WHY LIFE IS LIKE LIVING IN THE FOREST

So do I shed a tear?

2012-01-22T11:32:00.001-05:00

I just read on CNN where Joe Paterno,the former Penn State Football Coach has passed away.
I usually don't speak ill of the dead,but lord forgive me this one time.
Joe's knowledge of the child abuse activities of his former assistant coach Sandusky,keeps me from wanting to shed a tear of his passing.
Maybe his family will take some of the millions they made from his tenure at Penn State and help the victims of Sandusky's madness!
Big Mac!

Fearing Truth!

2012-01-16T09:26:00.002-05:00

Just thinking of my own reaction to the naked truth,it's scary at first but it gets easier to deal with the more I practice it.
I imagine for most folks looking at yourself in living color is not a easy task to do.
The way I look at it, I have twenty-five more good years on this earth,that's if the creek don't rise.
So I can't afford to waste anymore time on people,places and things that bring no value to my life.
It's just that simple for me!
Bigmac!

Don't Get Me Started!

2012-01-11T13:09:00.001-05:00

On the stupid moves and decisons I see a few young people who I work with make in 2012.
With all of the information at our fingertips today some behavior should be a thing of the past.
This society have convince so many young people in my community that there behavior shouldn't be tempered.
Some of their behavior can be directly traced to their upbringing,but most from the likes of Madison Ave.
Some of the young people that I often encounter are still cashing their paychecks at the corner store or check cashing joint.
Hell I wouldn't be mad if they had their check deposited in a prepaid debit card account,at least they are not being charged 3-10% of their check to get it cashed.
And what's up with the buying of knock-off purses and clothes and multi-colored hair?
Our young people need to do better on the financial front,my advice to all is to invest in a home.
In today's real estate market(Pittsburgh) a young person making as little as $20,000 can purchase a starter home,something they can look in the mirror and say it will be mine in 15-30 years.
I have not lost faith in my young co-workers,I'll keep hammering away with them until I take my last breath of air!
Big Mac!

Be Careful of The Things You Ask For!

2012-01-10T07:13:00.002-05:00

How many of us have been in trying situations and all of sudden we remembered how to pray?
And when our creator heard and brought us out of that darkness,did we remember to give thanks?
I have learned through my many trials and tribulations that part time praying and asking my creator for guidance is a joke! It's a full time job for me.
What I have learned , praying is something I need to do no matter what the situation is,most of us think our creator don't have time for our mundane issues.
But I have to fight to keep my blessing cause there are too many forces out here that is tugging for my heart.
With every blessing we get,we have to learn how to conquer something that is hindering our life.
Big Mac!

How you like me now?

2011-12-30T08:42:00.002-05:00

Now that you have lost your $50,000 a year job,and now receiving unemployment and food stamps,why haven't your friends called in weeks?
All of those questions are things going through the minds of the newly poor,the folks who have worked their tail off most of their working lives.
They now have to ask themselves should I continue to drive my image car or do I downsize to a Chevy?
Do I continue to shop at Safeway,when it's cheaper to shop at the Piggly Wiggly or Wally World(Walmart for those out of the loop).
Man do I miss being at the club with my American Express Card for all to see!
Now I notice Skippy and Ray-Ray standing on the corner day after day,with a look of never ending despair,could that be me in a short while?
Could that be me with the bottle of Wild Irish Rose and the funny grin on my face of hopelessness?
Or is this just a bad damn dream!
Big Mac

Neglect of the Black Male Nerd

2011-12-30T06:44:00.000-05:00

I have often read and heard speak of there not being enough available Black males to our Black female population for marriage or relationships.
I believe there maybe a segment of the Black male population that is seriously overlooked and shunned.
I know a few nerds and most are either laughed at or joked about in my experience as not the type of man a Black woman wants.
I'm talking about men who are educated and have good paying jobs,most that I'm aware of have sort out relationships or marriage out of their culture,most say because most Black women prefer a thug image for their man.
Am I off base with this premise or is there some truth to this matter,as they often say in my neighborhood,where there's smoke,there's fire!
Happy New Year to All
Big Mac

Take this time of the year.............

