Message From CWA: Verizon Strike

My mother & her fellow CWA workers at Verizon would like me to get this message out.

Who we are and why we're out here

Thanks for taking the time to read about who we are.

We are the unionized workers of Verizon. We install and maintain both the traditional copper services and the fiber optic network based Fios; and it's associated services, such as high speed Internet & television programming.

This strike is not due to "greedy union workers", as some would lead you to believe, his strike is the result of a multi-billion dollar corporation thumbing it's nose at the workers, who have been productive and instrumental in allowing Verizon to reap and maintain BILLIONS of dollars in profit. We do not work for a cash-strapped municipality or in an industry in need of a government bailout. We work for a company who, even in this economy, has made BILLIONS of dollars in profit.

As a unionized workforce, we have been able to negotiate and fight for decent pay and benefits in exchange for our hard work. It is important that you know we were not given these things, we earned them. We have worked in adverse, and often, dangerous conditions and we have been on strike numerous times.

As our contract with Verizon expired, the unions involved attempted to negotiate, in good faith, as partners in a bargaining and negotiation of a new & fair contract. Verizon, however, felt that the time was ripe and the economy was bad enough to force our hands and REFUSE TO EVEN COME TO THE TABLE AND BARGAIN AS THE CONTRACT EXPIRED. We didn't walk out the door, we were pushed.

Verizon has forced us to fight, so that we can raise our families and pay our bills and taxes with the help of a decent paying job. We hope that you can show us some support, with a fist pump or a wish of good luck. Perhaps you could delay that Verizon Wireless visit until our strike is over, but if not - we understand. If you need a Verizon service call, perhaps you could tell them that you want a unionized worker from your community to perform it. If you don't wish to show your support, we are sorry for any convenience our struggle causes you. If you could show your support for us, it would be greatly appreciated.

CWA

Tell mommy I don't go to the Church, tell Ak' I don't go to Mosque!

I guess it's been a while since I went in on a rant about religion, but nothing really made me want to, then it happened! The other day, like every Saturday, a group of Jehovah Witnesses came knocking at my door. Back when I was younger, the knocking of a group of Witnesses was a chance at hilarity. The best time is when my uncle opened the door nude, hilarious! When my father would answer the door, he would invite them inside for a discussion on religion. To what my father ask them questions that they could not easily answer was funny to me. It may be weird to some, but during my prepubescent years, my brother and I would read encyclopedias during downtime between commercial breaks on "The Incredible Hulk". I enjoyed reading about mythology and religion (which are basically the same thing), and that leads me to the following post.





If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to,
then He is not omnipotent.
If He is able, but not willing,
then He is malevolent.
If He is both able and willing,
then whence cometh evil?
If He is neither able nor willing,
then why call Him God?

"The Epicurean Paradox"

For the uninformed, the above quote is one of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicurus is known as the founder of the school of Epicureanism, a belief in Atomic Materialism. Atomic Materialism is a mixture of social atomism and materialism. Atomism is the belief that society should be viewed in terms of the individuals' importance and that society is artificially constructed. The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is matter, and is considered a form of physicalism. I consider myself an Epicurean, because I believe that the universe revolves around the interaction of matter, just as society revolves around the interactions of individuals. As an Epicurean, I prescribe to the idea of self-fulfillment. Now, I know that somebody out there reading this is going to say that the idea of self-fulfillment is blasphemous. Or that the belief in personal responsibility is totally contradictory to the belief that a supreme being is in total control of the entire universe. (Dare I say that the idea of one being hearing the mumblings of billions of people is as asinine as the idea of one man delivering presents to billions of people worldwide in one night.) I am also a Deist, and Deism is the belief that there is a "God" that created the physical universe but does not interfere with it. Contrary to popular belief, if you don't prescribe to one of the major religions, you are not automatically an atheist, maybe irreligious, but not automatically atheist. In the words of Styles P, "I pray to Allah, but I'm too foul to go to the Mosque!"





Rational [rash-uh-nl] : being in or characterized by full possession of one's reason; sane; lucid.

Illogical [i-loj-i-kuhl] : contrary to or disregardful of the rules of logic; unreasoning.

Supernatural [soo-per-nach-er-uhl] : of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.

Magic [maj-ik] : any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.

Fantasy [fan-tuh-see] : a supposition based on no solid foundation.

Schizophrenia [skit-suh-free-nee-uh] : a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: intellectual deterioration, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.

Crazy [krey-zee] : mentally deranged; demented; senseless; impractical; totally unsound.

The words and there definitions were attached to this composition in order to aid you in understanding the underlying theme. Since the words above will be used considerably throughout the text, I put them up to make it easier for you to comprehend my ideas. The basic theme of this post, is the harm that radical and irrational belief can have on society as a whole. Most people would agree that mentally deranged persons, or crazy people, can be a threat to not only themselves, but to others.

Most religious people that I have had discussions with have labeled my opinions as irrational. By me saying that they can't prove that a "mystery God" (as the Five Percenters call it) exist, I was in someway being irrational. To believe in what is determined as real using the five senses, sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, is somehow irrational. Obviously, these people have never cracked a dictionary, or they would know that being in possession of ones reason is the definition of rational. Reasoning is coming to a conclusion based on facts, which is what is determined as real using the five senses. It's beyond reasoning that there is some invisible hand controlling what is going on in the world (unless you're talking about the shadow government that they call the Illuminati), it's illogical. Back in May of last year, I asked "Do you believe in magic?" to all of the religious folks out there. Usually that question would receive a stern "No!", but that's only because they don't know the definition of magic. When you ask a Christian "How did Jesus perform the miracles?", they will tell you that as the son of God, he was able to do supernatural feats. So basically, Jesus had some mystical power over the world, and that he could do things beyond the known natural constraints of the world. In other words, he did magic tricks! Now, religion is based on faith, or belief that is not based on proof (check your dictionary). You know what other word has that same exact definition? Fantasy! You follow this ideal based on fantasy, and I'm the irrational person? You throw out facts for fantasy, some talk in tongues, some talk to an invisible God. In psychology, they call a person that does these same things a schizophrenic. The following of religion is totally impractical, it's a belief system based on unfounded evidence, which by definition makes it's followers crazy.

