Racial Profiling and Tyler Perry

The Trayvon Martin case has once again put the subject of racial profiling front and center. It has also clearly illustrated that despite all of the progress or perceived progress we have made in the way of race relations, racial politics and mistrust still define and divide us.

While the black community has been up in arms – and rightfully so – regarding this unmistakable and clear cut case of racial profiling that resulted in an innocent teen losing his life, the fact remains that to racially profile is human nature. We all do it!

I may be alone in saying this but I really don’t have much problem with George Zimmerman racially profiling Trayvon Martin – it’s what he did afterwards that bothers the hell out of me!

If you don’t think you’ve ever racially profiled anyone, ask yourself how comfortable you would be sitting next to somebody in Muslim garb on an airplane. Would you sweat a little?  Just a little bit?

If you live in a city where the majority of murders and violent crime are committed by young black men would you blame the police for focusing their attention on ……..young black men? If anything, we as black people should be angry at the minority among us who try their damndest to uphold all of the negative stereotypes and portray the entire black community in a bad light.

Of course my observation that racial profiling is at times warranted doesn’t mean that it isn’t without problems. One of the major problems with profiling is the fact most police forces deny they even do it. Why? We’re not stupid. We know you do it. Just admit it. Also, police often use racial profiling incorrectly and stop all black people for whatever the reason. A middle aged black man wearing business attire, sporting a clean cut appearance and driving a luxury vehicle doesn’t give the police carte blanche to assume he resembles all wanted black criminals regardless of skin tone, height, weight, hair style etc…

I read Tyler Perry’s account of an incident he was involved in with the Atlanta police in which it appears he’s alleging he was a victim of racial profiling. In case you haven’t read it, here it is; http://www.facebook.com/thetylerperry (go to the entry for April 1^st)

To summarize, Mr. Perry was driving from his studio to the airport in Atlanta. Whereas he often has security with him, this time he was on his own. According to his account, he acknowledged making a right turn from the left lane. He did this to ensure he wasn’t being followed – a security tactic he was taught. A police patrol car spotted this traffic violation and pulled him over. Two white police officers questioned him as to why he made an illegal turn. Mr. Perry responded he did so to ensure he wasn’t being followed.

Okay, now I have to admit that I admire Tyler Perry’s work as a producer/director. I think the fact his life journey has taken him from being homeless to being named by Forbes magazine as the highest earning entertainer last year speaks volumes to the ethos of hard work and a dream. However, let’s face it. It’s still mostly black people who go to watch Tyler Perry movies. I think it’s safe to say that most white people probably have no idea who Tyler Perry is or what he looks like. Therefore I’m sure the fact these two white police officers pulled over a black man whom they didn’t recognize and who was nervously talking about trying to ensure he wasn’t being followed must have come across as a bit strange.

According to Tyler Perry’s account of incident, the atmosphere was hostile and confused and was only diffused when another patrol car pulled up and a black officer recognizing Tyler Perry, spoke to his colleagues. I’m still not clear on whether he was actually issued with a ticket.

Now anyone who’s a regular reader of this blog knows I don’t have much love for the police. However, I consider myself a fair person. If the police do their job properly I’ll respect them for it. I’ll also point out any unfair criticism. In my opinion, this was a case of two white police officers doing their job. Period! I’m not sure if Mr. Perry thought his ‘star’ status exempted him from following simple traffic laws that the rest of us poor suckers have to follow. If they didn’t pull him over they wouldn’t have been doing their job properly. As for the police or atmosphere being hostile – that’s not hostile. Police pulling you out of your vehicle and beating your ass is hostile! The fact they may have been speaking to Mr. Perry in a harsh and possibly angry tone doesn’t appear to be unreasonable given the situation.

In my opinion, the problem with this incident is the fact Tyler Perry has appeared to use this incident as a narrative on the ‘ills’ of racial profiling. However he himself admitted to making an illegal turn. So I’m confused. If he didn’t commit any traffic violation and the police pulled him over just because he happened to be driving a nice car – then he would have strong case.

What really bothers me about this incident is twofold – one, the police are apparently investigating the incident – like the Atlanta police don’t have better things to do………like solving real crimes. Two, it negates and somewhat minimizes the claims of people who have really been racially profiled. How about that black man who has worked hard, bought himself a nice car and is pulled over daily because the police think he’s either a drug dealer or car thief. That’s somebody who should be angry – not a filthy rich entertainer who was pulled over for making a right turn from the left lane!

Gimme a break!

Things That Piss Me Off

Okay folks, it’s been too long since my last blog. I normally don’t take this long between blogs but I’ve been busy trying to make a dollar- and all I’ve ended up with so far is fifty cents. Life is a hustle!

Anyhow, enough about me and my impending move to a cardboard box on the really shady edge of skid row. Let’s get down to business.

In today’s blog I think I really want to bitch about some of the things that have really gotten under my skin lately.

1)      Incompetent School Officials

Here in Canada there was a case last month in Kitchener in which a man went to pick up his four year old daughter from kindergarten and ended up being arrested and led from the school in handcuffs. What crime did Jessie Sansone commit? Um…………none! Apparently his four year old daughter; Neaveh, drew a picture of a man with a gun. She then stated; “This is the gun my Daddy uses to shoot monsters and bad guys”. At this, school officials jumped into action and called in the police fearing a potential volatile situation at the Sansone home. And so the police came to the school, arrested and handcuffed Mr. Sansone and took him to the police station where he was subjected to an interrogation and thorough strip search. Oh yeah, and they also searched his house and temporarily removed his other children from the home so they could be interviewed by Family and Children’s Services.

And guess what? Take a guess. No gun was found. Why? Because Mr. Sansone didn’t own a gun. So why did his daughter draw that picture and say those things………..because she’s a four year old girl!! Holy crap! I know we have idiots in this world. Unfortunately I seem to bump into many of them on a daily basis.  But why do we put idiots in a responsible position where they can negatively impact an innocent family?

 Neaveh didn’t do anything wrong. She actually behaved like any normal four year old and demonstrated a sense of creativity and imagination. Isn’t that kind of a good thing? It’s not like she said her parents were doing bad things to her or her siblings. But the ‘so called’ adults at the school weren’t able to recognize normal behaviour. And I guess maybe it was another boring, mundane day at school. And so, what a way to liven things up – subject an innocent man and his family to a completely unwarranted set of circumstances.

 You know what I find even more appalling about all of this? I would have figured that after a day or so, the school officials may have been a bit apologetic, realizing that maybe they had jumped the gun. But the school Principal; Steve Zack, is unrepentant. He stands by his actions. Well in my opinion (I have to state that for legal reasons), in my opinion  Steve Zack is an incompetent fool who has no business being in charge of school full of little children with eager little minds, hoping to learn right from wrong and good from bad. And we wonder why children today are so screwed up!

 2)      Incompetent Children’s Aid Workers and Judges

And then at the other extreme we have adults who should see all of the signs of a bad situation in which they need to intervene, but yet choose to sit on their ever-expanding derrieres with their fingers up their nose – causing a preventable tragedy to take place.

I’m speaking specifically of the case of seven year old Katelynn Sampson who was murdered by her legal guardians in 2008. Those guardians were found guilty of murder and given life sentences this week in a Toronto courtroom. What a short, tragic life this poor little girl endured. Her mother, Bernice Sampson, was a 45 year old crack addict who had already lost her other children to the Children’s Aid Society. She didn’t want to lose Katelynn the same way and so she made an informal arrangement with her friend; Donna Irving, to become Katelynn’s guardian. Irving and her common law husband; Warren Johnson, then applied to become Katelynn’s legal guardian. And so a series of hearings occurred with the end result being a family court judge granted final custody to Irving. One small problem. Irving was herself a recovering drug addict and former prostitute. Warren Johnson was also battling drug addiction. However, none of this was discussed at the custody hearings. And so, because grown adults who should have done their jobs properly, didn’t – poor Katelynn was mercilessly beaten repeatedly almost every day until she died. An innocent little girl was allowed into the custody of a messed up couple who shouldn’t have had any access to children! Wow!

