Each One Teach One

Patterns, I function well when I have structure and patterns. With systems in place, I feel more secure. Today, I reached out to a friend to help me restore some fiscal order in my life because simply put, how things went down this month were sloppy. I hate sloppy. When things are sloppy, the message sent is this: you're not worth my best. I don't have to treat you with respect. I mean I handled my finances in a sloppy way and what hurts is that it sets a bad example for my son. That can't happen again, ever. Though I reached a millstone and paid the rent in the apartment, it wasn't handled to my expectation. So some changes will be implemented first thing tomorrow. With the aid of my financial personal trainer, a exercise plan will be drafted and put in place and lets just say this, there will be some cuts across the board. My son deserves better. i deserve better and damn it, I am probably his best teacher. How in the hell can I expect him to look to me when I can't look to myself. So i feel good about that.

This is probably one of the hardest but most critical things I can ever learn-- managing the money...

Speaking of teaching. Today, Red Chief and I went to our new haunt to watch the adult kickball games and break him into soccer practice and foot ball practice. To me, seeing him kick the ball, catch the ball and even throw the ball makes me giddy. Ok, that said, since he played my games, I played his :-) hop scotch. When you are with your son, especially at these ages, it really makes you feel proud because, we weren't watching TV, but we actually got out and played. He ran, he jumped he got to be a kid and it made me feel like a kid too. So back to hop scotch, he threw the rock and I had to jump or however the game is played. In the background I hear these young brothers playing basketball. Its all good, I mean the brothers are getting their hoops on but in the process these young guns are cursing like they been drinking act up juice. Dropping the F-Bomb, using the N-Word i mean just acking N-erish. I really wanted to leave the area but the hop scotch set was in the same area, so being a good dad, I endured as much as I could. After a while I was like enough.. this is putting a hurting on my hearing and my son is too young to have his ears polluted to this crap. I couldn't beleive I was about to pull an act out of my ex wife's repertoire but i did. With Red Chief on my shoulders as I was walking away, I thought to myself, somebody needs to politely put the brothers in check because after all this is a public facility. So, with a certain degree of caution, I stepped up to 2, 5, well 8 young cats. Now mind you this was in the Briar Creek Community Center so I knew the cats weren't like straight up Gs. At best, they were young teens living their NBA fantasies trying to act all hard like cement. This is my Will Smith Moment: So I stepped up to em, with my son on my back. I was respectful, I was like "excuse me can I holla at yall for a second?"
Immediately one rolls up on me and says "What, its about the cussing right?"
Well actually no, the first amendment, gives you the freedom of speech. You can say whatever you want to say, it doesn't bother me. That said, I do have my three year old son here with me. He's too young for that type of language. He doesn't know what it means, which is a good thing. But each one of you do. Look I'm not trying to tell you what to do, all I'm asking is that you tone it down when you see kids out here that's all."

I don't know who was more shocked them because somebody stepped to them and didn't judge them or me for having the nerve to vocalize my concern. They probaly thought I was crazy because any fool could see there were more of them than there were of me. I think what I can take from this is that respect gets respect. I didn't roll in there like Aunt Esther thumping the bible, I just rolled in as not just a dad, But a Black DAD with his son, stating an opinion, and logical request. Guess what, they conceded at least in front of me. That said, I felt good because I stood up for my son, he saw that, and the B-Boys saw a Black Man take a stand for his son. Though it was small, maybe I planted a seed for growth.

