From A Bloggers Perspective

The woman in the photo above is former News Anchor, Shea Allen....She and I have only one major thing in common...We both have blogs...Oh yeah and we are both American citizens,so that's two things...
She got fired from her job as a TV anchorwoman because of things she wrote on her blog.

I'm shaking my head in disbelief!!! Where is the first amendment???

I write three blogs...This one...A fiction and poetry blog called Escapades that can get pretty racy at times, though not all the time and a food blog called Good Foodie. Good Foodie is tame...But this blog and Escapades could get me fired if I worked for some companies and they discovered it!

I mean...I expouse my political views very raw in this blog...with no punches pulled and unapologetically...I believe that this is my first amendment right of free speech as an American citizen...Some companies don't feel that way.

On My blog ,Escapades...there is some slightly x-rated material from time to time...Some of my stories and poetry and art is decidedly erotic...I'm writing for an adult audience...Not children...Perhaps I'll put a disclaimer on that blog for future reference...

Here's what's got me in such a huff....A teasing TV reporter who told fans she goes bra-less on air has been fired for her candid confessions.


Shea Allen - who also revealed her best stories came from people who fancied her — was booted from WAAY in Huntsville, Ala., after posting a tell-all blog on Friday.

"I've gone bra-less during a live broadcast and no one was the wiser," she wrote underneath the "Confessions of a Red-Headed Reporter" headline.

"My best sources are the ones who secretly have a crush on me," she added.

The mom-of-one admitted that she hates positive news stories, is so scared of old people and refuses to report on the elderly, and she hinted at stealing people's mail.

It's all said on her blog... I'm guessing that like me...She writes her blog for enjoyment and relaxation...I doubt that she's getting paid any money for it.  For me it's a hobby....Just like Facebook and Twitter.


"I've mastered the ability to contort my body into a position that makes me appear much skinner [sic] in front of the camera than I actually am," she also detailed.

Her bosses at the ABC-affiliate failed to see the funny side and immediately ordered her to take the post down, according to Gawker.

Mrs.Allen, who has previously worked as anchor at the station, obliged. But after a few hours she decided to re-post the list and add "No Apologies" to the headline.

"This post was taken down because I was momentarily misguided about who I am and what I stand for," she added into the text.

It's a blog...It's her personal blog...What right does her bosses at ABC have to dictate to her what she can and can not put on her blog??

I once wanted my blogs to gain wide spread attention....Now, maybe I've changed my mind on that...I have a small fan base and perhaps it's best to keep it that way...The less people that know about your blog...the less intrusion.

 Defending her decision, Shea  Allen wrote: "It's funny, satirical and will likely offend some of the more conservative folks. But it isn't fake and its [sic] a genuine look into my slightly twisted psyche."


I totally defend her right to post whatever she wants on her private blog and not have to suffer any repercussions for it...

On Monday, however, she tweeted that her job had been "terminated without cause" as a result of the post.
WAAY TV has not yet commented on the incident. They won't...But they're wrong, they are as wrong as hell.

I'm not surprised that this took place in the enlightened state of Alabama.... Could have been any red state for that matter...And writing this post could get me fired in one of those states or in parts of this one...

Just shaking my damn head!

Don't Say Goodbye...Just Go

Guess who may be in the unemployment line next fall?  The two conservative radio talk show hosts I love to hate.  Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity...Yup, they may become part of Mitt Romney's 49 percent!!

Apparently both of their shows are carried by a company called Cumulus Media..Well, Cumulus media does not plan to renew the contracts of their of their biggest conservative radio hosts.


Both Limbaugh and Hannity have caused more than a number of controversies with their commentary, but the severance from Cumulus Media came down to simple contract negotiations. Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes  both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity’s shows, disagreed with the media company over the cost of distribution rights.

Still....They leavin!

A reliable source says that  Clear Channel was unlikely to lower their price to a level that worked for Cumulus, and thus the separation is likely.

Although Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity’s often controversial (as well as Racist and Sexist) comments did not cause them to lose their contracts, it has cost them something in the long run.

In addition to low nationwide approval ratings, both talk show hosts have lost a large number of advertisers over their provocative statements, especially in regard to minorities and women.

Rush Limbaugh alone has lost 140 advertisers after his “sexist attacks” on Sandra Fluke, a women’s health advocate.

The Georgetown student testified in a hearing to support healthcare that could get her birth control covered by her plan, and Limbaugh responded by calling her a “slut” and “prostitute” who was “having so much sex she couldn’t afford contraception”.

Rush Limbaugh has also openly made extremely negative comments about the Obamas, Rachel Jeantel (a prosecution witness in the George Zimmerman case), and others, which have exposed his insensitivity to issues of race and gender.

Sean Hannity, a conservative radio host and Fox News anchor, has been criticized for similar remarks of his own, and has received rebukes from some advertisers.

The move from Cumulus will remove the hosts from over 40 stations that currently broadcast their shows, including WABC New York which is the largest market in the nation.

Yayyyyyyyyyyy...I'm clapping over here...Less garbage on the airwaves....Don't say goodbye...Just Go!

The Sequester Blues

I don't know about you...but the sequester of last December, took my entire raise...a whopping twelve dollars out of my pocket....and by the time I get approved for this years raise...I will only have earned last years raise back...No real improvement...It sucks....But at least I have a job...Some people...a lot of people lost their jobs during the sequester...

Now...There is talk that this Congress ,mainly the Republicans in Congress are headed for another budget showdown with the President...

As the nation gets ready for yet another (manufactured) budget showdown..the number of Americans who say they have been negatively affected by the sequester budget cuts is on the rise, according to the latest  polls.