 3) Lying- Ass Police

Okay, if you’re a regular reader of my blog you know I don’t possess much love for the police. I don’t hate them. However I do hate the fact they can do whatever they want with absolutely no accountability whatsoever! They also lie their asses off – every chance they get!

So, this week’s version of ‘Police Lie of the Week’ goes to the Toronto Police Service.  We’ve all known for years that the police have quotas for issuing speeding tickets and tickets for all sorts of traffic offences. However, for some reason the police feel the need to deny it.

Well, this week a leaked internal memo from 31 Division had a Sergeant urging officers to write a book of 25 tickets per day. She also noted that accident officers should be writing 10 tickets a day on days when they have no collisions to investigate. So…………sound like quotas to me. However a police spokesman stated this is simply a set of performance guidelines. Give me a break! If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck guess what………it’s a duck!

 Until next time. Ciao!

The Trouble with Black Folk

I have a question; have you ever heard of Michael Lawson? What about Mo Ibrahim…….no? I thought not. I’ll get back to who these two individuals are a little later.

Two high profile funerals took place in Toronto this past Saturday. One was for Chris Thompson. A gunman walked into the barbershop where Thompson was cutting hair and executed him with a shotgun. The 35 year old father of two stood no chance. No one seems to know just why he was shot, however there’s the possibility it could have been something as petty as a disgruntled customer being dissatisfied with the haircut he received.

Also on Saturday, a funeral was held for 23 year old Anthony Spencer who was murdered in a Toronto recording studio. The aspiring rapper leaves behind a young daughter.

So, three black kids are left fatherless because of the actions of young black men with guns. Haven’t I heard this story before? Different city, same result! At least we’re consistent. We make sure we stir sh*t up wherever we are. And then we’ll turn around and blame it all on racism. The white man made me do it!

Last week I engaged in an interesting little discussion on Facebook in which one of my FB buddies posed the question as to what can be done to combat the problem of black on black violence that’s currently plaguing the streets of London.

This was my response;

“As a black man I would say that black parents need to take ownership and responsibility for a lot of the sh*t taking place in the black community as opposed to resorting to the same old ‘blame it on racism’ card. Racism may have gotten us here, but now it’s up to us to get ourselves out. It’s easier said than done, but to simply stick our heads in the sand and think that we cannot alter our outcome is simply criminal. Black kids do not kill other black kids because of racism! They do so because of an inadequate upbringing, lack of parenting, totally screwed up moral compass and the need to be seen as tough, thuggish gangsters!!!”

I braced myself for the onslaught of opposing opinions and the accusations that I was brainwashed by white society –as is often the response when I engage in these Facebook debates. You see, in the black community we’re good at sports, good at dancing……….and extremely competent in the art of denial!

If I hear one more person tell me all that ails the black community is a result of racism, I’m going to lose my mind!

Now please don’t send me any emails telling me I’m delusional, misguided and wrong! I’m not a racism denier. As a matter of fact, I have written numerous blogs on racism and my experiences trying to combat racism in the corporate world. If you think I don’t believe racism exists, read the following blogs;

http://jasonslyric.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/no-country-for-black-men/

http://jasonslyric.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/servitude-of-the-corporate-negro/

You see, unlike the plethora of ‘victims’ that seem to proudly exist within our community, I refused to be victimized by racism. Even when it kicks me in the teeth, I look for ways to navigate around it. It would be far too easy to sit on my ass, give up on everything and pronounce all is lost due to racism!

So let’s tackle some of issues one by one and see if our failure to meet expectations is due to laziness, ineptitude, and an overall lack of guidance and leadership within the black community or due to the evil white devils who somehow successfully make us do all of the things we don’t really want to do.

Let’s talk about violence. Back in the summer of 2005 in Toronto, it was called the ‘Summer of the Gun’. There was an explosion of gun violence and the vast majority of the victims and perpetrators were black. This given the fact that black people maybe make up 10% of the population of the Greater Toronto Area. Obviously this led to much discussion in the media. As is always the case, many white Canadians complained that Canada’s immigration laws were too lax and the result was young black men of Caribbean (usually labeled Jamaican) ancestry using Toronto’s streets as the OK Corral. Of course there was much discussion within the black community also and many suggestions were made. The most talked about suggestion was the need for more community centres within the black community so idle youth would have somewhere to go and something constructive to do. Idle hands lead to dangerous outcomes. I find this funny. Not funny ha ha, but WTF funny! You see, I notice a lot of idle white kids also. They usually hang out at the mall or coffee shops etc…Very often they make a nuisance of themselves as many teenagers do. What they don’t seem to be doing however, is killing each other over mindless attempts to establish street cred. However in the black community, idleness often leads to murder.

I have an observation – nothing scientific – just an ordinary guy using my ordinary brain. Maybe instead of building community centres, black parents should know where the hell their kids are and what the hell they’re up to? You think? Damn, can somebody please pay me a six figure salary to become a consultant and come up with these insightful and spectacular suggestions?

You see, because some woman decided to become a baby mother and have children for a man whom she knew from the onset was useless, it’s not society’s obligation to deal with your bad judgments. It’s not society’s role to babysit your kids. That’s your obligation as a parent! If you cannot meet that obligation, don’t throw up your hands and expect the rest of us to step in and do your job for you!

Things reached a climax during the Summer of the Gun when, during the funeral for one murder victim, another person was brazenly gunned down –  at the funeral. So a black community group called in Reverend Eugene Rivers from Boston. Rev. Rivers was credited for the so called ‘Miracle in Boston’ in which, through various community initiatives, was able to successfully decrease the homicide rate in Boston. Rev. Rivers came to Toronto and gave a speech to members of the black community. However, it was not the speech his hosts wanted to hear. You see, they had hoped he would echo their same old regurgitated rhetoric and blame whitey! Instead, Rev. Rivers placed much of the blame on failures within the black community. Needless to say, he wasn’t invited back for an encore.

Change the location and it’s the same thing. In London, England, they have been battling black on black violence and not having much luck. The scary thing is these young, naïve, ignorant and very deadly young men think nothing of taking a life over the most petty and seemingly minute reasons. They haven’t been able to successfully incorporate into their tiny brains a thought and reasoning process. They don’t understand their actions have lifelong repercussions for the families of the slain. If they do understand, they don’t care. In reality they are a bunch of sociopaths, who show no remorse for their deadly actions. If you want to use racism to shield these young thugs from the blame they so rightfully deserve – go ahead. I won’t be so naïve or criminally ignorant!

Racism does not cause black people to kill each other. A completely and utterly screwed up moral compass, a complete lack of effective parenting and a community that indirectly condones their actions by throwing up ridiculous excuses for it, is the reason for black youth killing other black youth! Period!!!

What about education? Why is it that young black men especially, are not graduating from high school and going on to higher education at the same rates as other groups? It’s got to be racism, right? If you answered yes, you’re an idiot!!!

I once attended a discussion that talked about many issues affecting the black community. One of the topics discussed was education. Many people passionately spoke about how their children were failing in school because of racist teachers. Of course there are racist teachers in the school system. There are still those teachers who will try and steer black kids into vocational courses and discourage them from aspiring to be a lawyer or other ‘respected’ professions. However, what a teacher cannot do is argue with success. You see, your child is in the same class as twenty something other students, learning the same thing. If they’re getting A’s and B’s on their quizzes, tests and assignments, it’s hard for their teacher to give them a failing grade. If they are handing in well written essays and getting failing grades on them – what the hell have you the parent done to confront the teacher and get the teacher to explain their reasoning for grading the way they did? Have you actually taken an interest in your child’s education? Do you go over their homework? Do you ensure they do their homework? Or do you allow your child to run wild in the streets late at night and not confront them when they skip school altogether. Finally, if it’s racism why black children are not doing well in school what about Indian and Chinese children? Why is it that they manage to thrive and even do better on average than white children in an academic setting? What have they done right and what the hell is wrong with us that we cannot see what they have done……..and copy it!!!!

