Nitelifer

Dear White Friends

2018-05-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

It has been brought to my attention that some of my Caucasian friends don’t know if they are a racist or not! I know just the idea of this post is probably making some of you gasp and the rest of you salivate knowing me as you do. Well, this editorial will hope to enlighten you that “don’t know” and bring to light to the rest of you what you already know. Let me be clear, this is not intended to shock or offend you, this is just to educate you, because you just don’t know. Let me be clear, I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him..., (insert wink, only if you understand). So here we go, “Dear White friends”…,

Take this quiz to LEARN if you are a racist or not. Don’t be afraid, and please feel free to share it with others who also don’t know who they are.

You are a racist if:

1. You have Black friends, but they are the “good ones”.

2. You think “those Black guys who the police shot would be alive today if they had only complied with the cops orders”.

3. You don’t want all of those Mexicans in this country.

4. You don’t believe Obama was born in America.

5. You feel that racism ended in America when we elected a Black MAN as President.

6. (Bonus) you think racism got worse in America because of how Obama did everything for only Black people.

7. You think Black people need to “get over it” about slavery.

8. You think Trump was right for saying there were “very fine people on both sides” of the unrest at Charlottesville.

9. “These Black people who had the police called on them may not have been doing anything wrong, but it is okay for the cops to be called because, well, you never know”.

10. You think “those Black guys in Starbucks should have just bought something”.

11. You see an mixed race couple and think it is “a shame”.

12. You think the Confederate flag and monuments are about heroes and to removes them is un-American.

13. You think Santa Claus IS White and should be portrayed and drawn that way.

14. You have a lot of good Black friends, but you would NEVER date one.

15. You think the NFL players should just shut up and stop kneeling for the flag because it is turning the protest into a racial issue that is dividing the country.

16. Your definition of “Make America Great Again” is to roll things back to when “all the good jobs went to all the right people”.

17. (In lieu of the Roseanne situation) You think ABC was unfair to fire Roseanne Barr based on just a tweet.

18. Now, this was just a quiz. How did you do? Do you think you could do better if this quiz was “more fair?” (That was a trick quiz question)

Look, racism is a hard discussion in this country, and there are some sincere folks on all sides that want to make things better but harbor racist ideas themselves. Heck, I myself feel some kinda way, based on some certain situations. I ain’t proud of it, but I work hard at trying to be a better me, every single day. But if you don’t want things to be better between all races in this country or you think that you and your “people” are better than “those people”, you will never live in a better America, you just want to live in your own version of it. But as I said, it is a hard discussion, but it IS a discussion that we need to have if we are going to make things better. Discussion is part of what makes America’s Democracy the envy of the world, we need to embrace that factor and stop retiring to our own silos and complaining about how bad things are. Democracy was not created in America, it has just been defined here better than anywhere else. But Democracy is not the exclusive property of some people; the Constitution was not meant for SOME of the People. It is said that slavery is America’s “original sin”, but it is not. The “original sin” of this nation was to steal land from, subjugate, and relocate the indigenous peoples of this land and to this day, keep them from achieving socio-economic equality here. Racism does not mean you have feelings of superiority against just Black people. It means you feel that regardless of who anyone else is or does or how they treat you, YOU always know that “they” should not have more than you and you will work to do whatever you can to keep perpetuating that belief.
Let me let you in on a little secret, we are ALL in this together, ain’t not a one of us getting out of it alive. We might as well love, respect, and get along with each other because hating someone else just gives you a reason to make your life poorer for the few minutes you have left.
Oh, and as for scoring the test; how many do you have to “get right” to be a racist? ONE!

As my good friend used to say: America is a tough town, you snooze you lose, you can’t get everything you want, sometimes you can’t get nuthin’, but you can ALWAYS get somethin’, whether you want it or not!

Teach Them Well and Let Them Lead the Way…,

2018-05-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

First of all, let me start by saying, I dedicate THIS work to my beloved grandmother that I lost last July. Her hand is always on my shoulder.

My Grandmother LOVED little babies, let me repeat, she LOVED little babies. It didn’t matter if they were Black, Brown, Yellow, White, Green or Blue, she LOVED ALL babies. (though I know for a FACT, she had an issue with people of ORANGE hue)

From her I learned that babies are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way.

In 2012, right before Christmas, a deranged young man with a gun walked into an elementary school and killed 20 babies, children between 6 and 7 years old. This deeply disturbed her and deeply touched me. There can be nothing more innocent in THIS world than a baby going to school to try and learn. We as parents and those who are educators can’t be more thrown than to think about our children, our charges from God, to be massacred in their classrooms, where we sent them, to learn, and to be SAFE. But this deranged young man stole innocence from this world on that day, and to double down on the insanity of that act, there are people in this country who refused to believe this event was real, and worse yet, there are those who personally profit from keeping you from feeling what my grandmother felt, what I felt, what I hope YOU felt, when those innocent souls violently transitioned from this life. As you sit there shaking your heads feeling the transactional pain from that memory, allow me to tell you at that very moment when the totality of that event was tallied, I doubted the existence of a God. How could God allow something like that to happen? Well I regained my Faith and know that not only is there a God, but there is a Heaven and in that kingdom my ancestors are there now (most of them) looking down on me and keeping me steadfast in my beliefs. But if you believe in God, you should also believe in the Devil. The Devil is just as real y’all. He is real and though it may seem like it, he does not live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington DC. That man is NOT the Devil, he is just a puppet of Satan.

In THIS country, Satan is not A person, he is the manifestation of all evil that is the American gun lobby, the NRA. When in December of 2012 those minions of Satan stood fast and tried to tell you that that massacre didn’t happen and there was no need to try and make it harder for any deranged person or PERSONS to get their hands on weapons of mass murder and the ammo to make them deadly, they convinced ME, that this country, this land that I love, this "country Tis Of THEE", didn’t care about babies.

Babies who are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, was a song verse, not a way of truth in this country.

In February of THIS year, on Valentine’s Day, in Parkland, Florida, another deranged young man with a weapon of mass destruction, walked into the High School he once attended, and shot and killed his former classmates and teachers and once again, we were told, there is nothing that can be done. Gun rights trump (marinate on that word) TRUMP…, the rights of babies to go to school and be safe. I once again shook my head and said to myself, when is enough going to be enough? Thank God my grandmother wasn’t around to once again fret over another of these tragedies. Politicians pontificated, pundits bloviated, families lamented, the media salivated, and we all once again, prepared for the next tragedy to happen. But guess what?

Children ARE OUR future, seems we DID teach them well and now they are leading the way!

How many of us, myself included, have seen things happen in our lives, in our neighborhoods, in the malls, and lamented, “these kids today, Geez, what will our future be like with THIS coming generation taking over. You see, WE are the future OUR forbearers expected to make changes happen, and to some degree, we have done major things. But we have also FAILED them because we did NOT prepare the next generation to make things better…., OR DIDN’T we?? The term “It Takes a Village” has fallen away as social media has made everyone LESS social. Ready made meal restaurants have made family meal time less family oriented. And we have all, to some degree, abdicated the responsibility to, “teach them well, and let them lead the way! But human nature is at it’s core, NATURE, and as the man said in the movie Jurassic Park; “Nature will find a way”.

Social media and all of its evils, has been utilized by THIS group of babies to create a movement, a powerful movement that reached not only across this nation, but around the WORLD and called upon caring adults to join with them and show the minions of Satan and the fool in The White House, (who left town) that they will not die away quietly THIS TIME, they will not go quietly into that good night! THESE babies, this group of children who were 10 and 11 years old when Sandy Hook happened, and some of them who were not yet BORN, stepped into the Light and yelled out from the podiums and platforms at marches and rallies, WE WILL BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU REFUSE TO MAKE YOURSELVES! An estimated 800,000 people marched on Washington, DC. Over 200 more rallies and marches were held all over this world on that day. The streets of Boston looked as crowded as they do on any Patriot’s Day for the marathon. The reality was, MILLIONS of voters and immediate future voters came out to support this very just cause. Those numbers and this movement cannot be dismissed nor ignored. I could not have been more proud, (until I found out that my own son was in DC for the march, refusing to be another tragedy of these times ) than to see on MOST networks that the world is now going to HAVE TO TAKE NOTICE. My heart welled with pride and my resolve was strengthened because THESE BABIES, THESE offspring of our efforts, THIS representation of the future to come;

IS NOW TEACHING US WELL, AND SHOWING US HOW THEY WILL LEAD THE WAY!

