Race in America. Can a White Man even talk about it?

Today, I am going to make some people uneasy.

GOOD. People think better when they are taken out of their comfort zone.

Today, I am talking against MICHAEL ERIC DYSON and for BILL COSBY.

We all know who Bill Cosby is...a man who EARNED his way to prominence in not only th black world, but in the world as a whole. He went to school, read books, learned proper English, and became a rich, successful man. And he did it without relying on affirmative action or some other liberal "equalizer" to get him through. He is a brilliant man who worked hard to get what he has. Beginning at a speech to the NAACP, Cosby started a war on ignorance, laziness, crime, and lack of personal responsibility.

Many applauded his speech and his efforts to combat the downfalls of lower middle class and poor blacks. He brought their entire lifestyle and culture to question, challenged their disregard for taking it upon themselves to prosper without crime, and attacked their willingness to settle for the life they have without working toward a better future. As far as I am concerned, Cosby hasn't spoken a mistruth since he began his attack on the poor black cutlure.

But, then again, I am white. Where parents, for the most part, teach children that education and respect will get you places.

Cosby feels that in this country, in this day, no one who gets an education, develops proper self-respect, develops a respect for others, and becomes a worthwhile employee, anyone who does that, will succeed. Cosby sees ads many see, many poor blacks are not doing that today.
So, Cosby has been calling his race out-he wants work ethic to become a staple lesson to blacks. He wants a high level of personal responsibility restored. He wants blacks to become more educated, more responsible, hold higher moral standards, be better parents, and build a life that does not involve crime.

Why is that so wrong?

Michael Eric Dyson, also a successful African American, is a professor who completely disagrees with Cosby's attack on the poor black lifestyle. In fact, he put pen to paper and has a book out called: Is Bill Cosby Right? Or has the Black Middle Class Lost its Mind? This book is an attack on Cosby's attack. This book is a 300 page list of excuses for the poor black community to do just as they have for the past 20 years.

In an excerpt from his book available here: at NPR's website, Dyson insluts blacks as a whole while also attacking Cosby for coming out and challenging blacks.

Cosby's overemphasis on personal responsibility, not structural features, wrongly locates the source of poor black suffering—and by implication its remedy—in the lives of the poor. When you think the problems are personal, you think the solutions are the same. If only the poor were willing to work harder, act better, get educated, stay out of jail and parent more effectively, their problems would go away. It's hard to argue against any of these things in the abstract; in principle such suggestions sound just fine. But one could do all of these things and still be in bad shape at home, work or school. For instance, Cosby completely ignores shifts in the economy that give value to some work while other work, in the words of William Julius Wilson, "disappears." In our high-tech, high-skilled economy where low-skilled work is being scaled back, phased out, exported, or severely under-compensated, all the right behavior in the world won't create better jobs with more pay. And without such support, all the goals that Cosby expresses for the black poor are not likely to become reality. If the rigidly segregated educational system continues to miserably fail poor blacks by failing to prepare their children for the world of work, then admonitions to "stay in school" may ring hollow.

(The bold and RED is mine for emphasis on some of the statements made here.)

First, the comment that Cosby overemphasizes personal responsibility. To me, that is a statement that completely supports Cosby's statements. How can you OVEREMPHASIZE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? The choices one makes in this life are what determines our life. Yes, there are outside factors that contribute to our successes and failures. There are people who will do us wrong. There are unfair circumstances. SO WHAT? Get over it. Move on. Try harder. It is up to God's plan and your personal responsibility to yourself and your family as to whether you are a success in life. However, you cannot wait for God or any other deity, situation, or person to arrive to your front door step. You must make the efforts necessary to be a success. It is up to YOU and no other human being.

Dyson then berates his entire race with the second comments I put in bold. He all but calls blacks too dumb to work high-tech, high-skilled jobs. He says that in the high-tech, high-skilled work place, there are no or fewer opportunities for blacks. HUH? Just because the world is developing and requiring intelligence and education, there is no place for blacks? NO. If ANYONE gets an education and has work ethic, there is room for them in the work place. This is what Cosby is getting at. This goes back to the personal responsibility issue. You can't expect a drug dealer to drop the dime bags and walk into the CEO's chair at Microsoft. No. He's got to go to school, learn how to type and read and gain an understanding of computers, THEN he goes to work and climbs the ladder. Few, if any, successful people started on the top rung.

Dyson thinks blacks can't hang with the high tech world. Cosby thinks if they get and education and work for it, they can. Who do you side with?

The last comment in this excerpt from the excerpt bothers me very much. He blames the education system for the poor state that schools in highly black areas are in. How about looking around, Dyson. Its a vicious cycle of crime, irresponsibility, and laziness. The schools are in bad shape because the kids were not raised right and are running the school because they have not been taught responsibility. So, they have kids who go through the same cycle. IF the parents of poor black kids would raise them with integrity and personal responsibility, the kids would not ruin the schools and would be able to learn while in the building. However, when you are raised by the streets while mom is either coked and smoked out of her mind and sleeping with random men, or she is out working 2 jobs because her sorry man left, then the streets is all the kids know. And they bring the streets to school.

Bill Cosby is right. He may seem mean, hateful, and a traitor to blacks at times, but trust me, he is not. Cosby's crusade can save many blacks from the vicious cycle they are in, and at the same time, save our country. Cosby needs support from every person of every race.

If you ask me, Dyson is the traitor because he excuses the black behavior and encourages blacks to stay right were they are.

The Self Image of Young Girls...It's Scary.

Does this look like someone who needs to drop a few pounds? Didn't think so. But Lindsay Lohan believes that if she went arm to twiglike arm with some of her fellow streamlined starlets, she'd look like she was carrying extra baggage.

