Suicide at 17 leaves the rest of us wondering how could we have helped?

My daughter told me yesterday that one of the girls at her high school had died. I asked her what happened and she said she did not know. Today we found out that the girl had hung herself. Now everyone is left wondering why. there will be crisis counsellors at the school tomorrow. The girl was a senior and she was 12 days away from graduating but now there will be a rose on her chair. I talked to my daughter and just said that our problems are temporal and they will pass but suicide is forever. it is sad to know that so much potential will never be realized and we will never know what she could have achieved. We grieve for the loss to her family but we have to continue to talk to our young people and let them know into every life there will be sadness and disppointment, but we want them to reach out and not internalize their pain. Parents, friends, loved ones take this opportunity to talk to the young people in your life and let them know that you are there for them. Sometimes they simply need someone to listen not provide all the solutions but be that safe place that we all need. Sometimes they are seeking advice and be brave enough to give it. Sometimes we need to speak first and just ask how is it going and be willing to stick around long enough to really get an answer. That will require us to put the phone down and turn off the computer. It is going to require us to be truly present. Suicide at any age is painful, but at 17 it is a loss to the family and to society because we will never know what she could have been.

First lady bemoans culture of African Americans aspiring to be ‘a baller or a rapper’

Why do the Obamas use a lecturing tone when addressing African American audiences? Today First Lady Obama addressed Bowie State University and the headline above is how Politico saw her visit. Sure she congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments but that gets lost in the sauce. Why highlight the negative at a time of celebration. If she was addressing Princeton, Harvard or Brown would she bemoan the baller mentality? Don’t get me wrong there are young people who view being a baller as their only ticket out of the hood, but they were not the ones that were sitting before her in caps and gowns they simply desrve our applause.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/05/first-lady-bemoans-culture-of-african-americans-aspiring-164266.html

Why isn’t the New Orleans Mother’s Day Shooting a national tragedy?

Interesting article. Share your thoughts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/15/new-orleans-shooting-not-national-news

Zoe Saldana taking heat for being 115 pounds

You can’t pay most women enough money for them to reveal their weight, but not Zoe Saldana. On the cover of Allure magazine Saldana boldy proclaims she is only 115 pounds. In the article she reveals how she has been able to maintain her weight. Is it a problem for the magazine to reveal her weight? Share your thoughts.

http://www.eonline.com/news/419145/zoe-saldana-s-weight-revealed-on-allure-cover

Dwayne Wade in capri pants suit…fashion forward or fashion flop?

Watch the clip and share your thoughts.

DOJ battles Associated Press, IRS battles Conservatives and there are more questions about Benghazi…when did the Obama administration go off the rails?

I am a supporter of President Obama, but I am not blind and there is something wrong in the White House. There are too many things going wrong and even his most ardent supporters should be asking questions. The Republicans have politicized the Benghazi tragedy from day one, but there are some valid questions that need to be answered. It is not enough to say that the tragedy has become a political football. While that might be true it does not preclude the need to answer valid questions associated with the incident. The IRS has been targeting conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they were seeking tax exempt status. The president has denounced their actions, but that is really not enough. The fact is who told them to do it? There has to be some kind of electronic paper trail and that needs to be investigated. This is not some kind of low level shenaningans. Some officials higher up the food chain need to be held accountable. The latest is the DOJ going after the Associated Press. C’mon man. The government investigating the press. This is simply wrong and it is not less wrong because we like the occuppant in the White House it is wrong on its face, but how did the administration get so far off the rails, and how will they get back on the rails? First thing they have to do is be accountable and not just look to shift blame to the Bush administration, the conservatives or whoever else might be convenient. Democrats have to move away from a defensive posture to an assertive posture. They need to be asking the tough questions too. The fact is we know that the Republicans take delight in all of these calamitous events coming to a head at once, but that can not be a reason not to address the issues. The president’s supporters can not put on blinders or put our heads in the sand. We have to hold the president accountable. We have to hold him up to the standards he set. We can not let him off the hook because we admire him because he is the first black president and we simply are still enthralled by that narrative. We had no problem when we criticized other administrations but we have been timid in calling out wrong with this one. I still support the president and it is early in this second and last term. We should not abandon the promise but if we want the promise to turn into a productive and fruitful second term we have got to make it happen, and that is not going to be comfortable for anyone.

Why did Wayne Brady say he will “kick Bill Maher’s ass in public”?

Bill Maher is a raving liberal with an attitude. He is known for making outrageous remarks. He has often questioned the way the president acts and he has said when he voted for a black president he expected one. Maher’s fanatasy black man is a “gangsta” foul mouthed type who refuses to take any stuff off “whitey”. So the President does not fit his stereotype and apparently Wayne Brady does not fit it either. Yesterday while appearing on HuffPost Live Wayne Brady responded to Maher and let him know he is not the baromenter of blackness. Maher does get a pass because he is a liberal. If he was not no one would let him pigeonhole the black experience into his own self delusional box.

OJ Simpson is back in court today, but he will still probably die in prison

OJ Simpson was aquitted of the murders of his ex wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. He was not found innocent, but the jury felt the evidence did not support a murder conviction. We are not going to argue the merits of the jury’s findings, but when Simpson committed an armed robbery a few years ago the court threw the book at him. Now Simpson is seeking a new trial or an overturning of the verdict because he does not feel his attorney gave him competent representation. Simpson appears much heavier and much grayer and he came to court in a prison jumpsuit. Simpson never fully realized the disdain the public had for him after his first trial. They saw Simpson as a man that got away with murder and if he had fully grasped the hatred he would have drifted off into the sunset and lived the rest of his days out of the public eye. He didn’t do that he chose to live out loud and he still felt the sense of entitlement afforded to NFL loyalty, but that ship had sailed and Simpson still thought he had a ticket. Now Simpson is simply an inmate and he is eligible for parole in 2017, and if he does survive he will be 70, and America will still be mad at him, and he will probably die behind bars.

Deitrick Haddon and 5 other pastors are doing a reality show

WWJD? Not this. Should pastors do a reality show? Reality shows are about manufactured drama. There is really nothing real about them, but in some cases the cast members become famous (NeNe leakes and Bethanny Frankel come to mind), but should you mix church into this kind of stuff? Share your thoughts.

http://www.essence.com/2013/05/12/deitrick-haddon-and-more-sign-pastors-la-reality-show?fb_action_ids=10201153569910938&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210201153569910938%22%3A546179012087190%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210201153569910938%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

American Crossroads hits Hillary Clinton…is she running for something?

In politics it never too early to hit an opponent. Even if you don’t have a candidate running against them. American Crossroads created this ad as a strike against possible candidate Hillary Clinon. At this point she is a private citizen but that does not stop Karl Rove and the gang. My question is will this controversy stick? In an era of news by the minute in 2016 will we still be talking about Benghazi? Share your thoughts.