Sean Hannity and the War on Keurig

2017-11-14T00:50:00.000-05:00

So Sean Hannity and the Right Wing Nut Jobs have fallen out with Keurig? Seems that Keurig has chosen to remove all advertising from his show based on that sham of an interview he did with Judge Roy Moore over these accusations that he is a serial child molester. So now Sean's viewers are upset and smashing their trappings of excess, these $200.00 coffee brewers. (I do love the convenience of them myself). Kinda reminds me of how advertisers got a touch of common sense over Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly. There SHOULD be consequences for the deeds and actions of people like this. Subway moved quickly to disassociate themselves from Jared after the ACCUSATIONS were made. Penn State moved swiftly once things were brought to light (though did nothing when there were just rumors and whispers about Sandusky), Jello, Coke, NBC, all moved harshly and with the quickness to disassociate themselves from Bill Cosby and the man has YET to be "convicted" of anything. If these accusations had in anyway shape or form been leveled at ANYONE whom Obama endorsed, supported, or even been himself accused, the Right Wing media would have eviscerated that person and would claim to have proof that this was indeed TRUE, facts be damned.

I am so tired, Jesus knows I am tired, of calling Bull Shit on Hannity and the rest of his ilk who find it so very easy to tell a lie to defame anyone they don't like, but when CLEAR evidence is brought up about someone THEY support, they NEED, they find a way to blame and shame the victim and justify what happened on some ridiculous level. AYFKM that the women "should not have waited so long to speak out"?!?!? Didn't hear a single one of them offer that narrative about Bill Cosby's accusers. No one is screaming that Aly Raisman should have spoken up sooner. No one is condemning the boys who fell victim to Gerry Sandusky. How many people worldwide are saying the priests that the Catholic Church moved and protected for DECADES can't be held accountable by the now MEN who finally found the courage to pronounce they were molested as children. This man is a disgrace and even if by some slim margin he really IS innocent, he should do the right thing and step away so that he can "fight these accusations with all he can". You know, like John Edwards did....................,

The Insanity of it All

2017-08-14T13:13:00.001-04:00

NiteLifer meets Jason Johnson

You know what fellow students, I am down here in N’awlinsfor the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention and it has been an eye opening and educational experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned quite a bit.

One thing I learned, sadly, is that despite being in Office for 200+ days, the Trump administration still can’t get even the easiest of lay ups right! I attended a panel discussion last night on the troubling trend of police involved murders of innocent Black men. On the initial panel was, and the focus was on, the mother of Philando Castile and the aunt of Alton Sterling. Moderated by Ed Gordon, the emotional stories of these women of courage was brought home and made real by the stories these women detailed to the gathered audience of journalists from around the country. Young or older, new to reporting or seasoned veterans of this craft, all were mesmerized by the reality of what happened to the two young men whose lives were taken so unnecessarily at the hands of people who had a badge and chose to take a life as the initial course of action. Philando Castile’s mother was particularly engaging as she pointed out that the officer who shot her son, AFTER being informed by Castile that he had a permit to own and carry his gun, did so several times while an unarmed woman and child were in the car. A collective chill went through all our spines when we grasped the gravity of that deadly encounter as well as the aftermath that happened following the murder that was captured on camera and broadcast live via social media by Castile’s girlfriend. Then we all listened in horror as Alton Sterling’s aunt told us how the police department came to her sister’s house and let her watch the full unedited video of the murder of Mr. Sterling and how since then the protests and demonstrations have resulted in further injustices by other police departments here in the “great state of Louisiana”. And this is important to note because following these heart wrenching firsthand accounts of how easily loved ones were taken from their families by the police, the follow up panel was joined by the invited whirlwind of foolishness that is Omarosa (whatever her last name is these days).

Make no mistake, the room was filled and abuzz because we were also there to see what Miss Omarosa was there to say in defense of the administration she works for. To be clear her job is really just to give her Massa, President Donald J Trump, some cover to say his cabinet and administration is diverse. Ed Gordon started the initial panel by explaining that he has attended other events where Omarosa was on the dais to take the slings and arrows for her employer. He commended her beforehand for her bravery and cautioned the crowd not to fall victim to the urge to act out. When “Miss Thang” arrived she did so to little fanfare and to be honest, she initially seemed ready to participate. However, that quickly, no, immediately changed after she recounted her story of losing her father and brother to street violence and tried to frame HER story as in some way akin to what not only the two ladies had been through and are still dealing with. The crowd turned and turned on her verbally when she tried to hijack the panel and commiserate along with them.

Protesting Omarosa's shenanigans

When Gordon calmed the crowd and told her he would not allow things to turn into a mess, the reality TV celebrity that she is, came out. It was a total train wreck after that. Acting every bit the petulant child that her Massa Trump is when he does not get HIS way, Omarosa stood up and confronted Gordon face to face to attempt a power play move on the stage. I can only imagine what was going through the minds of the other panelist on stage. The night before I had met with Dr.Jason Johnson to ask what his plan was to confront her and he assured me that he himself would not be drawn into a staged show with her so that others could “watch monkeys fling shit at each other”. I admired his resolve at that moment but know that while things were unfolding in front of all of us in that ballroom, he could not have been anything but disappointed. I was uncomfortable with the way Ed Gordon allowed her to pivot from the what he was trying to get her to speak on which was, “what is your role in this administration and how can you, or are you even trying to, work some kind of influence with President Trump to do SOMETHING, to deal with this national crisis”. Again she pivoted and tried to turn the discussion back towards herself and her own story. She became so irate that she sat down and pulled out her (probably unsecured) smartphone to replay what Gordon had asked her to show that she wasn’t “here for this”.

Look, others have and will report on and detail how all of that 15 minutes of madness went down, but what I would like us to keep focused on is, what those two women and others like them have to say about how their families have been torn apart by the disturbing trend of cops getting away with murdering Black men and women without repercussions. But what strikes me most is that Omarosa could easily have said to the gathering, “the administration is working hard to make changes in how we engage law enforcement practices across the country and will continue to facilitate changes. Despite the ill fated attempt to make light of a serious issue by the President recently, we are seriously committed to ensuring that all American citizens are treated fairly and equitably by law enforcement”. But as is the administration’s collective way of doing things, she didn’t even attempt to apologize, engage with or work with those who were there to try and help understand what our country has become. At some point someone needs to remind her and her boss/ Massa, Dear Leader, “Bitch you work FOR us, you are now an employee of the taxpaying citizens of the United States of America!”

Today we learned of the crazy events that took place on the campus of the University of Virginia. What has been the response from President Donald J Trump? A tweet! A tweet that said, “we ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. Let’s come together as one!” Later in remarks made about the violence that resulted in one death, Trump said, “this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, many sides.”

Let THAT sink in on you for a little while, then take the totality of both events for what they are.

The Orange Menace

2017-06-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

For 8 years the Right Wing nut jobs told us President Obama was a sleeper cell foreign spy because of the color of his skin,

His insistence on trying to work within the Constitution,

Work with Congress

Give their dumb asses universal healthcare.

He also;

Passed the $787 billion America Recovery and Reinvestment Act to spur economic growth during the Great Recession

Ordered for the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden
Ended the war in Iraq
Saved the U.S. auto industry
Improved school nutrition with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act
Expanded embryonic stem cell research leading to groundbreaking work in areas including spinal injury treatment and cancer

So they elected this orange man that's;

Married to an Eastern European nude "model"

Has gone to war with the mainstream media

Skirted the Constitution

Bullied our long time allies

Taken credit for things he hasn't done

Created fake stories to distract the public from his machinations and failings

Crippled our national intelligence community by firing the acting chief of the Department of Justice

Fired the FBI Director, removed key members of Congress by giving them jobs in his administration they weren't qualified for

Given away military secrets to a foreign leader

Offered a budget that will give tax breaks to the rich while giving no relief to the lower income supporters

REFUSED to show his OWN tax returns

Signed an executive order to take away that healthcare they didn't want but now depend on

Tried to obstruct justice on an investigation into his campaign

Openly entertained and showed support for the greatest adversary we've ever by inviting Russian agents into the Oval Office and giving them national security secrets which compromised a long standing ally's (Israel) covert operations.

Now, WHICH one seems like a foreign spy?

Where Are Those Reagan Republicans?

2017-06-02T00:34:00.001-04:00

“Well, there you go again….,”

Remember that little ditty? That was Ronald Reagan’s famous line from the Presidential debate against Jimmy Carter. That line was the “go to” for all mimics and comics when they were doing their Reagan impersonations; don’t believe me? Go check YouTube and other websites. But the real takeaway is, that was Reagan’s way of calling bullshit on Carter. He later used it whenever he gave a press conference and someone in the media, (usually Sam Donaldson) tried to call him on some news worthy story of the day/ week. Whenever he said it, and even when it was used by others to mock him, Republicans LOVED it! It was like a juice box for a 5 year old to them. But this question actually brings me to my point, where are those are those Reagan Republicans today? Back in the 80’s, no matter what the story, the issue, the plan, Reagan had supporters who believed in him and his ideals. The one ideal of Reagan, the one that “made him” for even those moderate Democrats who disagreed with him on all other issues, was his insistence that Russia (Soviet Union) was “the evil empire” and needed to be blocked and countered at every turn. Those less informed and shallow in their understanding of world issues, will still, to this day, credit Reagan with causing the downfall of the Soviet Union and winning the Cold War. But perception is the basis for all reality, or at least it used to be, and that narrative is what Republicans have stood on for decades now. People like George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Peggy Noonan, Karl Rove and others cut their teeth at the Temple of Reagan. Those guys and others would have never stood by and let anyone, let alone a “Republican” and especially a Republican President, stand in the White House and praise Russia! Where is the righteous indignation, that feigned outrage that they, (and others) had when Barack Obama “had the nerve” to put his feet up on the Oval Office desk while he actually WORKED on things to make America great, as opposed to just making grandiose photo-ops when he’s signing more ceremonial executive orders like Trump does.