Twenty-two percent of Americans in the surveys saythat they have been significantly affected by the cuts, which are a product of this Congresss’ inability to reach a compromise on a broader budget deal last year. Shortly after the sequester first took place in April, just 16 percent said they had been significantly impacted by the policy.

And one specific group – Americans who earn less than $30,000 per year – say they have been the hardest hit. Among all respondents under that income level, 31 percent say they have been affected by the spending cuts, up from 24 percent in April and the most of any other income level group.

So in effect, we have a tale of two sequesters to be told... While the overall economy has weathered it relatively well, these cuts have taken the biggest toll on the nation’s most vulnerable...The Poor and the working poor...but doesn't it always? Those same Americans could face even worse circumstances if Republicans are able to make  good on their threats to extract more reductions to government spending this fall.

 "The sequester has really diminished our business,” said Boubakar Diop, a 41-year-old limousine driver in Raleigh, N.C., where he said fewer of the government employees who usually need rides have been passing through town. “We don’t get the customers like we used to.”he went on to say.


Robert Deuel, a 61-year-old man in northern Michigan, said that his son has seen his hours cut from his job at Camp Grayling because of the sequester, leaving him, with less money in his paycheck to support his spouse and two-month-old at home.

“They offered him a job on the federal payroll and now they’re only paying him for half what he works,” Deuel said.

Despite the obvious economic pain, some of the most alarming predictions about the sequester have not come to fruition. The economy has not plunged back into recession as many predicted. And while economic growth remains somewhat anemic, the economy has continued to add jobs every month since the sequester onset. You of course won't hear that on Fox News or ABC, NBC and CBS....

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner both voiced concerns about the effect of the cuts on the economy before the sequester went into effect.

But many Republicans have accused the Obama administration of being too alarmist about the overall impact. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., told the Washington Post this month that Obama’s credibility is diminished because“they had the doomsday scenario ,” about the sequester, “and the sky didn’t fall.”
I'm betting he didn't lose any money from his check and he obviously didn't lose his job!  Newsflash Represenative Duncan....The sky did indeed fall for some Americans...What are they collateral damage?


Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News on July 10: “The one lesson of the sequester is that there's a lot of fluff that can be cut out before we actually have to get to things that are important, like paying our soldiers, providing for our wounded soldiers. All of that needs to be done, and if you cut out all the extra stuff we're doing, we'd have plenty of money to take care of our soldiers.”


Yet Randi Allen, a 21-year-old student in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, said that cuts to education funding for her National Guardsman husband have become a “constant” stress for the two of them.
“The cost of schooling is already enough, when he went in they promised he’d get it paid for,” she said. “He has to pay a lot out of pocket now.”

The sequester is also making it more difficult for younger Americans – the unemployment rate for those between the ages of 20 and 24 was 13.5 percent in June – who are struggling to find their footing in an economy still recovering from the Great Recession.

I feel their pain...I was once them...Wasn't that long ago.


Ben Rhiger, a 28-year-old warehouse worker in Portland, Ore., didn’t lose his job, but said a researcher friend lost his job due to the sequester. And Rhiger voiced outrage that the spending cuts potentially set back a generation of young workers.

“In a time when we could have had more cash in the economy by having the government be a spender, be a customer to the economy, we didn’t do that. In fact, we took more money out of the economy. For that reason, there’s just less job opportunities for everybody entering the job market after college,” he said. “It just decreased any opportunity of getting more work experience, learning a trade or skill on the job, while being able to support ourselves.”

Right now, it's not known if these stories will resonate during the fall’s battles over government spending ior not.

President Barack Obama, who took his case for less severe spending cuts on the road this week, warned against repeating a similar outcome.

"Right now, what we’ve got in Washington, we've seen a sizable group of Republican lawmakers suggest that they wouldn’t vote to pay the very bills that Congress rang up. And that fiasco harmed a fragile recovery in 2011 and we can't afford to repeat that,"

President Obama warned during a speech at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. "Rather than reduce our deficits with a scalpel ... we've got folks who’ve insisted on leaving in place a meat cleaver called the sequester that's cost jobs."

Congress...Are you listening?   Probably not!

Shame On You George!

I know some people reading my blog will just think that I've got it in for George Zimmerman...Especially since I believe that he did murder Trayvon Martin and should have at least been convicted of manslaughter.
Believe me...I don't have it in for him...The jury has spoken...and while I'm not at all good with the verdict...I can live with it!

What I can't live with is phony attempts to now try to make this guy look like a hero, like a mis-understood good guy...

This story about him rescuing a family from an over turned vehicle was fishy from the start...but hey it was reported on national news on TV...I didn't get it from social media...


They showed  news reports of protesters doing thousands of dollars of damage which has now turned out to be false. The claims of separate attacks by protesters over the Zimmerman verdict turned out to be false. Now added to the list of  false news reports appears to be the story of George Zimmerman heroically rescuing a family of four from a burning SUV.

The initial report was that George Zimmerman was ‘just coincidentally’ driving by after a car accident occurred, that he leaped out of his vehicle to come to the rescue of the family of four trapped inside as the vehicle caught fire, pulling them to safety. Have you seen George lately?  I doubt that he leaped to do anything!

This was followed by the claim that the family he supposedly rescued had planned a press event to thank George Zimmerman, but that they canceled due to threats from Trayvon Martin supporters.That was a lie too.

No..It appears they may have canceled the event because they did not want to be part of the fraud of making George Zimmerman out to be a hero, when that story was not precisely true. Let's call a spade , a spade...No pun intended...The story was an outright lie!