No, I’ll let you in on a secret. Are you ready? This is profound, are you sure you’re ready to hear the truth? The real reason why black kids are doing poorly in school is because of conflicted priorities. That’s it! Plain and simple! You see, it’s much more important for most black kids to be seen as cool as opposed to being smart and studying hard. Who the hell wants to be a nerd who spends their lunch hours in the library studying hard when you can instead be cool, hang out in the hallways with the other cool black kids, wear the latest gear and date the hottest chicks! Their attendance in class might be a bit up and down but you can bet their attendance at dances and other social events will be 100%. That teacher that doesn’t like you – maybe it has something to do with you repeatedly being a smart-ass in class as opposed to them not liking you because of your race.

Let me tell you a story. Sit back and relax and let me regale you with little tidbits from my 40+ years on this earth. I went to college late. I was in my mid twenties. I did so because I was always an aspiring entrepreneur. So after high school, I worked odd jobs while I formed one failed business venture after another. I decided to go to college because when I was twenty-five I decided I needed something to fall back on – just in case none of my business ventures ever panned out. So I went to college and studied journalism.

I realized I was taking a risk. College was expensive and I took out a student loan. Whether I graduated or not, the loan would need to be repaid. Therefore failure wasn’t an option. I was determined to succeed. So on the first day of class, I made a conscious decision to just partner up with white students on group assignments. I wasn’t there to party; I was there to work hard, and graduate. By the third day of class, the first group assignment was handed out to us. There was a small group of black students who all immediately drifted towards each other and seemed a little bit miffed, that I drifted in the other direction to a group of white students I had befriended.  My little study group more or less stuck together for the duration of the course. There was one other black guy who was likeminded and he and I would sometimes partner together. My group handed in our assignments on time and got good grades. Whereas the black group often handed in their assignments late and during presentations were unprepared. Very often you wouldn’t find many of the black students in class. Where would you find them? In the cafeteria playing cards and talking about basketball or rap music. Skip forward to graduation. I graduated with a perfect grade point average, made the President’s List and graduated with high honours. So did the other black guy whose name also happened to be Jason, who also shared my determination to succeed. My groups of white classmates who I often partnered with all graduated with good marks. The black group………….well, none of them graduated on time. I’m not sure what these guys got out of college. Maybe they got a good social life. They didn’t get the piece of paper that they actually went there for – and that they or their parents were paying for. So if you were to do an analysis on my college and compare the grades of the black students with those of the white students, the numbers wouldn’t look good for the black students. So what could we blame for this imbalance? Racism? What about laziness and conflicted priorities?

You see, racism isn’t responsible for the failure of black students. A lack of focus and lack of attention by black parents is the real reason. Come Parent/Teacher interviews – how many black parents actually show up? Of course there are school districts in which predominantly black schools have been financially deprived of the financial aid and resources that white schools have received. But then what about schools in comfortable middle class neighbourhoods?

Take Prince Georges County, Maryland for example. This is the wealthiest black majority county in the United States. Throughout the county one will find wealthy enclaves of black professionals who have ‘made it’. However the educational ranking of PG County schools hasn’t been particularly stellar over the years. Same thing in Atlanta. With all of the wealthy black neighbourhoods in places like Lithonia or parts of Stone Mountain, you would think the performance of predominantly black schools would be a little more impressive. What this tells us is that the poor performance of black students is not just limited to poor children in underprivileged neighbourhoods. Why? Well, not to sound like a broken record but once again the culprit is conflicted priorities. Even the children of smart, educated and successful black parents don’t want to be seen as smart. Even though they can simply look to their parent’s success as proof positive that a good education will help you out greatly in life, they would rather hide their upper middleclass privilege and instead be cool and gain street cred!

The thing that really irritates me is the fact many people will use not just racism – but slavery in particular to explain why we have become who we are. I understand the argument. From 1619 when the first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia until 1865 when Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, black people were subjected to what amounted to a carefully planned and orchestrated attempt to stamp out the will, self esteem and self worth of an entire race. Obviously generation after generation of people being told they are worthless is going to have some long lasting effects. I get it!

What I don’t hear from these same individuals is an explanation as to how we’re going to get ourselves out of this mess.  Oh sorry I forgot – build more community centres and basketball courts – my bad!

Do you know how many times there has been some ignorant white professor at some university who has proclaimed black people to be genetically inferior due to the size of our small brains and that is why we tend to perform worse than white students in school? Of course this is a bunch of nonsense perpetrated by idiots who are probably card carrying members of some racist organization. However think about it. Isn’t this the same argument being used by members of the black community to explain why we are disproportionately impacted by violent crime, perform worse in school, and generally do worse economically – that we’re genetically pre-disposed to failure because of the legacy of slavery. Isn’t it really the same thing? So if we really do think we’re genetically inferior, why do we get so angry when a white person calls us genetically inferior? Maybe because it has absolutely nothing to do with genetics!

Why then, are there black doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, business leaders, and politicians etc… who are all doing well in their chosen fields? If it is genetics that explains our collective failure, why hasn’t if affected ALL black people. For those black people who did go to school, worked hard, raised a family etc… – what did they do that the rest of us cannot do? How did they escape their genetic pre-disposition while so many of us are unable to?

Also annoying is the fact that some in the black community come up with stupid suggestions as to how to tackle some of these issues. Confused? I’ll explain.

There are an awful lot of people are there who claim to be motivational speakers, have started various non-profits, and pretend to possess tools and ‘know-how’ that will help equip young, often-troubled- black youth in their quest to meet their true potential. Facebook is full of them!

I got into another debate via Facebook several months back in which one of these ‘motivational’ speakers was organizing a workshop to show black youth how to compile a successful resume.  My response was this; all any young person needs to do is go on the internet where, within five seconds, they can pull up any number of links that will show them step by step how to create a winning resume. Getting them to get out of their beds, leave their house and travel to some community centre to have somebody explain resumes to them wasn’t going to be the winning formula for creating employment among black youths. As expected, I was bombarded with opposing opinions. However one person did agree with me. She told me how she worked for a government agency in London that arranges workshops for black youth in particular, to help equip them with the tools needed to successfully enter the workplace, seek higher education etc…What she said was the biggest hurdle she faced was actually getting these youth to show up to the workshops. They would call these youth at home to confirm their attendance and then they would be a no show. Of course there are white youth who don’t show up to these types of workshops either and would rather stay at home watching TV or playing Xbox 360. However, it’s not the white community that’s in crisis, it’s the black community!

What I have argued with these so called motivational speakers and community workers is the fact you cannot coddle these young black youth and expect them to succeed. They are not stupid, they’re just not motivated. They have brains; however they just choose not to use them. One motivational speaker actually told me that during their workshop they would be going over things such groundbreaking topics as; how to dress for an interview and how to use transit maps to find the location of your job interview. Wow! Eureka! That’s it! They have found the magic formula for creating black success – telling young black youth that it’s not appropriate to have their pants hanging down by their ankles and their underwear showing at a job interview. Gimme a break! And as for showing young black teenagers how to use transit maps or Map Quest to figure out how to get from A to B – if there were a sneaker sale two hours away, they would have their route mapped out in five minutes. Why – because when they really want something badly enough, they will go to all lengths in order to achieve it. If these young black youth really wanted to succeed in education or life in general – they will do whatever is necessary to get on the right track.