Being a Reagan Republican became a cottage industry where fortunes were made but “true” patriotism was never questioned. I have gone on record as saying the most troubling aspect of this Trump Presidency is his refusal to accept and explain truth before the American people. Ronald Regan never needed to exaggerate the size of his Inaugural audience. He didn’t need to; he didn’t WANT to, that wasn’t important to him, but it is important to Trump. Ronald Reagan, despite what Obama haters want to have you believe, didn’t shy away from talking to people he disagreed with; enemies or allies. Ronald Reagan cozied up to “our European cousins” as he called them, he didn’t try to publicly embarrass them. Ronald Reagan went to Europe and praised and supported NATO, he understood that the very best defense America had in keeping Russia and the Soviet Union at bay in Europe was NATO. The lessons of World War II were not lost on him, because whether you agreed with him or not, Ronald Reagan understood that a united Europe was a deterrent to Russia from expanding westward. For the life of me, I don’t understand why those Reagan Republicans that were banner men for him and those principles aren’t speaking up against the things that Trump is doing today. Every 4 years, since 1992, Republican Presidential candidates flock to the Reagan Library and pay homage and swear undying fealty to the teachings that flowed from the jaws of “the great man”. Yet despite that, all those same Reagan Republican candidates and aficionados have seen and heard from Trump’s tweets and mouth since the 2016 general election is contrary to everything Reagan stood for. The Trump administration after less than 150 days more resembles the Nixon White House during the Watergate cover-up or that Reagan White House during the Iran Contra cover-up. The scramble to cover lies and fabricate new narratives for obvious flubs is clearly embarrassing, yet none of those Reagan Republicans are calling shenanigans. Just the most innocuous mistakes, like a typo during a late night tweet, have to be spun into some murder mystery plot just in order to keep the façade of infallibility alive of this man. Why?!?! What is this obsession to be better than anyone he’s followed? Obama, Dubya Bush, Clinton, H.W. Bush, and of course Reagan, all admitted at some point in time that they made a mistake in a policy or even misspoke; it is really OK.

Now, to be fair, men like John McCain, David Frum, and Lindsay Graham have started to finally raise an eyebrow about all of this confusion and ask serious questions about serious concerns about Trump’s refusal to at least posture towards Russia and Putin. But where are the Pat Buchanan’s, the Newt Gringrich’s? Where are all of the people who proudly called Reagan “The Cold Warrior” and stood at his side when he declared “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” when he went to West Germany to support our NATO allies? Why is it so hard, or is it that they all sold their souls to this man so that they could get control of the Supreme Court, to call out Trump on this debacle? How is it those Reagan Republicans are now blind to things like firing of the Director of the FBI in an obvious clumsy attempt to deter an investigation?

Look, I never supported Ronald Reagan; I never voted for Ronald Reagan; I never LIKED Ronald Reagan. But I knew Ronald Reagan and I respected Ronald Reagan; trust me, Donald Trump is no Ronald Reagan and unlike Ronald Reagan, he has no moral compass and cares nothing for those people that voted for him. This however is the administration that those woolen covered eyed voters wanted. As my mother is fond of saying, “you ordered shit, you eat shit”. I hope it tastes good as you drink it with a glass of Russian vodka.

The Kushner Conundrum

2017-05-28T17:07:00.000-04:00

So allow me to be clear. I don't care if you don't agree, but facts are facts and the Right will try and distract you in this and it's inexplicable.

The issue is NOT that Jared Kushner tried to set up a "back channel" communication with Russia; though THE FACT that he wanted to do so using Russian facilities and equipment IS "intriguing". The issue IS that Kushner did not disclose that on his security clearance application!! By failing to disclose information like that on an application he LIED! He tried to conceal a meeting with Russian agents on his security clearance application! Please, PLEASE don't even TRY to defend that; it's HUGE! Any of you that are reading this right now who have or had a security clearance, even as low as Public Trust, KNOW that failure to disclose and explain this information is grounds to IMMEDIATELY have your clearance revoked! There is no ambiguity with this process. The act of setting up the meeting is going to be debated in the media on both sides and though I personally believe it's a treasonous act, there are people who will try and spin it away. The Washington Post IS a real news organization and does not have a political agenda on either side. They will call bullshit on either side in order to try and report TRUTH. They have actual reporters and investigators who dig deep and get confirmation on stories they publish. So at this point, the story has to be true, because the Trump administration is trying to EXPLAIN why Kushner was trying to set up these channels. So that is fact as even they have admitted themselves. Whether you believe what he did was wrong or not, you have moved your rook to defend the bishop by accepting that fact. But your king is now endangered because you are ignoring the REAL ISSUE! Jared Kushner failed to report those meetings!

Trumpers will work themselves into a frenzy trying to WANT to believe all of the reasons and excuses that the White House and ring wing media will spew to explain the meetings then say Kushner "forgot" to disclose them. Allow me to help you understand something about that as a problem. If you are 36 and you forgot to mention that you were suspended from school for 2 days because you were smoking pot in the hall bathroom when you were 16 when applying for a SECRET LEVEL clearance, the investigators will call you in, put you on a lie detector and ask you a series of questions all over again and will ask you even deeper more probing questions. If you do not come out of that process squeaky clean, you will not get your clearance. If you already have it, it will be pulled and your job will be gone, regardless of what you do. That is what an "I forgot" defense will buy you for something that minor that happened TWENTY YEARS AGO!! Being 36, and saying "I forgot" for failing to disclose meeting a Russian agent 6 MONTHS AGO, should IMMEDIATELY have you removed from your position working in the White House!!

Let all the other bull shit fall where it will, this should be the immediate response to the disclosure of the meeting. Trump will be in a bind because he will have to try to save Kushner's job, or agree to let him go. Trump would be smart to heed the words of Don Corleone when asked about giving his son-in-law a job in the "family business".

There is no "Difficult Choice"

2016-11-07T13:28:00.003-05:00

To me it's a very simple choice, it's not about his being a serial sexual predator nor her supposed "crookedness". It's all about who really has the experience and ability to run the country and get things done. It ain't about his big talk, selling wolf tickets to his racist supporters about what he CAN do (without a single shred of evidence he is capable) it's about the FACT that Hillary can and has shown she can navigate government BS and will do what she needs to do in a crisis or tough situation. Barack showed he could do it, repeatedly. Dubya couldn't do it and showed it, repeatedly, even though his father was POTUS and he himself was once a governor. Under pressure Trump has shown he is an excuse machine and whiny little bitch. What's he gonna do if North Korea tries some shit; send nuclear missiles at them? Complain that it was all Obama's fault for not dealing with him before? What happens when the next big storm takes out a significant region of this country? I know Hillary has not only the experience, but knows who to put in charge of those situations. Do you REALLY want Chris (Krispy Kreme) Christie as the Attorney General? Rudy Giuliani as the head of the FBI? Would you be OK with generals who have been retired because their ideas were more militaristic to come back and run policy when it comes hot spots around the globe? And lastly, seriously, the BLM movement and police issues are working towards finding common ground and common sense solutions. It is a slow slog but there is promise. All of that will indeed come to a halt and things will get worse when Trump comes into office and declares that "stop and frisk" will once again be the way police should do their jobs.

Naw, her emails, her getting paid big money by big companies to speak don't mean crap to me. I don't want to have a man in that chair that has people so on edge that my life and the life of my son are devalued so that he can stroke his enormous ego and prove his fame made him the most powerful person on the planet. It's too much of a serious risk.
What I find most interesting and ironic in this whole election cycle is, the Republican Party leadership has sold their souls on this one, so that they can try and maintain "control" of their base. The GOP has been losing grip on party unity and message since before John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. The rise of the Tea Party was a direct result of Barack Obama ascending to the highest office in the land and the perception that "they" "lost our country". So they elected people who spoke that same rhetoric of fear and hate and what it did was set the country back. Despite what the reality of what government does or is supposed to do, all of that has been misconstrued by the media and the Right. Do you honestly think a Donald Trump could have risen to the level of "party nominee" when Ronald Reagan or even Richard Nixon were party darlings? But now, sheer racism is the not so subtle calling card of the Trump coalition of deplorables. Trump has rung a waiting bell within the hearts of the suddenly disenfranchised White folk who feel that no matter what their station in life, it is their right to be doing better, especially over anyone of color. Trump kicked off his campaign saying all the right things to those folks. Now all the fears of the Party leadership have bubbled up and those folks feel they have a seat at the table so to speak. But what we should fear is if Trump does win; that seat at the table will dictate policies and reframe what has been considered progress for the last 20 years.
If you have not voted yet, vote tomorrow. Too many people fought and gave their lives for you to "feel" you don't need to.

