In the news

Just in case you haven't been following the news (watching Dancing with the Stars and all), here's a roundup of some of the more interesting stories I’ve seen in a while:

The phone is on, but nobody's home
According to reports, an Icelandic teen was able to figure out the President's personal phone number and gave him a call. The teen, posing as the president of Iceland, left Bush a message requesting him to return the call. Though the Secret Service finally caught on to him, the kid (as far as I can tell) has not indicated how he came across the phone number. Some say he got it when Jenna Bush called the Prez on the Ellen DeGeneres show; while others suggest that he just simply outsmarted White House security and officials. Either way, this kid is brilliant.

Cookie Jar Contempt
This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee -- by a 12-7 vote -- approved criminal contempt resolutions against former Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten. Six months ago, the Committee requested Rove's public testimony on the now infamous attorney firings and issued subpoenas for internal White House documents. As the custodian of such documents, Bolten was cited for refusing to hand them in.

Frankly, I don't think that anything is going to come out of this. Though the resolutions are expected to move to the Senate floor, I don't think any actions will be taken this year. For that matter, I don't think the Senate will have enough momentum to do anything at all.

Gonzo wins award for "Lawyer of the Year"
Former Attorney General Alberto "I don't recall" Gonzales has been honored as the 2007 "Lawyer of the Year". Initially I thought to myself "WTF?!" But when I saw this report from the Associated Press, it all started to make sense to me.

As it appears, the American Bar Association doesn't necessarily recognize the most outstanding lawyer each year; just the one who is the most newsworthy. Think of this way: when Time Magazine voted Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and -- yes -- Dubya "Persons of the Year", it wasn't necessarily because they were the best people in the world (certainly not as cool as you and I apparently were one year). They just made the most noise. That being said, Gonzo truly deserved this award.

Gore finally catches up to his award
Speaking of awards, Nobel Peace prize winner and "former President" Al Gore has made environmentally-friendly improvements to his home. Uh…can you say “about time?” Maybe I'm just being a hater, but when Gore received the Nobel prize for his recent documentary about global climate change, maybe we should've been looking at him as one of the biggest culprits. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to hear about his award. But when you think about how lifestyles don’t match up to sermons, the preacher tends to lose credibility.

Another shock jock back on the air
This story is a little old, but still worth mentioning. Hip Hop disc jockey DJ Star (real name Troi Torain) is back on the air after being fired for comments he made about a rival DJ. Torain was released from a popular New York radio station last year when he threatened to sexually assault and urinate on his rival's then four year old daughter. This dude made Don Imus look like Ghandi by comparison.

Now, we all know my stance on free speech. But, come people: where's the outrage? Threatening children? For real?

Congressional holiday plans: Stay at work?
I just read an op-ed piece from the Washington Post citing the potential plans of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in keeping the Senate running during the Christmas break to stop the Prez from making blind appointments in certain vacancies. Reid organized these special sessions before. He may try it again.

Personally, I think Congressional work should be a year-round job anyway. These clowns typically put us in situations that don’t rest. Why should they get to?

Ex-CIA official chimes in about waterboarding
John Kiriakou, formerly of the CIA recently revealed that not only was waterboarding used in interrogations with suspected terrorists, but that the process was directly approved by the White House.

While all of this was going on, current CIA director Michael Hayden was called into an unpublicized meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee to offer testimony about the process. He is publicly claiming that the Committee knew about the CIA's interrogation techniques, while they claim to have no knowledge of it. Clearly we have a case where somebody or EVERYBODY is lying. So, you can expect for this to be the first of many more hearings.

Halli-hurtin'
I'm torn on this story; mostly because it involves two groups whom I frequently have a hard time believing: greedy corporations like Halliburton and alleged rape victims. Halliburton is currently under fire from accusations of rape by former contractor Jaime Leigh Jones. Jones, a former employee of the billion dollar contracting firm, released a story about how she was gang raped by some of her co-workers, locked away in a storage unit without food or water, and how the company tried to cover it all up.

On one hand, I wouldn't be suprised if this story wound up being true. Halliburton is notorious for raping you and me as American taxpayers. So why stop there? But on the other hand, I wouldn't be suprised if this Jones girl is an opportunist; using the unimaginable (and untouchable) idea of being raped as a chance to either get even with her former employer or to get famous from her screenplay. I dunno.

