Do We Need to See a Michael Jackson Autopsy Photo?

 There is supposedly an autopsy photo of Michael Jackson being shopped around. If there is one I hope no one buys it. Why do we need to see an individual at their most vulnerable. When you become a celebrity do you become less human? Is this the lasting image we want of the King of Pops, a lifeless body on a metal slab? Supposedly someone acquired a photo from one of the policeman at the hospital.  Any media outlet that buys them and publishes them should be prosecuted because this photo should never have been taken.  I wonder how the person selling the photo would feel if it were one of his loved ones on the slab. Show some compassion and give Michael and his family some peace.

Spike Lee is No “Hater” Watch the Clip

Spike Lee has been taking a lot of heat for remarks he made in reference to Tyler Perry. The remarks were read out of context on 60 Minutes last Sunday, but when you watch the clip you get the message. Lee was not just “hating” on Perry he was making a valid point.

Who Will I Be for Halloween? Unemployed

 Today I was talking to a friend of mine who works for a publishing company. She said in the past Halloween was a big deal at the office, but this year it was different. What made it different? This is the last day for a number of people at her job. When unemployment is imminent you are in no mood for Snickers and apple cider. You are worrying about how are you going to make. While you are at the job you are wearing the mask that says I will be alright, but on the last day in the car you will take off the mask as you face the harsh reality that you will not be coming back on Monday. I have been wearing the mask of the unemployed since July. My friends ask me all the time how are you doing? You know they have their own problems so I simply say fine, but with unemployment soon to reach 10% how could anyone without a job be fine? Tomorrow I will go to a party and I will drop my mask and simply enjoy the day and the weekend. On Monday I will put it back on and keep looking for what once was plentiful, but now is sadly so illusive—a job.

Hillary Clinton is My Hero

 Secretary of State Clinton is in Pakistan and she is taking no prisoners. She is saying the things that we want to say. Yesterday she said in reference to the whereabouts of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden and senior lieutenants of the network accused in the Sept. 11 terror attack “I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to.” She went on to say “Maybe that’s the case. Maybe they’re not gettable. I don’t know.” Finally someone has the guts to say what we are thinking. These people are taking our money and looking the other way. Clinton also stood up to some students who said that they did not like the tactics and language we were using. Clinton told them that they did not have to take our money. It is time that we attach some responsibility to our aid and demand that our so called allies start acting like our allies. Clinton stood strong and stood up for America and she made us all proud.

Why Does the Media Love Levi Johnston?

Levi Johnston is everywhere. This world famous “baby daddy” appeared the CBS Morning Show yesterday claiming Sarah Palin had refered to her child as “the retarded boy”.  This evening he was on Entertainment Tonight talking about how Palin’s initial reaction to news of her daughter’s pregnancay was “that this is going to hurt her politically.” Johnston claimed to have more juicy nuggets that he will share tomorrow night including the state of Sarah Palin’s marriage.  On Morning Joe today Joe Scarborough said the media listens to this guy because they want to bring Palin down. After today I think I might agree with Joe. Why would Johnston be on Entertainment Tonight? He is not a star. He has no talent, he  is quite simply an angry young man who has outlived his 15 minutes of fame, but the media keep giving him a platform. What he says might be true, but it is none of our business. Imagine if you had a “baby daddy” under your roof, and he went and repeated everything you said. How would you feel? Betrayed is the word and that is what Johnston is doing to the Palins, and sadly the media keep giving him the means to do it.

Is MSNBC as Bad as Fox News?

Yesterday CNN anchor Campbell Brown interviewed Valerie Jarrett, White House Senior Advisor regarding the White House battle with Fox News. Campbell contends Fox News has a bias, but she compared them to MSNBC and asked Jarrett if  she felt that MSNBC also had a bias. Brown said “Jarrett seems loath to admit that MSNBC has a bias. And that is where I think the White House loses all credibility on this issue. Just as Fox News leans to the right with their opinionated hosts in prime time, MSNBC leans left. I don’t think anyone at Fox or MSNBC would disagree. In fact both Fox News and MSNBC are doing quite well in the prime time ratings by doing partisan opinion.”  A couple of questions come to mind in Brown’s analysis. She is quick to say MSNBC has a bias, but where does CNN fit in the mix? That is missing from her argument. Is this her feeble attempt to position CNN above the fray?  Fox News has a conservative bias and that is not a problem, but they don’t report the news they make the news.  The one liberal commentator Lamont Hill was fired last week and he received the news via google alert. Tuesday Shepard Smith a Fox anchor called out one of their reporters when she did a story on the New Jersey governor’s race and only presented the Republican side.  Does MSNBC have a liberal bias? Yes, but they present robust opposition on a daily basis. That’s the big difference between MSNBC and Fox News.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/campbell-brown-hits-white_n_337889.html

Do You find this Picture Offensive?

