They can sure dish it out, but they sure can't take it

Alright - I am not the first to praise or glorify the latest pontiff - however - he WAS right.

From NPR: Translated from German, the pope cited the Manuel II Paleologas' view of Islam: "He said, and I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'"

Now the entire Muslim community is in an uproar - I'm surprised the Pope didn't see that coming from a mile away. It seems the Muslim leadership are the first to be offended but also the first to offend. An ultimate hypocrisy. Then THEY take it to the next level - the pontiff immediately said he regretted that he had offended the Islamic community, and to his credit he also stated his confusion at why there is a problem that he stated historical fact.

So, I suppose the Pakistani parliament has nothing better to do with their time than vote to condemn the Pope's comments – unanimously no less. The same bullshit the American congress did when they took out time from congressional duties to rename the fried potato treats in their cafeteria "Freedom Fries." Lord, grant me the strength...

You can take anything out of context and turn it in to whatever you want, if you're good at doing that, you should be a journalist and apply to CNN, they would love to have you on board.

Lincoln: Abolitionist? I think not.

This may be off-subject a skosh - but I think it's an important footnote to our latest discussion on the current state of the African-American community, and where it is headed.

Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest American Presidents, this blogger is not about to argue with that. He managed to clean up the foreign diplomacy mess created by his predecessor, the mediocre James Buchanan, and took over the office of President as the U.S. stood on the verge of collapse. He was as a savvy a politician as they come - but still had to come into Washington unannounced and under the veil of darkness one evening because of the risk of an assassination attempt.

When the Confederacy was established, we were officially at war. The philosophers say this war was about morals and slaves. Moral and slavery were only tools used by the larger powers to solicit their men to fight. No war is every fought about morals, it's not worth the loss. War is fought for money and power, not a profound statement to be sure, but it seems that many people have forgotten this. It's nice to glorify the cause of the North and pretty up all the folks that were killed by stamping it with "We were freeing the slaves." You tell me - if an official from Lincoln's administration came to some town in the middle of New Hampshire and said: we need you to fight to free the slaves... would there have been ANY northern soldiers. I think not. These men weren't fighting to free the slaves, it didn't matter enough to them. Sure, a few die-hard abolishonists would have fought, but there wasn't enough to sustain a full army.

I'm not going to go into more depth about why the Civil War was fought - I believe you can see what I'm getting at. My friend, Ms. Krystal M. has envoked the name of Lincoln twice in our talks about the current state of the African-American community. I have heard his name mentioned a thousand times over by fellow students, on television and in literature when they talk about Lincoln "freeing" the slaves. I say, ya'll need to read Vidal's "Lincoln" before you shove your foot in your mouth again.

Lincoln believed that Whites and Blacks could never live together peacefully, and as far-fetched as it may sound, he actually wanted to transplant the newly-freed slaves to Nicaragua after the war. Lincoln was not an abolitionist. His main goal throughout his presidency was to be as neutral as possible, to be a joining force between the bitterly divided north and south. Claiming himself as an abolitionist would only further that divide.

We need to begin to put aside the racial problems of yesteryear in order to discuss their events now. We must look back and look the truth right in the face, no matter how ugly it is.

The continuing discourse on the state of the African-American community with my friend, Ms. Krystal M.

This entry is inspired by my friend, Ms. Krystal M., and her willingness to engage is fruitful conversation with me. I hope that perhaps her part of this discussion will make its way to a public forum so that you might be afforded the opportunity to read in full what she has to say. Until that time, I shall attempt to create the discussion for you.

First - I must be responsible - and admit when I've made an error in judgment. I am not infallible, but I will not use that as an excuse or deny the misjudgment. It seems as though the woman I mentioned in my entry "Trying very hard not to sound like a bloody racist," is perhaps suffering from a condition that allows her a mere 30 minutes on her feet at any given time. I have not heard too much about this condition myself, in fact, I do not know anyone who suffers from said condition, but then again, there's a lot I don't know.

I will not pretend that something I said was wrong or said without thought. I am not Fox News. (If you are not aware - I'm referring to Bill O'Reilly's twice-over repeated mistake regarding his comments on Malmedy during WWII, you may read more at Media Matters where they have a great article on the subject.)