A Slow Food Nation?
Apparently Los Angeles, plagued by obesity and diabetes, is making a push to ban fast food restaurants from the area. The proposed ban was approved by the council's Planning and Land Use Committee even though two city officials indicated that more work was needed on the proposal.

Honestly, I'm confused by this one. Rather than committing more resources to promote health (exercise facilities that don't cost a fortune, better/safer parks, less expensive health food stores, etc.) the city wants to ban fast food joints?! Somebody pul-LEASE explain that logic to me. I must be slow or somethin'.

Though some studies have suggested that fast food is addictive, this hasn't been as universally accepted as being as truthful as cigarettes being addictive, for example. Until these studies are universally accepted as truth, the city council needs to factor personal responsibility somewhere into this discussion. Sheesh.

“Liberty City 7” terrorists not so terrorizing
According to reports, none of the seven suspects connected to plans of terrorism in the Sears Tower were convicted. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about this story, but I will say that this seems to represent a failed attempt to get people so scared about terrorism that they commit kneejerk reactions. The resources devoted to manipulate our thinking and to make these guys out to be bogeymen worked; apparently until they got to court.

New Jersey abolishes death penalty
By close votes of 44-36 in the state Assembly and 21-16 in the state Senate, New Jersey has become the first state in over forty years to abolish the death penalty. Governor Jon Corzine has indicated that he will sign the bill, effectively making it state law.

I’m not sure what to think about this decision. On the one hand, I’ve always maintained that the death penalty is a barbaric and archaic way of issuing justice; especially considering the number of falsely convicted people executed in recent years. Still, the argument can be made that some of the criminals who were indeed guilty of brutal crimes lost their right to life. But I guess I still believe that a lifetime of losing your freedom (and not being pampered with our hard-earned money; like many convicts are) can be a fate worst than death.

Ike Turner dead
Ike Turner, the infamous rock and roll pioneer is dead from unexplained circumstances. He was 76. Turner was known just as much for his Greatest Hits on Anna Mae Bullock and his Greatest Hits on the pipe as he was for his Greatest Hits in music. Maybe he got a bad rap; maybe he didn’t. Interestingly, Tina didn’t have any comments.

As always, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what's going on in the world. As more stuff surfaces, I'll be sure to offer my two cents. So keep tuning into to "Inside Andre's Head"; the most trusted source in news. The Hippie Conservative is the second most trusted source; albeit a distant second. :)

- ACL

The Wedding Crasher

Food for thought: While other people's children continue to suffer in the streets of Iraq, the President's child is getting married.

Huh.

-ACL

The Bushism Schism

Over the years, folks have had a field day with our current President. Between the way he's been bungling the war, his insanely massive and irresponsible spending, his unwavering support of corrupt cronies, screwing up speech after speech, making toilet paper out of the Constitution, and being an overall moron, Bush has failed the citizens to whom he's beholden time and time again. Thank God he's almost out of the White House.

Still, I can't help but to wonder if he could run for office one more time, how many people would vote for him again. Sadly, I think the numbers would be pretty high.

What say you?

-ACL

Masters of the Universe

Though I haven't quite finished my thesis yet (I'm about 80% finished. Give a brotha a break), I can finally announce that I'm all finished with classes! I's a graduate!

Yeeeeaah Boi!

- ACL

You said what?!

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

I was just over to Hippie’s spot (He’s back on the blogging scene. Yeah, you have me to thank for that.). In his latest piece, he posted a YouTube clip of an old episode of Crossfire; the political and social debate program. On this particular episode, there is a heated exchange between Washington Post columnist John Lofton and the late recording artist Frank Zappa about free speech. Interestingly though this clip is quite a few years old, the debate over free speech is still brewing today; with a different cast of characters, of course.

I make no bones about it; I’ve always been a fan of the 1st Amendment. In fact, it’s the very concept of free speech that has allowed me to host this blog for as long as I have. In other nations, having this type of clearinghouse for discussion would likely get me dragged outside of the city walls and stoned. Whether my commentary has centered around spirituality, social/cultural happenings, politics, or just your average Monday morning water cooler discussion, the Constituition does its job in allowing me a considerable forum to speak and be heard. As it does with the rest of you...

