Here a Cheat, There a Cheat, Everywhere a Cheat Cheat

Why do we act so surprised when athletes are caught cheating? Cheating seems as if it is a part of the American culture. Right there with those slices of apple pie. Cheating seems to run rampant; everywhere I turn I see or read about cheaters- People cheating the tax codes by putting their cash in overseas accounts or those little radars that warn us when the police may have set up a trap.  Cheating vs. cheating; reminds me of those old Spy vs. Spy. comics in Mad Magazine.

There are all forms of cheaters in our current society. Women cheat when the undergo plastic surgery and increase their breast size, or change their noses- the beauty of cheating Mother Nature. Some would say that it is not cheating, but I hate to break it to you… it’s cheating.

I am glad that I am married, I would hate to be in the club and have my eyes on this hot chick and then later on when it is time to get down to business, all of sudden this beautiful lady takes off her Victoria Secret push-up bra, removes her inflated undies, and then takes off her wig. Wow, wouldn’t you feel cheated? I know that I would.

But we demand that people cheat. I mean, how empty would the stands be at sporting events if we watched the average sized human compete? We are cheated by the owners when they put a mediocre product on the field, and still charge us outrageous prices for beer, hot dogs, and the Grand Daddy cheat of all times (drumroll please……) parking.

Teachers are caught cheating giving their students the answers to test, students are caught cheating sharing the answer to these test, stats cheat because they can, and the government cheats us out of our hard earned money. There have been journalists that have cheated by making up fake quotes and stories. Race car drivers cheat in order to win races, and of course these people get penalized, but that is after the fact.

I do not like cheaters at all, but I understand it. It makes perfect sense. In order to be number one a majority of people have to cheat. It sucks when you find out that you are just mediocre at best. Instead of finding what we are good at, we decide to cheat the systems. Music producers cheat with programs such as Fruity Loops and all of these magical advances of technology.

It really sucks when you attend a live concert, and the artists are horrible and are doing nothing but singing over a track- another reason I hate attending big concerts. Because in reality, all I am doing is looking at the people lip synch for a hundred dollars.

With Melky getting busted for 50 games because of cheating, I am not surprised at all. The outrage by people was rather funny in my opinion. I mean, what did they expect? Do they really think that these people are not on some type of dietary supplement, or some other substance created in the lab. Cheating is big business in America.  Want to kill a bunch of people? -just cheat use a drone.  Want to lose a lot of weight? -get surgery.  Want to live like a king? -cheat and work for the government or the school district and cheat the children, and citizens when you retire.

People cheat at video games by buying modified controllers. I cheat the advertisers by watching recorded television and skipping commercials. Bootleggers cheat the artist by selling copies of movies before they are out of the theater. Hunters cheat animals by feeding them and then killing them.

Simply put, cheating is called an advantage in our society. But I do have a simple solution for this type of cheating in sports. LET THEM TAKE WHAT THE WANT!!!! Yes, I said it.  Let them take whatever they want, and deal with the physical repercussion. Of course we should keep these things out of the hands of children. But I would like to see who could cheat the most. I would love to see a baseball game score of 50 to 25; it might make me even buy season tickets.

It would also free up some air time and we could watch more highlights instead of listening to people talking about other people who cheated. Of course this is not good for our society, but what is in this current day. But do not be surprised that athletes cheat; it is a part of society, and a huge part of sports.

Rainbow Flags and Black Books

"The Family Research Council strongly opposes gay marriage and abortion and says it advocates 'faith, family and freedom in public policy and public opinion.'” ¹

Wait a minute, hold up.  Did I read that correctly? First of all, why do we need a group called “The Family Research Council” in the first place? Is a family something that needs to be researched? Or is this just another way for a group to claim that they are not racist or discriminating, and walk around and throw money at elected officials to support their agenda.

But the fact remains that the statement that they believe in public policy and public opinion is ridiculous. They should change their tag line to “we believe that public policy should be allowed to discriminate”. I have put my neck on the line for the issue of allowing gay people to marry and adopt, because I see the bigger picture.

Here is a little background for you about me and this issue. I use to oppose gay marriage; I use to believe that it was wrong. But like most sensible humans I really thought about the situation, and it was rather simple. First of all, I am not gay, so why am I so worried about what they are doing in the first place? Secondly I believe in the true definition of Freedom.

Look, if these men and women are good enough to catch a bullet and die for us here in our plush air conditioned homes, watching two political parties that are involved in the same destructive policies, then why can’t these individuals be able to get married? So it is alright for them to die for us, but it is not alright for them to have freedom to love who they may.

