My Daily Opinion

Hello America,

I don’t normally address issues involving entertainment, but this had to be addressed.  It appears that Kanye West has acted inappropriately at the MTV Awards.  I suppose that it isn’t a surprise that he behaved inappropriately, but it was at the cost of someone else’s expense. 

I assume that he was not a fan of Taylor Swift and wanted to make that publicly known.  What I should have said is that he wasn’t a fan of the ethnicity of Taylor Swift.  So during an acceptance speech for Best Female Video, he removed the microphone from her hand and gave accolade to Beyonce.

It is so apparent that he made the spectacle because the winner was caucasian and not black.  He has previously made rants about Gretchen Wilson, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake.  I am unaware of any public assaults made by him towards people sharing his ethnicity.  Coincedence? I think not.

It is a clear case for racism.  Of course not many are willing to mention it publicly because he is a decendant of slaves, but that does not give him a right to act in a manner that is clearly racist.  It is not appropriate for a white person to use a derogatory term in referencing people of color; that goes for black people in role reversal. 

If a black person was accepting an award and a white person behaved in the same manner as Kayne did; then there would be an uprising by black community leaders.  Californians would have another reason to start rioting.  There would be talk shows ranting about how racism is still alive.  Well, racism is still alive and it is being cultivated by thugs like Kanye West.

People like that makes the word “nigger” partly necessary to remain relevant in our society.  Behavior like that makes decent black people feel ashamed to be associated with their ethnicity.  Kanye West is an embarrassment to society, his culture, and the human race.  He should be put on a leash like the animal he has proven to be.

Taylor Swift is not the only victim here.  Beyonce was also a victim.  She was able to recover very respectfully by inviting Ms. Swift on stage to finish her acceptance speech.  Kudos to Beyonce.  She is a class act. 

If I could recommend to Beyonce on what she should say to Kanye, I would advise her to use the well scripted line used in the movie ‘Crash’ in the final exchange between Terrence Howard and Ludicris: “You embarrass me.  You embarrass yourself.”

Hello America,

I was walking in front of a federal building today and saw the United States flag at half mast which caused me to ponder the implication.  Granted, there are rules of when the flag is to be displayed at half mast.  Still, it is a sign of honor and respect when it is done.

I wonder if Ted Kennedy is deserving of such an honor.  Yes, he was a member of Congress, so that qualifies him.  But, was he deserving?  Did he earn the right to be honored?

I am not taking away the respect that a human being deserves when they die.  However, the flag is not put at half mast when a member of the armed forces dies in combat.  They may not qualify under the rules in which the flag should be lowered to half mast, but aren’t they moreso deserving of the honor than that of the death of a member of Congress?

You can rant, rave, and scream about how we should uphold the traditions of our forefathers, which is a valid point, but the Constitution is pillaged on a regular basis; so I think the tradition argument is a mute point.

Besides being a member of Congress, what has Ted Kennedy accomplished? He held a job for 47 years.  I am certain that we could find a person who has worked in factory for the same length of time that has died that was not honored by lowering the flag to half mast.  I can say with great certainty that the factory worker held a more labor intensive position than any member of Congress.

I am not suggesting that I am personally knowledgeable about Ted Kennedy’s life.  I am suggesting that he hasn’t done a hard days work in his life just based on his lineage.  If there is an argument that being a politician is hard work, then the argument can also be made that shopping with someone else’s money is hard work.  Ted Kennedy has been shopping with taxpayers’ money for 47 years.  Sounds like a tough job.

It would seem to me that there are people who are more deserving of the honor of having our flag lowered to half mast than Ted Kennedy.  We should be honoring our armed forces members who has given the ultimate sacrifice or the police officer, who has served the people faithfully, only to be killed in the line of duty.

Ted Kennedy qualifies for the tradition, but does he deserve the honor? I think that most would say “no”.

America,

There has been so much conjecture about who’s to blame for the present state of the economy.  The first target of blame was George W. Bush.  The next target was Bill Clinton.  The other day I saw an article that placed the blame on Ronald Reagan.  Give me a break!

The blame cannot be placed on any present or former president.  The blame is a lot simpler and a lot closer to home.  The reason the economy is in a poor state currently is because of two entities: corporate america and consumers.

That’s right! The buck stops here!  We, the consumer are partly to blame for the current financial situation here in the United States.  We are the ones who had to have that new car or the latest technology.  We are the ones that throw out perfectly working products because the “newest” edition has one more feature.

The consumer (you) went out to the department and electronic stores and purchased at will.  You are the ones that lived above your means.  You are the ones that lost your appeal for the three year old automobile and chose to purchase a new one.  You are the ones that decided to buy, buy, buy.

Instead of purchasing a pre-owned home; you went out and bought a new home.  To top it off, you got a loan with a lower adjustable rate during a time when the rate was the lowest in history.  Congratulations! The rate went up and so did your payments.  Now you want to cry foul! You gambled, you lost, and now you want a do-over.  Sorry! Take responsibility for your actions and live with the consequences!

