Peace On That

To actually see death take place is a traumatic experience. It is an event that is seared in the mind and can never be wiped away. Last night I had such a traumatic experience and I want to take time to give my condolences to the dearly departed. Please share with me in this moment of bereavement as we say farewell to the career of Aaron Brooks.

The career of Aaron Brooks had shining moments. He carried the hopes and dreams of those that lived in the Bayou. He had a strong arm, athleticism and a heart of gold. The career of Aaron Brooks gave us joy but he also gave us pain.

He was bold and exciting in the beginning. Running, throwing and showing passion for the game every weekend. Later, he became confused, insecure and slow to adjustments. Eventually, he was diagnosed with chronic interception syndrome. That lead to a dramatic drop in his QB rating and soon he found himself on life support. The New Orleans fan base was patient as they waited for signs of life. Eventually, they came to realize that they could do no more for him. But just before they pulled the plug, the director of the Oakland Raider Hospice, known for resurrecting failed careers like Aaron's, bypassed the opportunity to raise a budding career in Matt Leiner and took the career of Aaron Brooks into his bosom.

Given some hope, the career of Aaron Brooks went under the knife in front of a national audience. With some of the best talent at his side, the career of Aaron Brooks showed some life but faded soon after. Doctors tried to save him but it was no use. He suffered sucking offensive line collapse wound and soon after, the career of Aaron Brooks was pronounced “over”.

So, we say good-bye to a young man that gave us hope, but also pissed us off to the highest of pisstivity. His memory will be with us as the Oakland Raiders Hospice that holds his remains will trot him on the field for memorial services every Sunday for the remainder of the season. After the season, the Hospice will cremate the career of Aaron Brooks and spread his ashes over Port-a-Potties that dress the back woods of Yosemite Park. It is a fitting end to a dismal career.

Good bye career of Aaron Brooks. You were good, but you were never able to handle a zone blitz.

The Career of Aaron Brooks
Draft Day 1999 - September 11, 2006

Damn if my Bears are looking like they are ready for the Super Bowl. I know it is Green Bay, but Grossman is looking good and our running game is on point. The defense is doing what I expected the defense to do.

First on the list for the Rudd award is Kurt Warner. While on their own 6 yard line, he fumbles the damn ball and San Franscisco was able to pull within 3 points. Jerk.

What the hell happened to Carolina... Robert... you need to explain yourself son. They cost me major points.

I may have to take another look at Baltimore. The offense moved the ball well and the defense looks good.

Back to Arizona. They are going to scare a lot of teams this year. I'm happy for Dennis Green.

Finally, Kansas City should get rid of their franchise. They are a garbage team.

Ok, I'm going back to my Bears.

UPDATE

I'm watching Arizona work the clock and I start shouting at them, run the ball. If Arizona want to make it to the next level, they will have to learn to use James more effectively. On the drive that put the game away, they ran the ball as many times as they passed. They will have to do more of that.

I did like the way the 49ers offense worked and it compelled me to pick up Frank Gore as an alternative running back for my fantasy team.

***Denver, Denver, Denver... what can I say of thee? You sucked!!!

***Reggie Bush had a nice day. I'm happy for him. I'm not sold on the Saints. They always start the season off well then fall apart by week 6. I see no reason to think that this year will be any different. Holla at me around week 10 and I'll let you know if the Saints are better or just being what they've always been.

***The Jets surprised me. I still think they suck but now I realize that the Titans suck even more. If they don't improve then you can expect to see Vince Young starting by mid-season.

One of the most difficult aspects of debating with conservatives is their tendency to draw such stark philosophical lines that those that disagree with any part of their argument come off looking like a leftist moonbat. This is especially true when it comes to the “War of Terror” and the war in Iraq. Any disagreement with Bush’s tactics will come with a label of appeasing terrorists or traitor. Lost in the furor is the legitimate philosophical difference in how one should go about fighting terrorism and not eroding a political and civil structure that has endured far worse than a terrorist attack.

I have no qualms with riding the world or terrorist whether they are Islamic extremist or political separatist. My belief is that most of the tools required to fight terrorist were already in place and simply needed some tweaking to accommodate new technology and changes due to globalization. For example, the Bush administration wants to the copyright law so they can bring a case of copyright infringement case can be brought against someone before the copyrighted work is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Their claim is that piracy is a large industry that funds terrorist activities. (source)

Though this may be true, the problem is now there are several Copyright cases pending that were brought under the Patriot Act that would not have met the criteria under normal circumstances.

This past week the Bush administration finally admitted to the existence of secret CIA prisons. But those prisons are in direct violation of the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was signed by the United States in 1984. (Source )

The NSA wiretapping program is something that should have been handled following the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. However, the Bush administration again claimed its executive powers superseded the necessity to follow FISA.

The truth is that law enforcement should have every tool available to them to fight terrorism. Considering the nature of terrorist activity, certain provisions should be made for counter-terrorist activities. Bush has sought an aggressive response to terrorist. That is a good thing.

Where this debates break down is on the question, what would I do differently? It is a fair question but it is one that gets bogged down in tactics and ignores the ideologies that guide those tactics. Should the government have the power to listen to the conversations of suspected terrorist? Yes. Under what law are they given the power and how expansive of those powers? Do we have the right to capture and hold suspected terrorist? We most certainly do. Under what standards do we charge and try them is a matter of debate.