Back in my corporate career I figured out something about managing problematic employees quite early in my foray into middle management. Whenever I was dealing with an employee who wasn’t meeting targets or expectations I would determine right away if it were an issue of Will vs. Skill. If it was an issue of Skill, it would be much easier to fix. I would simply supply extra training or whatever resources were needed to get the employee back on the right track. With Will it was much harder to correct. These usually were employees who knew exactly how to do their job and possessed the skills necessary to thrive – whenever they applied themselves. However they often didn’t apply themselves. Not because they couldn’t, but because they simply didn’t want to – for a number of reasons.

It’s my honest opinion that when dealing with underachieving black youth, it’s usually an issue of Will. They can hang out in the library and study – but they would rather be out partying. They could carry themselves in a respectful manner, but they would rather be loud and belligerent because that attracts attention and somehow makes them cool and funny!

Our priorities are all screwed up! The heroes of our community are celebrities and sports personalities. The individuals in our community who have worked hard and achieved great success in business are almost invisible. These are the people who can step in front of a group of de-motivated youth and show them that, with hard work and a good education you can ‘live large’! You don’t have to be a basketball player or rapper to be a millionaire.

Remember the first sentence of this blog? I asked if you’ve heard of Michael Lawson or Mo Ibrahim.

The first time I had heard of Michael Lawson was a few days ago. I was reading an article on members of the black community who are organizing fundraisers to help President Obama get re-elected. Michael Lawson is one such individual who, along with his wife Mattie, have raised almost two million dollars for various Obama campaigns. He is a retired partner in the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom in Los Angeles. The fact he and his wife have hosted fundraisers in their eight million dollar mansion in the exclusive Hancock Park section of Los Angeles is proof positive he was very successful in his career. My question is this; outside of the legal community or black tie circuit or various political circles, who has heard of him? I’m sure every single black youngster in Los Angeles has heard of Kobe Bryant or Snoop Dog but I’m willing to bet that absolutely none have heard of this very successful black lawyer. Isn’t he the type of guy you want speaking to groups of young black children and teenagers who have no direction or plans for the future. Don’t you think this black man in his fancy car, expensive attire and bulging bank account can show these youngsters what a little hard work can do – that you don’t need to be a gangster to get paid?

Now to the second individual I mentioned – Mo Ibrahim. He is a Sudanese born British businessman who is worth 1.8 billion dollars. Yes, that’s right, billion. I’m willing to bet every black British youngster has heard of Dizzy Rascal (rapper) or Ashley Cole (footballer), but I’m willing to bet not one could tell you who Mo Ibrahim is. In Canada, I’m sure every young black person can tell you who Drake is. However, ask them who Michael Lee Chin is. They don’t know of this Jamaican born billionaire who by the way, is much wealthier than Drake. If these three successful black men can rise to the top of their game, why can’t their success inspire others? Is it because we don’t know about them or simply don’t want to know? Why go to school, work hard and be a boring un-cool lawyer or businessman when you can be a sports star or rapper and have a lot more fun.

We want to have it all, but aren’t willing to work for it. And then when we fail or when other ethnic groups pass us by on their way up the economic ladder – we are quick to say it’s because of racism. Maybe it’s because we don’t put a significant focus and emphasis on being entrepreneurial. We don’t support each other like other communities do. Let me tell you, there are many businesses in other ethnic communities that draw almost all of their business from within their own communities. They support each other and invest in their community and encourage others. In the black community we always want to be the one at the top of the heap. We don’t really want to help out each other just in case our colleagues become more successful than us. What an absolute shame! Shame on us!

And speaking of black businesses, that’s something else that makes me shake my head. When I was in my late teens and going through my little militant stage that I’m sure a lot of black teenagers go through, I decided I was going to support black businesses exclusively – when possible. This experiment ended quickly as there weren’t many black businesses to begin with – or the black businesses that existed were absolutely terrible! After a while I decided my hard earned cash was more important than my supporting a black business that really didn’t care about me as a customer to begin with.

I remember going to a black barbershop. Yes I used to have hair – a lot of it as a matter of fact! The barber opened at 10am. At least that’s what the sign on the door advertised. However in the many years I attended that barbershop I can say I honestly can’t remember one day in which they opened on time. Every single day they opened whenever the hell they felt like it. And when they did arrive to find myself and some other customers freezing our backsides off during a frigid Canadian winter, do you think they ever once offered up an apology? When I walked to the barbershop I used to pass by a Greek owned barbershop. Guess what. The Greek barber managed to open up on time every single day. However, two grown black men weren’t able to. Ever!

Feeling hungry? Stop by a Caribbean take-out to see great black business know how in action.
They will advertise about ten different dishes and then when you ask for each one you’re told they don’t have any. Finally you end up going through 3 or 4 dishes before you finally come to one that they actually have. Of course maybe there was a rush on food and maybe they sold out of the favourites.  Right? Wrong! Go back the next day and it will be the same thing. Logic would dictate you shouldn’t advertise what you rarely ever have. However when you explain this to the owner you might be greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and kissing of the teeth.

What the hell is wrong with us?

When I was a little kid in London, before I moved to Canada, I had a friend who lived next door to my Grandparents by the name of Sanjay. Sanjay was Indian. His family had moved to England from Uganda when Idi Amin kicked out all of the Asians. Sanjay’s father owned a small grocery store. He worked hard and eventually added another shop and then another. Eventually he had a little business empire of supermarkets and with the wealth he now accumulated, he moved his family out of their little Victorian row house in Tooting, South London  to a big palatial home in affluent Surrey.

Compare this business model with one here in Toronto. A very popular Caribbean grocery store closed down about four years ago. This business was in a prime location and was always full of customers. I had visited it on numerous occasions and was shocked to find a sign on the window one day that the store had been evicted by the landlord for failure to pay rent. I went home and told my wife and we both couldn’t understand how a busy store could go out of business. Then a short time later my wife was talking to a friend of hers who happened to know the owners of the store. Apparently they weren’t paying their bills. Their suppliers were owed money in addition to the landlord being stiffed on the rent. However, the husband and wife who owned the store lived in a nice big house, drove expensive cars, and obviously invested their business’ profits in themselves as opposed to the business itself.

If you for one minute think this last example is a rare one, you’re kidding yourself. This is very often the black business model. Live like your business is a success before it actually turns a profit. So can we attribute the lack of successful black businesses to racism? I’m sure a lot of people will say yes. They’ll argue that banks aren’t willing to loan money to black business owners the same way they are to white business owners. And while this may be true – even though banks currently aren’t loaning money to anybody – what are we doing to ensure the success of our businesses. You see, in my opinion racism isn’t responsible for the failure of black business. What is responsible? Again, conflicting priorities. You see, it’s more important for many black business owners to have the illusion of success as opposed achieving real tangible success. Why actually work hard to earn a million bucks when you can look like you do!

I’m sure I’ll take a lot of flak for this blog. I’ll be called an Uncle Tom among other less ‘polite’ things. So what? I’ve never been one to hide from the truth – even if the truth is ugly. Yes racism certainly does exist in almost all facets of society. However that racism can’t be blamed for us as a community refusing to get off our collective asses, stop burying our heads in the sand and start coming up with some concrete solutions as to how WE are going to get ourselves out of this mess!

Every Man for Himself

The recent tragedy of the Costa Concordia should come as a wake-up call to all of those naïve individuals who prance through life, looking at everything through rose-coloured glasses.

What has figured prominently in news interviews with survivors is the fact it was absolute chaos onboard the ship as it started to take on water and list towards one side. Crew members who were tasked with assisting passengers were nowhere to be found. Passengers were fighting over life jackets. Young children and old people were being trampled by passenger’s intent on getting a prized place aboard a life boat. And finally we have Captain Schettino. What a brave soul. He was one of the first people off the ship – abandoning it and his 4000 passengers and nearly 1000 member crew.