You can see the harm that religion does everyday. From the crazy Muslims that kill themselves and others in the name of Allah. The crazy Jews that will willingly kill to take control of some "sacred land". Or the crazy Christians that will kill to keep women from being in control of their own lives, other religions being able to stay in their own homes (Palestine), and basically do anything to push their Christian beliefs on the world. I'm not going to go as far as Mel Gibson, and say "Jews are responsible for every war" (but they sure had a hand in most of them), but I'm going to say that religion had a position in almost every war ever fought. For something that's supposed to bring people together, it sure as hell has a way of tearing people apart. Maybe I'm wrong for believing religion is dangerous, but I personally fear religious people more than I fear the "immoral" irreligious folks. Religious folks will die for what they believe in, and in a lot of cases, kill for what they believe in. Most irreligious people are living for the reason just to live, while religious zealots are living to get into Heaven or Jannah, and they'll do anything to get on that guest list.





Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Doodlebug" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!

Rebel to America... I'm causing hysteria!

I was at one time a member of the United States Air Force, not a good member, but a member none the less. During my tenure as an Airman, I probably did some of the dumbest things I've ever did. I won't go into my nigganigans, let's just say that I was a habitual line stepper, "rabble rabble!!" For my actions, I was sent to a "motivational" program that they called Correctional Custody, twice (yeah, I didn't learn the first, or the last time). While in CC, we were woken up by music blaring, crappy music, mainly "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood and "America" by Neil Diamond. When you marched out of your quarters (room), their were American flags on every wall. Almost every three days (I was in for 30), we would watch videos about patriotism and what it means to be a patriot. This bombardment of American propaganda is supposed to stimulate the forgotten patriotism within us ill behaved members of the military. I on the other hand just saw it as brainwashing, Manchurian Candidate style brainwashing.



My brother, and most of the people that I went to elementary school with, will tell you that I have never been patriotic in the terms that "Real Americans" speak of. When I was in elementary school, I bucked the system and refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance (they called my pops and he told them to go fuck themselves, I'm paraphrasing). So, when I decided to join the military, my father questioned if it was a good choice (I should have question it too). In my house, when I was a child, Louis Farrakhan was a voice that was heard, as well as Malcolm X. I read the scribes of Marcus Garvey, Noble Drew Ali, and Imaam Isa (before the molestation thing). I was well on my way to embracing the notion of being anti establishment. The strangest thing about my anti establishment views is that most of my employed life was spent working directly for the government.

So, after years of working for "the man", I am back to being a civilian, and being even more anti establishment. During my time as a government employee, I learned just how much this government sucks at their job. But, I'm not going to go into a rant about the shitty bureaucracy that we call the American government. I want to address the asinine assumption that there is a "Real America" and the unpatriotic big city America. I happen to be from a big city that some of you may have never heard of, New York City. I may be critical of America, okay, I am very critical of America. I distrust and sometimes downright despise the American government. I distrust and sometimes just hate most Americans. Sometimes I sit and watch the populace of America and I find them totally stupid. When people are screaming these idiotic slogans like "God bless America and nowhere else", "if you don't like America, leave", and other nonsense, I begin to throw up a little bit in my mouth. It's insane, in my opinion, the intolerance of Americans. Take for example, when a misinformed lady told John McCain that Barack Obama was an Arab. He tried to correct her by saying "He's a decent family man...", basically saying that an Arab man can't be a decent family man. Or, how about Sarah Palin saying that big city Americans aren't hard workers, aren't kind, courageous or good. Must I remind her that the hardworking, courageous members of the FDNY ran into the World Trade Center on September 11th, 1999. Must I state that on that same day, I, myself, an "unpatriotic" big city native, was prepping airplanes that were to protect America. Now, I'm not going to spend an entire blog bashing the Republican party, because Democrats suck just as much (Vote Cynthia McKinney), but what makes being an intolerant, misinformed, bumbling idiot at all patriotic. I've got to say, I love being tolerant, I enjoy staying informed, I would love to be an elitist (I am), and if that makes me unpatriotic, then so be it.



By the way, the definition of Elitism is the belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect. I don't know about anybody else, but I would love for our President to possess intellect higher than Joe Sixpack or Joe the plumber (whose not even a licensed plumber). Does anybody actually want an idiot in that position? We've had that for eight years now, are you satisfied? Hey, I'm not going to use this as a platform for Barack Obama, lets just say that I would never vote for John McCain with "Caribou Barbie" as his running mate. Also, I've resided in the "Real America" and the unpatriotic America, and I've got to admit, I love this big city life. I love the coffee shop talks about politics, I enjoy the opportunity to be friends with a diverse group of people, and I mostly love the 24 hour bodega (bet y'all don't have that in Wasilla).



Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Ladybug" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!

Watch a flick, illing, and root for the villain!

Okay, I guess this is a follow up to my last post. Anybody that knows me, knows that I enjoy three recreational activities above all, television, music and movies. My usual day (night) goes like this, I wake up and check the Hip-Hop blogs for new music to hate, I turn on the television and set the DVR for some shows, then I go through the extensive DVD library in my house. So, basically, my day revolves around these three things. So the other day I was watching "Shooter", and a question came to my mind, "does Hollywood (authors, actually) really think this stuff out before they start filming?

Everybody knows the film, the government/secret agency/corporation builds/brainwashes/trains a soldier/assassin/spy. During an accident/set-up/mission, the soldier/assassin/spy has a notion that the government/secret agency/corporation is doing something evil/trying to kill him, and it is up to him to stop them. I, like most people, enjoy most films with this premise. I love the entire "Bourne" series, I tolerated the "Mission Impossible" films, I enjoy all espionage flicks in general. My question isn't why do they make them, my question is why are the villains so stupid?




