The Cross-Over

Barack Obama gave a speech over the weekend that got a little press. In that speech he made a statement that I could not agree with more. "Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart. Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us. At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design. There was even a time when the Christian Coalition determined that its number one legislative priority was tax cuts for the rich. I don't know what Bible they're reading, but it doesn't jibe with my version."

That's a heck of a statement. Taking the politics of Democrat and Republican out of the equation and the statement is still on point. However, when those so-call leaders speak to their flock, you began to see how some people vote against their own true interests. I'm talking about poor whites who vote Republican, barely educated enough to hold a decent job, but so-called knowledgeable on social issues. Here is Faux excuse me Fox and the skinny wench Ann Coulter commenting on Barack's statement, http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/18782/1/H&C-Coulter-Obama.wmv/

So I was discussing a recent criminal case with an African American attorney with almost 20 years of trial experience. He had just gotten out of a trial where, he was able to wiggle his client out of only one of the three charges he faced. This attorney shared with me the fact that in his years of practice, he had yet to have a jury where a black male jurist held out and forced a hung jury. We got on the subject because one of the jurors in his trial was a young brotha with dookie braids similar to that of the defendant. (What an observation...)

In our discussion the attorney stated that black men are weak in situations where they have to stand up and express their convictions. (For a moment I thought he was referring to some of us at the law school...oops...I didn't say that) He then went on to dissect juries he's had in the past. He indicated that black women will hold firm on their convictions and will often take a position and hold it not budging at all, or they will challenge the other jurors to convince them other wise. He indicated that white men, have a whole nother attitude bout things, and will not budge period. He seemed to indicate that educated white women in his opinion tend to hold firm on an issue as well. But black men, will cave in in a heartbeat. I tried to challenge the brotha on his views by arguing that, maybe we (black dudes) don't want to live up to the expected stereotype, that being confrontational among other things, and therefore are more willing to compromise more so. He wasn't hearing none of that and I was not necessarily disagreeing with him either. His position simply was that black men serving on juries are weak. In most cases when he is deciding between a black male or a black woman, he is booting the brotha off the jury cause if you are counting on one of the two to find in your favor based on convictions alone (we aint talking bout proof and evidence), you can forget it, a black male can't do it. Interesting, are we that weak?

I do know that we black men sometimes feel a great deal of pressure in trying to to blend in around others and not be that hostile brotha that we are so often portrayed to be. I don't know if that is right or wrong. We all know folk who when they get around other folk, don't act themselves. Hell....I am sure I am guilty of (ok...ok...fine..I've done it too.) Whether it's directly changing ones normal demeanor, or reducing the bass in our voice when talking. Are we not keeping it real when we do this? I dunno? I do know that black women are more easily accepted socially and professionally than brothas. Yes, I said it, and you know its true. And often times, ya'll can be your normal you just cause, just cause they like you anyway. Ya'll know who they is, I need not go there. Next time you are out, and see a group of folk with one brotha in the group or one sista in the group check'em out. I'm not making this up. Anyway, I've forgotten my point. Either way I don't think the momentary cross-overs is wrong. Soo...

The War on Drugs is just about as much bullshit as the War on Terror is. I say that for various reasons, most of which I dont feel like discussing, but how is it that the country we bombed into submission and brought democracy to is producing poppy (poppy+other ish = HEROIN) at an all time high. "In 2006, Afghanistan accounted for 92 percent of global illicit opium production." Got Dayuum!!! Seems to me, since we kind of control that country, last I checked, we still got troops there, you know War on Terror, we could like drop a few bombs on the poppy fields, but that's too much like right aint it. In fact, "The area under opium poppy cultivation in the country has also expanded, from nearly 257,000 acres in 2005 to more than 407,000 acres in 2006 — an increase of about 59 percent." WTF? But seriously though, our country installed the government there and we can't stop poppy production. That's some bull ish. War on Drugs my azz. Just read the first sentence in the article, "Afghanistan produced dramatically more opium in 2006, increasing its yield by nearly 50 percent from a year earlier and pushing global opium production to a new record high, a U.N. report said Tuesday." And we have been there since when??? I guess that's why I love my country so... You read the article, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_re_eu/un_drug_report;_ylt=AvcgQQ5rkYMSPi2bO0akUVPMWM0F

Chatter

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under...

I need to find me a little island to lay low on. Distractions seem to be coming from everywhere. Some of which I must say, I create on my own.

I hear the program that helped get me in law school is on its last leg. It's an awful shame. Got WB's holding down seats that could easily go to a deserving minority. It's now supposed to be based on one's financial background. You know that fine and dandy, but the program contributed a large majority of the school's minority students. I'd like to see how this incoming class looks. I could be wrong.

I didn't know white folks did the "Electric Slide" until this weekend. What a sight.

