Weekend Humor

 
One night, a drunk comes stumbling into a bar and says to the bartender: "Drinks for all on me including you, bartender." So the bartender follows the mans orders and says: "That will be $36.50 please." The drunk says "Mann, I aint got no damn money." so the bartender slaps him around and throws him out.

The next night the same drunk comes in again and orders a drink for everyone in the bar including the bartender. Again the bartender follows instructions and again the drunk says-"Awww mann, I'm sorry, I'm tapped out..I aint got no money."  So the bartender slaps him around and throws him out.

So on the third night he comes in, and orders drinks for all except the bartender. "What, no drink for me?" replies the bartender. "Helllllllllll, no. You get violent and crazy when you drink."

Five

Five Things I Hate About Other People's Driving-


1.People who ride their brakes when they're nowhere near a red light.

2. Riding side by side with another car when they're NOT in traffic at all.

3. Tailgating...People who ride your butt the entire time you're on a particular stretch!

4. Folks who drive slow as hell with 5 car lengths between them and the car in front of them in the "fast" lane (especially when combined with #2)

5.People who come to a complete stop when attempting to merge into traffic...(Though I admit with some guilt that when I first learned how to drive...I used to be guilty of that myself... Don't judge me...I'm being honest!)

A Point Of Commonality!

The Education President! Barack Obama! ,The Education Candidate, Mitt Romney!!Funny! I believe there was another president...a republican , that originally coined that title..Was it George W.????? Nah...It couldn't be. This week, President Barack Obama is on a blitz to keep the cost of college loans from soaring for millions of students, taking his message to three states strategically important to his re-election bid.

By taking on student debt,President Obama is speaking to middle-class America and targeting an enormous burden that threatens the economic recovery. Now of course the spin meisters at Fox News, who take everything the man does and try to spin it in the negative is saying that he is just trying to woo young voters. Of course he is...and what is wrong with that?

Interestingly enough, before President Obama got his road trip under way,His chief Republican opponent, Mitt Romney found a way to steal some thunder from the president’s campaign argument: He agreed with it. (For now anyway...Next week, he won't!)



The two competitors are now on record for freezing the current interest rates on a popular federal loan for poorer and middle-class students. The issue is looming because the rate will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 without intervention by Congress, an expiration date chosen in 2007 when a Democratic Congress voted to chop the rate in half. President Obama is heading to campuses in the South, West and Midwest to sell his message to colleges audiences who are bound to support it.


As he pressures Republicans in Congress to act, he will also be trying to energize the young people essential to his campaign – those same young people who voted for him last time and the many more who have turned voting age since then.

The president speaks Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Colorado at Boulder, and then the University of Iowa on Wednesday. All three universities are in states that Obama carried in 2008, and all three states are considered among the several that could swing to President Obama or Mitt Romney and help decide a close 2012 election. Both campaigns are fighting for the support of voters buried in college debt.


The national debt amassed on student loans is higher than that for credit cards or auto loans. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has estimated about 15 percent of Americans, or 37 million people, have outstanding student loan debt. The banks put the total at $870 billion, though other estimates have reached $1 trillion. About two-thirds of student loan debt is held by people under 30. Ahhh brings back memories of when I was in my twenties and early thirties ,when I was in student loan debt.

Thankfully, that is all ancient history to me now...but I certainly feel their pain.  President Obama, previewing the message he will give at all three colleges, said over the weekend that allowing the interest rates to double this summer would hurt more than 7 million students.

The White House said it would cost students $1,000, based on the average amount borrowed a year ($4,200) and the average time it takes to pay the loan (12 years). “That would be a tremendous blow,” President Obama said. “And it’s completely preventable.” Mitt Romney agreed with that conclusion even in the midst of blasting President Obama’s economic leadership. “Given the bleak job prospects that young Americans coming out of college face today, I encourage Congress to temporarily extend the low rate,” Romney said in a statement.

 Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are championing what amounts to a one-year, election-year fix at a cost of roughly $6 billion. Congress seems headed that way. Members of both parties are assessing ways to cover the costs and win the votes in the House and Senate, which is far from a political certainty.

All parties involved have political incentive to keep the rates as they are. If you remember, President Obama carried voters between the ages of 18-29 by a margin of about 2-to-1 in 2008, but many recent college graduates have faced high levels of unemployment. That raises concerns for the president about whether they will vote and volunteer for him in such large numbers again. Lord knows ...we need their energy!