However, what the First Amendment does not…and I repeat…DOES NOT do is protect us from certain types of consequences we might face for expressing ourselves; namely criticism from other people. I can post virtually anything I want on my blog (at least anything not in violation with security); citing my first amendment rights in the process. But similarly, my readers -- barring any censorship I can do as this site’s administrator -- also have the rights to call me out for what I say. Future employers have the right to use the content of this page to make decisions on my employability. My mother has the right to be pissed and knock me upside the head if she read some of the stuff I’ve written on my blog. Simply put, the First Amendment protects our rights to speak freely. It does not shield us from the backlash that may occur from doing so. When Don Imus, for example, was fired because of his comments about the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team (only to later be rehired, as I predicted), it wasn’t because he broke any free speech laws. The government didn’t detain and convict him on charges of violating the Constitution. He simply lost his job because of the consequences of his free speech. Supporting sponsors -- fearing public boycotts -- pulled out of him faster than (insert dirty insertion jokes here).

So whether you're a complete free speech advocate, only in favor of free speech when it applies to you, or a loon out to censor EVERYTHING, we all need to take a chill pill. Let's not get things twisted: the government can’t constitutionally barge your door down and arrest you for having an opinion (though, the Patriot Act is freakishly close to allowing that). But before you try to cloak yourself in the First Amendment, that doesn’t mean that your brother, sister, or best friend can’t attack you in a different way. It is within a their rights to challenge you on different things; even if those things were a product of you exercising your rights.

Attack my comments all you want. It's a free country...

...at least for now.

-ACL

A little holiday fun

OK, I admit: I'm not exactly a Christmas spirit-y type of person. I'm also not a fan of too many Will Ferrell gigs outside of his SNL days. But this clip from "Elf" always gives me a little holiday chuckle for whatever reason.




- ACL

Victims to victors (and back again?)

I was watching Oprah not too long ago (I know. I'm sorry...). On the show were Drs. Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint as they discussed their new book Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors. This book is the latest in the long list of public appearances and open discourse they've had regarding the state of today's black community. Their forums -- controversial as they be -- are calling on the Black community to be more aggressive in their advocacy for change and community improvement. Not surprisingly, their commentary has been met with opposition; mostly from public intellectuals like Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who insist that they place too much emphasis on personal responsibility and not enough on the systemic and structural racism that exists. Further, opponents contend that "airing dirty laundry" allows many in White America (especially conservatives) to justify their own bigotry by using observations from other blacks like Cosby and Poussaint as a support system.

Truthfully, I see both sides of the argument.

On the one hand, I completely understand how some of Cosby and Poussaint's biggest critics can get incensed by their observations. Looking at their commentary from a certain vantage point, I can see how it can be perceived as being generationally out of touch, classist, and unbalanced.

To address the first point regarding the generational breakdown; for some time now, Dr. Cosby has been waging war on young people; particularly as it relates to how they embrace a certain urban culture that often includes activities, images, and representation that have negative implications. But what Drs. Cosby and Poussaint fail to note is how complex many elements of urban culture truly are. Now I'm not exactly a hip-hop subscriber myself. But even I can tell that many circles of hip hop go beyond simply celebrating thuggery, drugs, misogyny, violence, and the vacuous pursuit of material. There are quite a few mechanisms in place through the urban community that speak directly to the importance of education, community awareness, the harsh conditions of the streets, and the presence of systemic racism in law enforcement, the courts, and society at large. But messages like these are often ignored simply because the entire platform of hip hop is disparaged by the likes of Cosby and Poussaint. Simply put, some of their messages about black folks living outside of our means, killing each other, and promoting ignorance can sometimes be found in the very rap lyrics that they are so vehemently against.

