From the "You Can't Handle the Truth" Files - Mark Cuban Edition

"In this day and age, this country has really come a long way putting any type of bigotry behind us, regardless of who it's toward. We've come a long way, and with that progress comes a price. We're a lot more vigilant and we're a lot less tolerant of different views, and it's not necessarily easy for everybody to adapt or evolve.

I mean, we're all prejudiced in one way or another. If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there's a guy that has tattoos all over his face -- white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere -- I'm walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of. So in my businesses, I try not to be hypocritical. I know that I'm not perfect. I know that I live in a glass house, and it's not appropriate for me to throw stones."

So says Mark Cuban to Inc. Magazine in an answer to question about his upcoming vote in the NBA and the Sterling saga.  

Of course yet another firestorm has emerged from these statements.  Somehow this is becoming about Trayvon Martin. I suppose the Martin family have some sort trademark on the word Hoodie now.   To the point that Cuban has issued an apology to the Martin Family:

“In hindsight, I should have used different examples.  I didn’t consider the Trayvon Martin family and I apologize to them for that. Beyond apologizing to the Martin family, I stand by the words and the substance of the interview.”

There is nothing that Cuban said that is untrue.  The problem is that in today's society the truth is no longer valued.  What a sad state of affairs that is.  

We are human beings.  As such we all have frailties.  We all make judgements every single day about people we see out in public.  We do that for safety purposes.  If you are on a first date and that person rubs you the wrong way due to any number of reasons, you are making a judgement not to have a second date.  How you dress for a job interview can, and likely will, make a difference in if you are going to get a job offer or not.  Do you honestly believe that a law firm is going to hire someone who shows up in flip-flops and cut off jeans shorts?  Not likely.  Fair or not fair, it is the way it is.  

I will be the first to admit that if I was walking down the street in the dark and I saw someone with a hoodie on, I would think twice.  It has nothing to do with the color of their skin, but the fact that they are trying to hide their face from view.  I would wonder why.  If I saw some big burly man that had wild tattoos all over I would also feel a little fearful.  The same way a black person would feel fearful if they saw a person walking down the road in a KKK hood.  Heck, in fact I would be fearful if I saw someone in a KKK garb and I am not black.  In my mind someone wearing that is someone worth being fearful of.  It is going to set off red flags in my mind.  A swastika is another fearful sign to me.  Does that make me a racist?  

Another thing that I am fearful of is neighborhoods with high crime rates.  I lived just outside of DC for almost two decades.  I didn't go to certain neighborhoods unless it was absolutely necessary.  To me that is common sense and has nothing to do with skin color.   I would feel the same way regardless of skin color of the majority of people living in that neighborhood.  

We must talk about these issues instead of labeling someone a racist.  Which of course is exactly what happened to Mark Cuban once this interview went viral:

From twitter:

“Mark Cuban is racist. If I see him walking down the street I’m walking on the other side [because] I’m scared of him.”

This from Michelle Obama:

No matter what you do, the point is to never be afraid to talk about these issues, particularly the issue of race, because even today, we still struggle to do that. This issue is so sensitive, so complicated, so bound up with a painful history.

 And we need your generation to help us break through – we need all of you to ask the hard questions and have the honest conversations because that is the only way we will heal the wounds of the past and move forward to a better future.

She may have said it a little differently, but ultimately the context is the same.  We must talk about these issues.  We must face our own biases and prejudices in order to deal with them and overcome them.  We all have them.  Even if it is as simple as our political views.  Many in this country put the democrat in a certain box, put the republican in certain box.  Very few people fit neatly in the boxes that they get stuffed in.  

Telling the truth shouldn't be as controversial as it has become these days.  At this point in history we should be able to handle the truth that people carry stereotypes with them in life.  That virtually all people see certain things in their life and respond in ways that can be conceived as negative.  We make judgements based on how one is dressed.  We make judgements based on the neighborhoods that one lives in.  We make judgements on what type of work someone does.  It is only when we acknowledge these judgements and yes talk about them openly that we can finally break through the barriers of our preconceived notions that we all carry.   

In 2014 we should be able to handle the truth.  

Michelle Obama's Message to the Black Community - Education Is Not "Acting White"

It rare, but I happen to agree with Michelle Obama on something.  Over the weekend she gave a commencement speech at a historically black college and during this speech she said:

“reject the slander that a black child with a book is trying to act white.”