Little Elections

I voted just a few hours ago...I was the first one there....I was the only one there too for about 15 minutes!  Then two or three people wandered in...One woman was about my age..and the man was a senior citizen..  Not a good look..

I know we can do better because..I saw it myself.  In 2008 when Barack Obama ran for President...People were lined up down the halls, out into the street and around the corner...People were passing out sandwiches, Coffee and Pastries and music was playing.  Yes I saw this.  Why doesn't this happen every election?? It should!!

I'm betting that a lot of people don't even know that there is an election today... A primary election...but still an election...These are the so called "little" elections...The elections that most people don't think matter. They don't feel as though they matter,so they don't bother to participate.

There are certain people (Tea Party)  (Republicans) that are just fine with people thinking and acting this way....Don't vote!   They'll vote though...They make their votes work for them...

Let me give you all a personal example.  I wrote a post last summer about an annual weekend music festival held here in Philly called the West Oak Lane Jazz festival....A weekend of street concerts filled with stars like Chaka Khan, War,Mandrill, The Urban Guerilla Band ,Roy Ayers et al...that featured various vendors, and shuttle buses to transport  people from place to place..  It was a beautiful event that my wife and I and many of our friends looked forward to every year.

We won't be having it this year! No why?  The Democrat who got the funding for it is no longer in office.  The Republicans in office cut funding for it.  Now said Democrat is running for re-election today!!!  If he is elected...Perhaps the funding for this event is restored!!!   A simple thing maybe...But an important reason why even the most seemingly simplest vote is still important!

I wish I could make it this plain for the majority of people who don't see the need to vote in every single election..but sadly...they may never get it! So many people have simply lost faith in a system that never seems to work for them. I wish I could restore this faith...Then, there would be no more...Little Elections!

Motor City Motormouth

You know when I was in high school back in the 70's... I vaguely remember Ted Nugent. The white kids in my suburban high school played some of his music....Within a few years...He was totally irrelevant...Which he is now of course.

So with the exception of Ted Nugent playing a hitman in one of my favorite Miami Vice episodes of the eighties...I expect that he will once again fade into irrellevance once this latest brouhaha that he created is over
Last week he gained the most fame and news reportage he's had since the seventies when he made incendiary remarks against Preisdent Obama and stopped short of threatening the President's life...
The Secret Service is presently investigating him.  I find it amazing that he's such a right wing Republican nutcase now.. I remember back in the  70's when he was a left wing hippie type of guy who admits that he urinated on himself for days so that he would be so digusting , the draft board would turn him away... See , he opposed the Vietnam war that much!  I am assuming that he must have smelled pretty bad...because he never got drafted or served in the Vietnam War.
He's also an admitted pedophile.... Rock Star, Courtney Love tells a story (that Nugent has never denied by the way!) of how she gave him oral sex when she was 12  and he was 28!!!!!!  

Hmmmmmm!!!!   Now I know, we have all MADE mistakes in our past...Some of us ,more than others...But I wonder about a man who freely admits and doesn't disavow these kinds of mistakes and who endorses the GOP candidate fror President!!Hmmmmmmmmm!
Another Thing...Ted Nugent is also a hypocrite...He's all for the U.S. fighting wars...NOW of course, when he is too old to actually have to fight in them himself...And I can say that...because I was in the military...I didn't piss my pants ,so that they could turn me away....I'm aiming this at all those right wing nutjobs who wrapped themselves in the American Flag and give so much mouth time to fighting wars and serving the country.....I'm wondering , did you actually serve your country?
Or is it just cool to advocate someone else doing the fighting (and dying??)

You might want to watch this clip-

Keith's Music Spotlight

This young man gives me faith in music...R&B Music that is... Faith that someone is still writing songs about something and that mean something.

Weekend Humor

One day a genie appeared to a California man and offered to grant him one wish.
the man said:” I wish you'd build a bridge from here to Hawaii so I could drive there anytime"

The genie frowned" I don't know. It sounds like quite an undertaking,” he said. "Just think of the logistics. The supports required reaching the bottom of the ocean, the concrete, and the steel! Why don't you pick something else?"

The man thought for a while and then said, "Okay, I wish for a complete understanding of women- what they are thinking, why they cry. I wish I knew how to make a woman truly happy".
The genie was silent for a minute, then said "So how many lanes did you want on that bridge?"