What do you do when a DJ plays a song laced with the N-bomb in a place that's 95 percent non-black. Hmm......act like you don't hear it?

On a more serious note...

The criminal justice system never ceases to amaze me. I was in court the other day when I finally concluded that the system is a tool, no...., black folk, no....black men have empowered the system to become a major income earning platform for those who are smart enough to get in the game. I say that because on any given morning, each courtroom has up to 20-25 brothas in court for various reasons, whether it be a parole violation hearing, arraignment, bond hearing, whatever the case may be their azzes are lined up in court like a freaking plantation. In with one out with the other. Everybody is making money on their azzes, from the high to the low powered attorneys, from the bail bondsmen to the sheriff's deputies, to the off-duty officers that have to appear in court. Bump that CRIME does pay, and it pays a whole lot of folk. We black folk sho know how to create economic opportunities. And don't get me wrong, black attorneys get their share of the pie. But that is not the point. These brothas fall into the trap, some fall willingly, and others just get caught up. Some walk in court all proud with their pants falling off their azzes, talking bout doing their time like a man, while their lawyer who can barely remember (or pronounce) the clients name does the bare minimum in representing him, all the while making sure he was paid cash before walking in court. It's all kind of sickening. It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under...

I thought this was an interesting article on internet speed...http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-speed26jun26,0,1941886.story

Cross hold it down in Amsterdam, get at me when u get back. Be safe.

Repost

It was a year ago, that I made my voyage across the Atlantic. Gosh, I can't wait to return. Here is my first post from London.

My Cell

I made it to London. Flight was tight. Its kind of weird out here. My room looks like a cell, but I can't complain. The Dollar is way weak out here (BLAME BUSH, ha ha), I converted a hundred bucks and got 50 pounds back, I felt violated. I don't have access to the net quite yet, so I have to drop a pound off for 30 minutes use. We had to register for class, so that took 15 minutes. Anyway, all is well, perhaps when I get the internet in my room, I can talk about some of the things I have experienced thus far. There are 22 of us from three different schools, so far, everyone seems pretty kool. I have to admit, I got homesick for a few minutes once I had unpacked my things and realized my little room would be home for six long weeks. It does not get dark here until about 10 ish, so my body clock is all messed up. We have a ton of reading every night, so that too is gonna suck. Anyway, my timer is almost up, so I am gonna bounce. Keep me in your prayers, peace.

Flippin Along

So I'm doing my normal flipping of the stations while I attempt to jump start my brain for studying when I get to the black VH-1 station, (the one with the oak tree with the afro emblem.) Anyway, it was showing "The Life of Lisa "Lefteye" Lopes", the young lady from the group TLC. She had gone to Honduras and was documenting what turned out to be her last thirty days on earth. Cameras were rolling in the vehicle she was driving when she lost her life. I guess what kept me tuned was how Lisa was simply trying to find herself. She found fame, a lil fortune but it did not fulfill her soul, and how she was simply trying to feed her soul something meaningful up to the time of her death.

While I am on music, R. Kelly......he is so out of control, will he be the Marvin Gaye of R and B? Hmmm, marinate on that.

I see some of the local preachers have decided to wise up and take on the issue of crime in the community. Not that they have been reading any of my past posts but it is about time they address this issue. New Direction got a little press last week as they rolled through Hickory Hood, cleaning up and painting over graffiti . Now a new group has stepped up to the plate as they plan to revitalize neighborhood watch campaigns and aggressively target gang-related graffiti. Now aint that what I been asking yall to do? You know, maybe they have been reading. http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_5583117,00.html Let's stay on top of this and see how it goes.

My legal hero of the month, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. He's got balls of titanium. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070614/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_trial_27

I don't feel like talking bout the occupation but here is a pretty good article, just makes u shake your head in disgust. Two quotes from the article, "The Army and Marines scrape and scratch and scheme and pay big bucks and beguile high school dropouts, even those with criminal records, in their efforts to recruit enough young men and women to replace the casualties and those who are leaving the service" "The administration doesn't want you to worry about any of this. It's summertime, shopping time, surf's up. Head for the beach and bury your heads in the sand." To read the article in its entirety, http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/17364140.htm

I'll let John Stewart end this one, http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/18385/1/TDS-Iraq-ArmingSunnis.wmv/

LOC Cooked?

That darn Wendy T over at the Commercial Appeal know she can work some nerves. Her latest contribution "Is it time to let LeMoyne go away?" raises questions as to how smart is the current three million dollar pledge to the school by the City of Memphis. She threw a jab at supporters of the school like myself with, "For some people, contemplating whether the city's only historically black college should be allowed to die is just as blasphemous as a rival questioning your mother's fidelity to your father." Here is her full piece, http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local_columnists/article/0,2845,MCA_25341_5579005,00.html

Her piece also indirectly brings into question whether HBCU's are still relevant in the big education picture. Of course I am going to say that they are. But, I can't deny that to a great extent, HBCU's are no longer the institutions that they once were. Let me rephrase that, some HBCU's are no longer serving or having the same impact in their communities that they once had. I think that is partly due to the fact that HBCU'S are no longer as appealing to most students. Schools like Morehouse, Spelman, Grambling, Southern, TSU....(Houston and Nashville) they will always have a base of students. It's the smaller HBCU's that are struggling to attract quality students. That quality student statement is somewhat misguiding because a lot of kids that attend those institutions may have never attended college if not for the opportunity provided by that school.