Moving on to the next point, many critics tend to view the antics and commentary of people like Drs. Cosby and Poussaint as being laced with a great deal of classism. Though I don't think that is at all their intention, one would be hard pressed to disagree. One of the problems with how they (and other "well off" black folks) delivery their message is that their commentary typically suggests a level of antipathy toward poor and lower class blacks. Oftentimes, that antipathy is unfairly assigned. For instance, I read an amazing book by Barbara Ehrenreich called Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; where she experimented by taking on a series of unskilled jobs while trying to earn a living. Yet she was unable to make ends meet. Such is the case with many poor blacks. They have solid work ethic and an interest to take care of their families; but because of certain precipitating events (racism, the ills of job outsourcing, corporate greed, low wages), they are often left out of the "American Dream".

Speaking to the last point, I understand why Blacks are sensitive to criticism about their lifestyles; albeit constructive. When analyses and cultural criticisms appear to be unbalanced and conveniently discount social, economic, and political deficiencies that create the problem, the 'victim' tends to get more offended when you place the blame squarely on them. The unfortunate consequence of this type of critical analysis -- though somewhat on point -- is that it can get lost if it isn't balanced by an understanding and an appreciation of the systemic problems that contribute just as much to this plight.

Still, I think that critics of Drs. Cosby and Poussaint should stop and really listen to the message they are trying to convey; regardless to how poor and incomplete the delivery might be. They talk about how gangs, drug/alcohol addiction, violence, and ignorance should be viewed in the same light as the other nefarious forces that exist in this society. Jim Crowism no longer "keeps us down". Now it's B.E.T. The Klan no longer terrorizes our neighborhood (at least not to the same extent as it once did). Now it's young black teenagers who are committing the assaults. It's no longer the George Wallaces of the world who work assiduously to keep blacks out of college. We're the ones voluntarily dropping out of high school. Simply put, in many cases, we're the ones self-imposing things that threaten our advancement and indeed our very survival.

Rather than painting black folks as sad and pathetic victims of circumstance, people like Cosby and Poussaint seek to empower us to control our own lives. They challenge parents to play a more active role in determining what images their children are exposed to; particularly when that imagery is the product of what we throw out there ourselves. True, most of the enterprise out there has a great deal of corporate sponsorship/ownership; but we are the ones being portrayed. Cosby and Poussaint are trying to urge us to be more actively engaged in promoting education in the community. They are calling for us to manage our households. They are calling for us to be more fiscally responsible. Frankly, there is nothing classist about that. They're using their "bully pulpit" in a responsible and necessary manner.

Again, I don't deny that there are major social obstacles in place that can hinder progress. But now is the time for the black community to have a renewed mind when facing those challenges. Let's take Oprah for example. Sure, she can be pretty shallow; especially with some of her ridiculous talk-show and magazine coverage and how she flaunts her money. Sure, she panders to middle-aged white woman far more than a person ever should (interestingly, the same thing can be said of most rappers; who largest consumer markets are white teenagers). But she is also a black woman who, by her success, wealth accumulation, and philanthropy; is living the life. This coming about in spite of racism. Though she is a rare case of insane success, the possibility of emerging from dysfunctional and oppressive environments is not at all inconceivable. True, not everybody can earn the status as an uber-billionaire in the same fashion that Oprah did. Only so many black people can cater to the interests of White America before the novelty wears off (are you listening Wayne Brady?). Nevertheless, the possibilities for other forms of success are as attainable now as they have ever been. That being the case, I see nothing wrong with one of us who "made it" occasionally lighting a fire under everybody else's ass.

What's often deplorable is that any time a Black person makes even a slightly critical assessment of other blacks, they are labeled as an Uncle Tom, classists, or as being apologetic for/dismissive toward racism. But if you believe that, you must also believe that their attempts to improve the conditions of Black America are somehow wrong as well. That, to me, is a ridiculous claim. This country is full of great people who have emerged despite the mounting structural disorders they faced. So rather than solely channeling out frustrations at Cosby, why not use our resources to confront both the systemic problems AND the ones that we create?

Holla at me!

-ACL

Blogger of the Month

Now that I've been able to finally get through midterms, get some sleep, recover from the debacle that is University of Michigan football and set two minutes aside to stop being mad at the world I can get back into the blogging scene. Somewhat. Indeed, there's plenty to talk about, but when I put myself in the frame of mind to post, I invariably find that I don't have the time. But I will at least take a moment to recognize this month's featured blogger: Sylvia; AKA "HeiressChild."

