Out the Side of Your Neck

Ok I'm just going to say it. What the hell is going on with young white teens these days? Seems like every other headline is of some white teenagers killing someone. And not just standard homicide, but its always a mass murder or some weird mutilation or something equally disturbing. I'm not saying this as a racist statement, because as a Black man, I'm the first to recognize that we have many, many issues within my own race. I'm saying it because it seems to be increasing, and it scares me as this is the generation who will be running the world after us!

I know some of you are saying "Black kids kill each other every day!". Yes they do. Its a tragic fact of low income, Black America. Thats a topic for another later post. The difference (although its just as tragic that I am defining differences in ways Black & White youth kill each other) is that Black kids are killing... Black kids. Each other. With guns. Its become so standard that it barely makes the news anymore. Troubled white kids are killing anyone they can! They are shooting up schools, colleges, malls, and churches! Not satisfied with taking their own life, they want to take as many as they can with them. Why? Some have left notes professing a desire for fame and notoriety. What drives that? Are these white teens so disturbed that this is the only outlet left to them? Where are the parents? This is fast becoming a trend. When it happens everyone is all concerned, and its all over the news. Quickly it fades away when there's a bigger story. It's not going away. It's going to keep happening as long as these teens see this as a way to "immortality".

Suburban America has got to wake up and address this problem and stop ignoring/denying it. Before all those manicured green lawns run red with their own blood...

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This hits home because not only do I live in Michigan, but until recently, lived in Detroit, right down the street from Kwame. So I tend to take this one kinda personally.

I think my title says it all? WTF? What could he POSSIBLY have been thinking? I mean to put his entire career in jeopardy, not to mention his family life? Kwame had a long and promising career ahead of him in statewide, and possibly national government. To blow it all on an extra-marital affair? That was bad enough. But then he LIED under oath! Now the affair I can forgive. It's a human failing. You know, it's the "let any among you with out sin, cast the first stone..." thing. But lying under oath is a whole different animal. That makes him unfit to continue to lead the city or hold public office. It's a matter of integrity and ethics.

I know many of you are saying.."But all politicos lie!", and I'm inclined to agree with you for the most part. Lying UNDER OATH is what separates this situation. The honest and professional action would be to admit he was wrong and step down. Pride and stubbornness are playing big parts in how this is unfolding. I have a strong feeling that when (I said WHEN) this goes before a jury, Kwame is going to catch the short end of the stick. At this point, I'm not so sure he doesn't deserve it. I just hate that his wife and family have to endure yet ANOTHER vicious scandal, dragging them down along with Kwame.

So I'd like to pose this question to Mayor Kilpatrick....What do you do now?

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This is the first time in years that I have followed a presidential campaign as close as I have followed this one. Usually by this time, who I'm voting for has already been decided and I'm on to bigger things. Not this year.

First of all let me say I'm disappointed. I've already decided to vote Democrat. And I was excited when I saw the two contenders (c'mon, you know the other guys never really had a chance) were Obama and Clinton. What disappointed me is how fast the campaign degenerated into a finger pointing, name calling mud fest! I mean these are both Democrats right? By using these dirty tactics, they are creating rifts within the party which wont be healed easily. Both candidates are guilty of it, but I have to say that Clinton has been the most "active" with the tactics. First, Bill was on the road bad mouthing Obama, which reflected bad on Clinton. It re-enforced the "Billary" senario that many pundits have said would exist if she was elected. Then Ferraro flat out states that Obamas popularity is due to his race. That couldn't have looked worse for Clinton is she had tried. Then there is the "stretching of the truth" regarding Hillarys involvement in various international situations. Obama has also done his share. Digging up old pictures of the Clintons and presenting them out of context. Accusing the Clintons of playing the race card long before Ferraro put her foot in her mouth. He's also been accused of plagiarizing some of his rhetoric from a friend. Then theres the controversy of the words of his pastor/mentor.

It's frankly ridiculous, and it couldnt come at a worse time for the Democratic party. I still believe that either one of these candidates would make an excellent leader of the country. Better still, a ticket with BOTH of them on it would be incredible! But because of the infighting, I doubt thats a feasibility at this point. Barak has made a point of saying that he is running for President, NOT Vice President. Clinton has suggested that she would be open to a ticket with Obama as her VP. My question is why would you want someone as your 2nd in command when you have repeatedly said they are not fit to run the country? Personally I think its just more political posturing, to make Obama look like the inflexible one.

What it comes down to, is the Democrats need to get it together and quick, because the Republicans are using every advantage to stay in power, and we don't really want that. Do we?

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