Wow! Is this guy a genius or what? Talk about stating the obvious. Uhhh, Dick, and I do mean dick… we have known this since the beginning. And so did you. Please go back to your cave and stop trying save your legacy. You got over and got thousands of good men and women killed. You made Hiliburton even richer than it already was. Your legacy is sealed and this double-talk will not undue your crimes against humanity nor the horrible position you placed our troops and nation in.
Thanks Jason Whitlock! No I really mean it.
I was minding my own business till you insisted on the radio over and over again that “The Wire,” a show that used to be on HBO was by far the best drama series in the history of television – network of pay.
I had seen bits and pieces of David Simon’s production. I had heard about the stories and some of the characters as well. I never got hold of the series because I didn’t have HBO during any of it’s 5 seasons. I caught an episode years ago while stay in a hotel that carried the network, but since I was not familiar with the show or it’s characters, I was not able to follow what was going on. The Wire is one of those programs that picks up it’s plots from the previous week and so on. So my interest for trying to pursue it any further dissolved quickly.
But, while catching up on the podcast archives of the Jim Rome show where Whitlock frequently substitutes for the host, he spent well over an hour detailing once again why the show was the best. He had done this before in a previous show. But this time he even went as far as interviewing Simon the mastermind of the program. David Simon has a story of his own that is very well worth reading – so I won’t insult him by giving some brief synopsis not worthy of his research and work. I will say instead that Whitlock’s passion for the show finally got to me and I decided to start from the beginning via Netflix. I watched the first three episodes of season 1 over this past weekend.
Right from the jump I was introduced to the Baltimore police department, political and judicial figures, some crackheads and a drug cartel who’s main characters have as much depth as any real life characters ever seen on television. “Ahhhh so this is what you were talking about when you described the contrast between crime boss Avon Barksdale and his lower level nephew D’Angelo. This is how it really is when a police department is cash strapped and care more about their image than doing good police work. Wow!” I make it sound simple. But the depth and detail of the character development I’m trying to describe is beyond anything I’ve seen before.
What is really authentic about “The Wire” is that much of the story that Simon told during 5 season was based on his own personal research of the Baltimore Police Department, the drug trade, the politics, the reporting via the major local newspaper, and how it all effected the lives of the citizens of inner city Baltimore in particular.
The storylines are genuine, and the acting surreal. After a mere three episodes I find myself fully invested into the characters and I look forward to seeing all 5 seasons in successon as soon as I possibly can.
Congratulations Mr. Whitlock! You hooked me!
Ok… this is a light subject matter but what the heck. It’s been a long weekend and I am still trying to gain my strength back so I’m not looking to think too hard. Hopefully I won’t give too many words to the subject matter.
But I was tripping off how LeBron James walked off the court on Saturday night after the Cavs got dismissed from the playoffs courtesy of the Orlando Magic. Normally in the NBA, teams don’t shake hands after a regular season game, nor during the playoffs with the exception of the final game. Instead, they go to their dressing rooms on opposite sides of the floor after the buzzer sounds.
I have seen some heated playoff series where teams play one another up to seven games over a period of two weeks. By the 4th, or 5th game, the players not only know what the other team wants to do, they are tired and irritable of having to deal with the same opponent which may lead to conflicts and minor scuffles. But after it’s said and done, similar to boxing where guys spend several rounds trying to take each others heads off there is a certain mutual respect extended for competitors. Personally I have been on both sides of that equation as well having both won and loss during baseball and track events in high school, as well as basketball events as an adult. I always felt that it was classy to give props regardless of the outcome.
LeBron doesn’t think he did anything wrong when he stormed off the court like a child. This was his excuse:
Uhhhh, right!
Let me tell you the real reason why LeBron walked off the court. A lack of respect for the Orlando Magic players. Let me explain:
The last time you saw a team walk off the court during the playoffs like that was the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons after they lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1991. Prior to that year the Bulls were Detroit’s bitch getting thrashed every year in May. Jordan would try to do it all himself, but the Pistons would continue to beat Chi-Town. I remember when the Piston players would laugh at Jordan during the game as he fell to the floor trying to make every difficult and spectacular shot. Michael didn’t have teammates that he trusted, and he fell spectacularly hard as a result.
Finally the Bulls improved as Phil Jackson was promoted to head coach, and they got some players around them that Michael had confidence in. The Bulls came of age and got over on the Pistons. Before time ran out of the deciding game that would put the Bulls in the Finals for the first time in it’s team history, Isiah Thomas and a few of his Piston teammates left the bench and proceded to walk off the court. The Pistons were two time champions and obviously that hurt. But the reason that Isiah led his crew to walk was his utter hatred and disrespect of Michael Jordan. Thomas hated Jordan since Michael’s rookie year when he was adorned with so many accolades before he accomplished anything. Jordan had the Nike contract, his own clothes etc. Thomas is known for freezing Jordan out of his first All Star game by making sure no one passed him the ball. The Piston’s leaving the court was a Bad Boy “F- YOU!” to the Bulls. They didn’t want to shake their hands since the tables turned.