2011-12-24T08:39:00.000-05:00

To reflect on the things you need to make your life better,be it people,places or things.
Don't get caught up in the hype and think it's only about gift giving and buying.
The biggest gift working people can give themselves is a budget and a reassessment of our priorities.
May this time of the year bring you the insights that are needed to make 2012 the best year of your life.
Happy holidays to all,and thank you for visiting my sight through out the year.
Bigmac

By Any Means Necessary Part 21

2011-11-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

Sampson was up at the crack of dawn to start his planting of tobacco,he had gotten the $2500.00 loan from the Crackling Saving and Loan.
As Sampson cranked up the 52 Chevy pickup a smile of gratitude came upon his face,for it was just a year ago he was two minutes from the grips of the grim reaper.
Robert Lee getting into the passenger seat of the the pickup brought Sampson back to the task at hand.
Sampson was determine from this point forward to be the MAN of the house again,never again was his motto.
As they pulled up to the Weed and Feed Hardware Store on Swamp ville Road,Robert Lee looked his father in the eye and told him"I love you Dad".
With that said Sampson knew the prayers from his brother-in-law Rev.John had brought Thanksgiving early for he had prayed for this day of redemption.
Big Mac

Everyday Is Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:55:00.000-05:00

Ok I won't disturb the image you have of what "Thanksgiving" is for you,but let me share what it is for me.
I thank God for just waking me up this morning to see a day I'll never see again.
I thank God that I'm not the person I was yesterday,for I have grown another notch in navigating this thing we call life.
I thank God for surrounding me with people,places and things that help me to understand that my life is not about me.
For these things I say,thank you God,I hope everyone enjoy this day, grab the best from every person you encounter today.
Big Mac

The Coffee Is Brewed,Don't You Smell It?

2011-11-22T04:45:00.002-05:00

Well the Congressional Super Committee has just voted to do nothing for the American people and economy.
Now you say Congressional Super Committee!Yep that's what 99% of working stiffs I know say, we have not a clue or inkling of the who,what and where of this committees functions.
Which brings me to talk about,the dumbing down of working class people in this country.
Why do working-class people go out on payday or whenever we have a few extra dollars and spend it on things that project that we are tee-totally together?
Why don't we see the importance of educating ourselves,so that we may properly educate our children to the realities of this global economy?
Why are we still allowing our children to become fart er for the Prison Industrial complex?
Why are we more comfortable with handed outs,then getting our here working another job to make ends meet.
We all(young and old) should be preparing for our retirement years,today because of the non- work of the super congressional committee has put the safety nets of social security and medicare in jeopardy.
Why are we still out here in 2011 having children we can't afford or know how to raise properly.
Well those are just a few things on my mind this morning,I think my coffee is ready.
Big Mac

Three Reasons Why People Are Losing It

2011-11-21T07:04:00.000-05:00

A) You leave your home in Utah,claiming you are the new Jesus Christ and travel to Washington,D.C. and shoot up the White House.
B) You have been a football coach at Penn State for over 50 years and allow a pedophile to remain on your staff and cover up his crimes against children,in the name of saving the schools name.
C)You continue to believe your 401k is still a four!

Lock Him Up and Throw Away the Key

2011-11-15T13:55:00.000-05:00

I guess if you haven't heard about the former Penn State Football Coach by now I can assume you have been out of the country on your private island.
There was some anger when I heard and read about what this dirt bag did to those innocence children,who put what little trust they had in an adult.
Just when you think it couldn't get any worse,this dirt bag was release from jail on a $100,000 UNSERCUED bond.
The coziness and hypocrisy of justice continues in this little conclave of Pennsylvania,known to many as "Happy Valley",but happy for whom.
Not for the children sodomize by this bastard,I'm even more pissed off with people who went on a riotous adventure,when old ass Joe Paterno was fired as he should have been.
This travesty of justice is the very reason why I continue to believe that the criminal justice system is a joke and a game to keep poor people in their place!
Bigmac