Unitary Executive Theory

This is where I part with Bush and most conservatives. There are smarter people than I that can devise plans to capture terrorist. What I am most concerned with is the guiding principles that govern their actions. President Bush operates under the Unitary Executive Theory. The theory relies on the Vesting Clause of Article II which states "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." Proponents of the unitary executive use this language along with the Take Care Clause ("[The President] shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed...") to argue that the Constitution creates a "hierarchical, unified executive department under the direct control of the President… (Source)

My understanding of this definition is that as long as the President of the United States says it is legal, then it is legal and not subject to oversight by the courts or Congress. This is why we have secret prisons. This is why an American citizen was held for more than two years without being charged and denied access to a lawyer. This is why we have a debate about wiretapping and tracking banking activities. There should be no debate of any of these because there are laws on the book to deal with these issues. Again, the President has the right to challenge Congress to revise those laws if he deems them ineffective.


What To Do

The mistake that many Conservatives make is that they to have expanded this war. It has gone from a war against terrorist and Islamic extremist to a war against Islam – or Islamofacist as many call it. Which is a ridiculous terminology when looked at in historical context. (source)

1. My approach would be to define the enemy as narrowly as possible. Islamic extremist fueled by Wahhabism, poverty and repressive regimes is the central problem. There is a reason why most terrorists come from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Syria. Put some real pressure on these countries to reform.

2. Engage moderate Muslims. Conservatives ask where are the moderates while at the same time associating the entire Islamic faith with extremist. There is nowhere to go when one side thinks of you as evil and the other side as traitors.

3. End support for Pakistan President Perez Musharaff. He is in a no-win situation but our support for him is why remnants of the Taliban still operate in Afghanistan.

4. Have open debate in Congress on the Patriot Act, FISA.

5. Accept a level of risk. One of the argument made is that terrorist hate our freedoms. If that is the case, then we should fight for those freedoms and accept the risk of terrorist attacks as a permanent condition when living in a free society.

6. Make it a national priority to develop alternave fuel resources.

That final one is the most important one. A War on Terror, like a War on Drugs and the War on Poverty, and like on any war on an idea, is open-ended and will inevitably fail. Thus far, the administration has relied mostly on symbolic victories, rhetoric and fear to keep the American people under its fold.

A writer noted:

the administration labeled the Guantanamo detainees "the worst of the worst." Yet we now know that more than 250 have been released, that they included boys as young as 13 and that of those who remain, only 8 percent are even accused of being fighters for al-Qaeda.

the administration launched a nationwide ethnic profiling campaign, calling in 8,000 young men for FBI interviews and 80,000 more for registration, fingerprinting and photographing by immigration authorities… Not one of those 88,000 has been convicted of terrorism.

Jose Padilla, the American arrested at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and whisked into military custody amid the attorney general's claims that he was planning to detonate a radiological "dirty bomb," has been released from military custody and is now charged only with being a marginal player in a hazy conspiracy to support terrorism. (Source)

There is no perfect way to prevent a terrorist attack. Conservatives seem unwilling to question this administration on the tactics and they seem unconcerned about the attempt to consolidate power in the executive branch. I question this approach and I’m convinced that oversight is our best defense against losing our way of life. Does this mean that I disagree with everything Bush does? No. It means that I question some things.

We are in a place where we are balancing two opposing philosophies. One states that “Peace by any mean equals war” and the other is “Peace through Tyranny”. It seems to me that Bush and most conservatives have already rejected the first statement. Now we just have to get them to reject the latter.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!

I am. I’ve been waiting all summer for this moment. Come Sunday, breakfast will consist of hotdogs, chips, leftover beef stew and the Chicago Bears. I love it. There are a few games that I am interested in seeing outside of my Bears. The beauty of the NFL Ticket is that I actually get to watch any game that I want. It’s a wonderful.

The following are my highlight games of the week.


The Rivalry
Bears vs. Packers: Two storied franchises start the season off and I suspect my Bears will prevail. What is interesting about this game is that I really don’t know the capabilities of the Bears offense. The preseason was a wash because the QB didn’t do much and the running backs were hurt. We will see.

The Future
Arizona vs San Francisco: Dennis Green is making some moves in Arizona and I think this year could be the one where the Cardinals elevate their status from laughing stock to respectability. With the addition of Edrin James, an up and coming QB and a receiving corps that is one of the best, Arizona could be just a defense away from the playoffs.
Does anyone care about San Francisco?

The Question Marks
Pittsburg vs Miami: What are the Steelers like without the Bus in the backfield and Big Ben under center? Can Daunte lead the Dolphins to the promise land? How much will the Steelers miss Antwaan Randle El? After Booker and Chambers, who is left to catch a pass?


The Pigskin Challenge.

Ok, get your picks in folks. I have a league set up and you can join or you can enter your picks in the comment area. You can join by going: HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

Talk About It
1. What games will you be watching and why?
2. MAKE YOUR FORCAST FOR WEEK ONE

There is always some list for somebody. I found this one rather interesting. It is a list of ten things every man should have in their closet. My comments in bold.

10 Things You Need in Your Closet.

1) WHITE OXFORD BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT: The white button-down can be worn with a suit and tie, on its own with a pair of jeans, or underneath a sweater. May we suggest: Cotton button-down shirt ($40) by Izod. – Oxford shirt is one where you get a basket-weave look. There are two types of collars: pointed and wide. I prefer pointed collars but a wide collar works well if you’re going without a tie. You should always have a white or blue “power shirt” on hand.

2) LIGHTWEIGHT CASHMERE V-NECK SWEATER: A thin cashmere sweater can be worn every month save for August. Goes with jeans or underneath a suit jacket. May we suggest: Cashmere V-neck ($178) by Banana Republic. – Hell to the naw. Not every can sport this look. In fact, if you can sport this look, you might want to find a secret place and reflect upon you metrosexualism.

3) SUNGLASSES: Obvious for their functionality (that whole sun-in-the-eyes thing), but also necessary as an accessory that adds the all-important final touch. May we suggest: Sunglasses ($174) by Persol. – I wanted so bad to have a pair of sunglasses. I can finally sport a pair now that I were contacts.