Nitelifer: Trump's Lies Matter!

2016-08-16T19:16:00.001-04:00

Nitelifer: Trump's Lies Matter!: I have been procrastinating on writing this article because it just seems like as soon as I am ready to tie his lies up in a bow, Donald Tru...

Trump's Lies Matter!

2016-08-16T19:08:00.000-04:00

I have been procrastinating on writing this article because it just seems like as soon as I am ready to tie his lies up in a bow, Donald Trump drops another bombshell that is worse than the last and I can't get caught up. But enough is enough, I have to tailor my point to just not detail them all but encourage you, an informed citizen, to always be mindful that just about all that comes out of that man's mouth is some bull.

We need to start with the fact that Donald Trump's initial foray into this election was taken as a joke by not only myself, but the national (and probably international) media as well. The people of this country who refuse to read and investigate (if they are at all capable) are so desperate for a person that they can connect with that they mistakenly believe they can connect with a billionaire who wouldn't talk with them if they somehow got stranded together for 3 hours in the same elevator. But a TV reality show star, who, they have watched for years, and professes to be "super rich" captured their attention. But you see, that is the first lie. Donald Trump is not as rich as he professes, which is why most of us are speculating he refuses to release his tax returns. But though that is the first lie, that is not the most important one. The big lie that we keep glossing over is, Donald Trump is NOT a "businessman"; he is a salesman. If you are a salesman/ person, or have dealt with them you know that in order to make a sale, you tell the customer exactly what they want to hear. You emphasize the positives and downplay the negatives. Donald Trump does this, and does it in spades. But before delving into that, allow me to explain why he is not a "businessman" as opposed to a salesman. Do you remember the movie Boomerang with Eddie Murphy? If you do then you remember Lady Heloise, played masterfully by the late Eartha Kitt. She was the face of the company that acquired Eddie's company, but she held absolutely zero power within the company. But like the lunatic fringe of this America, Eddie was determined to get in bed with that face to advance his own selfish ambitions. And like Donald Trump, Lady Heloise was an aging insignificant who was desperate to be stroked in order to feel better about herself.
Trump sells his name and uses that name to make his money while fooling everyone into thinking he runs anything within his own company. Trump puts his name on a "university" and promises that if you spend your money there, you will become a wealthy and successful real estate broker. When that doesn't work out he tells you that YOU didn't have what it takes. Trump puts his name on steaks and tells you that if you pay exuberant prices for these regular quality steaks you will be getting the best steaks ever. But you THINK you are on the same level as Trump because you are eating the same steaks he eats; you have bought into the lie yet again.
When I think of a true businessman/ person, I think of a Warren Buffet or Oprah Winfrey or even a Bill Gates. These are true "business people" who took an idea and built globally recognized successful businesses and are hands on in all important aspects of their businesses. (Bill Gates is no longer running the day to day operations of Microsoft but until he stepped away no one could argue with the success and importance of the way he ran that company). If Donald Trump were indeed all that he pretends to be in business, he would not have time nor the inclination to always be interviewed about political matters. You see that entire farce, where reporters would actually interview him about world affairs, went straight to his overblown ego and allowed his pontifications to seem important and worthwhile, to himself. Like assholes, everyone has an opinion and Donald Trump has the biggest of both.
But back to the specific lies. Trump will stand at a podium or even in an interview and tell all who listen that he is can fix all the ills that America has. No he can't, no one person or President can. To be 110% honest, all of America's ills cannot be fixed. But the ills that he is telling you are a problem, either do not exist, or are being over emphasized by the Right while some of the serious major issues are either being underplayed or ignored. He will tell you that our military is in shambles, it is not and any serious military person would be insulted to be told they are inferior. Yet, for some reason I will never ever understand, the Republicans always win the military card despite Presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama using them to their fullest without unnecessarily exposing them to harm's way, yet George Dubya started wasting lives as if they were just useless pawns on a chess board. Trump will tell you that he is doing "great with Blacks", yet he is polling at 0.0% in most polls in urban areas. Trump will tell you that President Obama and Hillary Clinton are the founders of ISIS, yet the truth is the decision to go to war in Iraq was squarely on the shoulders of again, George Dubya Bush. The lie that Russian leader Putin called President Obama a nigger was an out and out lie that was solely designed to inflame Black voters possibly to his side, while advancing the false narrative that Obama is a weak leader. The lies become even more bizarre after that when he declared that the NFL sent HIM a letter asking that he change the date of the 1st Presidential Debate so it wouldn't interfere with the start of the season, yet the NFL says no such correspondence ever happened. And let's just look at THAT one for a second please? The NFL is the only sport in America that literally owns a day of the week. They literally print cash. The last thing the NFL is concerned about is losing ratings to a Presidential debate. And to be clear, IF the NFL did wish for the date for a debate to be changed, they would make a request to the Commission on Presidential Debates; they are the ones that are in charge of the debates. Trump will say that the only way he would lose Pennsylvania is if the elections are rigged. Hello, the rigging of elections are the tool of the Republican party when they make changes to districts and regions to make it more difficult for minorities to get to the polls. But the truth about that issue alone is that Trump is polling so badly in urban and suburban areas in that state, (as well as other battleground states) that he can't make up ground with his silly and inflammatory rhetoric.
Finally, I have to bring up my favorite of all of Donald Trump's lies; this idea of a wall to keep illegal aliens out of our southern and border states. The entire idea of a wall is far fetched in and of itself. Though there is definite need for more border control, and some sort of serious conversation should be brought to the forefront; the idea of a wall and Trump being able to build it is some hooey. Friends, on a recent trip to Nevada I visited the Hoover Dam. It is truly a modern marvel and when you consider that in 1937 they were able to get that built in 2 years is utterly amazing. But this is 2016 and in the atmosphere of this political discord, it would take at least 2 years of jockeying in Congress just to find the funding for such a project. But if we wanna play "shits and giggles" lets just pretend that on Day 1 of a Trump Presidency he is allocated the say, 40 billion dollars needed just to start a project of this magnitude. Then if by some other miracle within a few magic days a viable and deliberate effort begins to start construction of an impenetrable wall, how long do you think it would take to complete a wall that would deter determined South and Central Americans from crossing our borders? How long did it take to clear and rebuild just around ground zero created by the 9/11 attacks in New York? We are talking about a 20 year project at best, and oh by the way, no, Mexico would NOT pay for it.

The whole thing with Donald Trump is fool's gold. He is not only a salesman, he's a snake oil salesman and he is selling his followers a bag of beans. Just as the snake oil salesman of Western lore sold hopes and dreams to those who were too ignorant to know better, Donald Trump is selling a product to people who are willing to swallow any swill that he puts in front of them. And also like those snake oil salesmen of yesteryear, Trump will be gone as soon as the deal is done, or hopefully rejected. You have to understand something when it comes to this guy; he is not interested in helping you, helping me, helping anyone in this country other than himself. Donald Trump is doing this just because he wants to prove to all that disbelieved him and to himself, that his ego is able to be stroked all the way to the White House. The sad part of all of this is is that Donald Trump is so obsessed with winning this race that he has given little to no energy towards actually governing should he win. He just wants to prove a point, and he will say anything to get to that point. And the irony of this whole "candidacy" is this man's lies shows how dangerous he is because of the lies and how sad it is that no matter how outlandish they are, there are those that are willing to believe every word he says. Trump lies to so he can win; he very well could win because there are always enough people willing to buy snake oil to cure a problem that they don't even have.

Nitelifer: Why Black Lives Matter MATTERS

2016-08-01T17:17:00.001-04:00

Nitelifer: Why Black Lives Matter MATTERS: White America, White REPUBLICAN America, you are totally missing the point of what the real BLM movement is about. Let's change some wo...

Why Black Lives Matter MATTERS

2016-08-01T17:06:00.000-04:00

White America, White REPUBLICAN America, you are totally missing the point of what the real BLM movement is about. Let's change some words here and perspective here and see how you'd feel. What if instead of the alarming amount of Black people who have been killed ON CAMERA by police and those ACTING as cops, there was the same amount of say DOGS murdered this way? Certain groups in America would be up in arms and totally blowing up. Michael Vick financed and owned dog fighting businesses. He personally killed losing dogs and kept those fighting dogs in inhumane conditions. People across the country held rallies, called for his arrest, protested at his trials, petitioned for him to never be allowed to play football again, sent him death threats! Ray Rice had a fight with his then fiancé and hit her and knocked her out in an elevator in Atlantic city while both were drunk. And even though they both admitted culpability in the incident and moved on to still get married and sought counseling and he accepted full responsibility for what happened, he's been blackballed from the NFL and probably will never play the game again.

