How To Exploit Your Family For Political Gain And Fail Miserably

 This might be an extreme view and I apologize (but not really) to anyone that’s offended, but this is the most creative application of modern-day Uncle Tomism that I have seen in recent years.  Brooklyn councilman Bill de Blasio apparently thought it would be a good political move to issue targeted mailings of the flyer displayed on the left to African-American neighborhoods.  Of course, de Blasio’s campaign (weren’t man enough to stand behind this bullsh*t yourself, huh?) denies ethnic targeting, however I don’t see how the ad at left is anything but that.  There is no information shown regarding this guy’s political platforms or what he plans to do, only who he’s doing.  That’s despicable.  Were we supposed to give props for this?  Extra props because she’s rockin’ a “natural” hairstyle?  A few more points for not being light-skinned?  Spell it out for me, de Blasio. 

This has obviously stirred up a whole gang of controversy.  One of the flyers he issued has a large image of de Blasio’s wife quoted saying “He gets it…Bill understands that we need an advocate at City Hall…”  My question is this…b*tch, who is “we”?  Statistically, a married Black woman and a Black woman married to a white man specifically represent no kind of majority or “the commonfolk”.  Does he “get it” just because he’s married to a Black woman?  I mean, what do we even know about her?  This is insulting and Chirlane de Blasio should be ashamed of herself for allowing herself to be exploited this way, not to mention having her bi-racial children showcased as part of the same campaign in another ad.  My guarantee is that Mrs. de Blasio would not be so bold as to walk into any Black Brooklyn hair salon talking about this white man she is married to who “gets it” and who they should vote for.  Try a grassroots campaign instead of hiding behind a mailing.  She would be laughed out of the borough for thinking her opinion matters to begin with. 

These poor kids don't even realize how much they're selling out. Sad.

On Bill de Blasio’s end, I’m more appalled that he and his campaign thought this would be a smart move.  But part of the blame has to also be on the Black community to eat up anything liberal politicians throw their way.  If a liberal politician visits a Black church or kisses a Black baby, all of a sudden, they’re down for the cause.  Politicians know that “down-ness” in any form solidifies their lock on the Black vote in all areas and they don’t have to do much to win us over in the future.  We have got to make it less easy for politicians to pander to us through superficiality and provide us with some real solutions and real results based on fact, not on what rap lyric you can recite in context with your message or how many Negroes have been in your home.

Forget An “A” For Effort…How About A Nobel Peace Prize?

If you have not seen Ed Lover's "C'mon Son" series on Youtube, get on your job.

I’m gonna make this quick because I don’t feel like reading hate mail all weekend.  I read today that POTUS Barack Obama just won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.  Look…as I’ve said before, I was happy when Obama was elected…not so much because we see eye-to-eye politically, which we do not, but more like you’re happy when your cousin graduates.  You don’t care if he already has 4 kids at 18 and starts a 10-year bid at Riker’s the following summer…you’re happy to see one of your own accomplish something.  Seriously, though, I thought he was the best man for the job and fit the mold of what a President should be, Black or white.  But I can’t say my elation at him winning wasn’t like 80% based on the fact that we were finally going to be able to figuratively “paint the White House Black”. 

But seriously, people…a Nobel Peace Prize?  You do realize this is the first year in office for the President of a nation that has been at war for, like, ever.  They’re still bringing home just as many bodies now as they were when Dubya was in office, so it seems a little ironic to give our President a Nobel PEACE Prize when we’re at WAR.  I mean, it was the Democrats who have been acting like the war is completely unnecessary.  The only difference now versus when Bush was in office is that Bush stood behind the war while Obama provides “hope” that somehow, someway, in a far-off land, the war will end and the troops will come home.  It’s all smoke and mirrors, but I don’t fault anybody for that…it’s modern politics and I can’t knock the hustle.  As long as the Dems continue to eat it up, they will continue to have it served to them while conservatives and the politically informed will just wait for action to actually be taken before just giving up the props.  The NPP Committee stated that the prize was awarded due to “efforts to promote nuclear nonproliferation” and credited him with bringing about a “‘new climate’ in international relations…especially in reaching out to the Muslim world”.  This all sounds terrific…but since when does “effort” get you a Nobel Peace Prize?  You might have spoken with a few ambassadors and politicians from other countries, but kids are still dying every day in the Middle East in those same people’s back yards, so what does all the hob-nobbing mean in the long run if nothing is resolved?