My friend, Ms. Krystal M., says that she hopes I don't try to hide the racist I am by claiming to "have black friends." I do nothing of the sort - I don't have too since Ms. Krystal M. is my friend and happens to be black - this is called tokenism. I don't do it. However, she claims that my racism is "a condition that bleeds through." I'm not quite sure how to deal with this. I am not a racist, especially given the fact that I am Jewish and have had to deal with my own racism issues in the past. Jews and blacks have statistically been on board with each other for many years, especially among voting lines within the liberal parties. However, I believe there is huge difference in where the Jewish community is now compared with where they have been and where the black community is now compared with where they have been.

(((Technical Difficulty: I apologize - at this point I lost what I had written after this last paragraph due to a gross mistake of closing my Safari window... I will try to recover what I had written past this point which was quite a bit and learn my lesson to SAVE my work... it was good too. Damnit!)))

A great example of this is the secular use of the words "kike" and "nigger." (By the way - I don't if it came from Dr. King himself: "nigger" and "nigga" are the same fucking word. We all know the word "nigger" right? Right. However, it came as a surprise to me to find that MOST people, especially in my own generation has never even HEARD the work "kike" and could not identify or define it. "Kike" is the "nigger" equivalent used for Jews. The Jewish community rallied and refused to acknowledge the word or give it any credence, therefore, over a fairly short time span, the word has all but vanished from our conscience save for its short entry in the dictionary: "noun, informal offensive, a Jewish person." The black community on the other hand has embraced a word that RACISTS used to identify a race they believed inferior to their own, and according to Oxford American Dictionaries "remains one of the most racially offensive words in the [English] language." Until the black community unites and refuses to allow this word to be spoken by blacks and non-blacks alike it will forever remain in our conscience.

My friend, Ms. Krystal M., states: "...your unwillingness to be understanding of the historic issues that will be overcome GENERATIONALLY as they were created GENERATIONALLY." In my defense, I find myself quite aware and conscience of the history of the black peoples, and I do believe that we are in essence making the same argument, that the past atrocities, both on the individual and -more grand- societal scales, cannot be corrected overnight and with little effort. That instead, they must be approached from a new and fresh perspective, one that does not dwell on the past but looks toward a brighter future, one that is certainly in the distance and not right around the corner.

My friend says that I am judging the woman in "Trying really hard not to sound like a bloody racist" without the facts - and that I am judging an entire community based off this gross observation. I say nay - I have not judged the entire community - I have not even judged HER - I have judged something wrong with the African-American community - whether or not this woman had a real problem is a moot issue - if one should say that the things I have mentioned that are major problems the African-American community is facing are NOT real - that person in serious denial.

"We have changed the laws but not the hearts and minds of the people who make and enforce the laws." SO TRUE. I could not argue with my friend on this point. It is very easy to change the one - but an entirely other thing to change the other. More questions ensue: can we really change the hearts and minds of folks? No. They must undergo the same "generational" transformations that any society must undergo.

My friend, Ms. Krystal M., speaks at length about the "freshness" of racism in our country, and I could not agree more with her on this subject. Slavery, segregation, grandfather clauses and the civil liberties fight are very recent, and still exist in the conscience of the people of our country. The problem I see, is that not enough young blacks are concerned about these things or know enough about them. They don't take THEMSELVES seriously.

Until the black community takes their future seriously - I foresee an inevitable downward spiral in the lives of the members of that community, they have a lot of things to combat from within. My friend says: "he black race didn't create this mess alone and it will not be resolved by blacks alone." I have to disagree with her on this. Racism still exists in a big way, both against blacks and by blacks. In a previous essay written by my friend, she discussed the demonization of the black people throughout their tenure in North America, bell hooks speaks of it in her essay "Straightening Her Hair." This demonization has perverted the sense of "self" in the black community to an unfathomable degree, to the point where they themselves sometimes fail to recognize its effects because it is so routine for them to feel that way. It is up to the black community to unite, there is too much division between them now, they must together WANT something better for their children - for their future as a people.

I do agree however, with my friend, that the other sub-cultures of this nation should NOT take a hands off approach - but I fear the only thing we CAN do is to be as supportive as possible. To encourage the black young to succeed (to graduate from high school - not prison -- in reference to an argument made by a young black woman whom I unfortunately remember the name of that stated the "black ideal of success is different from the white." Is it really? Something to think about...) and to lift up our fellow Americans wherever possible - but just as WE cannot change the "hearts and minds" of the lawmakers, the black community must change themselves if there shall be anything TO support.