I watched an interview with a family who survived the tragedy and returned a few days ago to the US. The husband explained how he set off to find life jackets for himself, his wife and his daughter. Upon retrieving three jackets he had to fight off numerous attempts by other passengers to take the jackets away from him. In fact when he gave one life jacket to his wife, another female passenger grabbed it and wouldn’t let go. This resulted in the jacket being rendered useless as it ripped in half. So he then gave his jacket to his wife and had to set off to find another one for himself.

Watching all of these stories unfold hasn’t surprised me at all. In fact I’m more surprised by the reaction of society as a whole. Everyone seems so surprised – surprised that a Captain would abandon ship and surprised that in the face of a tragedy, human kindness would disappear, only to be replaced by an ‘Every man for himself’ mentality.

I’m convinced that I seem to exist in a parallel universe to the rest of society. Either everybody else is out to lunch or I’m the one who’s delusional! I’m still trying to figure out which is which. You see, events such as what transpired aboard the Costa Concordia don’t surprise me. They don’t surprise me because I see the world for what it really is – a place filled with people who look out for themselves.

I spoke about this in one of my earlier blogs – at the end of the day we’ll resort to the animal instinct that lies dormant within all of us – when we’re tested. That nice neighbor who you have barbeques with in the summer won’t hesitate to slit your throat in the event of a natural disaster if it means saving their family at the expense of yours. If society has broken down, law and order is non-existent, electricity and water have been shut off and all store shelves are empty – and your cupboards are full of food while your neighbour’s are empty – you better have a loaded hunting rifle handy because they will come for it!

Idiot Economics

The Great Depression

Depending on what business newspaper you read or what news channel you watch, the economy is tanking and we’re all going to be broke, jobless and homeless. Wait…then the next day the stock market bounces back and our impending homelessness is put on hold……for now. I’ve grown tired of the economic doom and gloom!

I’m also tired of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. I’m actually a bit perturbed by that entire movement. I’m angry at the fact they blew it. Here was a movement that gained momentum quickly and then just as quickly turned into a 60’s style hippie convention. It became a legitimate movement hijacked by illegitimate people! Hard working people who have stumbled upon hard times due to no fault of their own were quickly replaced by professional protesters – the same ones you see at every G20 protest or economic summit – even though they couldn’t name half of the countries in the G20 and have no clue about economics. These are the ones who love the adventure of camping out in a tent in the middle of a park thereby denying its use to neighbourhood residents who might actually use the park for leisure. They are the ones who have no problem going weeks without bathing and have no qualms about taking a crap at the foot of a tree outside their tent – you know …..the type of people that you would very much want to hire if you ran a company!

So the real victims of Wall Street greed and government incompetence went about their own quiet little way and let the loud mouth agitators speak for them and turn everyone off their message. What could have been an effective international movement turned into a fad….a national jamboree for anarchists. Great!!! Good job everybody! Well done!

I also want to take issue with something that I hear every day on CNN, CNBC, and every business report I come across – the United States might get dragged back into a recession if Europe doesn’t get its house in order. Before we start pointing fingers I think we should remember that it was the near collapse of Wall Street in 2008 that sent the world reeling on the economic brink. The fall of Lehman Brother and other huge Wall Street firms started a domino effect around the world. That’s how the world works in the 21st century. Because our economies are so intertwined, if one major economy goes then it has global repercussions. And of course we’re speaking about the United States – the world’s largest economy.

Europe doesn’t need to get its house in order. Europe and the United States have always had a different work ethic and different outlooks on life. In the United States the priority has always been making money. There’s nothing wrong with that. People in the United States work longer hours, have fewer vacations, have larger houses and drive flashier cars.

In Europe on the other hand, people work less, live in smaller houses, have much less personal debt, have more vacation time, more friends and know how to enjoy a good glass of wine.

The thing is, there is nothing wrong with either scenario. That’s why very ambitious, over-achieving capitalists have often moved to the United States from Europe and people in search of a more artistic, less frenzied lifestyle have moved to Europe from the United States. The United States and Europe provide a good balance to each other.

Now I agree that some changes were needed. There is a whole generation of people in England for example, who have never held a full time job and don’t really aspire to have one. I don’t see how the rest of the nation should work their asses off to help keep these people on the dole.

I mentioned this in one of my previous blogs – a few years ago I vacationed in Trinidad (where my wife’s family is from). I saw people who didn’t have the material possessions we value so greatly, enjoying their lives. People would sit out on their verandas at night and enjoy a glass of rum with their neighbours. People would enjoy their friends, eat good food, go to the beach, play dominoes etc… Many lived in the type of bungalows surrounded by a stone wall – that you find all over the Caribbean. Many of the two story houses started off as bungalows. However as each child in the family grew older, got married and had children, the parents would often build an extension to house the extended family. Most of the people weren’t burdened by mortgages as they had lived in these houses most of their lives and the mortgages have long since been paid off in full. Their children are then free to enjoy life without having the stranglehold of a worrisome mortgage and the fear of possibly losing their house should they stumble upon hard times.

I have spoken to friends who have family in Southern or Eastern Europe, or in parts of Asia and they have described almost the same way of life. So my question is – who the hell are we to tell people how they should live – that their lives are pathetic existences and they should aspire to live like us? Why do we think people around the world have the strong desire to live like us? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous?

Of course, on the other hand, there are a hell of a lot of people who do want to live like us. That’s why hundreds of thousands of people line up each year to immigrate to Canada, the United States and Britain. Unfortunately these people are victims of what Marshall McLuhan calls ‘The Global Village’. Their desires and wants in life have been altered due to all of the television shows they watch depicting people in industrialized countries living the pampered life. Or they see their relatives who have moved abroad returning home on vacation bringing back electronics, fancy clothes and wallets full of US dollars. So now, the simple existence won’t suffice anymore. However, upon arrival in the land of their dreams they realize there’s a price to pay for accumulating all that material wealth. They aren’t able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life that they used to enjoy back home.

Something has gone totally wrong in our society from an economic perspective. There is nothing wrong with being a staunch capitalist. I too have capitalist aspirations – even though I have a pauper wallet. I read biographies of successful entrepreneurs and feel inspired. But the wealth gap has truly gone out of control. To admit that fact doesn’t make you a socialist – regardless of what conservatives will tell you!

I heard Michael Moore say something on CNN that resonated with me. He said something to the effect that what went wrong with the economy was that rich people weren’t just satisfied being rich. They wanted to become really, really rich. And that’s where the problems began. It’s their greed and contempt for everyone else that has caused Wall Street to think they run the world. For years they were allowed to run the world and so why wouldn’t they think they own the world and everything in it – including us?

I’m also not quite clear on why the very rich feel they should pay fewer taxes than the average Joe. How on earth is that fair? Very often, the wealthiest Americans, British and Canadians are extremely conservative. They have a hawkish mentality towards war yet don’t consider how wars will be paid for. President Obama wants to raise the tax rate on the wealthiest Americans from 35% to 39%. And the Republicans are steadfast against it. What kind of a selfish bastard thinks that raising their tax rate in a time when the country is desperately short of cash, is an offensive proposition? Apparently the wealthy do. They don’t know how good they have it. Under Ronald Reagan the tax rate for the wealthy was 50%. Back in the 1950′s under President Eisenhower, the tax rate on the rich was a whopping 91%! And yet, with a tax rate of 91%, there was still a wealthy class of individuals who got to enjoy the finer things in life. So put in perspective, a 39% tax rate isn’t too much to ask.

I was talking to a couple of friends the other day about the state of economic affairs. What we all agree upon is that at some point the disaffected and the poor are going to say ‘enough is enough’. Don’t think in the 21st century we are insulated from historical precedents in which the poor rose up to chop off the heads of the rich. You can only push people so far!

Joe Paterno – The Extinct Dinosaur of Penn State University

You would have to believe that Penn State University – being a university – would have a large number of somewhat intelligent people. After all, aren’t university campuses filled with bright, ambitious students seeking to open their mind and hopefully get a decent post-secondary education?