What really happened was that an accident occurred where a car slid on it’s side into a median. People at the scene called 911, which went to the Sanford office of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. BEFORE responding to the 911 call, it was reported  that Seminole Sheriff’s Dept. Officer Patrick Rehder, a self-styled friend and supporter of George Zimmerman, contacted George Zimmerman by cell phone directing him to go to the accident so as to appear to be a hero.  Can you believe this crap??

Patric Rehder’s name appears on the accident report as the responding officer; social media shows his connection to George Zimmerman.

There were plenty of people driving by who witnessed the accident, and stopped to help the family out of the vehicle, BEFORE George Zimmerman showed up, according to the 911 calls, but no ‘thank you’ press conference mentioning anyone else by name specifically was scheduled by the family, and no mention of anyone other than George Zimmerman was made by the sheriff.

George Zimmerman showed up AFTER he was called by a  Seminole County Sheriff’s Office member according to a report at News Ball.com,  George Zimmerman then got out of his car with a fire extinguisher, and apparently left without doing anything especially heroic.  You can hear the course of events  in the 911 calls; many people who were there as the accident happened stopped to get people out, and the fire and smoke problem from the calls, appeared some time after they were out of the car.  He did not rescue anybody from any burning vehicle as was first reported...and he certainly didn't risk his life.What is with this crazy people in Sanford ,Florida???


So, here you have this obvious lie  that George Zimmerman just happened to be at the accident several days after his verdict called into question. We have established a relationship between George Zimmerman and the responding officer.

You can see the actual extraction of the people in the accident by multiple citizens coming to the rescue who witnessed the accident, according to the 911 calls, Then there is  the report in 911 calls that everyone was OUT of the vehicle for some time before there was any question of smoke or fire, and we have the sheriff and the victim ONLY mentioning George Zimmerman – by name. But there is no mention by anyone, especially the Sheriff’s office, of the  other ‘good samaritans’ who appear to have done the actual hard part of helping people out of the car lying on its side.

There is no independent verification that George Zimmerman was even at the scene of the accident, much less that he did anything, ANYTHING at all heroic.

No photos, no cell phone video, no police video, no other people who were present as indicated by the 911 calls that support that  George Zimmerman was there, or did what was claimed – that he pulled people from a flaming car wreck. You know why?  Because it never happened...

That seems distinctly odd, on top of the suspicious timing of this heroic George Zimmerman rescue.

Enough strange and implausible quirks make this SUV accident rescue appear fake.
THIS new challenge to George Zimmerman’s integrity  in addition to the misrepresentation of funds donated when bail was set, (Oh yeah, you didn't hear about that huh?) as well as the conflicting statements made to police and in court, is why protesters both distrust BOTH George Zimmerman and the local Florida Law enforcement  agencies., and are protesting the validity of the trial verdict.  It is also part of why there is opposition to the Stand Your Ground  laws that make it easier for someone to get away with murder.
Shame on You George!

Weekend Humor

A man goes into confession and says to the priest, "Father, I'm 60 years old, married, have four kids and 11 grandchildren. I started taking this new Viagra pill, and last night I had an affair and made love to two 18-year-old girls. Both of them. Twice."

 The priest said: "Well, sir, when was the last time you were in confession?" 

"Never."he said.

"So then, why are you telling me?" asked the Priest.

"Because I'm telling everybody!" he said.


Have a groovy weekend everybody!

15 Minutes for George

George Zimmerman can't stay out of the media spotlight...It's been almost two weeks since he was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin...and here he is in the news again!! Apparently...he saved a life this time, rather than take one...Or so the media is saying...

Apparently,Zimmerman or Killerman as some of my friends call him now. and another man stopped to help the four occupants of a blue Ford Explorer that flipped on its side. The occupants were identified as Mark and Dana Gerstle of Port Orange, Fla., and their two children.


The driver, Mark Gerstle, was going northbound when he lost control, causing the vehicle to go off the road and roll over, according to the accident report.
By the time a deputy arrived, Zimmerman/Killerman and another man, whose identity wasn't released, "had already helped assist the family by getting them out of the overturned vehicle," the sheriff's office said in a statement to media outlets.

George Zimmerman didn't witness the crash and left the scene after speaking with a deputy, the sheriff's office said.

I wonder what his lawyers are thinking right now?? They'll never put in print what they are really thinking...instead they'll sugar coat it and say what a great guy George really is..."See, we told you!" they'll say...But I know they told him to keep a low profile and stay off the streets...especially with tensions high and demonstrations nationwide!!

So what is he doing out and about and in the news??? How long will it be before he gets into some more trouble???  Did he learn nothing from O.J. Simpson? Apparently only Casey Anthony learned anything and she learned it from Robert Blake.

Have you seen Casey? , Heard anything from her??? No, no really...She took a note from Actor Robert Blake who was acquitted of murdering his wife....I haven't heard a peep out of Robert Blake since his trial...

O.J. Simpson and George Zimmerman didn't study him....They can't stay out of the spotlight....O.J.'s need to be in the spotlight is why he's in a western prison now!!! George Zimmerman isn't far behind him...His need to be in the spotlight will trip him up too...

15 minutes of fame is a hell of a drug!

Keith's Favorite Quotes

What If The Minimum Wage Was $12.00 or More?

Most people that I know aren't rich...Not even close...but make a little more than minimum wage...Ever wonder what it would be like if the minimum wage was $12.00 or $12.50?

