Do you know why this is the greatest nation on God’s green earth?
Because even when we get it wrong, we get it right.
Let me start out by saying congratulations to Barak Obama and Joe Biden for their historic win last night. The Obama team ran an amazing campaign and they should be happy and proud of what they did. While I disagree with Obama being the best choice politically for our country, no one can dispute that his election has done more to heal the racial divide than any moment in US history. I applaud his tenacity in proving that the American Dream is alive and well. I am so proud of my country, for seeing past color, to elect him. But he is not the reason I write today.
For me, the picture that defines this election was that of Jesse Jackson crying during Obama’s victory speech. For the record, I generally loathe Jackson. He is a demagogue that uses real people, with real issues and problems, to make himself look better. Sorry folks, that’s just the way I see it. Now I understand that the Jackson I know from the 1990s is different from the Jackson from the 1960s. But people don’t change overnight. And while I feel that Jesse still wants to help his people, he has done a poor job of doing so.
That being said, his quiet tears last night were moving. I did not see the Jackson who normally would have wailed and sobbed for camera time. I did not see the Jackson that might throw the gauntlet down and challenge those who stood against Obama as racist. I saw a man, a black man, that looked up at the stage and saw that the 40+ years of fighting the good fight had finally paid off. I saw the man who watched life slip away from Martin Luther King all those many years ago, find peace in knowing that the sacrifices had paid off. Tomorrow, I will probably find myself annoyed by Jackson again. Today, I salute him and all he has done for people of color in this country.
To quote a wise man, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The Democrats have all the power now. And while I believe that they will make changes that many of us don’t want, I hope that they make the ones we need. I hope Obama doesn’t lean towards the socialist labels that have attached themselves to him. I hope my Republican representatives don’t try to fight everything he does via filibuster. In other words, I hope we get the change he promised. He has my support; I encourage each of you to give yours as well.
Am I still saying we got it wrong?
Absolutely.
And I could not be prouder.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Seven Words You Don't Want to Hear on Television
George Carlin died today. He was 71.
OK, that's kinda eight words, but it still says the same thing. The father of irreverent comedy passed away yesterday from heart failure. If you do not know his influence, then you should be ashamed of yourself. Whenever you hear Lewis Black scream about something f-ed up, thank Carlin. Whenever Chris Titus tells of getting into a fist fight with his father, Carlin set that up. Whenever Bill Maher sticks his head up his ass and says something stupid, yeah, you can blame Carlin for that too. And don't come at me with that Lenny Bruce crap. He broke the ice, but George melted the pieces.
I didn't always agree with George. His direct attack on religion, and Christianity in particular, often left me cold and uncomfortable. But what he said often challenged my beliefs and made me look at them harder. He made me a better person by forcing me to defend what I believed.
But more than that, I respect him for his undying struggle to flip off the censors. That may come as a surprise to you based on what I just said, but I do believe that no one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot say. Period. We were made with free will, and we are expected to use it with some common sense. Government, or anyone for that matter, has no business dictating my common sense to me. Carlin believed the same thing, and fought for it.
In 1972, George Carlin was arrested for saying seven words that were considered unutterable by "decent society." This case was later dismissed but reared its head in a Supreme Court case, F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, which ultimately gave the FCC the right to fine the crap out of CBS affiliates for Janet Jackson's 40 year old, sagging, star covered breast.
So now we move on without George. I don't know who will take up his banner, but someone better. Or Big Brother will come get you.
Oh, and never let it be said I was all talk and no substance. Let Blogger take this post down, I don't care.
OK, that's kinda eight words, but it still says the same thing. The father of irreverent comedy passed away yesterday from heart failure. If you do not know his influence, then you should be ashamed of yourself. Whenever you hear Lewis Black scream about something f-ed up, thank Carlin. Whenever Chris Titus tells of getting into a fist fight with his father, Carlin set that up. Whenever Bill Maher sticks his head up his ass and says something stupid, yeah, you can blame Carlin for that too. And don't come at me with that Lenny Bruce crap. He broke the ice, but George melted the pieces.
I didn't always agree with George. His direct attack on religion, and Christianity in particular, often left me cold and uncomfortable. But what he said often challenged my beliefs and made me look at them harder. He made me a better person by forcing me to defend what I believed.
