I don’t! Call me blind. Narrow viewed or whatever. Actually, the real word to call my view is a realistic one! Why is it that Joe Lieberman or John McCain rails against us removing troops from Iraq and commenting on how the surge has worked?
AFGHANISTAN WAS THE PRINCIPLE TERRORIST LINKED COUNTRY THAT ATTACKED US! If anything, I care more about us protecting whatever fragile advances we’ve made there then in Iraq. The Lieberman link to why he spouts off so much about Obama’s plan to withdraw troops in Iraq is because he is Jewish and he’s the premier protector of Jewish interests in Congress. He could really give a shit about the United States of America as long as it stays a blind supporter of Israel.
McCains link is to the military industrial complex, which completely controls who he is and what he runs for. That complex has puppet strings attached to McCain. Thats why he seems so “robotic”.
What’s so disturbing is how the main stream media, John McCain and for the most Lieberman are controlled by the same entity. THE CORPORATION. I have my doubts about Obama on this front as well. But his opponents are exposed so clearly, it’s an easy choice. OBAMA!
Saw the funniest bumper sticker today. It was the typical “W” sticker in dark blue but it had next to the “W”, “orst ever”. How fitting!
Those of us who TIRED of black people making excuses for our race need to jump behind Obama and his call for the black community to be more responsible for their own actions. Though this is nothing different then what Bill Cosby has said on numerous occasions in the past.
Case in point. The very house I was raised in in Gary Indiana was broke into countless times before my parents retired, BY PEOPLE I WAS RAISED WITH IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
They’ve since retired and moved from Gary. They sold the house to my sisters best friend for like $18,000! That’s after 30 years of ownership. Now I find out my sisters best friend has had to deal with some punks doing the following:
Fools LITERALLY driving a car through the front of the house (smack into the bedroom that I shared with my brother), back out, drive off while she was chasing after them, and never get caught!
Deal with a break in where they took quite a bit of stuff out of the house.
A month after the first break in, they broke in again. Because they had trouble getting the big TV out of the house, they decided to F it up by busting it up.
When my parents were still living in the house, I remember becoming infuriated when I came to visit them when I went into the Den room, only to see where my parents had put up a 2X4 barricade on the back door to prevent assholes from kicking in the door and stealing everything or worse, doing something to my mother when my dad wasn’t there. It was like my parents were scared in their own home.
Keep in mind the next door neighbor had guys my age that grew up with me. They didn’t have my back? My peoples back? HELL NO! Why? Because in the hood, fuck a ni__a is the motto of the day.
This is essentially the problem. Places like Gary, Newark, Baltimore, East St. Louis, they know about this problem all too well. I found out that my best friend had sold drugs to the young sister of a dude who had looked out for him when he was younger. It was then that I knew that he was no longer the same guy I had grew to love like a brotha when we hung tight.
People change. Situations change. The guys that got caught breaking into my parents house when they still owned it was a guy I grew up with next door (on the other side of the house), and two other guys that I played with as a kid. It was PAINFULL to learn they had did what they did. It was then that I learned that when people are on that stuff, or dealing in that stuff, friendship don’t mean shit!
It made me turn against G.I.. I’ve never looked at the place in same light since. Before, man I used to get goose bumps when I approached the city limits on I-65. I’d have this excitement in me that only those from G.I. understand. Then, it was gone.
I’ve been back twice in the past 3 years. Each time, I certainly did not have that feeling. Nor did I have the desire to see people that I certainly would have looked up in the past. It was fitting that both times, I was in the area for funerals. Maybe I just grew up. I don’t think that was it.
Now I don’t want to pile on Gary, like the racist ass whites who fled Gary and purposely have kept their hands around the throats of the city financially since the days of Hatcher do in the Post-Tribune or the Northwest Indiana Times. But I do believe that when Obama talks about how blacks need to start taking more responsibilities for their actions, G.I. is the epicenter and a case study on the topic.
Though I know the institution of racism is alive and well, I am also aware of the penchent for my race to default to identifying with sterotypical descriptions of blacks.
“CP Time” (colored people time)
Using “you know what I mean” after making a statement
Always talking about food
Bling Bling is the measure of success
Flashiness
No snitchin
hustlin
gettin over
saying the word Nigga in public indiscriminately in broad public
We are our own worst enemy. So I say this. Jesse, Barack has the right to ‘talk down” to black folk or “niggas” as you said on Fox. by the way, you know Fox threw you under the bus on that one.