Every movie of this type is the same, from "James Bond" to "Art of War", a trained soldier or whatever has to fight throughout the entire film. From the opening credits, we can all see that this unlucky bastard just won't go down, why can't the villains see the same thing. Any film where the hero is constantly being chased by an organization, the idiotic villain never stops to rethink his strategy. Come on, after Jason Statham kicked the asses of about a dozen of your armed soldiers, are you just going to send in a dozen more? I know what you're going to do next, you're going to call for your special martial arts expert, your crazy hot, crazy, killer chick, or your steroid pumped strong man. And you know what happens then, the hero has a problem for about three seconds, and then proceeds to kick ass, just like before. After that mishap, you get the idea to throw everything at this dude, including the kitchen sink. As you should have guessed by now, this unstoppable force, who has been shot several times and broken at least three bones, thwarts your plans. What's left? You can go either two ways, give up and go to your secret hideout or fight the son of a bitch yourself. Let's go with the first scenario, you're in your secret hideout, you receive a phone call/letter/e-mail/text message that says either your dead or that he's coming for you. At that moment either he blows you up/shoots you/chokes you from behind or the credits roll (save something for a sequel). The secret hideout idea may have been a bad one! Okay, what about the latter, fighting the hero yourself. The first question you should ask yourself is, why, if you could have defeated him yourself, why didn't you do that from the jump? The second question should be, if this adrenaline driven madmen killed your henchmen, the body count has to be about a hundred (more deaths, more revenue), what makes you so damn tough to kill? You know how this is going to end, you laying in a pool of blood wondering "why didn't I just let the fact that this dude dropped my brother out of a window slide?" or "why didn't we just leave this guy's girlfriend alone?".

Why are government conspirators/criminal masterminds/corporate geniuses portrayed as total idiots? Does having the highest IQ in the entire film mean that you lack common sense? I know it would make for a very short and sucky movie, but how about, after the hero kills 30 0r so of your henchmen, you forget about kidnapping his wife/girlfriend/child, and cut your lost and move on? The worst would be the hero that was built/brainwashed/trained by the villain. If you already know that you did some amazing work on this crazy dude, why would you even dare go up against him? Oh, I forgot about the everyday Joe Simpleton, who thwarts the plans of the government conspirators/criminal masterminds/corporate geniuses. How did this idiot beat you, better still, how did you get into the prestigious position that you sit in?

Come on, an aging guy on the verge of being put on crossing guard duty thwarts, not just one, but four criminal masterminds (including a pair of brothers)! A labor lawyer and a retiree who lives with a bunch of cats takes down a government conspiracy (where the hell are they at when we need them?)! A driver, a man whose job is literally just to drive, takes down, in three films, over fifty henchmen and three bosses! What the hell is wrong with these villains?

Okay, Hollywood, I've got a quandary, there's a villain, yet no known hero in sight. Here's the villain's back story. The villain is a known racist, he was against the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, supported apartheid in South Africa and opposed the release of Nelson Mandela. He led enterprises that specialized in the criminal misuse of oil and weaponry. He infiltrated the government and proceeded to limit funding and downsize the military. He came up with plans to use force against nations that he deemed as enemies to his plots. He organized the genocides of millions, some of other nations and some of "his own people". The villain failed to disclose documents of importance to the people, leaked the identity of a spy, and even shot a man and made the victim apologize for getting shot. He may or may not be immortal, surviving numerous health problems and an assassination attempt. He is an immoral, callous, compassionless man. He even has a secret hideout. Now, I'd really appreciate if Hollywood could create a hero to thwart this criminal mastermind.



Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Butterfly" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!

When the scene unfolds!!!!!!

Oscar Wilde coined the aphorism, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." I was watching "Fox and Friends" this morning and it had me thinking about Wilde's statement. As I watched the ongoing reports on the dwindling economy, I saw a parallel in current events and films. My brother and I grew up as film junkies (I guess because our pops brought crazy bootlegs), so I've learned to love the moving image. Some of my favorite types of films are dystopian films, political thrillers, and psychological science fiction. Maybe it's because I'm skeptical about politics, maybe the weed cloud I grew up in has me in a permanent state of paranoia, or maybe I just mistrust anyone with power. So, as I was scanning the guide on the DirecTV, I saw "Live Free or Die Hard", and it had me examining the plan they had to overthrow the government.



How do you actually go about overthrowing the government without making too many people suspicious? Well here's my plot outline for Hollywood.

The first thing you have to do is infiltrate the infrastructure, the best way to break down an organization is from the inside (word to Sun Tzu). I guess in America you would try to go about this by getting elected into some public office and working your way up the ladder. Then you have to find a way to limit the ability for the infrastructure to fight back. Once you're in the position of power you put your allies into positions to aid you in the ultimate goal. After laying your plans, it's time for you to start attacking. Just like in "Live Free or Die Hard", you have to start breaking down societal systems. The systems include defense, finance, and energy. I would start with defense, by starting a war, you weaken the military. With the military preoccupied, they are unable to protect the homeland, making it easier for you to take-over. The war also keeps the public distracted and unaware of your ultimate goals. Your next step would be to soften the finance system of the government. Give major companies aid in moving their operations to other locations, limiting available jobs. With a job shortage, unemployment will rise, homelessness will follow (making the entire country Detroit). Without commerce, companies will start to fall, which will be followed by a dwindling stock market. The final system would be energy, a major need in any country. You could create an energy crisis, it doesn't have to be real, just use speculation to say that the crisis will happen. With the horrible financial situation, you can just raise energy prices to a point where nobody can afford it. When questions arise about the defense problem, blame it on an cabalistic enemy. When questions come up concerning the financial crisis, you can always call it a downward trend, that will eventually turn around or a result of acts by the cabalistic enemy. To quiet questions about the energy crisis, you can blame it on citizens' overuse of resources, creating a cloud of guilt as a distraction or a result of acts by the cabalistic enemy (cabalistic enemy is a must-have). With the breakdown of the defenses, people won't have protection from crime and other problems that a military is needed for. The financial and energy crises will have a direct affect on food, housing, etc.. You have accomplished your mission of destroying the infrastructure, good job!