There was a time in my life that I wouldn't believe that this was so widespread of a belief in the black community.  But that naiveté is long gone.  I have done some volunteer work with the scholarship program in Washington, D.C..  It is basically a voucher program that allows low-income families to apply for money to be used at the school of their choice.  The forms can be a little overwhelming, so I would help parents fill out the forms for the application.  I also did outreach to get as many as possible to apply.  During this outreach I got a little education of my own.  This is a common theme among the inner city blacks, at least in D.C..  I heard this mantra over and over again.   I also heard far too often that learning how to fight wouldn't happen in those "white schools".  Sadly, that is true story.

What exactly is "acting white" supposed to mean anyway?  Why would getting an education that can lift your child out of poverty and a life of low earning jobs a bad thing?  Every one of the parents I spoke with were living in low-income, high crime areas of The District.  They have lived the life of not having enough money to get their children into a neighborhood that would provide them a better school and reduce the amount of violence around them.  I went into doing this work thinking every parent would jump at the chance to get some help for their child. Wrong.

Education is an issue that I feel very strongly about.  Every child in this country deserves a quality education; regardless of the income of their parents.  Sadly, when you are living in low-income areas, the public schools are failing your children.  A lack of a good education leads to all kinds of social ills throughout your life and in many instances leads to a life dependent on government subsidies just to survive.  It also costs the taxpayers a great deal of money when you start looking at the rates of incarceration among people who don't finish high school.  They are far less likely to add to the economy; actually they become a drain to tax payers.  From a human point of view it is a difficult life to lead.

It has also been shown that pay disparities between blacks and whites disappear within one generation.  A black person who finishes two-year of college will have children that makes just as much as their white counterparts.  This is among one of the chief complaints among "civil rights" leaders.  Well, here is a your solution.  Yet, this is something that is rarely, if ever, spoken about by these race hustlers.  They just talk about all that is wrong, but rarely every talk about the 'unspeakable".  The apathy in the black community that has haunted far too many and allows generation after generation to live a life of poverty need to hear this message.  You can lift yourself and your family out of poverty by getting yourself an education.

She went on:

“Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, more than 50 years after the end of ‘separate but equal,’ when it comes to getting an education, too many of our young people just can’t be bothered,” she said.

“Today, instead of walking miles every day to school, they’re sitting on couches for hours, playing video games, watching TV. Instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader, they’re fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper,” Obama kept going. “Right now, one in three African American students are dropping out of high school, only one in five African Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 has gotten a college degree.”

This is something that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton don't understand.  They continue to hold onto the belief that somehow only access to the same public schools that whites go to is enough.  The evidence that clearly isn't true sadly is the many inner city black youths who are being robbed of a decent education.  This is demonstrated quite clearly when the NAACP sued the City of New York to keep the worst performing school in the country open.  That incident also clearly demonstrated how hypocritical they truly are about the issue.  The lawyer for the NAACP that filed the lawsuit sends her daughter to boarding school in New Hampshire.  If you are stunned by that, you really shouldn't be.  It is par for the course.  Education for me, but not for thee seems to be mantra of the race hustlers that have money.  Letting those poor kids stay in the under performing schools is perfectly fine, as long as it isn't their children.

I have waited four long years for the Obama family to make these type of statements.  While I truly believe that singling out people by race is a bad thing, I also truly believe that with the type of platform that they have it is a crying shame that they have not used it more effectively to reach those in the black community.  Simply being president and first lady isn't enough.  The message must be that you too, with an education, can accomplish what we have accomplished.  You too can make it to Harvard and Princeton if you work hard.  You too can lift your families to greater heights.  I also feel that they need to talk about the family dinner table and the importance of fathers in the home and being around to raise your children.  While I have heard it from him, it isn't nearly often enough.  Every study shows that having a father around increases grades, decreases drug use, and makes the possibility of that child growing up in poverty that much less.  In fact, the percentage that lift themselves out of poverty is more than 70% when three simple things are done, finishing high school, not marrying before the age of 21, and not having children out-of-wedlock.  This study was also confirmed by a left leaning think tank that tried to prove it wrong.

I will always give credit where credit is due.  I want to hear more of this from Michelle Obama.  I also would like other leaders in the black community to follow her lead.  Lets talk about some of the uncomfortable truths, that sometimes blacks are their own worst enemies.  Believing that getting an education is "white" then getting ahead will be nearly impossible.  The choice is yours black community, the choice is yours.

Some Thoughts on The Oscars and Flotus

I admit it, I am a huge fan of the Oscars.  I rarely miss watching the ceremony.  I love movies and I really like the fact that most years I have seen most of the movies that are nominated for the big awards.  Now, hollywood isn't exactly a fan of mine.  Or, I should say my political beliefs.  Many within the industry are outright rude to people who hold my political beliefs.  They call me all kinds of not so nice names and twitter has made it even more pronounced.

