Florida State’s Myron Roll is slated not only to be und draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft, he is also one of the winners of the prestigious Rhodes Scholar awards which will allow him a two year stint at Oxford University in England.
He plans to attend medical school after his NFL career, and eventually open a medical clinic in his native Bahamas.
Congratulations Mr. Rolle!
“You know I keeps a private jet!” – Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
My East St. Louis Flyers football team is going to State! They beat Glynn Ellyn (Chicago) 27-20 to advance to the title game to be played on Saturday, November 29th in Champaign, Illinois.
The buzz about town is all about the team and when I went to the local pub last night I ran into my man Charlie Bubba. I hadn’t seen “The Ghetto Philosopher/Anderson Cooper” of the hood since before the election. It was time to get caught up on what he thought about the election and what was ahead for the nation. Per tradition I had the bartender hit Bubba with his drink of choice. From there, once again it was on.
We did it nigga! What can I say? Fouth of July will never be the same at the White House huh? (laughing) I had to admit a nigga teared up a bit on election night. Man the shit was unbelievable. White folks was quiet as a motherfucker! Went to work and they asses wasn’t sayin shit – like it was an ordinary day! I was like ‘fuck it.’ They know. I fucked with them though. I was at work doing my thang, emptying the trash buckets and shit and walked in on a group of white folks in a meeting and said, “What cha’ll doing here?”‘ ‘ Ya’ll didn’t hear the announcement? ‘ Them white boys in the ties was like, ‘What announcement?’ I said, ‘Obama said all white people report to the cotton fields for orientation!’ (Cracking himself up)
“I heard that joke.” I told Bubba.
On the real though – Charlie Bubba thinks Barack’s ass got a shit-load of mess to deal with. Can’t get no worse. First thang they got to do is get this corporate welfare under control! You know that shit they call the bailout? I mean damn! Every company in the nation is crying for dollars! But these Detroit motherfuckers pull up in a goddamn private jet to the fucking District to ask for some cheddar! Is that shit gangsta or what? I mean that takes some BALLS! I guess first class wasn’t going to get it for these mafia ass niggas. And the killa part is C, if they give these niggas the loot, hell you see how they rolling now. Is that money going to help the company or their asses? Shiiiiiit. They saw this shit coming a long time ago and didn’t do shit about it. I say fuck’em! Cause as we know, they won’t put the money where it really needs to go! And while ya at it, them union motherfuckers need to stand down too. Them 70 dollar an hour screwing a bolt on the assembly line gangster ass mother fuckers need to back the fuck up too. I mean damn! The fucking gravy train is over. They can’t pay the retired motherfuckers for paying their asses. They need to come together and work shit out. But I just can’t see it happening. Either way the little man is going to get dropped off. Jobs are going to be lost regardless. Watch!
What about Obama’s cabinet picks?
I mean so far so good. Nigga’s got some diversity up in the spot! I like Rahm, he can be the bad guy to Obama’s good guy. Mona Sutphen for Deputy Chief. Holden for AG. I like it. I see he’s trying to throw Hillary a bone… hell a big fat ass bone. But dammit that fucking Bill just can’t stay in his shoes! I guarantee you he’s gonna fuck with Obama one way or the other for the duration. I mean if any man has ever been a diva it’s William! And it’s like damn, Obama’s trying to get her ass in there for a sweet power position – but William is just a major hater! His hustle is his foundation, and he’s got too many connections around the globe with unscrupulous motherfuckers. AND he still thinks he’s the fuckin president. He hates Obama I’m telling you. And he’s always gone try to outshine a nigga one way or the other. So Obama is caught in the middle.
In spite of all the critical things Bubba had to say about the current events. He smiled at me. It was a certain smile, a proud smile and I couldn’t figure out what it was for.
“What man?”
I’m just saying C. The cool ass thing about an Obama presidency is that he won’t let shit be all on him. He’s gonna go old school Kennedy. You know.. ask not what the country can do for you shit. He’s gonna ask us citizens to do shit too to contribute to the national welfare. And I can dig that shit. I’m ready to contribute. Hell I may even stop drinking…. some. I mean damn you can only ask a nigga for so much!
With that I slapped Bubba a five and started to walk out the door.
Hey nigga… wait! You goin to the game? Pick a nigga up! We going to State baby!
I gotcha Chuck!
My Posse’s On Broadway Pennsylvania Ave.!
Giving Up on God
By Kathleen Parker
Wednesday, November 19, 2008; 12:00 AM
As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.
Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.
I’m bathing in holy water as I type.
To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.
Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.
The choir has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.
But they need those votes!
So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.