With people scared and hopeless, they will start begging for help. Who will save them? You! With a breakdown in the basic structure of society, it is necessary to find some order. How is that accomplished? Two words, martial law! I'm sorry, around here they call it a "state of emergency". Throw out the rules, remove the normal freedoms, you are now the supreme commander and chief. Get rid of elections, don't worry about oppositions, ship them to a detainment center for terrorist. Have fun, you're the man! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Follow the steps above and this could be you!



Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Ladybug" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!

Sly Fox?

So, as most people know, Nas and MoveOn.org have issued a fatwā on the Fox News Channel. Nas and his cohorts claim that Fox is spreading racist propaganda, and they must be stopped. The group has gotten a petition signed and even protested in fron of the Fox News studios last week. Now, what did all this hullabaloo accomplish? Well, the answer is, not a Goddamn thing!



Okay, I agree with Nas and MoveOn.org in their assessment of the overtly racist propaganda that Fox News spews, but I disagree with their petition and their protest. Before you call me an Uncle Tom or a Sambo, hear me out. Now Nas is a rapper, a group that is constantly under fire for their speech, and MoveOn.org's slogan is "Democracy in Action" (typing on a computer is more like Democracy Inaction). One of the main tenents of democracy is the freedom of speech. While Nas defends his own right to freedom of speech, he wants to censor Fox News freedom of speech. Furthermore, anybody that watches Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc., knows that the majority of their programming is made up of punditry. Punditry is opinions, analysis, or commentary on news subjects, sort of like an editorial in a newspaper (I know that nobody reads these anymore). Unlike a newspaper, where most of it is made up of hard news (except Page 6 in the New York Post or the entire New York Times), these news channels only feature small breaks of hard news. Many "media watchdogs" have said that CNN and MSNBC have been bias, at times liberal and at times conservative. The Fox News Channel just happens to be staggeringly conservative. What are these protesters actually fighting against, Fox News or the people that watch it? I mean, I hate BET, but I won't protest it, I just refuse to watch the crap. In my opinion, Fox News can say whatever they want, if you don't like it, change the channel. The only people I want to see banned are Ann Coulter (annoying cunt), Al Sharpton (advantageous scavenger) and Jesse Jackson (nigger) (oh, yeah and Tiffany "New York" Pollard). I know I havent cursed much in this blog entry, so, man fuck Fox News!

Even when WINNING isn't probable, losing isn't optional!

Imagine All The People!

I just got done watching "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" on VH1, and something intriguing occurred to me. Where have all the talented musicians gone, let me rephrase that, where have the revolutionary musicians gone. I can't say talented musicians because we still have a few, from Alicia Keys(I love you, baby) to John Mayer, Kanye West, John Legend, Billie Joe Armstrong, etc.. These few artist may mirror the revolutionary artist of the past, but they are overshadowed by the basura that is played on radio and television. John Lennon made introspective and extrospective music that was relevant to the "Working Class Hero", he made people "Imagine", he asked the entire world to "Give Peace a Chance". Lennon voiced his opinion to the masses that felt just like him, which also angered the political system. Jimi Hendrix performed "Machine Gun" with his Band of Gypsys. Bob Marley wrote a song about "War", he told people to "Get Up, Stand Up", and then he made his "Redemption song". The Temptations ask "War, what is it good for?", Lennon and U2 both made "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". Its not just that these people all made anti-war songs, but they all put their hearts into their words. They didn't just make music, they made movements (and not the same way as Dip Set). Maybe most of the messages were stronger because of the devastating impact of the Vietnam War, or The Troubles in Northern Ireland, or the social injustices and civil rights battles worldwide. Maybe artist, as well as listeners, have become too anesthetized by this violent world, or maybe too complacent with making meaningless music. Music affected the world so deeply that a revolutionary statement on song warranted an FBI investigation. Questioning of the political machine in that time was seen as a threat because of how strong art was. But in these days, a statement like "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" only gets you YouTube hits and a skit on Saturday Night Live. Seriously, serious music is brushed off as "alternative", "underground", "conscious", "political", or "indie". The music became more important than the message, the back story became more important than the real story, the fruits from the labor became more important than the truth in the art, and this is when we lost our true musical movements. When the money is more important than the meaning, what part of the person does the music really move? Why are more people paying attention to 50 Cent's new dis song than to Live Earth (look who's talking)? How many people will actually participate in "World Peace One", this October? The movement inside the music is in shambles when MTV says "Rock The Vote" and then "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It", or when BET tries to put messages in between young black people participating in buffoonery (aka 106 & Park). At the time I am writing this, people are dying in Iraq, children are sitting in prison in Jena, LA, a genocide is happening in the Sudan, the United Nations is null and void, and the United States government is full of liars, but your favorite musician just made a song called "Love Like Honey". While I was writing that last sentence, I realized that the biggest difference between music then and now is the listeners. The listeners don't care about the objects in their blind spots, they only care about the things that directly affect them. So if your listeners ask for music that is not extrospective, as an artist, you're going to supply that demand.

So, I'll end this with some John Lennon lyrics from "Gimme Some Truth" :

I'm sick and tired of hearing things from
Uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded, hypocritics
all I want is the truth, just give me some truth

I've had enough of watching scenes from
schizophrenic, ego-centric, peranoic, primadonnas
all I want is the truth, just give me some truth

Peace, I mean WAR!

He's Either In(sane) or Out (of his mind)!