By Any Means Necessary Part 20

2011-10-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

Sampson sat nervously in the waiting area of the bank,not knowing what the decision about his loan would be,it's been three months since he submitted his papers.
After about a hour of waiting Mayor Coop emerged from his office followed by Billy Bob the Fire and Rescue Chief also a dear friend of Sampson.As Billy Bob pass Sampson his nod was the look that brought relief to Sampson.Billy Bob's role in Crackling was more then just fire and rescue chief,he was also the voice of reason for the powerful and rich,he had explain to the Mayor and the other powerful folk in town one way of countering this new movement to equality was to get ahead of the game.
Bigmac

By Any Means Necessary Part 19

2011-10-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

Spring 1960 in Crackling,NC was bustling with great expectations for many of the people of little means,a presidential race was heating up with a promising candidate who was talking about change and hope.
Sen.John Kennedy was making inroads to a population who since the civil war had voted for Republicans ,because it was said Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves of this country.
What many did not know was freeing the slaves was not the first option on Lincoln's plate,the Democrats were beginning to make inroads to people of color and other marginalized folks.Sen. Kennedy was making trips to campaign in places like Blue field,West Virgina in the heart of Appalachia coal country.
There were secret meeting with the leaders of the Civil Rights movement Martin Luther King Sr. father of MLK Jr. met privately with Sen. Kennedy and his staff to offer support for his campaign and to seek changes for the conditions of his people.
The race between Kennedy and Nixon was a dead heat for election day November 1960,it all hinged on a curial televised debate between the two candidates.The excitement of the Presidential race didn't escape the attention of the powerful folk of Crackling,there were meetings in the backrooms of the rich to find a way to control or minimize this brazen liberal Senator name Kennedy from up north!
Sampson nervously walked in to the front door of the Crackling Saving and loan on Main Street,he was clean as the board of health,dressed in his Sunday go to Church clothes,he waited his turn to speak with the loan officer Mayor Cropp.
Bigmac

By Any Means Necessary! Part 18

2011-10-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

The Christmas Season of 1959 in Crackling was coming to a close ,1960 was slowly being ushered in.
For Sampson it will be a year of transformation,the cobwebs have slowly dissipated from his mind,his determination was to take back his role as the man of the house.
This has been a burning issue for him,the embarrassment of having to beg,borrow and steal to make things work in the home was destroying his spirit.
Come spring Sampson was determine to again plant the forty aces of tobacco that had always graced the family land.
But he also knew he would need a farmers loan to purchase the equipment and materials for planting season.
And the only place he knew where he could get that kind of money was the Crackling Saving and Loan.
Bigmac

And Now We Know Why!

2011-09-23T08:22:00.000-04:00

I'm interrupting my story to post these thoughts about the killing of Troy Davis in Jackson,Georgia USA.
Now that the protests are over and the protesters of this legal murder have gone home Troy Davis is still dead and the arcane death penalty is still alive and well,in the country that calls it self first world.
Most people in my community are so ignorant of what's occurring daily in the criminal justice system,that they didn't even know that this was going on in Georgia,seems the powers that be didn't give a hoot what Al Sharpton or many of the millions across this planet were saying about the injustice that was given to Troy Davis.
Who's next?
Bigmac

By Any Means Necessary-Part 17!

2011-09-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

On Christmas Eve everyone who profess to be a Christian or close to it,makes their way to Church,it didn't even matter that there was 12 inches of snow that had fallen on Crackling,N.C.,some said it was a hundred year snow storm,didn't matter the Missionary Baptist Church of Crackling was filled to the guild.
The music from the choir permeated the church walls,"something got a hold of me " the singing place a spell on the congregation,the spirit in the Church could not be control by any man God was in the house!

By Any Means Necessary! Part 16

2011-09-13T06:59:00.000-04:00

Many years of hard drinking had begun to show in Sampson,the DT's had set in on him a few days after arriving home from the hospital,he even ask Billy Bob the Fire and Rescue Chief during one of his visits to stop down at the "Dew Drop Inn" and bring him a little taste.
Even though Billy Bob loved Sampson like a brother,this was one request he just couldn't do,but he did call Dr.Roan and suggest that he prescribe a sedative for Sampson to get him through the DT'S.
Christmas was fast approaching and Minny and the kids were preparing the home for one of the best Christmas in a long time,Robert Lee had gone out into the back forty acres and found a tall pine for the family Christmas tree,it was a glorious one.
Robert Lee had manged in the few short weeks working at the market to save $30.00 which he had given to his mother to buy gifts for the younger children and his father.
On Christmas eve 1959 a rare snow descended on Crackling,N.C.,just like Robert Lee had dreamed and prayed for.