So that leaves schools like LOC in a pickle. Not having the strongest financial alumni base like other schools, its forced has to find ways to generate other sources of revenue, and that does not include raising tuition.

True the school has a jacked up record as it pertains to how its handled its finances. But I see no reason not to bail the school out if and that is if, it has the right people in place to rebuild. Further, I wish the board of trustees would just QUIT, and allow some new blood to breathe life into that school.

So I guess I can't trash her article, as bad as I'd like to. She raises some very valid points, to which many LOC supporters may not have the answers to. I hear the county may be on board in droppin off some additional cheddah. That's some additional needed funding that may help the school guide its way to better days. Here is a recent article about a similar HBCU facing similar issues. http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/20/Opinion/A_dream_lay_dying.shtml/

So I'm getting on my plane, chillin, saying my pre-flight prayer when damn, who do I see already seated? Darth Kritchevsky and her young apprentice, Darth Romantz....thank god for them, I didn't have to sit next to them for the entire flight. That was gonna be a good conversation.

Speaking of the law school, I was gettin my car serviced and while waiting, I see one of my second year law professors who is no longer at the school. After exchanging pleasantries and catching up, our conversation turned to the law school, its faculty and administration. I'm marinating on how much I wanna post, cause it was eye opening. Until I do post it, it can only be said that changing buildings aint gonna do ish if the same faces follow, particularly administrative faces. Dig that.

I do wanna send some love to some of my former classmates who are preparing to head to S. Africa as a part of a study abroad program. Yo, ya'll mos certainly represent, and be safe. I bet that will be an experience.

Just a little thought. He is due to drop sumthin soon too.

Re-Charged?

Coming home always allows me an opportunity to get my head back on straight. Being around family always seems to bring that big picture back in sight, clearly.

My Cali friends are always asking why am I living in Memphis? They wanna know what is it about Memphis. Hell....I dunno, specially the way negroes clowning already.

I guess at the end of the day it's about opportunity. I have seen more opportunity in Memphis than I have ever seen in Cali. From educational opportunities to professional opportunities, so from that standpoint, Memphis has been good to me.

I've never had more access to professionals, black for that matter, than in Memphis. Why is that such a big deal? These people have at some point in their lives traveled the same path I find myself on. Bottom line, find a mentor, or a few mentors.

So........

We are 18 months away from the Presidential elections, 18 months, and we are well into the debates, who's leading the polls, all that bs, 18 months out. It just seems so premature to me. Are the powers that be that anxious to get the current losers out of office? I mean who really cares at this point? The world and the politics of the day are sure to change within these 18 months. Why should I be watching this crap?

So I am watching the debates, and I noticed. Why do they ask the Dems about issues like Iraq, universal healthcare, energy, but then they ask the Repubs, bout gays in the military, evolution, how to use Bush, wtf?

My thoughts on the republican debates.......hmmm......uhh.....ten white dudes in black suits....Absolutely no representation from anybody else.

On to some news, considering how now I have to pay for my own gas....check out how the gas prices are affecting food prices. Folk gotta choose between putting some gas in the tank and adequately feeding their fams. Read if for yourself, http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/415495,CST-NWS-food06.article#national

Two recent rulings by military judges on two individuals being held in Guantanamo is a sign that many others may be release at some near time in the future. These guys have been held in legal limbo for some time, including one kid since the age of fifteen. You may click, http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-guantanamo-tribunals.html?_r=1&oref=slogin or you can click, http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2095488,00.html

For more analysis on the ruling and Habeas Corpus, Professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington Law,

I guess that's all for now.

A Lil News

I've noticed the annual Memphis summer killing spree has gotten off to an early start. Wondering when the residents within the black community will begin to take back their communities? I guess most folk wondering where to start. I like what those residents in a Raleigh apartment complex did to a suspected burglar. They whupped his azz.