But more than that, I respect him for his undying struggle to flip off the censors. That may come as a surprise to you based on what I just said, but I do believe that no one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot say. Period. We were made with free will, and we are expected to use it with some common sense. Government, or anyone for that matter, has no business dictating my common sense to me. Carlin believed the same thing, and fought for it.
In 1972, George Carlin was arrested for saying seven words that were considered unutterable by "decent society." This case was later dismissed but reared its head in a Supreme Court case, F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, which ultimately gave the FCC the right to fine the crap out of CBS affiliates for Janet Jackson's 40 year old, sagging, star covered breast.
So now we move on without George. I don't know who will take up his banner, but someone better. Or Big Brother will come get you.
Oh, and never let it be said I was all talk and no substance. Let Blogger take this post down, I don't care.
"Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits."
--George Carlin RIP
--George Carlin RIP
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Myth of Teaching
Today was the first official day of summer.
Yes I have a few more days to work, but the kids are gone! Some of you are reading this and are insanely jealous of me right now. "I wish I had three months off," is what is going on in many of your minds right now. It is important at this point to establish two facts:
And besides, its not like I am not doing anything. I am still writing this blog and my other assignments. I have a few conferences to attend and there's academic team practice for next year's team. Plus I have to look for a new day job.
Kidding. Put the knife down and step away from it mother.
The point I'm trying to make here is this: I have put in the hours to make up for the two months I have "off." I have spent many a night until midnight or later planning lessons that my kids will sleep through the next day. I have wasted countless weekends preparing worksheets that will be left on my floor at the end of class. I have missed my children's milestones in life to talk to a stoned mother about her stoned child. OK, I made that last part up.
I've never missed a milestone.
So, when you get up in the morning next week and have to fight traffic and idiots in that morning commute to a stuff cubical, in a stuffy office, wearing your stuffy clothes, rest assured that I have already put in that time on Oct 17. I've been ahead of you the whole time. Now we're even.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to enter my cave...
Yes I have a few more days to work, but the kids are gone! Some of you are reading this and are insanely jealous of me right now. "I wish I had three months off," is what is going on in many of your minds right now. It is important at this point to establish two facts:
- It's not three months, it's more like two.
- I will spend it sleeping.
And besides, its not like I am not doing anything. I am still writing this blog and my other assignments. I have a few conferences to attend and there's academic team practice for next year's team. Plus I have to look for a new day job.
Kidding. Put the knife down and step away from it mother.
The point I'm trying to make here is this: I have put in the hours to make up for the two months I have "off." I have spent many a night until midnight or later planning lessons that my kids will sleep through the next day. I have wasted countless weekends preparing worksheets that will be left on my floor at the end of class. I have missed my children's milestones in life to talk to a stoned mother about her stoned child. OK, I made that last part up.
I've never missed a milestone.
So, when you get up in the morning next week and have to fight traffic and idiots in that morning commute to a stuff cubical, in a stuffy office, wearing your stuffy clothes, rest assured that I have already put in that time on Oct 17. I've been ahead of you the whole time. Now we're even.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to enter my cave...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The World is in Good Hands
I have just spent the last three days in Washington DC with my school's quiz bowl team, which I coach. We are here for national championships. Most people would balk at the idea of spending 4 days in a big city with 6 teenagers between 15 and 18. And normally I would too. But these kids are different. They’re special. And not in the Olympics way. These are the best of the best. So you would think we did well here.
Yeah, we got our ass handed to us.
But it wasn’t about the competition. I mean sure, we wanted to do well. Who doesn’t? But something happened this weekend that defies logic. I saw 6 kids have the time of their lives, literally. The will walk away from this weekend with memories that will last a lifetime. They will never forget the 4 days they spent in our nation’s capital.
And neither will I.
We just left a little restaurant in Fairfax where we are staying. Dolce Vita is a little Italian restaurant. And boy do I mean little. It’s in a strip mall space that must have originally been a shoe store. It’s cramped, loud, and obnoxious. And I want to move here so I can eat there every night. It was by far the most amazing meal I have ever had. Ever. But it begs the question, was it the food or the significance of the meal?
Don’t get me wrong, the food was amazing. I have no problem saying it was the best Italian I have ever eaten. But there was so much more than the food going on. See, this is our first year and for the seniors, it’s also their last. We come from a school not known for its academics. It’s more known for its fights and drug arrests. So these kids are looked over quite often. That’s why I started the team; I wanted to give those kids an outlet. I wanted to save them from the drudgery of that school. I wanted to give them the recognition they deserve. I wanted to save them for the future.