We’ve got Obama action figures, Obama computer games, and all types of other ways to worship the man for being the first Black president, which I can understand, but what type of message is it sending to award a Nobel Peace Prize to a man whose country is at war?  I’ve heard the “just be happy for him” arguments and sorry, I don’t just get “happy” without thinking about why first.  I’m not saying I’m mad about it or that I really care one way or another…no ash off my Dutch…just saying BE FORREALS.  We gotta hold our own accountable sometimes.  If an educator won the Nobel Peace Prize for “efforts” to educate inner-city youth, though half her class on average doesn’t graduate, people would be feeling some kind of way about it, believe me.  But when a President gets one, especially this President in particular, people just want you to “just be happy for him”.  Sorry folks, but this is front-free programming and I’m pulling cards.

Hip-Hop & Oprah’s High-Horse

I have been observing the recent hoopla over Oprah interviewing Jay-Z and I’m looking at her a little bit sideways, personally.  A lot of people are excited about the interview and considering it a big accomplishment (for who I am not sure), but I’m not really drinking the Kool-Aid, so to speak.  So finally a rapper is famous enough and ratings-worthy enough to get a seat at Oprah’s figurative table?  Though I’m sure some Oprah disciple will try to rip me a new one via e-mail or the comments section because people read what they want to, let me clarify beforehand that I’m not taking away from Oprah’s success.  I don’t watch the show or support her personally, but her story is very important and inspiring to many.  However, for lack of a better (i.e. not from a comic book movie) quote, with great power comes great responsibility.  While some would take her public denouncing of hip-hop as using her power responsibly, my thought is exactly the opposite.

The problems in our community that hip-hop often tends to mirror are not going to be resolved if those in Oprah’s generation and those of her stature (the closest thing today to DuBois’ Talented Tenth) continue to distance themselves from the youth and what’s important to them. You’ll never get through to anyone unless you lower yourself to their level and start speaking their language.  It definitely doesn’t help when the majority of your audience is white and you use your forum to make blanket judgments about hip-hop, something you have obviously not taken the proper steps to understand.  However, it seems to me that the Jay-Z interview is a start (or a stunt).

To be honest, the interview in O Magazine was actually good.  It was a simple conversation where Jay-Z, who’s probably the best person to do this, did his best to explain things like the allure of drug-dealing, violence in hip-hop, and the use of the N-word (which Oprah had to “agree to disagree” with him on).  This week, he appeared on Oprah and taught her how to rap, strangely having to explain to her that “the Chi” is a nickname for Chicago (*dubious face*…come on, Sofie).

My feelings toward Oprah have been mixed for a while.  The whole Ludacris debacle, where she (during an interview with the actors of Crash) threw a jab at Ludacris’ lyrical content and then edited out his rebuttal by airtime, was disgusting.  Even Bill O’Reilly has sat down to speak with Dame Dash and Cam’ron, despite his criticism of hip-hop being much sharper than Winfrey’s and his usual penchant for d*baggery.  To O’Reilly’s credit, at least he was giving the artists a chance to speak for themselves, though I don’t know how effective these appearances were one way or another.  Regardless, I’ve got to give the man G points just for sitting across from Dame and Cam and having it out.  Oprah wanted to make her point to Ludacris (which was totally unrelated to the show’s topic) and just move on without allowing him to defend himself and his work.

I look at Oprah distancing herself from hip-hop the same way I looked at her opening the school in Africa.  While of course it’s awesome of her to open a school anywhere, there were kids in need right in her backyard.  She complained at the time that when asked what they needed, American kids would ask for money, iPods or sneakers, while the African kids asked for school uniforms.  So what…there is a reason for those differences and it lies within American society’s general materialism.  Books are provided in the American public school system and not all schools even require uniforms, so the circumstances differ but that doesn’t make kids here less worthy or less deserving of help.  This is your backyard.  You don’t even have to leave Chicago.  You are an African-American before anything else.  Perhaps if it were opened in Chicago, the school would have been better run, being closer to Oprah herself.

