Rush Limbaugh, racism and why this shouldn't be tolerated.

Rush Limbaugh proclaims that Colin Powell selection of Barack Obama for President of the United States is totally about race.  His comments were made loud and clear on his radio program and is nothing but an insult directed at General Colin Powell.

 

General Powell served as a soldier for 35 years. He was the National Security Advisor under President Reagan. He was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. Powell was also the United States Secretary of State for President George W. Bush. I don’t think there is anyone who can accuse General Powell of lacking experience or intelligence. He is a man that has dedicated his life to serving his country and this attack by Rush Limbaugh is nothing but blind stupidity and racism.

 

He told the media that he was not going to make a decision till all the facts were in and that his decision was a confident one.  Powell’s action in educating himself about the candidates is a road map we should all follow.  When we vote, educating yourself about the names on the ballot can never be taken for granted. Colin Powell is a member of the Republican Party and for months has declined to endorse a candidate for president, at least until last Sunday when you decided to vote for Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

 

Unfortunately, Rush Limbaugh took it upon himself to slight General Powell and suggest that his decision was based entirely on race. Powell, a highly decorated individual, well educated and respected by many, Republican and Democrat alike, spoke of Sen. Barack Obama’s ability to create change, move the country in a direction he feels appropriate and rescue America’s struggling economy. General Powell also spoke of his lack of confidence in Governor Palin and his concern over the negativity brought by the McCain campaign. In the end, Colin Powell spoke eloquently about his endorsement for Sen. Obama.

 

I don’t know Rush Limbaugh personally but it is hard to see this as anything but stupid and racist. I could say that Limbaugh only supports McCain because he is white or because he is Republican. I like to give General Powell a little more credit. He has publicly stated that he would not support any candidate blindly due to race or political party. I have no doubt that General Powell wants the best for America and he is voting for Sen. Obama because of a belief that Sen. Obama is better fit to lead.  I have a hard time thinking that Limbaugh has the country’s best interest in mind with these attacks. If anything Limbaugh might be more concerned with his ratings and his lack of relevance than the welfare of America. To be fair, Limbaugh is not the only making these comments because Pat Buchanan also questioned General Powell decision as one made entirely based on race.

 

I don’t think General Powell is voting for Sen. Obama because he is black. I don’t think General Powell is not voting for Sen. McCain because he is white. I do think that General Powell is an intelligent person able of thinking independently and profoundly. To accuse anyone, especially a person as decorated and honored as General Powell of voting for any candidate based on race, sex or age is ignorant.

 

 

“Our great strength is in our unity and our diversity”

                                                            - Gen. Colin Powell 

Vote Early!

did you know you can vote early?

in 34 states across this magnificent country you can VOTE before Nov. 4.

what?

you can vote early!

oh yes and I encourage it in every way. Vote early because who knows Nov. 4 is not the only day you can express yourself. Vote early because the lines are shorter. Vote early because you believe in your vote. Vote early because Nov. 4 is a busy day on your calender. Vote early because voting is important.

Just Vote. educate yourself, choose a candidate and vote! I do care who but I am not going to tell who or how to vote. Vote! plus you get a sticker and the great sensation of democracy at work.

VOTE!

chocolate news! David Allen Grier is not Dave Chapelle ! part 1

southpark.

lil' bush. 

the daily show

colbert report 

some other show.... that is not the Chapelle Show. 

I don't know about you but I miss the Chapelle Show and I feel that Chocolate News starring David Allen Grier is nothing more than an attempt to capture the African American audience and the fill the void left by Dave Chapelle. 

to be continued....

Rude?

Don’t be rude. Where have manners gone in this country? I try and do my best to hold open doors for anyone. I don’t care if you are young, old, female, male, white, black, Latin, Asian, handicapped, or able bodied. I think it is a perfectly appropriate thing to do for someone. You do not have to walk through the door I hold open. You do not have to hold the door open for me but if I do hold the door open for you then don’t be rude.

 

As of recently, I held the door open for an elderly couple and a gentleman, the gentleman at the end of the line decided not to walk through my door but refused to acknowledge my effort with a simple, “no thanks” or even a head nod. He had to open the door next to ours without my assistance. It was nice of the elderly couple to thank me and label me as, “a nice young man.” Apparently real men hold open their own doors. A few days after that I held the door open for an entire family while my hands were full of Chipotle bags. I removed myself from their path and held open the door. It was not until the fourth family member had passed that I had received any acknowledgment. Is all of this my fault? Maybe, I shouldn't be complaining. 