This is where Thomas was a hypocrite:
1) He didn’t have a problem with shaking hands when they were bouncing the Bulls from the playoffs the previous years.
2) The Pistons were in the same position as the Bulls a few years earlier when the Celtics would make them cry by sending them home every spring. Remember, “Bird steals the pass, underneath to DJ for a layup – Celtics lead.”
When the Pistons finally got over on the Celtics, I clearly remember Hall of Fame forward Kevin McHale grabbing Thomas and looking into his eys telling him how it was Thomas’ time, that he earned it, and to finish the job by becoming a champion against the Lakers. Thomas listened and I could tell he appreciated the gesture. Thomas did not extend Jordan the same courtesy. He punked out and cowardly walked out before time even expired because it was a personal thing with Jordan. He just couldn’t be pro enough to give props where they were due.
What does this have to do with LeBron? He essentially walked out on the Magic for the same basic reason. He has no respect for the Orlando Magic and he fully expected to win that series. Look at the Magic’s roster. Sure you have Dwight Howard, but after that it’s Hedo, Lewis, Alston, etc. The Magic are an awkward herkey jerkey team that presented some serious match up problems for the Cavs. They shoot threes like a renegade bunch of rebellious youths. Many times they are undisciplined and seem ready to implode at any moment. And yet they got it done against the Celtics and then the Cavs who had the best record in the league. I can tell you that if the Celtics had knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs like they did last year, LeBron would have shaken hands because he would not have dissed Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. When he looked at the Magic roster, there were no guys he had enough respect for to give them props. He feels they are beneath him as a unit and that they should not have messed up his dream matchup against Kobe in this year’s Finals. That is the real deal.
Now where LeBron doesn’t get it – (and he is still young at the tender age of 24) is that “to whom much is given much is required.” He has a following with the whole “Witness” campaign, the chalk thrown in the air, the puppet commercials etc. and kids look up to him. What he does in defeat is just as important as how he conducts himself in victory. And even if he walked off the court the way he did out of sheer anger and frustration, the best thing he could have done upon reflection is to own it by saying, “I got caught up in the moment. I should have been a bigger man and shown better sportsmanship. That will not happen again.”
LeBron say’s he’s a winner. He certainly has won more than he’s lost on the court. But his immediate “exit stage left” act was as immature an act as you’ll see from a superstar of his calibur.
It’s so ridiculous to me that Judge Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court is being questioned all over the country by white men who wonder if her ethnicity has anything to do with her nomination. It’s pretty clear that Pat Buchanan thinks so for instance.
Let me help ya’ll out. Hell yes her ethnicity was a factor in her being selected. What stupid white men don’t understand however, and never acknowledge is that:
1) Minorities are not unqualified for jobs just because they are minorities.
2) There are plenty, and I mean PLENTY of white men who get jobs who are not qualified. And yet this is never questioned. It’s ASSumed that they are. For instance,you will never hear Pat Buchanan or Newt Gingrich say, “Hmm, I wonder if Stevens was nominated because he’s yet another white man picked by Bush. I wonder if he is qualified or just advantaged because of his skin and who he knows?”
Nope you won’t hear that. And yet white men have dominated the Supreme Court since it’s existance and continue to. I dare to say they will continue to. I am sick of these blatant hypocrites who bitterly question the intelligence and qualifications of every minority who runs for office or is selected to fill a position! The highest court in the land should reflect a piece of every facet of society which includes gender, race, and socio-economic class. That will assure the balance we need as a nation.
You want to get rid of Affirmative Action? Fine by me! Just rid the nation of White priviledge first!
James Young is the mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi. Why is that significant? Read the link.
Listening to him on this NPR interview it’s easy to see his love for community and his humble spirit. I believe he will be successful.
Godspeed to you Mr. Mayor. Like you said, “I got the key.”
Yes you do brother!
LeBron James took over the game. He either scored or assisted on every fourth quarter point his team got in the fourth quarter. He got yet another triple double in this crucial playoff game. I won’t say it was the most dominating fourth quarter performance I’ve ever seen. That’s no disrespect by any means to The King. It was different than that.
