Word of the Day

Curmudgeon
a cantankerous person

I LOVE NEW YORK - the manstack

In the next several postings I'm hoping to show evidence as to what's wrong with our society today. This is just one example of many as to what's wrong with television in 2007 and probably for awhile to come. There are very few decent shows on the air these days and more and more "reality shows." Call me a curmudgeon and a prude but something has got to give. Of course you can say to me, turn the channel, but that's not a legitimate response. These shows are telling us something about our society and I don't know about you but it's an awful commentary.

Do You Speak English?

Illegal is defined as contrary to existing statues, regulations, etc., unauthorized, unlawful, illegitimate, illicit, unlicensed. I'm gonna bet a dollar that many people would know the meaning of this word even if they didn't posses a dictionary. But in 2007 it seems that many, especially so-called leaders, have forgotten its meaning. In this article, Lawrence Downes is somehow suggesting that if we just take the word out then we can have a sensible debate. Well Mr. Downes I don't agree with you. This is one of the many obtuse comments he makes, "Used as an irreducible modifier for a large and largely decent group of people, it is badly damaging. And as a code word for racial and ethnic hatred it is detestable.' Give me a break. There are several things wrong with this comment. First, by calling someone illegal because that's what they are, is not necessarily denying that they maybe "decent." Decent people do stupid things all the time. Second, to lower this discussion to race baiting is exactly what he is arguing against - stopping the conversation.

He goes on to state, "But at least 'undocumented' - and an even better word, 'unauthorized' - contain the possibility of reparation and atonement, and allow for a sensible reaction proportional to the offense." Ok, so lets just change the name and everything will be alright. Lets simply refer to folks who broke into our country as decent people and call it a day. And while we are at it lets just give them the keys to the front door so they don't tear down our back doors. If we are not going to use the word then we are not going to do what's necessary to fix this problem. And calling people who simply want servers, computer techs and anyone else answering the phone to speak English xenophobes is ridiculous name calling and that too doesn't help the discussion.

What's Really Behind the Polls

I have to admit that I have not been keeping up with politics or anything else for that matter because I have been sick but this article caught my eye. Rich makes a very interesting case for Giuliani's high poll numbers. Several of his comments are reflective of what many believe is the defining moment in the Republican Party. It would almost seem as if he is saying, "Wake up or die." The Republican Party, to say the least, has had a very hard road to hoe and it probably started with the Terry Schiavo story. If you think about it, if Republicans, yes I am one, really believe in smaller government they would have kept their damn mouths shut when Terry Schiavo's story hit the airwaves. But from then on they have been stepping into the proverbial pile of you know what.

It is obvious from reading the article that Rich is saying that regardless of the huffing and puffing by the so-called morality squad, i.e. James Dobson, Gary Bauer etc., Giuliani's "moderate" views must be connecting with someone. If what Rich says is right and the polls are accurate then ridding ourselves of the Dobson types, at least for the influence they wield, will be a victory for sensible people.

Life with a Mediport

I was suppose to have a Pet Scan and a CT Scan this week but my insurance company hasn't approved the procedures as of yet. Waiting is always a pain in the arse but wait I must. In the meantime I thought I would share with you what my mediport looks like. For those of you who don't know what a mediport is here is a quick and dirty. A port is comprised of two components, a self-sealing injection port and a catheter that enters the vein. The port and catherter are placed entirely under the skin using a small incision. There will be a bump on the chest wall where the injection port is located. This is the site where the access needle is placed.

The needle is used to access my port each and every time I go for chemotherapy and is also used to draw blood. I have had three of these bad boys and the third so far is a charm. When I got the first one I was afraid of moving much less take a shower. I feared that "anything" I did wold rip it from my chest. But that hasn't happened yet and I doubt it will. Other than the small scar where the port is located and the bump you wouldn't be able to tell I had something in my chest. And the first time it broke I had severe pain in my left arm. That's how we knew something was wrong. But it has become like another part of my body.