Again, I’m hoping the Jay-Z interview was a step toward creating understanding and bridging the gap between the hip-hop generation and older people who may not “get it”, regardless of race.  If we put the responsibility on rappers to be more responsible with their message to the kids consuming hip-hop culture, shouldn’t we also put the responsibility on people in Oprah’s case who serve as default ambassadors for Black people, to educate their audience…or at least humanize hip-hop by allowing it to speak for itself?  Jay-Z addressed it in the interview, but I think it deserves some real discussion in front of the same audience she denigrated Ludacris and his music (our music) in front of.

Read the O Magazine interview for yourself.

I will be making some changes to the blog to accomodate its growth pretty soon so I’m starting sort of a campaign to get readers of the blog connected to it on Facebook and Twitter so as to stay updated, so take some time and click the link in the upper right hand corner to follow the blog on Facebook and/or follow @shakg on Twitter.  And tell your friends!  Many thanks.

YOU LIE!: Joe Wilson’s Outburst & Why I’m Not That Mad

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS: Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

My Facebook status for much of yesterday following Obama’s Presidential Address to Congress stated that I love ”how liberals get sold the dream and buy it every time plus tax”.  I watched all of the co-signing, amen-ing and big-uppin’ on Facebook that night and though I was pre-occupied at the time, I spent much of the day watching (rather listening while working) the address to see what people were talking about.Don’t get me wrong, Obama’s my dude, but some people act as if he’s Christ incarnate and ignore the logistics. 

I’m a fiscal conservative.  I kind of call myself a fairweather fan of the GOP due to their current collective d*baggery, but I’m far from a Democrat.  The problem with the Republican party today is that the face of the Republican party consists of a bunch of racists, rednecks, yahoos, and a bunch of people who can’t stand to see a Black man in power.  McCain was actually a good politician until he apprently went senile and became the GOP’s stoolpigeon, making the worst political decision of his career (*cough*Palin!*cough*).  Not a good look, y’all.  Case in point, Joe Wilson, who will now forever be remembered not for any good he may have done (which according to his Wiki page, isn’t much…he’s the dude that said Essie Mae Washington-Williams shouldn’t have revealed herself as Strom Thurmond’s illegitimate *Black* daughter), but for shouting “You Lie!” during the address.  You gotta love Obama’s response to the apology though: “He apologized quickly and without equivocation and I’m appreciative of that.”  Basically, he said ”he played his position so I’m glad I don’t have to stomp a mudhole in his a**”(lol).  His expression when the outburst happened was like “who’s feelin’ froggy?”  Loved it.

Though Obamacare sounds nice in theory, I think we need to walk before we can run.  It’s all sweet music to the ears, but I believe there was some truth to his accusation.  To be clear, Obama is not a liar in this case, but there is some very strategically worded language used in Obama’s healthcare reform bill that seems to gloss over a glaring issue.  Sure, undocumented aliens will not receive federal payment, but that’s always been the case.  No one mentions that any child born within a US border is considered an American citizen and therefore eligible for “federal payment” as well as any other handouts the government provides to its citizens.  So is it better to provide coverage to one illegal alien who comes into the country and contributes to society or for all eight kids of another immigrant?  Seems like tax dollars being spread pretty thin and there’s no end in sight to the influx across our border (see table below from uslaw.com). 

State of Residence of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population: January 2006 and 2000State of residence	Estimated population in January				Percent of total				Percent change		Average annual change
	2006	2000		2006		2000		2000 to 2006		2000 to 2006
All states	11,550,000		8,460,000		100		100		37		515,000
California	2,830,000		2,510,000		25		30		13		53,333
Texas	1,640,000		1,090,000		14		13		50		91,667
Florida	980,000		800,000		8		9		23		30,000

The point is that we need ot be ordering our steps as a nation, not just trying to please the masses without a thought to the long-term.  Let’s find a solution to the illegal immigration problem first and foremost before we lock ourselves into a program that provides universal coverage for whoever just happens to be born two feet across the border.  I think the Black community of all groups should agree.  Our ancestors built this country off of blood sweat and tears and many of us still aren’t eating right.  Don’t we owe it to those with generations of history in the US to benefit first and foremost before we adopt a lax or decidedly soft (Obama says that he will “not support any bill that does not provide [an] earned path to citizenship for the undocumented population”) view toward illegal immigration.  Take care of home first.  While Ellis Island may something different as far as letting others in, in this day and age…we just ain’t got it like that. 