Take a moment and look over these six points... I read about this in the Huffington Post yesterday...
So Check it out-


Here are some key takeaways from the report:

1. More than 700,000 American workers would be lifted out of poverty
More than 1 million retail workers and their family members live in or close to poverty. By raising the minimum wage of full-time workers to the equivalent of $12.25 per hour, 734,075 people would be lifted out of poverty and an additional 769,191 people living near the poverty line would see their incomes rise to more than 150 percent above the poverty line.
2. GDP would rise by as much as $15.2 billion
A wage increase to $12.25 an hour would impact more than 5 million workers and their families. As these families have access to more money, they will spend more, translating to as much as $15.2 billion in new economic activity, according to Demos.
3. 132,000 new jobs could be created
If the increase in economic activity reached $15.2 billion, retailers would need 132,000 new employees.
4. The wage increase would actually only cost retailers about 1 percent of total sales
Large retailers would need to absorb the higher labor cost for the 3.5 million workers earning less than $12.25 per hour. But according to Demos, most of this increase in costs would be returned to the firm in the form of productivity gains and increased revenues, amounting to only 1 percent of their total yearly sales.
5. It would generate as much as $5 billion in additional retail revenue
In fact, assuming that low-income families spend rather than save the money from the wage increase, retailers could expect at least 20 cents in new revenue for every additional payroll dollar. That would have added up to as much as $5 billion in 2012.
6. The average shopper would pay just 15 cents more per shopping trip at most
Even if the nation's largest retailers decided to pass off the cost of a $12.25 minimum wage increase entirely to customers, Demos found that an average household would spend just 7 to 15 cents more per shopping trip.

 

Why aren't politicians aware of this?  How come no one is telling you this?? Things to think about the next time you go to vote.

Keith's Music Spotlight

This is the hummer for the summer...The jam you're going to hear at every barbecue, every block party and every club or bar where they dance.... Good Job Robin Thicke, Pharrell and T.I.

Weekend Humor

A guy is sitting in a bar, absolutely drooling at a pretty young thing in her short, pink and gray striped mini-dress. The dress was hugging every curve on the girl.

Using the time honored ice breaker, he sends her a drink.

"How lucky am I," he thinks, as she gets up to come sit next to him. They strike up a wonderful conversation.

Finally the girl turns to him and says, "Look, you seem like a really nice guy, so I have to tell you that I'm a working girl. I get two hundred dollars for what you think you'll ply out of me with liquor."

He replies, "I have no problem with the money but, since you were so straight forward I must tell you that when I come, I go nuts. I bite, scratch, kick, punch, pull hair, break furniture, and just plain destroy the place."

"Oh my God! How long does that last?" she asked.


"Just until I get my two hundred bucks back," he replied...

Have a groovy weekend everybody!

Keith's Favorite Quotes

"Those who say, 'No justice, no peace; haven't been paying attention... I'm willing to settle for, 'No Just Us, no Peace' We can work on Justice later."-Ted Watkins.

Marissa!

I'll bet you don't know who this is do you? (No it's not one of my charactors from my other blog ,ESCAPADES, though she very well could be...This is Marissa Alexander...a Black woman who used the "Stand Your Ground " Law...The same law that George Zimmerman used as his defense for killing Trayvon Martin...Unfortunately for her...She did not get acquitted and is serving a 20 year sentence in this same state of Florida...Tell me how messed up that is....And get this...She didn't kill anyone!!! Didn't wound anyone...Just fired a gun...

What is it about the state of Florida??? My fellow blogger the Field Negro says and I quote-" Florida. A state full of conservative backwards thinking legislatures who pass laws out of fear and not common sense. Laws that embolden men who look like they do to act in unspeakable ways."

So let me get back to Ms. Marissa Alexander... In April 2010, Marissa Alexander, then 29, fired a warning shot to stop her abusive husband. She was a battered wife and he was coming towards again, fully intending to do her harm. She was frail at the time, having just given birth days earlier. Alexander did not fire the shot directly at her husband. The bullet ended up in the ceiling and no one was hurt. Her abusive husband even claimed he meant to 'lay hands on her' and that she did the right thing in trying to stop him. Yet, Marissa Alexander was arrested and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence. Can you believe that??

While George Zimmerman walked free a few days ago...Unbelievable!!!!

Marissa Alexander's story resurfaced because it was a Stand Your Ground kind of case, as was brought up in the George  Zimmerman case. Many protests by the public and by activists took place in Florida during Marissa Alexander's trial, and after, but were to no avail.

Now, thanks to the Zimmerman case, there is renewed attention and hope for Marissa Alexander. A group of attorneys have come together to appeal for a another trial, along with a new petition, which is gaining momentum.

It's important Marissa Alexander is released immediately for more than one reason. One would be the obvious - She is innocent and deserves to be free. Two,She was unjustly incarcerated for defending her own life. The other reason we need to see her released immediately, is because Americans are fed up and disillusioned  with the corrupt and unjust legal system in Florida and all over the country. We need to find some respite - some sense that America is still a democracy, made up of basically good people who will stand up for their rights, and the rights of others. I need to know this for my own personal peace of mind.

I heard about her case as far back as last March when the Trayvon Martin case came to light...And now, people are talking about her again... Here is a letter she wrote recently from prison-

Hello Everyone,

I want to thank each and every one of you for writing me, praying for me or even thinking of me in your heart and are continuing to do so. For the most part, I’m hanging in there, as well as one could in this environment. Prison is definitely NOT what’s happening. It’s dreadful here, but hey, it’s supposed to be, it is after all captivity.