The fourth quarter of this game reminded me of a high school game where there was one dominate player on the court – clearly head and shoulders above all the rest in talent and athleticism. In the crucial last 5 minutes of the game this guy got the ball every single time at the top of the key. Held the ball, sized his man up and reacted to the defense by either scoring or laying down an easy assist via a three pointer from Daniel Gibson or Mo Williams. If he didn’t score or pass to those guys he caught Varejaoor Joe Smith for an easy lay up. There were no play calls, no strategy drawn up by the coach. Simple meat and potatoes. “Get this guy the ball and let him decide what to do with it… period!”
I know that there are a lot of people who feel that LeBron is better than Kobe at this stage in his career. I tend to disagree though I feel The King is the most dominating player in the league right now. LeBron turns the ball over too much for my taste to be considered better than Kobe. This should change as he matures – and yes as great as he is he still has room for improvement. If he stays healthy, there is no reason why LeBron won’t be top 5 of all time.
The way he willed his team to victory last night was just phenomenal.
Reading this article recently strikes me as yet another reason why I question the validity, dare I say the morality of Christianity. At least in the fashion that it’s practiced in America. It’s not that Christianity and Catholicism for instance have the market cornered on hypocrisy. But because of the utter self righteous way in which many Christians paint themselves, believing that everyone should think and live as they do, I don’t understand how they can reconcile the Jesus in the bible as a savior who loves them and their agenda so much. And so it is with a survey showing that 62% of White evangelical support torture.
Let’s examine just some of the opinions in this article for instance. My response to these will be in bold:
Rev. Ronald Kuykendall, an evangelical pastor in Gainesville, Florida, says that the question is difficult to answer because everyone has a different definition of torture. He says he would support the torture of a terrorist if “the techniques used are lawful, necessary” and the ultimate purpose is to save lives.
Kuykendall says the New Testament (Romans 13:1-7) teaches Christians that “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”
“The NT [New Testament] is clear that God grants the right of the ‘sword’ to the state to be used against wrongdoers,” Kuykendall says. “Just as I believe I don’t have a right to vengeance personally, I do believe that I can seek justice through the state and call the police on a robber, or a gunman threatening my life.”
Honestly I have no idea what he means or how this relates to torture. But he really tried to get the scripture to endorse his support of it. Is he saying that no matter what happens if it’s lawful then he supports it? I would say that as a Christian he shouldn’t leave it to sinners to determine whether torture techniques are godly. He doesn’t do that with abortion or gay rights. Both have been lawful and yet people who share his beliefs are constantly on the fight to change the laws. It’s as if he is complicit in support of torture but doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. Let the “authorities” handle it.
Chuck Colson, the evangelical pastor who once served as an aide to President Nixon, answered the same question in an online discussion conducted by the Washington Post “On Faith” Web site.
Colson said that Christians are supposed to obey the law, but there may be times when there is a higher obligation, such as ignoring a “no trespassing” sign to rescue a drowning man.
“So it is with torture,” Colson wrote. “If a competent authority honestly believes that this was the only way to get information that might save the lives of thousands, I believe he would be justified.”
Again, does the comparison to saving a drowning man (saving a life) compare to torturing a man? And who defines competent? Should it be a Christian who does the torturing? And what if the beliefs the “authority” has are based in prejudice more than evidence? He can “believe” the cow jumped over the moon but does that make it right? Is this the foundation on which he is willing to stand in the face of Almighty God?
Charles Kammer, a religious studies professor, says he was not surprised to learn that a majority of evangelical Christians support the use of torture in certain circumstances.
Kammer says that despite Jesus’ own commitment to nonviolence, Christianity as a whole has never embraced nonviolence. He says some evangelicals also confuse patriotism with piety.
“What’s good for America has often been seen as God’s will,” says Kammer, who teaches at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
“They think the torture of evil people is not bad, but may be morally required as a way of protecting the good people.”
Kammer said he is a Christian and does not support torture in any circumstances. He considers waterboarding torture.
This seems to make the most sense to me. When I first thought to write on this topic, I thought to myself, “Since the days of Columbus and perhaps before, Christians have always killed, maimed, tortured, stole, and dominated people when it served their interest. Why should 2009 be any different? To say many confuse patriotism with piety is an understatement! They believe, or at least say they believe that God is an American and that His focus is on preserving the American way of life that isolates and separates from everyone who do not share like beliefs.
I talked to a co-worker of mine who told me that she didn’t believe that waterboarding was torture. I asked her if she knew what waterboarding was and she said no. I figured she had listened to Rush or Coulter. (I swear Coulter is one of the most dangerous and sick thinkers I have ever heard. She is definitely serial killer material. Rush is a drug addict so I can’t take anything he says seriously. But I digress) Anyway, I gave her this link on waterboarding which show the lasting damage that it causes. Read it for yourself and see. Also, I said to her, “If it wasn’t so bad, why would the CIA bother doing it? If one believes in torture, surely he wouldn’t do something that seems like a mere nuisance.” She agreed, but admitted that she likes the feeling of feeling safe. She liked the tough talk of Dick Cheney and felt that her protection was more secure with the mobster like approach. In other words it’s better for your neighbors to fear you more than respect you.