 This illustration was given to an eighth grade class as part of a math assignment. The picture had the caption “Solving Equations Using Multiplication and Division. The Bucks County, PA NAACP is calling for disciplinary and sensitivity training in the Central Bucks School District. NAACP leaders and the parents of one of the students met with the principal to discuss the incident. The teacher apologized, saying he “had no idea that I might offend anyone” with the picture, which he said he got off the Internet. He said he chose the picture because the term no way “is a comment my students make when I require them to show each calculation.” How could he not have thought this image was offensive? What do you think?

Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson Gives the Token Apology

 NFL player Larry Johnson used a homophobic slur on Twitter this weekend and at the team headquarters the next day. He has issued his obligatory apology “I regret my actions. The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate,” he said through a spokesman. “I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said.” Please explain to me how can you use this word and not intend to offend anyone. The term is on its face derogatory and offensive. The “I was frustrated defense” is simply not enough. Johnson went on to say that he also apologized to “all the kids who view athletes as role models. I was not a good role model yesterday and hopefully I can become a better role model. We all make mistakes, and the challenge is to learn from them. I will do my best to learn from this one as I move toward becoming a better person, teammate, and member of the Kansas City Chiefs team and community.” Let’s flip the script here if an opposing player called Johnson the n-word would he have recommended sensitivity training for the offending player? No, he would want the guy suspended and possibly fined because he would say the guy should have known better. Well, Johnson should also know better. Words have power. Carl Walker Hoover and Jaheem Herrera were both middle school students who committed suicide, they were both victims of homophobic bullying. Bullying which included the use of offensive names. Yes, words have power and people use them as weapons and that is what Johnson did, and he needs to be held accountable, and not simply a wink and a nod until he utters another offensive remark the next time he becomes frustrated.

Eating Healthy “Ain’t” Cheap

Americans are getting fat. We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic, but what’s the solution? Eat healthy. That sounds so easy, but take a trip to the grocery store. Blueberries are said to be so good for you that eating them daily can increase your life expectancy, but they cost $3.49 a pint. Strawberries cost $3.99 a pint.  So what do you do if you are trying to stretch a dollar? You buy EasyMac or Ramen noodles. They are not good for you but they are cheap and filling and that’s one of the reasons Americans are getting fat. Too many people do not have the luxury of looking at the long term effects of their eating habits. They are simply trying to feed a family during tough times and $3.49 for a pint of blueberris is simply a luxury that too many Americans can not afford.

How Could 15 High School Students Watch A Girl Get Gang-Banged?

When you hear the news you just wonder what is happening to us? Not what is happening to young people but to all of us? Are we raising children devoid of humanity? Some of us are still trying and still instilling in our children a real sense of right and wrong, but when you hear of a California high school student getting gang-raped while others watch you wonder what is going on? A fifteen year old girl was raped over a 2 ½ hour span outside the homecoming dance she had attended. The crime is heinous, but for bystanders to simply watch without intervening is equally disturbing. Why wouldn’t somebody call the police or text somebody for help. Lt. Mark Gagan said “This just gets worse and worse the more you dig into it,” Gagan said. “It was like a horror movie after looking at the evidence. I can’t believe not one person felt compelled to help her.” Last month we saw Derrion Albert beat to death at a Chicago high school. As the person taped it on his phone you could hear in his voice that he was a little “geeked up” as he witnessed the violence. A couple of weeks ago we heard of several juveniles who set a Florida classmate on fire because he “snitched” on them. What is happening? Where is the sense of humanity? We can not instill values and morals into these young people, but we still have the law, and if these young people are found guilty of these crimes we can at least punish them for their crimes against all of us.