Signs of Bigotry on MLK Day

I bet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is rolling over in his grave. Signs of bigotry from the black mayor of New Orleans.

Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans

“"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

Bigotry is wrong no matter what side of the coin is guilty of committing it. It is just as wrong for a black man to make statements like the above as it would for a white man to do the same.

I have a problem with this on many sides but here are just a few.

1. What would happen if a white mayor said that he wanted his city to be predominately white? (You can insert all sorts of lawsuits, investigations, etc, etc., etc., here).
2. Did Dr. King really express dominance of any class or race over the other? NO! See post from Friday for a link to his entire “I have a dream” speech.
3. Maybe they should only use Black tax dollars from Louisiana to rebuild the city
4. I am going to be labeled a racist just for suggesting these points and publishing them here.

Get over it folks. What part of Equality is so difficult to understand? I will say it now. Mayor Nagin – You are a racist. Solve your core problems first. During your recent parade to a meeting on the planning and rebuilding, the parade was marked by shots fired and two people killed. During rescue operations helicopters and rescue workers were fired at. Your police officers were observed by news crews partaking in the looting. I think you should address the propensity towards violence and crime in your city before you start attempting to impose your racial agenda.

Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Not for me to say. If the residents feel they want to try and rebuild in a flood plain then that is between them and their insurance companies. Should I have to pay for it? NO! Should some of my tax dollars be used to clean up and rebuild. Sure. Rebuild the infrastructure, reinforce the dikes and levees, but to use my tax dollars to rebuild a private home or establishment. HELL NO! That is what insurance and hard work are for. I do not expect I will get any help from other states when a freak tornado takes out my home. My insurance (which I work hard to pay for) will cover that.

I really hate post like this. The fact that it irks me enough when statements are made like Mayor Nagin made eases that pain a little. I really tend to open my mouth, and now my keyboard, when I notice problems and stupidity that seems to coincide with them.

This is the Land of the Free baby! Not the land of the immense welfare state. The Statue of Liberty has an inscription that reads:

”Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Nowhere in this invitation does it state that you will then receive free healthcare, free food, or a free ride. I will give you the free air to breath though. Our founding fathers knew the importance and the benefits of hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit. They worked hard, as many after them still do. The only promise this country offers is the FREEDOM to prosper. We do not offer a government-backed guarantee of prosperity. Work for what you want and need.

Thomas Jefferson I think said it best:

"An industrious farmer occupies a more dignified place in the scale of beings, whether moral or political, than a lazy lounger, valuing himself on his family, too proud to work, and drawing out a miserable existence by eating on that surplus of other men's labor which is the sacred fund of the helpless poor." --Thomas Jefferson: Answers to de Meusnier Questions, 1786

Here is a link to many other quotes and writing by Thomas Jefferson. I would highly suggest you read some of them, especially his views on politics, equality, and race. Most of you are not being taught about this author and founding father in our public baby-sitting areana know as schools now. Take it upon yourself to expand your mind and horizons by delving into this and other founding father writings.

God Bless America

Fanatics

WOW! Religious fanatics are really making the headlines. I for one understand a deep belief in God, but Islam takes the cake. Misplaced luggage apparently is to blame in the death of 345 Muslim pilgrims. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181546,00.html

All religions have their own set of rituals, but how fanatical do you have to be to literally kill people to throw rocks at a pillar? I am beginning to believe that Muslims just like to have weapons in their hands, AK-47’s, Rocks, IED’s, Semetec belts etc, etc, etc. This is not apparently the first time this has happened either.

Religion is about life, when you boil it down. How to live your life, how to have everlasting life, how to effect the lives of others. To die defending your religion is one thing, but to die for a ritual is just plain lacking in the brains department.

European Soccer has suffered many tragedies with fanatics (FANS for short) doing a multitude of stupid stunts ending in deaths. People need to wake up. No action by a sports team should warrant the death of many people for sake of winning or loosing. To die for a sports team also show a severe lacking in the brains department.

Americans at the malls the day after Thanksgiving. I have seen many instances where the pushing and shoving become so bad that people are hurt and or killed. Wake up people, a sale is not a good reason to die! Throwing stones at a pillar is not a good reason to die! Your favorite sports team is not a good reason to die!

Race Fanatics are the worst. White racist and black racist alike. There is no difference between the two. Al Sharpton simply does not grasp the concepts of the people he touts the most. Mr. Duke of the KKK does not grasp the concept of Freedom and equality.

Good ethical values can surely be based on religious beliefs, but to loose site of respecting people because they disagree with you is seriously wrong in my book. Respect of others does not mean that you have to loose your place in line either. We should not respect others more than we respect ourselves. You want true equality amongst ethnical groups, then EVERYONE needs to simply learn simple respect of others and their ways. Do you have to accept or believe in their way to respect them? NO! I for one do not believe that homosexuality is proper. That does not mean that I cannot respect a person even when they are homosexual. I just don’t have to agree with them.