4) A DARK PAIR OF JEANS: Make sure they are crisp and able to be worn with a T-shirt, button-down, or the jacket from your suit. May we suggest: Vintage "Capital E" jeans ($178) by Levi's. – Why? And why would a man pay $178 for a pair of jeans? I don’t own a lot of pair but I do like the ones that I have. I also have some throw-away jeans for those times I’m working around the house.

5) ONE SET OF CEDAR SHOE TREES: You need only one pair, to keep your just-worn shoes in good shape. May we suggest: Cedar shoe trees ($60) by Zegna. – If this isn’t up-selling at its finest. However, if you purchase a really good pair of dress shoes. A set of Cedar Shoe Trees may not be a bad investment. But if your shoes cost under $200, I wouldn’t worry much about it.

6) WHITE T-SHIRTS: Sleep in them, wear them to the gym, or use them underneath a shirt or sweater. May we suggest: Cotton T-shirts ($30 for a pack of three) by Calvin Klein. – No brainer.

7) BLACK LACE-UPS: Clean, dressy black lace-up shoes will work with any color suit and still look at home at the foot of your jeans. May we suggest: Leather lace-up shoes ($495) by Tod's. – Ok, raise your hands if you have a $500 pair of leather shoes in your closet. Raise your hands if you’ve contemplated on purchasing a $500 pair of shoes in the last 5 years. Go to the Men’s Warehouse and get a nice pair for about $100.

8) OVERNIGHT BAG: Because a man never knows when he might have to flee at a moment's notice, make sure it's big enough to carry two nights' worth of stuff. May we suggest: Taiga-leather Kendall bag ($1,510) by Louis Vuitton. – This list was obviously made by some snob living in Connecticut. A duffle bag from Target will do just fine – thank you very much.

9) THREE-BUTTON NAVY SUIT: Navy is the most versatile color for a man's suit. Extend its life by wearing it with a shirt and tie, or wear just the jacket with jeans and a button-down. May we suggest: Three-button wool suit ($1,595) by Canali.- Unlike women, men do not have the option of purchasing cheap suits. I’m an advocate for the Men’s Warehouse. You can get a very nice three-button suit for about $350. Toss in a shirt, tie, and shoes and you’ll have everything you need for less than $600. But they are correct, every man should have a dark suit.

10) MEDIUM-WIDTH TIE: If it's too skinny or too fat, you limit the types of shirts you can wear with it. A medium width, in a neutral color and pattern, has the most versatility. May we suggest: Silk tie ($95) by Jack Spade. – I never pay more than $60 for a tie. Bachrach has the best selection of ties.

Talk About It

1. Describe you favorite outfit.

2. Define your fashion sense (e.g. chic, urban, conservative)

3. What celebrity's fashion style would you most want to emulate?

I’m sure many of you start you morning off thinking, ‘What is James writing about today?”. Well, to be very honest with you, I have a lot of help coming up with the post for this blog. In fact, I have a full staff that meets every morning and debates the myriad of topics available to post about. Once we’ve bantered back and forth, a topic is chosen and the person in charge of that topic category writes the post.

Today, I want to give you the rare opportunity to experience a staff meeting. I briefly introduced them to you in this post. But I think it’s time that I formally introduce them to you.

The Staff

Jimmy "Book Worm"	Jimmy "Grudge"	Jimmy "West Side"
Jimmy "Schizo"	Jimmy "Cut Throat"	Jimmy "Top Hat"

Let’s look in on the meeting already in progress...


Jimmy “Top Hat”: Look, we need to come up with a post for today. “Book Worm” did a great job on the post about Free Will, and I think we could probably add to that one.

Jimmy “Book Worm”: Thank you “Top Hat”. I really put a lot of effort into that post and I think I was able to add something to the discourse in such a way that…

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Man, shut the hell up. Don’t nobody want to read that crap two days in a row. Why don’t we do another post about white women?

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Already done and you offended some folks with that post. “West Side”, you have any ideas?

Jimmy “West Side”: Let’s write another post about me whoopin’ some ass.

Jimmy “Book Worm”: Really now. Must we perpetuate the stereotype of gangsterism in black men?

Jimmy “West Side”: Why don’t I perpetuate my foot up yo…

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Ok… ok. Let’s settle down folks. Why don’t we table this and move on to the next item on the agenda.

Jimmy “Schizo”: What we need to talk about why is it that I don’t get to write as much anymore. I’m the one that made us famous. I’m the one that got traffic to the blog. The Cuss Out Kit, Kill My Kitties… that was me, you sorry bastards. And why the hell y’all got me tied up like I’m crazy?

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Fool, cuz you crazy.

Jimmy “Schizo”: I’m not crazy.

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Those who think “Schizo” is out of his damn mind, raise your hands.

(Everyone raises their hands)

Jimmy “Schizo”: All y’all can go to hell.

Jimmy “Grudge”: You’d all be welcomed.

Jimmy “West Side”:(Whispering to “Book Worm”) Hey, I know how we all got here. But what tragic episode did we endure to create him? (points towards “Grudge”)

Jimmy “Book Worm”: Oh, we got him after the 2000 election.

Jimmy “West Side”: What happened?

Jimmy “Book Worm”: George Bush was elected president. And death has been at our door ever since. But as soon as the counter on the side of the blog hits zero, he'll be gone.

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Um… “Grudge”, would you like to add anything else to the discussion.

Jimmy “Grudge”: Bush is a spawn of the devil.