We have to have someone do it. Nas aint doing it. Kanye ain’t doin it. Jay Z damn sure aint doing it. We’ve got to fight the power of ignorance thats in our own community just like we’ve been fighting the institution of racism.
I recall reading about John Boyd (Coach of West Side) sounding bitter about the circumstances of a charter school (I think Bowman) affecting where the ever thinning basketball talent pool goes to high school in Gary.
Having been born and raised in Gary in an error where charter schools were not a problem, I can only speak on this subject from the “outside looking in” perspective. I will also attest to having limited knowledge of just what a charter school is.
From what I understand, Gary now has 5 high schools remaining: West Side (always 1st), Roosevelt, Lew Wallace, Wirt and then Emerson.
Horace Mann was closed some years back and I believe I’ve read about whispers of “HISTORIC” ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL closing this year. Whew…
That’s hard to imagine. Especially when I read about Bowman Academy. With Gary’s dwindling population, I’m sure that Bowman’s siphoning of students from the rolls of schools such as Roosevelt is contributing to the chatter or need for a school such as Velt to close.
Am I missing something here? Keep in mind that I was born and raised in G.I. and I completely understand the challenges the citizens of Gary face in the area of getting their children a quality education. I will say this, for all the negative critique of the Gary School System, I sure do have a lot of former classmates and here of a lot of former classmates and friends doing some good if not great things with their lives.
When I left West Side, I did so with an ability to read/write/think with the best of any other 18 year old in the country. I don’t care what the Post Trib or NWI Times says. In my adult life, I see it everyday in what I do for a living, people of all walks in life, degrees from the best or 1st tier universities, especially white , who simply don’t impress me with their ACTUAL ABILITIES” to do white collar tasks on a consistent and quality basis.
Sure their degree is from UNC or NC State or Duke, but I’ve learned to look beyond that and focus on their actually abilities. You’ll be surprised what money or a legacy can buy…
Back to Bowman. Of course the issue comes down Gary’s past time: HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL! I saw last year how Bowman, I think, beat Roosevelt and played West Side and Lew Wallace tough (they may have beat el dubb).
I guess I’m a traditionalist when it comes to this topic. Seeing the Gary Holiday tournament won by Bowman Academy instead of Side, Velt, El Dubb, Wirt, or Gary Mann is like WTF?
From the sounds of the chatter coming out Gary, this is a possibility this upcoming season.
So Obama might just be the next president of the U.S.. While I applaud his position, I also have to signal the need for his black supporters to “wake up and smell what’s brewing”.
I mentioned in previous post how a Barack win will bring about a new type of perspective on blacks in the eyes of quite a bit of White America. The first thought that comes to mind is that since he is articulate (like millions upon millions of other Blacks) and (if) he actually wins the presidency and does his time in the White House, then this will provide a step forward in the area of racial relations in this country.
Then comes: Racism? What Racism”.
This is where the “wake up” comes in. The Obama-Clinton race for the Democrat nomination demonstrated just how much racism is still in existence in this country. It’s true the mere fact a black man can be seen as a viable candidate for the Presidency and receive millions upon millions of votes from white voters is surely a sign that race relations have taken a monumental leap from the year I was born (68).
On the contrary, the venomous campaign approach Clinton used to stay in the race showed just how easily it is to stoke white racist feelings about black men and people in general, and use it as a motivating tool to go against anything that involves the improvement of black people, whether it be in their personal lives or the perception of black life/people in all of the Americas.
Which brings me to this; A blacks ability to advance in this country is going to take a DRAMATIC change with an Obama Presidency.
Expect more heated and intense challenges to affirmative action from whites.
Expect even more scrutiny when the need to use anti-discrimination laws justifiably arise
Expect more charges that blacks are racist towards whites
Expect there to be a perception that everything is level now. We do have a black president, you know…
The days of a Shaq rapping about Kobe (justifiably) and using the n word without receiving heat are gone. Shaq got a taste of that years ago when he mocked Chinese dialect when making a statement about Yao Ming.
Black people, if we are going to cry a hissy fit about a guy like Imus saying the N word or something racist, we’ve got to expect that we need to be held to the same standard.
It’s a unique time for black people here in the U.S.. I for one believe it’s going to be a good, positive change overall. It’s going to be tough. The majority (whites) still and will continue to do things that WE blacks know are racist.