Just as an add-on, I loved McCain’s response to being asked about Wilson.  Look at his face.  It isn’t a suggestion, it’s a direct order and it seems Wilson promptly complied. 

Obama has apparently taken the issue of immigration reform off the table because there’s “too much on his plate”.  Seriously?

Light-skinned Credit

*Sigh* What iz we gon' do...?

Light skin vs. dark skin has been an issue of heated debate in the Black community for ages and frankly, it’s a debate that’s irritating just based on the obvious futility of arguing about it.  Yes, everyone should teach their children to be proud of who they are and the way God made them.  Are you going to be able to convince an adult that they’re wrong for liking what they like?  Doubtful.  I’ve seen it on Tyra like 67 times.  Worst-case scenario, that idiot ends up going through life having missed out on a lot of great opportunities while the rest of us mix up our peanut butter, caramel, butter pecan, cafe au lait, chocolate and all that good sh*t freely.  Of course there are really light-skinned women who don’t want to hook up with a light-skinned man in case their kids come out looking like Lego people and especially dark-skinned people who want to be able to see their kids in the dark, so they carry their mental brown bag test wherever they go.  One hundred times more f**ked up and the worst part of it is that they try to blame it on society and the “adversity” their kid would have to face.  Seriously?  I think the kid will survive.  This beige movement is relatively recent as the races have commingled more regularly in recent years, Army brats and so forth.  Do you know how long people have been ashy Black, nappy, and happy as hell?  Ages.  In my day, anybody who was especially light or especially dark was just really good at the dozens in case anybody tried to go in on the way they looked.  Same for kids who were especially fat, skinny, bowlegged, pigeon-toed, etc. 

What really bothers me is what I call “light-skinned credit“.  I never knew much about the light-skinned/dark-skinned mentality growing up in northern Cali, or at least wasn’t as affected by it.  I assume this was partially because I was used to a lot of the time being the darkest person in the room just because I was Black (“No, Becky you cannot touch my hair).  Then I came to Howard and everything was made clear.  People either consider me light or some variation on “caramel” or “peanut butter”.  I wasn’t aware my skin tone needed to be categorized into candy bar ingredients (nougat, anyone?), but apparently so.  The association with “light” just made anything arrogant I said that much more arrogant and anything elitist I said that much more elitist.  For me, that’s saying a lot.   

Light-skinned credit is when you see someone from afar or even have someone light-skinned described to you physically and you automatically assume the person is attractive.  When someone is describing someone light-skinned, the decidedly ign’ant tend to use the word “light-skinned” in a way that most people would say “she volunteers to visit the elderly on weekends”.  On the flipside, you can’t just describe an attractive dark-skinned person as just “dark”, it’s gotta be “mocha-complected” or “chocolate”.  What’s wrong with just “dark”?  Clearly, we have been programmed by others and by ourselves (pointing fingers only casts blame on people it doesn’t really affect) to think of black as negative….look how far we have pulled away from the term “Negro”.  I love the word, but using it is a good way to get a white guy cut because we no longer identify with it.  So someone is light-skinned…who cares?  Ugly comes in all shades and so does beauty. 

The bottom line is this: let’s stop getting mad over this nonsense.  The intelligent people who are secure within themselves and think progressively can appreciate all shades of the diaspora (“ashy” is not a shade, so get your Ambi on) and do so, living open-minded and colorful lives.  Those who don’t throw light-skinned parties and get put on blast for being supremely ignorant.  There will always be those who perpetuate ignorance and those who move forward, so let’s put more energy into that forward motion as opposed to babysitting the feeble-minded and hopping up every time somebody displays the ignorance regarding our skin color that we all know is still alive and well.  Stupid is as stupid does.

