Another Post I never got around to Publishing… SOUL TRAIN MUSIC AWARDS a couple years ago… TEXAS STABBINGS & EXPLOSION at BOSTON MARATHON

Talk about not getting around to POST… when I finally came back to this blog it was I don’t know how long.  Now, after that it has been several weeks more  …had to add the tags and things.  And finally today here it goes…after a bomber or more…struck at the Boston Marathon today just as the runners started crossing the finish line.

I almost wrote… I’m just shaking my head… but it takes more than that if we ever expect to get a handle on this.  And it goes beyond insanity to some type of morbid inner nothingness that these people have who go out and do these type of things.

Well, nevertheless…. here is another Post that I just never got around to publishing for one reason or other.  After briefly reading through it I thought that I might share it with you…it seems that I felt like sharing some more of myself in it to you… wonder why?

I rarely like telling much about myself… though I must say that you really cannot tell it by reading many of my blogs.  But for the record… I cannot remember at all when I wrote this but it was a while back… so today I am feeling great and the day is sunny and beautiful.

Now, here is that blog which I failed to published some time ago…

Not feeling well today… but I am not complaining.  Because I have had many more days when I didn’t feel bad at all.  And not many people can say that.

I am just a touch under the weather.  And because I am not accustom to being sick… it tends to bother me a little more than most people.

The other thing is… I do not take medication.  Not at all.   Well… almost not at all.  There have been times when I had to breakdown and swallow something… or go in and have them give me a shot or something… but not often.  And believe me when I say… I have to be in an awful lot of  pain and/or discomfort for me to do it.

Otherwise, I just suffer whatever it is that is bothering me… until it goes away.  Not many people can do that… or attempt to do that.  Since so many people rush to go grab up a bottle of this or that at the slightest on-set of something they think may be bothering them… they never even try to fight off anything.

But this is just a little slight cold.  A sliver of dust must have gotten into my system while I was helping my brother move some furniture that he chose to move from my parent’s house into his new apartment.  And since I am allergic to house dust… and it didn’t take much before I started itching then a tickle came into my throat.  But as soon as the dust gets out of my system I will be up and about again.

But this past weekend I had a chance to catch the Soul Train Music Awards.  Needless to say… I did not know most of  acts or  the awardees.  But, of course, I did recognize Anita Baker and Ron Isley as they paid tribute to them.

But I waited around watching because I had never seen Eryka Badu perform before… and boy…oh, boy…  What a disheartening show it really was.

For one thing how can anyone who portrayed herself as being so Afro-centric ever have lighten their skin?

Well, that is exactly what Eryka Badu has done… or so it appeared to be the case to me.  And she looked terrible.  At first I didn’t even notice it… because it was kind of subtle and her face was camouflaged by the hat she was wearing.  It cast a shadow over her face.

We have all read about black women in Africa and the West Indies doing it… but to see that Eryka Badu has stooped to bleaching????

It is insane.  If anything I have always wanted to be darker… but lighter no.  A cousin of mine slipped and started calling me ‘light’ and I totally disliked it.  She was trying to anger me.  And she did the moment she let that slip out of mouth.

Needless to say, Eryka has always been a bit wired and out there.  She likes doing things to grab attention… I guess you could say.   I remember when she first came onto the music scene… everybody thought that the very long dredlocks she was sporting then were her own.  But low-and-behold… over a period of  time we all came to find out that it had been a wig or more than likely dred extensions.   After that I think she went to having no hair at all.

But seeing Erykah Badu with lighter skin… was discussing to me.  Talking about a mindless woman… who evidently hates herself.  I wouldn’t want attention that bad.  And whatever song that was… that she song on the Soul Train Music Awards… if  it was intended to catapult  the re-emergence of  her  singing career?

I think not.  For all it was worth she could have stayed home.  But I must say that I did love the hat… and that was about all I liked about this whole supposed Soul Train Music Awards.

For the most part most of  the music on the Soul Train Music Awards show really wasn’t even ‘soul music’ any more.   But a bunch of that ‘neo-soul’  junk.

So, in watching the Soul Train Music Awards… I began to feel that we are loosing our identity…our musical identity and authenticity.   An identity and authenticity which has marked and ruled… in my opinion the whole music world in this country since we came to these shores as slaves brought to America.  And my did we bring something with us.

Some of the best and most authentic music America has ever had  really came out of a revised culture whose roots were founded in slavery.  Much like the food we developed here called ‘Soul Food.’  Hence, Soul Music… the Blues… Doo-Wop… Gospel Music… Rhythm & Blues  etc… etc.. etc…

In watching the Soul Train Music Awards show I felt that soul music had been replaced by a bunch of  people who neither wrote lyrics  or  played real instruments.  People who only looked black, but were trying very hard to appear as weird and way-out as they possibly could be.   This because it would seem that everything today concerning music is about branding and images… and far less than about true talent… real vocal skills or any skills as far as being a musician or a real song writer.  What happened to artists with the talent of a Little Stevie Wonder or a Prince?

Based upon what I had seen those type of talents had faded far far far away.

None of  them… this group or now generation singers seemed to want to have any connection to the music that put Motown on the charts, or  Philly on the map… or  Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, New York,  and LA.  Or that had made other urban places  hubs for the rich urban soul sound and melodic tones that had come to be called ‘soul music’  or  ‘rhythm & blues”  …or even “gospel.”

While watching the Soul Train Music Awards… there were no Anita Bakers or Ron Isleys awaiting in the crowd to hear their names called for award.  In fact, the only soulful talenst on the show was Anita Baker, Ron Isley, Pebo Bryson, Chante Moore, Rochelle Ferrell, Jeffery Osborne and a few others.  But clearly the ‘soul‘  that had been in the history of  Soul Train is now gone.

Everybody wants to be a cross-over artist… some neutral detergent that appears to be black or African American but actually doing some white thang.

The whole time I sat watching the Soul Train Music Awards… which is something I have not watched in years… or any other music or movie  awards show in years.   As I had long ago felt that they had been watered down to appeal to more less urban audiences.

But it was frightening for me to see  such a lost of what seemed to me to be a vast depreciation of  what has always been ours… our real musical genius and talenst… gifted voices and fantastic lyric writing… such as that of  Barry White and Issac Hayes… Holland,-Dozier-Holland, Ashford & Simpson, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield… etc…etc… all to be turned into something which sounded a lot more like that puff of glitter disco music and digitized junk.  And I must say that I see the exact same thing  happening to gospel music.

In gospel music there has developed a vast desire to be played on something ‘called‘ Christian Radio stations…  which in my opinion is nothing but a bunch of  rock music  stations playing rock music and calling it ‘Christian Music.’

It would be a shame to loose the richness of  our music… and the history that our music carries with it to the junk I bared witnessed to on the Soul Train Music Awards.  Outside of the tributes to some real Soul legends… there was nothing on that show I would have voted to give 1 award to.

One day we will look up and no one will know what ‘soul music’  was or that it had ever been.  They will not know that there had been such groups like Blue Magic, the Dramatics, Delfonics, Temptations, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Manhattans, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Chi-Lites, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Phyllis Hyman, Najee, Kirk Walham, the Sylvers, Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5, the Sugar Hill Gang and the list goes on and on and on…  And those are just those from my era there tons more before them.

Who can forget when James Brown first cried-

“Say it loud I’m black and I’m proud.”

Or, “Baby, please don’t go.”

Or when Curtis Mayfield song these words-

“If  I had a choice of  colors.”

Or Nina came with-

“To be young gifted and black.”

Maybe there is no need for such lyrics like these today anymore.  But that can’t true… particularly after what I just said about Eryka Badu and skin bleaching.   But then how about-

“La-la-la means I love you… I love you.”

What about -

“They’re smiling in your face…all the while they want to take your place.”

Will soul music die like jazz has died?

There are no more jazz artists like Max… Coltrane …  Gillipsie…  or Yusuf LaTiff… or Miles …. any more.

Or how about a Junior Parker…  or another B.B. King…  or Muddy Waters…  or Bo Diddley and their special blend?

Now, I must admit that these days I am strictly into gospel music… but having a history in the radio industry it is hard for me to not realize the importance of preserving this cultural history.  It is ours… and our children need to be recipients of at least knowing of that it once was.  We cannot just forsake everything.

These musical forms and artists are long gone…  Well, more or less off the musical scene… the ones I just mentioned above.  And soon along with their names will the memories of Blue Magic, Phyllis Hyman, the Dells, Temptations, Supremes, the Staple Singers and everybody else either before them or who came after them like Chak Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Emotions etc. be forgotten too.  To be replaced by a bunch of  people who have forsaken moving bass beats for  neo- tinty sounds that have nothing soul about them.  Music you can hop and jump up and down to… like we used to watch those young white kids do on those afternoon after school dance shows like the Dick Clark Show.   But they can’t really dance to.  And I guess that is really the point… its not meant to be danced to… but just to make some money.

Forget art…   What does art have to do with it?

No wonder the Soul Train Musical Awards show didn’t resemble anything like their old award shows… or for that matter… didn’t come close to emitting anything I would have called ‘soul’… outside of having a tribute to a few past ‘soul’ artists.  What a real shame…a legacy gone to naught…

I hate to say it… but little wonder Don Cornelius took a gun…  When you sell off something your control of it goes too…  Truly the history of Soul Train will never be the same…

Well, God bless… it’s Monday and I have been relaxing most of my day.  Then I started getting calls about an explosion in Boston.

After the stabbings on a Texas Campus last week… and now these explosions in Boston during the Boston Marathon… coupled with the guy shooting up the movie theater and that boy killing all those children plus his mother, in a Connecticut classroom…  Can you really say that we are not living in divers times?

I can’t imagine anybody saying that since they were 9 years old they had had fantasies about stabbing people.   FANTASIES ABOUT STABBING PEOPLE?

When I called my son to tell him about the explosions at the Boston Marathon today, he said to me-

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2013

Add a comment April 15, 2013

BETTYE AND MALCOLM X…Black History Month 2013

Well, since it is Black History Month maybe now would be a good time to post this blog which I started in 2009 but never, for some reason or other never came back to.  Can’t remember what prompted me to begin it in the first place.  Though I must say along with Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Coretta Scott King, Bernice Reagan, Merle Evers, Harriette Tubman, Sojourna Truth, my Mother, Grand-mothers, Great Grand-mother, Mrs. Parks, as in Rosa… and half a dozen others… if not more women I have always admired… I celebrate them all.  And if I keep thinking I am sure that I can come up with a few more… like O. J. Simpson’s first wife.

You may asked why I have O. J.’s first ex-wife on my list… it is simply that I admired her for taking the high road in all that mess.  Out of all of O. J.’s supposed friends and colleagues… judges and lawyers everybody went for the money.  They sold O. J.  out every which way they could sell him.  That is to say everybody except for his first wife.  She never took 1 dime or ever came out against him.  Never wrote a book… never signed a book deal… and she denied almost every offer for an interview.  Though I am sure that she could have had a lot to say… but she chose the high road… the side of  ‘to do him no harm.’

So, women like that… or people like that I can admire without any level of hesitation.  Because most people today will sell you down the river for a dime… a promotion… or whatever else is up for grabs.  And I am not being cynical.

Relationships… family bonds… friendships… you name it and they can all be tossed to the wind if somebody comes in with the right price.  And sometimes that prices doesn’t even necessarily have to even be actual money.  It can be a position… a title… an automobile… property… status… and phoney friendship… whatever the other side is in need of or looking for.

This is one of biggest and most saddest things about the world and people who live in it today.  Had Jesus still been alive today he might have had to worry about  more than 1 Judas… but maybe 6… 8 or 11 of them.

Everybody loves you while there is something to be gained in their association of you.  In the Bible it appears that Job was a very popular man until he lost everything including his health.  So, I guess it can be said that people have been the same throughout history.  Was it not Caesar who said ‘et tu, Butus?’

It was not a secret that Malcolm X was the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the founder and religious leader of the National of Islam, right-hand-man and 2nd in command.  In fact, Malcolm had become the front man for the organization… he was the voice and the face of the organization at that time.

Malcolm X, Malcolm Little the name given to him by his mother, was such an eloquent speaker and possessed such great charisma that the Nation of Islam grew greatly under him.  A thing that I am sure was celebrated in the beginning of their relationship between him and Mr. Muhammad… but later it became a source of contention between the 2 …as Mr. Muhammad saw Malcolm X’s power and authority growing among the ranks of the followers in his organization.

And then Malcolm went to Mecca and everything really changed between them.  When I was in high school I recall buying a book called the “Autobiography of Malcolm X” …that book really intrigued me.  I had not known anything about him until I read that book.

I guess I should invest more time in reading about our historical icons… and those who are little known.  Their contributions were great and should not be overlooked… while we make millionaires of  only writers of fiction.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://s3.amazonaws.com/findagrave/photos/2001/222/elshabazzbetty.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi%3Fpage%3Dgr%26GRid%3D4739&usg=__H5vpHCMEnnmQd1pvbIILx-bFUzo=&h=247&w=400&sz=41&hl=en&start=160&um=1&tbnid=xS7xgNBljPRpPM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbetty%2Bshabazz%2Band%2Bmalcolm%2Bx%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D140%26um%3D1

I really cannot remember what prompted me to begin this blog… or why I entitled it ‘Bettye & Malcolm X?’

But there had to have been a reason.  But since really I cannot at this time remember the reason… I have decided to just go ahead and post this blog anyway as a tribute to Black History Month 2013…  I hope you enjoy it.

I celebrate all the heroic women and men who make up our history.  Who endured, sacrificed… bleed… were spat upon… whooped… beat… stomped… dogs sicked upon… hit with forceful waters from water hydrants… who were made widowed or orphan… chained… tarred and feathered… and those who died.  I celebrated them all… including those who felt it worthy to die over just being called a belittling word that started with that letter ‘N’ … that I might walk and sit… and eat and sleep… and live… and go to school  etc… where I want to.

I will not forget… nor can I ever repay the debt by which they have endowed me… my family… my son… my nieces and nephews… our families… our history and our legacy for generations to come.  Providing us with much pride… dignity… courage that must be passed on to all our children.