I hope to get this bad boy out as soon as I get the "all clear" sign from my oncologist, which I'm hoping is soon. Although they recommend keeping it in for a year or so after you have been told you are in remission. So these tests are damn important and I hope my insurance company ponies up in the next day or so. So, wish me luck.

Mot du jur or Word of the Day

Censorious
tending to reprimand or censure; very critical

The Clock is Ticking

For some weeks now there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the impending passage of the Employment Non-discrimination Act or ENDA. The controversy, and reason for a second bill, is over the inclusion of gender identity. The inclusion of gender identity would protect members of the transgender community. The main bill, H.R. 2015 was introduced in April of this year and is very close to a vote in the House. The bill in its current form was first introduced in 1996 and under another name in 1974. The bill, if passed, would protect gays and lesbians from being fired from their jobs simply because they are gay and lesbian. Currently, there are 31 states in which gays can be terminated based on their sexual orientation. The bill's main sponsors are Representatives Barney Frank, Chris Shays and Tammy Baldwin.

The controversy started when Representative Frank declared that the bill has a better chance of passage if it did not include gender identity. This faux pau, the opinion of many LGBT organizations, is one that they will not tolerate and according to many the LGBT community is in an uproar. Two weeks ago there were 113 groups who signed a pledge opposing the bill if it did not include gender identity. One of the most vocal has been the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Matt Foreman and of course members of the transgender community. The Human Rights Campaign, forever playing it safe so that they can keep the donations coming said they would not oppose the bill but they wouldn't support it either. What else could they say when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was the recipient of HRC's National Equality Award.

So here is the problem as I see it. Many have said and will say that if we move ahead with H.R. 2015 without gender identity we are essentially kicking transgendered folks off the bus. Now, that would be true if: 1) trans folks were on the bus to begin with and 2) gender identity were analogous to sexual orientation. Neither of these two things are true. Gender identity is as different from sexual orientation as night is from day. Gays and lesbians still consider themselves men and women who love the same sex. And for the last 30 years gays and lesbians have been doing to work to get ENDA passed. So, from a pragmatic point of view why not support the bill in its current form and do the education to include and pass another bill in the future? Of course the 113 groups and others feel that we are abandoning our trans family. Well I got news for those people, they don't consider themselves one of us. In reading the literature, a very high percentage of transgendered folks consider themselves straight. And the number that consider themselves gay and lesbian are very, very small. Am I transphobic? I guess to a lot of people I am but life goes on.

We cannot and should not stop passage of this important bill because a few people are upset. Dale Carpenter says it best when he says in this article, "Passage of ENDA is possible only because gay people have organized politically to educate Americans about homosexuality and to elect sympathetic representatives." This is the true issue surrounding this controversy. The work has been done and to simply throw it away because some feel we are dissing the transgender community is at best, stupid.

Masculinity versus Fatherhood

I have always thought that it was a good thing when fathers paid attention to their children and that getting involved with their kids made them better fathers. What I didn't know was that it made them less manly. Oh my goodness, what are we to do? According to sociologists, "Fathers who stop being men of the old mold have better-adjusted children, better marriages and better work lives. Basically, masculinity is bad for you." So, in other words, men who decide to accept their fatherly responsibilities are less manly than their counterparts who do not have such responsibilities. Ok, so my question is, which is more important, sharing responsibilities with your partner in raising your kids or keeping your manly persona in tact? It seems that we are not quite sure and why sociologists are busy studying this new phenomena. In this article several sociologists tell us about the problem.

But, of course, I'm not sure why this is a phenomena and why it should be studied. Do we not want men to carry out their responsibilities? Why do we have to make a big to do of men taking care of their children? And most of all, why is it considered less than manly to take care of your kids? When was the last time a woman was praised for raising her kids? Buck up guys, women do it everyday.

Word of the Day

Imprimatur
official approval or license to print or publish

Word of the Day

Precocious
characterized by unusually early development or maturity, esp. in mental aptitude. blossoming before the leaves sprout.

Word of the Day

Miasma
a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlikeinfluence.