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Well… um… I see… Moving on…

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Hell to the naw we’re not moving on. Man, we work hard to create this blog but this bastard (looks at “Grudge”) sits hear in this tired outfit and don’t do a damn thing except say “Bush is a spawn of the devil”. That’s some bull.

(Grudge stares and Cut Throat with hollowed eyes, not saying a word. Schizo leans to whisper in Cut Throat’s ear.)

Jimmy “Schizo”: Looks like I’m not the only one that needs a straitjacket.

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Yeah, I think I’m just going to leave him the hell alone.

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Hey! It looks like James is reaching for the toilet paper. This meeting is almost adjourned. We need a topic folks.

Jimmy “Book Worm”: Well, LMC did challenge us to present our plan for fighting terrorism. I say we do that.

Jimmy “West Side”: No, you do that. I’m all for getting gully on ah mofo and let me bust out one of my retrospect rap post.

Jimmy “Schizo”: Cats… let’s blog about cats. I want to kill the kittie part two.

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: Shut the hell up, Schizo. And "West Side", you still saying that rap from 1987. Come up with some new material, dawg. Don't nobody want to hear that ole Whoodini crap.

Jimmy “Top Hat”: Well, since no one came up with a topic, we’ll have to go without a post today. Oh… James has the toilet paper wrapped around his hands. That means this meeting has come to an end. Tomorrow is Friday, so maybe we can do a Friday Top Ten post.

Jimmy “Book Worm”: Well, I’m going over to Chatter’s blog to comment.

Jimmy “Cut Throat”: You do that. Hey, somebody remind James that he has on white draws today. He needs to do some courtesy wipes. Nasty bastard.

Well, it's obvious that my staff meetings are not always productive. Hopefully, tomorrow they will do better and I can come up with a good post for you guys to enjoy.

This post is taken from a post on Robert Neddo's blog about Free Will. I found it interesting and thought I take a stab at it for my intellectual entertainment.

A while back we had a debate on destiny as it relates to God. My belief is that there are predetermined consequences and rewards for living outside or inside the will of God. Therefore, when it’s all over, we are fully responsible for the decisions that we make. Thus, we are in complete control over out destiny. Having free will allows for the manifestation of that destiny.

Example: A young man wakes up at 5am every morning to practice so that he can become a track star. He practices after school and all day, every day during the summer. Upon graduating high school, he attends a major university that has a great reputation for developing Olympians. Eventually, this young man is invited to the Olympic Games and wins several gold medals. During an interview, he states that he worked his entire life to achieve the goal of winning a medal at the Olympics.

As a young man, he set the conditions and made the choices to achieve his goal. His parents didn’t push him into track. It was just something he wanted to do. It was his choice to make and he made it and did what was required of him to become successful.

Life, unfortunately, is much more complicated than that. We are the sum of our experiences, values, faith, education, family and morals. Boys who were raised with abusive fathers have a greater chance become abusive fathers. Over protected children become rebellious teens. People that go through a bad marriage become fearful of marriage. Those that were raised in homogeneous communities sometimes have a hard time relating to those from other ethnicities.

Our experience will often time dictate the choices that we make. Many of us were programmed with the importance of morals, values, God, culture, education, friendship and family by our parents. In essence, we are the results of what the people around us placed in us or failed to place in us. We then go on to live lives and make choices based on the indoctrination of our youth and the positive and the accumulation of negative experiences as adults. This is what makes defining free will very difficult. Because it seems impossible to exercise free will when we’re seeing and making choices based on the past.

There are several different definitions. Here are a few I found:

* freedom of self determination and action independent of external causes.

* the partial freedom of the agent, in acts of conscious choice, from the determining compulsion of heredity, environment and circumstance.

* The power of self-determination regarded as a special faculty

*Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. The phrase "up to ourselves" is vague, and, just like free will itself, admits of a variety of interpretations.

Is There Such A Thing as Free Will?

Since we are the product of our past experiences and make decisions regarding the future based on our past, can we truly say that we have free will? In my example with the Olympian was a young man that was solely responsible for the conditions that allowed him to succeed and made the decisions without outside coercion. If a person sets the conditions and define the choices, would that not be an exercising of free will? It could be – but that’s not the reality of most people.

There are some that conclude that when we rely on the values, traditions and experiences of our youth, we are not operating with free will but what they consider determinism. Determinism is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences (source). So as long as we are connected in some way to our past, we can not possibly bring to bear free will.

Like those that believe in the literal interpretation of the bible, I find that this philosophy is too dogmatic for my taste. The way I see it, humans function within a range where absolute determinism is on end of the spectrum and absolute free will on the other. Where a person falls is determined by how conscious that person is about their life and the choices they make.

The more aware of the motivation and linkage to past experiences a person has and how those things impact their present condition and choices, the better they can control the circumstances of their lives going forward. The increased awareness of who you are and how you came to be will result in an increase of free will. It one thing to make decisions, but it is something different to make decisions while conscious of the motivations behind them.

David Hume argued that while it is possible that one does not freely arrive at one's set of desires and beliefs, the only meaningful interpretation of freedom relates to one's ability to translate those desires and beliefs into voluntary action. source

I want to get into the concept of God and free will but I’ll save that for another day. I’ll just let you guys chime in while I do some more reading.

1. What is your thought on free will?
2. Is an Omniscient (all knowing) God and free will compatible. (next topic)
3. What is your definition of free will?

We're going to have some fun with the upcoming football season. I've created a group for the Pigskin Challenge. It will be much easier to track then last year. Make sure you guys join it.

The Pigskin Challenge

If you were around last year then you know how it works. Each week you will submit your picks for the games. You will get a point for ever correct pick. To make it easier, I created a Group on Yahoo. You can join there by clicking HERE

The name of the group number is 32256 - and the password is: dabears

But for those that don't go through the trouble of joining the group, I'll post the games and on this blog and you can put your picks in the comment area.