It is Black History Month… and I am happy to celebrate all of our she-ro’s and hero’s… and there are many many many many of them.  And I thank God for each and every one of them.

http://www.malcolm-x.org/media/pic_01.htm

Well, God bless… it’s Wednesday and though it has not been very cold… it has been wet.  Some light snow and thankfully rain (instead of snow).

It is now Friday… and no I was not procrastinating.  Just kept running out of time… as my internet at home is out I am now regimented to using computers elsewhere to complete and write my blogs… a condition I hope to soon rectify.  So, until then bare with me… I may be a little bit and might appear to not be on top of things… BUT it is not my fault.

Before I close just want to take a little time to discuss the current Obama backlash.  Right wing media and its so-called voices are really ridiculous.  They get all hot and bothered about everything the Obama’s do.  Jealousy is a very sad thing… it hinders one from seeing clearly.

The current blow-out is over First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on the Oscars.  Oh, man… how they whooped and cried over that claiming that the Obama’s think they are some kind of super-stars… how they think they are better than what they are… how they have lowered the image of the White House… etc… etc.. 

They would all be out of a job… for lack of anything to say.  And so screaming over everything the President or his wife does keeps their pay checks coming.

It is sad when you only get paid to find fault.  Can’t imagine wanting to live that kind of life.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2013

Add a comment March 1, 2013

BISHOP LARRY TROTTER and child in a bathtub…

I often check my blog to see exactly what people are referencing my blog to read.  It often signifies a hot topic or that some event has just happened.  And so was the case this morning when I logged in to check my blog and happened to noticed that I had gotten a lot of hits concerning Bishop Larry Trotter, of Chicago, IL., and a little girl… supposedly a 4-year-old grand-daughter of his in the bathtub together.

Immediately, I Googled the story and lo and behold there it was a picture of Bishop Trotter, and what is reported to be 1 of his young grand-daughters… and both appear naked in the bathtub together.

http://jezebel.com/5976966/bishop-takes-a-bath-photo-with-his-young-granddaughter-makes-a-lot-of-people-uncomfortable

All I can say is who takes a bath with their children?

Or their grand-daughter????

I remember my father in the bathroom… there were times that we would pass the bathroom and would see that he was shaving or brushing his teeth, but by the time he was taking off any clothes we never saw him.  There were times when he got into the shower and needed something and called for 1 of us… but he was always safely in the shower careful to keep himself out of our view.

For that matter my mother was pretty much the same.  We never saw her in the tub or in the shower either.

They did not allow us into the bathroom with them while they were naked.

Years later, however, while growing up we… me and my sisters from time to time had gotten dressed in the same room or area as our mother when we had to… you know like while visiting a relative’s house or in some hotel etc.  But outside of that no.

http://straightfromthea.com/2013/01/18/bishop-larry-trotter-explains-bath-granddaughter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Atlblogs+%28Atlblogs%29

During a radio interview  Bishop Trotter attempted to explain away the incident. But  Bishop Trotter stated that he saw nothing wrong in getting into the tub with his very young grand-daughter.  And he added that he had gotten into the tub with all of his children.

In that interview also, Bishop Trotter recalls his growing up, when he and his sisters and brothers bathed together.  I would believe that most people who have or have had siblings may have also experienced this.  But beyond a point it ceased to happen.  None of us went into adulthood… or grew up as teenagers jumping in and out of a bathtub or shower with his or her sister and/or brother.  That is to say… not unless something was going on.  And I never grew up in that kind of family where those type of things went on.  Least ways… I don’t think so… and never heard of any such thing in our family.

However, many people will tell you that they were sexually molested.. abused or raped by a close family member.  Oprah, for 1,  herself speaks of an uncle that sexually abused her.  I even think Donnie McClurkin speaks of an uncle who abused him for years.

I have heard people testify about things that even their father had done to them sexually.  So, these kinds of things do happen… and sad to say they happen more often than we all really care to talk about.

For years the DeBarge family carried around their ‘dirty little’ secret about what their had father had done to all of them while growing up in their mother’s house.  So, this thing is not new.

So, yes eyebrows would go up upon seeing such a picture.  Or when they hear of such a thing as this picture.  And to say that you both had on ‘swimming trunks’…   Well, it simply does not wash.

Who takes a bath with swimming trunks on?

Another question…

If it happened as Bishop Trotter says it did, then why was he taking a bath with the bathroom door open so that just anybody could walk in on him… much less a little child?

In fact, Bishop Trotter’s explanation for how the picture came about… the events surrounding it… and how he and his grand-daughter ended up in the same bathtub together in what looks like they are both naked… really opens the door to a whole lot of other questions?

In fact, if you really listen to that radio interview Bishop Trotter actually states that there was no reason for his little FOUR YEAR OLD GRAND-DAUGHTER to not be able to take a bath with her ‘pa-pa’ if she wanted to.   WHAT???   And evidently, the little girl at 4 years old must have been down on her knees or something while on his lap in that water.  Because at 4 she would be taller than we can actually make out in that picture.

I recall the first time I ever saw Bishop Trotter… he at the time was part of Full Gospel under Bishop Paul Morton.  And I think that was about the same time that I first saw and heard Bishop Eddie Long too.  Shortly, after that Full Gospel conference  both Bishop Trotter and Bishop Long broke from the Full Gospel Baptist organization, and decided to pursue their own separate church organizations, New Birth and Sweet Holy Spirit.

A few years ago Bishop Long fell into his own share of troubles by the way of 4 or 5 young men who had been a part of his New Birth organization.  To which Bishop Long later settled out of Court with, for a few million dollars against allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse.

The moment I read the story and saw the picture of Bishop Trotter, I must say that it brought back memories of Michael Jackson… and all the controversies of Michael with little kids.  Namely little boys…

And just like Michael, Bishop Trotter in his radio interview clearly states that he found nothing to be inappropriate about him being in a bathtub naked with a little child… much less a little girl.  With Michael it was that he found nothing wrong with being in bed with little boys.  And like Bishop Trotter, Michael said that he did it all the time.

Bishop Trotter stated in his radio interview that ‘he used to jump into the bathtub all the time with his son, and their army men.’  Then added ‘I guess the times have changed.’

It really has nothing to do with how times have changed… which is what Bishop Trotter was trying to pass off as an accuse for the uproar over the picture.  Because when you get right down to it… it is not about times changing at all.  It is about putting yourself in a situation where something could happen… or bringing a small child into something they are not supposed to be exposed to.

I recall how when we were small my mother used to take us to this wading pool in our neighborhood.  All the kids loved for summer to come around… and so didn’t we.  During the summer our mother always took us swimming when it got too hot.  There were times when she would pack us up and drove us to the beach… or to the pond where we could feed the ducks… or to that small wading pool, that was not too far from where we used to live.

The pool wasn’t very deep… but got deeper as you stepped closer and closer to the center of the pool.  In the center of the pool you could float or try to swim and then put your feet down, and stand up any time you liked.  So, we had fun playing in it… splashing… and sometimes running through it.

But then there came a time when our little pool became invaded.  An occasional Spanish man or 2 would get into the pool playing around with the children.  They mostly hug out near the center  of that small wading pool so you could not see below their waste.  Therefore, anyone sitting along the far outside edges of the pool could see the children in the water… but nothing too much under the water that may have been going on.  And of course, the pool always had lots of kids into and out or the pool or running in the water… or splashing about further obstructing any parent’s watchful eye.

But 1 day I came to find out why they… those men liked being in the pool with us…    I saw something… and I never liked going back to that pool again.

Pulled this off from over the internet…someone had writen a comment about having attended a conference where Bishop Trotter spoke here is what she said:

I went to a convention where he was at in Virginia.

He was promoting his newest series “My Wife, My Mistress, My Bitch or My Whore”.

The whole church gasp, he said don’t be in shock, don’t judge,get the CD and then you will understand. For a Bishop I thought he was out of order for that.

I had come across where Bishop Trotter had written that book a while back.  The title was curious to me also… and like the person who wrote that comment over the internet… I too thought it very inappropriate.  Especially, since Bishop Trotter had written that book about his wife… who was… is … and had been the mother of his children… and I guess at some point the First Lady of his church.

Inappropriate is a very good word here. And I guess we can all say the same thing about him climbing into a tub… or allowing a little child to climb into a bathtub with him while he bathed.

God bless…hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.  The weather has broke here.  We are now experiencing mild weather today… but for past couple of days it was freezing cold.

Remember that Monday… this coming Monday is both President Barack Obama’s second inaugural… AND Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.’s birthday celebration.  Enjoy them both… and I am hoping to see you in D.C for the festivities.  But if not please enjoy it for me too.

I am so happy about it.  Truly a time to remember…   And if you can be part of it don’t let the opportunity go by… by not being so.

And again…happy belated birthday FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA… can’t close without saying that.   Love you…   In fact, I love you both….  And 49 is still a great year…  A very special year in fact…

Serena Williams on the bike champion Lance Armstrong finally admitting that he cheated…

“Serena Williams said Armstrong let all athletes down by doping and lying about it for so long, while No. 1-ranked Victoria Azarenka says the disgraced cyclist “deserves everything he gets.”

“I think a lot of people now look and are like, `OK, if somebody (is) that great, what about everyone else in every other sport?” Williams said.

“As an athlete, as someone that works really, really hard since I was 4 or 3, I think it’s a sad day for all athletes in general. Overall, it’s even more disappointing for the people that were adversely affected through everything. You can only just hope for the best for them.”

For years Armstrong had denied that he ever used any drugs to enhance his ability to become the top ranking bike cyclist in the world.  And recently sat down with Oprah and confessed that he had lied.

And I hope that you are checking for a picture of me in these blogs…  Who knows I might even think of doing something real special.  Just keep looking out for me… in my blogs.

4 comments January 19, 2013

A SEASON OF FORGETTING…They do come…

Can’t believe this.  I had started a blog about something… can’t remember what… but evidently I failed to save it.  It is nowhere to be found among these records of things that I have written.  Might be just as well…  I suppose…

Alas…   Nothing to do but to start another 1… and hopefully I will remember to save this 1.  Needless say that over time…these last few months I have gotten a little bit older.   So, though I had never done it before it is possible… that I just FORGOT.

Wow, don’t you hate that… when people start tying your forgetfulness to your age?

It can be annoying.  Like when you were young you never forgot anything.  I used to forget things all the time.  In fact, I had to make it a habit to go back into the house… to double-check if I had unplugged the iron almost all the time before leaving for work.  Or I would always turn back to look down at the lock… to make sure I had taken the key.   Now, don’t tell you have never done that one.

I recall 1 night while in kitchen cooking there was a knock on the door…   In fact, it happened to me at least twice but in 2 different apartments that I had once lived in.  A neighbor knocked on my door to inform me that I had come in and forgotten my key.  Luckily, it happened at a time when you could still find people who were honest… and caring enough to knock and notify you.

What else have I forgotten…

Well, once having to drop off some papers down at the Courthouse… I got all the way down there only to begin digging in my bag only to discover that I had forgotten the papers.

I have also gotten to the gas pump only to remember that I changed jackets leaving my card… and cash at home.

Now, what is my earliest remembrance of me forgetting something?

Well, I cannot remember.  But I do know this I have been forgetting things for a long time… and it didn’t just start when I celebrated my 60th birthday the other day.  So, if you must lay it something do not lay my lack of being able to retain things to my age… simply say I have soooooo much on my mind.   Yes, I think I like that better.  Because truthfully that would be closer to the truth than anything else.

For all of my life I have been busy.  And busy people are subject to forget things from time to time.  Like how I lost my last blog… that I evidently forgot to save.  Or maybe I never partially wrote 1 in the first place.

Now, that would be something huh?

Like me thinking that I had done something which I had not.  Now, that I believe would be an age thing.  Because I can’t remember having ever done anything like that before.

Could it be… I am getting old?

Oh, well…   I am informed that if you live long enough you too will grow old.  Then I want to see how much you remember.

If I fail to write anything between now and Christmas… let me say it now while I’m still thinking of  it : )…. Merry Christmas…

This case of the missing blog reminds of a dispute I had with 1 of my professors.  At the end of the semester the professor claimed I had not turned in an important essay assignment.  Come on now…  as you can tell I do nothing but write.  I love to write… and that paper was about writing on a subject giving my opinion.  Now, I really like writing things like that.  So, then why did that professor say she never got my paper?

It is a mystery to me.  As I had indeed given the woman my paper.  I never miss class assignments.  Well, not since I’ve gotten older.  You know how being young is… you are carefree.  So, when I was young years ago I was carefree in college… back in the ’70′s I did nothing but stay in the campus radio station.  Which might be why I never quite became that lawyer… but a professional radio announcer instead.

Well, everybody doesn’t get offers to go professional in their first year of college… but I did.  I never even thought about radio as a profession.  But I guess God did.  And it has carried me wide and far… and paid my bills for most of my adult life.

But going back to that professor.  Until this dispute over my missing grade… because you see she had give me the paper back with a grade of -A.  At that time I used to record the grades I got when my papers were handed back to me on my class syllabus.  I had recorded the grade… but I was later unable to locate the paper to prove it.

The professor, however, said that she had never in her life ever lost a student’s paper.  Which she really had not done… because she had returned the paper back to me.

However, if you have ever seen a teacher’s grading book you would understand how easy it is for an instructor to mark your work but give your grade to someone else.  Because the names are all bunched up together.  And sitting over a bunch of exams all night and day you start seeing cross-eyed.  So, yes the woman probably gave my grade to some student whose name was near mine…either before it or after it.  But I never got the grade.  And I have never been able to find that paper.

But what was upsetting to me about the whole matter was the teacher’s attitude regarding it.  This class was 1 I had taken 7 years ago.  So, it was long after my carefree days.  At this point none of my classes were any real challenge to me mentally or otherwise.  And I have never really been a dummie.

But the lady acted like she had never ever made an error in her life.  And that really got to me… because I knew she had.

Having been a teacher there is 1 thing I know… a teacher knows her students.  The teacher knows the slackers… and the students who study.  The teacher knows the student that struggle with the subject matter… those who half do the work… and those who breeze their way through it.  A teacher knows the good students from the bad ones.  But for some reason this teacher seemed to have a problem differentiating between the 2.  She didn’t know me at all.