Memphis is not the only city dealing with violent crimes. "The number of violent crimes in the United States rose for a second straight year in 2006, marking the first sustained increase in homicides, robberies and other serious offenses since the early 1990s, according to an FBI report to be released Monday." To read more, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060102360.html?hpid=topnews

Check your toothpaste, if it was made in China...dump it. The toothpaste has been found to contain a poison used in some antifreeze. Get this, the FDA warns the toothpaste "has a low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury to children and people with kidney or liver disease." WTF? Talking bout finding a reason not to brush. Here are the brands...Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint, Cooldent ICE, Dr. Cool, Superdent, Clean Rite, Oralmax Extreme, Oral Bright, Bright Max, and ShiR Fresh Mint. Read the article...http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/us/02toothpaste.html?hp

It was just a month or so ago that it was discovered that pet food made in China was killing pets. All over the U.S. family pets were dying and folk were clueless as to the cause. Yep...China. But you can't point the finger only at China. We have an agency responsible for such product safety. It's called the Food and Drug Administration.

Long story short is, the FDA is understaffed and underfunded. For 2008, the USDA has a proposed budget of 20 Billion dollars while the FDA has a proposed budget of 1.6 billion. But the FDA is responsible for overseeing 80% of the food items sold in the United States. And peep this...the FDA inspects roughly 1% of all food imports...like that ish from China. Go figure. If we cant rely on the FDA, then who can we rely on to inspect the stuff we call food? Anyway, I think you know where I am going...but I refuse to make any references to the war in this blog...promise. For more on this visit, http://www.fdacoalition.org/

The Supreme Court recently dealt a blow to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by stripping it of much of its potency. The majority opinion, by Bush Alito, forced an unreasonable reading on the law, and tossed aside longstanding precedents to rule in favor of an Alabama employer that had underpaid a female employee for years. "The ruling is the latest indication that a court that once proudly stood up for the disadvantaged is increasingly protective of the powerful", according to the NY Times.

In short, a female supervisor of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Gadsden, Ala., sued her employer for paying her less than its male supervisors. At first, her salary was in line with the men's, but she got smaller raises, which created a significant pay gap. Late in her career, she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A jury found that Goodyear violated her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Goodyear appealed arguing that she filed her complaint too late and, by a 5-4 margin, the Wack Supreme Court agreed. Title VII requires employees to file within 180 days of "the alleged unlawful practice." The court calculated the deadline from the day she received her last discriminatory raise. Bizarrely, the majority insisted it did not matter that Goodyear was still paying her far less than her male counterparts when she filed her complaint.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, clearly disgusted with her male counterparts Alito, Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Uncle Thomas, read her dissent aloud in open court. The second time this year she has chosen to share her disgust with the majority. A NY Times editorial opined that in addition to interpreting the statute unreasonably and ignoring the relevant precedents, the majority blinded itself to the realities of the workplace. Employees generally do not know enough about what their co-workers earn, or how pay decisions are made, to file a complaint precisely when discrimination occurs. At Goodyear, as at many companies, salaries were confidential. The court's new rules will make it extraordinarily difficult for victims of pay discrimination to sue under Title VII. That is not how Congress intended the law to be enforced, merely how five justices would like it to be. I couldn't agree more.

In her dissent Justice Ginsburg pimpslaps the majorities logic by writing, "In a last-ditch argument, the Court asserts that this dissent would allow a plaintiff to sue on a single decision made 20 years ago "even if the employee had full knowledge of all the circumstances relating to the ... decision at the time it was made." It suffices to point out that the defenses just noted would make such a suit foolhardy. No sensible judge would tolerate such inexcusable neglect. See Morgan, 536 U. S., at 121 ("In such cases, the federal courts have the discretionary power ... to locate a just result in light of the circumstances peculiar to the case."

You go girl!!! Strong words on her part. To read all of her dissent, here ya go. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=05-1074&friend=washingtonpost#dissent1 As wack as the ruling was, Congress can amend the law to undo the ruling, hopefully they will act so that women are continued to be protected by this important law.

No time to edit...I'm out.

TB & Stuff

I know you have all heard about the guy in Atlanta who has TB and how he was traveling blah blah blah. They've identified him and interviewed him, but something caught my eye about the whole thing. TB is not a common ailment, and dude had the one that is resistant to medicine. But how coincidental is it that the guys new father-in-law is a CDC (Center for Disease Control) microbiologist whose specialty is TB. Come on now......how freakin coincidental is that???? For real...think about it...

I now know why I was able to walk all of Rome in two days and why I had the munchies the whole time...http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/06/study_finds_cok.html

Magic Mountain

We, my sisters and I along with a few other friends made our annual pilgrimage to Six Flags outside of LA. We've been making this trip for years. I think it was my best friend Zee who actually started it, and now I've passed the torch to my sisters and their friends.

I don't know what it is about Six Flags or roller coasters for that matter. To me, they are somewhat of a challenge. How far can I push my nerves. There are two at Six Flags that freak me out, and one of those two actually scares me when I get on. Xtreme is one, but its actually not that bad, but Goliath is one you have to man up on. So to man up, I actually rode on the front car just to make it worst. It's drops are so deep and its turns are so sharp you'd swear that you are going to fly out of the seat.

I was reunited with some old childhood friends too...