I’m sure the students at Penn State are no smarter or dumber than students at any other university. But you would have to wonder why 2000 students rioted on Wednesday night at the news that their beloved football coach, Joe Paterno, had been fired. I fully understand the passions that football can stir up – especially college football. I also understand that not all college football programs are created equal. That being the case – Joe Paterno stands out as one of the most celebrated, successful and powerful college football coaches in history. After all, as many people have stated – Joe Paterno is Penn State University! He’s been there since 1950 and with the supporters, boosters and alumnae have filled Penn State’s coffers with cash – estimated to be a billion dollars.

My wife and I have frequently had arguments due to the fact she is catholic and I see the Catholic Church as one big pedophile organization. That might seem harsh and if you’re a catholic you might feel insulted by those inflammatory words. However for a church that is supposed to preach God’s love and bring a sense of peace and purpose to one’s life, the Catholic Church has been responsible for the ruination of thousands of lives over the years. At almost every level it was covered up and the perpetrators were transferred to other parishes where they were free to subject a whole new group of victims to their sadistic and perverse ways. That’s why the Catholic Church makes me sick!

You know what else makes me sick – Penn State University – the catholic church of universities. The revelations this week about the 15 year reign of terror by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky against young boys is enough to make me want to hit somebody!

Then there’s Joe Pa – good old Joe Paterno. Joe Paterno the legend. The same Joe Paterno who was told in 2002 by a then graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, that he had witnessed Coach Sandusky having anal sex with a boy who looked to be ten years old, in the showers of the locker room. Mike McQueary told his boss – Joe Paterno. Joe Paterno told his boss – Athletic Director, Timothy Curley. Curley apparently told the University Senior Vice President, Gary Shultz. What nobody did was tell the police! And so Coach Sandusky, who is now 67 years old was free to continue victimizing young boys. The indictment states his raping of young boys continued until 2009. So………..that being the case, what we can reasonably state without a doubt is that if Paterno, Curley and Shultz had done more – countless young boys would have been saved from an alleged sick bastard!

You know, Joe Paterno’s audacity astounds me. He admitted he should have done more and that he regrets not doing so. Then when the calls start for him to step down he finally concedes and states he will do so at the end of the year. He regretted not doing something – which inadvertently led to the abuse of more victims. And he has the gumption to think he has the right to stay on until the end of the season. Hell no! Luckily the school administration kicked him to the curb –effective immediately. I know Joe Paterno is over 80 and so maybe its senility and a case of ‘old coot’ that was responsible for his ignorant attitude. Or maybe it’s the fact that he has run things for so long at Penn State and is used to them listening to him and not the other way around.

But if that happened what would have become of the mighty Penn State Nittany Lions? To alert the police would have brought the university national headlines it wouldn’t want and so it was much easier to pretend the situation would just go away.

There is now some speculation that the university possibly made a secret deal with Jerry Sandusky for him to retire. He retired from coaching around that time and many people have stated that 55 years old was a fairly young age for a college football coach to retire. So, did Penn State make a deal with the devil? Did they demand his retirement in exchange for their silence? Forcing Sandusky to retire wasn’t going to solve the problem. His abuse of young boys wasn’t just done under the guise of him being an assistant coach at Penn State University – it was done under the guise of his charity – The Second Mile Foundation – which was founded to help at risk boys. This foundation was how Sandusky got access to these young boys.

I’ve heard numerous interviews from Joe Paterno supporters over the last couple of days. They have continued to state they believe he did what he needed to do. He told his boss. It was up to his boss to call in the police. However, in my opinion that’s not correct. Maybe if Joe Paterno was told that some students were stealing toilet paper from a cleaning closet or that some students had vandalized a car – his response would have been enough. But we’re talking about the rape of a young boy. According to Mike McQueary who is now an assistant coach at Penn State, he entered the locker room one night to put away some sneakers. He saw the lights on in the shower area and heard noises. He then saw a young boy – age around 10 years – being raped by coach Sandusky. How does that not warrant police attention? How does Joe Paterno not follow up with Timothy Curley to see if he called the police? How does Joe Paterno not call the police himself?

And speaking of Mike McQueary – what kind of an idiot are you? How do you witness a young boy being raped and not get out your cell phone to call police right away? How do you not bunch your hands into a fist and ram your knuckles right into Jerry Sandusky’s teeth and save the young boy? What the hell kind of man are you? Apparently a lot of people share the same opinion because Mike McQueary will not be on the sidelines today for the game against Nebraska. He has now been placed on indefinite administrative leave and is under police protection. He has received threats from people wondering why he didn’t do more.

Of course Jerry Sandusky hasn’t yet been proven guilty. These are just allegations – albeit a lot of them. But there are enough little tidbits of information coming out every day to lead me to believe that he is indeed guilty! But let me play devil’s advocate. If these are all lies and Jerry Sandusky hasn’t done anything wrong – isn’t it the duty of the university and responsible adults to report allegations of sexual abuse? Call the police, let them investigate and then if he’s innocent – so be it. That’s calling erring on the side of caution. However these people put the university’s celebrated football program before the lives of young boys. It’s a crime! But let’s not kid ourselves. All of the evidence proves to the fact Jerry Sandusky is indeed guilty.

As a matter of fact, this case could blow up and take down many more people who could have done more. It’s no secret that around State College, Pennsylvania there were rumours and allegations for many years that Coach Sandusky liked young boys. The police actually investigated years ago. In fact, one police detective was listening when the mother of one of the victims confronted Sandusky over the phone. Sandusky admitted showering with the boy and other boys and asked for forgiveness. Wow, and the police did nothing and no charges were filed. The mother of yet another victim was cautioned by police about making too much noise with her allegations. Did the police put Penn State football and all that it brings to that part of the state before the welfare and safety of young boys? Could heads roll at the police department?

Also, what about the racial factor in all this? This crime is horrific no matter the colour of the young victims. However, if it turns out the majority of the young at risk boys who were victimized were black – the fact they were raped by an old white man in a position of authority raises an ugly new dimension to the whole case.

According to one prominent sports writer, there could be allegations coming out in the near future that Sandusky pimped out some of the young boys to rich donors. Wow! If there was ever a case for the death penalty, this is it!

Joe Paterno, Timothy Curley and Gary Shultz should all be jailed for being accomplices. And the football program at Penn State should be mothballed – shut down – done! If the NCAA can suspend football programs for financial irregularities and ineligible players, then they sure as hell can shut it down forever for being complicit in the abuse of young boys.

And for the naïve Penn State students who rioted the other night. I’m going to assume you were caught up in a mob mentality and didn’t really think about what you were doing. I hope that’s the case. Because if it’s not – there’s a lot of stupid-people who go to Penn State!

As for Joe Paterno’s legacy – if the allegations hold out, you’re a selfish, uncaring and stupid old man who stayed on well past your sell by date!

Hypocrisy in Libya

I have to say I’m a little disturbed with the way the whole Libya fiasco came to a conclusion. Actually only part one has concluded. Part two has yet to be determined.

I for one won’t miss Colonel Khaddafi, Ghaddafi, Ghadafi, Sanders or whatever spelling his name takes on today. However, are Libyans simply trading in the monster they know for the monster they don’t know?

Personally, I don’t think the west had any business getting involved. What on earth could be the significance of some small desert nation in North Africa to warrant the attention and military intervention of NATO? Hmmmmmm let’s see……….could it be………OIL???

I remember studying NATO during school and being told it stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was formed in 1949 and the main reason for NATO coming into being was to counter the Soviet threat during the cold war. It was one for all and all for one. If one member nation was attacked, then the rest of the cavalry would come charging in to save the day. The US and UK pretty much ran things much to the chagrin of France. So much so that the French decided to make love not war and withdrew from NATO command in 1959. I still don’t really understand if they’re in or out. I think they’re taking it on a war-by-war basis. If the chances are they will get their asses kicked – they’re out. If they can route a bunch of poorly trained soldiers in some third world country armed with sling-shots – then they’re in!