Are our opinions really that different my friend? Do we differ in substance or only in view?

Dancing my dance.
Zitaos

Trying very hard not to sound like a bloody racist

I'm not a racist - I'm not.

The famous last words of a racist right?

Disclaimer: I will not address the problems with all races today. I will not "balance" my arguement for I am not making one, just stating some thoughts of mine and some observations. Should one want to debate on issues confronting another race besides the one discussed here I shall be much obliged and am well-versed. Have a problem with my "ganging up" on the following race: kiss off.

As I sat in the front lobby of work today, an African-American woman drove into the room on a Rascal. An actual Rascal - not one of those cheep knock-offs. She is overweight - I'm not being a weightist either - she is. She rolled in, said hello, I said hello in return and she parked in the corner - It seemed she was waiting for the bus and wanted to wait in the air conditioning - hey, I'd do the same. Here is what appals me: she parked, then got up... let me repeat that... she parked, then GOT UP and walked around to the back of her Rascal and fetched a bottle of water. She stood there plain as day and drank her water, then shuffled around in her bag a little, then walked around the lobby looking at the literature. She sat in one of the LOBBY chairs for a while. Then she checked her watch, and realizing the bus was to arrive soon, hopped back on her Rascal - said goodbye and rolled on her bloody way.

Alright - I am not proposing that we attempt to regulate who does and who does not use a Rascal, that would be a ridiculous waste of energy. What I am proposing is that we recognize the REAL problems we face in America. A vague statement, I'm sure.

What, in this case, is a REAL American problem is a trend of laziness I've seen in the African-American community - especially in California. This is not a problem for Caucasians, Asians, Europeans, or anyone else to deal with - it is for the African-American community - and the African-American community alone - to deal with.

I call it laziness - yes laziness - I've heard it called many other things: restitution, pay-back, "workin' the system." I call it shear and utter laziness. I'm not sure what I owe the African-American community myself - but I'm sure there's something.

I am not going to say that only black folks "work the system." EVERY race in this country has fuckin' moochers. However, being that the African-American community is such a vital part of who we are as a country and our ability to operate, it is of utmost importance that African-Americans as a whole begin to evolve again.

What do I mean?

When native Africans were brought to the States to serve as slaves their growth was stopped and most of their culture perverted and twisted into what their white masters wanted and prefered. This was the beginning of the African-American culture as it stands today - and completely evident.

The African-American community needs to recognize that their culture began out of a very terrible place, and that is a very hard thing to build on. Still today, they are struggling with their history. It seems to me that the growth in the African-American community has been stunted by a myriad of variables. Technology and availability of social programs among them. I have the feeling that a great deal of African-Americans feel as though they are "owed" something and that they have the right to a little more for a little less.

I'm sorry folks: this is not the case. We all need to do our part, work for our dollars, and pull our weight. In my opinion the problems of the African-American communtiy are many, including single motherhood and multi-father families, significantly falling education rates and college-going students, crime and poverty (which are inextricably linked), and health issues. The next generation MUST make a change in their ways of doing things and most definatly in the ways they interact with their society. If they fail to do this: to encourage their children and fellow tribesmen to procure education (right now, it's more impressive to have graduated from prision rather than from high school), to live their lives in peace and in harmony with the world around them and to take care of their families and their health as much as possible... the downward spiral I currently observe their community in will worsen to a degree I cannot fathom. This is, of course, good advice for anyone of any color, but today I speak of the African-Americans. A culture that has tight ties to our early history (as well as being partly responsible for ensuring our continuing survival as a Union) and which is a beautiful sub-culture in our nation.

I plead with the future parents and scholars of the African-American community: please focus on yourselves and the improvement of your state in life, if you don't, I fear you will all find yourselves in a dire state of affairs that will ultimate lead to the self-destruction of your beautiful society that offers and provides us with so much - yet gives itself so little in return.

Dancing my dance.
Zitaos

What really grinds my gears

Some of you may appreciate the homage to Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story -- which is now -- no longer untold -- I suppose..... cosmic.