For a long time (almost eight years), I've been under the impression that President George W. Bush is an idiot. But I've been watching "The Batman" hard and reading back issues of "Batman", and I've decided that President Bush may well be a diabolical madman. See, in the "Batman Universe", the character of the Joker is a "violent sociopath who murders people for his own amusement". The Joker first appeared as a "court-jester" type of villian, a corny criminal that failed at numerous attempts to commit acts of evil. This parallels President Bush, in the way that the President was a failure in college and a horrible excuse for a soldier in the Texas National Guard. But as time went on and the Joker got revamped, to become a central figure in the "Batman Universe", he becomes more of a diabolical sociopath. The Joker begans to put more thought in his schemes while still being seen as a "side-show clown". The gags and jokes become a little more adult, and while still maintaining his facade as a prankster. Yet again, this parallels George W. Bush as a businessman and governor of Texas. He still fails at his dealings and policies in his current positions, yet he still seems to have matured into a child of prestige, a son of royalty, and represents his family ties without too much embarassment. Just like the fictional Joker, Governor George W. Bush is a clown prince, a stratigical dummy, the only difference is their respective sides of the law (even though, in my opinion, both are criminals). In the world of DC Comics, the Joker loses his mind, and becomes a complete lunatic, at this time he is at his most cunning. He decieves the entire world into believing he has lost every marble in his bag or that he has completely fell off his metaphorical rocker. The Joker goes on a rampage, he tries to kill, the then president, Lex Luthor, he tricks the rest of the super villian community into doing his bidding, and he steals Mister Mxyzptlk's reality altering powers and changes the world into a crazy caricature of reality. During this whole time, the Joker is believed to be an insane idiot, but eventually it is revealed that the Joker isn't as crazy or dumb as he appears to be. It is later shown that in actuallity, the Joker is a case of a previously unprecedented form of "super-sanity," a form of ultra-sensory perception. In the world that we exist in, George W. Bush, an self-proclaimed "under-acheiver", wins an election that most would say, he didn't actually win. After being given the key to the kingdom, he starts on a path that makes almost everybody in the world see him as an incompetant idiot. Similar to the Joker, he alters reality to fit his need. The actual reasoning for the war in Iraq, the Fight on Terror, have not been found yet. But, President Bush has given numerous reasons, all that have been some sort of distortion on the actual reality. At every press conference or State of the Union, the President has came off as a illiterate, uneducated, near-insane, idiot. But if you actually delve deeper into his two terms as president, he managed to kill an enemy (sort of) of his father, he managed to make billions of dollars for his friends' businesses, give his coherts positions of power, and aid in the destruction of a major city (in the words of Kanye West "George Bush doesn't like black people). For an incoherent, discordant, ignoramus, he has accomplished a numerous amount of deeds for him and his syndicate. Just like the Joker was found out to be a cunning genious in the guise of a psychotic clown, President Bush may well be a cunning genious in the guise of a moronic clown. President George W. Bush may actually be the most diabolical super-villian outside of a comic book, think about.

When I think of our current Commander and Chief, I am reminded of "Enter the Dragon". Remember when Jim Kelly faces Mr. Han on the island, the words still echo in my head, "Man, you come right out of a comic book".

Peace, I mean WAR!

Just To Get By!

Its time for another installment in my ever going series "The Pussification of Modern Society". My last installment was about the "Cry-babies" for equal rights, the one before that was about modern mans obsession with beauty, before that was the weakness of today's youth, and prior to that was my views on hate and prejudices, and the first one was my main point of the pussification of modern society. So I've commented on the feminine ways of today's "Esquire" man (a category that I, myself fall into), I've talked about how parents coddle their children to the point of weakening their children's spirits as well as their bodies. I want to touch on the so-called patriots and how they have turned most of America into pussies. From politicians to news anchors to journalist, everyone is afraid to comment on the state of America. The only people brave enough to speak against the government are comedians (because nobody takes them serious anyway), activist (because nobody is listening to them anyway) and conspiracy theorist (because everybody thinks they're crazy). People are afraid to question the system, people are afraid to ask the right question, because they fear being called unpatriotic. America went from bra-burnings, protests, marches for civil rights, and civil disobedience to unwavering blind faith in incompetence. It's sort of like we live in a "1984" dystopian society, only difference is we, as a people and not fully the government, have made ourselves docile sheep following the dumb herd dog off of the cliff. Americans seem to forget that America was formed by people that questioned the government (because they wanted to get freaky without the British government being in the bedroom). It is the "American Way" to question the government. People used to fight for what they believed in, it seems like people are afraid to stand up for their beliefs today. With so much information in our hands, with the internet, television, books (I know that's something a lot of people don't use), etc, we should be smarter than we are. With all the information, the resources, the spas and the gyms, why are Americans the most obese in the world? Why are there so many recalls on products, and special safety regulations? My answer is that the world is being "pussified" more and more each and everyday. Once we all stop crying about discrimination, worrying about trends, coddling the children, and we start fighting for our future, we can put the power back in the hands of the people. Because if the pussification continues, we'll all be living in a society that resembles the movie "Idiocracy".

Peace, I mean WAR!

What Lies Beneath!

So I'm watching television the other day and my show is interrupted for breaking news, a slaughter on the Virginia Tech campus (my prayers go out to the friends and family). I feel sad for the victims in this senseless tragedy, but it also made me question the minds of the American public. What is a life actually worth and who does this person have to be for me to mourn them. We all know that over 30 people died on the Virginia Tech campus, but do we know that at the sames time over 100 people were being slaughtered in Iraq. Are we saying that an American life is worth more than a life anywhere else in the world, aren't we all humans. Before I alienate anymore readers, I'm going to move onto the lying ass American government. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sat in front of congressional panel and stumbled over his words, claiming to remember nothing, and taking responsibility for nothing. Senator John McCain claimed that it was safe to walk outside of the "green zone" in Baghdad (even though he was escorted by 100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunship's overhead). Eleven days later, a suicide bomber killed 8 in the Iraqi Parliament, which is station in Baghdad's heavily guarded "green zone". And the worst of them is President George W. Bush, the idiot who stood on an aircraft carrier in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner, proclaiming that the battle was won. For months before that, he led the country through various made-up reasons for invading and occupying Iraq, all the reasons turned out to be false (except the one about Saddam trying to kill his daddy). And for the past 4 years, American troops have been in danger because this man has continually lied to them and the American public. In one instance he says that Democrats in Congress are keeping troops in Iraq because they won't fund this idiotic war, and in the next instance he extends deployment lengths and keeps troops in Iraq. According to the self described "Bushies", the American public doesn't see the big picture, we don't see that hundreds of years down the road (after we're all dead from Global Warming) this will be seen as the smartest move any president has ever made. How many lives have to be taken for these idiots to see the truth, how much closer to one percent does Bush's approval rating have to be until somebody stops these madmen, what does it take for the American public to stand up and say we're not going to let these assholes drive us off that cliff. President Abraham Lincoln (the guy that freed the slaves so that they could pay taxes, fuck us either way) said at the Gettysburg Address, "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.". At the end of this war (or whatever they want to call it), will we be able to say that these dead did not die in vain, will this nation ever again have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? What will your children's lives be worth, and their children, and so forth?