Have a great weekend everyone~!

Not So Secret Services!

You know what?...If this wasn't so outrageous...and if this was any other time...I'd swear someone made this story up...As you probably know...Several Secret Service agents and some military attaches who were supposed to be guarding the President of the United States are accused of bringing prostitutes back to their rooms this past weekend..in Colombia..Incredible!!

I couldn't have made this story up....Well actually, I could have..but in this case...I didn't..The Colombian prostitute who triggered the scandal that has rocked the Secret Service got angry with two agents who refused to pay her full price for servicing the two of them, leading to a financial dispute over between $40 and $60, according to a government source who has been briefed on the investigation.

Forty Dollars?? Sixty Dollars?? When I was a young man, I've blown that much buying drinks and pizza on South Street...So Not only are these guys derelect in duty...but they're cheap!!

Two agents from the service's elite Counter Assault Team, in Cartagena, Colombia, in advance of President Barack Obama's arrival for the Summit of the Americas over the weekend, had procured the women's services at a local strip club called the Pley Club on the evening of April 11. All the Secret Service agents and officers implicated in the scandal are believed to have gone to the club that evening and brought back women, a U.S. official told NBC News.

The controversy arose after one of the women went back to a hotel room with two agents. The woman wanted to be paid for serving both agents, the source who has been briefed on the probe told NBC News. Instead, the agents would only agree to split her price, prompting the woman to complain to local police who were stationed in the lobby of the Caribe Hotel, the source said.

The police then went up to the agents' room and began banging on the door, which the agents at first refused to open, the source said. There are conflicting reports over how the payment dispute was resolved. But two government sources told NBC News the police contacted the U.S. Embassy over the dispute and Embassy officials then arrived at the scene.

All those with booked rooms at the hotel had to pay a fee of $25 for bringing any guests to their rooms -- and the guests were required to leave some form of identification at the front desk. A quick scan of the hotel register by a U.S. Embassy official established that 11 Secret Service agents had brought back women to their rooms that evening. When Embassy officials notified Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, he immediately ordered all the agents to fly home, the sources said.

The Secret Service members -- including agents and uniformed officers -- were stripped of their security clearances on Monday.

Included in that group were two high-level Secret Service supervisors, three counter assault officers whose job is to repel attacks and three sniper-team members, who take to rooftops to secure areas where the president might visit, NBC News reported.

U.S. officials have described the agents' conduct as a potential security breach especially because all the agents involved had access to the president's day-by-day, minute-by-minute schedule. But one official familiar with the security arrangements said that there were no specific security threats during the president's trip. Although agents upon arrival were briefed about current activities by leftist FARC guerrillas and local drug cartels, they were told neither had made any specific threats to the president. Thank God for that!

The only specific security concern mentioned was that agents and officers were told to bar a left-wing journalist from events at the summit and were given a flier with the journalist's photograph to keep him out, the law enforcement source said.

The Secret Service sent agents to Colombia to interview the prostitutes who hooked up Americans to figure out if the women are under age, involved with terrorism or trafficking in illegal drugs, a lawmaker told NBC News' Luke Russert on Tuesday.


They have all their IDs and are conducting an extensive background check to make sure they aren't affiliated with any narcotrafficking or terrorist group or that they could be minors,” Homeland Security chairman Rep. Peter King told Russert. “So far there is no security breach."

King, who was briefed on the Colombia investigation by Sullivan, confirmed that there were 11 agents and 11 women.

"The investigation could take a while simply because of the amount of women involved,” King said. “Some are saying they were prostitutes and others say they weren't."

U.S. military officials told NBC News on Tuesday that 10 American servicemen also were under investigation. According to the officials that includes five Army soldiers, two Navy sailors, two Marines and one Air Force airman.

One military official says it appears that at least two of the service members were found with prostitutes in their hotel rooms, the same el Caribe where the Secret Service detail stayed.

It's not clear whether any of the military members were in any way connected to the allegations involving members of the Secret Service at a Cartagena strip club. It's also not yet clear whether any of the 10 will face criminal charges.House and Senate lawmakers are also looking into the allegations.

They ought to face criminal charges...You know why?? They're the SECRET SERVICE!..The operative word being SECRET!!! None of this stuff is supposed to ever get out....James Bond is in his retirement home laughing his butt off!