But she wanted my opinion as well. So I explained to this person who has an Assemblies of God background the virtues of neighbors this way:
You, your husband and children live in a home which resides in a neighborhood. You have neighbors. Perhaps you can get along ok if you held every one of your neighbors at bay with a gun. Let’s say no one will bother you. Everyone fears you and you feel safe.
But let’s say you’re away from the house and someone is snooping around your property. Well the neighbor to your right would perhaps alert you or the authorities, but they are mostly indifferent because you aren’t friendly neighbors and have no respect for one another.
Let’s say you go out of town. You can tell a good neighbor, “Look I’m going to be away for a couple weeks. Please keep an eye out for my stuff. Get my mail for me.” Well a neighbor who likes and respects you will go the extra mile to secure your property and personal safety. Which of these two neighbor situations make you feel safer?
I said it’s the same with other nations. When Bush and Cheney drew the line in the sand and said, “If you’re not with us, you’re against us,” (meaning if you don’t agree with everything we do the hell with you) it put us in a position of alienating nations/neighbors. Perhaps that nation/neighbor wouldn’t be as excited to share information that they may have obtained about our nation’s safety that our own intelligence didn’t pick up.
I don’t want to give the appearance that war is not necessary at times. Nor that I don’t believe a strong military is a vital part of national security. But there are other areas that are important to. And it takes wisdom to deliver balance and righteousness. I simply can’t reconcile the beliefs of the Christian leadership to bear witness with my own spirit. And this is one of the reason why it’s difficult to subscribe to believing and worshipping as they do. Worst of all, (or not) it causes me to question and doubt the very foundations of their beliefs.
Most Promising Outlook
Michael Vick finally gets out of jail. Hey won’t make the loot he used to, but finally he can get his second chance and life. I hope he doesn’t mess it up! I can’t say I am all that confident. Arrogance is a mother and if one does’nt have people around who are truthful, it’s easier to repeat the same mental mistakes. Up until now, Vick’s money has purchased many liars within his inner circle.
Most Miserable Outlook
Dirk Nowitzki who knocked up a crazy ass woman who’s locked up for fraud. She is in jail singing the blues about how broke she is. This may be her biggest heist ever!
Carmelo was off the hook! And I could tell by the body language and swagger of the Nuggets that they thought they had this game in the bag. But they learned that you can’t sleep on a champion. The Lakers may have struggled some but they are NOT the Mavericks nor the Hornets.
This is shaping up like a great series!
Of course this isn’t going to happen… but I bet she would make an interesting Justice and bring a fresh perspective that’s needed.
Thanks for this article by Eva Rodriguez
Justice Obama?
By Eva Rodriguez of the Washington Post
Mr. President:
Stop your search. I’ve got the perfect candidate for that soon-to-be vacant slot on the Supreme Court.
She’s a Harvard Law grad with a Princeton undergraduate degree. She was a lawyer in private practice with a prestigious national law firm. She worked in-house for a large and complex medical facility. She’s also paid her dues in local politics and knows a thing or two about the national political arena — yet she doesn’t have much of a paper trail.
And this woman clearly has the empathy gene you’ve been looking for. (I have a feeling you’d hit it off during the one-on-one interview.) She knows first-hand how difficult it is to strike the right work-life balance. She knows what it’s like to put your career on hold to help a partner, a husband fulfill his dreams. She has spoken eloquently about the plight of single moms and their challenges in making ends meet and finding quality child care. She knows through her own experiences and those of her family how far this country has come in eradicating racism and how far it still needs to go.
And — to state what is by now obvious — she is a woman of color. Best of all, Mr. President, she already lives right here in the nation’s capital and could walk to work. Think of the benefits to the environment! Jack had Bobby. You’ll have Michelle. Whether you call her First Lady or Madame Justice is up to you. Being commander in chief has its privileges.
To be fair, there may be a few drawbacks to this appointment, not the least of which will be the separation of powers issue. It may at times get awkward when Justice Obama is forced to review legislation you signed into law. And you really shouldn’t try to coax her to reveal how the court — read: Nino Scalia — is leaning on a particular matter; you’ll have to wait just like the rest of us to read slip opinions when they’re published.
You may be the former constitutional law professor, but she’ll have the last word on what “the law is.” She’ll also have to wave goodbye to bare arms since she’ll be forced to spend big chunks of her working hours in robes. One last thing: Since you’ll be the only parent working from home once Justice Obama is sworn in, you’ll be in charge of Bo. (Maybe Rahm could help with that.)
BB&Gcmac's Weblog 