I never missed a class… always participated… and turned in all my work… and on time.  So, why didn’t that lady know me?

Because she didn’t want to is the only reason I surmise.  And maybe to some degree I intimidated her.

Though I was not 1 of those returning older students who took up class time talking about myself… or about how different things were from when I first started college… or ever talked about any of my life experiences or work expertise… or any vacations my husband and I once took…    Because well.. for (1) I never had a husband and… (2) I have sat in classes where older students took up a lot of class time talking about nothing… and that nothing did not even come close to anything dealing with our text… or the class discussion if there was one.

My work and expertise in the various fields I have worked overwhelms most people.  And because I have done so much…  most people wouldn’t believe it anyway.

Then too I have always been 1 who believes that I don’t have to whip out my resume… and in my case resumes…  in order to prove anything.  A smart person need only listen to how I speak and what I say… and they will gather it for themselves.

So, there was a dispute because due to that paper which that professor did something with my grade other than having given it to me… she marked me down a whole grade for my class final grade.  While having to fail to inform me that a paper was ever supposedly missing.  It was not until I approached her to asked why I had not received a higher grade than the C+ she gave me… that the woman commenced to tell me about a paper I had not passed in.

Now, as I write this it sounds very shady doesn’t it?

Because I remember being in her class and hearing her reading from her grade book the names of students who owed her papers… and she never once called my name.  But this woman had also said at the beginning of the term that she was not going to accept any papers late.

You know what?

I’m glad that I have them in Court right now… because now that I think about maybe it was I who did not know her.

God bless… and I had already said…  I definitely hope you have a very Merry Merry Merry Christmas.  And do remember to be safe.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment December 13, 2012

OBAMA WINNER! ROMNEY big LOSER…biggest EVER…

And they are hating it.  Hating that Obama won.  Before Ohio even reported their ballot count President Obama already had 282 electoral votes.  Making him the winner for his 2nd term as the President of the United States.  Ohio put the President at 303 electoral votes…and by the time Florida weighed in some 4 days later… Obama’s electoral count hit 332.  Romney was finished at 206.

So, yes… President Barack Obama won… and it was not through cheating or lying… or even by playing games with the American people.  He won by being real and being compassionate towards the people whom he has been elected to lead.  And by showing that even though the odds were against him he could make things happen… and start to change.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57548098/obama-wins-florida-final-electoral-vote-count-332-to-206/

How in the world do you throw away as much money as the people backing Mitt Romney on a horse race… and know in your hearts of hearts that your horse isn’t even that good?

You would have to be a fool.

And foolish they were.  All those people… Republicans who poured in a million… a hundred million… a few hundred thousands… or even 50¢ to back a political opponent as flawed as Mitt Romney.

What were they thinking?

They did it feeling they had no choice… and that Romney was going to be their ‘great white hope.’  Because when you get right down to it that is all this campaign meant to them.  It was not based upon issues… or substance… or even based upon truth for them.  No, sadly it was not… but a need to have the black man removed from the White House by any means necessary.  And if it took ever dime they had… they were willing to try and do it.

Personally, I hope to hear that a few of them have to file for bankruptcy… because they were… and are just a bunch of old racist idiots.  And many times the only way such people who think as they do ever learn is through their pocketbooks… or checkbooks… or by zeroing out their entire bank accounts.

Which some of them might have done.

One might be able to understand it if any of their fears… or concerns (if they had any legitimate concerns) were real or true.  But they were and are not.  President Barack Obama has been doing a good job… and this country is on its way back.  And greatly because of Obama’s efforts to keep at it regardless of the unnecessary blocking of his every move put up by the Republicans.

From de’ Donald Chump to Chuck ‘gimme a break’ Norris and a bunch of other fools… something was definitely wrong with their thinking.

If we are all Americans… then we should all want and desire the same things.  But this is not so.  There are people in this country who enjoy being considered ‘elitist.’   They strive on it.   They love this status of being better off than most… going where they want… able to buy whatever they want when they want etc…etc…   They live well… they drive well… and they play well.  And this is all that matters to them.

They are shallow people.  They live only for themselves.

Well, as a rule… they do.  But when a black man became President of the United States… Barack Obama… they viewed this as a step towards loosing more and more of their cherished status-quo.  Believing that soon all their exclusive little places would soon be overrun by the up-and-coming folk… folk like those who stepped into the White House 4 years ago.  Who by the way are the new elite… and the lily whites have found that hard to swallow.

They would have loved history to regard Barack Obama’s first term as President as a fluke.  But a second time around?

It can hardly ever go down in history as a ‘fluke.’   No, but rather a people’s choice.

No, Barack Obama’s winning the Presidency of the United States the first or the last time can hardly be considered either a ‘fluke’ or something which came by mere happenstance considering the sheer numbers of American who voted for him.  But then these belly aching people they have another problem.  And that is trying to determine among themselves who is or isn’t really American… a question they raise often when speaking about our President.

What they do not want to give President Barack Obama credit for is the thing which hurts them the most.  And that is that he is smart.

I am so sure that they all almost cried while watching the debates  when and even Romney had to admit, “Maybe, I can’t talk as good as him.”

What????

Did that white man say that… about a black man?

No wonder they didn’t want us to start learning how to read or write.  Why they kept our schools in run down structures.  And why back a few years ago none of our schools never had tracks or swimming pools… or libraries… of football fields… and many still do not.

So, now the winner has been declared.  It was Barack Obama… and we didn’t even have to wait until mid-night.  And when the announcements came in the news people said Obama didn’t even need Ohio to win… but he got it.  And he definitely by the time Florida’s vote count was finally release some 4 days later… he didn’t need that state to win either.  But he got it.

No wonder Romney was in such dismay.  The man thought he had it in the bag.  He was prepared to make his acceptance speech… but had never planned on making a loser speech.  The fireworks were set to go off… people prepped to run into the street cheering… confetti ready to fall… and the bottles of champagne had already been opened.  And then reality slowly began to seep in… they were loosing… loosing… lost.

The polls were wrong… but then how could they not help but to be wrong?

• Because the so-called polls kept saying that Obama was behind Romney is popularity…   Now, that was a joke.

• Behind Romney on where America stood…  Who thought of that?

• Behind Romney in how America felt where they wanted this country to go…  Well, I guess the end of the election proved to to be wrong too.

And Romney and his people bet everything on what their pollsters were saying… and it all had to have been a lie.  Which is what the Romney campaign became known for… lying.  I guess all that lying caught up with them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/obama-has-slight-lead-in-electoral-votes-congress-expected-to-remain-status-quo/2012/11/03/6b7f2a3e-25cb-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

Now a whole week later they are still belly aching over it.  Romney is saying Obama would not won if he hadn’t given people gifts.  What gifts?

http://theweek.com/article/index/236469/why-mitt-romney-will-regret-blaming-his-loss-on-obamas-gifts-to-minorities

With all the money poured into Mitt Romney’s campaign he should never talk about anyone giving people gifts.  They gave him the give that was supposed to do what had done during the Republican primaries… and that was to ensure that he would be the last man standing.  But money could not do it.  And lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of money couldn’t do it either… and that is what they cannot believe.

But why can’t they just accept that their man was not good enough?

http://theweek.com/article/index/236211/president-obamas-victory-6-conservatives-behaving-like-sore-losers

Because it was never about being good.  It was about color… and it is still about color.

When Barack Obama won 4 years ago we began to hear about this seceding thang.  And now we are hearing it again.

It did not happen 4 years ago when they started churning the waters then with this craziness… and it is not going to happen now.  They just want to put it out their as a why of spotting Obama’s win.  But they are only showing their hand as the racists that they are.  And they are truly that.

Because if another person… somebody more like them.  Somebody who looked like them …had the same skin color like them ….  Now, that would have been acceptable and there would not have been no talk of seceding from the Union of the United States.  Without being a part of this federal government any state would soon fail.  First of all they would have  to create all their own collateral… t distribute it  …and buying up all that ole dirty American money that claim they don’t want any more since the President is somebody who is non-white.  And before they knew it they would all be bankrupt… every state talking this craziness.   And they would all soon find themselves running back to Obama for help.

So, they… these spoil little brat Republicans… need to stop making themselves look like fools… and trying to incite people against President Obama and his Administration.  Because it won’t work.  And it especially won’t work because most of us… more than 54% of Americans all voted OBAMA …and not ROMNEY anyway.

So, grow up and stop winding you losers… you are making little children look good.

http://theweek.com/article/index/236486/are-fringe-republicans-trying-to-impeach-president-obama

UPDATE: Monday, November 19, 2012….  It is really a shame when public systems… such as a school district belittles itself in such a matter as this, as well in an attempt to degrade and belittle the President of the United States.  Years ago such a thing as this would never have been tolerated by any school system.  But things change… and particularly when it comes down to the color of skin.

This piece of paper was circulated in some local school by a teacher.

Worst than being  just a bunch of  bad losers… they are a bunch of the worst losers EVER.  They really should just grow up.

Thankful for the warmth coming back.  Was concerned about those without electricity and whose homes and apartments were damaged with Hurricane Sandy blew in.  But our God is sooooo good.  As strong and as powerful as Sandy was so many more could have been hurt or killed… and much more destroyed.

It is amazing to me that something of this nature had never happened to New York City before… being that New York sits on the Atlantic Ocean and is made up of nothing but a bunch of islands.

And another thought  came to my mind just now… as I was about to end this blog.  It is hard for me to believe that anyone would vote ‘yes’ on legalizing marijuana for recreational use… meaning like the way the teenage kids smoke it.

Now, we have to worry about not only drunken drinkers but those with ‘a buzz‘ from smoking a couple or few marijuana joints.  And the stuff does destroy brain cells.   Unbelievable…

Then I wonder how many states voted on doctors prescripting a pill for people to commit suicide.  I just have 1 question…

How is it that people are so pro-life… yet would vote ‘yes’ on distributing pills that people can kill themselves?

This is crazy…    We are beginning to live in some very crazy times.

Well, Veterans Day just passed… and we are now looking toward Thanksgiving.  Hope that you have an enjoyable… in case I fail to post anything between now then.

Enjoy your turkey day… and may God shine his light down upon you and your family this holiday season.

God bless… and I will see you the next time.  And if it is after Thanksgiving… believe me when I say ‘it was some good eating.’

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment November 15, 2012

ON POLITICS…THE DEBATES 2012…OBAMA/ROMNEY and BIDEN/RYAN…

To date we have had 2 debates leading up to the Presidential Election, one with Mitt Romney matching up against President Obama, and the other John Ryan vs. Vice President Joe Biden.  What struck me as interesting following these 2 debates was how much the following commentary varied.

It appeared to alright when Mitt Romney kept interrupting and overstepping  President Obama, but when Joe Biden interrupted Ryan all the spin doctors called Biden rude  and disrespectful.  And who could be more disrespectful than that rude loud mouth Rush Lim-whoever who had a nerve trying to act offended by Biden trying to set the record right over Ryan’s lies.

Why is it that when their guy does it is it okay?

But when the other side does it …it suddenly becomes an issue?

Because this is how the Republicans play.  It is harder to find anywhere, I suspect, a bunch of liars and cheaters as we have here in the United States, who look at other countries and think we are sooooo much better.  And to a regard we are… in fact in many ways we are.

But a liar and a cheap in any country is nonetheless a liar and cheap… and such people only mean to exploit and use their people and/or position they are lying are trying to cheat their way into for selfish and mostly self-serving advantage.

So, when Mitt Romney and  John Ryan lie about things that they honestly know to be untrue it is solely for the purpose of trying to instill fear into voters… just to get into the White House.  Fear and lies were tactics that the prior Republican knew very well and manipulated well for 8 years to almost the demise of this country.

The facts under President Obama speak for themselves and you really do not need a hard-sell car salesman to drive home that Obama regardless of opposition to stall him… hinder him… and anger him has made a difference.  And what a breath of fresh air.

Obama has made a difference… and it has been for our good and it has been a positive difference.  We are no longer sitting in the dark wondering if our Allies will come our rescue… or join us… or when the next airplane is going to fly into another building.  And not to mention having brought our men and women home from Iraq by ending that war as he promised.

But under George Bush this was not the case because Bush turned all our Allies against us… and worked diligently to ensure that America stayed fearful of another attack from some Al Qaeda force or forces.  And this mind you… you Republicans after your former Republican leader got us into senseless wars killings thousands of Americans, destroyed our economy, almost brought down our entire banking system… and that of the world too, and left us in tremendous debt which Republicans do not talking about.

In fact, Republicans try to pretend that George Bush ‘may’ have left a problem.

MAY have LEFT A PROBLEM????

George Bush left more than a problem and the Republicans… all of them help him to do it by backing and voting for everything that George Bush put upon the table that could be backed and/or voted for.  While failing to support Obama in any kind of way with the hope that Obama would fail.  But President Obama has not failed regardless of the attacks upon him, his record and his initiatives.

Obama got ObamaCare through the White House, he got Bin laden, unemployment is down to it’s all time low since the last 4 years.  And all of this without the aid of the Republicans, who have only sought to hinder every gesture by Obama to fix what Bush broke.

I will never forget how shortly after President Obama got into office that he sought to massive work done to the infrastructure of America, by having high-speed trains and railways put in around America, and offered money to states to get involved.  And there were certain Republican Governors who refused to accept the federal funds that Obama was offering to their states, because they preferred  see the plan sink rather that their state take the money that would have surely opened up thousands of jobs for people all across this country.

So, when you get right down to it… Republicans do not care really about the people who vote them into office.  They care mainly about their own personal interests, the few multimillionaires who assist in funding them and ‘their combined interests’ ….and they care about winning an election at any cost and regardless of how many lies they have to tell… and support in order to do it.

It is sad.  But it is American Politics as it stands today.

And the good guy comes in last.

During the debate between Mitt Romney and Obama… Obama did not try to over-talk Romney or continuously interrupt him, as Romney did when Obama or the moderator was speaking.  And at the end of the night the spin doctors were declaring what a marvelous debater Romney was and how he had won the debate.