My Grandfather's Son - An American Story

My very first comment about this book is that I will not discuss the confirmation hearings. Justice Thomas does talk about it in his book but I am not going to comment nor will I opine as to who was right and who was wrong. I'll leave it to others to opine on that part of the book.

I picked up this book last Wednesday night and could not put it down until I was done. It is very well written and gives us the inside track to Clarence Thomas. I don't often use the word excellent but I will here - the book was excellent. Over the years we have heard many things about Justice Thomas some of which have not been favorable. Probably the most annoying is that he is mediocre and stands in the shadow of Antonin Scalia. Well in reading this book, and I plan to read some of his decisions, I'm convinced that he is more than mediocre. The first thing you find out in this book is that Thomas grew from abject poverty to become a United States Supreme Court justice. If that is not an American dream I don't know what is.

We first meet Thomas as he describes meeting his biological father who promises he and his brother watches that they waited for but never received. We learn,"The house in which I was born was a shanty with no bathroom and no electricity except for a single light in the living room." We also learn that in the wintertime they had to plug up the holes with newspapers. Considering this, it is amazing that Thomas made it through adulthood. But the reason he did was because he was his Grandfather's Son. After moving with his mother and brother from the shanty they eventually go to live with his grandfather and grandmother. It is during these years that Justice Thomas adopts the kind of values that has taken him to the Supreme Court.

From Pinpoint to a more sedate area of Savannah Georgia, Thomas and his brother Myers moved into their grandparents' home. Thomas writes:

"Even then I understood that he had rescued me from difficult

circumstances, but it was not until long afterword that I grasped

how profoundly Daddy, Aunt Tina, and the nuns of St. Benedict's

had changed my life. Sometimes their strict rules chafed, but they

also gave me a feeling of security, and above all they opened doors

of opportunity leading to a path that took me far from the cramped

world into which I had been born. In Pinpoint I was a little Negro

boy growing up among hardworking but uneducated people. From

there I moved to the confusion and squalor of a run-down tenement

in Savannah, where I led a life of being cold and not knowing when I

would feel warmth again, of constant, gnawing hunger and not knowing

when I would eat again, a life in which knowledge trickled in by the

thimbleful when I yearned for floods of truth. To stay there would have

doomed me to a dismal life of ignorance, perhaps even crime-a life lost

before it started."

Justice Thomas leads us through a life filled with dread, like when he was made fun of for being darkskinned; a life filled with hate by those who told him he would never amount to anything because he was black; a life filled with opportunities like when he got into Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Yale Law Schools. And his journey from radical liberal to Republican. From his disappointment in learning that he was accepted into Yale under affirmative action to his first job with John Danforth who became a lifelong friend. But most of all we learn about Thomas' deep and unbridled love for this country and his questioning of the world around him and his role in it with values that seemed different. His search for self was heart warming. His humanity shone through this book.

There are several reasons why I enjoyed this book: 1) This is a true American story; 2) This was an educational experience for me; 3) Our early political awakenings were somewhat similar; 4) I have found a new respect for Justice Thomas; and 5) He is a man of conviction. This shouted out to me: "I'd already noticed that it was the liberals, not conservatives, who were more likely to condescend to blacks." The book has been blasted by some and praised by others. Some of the vitriol, not surprising, have been coming from other blacks. I've read some of it and had commented on another blog where hating Justice Thomas is an everyday thing. From claiming that Thomas hates himself and other blacks to him claiming victimhood these other blacks are just that, other. The book is a very good read and everyone regardless of political or social ideology should read it. After all, that's how we learn right?

Word of the Day

Mendacity
a lie; falsehood.
(one of my favorite words)

A Yawner

YAWWWNNNNN!

I think I'll skip the remaing debates and just keep track of the candidates via the news, web sites etc.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

When I was a college student I use to hang out with a group of guys who were very political and I learned a lot from them. These guys added to my political science studies by their heart felt and passionate stand on various political ideologies. Years later, I find that a lot of college students are quite apathetic. I have not seen much evidence of their concern for issues local or national. Their concern runs as deep as their need for another drink at the local pub. I remember a student telling me that he checked off "Independent" on the voter registration card so he wouldn't have to vote. To say I was alarmed is an understatement. Some students, however, are very involved and actually know what's going on in the world around them. I appreciate their comments albeit charged with liberal bias. But I recently read this article and it gave me hope, imagine that, as to what college students are really thinking and doing. In the article, the author, Nicholas Handler gave me food for thought, a chuckle and a need to follow college students around to listen in on their conversations.