So last night I was tweeting while watching the ceremony.  Many of the conservatives around the twitterverse talked about how we shouldn't watch because of the very liberal slant of the industry and the people within the industry.  I say exactly the opposite.  One of the reasons that democrats win is that use pop culture to influence the masses.

Well, Flotus proved me correct last night.

It's through cinema, Obama said, that "our children learn to open their imagination and dream just a little bigger and to strive every day to reach those dreams."

More accurately she should have said that through cinema they influence our children.  Now, don't take this that I am saying that parents can't do anything about it, but the influences are still there.

Do you still think we shouldn't be engaging in pop culture?

The sad fact is this, the lines between politics and pop culture are not just blurred, Michelle Obama and her bangs giving out the Oscar for Best Film shows that the lines have been completely erased.  Sit on the sidelines if you want, but it will be to your detriment.

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition Part 5

"See, but your president, he didn't point fingers, he didn't place blame. Instead, he got to work, because he was thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother. See, and that's why he cut taxes for small businesses and for working families because he believes that in America, teachers and firefighters should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires."

BWAAAAAAAAAAA  HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  

This just shows how delusional those two really are.   

Sigh, lets go over this again, the average federal income tax rates for Americans is 5.6%.   

“The average effective federal tax rate for American taxpayers is 11 percent, according to an analysis of 2009 IRS data by the Tax Foundation, a non-profit research organization. For individuals with adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less, the average effective tax rate is less than 5 percent, according to the Tax Foundation,”

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition Part 4

"I tease, it’s like one day I am going to walk out that gate. I’m just going to walk out. I'm going to walk out. No one's going to know, I’m not going to notify anybody and I’m just going to walk … I’m going to go to CVS.  I find myself gazing at CVS. I just want to walk in there, walk in there and walk around, pick up some soap,"

I will be more than happy to help you out with this wish on November 6.   

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition Part 3

"Being President doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are"

Michelle Obama during her speech to the Democratic National Convention.  

Why yes, and her husband inner marxist comes out daily.  

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition

So that one new voter that you register in your precinct -- think about it -- that one neighbor that you get to the polls on November the 2 I want you to understand, that could be the one that makes the difference. That one conversation, that one new volunteer you recruit, that could be the one that puts this over the top.

Here that dems?  Go to the polls on November 2.  

Hey I like this idea. 

Want Your Book Signed by Michelle Obama? - You Must Show Valid Picture ID - Those Racists

Mrs. Obama will visit the downtown Barnes & Noble store located at 555 12 St. NW, at E St. On Friday, June 8th, those wishing to attend the event must purchase a copy of the First Lady's book at the location (for $19.20) and leave it at the store, according to the employee. At the same time, customers must also submit their social security number and show an official photo ID

Those racists.  

This according to the "official" Obama Food Blog.  Food blog you ask.  Yes apparently there is a blog dedicated to the Obama's trying to overtake your food choices.  

Twitter Fun - #Ask Michelle

Of course conservatives couldn't resist.  Here is a taste:

#askmichelle Does Barack view Orwell's '1984' as a roadmap rather than a cautionary tale.

Why do you get to eat BBQ ribs and preach healthy food to the rest of us? #AskMichelle

#AskMichelle What's "the other white meat?' Poodle or Llasa Apso?

#AskMichelle Most women get irritated when their husbands play golf incessantly. How do you cope?

Dear @MichelleObama: I'm volunteering at a soup kitchen tonight. Gucci or Prada? #AskMichelle

#AskMichelle Who is your favorite Marxist? Besides your husband, of course.

#AskMichelle Are your Mao Christmas ornaments union made in the USA or imported from genuine 

communist sweat shops in China?

#askMichelle Bill Maher said "Bristol will name her next kid Colt 45.After what shes drinking when she gets pregnant. What do you think?

#askmichelle Why did you get offended by the American flag at the 9/11 memorial last year? #tcot #obamafail #mooch

#AskMichelle If the election of your husband wasn't the end of the 'racist era' in the U.S., then when, pray tell?

Would you call George Zimmerman a white Hispanic? If so, would you call Barack a white African American? #AskMichelle

RT @BowlMeOverVa: #askmichelle You know Jar Jar Binks is trending on @Twitter and you are not?

#AskMichelle Why do u have so much more $$ than me? Shouldn't u give me some of yours? To be fair?

#AskMichelle: Nevermind Obama, how come YOU stayed in Reverend Wright's pews for 20 years of virulently anti-American, Marxist propaganda?

#AskMichelle: If family is off limits, why (& how) did your husband get a judge to unseal the divorce records of his previous opponents?