Mitt Romney is far from being a great debater one needs only to look back at the debates he had when he was trying to get to the point where he now is.  During those debates where he and about 6 other Republicans were battling to become the candidate for the Presidency.  In those debates Romney became un-wired… unglued… and was outted as being a liar, a flip-flopper and a man who could not stand up against his own record as Governor of Massachusetts, where he sat doing nothing during that term but dreaming about running for President… which by the way was the only reason Mitt took up residence in Massachusetts.

Then there is the question of  Mitt’s religious beliefs.  It is a question which should hardly be left unchallenged since Romney religion believes that women have neither voice nor rights.  So, how could this man become the President of a country where women’s rights had been deemed the standard and model for women in countries like Iraq?

It would be a contradiction.

And based upon the fact that Mormon pretty much use woman as mere baby factories… of course issues such as women’s right to make decisions over their own bodies would be in total conflict with Mitt’s religious beliefs.  Or women holding any office of authority would also go against Mitt’s religious order.

And how about all those older men marrying those young pre-teen girls… and all their multiple wives?

In fact, when one sits down and thinks about how in the world could a man like Mitt Romney possibly govern or command a country such as the United States, when everything he has been taught and trained to believe is not of our world… but of the Mormon world… a world that operates in their hubs as they have designed it to operate.  And whose beliefs are not quite the same as ours… as it is a kind of reformed Christian thinking that can pretty much be called a cult.

I look forward to the next 2 debates.  Where Mitt will refused to address anything to put him by Obama and use tactics called-

‘Deny… deny…. deny… and run to another subject.”

It such be fun.

One final note…. it has always amazed me how a man… Bin laden who was supposedly on dialysis could have been running in and out of caves and dodging American intelligence all of these years?

Either Bush lied about that too  or the man was super-human.

Thanks again to those of you who have purchased my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE.  As I said in my last blog it is amazing…  I cannot not believe how much my book is moving …and I thank you from the depths of my heart.  Please let me hear from you regarding my book.   I would love to know how you liked it… or didn’t like it… or whatever…. either way.

In fact, I have finally heard from someone.   Their comment was “Should have gotten a copy writer.”   Well, that comment bothered me because I believe in excellence.  If let me apologize  if you find this to be the case.  I do find books littered with errors difficult myself.

So, truly write me and let me know what you think?   It helps us as writers…   Well, it helps me.  Thank you… and sorry about any errors, typos… or text not properly or clearly written.  Forgive me…

And if you have yet to purchase my book I found this link over the internet via barnes&nobles.com where you can read bits of a couple of my chapters.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/read/9781467055437

My book can be purchased via www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnes&nobles.com   etc…etc… or by placing an order for it at your local bookstore.

Sent most of day resting yesterday.   Didn’t get up until some time after 2 PM.  Had been busy most of the week… and my feet were tired.

Well, God bless… it’s Saturday… hope you enjoy your weekend.  I’ve got to get out of her and go get my hair done.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment October 13, 2012

THE DNC…the Democratic National Convention…is Mitt Romney’s money clean…SERENA & the U.S. Open… Aretha…

Well, unlike 4 years ago I have yet to say much… if anything about this the 2012 Presidential Campaign.  It has not been  for the lack of any interest… more like a bit busy these days.

But 1 thing is for sure just as it was 4 years ago… I am still an Obama girl.

As in all campaigns there are some hits and misses… so too here.  But when you stack it up side by side of DNC vs. RNC… it was the Democratic National Convention hands down over the Republican convention.

Well, for 1 thing most of the Republican speech givers must have taken a score of creative writing classes… because for the most part most of their speeches were all… for lack of a better word… creative.  Very creative indeed.

Nothing like taking on a bit of self-responsibility…or in this case Party responsibility.   The Republican Party lacks the desire to do anything but win.  It does not matter to them how they win… they just want to win.

It must be sad that the only points you can give to your team are points that you have to make up.  Creative 1.

Creative 2… you forget any role in  anything.

Creative 3… and you pretend as though ‘we want to help you.’

Yeah, right…

When I think about Mitt Romney it is a marvel to me as to how he has gotten this far?

And THEY called Jim Kerry  the ‘flip-flop’ kid.  Romney is the master at it.  No, I take that back… because it seems to me Mitt does not master anything.  He just says 1 thing now… tomorrow he’ll say something that contradicts that… and say he didn’t say that of do that.  Or he just allows his money to speak for him or do what needs to be done… and he goes from this to that saying-

“Oh, well…”

And a lot of times when he gets caught at something and doesn’t know what to say… he just looks plain lost.

Either Mitt Romney suffers from the same thing as Clint Eastwood… or the last ship just pulled out of Pennsylvania Avenue.  Which happens to be a major street way… as in roadway… not a water way.  But to those suffering from some bout of disillusion… as a Mitt Romney or an aged Clint Eastwood it may  seem like a major water way.  Because the Republican Party for sure is up a creek without a paddle… with a man who seems to have nothing else going for himself except ‘money.’

I think that it is sad when you are asked to go to a convention and cheer for a man you don’t even like.

I must admit though that the Republicans who decided to throw in their hats into the ring as contenders to become the nominee for the Presidency on the Republican ticket were…  Well, they were slim pickings.  There is no other way to have put it.  And out of that bunch of slim pickings came Mitt Romney, who gave an acceptance speech as their choice for candidate to run against President Obama… not because Mitt came with a whole lot of credentials… but rather money.

In fact, Mitt Romney has no real credentials that would make him eligible for any job.  His stint as Governor of Massachusetts was a joke.  The man was hardly there… and when you boil it all down… Mitt Romney did absolutely nothing for Massachusetts.  Mitt Romney did  zero… a big fat NOTHING.

I love when people pick up and move to some place just to run for political office.  Hillary did hit when she and Bill departed the White House, moving to New York.  Jeb Bush did it when he up-rooted himself and family from Texas to go south to Florida… where they by the way fixed the 2000 Presidential Election so his brother could win the Presidency. But Mitt left whatever state he came from to move north to Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is known for a great jumping off point for potential wanna-be Presidents.  I cannot begin to tell you how many Presidential candidates have run from the state of Massachusetts… including Kennedy and Adams who both won.  Dukakis ran… that guy with the red hair ran… Ryan I think his name was.  And I don’t know how many others.

So, along came Mitt with his Presidential dreams… seeking to springboard himself into the number 1 seat in the White House from a state known to be a good launching pad… Massachusetts.  Mitt did not move there… or rather set up a residence there by mistake.

But he did NOTHING.

Now, we are into 2012 and Mitt is running for that mantle for his fireplace up in the Alps.  He likes titles… he wants people to call him ‘Mister President’ ‘Commander’… but he has not a plan… and we won’t take about ’a clue.’   Which Mitt doesn’t have either.  He just has money… and lots of it.

Herein lays Mitt’s dilemma…  1. Why should any American citizen want to even consider a man… much less vote for him… who has money locked away in a place-

Excuse me… I meant locked away in ‘not in a place’… but in an entirely different country other than his own… and paying no taxes on it?

2. Why does Mitt not want to divulge how much money he has?

3. Could Mitt’s money be bad?

Well, the only people I know…   I mean whom I have heard about who do that with money who are criminals… big time drug dealers, thieves and robbers etc…

So, I’m wondering which 1 …or if Mitt Romney is them all?

Because if the money is clean… legit… then I can’t understand the problem Mitt is having releasing financial his information?

I mean we all know that there are rich people in this world… and some a lot richer than others.  But they do not appear to be evading the issue of their net worth.  So, why is Mitt?

You know when you live in the hood and hear all of those stories about how ‘the real’ drug dealers are not the ones walking the streets day and night trying to sell the stuff.  That is really the truth.  It is those big time Wall Street type… the type that have big jobs, lots of money and live in penthouses… who can afford the secret air strips and pilots it take to fly that stuff in.  But the drugs never actually touch their hands …they just finance it.

They own the planes that fly the drugs in, the places where the drugs are cut or cooked, packaged and then disbursed.  They reap all the real benefits of the drug trade… (if you want to call it that) but none of its negative publicity, images, hardships or dangers.   The money goes to them… the real money… and they sit on top of the whole sha-bang looking as clean as a whistle.

So, Mitt where did you get all your money from?

I am more curious than ever… because try so hard to hide something there is usually a very good reason.  And when you are dealing with a guy who seems to have an endless supply of money… such as a Mitt Romney… I think somebody should be asking him some intense questions about his finances.

Out of  6 or 8 other Republicans who ran along with Mitt to become President… Mitt just simply out spent them all.  He had more money to spend than any of them.  Which is the only reason Mitt Romney happened to get this far.  And it has been his money that has kept him for his entire political life.

The Olympics take money… you can’t be a promoter of something like that without some really big capital to even consider financing it.  Running in all the political campaigns for as many years as Mitt has …it had to cost him some major capital.

Good investments are 1 thing… but lots of people have made good investments and evidently do have what Mitt has by way collateral.

Mitt just how did you get all your money?

Rick Santorum vowed that he was staying in the race… that Romney’s money was not going to force him out of the race.  But in the end even poor Rich just could not stand the test of time.  He simply did not have that Mitt had… by way of money.

So, 1 by 1 all the other GOP would-be nominees bailed out.  Mitt Romney it can easily be said won by  default.  And it happen because of a money deficit on the other’s sides.  They just could not hang with Mitt and all the money he was spending.

Now, it’s Obama and Mitt.  And I will say it… hands down its going to be Obama.

A Paul Ryan/Mitt Romney ticket cannot compare to an Obama/Obama/Biden ticket in anybody’s book.

Though I realized upon hearing about that HBO had a show about a Mormon family… from the moment I heard about it I knew what that program’s purpose was all about.  It was designed to show America that Mormon families are just like everybody else.  But they are not.  And a show created to sugar coat real Mormon life …and designed to desensitize Americans to the real ways, religion and practices of Mormons was all done to make way for  a Mitt Romney  win into the White House.

That show was as much a ploy… and I should political ploy whose purpose was as much a form of propaganda movies during the Cold War.  It came about to get people to feeling and saying-

“Oh, they are just like us.”

And if anyone looked real deep… they might even find out that it may have been financed either part or in whole by somebody tied to Mitt Romney or by Romney himself.

Inside the Mormon world …their close-knit families… their families are not just like ours.  Their families look nothing like ours.  They live by entirely different set of rules… and they believe differently.

Their worship is not the same… because  their root beliefs are different.  And their concept of family is different.

It is funny that when you google ‘what do Mormons believe’… it is interesting that there is no clear answer. But a variety of varied responses… like they believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost.  And so does the devil.

Okay, then maybe you should ask what do they practice religiously?

Multiple wives… women who live their lives in total submissiveness… with no power and no voice for 1, 2 and 3.

I am thankful that my God gave me the freedom to be more than a baby factory…not to be just somebody who turned out child after child.  Because that is pretty much the lives of Mormon women.  It is a man’s world as James Brown used to sing in his song by the same title.  The men within their group love that… so much so that age means nothing to them in consider to their pleasure and choice of wives.

So, I really do not understand any man who is supposedly running for the top political position in this country ….who does his banking in foreign banks… in order to hide his money.  And I do not understand any man or woman who would want to lift up a man to rule in this country …who belongs to an organization that is very much a cult…  and where the spirit and minds of women is stripped from them.

Came across a quick note about Patti LaBelle… and I was surprised to read it.  I never thought she cussed or became so enraged that she would totally loose it.  Never really seemed to be the type.  And I must say that I have met her… and I found her to be quite nice.

It all happened in a confrontation with a woman… who I believe may have been pregnant… if I remember the story right.  But was outside of a building that Patti was either entering or exiting and something or other happened that caused Patti to show a side of herself that I never would have never thought in  her.

The confrontation cost Patti $100,000 in an outside of court settlement.  Can’t imagined what happened that would have been worth that kind of payout… but Patti must have gone berserk… when she threw water on the woman and a few choice words.

Perhaps Patti reflected on it and felt so real bad about her poor behavior… and the possible shame of having this type of case go to court where people just like me… would have never thought Patti could have done such a thing… stare at her with their mouths wide open in disbelief.

But sometimes it is just a matter of it being a bad day… a very bad day.   I do not know if you have ever had 1… but I have.  The incident occurred while I was teaching in high school.  My son had done something which had really upset me… and here came this student that had been acting stupidly in my class.  Earlier in the day the actions of this boy I had let go by… I was being professional and I had not yet spoken to my son.  But by noon I heard of something about my son that had worked me up… and here came this boy… and he either said something to me or did 1 last thing… and I said to him-

“I’m so mad I could leap up in the sky and kick you right in the face.”

It is when I realized that I  was not cut out to be teacher material.  So, when the school department tried to offer me another contract to teach the following year I said no.  Besides I wanted to work on shooting my film and that had not become my focus… and goal.

Now, it wasn’t that I couldn’t handle it… teaching… or that I did not have control of my classes.  No, nothing like that.

In fact, quite the opposite… because in my classes I ruled.  And I was not very tolerant of anyone who did not come into my class to work.

Students respected me and I respected them.  But on that day… that boy crossed me at the wrong moment… and all my professionalism left me.  When I went into class the next day…. I will tell you this…  I was afraid his parents were going to be there waiting on me.  I would have if my child had come home and told me a teacher had said such a thing to them.  But evidently that boy never told it to his parents.

So, what I am saying here is that there are times when any 1 of us can lose it.  But the difference is our names are not Patti LaBelle.  And that does make a difference.  But does not any less make such times less embarrassing… or just as shameful.

Talking about shameful.  Happen to come across this picture of Patti and wondered if she is going through mid-life crisis?

I do not believe this looks decent even when the kids dress like this.  So, you know seeing this photo was a thumb down from me.

It Patti is not going through some type of mid-life crisis… between this dress and her law suit actions …I do not know what is going on?   I cannot figure another reason for Patti flashing as much flesh as this.  Personally, I like the classy Patti better.  I really think it is ridiculous when the young girls do this… and cannot understand any woman… older woman wanting to follow what the kids do.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/showbiz/patti-labelle-settlement/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/patti-labelle-lawsuit-roseanna-monk-nyc-lobby-run-in_n_1857234.html

When I heard Jesse Jackson answering a question about his son recuperating  in an interview recently… I thought that it was that his son had had a stroke or something.   The way that Jesse spoke about it and how he was smiling I would have never known anything otherwise.

