No Sports? Now What?

Never in my adult life has there ever been a period of time that I couldn't turn on TV and find some sports to watch.  I will pretty much watch any sport just because I love the spirit of athletic competition.  But here comes this funky COVID-19 ruining things for me and millions of others around the world.  It's way too early for an April Fool's Day joke.

The coronavirus has turned into a pandemic and sporting events are being either suspended indefinitely or canceled.  And I totally understand the seriousness of it all.  This virus is spreading like the flu and is causing mass hysteria around the world.  It sucks that it took something of this magnitude to get people to do the things they should have been doing since being old enough to attend kindergarten: wash their hands regularly and cover their mouth when they sneeze/cough.  

Without sports I'll find more time to blog, clear my DVR and read some more.  And of course, I'll tune into the reality show known as "world news" to see how our elected "leaders" are handling this crisis.  I truly hate politics when it comes to emergencies.  The people are usually secondary to political agendas.  Politicians aren't beneath using a crisis to further their agenda.  Here are some examples:

• Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, apparently tried to pass a coronavirus relief bill that came with an abortion-funding loophole chaser.  This is not the time to take advantage of the situation to get a bill passed.  Shame, Nancy!  
• President Trump banned travel to the U.S. except for in the UK and Ireland.  Not because they're coronavirus-free, but I'm guessing because he has golf resorts in those two countries.  The UK and Ireland have more cases of coronavirus then some of the other countries in the travel ban.  Greed.
• There's talk about offering corporate welfare to the airlines because people aren't traveling right now.  These companies fleece the general public around each holiday by jacking up already-high prices and now they need a handout?  Ridiculous.
• Bottled water and other essentials are slowly creeping up in price during a time of need.  Anything for an extra buck, right?

Corporations are still taking advantage of U.S. citizens despite the seriousness of the crisis.  Yet we still vote the same people into office each term who allow these companies to do so.  They should drug test all voters.  

As for the coronavirus that has taken over our lives as we know it, all we can do is wait and see what happens with all of this.  Are we closer to the movie "28 Days Later"?  Lord, I hope not.  

25 Years Later We're Still Fighting The Power - @PublicEnemyFTP

I remember turning on the TV and seeing this video for the first time. I was mesmerized as a 16 year old to see the power within the video of a group of people coming together for a united front.  Even at such an early age I recognized what that video meant to me as a black teen.  It meant that there was still work to do to bring about equality in the United States among the races.  I had no idea how much more this video would mean to me 25 years later after Michael Brown and Ferguson, MO.

Seeing the unity that "Fight The Power" displayed in a rap video was nothing short of amazing.  This wasn't a group of rappers coming together on their own for a cause like "Self Destruction" or "We're All in the Same Gang."  This was a video about a rap group marching down the streets of Brooklyn during the time of a political rally and the people just randomly started joining in.  It was just recently that I found out that the neighborhood people showed up only by word of mouth.  There was no plan to have them all there.

I got on board the PE train with their first album, "Yo! Bum Rush the Show!" in 1987.  I was fascinated with the side of blackness they taught that I couldn't get anywhere else at the time.  Remember that this was roughly five years before people starting regularly using the Internet.  In fact, a majority of the black history that I learned as a youth came from listening to Public Enemy.  I would listen to their album and then go to my city library to learn about the people they mentioned.   Stokely Carmichael.  H. Rap Brown.  Huey P. Newton (Huey Freeman on the "Boondocks" series is named after him).  These were people that were never talked about in any history books that I read at school.  And regardless of how people felt about them and what they represented they were still a very important part of black history which is essentially American history.

The video also contained images that will forever be embedded in my brain of Angela Davis, Medgar Evers, Jackie Robinson, signs that encouraged voter registration, and most importantly, youth participation.  There were kids everywhere in this video.  Also, one of the most powerful scenes at the time was at the 6:00 mark when teenager, Tawana Brawley, was shown standing in all white.

Tawana was part of a huge rape case back in 1987 when she accused six white men of raping and defiling her.  Although it was ruled in 1988 that she made up the false allegations against her accusers, she has always stuck by her story and said that the rape occurred.  Seeing her smiling and participating in the video was a sign that she was still standing strong with the support of the black community.  The community had her back.  That sentiment was also shown in Spike Lee's movie, "Do The Right Thing," with a scene that displayed graffiti on the wall that said "Tawana told the truth."  I can still remember the applause in the theater when people saw it during the movie.

"Fight The Power" would prove to have an impact on the consciousness of many people of all colors as it depicted how black people came together to promote unity.  Another important part of the video to note is that it showed how blacks can be peaceful yet firm in making an impact on society.  Despite the "nervous" police presence according to P.E. front man, Chuck D, there were no incidents.  Not one.

Enter 2014.  Music has changed tremendously.  The only people rapping about political consciousness aren't on the radio.  Gone are the days where KRS-1 is rapping "Why is That?" or Gang Starr is dropping knowledge on "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?"

I'll continue to hold on to old school rap although I know it's next to impossible to pass down to younger generations.  They just aren't buying into things from back in the day.  However, I'll do what I can to expose them to conscious rap with hopes that it catches on.  I won't let Public Enemy die with my generation.