I mean, we are worried about the economy right? I am sure that there would be a lot of people getting paid if we allowed these individuals to get married. Weddings, honeymoons, cakes, gifts, and on and on!  

As a parent, one thing I had to realize was that no matter how I think my children should live, one day they are going to be able to make their own decisions, and if one of my children walked up to me and told me that they were gay the last thing I would do is tell them that they are going to go to hell.

I am sure there are a lot of people dealing with this, and those that are going to have to face this in the future; I hope they are prepared to deal with it, and I hope they chose to be supportive.

With all the recent energy that Mitt Romney has received for selecting Ryan and the individuals that refuse to look at Mr. Ryan’s voting trends, it is rather ignorant to put it politely. I think it is odd that Mr. Ryan is so strongly against abortion.  A man shouldn’t really be making decisions for women in the first place, but he is so twisted that he also believes that a gay couple should not be able to adopt.  So not only is he forcing women to have unwanted babies, but he is denying those who want to adopt them!

See, that is why I have to separate myself from the conservative party.  They scream and rant about too much government but then they start restricting every part of our lives at will. Of course I am not into throwing all of our money out to those that do not want to work and continue to live off welfare without trying to improve themselves. But to deny love and companionship is pretty crazy in this day and age.

I think most children do not care who raises them- gay, straight, or whatever. They just want to be loved. And if that means allowing gay couples to adopt them and get these children out of foster care, then fine- let gay people adopt.

I do not think that a gay couple is really trying to adopt children for some gay revolution- to eliminate all straight people on the planet. When a couple is in love no matter gay or straight there is a lot of love to share, and if they can do that and produce productive individuals in our society then I am fine with that, personally.

I am tired of the bigotry and hate that is often entrenched within politics and religion. When you present facts to most of these individuals they are quick to forget the evolutionary cycle that humans have been through. You would swear that they are still dragging their knuckles on the ground, trying to make a fire with two twigs.

So in my personal opinion, until we allow all individuals to get married and live a prosperous life, then such violent acts, like what happened at the movie theater, the temple, and many other situations- will continue to happen. I challenge all of you to really think about it.  How are gay issues really harming your life?

Oh yeah, and if you live in California you should pack your bags and move real quick, because gay and lesbian studies will become mandatory. I wish they would have made African American studies mandatory, but hey, it is what is what it is, and to deny that gay and lesbians have made great contributions to our society would be foolish.

I am sure if that hunk of a fire fighter pulling your ass out of burning building was gay, you wouldn’t be saying “No! Put me down! Let me burn!” I never agree with violence in any situation, just wanted to point out that this group is not for freedom and should never say such a thing, they are for restricting freedom. I wonder if guns were created before the bible, would they be illegal?... Oops I forgot, guns don’t kill people, people kill people…. answered my own question.

     

1: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Official-Suspect-criticized-group-before-shooting-3790208.php#ixzz23exsh31s

Did we Forget?

Did we forget the reason we left? We left for freedom. The freedom for all, not just for some that believed there was only one way to live. Some have found a path that is right for them, but they should not believe that that path is the only way. There are many paths and many trails- many ways to reach the point of true happiness.

But instead of freedom we often stand for division, we stand for class, we stand to punish those that have made it, and deny those that want to escape the hell that freedom has turned into. The lives that have been lost are often turned into capitalistic holidays, while we all light up the night sky with fireworks and claim independence, in that same sentence we preach hate and discrimination.

It would seem as if this country’s flag is a cross. But it is not. It is a symbol of our independence. It is a symbol of the generations of slaves that built this land, the generations that have fought for this land, the generations that have yet to come and change this land.

Freedom should not be a set of laws based upon old beliefs that deny love, deny opportunity, and are dependent on castes, and classes, economics, and knowledge that separates one another. Man’s history on this planet is dark. We have killed in the name of our Gods, and our beliefs. We have killed for material; we have killed for simple pleasure of killing.

It comes time for us to understand something, a simple fact in America; we are not separate- but one. We are one people under one law that no longer believes in freedom for all, but rather freedom for those that believe that same ideas and rhetoric that has been forced fed over and over again.

Republican, Democrat, Socialism, race, sexuality, and economical status are all tools to destroy, divide and conquer. Divide the people allow for them to fight so that others can remain in power and control. Some of those that often follow religion do not know what they are following. Why? Because they have been taught not to question, but only accept.

Is this right? If society did not question slavery, bigotry, and opportunity, what type of world would we live in today? Because even those these issues, or problems, have been buried beneath the false flag of hope. We continue to judge what actions are correct, we continue to engage in gluttony and greed as our waistlines increase, and our debts become unbearable.