The New Edition

I am a grandfather for the third time!  My daughter delivered an 8 pound, 3 ounce little girl yesterday at 4:16pm... est... Introducing, Alexis Rosalyn...My third grandchild!!!

True Freedom of Speech?

If you know me, then you know that I have probably had an opinion on something as long as I could speak. I guess it all began at those Christmas and Thanksgiving Dinners I witnessed as a child , where the men, My Grandfather, My uncles, etc. would debate the young men,  my older cousins who were college students on every debatable topic...from sports to civil rights to politics in general...No, I didn't take part in them then....I was too young, but I listened and I learned and a generation later...I was involved in some of them...

I was also in the military too for a time...and serving under two Presidents I didn't particularly agree with...Ronald "The Great Communicator" Reagon and George Herbert Walker Bush.....They were my Commanders in Chief and I was forbidden by the UCMJ to criticize my Commanders in Chief or endorse any political party while in uniform....That's the law...That's the rule...All service members know that we don't have the same Freedom of Speech and expression that civilians do.

There was no Facebook or Twitter or Myspace when I entered the military and I think I was out of the military at least three years when two of these social networks did appear.  There was blogs, but they hadn't caught on the way they have now...If these things had existed...I might find myself in the predicament a certain U.S. Marine finds himself in now.

Anybody that has read this blog for any length of time knows that I am a Black Liberal -Progressive ,damn near radical thinker...So it would amaze you that I am the least bit concerned about a Marine who is a Tea Party sympathizer and who is anti- Obama....Let me tell you his story first ,if you haven't already heard and then I'll make my point.

Gary Stein, the Marine pictured above who criticized President Barack Obama on his Facebook page has committed misconduct and should be dismissed, a military board recommended late last Thursday.

The Marine Corps administrative board made the decision after a daylong hearing at Camp Pendleton for Sgt. Gary Stein. The board also recommended that Stein be given an other-than-honorable discharge. That would mean Stein would lose all of his benefits and would not be allowed on any military base.

The board's recommendations go to a general who will either accept or deny them. If the general disagrees with the board, the case could go to the secretary of the Navy.

Sgt. Stein's lawyers argued that the 9-year Marine, whose service was to end anyway in four months, was expressing his personal views and exercising his First Amendment rights.

"We're truly surprised and disappointed but it was an honor to fight for a hero like Sgt. Stein and every other Marine's right to speak freely," Stein's defense attorney Marine Capt. James Baehr said.

Sgt.Gary Stein addressed board members during Thursday's hearing, telling them he loved the Marine Corps and wanted to re-enlist, Baehr said.

During the hearing, the prosecutor, Capt. John Torresala, said Stein went as far as superimposing images of Obama's face on a poster for the movie "Jackass."

Captain Torresala argued that Stein's behavior repeatedly violated Pentagon policy that limits the free speech rights of service members, and said he should be dismissed after ignoring warnings from his superiors about his postings.

The government submitted screen grabs of Stein's postings on one Facebook page he created called Armed Forces Tea Party, which the prosecutor said included the image of President Obama on the "Jackass" movie poster. Stein also superimposed President Obama's image on a poster for "The Incredibles" movie that he changed to "The Horribles," the prosecutor said.


Torresala also said anti-Obama comments by Stein that were posted on a Facebook page used by Marine meteorologists were prejudicial to good order and discipline, and could have influenced junior Marines.

Stein's security clearance was taken away and he has no future in the Marine Corps because he can't do his job without that clearance, Torresala said.

"The Marine Corps community views the command's lack of action as some kind of knock on good order and discipline," Torresala said. "Our own people are questioning why this Marine is not being held accountable."

Baehr said during the hearing that prosecutors were trying to dredge up any damaging information they could against Stein.

"There is no basis in this case," Baehr said. "Sgt. Stein has broken no law."

Baehr expressed after the hearing that he hoped that the recommendation would be rejected by the general, saying the case will go forward. "The issues are too important for this to end today," he said.

The military has had a policy since the Civil War of limiting the free speech of service members, including criticism of the commander in chief.

Pentagon directives say military personnel in uniform cannot sponsor a political club; participate in any TV or radio program or group discussion that advocates for or against a political party, candidate or cause; or speak at any event promoting a political movement.This is what I spoke of a few paragraphs above...We are clearly informed of that as early as Boot camp or Basic training as it is properly known.Commissioned  and Non-Commissioned officers also may not use contemptuous words against senior officials. Another thing we are all told in basic training.