My good days out weigh my bad days only because God is my source of strength. Please know that you all inspire me thru your communication and please know that the prayers that you offer up on my behalf are being answered. I’m so very blessed to have some of the most extraordinary people and organizations who are committed to supporting and encouraging me in every way. I will continue to believe in our justice system. I choose to do so because I have complete trust in God, and we are still a nation that has this fundamental belief embedded in our core, displayed in our courtrooms and written on our money, and more hopefully in our hearts.

Truly I couldn’t begin to express to you how much I appreciate your wonderful letters of encouragement. Please know that I do not take your time and kindness for granted. Your heart-felt concern I am most grateful for.

With all sincerity & respect,

Marissa Alexander

She is a real person, a woman, A Black woman, a victim of Florida injustice...Write letters to your represenatives and your congressmen and senators...Write that bald headed freak of a governor in Florida named Rick Scott...Demand justice for Marissa Alexander...Just like we did for the slain Trayvon...Just like we did for Angela Davis back in the 70's....She must be freed...Here is a chance to stop an injustice...while the victim is still breathing in and out!

So What Will You Do Now?

He's dead! Trayvon Martin is dead...He has been dead for over a year now!  The man who killed him is free, acquitted in a court of law.  No matter how much I disagree with that verdict...There is nothing more that can be done about that!

A Civil Suit won't net much....and a federal civil rights indictment won't be worth the paper it's written on...
So what will you do now?

Many of us will rant and rave  and vent on social media ad nauseum! Then...maybe a month from now...there will be nothing...By Christmas...everyone will have forgotten and moved on to the next big trending topic...
So in other words...most people won't do a damn thing!

Here's what you can do...You can take names and you can use the power of your vote to put these folks out of office who write these archaic and barbaric laws like Stand your ground et al...You can hold everyone who shills for your vote accountable....and demand equal protection under the law...We don't need any new laws...We need the laws already on the books to be enforced...

You can write, email whatever your congressman, your represenative and demand that they vote to strengthen the voters right laws and make them a constitutional amendment rather than merely an act that has to be voted on every so many years....

These are things you can do to make sure that Trayvon and Oscar Grant and all of the other nameless and faceless victims of racist violence as well as Black on Black crime did not die in vain...

This is what you can do....the question is....


Will you?

Fade To Black

The verdict is in...I was in a hotel room in Washington D.C. when I heard it....I was with my family members from across the nation enjoying our bi-annual family reunion when I got the news...That was perhaps the only damper on what otherwise was an incredibly nice weekend..

The verdict is in...

Five white women and another woman identified as Latina, African-American, mystery...believed George Zimmerman's story...They believed that this 17 year old kid beat Zimmerman to within an inch of his life ,thus justifying him being murdered...

Never mind that this kid was minding his own business that night...never mind that this kid had committed no crime...Never mind that Zimmerman had been told by a 911 operator to stop following him...and never mind that this kid didn't have to stop and didn't have to answer any question that Zimmerman put before him...After all, Zimmerman was not a cop.....

They believed his story...That he was unjustly attacked and there for...Had no choice but to defend himself...
by using deadly force..

I forgot how much some people love fairy tales....

The verdict is in....

George Zimmerman is free...

How free do you feel?


Trayvon...This one is for you!

Keith's Music Spotlight

Uncle Charlie is back with a hummer for the summer....Some Grown folks music.....

Saturday 7 (Seven things to help out your relationships)

1.First thing you can do is surround yourself with new people.

As all of us get older, our social circles typically shrink. With friends still being a top source for meeting the people we eventually marry, a shrinking pool of people doesn't help. That said, it is important to accept that invitation to your co-worker's dinner party that you had intended to blow off, or take the plunge and join the art appreciation group at the museum. The best thing you can do for your dating life is to create new opportunities … and opportunities come through other people...So be that social monster as one of my friends used to say!

2.I hate to use the term mentor...but get around a sensible person who can give you good advice!

This is a person who can objectively give you relationship advice. Securing a quote unquote Love Mentor(I hate that term!) can be the single most impactful step you make in your romantic life, if done correctly! Doing this correctly means selecting the right person. It can be the same or opposite sex from you. The keys are that they a) share your values. b) can speak to you objectively. c) know what a healthy relationship is (through experience not just watching reality on TV).


3.Self Assess

 The hardest thing to do is self-assess and accept responsibility. Remember former President Bill Clinton saying ''Ahh did not have sexual relations with that woman," but the fact is, he did. And for many of us, we don't know how to face the hard facts — we're picky (not selective), we're overweight (not curvy or built), our style is outdated (not vintage), etc. The sooner we admit our flaws, the easier it is to accept or improve them. Self-awareness is always the first step to self-development.


4.You may have to cut some people out of your life....
Can't say that anymore plainer than I just did...We all males and females have people in our lives who are just plain negative...From the Debbie Downers to the lifelong playas that know so much, but never seem to have anybody...
Hell, Life is hard enough just keeping up, and the last thing we need is a negative force bringing us down and imposing doubt. While we all evolve, not all of us evolve in a positive direction.  Everybody that came with you can't go with you!

5.If You Aren't going to make her your wife, don't make her a mother....If He's not husband material...don't make him a father...Nuff said..

I can't tell you how many people I hear say, "I slept with this person because I think they really care for me." WHAAAAT? IS That's your standard for sex? When did the bar drop so low? (and why wasn't it this low when I was single?)Sex is not a reward for good behavior — if you want to reward someone's kindness, you take them to lunch, not between the sheets! Period. And, don't get me started on "I had sex to save the relationship," I've never once heard someone tell me "Keith, you know I hadn't planned on marrying her, but damn, the sex is so good I'll buy the ring." NEVER. This doesn't happen! Raise your standard and maintain it!