Somewhere along the line respect has been misconstrued into believe and agreement. To respect a person DOES NOT imply agreement. I respect Sen. Ted Kennedy for his life-long commitment to public service. I have yet to agree with anything that has spieled from his lips.

I respect Martin Luther King Jr. Not because he was black but because of the core values he displayed. He had no intention of making the black community a master race, he was striving for equality. Equality means respect. I believe his words were “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Content of Character. Not their religion, not their skin color, not their sexual preference, not their abortion beliefs, not their political association.

And when all people are treated with respect and dignity then

“Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring — when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children — black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

So as the country prepares to recognize this man for his traits, character, and core values, please look at his speech in whole http://douglassarchives.org/king_b12.htm and see for yourself what respect means.

You want to be fanatical about something. Good, start by being a fanatical good parent. Be fanatical about teaching your kids the difference between right and wrong. Teach your kids and yourself how to respect all of their fellow humans. Teach and learn respect for the rights and liberties we cherish (and are quickly loosing) in this country. Teach and maintain a core set of ethical values that allow for the co-existence of mankind.

What About Real Heroes

I post this today, a first in a while as you can tell, realizing that our country as a whole has fallen into a giant hole when it comes to role models, heroes, and celebrities.

What happened to the REAL Heroes and real people? I was reading today on the LA Times Online, (Will not post a link to this left-winged, liberal piece of toilet paper), one of the columnist today was stating how he was upset because he was no longer to appear before the Senate for the Supreme Court Justice nominee hearings. BOO HOOOO. He stated that he felt like ‘Joey’ from the TV show friends…SAY WHAT?

ACTORS

Joey is a character with absolutely no feelings. A character from a show, if played properly, can make us feel emotions but the character itself cannot. What a CROCK. The sad part is that I hear more and more people comparing themselves to fictional characters rather than real world people.

The whole society is totally enamored with celebrities, and this attitude in my opinion needs to change. (After all this is my blog and my opinions, feel free to post me a comment if you would like. They are filtered but I will post all that are not vulgar .) I could care less if Angelina and Brad are pregnant. Good for them, best of luck, given the times here is yet another kid that will grow up in a single family. They both are previously divorced, probably wont be their last. WHO CARES? Why does that take up time on the morning news? Is this really news worthy? If so why not list ALL the people that are expecting in the U.S.A, after all, we are all equals right?

Sports Stars

In the past a person could look up to a sports star and use them as a role model. As a matter of fact, I believe that most sports still have some kind of ethical behavior clauses in their contracts. It is very obvious they do not get enforced at all. Now I do believe in second, third, and so on chances in life but sport stars are getting ridiculous and the team ownership has a chance to step up to the bat. Case in point. Mike Vic, formerly of the VT football team, crumb of the earth if you ask me. Has had many chances in life that most of us cannot afford, ever get, and only work hard in hopes our kids will get.

After being kicked off the VT team last week, he promptly announced his entrance into the NFL draft. I am not going to give you a play-by-play of his actions but to say the least banning him from college football was the least that could happen. The next day he is accused of brandishing a firearm. WOW! Probably a shoe-in for some high paying football contracts in next year’s draft. What kind of message does this send to the everyday man? If it was one of us common folk that did HALF of what he has done, and been accused of doing we would be UNDER the jail.

Journalists

Now here is a section that may get me in trouble. One of the best people on earth that I know of is a former journalist. Check out my link to her book and read for yourself. Today’s journalist are getting on my nerves in the biggest of ways. When did journalist become part of the story? When did their personal opinions matter more than a bucket of crap in a field? WAKE UP. They don’t. Journalist are supposed to report the news, bring us interesting stories and news from the community. Since when does it matter what the reporter thinks? Since when did the news revolve around what the journalist and his boss think we should know? REPORT the news, DON’T MAKE IT. Report it all and don’t be biased by your own political agendas. Maybe someday we will get a truly, straight up, no nonsense news station to watch/listen to. After all, if you think CNN (known as the communist news network in my house) is not bias towards what it reports then you need to start reading some other forms of news and see what CNN is not reporting.

What kind of education do you need today to be a journalist? Technically none. I guess in a way I am a journalist by publishing this blog. I am speaking though of broadcast journalist of the news type here. I am forthright in stating that these are my opinions. Broadcast journalist today, for the most part, are hiding their personal opinions and bias under a layer of “authentication” by expressing their views on CNN, MSNBC, etc. Going back to education, have you really paid attention lately to the questions some of these dopes come up with? At the mine explosion in West Virginia, one report actually asked a family if they felt any different knowing that their family member was actually dead rather than alive……………..HERES YOUR SIGN.

The rest of Us

To the truly devoted and upstanding rest of you, I salute you. You are the real role models for us to look up to. By standing your ground for what you truly believe, and knowing what you believe to begin with, you are exceptional people. Spread it out though, you must share your knowledge, frustrations, and the like with the rest of us. Keep on doing your best, keep striving to be the best Dad, Mom, Sister, Daughter, Brother, Son, etc, etc, etc that you can. This is what our country was built on, and the REST OF US is what will keep it going.