Backed by a team of lawyers and congressmen, Sgt.Stein has said he is fighting for his constitutional rights and should be allowed to stay in the military. His lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union contend his views are protected by the First Amendment.

"Think about how dangerous this could be if the U.S. government can prosecute you for something you say on your private Facebook page," Baehr said.Which is my only concern here...I could care less about his Tea Party beliefs..You know I abhor the Tea Party , but I am concerned about employers asking for your Facebook log in and actually terminating people for things they've posted on their private Facebook page. This is the main reason...I write most of my political thoughts on this blog and keep my Facebook and My Twitter page drama free.

Sgt.Gary Stein has said his opinions are his own and has put a disclaimer on his Facebook page saying so. His attorneys argued service members have a right to voice their opinions as long as they do not appear to be presenting their views as being endorsed by the military. They say the Pentagon policy is vague and military officials do not understand it. Actually it's not vague at all...It's very precise and we do understand it.

I could have very well of found myself in Gary Stein's position had Facebook ,Twitter and Blogger been around when I was in the military. I was very much opposed to President's Reagon, Bush and Bush Jr.'s Economic and Foreign policies when I was in the military...but back then I kept my opinions to myself or expressed them behind a beer at a bar to like minded individuals...I left nothing in
print back then...But is that exercising free speech?

I have my own ideas on this subject...What are yours??

Keith's Favorite Quotes

"You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you."
- Heraclitus

Weekend Humor

A Plane carrying passengers suddenly looses engine power and the aircraft begins to decent. The pilot safely performs an emergency landing in water, and tells the passengers to remain seated and to keep the doors closed, stating that in emergency situations, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat for 30 minutes, giving rescuers time to get to them.

Just then as fate would have it..one man gets out if his seat (There is always one!)and runs over to open the door. The pilots screams at him, "Hey Man ,Didn't you hear what I said, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat as long as the doors remain closed?!".


To which the man says"Yeah ,of course I heard you, but it's also designed to fly too, and look how good that one worked out!!"


Have a great weekend everybody!

Got Him!

They got him....Yup George Zimmerman has finally been charged and is in custody!
 Yessirr George Zimmerman is in custody in Florida and will be charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, authorities announced Wednesday.

"We did not come to this decision lightly,"said Angela Corey, the special prosecutor appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to re-examine the case, said at a news conference in Jacksonville.


Angela Corey had previously said she wouldn't present the case to a grand jury, which took first-degree murder off the table. Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison,Though I can't see Zimmerman, if he is convicted at all..getting any more than 10 years.

George Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara — an Orlando lawyer and former prosecutor who took the case late Wednesday after Zimmerman's previous attorneys withdrew — said he would seek  George Zimmerman's release on bond sometime today.

His  new attorney, Mark O'Mara  said- "I think he's troubled by the fact the state decided to charge him,I would think anyone charged with second-degree murder would be scared."

State Attorney Corey said she decided last week to seek the charge but needed several days to make sure all details were in order. She said she had informed Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.

In a brief statement in Washington at a news conference at a gathering of the National Action Network, Sybrina Fulton said: "We just wanted an arrest, and we got it, and I say thank you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus."

The National Action Network is a project of the Rev. Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC-TV's "PoliticsNation," who has played a prominent role in advocating for charges against George Zimmerman, as did Popular Radio host,Michael Baisden.

Now that we've gotten an arrest at least and charges...I would ask that everybody fall back and allow the law to do what it does...I applaud the protesters for being orderly and peaceful...I would hope that everyone remains cool and copesetic...We've got a long way to go...This is just the beginning.

One Down And Two 2 Go!

Of course you know that I, like most of you watched the evening news with a tear in my eye as Rick Santorum suspended his campaign. What is this suspending the campaign that all of the Republicans say?
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you ended your campaign?? Suspended makes me think that it's only temporary..That you might be back...Rick , you aint comin back...Not in 2012 anyway...Just like Michelle Bachman and Herman Cain and Rick Perry won't be coming back anytime soon.  Thank goodness!
Oh and I wasn't crying...That tear came from laughing so hard!.


Citing weekend reflection with his family, prompted in part by a hospital stay for his youngest daughter,Rick Santorum suspended his campaign, effective today.

"Ladies and gentleman, we made the decision to get into this race at our kitchen table against all the odds," Santorum said in remarks to reporters in Gettysburg, Pa.