Breast Day Ever: Go-Topless Day In NYC

This past Sunday in New York, “dozens” of women showed up at Central Park to celebrate and raise awareness for National Go-Topless Day…they did this topless by the way.  Apparently, in 1992, the state of New York became the only state where women can walk around topless in public legally.  Yes, that means my home state of California is still holding out on letting the hippies bare all (thank you). 

Some of the supporters of this topless movement even went so far as to state that because men are allowed to go shirtless, women should have the same right.  Come on now.  The difference is clear as day: WOMEN HAVE BREASTS, which are sexualized in our society, unlike in other indigenous civilizations where they are simply a means of nourishment and where people are allowed to just walk around with ‘em hanging out National Geographic style.  But then they also don’t have running water in many of those places, so let’s all put this into perspective.  Nobody wants to see 99% of the men that walk around with no shirt, sweaty and hairy as a yak, so I guarantee we don’t wanna see about the same percentage of women who would actually go so far as to do it for a multitude of reasons.  Quite simply, there are just some things that men can do that women can’t or shouldn’t.  The “they do it, why can’t we” argument is so trite at this point.  There is nothing wrong with the way we have been doing things and the part that annoys me is that there are so many causes actually worth making a scene about and organizing people behind, I feel like this was a waste of time and energy for all involved.

While of course, a lot of men and women alike were amused at this and there are tons of photos of the event available for perusal online, personally I see this as a slippery slope.  There is something to be said for keeping some things sacred and private.  Not to mention the fact that everybody who would go topless if this became the norm isn’t necessarily someone you would want to see topless.  Ever since John F. Kennedy decided not to wear a hat at all times (as was the standard at the time), public perception has become a less important value to Americans.  comfort rules out in many cases over decency and professionalism.  Granted, I’m at work wearing cargo shorts, a polo, and a pair of Air Max, but if I had the chance to get back to wearing a suit to work, I would take it. 

The truth of the matter is that we live in what is called a society.  Everything cannot always be about your personal comfort.  The same way we bathe and brush teeth (most of us anyway) not only for our own hygiene and health, but so as not to offend others’ senses, we also need to take into account what we put on our bodies…and what we don’t.

Do Better, DC: Marion Barry

Marion Barry still looking decidedly crack-ish...how much would that Bluetooth go for on the street?

I blame DC for even allowing this clown to function as a human being and for allowing him to represent Black DC ( Ward 8 ) specifically in any shape, form, or fashion. 

I vaguely remember the initial drug possession case in 1990, when Marion Barry was caught on camera smoking crack.  I was a kid living in Northern California at the time, so obviously the situation wasn’t as tangible to me as it would be to someone living here or someone who actually had an idea at the time of what crack was.  It wasn’t until I moved to DC in 2000 that I found out that he had been re-elected to city council in 1992 and was re-elected mayor from 1995-1999.  He is currently a Ward 8 Councilman and the subject of continued controversy and drama. 

Future DC councilman? Mayor? Who knows at this point.

The support of this man is both amazing and disgusting.  I recently read that he was chosen in 2007 to be one of 50 wax figures to appear in DC’s Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum by DC residents and tourists…mind you this was a contest against other public figures like Oprah, Halle Berry, Cal Ripken, and Nancy Reagan.  Really, DC?  Really?  One word: CRACK.  Not coke.  CRACK.  You actually hear stories today from people saying how they did a lot of coke in the 70s or smoked a lot of weed in college.  You don’t hear anybody talking about their golden days of rock-smoking.  There are no success stories: think of Pookie, Gator, Halle Berry in Losing Isaiah, the cheeseburger crackhead in Menace II Society…we have the templates for failure available at your local Blockbuster for review.  So why would the mayor of a major metropolitan city gain any kind of support after getting caught smoking crack?  On camera, no less?  Why not start a campaign to elect Tyrone Biggums to DC mayor once Fenty is out?

