Fear is a 4 letter word.

Im tired, tired of political retoric, tired of hearing things are going to be better or having analyst scaring the shit out of us on all the news shows, Im tired. We as a people can get involved in our "important" causes and convince ourselves our fight is the "just" fight. We do everything BUT fight the real cause of our dilemma, ourselves. We voted for the idiots in Washington D.C. we consume on a apocalyptic level, we, us. You want change? I mean real change? take a look in the mirror and start from there. We as people are easily convinced of anything once those in charge have figured out what scares us most. Erase your fear and think for yourselves its our only real hope.

Bitter Black and White Cookie.

Over the last couple of weeks events concerning the Shirley Sherrod incident have really got my bald head in a shine. Racism has existed since the beginning of mankind, is it justified? Not in any instance i can think of. Will it continue to exist? yes. I believe we as human beings have a natural resistance to anything that is different from us, we judge people and object based on perception whether taught or to us or learned on our own. Im not saying anything profound here by the way. Im speaking from my experience, I grew up in a house where my father was not too fond of black people and some of my friends were black growing up but hey were school friends. We even had neighbors who were black that we went to school with and my father was furious that my sisters and I invited them over to play. In 1975 my father was shot and wounded by a black man (the odds of him being another color in a black community were slim indeed) who attempted to rob him at his place of business. He ended up killing this man himself in the return fire. My father own his business in a deep part of Detroit, that predominately was populated by blacks who also happened to be poor by most standards. He dealt with petty theft and numerous other accounts that he deemed "a problem with that race". He referred to them in general, as thieves. Three decades later he was shot and killed in California from someone trying to rob him in his place of business. go figure.

My father felt he spoke about black people from experience, and in some strange way he might have been right about a few things, but he never took into account of all the black customers who didn't try to take from him and were friendly and kind.I know this because working with my father as a young boy that's ALL I ever saw.I was conflicted about race as a youth.

The Civil Rights Movement gave many minorities hope 30 years ago and important man( we all know who he is :)sacrificed everything to speak out for his culture and demand what the rest of us take for granted most of the time. Today I feel Mr. King and those who hoped to dream would be ashamed of what has transpired. Racism is alive and well, but concealed, and both sides have found ways to use it to their advantage. Im sure most have heard the silly phrase" God helps those who help themselves." I believe we just have to help ourselves. Minorities have gotten used to Government assistance and it seems they have lost a drive to pursue a better life for themselves even IF society keeps putting up walls. I don't think Mr. King would quit, would you? Many in the black community perpetuate the myth about their culture and Im sure that does not help them in any way. I feel the black community will continue to suffer from their own misgivings as much as the "have and have-nots" battle in their cause.

I feel most of the black community's dreams seem to be lost in material objects giving them prestige in their communities but nothing beyond that. I feel whites and many immigrants as well, have those dreams too, but also look beyond those for something more (that silly American Dream, whatever that is now.) I wish the black community would act on the goals and hopes that Mr. King wanted for his people but I just don't ever see that happening.

I voted for the current President because I believed what he was preaching (im an idiot) not because he was black, which I'm sure the black community voted for him just because he was(another folly). President Obama is showing he is the same old politician that I was hoping he wouldn't be whether he was white, black, blue, yellow, or green. Racism is here to stay. Though it finds ways to hide, it will always be there. The black community find ways to use it for any slight and the white community finds ways to conceal fears not matter if its justified or not. Good luck America. Good luck mankind. The Neanderthals could't stop Cro-magnon man. Inequality cannot stop those who must have it all.

What just happened?

The no smoking law was put into effect a week ago. I can't say that I'm too happy about it for a few reasons, but before I continue, I would just state for the record i am not a smoker. I was never a fan of smelling like a pack of KOOLS after I went out on a Friday night, nor did I like having my clothes smell like that either( because I hated doing laundry and liked to wear my shirts back to back. what guy never did that?). Now that this law is in effect im seeing some real drawbacks: 1. Now, every mother on earth wants to take their kids to the local hole in the wall for a burger. I love kids, I really do, but they do not belong in bar nor do I want to hear MOMMY!! I gotta POOP! when I'm watching a game or what not. 2. The menus at my favorite holes in the wall are starting to look like RED ROBINS(I miss that cruddy piece of parchment paper that had beer stains on it). 3. The menus are changing too, not happy about that either. 4. I cant drop an F-bomb when I want because Jr. didn't have his "earmuffs" on. Tripping over strollers should be at Applebees(BTW they have a bar in there too, go figure.) Leave a place for us adults, the reason these types of places exist is because adults need to get out too. Im glad i don't have to inhale that crap but it might be costing me more in piece of mind than in health. Yes, parents shouldn't be taking their kids in place like that anyway smoking or not, but leave us grown ups something! Drinking alcohol is harmful to others if a drunk gets in his car and the risk is immediate, but that's another argument for another time. I just dont like Law being passed because soccer moms want to take their kids back to a place where they might have been conceived.

We, who love the lights, salute you!