After those situations no one ever said "animal rights groups get too much attention" or "domestic abuse is a sexist organization that is seeking to divide the country". You know why? Because Black people standing up and saying ANYTHING that makes White America nervous is viewed as a threat to the peace. Black Lives Matter is not a call to arms and is not a racist movement, the KKK is. Black people are trying to say "stop killing us as if we are less than dogs, as if we mean less than any woman who has ever been abused by her spouse, we deserve better". Those who have attacked police are just as wrong as those of you who think BLM is a racist movement. If all of YOUR nieces and nephews, sons and daughters, siblings and cousins were being shot when they were walking home from the store, standing on a corner, driving home from work, traveling to a new home, sitting in church praying, attending a party, or sitting in their homes watching TV, I bet YOU'D be screaming My Family's Lives Matter and begging people to pay attention that no matter what you and your family do, they SEEM to be targets and don't know where to go to feel and be safe! No one would accuse YOU of being racist even if you said, "until you stop killing (fill in YOUR family's name) we (fill in your family's name) will stop patronizing your stores and banks and spending money". What they would say is, "that family man is doing all he can in a non-violent way, to draw attention to what is happening to his family. God bless him.

Stop being afraid of the BLM movement and stop the call for ALL Lives Matter as a counter. We KNOW all lives matter, we just want to be counted IN the "all" and stop seeing our loved ones and those that look like us show up in more cellphone videos dying at the hands of those we WANT to serve and protect us; along WITH the "all".

A Few Things....,

2016-01-31T23:34:00.001-05:00

Iowa, Iowa, Iowa!

Monday marks the official start of the primary season. First on deck? The Iowa caucuses. While Iowa is not the make or break of a lot of campaigns, it will go a long way towards weeding out the contenders from the pretenders. On the Democratic side, regardless of outcome, Hilary and Bernie will both move on to New Hampshire. However, this should be the reality check Martin O'Malley needs to have him move out of the way and start his REAL campaign towards respectability in 2020 and beyond. Any hopes he had of being the next Barack Obama and catching the excitement of a disappointed electorate should be dashed by now; a very distant 3rd place finish should seal that deal.
Now, on the Republican side, the "gang of clowns" who are all fighting to be at least recognized should be whittled down to those that have the stones and the cash to limp into New Hampshire and come up for one last try at the brass ring. We all know it is really just a matter of time for the reality to slap Christie, Paul, Santorum, Huckabee, and Fiorina in the face and tell them to get off the stage; though I am sure Christie will try to take a "bite" out of that slap before he has to "swallow" his truth. But Jeb Bush should have the long green needed to keep limping along for a few more primaries, sad to say, but what is even sadder, the choices left to challenge Trump are going to be Rubio, Cruz and Carson; a couple of kooks and a Doctor with dementia! WOW!

Don't Drink the Kool-Aid!

The situation in Flint Michigan has surpassed absurd and is squarely looking like criminal negligence. In an effort to save money, the appointed city manager, made a decision that will have disastrous consequences for decades to come. The water flowing through the pipes and infrastructure of that city is so dirty and so toxic that unlike in areas like the Hinkley California case showcased in the book and movie Erin Brockovich, people are not seeing the effects later in life and in the new born children; the lead levels and pollution is immediate and visible to the naked eye.
Children are showing effects now, older folks are suffering now, hospitals and restaurants are not able to use the water flowing out of their pipes to clean, cook, or wash. This is 2016, so how crazy is that? And in a classic example of the "peter principle", the same city manager who was directly responsible for the decision to change the source of the city's water supply from Lake Huron to the already known polluted Flint River, has been assigned by the Michigan governor to take control of Detroit's school system. Not up on THAT story yet? Well it is a disaster of such horrendous proportions that teachers' union has gone all in to bring attention to what is happening to those students, those schools, those teachers and the whole system. When schools cannot use the gymnasiums because the floors have buckled, when kids are going to class in buildings that are overrun with black mold, when teachers are having to "survive" instead of live off of their salaries; then you have what is by definition, a disaster. Why is the state of Michigan killing its lower status citizens and then failing to educate its children, and why is this NOT on the agenda of the Republican Presidential candidates? The governor is Republican. Why is this not on the agenda of the Democratic Presidential candidates? Why are we continuing to read and hear about how Obamacare is destroying the future for our children and grandchildren but no one is discussing how the reality on the ground in Michigan is killing the people TODAY? Do yourself a service, investigate these issues and start asking these hard questions; your NOW deserves answers. Flint is saving dollars, one life at a time.

Enabling A Murderer: Hey Netflix!

Look, if you have not watched or started watching the Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer", you should start doing so if at all possible. I will not reveal anything here as to the final resolution of the story or to any subsequent follow up shows and stories about the case. What I will say is, I just wish, the same attention, the same scrutiny, the same media attention would be focused on George Zimmerman and the Trayvon Martin murder.

Nothing about that case made any sense to those of us who understand the fear and outrage of a community that is to this day beset with killings of young Black men. Why won't someone do some serious in-depth investigation and bring to light details of that fateful night and follow up on the life of the man who pulled the trigger and killed that young man? Will someone please start asking hard questions about the how the case was turned to make the victim the wrong doer and the killer the hero and how that hero continues to walk the streets and cause mayhem amid societal norms? What happened in the prosecution's criminal investigation of that night that ended up with a young child dead and a glory seeking asshole walking amongst us? Nancy Grace, how come YOU are no longer beating the drum for Trayvon?
This country is all abuzz over this case in Wisconsin, but no one is as outraged as the Black community still is over Trayvon. The shame of it is, the truth should still be released, we owe it to Trayvon.

Oops, Our Bad; We Didn't Mean It

What if you staged a standoff and no one came? What if you raised a call to arms but forgot to tell people to bring provisions? What if you provoked the police and they actually fired on you? Well if you are a White man with a bunch of guns trying to show how big your testicles are based on the caliber of your weapons, you get a quick lesson in what WILL happen IF the government does come for your guns. Those fools, no, Domestic Terrorists; those Domestic Terrorists in Oregon found the answers to those questions this last week. After staging a protest in support of people who did not want their support. After taking over a federal refuge and declaring you were there for a fight, and walking around wearing their AR-15s around the necks and dressed as if they were real soldiers, Ammon Bundy and a few of his followers got the confrontation they SAID they were looking for from authorities. Guess what? They fought the law and the law won! This is not a game People! This is not a show and tell situation where people in the federal government are cowered by seeing big bad men with guns on TV talking big game.
Now, from behind bars, arrested protest leader, Ammon Bundy is telling the 4 fools still at the refuge to stand down and go home. He is also telling all of us that "this was never meant to be an armed stand off". Hmmm...., how do they call walking around brandishing guns and saying they aren't leaving, NOT an armed standoff???? Where I come from, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and points a gun at you and says it will shoot if you come for it, that is what it IS! And finally....,

It IS just TOO Important!

I did a quick experiment on social media the other day. I asked supporters of both Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders if their candidate did not win the nomination, would they still support the ticket, or do what several supporters of Hilary did in 2008; refuse to throw their support behind Obama. How short memories are for those who claim to be progressives. In 2000 people who sought a different kind of candidate wrote in for Ralph Nader, if just half of those voters had put their support behind Al Gore in Florida and Ohio we would not have had 8 years of George Dubya Bush. Don't be so butt hurt because your candidate won't get the chance to stand next to Donald Trump or Ted Cruz to fight for rational thinking, that you

lose the chance to keep Obamacare,
to set the direction of the Supreme Court,
to keep marriage equality,
to continue the fight against global climate change
and to keep the Black Lives Matter movement front and center

This election is more important than your personal desires. This is an election that could change the status quo of party change every eight years. Not since Reagan to Bush has one party held the White House in consecutive administrations. The Dubya Bush years where a disaster both domestically and abroad. Though the anger of power comfortable White folk have marred the tenure of Barack Obama, his administration has been good for this country. Respect abroad has encouraged other countries to believe in America's greatness again; whereas England and Israel have already held parliamentary votes to decide if they should ban Donald Trump from their borders because of his crazy divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail.

I am not choosing a candidate at this juncture, but I am imploring you, if you proclaim to be a Democrat first, then follow your mind and not your heart if Hilary or Bernie is not your first choice. I was blown away by how many people are so vested in their personal choice at this point that they declared they would either stay home, or refuse to support the nominee if they don't get what they want. Well if you don't think you will get what you want if either Bernie or Hilary is your choice, wait til you see what happens when a stacked Congress sends Obamacare repeal legislation to the White House and it is signed.
This election is just too important to walk away with your feelings. Vote the party, both candidates have admiral qualities and either will make a great President. And either of them are a much better alternative then what the Clown Car is gonna drop off at your doorstep.