"... Compared to a lot of actresses my age, I'm actually overweight," the alarmingly slimmed-down teen queen tells Teen Vogue. "There are so many really, really thin girls out there."

(Perhaps one of them could give the once super-shapely beauty a mirror and a grilled cheese sandwich. Too mean? All right, moving on ...)

Lohan has dismissed eating-disorder whispers, attributing her skin-and-bones bod to a loss of "baby fat," and she tells the magazine she "feels good" about her new figure because "you can fit into more things."--This is an article online on MSN.com.

Wow.

Lindsey Lohan used to be a very attractive girl. Now, she is sickeningly thin.And on top of that, she is obviously sick in the head too. She thinks she could lose a few pounds? WHERE??

And, as a pop-culture princess, what the hell is she doing to little girls around the world with her comments?

Folks, its time to stop the thin is in craze. Its perfectly okay to want to be fit and healthy...but to drop to a point where your only cleavage is actually ribs poing through, that is a major problem.

Girls today keep getting the wrong messages...and they keep buying it. I can guarentee at least one girl will be directly affected by Lohans comments and will die from starving herself to be that sickeningly thin. I guarentee Lindsey Lohan's irresponsible comments and example will result in one family burying a young girl who thought that "just a few more pounds" wouldn't hurt.

Thanks, Linsey, for yet another great example of what girls need to grow up thinking.

We need more Mia Hamms...more Kathy Irelands...more Serena Williamses...more women who demonstrate that women can weigh over 100 pouinds, be healthy, and still look good.

Racism in the NBA? Not Hardly

Okay, I really want to get away from this issue, but it keeps coming up.

Race.

Several talking heads in the sports world have created the recent MVP voting in the NBA into an issue of racism.

Mark Jackson, ESPN hoops analyst and former NBA star, said that a black point guard with Steve Nash's numbers would never be considered for MVP. Jackson said that he put up numbers like that and was lucky to make an all star game.

A columnist in Miami (MIAMI...you know, where the HEAT are from) thrust this into national spotlight as well when he suggested that race was a major issue in the voting for the 2005 NBA MVP.

Why is race ALWAYS an issue when a white guy wins out over a black guy? Anytime a white guy does well, earns an award or recognition over a black guy, its because of race. Whenever a white guy gets a job or promotion, racism is the blame for a black guy not getting the job or promotion.

Lets look at the facts. Steve Nash won the MVP because he was and is the most valauble player to his team's success. Take Nash from Phoenix, and you have a talented and young group of players who would be a lottery team again.

Take Shaq from Miami, and you've got a 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs.

The MVP is not for the BEST player, but the MOST VALUABLE. Nash was more important to the 33 game turnaround from 04 to 05 than the improvement of the Heat.

While I cannot guarentee that the thought of putting a white guy on top did not factor in at all to the voting, I can guarentee that race was not the deciding factor...it wasn't even a real factor. Just talking heads who like to stir things up and take away from the honor of being voted MVP.

Nash deserved it. The Suns won 33 more games than last season, and did so in the WEST...you know, the deepest most talented of the two conferences. Nash scored when needed, passed the ball when the time was right, took the shots his team needed taken, and played tough defense.

Nash was all over the floor for the Suns each night. Nash is the MVP, so get over it.

The Heat would have made the playoffs without Shaq. Phoenix would not.

Tougher Laws for Crimes Against Children

In a great move by a conservative Governor, there is now a tougher penalty against child molesters. Thus, we now have to wait for someone like Judge Greer to veto the law because it is unconstitutional.

Think I am kidding?

I know other states have this sort of GPS tracking, but only under temporary circumstances during probation. This would be the first time anyone would be monitored for life.

First, I think ANYONE...ANYONE...who is convicted beyond a shadow of a doubt of molesting, sexually abusing, or raping a child should be locked up for life without parole. There is no excuse or reason for hurting a child. I think that these cardinals and priests who molested these kids should be defrocked, I think thats the term, and thrown in jail. NO ONE should be allowed to lead anything like a normal life after hurting a child like that.

However, life sentences for child molesters would not fly thanks to people like NAMBLA and the ACLU. So, then, let's compromise.

A lifetime of being tracked by GPS. Which is more than fair, I think. I think its really unfair that a child will forever be hurt and damaged by what this person did, yet they have the chance to walk free...the only reprecussion is some time in jail and then a little implant to follow you. I think that is more than fair and more than provides a second chance.

But, I am going to sit and wait for this idea of lifetime GPS tracking to be questioned in court. Will a liberal judge allow this law to stand? Liberal fought tooth and nail against registering sex offenders in the first place. You know, the same people obsessed with labels we against labeling the sickos that rape and murder innocents. Yeah. So you think they will be all for monitoring someone? ACLU to the rescue...its only a matter of time.

Liberals live and die to protect the world's criminals and refuse to protect the innocent. People like the ACLU will not allow a criminal to be implanted with a permanent tracking device. They will protect the liberties of scum like John E. Couey no matter the cost. Think I am full of crap??

Ask Jessica Lundsford. Ask Sarah Lunde. Or, in another case where the rights of the victim were thrashed by ACLU lawyers, try to ask Terri Schiavo about protection of the innocent...oops, you can't, can you.

But, let me stop being negative for a second.

Congratulations to Jeb Bush for getting this thing done and done immediately. Thanks to the men and women in the Florida legislature for getting it done.

Thank you, Jessica and Sarah for sacrificing, although unwillingly, your lives so that other little girls can live...so long as stricter laws continue to be passed to stop scum like Couey back on the streets.