The Weekly Rudd Award Nomination

Recap of Dwayne Rudd: In the 2002 season opening contest against the Chiefs, the Browns held a 39-37 lead with time enough for one Kansas City play from about mid-field. Rudd rushed QB Trent Green, and tackled him for an apparent sack to end the game. Rudd removed his helmet in jubilation, but Green fumbled before he was down. The Chiefs recovered the fumble, and Rudd was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty put KC in field goal range, and the Chiefs won the game, 40-39.

Every week there is someone that makes a bonehead decision. Well, we're going to track those plays and at the end of the year present the Rudd Award. I can't watch every game so I'm counting on you guys to help me with the nominations. If you see a bonehead play that defies logic, let me know and we'll vote on them at the end of the season.

Football 101

I often hear people say that they can't get into football because they don't understand the game. That excuse will no longer work as I will present some basic elements of the game as well as an understanding the strategies that make football the greatest sport in the world. Stay tuned.

Ok, if you guys have any ideas feel free to present them. This is going to be a great season of football. Get those grills ready gents. It's on.

GO BEARS!!!

I have a new position and I am much busier at work now. But I will shuffle my schedule so I can go back to some regular blogging. I haven't been to different blogs so I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

I have some post on politics, friendship and football coming up real soon. By next week, I'll be back to my regular postings.

In the meantime, drop me a comment letting me know what you're thinking:

1. What's your prediction for the upcoming football season?
2. How do you think things are going in Iraq?
3. Are unions the blame for the US auto industry woes?
4. How are the midterm elections shaping up?
5. Bush has a 36% job approval rating - where does your support stand?

My mother dropped me off on the west side of Chicago in the summer of 1986. She abandoned me on the corner of Huron and Cicero. I walked into my father’s house and he had no idea that my mother wanted us to live with him. Well, that was a devastating moment in my life. But the subsequent months on the west side proved daunting.

I’ve always been kind of a nerd, but I could dance, rap and play football so it saved me from ridicule. Besides, I was going to high school with the same people I had known since kindergarten.

Austin High was something different. I knew no one and the guys from my street didn’t go to school – I was alone. So it was only fitting that the girlfriend of a popular football player had a thing for me. It was also fitting that this guy had a mean streak and hung around with a group of guys that didn’t give a damn about beating the crap out of someone.

My perilous predicament started with a note from “the girlfriend” asking my name and phone number. I knew she was dating “that dude” but she was cute and I was new. So I gave her my name and number and it started. She called and we talked. After several nights of talking and afternoons of walking her to her locker, the word got around.

One night I got a call from “that dude” with him basically threatening to beat me to a pulp. Two days later he and his boys surrounded me at the lunch table, again, threatening to beat me to a pulp. I got it and left her alone. But she didn’t leave me alone. One day while walk to my art class, she strolls along side of me. We talk and wouldn’t you know it, “that dude” and his cronies happen to be standing by my classroom.

They left no doubt that at three thirty I would get the beating of my life. I was four months into my west side life and had already had three brawls. One, in which my guy left me – you can read that story here: Punks

I got on the phone and called my boy Maurice. He lived across the street from the school and was about as crazy as they come. He told me to walk across the street and he’d handle the rest.

At three thirty, I left the school with “that dude” following close behind. I figured I could get a couple of good punches in before they smashed me. As the beat down was about to commence, Maurice runs out of the house with guns blazing. If he wasn’t so demonic looking he could have been an angel. “That dude” backed off and we were able to reconcile our differences with the spillage of my blood.

I always felt good about not running home scared. I was willing to take that beat down. Sometimes you have to get knocked down in standing up for yourself. I did get beat down a couple of times after that day and I administered a few along the way. One of those tales is soon to follow this one.

1) How do you deal with bullies?
2) Have you ever gotten into a fight with a jealous boyfriend/girlfriend
3) Who was your arch nemesis as a kid? What happened?

I'm walking to the bus and I past by a woman. Naturally, I say 'Good morning'. She didn't even acknowledge that I was sharing the same space with her. I thought, 'that's very interesting. Let me see how many people will say good morning back to me.'

So I step on the bus and I say good morning to the bus driver. "Mornin" was his response. Ok, I can accept that. I make a point to walk to the back of the bus and I say good morning to six other individuals. Two spoke back, one gentlemen nodded his head and the rest sat like a lump on a log.

I exit the bus at the transit center and like I do every morning, I make my way to the roach coach. "Morning, baby" the lady behind the counter says to me. She says this every morning. I bellow out, 'Good morning. How are things going?' She responds, "Oh, I'm fine, baby. Seventy-five cents please.'

I pay for my coffee and walk towards the bus stop. I say good morning to a few gentlemen waiting but they don't respond. I figure they couldn't speak English so I won't count them. My next bus arrive and like before, I say good morning to the bus driver. No response. I decide to sit at the front of the bus and with four other people already sitting. Instead of saying good morning, I look at all of them and nod my head. Nothing.

I exit the bus and I see a gentleman running to catch it. I bang on the bus door and yell for the bus driver to stop. He stops the bus and opens the door. The running gentleman says 'Thank you Amigo" and I respond, "It's cool, you have yourself a good day." And I genuinely hope he does.

Saying good morning doesn't require much effort. So why is it so rare to hear?

It was the summer of 1986, Chicago, the 4700 block of Huron. I had just returned from shopping on Madison Avenue. In my bag was a new pair of Levis and a red Kangol. The Kangol cost $19 meaning I had to work five hours to purchase the dang thing. I walked into the house and my old man is playing The Mighty Clouds of Joy and cleaning fish from the morning fishing trip with my Uncle Truman.