The Fault Isn't In Our Stars

2016-01-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year fellow students.
At the start of 2016 there is unfinished business of 2015 that we need to explore. Of all of the "scandals" and outrages of the past year, there seems to be just one that won't die out and it is the oldest of them all and the one that is the most "personal" and intimate. After the ridiculousness of Rachel Dolezal, the revelation of Charlie Sheen, the shame of this Donald Trump candidacy, over indulgence of the media for Bruce Jenner's self aggrandizing and the other beyond silly social media/ entertainment stories; the one that just won't die is the sad tale of Bill Cosby's issues.
The fact that this is a national story is not surprising; after-all, the Cosby show was a television phenomenon. It helped NBC to unprecedented ratings, it launched a successful spin-off, lasted eight highly rated seasons, and started the careers and resurrected careers for people who starred on the show. But what it did that was more impressive and important than all of that? It re-established the functional nuclear family sitcom. And it did that while showing that Black people, just as our White counterparts, can have 2 parent homes where both parents work and have successful professional careers and lovingly take care of their children while honoring the parents they learned from themselves. This fact cannot be overemphasized enough; it is important to the social fabric of where we are today as a nation. Before that show, Black family life on television was defined by what was shown on The Jeffersons. Now the Jeffersons was not a bad show, but it was based on certain stereotypes of the times and the main character was more of a caricature than a realistic portrayal for most professional Black men. There are plenty of White people to this day, that only think of George Jefferson when they think of a Black businessman and Herman Cain did nothing to dispel that impression, (Mr. Nine, nine, nine). Heck, some even only think of Fred Sanford when it comes to Black professionals on television. And let us also not forget that not only did this show show us how easy and normal it was to be a "normal" Black family, it taught us values, emphasized education, focused on love and respect for others, all while making us laugh and smile.
But even before THAT show Dr. Cosby won accolades and awards for his groundbreaking Saturday morning cartoon, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, and his clean cut, family based stand up comedy routines and albums. Since the early sixties, Dr Cosby has been America's "favorite" Negro. He stood front and center during the Civil Rights era, he used his fame and fortune to further the cause of education on all levels and was honored as he gave his name, his fame, and his money to small historically Black colleges and universities and major universities as well. And yes, he sold us a lot, a LOT of Jell-o pudding.
Now, I am not offering all of this background to plead Dr. Cosby's case, nor to proclaim his innocence of these allegations and current charges. I just want to clarify his history for folks who are now so quick to swear they know what happened between Dr. Cosby and all of his accusers. Actually I am more disappointed than I am convinced, either way. Whether he did do these things or whether he did not, the one thing that cannot be denied is that Bill Cosby has always been an advocate for all people, Black people, and education. There is no denying his influence on society, no whitewashing of the record of the amounts of money he and his wife gave to those schools who are now quick to rescind his honorary degrees. In fact, what is a concern is if these schools are taking away his honorariums, are they also writing refund checks to William and Camille Cosby? Do they, do WE have a right to take a moral high-ground on the current state of affairs? Yeah, I kinda think we all do. I think we have every right to be outraged and upset. But we also have a right to be skeptical and curious. What we don't have a right to do is discount who the man is and all that he's done. I mean, I get it, the jokes about what happened are funny and some of the memes are clever. But the time has come to just move on now.

If you disliked Cosby coming to your town and preaching to you about how you are not raising your kids, or taking an active role in how they speak, what they watch on TV, or making sure that they go to school, then you are probably kind of happy that he is now in the center of this shit storm. But all of you who are still debating his guilt or innocence have laughed at or side eyed the man and his works over the decades. And if he IS guilty of doing these things, he should be punished by the law for what he did. It just bothers me that so many that either directly or indirectly benefited from his pioneering efforts on their behalf, are still beating this horse that is dragging him to the gallows; so to speak. People like Larry Wilmore, who seems to base at least one Nightly Show per week on attacking Dr. Cosby. He is making this as personal as Gloria Allred and it is bothersome. Other so called "leaders" of our community understandably find themselves in a tough spot, whether to defend this man, or jump on the bandwagon and push him off the cliff. But why? Why is this such a hard choice? Whether they believe him or believe IN him, they should all, each and every one, stand by the man they know and the work he's done. It is not uncommon in this country for any Black man, especially a prominent one, to be character assassinated by the media, White America and the public in general. What is unusual though is for Black America to be so quick to help them take down one who has dedicated his life to trying to help us. There was more support for OJ Simpson during and after his trials then for Bill Cosby. Conversely by all accounts, once OJ achieved HIS level of Hollywood fame, all but forgot about the Black America who would come to his defense when he was on trial for MURDER.
And while I am talking about OJ, allow me this, even though he was not THE star of any movie or TV show, he was in any number of movies and shows. You have not heard of nor seen where networks or stations have refused to air HIS acting projects. Cable networks like TVLand, TV One, Centric and others have pulled The Cosby show from their rotation. Does this punish Dr. Cosby? Yeah, in a way, in a small financial way. But it really punishes the Phylicia Rashad's, Malcolm Jamal Warner's, Keisha Knight Pullium's and other members of the cast who still get residual checks from the show being in syndication.

Look, at the end of the day, what Dr. Cosby is accused of is reprehensible, disgusting and sad. If he did these things to these women, then whatever comes his way is deserved. But when we sit around and day after day see videos of Black men and boys being murdered by White cops who are then (in some cases) absolved of all wrong doing; why are we so quick to believe a case or cases, where there is absolutely zero evidence of any wrongdoing? Why are we as the people who have enjoyed being entertained and benefited from 50 years of advocacy by this man, so fast to want to see him found guilty? Sure, Bill Cosby should have gotten off the stage about 10 years ago. Maybe he should not have launched his own personal campaign to try to force us to take a hard look at our own children and how we are raising them. Maybe that got under your skin in a way you can't understand. But whatever it is, can we all please stop ignoring all of the things he DID DO, in favor of what you are being told to believe?

No More Terrorists Allowed In

2015-11-24T21:58:00.001-05:00

Honestly? George (Dubya) Bush was 110% right. The terrorist do hate US for OUR freedoms..., These people will stop at nothing to keep us from being comfortable and feeling safe here in our own country. I have to take a page out of the Trump playbook and advocate for rounding up as many as we can that are already here and sending them away. Too many folks want to make excuses or find an easy way to justify how things are now as a way to say it is OK not to go after them aggressively when the reality is fact, these people are evil and corrupt, they have hijacked and ancient religion and misrepresented what is written and used its teachings to justify the evil that they do.
The apologists and rationlizers will downplay what the terrorists are capable of because they want to embrace everyone and say things like, "you can't clump all these people in a bunch based on the actions of a few". But we all know that is just bull shit, right? There is no justification for the atrocities that these people have done, continue to do, and will do again in the very near future.
If we just list out the attacks that have happened recently, you should be afraid to leave your home.

Shooting up entertainment venues filled with civilians
Infiltrating religious gatherings to kill those who share their religion
Herding women and children together to kill them
Videoing the wanton murder of people they have in "custody"
Blowing up house of worship
Plotting and calling for, the murder of political opponents and leaders
Attacking protesters who don't follow their ideology
Murdering babies
Calling for the violent overthrow of the elected government
Violently disrupting peaceful protests
Use of social media to justify their evil and to recruit more to their cause

When their evil is exposed or condemned they rush to justify it by invoking God's will or twisting facts to keep the populace frightened and scared. Their actions are predicated on that, they plot to do what they do just because they know that the end result will justify the sacrifice of lives on both sides, just to advance their agenda. The idea that America is evil comes from these people, these terrorist, these anarchists. Yet, no matter what they do, no matter what we call them, or what they call themselves, the bottom line is, they are all evil and need to be stopped. How can you do evil things and then call OUR government "evil" for using drones to track your movements? Your actions NEED to be tracked by drones and those drones NEED to have the capability to take your sick asses out! Be afraid of what American do to you, because we should be doing MORE.
Oh, and these terrorists I am wailing against? These people are not ISIS, or ISIL, they are the crazed people here in America who shoot up schools, churches, movie theaters, and people on the street. Police are targeting civilians regardless of the race of these victims, but as we see more and more young Black Americans die at their hands, the religious Right takes to the social media space to find justifications. When children are murdered inside an elementary school right before Christmas, the NRA leadership and their more ardent supporters try and re-frame the reality to make it seem as though this heinous act is either a hoax, or just the work of someone "crazed". When a hooded Black child is murdered while trying to defend himself from an terrorist, intent on doing evil things, that terrorist became a celebrity and continues to do evil things to this day. No one has arrested or taken him off the streets because the story was framed to make him a hero, though nothing he did that fateful night was justified nor legal. When a terrorist walks into a church in South Carolina, sits and prays with a group of God loving fellow Christians who have accepted him with open and loving arms, his betrayal and murder of those same people actually has caused some of the people on outlets like Fox News to jump up and scream, "It was NOT racially motivated, he is sick". Never mind that survivors of that horror have detailed how this terrorist said Black people are evil and his own history reveals that he hated Blacks.