I would never have thought that the Senator or Congressman… whatever he is… Jesse Jackson, Jr was in rehab due to a problem with drugs.  He always seemed to be so on top of it… sharp …clear and on point about what he was doing… saying and about his service to the people he was voted to represent.

Hard to believe.  But we pray that it all comes back together for him.  And if it was just an illusion… that he gets it together for real.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/07/13733523-jesse-jackson-jr-back-in-washington-dc?lite

Well, Serena is tearing up the tennis courts in New York at the U.S. Open.  It is win…win ….win.  And that she is … and she appears to be more determined to continue to do so.

Serena is going after her opponents with more power… and her mental game is so strong that the other female tennis players might as well not even walk onto the courts to face her.

Serena is slaughtering them.  One behind the other Serena is shutting  everybody down… and proving in such a big way… and without a doubt she is #1.  Whether they say so or not.

Serena Williams is #1 in the world.  The #1 female athlete.  Highest grossing woman in sports …and the least celebrated.  But she is slamming it home… ‘I’M #1!’    Respect me… fear me… and and try to beat me if you dare.  And she is menacing threat because she is relentless… and packs as much physical strength as she does mental power.

And I noticed that ain’t nobody said nothing about Serena’s hair.  Oh, I forgot she’s from Compton.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/serena-williams-easily-reaches-us-230243194–ten.html

UPDATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2012…Well,  she is taking it home.  Serena won it all once again… not only the top women’s trophy …but the big check that went along with it.  She was a little more challenged in her final game, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, but rose to meet the challenge.

I guess you could say-

“Another one bites the dust.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/serena-williams-wins-2012-u-s-open-overpowers-1-victoria-azarenka-flushing-article-1.1155505

Just 1 more thing before I close out.  Lady ‘Re became Dr. ‘Re this past week receiving an honorary doctorate from Princeton.  Good for her…I know she was overwhelmed.

Proud of this diva…for 1 thing because she never did what a lot of other artist have done or are trying to do.  She has never forsaken her base of fans trying to seek after something else.  Because ‘Retha already knew she had what she had… and if that wasn’t good enough too bad.  (I’m smiling because I know how Aretha thinks)  That’s what makes her the Queen…and she is second to none.

http://www.essence.com/2012/06/06/aretha-franklin-earns-honorary-doctorate-of-music-from-princeton/

Thanks again to those of you who have purchased my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE.  As I said in my last blog it is amazing…  I cannot not believe how much my book is moving …and I thank you from the depths of my heart.  Please let me hear from you regarding my book.   I would love to know how you liked it… or didn’t like it… or whatever…. either way.

And if you have yet to purchase my book I found this link over the internet via barnes&nobles.com where you can read bits of a couple of my chapters.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/read/9781467055437

My book can be purchased via www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnes&nobles.com   etc…etc… or by placing an order for it at your local bookstore.

Sent most of day resting today.  Had been busy this week… but glad to now be able to rest.  Hoping you get your rest on this weekend too.  Because the body does need rest… so give yourself some.  You probably deserve it too.  I know that I do.

Well, God bless… its TGIF… so I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment September 8, 2012

FREUDIAN SLIP or GAFFE TODD AKINS is a DANGEROUS MAN…

Okay, I know I’m jumping on this band wagon rather late but… it is not that it got pass me.  But rather I have been simmering it.  You know thinking it over.

And not whether or not rape in any case or other … or under any circumstance is okay.  But I have been just milling over what kind of person would say such a thing?

Rape under any circumstance is a fierce and violent act.  And that says that it is a criminal act… and one which can never be justified.

By its sheer name and meaning… we all know that rape is an act which is forced upon another party, and very much without their consent… that is a crime.  Hence, it is illegal and an act of aggression.

So, then how could such an act ever be classified as alright or okay… with anyone?

I have written many blogs about sex and women.  About people who have committed some heinous crimes upon innocent unsuspecting victims.  Crimes against infants sexually, as well as, other small children… and it sickened me. Often causing me to leave off from writing anything further on it.

I even stopped watching television because it seemed to me that ever movie or episode of any law and order like program was a crime being perpetrated against a woman …girl or child.

I wondered how a channel such as Lifestyles or WE could call themselves channels for women, when they only programmed were movies where women were being victimized?

It was sickening.  And I could not understand it… so I shut it off.

Now, here comes this Missouri State Representative in a speech while out campaigning for a Senate seat of a woman, who makes the most profoundly stupid statement anyone could possibly make in these most modern times.  And all I can think is-

“There must be some skeletons in his closet.”

Because only people who perpetrate such crimes would believe them to be okay.

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20120824/OPINION/308240002/Mo-congressman-makes-flippant-rape-remark

If ever there was a Freudian slip… this guy made it.  But if Freud is right… the slip was a thinking and/or belief within this Akins guy from the very beginning… before he let it slip out.

Rape by its nature is a forcible act and can, therefore, never be considered anything other than  an act of violence against whomever it was perpetrated upon.

But perhaps silently Akins’ thinking is really the thinking of many men.  Perhaps this would explain why women who have gone to court against attackers in rape crimes… almost always are made to look like the criminal themselves.  They are unrobed… and brought low.  They are slandered… and their names muddied… while they are dragged through the mud.

I will never forget Anita Hill and her trip up to Capitol Hill.  She was treated so badly by the Party that she actually was a member of, the Republicans.  They made her look dirty… wanton… ambitious and willing to do anything kind of woman.  And then they wanted to make a joke of her.

It was Ted Kennedy who final stood up and told them that they should be ashamed of themselves for their mean and ugly behavior in an effort to discredit her testimony against Clarence Thomas, for an appointment as a Chief Justice to the Supreme Court.

Thomas himself was never attacked nor any of the acts that Anita described that he perpetrated against her, a then interning law student fearful that her boss, Thomas, would ruin her hopes of any kind of legal career, in his effort to coerce her into a sexual relationship… which she did not submit to.

Thomas needless to say was admitted a Supreme Court Judge, a position he will hold for the remainder of his life, if he chooses to.  While Anita Hill, I have no doubt, had to battle through a lot of bad press for years regarding her legal ambitions.

Was it because she was a woman… and he was a man?

Have men no responsibility for their actions when it comes to the negative things they do?

When Herman Cain was running for the Presidency earlier this year… it was amazing to see all the women in his closet, who had been paid off by the company, Godfather Pizza, that he had headed.  Women who Cain had violated or attempted to violate in 1 way or other for sex.

I guess we have only to look at the Bible to see how men carry on about women and sex.  In the story of the woman being caught in adultery… it is said that she was caught ‘in the act.’  But it is she and she alone who is dragged before Jesus for judgment.

Why?

Because many men do not accept their acts as being anything other than natural.

Oftentimes they blame the woman for their actions saying-

“She always wore short and revealing clothes.”

“There was something about how she smelled when she came around me.”

“It was her walk… you know?”

No, I don’t know.

I don’t know why anyone would feel it was or is alright to sexually or otherwise violate someone.

I had a boss… he was my manager… the manager of the sales force I worked for.  As often as he could he would to drive me over to Jersey, which was the territory he had given me to work in.

While in the car he would always talk to me about sex.  He would say how coke… meaning cocaine… made him horny… and a bunch of other things.  I tuned him out as much as I could… only answering to whatever I had to answer to.

Too bad Anita Hill had not hit Capitol Hill before I got that job… or some time thereafter.  I would have owned that radio station… truly.  Because I would have taken them to the bank.  I could not stand that man… and it was not until later that I found out that he had been robbing me of sales I had gotten.  Imagine that…

But I endured him …until I finally left that job and began my own company, Queen Bee Multi-Media Advertising & Consulting Agency.  But women in the workforce are forced to endure so much when they are surrounded by a group of men, or fall upon the attention of an unscrupulous boss.   And even today the playing field is still not fair or much better when it comes to women… but yet we endure.

And most of our endurance comes from the fact that we have families… and for a lot of women they are the head of their family.  So, they have no choice but to put up with it… whatever the ‘it’ is.

So, enter this Akins fellow and opens his big mouth… just like that group of men who dragged that woman to Jesus.  They were not without sin… and dare I say… I think Mr. Akins may not be either.  And I think Freud may back me up on that 1.

Want to take this time to thank all of you who have purchased my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE.  It is amazing…  I cannot not believe how much my book is moving …and I thank you from the depths of my heart.  Please let me hear from you.  I would love to know how you liked it… or didn’t like it… or whatever.

And if you have yet to purchase my book I found this link over the internet via barnes&nobles.com where you can read bits of a couple of my chapters.  My book can be purchased via www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com etc…etc… or by placing an order for it at your local bookstore.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/read/9781467055437

Well, God bless… it TGIF… so I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment August 24, 2012

27 months for Rev. Shine…

Just a quick note before I am shoved out of here.

How do you go around buying up lavished items in other folks names… and want to say that you did nothing wrong?

http://bossip.com/621431/jesus-take-the-wheels-maryland-pastor-dr-shine-gets-27-months-in-prison-for-buying-mansion-jet-and-fleet-of-cars-using-church-funds/

Obviously, you recognized that you were doing something shady otherwise you would have never approached any of  your church members to do it.

There would have been no need… because you would have just gone out and bought what you wanted …and put your own name on it.

Shady is not the word… perhaps under-handed might be better… a deliberate ploy to out scheme someone… is all it could have been.  The law called it fraud… and Dr. Shine has 2 years and some months to think about it.

I guess the only person he ended up fooling was really only himself.

Well, God bless… and enjoy your weekend.   I need some rest and I think that I am going to take it this weekend… in between getting up to eat and using the bathroom.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment August 3, 2012

HAS GOSPEL MUSIC GONE SECULAR…the Gospel… and Changes in People Preaching the Word

You might not believe this but I actually completed this blog the night before Martin L. King’s birthday weekend.  But I’m just now getting back to it now… nearly how many months later??  But I hope that you still find it to be a good read.

Interesting…

Recently, I got an interview request from someone who wanted to discuss with me some of my comments and opinions… or rather some singular statements that I  voiced here on my blog site. Statements regarding a shift in gospel music.  In particular they wanted to talk to me regarding my blog entitled… ‘KIM BURRELL…secular music wanna be.’

In that blog I stated my opinions on gospel artists attempting to move away from their musical base…or roots if you will… to chase after what appears to them to be ‘greener grounds’ on the other side.  They want larger crowds… bigger audiences… and when you get right down to it… it’s all about “moe money”… “moe fame”… “more of the roar of the crowd”… and “moe money.”

Wonder who told them getting it would be “all of dat…then some?”

Do I feel that Kim Burrell’s decision to try to follow a secular career in music is based upon money?

Yes, I do.

Kim saying that it is about souls…really contradicts Biblical text which says ‘come out from among them’ …not become like them so you can bring them in.

So, when I hear an gospel artist say that they have hipped up their music and performance to reach the masses or the younger generation… it really does not equate.  Least ways… not for me.

What it really amounts to is nothing more than not wanting to be labelled as an ‘gospel artist‘ any longer… which Kim Burrell has publically stated.

So, Kim has this burning desire  to not just do ‘gospel music’  any more ….or to be labelled as a ‘gospel music artist’ any longer…but something wider…and broader than that.  Might as well just come out and say… something more worldly.

You can tell something about Kim Burrell if you have ever watched that show, Sunday’s Best…which I never did.  But it was all over the internet …including a youtube upload of the segment that I am refering to… where Kim told someone to get rid of  “that gospel sound” … saying, “You’re sounding too churchie.”

Too “CHURCHIE???”

Has Kim not heard of Aretha Franklin?

Sounding ‘churchie’ never hurt Aretha 1 little bit.

Po’ Kimberly.

Well, this kind of thinking may or may not have stemmed from Kim having grown up in her family’s church, singing gospel music most of her life.  Until… I guess… maybe  all of her life until now.

So, now  Kim Burrell wants a secular career.  She wants to cross over to do R&B … or SOUL music or Pop Music… or whatever they call it today.   And I say that because today all ‘our’ musical forms are under attack… though Pop is not  ours.  But our music is under attack.  Is under the threat of  seriously totally disappearing before our very eyes.  It is all being re-catagorized into something else.

Coming from the music industry from way back… I can make certain assessments and statements from a point of knowledge that most cannot.  Because of my history of being many years in the record industry …namely by way of  radio…I do therefore come with some degree of insider  knowledge based upon my observations over the years… and they are merely my observations.  I have been watching certain changes and themes going on in the music industry since I guess I started listening to music… because it has always been there.  And namely because we do not control it… other people do.

Who would have ever thought that there would come a day when black folk would not want to sound black?

We all have heard of Elvis and other white recording artists covering black folks music and trying their best to sound like us.  There were those that emulated our keyboard playing… guitar playing… singing …and even dancing.  But now there has been a shift… now we’re the ones trying to do the emulating.   This is sad.  We are now doing what they used to do… and it is especially so in the gospel industry.  And particularly among some of the upper tier gospel artists who want to get air time on Christian radio stations.

It used to be that black gospel singers just wanted a contract… get some radio exposure… do concerts …and praise the Lord, while showing forth their praises to Him for the marvelous gifts He had endowed them with.  But not today.  The atmosphere has changed… and it is not about God.   Well, for many it is not… but all about money.

Guess gospel radio stations are about to bite the dust as far as some of today’s gospel artists are concerned… and they are disappearing.   Our artist could care less about those small little black owned radio stations that they used to leap at for a chance to get an interview on so they could talk up their latest projects.

In regards to my thoughts on what some so-called gospel artists are currently calling urban gospel music… I really think that it is a shamme.   It is truly a shame and disgrace how readily we are so quick to forsake those things which are so uniquely us.   And we do it all for nothing more than the sank of  a few almighty dollars…that only last for a little while.

And they do it without any consideration to our history and our future legacies.

We just throw it all to the wind…and then other people come in… and they begin to lay claim to it… calling it theirs.

Have you not seen that?