I had to change fast because the old man had a habit of making me clean fish and it was too nice to sit on the back porch with a knife and a stack of blue gills. There was a knock at the door. My little brother answers it and yells that it’s my guy, MC Boo. I ran to the door, ‘wassup, man’.

“Yo, Rock Steady wants to battle us” he says excitedly. Rock Steady was our arch nemesis. Almost every other weekend there was a battle in Ohio Park between Rock Steady and The Cold Crush Crew. (Yeah, I know, we didn’t use much imagination on coming up with the name). I ran back into my room, dawned the Kangol, a red Adidas suit and hit the door.

There must have been a buzz going around because the park was packed with all three members of Rock Steady standing there with their peeps from the 4700 block of Race. Cold Crush carried Huron and Superior but Erie and Ohio went with the crew the won the last battle. Since Rock Steady challenged us, they went first.

For twenty minutes we went back and forth with our primary battle raps. We had Def Lyrics, Annihilating, Sucker MC, The Radical and a few others show stoppers. But as always, the brainstorms (what they now call freestyle) and the solos is what made the difference.

I was hyped because one of the cats for Rock Steady cracked on the size of my nose. Not that I have a big nose, but I’m a black man and his line was funny. Even my own boys kind of laughed at me. Well, it was my turn and I talked about his curl, his shoes, his girl, his mamma and his sorry rapping skills. Below is the only solo rap I can recall from that time.


All those who expect to be rocked will not be disappointed
The way I hold the mic I must be double-jointed
I met a sucker that would try to be greater
But I got him and shot him to the bottom like denominators
The numerator, I’m still number one, and I just begun
I clean suckers like custodians
I’m so insane after killing a man
I consume his body and try to kill him again… word
You say you’re sorry but I see right through you
I’ll pursue you, and chew you, and claim I never knew you
People say I’m the best when the send fan letters
And they know it on the streets MC Jazz in getting’ better
We’re lockin, and boppin when the beats start rockin
Suckers screaming, obeying, you know what I’m saying
Cuz when I make my arrival suckers scream Helter Skelter
Suckers hear the name Jazz, they run for shelter
Rest in peace, the final bell in ringin’
The party’s over son cuz the fat lady’s singin’
You life is over no ands or buts
The “J” rock just nailed your coffin shut
Because I’m very rough and I don’t just sing tough
I’m comin’ hard don’t you ever call me cream puff
I’m so insane don’t you ever forget it
I got a rock… and Imma hit you with it.


Ok, so it’s not Jay Z but it was a hot joint at the time. We polished them off with a couple of brainstorms and celebrated with three wings covered in mild sauce and a bag of cheese fries from Coleman’s Barbeque. After that, we walked the blocks and settled in on the front porch of an abandoned building and rapped well beyond midnight (if the old man had a pitty-pat game going we could stretch it another hour out of the evening).

Rap was fun then. I often wonder if I have a least one hot joint left. I’m sure I could come up with a hook and a least one hot verse. I’m not sure how my flow is – wack more than likely… but if Chingy could do it, I don’t see why I can’t.

Oh well, maybe I’ll just leave that for the young bucks and stick to reminiscing.

Thinking of the Light

I removed yesterday’s post because it is now time for me to move forward. I want to thank you guys for the encouraging messages and know that I appreciate it. But I exposed myself for the moment and now it’s time for some growth. In 1John 1:5-6 it reads:

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

This is about keeping it real. I say I believe in God, yet I walk in darkness. I lie. I lie because darkness is easy to comprehend. There are no mistakes in darkness because you don’t know where you’re going. How can you go in the wrong direction if you don’t know in which direction you travel? In light, the path is evident. So if I see the path, and decide to stray from the path, I know that I am living a lie.

What happened to me wasn’t about death… it was not wanting to leave the darkness and have the responsibility of that comes from living in the light. I liken to the time when my grandmother would come into the room and pull the curtains back. In an instance, the sun filled the room and the only thing I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head. I didn’t want the responsibility of getting to school on time, doing my chores or studying. But I got up – every day I rose out of that bed and I studied, I did my chores and I made it to school on time. As comfortable as that darkness was, it was what happened in the light that sustained me and prepared me for life.

A man’s spirituality is no different. Darkness cannot add substance to a man’s soul. My path has been shown to me and now I must take responsibility for walking it.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1John 5:7

They say it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Well, when you've played the best game of your life and at a critical juncture in the game you're dealt a pair of 3's - it's time to count your loses and hope you have enough cab fair to get home.

I've always known that being a good person wasn't good enough in all situations. Often times people require more and sometime they require less. If you can't balance that then you can only get so far. More to come at a later date.

On a warm summers evenin on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin out the window at the darkness
til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, son, Ive made a life out of readin peoples faces,
And knowin what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
So if you dont mind my sayin, I can see youre out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey Ill give you some advice.

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

Now evry gambler knows that the secret to survivin
Is knowin what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
cause evry hands a winner and evry hands a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

So when hed finished speakin, he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count you r money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.

Football season official arrived yesterday with the opening of the Chicago Bears training camp. I would like to remind you that I do expect the Bears to win the Super Bowl this year – although if I had to bet a million bucks I’d put my money on the Steelers if Ben is ok or Seattle.

But to properly prepare you gents for the season, I just want to remind you of a couple of rules of engagement as it pertains to attending football functions and tailgate parties.

Rule #1: You are not allowed to eat or drink anything that 25% more expensive than what you brought to the party. For example, if you bring hotdogs, then you are not to eat steak. If you brought Grade A Angus beef, then pork chops and links are available. It is the same with the beverage.