Time after time, terroristic acts are perpetrated on Americans here in "the Homeland" by terrorists who were born and raised here, and yet we are constantly pointed to people who aren't "us" as the ones to be feared. Don't talk to me about posting a flag on my Facebook page to support Paris or France; we are under attack right here at home. Was it so long ago that Tim McVeigh blew up a federal building and day care filled with babies that we have forgotten what the REAL face of terrorism looks like HERE in America? And no, by writing this I am not excluding what Black Americans are doing to Black Americans on the streets ourselves, that is just a subject for another time. I will address that and I will again, pull no punches.
But for now? To Hell with not bringing in refugees for fear THEY will become a threat, let's go after the ones that are here now, and put an end to the terrorism we already face at home every day.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
On November 23rd, armed masked terrorists hunted down and shot five members of a Black Lives Matter group who were peacefully protesting the police involved shooting of a young Black man in Minnesota. Read the rest of the story here.

Meme of the Day

2015-11-18T12:05:00.001-05:00

Nitelifer: Trumpback Mountain - The Art of Screwing Everyone ...

2015-11-14T22:29:00.001-05:00

Nitelifer: Trumpback Mountain - The Art of Screwing Everyone ...: When commercial fishermen go to do their jobs, which is to catch as many fish as they can, they do what is called "cast a wide net&quot...

Trumpback Mountain - The Art of Screwing Everyone from the Top

2015-11-14T22:22:00.001-05:00

When commercial fishermen go to do their jobs, which is to catch as many fish as they can, they do what is called "cast a wide net". You see the larger the net, the wider the area they can fish, the higher the likelihood they will catch enough fish to have a successful day or "campaign". The whole idea is not to narrow your options, but to expand them so you can be successful, IF that is your intent. In case you are reading this and wondering, "where is The Nitelifer going with this one". I will get to my point.
Donald Trump announced his campaign by riding on the wave of anger a certain element in this country feels towards Hispanic immigrants, legal or illegal. There is nothing new about this in America. After emancipation, Blacks were framed to be all that were wrong with the country, later it was the Irish, then the Italians. In the 1980's Japanese were the hate targets for "buying up all of America" and then of course, anyone Muslim is gonna be hated from now on. But what Trump did that day is what all Presidential candidates do; he chose a target and set the target for his campaign. The problem is, today, Hispanics actually represent a voting block. There are stats that say overwhelmingly Hispanics vote together. Is that 100%? No, of course not. But with the percentage of the voting population that Hispanics represent, Trump narrowed his net right out the box. After taking hits from all sectors on this stance, Trump, as you well know, didn't back off; he doubled down. He stuck to his guns and showed us his "tough side". Points for the Donald from the xenophobes.
Then less than a few weeks later, Trump got embroiled in a "war on women", by character attacking Fox News' Megyn Kelly. Not that she isn't deserving of disdain, but by going after her, then Carly Fiorona and other female reporters who had the nerve to find fault and question his methods and words. So now he has garnered sympathy for women that lots of women (and men) normally wouldn't like. Well done Sir, you have drawn that net even tighter. But what does that matter, right? He still has his base, angry White males, most of the 300 Black Republicans.., oh wait! Well see there is this guy; Dr Ben Carson? He's "a Black"...., of course HE is going to get ALL the Black Republicans anyway right? Sure! So why not attack Carson like Trump did on Wednesday; he was closely associated with the birther movement that was laser focused on proving President Obama wasn't born in America, (spoiler, he wasn't, he was born in Hawaii). But Trump, always the extremest extremist, took it to another level by saying Obama couldn't have achieved as much as he did academically because you know he is "a Black"! So what if Trump went after Carson's history, he's no Obama.
Now as you know if you've been reading The Nitelifer this year, I am no fan or supporter of Carson. In my opinion he is just 3 blinks from full blown insane. He says things that should make EVERY SINGLE BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA uncomfortable and angry. Statements like "Obamacare is the worst thing in America since slavery" & no gunshot wound he ever treated in an ER was worse than having our gun rights under attack; are just plain crazy talk. But Trump attacking Carson and in the process calling out all the people of Iowa who are supporting Carson, just narrowed his net, yet again. Unless in the course of a week, the population of Iowa skewed dramatically, Trump starting cutting into his bread and butter, middle class, middle America Whites.

In trying to stroke his own ego, (as always) Trump continues to proclaim that anyone who is not for him, is stupid. He really reminds me of a spoiled brat who, if he cannot have his way, will throw a tantrum and call everyone else dumb. But what is truly interesting and what you really have to deeply delve into is, by his words Trump is not only casting a shrinking net, he is tossing his existing crew off the boat. If you start out holding hands side by side a diverse group and keep attacking things that people don't line up 100% with you, you can start losing people to hold hands with; you end up hugging only yourself. No matter how much money you have and spend, you cannot win an election when you are reducing the amount of people who want to vote for you.
Look, the top of a pyramid is its smallest design point, but in order for that point to be supported, it has to have a broader base. This is why I am wondering if Trump is really trying to work his way out of this race and find a way to scapegoat everyone and anyone so that he can turn to the cameras and declare "I am still the best, I know what's best, but America is too stupid to want ME".
If you want Trump, vote for Trump. He will not win, and what is worse, he will do absolutely nothing to help you or your family have a better life here in America. He will just find a way to blame you when any of his reality TV show ideas get shot down as just fantasy. But he doesn't want to be President America, Trump just wants a platform that we are giving him so that he can try and show just how great and powerful he is. Just like the Wizard of Oz what just a hollow man behind a hollow smoke and mirror show, Donald Trump is also just a carnival barker who has a captivated audience.

Can We Talk?

2015-11-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

I am having a really hard time with the Republican Clown Car Debates these days. I need someone to help me understand the silliness of what is going on. Last night I watched Fox Business News' Debate and for the first 90 minutes I was engaged and interested. But during that 90 minutes, I saw and heard some of the most outlandish double talk it has been my displeasure to hear this election season.

From Ben Carson's ridiculous statements about minimum wage is unneeded because right out of college he worked in a lab and they didn't pay him a "high salary" to Donald Trump going on about how his business is so great he can fix the government, it all had my head swimming. It makes me wonder how desperate are rational thinking folks, whom I normally respect, that they are clamoring for any of these people?

All this year I have listened to these people pontificate about how they will "fix the country"; Donald Trump even wrote a book with that as the title. I have yet to hear ANY OF THEM say they are running to HELP THE CITIZENS. Donald Trump, before the debate had the unmitigated nerve to say, "once I am elected we will ALL say Merry Christmas". I think what is easy to forget, especially when these people are tossing raw meat to the madding crowd, that America is not a Christian nation! The so-called "forefathers" decried separation of church and state, right? In THIS country, Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists, Protestants, Wickens, Buddhists, or what ever, are supposed to have an equal voice here. No one group is SUPPOSED to rule. But truth be told, Christians have been the dominant religious group here for a long time, but we have all supposedly worked together to make sure we all benefit as a nation. When the Klan does not like a group, they do all their narrow minded evil asses can to keep that group scared and intimidated. With comments like this, is Donald Trump pandering directly to THEM? When he says he will round up 11 million illegals and send them back to Mexico, does any Holocaust survivor NOT shudder? Shouldn't Japanese Americans who either lived through or were raised by those who were relocated to internment camps during WWII sound an alarm? Are we now really now Germany of 1929? Have we slipped into a country on the lines of a Taliban controlled Afghanistan, where we are forcing a singular brand of religion onto the populace? Or is this just something a lot simpler?
Is this just a case of candidates saying the most outlandish bull shit to gin up their base of supporters so that they can look good in the polls, knowing full well that the things they say now, have no basis on how they'd plan to govern? There is such a danger in poking that tiger that it should be noted that the anti-gun control rhetoric of 2010 and before caused a crazed man to shoot and kill people gathered to hear Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords speak. That attack resulted in Congresswoman Giffords suffering brain damage and life threatening injuries herself. Extreme pandering is not a game, it can rile up the wrong people to wrong action.
I don't want to understate what I am about to say. I want to anyone reading this to fully understand my points. The only person on that stage last night who made ANY sense, who talked somewhat rationally was John Kasich. I don't take what I say lightly. I can honestly say that I am not sold on any candidate on either side of the aisle right now, I have issues with just about all of them. I say just about all because quite honestly I cannot name ALL of them. It is just way too many to track all and take all of them seriously.
Please Americans, please, don't swallow the crap being said at these debates, look at the records of the people who vie to lead you. If I were to need brain surgery, I would never choose Donald Trump over Ben Carson to do that surgery. If I were to need business advice I would never choose Dr Carson over Donald Trump. If I honestly believed that this country was in need of professional leadership, professional governmental leadership, why would I want a doctor or a businessman to TRY and figure it out, on the fly? We had a "businessman" as President for 8 years already; how did THAT work out for us?