There was once a time when there had been more than just a hand full of black owned businesses in America… and they were large booming corporations.  But during the latter 70′s into the mid-80′s there was a big sale off of most of those black owned companies… and mostly they were sold off to companies controlled by non-African Americans.  Thoes African American companies were companies that produced products directly for us and by us… and had been birthed primarily because other corporations did not care about us… or what our specific needs were.

There was a time when all the make-up and hair products in the stores were basically geared towards white women and men.  But the difference you see in stores today is not there because of anyone outside of ourselves.  We began to produce black hair products and make-up etc. for us… to fit our needs… or skin tones… and hair textures etc.

But those African American companies…for the most part were really the beginning of the big sell off.  The big money makers like the black hair care and make-up companies followed by publications and radio stations etc. were the first things bought out by white corporations.  Today you see that almost all our so-called black radio stations are owned by 1 corporation, Clear Channel.  Clear Channel owns almost everything media…black, white, hispanic and etc.

The first cab company here in our town was even started by a black woman… and even that  too was sold off.

So, what am I saying?

I am saying that we are good historically at creating then selling off and out everything that we own… and have created… selling out our goods, talents, gifts etc… to other groups of people who almost always end up capitalizing far more off them… than we ever did.   And we usually have done so to our own detriment…as a group of people… and to the lack of consideration for our future generations, who have no knowledge of what was… and no vision for what can be for them.

We have lost so much in  all of those sell-off transactions.  And one of the greatest things we have sold off  is our ability to control and determine our own destines…through any sustainable period of time.

This same trend for years has been spreading across the board into everything  we have either created or  have produced… not just our hair care products and cosmetics, but also in our art and various other art forms such as dance etc.  This is not good… and has been a huge determent to our children’s future and their entrepreneurial spirit.  Which many of them have none at all.

It is definitely not good for  us to forsake our cultural gifts… our diversity and own creativity… and particularly to forsake those things which are uniquely us… such as our music and our other cultural forms of art.

If we don’t preserve them …who will?

If we don’t treasure them …who will?

Today’s artists are greedy.  They want more money… and they are just not satisfied with more money… they want LOTS of it.  Which, of course, has to mean more sales… wider variety of awards… and all of this translates into creating a wider market.

So, today’s gospel artists do not mind forsaking their old fan base who loved and supported them during their meager beginning… who bought their music before the big switch to sounding like somebody else… somebody non-black… somebody undefined…somebody non-negro …because it is a race thang… or un-black. And many gospel promoters can’t even touch them… because they are priced outside of our reach.

It all has to be a new form of self-hate.  And I thought we had gotten way past that.

Our children walk around believing we have nothing… have done nothing… and that they will be nothing… because we have forsaken so much.  We have just thrown it all away… all  to the wind.  Even our own self-respect.

There are just some things too valuable to place a price on… things that are truly worth holding on to no matter what.  If we do not… we all loose.  There are so few black businesses today. 

A few gospel labels are still trying to hold on… like Malaco, Tyscot, JDI, and some smaller record labels and those yet under-ground… companies that we all should be trying to support because they still maintain their integrity by staying close to our gospel core… providing good gospel music while other companies… the larger gospel labels out weigh them with the stellar gospel stars and much much much larger budgets.

The thing that hurts the most … and I can say even worst… is that our children will loose… and loose big for every generations to come.  Clearly, they are already suffering when you look and hear what they are pumping out.  It neither sounds like us… or looks like us.  They have gone ga-ga..

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/evangelisttonyaglive/2011/12/03/ngm-presents-talk-show

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf

During the course of my career there has come my way many times that I got up and walked off  away from the table… because I was made offers.   But money has never wowed me like that.  Me… myself… and I…  WE ARE NOT FOR SALE… and have never been.

So, even as a sinner… way back then… I got up and turned my back on a lot of things that could have gotten me lots of money… but I chose to say, ‘no’… as I have never elected to do anything that would disgrace me or my family… or my people… or my core beliefs.

So, I have never been a sell-out.

Nor have I ever sold myself out.  And as good as God has been to me… I definitely have no intentions of ever considering ‘going for the money’ now.

No, way… I love Him too much.  And all our gifts are for his glory.

Money is not worth selling off that part of you that you will never be able to buy back.

How do you sell off your soul?

I have always been called an artists.  Most of the time I made a lot of decisions based upon my art… and not necessarily in consideration of my pocketbook.  So, I have been in the dark many a times.

Yes, I have had the electricity shut off…more than a few times…. cars repossessed… and bill collectors up the yah-zoo.  But I never did anything that went against me…   Well, almost once.  But it didn’t work out… thank goodness for God.  He stepped in.

I do believe some gospel artists are choosing to go against whatever moral standings they may have had… if some of them had any at all.  Or maybe it is just that they are not really saved or sanctified in the first place.  I have heard comments concerning people we have long held in high regard as truly being people of God… who behind the scene cuss… fuss, use drugs, drink …and show off a side to be anything but holy.

But truly here are some things that we have to take seriously…  and very seriously indeed.  Putting God up for sale.. or whether we should… or  would want to is one of them.  And trying to sell it off as a means of winning souls to Christ is another.

Confess and tell the truth.

Today the music industry is going through another re-defining, repositioning, and a transitional period.   It is something that the industry goes through periodically.  It ususally comes about when they realize that there is more money to be made if we…do this.  So, by dangling sparkling trinkets before the eyes of certain artist who may be hot… or have the talent to be very hot.  So, these companies feed them a song and dance about how they can make more money if they would…  Sell out… because that is what it comes down to. 

It happened with Michael Jackson when he was stolen away from Motown and his family group, the Jackson 5.  You remember when Michael emerged as the King of Pop… that was the new thing then… a new musical catagory called Pop Music.

This re-catagorization or creation of new music sub-divisions are for the purpose of openning artists up to larger audiences …by making them more acceptable to ‘other people’ in order to rake in more capital.  And it has  meant the lost of  such music catagories as… R&B… and Soul Music… which were converted into catagories called ‘urban‘ and this new junk call ‘neo-soul’ today.  And most of the black radio stations became urban radio stations.

When gospel artist decide that they are going to ‘go for the money’ then they should say that… if that is what they are going for.

They really should just say, “I’m going for the money.”

But no… they want to make statements like-

“God told me I needed to go out there to the unsaved.  And in order to do that I have do what will appeal to them.  That means creating music that speaks to them and will intrigue-  Ooops…excuse me. I mean to say help bring  them in.”

Such statements speak in direct contradiction to Biblical text… and can never justify anyone going out there trying to cross-over their music in order to reach ‘a wider’ audience outside of the gospel world.   And when you think about it… was not gospel music created for the saved… not the un-saved?

They already have their music.

In the mid-80′s came this thing called “POP MUSIC.”  It was the beginning of a marketing plan to make black artist… or African American talent more acceptable to white audiences.  And it was all about making more money for those artist who wanted to do this thing called ‘cross-over.’ And was the beginning of ridding the music world of anything sounding …or looking like us.

In many cases of  the artist’s who wanted to go Pop their whole sound changed… just as we are hearing today in the gospel music industry.  The artist moved away from making music or writing songs that brought them to the attention of those who began chasing them, offering more money and bigger contracts.

Those people came up with a plan to do away with certain groups  of music… music you hardly hear any more because they set about graying the lines between the music to make it more acceptable to all…  Well, almost all.

One of the first types of music that was aimed to hit the bricks was jazz.  This began just about the time that many of the real jazz masters started departing this earth… jazz greats such as Miles, Coltrane, Armstrong, Thelonious Monk etc…etc…etc…   And if it had not been for die hard jazz lovers who strongly resisted the lost of this musical genre by (1) rebuilding a core of new real jazz music lovers, (2) the emergence of  jazz radio station programming it … usually on mostly public radio and/or educational stations where subscribers  supported this type of programming, and (3) the creation of smooth jazz radio stations programming a softer more acceptable jazz, 24 hours a day everyday of the week.  Though smooth jazz is considerably different from the type of  jazz that had been created by the masters  like Miles Davis… it did, however, find its nitch.

Now, while half watching… get this… the Soul Train Music Awards show… I noticed a drastic change  has happened to Soul Music.  While watching it all I could think was… if Don Cornelius was alive (and he was at the time…I just didn’t know it until he committed suicide).    During that show I heard terms  like ‘urban soul’… and that mess they called ‘neo-soul.’   All mostly foreign to me… as of course do not listen to such mess.

I equate ‘neo-soul’  to the new direction we see gospel music headed in… and it is very sad.

While putting together a gospel music video program… I included a music video by the gospel duo of sisters called MaryMary.  What stuck out to me as I was typing in the data for their video… I noticed that it was classified as being ‘urban.’ 

I realized then that MaryMary did not desire to be pigeoned hold as simply being  ‘gospel’ artists… but something more acceptable to a wider audience… which would also mean wider radio and television programming… and/or exposure for their music

Okay…

I guess if that is what you want to do.  But the argument on the side of  MaryMary can still be made that they have never really totally sold out… they are not afraid to speak ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ in their music… nor does it appear that they are willing to expose much of their bodies ‘for profit.’  And the focus of  their music still seems to be not as far out there as I see where some others have gone lately.

In order to reach the acclaim and match the money that MaryMary has managed to reap… it appears that others have decided to follow MaryMary’s lead… but they have decided to go that additional mile.   They have decided to reach further out into the deep waters… by what seems to me to be a casting off  of any semblance of  anything that remotely sounds like ‘gospel’ music… and/or looks ‘holy.’   They  desire to be more like what is being called ‘Christian’ music artists.  Which is very much more like rock music… and will drive you crazy if you sat listening to it all day.

In almost all of the music on the so-called Christian radio stations… you have to  listen real hard to even be able to deciper that itit is a Christian song… because Christian radio stations do not play gospel song.

So, in order to be heard over Christian radio stations…which are growing while our smaller less popular gospel radio stations are fading, barely able to stay afloat… since many black people are now tuning in to Christian radio stations too., which give them greater Arbitron numbers which means more advertising dollars going to them.  So, many of our artists have lost that black sound… or the ethnic sound in order to blend in.

Oh, I know that rock music has it roots in our music… going all the way back to such people  like Little Richard and Jimmy Hendrix.  But that is not what I am talking about.

What I am talking about is this…

Christian radio station is a misnomer… because it sounds like for the most just like another rock station.  It is just positioning itself as something else… and that something else is working.

I do not care what they call it… those radio stations  pump rock music… and they are rock & roll radio stations at their core, and they are hurting our radio stations.  It really doesn’t matter what type of lyrics their songs may or may not have… the basic overall sound of it is still the same as that of rock and roll.

When urban radio stations began playing music like Donnie McClurkin’s ‘We Fall Down’  …or going all the way back to Walter Hawkins,’ Oh, Happy Day’…it did not make those stations become gospel radio stations.  Nor did playing Donnie’s song or the Clark Sister’s ‘You Bring the Sunshine’ dictate an overall change in their basic programming format.  Their focus was and still is… is on playing supposed urban music… or today  mostly that neo-soul mess.

Therein, this leads me to further  make my case,  urban radio stations used to be soul radio stations… or R&B radio stations… but in the mid-90′s there came about a change.  A re-classification change… many R&B artists wanted to follow the king of Pop…Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and others come from under the rock called  ‘black music artist’ tag.  They wanted to lean toward another word just beginning to circulate… first ‘urban’…and then it became ‘pop.’

All of it was aimed at reaching beyond the boundaries of  our own neighborhoods… from the urban areas to a much wider and broader audiences.  Also it was to bring about something which was being whispered at that time… the doing away of the R&B/Soul music categories.  And none of  this was being done by us.

No,  but it was by those who whispered into the ears of the so-called up and coming artists and rappers of  today.

It was done by the people who own the labels… the chart books… and who had influence to get things heard and played over the radio.  And those people are a lot like the penthouse drug kingpins…and might be some.

You know those guys… the drug lords who never touch the street but reap the bigger benefits… because the drug market is really theirs… and to a large degree it intertwines with the music business.  Though this is never spoken of.

Yeah, it is like that.  The drug business and the music business are constructed very much the same.  Little wonder why drugs are so easily and readily obtainable in the music industry…  the sports industry… and wherever else where there are lots of dollars to be made.  Anything that makes money is usually owned and operated by the same people when you get right down to it.

When a new radio station signed on in New York City I was looking forward to it.  I had read that it was going to be a Christian radio station… in a place that was pumbing everything else but any daily gospel music.  But from the moment it began airing I realized that there was something wrong.  It sounded more like Z-100 ‘the Zoo’… a  local New York City rock music radio station.

The whole thing is really a gimmick to entice hardcore rock listeners to tune into something else which is being passed off as Christian music …but is still very much  and sounds just like the music that they love and crave for so very dearly… rock.   They have not been transformed.

Thus, were the Christian radio stations birthed.    They became a quick sell buying into every market and opening the doors for many of their artists… caucasian singers and musicans to become more widely known and accepted in the Christian/Gospel music market… and more importantly the  award shows.

In a very large metro areas such as New York City… which up until the Christian radio station began air… it had no 24 hour …or daytime radio station programming any gospel or Christian music at all at that time… it was seen by many Christian people as a welcomed  and long overdue arrival.

But this welcomed arrival… soon became a big game changer too.  And they were on the FM dial… which everybody knows sounds a lot better than a low signal AM station any time.

Thus was a desire kindled by some gospel artists to create material which could become acceptable to this new outlet called ‘Christian Radio.’   A large part of  this transformation called for those artists wishing to cross over… to first  lose their ‘black’… or ‘gospel-ee’ sound.   And that is exactlyy what they have done… much like Beyoncé sounding less ‘black’… like almost that whole ‘neo-soul’ movement in what used to be known as the Black Music Division yesterday… to the Urban Music Division a few years ago… and now Neo-Soul.  And there is nothing soul in it… or about it …outside of  the color of the skin of  those who call themselves performing it.

This change you can especially  be heard in  Tye Tribbitts latest cd… also in much of the Kirk Franklin’s material… as well as in many others who want to jump onto that band wagon.   You can say that they have sold out …and it is not for Christ’s sake.   But for that all mighty thing called in the Biblical text  ‘filthy luka.’