Short break as writer ties blindfold and smokes her last cigarette.
Which is to say, the GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated its non-base constituents, including other people of faith (those who prefer a more private approach to worship), as well as secularists and conservative-leaning Democrats who otherwise might be tempted to cross the aisle.
Here’s the deal, ‘pubbies: Howard Dean was right.
It isn’t that culture doesn’t matter. It does. But preaching to the choir produces no converts. And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party — and conservatism with it — eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one’s heart where it belongs.
Religious conservatives become defensive at any suggestion that they’ve had something to do with the GOP’s erosion. And, though the recent Democratic sweep can be attributed in large part to a referendum on Bush and the failing economy, three long-term trends identified by Emory University’s Alan Abramowitz have been devastating to the Republican Party: increasing racial diversity, declining marriage rates and changes in religious beliefs.
Suffice it to say, the Republican Party is largely comprised of white, married Christians. Anyone watching the two conventions last summer can’t have missed the stark differences: One party was brimming with energy, youth and diversity; the other felt like an annual Depends sales meeting.
With the exception of Miss Alaska, of course.
Even Sarah Palin has blamed Bush policies for the GOP loss. She’s not entirely wrong, but she’s also part of the problem. Her recent conjecture about whether to run for president in 2012 (does anyone really doubt she will?) speaks for itself:
“I’m like, okay, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is…. And if there is an open door in (20)12 or four years later, and if it’s something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.”
Let’s do pray that God shows Alaska’s governor the door.
Meanwhile, it isn’t necessary to evict the Creator from the public square, surrender Judeo-Christian values or diminish the value of faith in America. Belief in something greater than oneself has much to recommend it, including most of the world’s architectural treasures, our universities and even our founding documents.
But, like it or not, we are a diverse nation, no longer predominantly white and Christian. The change Barack Obama promised has already occurred, which is why he won.
Among Jewish voters, 78 percent went for Obama. Sixty-six percent of under-30 voters did likewise. Forty-five percent of voters ages 18-29 are Democrats compared to just 26 percent Republican; in 2000, party affiliation was split almost evenly.
The young will get older, of course. Most eventually will marry, and some will become their parents. But nonwhites won’t get whiter. And the nonreligious won’t get religion through external conversion. It doesn’t work that way.
Given those facts, the future of the GOP looks dim and dimmer if it stays the present course. Either the Republican Party needs a new base — or the nation may need a new party.
Kathleen Parker’s e-mail address is kparker@kparker.com.
From the Good News/Bad News Department
Good News – Eric Holder Jr. will accept the post of Attorney General in the Obama administration. This means we won’t be seeing any more Jena 6 episodes where local prosecutors and judges run wild with making up the law as they go in trying to take the country back to Jim Crow. Holder who has a long history of working in the big time, was appointed to an Associate Judge position by Ronald Reagan and was deputy Attorney General under Clinton. He’s also the son of immigrants from Barbados. I am confident he will bring some justice back to the justice department: where in previous years the Ashcroft and Gonzales terms fired many great lawyers to satisfy Bush’s personal agenda of government by dictatorship.
Bad News – With the approval of Barack Obama the Democratic Caucus allowed Joe Lieberman to retain his post chairing the Senate Homeland Security Committee. I can imagine there are reasons Obama allowed this snake to come back. It could be cause he wants to show the example of new starts and letting bygones be bygones. Certainly he has been the most graceful president elect ever especially with his political rivals. It also may have to do with the fact that Lieberman is Jewish. Regardless there is no way this guy doesn’t flip again at some point. He is a disgrace!
What in the hell is up with these pirates over in Somalia? When did pirating come back in style? I guess it’s not like the peg-legged cats I’m used to seeing on TV back in the day. Nor are they like the Johnny Depp character in the film. These dudes are now taking over oil tankers and shit. WTF? Where is the funding coming from? Is the booty that phat or is this a new game for drug lords? I don’t know, but somebody needs to put a stop to this shit!
Memo to horrible ass parents who are too gutless to take care of their kids – If you can afford to fly or drive your kids across the country to Nebraska to drop them off at a hospital, you can afford to take care of them. I didn’t know this many people were that selfish and stupid as to drop 5 year old kids and teenagers off to get over on a law in Nebraska that was created to give new mothers who are scared of motherhood a safe haven to leave kids without prosecution. In Nebraska’s haste to have a law similar to the rest of the country, the dummy’s forgot to put an age limit on the kids that could be left on hospital doorsteps. So instead of it serving the purpose of it’s intent, which is to basically prevent teen mothers from leaving their newborns in dumpsters, people from around the nation are making a fast trek to the Nebraska border to ditch their “chillin‘. (That’s “children” for those of you who don’t have any of those Southern roots.) Anyway – that’s whack! And ya’ll should be ashamed of yourselves! In the words of Mike Tyson, “You’re scared cowards!”