I’ll tell you who isn’t in NATO…. Libya! So I’m not quite sure what the threat was to Europe and North America. However Libya is blessed with oil. Plenty of oil! And a lot of European countries have oil interests in the country. Therefore I will score this one for the conspiracy theorists. If Libya was Ivory Coast, nothing would have happened. Ivory Coast has a lot of resources – just not the most coveted one – oil. Therefore when Ivory Coast’s elections resulted in the defeated President refusing to leave power and his thugs attacking supporters of the opposition leader, NATO decided that even though Laurent Gbagbo was an evil man and his supporters were slaughtering innocent people – he wasn’t that bad – not really. After all, what’s a few thousand dead civilians?

Bashar al-Assad has been killing his fellow Syrians for the last six months and ruthlessly suppressing any opposition. Have these actions resulted in NATO or the UN rushing in to help free these poor saps from their evil leader. Hell no! Syria has one of the world’s oldest cities – Damascus – a UNESCO site. It also has a lot of sand. Care to guess what’s not under that sand – umm…let’s see…….ahh..oil?

Therefore let’s call a spade a spade. Libya was about protecting oil, and like the misadventure that was the war in Iraq, the only thing that will result from this will be a more unstable world. A somewhat secular leader has been removed from office and executed unceremoniously at the side of the road by people who are supposed to be better – and stand for a more peaceful and democratic Libya. What a joke! Another opportunity has opened up for Islamic radicals to take over a country and plot their takeover of the west. And we helped them.

I’m scratching my head on this one!

Faith amongst Tragedy

Okay, okay, I know I haven’t been a reliable blogger of late. I’ve been busy with other endeavours and unfortunately this blog has suffered as a result.

So…………..what’s happened lately? Hmmm let’s see. It was recently Thanksgiving here in Canada. Canadian Thanksgiving is a poor imitation of the American version. Down there you eat turkey, watch football, and then go shopping on Black Friday. Here in Canada, we just eat turkey; talk endlessly and eat more turkey!

I must say though, it was an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was fantastic – sunny and almost 80 degrees for the entire weekend. We had some family over on the Saturday and then went to family on the Sunday. I cooked the turkey as usual and once again it was a shining example of culinary wizardry.

However it wasn’t all good. As I sat around the table eating some good food and drinking some good wine, I felt a little guilty. You see, a few days before Thanksgiving I attended the funeral of a friend of the family – a vibrant 34 year old woman who passed away suddenly. I went to see her parents the day after she died. As is the case whenever parents have to bury their child, it was devastating. Her parents, brother and sisters were beside themselves with grief – as were many people gathered in the church for her funeral. So as I sat in my house on Thanksgiving, eating my turkey and drinking my wine and thinking; life is good, I couldn’t help but think about Rebecca’s parents who must be going through hell. While this was a good Thanksgiving for me, it must have been the worst one they have ever experienced. While everyone else looks forward to Christmas, right around the corner – they know that the Christmas season will magnify their grief as their eldest daughter won’t be there to celebrate it with them. You know…………..life can be so cruel!

I once had a debate with a friend regarding the death of young people vs. old people. His point of view was that all funerals are tragic – even those of elderly people who have lived long, eventful lives. My point of view was that when you attend the funeral of an elderly loved one, you obviously are sad. However their funerals are usually celebrations – celebrations of a life lived. They have gone through the process of life. They were born, they got married and had children, grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren, they worked hard, had life experiences, and then grew old and died. That’s the way life is supposed to go. There’s nothing truly tragic in that. Sure they’ll be missed, but you have a lifetime of memories and you look around their offspring and know their genes, wisdom and mannerisms will continue on for generations.

When you attend the funeral of somebody who died young, it’s not a celebration of a life lived but a memorial for a life interrupted. There won’t be children and grandchildren because the deceased individual never got to achieve that. All you’ll have are happy memories of a childhood and early adulthood. That’s it! Everyone else will grow old, and live their lives and the memory of their loved one will eventually become a distant memory. This pain is especially felt by parents who love their children from the moment they first set eyes on them. All of their dreams, hopes and wishes for the future are snuffed out just like that!

There’s certain feelings that flow through me when I lose a loved one or experience something tragic that really should never have occurred. Sure there’s the grief, sadness, anger etc… but there’s also the battle for my spiritual soul. Every time I see something bad happen I try my best to hold onto some sense of Christianity and not succumb to becoming an atheist. You see, we’re inundated in church from when we’re young about how great God is and that everything good emanates from him. As little children we’re willing to accept this. We’ll believe whatever we’re told. But as we grow older we see things happen and ask where God is? I have asked this question numerous times.

Of course at funerals, you’ll always have people reference God. I think they mean to say nice things but in my opinion they make matters worse. They will say things such as ‘Well God had a plan for her’ or ‘it was God’s time to take her’. You know what, that’s not what I want to hear! If it’s God’s plan to take a loved one away then I’m not down with that plan! Simple as that! And what plan exactly are we talking about. After all, when someone is dead, they’re dead! No two ways about it. So what was the plan then -to take them away and devastate their family? Or what about it being God’s time to take them. Why? What about the time other people still wanted to spend with them? I’ve been told numerous times since I was a young boy going to church every weekend not to question God. But you know what. I was born with a brain. And I assume I’m supposed to use the attributes I was born with. However as a 42 year old man, it seems to me that we’re told to use our brains in school and life. We’re told to figure things out and make sense of things that seem nonsensical. However when it comes to religion we’re expected to be brainless morons who simply do as we’re told and don’t question anything – be nice little lemmings following each other over a cliff!

Anyhow that’s my rant for today. Some things just don’t make sense!

The Dumbing Down of the Death Penalty

Troy Davis

The recent execution in the state of Georgia of Troy Davis is a bit unsettling to say the least. I’m all for capital punishment, but only when it’s applied fairly and only when there isn’t a shred of doubt as to the guilt or innocence of the individual being put to death.

The state’s case against Troy Davis had more holes than a piece of old underwear! You had a lack of DNA evidence. Then there was the recanting of testimony by many witnesses who testified against Troy Davis at his original trial. Sure the credibility of the witnesses may be in doubt. But let’s face it, when pressure is put upon a police force and a district attorney’s office to solve a high profile crime…………they will do whatever it takes to get a quick arrest and a conviction – even if it means browbeating potential witnesses. And the murder of a fellow police officer takes high priority.

I don’t want to go off on a tangent about the credibility of the police. Any frequent reader of this blog knows I think the police will lie their asses off any chance they get – and it’s been proven over and over again. But that’s not what this particular blog is about. It’s about capital punishment and how it’s applied.

As I stated earlier, I’m a believer in the death penalty. Not necessarily for it being used as a deterrent, but instead as a fitting punishment for some depraved individuals who have forfeited their right to exist in society – by their own actions. People will argue that the death penalty isn’t really a deterrent at all. And they’re partly right. They’ll point to statistics which shows the United States – the only industrialized country that uses the death penalty – has a higher murder rate than any other industrialized country. Furthermore, states that have used the death penalty more frequently also tend to have higher crime rates in general than non-death penalty states. Places like Texas and Georgia tend to be more violent than New York or New Jersey.

However this isn’t really a fair argument in determining the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent to violent crime. You see, the death penalty is a deterrent – just not in the United States. The reason for this is the fact that when someone is sentenced to death in the United States – it’s the beginning of a very….very long process. In fact, in many States the average length of stay on death row has reached twenty years. This means the prisoner will be clothed and fed three meals a day for a very long time before they ever face a lethal injection. And many of those death sentences will eventually be commuted to life in prison. Therefore there is no immediate effect for their action. In my opinion, this is why the death penalty doesn’t serve as much of a deterrent in the United States.