It happens to me at least once a day as a black man. Every singe f_ckin day. Sometimes in small subtle occurances. Other times in ways that simply Makes Me Wanna Holla!
It’s time for us to police our own. We have alot of growing to do within our own community. Our own little Zimbabwe’s and Mugabe’s across the country within our own communities. We’ve been needing a jolt and I believe the Obama experience is and will catapult us into the next episode.
The guy at the intersection held up a sign that said, “Hungry”. He wanted to know if I could spare a dollar. Not when it’s going the way of the Peso.
The number one challenge for Obama as President will be the strengthening of the dollar. He cannot allow it to remain at a level where it makes sense for OPEC to switch to using the EURO instead of the dollar.
I understand the war in Iraq is of primary concern to most. I too place high priority on bringing an end to the Dupya debacle. However, if Jason Furman can work Rubin magic and right the US Economy after yet another Bush has destroyed it, then maybe, just maybe we can put the fear of a real financial crisis behind us (Market see’s a dramatic rise in the dollars value) and then we can fix the Iraq mistake.
It’s been rumored that Furman is pro business. That raises a red flag. We need balance. We’ve had “pro business” for the past 7.5 years. We need to follow this with at least 4 years of fiscal policy that allows the working people to breath.
Obama. make the right choices. While Dupya can get away with looking the American people smack dead in the eye and lying to them, YOU CANNOT.
Despite what Dave Chappell says, there is no such thing as a “Black Bush”:
you know whats! The U.S. economy is under attack. And not by Muslim extremist with towel heads and long beards. They’re wearing Brooks Brothers blue suits or their undies while sitting at a computer in their home day trading.
They are called oil speculators. And if the dollar falls to a point where OPEC decides to use the Euro instead of the dollar…
WE ARE GOING TO SEE A DEPRESSION!
These speculators have manipulated the rise in the cost of a barrel of oil by simply referring to “speculation” about supply/demand/reserve concerns in driving up the costs of oil.
Their “speculation” has no valid connection to what the actual oil supply/demand/reserve facts are. Google it and you’ll see…
They can’t help it. GOP’ers and “conservatives” (code word for anti-negro) can’t run campaign’s that’s not racist. It’s their core constituency. Since reconstruction, have they ever? NO!
It is time for the U.S. to move ahead to the future. Barack Obama is not a savior. But he is a change that properly represents America’s sentiment that the direction of this country has GOT TO CHANGE! The old hands have used our tax money to surely benefit the few (the upper class).
Whites voting for Obama has nothing to do with them being liberal. It’s like hearing someone scratch a chalkboard when I hear white political commentators like Pat Buchannon tell blacks how they should “see things”. However, my take on why whites have voted for Obama (besides the fact that not all of them are racists or even have a problem with people of color) is that I believe whites are feed up with:
The high costs of gas as a result of Dick Chaney inviting the leaders of big oil to white house at the beginning of the Dupya Presidency.
The mis-leading of American People in lying (not misusing intelligence) to the American public about intelligence he used to justify the war in Iraq-for the benefit of attendees of Dick Chaney’s energy policy invite to big oil at the beginning of the Dupya Presidency.
The falling value of the dollar world wide- caused directly by Dupya Administration economic policies from “trusted, conservative minds”.
The housing crisis caused by Dupya and his administrations policy to not push for stiff enforcement of housing regulatory laws THAT ARE ALREADY ON THE BOOKS!
The home owner who was not a participant in the “sub prime debacle”, but who is being affected by it- Due to horrendous Dupya fiscal policys
The rising cost of food at the result of Dupya’s policy of allowing the Big Oil constituencys agenda to override all others.
These are just a few of the issue’s that white folk have a problem with the regular old beltway players in Washington.
What better way to send the message to their hardcore conservative neighbor then by putting an “OBAMA” sign in their front yard.