"We live our lives in masks and speak our minds in a dead language - the language of a society that expects us to agitate because that's what young people do. But how do we rebel against a generation that is expecting, anticipating, nostalgic for revolution? How do we rebel against parents who sometimes seem to want revolution more than we do? We don't." He goes on to say that their rebelling is done on the Internet on such sites as MoveOn.org. I say this article gives me hope because it sets me straight as to whether or not kids care about what's going on around them. I was happy to find out that they are "agitating" and are "putting it in their own words." So, at the end of the day it doesn't have to be my revolution it just has to be a revolution.

Word of the Day

Pernicious
causing great harm, destructive, evil.

Apology Time

"I have let them down, I have let my country down, and I have let myself down." These words are from Marion Jones, the former five time Olympic medalist, as she pleaded guilty to steroid use in federal court yesterday. I hope she has the words to explain it to her son one day.

What Can We Learn?

Yesterday's $11.6 million verdict for Ms. Anucha Browne Sanders reminds us of the little progress we have made in reconciling the treatment of black women by black men. While we are busy pulling out the race card for every perceived instance of racism, we ignore the abusive nature of black men. Now, if you are a race baiter you will probably believe that Isiah Thomas' come-uppance was the work of "the man" hiding behind the angry black woman "hatin on a brotha." But if you have some kind of brain matter and actually know how to use it you will agree that it's something more insidious.



In 1968, in Memphis, picketers at a sanitation strike held signs that read, "I Am A Man." The signs came to signify the struggle of blacks working in horrible conditions but it also came to signify black masculinity as part of the civil rights movement. The I Am A Man idea help to blend race, gender and sexuality into the civil rights movement. Many years later the Million Man March in Washington DC struck a similar cord when thousands of black men descended on DC to forge a bond of brotherhood and to denounce evil whites. The March was also an opportunity to speak directly to black men and have them pledge to get their house in order by cleaning up their lives and rebuilding their neighborhoods. It was a day of unity, atonement and brotherhood. There were no women present. Twelve years later the latest figures show that 70 percent of black babies are born to single mothers.



What does any of this have to do with yesterday's verdict? Plenty, the verdict proves not only that Thomas was guilty of harassment but guilty of relegating black women to subservient roll. When Thomas did the double standard boogie claiming that its ok for black men to call black women bitch and ho he was guilty. When he was told not to hug Ms. Browne Sanders and stated, "Ok, cool," he was guilty. The moment he walked from the court to waiting reporters with that smirk on his face you knew the jury made the right decision. The moment he said, "I want to say as loud as I possibly can, I'm innocent, I'm very innocent," you knew he was guilty.



We did not hear from Louis Farrakhan today nor did we hear from other "black leaders" regarding the verdict because they are complicit in the treatment of black women. It is easier to blame the white man for the "lost lives of black men" but its about looking the other way when black women are left holding the bag. The ability to say in direct and honest words that black men need to start taking responsibility for their behavior is somehow lost because there is no march to attend. Yesterday's verdict should have sent a strong message to every black man who considers the hard working respectable woman in the next room who you have deemed a bitch and ho will make you wish you had indeed listened to your mother.

Whoopi wants to

Ewwwwww!

Word of the Day

Hypocrisy
the practice or act of professing virtues and beliefs that one does not possess.
Hypocrite
a person given to hypocrisy.

The Dick Van Dyke Show Opening (1961)

Forty-six years ago today the Dick Van Dyke Show premiered. The Petries lived in New Rochelle, NY which is still home to some famous people. They don't make them like this anymore.

Word of the Day

Pomposity
the quality of being pompous, pompous parading of dignity or importance.
Pompous
characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance.

Who's The Bitch Now Isiah?