So, click on the video below and "Fight The Power" in 2014.  We still have a long way to go.
 

#T2Q's Toss Up Thursday, 11/28/13 (PHOTO)

Things That Affect Your Daily Life



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It's almost Election Day and you can tell it's close by all of the ads showing on TV each day.  I always wonder just how much better the economy would be if people would put the money spent from campaigning into actually creating jobs.

(Sigh)

Oh, well.  I know it's just a pipe dream, but maybe one day politics will make sense.  Who am I fooling?  It never will.  We'll continue to put people in office who only have interest in keeping their jobs.  Every now and then you'll find someone genuine who truly wants to help, but they usually don't last long.  The other politicians will find ways to get rid of that person or vote against everything proposed.

The best way for us to fight selfish agendas locally and in Washington is to vote for people who have our interests at heart.  And no, I don't mean someone who may or may not ban guns, or who may or may not have a war on drugs/terrorism.  Those aren't interests, those are political platforms.  There is a difference and the state of our country depends on you knowing the difference.


Your interests are things that affect your daily life: 

Can you buy groceries? 

Are your bills being paid on time? 

Do you have enough for retirement? 

Are your kids getting a decent education? 

Is your environment absent of pollution? 

Are your neighborhoods safe?

Yet, we argue over a war on the other side of the world, whether rape victims can get an abortion, apples in vending machines and if marijuana should be legal.  The list goes on.

Do you see how stupid that is?  Every day, our focus is on things that do not affect the average person's daily life.  I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who gets daily abortions, but I know people who need to eat three times per day.  I don't care if you want to believe in a religion different than mine or none at all, but I care about my god kids being able to afford college.  I don't care if my taxes are raised as long as I have a salary fair enough for me to afford it.

Do you see where I'm going?  Each day, we're beaten over the head by "news" that tells us what we should be upset over.  They tell us that only a Democrat or a Republican can solve our problems.  Two rich parties that spend more money campaigning to get themselves re-elected than you'll ever make in 200 lifetimes.

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I'm not telling you to abstain from voting.  That's probably the absolute dumbest choice of them all.  If you don't vote, then you don't count.  What I am saying is to vote responsibly.  Don't let family tradition lead you down another generation of stupidity.  Do your homework and vote to promote your daily life and not these fabricated political issues.

Don't be the fool who brags, "I helped get marijuana legalized" and you can't even afford to buy it because you're unemployed.

Don't be the idiot who pumps his chest over voting for/against gay marriage and your kid has a metal detector at his/her school because of recent classroom shootings.

Don't be the nut who jumps for joy that 25,000 more soldiers are sent overseas while 35,000 jobs go with them.

It's time to put on your big boy/girl pants and think for yourself for a change.  Stop letting CNN, MSNBC and FOX News put thoughts in your head.  Learn how to separate the real from the manufactured.  These people rely on you being emotional about what they're saying instead of logical.  That's why they have these outrageous stories and headlines to push your buttons.  Emotional people make stupid decisions.

So, the next time you turn on one of those "news" channels, be sure to take the time to ask yourself after each segment of the show, "is who a person is praying to, sleeping with, etc. affecting my ability to put food on the table and keep the lights on?"

What percentage of politicians do you think really care about the United States?

VOTE for @ChanthaMaxim for @MaximMag Hometown Hottie!

Click HERE to vote daily until August 19th!!!

Click on the link beneath the photo and support Chantha, a new friend of mine! She's in the semi-finals to be Maxim's Hometown Hottie and needs a boost into the finals. Once you click the link, you can vote on the right side (every day until August 19th). You can also check out her video/photos while you are there!  Good luck, Chantha!

Thanks, again, for helping supporting a friend!

If You Don't Vote, Then Shut It!

Approximately 213 million voting-age citizens were eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election but only 186 million of them were actually registered. Those figures mean that almost 13% of all eligible voters in our country remain excluded from participation in our political process.

Those 13% need to keep their mouths shut until they vote. I don't want to hear about your high medical bills, taxes or any other problems you may have. You don't have the right to complain, loser! If you don't vote, then shut it!



And I don't want to hear the argument "what's it going to change anyway?" If you want change, then vote for candidates who actually understand what you're going through and not these fat cats who get into office and find new ways to take our money.

The only people who aggravate me just as much as non-voters are people who vote for a certain party regardless if the candidate is any good or not. So, if you vote (D) or (R) just because you prefer the party and not the candidate, then I have no sympathy for you and your problems either.

My concerns only lie with the few people in the U.S. who are actually trying to make this country better by putting the best person in office, not their favorite party. Voting along party lines is the equivalent of voting for every contestant on American Idol with mohawks just because you like stylish hair. "If doesn't matter if they can sing, but if that hair looks 'rad', then you have my vote!"



Sounds stupid to you? Good. Now you know how I feel.

November will determine who controls Congress: Republicans or Democrats? This election is actually more important than the presidential election because let's face it: the president is a figure head. He truly has has no power. Congress basically runs the country.

The problem is that a lot of people don't know that. They'll turn out for a president, but won't turn out for other elections which are actually more important.

Pay attention, people. Pay attention to the things going on in the world.

Join the discussion here!