Part-15 By Any Means Necessary!

2011-09-05T07:29:00.000-04:00

Two days after arriving home from the hospital Sampson laid motionless in his bed,with his life spared from a self-imposed death sentence many thoughts whizzed by in his mind.
One of the orders from Dr.Roan was a change in lifestyle,no more drinking and no more smoking.at 35 years of age Sampson wasn't prepared to give those things up at this point.
For Sampson the alcohol was the engine that eased his mind of any pain,Sampson started drinking out of control a long time before he went to war in Korea,drinking was a way for him to escape the realities of his life.
Many who knew Sampson didn't help by always explaining his behavior as a result of him being in the war.
But his wife and brother-in-law Rev.John knew the truth of his drinking problem,it was simple Sampson didn't know how to be a man.
Sampson's father had died when he was nine years old,he was killed in a industrial accident at the local feed mill where he toiled for ten hours a day,the same feed mill owned by Mayor Coop's family.
The truth of his fathers death was never officially told to the family,they were simply told there was a accident and he was dead.
The year of his death 1933 was a time in Crackling when the Coop family ruled the County with a iron fist and could get away with anything it saw fit.
Few of the other Colored workers at the Mill talked of Sampson Sr. death,many were afraid of losing their jobs if the truth of his death was revealed.
But there was one Minny's father who everybody called Bigdaddy simply because at 6'7 the name fit, quietly came to Sampson's momma one evening and told her the truth without fear or favor,that the grain elevator had exploded due to improper maintenance and Sampson Sr. had died while inside cleaning it.

Part 14-By Any Means Necessary!

2011-08-28T09:06:00.002-04:00

Life was changing in Crackling,N.C. and America,Colored folks had begun to realize that they deserved more of this life then had been offered or given by the American society.
Folks were questioning the status quo and refusing to accept crumbs,the sermons and prayers of Reverend John and the powerful work of MLK had awoken a sleeping giant in the Colored folk of Crackling,NC.
Just as Robert Lee slowly pulled the family 1952 Chevy pickup to the hospitals side door,Minny wheeled Sampson out the door for the joyful ride to the homestead,smiles and prayers were everywhere.
As Robert Lee turned the 52 Chevy into the long driveway to the house he could see cars and pickup trucks lined from one end of the homestead to the other.
The people of Crackling's Colored community cared for each other,no matter if you were blood related or not.
This mentality existed because of the social and economic realities for most of the population.
Billy Bob the Fire and Rescue Chief was milling around near the front door as the 52 Chevy rolled to a stop,many in Crackling understood the closeness Billy Bob felt for Sampson,Sampson had saved his life in a fierce firefight in Korea.
For that heroic act Sampson was awarded a Purple Heart and a promotion to Sergeant First Class.

Part 13-By Any Means Necessary

2011-08-22T05:12:00.000-04:00

Robert Lee came through the back door out of breath he could hardly get the words out of his mouth,that he had been offered a job as a bag boy at the Piggly Wiggly.
His mother Minny stopped in the middle of dressing for her second visit of the day to see Sampson in the hospital to take in the good news in what had been a routine day of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
As Minny patiently listen to the joy and excitement coming from her oldest child,there was a certain amount of pride that she couldn't hide.
As Dr.Roan finished his daily assement of Sampson's condition,Minny and Robert Lee quietly walk into his room.
Dr.Roan had good news Sampson would survive his massive heart attack and was coming out of the coma and would be going home in a few days.
This was the greatest news and Christmas present the Atlas family could ever want,the daily prayers of Minny's brother Rev.John had again produce miracles,that baffled the medical profession.