Like most of my other cyberfriends, I have no idea how I first came across Sylvia. I suppose if I traced back far enough to some previous posts, I'll find our first conversation. But in the interest of not doing any additional legwork, I'll just say that I met her at the post office.

Sylvia's screen name is derived from a Biblical passage that proclaims that she is a joint heir(ess) with Jesus. But truthfully, I didn't need a screen name to remind me that Sylvia's a woman of God. She ejects that kind of Spirit anyway. True, I've never met her in person. But if her real-life persona even remotely matches her on-screen identity, I have every confidence that she is indeed living a life that is pleasing to God.

What I particularly enjoy about Sylvia's site is that she provides a forum that I often use as a much needed assurance of God's goodness. I think we all know how good God is; but sometimes we need to be reminded. When I read about her daily struggles, how she fights to overcome them, and how she clings closer to God in the process, I get a sense of encouragment which I can then apply to my own life. Furthermore, I enjoy her positive insight on things (usually as a clear contrast to my negativity), her ability to open new networks (I've met quite a few interesting people through her site), and the fact that -- like me -- she loves Jeopardy. :)

If you haven't done so already, stop by her place. You'll be blessed for it.

- ACL

Fail to the Victors

Ohio State - 14
Michigan - 3

DAAAAAAMMMMNNNNNNIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!

- ACL

Jumping on a new ship?

Everybody knows that I'm officially done with Hillary. We can't seem to get an ounce of truth from her anymore. Yes, I've been on Team Obama for a while. But after he and a few other Dems decided to disenfranchise my vote as a Michigander, I'm not so sure I can get down with him either. Dennis Kucinich seems pretty cool; though he's a little too liberal for my liking (which makes me want to demand a recount on the Candidate Calculation I so kindly plugged on my blog. That program, of course, made me Kucinich supporter). And, of course, it's common knowledge that I can't stand the GOP. So we all know that none of those jokers could ever gain my support.

But in a strange and unexpected turn of events, I've been finding myself curiously interested in Ron Paul as a legitimate candidate for me to support. Of all the candidates on either side, he makes the most sense. For example, this clip highlights his positions on some of the more critical issues facing the country right now:





Now, it should be noted that I strongly disagree with his stance on social programs (where he wants to eliminate them altogether, while I believe they should still exist with rules and limitations attached) abortion (though not that big a deal to me since I'll never get pregnant :) ) and lower taxes (which, as far as I can tell, can't happen right now because of the mess the Bush Administration has put us is). But most of his policies -- though having traces of "traditional" conservatism -- aren't all that unreasonable to accept. His positions on smaller government, independent liberties, trade limitations, troop withdrawal, staying out of other nation's business for instance, all seem like good indicators of sound policy. Clearly, this dude is light years ahead of the other candidates; both Republican and Democrat.

This dude may very well have my vote come January; and possibly come next November.

- ACL

Two bear arms

If only this was the 2nd Amendment "right" the NRA was making such a big deal over. But unfortunately it isn't.

And this is usually the result.

- ACL

The Jena sux

I'd like to take a quick second to publicly apologize to my loyal readers for blindly jumping on the Jena 6 bandwagon. While I'm relieved that the initial charges of six black teens beating up a white teen were rightly reduced from attempted murder to assault; and while I'm fully aware of the ill state of race relations in this country, recent events involving these kids have turned me off to this Jena 6 nonsense for good.

First, two of the Jena 6 boys were seen chillin' and partying at the BET Awards. Then, there was so-called "comedian" Katt Williams sporting a noose on the red carpet. Then, as if I couldn't get any more annoyed, another one of other boys *allegedly* posted pictures of himself on his Myspace page, where he's flashing what some people suspect are donations from supporters. Though I can't speak directly to the veracity of that claim, I can at least comfortably say is that when it comes to painting themselves out to be the tragic victims of racism, the Jena six sux.