And in the process, they saved me.
I don’t mean to get emotional or melodramatic, but they really did. I was ready to quit. I can make a whole lot more money in industry. Hell, I could probably make more money writing full time. No mother, I still haven’t quit my day job. I didn’t feel like I was making a difference. I didn’t feel like I was doing any good in the world. And then these kids came along and showed me what a fool I was. And for that I will always thank them. I will carry this weekend to my grave as my favorite non family moment ever. Normally this is where I put some funny last line that summarizes the post. I will keep with at least part of that tradition…
To Courtney, Laura, Diemmi, and Nathan: I can never say it enough. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have started something that will last for years to come. Know that every trip we take from here forward will never be the same. Each year will bring new memories, especially for those leaving. But you will never be replaced in my mind or my heart. I love you all and wish you the best.
Yeah, we got our ass handed to us.
But it wasn’t about the competition. I mean sure, we wanted to do well. Who doesn’t? But something happened this weekend that defies logic. I saw 6 kids have the time of their lives, literally. The will walk away from this weekend with memories that will last a lifetime. They will never forget the 4 days they spent in our nation’s capital.
And neither will I.
We just left a little restaurant in Fairfax where we are staying. Dolce Vita is a little Italian restaurant. And boy do I mean little. It’s in a strip mall space that must have originally been a shoe store. It’s cramped, loud, and obnoxious. And I want to move here so I can eat there every night. It was by far the most amazing meal I have ever had. Ever. But it begs the question, was it the food or the significance of the meal?
Don’t get me wrong, the food was amazing. I have no problem saying it was the best Italian I have ever eaten. But there was so much more than the food going on. See, this is our first year and for the seniors, it’s also their last. We come from a school not known for its academics. It’s more known for its fights and drug arrests. So these kids are looked over quite often. That’s why I started the team; I wanted to give those kids an outlet. I wanted to save them from the drudgery of that school. I wanted to give them the recognition they deserve. I wanted to save them for the future.
And in the process, they saved me.
I don’t mean to get emotional or melodramatic, but they really did. I was ready to quit. I can make a whole lot more money in industry. Hell, I could probably make more money writing full time. No mother, I still haven’t quit my day job. I didn’t feel like I was making a difference. I didn’t feel like I was doing any good in the world. And then these kids came along and showed me what a fool I was. And for that I will always thank them. I will carry this weekend to my grave as my favorite non family moment ever. Normally this is where I put some funny last line that summarizes the post. I will keep with at least part of that tradition…
To Courtney, Laura, Diemmi, and Nathan: I can never say it enough. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have started something that will last for years to come. Know that every trip we take from here forward will never be the same. Each year will bring new memories, especially for those leaving. But you will never be replaced in my mind or my heart. I love you all and wish you the best.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Somtimes, People Don't Suck
As I mentioned before, I teach high school. This Thursday, I leave for 4 days of academic mania as the Red Raider Quiz Bowl team heads to Washington DC for the PACE NSC National Championships. The school was very generous to us at the beginning of the year, buying us T-shirts and a $600 buzzer system. It's the end of the year so no money is left for us to pay for this trip. So now we are in the wonderful world of fundraising. Yeah!!!
The problem, of course, is we are inundated with people asking us for money. Charities, religions, agencies, schools, preschools, everybody wants our money. And that's not to mention our friends on the roadways, need help, God bless.
So most people turn up their noses to helping. Especially businesses. Oh they support some major charity that works everywhere so they say they help the communities they're in. Few actually work with true, local, grassroots groups.
So here we are, 2 weeks from leaving, and we still need $1800 to pay for everything. Enter the Greensboro News and Record, Barnes and Noble, and Bojangles. All three of these groups stepped up, promoted our team, and allowed us to do some things to raise money. I am forever grateful to you.
But more than them, thank you to all of you who proved me wrong. Thank you to all of you who showed up, sent money, donated time, bought books, talked to us, answered questions, and sent words of encouragement. Thank you to those who paid for a average car wash. Thank you to the parents who drove from other towns to get their car washed. (I think she was checking to see if I still had my day job.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. We made it.
Now if I can only find a way to get us there...
