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So do you have pride? Gay pride that is. We have been down this road, this road of sexual orientation and its effects on this county, and of course the overly stated effects of the state on heterosexual marriage. The only thing I have to say to that is as heterosexuals how did abomination, saddled homosexuals ruin a Godly union? What does that say about the state of heterosexual relationships with God, how is it that an abomination had so much power that homosexuals tore it asunder, in the bible it says let no man put asunder what God has brought together. I am to believe that homosexuals have more power than God? I don’t think so.
Should homosexuals be allowed to marry in this country? For all the screaming about the separation of church and state we don’t really have a separation at all. I mean if there really is a separation you should be allowed to marry a dog as long as he can hold a job, and pay taxes.
Why are people so mad about others wanting to commit alleged sin? You aren’t the one going to hell what do you care? When you get to the pearly gates I doubt St. Peter is going to ask you did you abstain, and encourage others to abstain from watching To Wong Foo from Julie Newmar. I doubt the sentence will be harsh for not being around in someone else’s bedroom to keep them from committing the heinous crime of homosexual liaisons. Ministers are angry, parishioners are boisterous with disapproval, gay activists are seething with anger. So where does the real problem lie? Would it be good enough just to have the rights as opposed to the marriage? Makes your head hurt.
It is obvious that the Bible plays such a strong role in all of this, but the Bible is not evidence in court. And anyway all you church goers know the last days are coming, why are you fighting it? Just go with the flow. I say that because wherever you turn the religious enthusiasts mention all the signs of the last days, well if the last days are here upon us, what the hell is the big deal with gay marriage? Let ‘em get married so we can be one step closer to the sounding of the trumpet.
The Bible is full of so many stories, so many moral standards, and implications. The Bible is full of God using the faults, and flaws of others to be another’s redemption, why is it that we insist that we know at every turn what God intended. Isn’t it okay to say that at some point we don’t know the ins and outs of the Bible, that we don’t know what he meant at all times. Isn’t it okay to admit that God created homosexuals, and heterosexuals with fault, with no more a reason or justification. Why are ministers, who are the beacons of light, the carriers of the word, the roots of compassion the angriest, why aren’t they the humblest in the room, why is it that faith in God means you know it all? Where in the Bible does God say that HIS knowledge is privy to you or I? As a matter of fact HE says the opposite, who are we to question our God, and all that HE has created on this earth. Is it not possible to live in this world, and never know what HE meant at all times, and hope that we are doing our best to demonstrate and perpetrate HIS will. God in the New Testament does not wag HIS hand in anger, or admonishment, HE sends HIS son to dwell with the sick, the feeble, the spiritually famished, the morally bankrupt, the lost, the forgotten, the impoverished and give them hope, and use them just as they are to do the will of God. And we forget we can be impoverished in so many ways that our poverty effects the very best we have to give. I do not know if gay marriage is wrong or right, I do know that I follow my convictions as they pertain to me and the relationship I have with my God, others should do the same. (and stop minding other peoples business). God has used others with many faults to bless, and lead us where we need to be, when we need to be there regardless of what we may have felt was wrong with them. So allow God to use you the way he has used others, without prejudice. What we do know for certain is that we are children of God and we are here to do HIS will, and I doubt HIS will is about blaming others for the inability we have as humans to make our relationships and marriages work.
So do you have pride? Gay pride that is. We have been down this road, this road of sexual orientation and its effects on this county and of course the overly stated effects of the state on heterosexual marriage. The only thing I have to say to that is as heterosexuals you allowed abomination saddled homosexuals to ruin your Godly union what does that say about the state of your relationship with God, how is it that an abomination had so much power that homosexuals tore it asunder, in the bible it says let no man put asunder what God has brought together. I am to believe that homosexuals have more power than God? I don’t think so.
Should homosexuals be allowed to marry in this country? For all the screaming about the separation of church and state we don’t really have a separation at all. I mean if there really is a separation you should be allowed to marry a dog as long as he can hold a job and pay taxes. I mean really what is the real issue?
Why are people so mad about others wanting to commit alleged sin? You aren’t going to hell what do you care? When you get to the pearly gates I doubt st peter is going to ask you did you abstain and encourage others to abstain from watching To Wong Foo from Julie Newmar. I doubt the sentence will be harsh for not being around in someone else’s bedroom to keep them from committing the heinous crime of homosexual liaisons. Ministers are angry, parishioners are boisterous with disapproval, gay activists are seething with . So where is the real problem lie? Would it be good enough just to have the rights as opposed to the marriage? Makes your head hurt.