6. Sometimes ,like the Whispers song -Love is where you find it....Not where you were looking for it...Embrace diversity! Nuff said.

7.Create a Plan for your next relationship and stick with it...

Why not? We plan for everything else...we plan… to get in the right school … to get the promotion … to lose the weight … all of these parts of our lives cannot be accomplished without planning. Our romantic life should be no different. Identify an online and offline dating strategy … and follow it!

Now stop reading this blog...Get out there and meet somebody!!

Weekend Humor

A typical Friday night....I walked into the club and sat down...There was this young woman sitting next to me...She was with a couple of other girls who had wandered to the other side of the bar...

So we struck up a lightweight conversation... and she said, “You know,If you lost a few pounds, had a shave, and got your haircut, you’d look halfway decent.”

I replied, “If I did that, I’d be talking to your friends over there instead of you.”



HAVE A GROOVY WEEKEND EVERYBODY!

Only One Person Knows

The George Zimmerman trial is nearing an end as I write this....His defense has done a damn good job of creating reasonable doubt...with help from the prosecution I must add...One fact remains....There is only one person alive who knows what happened that night last year.

Here is what we do know: Trayvon Martin died in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2012. If George Zimmerman hadn’t of been there, Trayvon would still be alive. George Zimmerman found  TrayvonMartin suspicious.

He called 911.Something he did so much that they knew the sound of his voice... "What is it George?" ,I imagine a 911 operator saying that night.

 Some type of confrontation ensued. Now beyond that, Whatever else happened is  unclear. There’s not a whole lot of  physical evidence in the case. Other than the George Zimmerman himself, there are no eyewitnesses.

George Zimmerman claims that he was attacked by Trayvon Martin, and that he shot him because he felt he was at risk of great bodily harm. We can certainly speculate as to whether or not he’s telling the truth, but can we say for sure? George Zimmerman’s the only one who was there, and none of the prosecution’s witnesses came close to conclusively refuting his story.

It would be nice if the only other person who knows what happened was here to tell his side of the story, but if that was so...we wouldn't be having this discussion would we?

 To convict George Zimmerman, the prosecutors have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. That hasn’t happened. And if the prosecution can’t prove its case, then many legal experts reason that George Zimmerman should walk.

 Many people will see this as an unsatisfying outcome; many will think it shouldn’t be this easy to kill someone, concoct an uncontradictable excuse, and get away with it. But a legally satisfying verdict cannot always be the same as a morally satisfying verdict. It would be unjust if George Zimmerman were convicted based not on the strength of the evidence against him, but rather on the public sentiment against him.
Of course I'm playing the devil's advocate here...I personally think George Zimmerman is guilty as sin of second degree murder or at least manslaughter.

I wasn't there... I have no way of knowing what actually happened.” I still don’t....and neither does anyone else.Nobody, except for George Zimmerman, really knows what happened that night. And I suspect that’ll be enough to get him off.

I wonder if his conscience will bother him? Here's hoping it does.

Keith's Favorite Quotations

5 (Reasons why I can't watch the Trayvon Martin Murder Trial

I've chosen to wait until the verdict...I get too emotional watching these things....Here's why!

1.The Lies...George Zimmerman said Trayvon jumped out of the bushes at him and said "What's your problem homie?"

Facts now show: THERE WERE NO BUSHES THERE BEHIND THE HOUSE TO JUMP OUT OF!!!...

2. Seems like the fix is in...The JUDGE IN THE ZIMMERMAN MURDER TRIAL HAS NOW "CHANGED HER MIND AND IS NOW GOING TO ALLOW IN TOXICOLOGY REPORT SHOWING THAT TRAYVON MARTIN HAD MARIJUANA IN HIS SYSTEM WHEN HE WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST AND MURDERED BY ZIMMERMAN!

.........Totally irrelevant information ...So because he may have had marijuana in his system he deserved to be murdered??..

3.It's almost as if the prosecutors in this case are just mailing the damn thing in...These prosecutors (and I could say everybody involved  in this case) do not appear to really care about this dead black kid.From the reports I hear from my friends on Facebook and Twitter who practically give me a blow by blow of the trial everyday.. This is blantantly obvious.

 The prosecutors are not zealously going after the defense and their shaky witnesses and the lies they are telling...... because it's apparent to me that THEY ARE THEM!...THOSE ARE THEIR FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES AND BUDDIES! They don't know nor do they care about the Black man in America's experience of constant racial profiling and brutal attacks at the hands of racists in America. They have never been hunted by frightened, trigger happy cops and white vigilantes all over this country.......and it shows.

I could stop right here...but this is called "5" after all isn't it?

4. I'm not a lawyer, Though I think I might have made a good one...I love a good debate...a chance to prove my point...but, I hear from enough armchair lawyers on Facebook and Twitter, my opinions would just add to an already crowded debate...If you notice ....I haven't been writing much on the trial...

5. This whole thing just saddens me...None of this had to happen...If George Zimmerman had just obeyed the 911 operator...That kid would be alive...Probably graduating from high school about now...and he wouldn't be on trial...Regardless of the verdict...The whole thing is just a sad state of affairs.

Glad Somebody Is Optimistic

Represenative John Lewis...One of our last heroic icons from the Civil Rights movemant is optimistic that Congress will do the right thing in regards to the Voting Rights Act that was gutted by this Supreme Court last week...or was it the week before?

I'm glad somebody is Optimistic....Not a lot to be optimistic about now of days...Especially if you're Black.

States have been swift to take action on new voter suppression measures in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that effectively gutted the Voting Rights.Take a guess where these states are?