Even those that claim to live the righteous path are caught in the lies and deception of freedom in this country. We should not be bound by ancient stories that guide us to real darkness and control. Because our original creator is a loving and caring being that created a world that gave us life. That gave us a brain, a heart to love, an opportunity to experience, and then wither and return to the earth. But these religions, these political positions, were not created by God- but by man.

These stories to ethical and intelligent minds make no sense. Those that have learned to question authority, and to seek true peace, often find themselves pointing to contradictions in life that cast us further into the darkness. For I am not the original man, I am the second generation of man. I am enlightened by the world around me.  I see the harmony between the earth and the creatures that walk on all fours. I am one with the planet, the wind, and the sea.

When the sea dies, I die.  When the planet dies, I die.  When the sun dies, I die- we all die.  The human race dies. We are all interconnected. If you want to believe in God then believe in all of God.  Think of the blades of grass, the leaves of trees, and the animals that run free in the forest, because we are all God. And we are all beings of God. That chicken or shrimp on your plate is a part of God and not anything else. If you want to experience true enlightenment and true peace, you have to forget all the trash that was produced to control you.         

If you want freedom, then accept all freedom- not just freedom for the rich, the religious, or those that believe the same so-called truths that you agree with. Our freedom and relationship with God is one that offers all freedoms, and not freedom restricted or limited to those that believe they are superior or live life the right way. 

Stop Muggin'

What is happening in the black community?   All communities for that fact, or is it just that I left the Southwest- where people still had respect for one another? For example, anytime I leave my home in California and I happen to be in the same proximity of a black man (my age, younger, older- whatever) they seem as if they want to "mean mug", or stare at me rudely.I think to myself “wow, really? This is how we are going to treat each other?” But I still pay my homage and respect. I still make eye contact, nod my head, and say “what’s up”. It is not like I believe that we should stop and have a conversation, but we should respect one another.


 As a Communications Major, I understand the importance of human communication. Both verbal and non-verbal communication is very important in any situation.  I feel as if we have lost respect for one another as black men. We always treat one another like we are in a rap video or some characters in a gangster movie. What happen to community? What happen to respect?


As long as we continue to stare at one another in a way that is disrespectful we will do nothing but continue the destructive behaviors that are in our community. I have spoken about the dangers of our music, one form of communication. But we also have to examine the devastating actions that non-verbal communication plays.


Non-verbal communication is the way that we dress, the way that we walk, how we look at each other, and how we stand.  All of these things give off certain cues. These cues can be either positive or negative, but the fact remains, we are giving off these cues all the time, and it is dangerous if every identifier is negative.


I was heading to the store in my small town and three young black men were walking by. Not only was there a police officer making his rounds- driving slowly, but it was a nice night. I made eye contact with all three of these young men and in return they started to “mean-mug”.  These kids, with their clothes falling off and their plastic snap back hats were all wearing the uniform of the new house Negro.  This disrespect really shocked me.

As I left the scene, I was a little upset at the reaction from these three young men. I thought to myself, that their parents were failures because they did not teach their children respect. I believe that it is important to respect your elders. But we need to take this a little further and respect one another.

By walking around and staring at one another like we want to get into a fight is not good for our health. I do not think that white people walk around exchanging stares and starting fights with one another. I am not sure about this completely but it does not seem to be the case. This little cultural habit is something that bothers the hell out of me. Most of the people that should be reading this probably are watching a fight on social-cam right now, and believe that their actions are a part of “being black”.

So please black men, next time you see another black man, do not put on your movie face, or your video mask, and just pay respect. There is no need for us to continue this harmful non-verbal behavior. This behavior is being taught to our children, and we need to stop the mugging so that we can overcome the crumbling of our community and remake our cultural norms.I am sure that there are many things that we can agree on and many changes that we can make if we work together. But our actions create nothing but division amongst ourselves. It is no longer necessary for “the man” or any other organization to lynch us, or segregate us; we do today by our own free will.

There is power in numbers, and with as many brothers that are searching for opportunity, there is plenty of it if we work together. I am sure that this mean mugging is not happening everywhere, but where it does happen it needs to stop. There is no need for violence amongst us; our struggles with society are often hard enough. There is no need for us to place more obstacles in front of ourselves.

This is not only to avoid the extinction of a race, but to help our children have better lives as well. Our children often act, talk, and walk, like the people that raise them. There is no need for us to continue to spread this type of nonsense to the youth, our future. Look, I am not asking for a whole conversation, just respect. If we continue to mean mug one another this just shows the lack of respect that we have for ourselves.