Don’t think you are the only culprits here.  The mighty corporations are also at fault.  While you were patronizing their establishments in droves, they were worried that if they didn’t capitalize on their good fortune then it would go away.  Did they do the responsible thing? No, they did the irresponsible thing by building more stores.  They stood on the philosophy of “If you build it, they will come.” That is exactly what the consumer did.

Well, the interest rates on those low adjustable rate loans went up and people stopped coming.  Well, what does the corporations do now? That’s right! They start to layoff and close stores.  The supply becomes less in demand.  Keeping what we have is more feasible than replacing it with the product that has that one new feature.

After the dust has settled, the loans that the consumers received for that new home can’t be paid back.  The loans that the corporations received to open those new stores can’t be paid back because the consumers stopped coming.  The banks now sit on a bunch of defaulted loans from the corporations and the consumers, so they now start to layoff also.

In all of this, how can a president of the past or present be responsible? He cannot because he did not cause the corporations and consumers to borrow and spend irresponsibly, or the banks to loan irresponsibly.  He is just the leader of the FREE world.  You were free to make the mistakes that caused our recession.  If you don’t want to be free to make those mistakes again, then leave the free world.  Make no mistake, you are largely to blame for our country’s financial problems.

Some years back, a member of the Dixie Chicks said that they were embarrassed to be an American. Today, I echo that statement. I can’t understand how this country turned into what it is today.

To all the black people who voted for the president because of the color of his skin; I say to you congratulations. You have proven once again that you have failed as a race and as a countryman. You have shown that you cannot be trusted with making important decisions.

You have achieved history by electing the first black president of the United States of America. You have ordered your change. Now you will get what you ordered: a ride on the welfare train, the hand-me-outs that you were accustomed to under the Clinton Administration, and your piece of the government cheese that you have been addicted to since birth.

You have proven that you can come together as a race in actions other than rioting, complaining, and blaming the “man” for your problems, bravo! Now get in line together and accept your reward; four years of the wealthy paying your way.

Ok, Ok let’s keep it moving. Everyone’s equal here. I know darling, it ought not happen to you, keep it moving. Yep, I know, you’re innocent, everyone here is. It’s 6:00!

Eric Nenno was executed in Texas on October 28, 2008 for raping and murdering a seven year old girl named Nicole Benton in March 1995. This scumbag lured the girl into his home by telling her he needed to get his guitar so he could join a birthday celebration for her father. Once inside, he attacked her, strangled her to keep her quiet, then raped her at least twice after she was dead.

The cowardly Nenno wrote in a clemency petition, that was rejected unanimously by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, he has often thought about the devastating grief and pain he caused Nicole Benton, her family, and her friends and that there was no excuse nor rationale which would be sufficient to justify this heinous act of violence perpetrated by him. He added that nothing could excuse his crime and he can’t apologize enough.

His apology was accepted at 6:00 p.m. on October 28th in the year of 2008 when he was given the big sleep. There is only one thing left to do; flush it brother, flush it. Swish!!

America,

John McCain had to do only one simple thing and that was to keep his word and he couldn’t do that. If he is already incapable of keeping his word, then what do we have to look forward to in the future?

McCain said that he would not participate in the debate if there was not a decision on the financial bailout. It seemed like a reasonably simple word to keep, yet he couldn’t do it. At first hearing of his statement, came a sense of pride over me. It rang out loud to me that McCain was a person who had a “service before self” attitude.

What a kick in the teeth! I am not the only one that feels this way. I feel that his participation in the debate and his obvious inability to keep his word helped in the failure of the financial bailout. McCain has lost a lot of Republican support over his decision not to keep his word and may have handed Barack Obama the presidency. Pailin cannot bail him out of the fire on this one. He sealed his own fate.

America, I would like to appeal to you today. My appeal to you is to slow down and live. There were two senseless deaths in Houston alone in the month of August. The deaths were both of the same nature. People who were entrusted with the greatest gift, not only failed to protect it, but plain forgot that it existed. The gifts were children.

On August 13th, a 3 year old child was forgotten in a car for 10 hours and died as a result. A family member was supposed to carry this child to the day care before going to work. Well she forgot that she had the child in the car and went straight to work and decided to have lunch in the office that day. The child was left in an enclosed car exposed to the heat for 10 hours. The child succumbed to the heat and died.

On August 14th, a second 3 year old child was forgotten in a truck during daylight hours and died as a result. This child’s mother intended to take him to day care, but forgot and went directly to work. After getting off from her shift at the North Cypress Medical Center, she found her child dead inside of her truck. The investigators said that the keys were locked in the truck as well and it appeared that the child attempted to start the engine or open the windows.

You would have thought that the first tragedy would have raised the alertness of every parent or guardian about forgetting children in the car, but the incident occurred only twenty-four hours later. I have heard the question posed and I have posed the same question; how does a person forget that there is a child in the car? The answer is that we have stopped living!

We have to slow down and remember what’s most important. Is it more important to worry about life’s problems or concentrate on protecting and providing for the gifts of life we have been entrusted with? Is it so critical to travel at 20 to 30 miles per hour over the speed limit to ensure that we are on time to work only to forget the precious cargo asleep in the back seat?