The problem, of course, is we are inundated with people asking us for money. Charities, religions, agencies, schools, preschools, everybody wants our money. And that's not to mention our friends on the roadways, need help, God bless.
So most people turn up their noses to helping. Especially businesses. Oh they support some major charity that works everywhere so they say they help the communities they're in. Few actually work with true, local, grassroots groups.
So here we are, 2 weeks from leaving, and we still need $1800 to pay for everything. Enter the Greensboro News and Record, Barnes and Noble, and Bojangles. All three of these groups stepped up, promoted our team, and allowed us to do some things to raise money. I am forever grateful to you.
But more than them, thank you to all of you who proved me wrong. Thank you to all of you who showed up, sent money, donated time, bought books, talked to us, answered questions, and sent words of encouragement. Thank you to those who paid for a average car wash. Thank you to the parents who drove from other towns to get their car washed. (I think she was checking to see if I still had my day job.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. We made it.
Now if I can only find a way to get us there...
Friday, May 23, 2008
SCORE!!!!!
I will never believe it.
I'm living it and I still don't believe it.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages: You are reading the newest blogger for eHome Upgrade, a website devoted to bringing understanding to the home network and digital media. I, being an expert in the field of home automation, am a perfect fit for this position.
Did I mention it paid? Yes it does. It would be impolite to give specific details, but let's just say I can take my wife out 3 or 4 times a month if I want, babysitter included.
At the risk of sounding 80's, it's so awesome. Who would have thought you could really make this kind of part time income? Who would have thought I could really make this kind of part time income? Thank you to all of you who read my first stuff. Thank you to Jason Powell for giving me my start. Thank you to my family, who stood behind me.
Wow, I always wanted to say that.
...And no mother, I still have no plans to quit my day job
I'm living it and I still don't believe it.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages: You are reading the newest blogger for eHome Upgrade, a website devoted to bringing understanding to the home network and digital media. I, being an expert in the field of home automation, am a perfect fit for this position.
Did I mention it paid? Yes it does. It would be impolite to give specific details, but let's just say I can take my wife out 3 or 4 times a month if I want, babysitter included.
At the risk of sounding 80's, it's so awesome. Who would have thought you could really make this kind of part time income? Who would have thought I could really make this kind of part time income? Thank you to all of you who read my first stuff. Thank you to Jason Powell for giving me my start. Thank you to my family, who stood behind me.
Wow, I always wanted to say that.
...And no mother, I still have no plans to quit my day job
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Freelancing, Baby
So after a day down with a pulled muscle, I'm back. Sucks I hit an injury on my first day in. Momma always told me life could suck. looks like she was right. Well, on to the good stuff.
I am one day into my new freelance writing gig and I am pleasantly surprised. I have already run down two legitimate leads and have my eye on three others. I thought it was hard to break into writing? To be fair, I'm not exactly buying million dollar houses with the income. I'm not even buying candy bars. I am however, making a name for myself every time I publish. I hope to keep riding the wave. I really like it.
Some of you who know me may be asking yourselves, "What the..." in regards to my decision to write professionally. Let me make one thing perfectly clear mother, I am not quitting my day job...yet. Nor do I have plans to quit it...yet. You see, I'm just having fun, doing something I like. If I make a billion dollars, guess who's quitting his day job? If I make five bucks, guess who's gonna supersize their meal? The point is, I'm not doing anything to jeopardize the family. On the contrary, I am earning us more money, so all is well. Please, relax and enjoy the present knowing that our future is safe.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go write another 300 articles so I can tell my principal to go to...
I am one day into my new freelance writing gig and I am pleasantly surprised. I have already run down two legitimate leads and have my eye on three others. I thought it was hard to break into writing? To be fair, I'm not exactly buying million dollar houses with the income. I'm not even buying candy bars. I am however, making a name for myself every time I publish. I hope to keep riding the wave. I really like it.
Some of you who know me may be asking yourselves, "What the..." in regards to my decision to write professionally. Let me make one thing perfectly clear mother, I am not quitting my day job...yet. Nor do I have plans to quit it...yet. You see, I'm just having fun, doing something I like. If I make a billion dollars, guess who's quitting his day job? If I make five bucks, guess who's gonna supersize their meal? The point is, I'm not doing anything to jeopardize the family. On the contrary, I am earning us more money, so all is well. Please, relax and enjoy the present knowing that our future is safe.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go write another 300 articles so I can tell my principal to go to...
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