"We made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over for me and we will suspend our campaign effective today. We are not done fighting."

There is that word again...Suspend...No, you have ended your campaign....Maybe the reality of that was too much for any of them to bear.

The announcement effectively stifles opposition to Flipper, I mean Mitt Romney from within the GOP; amid signs that the Republican establishment has started to rally around Flipper...I mean,Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor no longer faces any serious conservative challenger.

The decision comes two weeks before the Pennsylvania presidential primary. Rick Santorum had faced the prospect of an embarrassing loss to Romney that threatened to short-circuit any of his future political aspirations, either statewide or nationally.(That's why he really suspended his campaign....)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul remain active candidates, though neither of them have a chance in hell of winning the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination...Look for these two to still be campaigning after the innauguration!

Is The Fix In?

The News I got yesterday afternoon was not encouraging at all and I silently wonder if the real cover up in this already disturbing case is just beginning.
Some of my friends have been telling me that this doesn't mean anything..That it's not over yet..but I hate to say it...I've seen this all before..  As the gamblers say.."The Fix may already be in.

State Attorney Angela Corey, appointed as a special prosecutor in the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has decided against sending the case to a grand jury, her office said Monday.

"The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case," Corey's office said in a statement.

The grand jury, set to convene on Tuesday, was previously scheduled by the former prosecutor. Angela Corey previously said she has not used grand jury's in cases like this and added that from the time she was appointed she said she may not need a grand jury.

The decision about whether or not to charge George Zimmerman in the case now rests with prosecutors.

"At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office," in the statement.

The decision means that the timetable for any possible charges remains up in the air.

"We had hoped she had enough evidence without the need to convene a grand jury,” Ben Crump, the attorney for the Martin family said about Corey. “The family is trying to have patience and faith through all of this."

Attorney Crump said they are hoping for charges and an arrest as soon as possible.

"We know we want that day to come,” Crump said. “We want a very public trial so the evidence can come out and show people that the justice system works for everybody."

Crump added that he believed the evidence that has come out has “made it clear” that charges should be filed, without the need of a grand jury.

George Zimmerman's new attorney, Hal Uhrig, told CNN that he was "not surprised" by the announcement. (Bet he wasn't!)

Hal Uhrig said he doesn't know what her ultimate decision will be but that the move to go without a grand jury is a "courageous move on her part."

Trayvon Martin ventured out from his father's fiancee's home in Sanford to get a snack at a nearby convenience store. As he walked home with a bag of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea, he was shot and killed by  George Zimmerman. Sanford police questioned Zimmerman and released him without charges.

From there, the case has evolved into opposing allegations from Zimmerman's supporters, Martin's family and authorities. George Zimmerman says he killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense after the teen punched him and slammed his head on the sidewalk, according to an Orlando Sentinel report that was later confirmed by Sanford police.

The case has triggered a nationwide debate about Florida's "stand your ground" law - which allows people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of death or serious injury - and race in America.

As you can see by my numerous posts... I've been keeping my eye on this case...We'll see if the fix is already in.

Death In Tulsa

After the shooting of Trayvon Martin, I asked the question as to whether this was now open season on Black Males across the United States... There have been several such incidents in the month since Trayvon was killed.  A young , unarmed black man in Georgia was shot and killed by a security guard in much the same fashion and under the same circumstances as Trayvon.  In California, a man called 911 and lied , saying that two "suspicious " looking Black men robbed him and were armed!! He shot and killed one of the men...Who as it turned out was not armed and not the man who had stolen something from him..He said he lied and told police the men were armed...because he figured they would "show up faster if a gun was involved."

This weekend...Starting on of all days...Good Friday....Two idiots in Tulsa Oklahoma shot five Black men..killing three of them...Looks like the Tulsa police have done the right thing and arrested both men!

After a two-day manhunt, police arrested two men early Sunday in connection with a Good Friday shooting spree in Tulsa's predominantly black north side that left three people dead and two others wounded.

Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were held on three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. Police identified both suspects as white males, although earlier court records identified a Jacob Carl England, born on the same date, as an American Indian.

The Tulsa Police, Along with FBI and U.S. Marshals are examining whether the shootings might be a hate crime, as Jake England, 19, had posted racially charged comments on his Facebook page about the two-year anniversary of his father's death.