As a society, we have to refocus and prioritize our lives around the things that are most important. We have to slow down and live! If life isn’t worth living, then why live at all?

http://www.click2houston.com/news/17187553/detail.html

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/houston_32684___article.html/hours_2nd.html

Hello America,

I am once again reminded that hypocrites knows no bounds. I am referring to the recent reports that says that black conservatives are conflicted about Barack Obama’s campaign. Why you ask? It is because they wish to make history by electing the first black president. I’m perplexed by this ideology. Is it more important to elect someone so that history can be made or is it more important to elect someone who will make the most positive decisions for this country? I didn’t think it would ever be necessary to ask such a question.

“Black conservative” talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president, but says that, “I don’t know who I am voting for in November.” Williams states that he doesn’t like Obama’s policies, or what he advocates, but says that “history thrusts me to seriously thinking about voting for Obama.” Williams admits that other “black conservatives” have privately admitted that it will be very hard to vote against Obama in November.

What is the fascination with making history? I hear it all the time about strides that a person makes, but it is only emphasized when it is race or gender related. Does a race or gender give a person an increased percentage of being successful? Some would argue that it shows that the United States is growing in opportunities for minorities. Well, that old news. Why don’t you take your head out of the sand and catch up with the rest of the nation. There are as many opportunities available for minorities in this time as there is for anyone else. The problem is that the whiners of this society are capturing the media’s attention and blurring the facts.

I am the first to admit that by electing John McCain as the next president is merely picking the lesser of the evils, but it wouldn’t be because he is caucasian. As frightening as it is to elect McCain, he is the most qualified for the job and he is the best choice between the two. McCain is not the most conservative Republican, but he is more conservative than Barack Obama.

So we come to the shameful conclusion that this country is now trying to elect a person for president because of the color of his skin. It is truly reverse discrimination. Instead of saying let’s not vote for Obama because he is black, but let’s vote for him because he is black. It was Martin Luther King Jr. that said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Apparently, the dream is dead.

Hello America,

I am perplexed today about a child in Douglas County that has decided that they wish to be acknowledged as a different gender than the gender in which they were born. When I say child, I am speaking of a person in the second grade. It’s not a typo.

This involves a second grade boy that wishes to dress as a girl and be addressed by a girl’s name. The school system is planning on being accomodating by creating two unisex bathrooms and also referring to the child by name instead of addressing them by gender.

There is an organization called the TransYouth Family Advocates that is providing this family and other families in Douglas County with support in dealing with this sensitive subject matter. According to Kim Pearson, executive director of the TransYouth Family Advocates, children as young as five years old are “realizing” their true identity.

Whei Wong, the Douglas County Schools spokesperson, says that the district views this as just another diversity issue and hopes everyone can accept and respect the student’s wishes. One parent that was brave enough to speak conservatively in this liberal egg sucking dog state said that, “I don’t think a (2nd) grader does have the rationale to decide this life-altering choice.”

Anyone else thinks that this is just a dream? How in the world did this issue become a part of our children’s society? Anyone else has fear running up their spine? How can this be? I am outraged and flabbergasted! Should we lower the age requirement to vote? Did someone watch that show called “Kid Nation” and thought that the world would be better off if children got to decide how they should live their lives?

Parents needs to start parenting again! Just because a child wants to stay awake until 3:00 a.m. doesn’t mean you allow them to do so. Are we now going to say that a child has the right to choose if they go to school, or if they bathe or not? If you relinquish an important boundary of deciding a child’s sexual orientation, what boundaries are left? Wake up America! Our children need our guidance. Stop dropping the ball! The consequences are too important.

Hello America and Happy New Year. I want to get on my soapbox today about men’s rights when it comes to pregnancy. I have a problem with the decision-making power of men in regards to pregnancy.

A man have the same power as a woman when it comes to having sex. All that changes when the woman becomes pregnant. A man has no say in regards to if that child should be aborted or not. Don’t get me wrong, I am against abortion, but why does a woman have the right to solely make the decision?

Okay, it is her body and no one should have control over someone else’s body. With that said, the man should have some recourse in the event that they wish not to have the child, and the woman does. What should that recourse be? I suggest that the man shouldn’t have to pay child support. Sounds cold and heartless; I think not.

Let’s look at the facts. In a situation where the man wishes to keep the child and the woman doesn’t, she doesn’t need any permission to abort the child. The man is left powerless to deal with the decision of the woman. Now let’s turn that around. The woman wants to keep the child, but the man doesn’t. Here again, the woman doesn’t need to consult anyone to make that decision. The man is at the mercy of the woman in a situation where both were equal at the start.

If a woman gets pregnant and the parents are at odds about keeping or aborting the child; in the scenario where the woman wants to keep the child, but the man doesn’t, then the woman should lose her priviledge to any financial compensation from the man. This is the only fair thing to do since the woman holds all of the cards. If women aren’t comfortable with this option, then the option for abortion should be relinquished too.