This evening I attended the opening game of the UCLA football season. They played Utah at the Rose Bowl - everyone wearing red was white... very strange. We - of course - stomped them 31 to 10. (cue "Sons of Westwood")

The experience was not to be missed - but perhaps not to be repeated.

I am a Bruin. I go to UCLA. I have pumped myself up for months about attending my first UCLA football game - it's supposed to be glorious. I imagined myself amongst a slue of fellow Bruins all wearing powder blue screaming for our team and having a grand old time. This however is - just - not - the - case.

Where you find yourself is lost among a sea of UCLA fans whom have never gone, never intend on going to and most definatly would never have a chance of going to - UCLA. Throw on a $5.00 cheeseburger that's burnt to the perfect crisp and a $6.00 souvenir cup that you damn well know won't survive it's first trip through the dishwasher, not to mention a generous portion of screaming, uncooperative, children, sitting in a line five miles long to BUY the parking ticket (for $10.00) then wait in another five mile line to actually park, walk back the five miles you just drove to get to the stadium, then try to find the one guy out of the 30,000 that has your ticket (thanks Todd).

The cheeseburger reminded me of those home-made chesseburgers Dad used to make when he was in a hurry, or forgot them on the BBQ too long and they've gotten all dry and developed that tasty 1/4" thick layer of charcoal - yummy. I piled on the lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and whatever other condiments they had out - so that I would feel better about the $11.00 meal for one.

We left early - a mortal sin I usually don't commit. However - I would have rather missed the 4th quarter than repeat the trip in on the trip out. No - fucking - thanks.

The drive home was easy - back to SCV in about a half hour. I stopped off at the flat to retrieve my Mac and headed over to Whole Foods so I could get a little internet connectivity, for we have not yet that utility in our home.

So I'm going to go grab a cup of coffee - because there is nothing better than an 8:30 p.m. cup of coffee - then I'm going to go explore my new town a bit - in the safety of the mall.

Dancing my dance.
Zitaos

In response to my friend, Mr. Jason M., on his religion and his biology lecture

We have all found ourselves in that same uncomfortable - and disconcerting to be sure - situation in which we are asked: "What do you believe in?" or "What religion do you follow?" Personally, I tend to stray away from those coversations, because they inevitably lead my partner in conversation to want to attend another session of church as soon as possible because they feel as though I've sucked a little of their sense of decency and moral value out.

I quote from my friend, Mr. Jason M.'s blog on the subject: "...what is the function of religion?"

Mr. Jason M. proceeds, in his blog, to explain how this important question causes him to examine his own relationship with his religion, and on a grander scale, the relationship between humanity and religion.

This question is one of those questions that perhaps it's better not to try to answer, for you might be luckier at finding the answer to the unified field theory question working at a BK Lounge. This question falls into that dark abyss of a train of thought along with "Why are we here?" and "What is our purpose?" and "Who made us?" and the answer to that age-old question: "How is it that Lennon got eight in the back, and Yoko didn't get ONE?" I can understand the offing Yoko wouldn't make you that famous, maybe popular, but not famous, and I can't remember the guy's name anyway, but I can't believe that out of all eight not even one missed... you see, this is why folks feel like I've sucked out a little bit of their moral value.

It's my belief, and one that has been demonstrated by my friend, Mr. Jason M., that it's not finding an answer that's important - not at all! It's the questioning of that which is around you, the self-exploration, that is what is important, one of the great gifts that we have as humans. Many say that what separates us from the rest of our world is our ability to manipulate our environement. I say nay! The ability to manipulate our environement is a result of our ability to question it.

Should we ever have created the wheel without the question: "How can I move this big heavy thing that I'm not able to according to nature?"

Should we ever have created the atom bomb without the question: "Can I smash two atoms into each other and produce an explosion big enough to kill a bunch of people at one time with little effort?"

This is our greatest assest and our greatest gift. To question what is around us. However, this ability is lost on a great many people. Lost to them because they have suppressed their want and need to question their surroundings, not that they can't, but that they refuse. Without the abillity to change one's mind, to be open to new ideas and new ways of carrying out our lives, the ability to question what is around one is moot - null and void - it serves no function.

What is the point of having the key, if you don't intend on opening the door?

Dancing my dance.
Zitaos