True, I'm upset at these kids for discrediting themselves (and, for that matter, their "cause") by engaging in this foolishness. But I won't dismiss forget the fact that they are teenagers; albeit stupid ass teenagers. So I won't go down too hard on them. Instead, I'm actually shifting more of the burden to the parents, lawyers, and activists who have made this case what it is. How effective have they been in teaching these kids the importance of low exposure during important trials? What have they done to teach these kids about the social responsibilities that come with being in the spotlight (whether they wanted to be thrusted in it or not)? What have these folks taught the Jena six boys about honoring and respecting the contributions/sacrifices others have made to support them?

At least I can say that -- outside of a post on my blog -- I haven't lost too much of an investment regarding the case. I'm glad that I followed my better judgment and restrained from sending donations and/or personally traveling to Jena. But if any of you actually did do any of the aforementioned things, I don't think you'd be too hard pressed in demanding a refund.

Holla at me!

- ACL

Suprise!

I'm not sure how long this video will be on YouTube. Similar versions of it have been deleted.

This is one of my sister's and my favorite SNL skits. Justin Timberlake and Andy Sandberg do a pretty good job of poking fun at some of the nonsense accepted as "music" these days. Enjoy!

*Warning: this clip contains some strong language*

- ACL

Kucinich = Andre's Choice 4 Prez?

According to this Candidate Calculator, I'm supposed to be a Dennis Kucinich supporter. I could do worse I guess. I mean, have you seen his wife?! She's not the hottest woman on the planet, but I'd much rather have her as a First Lady than Bill Clinton. No doubt!

Anyway, here's how I scored:

Top Match
Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich (D) - 81.82% match

Other Top Matches
Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) - 72.73%
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden (D) - 72.73%
Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel (D) - 72.73%

Middle of the Pack
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D) - 63.64%
New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) - 54.55%
Texas Representative Ron Paul (R) - 54.55%
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) - 45.45%
Businessman John Cox (R) - 45.45%
Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd (D) - 45.45%
Arizona Senator John McCain (R) - 36.36%
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) - 36.36%
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) - 27.27%
Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo (R) - 27.27%

Bottom of the Barrel
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback (R) - 18.18%
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) - 18.18%
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) - 18.18%
California Representative Duncan Hunter (R) - 9.09%

At no suprise, most of the GOP wound up at the bottom of the list. But I admit I was pretty suprised (and maybe a little disappointed) that at least Ron Paul and I didn't see eye-to-eye on more things. What's worse is that Ghoul-iani scored so well with me. Freaky.

How do you rate?

- ACL

Political humor

Truthfully, I haven't been a huge Hillary fan lately. Frankly, she's got a lot of work to do before she can earn my affection. Still, I was pleasantly suprised to see that she's got a pretty good sense of humor, as evidenced by this campaign ad:



Just in case you didn't get the joke, this ad was a parody on the series finale of the hit TV show The Sopranos. Some die hard fans had some issues with the way the series ended, but I for one thought it was genius. Check it out:



But, back to Hillary. As I said, she's not on my friend's list right now. But at least I can count on her for a good laugh. This before she gives me a good laugh on her foreign policy.

- ACL

Light = Right?

I love my people. But sometimes they can drive me up the wall.

In the latest installment of the "What the hell is wrong with us?" series, a DJ/promoter in Detroit apparently thought it would be a good idea to host a party where "light skinned" women received free admission. At no suprise, this idea was met with opposition on all fronts.

Honestly, I don't know where to start with this one. This is clearly another sad example of how the mentalities that were shaped during slavery (particularly with the conflict between house slaves and field slaves) have once again managed to rise to the 21st century surface. Further evidence that self-hatred and ignorance didn't end just because slavery did.

Hat tip to my big sis Robin for this article.

- ACL

The Apocalypse of College Football

Just to recap things up to this point:


- Michigan loses to Appalachian State at home. They then get blown out the next week; also at home.

- Notre Dame starts its season off at 0-5.

- Florida loses two games in a row; one of which is to an unranked Auburn at home.

- Five of the nation's top ten teams all lose in one week. Three more lose the weekend after that.

- Southern Cal loses to an unranked Stanford at home, while facing a second string quarterback.

- LSU, the number one rated team in the nation, loses to Kentucky.

- On the same day, number two California loses to an unranked Oregon State at home.

- The University of South Florida and Boston College are in the top five in BCS scoring.