Peace, I mean WAR!

A Brave New World!

I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday, and I realized just how stupid some people are. The topic that they were discussing was the same topic from every show, how much President Bush is fucking up Iraq. President Bush and his fellow idiots, or diabolical madmen, would like the American public to believe that things are getting better out in Iraq. If Americans actually picked up a newspaper, and not the Source, Vibe or XXL (for you niggas out there), they would know that over 100 people died in Iraq just Thursday (explain that Senator McCain). As I've said before, how can America possibly believe that they can defeat the Islamic Extremist, they are willing to die for their beliefs, how many Americans can make that claim. But back to the stupidity of the American public, mainly the people at NASCAR races screaming America is number one. Another fact that most Americans can't or won't get through their skulls is that America is not number one and hasn't been number one in a while. Even though we have the most billionaires (which doesn't explain all of the poor people I know, including myself), the most Noble Prize winners, and the most people on the internet (looking for underage girls, just ask Chris Hansen), we are still not number one in a lot of things. China and India have larger Armed Forces than the "most powerful nation", Israel spends more money than us on the military, even though Israel isn't bigger than New Jersey (but should be used as a landfill just like it), and we have the largest National Debt. Over 25 countries have more doctors, more hospital space, lower infant mortality rates, and higher life expectancies. Our prison system is packed with the most people (mostly, excuse my French, niggas and spics), we are only surpassed by Canada (crazy frost-backs) and South Africa in most rapes, we're 15th highest on the murder rate charts (sometimes I want to help boost that stat), and the worst is that we are 139 of 172 nations when it comes to people voting (listen to Diddy, people). See, Middle America (just as radical as the Middle East), we aren't number one in many categories (even though we have the most overweight people). How can a country that sends still injured troops back into war, actually claim to be the greatest country in the world. When we throw veterans (such as myself) into substandard hospitals or even worst, on the streets, how can we actually consider ourselves the greatest. There's plenty of times I've watched The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time, Bullshit and Hannity & Colmes and laughed, but the issues that they joke about on these news satires are serious (my friend just told me that Hannity & Colmes is real news, could've fooled me, next they'll say the O'Reilly Factor is real news too). I think we as Americans work too hard to be number one at meaningless things, that we forget the important ones. Lets stop trying to be the American Idol, the Next Top Model, New York's lover, or whatever America's watching this week, and try to be "the greatest nation" in the world. On an ending note, why did Oprah have to travel all the way to Africa to find children that want to learn, why aren't many Americans smarter than a 5th grader, and why hasn't everybody learned that Ann Coulter is a stupid cunt (yes, I said stupid cunt).

Peace, I mean WAR!

So much pain in my life!

So here we are again, election time! What? It's not election time, shit, you could've fooled me. Everybody's talking about Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton running for president. Every week a new politician is throwing their name in the hat to be the next president. I guess it's happening so soon because most of America is tired of that idiot in office now. There was all the talk about the non-binding resolutions (what's the point) in the past couple weeks. The Senate is trying to find real ways to keep President Bush from fucking this "War on Terror" up anymore than he has. They want to limit funding for the troops (who didn't see most of them billions spent already) and they want to limit the President's power to authorize war (too late for that, idiots). Now there's all this talk about Iran feeding weapons to the insurgents in Iraq (yeah, we fell for the lies before, and knowing Americans, we'll fall for them again). I don't want to get into the dynamics of Islam and the sectarianism that exist within that religion. Lets just say that America gave more weapons to the insurgents than the Iranians, via Saudi Arabia. On a side note (which pissed me off), a Senate panel okayed TSA screeners to unionized (kind of). I quit working for TSA last year, and since I quit they've got a raise, gained collective bargaining, got the ability to join a union, and the jackass that was in charge where I worked is being investigated (they waited for me to go, didn't they). I know most of America was too busy, watching the Hills on MTV, or worrying about how Anna Nicole Smith died and who's the baby's daddy, or why the hell Britney Spears shaved her head, to watch the news. I have really have nothing better to do but smoke and watch Anderson Cooper and Hannity and Colmes (that ugly ass Alan Colmes is a good laugh). Besides my regular lineup of Heroes and Law and Order(s), I've been checking out Dateline : To Catch a Predator (Chris Hansen is hilarious when he interviews the perverts). It's the funniest thing in the world to watch perverts get caught in the act, and act like they didn't know what they were there for. As I write this I realized how much of a nutcase I really am (or complex, if you want to use that term). I'm a crazy Hip-Hop "reconstructionist", I watch romantic comedies and chick flicks, I love comics and the movies made from them, I watch the news and news related comedy shows, I watch the People's Court religiously, and I watch the Hills when there is absolutely, positively nothing else on television (I mean, nothing but TD Jakes or Bobby Jones Gospel). You see what I mean, and even though I try to be high most of the time, I've got to say I'm sober most times I watch the Hills. It's totally against my better hood conscience to watch television and movies made for teenage white girls, but hey my life is just that boring. Hey, enough of me whining about how depressing my life sounds, I started writing this to talk about politics or news or the lack there of, and I am distracted by popular television. Damn, there goes my main point, when something news worthy is going on in the world, the public is manipulated by the news outlets and distracted by entertainment. When we should be worrying about war, we're too busy worrying about who broke up, who's pregnant, who got killed, or who 50 Cent has beef with now (Cam'rom is the worst rapper ever). What has happened to America when the next white rapper is more important than the first Black or female president? What is wrong with us when we focus more on why Diddy's pride wouldn't let him dial than we focus on North Korea's nuclear program? I'm sorry to anybody that read this and was totally bored to death and now hates themselves for entering my unstable mind. But if you actually took the time to read this, your life is probably as empty as mine is at this moment (think about it). Happy Black History Month or whatever holiday it currently is.