This week’s hypocrite award goes to our hometown baseball hero, Sir Albert Pujols. You see Albert won Major League Baseball’s MVP award this year. (His second one.) And don’t get me wrong, he is one of the very best baseball has to offer. Dude can flat out play. But in 2006 when Philadelphia Phillie Ryan Howard won the award, because his team didn’t make the playoffs, Albert threw some haterade on Ryan’s party. Said Sir Albert at the time when asked about Ryan winning the award, “I see it this way: Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs doesn’t deserve to win the MVP.” (The Cardinals went to the playoffs and won the World Series that year.)
Well this time Howard’s Phillies finished in first place and won the World Series. Howard also finished second in the MVP voting behind Pujols. The Cardinals did not make the playoffs. It’s the exact same situation in reverse. But somehow Albert feels he deserves to win the award. Although he admits now that Ryan Howard deserved the award in 2006, he doesn’t admit that he was wrong for the statement. It’s almost as if he is saying, “Well since I won it this time it’s all good.” Make up your mind Albert! Is it about the playoffs or “all the numbers” as you say now?
1. Wake up in 5 million dollar home.
2. Make sure prostitution errrrrrrr “spa” bill is paid, but that the details are kept on the down low.
3. Take Mercedes SL500 company car to the office.
4. Pinch concubine errrrrrrr secretary on the behind.
5. Go to high level meeting to decide how many employees to lay off.
6. Lay off employees.
7. Make layoff announcement and cry broke to the media.
8. Ask congress for bailout money and threaten that the whole company will fold if you don’t get it.
9. Receive bailout money, fill personal coffers with more loot and promote the virtues of the “free market”.
10. Visit the “spa” again for more “treatments.”
People may think that Barack Obama just likes to play ball for the heck of it. But the game of basketball is a thinking man’s game. And there are many metaphors between the game itself and life. I am sure that his ability to understand the game, teamwork, and strategies will help him lead his administration as he plays the most important role of his career.
Still I’m wondering… if you play ball with the president, can you argue a foul call with him? If you foul him too hard will the secret service take you to jail? If you steal his ball or dunk on him, will your life as an American be toast?
I’m just saying… I notice no one is trying to block that shot! Hmmmm……
Part II
It was June of this year. School was out and my sons were to arrive from Atlanta and live with me for the summer. Of course they wanted to see their sister and she wanted to see them as well. I hadn’t seen my daughter in almost a year. When they arrived they stayed at her house first because I was very busy working and preparing to give my other daughter away in marriage. The original time I was given to expect the boys was changed by a week with one days notice. The older sis was happy to have her brothers. Once things settled for me I had to pick them up from her home. Of course I had no idea where she lived. I got the address and arrived to pick them up.
It was also the first time I saw my grandson just over 4 months old. I only had a texted photo of him from his great-aunt. When I saw my daughter we were both polite and courteous, though I could feel her apprehension as I surveyed her new home. I truly felt like an outsider. Still I made some small talk and added some jokes to loosen things up. I let her know that she could see her brothers whenever she wanted to, and if she needed a babysitter, I was game. This was only my 54th request for babysitting – but what the heck right?
After several months passed, finally I got an opportunity to keep my grandchildren for an evening. Even overnight! I was blessed to keep them on my granddaughter’s 3rd birthday. My daughter was so glad to get a break. She called to check on them that night. She expressed how tired she was, how her boyfriend wasn’t helping out as much, and how much she was about to go crazy. She sounded loose, at ease. She talked about things about her personal life… things she would normally never tell me.
What is this happening? Is she opening up?
I assured her that I understood. And that there are times when a girl needs a break. I said that life is tough, and if she doesn’t learn how to balance things out and take care of her spirit, she will burn out with the responsibilities and cares of the world. I said, “Girl look, when you need to get out, if you can’t do it on your own call your dad? Shoot you’re 21 now. I don’t have to take you to Applebee’s. I can take you to Café’ Eau at the Chase Park Plaza!” (One of my favorite watering holes) She laughed and said, “I don’t know what that is.. but it sounds good to me! I’m ready to go!” We laughed. She said she was so appreciative that I took her kids for her, and that she really needed to hear that I was there for her. (Something I had said for years but for the first time she heard me. She then said, “You know daddy, we have had our times you know.” (talking about the estrangement between us) Then she got quiet. And I then said, “But you know what? That is all in the past. It’s all about what we do from here. I look forward to being an important part of your life, as well I need you in mine. “Yea daddy that’s cool. I am glad you said that.”