It is obvious that the bible plays such a strong role in all of this but the bible is not evidence in court. And anyway all you church goers know the last days are coming why are you fighting it just go with the flow. I say that because wherever you turn the religious enthusiasts mention all the signs of the last days, well if the last days are here what the hell is the big deal with gay marriage? Let ‘em get married so we can be one step closer to the sounding of the trumpet.
The bible is full of so many stories so many moral standards and implications. The bible is full of God using the faults and flaws of others to be another’s redemption, why is it that we insist that we know at every turn what God intended. Isn’t it okay to say that at some point we don’t know the ins and outs of the bible that we don’t know what he meant at all times. Isn’t okay to admit that God created homosexuals, and heterosexuals with fault, with no more a reason or justification. Why are ministers who are the beacons of light, the carriers of the word, the roots of compassion the angriest, why aren’t they the humblest in the room, why is it that faith in God means you know it all? Where in the bible does God say that HIS knowledge is privy to you or I? As a matter of fact HE says the opposite, who are we to question our God and all that HE has created on this earth. Is It not possible to live in this world and never know what HE meant at all times and hope that we are doing our best to demonstrate and perpetrate HIS will. God in the new testament does not wag HIS hand in anger, or admonishment, HE sends HIS son to dwell with the sick, the feeble, the spiritually famished, the morally bankrupt, the lost, the forgotten, the impoverished and give them hope, and use them just as they are to do the will of GOD. And we forget we can be impoverished in so many ways that our poverty effects the very best we have to give. I do not know if gay marriage is wrong or right, I do know that I follow my convictions as they pertain to me and the relationship I have with my GOD, others should do the same. (and stop minding other peoples business). GOD has used others with many faults to bless and lead us where we need to be when we need to be there regardless of what we may have felt was wrong with them so allow God to use you the way he has used others, without prejudice. What we do know for certain is that we are children of GOD and we are here to do HIS will, and I doubt HIS will is about blaming others for the inability we have as humans to make our relationships and marriages work.
Living in upstate New York has its advantages, and positives. It is quiet, you can escape the hustle, and bustle of the city. Everyone speaks, people seem really concerned about each other, the city is always full and overcrowded. People are always in a hurry, pushing past, missing the beauty of the day. Upstate it is about community, don’t get me wrong wherever you go there is always bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is practiced strong up here in our little towns as is everywhere else, but by the same token our little towns are also quaint, comfortable, clean, and intimate . . . and yes there is a but coming . . . in the summer approximately at the end of June, the Hasidim come to stay at their camps. Let me first begin by taking a breath . . .
They come in droves, in mini-vans, huge SUV’s, passenger vans, and beat-up, tore down Crown Victoria’s. Yes I know once you read thus you will decide that I am prejudice, well let me confirm what you already know beforehand I am an equal opportunity prejudice stalwart. I dislike everyone and have complaints about all races, religious denominations, sexes, and anything else I can think of to write about. First let me start by saying, I have never met a group of people who as a group cannot drive. It is innate, they do not signal, do not keep themselves aware of oncoming and ongoing traffic,, stop in the street to have whole conversations with a line of cars behind them, they step out in front of vehicles with their carriages against the light, with traffic barreling toward them. They are rude in the Wally world, (for those who do not know Wally World is Wal-Mart), jumping in front of you never speaking, not even a solitary hello, cut you off on line, bumping you , pushing you out the way. Yes it is common knowledge in the Hudson valley that when the summer comes they have arrived to everyone’s dismay. And no this is not about religious persecution. There isn’t another group that boasts all its members as religious students, and require services, and own half of Sullivan county with their not for profit non-taxable land.
It seems that this chosen people thing has really gone to their head. I mean I don’t remember reading in the Old Covenant (Testament for those of you who have a different translation), that God said be rude, and not signal when driving. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you are so special you should create traffic hazards. They inhabit camps that look as if they should be condemned, and walk around with an air of entitlement. I mean really, me and God have to really have a talk about this. He gave these people the idea that because we are not Jewish that somehow we do not deserve the very simple courtesy of a turn signal. And yes I am sure that there are aberrations to the argument, although they seem to be, in my experience, few and far between, but I am sure they do exist. I just want to understand how it is that none of them ever signal, ever. Is there a branch meeting, or training site that effectively institutes driving instruction for the Hasidim? So I say this to say could somebody please, please tell them that God said signal next time, oh and turn your head both ways before crossing the street, you know like our mothers used to tell us.