Peace, I mean WAR!

The Whole Gangs Here!

It's been a minute since I had something really heartfelt to write about. There hasn't been any really hot underground hits, or any new hot movies (I need to see Pan's Labyrinth though), or anything really exciting in the realm of politics (except that beautiful State of the Union). But I'm back anyway, to touch a few topics, nothing too specific. First, I want to talk about President Bush and his address to the Congress (the standing ovations weren't needed). Bush didn't really say anything about the actual "State" of the Union, he stated everything that he still had left to accomplish (contrary to that banner on the ship). Yet, these congressmen and women stood and applauded his unfinished job (and even asked for autographs at the end). Now to a more important topic, the "State of Hip-Hop" (or lack of). Its been a month since I realized "Hip-Hop Is Dead", and I'm still mourning. There hasn't been any revival or anything (on the up side, Saigon's new video is out). Rap has gotten so corny, I watch romantic comedies instead of Rap City. These beefs between artist was cool when it was between hot artist (and when 50 destroyed Ja), but now any dude with a crew has beef with someone else. You've got artist, okay not artist, rappers, like Jim Jones, The Game, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron (where has he been) and others shooting at other rappers like they have the skills to. Jim Jones and the Diplomats got beef with RocaFella and Def Jam, but mostly with Jay-Z and Nas. The Game has beef with Vida and other video broads (even though he too is a video broad). Lil Wayne has been running his mouth off about being the best, better than Hov. He also has beef with anybody that calls him gay for kissing Baby (I've finally found out what Weezy F. Baby really means). Cam'ron has beef with Jay, Nas, his own crew and himself. I think he's just mad that Juelz and Jim Jones are getting more love than him right now. And also, everybody around the Hip-Hop community has beef with Nas for claiming that "Hip-Hop Is Dead". I just have one statement for all the Nas haters, if you disagree with the statement, then you're probably the reason "Hip-Hop Is Dead". For the last topic, I must delve into my favorite form of entertainment, television. Television has been disappointing me on a regular basis in the past year. From BET actually believing that they're entertaining, to MTV not playing music, or the lack of good television in general. Lets start the week on Sunday, HBO has no programming currently (I hate Rome, bring back the Soprano's already), VH1 moved all the good shows to Monday, and the Simpson's and Family Guy are the only two out of FOX's six shows that are actually funny. Monday is totally empty besides Heroes, which is annoyingly drawn out, yet entertaining. Oh, I almost forgot, I Love New York also comes on, as well as The White Rapper Show (what I have begun watching is appalling). Tuesday, for me, is Law & Order SVU and Criminal Intent, even though they are all the same. Somebody walks, drives, jogs, sleeps, etc. by a dead body and says "somebody call the cops", then they commence to solving the case, going to court, messing up the case, resolving the case, then back to court. Wednesday is my day of rest, since nothing entertaining is on television on Wednesday (unless you find Beauty and the Geek entertaining). Thursday is probably the best day for television (has been for a while, Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, ER). It starts with My Name is Earl, then the Office, then Scrubs, 30 Rock, and ER. There are also two good shows on Fox ('Til Death and the War at Home), or Ugly Betty (surprisingly entertaining) or Smallville. The next day is Friday and that means back to Law & Order (regular). Saturday is a day of rest as well, being as that the only thing on television is Cops (how many times can you watch the same people running from cops). During the whole week of television, I'm only angry when American Idol is on, how can three non-talented idiots judge talent. And the saving grace for most of the week (Monday thru Thursday) is the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, the funniest yet most honest "news" shows on television. Most of the time I watch either Anderson Cooper 360, Hardball with Chris Matthews or the DIY network (even though I don't 'do anything myself'). I hope as we get into this new year, the politicians that were elected can do something about the drunk driver in the car, I hope that rappers can actually become emcees, and I hope that program directors start getting fired (especially at BET). And, since I haven't did this in a while, I'm tired of seeing Diddy on television selling ProActiv. I didn't realize that you had sexy in need of preserving in the first place, and it's lewd to moisturize your situation in public. On an ending note, one question, will you be the downfall or the upliftment of society as we know it?

Peace, I mean WAR!

From behind my giant robot's eyes!

I had a dream the other night, not a dream, a vision. It was a vision of things to come, a vision of the end of times. I can sense a revolution starting, a rebellion of some sorts brewing throughout the world. The vision began with a child being born, this child was surrounded by vast wealth and power. The child was bred to become the leader of the world, he attended prestigious academic institutions (doing not so well there). He was given control of small companies so that he could develop leadership skills (doing not so well there). The next move to prepare the child was to make him the governor of an established land. As governor, he put some of the plebeian peoples of his land to death under the lands archaic death penalty. That was the beginning of the vision, I call that part "Dubya : The Phantom Menace". The child reigned as governor of the evil land for nearly six years. After his term as governor, he and his evil syndicate began their plans for complete domination. With the congress already controlled by their political party, it was easy for the take over to began. The dark side then began their evil rise to power, first stealing control of the executive branch of the government, then installing associates inside the judicial. The dark side now had control of the entire government and the land. They started orchestrating a war on "terror", and started a war in Iraq against the "axis of Evil". With the introduction of the Patriot Act, wire tapping of communication became a topic, so I've called this part "Dubya : Attack on the Phones". With 2004 right around the corner, came elections. I'm going to skip all that went on in this part of the vision, I just call it "Dubya : Revenge of the Shit". So the wars continued, the evil empire reigned until November 2006. The evil empire was broken up by the "rebel forces" of the Democratic Party. I've named this part "Dubya : The New Hope". With the democrats assuming power of the congress, then the most logical next part is going to be "Dubya : The Empire Strikes Back". And after the empire unleashes its plans upon the people of the world, there must finally be a revolution, a rebellion of some sorts. The only question left unanswered by my vision was, who will be the hero's in the final chapter of this story? "Dubya : Return of the ?".