Part 12-By Any Means Necessary

2011-08-20T09:54:00.002-04:00

Things were beginning to change in America,even slower in small towns and hamlets like Crackling.
The Mayor wielding the financial and political power he had,brought his board of directors of the bank together and convince them that they need to do business a little different.
One of the first things decided was to start to include the Colored population of Crackling in the economic system of the town,more then just being consumers,but employees and stakeholders.
This was a win,win situation no matter how it was sliced for the powers that be,as Robert Lee took a seat in the office of Mayor Coop,he wasted no time getting to the point,he wanted Robert Lee to come work at the Piggy Wiggly after school as a bag boy,the pay was fifty cent a hour plus whatever tips he was given putting groceries in the cars of the customers.
Robert Lee was smart and tactful for his age and explained to the Mayor that his school work came first and he would have to discuss this with his parents.
Even as he was counting up in his head how the extra money could help around the house,since there was no income coming from anywhere else regularly
Robert Lee bidded the Mayor farewell and thanked him for the job offer and ran down highway 441 towards home faster then a greyhound express bus..

Part Eleven-By Any Means Necessary!

2011-08-15T11:39:00.001-04:00

There were very few Colored Folk in Crackling who believed the change they had seen in Mayor Coop was a come to Jesus moment,but clearly a realization that things were changing in America!
Spirituality and religion did pop up on the Mayor's radar for a minute,but after his son was healed by Rev.John's miraculous prayers,the Mayor had almost forgot about the miracle and was back to business as usually until Sampson's heart attack.
Martin Luther King had just paid a visit to Rev.John's Church three days earlier,he had heard through the grapevine of The Southern Baptist Church Convention of the miracles being preformed in his Church,
The last person the Mayor wanted to bring influence to the Colored folk of Crackling was MLK,he had heard and seen on the news the change MLK had brought to Montgomery,Alabama.
As Robert Lee nervously walked into the Crackling Saving and Loan,thoughts race through his head as to what the Mayor wanted to talk with him about,as he pass Ebb the Mayor's son who was back at work as senior teller,his healing everyone said was unexplainable,Robert Lee said hey to Ebb and told him he was here to speak with his daddy.

Part Ten-By Any Means Necessary!

2011-08-14T07:46:00.000-04:00

As Robert Lee stumbled into the house from school,his mother gently reminded him to keep his school clothes on for the meeting this afternoon with Mayor Coop.
The walk up highway 441 would be a cold one,but Robert Lee has walked this road all his life,the Crackling Saving and Loan was a building he passed often on his way to school,he had been inside once with his father Sampson,when he went in for a farmers loan,which he didn't get.
Robert Lee can remember even as a child the hate displayed by Mayor Coop and the folks he runned with for the Colored people of Crackling.
Even though half of the population of Crackling was Colored,the money and political power was held in the hands of a few White folks,which included the Mayor.
It was December 19,1959,with Sampson in the hospital and money low,the thought on everyone in the Atlas family's mind was Sampson and Christmas!
Christmas was special for Colored folks in Crackling, going to church on Christmas Eve was mandatory ,the Crackling Free Will Baptist Church would be over flowing,even the heathens would come.Rev.John would preach the baby Jesus story every year,and admonish the ungodly to get right with Jesus,because we never knew when our own time was up!

Part Nine-By Any Means Necessary!

2011-08-13T09:09:00.001-04:00

It had been five days since Sampson's heart attack,Minny was there everyday like clock work standing by the man she has loved for twenty years.
Those twenty years had been up and down,but as Minny knew all too well,that life is not always a bowl of cherries.
She knew every situation in her life was a call from the God she believed in to stay on point ,because there was a reason for every season.
As Minny and her youngest daughter Jennie Mae set quietly in the ICU praying for their husband and father,Mayor Coop respectfully knocked on the door,he knew he had to come visit,it was Minny's brother John who had reached out with some miraculous prayers that healed his son from his rare form of cancer.
Mayor Coop also own the local Piggy Wiggly Super Market and was President of the local Saving and Loan.
While stopping by to pay his respects,he asked Minny to have her son Robert Lee stop by the Bank tomorrow to talk with him!
Many thoughts ran through Minny's mine wondering why the Mayor wanted to see Robert Lee so urgently.
The Atlas family were a proud family and were not the type to take charity or pity,they had their God,who always came through.