 After less than two weeks, already six states have moved forward with new voter suppression measures, but that action has also inspired a renewed push for voting rights from the civil rights community in the wake of the Court’s decision, and few may be more passionate about the cause than John Lewis.

The Georgia congressman was a freedom rider who was beaten within an inch of his life as he marched in Selma, Ala., in support of voting rights for all Americans.

 “I truly believe that what the Supreme Court did was to stab, to put that dagger deep in the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” he said on Saturday’s PoliticsNation from Essence Festival in New Orleans.


The decision to restore the provisions destroyed by the ruling now rests in the hands of Congress, and while some lawmakers in Washington have been uncertain if not outright pessimistic about the likelihood of passing the new legislation, Lewis has no such doubt.  God Bless him...Maybe he knows something that I don't.


“We’re coming together—both Democrats and Republicans—on the House side, and they will do the same thing on the Senate side,” he said. “And we’re going to pass another Voting Rights Act.”
Represenative Lewis also weighed in on the idea, floated by some, to name the new version of the legislation after him.

“I’m flattered that some on the House side, some of the leadership, want to name the new Voting Rights Act after me,” he said. “The only thing I tried to do, almost 50 years ago, was just try to make it possible for all of our citizens to be able to register and vote, for people to be able to run for office and get elected, and I just gave a little blood, but you’re right, some of my friends and colleagues and sisters gave their very lives.”

Damn shame that some members of this supreme court, including the alleged black member Clarence "Uncle Tom" Thomas would choose to make a mockery of those wonderful and brave Americans, both Black and White ,who gave their lives to make the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a reality for all Americans.

"We’ve come too far, made too much progress, to go back now. And we cannot go back and we will not go back,” he added.
Brother Lewis also acknowledged the progress the country has made since the early days of his civil rights work, specifically referencing the signs of segregation, one set that read “whites” and another that read “coloreds” that once existed almost universally across the South.

“Those signs are gone, and they will not return,” he said. I hate to sound pessimistic, but the signs may be the only part of thse old south that may not return..

“But we still have the invisible signs in our society. There are still too many people that have been left out and left behind. And that’s why it’s important for you and others to organize a march,” he said to Reverend Al Sharpton. “Not just to celebrate, not just to commemorate, but to rededicate our lives.”

He also reiterated a message he’s used before, saying that the election of President Barack Obama was not the achievement of Dr. King’s dream, but “just a down payment.”
“We’re not there yet, brother. We’ve got work to do.” he said.

Indeed...We've got to wake up....The handwriting is on the wall...It's quite obvious what is happening here...We can wake up, start voting in every election like we did last November, start making partnerships with Latino people and Asians and women and gays, who have simular agendas and send all of these right wing nut jobs an unemployment check....or we can sit around and unfairly blame these setbacks on the President, the do nothing congress or whoever and watch everything slip away...It's not on them,it's on YOU and me!  They work for us...It's our government...We just haven't chosen to see it that way!

Weekend Humor

A wealthy man was having an affair with an Italian woman for a few years. One night, during one of their rendezvous, she confided in him that she was pregnant.

Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he paid her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to have the child. If she stayed in Italy, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but wondered how he would know when the baby was born.

To keep it discrete, he told her to mail him a postcard, and write "Spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for child support. One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife. "Honey," she said, "you received a very strange postcard today." "Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it later," he said. The wife handed the card over and watched as her husband read the card, turned white, and fainted. On the card was written "Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Two with meatballs, one without."

Happy Fourth of July-(I think)

As we celebrate the fourth of July,Let's just remember that we are celebrating a nation that is supposed to represent Freedom, Justice, Liberty and Democracy for all...Not just some people...But every citizen born on it's shores regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak, the religion they choose to follow or who they may love...

Let's remember that!....

What Difference Would A Year Make?

I have to admit...I'm getting some confusing signals from the White House now of days.....


The Obama administration has offered a one-year break to employers who were supposed to start offering health insurance to their workers next year. I'm wondering why?

The 2010 health reform law required anyone with 50 or more workers to provide health insurance – something small businesses have been complaining about, loudly, for years. On Tuesday the government said they could have more time to get it done.

Saying the goal is to implement reform in “a careful, thoughtful manner”, assistant Treasury secretary Mark Mazur said the administration would spend the extra year finding ways to simplify the process.
“Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees. Within the next week, we will publish formal guidance describing this transition,” Mazur wrote in a blog post.
“We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will need to do this reporting already provide health insurance to their workers, and we want to make sure it is easy for others to do so. “


More than half of Americans -- That's somewhere around, 160 million people -- get their health insurance through an employer, something that was a voluntary perk until health reform.

Employers who don’t provide insurance must pay a $2,000 fine for each uninsured worker.
In 2009, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust found that 98 percent of firms with 200 or more employees offered health insurance. But just 59 percent of companies with three to 199 workers did, and just 46 percent of employers who had fewer than 10 staff.

It’s in part because health insurance premiums have soared, from an average $2,196 in 1999 to $4,824 in 2009 for a single person – far faster than wages or inflation have grown, Kaiser found.


Thus, about 13 percent of full-time workers had no health insurance at all in 2009.
One opponent of the mandate has been the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which says it has discouraged hiring. “Second, the employer mandate penalty, once triggered, is calculated based on the number of full-time employees,” the Chamber says in a statement.

“Further, for the first time, this new law defines a full-time employee as someone who works 30 hours per week, averaged over the course of a month, rather than the traditional definition of 40 hours per week.”
The idea of requiring employers to provide health insurance isn’t new – both the administrations of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton proposed it and got shot down by opponents in Congress.

