I am now able to run 5 complete miles in 1:01. I am preparing for the turkey trot this year which is an 8 mile jog on Thanksgiving Day. My husband and youngest brother will be doing the 8 mile along with me my mom is going to walk the 5k. I have gotten so much better than when I first started back in May. I really enjoy running it helps clear my mind.


Lord delivery me from the banality of stupidity that encompasses much of the Republican Party. Really Rush because this was not happening before Obama was elected President. For real you also think the reverse didn’t happen to black kids going to all white schools. For real. Bullies are bullies so you can cut the Obama’s America crap.

"It’s Obama’s America, is it not? Obama’s America, white kids getting beat up on school buses now. You put your kids on a school bus, you expect safety but in Obama’s America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering, “Yay, right on, right on, right on, right on,” and, of course, everybody says the white kid deserved it, he was born a racist, he’s white."

Dick. I hope you are the first causality of “THE” race war you are trying desperately to incite, oh, might as well add that douche Hannity and just for grins Cheney.


Whitney, Whitney, Whitney, why lie! Yes I said lie because she did not keep it one hundred. Nothing will irk me more than someone who will not own their mistakes. Did anyone else watch the Oprah interview because she blamed Bobby and the industry for a lot of her unhappiness. I hate when women who are in abusive relationships once unconstrained by that relationship flip it and blame everything on the man. No, NO, NO. Whitney you were apart of this and you did not own that. I also don’t think she owned her drug usage either. Let me get this straight I don’t think Whitney had to talk to anyone about her drug usage but because she did then you should have at least been honest and forthright. I did not see that and I think denial will only cause her to relapse. I am far from wishing that on her but when you can’t admit to the full depth of your problem I only see a repeat of the behavior.

We are, or I should say I am (because my husband has been ready for quite sometime), finally ready to have a baby. I opted to find an OB/GYN that specializes in fertility because for the last year we have used nothing and nada, no baby, not even a grasp I think I could be preggers. Anyway she prescribed some prenatal pills we are not trying in earnest now but if it happens great I think I am really ready to be a mother now. This all came about thanks to Bush and his stupid Iraq war. When I was forced to keep my brothers kids while he and his wife were deployed last year. I was rarely around children until that point and I fell head over hills in love with my niece and nephews. I Love those kids soooooo much. So I guess I should thank Bush, ugh. Anyway we are not going to really try until after May. I turn 30 next may and we will be celebrating that and our 5th wedding anniversary in Europe. I am so excited we have saved for the past two years for this trip and I can’t wait.


Speaking of the trip I will be glad when it gets here my husband has such trip anxiety its ridamdiculous. He worries over the smallest minute details. I think I drive him crazy because whenever we travel I’m like oh if we forgot something we will get it when we get there its only TOOTHPASTE for God’s sake. I have yet to officially decide where we are going I was hoping to do at least four countries but my husband doesn’t really like to travel in the first place (he loves it when he gets there its just the getting him there part that sucks so much energy out of me). For sure we are going to Spain because it’s a direct flight from DFW and France I am really hoping to squeeze in a trip to Portugal as well.

On the corner of Wycliffe and Maple at 6am this morning a cop just ran the light. There was no emergency he did not have his lights on he just flat out ran the light and he made a left turn. Hell I want to run a light too. Asshole, cop.

Back to kids I have already decided on the names for my girls. Yes I think I am going to have girls whenever I have children and I am hoping for twins. My father is a twin, I had a twin, and my husband has six sets of twins on his side of the family. Their names will be Alexandria Cecily (and no that is not pronounced like Celie from the color purple) and Jacqueline Lynn. I know my husband would like a boy what man doesn’t but I also know he would like to make him a Jr. and my husband’s first name is so not cute. It makes him unique and we get plenty of odd looks and he is often asked to repeat his name but, no I don’t think our child should have to carry on THAT name.

And if there is such a thing as reincarnation I want to come back as a Puerto Rican. Puerto Ricans are the greatest people on earf. I really want to go back there instead of going to Europe, I enjoyed my time there. Beautiful water fun people it was all one love.

AHHHHHH I feel so much better now. I might actually be able to focus enough to produce an actual coherent post this weekend.

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