These are dark times my friends, a time when we have to watch every penny and sew the the holes in our socks. Worrying about our future plans and hoping our jobs did not disappear like a fart in the wind is another reminder of our nations current state, so I would like to take a moment and solute my amazing wife. She lives with an old grump, especially during the holidays, she puts up with my eccentric behavior, my constant worrying about school and my STILL jobless situation. She always has to remind me to pick up my clothes (though I might be winning that battle LOL)take care of my dishes( i might be winning that one too)or having to remind me of promises I made to her long ago. In spite of all her worrying and her constant mental battle to put up with me, she throws it all out the window com X-mas time. Because of her, WE are the only ones on our street who have a decorated front yard of X-mas lights. Year after year she has to drag my grumpy ass out to get all the stuff to witness her "Griswald"-like giddyness of puttin' up the lights, and it starts in the end of summer with the mental planning! From ear to ear that grin of hers while she is unwrapping cords of lights gets me chuckling every time i see her. Her Christmas spirit is untouchable even in the face of all my sarcasim, so lets raise a glass to the one AND ONLY, "Ray of Light" on Helen Street. Hip Hip Hooray sweetie, I love ya!

Gettin' high on the COCO BEAN!

Well, I have been pretty lazy with this here so called blog but not because i have nothing to say, I just don't know what to say that most, ok, the three people who have ever read my blog, don't already feel anyway, but I'll try. I recently went to Frankenmuth, MI or some might say "Little Bavaria," whatever the hell that means to people who have never been to Bavaria anyway, and it was my first time ever to this strange and seemingly very brown and tan town. Endless signs made of wood hung from storefront windows trying to sell you sausage, cheese or pounds of fudge for as much as the sucker, who thinks he is in Bavaria, will pay. My wife and I were sucked in to a candy store with an urge to get high on the exotic "Bavarian" chocolate they had to offer. Upon entering the squeaky wooden floored facility we were greeted by a haunting looking old man made of some unknown material holding a tray filled with real "Bavarian" peanut brittle. I took some and so did my wife and immediately were driven mad with the desire to purchase their products of homemade goods "Bavarian" style. Gorging ourselves on chocolate covered marshmallows and pretzel sticks that would have driven Willy Wonka insane, I was immediately hooked on getting as much fudge as 20 bucks would by me (I don't even like fudge!). Like two crack addict whores who felt we didnt get enough for our money, we left with 3 types of "product" and a peculiar desire to come back at a later date( because we forgot the camera) and repeat the terrible process all over again.

Ive never had a desire to go to Frankenmuth before and after seeing this bizarre brown and tan town that looked like a cheap version of a cheap version of a medieval village( Excalibur hotel anyone?) I cant say I would want to go back on my own.....like EVER! I did however imagine it as an abandoned tourist attraction sometime in the far distant future that maybe the Road Warrior would have to fight his way out of against some mad 10th generation Lutheran German savages wearing wooden clogs, carrying machine guns, and blazing away! Ill have to pitch that at my next meeting with a Hollywood producer.

do not pass GO!

Recent events have led me to say something, again, about how much we Americans stick our heads in our asses. 2 women were in North Korea( Americas new Russia) investigating an illegal prostitution ring(that has been going on for decades) that involves the selling of women and young girls to those willing to pay a high price. Its a terrible act that definitely needs to come to an end, but one that doesn't need two nosey reporter wanna be's that don't know jack shit about what they are doing. So in their obvious ignorance they were caught and held captive for X amount of days until one of the amateurs sisters' who happens to be Lisa Ling, comes a' cryin'. She is what they call an investigative reporter( whatever) her pleas are finally met with an astounding appearance of Mr Clinton himself coming to the rescue. Gee, I hope he comes when i do something totally stupid too when i am the first Chaldean-American reporter who decides to investigate some terrible crime and expose a country to the world who is doing nothing about it themselves and then expect to be treated with open arms.

This now leads me to our recent news of 3 American hikers who (oh my gosh!) are walking through the Iraqi mountains and wander into Iran without permission and are taking into custody. On GMA their relatives and spouses are pleading to anyone who will listen(Mr. Clinton)to help in their safe return. One relative said sobbing," there wasn't even any signs that said " you are now in Iran," apparently she has been living in a closed and sealed room for the last 50 years or so. After all the world has been through with the U.S. fucking around in other countries affairs, all the patriot acts, and civil rights violations, do we really need to be hiking around the middle east?
these are clearly idiotic people who feel they have a right to go where ever they want without any concern for reason or practical thought. I truly hope they learn the language there because we don't need those braniacs back here in the U.S of A

Ode to PJ

Is there just one band that, when news of a new album is coming out, seems to get you motor running? Im sure that the few who read this often non-updated blog have some sort of musical inspiration during their daily routine. Music has played a big part of life, not so much since i have been married, though it is always in my head through out the day. Pearl Jam, a band that hooked me the day i heard them 16 years ago, is coming out with a new record in September. Not since the days as a kid listening to the Beatles, Elvis and Johnny Cash, has a band moved me so much, especially in my adult life. I used to be in band( well, by accident anyway, i guess i can sing O.K.) we wrote our own songs and jammed in my friends' basement for years, played live a few times at parties, even released a couple of CD's. I don't wish for those day to return, though I loved recording the music and creating it as well. On a side note I owe a lot to my friend Jeff Ledbetter for showing me a road that i never knew existed in myself. Pearl Jam was the band that really made me feel connected to something in my own world, yeah, the Beatles got me hooked on the melodies and Cash intrigued me with his dark songs, but i never really felt connected to them in such a way. Pearl Jam inspired me to express myself in ways i never thought i could, whether it be writing or even singing or creating my own sounds. I cant express the exhilaration I feel when I hear a favorite song on the radio or cd, Pearl Jam made me hear music of all kinds in a whole other light and I thank them for that. Forcing one to grow with a band as they produce new albums is a very rare thing in Rock n Roll and I wish more bands were able to do that as well, but thats what separates Pearl Jam from the rest i guess.