But you know where it does……………………it totalitarian countries. I’m not saying that I’d ever want to live in some dictatorship somewhere, but for all the negative things you can say about totalitarian countries one thing you have to admit is they don’t have much of a crime problem. People are terrified of the police and any contact with them. I remember I was once in Cuba on vacation and found myself walking back to my hotel alone – after a night out at a club. I must admit I was a bit inebriated. However, my faculties soon kicked in and I realized I was on some pitch black street in some residential area in the middle of nowhere. And the thought crossed my mind that somebody could easily jump my ass and kill me, and I would probably be mistaken for a local and dumped unceremoniously in some Cuban pauper’s grave. But there isn’t much crime in Cuba. People are frightened to step out of line because of the consequences. Same thing in China. You would think that China would have a huge murder rate. Let’s face it, all of those people living virtually on top of each other – who wouldn’t snap at the slightest provocation. However, when people do step out of line they are dealt with…………quickly. No long stay on death row for them. Death is quick and brutal. No lethal injection here. Russia is another perfect example. Under communism there were a lot of problems – no doubt! However crime wasn’t one of them. Now, the crime rate is Russia is ridiculous!

My main problem with the way the death penalty is applied is clearly illustrated with what transpired in the Troy Davis case. I suspect Troy Davis was a victim of a situation much bigger than himself. I think politics played a big role in his fate. I suspect right wing republicans and tea party supporters wanted to send a clear message to President Obama that they can still decide the fate of a black man whenever they wish. In the US, the death penalty is applied unfairly and always has been. If you’re poor and black or both, you stand a much greater chance of being sentenced to death. A black person who has murdered a white person has a much greater chance of being sentenced to death than a white person who has murdered a black person –no matter how heinous the crime. Don’t believe me? Check the stats. Also if you’re poor and can’t afford a decent lawyer, you’re pretty much screwed. Public defenders for the most part, aren’t going to give you a million dollar defence.

With all of this you’re probably wondering why the hell I support the death penalty. Well it’s simple. I’m a bit frugal and maybe a little tight-fisted with my money. I don’t like to waste cash and don’t like to see my hard earned money wasted by the government. I find it hard to digest the fact my tax dollars go to keep some sick criminals alive. Take Clifford Olson for example. He died a couple of days ago from cancer. For those of you who don’t know who Clifford Olson was – he was a serial killer who kidnapped, tortured and murdered 11 children in the Vancouver area in the late 70’s, early 80’s. He showed no remorse for his crimes. He even jokingly referred to himself as the Beast of British Columbia. In my opinion, he was the epitome of a sick bastard who needs to be put down! He is a perfect example of why I believe in the death penalty. He was found guilty of murder in 1982 and spent the next 29 years in prison, where he taunted his victim’s families. Why the hell do we waste our time, energy and money keeping people like him alive? They are beyond rehabilitation –and even if they weren’t – too bad! They made some bad choices and must pay the price.

But, that’s how our bizarre world works. You have crazy lunatics like Charles Manson who is alive in prison and people like Troy Davis who have been put to death.

Justice for some? Certainly not justice for all!

Blame it on the Baby Mommas

Okay, so you watch CNBC and read the Wall Street Journal. The financial health of the planet is tanking…..and fast. There is much speculation as to why. I heard Ali Velshi on CNN blame it on the lazy Europeans – with their booze filled five hour lunches and over-the-top social programs.

If you listen to Fox News, then it’s the fault of that black guy in the oval office and for that matter…………anyone who’s……….black!

Still, many hard core conservatives will blame it on the breakdown of social values. The number one offender in this regard is that group of individuals who bleed the economy dry. They hijack our tax dollars at an alarming rate, are the number one reason why we need over-the-top social programs, and have no regard for anyone but themselves. I’m talking about public enemy number one…………the Baby Mommas!

Yes that’s right; Baby mommas are the cause of all that is wrong in this world. Right? Well, not quite.

As a matter of fact, that chick you see driving down the street in her new BMW, with her brand new weave, multi-coloured false nails and hi-tech baby carriage in the trunk might just be the one to save our economy. Why? Because the rest of society are a bunch of whining, lazy-ass morons who have their priorities all out of whack!

Anyone whose read this blog on the regular knows my political views are a bit centrist. If anything I lean a little farther to the right than left. Actually I detest hard core conservatives. I really think they’re a bunch of racists who hide behind their so called Christian-conservative values. But on the other hand, I equally detest bleeding heart liberals. They try to fool us into believing they’re free-thinking, enlightened souls when in fact they’re a bunch of ‘open-minded’ freaks intent on screwing up the planet even more than it already is.

That being said, let’s get back to those welfare magnets – um, I mean baby mommas! There is a reason why baby mommas are a valuable commodity. Without knowing it, they are making a firm investment in this country’s future. Why, because it’s simple economics stupid! Any country needs people to survive. To keep an economy pushing along, you need a steady supply of workers. Once that steady supply of workers dries up, the economy comes to a standstill.

Simply put, citizens in numerous ‘western’ countries aren’t doing their part. They’re not pro-creating. Kids today are an inconvenience. Who can afford to drive that nice sporty car, take luxury vacations, eat out at Michelin-starred restaurants, or afford that 3000 square foot house if you have kids? Kids cost money. Why should I spend my money taking care of kids when I would rather spend my money on……….myself?

The reality is you don’t have to have children if you don’t want to. But then you forfeit you’re right to bitch and complain about those ‘societal sponges’ known as baby mommas! You see, they’re actually providing a service. You decided you didn’t want to have children and so they’re having them for you. Kind of like surrogates although you don’t have to have sex with them or give them your eggs, sperm, etc…

It’s a bit ironic that most baby mommas are completely clueless as to the patriotic duty they are doing for their country. Most just thought they were going through the usual routine – meet a cute guy, have sex, pop out a baby, collect welfare, get a new weave etc…. Little did they realize they were actually fu%king for the good of the nation!

The reality of the situation is that the populations of North American and European countries are not increasing at a rate needed to sustain strong economic growth. In fact, many European countries will have fewer numbers of people in twenty years. The only population growth in these countries is from immigration and the numbers of children that these immigrants will have – which is usually significantly higher than the national average.

In the United States, the black population, while growing at a faster rate than the white population, is showing signs of slowing down. As many black people realize their ‘American Dream’, their wants and desires start to mirror that of white people – big house, expensive car, luxury vacations etc… Lost in this list of ‘wants’ is children. Of course for the black folk who haven’t had the opportunity to move up into upper middle class or affluent status – what else is there to do but have sex and produce children?

Then there are those illegal immigrants coming across the Rio Grande from Mexico. Those damn Mexicans! Guess what, they will have larger families than the average American family and their kids will be proud American citizens. So for all of those Republican Senators who harp on about illegal immigration – does your gripe have to do with the economic impact of illegal immigration or the fact you’re terrified you’ll be outnumbered in a few years?

In Canada, the numbers are equally dismal. There are now more people above the age of sixty-five than there are below the age of fifteen. In fact, Baby Boomers are the largest and fastest growing demographic in the Western world. This means more people are dying than being born. In Canada in the late 1950’s, the average woman had four children. Today that number is 1.6. It takes 2.1 children to sustain population growth. Therefore we’re not meeting our target. So we can increase our immigration numbers or start offering incentives for people to have more kids.

So there you have it. We’re screwed! Our only hope is the Baby Momma. So, instead of viewing baby mommas as a drain on our national purse-strings – maybe we should view them as a prized, national commodity that needs to be respected and nurtured. Maybe all of the tax dollars that go towards mother’s allowance, welfare, subsidized housing and a host of other social programs are simply an investment in our future.