So I met this woman the other day, white woman. I know that you are wondering where I’m going with this, but be patient I’ll get there sooner than later. We started discussing the state of this country, economics, race, education, illegal immigration etc. Oh yeah and gas, let me not forget that, that is usually the conversation starter these days. There are so many things wrong in this country right now we were able to speak for hours. She started by telling me she was an educator, I congratulated her, and praised her dedication. We started talking about the children, and how the school system in this country is falling apart in a lot of places. I realized talking to her that she was suffering from the disease of whiteness, and I started to feel sorry for her. It is a disease that is native to most of white America, and there has yet to be a cure discovered. It seems that white people have become so scared of saying what they really think about things that they remain silent, and carefully re-invent the things they think for fear of being labeled racist. They treat our children with kid gloves, because on some level they do not really believe that our children are capable of really achieving. People of color have been making excuses for why we can’t move forward as a people, I know this sounds familiar, “black man can’t get a break because the white man is holding him back, he just wants to lock up our men, our children can’t learn that way . . . “.
The more we talked the more I realized this woman, white as she was, she meant well. In this country we have become so used to the discussion of racism as it pertains to blacks and its effects we have negated a conversation about the effects of racism on whites
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So lets be real, we can’t really afford to ship every illegal immigrant back home. It sounds nice in theory, but it really is very unrealistic. Yes illegal immigration makes my skin crawl, and my anger burn. Mexican activists have taken up the, “it’s racist” argument, which for me as an African American is a little insulting, but that is another blog for another day. Did this country somehow miraculously develop some way to expand every year another 400,000 to 500,000 illegal immigrants enter this country. Some protest we shouldn’t build a fence so that illegal immigrants can’t enter this country, and how it isn’t right, but the real issue I find is how can we afford not to. Yes there are debates about whether illegal immigrants are depressing the American economy, some studies show that they are, and some studies show that they actually don’t. But when did it become okay to express encouragement to break the law? We live in a nation that gives you the right to express yourself, but why should we give you the right to encourage others to disregard the rules, and laws of the very country you so desperately are trying to come to. The problems of illegal immigration go beyond economic, they are societal we have a group of people who come to this country enjoy the basics of being American without assimilating. That is the equivalent of throwing a bar-b-q everyone coming, eating up all your food, drinking your wine and liquor, stopping up your toilet, and never even bothering to acknowledge or speak to the host. This is the most giving country in the world, and no I’m not talking about our government that also is another blog, but as individuals we tend to give more in the time of need than other citizens in other countries. How dare we be accused of anything other than wanting this country to prosper. Illegal immigration tends to bring people who are less educated, will make less money, and become a contributor to the impoverished class in this country, which if I may say so myself is large enough without any help from Mexico. And I say Mexico because for some reason Hispanic activists have taken up this issue staunchly, why maybe because they make up more than half of illegal immigration. The real issue is that Mexico is another commonwealth without actually being a legitimate commonwealth. Mexico encourages illegal immigration, and keeps its economy afloat by having our illegal immigrants send money back to their country. There is something very wrong with that scenario. Now I favor a path to citizenship, not amnesty, a path, and reparation for the use of someone else’s social security number, non payment of taxes and use of services while they were working here illegally. No one else gets to commit crime in this country and get off Scot-free. Why should they? And if you are a criminal that’s simple ship them back where they came from, don’t bother prosecuting them just send them home, why should we waste tax-payer dollars keeping these illegal immigrants warm, fed, and housed. No one says just let the mouse live when they find one at home. Illegal immigrants, and visa overstayers need to be held accountable. Businesses need to be held accountable and fined heavily. Not only that, this idea that families can sponsor their loved ones is ludicrous, if businesses benefit so much from illegal immigrants work ethic let them sponsor the workers that they so feverishly hire instead of Americans. Illegal immigrants should pay a fine, and learn English in a certain length of time, and then be allowed a path to citizenship. No more sending for your mama, papa, brother, sister, nephew, niece etc. Let them file to get into this country like everyone else. I hear a lot of Mexicans say that Arizona, and California were theirs why should they file like other immigrants to get into a country that once belonged to their ancestors. Simple answer for you guys your ancestors don’t own it anymore, sorry to tell ya. Listen this is what countries do, they go in and conquer whole nations, ask Britain. No one knows this better than the UK, “ the sun never sets on the British empire “, was what they used to say. Yes it sucks, but so did slavery we’ve had to get over it, so now so do you. This is a country overrun with many social problems we don’t need to add anymore. We have a social system that is falling apart, a government that doesn’t work for the people, but implements the rights of the rich. The last thing we need to be doing is splitting hairs. Lets get to the real work of building America.