Since then things have been very positive. She went from unemployment to gaining two jobs quickly. We talk about more things now. Not just the common stuff. Adult stuff that she thinks and goes through. She even talks some about her “not so cool” relationship which before was totally off limits. Its like for the first time since she was kid, she looks at me like the daddy she needs. Except now its as an adult not as a little kid.
The other day she sent me a text message. “Daddy, can you pick me up from work today?” We worked out the times and from there I squeezed her in between work and a meeting I had to attend that evening. We picked up the kids from the babysitters. My granddaughter, who knows me well now in her surprise to see me yelled, “Hi PAW PAW!” The older lady who keeps the children said to me, “Your daughter is really sweet.”
I got them home and went about my business. On the way to her house she went on and on about how appreciative she was about me picking her up. Back in the day, hell I was “supposed to do that.” But she was so genuine. It was like she was a new person. She even texted me later that night cause she knew I was in a hurry. “Did you make it to your meeting on time?”
A few days before she sent me another text. Talking about how she was going to be getting her stuff together and for me to just watch. She was going to be blossoming before my eyes. Ha! To quote Sarah Palin, “You bet she is.” I can tell she is a new woman. It brings tears to my eyes just writing this. Oh that she would know that I love her so and that nothing compares to her in her daddy’s eyes. I think I’m starting to get my daughter back. And I am thankful for that!
Charelle… I love you, Daddi (that’s how she spelled it when she wrote me notes as a kid)
*Above: Charelle after graduating high school with dad and her daughter Chariah
*Below: Charelle pictured with her son Cameron. A grown ass woman!
Parenting is a tough job. To be a single parent is even tougher. And if you are the parents of a child who had to experience a divorce between the first role models he/she ever had, it’s that much more challenging for the child growing up.
Let me say up front, that there is probably nothing more devastating to a child directly or indirectly than to witness the breakup of their parents. I regret that my children experienced that pain – and though I know for sure that my ex-wife and I were not meant to last forever, still I regret the affect it had on my children – especially my oldest daughter. It has taken my first born most of her years to cope with and struggle in finding her identity and get a glimpse of her potential. It also put a terrible strain on our relationship.
A major part of the reason for this (outside of the normal pains of divorce which would have been enough) is because she was given a lot of negative and at times false information about me from her mother. She painted a picture of me that my daughter could not seem to shake regardless of what she saw with her own eyes. Even as she witnessed me coming through to aid her mother and her brothers (my two sons) above and beyond child support, whether it was monetarily, morally etc. it wasn’t enough to take the villain tag off of my head. Eventually she started keeping her distance in her mid teen years. I understood that to be a growing up thing and I didn’t push her. But after she got involved with her first love interest, soon after she pretty much decided she didn’t need me.
As much as it hurt, I always made it clear to her that I was there for her no matter what. And that I love her more than life itself. Things got worse instead of better. She got further and further away – resentful for some reason and I found I was always the one reaching out trying to prove myself with no positive feedback from her. One day we had a big argument on the phone. She went “adult” on me and said some horrible things. It was the most disrespectful she had ever been. I remember being so angry and hurt, that I called my mother screaming into the phone. Mom actually ordered me to pull the car over till I calmed down, because she feared for my personal safety. Speaking of safety, I remember thinking to myself that if she were not pregnant at the time, she would have gotten an old fashioned East St. Louis project beating for acting like she was grown and forgetting who the hell her daddy was! I remember going ‘Godfather’ and telling my mother, “That’s it! If we never talk again thats up to her! I will never reach out again! I am done…FINISHED!”
Well my mom in all her wisdom explained that I couldn’t do that. “You can’t disown your kids son. You just can’t do it no matter what they say.” She and those close around me said that my daughter will come back. That she will come to herself after experiencing some hard times in life. At that time I should be there ready. Whew… I could never imagine that happening.
Oh there were troubles alright. Sometimes there were fights with the boyfriend – me having to track him down for her car, house keys and cell phone. Sometimes he was such a jerk I wanted to kill him. Flat out! But no matter what I did to help, I never got a thank you, kiss my ass or anything from her. I would think, “Surely she saw what I just did right? I was Super Dad! I just saved the day for all man-kind.” NOPE! She just got further and further away. She had child one and two and neither of them would recognize me from T.I. I pretty much gave up the fight and decided that I would love her unconditionally, and hope one day I could be a grandfather to my grandchildren.
To be continued…
* Picture: My daughter age 9
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