Rule #2: It is perfectly acceptable to hate an individual that is a fan of a team that you hate. However, if a fan of you hated team offers you a beer, all hatred of said fan is to cease until you have paid your debt to society by offering that fan a beer.

Speaking of Hate

I was going to put this list out last week but I’ll do it now. The following is a list of football teams, college and professional, that I can’t stand.

1.Dallas Cowboys
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
3. Air Force
4. New York Jets
5. Oklahoma State
6. Florida Gators
7. BYU
8. Oakland Raiders
9. Colorado Buffalos


I still have to present my preseason power picks. And of course for you fantasy players, I’m going to give my top fantasy players.

I shouldn't have left you.

Sorry I've been MIA with the blog lately but you know real life can be a mother. The only thing that's been going on lately is the Middle East mess. Well, that's going to be there next decade so I see no reason to put a lot of thought into it.

The last few months have been very challenging for me and I suspect the next few months will pose even more challenges and I make further transitions in my personal and professional life. What I am finding is that my perspective is key to how I respond to all of these challenges.

Although I debate God, religion and the interpretation of the Bible, I'm a firm believer in God. I take nothing away from any religion but my path to God is through Jesus Christ. I believe this because throughout my entire life I have gone to God and requested His wisdom and requested that he makes a way - and I am here to tell you that He has yet to not hear me.

So today I have to battle through a very difficult issue and I prayed about it. I prayed for wisdom guidance. What I received from Him is that through this trial, there is a blessing. I just have to seek it out. That's what I am doing. You see, no problem has to bring about one's demise. The problem often occurs when we try to deny our feelings. I'm not going to do that.

Eventually I will share with you guys exactly what is taking place but for now, I'm going to find my secret place and talk with God.

My last post was just a reminder that we can debate the Bible until the cow comes home but when the rubber hits the road, none of those intellectual debates even matter.

So, I'll be back to football tomorrow considering that the Bears open training camp tomorrow. Rell, I'm still not sure where Bushwhack is with his sports blog. I'll have to hit him up.

You may not be aware of this but one of the greatest events of the year will take place. That’s right, the Chicago Bears open training camp for the 2006 season.

FOOTBALL!!!

Damn if I’m not excited about this upcoming season. The Chicago Bears will once again dominate on defense and we actually might put an offense together. The experts are having a hissy-fit because the Bears focused on defense in the draft. Bull! How many rookies actually make a difference on the offensive end? Very few rookies have been impact players and I’m sure the number is smaller if you narrow it down to offensive linemen.

I expect nothing short of the Super Bowl for my Bears. Check the schedule and you will see why. *Bold games are predicted wins

Sun., September 10 @ Packers 3:15 pm FOX
Sun., September 17 vs. Lions Noon FOX
Sun., September 24 @ Vikings Noon FOX
Sun., October 1 vs. Seahawks 7:15 pm NBC
Sun., October 8 vs. Bills Noon CBS
Mon., October 16 @ Cardinals 7:30 pm ESPN
Sun., October 29 vs. 49ers Noon FOX
Sun., November 5 vs. Dolphins Noon CBS
Sun., November 12 @ Giants Noon* FOX
Sun., November 19 @ Jets Noon* FOX
Sun., November 26 @ Patriots Noon* FOX
Sun., December 3 vs. Vikings Noon* FOX
Mon., December 11 @ Rams 7:30 pm ESPN
Sun., December 17 vs. Bucs Noon* FOX
Sun., December 24 @ Lions Noon FOX
Sun., December 31 vs. Packers Noon* FOX

I’m looking at my Bears to go 11-5. The Black and Blue division may turn out to be a competitive one but I have a feeling that the Vikings and Lions will struggle. The Vikings because – well, because they jacked their team to hell by not keeping Moss and Culpepper. The Lions will struggle because that’s just what the Lions do. Anything else would be uncivilized.

Here are my predictions for the winners in each division

AFC East: Miami Dolphins Dante - Culpepper, a running game and a weak division.

AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals – This rides on the health of the Steeler’s Big Ben.

AFC South: Indianapolis Colts – Giving up James was silly but their in a division with Tennessee and Houston

AFC West: Denver Bronco – This division will be interesting but I can’t expect too much for the Chargers and Oakland. But they may surprise me.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys – It hurts but I have to keep it real. Philly had their chance now it’s ‘Hoe go sit down’ for them.

NFC North: Da Bears – Because they’re the Bears

NFC South: Carolina Panthers – These cats are going to wreck shop. Might even challenge my Bears for the Super Bowl.

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks – A very weak division but Arizona will be fun to watch.

Tomorrow, I’m doing my preseason power rankings. Politics, war and religion will be off the table for a few days as I plan to indulge myself with my love of the greatest sport man has created.

I’m still working on a post on Old Earth vs New Earth but something struck me during my readings. I’ve often heard that the Bible is the inspired word of God. That’s an interesting statement and I’ve never taken the time to contemplate it. So read more about what that statement means and I came up with several quotes.

Evidence of the book's inspiration includes prophecy, archeology, cohesive unity, accuracy, and Christ revealed. source

In the context of the Scriptures, the word inspiration simply means “God-Breathed.” Inspiration communicates to us the fact the Bible truly is the Word of God, and makes the Bible unique among all other books. source

Since I am not one to believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but influenced by the culture and understanding of the world at the time when written.

So let’s take a look at what the Bible states how we are to deal with a woman not being virgin.

20 "But if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, 21 then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel, by playing the harlot in her father’s house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you," Duet. 20-22

When reading this scripture we are asked to keep in mind that this is the law of a culture that existed 3000 years ago. Now, I have to ask myself, or is this man’s way of enforcing God’s law against fornication? I choose the latter.