 I refuse to buy into the idea that the Black community in DC can “relate” to Barry’s case.  That’s just dumbing ourselves down.  This sh*t is embarassing.  We can do better.  What topped it all off for me (before the recent stalking charges: Read the article in Washington City Paper) was his opposition to a bill to recognize same-sex marriages in DC that were performed in other states.  It’s one thing to say you don’t believe in gay marriage.  He’s an idiot and his brain is crack-addled, so that doesn’t surprise me.  But to say it is against your “moral compass” (lmao) and then to speak for the Black community as a whole is despicable.  Barry claimed that if the bill was passed, “all hell is going to break loose…we may have a civil war.  The black community is just adamant against this”.  Look here, Cracky…the Black community right now is concerned with making it through this recession with jobs intact…no one has time to be concerned with people we don’t know marrying other people we don’t know…at least not to the point of a “civil war”.  On top of that, Black DC is heavily gay.  I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area and have still never met as many gay Black men and women as I have since moving to DC, so that argument smells of horse sh*t. 

Do better, DC…

 

Jimmy Crack Corn: "The b*tch set me up!" He's lightin' that stem like an old pro, though.

Blatant Racism: Audra Shay

Audra Shay - 38, Vice President of the Young Republicans, in need of a good beating. Apply within.

Read the original article on The Daily Beast.

Are we even really surprised at this stuff anymore?  I just wanted to make sure we are all aware of issues of Blatant Racism being passed off as normal in modern society so no one can say they didn’t know.  Audra Shay is an event planner from Lousiana who has been endorsed by governor Bobby Jindal for chairman of the Young Republicans.  Here’s to hoping the Young Republicans exhibit some sense and blackball this trashbox altogether.

From actual Facebook Wall Exchange:

Eric S. Piker: “It’s the government making us commies… can’t even smoke in my d*mn car… whats next they going to issue toilet paper once a month… tell us how to wipe our asses…”

Eric S. Piker: “Obama Bin Lauden [sic]  is the new terrorist… Muslim is on there side [sic]… need to take this country back from all of these mad coons… and illegals.”

Audra Sigler Shay: “You tell em Eric!  lol.”

Some other posters managed to muster up the gall to question the racist remarks right afterward and strangley these same people were de-friended by Ms. Shay.  This was in response to a status update from Shay stating her opinion that Wal-Mart had signed “a death warrant” by publicly endorsing Obama’s health plan.  Politics notwithstanding (I’m a conservative, I’m just not stupid), this is just overly blatant, so I don’t even want to hear any half-a** apology once the powers that be crack down on this pathetic woman.  I won’t even give it too much space on my blog.  The links are there if you want to investigate for yourself.  I’m more surprised at the execution than the fact that people are still using racial prejudice as a shield for their own shortcomings.  Can’t get a job?  Blame a Black or a Mexican.  It’s okay…you sound poor, so we know you’re frustrated. 

We know I’m a G, so I went on Facebook to look for him and it doesn’t look like the guy’s account is even there anymore, at least it’s not displayed the same way.  How brave.  You would think at this point that if you have a problem with people of color, it’s time to f***ing move, you lame.  We’re not going anywhere.  And as far as “taking back the country”, the United States never officially belonged to white trash specifically, so I’m not sure what exactly you are trying to get back.  And “coon” is one I haven’t heard used in a derogatory capacity since Mississippi Burning or something.  Where’d you dig that one up?  And who told you you can’t smoke in your car?  Sounds like an argument between you and Barney Fife…that law could be specific to Mayberry or whatever podunk town you live in.  This guy’s remarks made me feel like he was typing on a computer that was made of wood and leather or something…what a bumpkin.  Guess Walmart must have had a special on computers.

1,000,000 Pros + 0 Cons = Legalize It!

President in Chief: Cigarette or joint, you ask? Who smokes a cigarette like this? And look at his face...nicotine wouldn't taste that good if it was dipped in BBQ sauce.

I don’t know if we have gotten past the point where it’s okay to actually call Obama out on things, but I’m gonna go ahead and pull this card early in the game. 

So we all thought we would wake up a day after Barack Obama got elected and everything would just make sense again (or for the first time, depending on your politicial ideology).  Contrary to popular (liberal) belief, ending a war overseas is apparently going to take more than hopes and dreams to happen.  Obama has a great mind for fiscal politics which he has proven thus far, but there’s a glaring oversight here.  Are we still spending billions per year enforcing marijuana laws in our country while we are going through a recession?  Seriously?  And this is the same Barack Obama we voted for, right?