So where did this idea that proper English was a white thing come from? I have been volunteering at a summer program with some underprivileged youth, in a severely economically depressed area in New York state. Why you ask? A combination of things, I feel as if I have been lacking in giving back to the kids we have given up on, and thrown away, I don’t work, well I do work but I make my own schedule, and I tend to get more things done when I have more on my plate. And it pressed me to see a group of children who have no idea about the world that surrounds the very small, and limited world they live in. I own my own company, and I wanted to show these kids how heir imagination can create opportunities. It does not occur to these kids the amount of wealth that exists in their heads, and how it is a resource that can be tapped into and shaped into a business where you are the boss. I heard a young lady about the age of twelve remark that being proficient in the English language, staying out of jail, and saving money were white characteristics. I asked quickly where she got that idea. She explained with detail that her family were interested in being contributing members to society. Where oh where did our people get this idea that crime, bad credit, murdering the English language, and ignorance were synonymous with black culture? When did black culture become just rap music, vulgar tasteless 3 minute advertisements, bad language, hanging jeans, degradation of women, and calling women shawty? Now don’t get me wrong we all know that we have so many characteristics and inner cultures that make us both proud and sad, that sponsor sarcasm, and provide humor. Yes we don’t like to read the directions to putting things together we look at the picture and put it together according to the human eye, yes we have perfected getting the phone both cell and landline in our 12 month old sons name because we have already ruined our credit. Yes our mothers boast in admonishment “don’t you start acting brand new.” no we don’t believe in letting our kids think they are little people who have rights. “I brought you in this world and I’ll take you out.” But by the same token we are responsible for doctors, lawyers, traffic light inventors, and Nobel Peace prize winners. Yes when you stop by Sister so and so’s house she will offer you something cold to drink and become insulted if you refuse. Yes we still have Sunday dinners, and love a reason to eat, and feel the need to go shopping every Easter for Easter outfits. The white house stands for one reason and one reason only Benjamin Banneker, we tell time (the clock) for the same reason. So what is with this idea that speaking without a “ nah mean “ at the end of your sentence is a white thing. I wasn’t aware that white people had a contractual monopoly on the English language.
Segregation was the staple that kept the community of color intact. Blacks seemed to have lost so much in the pursuit of the Civil Rights era. There is no disrespect to those who gave all that they could, and had to the movement that now allows me to write this blog. I am free because someone in my family, and others thought enough of themselves, and their children to lay down their lives. They gave up their futures to make it so that I can protest what now seems to be a system where people of color continue to lose. We continue to lose because we have yet to figure out how to curve the bell to our benefit, and make it so we re-write the rules of the game so that we may win. In our pursuit we confused wanting to be free with wanting to be white. I say that to mean we realized with the end if segregation that we could now go to their schools, invest in their banks, move into their neighborhoods, marry their daughters and sons, and we now could say we have ARRIVED!!! Instead of working with white folks, and building up the communities we already lived in, we joined theirs, even though we were not wanted. The very fabric of what made this community of color so strong was what then had to suffer the most in order for us to be free. Our teachers, our doctors, lawyers, morticians, and ministers moved out into the suburbs, leaving our cleaning women, our janitors, factory workers, our everyday hardworking person of color alone to struggle. Our neighborhoods struggled, our children lost, our community suffered. Where then were the success stories for our children? And now our elite class complains that our young men are going to jail at alarming rtaes and our women are raising children in single parent homes. Who then would they look to when their parents told them they could be anything? We chased the American white dream, the picket fence, the suburbs, the big money. The game was not constructed for people of color to play it, its rules need to be re-written, the way we teach our children, how we fight for our rights, what is and isn't practical in this nation when we address race. We have pursued the right to own big homes, with manicured lawns, and drive big luxury cars, and flat screen televisions while our brethren falter in an educational and judicial system that is failing children, and crucifying young lives. We complain about how ignorant the niggers in the ghetto are but we have taken the all too familiar helpful hand that our grandmothers, and grandfathers extended so we could watch Flavor of Love on our LCD's. We have separated ourselves, and salute the God of this nation; currency. Our basketball players and rap stars flaunt diamonds in the mouth like oral b presents floss, flaunt flashy jewelry and hide behind artistic license, flaunt numerous cars even though they can only drive one at a time. Our children think these modern day minstrel show actors are the role models and what is real. We celebrate rap stars who when they speak murder the english language and cannot properly express themselves without taglines. We celebrate mediocrity like it is part of our culture, how dare a child of color strive to be intelligent, that is associated with trying to be white, how dare we stress education because Kaseem is going to be the next Michael Jordan or Lebron James. And our middle class, our upper class, and wealthy bretheren have become so comfortable they have forgotten about the tradition that has gotten them where they are. We complain and do not even realize we are the problem, rich and poor, we fall down together. So to all of our intellectuals who think we should line up the ghetto bunnies along the wall and shoot them ask yourself who did you help today? Which hand did you use to reach down into the pit and throw someone a lifeline? Because without that lifeline you the intellectual would be that ghetto bunny.