 

In the end this is not about me but about how removed we seem to be from common decency. We talk during movies in the theaters and we cut people off on the highway without warning or a wave as an apology. We talk on cell phones at the check out counter and we don’t wash our hands when we are done in the washroom. We forget to give thanks. We don't introduce ourselves with proper greeting and we use foul language in front of children. If we as a society fail at such simple opportunities to be polite then imagine how we fair on a larger scale.  It seems manners have gone out the window and that is very sad. I have nothing against being casual but being casual should not be without being decent.  What does it say about you, me or anyone that we forget our manners and think about ourselves over others? Being polite is not hard and it should not a strain on your daily life. I dislike this movement and I hope civility and common decency will rise again. 

 

Think about it. 

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT! and why you need to pay them

I am stating this with the full knowledge that I know very little about taxes. I am not an economics professor. I am not a tax accountant. I am not a government official. I am not well read on tax reform or tax policies. I do know that…

 

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT!

 

Yes, if you are an American, you pay taxes. If you don’t pay taxes than you are committing a federal crime and then you are still an American but you are also a criminal. You pay taxes because who else is going to pay for government work programs, public schools, police officers and fire fighters? How else is the government going to generate any revenue to preserve national parks or build an army to maintain a secure and safe nation? Don’t you see that paying taxes is important? If you want a cop protecting your street, or a teacher teaching your child math or science, or a road not filled with potholes then you need to pay taxes.

 

I don’t know about you but last time I checked, fire fighters, police officers, teachers and plenty of other government workers with valuable roles for the daily lives of millions of Americans don’t make a lot of money. No they don’t and when you think about cutting taxes try and think about what area(s) of government funding are being cut… is it environmental conservation? Is it education? Is it homeland security? Social Security? Welfare? Medicare? Or what?

 

If you are a free market junkie then I might be able to understand your desire to let the market dictate everything in this world but I cannot let the market dictate my education or my safety. If the market were to dictate the environment then the whole state of Florida would be a giant shopping mall with miles and miles of pastel housing with a crocodile in every swimming pool. Screw the Everglades! Yellowstone would be the next place to host a hip film festival or another place for health spa after health spa after health spa. If you believe that this war, the war on terror needs to continue but you also believe that your taxes need to be cut then I suggest you decide which is more important; a government in debt or a war (that may never be won.)

 

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT!

 

Yes, I am going to repeat this again and again and again. If you don’t want to pay taxes then maybe you should go somewhere else, oh wait, every country collects some form of taxes, at least any functional country.  If you don’t like taxes, don’t pay them or suffer the consequences. If you don’t like how your taxes are being spent then vote. Yes, VOTE!

 

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT!

 

I cannot deny that this is a very complicated issue. Who pays what, how much and for what generates a great amount of debate? Is it fair for someone who makes very little to pay a higher percentage of their income compared to someone in a higher tax bracket. Ask billionaire Warren Buffet what he thinks and you might find out that he agrees with me or is it that I agree with him? I think (it is) that I agree with him, after all he believes that is unfair that he pays 17.7 percent of his income to the government while his secretary who makes a considerable amount less (billions less) pays taxes on 30 percent of her income. How does that work?

 

If you are talented, successful, gifted and/or lucky then don’t you deserve your swerve and swagger? Of course you do. I just don’t see why you might need six, fourteen or more cars. I just don’t see why you need an island off the coast of Jamaica. I just don’t know why you need a piece of jewelry that equals the cost of a teacher’s salary and it isn’t that you just have one piece but enough to fuel a war in a third world country. By the way, I love the wealthy with all these luxuries as they try to speak to the majority as if they are common folk facing the same problems as those struggling for work, health care or survival. 

 

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT!

 

Is Warren Buffet the answer? Probably not. Oh, he has the answers? No, probably not. But Warrant Buffet does raise a valuable issue about the tax system in this country.  Unfortunately when we talk about taxes the discussion only includes the payer and payment. It seems that everybody wants to pay less but before that happens maybe we should all pay an equal share.

 

The government might be a huge mess and trusting them with billions of dollars in tax money might seem dangerous and naïve but that is why we have elections. Participation in government is key to maintaining a healthy and honest governing body. Be informed, vote, petition, whatever it takes to let your voice be heard. Cutting taxes is not the only answer even though it might be for some but TAXES are important. Paying taxes is important. The country has enough problems even when a lack of funding isn’t the problem. Inner city schools are failing. Healthcare is failing. Social security is failing.

 

But what do I know? Is paying taxes going to solve all our problems? I don’t know. Money is only money if not used wisely, but nothing can be done if there is no money to solve the problem. All I can say is this...

Vote!

and

TAXES ARE IMPORTANT!