In this post I say 'nigger.' Alot.

     I think it was television news personnel--you can't call them journalists anymore, they are all just actors who spoon-feed the public infotainment now--who started this whole 'N word' thing.  Most of them are white and are afraid to use the word 'nigger' on national TV, hence the poorly application of brevity.  Even the non-white or mixed race members of these programs are using this word, because they are forced to toe the same line as their white colleagues while on air.  So we are all clear before I go any further everyone should know that I despise racism.  I have physically removed people from my home for saying words like nigger.  I hate it when someone sidles up to me and says something incredibly stupid like, "There are two kinds of black people," or starts to nervously tell what is commonly known here in the South as a 'nigger joke,' all while glancing in every direction to make sure no one with skin darker than theirs is within hearing range.  It's like they assume I am a member of some kind of white people's club with them or something, and that piece of idiocy is what they use in lieu of a secret handshake.

     However, stupid white people aren't the ones who piss me off the most when it comes to using the  word nigger.  That is reserved for the people that racial slur is meant to designate.  Why black (or fill in your own PC term) people would want to call themselves niggers is beyond me.  It pisses me off just like when anyone else says it, though.  Here's why.  The use of the epithet 'nigger' seems to only be insulting if it comes from someone who isn't black.  I am confronted with this hypocrisy on a daily basis, but the most recent case was when I was walking my son into a local store.  Two young black males were standing outside the store, singing a song they were apparently both very fond of.  Every other word seemed to be 'nigger.'  As I could not get into the store without passing these two people by, and their language was inappropriate not only in that place but also in front of my child, I felt compelled to ask them both why they kept using the word nigger.  Both young men immediately became hostile and indicated that they thought me calling them niggers was an invitation to violence.  I pointed out that I had not called either one of them a nigger, and reiterated my initial query amended to also ask why, if this was their reaction to the use of the word nigger, they were both using it.  That stymied them both for a moment, and they looked at each other uncertainly.  Then I pointed to my son and asked them how I was supposed to teach him not to use that word when they wouldn't stop using it themselves.  That ended the situation, although not satisfactorily for any of the parties involved.  So, now I would really like to ask that question of all black people everywhere.  If you have such hatred for the word, why do so many of you use it so much? 
   
     I would really like a serious answer to that question.  I would be nice if that particular behavior would stop.  And before anyone tries it, "It's okay because we're black," is not an acceptable answer.

     In a later post I will talk about why people of mixed race aren't called half white, instead of half black or Asian or whatever.  I will also explain how the US Marine Corp handles the issue of race, and suggest how we as a nation can do the same.

So it's another new year...

     I never keep my New Year's resolutions, so this year I resolved to get fatter, poorer, and sick more often.  I'll let y'all know how it works out.

Another one bites the dust. Damnit.

     Lou Reed has died.  He founded the group the Velvet Underground but is probably best known for this song.  The problem with growing older is that you have to watch everything from your younger days die become unrecognizable.  This is why you can never go home again; once you leave, it becomes something else.  You can't return to a memory.  The best you can do is just learn to keep and cherish the memories you have, and learn to accept (or blow up, if you have the know-how) whatever is their place now.

I knew women had it rough sometimes, but damn...

     First, let me say that I usually find sitting through a tampon (or any other 'feminine product') commercial is only slightly less discomfiting than having your prostate examined by a doctor with a hangnail and Parkinson's.  This time that was not the case.

     Secondly, I never knew how dangerous having two X chromosomes could be.  Damn, women have it rough. 

     And, in light of that, I would lastly like to thank God for the Y chromosome.

At last, a jihad I can support.

     Apparently, there is a new jihadist movement around the Mediterranean that has all the boys running to the yard.  That's because it's called the Topless Jihad, and is comprised of groups of women running around various nation's capitols without their shirts on.  These women say they are seeking a 'Women's Spring' and typically write slogans across the relevant portions of their bodies for their protests.  I think this is a great idea.  And it's very green--there are no placards or signs that have to be thrown after they are used.

     (The temptation to insert a boatload of United Press pics here was almost too strong for me to resist, but I did--mostly because I don't know how.  Maybe this will serve as motivation for me to learn.  Google 'topless jihad' and you will get the idea.  There are some pretty interesting videos out there, too.)

     Funny business aside, many of these women are part of FEMEN, a feminist organization that started in the Ukraine.  They protest what they see are violations of women's rights across the world--things like sexual tourism or what is going on in Tunisia.  Young Tunisian women (many of whom are underage) being taken to Syria and forced or tricked into what is known as 'jihad al nikah' or sexual jihad.  These girls are passed around between anywhere from 20 to 100 Al-Qaeda soldiers and then sent home pregnant.  This is happening on such a scale that the Syrian government has begun turning Tunisians (not just but mostly women) away at their borders.

     Anyhow, if this interests you in any way, search for news about Amina Tyler or Pussy Riot or the topics I mentioned above to get a feel (couldn't resist that one) for what these ladies are about.  The message is pretty simple: women are women--human beings--not merchandise, or some kind of heavenly door prize, or the property of violent idiots with extremely misguided ideas about honor and morality.

     With or without the nudity, I can stand behind that.

I have a little hope for this investigation, but not much.

     Most people don't know that when Seal team 6 was founded, that gave the good ole USA a total of two Seal teams.  We used to be kind of smart like that.  Now we seam to be stupid about all our security issues.  We obviously have a terrible screening process for the people we entrust with our secrets.  Every time you turn around there's another jackass on TV spilling sensitive information, to the detriment of our country.  At last Seal Team 6 will finally get an investigation into their deaths.  This article from the Washington Times is a little heavy on the rhetoric, but shows just how concerned the Seals were, and how they tried to minimize the damage and protect themselves and their families from the criminal exposition that ultimately led to their deaths.  They (and their families) were essentially made into targets.  And, no surprise, what usually happens to targets did.  At least their will finally be an investigation into their deaths.

     I'm just wondering if it will actually get anything resolved.  There are a lot of strange things about Team 6's deaths.  I'm pretty certain We, The People, will never get the answers to all the questions we have.  Hopefully, at the very least, the families of those men will get some measure of justice.  Whether or not that will mitigate any of the pain they have suffered at their loss of their loved ones will remain to be seen, however.

I want one!

     Okay, y'all who know me are thinking a ton of things just from the title, I know: could it be that compensated AR-15 he's been saving for, or that timbersheppard pup he's been wanting, or just a vintage set of those tasteful nudes Martha Stewart did in college?  Well, yer all wrong.  I want one of these so if anyone finds a young one, grab it for me! 

     I figure it ought to do okay with the wolves.