Jake England wrote- "Today is two years that my dad has been gone shot by a fuckin nigger. It's hard not to go off between that and Sheran I'm gone in the head.”

Sheran Hart Wilde, his girlfriend, died earlier this year.

Alvin Watts, his roommate, commented beneath his post: “I kno i miss them 2. My last meomeries were great ones of them. Its nt goodbye its c u later.” I see this one got the benefits of a good education.

On his Facebook page, Watts describes himself as single, interested in women and a "very proud daddy." Court records show that he was charged in 2009 for aggravated assault and battery, but those charges were dismissed nearly three years later. In 2006, he pled guilty to domestic violence, a misdemeanor offense, and paid a $649.90 court fine.

Jake England's father, Carl England, 47, was shot and killed during an argument at an apartment complex two years ago; his death led to charges against a 38-year-old black man, KJRH.com reported. The man, Pernell Jefferson, was charged with pointing a gun and is scheduled to be released in 2014, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Task force commander Maj. Walter Evans said at a press conference Sunday that the two men were taken into custody just north of the city at 1:47 a.m. He credited the 40 or so tips to the Crime Stoppers hotline that started pouring in Saturday after the police asked members of the community for help cracking the case.
When asked by a reporter whether England's father's death had played a role in the shootings, Evans said he couldn't be sure, "but there is a connection."

The shootings happened around 1 a.m. Friday within a three miles of each other. All five victims were out walking when they were shot. Police have said they don't believe victims knew each other.
More than two dozen officers were called in to investigate the case, along with the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies.

Tipsters told police to look for a white man driving a white Chevrolet pickup with a loud exhaust, which had been spotted near three of the shootings. Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson told Reuters that witnesses saw one of the shooters drive through the neighborhood and stop pedestrians for directions. As they walked away, he shot at them.

Other tipsters contacted Crime Stoppers to inform police that Jake England had the truck, and that he planned to burn it. Deputies found a burned truck around 6 p.m. on Saturday and traced it to  Jake England.
The dead were identified as Dannaer Fields, 49, Bobby Clark, 54, and William Allen, 31, according to Reuters. The two wounded men, who were not identified, were expected to survive.

Though all of the victims were black, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan told Reuters on Saturday it was too early to know whether the shootings were racially motivated. (Amazing they can say that!)

However, KRMG TV reported Saturday that the FBI had announced that the shootings would be investigated under federal hate crime legislation.

A Hate Crime investigation and a civil rights investigation is all well and good...but three people lost their lives here....That was more than losing their civil rights or just being hated...How about....A MURDER investigation?  That would make me happier and feel a lot safer as a Black male too!

He is Risen!

Happy Resurection Day!

Weekend Humor

You have to admit...It does kind of make you wonder doesn't it? Have a great weekend everybody!

A Moment of Reflection for the Dreamer

 January 15,1929  - April 4, 1968

You may have killed the dreamer...but you didn't kill his dream!

Random Thoughts

1. 38 Days and George Zimmerman still has not been arrested for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin.

2. Predominately white students turned over cars and set trash cans on fire after the University of Kentucky won the National Championship the other night....It was called "Youthful Exuberance" by the Press....Hmmm, if the students had done this at say Howard University...it would have been called a Riot!

3.When will voters realize that the Republicans really don't have a plan or a clue...They just want to get elected?

4.It's quite clear that Mitt Romney is going to be the eventual Republican presidential nominee...Why doesn't Rick Santorrum, Newt Gingrich and for God's sake, Ron Paul just quit now....They're not going to win...

5. Changing the subject a bit...Will Baylor (Women's Basketball) go undefeated?

6.Marilyn Monroe's panties are selling for $45,000.00 on auction.....My question is..Who is going to buy them and what are you going to do with them once purchased?  I suppose they will make a great coffee table conversation. Ughhhhh!

7. Is it me or does Beyonce  not look like she just had a baby a few months ago?

8.I'm beginning to think that this whole "Bottled Water" thing is a hustle.

9.Just when the weather was getting nice and I thought Spring was here to stay...It got colder than ice!

10.  It's about to be 39 Days and George Zimmerman has still not been arrested for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin.