So last week I received the same email from two different sources. It was entitled WOW!! I guess it was circulated to protest the alleged prejudice people of color seemed to have experienced while reading it. It was an email about the installation by Yazmany Arboleda of Boston, in a vacant office space in New York City. The installation was entitled the Assassination of Barack Obama. What was interesting was earlier that morning a good friend of mine had asked me had I seen the email that was circulating like a list for section 8. I had to reply no but I found later that the email was actually in my inbox. Had she not asked me about the email and had I not seen the installation that also had an installment about the Assassination of Hillary Clinton I probably would have assumed that somehow Barack Obama was the only installation. There were quips, and rants from those of color who had received the email who were flabbergasted, and in shock. " Oh my how could in 2008 black people be experiencing such blatant expressions of racism and prejudice?" And to that my response was a hefty laugh, and a real loud " Get over it ". When are we going to realize that everything is not about racism, everyone isn't intentionally out to get us, and truthfully at this point what difference does it make, when our professional athletes (of color) can boast multi-million dollar contracts, and have sneakers and streets named after us, and we have people of color who can build and open their own schools, and create multi-million and billion dollar establishments who cares what blatant expressions of racism are exhibited. It took me a minute to realize whoever had started the circulation of the email was really race baiting. Nowhere in the email did you see the installation of Hillary Clintons' assassination, and nowhere could you find the artists explanation of work which most artists accompany with their exhibits. It became evident to me that someone was bored, and needed to go volunteer their time (and the time it took for them to send the email) at an inner city school where we as people have more pressing issues. Once again woe is the black man and black people all around the world. Come to find out I did get to see the exhibit in full, but only because like the good computer geek that I am I Googled it. The exhibit was interesting and he had some good thought provoking images and a few things that made me laugh. As an artist I could appreciate what he was trying to accomplish. Listen people Barack Obama is not Stokely Carmichael, or Huey P. Newton, (oh by the way for those who have been studying history under a rock Newton, and Carmichael were politial activists during the Black Power movement, Google them ), he will not be cut down in his prime and assassinated in the sense that most black people I talk to seem to think. He will be castrated, and lynched, but in the most modern way possible, commercially, and politically. He is no rebel, no Black Power hope, and he is no Black Panther he is just a black man in black face who is an idealist, and has more faith in the process of sitting at the table of brotherhood than most, and an inspirational speaker. Listen I give him credit because he has already made history, and done great things just by inspiring a generation of youth people had forgotten had existed, but as we know in life all good things must come to an end.
Well I hope black people know that if Barack is indeed elected into office there will be no more circulating race baiting emails, white people will swear that racism is gone, kind of like the insistance that Elvis is still somewhere in a grocery store shopping, oh and that this is the only country God ever blesses.
So I was introduced to a new pimp today. A new pusher of sorts. I say this to say that a new crack dealer is in town. His name is Barack Obama. Now listen I won't go as far as saying I don't like him, I can't say that I do or I don't, I don't actually know the man but what I can say is I don't think it has ever been more legal to sell drugs than it has been with the introduction of campaign 2008. Now I'm sure by now you're confused. What does drugs and the Presidential Campaign of 2008 have to do with eachother. Everything!!!! Here is a Black man in Black face, a non-descript, non-threatening idealistic American dream. Blacks vote for him because he's black and whites vote for him because for once they can say they are not racist and mean it. He brings a message of hope that stirs motivation, and outlook, unfortuantely he has become an enabler. He is enabling this conutry full of Americans who think that by electing one man they can change the world and their lives. What happened to being active, and involved instead of waiting for someone else to do it? The reason this country is in so much trouble is because while the lobbyists were out writing checks we were home playing Nintendo. And now we blame the likes of George Bush Sr. and Jr. for the problems that include 1 in 5 adults in this country being functionally illiterate and 1 in 3 in Washington, D.C., the nations capitol and I dare say Chocolate City. Obama has brought us the speech that King made 40 years ago dressed up in a brand new pair of clothing but on the same old worn out body. All respect to the man who did help shape and change this country but whta King did was legislate law not legislate minds, and that just cannot be done. So congratulations Obama on making people think that this country can change for the better with just a vote, you are the new pusher, the new pimp if I may say. Who else can convince people while you are pissing on their back that its just rain?
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