Although the authors of the Bible possessed some foresight, would it not be reasonable to conclude that just as men have interpreted the Bible for justification of the Inquisition, that they would not interpret the inspired word of God to reinforce their cultural norms?

I also wonder if the book of Genesis were written today, would it still state that God made the world in six days or would it take into account our increased knowledge in physics, geology and biology. Meaning, that the authors of the Bible had limited knowledge of the vastness of the earth and it’s complexity.

The reason this is such a difficult debate is because people will account for differences cultural language, moral code, traditions and lifestyles. But they won’t take into account the advancement of human knowledge.

Let’s face it, the Church was steadfast in its teachings that the earth was flat and that the earth was the center of the universe. These beliefs came from a literal interpretation of the Bible. We now know that both are incorrect. Of course, many would say that the Bible does not say that the world is flat but since many people at the time believe that it was, God simply spoke to them in terms that they would understand.

If that is the case, then couldn’t one say that when God told Noah that a flood would cover the world, could He not have been saying that the flood would cover what they understood to be the world at that time? (read more)

So when Revelations reads: 1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (Rev: 7-1)

Am I to take that literally or as a figure of speech? If this is literal, then it is because the author believed what many believed at that time – the world was flat.

How is it that I have to take into account the differences in culture, men’s understanding of the world and traditions at the time with only some parts but other parts are to be taken literally?

I certainly believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God? But I also know that the man’s limited understanding of his world is never from anything in which he involves himself. Therefore, unless God suspended free will while inspiring the authors, I feel comfortable with my non-literal interpretation approach.

Part I: Mexico vs. Japan

Chance posted on the difference between Japan and Mexico and questioned why Mexico, with abundant natural resources is a second world country while Japan is a first world country. His premise that Japan invested in human capitol i.e. education and advanced technical skills, while Mexico relies on exploiting its resources and maintaining a divide on developing its citizenry.

Mexico's economic system is based on exploitation of resources and labor. When Mexico signed the NAFTA deal they made they didn't have to comply with safety and worker rights regulations. They knew that American corporations were out to scrape the bottom of the barrel and Mexico provided those barrels. The problem is that they never took into account other merging markets and they never took the opportunity to develop its workforce with more education and advanced technical skills.

So when China emerged and the new "go to guy" for cheap labor, Mexico now found itself not only competing with a country that had cheaper labor, but also had a more educated workforce.

There are dozens of factories on the American/Mexico borders that closed because of China. What does Mexico do now; they export their uneducated workforce to the US. They maintain a political structure that ensures poverty for most of their citizenry. The world is advancing and I believe Mexico is fast becoming a 'tweener': Lower that second world but not yet a third world.

Part II: Muslim’s Intellectual Genocide

Notwithstanding Muslims incoherent hatred for Jews and all things western, they have an issue that goes far beyond extremist and the bastardized version of Islam they teach. Many Muslim nations do not comprehend that progress requires the development of human capitol. Afghanistan depends on the export of opium for survival. Because they choose to stunt the development of half its citizenry (women) and insist on living under tribal rule, they have ensured third world status for themselves.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are essentially third world nations with riches from oil. However, both countries still maintain and rigid and oppressive interpretation of Islam that hinders the development of large segments of their population. They fuel the extremist they direct their rage outward so that the existence of Israel and American influence is the cause of all of their grief.

The power brokers of Islam do themselves an the followers Islam a disservice by perpetuating the myth that Western culture is the reason for their condition. There are many Muslims living in America, practicing their faith and still thriving in a society that believes that ultimately, the responsibility of one’s soul rest with the individual, not the state. No state, culture, religion or philosophy can survive when part of its premise is an never-ending state of war.

Part III: The destruction of Islam

And this leads to my though of Americans calling for the annihilation of all practicing Muslims. Better yet, the following is comment I left on Bushwhack’s blog regarding this very issue.

I have a question. There is an estimated 2.8 million practicing Muslims in this country. Los Angles has the largest Iranian population of any city after Tehran. If you really believe that Islam and anyone practicing it should be consider the enemy and wiped from the face of the earth, then why don't I see Americans ridding this country of the Muslims that are easily accessible.

There are Mosques everywhere in Los Angeles. You could all arm yourselves and come on down to Los Angeles - just go over to Beverly Hills because that's where they shop - and you could pick off at least a 100 before the police even intervened.

Don't get me wrong, I there are some serious cultural issues with Muslims and I actually address them in today's post. But talk like this reminds me of what's going on in Uganda.

There are men there that believe in the total destruction of other tribe. But rather than do it themselves, they kidnap teenagers and force them to commit the massacre. The same concept here, we talk and encourage and hope that Israel and US soldiers take no mercy and kill at will and without mercy - while we sit comfortably knowing we'll never have to actually participate in the carnage. So I'll believe this is more than talk when I see you guys get up and take back west Los Angeles, with the corpse of Muslim men, women in children on display down Wilshire Blvd.

Final Thought

Whether by economic or religious means, the exploitation of the human condition is a tragedy that is now coming home to roost on the American psyche. Although the genocidal mentality I cannot condone, there is a justifiable reason for concern. We are in a perpetual state of philosophical and economic warfare. The failure on our part is not recognizing that at times, we are will participants.

American corporation exploit labor conditions around the world and our only response is to the stock price and price tag. We support repressive regimes for our economic interest and fund ‘the enemy of our enemy’ even when the enemy of our enemy is also our enemy.

It is a crazy world and nothing is easy. But Americans seem stuck on one phrase ‘The world changed after 9/11.’ It makes for a nice bumper sticker but it doesn’t come close to the reality that the world did not change at all after 9/11. No, America was forced to remove its rose colored glasses and forced to deal with the ugliness of reality.