This is all further evidence that the end is near.

- ACL

Causes or trends?

OK. This post will most likely get filed in the “Andre ain’t s@*t” category. I’ve got a few more of these up my sleeves so I’m prepared to deal with the onslaught of opposing diatribes. In this case, I'm hoping that my delivery won't be the source of a major breakdown in communication. We shall see. So without further ado, let’s get on with this:

I was in grocery store the other night to grab a few items (interesting how going in to grab one item wound up being about a hour’s worth of impulsive shopping. But I digress.). As I made my way through the store I was amazed to see pink…literally everywhere. From cans of soup, to apple juice, to laundry detergent, product after product adored pink labels used to recognize and support Breast Cancer Awareness month. Initially I have to admit, I was a little moved by the noble efforts of vendors and the store in general to promote awareness regarding this serious and life-threatening affliction. Even if most of the products themselves were laced with preservatives, mad calories, and (apparently) salmonella, it was still clear to me that the vendors were all doing their part in fighting breast cancer. This, coupled with individual efforts to support the cause (Sylvia, for instance, just wrote an amazing post about it) left me with a restored sense in people’s humanity.

But (here it comes)…

The more I thought about, the more incensed I got. With absolutely no disrespect intended to breast cancer victims around the world, I’m absolutely sick of days, weeks, or months that are set aside to commemorate well…stuff. It’s for that very reason that I’m done celebrating Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, 9/11, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Rape Victims Month, or any other trendy things the greater society can come up with. Please don’t read into me incorrectly: I’m certainly not implying that it’s no longer necessary to be aware and concerned about those things. I just don’t think that putting together some cheesy commemorative event or series of events is the best way to disseminate important information about these causes. As long as we walk this Earth, our hearts and minds should be on the problems of the world; not just during a particular month or when some particular celebrity endorses it.

Before I go any further (to take a break from any tension that might be building at this point), let me point out that I take no issue with people’s interest in identifying the problems; particularly as the hit close to home. Many people who meet certain problems with apathy often do so because they haven't experienced that particular problem in their lives. I get that. But I still find myself having some issues here that I need to get off my chest.

For starters, a major issue I have with these awareness-raising efforts is the limited scope of focus throughout the greater society. Frankly, there are far too many causes out there to arbitrarily assign a month or a week's worth of awareness to each one. I suspect that we simply identify the catchiest causes and make them the center of attention.

But ultimately, I suppose that the greatest issue that I have with our tendency to turn causes into a trend (well, I guess you can say that’s a part of the problem too) is that causes like AIDS awareness, breast cancer awareness, Black History, Hispanic Heritage, etc all fit into the category of things that should be inseparable from our understanding of the world in the first place. As I just mentioned, these are problems that need to be addressed everyday; not just for a month at a time. We buy potato chips in the bag with the pink ribbon on it, learn the words to “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, put an American flag in our yard, donate a little blood, and attend a Hispanic movie festival and think that we’ve done a great thing in the world. That’s all fine and dandy. But I submit to you that it’s not about what you do for breast cancer awareness in October. It’s about what you do in May. It’s not about using February to celebrate the contributions black folks have made to society. It’s about what you do to recognize them in September. It’s not about how holy you are on Sunday. It’s what you do Monday through Saturday that counts. We don’t honor America (the troops and otherwise) by wearing pins and putting magnetic ribbons on our cars. We do it through our day-to-day conduct (I feel you on that one, Senator).

My point here is not to attack or condemn the merits of Breast Cancer Awareness month or any other similar efforts of recognition. I’m simply pointing out that there is a general lack of concern about pressing issues in the world until some marketing and feel-good stories get attached to them. And even then the attention generated for that cause/event is pretty limited to a particular time period. The problems themselves aren’t limited to a certain amount of time. Why then, have our concern for these problems been shaped that way?

Your thoughts?

-ACL

Blogger of the Month

One cool thing that I've taken from blogging over the past two years is the interaction that I've had with the diverse people from around the globe. I've debated, learned from, and exchanged thoughts with folks whose blogs reflect their unique personalities.