#AskMichelle How much longer is Barack going to lie about his support for gay marriage?

#AskMichelle How many bottles of bubbly did u have once u realized u hoodwinked the country?

#AskMichelle Was Joe right? Does Barack have a big stick?, if so how did he find out?

#AskMichelle: If you were "struggling" to pay student loans, how could you afford a $650,000 house

#AskMichelle Since staying home with my kids doesn't make me ill, does that mean I am stupid?

#AskMichelle @MichelleObama did you buy your own birth control while in law school?

#AskMichelle I am in the middle of making dinner. Which Gov't agency should I contact 2 make sure I am doing it correctly?

Linked at TCL Facebook page and The Other McCain  Thanks!!!

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition

"The days I stay home with my kids without going out, I start to get ill, my head starts to ache."

Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States and Mother of Two.  

Wait, I thought that President Obama said she had to work?  Oh no, was he less than truthful again?  I am sure that Malia and Sasha will be very happy to read this article when they get older.  They made their mother ill.  


Linked at Theo Spark.
Thanks.

Flotus and the Angry Black Woman Stereotype

Michelle Obama doesn't think it is right that she has been stereotyped as an "Angry Black Woman".  I have never referred to her in that manner.  I don't really refer to anyone in that manner.

So Michelle, I will do my best to stand up whenever I hear someone call you a Angry Black Woman.  I will just tell them to say that you are a far left loon.

Feel better?

Bad Behavior At Nascar

Today the wives of the president and vice president attended at Nascar race in order to help support our troops.  Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were booed by the spectators at the event.  





They were there to bring attention to the fact that many troops have a difficult time finding work after returning home after a tour of duty or once they have finished their service.  An issue that should give most of us pause. 


I remember when Bush was still in office and the outright disrespect that was shown him by the left and I felt nothing but shame because of it.  I had my issues with how President Bush did his job and the decisions that he made while president.  He wasn't perfect and he made mistakes.  But, that never justified the treatment that he received.  The cheering that came from the media and the left when someone in Iraq threw a shoe at him during a press conference was terrible.  It was amazing display of disrespect for our country and our president and didn't deserve to be cheered.  


One of the things that I had always hoped when President Obama took office is that the right would lift up the level of dialogue in our country.  Set a standard for dissent if you will.  Sadly, the display today says that we were unable to accomplish that.  


Dislike the policies of the president.  Disagree with the beliefs that Michelle Obama holds.  But treat the office with the respect that it deserves.  The office of the presidency is bigger than one person.  America will survive the policies of President Obama.  What is really going to be the death knell of America is lack of respect for each other.  Debate and dissent is healthy, disrespect is not.  


Save your booing, and show your displeasure at the ballot box where it belongs.  

Liberal Logic Photo of the Day

First Lady Michelle Obama gave these kids MM's while touring a farm in Hawaii on her Let's Move Campaign; designed to fight childhood obesity.  Did the kids have their BMI checked before the got the MM's?  


So Let me get this straight, she was there to promote healthy eating and talked about wiping out childhood obesity in a generation then gave the kids candy.  Ok, got it.

Yeah, Michelle All This for the American Flag

Truly, I have tried to give the first couple the benefit of the doubt, when people say the "hate" America.  I don't fall into the group of conservatives that have called them communists, or do I want to believe that they want to "destroy" America.  My personal belief has been that they firmly believe in more of quasi-socialist European style of government and would like to see that take hold in this country.  Something that I 100% disagree with and feel if that is how you want to live, move to Europe.  Heck, I will even put into the "here's plane ticket" fund and drive you to the airport.  You don't like this style of government, get out.  No one is begging you to stay. 

But, yes Michelle, there are people in this country who pay great tribute to the flag in this country.  The reason, you may ask is that it is the promise of the ideal.  The promise of the American dream.  That if you work really hard you may be able to have your dreams come true in this country.  Even after she herself has watched her husband, a product of a broken marriage born to a white mother when bi-racial children and marriages were not widely accepted, can grow up and lead this country proves that my vision of the American dream can come true for virtually anyone.  Even you, you ungrateful pig.  Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I don't take cheap shots and don't like getting down in the dirt with the progressives in this country.  But this time you have pushed the wrong buttons. 

Yes, some people in this country feel that the flag means something.  Feel that the flag is worth fighting and dying over.  And it isn't the flag in and of itself, but the ideal that it represents. 

Shame on you, and please note that I will now work overtime to get you out of the house that represents this country more than any other.  I will work even harder to say goodbye to you and your ungrateful husband for all this country has given to you and you so cavalierly roll your eyes at.  You are not deserving of the title of First Lady of the United States.  Again, you ungrateful pig. 