“Employers want to offer health insurance to their employees and want to continue to grow and create jobs. However, the employer mandate threatens to penalize businesses for failing to offer affordable coverage, when—more than ever—people need jobs and employers need help growing and should be encouraged to hire more employees. This law does the opposite at a dangerous time,” the Chamber says.
Dr. Scott Gottleib, a heath policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said the Obama administration may be worried the mandate would hurt jobs. "Now fewer businesses will feel compelled to start offering coverage next year. So their employees will face a choice: be forced to go into the Obamacare exchanges or be subject to the new tax," Gottleib writes in a commentary in Forbes.

Some of the biggest provisions of the Affordable Care Act are set to go into effect on January 1, 2014. They include the health insurance exchanges, where people who don’t already have insurance, or who don’t like their health insurance, can go to buy it. Many people can get a government subsidy to help them pay for it.

I can see theoretically giving businesses more time to get their act together and offer health insurance....But in the meantime....somebody could die from not having health insurance and being able to get proper medical attention....

A lot of businesses, particularly those run by Anti-Obama Republican minded folks are going to use this to not insure their employees, to save money....They were already crying poor mouth before... One death is one death too many...So I ask, What difference will giving these guy one more year make?   Ask someone in dire near of medical attention!

President Obama, though you mean well...Stop appeasing these clowns...Make them pay up!

What I've Learned

1.A Major part of Brilliance and Pure Genius is simplicity

2.You're only as good as the day after they tell you you're great!

3.Know what I'd like on my tombstone? " NEXT!"

4.Audio Books are over-rated!

5.Life is much bigger than work

6.Never Compromise your principles!

7.To piggyback on number six...It would be good to have some principles.

8.You can have it all...Just not at the same time or proportion in which you want.

9.It's important to do what makes you feel good ,at least sometimes...

10.Always have a good escape plan!

Peace!

The Cruelest Cuts

You know, I already know that some people in the Republican party and their bastard stepchild, the Tea Party would like America to go back to the "good ole days" (For them) . That was quite evident last week when they pushed us back to 1960 by cutting out a meaningful piece of the Voting Rights act of 1965.

Friday, Republicans in North Carolina have set us back to 1930 by actually becoming the first and hopefully only state to cut unemployment benefits....I read this in disbelief!!! Why is it seemingly a war on working and middle class Americans???

As many as 70,000 long-term unemployed North Carolina workers will lose public benefits TODAY in a budget move enacted in February.

Cuts to state jobless aid rendered North Carolina ineligible for federal benefits to the long-term unemployed.
The state said it needed to slash benefits to repay debt more quickly, but critics argue the move favours business interests over individuals.

Check This out! North Carolina has the nation's fifth-highest unemployment rate at 8.8%.
The US economy has endured a painfully slow recovery with the national unemployment rate currently at 7.6%, down from 10% at the depths of the financial crisis in October 2009.

 The looming end of long-term unemployment benefits has left those dependent on them reeling.
 
I'm just not sure what I'm going to do," said Lee Creighton, 45, who lost a job as a manager of statisticians and writers in 2009 and last worked in October.

"What are we to do? Is the state prepared to have this many people with no source of income?"
Under a law passed in February by North Carolina's Republican legislature, the state forfeits federal funds that support the long-term unemployed by cutting the dollar amount of weekly benefits offered to shorter-term unemployed residents.

While other US states have reduced the length of time unemployment benefits are paid out, they have spared weekly benefit payments, thereby avoiding the loss of federal assistance to the long-term jobless.
At the heart of the matter is $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in debt North Carolina owes to the US government, which the state accrued to pay for a sharp rise in demand for benefits during the 2009 economic meltdown.

Under the February law, the state's budget will see a net increase of $3.6bn over four years. More than two-thirds of that comes from benefit cuts, with the rest made up in tax rises to employers. Much of the savings is being redirected toward the debt the state  owes the US.


North Carolina officials hope the debt will now be paid down by 2015 or 2016, not 2018 as before the February law was passed.

The law was signed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory in February.
Mr McCrory said it would protect the state's small businesses from "continued over-taxation" while securing the unemployment safety net and encouraging businesses to create jobs.
State Representative Julia Howard, the Republican who sponsored the bill, suggested the cuts would push out-of-work North Carolinians to find employment faster.

North Carolina officials hope the debt will now be paid down by 2015 or 2016, not 2018 as before the February law was passed. The law was signed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory in February.

Mr McCrory said it would protect the state's small businesses from "continued over-taxation" while securing the unemployment safety net and encouraging businesses to create jobs.

State Representative Julia Howard, the Republican who sponsored the bill, suggested the cuts would push out-of-work North Carolinians to find employment faster.
"It may not be the job that you want or your career for the rest of your life," she said." she said. You know it amazes me how they come up with these excuses, these little justifications for things.

Critics of the law say the state legislature has favoured businesses over the state's workers. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other groups have staged Monday protests at the state assembly for seven weeks against the legislature's more conservative policies.

Democratic State Representative Paul Luebke told the Raleigh News and Observer he and others would continue to fight for the restoration of the programme.

"This is critical income," Mr Luebke said. "This is income that in some instances is the difference between losing a house, foreclosure, losing a car, repossession, or getting along a little bit."

I think in the coming elections, the good citizens ought to give every politician that cut their unemployment benefits a pink slip....When they are unemployed, we'll see how they feel.

When Julia Howard sends in her application to Wal-Mart...Someone should tell her..."Look at the bright side..."It may not be the job that you want or your career for the rest of your life,"