New Hope for Children With Autism

Did you know that April is "Autism Awareness Month" and April 2nd was "World Autism Awarness Day"?This is actually the second post I've done this week about autism, and now you know why. Just a couple of years ago, it was reported that 1 in every 110 children were diagnosed with autism. Now, it is a staggering 1 in every 88 children... and, to break it down even further, 1 in every 54 boys and 1 in every 252 girls are diagnosed with autism. As you can see, there is a disproportionate number of boys diagnosed with autism and that has consistently been the case for some time now. So, I think the timinig of the news I'm about to share is not only appropriate, but also encouraging.

A new study shows that about 10% of children who are severely affected by autism at age 3 seem to have bloomed by age 8, leaving behind many of the condition’s crippling deficits. And, while these "bloomers" still retain some symptoms of autism, like the tendency to rock back and forth when stressed or to repeat the same behavior over and over, they have become what experts dub, "high functioning", according to the study published today in "Pediatrics". This means their social skills and their ability to communicate have vastly improved.

A child at the low end of the communication scale might not be able to talk or even make any sounds, explained the study’s lead author, Christine Fountain, a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University. Those at the other end of the scale "would have a broad vocabulary, understand the meaning of words and use them in the appropriate contexts, understand the meaning of story plots, and carry on complex conversations", she explained.

Similarly, a child with a low score on the social scale would have problems interacting with others and would not be able to make friends or socialize. At the high end of the scale, is a child who "would initiate one-on-one interactions with both peers and others in familiar and unfamiliar settings, initiate and maintain friendships, and not need encouragement to participate in social activities", Fountain said.

So-called "bloomers" appear to be edging up towards the upper half of both those scales. Christine Fountain and her colleagues didn’t expect to see kids jump from the low end to the high end in just a few short years. "It was a surprise to see how much improvement they showed and how quickly", Fountain said. "That's kind of a hopeful message. This is hopeful because the odds of such big improvements might rise if more kids got the right kind of therapy early in life", Ms.Fountain said.

The researchers studied the records of 6,975 California children who had been diagnosed with autism. They found that many of the children showed improvements between ages 3 and 8, but the "bloomers", showed startling progress, moving from the most severely affected to some of the highest functioning. Kids who are older can continue to make progress, but more slowly, experts say. While many of their symptoms fade, they still retain the autism diagnosis.

Fountain and her colleagues suspect, after scrutinizing the differences between children who bloomed and those who didn't, that it likely comes down to which kids were able to get early, intensive therapy since the children who improved the most had parents with more education and financial wherewithal. Researchers say that it's possible there might be something inherently different about the children themselves who are "bloomers," but they don’t know that for sure.

As they delved into the "bloomers" backgrounds, the researchers found that these children were more likely than others to have mothers with at least a high school education and to come from a higher socio-economic class. Unfortunately, they didn't have information on the fathers. "Bloomers" also tended not to have any intellectual disabilities.

The findings don't surprise autism expert Tamar Apelian. “Most children need about 30-40 hours a week of intervention", said Dr. Apelian, a staff psychologist at the Autism Evaluation Clinic at the University of California, Los Angeles. "What's tricky is being able to navigate the system to get the therapy, especially with the state budget crisis. The parents who do this seem to have more means and they can hire an advocate or a lawyer."

And, that's where parents' backgrounds come into play. You know the drill... those who have the means can get the best therapy and treatment for their child. And, then there are those that don't, yet I see this as one of those issues where every family, regardless of means, should be able to have proper and equal treatment for their children. Call me a socialist or whatever you will, but that's how I feel. And yet, eternal optimist that I am, I am heartened by this news.

What I've Learned

1.Corruption is something you'll face all the time...Try your best to avoid it.

2.If you're calling something a risk...then it probably really isn't a risk! I'm just saying.

3.Do you know when something is really serious? (Like Cancer, Addiction, Homelessness..Joblessness), when it strikes a member of your family or someone you know!

4.I watched a Death Row inmate talk about something he really missed....He talked about wishing he could peel an apple and just smell it, eat it... The simple , but good things in life that we often take for granted.

5.It's Good to be on time...Punctuality is a virtue....but it's even better to be in time!

6.You do the best things in life when you're doing something for somebody else.

7.If you’re talking to someone you don’t know well, you may be talking to someone who knows way more about whatever it is you’re talking about than you do.

8. Children are remarkably honest souls until we teach them not to be.

9. If you never doubt your beliefs, then  obviously ,you’re wrong a lot.

10. Almost every cliché contains a truth so profound that people have been compelled to repeat it over and over until it makes you roll your eyes and want to throw up, But the wisdom is still in there.

PEACE!