If you don't think that flag deserves respect - GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE!!! 

Hmm, Makes Me Wonder

By now most have heard about the latest invitee to The White House by Michelle Obama. None other than rapper and “poet” Common. I went on you tube and went through the torture of listening to some of his music. I am no fan of rap by any stretch of the imagination, it just sounds like noise to me for the most part.


My understanding is that rap has become less violent and misogynist in the past few years, but I really don’t know if that is true or not. If that is true Common has missed the memo. Above and beyond the fact he talked about the death of President Bush, he is also violent towards cops and women.

What I would like to know is do they allow their two young daughters to listen to his “art”? If not, why are they giving this man such a platform?

The Irony of the State Dinner

Earlier this evening we gave a state dinner to a dictator/communist and the head of a government that has no idea what human rights mean.  Of course we should be talking with China, but to give this type of treatment to government that presently is jailing the Nobel peace prize winner is not the message we should be sending to the rest of the world. 

He was served lobster, dry aged rib eye (what they couldn't spring for filet mignon?) with buttermilk crisp onions, a pear salad and apple pie. 

At least Michelle wore the appropriate color.  Does anyone else see the irony in the Nobel peace prize thing?  The winner of the 09 peace prize is hosting a dinner for the jailer of the 10 winner? 

I applaud the Republican leadership that turned down the invitations to this mockery. 

Why Can't We Leave it up to the Parents? - Michelle Obama's Fight on Obesity

So the obesity issue comes down to school lunches?  If that is true why are we then adding meals to the school programs instead of getting away from them?  Now, I have not eaten a school lunch in decades and from what I remember they were not all that great.  Matter of fact, I brought lunch.  Hey, that's an idea!!  We are slowly taking away parents responsibilities.  We are feeding children three times a day at school.  When do these kids spend time with their parents?  I understand that many parents have to work long hours, but spending time with your kids is too important to grant to the state.  All studies show that families that eat together on a regular basis raise children that are healthier, happier, and do better in school.  We should be promoting families spending time together instead of saying that the government will take care of all your needs. 

I am sick to death of hearing about how McDonalds is making our children fat.  Young children don't go to McDonalds by themselves.  Someone has to take them there.  If a parent doesn't know that McDonalds should only be a once in a while treat, that is something that government can't take care of.  You can't fix stupid. 

The Unintended Consquences of the Fight Against Obesity

Michelle Obama has decided obesity is the cause that she will trumpet as first lady.  While she is correct that obesity is a problem in our country, I wonder how much time she has spent looking at the intended consequences of her issue.  Eating disorders in this country are a very serious problem:

It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men



One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia


Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia


Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)


An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

The causes of anorexia vary, but one common thread is the strive for perfection.  The constant images that young women see come from magazines and billboards.  We are bombarded with models that are picture perfect.  The problem is, even the models you see don't even look like the pictures that we see.  They are all airbrushed to look that way. 

We are hearing stories of school systems sending home notices about the body mass indexes of students.  While these particular students may very well have problems with weight that need to be addressed, what about that young girl that hears about these letters who isn't obese, but a little on the chunky side?  It puts additional pressure on young kids to be thin, a pressure that already exists. 

Anorexia also has long term health risks and the risk of a premature death:

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness



A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover


The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.


20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

It is not that I think that obesity is an issue that should be ignored, but we need to understand what the unintended consequences of this push can lead to.  More young woman die of anorexia than of obesity.  No where in the discussion have I heard this brought up.  Obama is strictly talking about being overweight.  Why is no one thinking of the young woman who is starving herself to death?  Why are they being ignored?  It seems to me that by concentrating only on obesity we are creating the atmosphere for a spike in the number of victims of this deadly illness. 

Oh, Thank Heavens It's Ok to Eat Pie

Don't worry about how much you eat. Just enjoy it, this is the time. Have pie."

Michelle Obama on Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Well I, for one, am very relieved that I have permission from Mrs. Obama, aren't you? 

Rhubarb isn't for everyone, but I love it.

Yummy.  I only eat this once a year, so I may just have two slices.

For the traditionalist

Dancing the Night Away - Potus and Flotus in India

I actually like this video.  I have heard some insulting things said about this, but I think that is just silly.  Of course other countries have cultural events for visiting heads of states.  It would be very rude had the first couple not participated; and I think Michelle did a very good job.  The president on the other hand didn't really show a great deal of rhythm, he looked a little stiff.  But, it is still enjoyable all the same.  If you are going to leave an insulting comment, please do it elsewhere.