The Milk Depot. The Lure. Screamin Wheels. Rays Shrimp House. Tri-Tri City. Westbrook Apartments. Chase School. The Dairy Queen on 15th Ave. Jackson Rib House. Archie B’s. Martin Gas Station. Jewel Food Store. The Village. Vienna Red Hot stand. Custom Tops. Montgomery Wards. Gilmore Stadium. Methodist Hospital. Mercy Hospital. Arts Bakery. Horseman. WEST SIDE COUGARS. Roosevelt Panthers. El Dubb. Wirt. Lake St. Beach. Marquette Park. Broadway. The Genesis Center. Disco Enterprise!. Victor Vincent house parties. House Music. Farley. JM Silk. Julius Jumpin Perez. Mickey Mixin Oliver. The Fly Jock Tom Joyner. WGCI 107.5 FM. WBMX is gonna make you rich!. The hot lunch mix. Leaded Gasoline. My Camaro rollin on Chrome Cragar 20’s in the 80’s! Jensen 6×9’s(four of em) in the back dash. The flea market behind The Village. Kressgees. JC Pennys, White Castles. Piggly Wiggly on Grant St (way back). Walgreens in Tri City. Mays department store across from Tri City. The Bud Plant. The Store in Tri City. Ivanhoe (Poe Jets!). The Spectrum. West Side vs. Roosevelt. The Holiday Tournament. The Thanksgiving Day Tournament. The Gary Drill Team Competition. The Gary Dump. Tim McCalister. Kenny McLaurin. Winston Garland. Johnny Fort. Tellis Franks. Donald Carter. Jerome Harmon. Eric Longino. Craig Dixon (Mr. Westbrook) schoolin D-1 prospects on the court in Westbrook.
The wavy part of Chase St going to the Village. 5h Ave. The Westbrook community center. Summer programs at Chase School and West Brook Community Center before Ronald Reagan. Ridge Road. Ventures in Griffith. South Lake Mall. Century Mall. Carson Pieri Scott. L.S. Ayers. Burger King on the first floor. Lockers in the mall for your coat in the cold ass winter. Chess King, The Lark, Bachrachs. Spencers. Jordach Jeans. The designer jeans craze. Run-DMC. Crush Groove. Whodini. LL Cool J. Afrika Bambata. Planet Rock. Midnight Star, SOS Band. Rick James. Seeing Rick James/Parliament/Bar-Kays concert at West Side’s Gym with my brother. Remembering how so many people was in the gym smokin weed that the cops couldn’t do anything about it. Rick James telling the crowd to ‘light it up”. Trippin out on the cat in Parliament that wears a diaper (old ass still does in current concerts). Devo, Thomas Dolby. Duran Duran. Other European white groups that we actually listened to. When we first got cable and watching an HBO movie for the first time. Those HUGE VCR’s that you used to have to program by moving these small white wheels.
“Sock Hops” on lunch hour at West Side. Darren “Magic” Sumbry. Herman Hurston. Bo-Pete. A.G.. Bo, Sophia Smith, Derenda Braden, Lisa Hill, Mabel Peters, Eric Crosby, Patrick Smith, Marilyn. Old neighborhood friends Tommy Houston. Derrick Owens. Michael Owens. Donnell Draper. Ben Jones. Tim Boudreaux. Ivan Colbert.
Driving like a damn fool down 4th Ave at night coming back from hanging out at the beach. Not noticing how dangerous Gary was until after I left. Now Laters. Chico Sticks. Grape Soda. Riding a bicycle EVERYWHERE until I got a car. Ballin all day and sometimes under the light during the summer months. Ballin in the winter months after clearing the snow from the court and grabbing the outside trash can and putting rags and other crap in it to make a fire to warm your hands while waiting for “next” on the court. Playing tag football in the street. Playing “piggy” in the street. Playing hide and go seek. Talkin about each others momma under the street light. Not challenging Diciples when they roll up on you talkin bout “who you rollin with?”, I ain’t rollin with nobody. Tolleston. Gettin jumped over a girl at West Side. Inland Steel. Sophomore Star Night at West Side. The Gary Football O’Rama. Over sized Boom box carried on my shoulder while walking around the Football O’Rama.