Kim Burrell in her latest cd release has attempted to do the same thing… as well as,  Kierra Shear… and Trinity 5:7… and the list goes on… and on.

When I saw Kim baring her shoulder and trying to appear as a sex vixen in a music video produced from a song on her latest cd… it seemed sad to me.  I thought… she has eyes but can not see.   The video was anything but sexy… nor was it appealing.

Then I saw where someone had posted over the internet  a note about the Trinity 5:7′s latest  video… saying that she  was shocked at their display… asking if it was just her…. or whether or not the video appeared to be leaning towards anything gospel… religious… or  Christian at all???

So, I checked out the video.  And my answer was…‘NAY.’ ‘NAY.’ ‘NAY.’

One could say that many of  todays new brand of  gospel music producers and performers are pimping that gift that God has so freely endowed them with … which is supposed to be for His glory… by subverting it for their own benefit… and worldly profit.

Yeah, the kids like it… I guess…must be… for the most part.  And don’t get me wrong… not all of it is totally bad.  There are a lot of songs that I like by Kirk… and at least 1 by Tye.

I know my son loves Kierra’s latest cd.  But when I first heard it I didn’t have a clue as to who it was singing.  It was not until sometime later that he told me it was Kierra, Karen Clark Shears daughter.

Kierra’s cd does get there but after a while… but still you can see the direction that Kierra chose to take in an effort to land on Christian radio stations… as opposed to catering to the gospel music brand of  those she follows so closely in the footsteps of… namely her mother, Karen… and her aunts… the other Clark Sisters.  And of course her grandmother… Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.

Thank goodness most of the gospel artists and especially the gospel quartets have remained true and strong their art form.  Chosing to preserve the traditions of an art form that still moves many of us to tears with moving touching lyrics… or foot stomping songs… and hand clapping music that still  brings many of  us to our feet.  Music created in the muke and miry clay of  the fields during slavery times… and on up through the years of  our history here in America.

Maybe, I should have waited to write this during Black History Month… or Gospel Music Month.  Is there such a thing as… Gospel Music Month?

Is there a Gospel Music Month?

If  not then there should be.  Because our music is the only real American music… as Soul Food is the only real American cuisine.  Because it is the only food in which its roots were started here in America.  Almost every other food we eat came from some other  country… rooted in other cultures and brought here as the immigrants began to flow into this country.  But our circumstances being different… forced us to create ‘a new’ everything we eat… said… and did.

Earlier this evening while working on this blog… I had my computer on the Word Network listening to this preacher named Dr. Chris Hill, a pastor of a T.D. Jakes church in Dever, Colorado.  I had heard him before and have occasionally watched his broadcast… but to tell you the truth I can only take a little bit of the guy.  But tonight as I typed I would occasionally glance over to his broadcast …and it dawned on me as to what it was I found so irritating about him.

For the first thing… it came across my mind that each time I have happened to catch a piece of his broadcast… that the man appeared to be on drugs.

And for the  2nd  thing that I noticed was… the guy likes to holler.  I have nothing against hollering …preachers holler.  So, growing up in the Church… and particular the black Church… I have learned to accept hollering by preachers as being part of their technique.

In the Pentecostal Church whenever the Pastor or whomever is preaching  when they  got excited they automatically began to holler… or  in other words speak very fervently.   But this guy… Dr. Chris Hill hollers at numerous places throughout his sermon at varying times… and most of the time as it appears to me… he does it for no other reason outside of  him just wanting to do so… or to grab a laugh.

As I occasionally would glance back and forth at him tonight… he reminded me of a stand-up comedian.   Appearing comedic appears to be very much Dr. Hill’s forte… or so he believes.

But tonight I felt I have really put my hand on it finally.   That is to say… put my hand on exactly what it was that I had been trying to put my hands on about him.  And this is it…he appears more like ‘Stepin Fetchit.’

Now, I am really not trying to crack on Dr. Hill.  No, I am not.  Truly, I am not trying to do that.  But he gives me the impression of someone who is more playing with his audience… which is made up of a large number of  white church goers.  Rather than just delivering a sermon to them. He likes to play with the sermon and them a lot.  And he seems to love to do what he thinks will prompt them to laugh.

I don’t know… perhaps I am just toooooo old school… or maybe I’m just being ‘too’ black… first the gospel music… and now this????

Will the church become full of preachers who want to do stand-up comedy rather than preach the word?

I don’t mind humor.  I know that humor is good.  But the entire sermon turned into a joke…  I don’t know????

Or maybe it is that this is the Chris Hill way of preaching.  Is the way of a new group of preachers coming up today… to slay them with laughter?

We’ll see.

But there does seem to me to be such an urgency today that wasn’t there yesterday.  And that is we are getting closer and closer to the end times… far closer than we were yesterday.  And though I definitely know and agree that laugher is good… but preaching salvation and deliverance is of a greater need.  And I’m not saying that humor cannot be mixed with it… if you can do it without shading the overall message too much.

So, do not get me wrong.  Yes, I believe in laugher.  In fact, I hired some comedians recently and brought a night of comedy here… but for everything there is a time and a season.  Standing up and humoring a bunch of  folk straight through what should be your sermon does not seem to me to be ministering to the whole man… when you are working the crowd like a stand-up comedian rather than a man of God operating in his formal capacity.

It was Jesus who said… “Feed my sheep.”

As of New Year’s Eve Pastor Paula White became the new senior Pastor over New Destiny Christian Church… following the sudden death of their founder and leader Pastor Zackery Tims.

In reading the story… namely the ill feelings between the Broads of Regents over the Church and Riva Tims… the ex-Mrs. Zackery Tims, who filed papers against the Church claiming that she should have been named the senior Pastor since she and her then husband, Pastor Tims, were the founders of New Destiny.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/zachery-tims-fla-church-denies-riva-tims-claim-to-leadership-66085/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/zachery-tims-death-fla-ministers-ex-wife-comments-on-leading-megachurch-56660/

I found it interesting that Paula like Sheryl Brandy just decided to up and leave her church behind.  Well, Paula not quite…as it seems that Paula is still in control over her own church still,  the church Without Walls International, in Tampa, FL … which Paula founded along with her then husband, Randy White… whom we do not hear much of anything from or about rany more.

As you many may or may not have noticed …but over the course of the last few years Paula has shifted in terms of her theology… it has swung to prosperity.  This is extremely evident in her daily television show segments which she broadcasts over the Word Network… and other channels as well.   One thing in particular that stands out is Paula’s show’s guest list … featuring a bunch of false prophets and supposed evangelist… and I guess even some so-called Pastors all soliciting sowers on the behalf of Paula  White.

It will be interesting to see or read about New Destiny since the passing of Pastor Zackery Tims, who had built up such a vast media following.  I can only imagine how greatly vested he was in media equipment and facilities as he had a large television ministry.   His vast media possibilities have now availed themselves to Paula White since she has been chosen the new Pastor at New Destiny.

The question in all of this is whether of not Paula White can carry it …or what will she do with it?

Well, tomorrow is Dr. Martin L. King’s birthday.    Meaning we all have a day off… and an opportunity to reflect upon the history and legacy of  Dr. King.  With some states chosing it to initiate state issued Voter ID cards… a trend that can only be seen as a drive by Republicans to lessen minority votes…as well as,  to try and weaken worker’s rights, benefits and compensation, medical plans, and unions busting… also changes in Women Rights to abortion etc… as it is all tied in with the power to vote.

This holiday we have much to reflect upon.

Let us not allow the hands of time to be turned back.

It is interesting to think that forty years after the death of  Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. we have an African American man  in the White House, as President of the United States of  America.  And I love it.

But the other side of that coin is the number of  death threats per day that President Obama receives, more than 8 per day… it is the highest number ever in the history of American Presidents.  And the number of  insults hurled at him publicly by Republican members of both the Senate and Congress… inclusive of being called ‘liar’ loudly during a State of the Nation broadcast… can be surmised as nothing more than pure out and out racism.

Miss Daisy said it best… an elderly woman of over 100 years of age… who said to me 1 day angrily-

“Do you see what they are doing to Obama?”

And man… was Miss Daisy mad when she said it.

Unlike the kids… she saw… lived …and remembered what it had been like years before laws were created to force the change in things… as to how we live… our basic everyday rights… and privileges that were never extended to us before.  But Dr. King marched…went to jail and fought that we might be able stand like everybody else in this country… with our back up straight and tall.   So, we could stand on the law… and in our case ‘the laws’… there were many and they were long in coming.

Enjoy Dr. King’s day.

Got a little snow the other night… didn’t amount to much and I am glad about that after all the snow we got last year.

But it has been very very very cold these last few days… then 1 day would get mild… and by night fall which to come very early this year… it turns soooo cold all over again.  But then it is winter… and I would rather the cold over the snow… or cold and snow.

Well, God bless… and enjoy your week.  Just noticing… this is my first blog for this year….2012.  Time is truly flying by.

Well, it would have been… had I finished it before now.  LOL….

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2012

Add a comment July 31, 2012

JUANITA BYNUM and WOMEN??? EDDIE LONG…why NOW?

Continue Reading Add a comment July 19, 2012

THE VERIZON ATTITUDE… changes in the workplace…

I can’t imagine working for anyone who threatened me.

In reading a posting on my facebook page, I read where the daughter of 1 of my facebook friends was told by her employer during Hurrican Irene-

“If any of you leaves, you’re fired.”

Meaning that if any of the employees left the job they would be terminated.

I can’t imagine me wanting to work for anyone who would even consider trying to strong-arm me like that… and particularly in a state of emergency.   But it made me think of 9/ll.

On September 11th …on the day that the airplanes flew into the World Trade Center, after the first plane hit the first tower  …many of the workers in the second tower were told to remain seated, to continue working.

But friends of mine who were inside the 2nd tower of  the World Trade Center that day… told me that when they saw that first plane hit… they didn’t care what their supervisors said… they were getting out of there.  And because many people had already began evacuating that second tower, as soon as they saw what had happened to the first tower… it for many meant the difference between life and death.

A few days ago while driving down to Atlanta, I happened to catch a news story on 1010 WINS …an all news radio network in New York City.  I had seen the picketers standing before various Verizon locations.  But I did not know what was going on.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2023428/Verizon-worker-strike-Thousands-picket-line-east-coast.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/9/verizon-workers-hit-picket-lines-mass-va/

It seems that the contract for 45,000 Verizon workers had expired… meaning the Verzion worker’s contract is now up for renegotiation.  Playing hardball, Verizon withdrew their worker’s health plan when the workers went out on strike.  Verzion claim that they could no longer afford to pay for the worker’s health coverage because they were losing so much money with them being out on strike.

BALONEY.

Everybody who is doing any business with Verizon should cancel every service …or whatever have you with them.

What money is Verizon losing?

None.  In fact, with the workers out… they are saving money.  Because Verizon doesn’t have to pay them while they are out on strike.

But the problem we face today is this…    IT IS AN EMPLOYER’S MARKET.

Do you hear me?

Can you understand that?

It is like how they say it is a buyer’s market in terms of  real estate sales.  Because not many people are buying homes …and banks are not lending as much as they used to.  So, if you got money …and it doesn’t matter about what the seller is asking for …make them an offer.  They may just take it… you never know.  Because they are not getting many other offers these days.  And who knows… your’s might be their only offer.

And you see this clear across the board.   Car sales and other large ticket items… because there is less cash flow these days with so many people out of work.

And therein lays the Verizon workers dilemma.Verizon is having its way with the Verizon worker’s union because so many people are out of  work… and Verizon knows that it has the power to wheel and deal as it pleases because of the way the job market is today.

These companies have no employee loyalty.  In fact, most companies today could care less about their employees.  This is why most companies today do not even offer full-time employment anymore.  Who needs full-time employees when there are millions of people willing… able …and ready to accept part-time employment with no benefits, and wages that amount to little… but beats nothing.

There had been a time when America was sending top executives to China to learn techniques of how to create a happy and more productive working enviroment.  It would seem that those executives learned something much more valuable to them.  How to take an iron fist and hold it over the heads of your employees… and keep it there.  Forcing them to produce more for less… while compensating them little… and forcing them to smile while the company break their backs.

I dislike companies with the Verzion attitude.  My cell phone is a Sprint account… but my broadband was with Verizon.  I can’t tell you how happy I am that it is off … and has been so for some time now.  But I can’t see myself giving money to a company that will not do its employees right.

Though these companies may feel that they have the power… the truth of the matter is… no they don’t.  We do.  And our power can bring any company to its knees just as the Montgomery bus boycotts brought that city of Montgomery to its knees in the mid 1960′s, and gave way to the opening of the doors that gave us all the right to vote, sleep and eat … etc… etc… where we wanted to.  Today we get on the highway and travel anywhere we want… as African American people in America… eat where we want to eat… and book a hotel and sleep where we want to sleep.  But for years this was not the case at all.

I remember listening  to Shirley Caesar talking about that very subject on a television show that she was being interviewed on.  She said that back then when they travelled… talking about her days as a young singer travelling with Albertina Walker and the Caravan… back in latter 50′s through the 60′s.   She said-

“We had to sleep in our car.  Because back then they did not allow us (black folks) to stay in the hotels or the motels like they do today.  And we just couldn’t pull up anywhere and eat either.  Because it wasn’t allowed.  If we wanted food.  We had to go back around to the back the door and see if they would give  us some food.”

Thank God for powerful people… who knew that they possessed power.  Or we would still be sitting on the back of the bus today.

Union busting is not anything new.  One of the greatest examples of it is when Ronald Reagon decided to interfere in the air traffic controller strike, PATCO …in August 1981.  Reagon froze the air traffic controller’s $3.5 million strike fund in order to force the striking workers back to work… saying that they were in violation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKX9EXSvrQ&feature=related

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/reagan.years/whitehouse/airtraffic.html

And if you remember any facts to this story… you will remember how  quickly many of the striking air traffic controllers were replaced.  While a the powers to be… then trained a bunch of  unprofessionals to replace to them.

And our air ways have never been the same.  They have found people sleeping and all kinds of crazy things.  And we will not discuss what took place on 9/11.