Isiah Thomas, coach of the Knicks, is a little less pompous this evening as a jury of his peers found that he sexually harassed Ms. Anucha Browne Sanders. Mr. Thomas yelled his innocence to a crowd outside the court and vowed to appeal the decision. This ladies and gentlemen is what's called divine justice. Mr. Thomas got what he got because his peers believed the evidence before them. And it didn't help Thomas any when he cavalierly stated that he had no problem with black men calling black women 'bitches' and 'hos' but would have a problem if the same words came from the lips of a white man. It's too bad the jury couldn't come to an agreement on the ninth count of the charge wherein Thomas would have to pay damages to Ms. Browne Sanders. That's too bad - less Crystal and more humble pie is definitely in order here.

Way to go Mets

I'm not a fan of baseball and think that the big name players should hit a home run every time they go up to bat. I do, however, like to watch the excitement of the fans when one of our teams make it to the playoffs. Which leads me to the point of this post, what happened to the Mets? Mets chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon called it a, "bitterly disappointing failure." That pretty much sums it up. What I'm concerned about is how can Citigroup and the Mets plan, "the new world-class home of the Mets?" The "new home" is scheduled to open on Opening Day 2009. But until that time the Mets are going home with egg on their faces. Maybe by 2009 they'll get their act together or Citi Filed will have become a joke.

USA - 0, Columbia - 0, President Ahmadinejad - 1

Much has been said and written about last week's controversial visit from Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Columbia University and I'm sure much more will be said and written. In 2007 many universities go out of their way to prove that they are bastions of free speech until you say something that's not popular with the faculty or president. But that's another story for another time. In this case, there was controversy before Ahmadinejad even took to the stage as many thought that Bollinger should have disinvited the president. Bollinger of course sited free speech and stated, "the scope of free speech in academic freedom should itself always be open to further debate." Well he didn't listen to the debate or better yet he didn't heed the majority of those debating whether or not Ahmadinejad should speak. And when he realized that he should have heeded the majority in this case he subjected Ahmadinejad to ridicule and upbraiding on the very stage where he claimed, "we need to understand the world we live in." It is obvious that Bollinger himself doesn't understand the world he lives in.

It was obvious to anyone listening that Bollinger had to get himself out of the drumming that he probably received from his benefactors and as such upbraided Ahmadinejad. In this transcript of the speech Bollinger states, "You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated." He goes on to state, "I doubt that you will have the intellectual courage to answer these questions." Ok, lets call this guy an idiot right there on the stage.

It seems to me that something is wrong here. How do you invite this guy, who we already know is a scoundrel, to speak at your university and then slap him in the face? It's like inviting someone to your house and as they sit down on your expensive couch you proceed to tell them that they are a bunch of rat bastards and you don't know why they are there. This is not what America is about? This is not about free speech. This is a farce that was perpetuated on us by the "intellectuals on high" known as Columbia University. This was a tragic misstep by an other wise supposed intellectual. What Bollinger failed to realize was that he didn't win a point for free speech he lost a point for America. Bollinger's upbraiding of Ahmadinejad under the pretense of academic freedom flies in the face of civility. As this Jonathan Glater tells us in this article, "And lofty defenses of free speech can sound cowardly to critics who believe the university's choice of speakers is ideologically biased or that a particular speaker is uniquely evil and should be denied a public platform."

Out of Control

Some onlookers thought Rudy Giuliani's speech in front of the NRA where he took a call from his wife as not a big deal but it is. And it seems, according to this article, that he has done it many times before. I've written here that I think that cell phone use is out of control and it seems that it has now hit the campaign trail. Rudy claims that when he and Ms. Giuliani gets on a plane, "most of the time we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other." Well isn't that sweet. Giuliani's behavior is typical of those who preach, do as I say but not as I do. Maybe someone will break the phone before he appears before another big donor crowd.

That chemo thing...

Chemotherapy has been getting the best of me so forgive me for not posting in a couple of days.

Word of the Day

Obstreperous
resisting control in a noisy and difficult manner; unruly; boisterous.