Yes, I promise youproponents of marijuana can read...they may use pages from your book to roll a joint, but only from the table of contents page.

You sold yourself the dream.  We heard we had a likely Black presidential candidate and were like “aw, hell yeah” like shape-ups would be half-off on President’s Day from now on or something.  Then, the stories about his “experimentation” with marijuana surfaced (not to mention the picture above) and we were like “aw, hell yeah…Obama smokes Js”, as if the stimulus package was going to include a free Dutch Master in the envelope with your check.  More importantly, once you heard him speak and learned some of where he stood financially, whether you were with his politics or not, you realized that this was a smart guy and probably wasn’t going to reinstate slavery or anything drastic.  Nevertheless, his stance has always been that he is “not in favor of the legalization of marijuana”. 

It’s real simple.  I was reading an article on Esquire.com about the topic and John H. Richardson made it very clear.  Basically, FDR saved the US banking system within the first 7 days of his tenure as President.  Legalizing beer post-Prohibition created new jobs, a rejuvenated workforce, and new taxable income for the government.  Granted, Obama’s playing it safe and that’s to be expected.  I don’t think in his position I would want to be the first Black President and the first President to legalize weed before at least a year into my term, either.  Let me at least get the chance to do the Sherman Helmsley dance in the Oval Office a few good times and get adjusted.  Just doesn’t sit right to do it right off…seems too eager for an ex-”experimenter”: “Oh word?  I’m President now?  Bet…break out the bong and get me Michael Phelps, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg in here immediately!”.   

All personal interests notwithstanding, though, if Obama is going to continue to be our “good-sense President” for this era, he needs to re-examine this issue.  Though I’msure this topic has been visited and re-visited, there is just no real explanation for the continued prohibition of marijuana and for keeping medicinal marijuana from those in need.  With crack, you can always point out Pookie in New Jack City and Halle Berry in Losing Isaiah.  We’re all well aware of the pitfalls.  With weed, who are you going to point out?  Cheech & Chong?  Those guys had a great time and were the best of friends.  Nothing bad there (sure, they were usually unemployed, but most people are, which is why it makes sense fiscally to legalize).  There’s no downward-spiral stories that really begin with weed, contrary to popular belief.  Little girls aren’t getting run over in fast-food drive-thrus by smoked-out drivers.  Nobody drives that fast high.  And as far as the commercials where some kid is being pressured into smoking…weed is expensive.  No one is twisting your arm encouraging your square a** to hit the blunt.  No one wants to hear you talking about “Duuude, I’m soooooo hiiiiiiiigh” from first hit to 9 hours later.  The bottom line is that smokers will smoke and thsoe who don’t won’t.  And don’t think marijuana is just for college students, Black people, and hippies.  It’s the 3rd most popular recreational drug in America.  What are 1 and 2, you ask?  Alcohol and tobacco, both of which kill millions of people a year.  This is fact.  And both products of industries which generate ungodly amounts in revenue and obviously pay ungodly amounts to the government in taxes. 

Most importantly, though, before considering legalizing it for adults who wish to responsibly partake for recreational use, we have to consider the people who benefit physically from marijuana.  It is proven that marijuana can treat symptoms of nausea, insomnia, and loss of appetite and is a serious aide to many patients of cancer and other afflictions.  We as Americans should have an obligation to care for our infirm and elderly and that includes being open to any and everything that could make their lives easier, particularly when the gains greatly outweigh the potential losses (which have yet to actually be outlined or defined in any way).  Think on it…long and hard…that’s all I’m saying.

Note from the host: On a sidenote, if I hear one more dude talking about “I got that Obama”, somebody’s catchin’ a two-piece.  It’s never indicative of anything…just something new and ignorant to say.  Might as well say “I got that ‘been-in-a-shoebox-in-my-room-for-a-week-and-is-crunchier-than-a-Chic-O-stick-but-you-can-get-it-for-the-low’”.

 

 

“President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.”

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/obama-marijuana-legalization-122308#ixzz0KUxiZClQ&C