Because if the truth be told… that is still a mystery to me?

How is it that at least 3 airplanes took off from Logan Airport in Boston… and got so far off of their courses.  And nobody …not 1 person knew about it until very important buildings began to be flown into?

Something is wrong with that picture.  And for the life of me… how was it that the 2nd airplane was allowed to hit the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center?  This is even a bigger mystery to me?

Because before it did… every airplane and helicopter in New York City was up in the air that day soon after the 1st airplane had flown in the World Trade Center.  So then, how is it that nobody saw the 2nd airplane until after it hit the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center?

My niece woke me that morning with a phone call saying that an airplane had just flown into 1 of the towers of the World Trade Center.  And as she was still talking to me… some 20 minutes later the 2nd airplane flew into the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center.

How could that have happened?

After the 1st airplane into that air space…  clearly, a 2nd air craft entering into that same air space should never have happened.

First of all, the air space around the whole area of the World Trade Center  and Statue of Liberty was and is…a protected air space. Which means it was supposed to be under the protection of fighter jets anyhow. But notwithstanding the admission of the 1st air craft into that air space… clearly, a 2nd air craft entering into that same air space should have most definitely been shot down…and shot down long before coming in contact with the 2nd tower of  the World Trade Center.

But going back to the then President Reagon who decided that he needed to step in on the striking air traffic controllers… and teach them a lesson.  Reagon, of course, being the idol of ever Republican… the 1 that they most try to exemplify, and proclaim themselves to be the most like.  And I wonder if that was before or after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s?

But then of course… nobody knows exactly how long Reagon had actually been losing it.  Though I must say that most of the Republican Party seems to be fit candidates for an Alzheimer’s examination.  Because truly most of  them seem to be suffering from some sort of mental deficiency…  starting with but not limited to Palin.

Something has to be wrong …mentally with a bunch of people who claim that they love something and seek so vigilantly to destroy it.  And I am talking about America.

They claim that they love America.  Yet everything they have been doing lately… and I am talking … for years now… has been done to undermine America… if not to utterly destroy it.

One of the most disastrous things to happen to the United States of America was something called George W. Bush.  I understand how wars were used in past American History to re-jump start the economy.  But George who was supposedly an economy major from that great learning institution known as Yale University, in New Haven, CT.  George having gotten into hot water somehow either on his own… or via the un-wise thinking of some of his flunkies…they came up with a plan.  The plan was to go to war.  Start some wars and the economy will take off again… the money you spent will be forgotten… and forgiven…  and all will be well.

But there was a problem with the plan.  The work place had changed.

In years past America had plenty of factories and factory workers.  But by the time George stole his way into the White House all those jobs were gone.  Those factories had been closed… and years later turned into lovely condominiums.  And if  the companies still exists those jobs didn’t… robots had moved in and replaced the workers.

Do you remember when you used to read the Help Wanted Ads and saw a train of Bank Teller jobs being offered?

Look for that now.  You won’t find it.  Because many of those jobs no longer exist.  Bank tellers have been replaced by atm machines.

The same has happened to a position called ‘receptionist.’  When was the last time you heard that word?

It is voice mail… and automated voice activated systems now.  No more receptionist jobs almost anywhere today.

Most utility companies have closed down their offices which used to handle bill paying services.  They don’t do that any more.  Oh, no…   If you can’t send it in by mail… or go to a local payment center at your check cashing center  …or corner store… then for a charge call them and they will take your payment over the phone.

In 2008 Americans voted for a change.   While Republicans are quick to say that Obama did not… or has not delivered.

Yet  on the other hand Republicans will never say-

“And we  have done everything within our power  to ensure it.”

On every issue… and non-issue Republicans have done their best to block Obama from even trying to do anything to fix the mess.  A massive and highly expensive and burdensome mess… that George W. Bush… a Republican …whom I believe will never ever be forgotten… for the mess that he left us all in.  And when President Obama has managed to get something pass them… they … the Republicans attack it like a bunch of mad dogs.

Whoever said that Barack Obama was a magician?

Whoever said Obama was Merlin?

Or even had some kind of ‘black magic?’

In case you did think that let me be the first to just say-

“Are you for real?”

Magic is an illusion.  It is based upon trickery… cunning and deceit.  Thank goodness these are not traits that are found within our President Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama has never lied to us about ‘weapons of  mass destruction.’

He has never tried to pull the wool over our eyes… by blinding us with a bunch of codes that meant absolutely nothing… code RED…  code YELLOW…  (if you have no understanding of  this then you would have had to have lived in New York City following 9/11).

Obama has never tried to used 1 fear tactic to keep us up under our beds… or hid in our closets.

President Barack Obama is not the cause for why America is where America is today.   He had nothing at all do do with it.  He did not bring us here.  In fact, as quiet as it is kept… he is trying to fix this mess.   It is more than possible that he might aid in bringing us a long ways out of  this runt… if we all stop listening to lies.  Stop being deceived…  and turning every which way the winds blows.

It is Republican deceit and lies that have turned this country upside down… and not Barack Obama.

• Corporate greed and mis-handling of business was here long before Barack Obama walked into the White House
• Job losses many years before Obama
• National Debt was already there… but really began running away after George W. Bush stepped into the Presidential picture
• Problems on Wall Street with the stock market are not new… trace them back into the 1930′s

Several States now have had to fight against Republican Governors who lead people into believing that they were either the man or woman for the job… and would wholly work for them… the voters.  Telling them that they were a person with their interests in their mind and in heart… only for those voters to lament a vote that they ever casted in that person’s favor.  It ended up costing voters benefits… or their job… or a less powerful union etc.  Because that Republican political had an agenda.  And that agenda had nothing to do with the people’s minds… or hearts that they  con into believing in them with their claims of  ‘I want to serve you.’

The Republicans are so slimy they have created a 2nd Republican Party… the co-called Tea Party a group of real lunatics… formed by that lunatic queen Palin and few other crazies.  All of whom who have fallen out with one another… that is how firmly rooted they were.  Like a bunch of crabs in a barrel… all clamouring to be the top dog… and if they can’t then they pick up their marbles and go home.

They have all… whether they call themselves ‘Tea Party’ or not… they …the Republicans have all developed a seek and destroy attitude.  And that attitude did not just get started when President Barack Obama stepped into the White House… it is an attitude that they have long adapted to.

You need only to look at the 2000 Presidential Election between George W. Bush and John Kerry to see how demented the Republicans are.  They saw nothing wrong …NOTHING…in undermining the entire American practice of our right to vote… and to have ALL our votes counted.  And it was not something that they were not bold enough to do so all could see… and dared any of us to do anything about it.

So, don’t blame Obama.  This mess is not his.  But he decide to champion the cause… to try to set America back on the right course.  To raise Her from low depths She sank to under what no one can call ‘leadership’… but just say… George Bush brought Her to.

Don’t look for magic.  Look at it as it really is.  The world has changed.  And the work place and work force has changed with it.

Many jobs that people used to do… no longer exist.

Re-training people has it place… I guess.  But when they are re-trained where will they go?

Everyone is learning computers… but there are only but so many computer jobs.

The medical field is good.  In a field that had nothing but female mostly… had seen a great emergence of male.   Use to be you never saw a male nurse… but today hospitals are loaded with them.  Men are entering the nursing field in very large numbers.  And to think there was a time that such a thing… would have been seen as being sissy.

One thing is for sure… no matter what happens in this world… we all at some point or other need something medical.  As long as we are in these bodies the need for the medical profession cannot …or will ever be replaced.  But that is not to say that it too… will not evolve.  It has.

However, technology is forever changing things.  But even so there will still only be a need for but so many people to work in the medical field too… at any given time.

Radio stations have changed… television stations have changed.   Most newspaper companies have gone out of business… because few people read newspapers any more.  They get their news now over the internet… on their ipads… and cells.   And if you haven’t noticed… most news companies have cut back drastically on their staff.

For 1 of my journalism classes, my professor… a great woman… had been booted out of her position as a staff writer for a local newspaper… a job she had had for many years.  That company’s lost was of course … my great gain.  Because she came with a wealth of knowledge, and understanding about the history and future of journalism… and media at large.

But if you have noticed over the internet all the news sources seem to buy their stories from 1 source.  You can read the exact same story… word for word from 1 internet source to another.  And if you are like me… you always have a need to want to know more… but they don’t have it to give.

And somewhere along the way… they grab ahold of this attitude:   THAT LESS IS MORE.

Yeah, right…  When I want to know less…or read less… I will just stop.  I don’t need anyone deciding for me… when I have had enough.

Which I guess is the main reason why so many people like my blog… www.bsmith101.wordpress.com.  For as you can tell… I do not believe in the ‘less is more’ concept.  Nor do I just regenerate news items.  What a waste that is.  If  I follow a story… I want to read something I haven’t already read… or at the very least …give me some more details …or info on whatever it is I’ve come to your website searching for.

But going back to my thought… the workplace has changed.  It is not what it was 20 years ago… or even 10 years ago.

Remember all those customer service jobs that used to be in the newspapers?

Roughly about 20 years ago customer service became such a big thing.  There were tons of  ad campaigns about the type of  service you could expect if you did business with such and such.  Companies trained their employees to  greet you in a special way, and to service you as quickly and efficiently as they could.

Today all of that is gone to the wind.  You can stand in a line for up to 10 or 20 minutes listening to someone… who is working the only open window… or check-out line… carry on a conversation with another employee or either with the person who had been right ahead of before they got to the cashier.

Have you experienced that?

You are at the top of the line… but suddenly the ‘ONLY’ open window has a highly talkative employee… or someone looking around as though they are trying to wonder why ‘their’ window or ‘their’ counter is the only 1 open?

So, what do they do?

They slow down… as if mentally they have taken a mental stand in their mind… to not kill themselves trying to serve all the people who waiting in line.

No body cares about customer service any more.  And so… gone are these jobs.

Switchboard operators are a thing of the past too.  A little company in your area that hired local people… mostly women to man the phone lines.  But then it was for mostly doctor’s offices.  Today those people can be anywhere in the world taking tons of calls for everything from subscriptions to publications, orders for books or other products, complaints, messages, prayer requests …you name it.  But small companies in your town probably do not offer this service any more because it has been farmed out around the world.

Most of the manufacturing companies long departed …going into Mexico and other countries where the labor was cheaper.

This country really does not have a great number of blue collar workers any more.  Most of  the automobile workers were replaced by robots… or companies that sent large divisions of their manufacturing into other countries as well.

So where are the jobs?

Where are the openings that are available …or will become available for all the displaced workers who are currently out of  work… and have been so now for years?

There are none.   And nobody can do anything to change that… because of computers coming into the marketplace.  They… computers brought about an unpresidented change to what was our workplace.

The only thing you can do is look for the next big wave in the future.  That will

More and more colleges are offering on-line courses.  Have you noticed that?

Some schools are over the internet only.

I am dropping hints here.   Personally, I hate on-line courses… and feel that they are a huge waste of  time.   If you are going to sit in isolation… with no classroom interaction… then you might as well just read the book and be done with it.

But if you were considering a teaching career.  Great… but you should also consider this fact.  That soon many of  those teaching jobs too will soon be gone.  Due to on-line classes and on-line classrooms… and schools… cities… colleges and universities looking to cut their budgets.   It is coming… and soon the classroom as we know it today will  be gone forever too… just like yesterdays work force.

And with it will be gone… tenure.  Tenures will bite the dust just like pension plans… and all other full-time employment;  and whatever else they can do away with for the sank of the bottom line.

Soon even common currency as we know it will be gone too.  They are already talking about stop minting the $1 bill.  Soon it will just be all plastic… be it a debit card …or credit card…. or something else.  But the coins will be gone …and the paper bills.

Bet all those folks working at the Mints all felt that their jobs were well secured.  We have all better start to think again.

Who ever thought there would be no more pension plans?

Or health care benefits on your job?

I didn’t.

You really have to be a visionary.  You have to look deep into the future.  You must go beyond your nose… if you truly want to have a chance in the future.  You have to look deep beyond what you see.  The future is what you cannot visually see… but something coming.

Many people now do not even go into the office any more.  They can do all their work from home.  They write their news articles at home… edit news copy at home… edit books at home… and mother-frames and inter-locking networks are big things in corporations now.

I do see computers… and our dependence upon them growing.

In New York City they have all most totally done away with ticket booth operators down in the subway system.  They too have been replaced by machines… which can dispense to you fare tickets.  And while in Boston not so long ago… I noticed that they were doing the same in their subway system.

The world is becoming a place of less working people… and more automated machines.  And unless you are prepared to service these machines… or program these machines… your work history will too soon come to an abrupt end.  And you will find yourself with a need to be re-trained… to nothing.

So, when George W. Bush thought that he could jump start the economy by creating a war… with the hope that the war would create jobs.  He and his people forgot something.  All those factories were gone… and so weren’t those jobs.  And even if  the jobs could be revived… robotics still had replaced the manpower that used to produce the goods.

So, the wars didn’t work.  But only sunk us deeper and deeper into debt as the years have dragged on.  But of course …the Republicans will never tell you any of  this.  Any more than Verizon will tell you that they were happy for any old excuse to rid themselves of paying their employee’s health benefits.

Irene hit the East Coast hard… and it seems that my cousin who informed me of the storm was right.  Sadly there were a few deaths.  But thank God He saw most of us through it safely.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44304431/ns/weather/t/irene-weakens-packs-punch-it-slams-coney-island/?GT1=43001

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44304431/ns/weather/t/irene-weakens-packs-punch-it-slams-coney-island/?GT1=43001

My cousins and friends in various places… including my brother had to deal of electrical outages.  But that is the least.  Many suffered damages due to flooding and/or falling trees.

The good news is Irene wasn’t as bad as what had been expected.  To God be the glory.

The New York subway is up and running once again.  Though on our way back from Atlanta… I did notice where many of the over-passes in the New York area were being worked on.  And that was following the earthquake that hit us… before Irene came bouncing and blowing in.

Well, God bless…and enjoy the rest of  your week.  Amazingly we are at the end of August already.  Schools and colleges are already in.  I pray that all are safe and do well.

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2011

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