So as a component of me tracing my walk through cyberspace, I've decided to toss out the occasional "shout outs" to other bloggers out there. On one hand, I guess this is my way of thanking them for edifying me in their own ways. On another hand, this is my attempt to get you hip to other folks out there in the blogosphere.

I was going to start with my amigo the Hippie Conservative but it seems that right now he's got some technical difficulties he needs to work out (yeah, I called you out. Take that!). So I'll go somewhere else for my virgin "shout out" post:

My first featured blogger is my cyber homegirl, Mariana.

I'm not sure when I first met Mari. But since I did, she's become one of my favorite bloggers. Most of her blog follows her day-to-day activities; which admittedly don't necessarily speak to my need to stay hip to all the latest news and social commentary of the day. To that extent, I suppose we don't have much commonality. All the same, I still find myself enamored by how she sees the world; especially as she views it through the eyes of a student. I especially like how she's as fun, socialable, and cool as they come; but she can also buckle down and take care of business when she needs to. I think that what amazes me most about Mari is how incredibly sharp she is. She's successfully finished a four-year degree, graduate school, and her first semester of med school. What's more; she's only in her mid-twenties.

You should check her out some time. I think you'll find her just as interesting as I do.

- ACL

The words to the song

"We hate America."

"I can say nigga, but you can't."

"The 9/11 victims were Nazis."

"I am no longer a Christian."

"Bush is a fascist."

"We cheered during 9/11."

Before I go any further, let me preface this post by informing you that none of these statements are mine; nor do they reflect sentiments I hold.

Well, sort of.

When you hear rhetoric like this presented with such extremity, it's very easy to get your message lost in the translation. It's for this reason -- I would argue -- that there has been such a major disconnect between liberals and conservatives in what would otherwise be a civilized and lucid discussion.

From my analysis of debates between pundits, activists, and media, I've come to the conclusion that the possibility of profound and intelligible exchanges between liberals and conservatives are often twarted when extreme rhetoric is tossed into the mix. When I first heard that rapper and activist KRS-One went on Hannity and Colmes to justify his comments regarding 9/11 for example, I just knew what to expect. He would be on the show defending his statements, Sean Hannity would fccus on what he said WORD FOR WORD, rip into him, give him a second to explain himself, and then -- of course --KRS-One would fail to adequately do so. Not suprisingly, at the end KRS-One would be labeled as another liberal nutcase who thought that 9/11 was a good thing (since his comments were taken literally, 911 must've really been a joke).

Then, I saw the clip:

When I heard KRS-One's comments, I immediately knew what he meant. I immediately picked up on the fact that he wasn't "celebrating" Jane Doe (the $9/hr secretary working at Merrill Lynch to take care of her family) being killed during the horrendous attacks of September 11th. I get the idea that the "celebration" was indeed over the assault on corporate America that ensued during the attacks (let's face it, America's economic system is greedy and exploitative and did take a major blow during 9/11). But that's not what Hannity heard. All he heard was "we celebrated during 9/11". From there, the usual antics of talking over each other and falsely contextualizing took place.

KRS-One's comments, Ward Churchill's anti 9/11 sentiments, the Daily Kos (and other liberal outlets), and defendants for the n-word all fall into the same category. They all share legitimate thoughts and ideas that quickly get lost and dismissed by poor delivery. I'm sorry, but using a series of extreme and sometimes hyperbolic statements will not make your message acceptable to conservatives. Conservatives (as far as I can tell by those I've seen in action) tend to process information concretely. This certainly isn't a character flaw. It's just how they are. So when liberals try to convey a point using abstract and figurative language, they'll never get conservatives to see things their way. Hence the communication breakdown. This is why there will always be a great divide.

This discussion conveniently fits into a conversation I had with the Hippie Conservative regarding Bill O'Reilly's comments about Sylvia's restaurant. After hearing another version of this story, it appears that his comments were taken out of context. So, allow this to serve as my public apology for bashing Bill-O (if your only sources are Media Matters and Crooks & Liars, you might wanna double check the information before forming an opinion). But this also goes to show that if people don't say what they actually mean it makes it all the easier to twist and manipulate comments to satisfy an agenda against them. If you leave it up to other folks to make assumptions on what you mean, effective communication will never take place; least of all not with political and social relations.

-ACL