More…
Calling James Piggee “Manute” when he dunked. Lincoln way Deli on 4th. The Blue Room. Dena’s Pub. IUN. Seeing someone get shot. Shoveling snow. In May. Standing in line at the Drill Team Competition or high school basketball games. In the snow. With the wind chill 20 below. Frontin driving thru the front of the Village lookin at my ride in the glass. Skipping school and hanging out at Roosevelt on their lunch period. Tarry Town. The Cobbs. biker shorts at miller beach with biker hats. Broaches and long shirts (house style) Mothafuc_in gangstas wherein black hats with the crossed guns on them. seeing dudes walking down 15th ave ’stackin” and throwin up pitchforks. The indoor car wash on 11th ave in the winter. the Zanzibar. the library next door. Popeyes chicken on broadway. The bad service at Popeyes on Broadway. City Castles across from the old “Gary” Post Tribune site. All the stores on broadway boarded up. The old theater on broadway with the “Jackson Five” sign still up. Big ass pot holes in the streets. Drag Racing down 5th Ave going towards Miller Beach. West Side Lounge. tip tops. Racist ass Hessville. Going to McDonalds for lunch at West Side. the surge. Getting my car broke into bout 6 times. My Best Friend from elementary school Don Clay. Tommy “King Weird” Houston. throwing rocks at the new car windows on the train. Shooting birds with my pellet gun on the “high line”.
Shine Dog. Kerm. Ug. Flea Bag. Bay Bay. Bootsy. Pink Floyd. Juno. Magic. Richard Hatcher. Ron Helflin. Ike Brown. The Cougar Den Gym. The Panther Den. EC Roosevelt ‘Rough Riders”. Thanksgiving day tournament at EC Roosevelt. Snap dying too young. Cheap Ass Churchs Chicken on 5th ave. Rib Tips. Foot Long Fried Polishes. Trying to rap to girls older than me. The Sheraton when it was open. The old train on 5th AVe across from City Hall. The MEPS Station across the street from the Genesis Center. Not snitchin on dudes from “the Bronx” but having to pay restitution for all the Twinkies, Ho-Ho’s and Ding dongs they stole from the delivery truck outside the surge when the dumb ass driver left the back of the truck unlocked and went inside of the school for about 15 minutes. Fast Willie walking down 5th ave selling peanuts walkin REAL fast during the day time. Seeing Fast Willie walking REAL fast that same night selling peanuts at Miller Beach while hanging out and underage drinking. Being stopped so many times by the Gary police in my ride. They never took us to jail. they just took our “stuff” and let us go. Giving a Gary police officer a beer as he cruised thru the parking lot at the Marquette Park Beach parking area, though I was under aged myself.
Straight leg plaid pants. Get n’ them from the thrift store. V-neck Izod sweaters. Swoop fade haircuts (see you tube video of Kwame), Polo’s. Polo cologne. Lagerfield. K-SWISS. The Swiss Boys. The Rude Boys. Black Scotty from Tolleston (The best GQ dressing mofo in middle school). Trench coats. piano ties. Michael Jackson’s Thriller Jacket. The Jerry Curl Factory off Grant St (and I believe 15th). Wet, drippy jerry curls. Afro picks. Afro sheen. Watching Walter Payton play for the Bears on Sunday at 11am. Missing the first half of the games because my momma dragged me to church. Once going to church definitely still hung over from going out the night before (ofcourse moms didn’t know). Walter Jacobson on the Channel Two News. Bill Curtis. Chet Lemon-center fielder for the White Sox. Hating the Cubs (still do). Hating the Packers (still do). Hating Roosevelt High School (as competition- I grew up, don’t hate no more). Reflecting on the HATERS and noticing how I didn’t have time to notice them back then because “I was doin my thang”. Realizing that G.I. was full of haters back then as it is today. Playing the numbers in the raggedy house next to the Milk Depot on Chase St.
Walking to school to Tolleston. Being concerned when that faggot was molesting kids (I guess this was in like 1980 or 81) abducting them while they walked to school-the name for him in the hood was the “booty bandit”. We all walked to school in groups because of this. Mr. Whiteside at West Side (how he’d cuss at you) Remembering being spanked with a paddle in the 8th grade at Tolleston (that shit hurt and was humiliating because he did it in front of the class). Me and Magic carrying Ant Green to his front steps while he was passed out drunk, ringing the door bell, running down two houses down where my car was parked and taking off.
Remembering the day my mom called me and told me my boy Magic had been shot to death (she was working in the emergency room the day he was brought in)…
Obama is sexist. He’s an inadequate black man. McCain has more experience as a “President”. Obama is not experienced enough. Obama’s middle name is Hussein. He’s a ’snake oil salesman”.
So…white Democrat voters would rather vote for McCain.
Ask the friend of Carol McCain about McCain (or read about it here):
Now, look at yourself in the mirror and just admit who or what you really are. I don’t need to say it. You say it everyday when it’s safe to be politically incorrect.