Right and Wrong Has No Color Line

2015-11-07T13:22:00.001-05:00

So if you REALLY REALLY know ME you know that I'm all about calling it like it IS; I don't just call an issue by the social media, news media defined "lines". These days we are being divided along color or political lines at every turn. #BlackLivesMatter is real, but it's not mutually exclusive to the idea that #AllLivesMatter as well. It is important to keep in mind that though the latter is true, what has been documented across this country since the days of slavery is that there is an underlying belief in this nation that a Black life is far less important than a White life. That holds true on both sides of the color line. We Blacks have become desensitized to the value of Black lives almost to the same level as some Whites have. When it comes to police involved killings of Blacks, we have to keep in mind that not all cops, White or Black, are bad and not all are good. You can't arbitrarily condemn ALL cops for the actions of some. You can't arbitrarily DEFEND cops based on "they put their lives on the line every day" mantra that is so quickly trotted out by the #FoxNews pundits who immediately seek to draw lines on any issue that could remotely be framed down racial lines. Truth be told, just as in your life or on your job or in your social circles, there are people who are just WRONG right out the box. Whether they are incompetent or just evil, some people should not be doing the jobs that they do.

I say all this to present this case to you.

Cops Who Killed Autistic First Grader Arrested for Murder, One Had Prior Indictment for Rape

Again, #BlackLivesMatter and there is nothing wrong with the President saying so. He's the President of this country, not the President of Black America. There is nothing wrong with a candidate, Republican or Democrat saying #AllLivesMatter because though the former is true, the reality that we seem to have forgotten, is ANY life, no matter the color of your skin, SHOULD BE PRECIOUS. White cops in some places are targeting Black citizens but guess what? In some places bad Black cops are targeting Blacks as well and some cops are just targeting PEOPLE! A license to carry a badge is not a license to hunt and kill other people! So whether you are Black, White, Hispanic, Asian or whatever, this story should not only sicken you, but reinforce what as a child you should have learned, wrong is just wrong and no one should be hunted by those who are SUPPOSED TO serve and protect us!

The Nitelifer Circle of Sanity Online Radio by The Nitelifer Circle of Sanity | Blog Talk Radio

2012-04-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-nitelifer-circle-of-sanity/2012/05/01/the-weekly-read-will-it-go-round-in-circles

The Nitelifer Circle of Sanity Online Radio by The Nitelifer Circle of Sanity | Blog Talk Radio

2012-04-19T01:39:00.001-04:00

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Every Tuesday Nite 6:30 to 7:30EST with your hosts Yale and Kamal

What it AIN'T About!

2012-03-28T12:36:00.001-04:00

America you are disappointing me. The Trayvon Martin story is a sad one but it ain't about what certain people are trying tell you it's about. This story ain't about gun laws or gun rights. This story ain't about George Zimmerman or HIS story. This story ain't about Skittles or hoodies. The story of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin is about the murder of a child. The loss of a mother's 17 year old baby boy is sad in and of itself but when that child is taken from his mother by the hands of someone who felt he had a duty to do makes this even more disturbing and sad.
Shame on those on both sides of the aisle who try to push their own agenda over the body of this kid. Shame on the NRA for trying to defend the shooting and framing the shooter as some sort of hero. Shame on the anti gun lobby for trying to use this story to push their agenda of no guns over this kid's body. I am flabbergasted but not shocked that there are people on Fox News who try to impeach the character of this young man so that they can find some sort of justification for the murder on the street that night. This story ain't about that. Those who try to defend George Zimmerman by making the TV talking head circuit and say he wasn't a racist are profiting either financially or celebrity only to further their own cause. And for those on the Left who shout and pontificate about how it is a certain fact that George Zimmerman is a racist and hated or distrusted Blacks, I am sorry to tell YOU, this story ain't about THAT! As much as I am in solidarity with those that don hoodies and march the streets and stand in front of city halls across this nation to decry what happened in Samford Florida, I am sorry to say, "Lord KNOWS, this story ain't about THAT!! To be sure, racial divides in this country still exist. Let me repeat that because there are those that don't want to read, believe, hear or acknowledge this as fact. But racial divides STILL EXITS in this, the greatest country on this planet. But again I have to say, this story of the death of Trayvon Martin ain't about THAT!
As President Obama said and as Trayvon's mother continues to tell everyone who are open to listen, what this story IS about, is the murder and death of not only Trayvon, his mother's child, but the possibility that if it can happen to YOUR child, MY child and ANYONE'S children if we all don't wake up and take a step back. Was George Zimmerman overzealous in his pursuit of this person HE suspected? Well the proof of that is here for anyone to see. But we all have to work TOGETHER to find a better way my friends. We have to work together to TRY to keep this from happening again.
The police in that community and the in all communities in this country have to step up and stop doing drive by policing. They need to be able to invest in bringing awareness and protection of the people's trust back to the communities they are sworn to protect and serve. This story, this sad tragic totally unavoidable story is about what that mother now has to deal with for the rest of her days, that burden that she must bear so that hopefully no other parent here in America will never have to again. If we as a people, the children of a God fearing nation can come together and work together, none of us, Black, White, Brown, Yellow or whatever will have to wonder if someone who is steeped in distrust will gun down our babies because they fit a certain profile.
My heart cries out to Trayvon's mother and father. My child is 12 and if I were to lose him for whatever reason at 17 to something as tragic and senseless as this, I know I would not have the strength to go on.
Learn to love one another People.

Don't Do ME Any Favors

2012-03-28T11:31:00.001-04:00

After watching George Zimmerman 's "good friend" on the Lawrence O'Donnell show last night, if you THINK you are my friend, if I EVER find myself in a jackpot, PLEASE check with me before going in TV to show your support! This damned fool had the nerve to try and defend someone it turns out he does not know as well as he's been claiming and made his assertions of Zimmerman's innocence and racial neutrality seem even more absurd. Some words of advice to Mr Joe Oliver, for free, don't try and defend someone whom you barely know if you aren't solicited to do so. On every level imaginable your friendship has now been brought into question. Your so called knowledge of the details of what happened that night are no more full of truth, than MINE are sitting here in Maryland. Only 2 people know exactly what transpired between Zimmerman and Trayvon that evening that led to the confrontation an only police forensic evidence will reveal how things actually ended. Only one of those two people are alive now to tell a story but prayerfully the police evidence was not tainted to the point where it cannot be truthfully revealed. Make no mistake the public outcry in this matter has the eye of the nation focused on what will happen going forward and only the eye of God can see into the heart of George Zimmerman to see what his actual intent was. But certain facts are indisputable, a young man who was doing no more than walking back from a store is now dead and two parents are now without a son. A man who was not authorized to do so shot that young man and despite the outcome of the confrontation, no one would be talking about any incident had that man not followed then confronted that young man.
No one is wrong for wanting to ensure their neighborhoods are safe but we all have to be measured in how and when we interject ourselves into certain situations. You have the right to defend your family and property from harm and destruction, especially IN your own home. But only the police are paid and duly charged with risking their own lives to protect someone else's lives and property. Private security firms can be engaged and hired by private citizens and communities to be sure but they should be properly trained to make sure that incidents like what happened in Florida last month aren't going to happen. In the cases where citizens take it upon themselves to patrol and report on activities in their own neighborhoods they should be trained and sanctioned by local police authorities. From published reports coming out of Samford, the citizens patrol that George Zimmerman belonged to were not so trained or sanctioned. And from other accounts out of that community that police force has been a problem for Blacks living there. To be sure, across this country we as a people are always under served by police forces, but when you read of how a dead man is laying at the feet of the admitted killer and no one brings that shooter in to question him of events or takes the gun into custody for testing or takes photographs of that shooter to jive his story with what is evident on the street, one HAS to take a mental check of the calendar to see if this 2012 America or 1812 America. The term "and justice for all" is supposed to be a right that ALL citizens of this country should unquestionably be guaranteed regardless of what Rick Santorum would have you believe. Not all rights come from God Rick, some rights, such as civil rights are an expectation that MY people fought, marched, protested, prayed, and DIED for so that the Trayvon Martins who are born to live their lives in America can do just that without being hunted down and killed in the streets like rabid dogs.

Why do you all keep eating BS and pretending it's good and delicious?!?!

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-05:00

Herman Cain today said that Sharon Bialek, the first woman to publicly accuse the GOP presidential candidate of sexual harassment, is a liar and that he can't remember ever meeting her. "I can categorically say I have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period. And as far as these latest charges? I reject all of those," Cain told ABC News' Jonathan Karl in the ABC News/Yahoo Newsmakers interview.
Now watch this video, and pay CLOSE attention to what his own campaign manager says on Faux News!
John Stewart on the case! (click link)

Why oh WHY do they think people are STUPID? Oh, I know why, because no one wants to really PAY ATTENTION!