Peter Jennings-- A newsman's newsman.

Peter Jennings died yesterday morning at the age of 67 from lung cancer. I would classify him and Bernard Shaw as the top goal that I am shooting for as a journalist. I had a chance to talk briefly to him in March of last year while attending a media conference. I told him how enamoured I was that although he never completed high school, he became very studious of the world, and strived to bring truth to light, no matter what the cost was. I told him that I sat watching his coverage of September 11th for 20 hours straight; his words made the situation for me easier. At the time I had just come from Japan working with Reuters and anticipated going back. I was upset because I knew I wouldn't get back so soon, but Peter's humanity during the crisis made me realize that as jounalists we have an obligation to cover the story no matter how it affects us personally.
Peter asked what I was doing now. I replied "Im back in school." He then said, "Good. You're doing the right thing. Worry about the other stuff later, just concentrate on learning your trade." Truer words were never spoken.

read more...

Say Hello to Satin Doll

Its out!! Its out!! Its out!!!! My pop's book is out! Please support both him and a semi-forgotten part of black history by buying my pop's book, Say Hello to Satin Doll.

He has been writing this book in one form or another since around 1990 or so when we were living in Inglewood, California. For anyone that knows him, he has always been facinated both with aviation and the Tuskeegee Airmen role in WWII. Personally I am so happy to see this book come out, because I know how hard he labored on it throughout the years. At one point I think he stopped working on it for like a year or two, but he picked it back up and got to writing it again. He always said to me, "Everyone has a story to tell. How are you gonna tell yours?" This is probably the single-most reason that I am still writing to this day, because I saw how he'd be at the PC at 3am still writing and knowing he had to be at work at 8am at a regular job! I am so proud of him.

The book itself is a fictional novel set in the world of the Tuskeegee Airmen saga of WWII. These were the first black pilots to fly protecting our bombers over Hitler's Germany during the war, and I might add the only fighter group to never lose a single bomber to enemy gunfire!! Not a single bomber! It was said that if you were aboard a bomber and saw P-51s with the tailfins painted all red, then you were all but guaranteed to make it back home safely! A lot of the others in the Army Air Force didn't know they were black until later on, and some still resisted the idea!!

The link to the internet site is here; the price is actually cheaper than what you will find in stores! Thanx for supporting my family, our history, and the idea that you too can have your ideas published!
View and purchase "Say Hello to Satin Doll" here

read more...

Black and libertarian

Let me start out by saying that I am not a sheep. I am a human being, and as such I will always go for whatever is the most conveient, safe, and economical decision on just about any problem. This is why I go to the QuickTrip gas station just a little bit further from my house, but on the way to my job-- usually its cheaper by 3 cents.

I am Afro-American. F&#* that, I'm black. Screw the PC labels... That's what I call myself, and that's what you may call me. If you're white, black, latino/a, asian, indian, earthling, misc. and this offends you, then by all means go live in some homogeneous society where everyone is some shade of grey.

Why am I saying all this? Well some people seem to think that my latest acquisition of political and economical ideology is contrary to the fact that I am a black man, and I as a black man shouldn't think like that. I say I'm a man first and black second... No I am a human first, man second, and black third.

I listen to Neal Boortz on the radio here in ATL almost every weekday. I wake up to it. It's the most annoying thing I could find on the radio here that will make me roll outta bed! He's a brash, unapologetic, in-yer-face talk show host. I call him "Howard Stern for smarties." He's also a libertarian. I've voted Democrat on almost every election I've ever voted in. When I didn't, I voted libertarian. Libertarians are just like their names. They like liberty-- freedom. I don't agree with him on everything-- quite the opposite. Last year he voted for W. He went on the basis that W would keep the country safer than Kerry. S*%#, I'm black. It's always a police state in our neighborhoods, this place ain't never safe for us! I voted for Kerry. But he's for legalizing drugs. So am I-- but only to a point. Nothing ridiculous like heroin or crack... But something that will do the same thing for these people that are hooked on it. That may sound crazy as hell but hear me out-- it didn't make sense to me the first time I heard it either...
If you wanna smoke crack until you waste away into nothing then why should I stop you? Why should I spend more money trying to keep you away from a bad habit, when I can let you go ahead and waste away til you die for free? I can keep my tax money for something else, like schools where we teach your kids not to do what mommy and daddy did. Instead we build huge prisons. And still the tide of drug-related violence never eases. This type of thinking gets me into trouble though.

Fellow blacks call me "cruel and insensitive to the needs of the community." I grew up in that damn community bastard. We had food stamps. We lived in raggedy houses. But we don't live there anymore, 'cause we made it out. Without help from the government. We saved our money and did it legit. My mama had 2 jobs sometimes. I got a job as soon as I could. We bettered ourselves. Mom chose to buy food and clothes instead of TVs and rims. You got people in my old neighborhood with f#$%ed up houses, but inside got more stuff in it than Best Buy. I'm tired of payin' for that.

Oh and drugs? I've got people in my family that are junkies. My older brother has been in and outta jail, on and off of drugs. I wanna help him, but he's a grown-ass man. He knows he needs help, but he'll keep doing what he does. Just like everyone else in the 'hood-- do what they do 'til it can't be done no more. I say let 'em do it. Save the money we use policing crack sellers and buyers, and overseas drug lords-- and make this s%@# legal. Sell crack at like CVS or Walgreens. Crack-flavored Vess soda. Maybe make a prescription for it or something. Or come up with a milder form of the drug that gives a similar euphoria... I don't see what the mystique of PCP, LSD and others really are-- I've never used them, and don't intend to... But this is the only way I can see this war over drugs-- and the related violence and poverty that comes with it-- disappearing. Look at Amsterdam. A friend of mine said that it was one of the most orderly cities she had ever visited... Isn't marijuana legal there? Hmm. I guess people there are too busy trying to find a White Castle or Waffle House to be trying to commit serious crimes...

With some minor form of drug legalization, you got drug-related crimes gone-- most crime in the ghetto would stop! DeMarcus the Rock Pusher can't compete with Eckerd and Osco, right? How you gonna beat ecstasy on sale with a double coupon? So they'd go outta business, just like number runners did back in the day when state-run lotteries became legal. Do you see Bumpy Johnson and Dutch Shultz goin' at it over PowerBall?

But like I said. I must be betraying my race. When I brought up this opinion in a casual discussion with some of my friends some said I'm not for the community. I'm just for me. Fools. The community starts and ends with me, you and everyone as individual within the community. When I think about me, I AM thinking about the community.

read more...