Peace, I mean WAR!

Who's House!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey folks and folkettes, how was your Election Day, I hope very eventful like mine. Out here in the great state of New York, Democrats pulled off a sweeping landslide. Now' I'm not a Democrat or a Republican (I hate all politicians), I'm just happy to see a change (which isn't going to change anything). And I wake up this morning to the announcement that Rumsfeld resigned (damn, I just resigned from government duty too). So as a result of democracy in action on November 7th, America still has a incompetent driver behind the wheel. And this drunk is not going to give up the keys for another two years (vehicular manslaughter has already been committed thousands of times). But here's what I learned on Election Day, if you just vote straight down the row, you can't go wrong. Alright, I'm done with the political crap, now to the more important topic. There is only two Tuesday's left until "Kingdom Come", I don't know about everybody else but I want it now (especially since The Game comes out next Tuesday, speaking of gay dudes wearing red...). I've listen to a couple tracks off of Baby and Lil Wayne's album and I've realized that all the gay talk is probably true. I mean these dudes were kissing each other on 106 and Park just last year. Now they have this picture out on the internet, with Baby cradling Wayne's neck as the embrace for a kiss (even mobsters never do that). I have nothing against homosexuals, I have something against hypocrites. Rappers and republicans are always slamming homosexuality, yet they are always seen in some sort of homosexual scene. Be who you are, in and out of your house or don't have a public persona. I'm going to leave this one short, because I've got some television to catch up on. But I'll leave you with this last thought, if Britney and Kevin & Whitney and Bobby can't make, how are we supposed to?

Peace, I mean WAR!

Talk Is Cheap!

It's funny how Republicans say John Kerry was trying to say the troops are dumb, when Sen. Kerry was once a soldier in the military. I am ashamed as an former soldier in the military every time I hear Bush defending the military, he never showed up. And if everybody is so for the war in Iraq, why aren't they signing up to join the military and go to Iraq. Don't say you support something and then you don't back up your words. See, unlike the "crazy Islamic extremist" the troops are fighting, Americans truly won't die for a belief. I don't side with the extremist, I just believe you have to look at the history of the people they represent. Did you know Israel was ruled by Muslims before the Crusades (that includes Palestine, Jordan, The Gaza strip, etc.). Theodor Herzl, an Austrian Jew (European, not of Hebrew Descent, meaning not of true lineage to the holy people of biblical times), started the Zionist Movement in the early 1900's. These so-called chosen people called for a Jewish State and decided to move into the preoccupied territory the Palestinians are fighting for. So Europeans came to a land not theirs and took over (sounds familiar, America and the Native Americans for example). Furthermore, Reagan went to bed with the Iranian government and sold them weapons to fund the Contra Guerillas in Nicaragua. This was after Hezbollah in Iran took hostages from an American Embassy. So President Reagan funded America's enemy to fight another American enemy (one that disrupted the American governments drug trade). Jimmy Carter supplied Iraq with weapons to fight Iran in the Iraq-Iran war which went from 1980 to 1988 (President Reagan took office in 1981). So during the Iraq-Iran War, America supported both sides, while Iran built up arms that they traded with Soviet governments and Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurds and put plans into motion to attack Kuwait. In my opinion, the American government is to blame for creating most of the "Axis of Evil". And president George W. Bush is the worst example of a president putting his own feelings above the common good of the people. In September of 2002 at a fundraiser in Houston, TX, Bush said "After all this is the guy who tried to kill my dad." Is my brother-in-law and some of my friends in Iraq because Saddam tried to kill his dad and not because of 9-11, or WMD's, or Saddam's ties with Al Qaeda (among the other bullshit excuses this administration has come up with). Oh, and I can go and quote history facts about why America is responsible for Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah, the PLO, Saddam Hussein's rise to power, the Khadafi's power, as well as other things that currently have young American's dying in the Middle East. So if you feel like me and don't care which dumb politician screws up America, instead of voting on Tuesday go out and buy the Gnarls Barkley Deluxe Edition, Jim Jones (just kidding), The Transformers Movie 20th Anniversary Edition, or the Peter Frampton Colour Collection. Nah, I'm just kidding, I'll wait 'til November 21 when Kingdom Come drops and I'll go make sure Hillary Clinton gets another term as Senator.

Peace, I mean WAR! (like President Bush)

The Great Equalizer!

Sen. John Kerry has got new beef stewing with the White House gangstas. he told a group of California students on Monday that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."(to me sounds like a shot at Bush, him not being a good student and leading America into this bullshit war.) President Bush responded by saying "The members of the United States military are plenty smart and they are plenty brave and the senator from Massachusetts owes them an apology." This is sad, the elections are only days away and this idiots are trading school yard insults. Even though I hate Bush almost as much as I hate Diddy, I have to agree with him, the troops are plenty smart and brave (guess that's why he never showed up), and Kerry should apologize to all the brave troops that ever joined the military. He should start with himself, move to the current troops, and finish with the veterans (such as myself, I'll take money in lieu of an apology). I also have to agree with Kerry, Bush is a sad excuse for a leader, getting America stuck in another war that will never end (war on terrorism, about as winnable as the wars on drugs and poverty). So, everybody when you go into that booth and vote next Tuesday, vote with your ass and not your brain. Because to pick a politician you have to think like a politician, just pull an idea out of your ass and run with it. And Sen. Kerry, we all know you meant no malice towards the troops (but please stop talking, there will be no Kerry in 2008). In this bipartisan America, (and now for me to use the title of this blog entry) the Great Equalizer is stupidity. And on a more important note, Bob Barker is retiring. This man has been an icon for thirty five years on the Price is Right. What will daytime game shows be like without Mr. Barker (we all wish Press Your Luck was still on [No Whammy, No Whammy, No Whammy]).

Peace, I mean WAR!