Black Female Stereotypes in Media

For once I'm going to take a different spin on this topic because taking the obvious side is just too easy. Michael Eric Dyson once said that black women don't allow everyday folk to call them out of their name yet allow ministers in the pullpit to do so with impunity. I think the same can be said in general part due to the fact that we do have women who make he choice to actively capitulate to gross stereotypes portrayed in the media. Unfortunately, this operates at two central levels which are caryovers from the era of Reganomics, materalisim and devalued self esteme. Regretably, the character flaw with us black gen x ppl is that we have become our own worst enemy. Everything we want, especially if we never had it, we got to have it. We've allowed ourselves to buy into the media's Jedi Mind Trick where we link our idendity and social captial to what we have or lack their of. This materalisim in fact even operates within the construction of what we deem as masculine vs fem. If a man doesn't have a job, a place of his own, a car, benjamins stacked in the bank then he is he's not a man. Even more shocking is this same pateroical stereotype is thrust on to the women. If a woman is deemed too independent, she then is seen as a bitch, or if a woman chooses to be sexually permescious, have a voracious sexual appetite, she's called a ho. Now as Patracia Hill Collins points out, these gendered sterotypes in essence robs women of their sense of agency. If we go deeper, my thesis states with this lack of exposure to various acrutrements or even worse a prefrabricated planed introduction to certian segnafiers of "success" plants an early seed of materalisim, sexisim, racisim and a whole bunch of other isisms to germinate. Another aspect I offer as well is the latch-key effect. When children of the late 1970s came home from school, they took their key, came home to an empty apartment and anesthestized themselves with media-- be it video games, cartoons or reruns. Again, the economic component of this returns back to the parent or parents having to work a job that did not allow them the opprotunity to be home when their children came from school. The lack of after school programs or even the costs associated with them created a media problem where again, the media becomes the first point of contact for a large majority of black children. That said, media must be looked at as a caytalist for the larger problem: the social construction hypothesis. There are certianly other agents out there that reinforce stereotypes but again media operates as the initial spark. Now that said, the question of where to lay responsibility for this issue, to me simply is irrelevant. To me the bigger concern lies in breaking the cycle. How do we as an audience begin to excercise our captial to change the truth embeded in the lie, and reclaim our idendities within the hodgepoge of an overly saturated media society? If I can figure that out, I might get a Nobel peace prize.

What I had to say to Nightline

http://blogs.abcnews.com/nightlinedailyline/2010/03/single-black-female-nightline-faceoff-set.html
my response
If I may, I am going to say something that may be provocative but at the same time needs to be said. There are good brothers out here, and at the risk of being presumptuous I am admittedly one of them. I am finishing my Ph.D. and am looking for a job that allows me to make good coin for me and my son (my wife and I are in the midst of a separation) while also providing me a sense of dignity. That said--in many cases when sisters (high maintenance sisters included) have a good man, they don't know what to do with them. In some cases (at least mine) my wife was among the same category of these women-- Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, working at a university making good coin. Long story short, in my case, I considered myself a work in progress; however, lack of patience and lack of vision and lack of focus pretty much caused tensions. I share all that to say our that our "high maintenance" really need a dose of reality and need to stop thinking about their biological clocks and look at brothers not as ATMS, or sperm banks. Relationships particularly with non-predatory brothers, take time, energy, and a sense of humility and love. I think it really is a part of our Gen X phenomena-- everything must be provided in an instant. Also, I think it is important to mention this piece was a bit class biased. From looking at it for the first time, no one really challenged the women on the issue of materialism, fashion (including their hair) or even the process of getting to where they are presently. I think it is a safe assumption to say that these sisters represent outliers to a great degree. It would be nice to be in committed relationship with a woman who is prosecuting attorney who also is a cheerleader for a national football team who owns her own house and Mercedes. Again at the risk of sounding cynical, this piece really wreaks of girls who appear to be materialistic and to some degree, controlling in their relationships. Not knowing any of these sisters, at all, I think their values appear to be skewed and in essence they may represent are the source of their own problem. It would have been interesting to hear what their lists include: at the risk of projecting, I'll share what appear to be the top 5.
1) be single
2) be employed
3) no children
4) have a professional degree
5) be easy on the eyes--which translates into being "good looking."
Number one would be a no brainer. But after that, choosey sisters in this case are really choosing Jiff.
We are in a recession and the job market is tighter than shoes two sizes too small. Brothers may be going back to school, the brother may be laid off who knows. In some cases brothers are underemployed in to be honest, at the risk of having my "man card" suspended, unemployment or even underemployment can really impune ones psychic sense of masculinity.
Children, why should children automatically be a deal breaker? That to me would be a good barometer for the sisters to look at. What is the relationship like with his child(ren). Does he have a good support system to help with his children. What is the relationship like with the mother of his children? These are excellent indicators of parenting potential.
Professional degree-- dollar signs. If I am a lawyer, and he is an MD, we can make a lot of money and we can have our children and we can send them to the best schools. This to me represents a clear cut case of too much Cosby Show reruns. I loved that show but I also have to say I have a love hate relationship with it. On the surface, it pointed to the black upper middle class. As program it was meritorious as an outstanding achievement in black television. However, as an agent of social construction, it crippled the black community. The show was a social construction in the age or Reganomics where greed and materialism was en vogue... Now the chickens have come home to roost, but their brand or rooster is hard to find. Ergo the sisters are in a dilemma? No the sisters are at "Fantasy Island." In essence they are by choice passing on potentially good fruit because they want their appetite feed instantaneously.
Easy on the eyes. At the risk of being put on the margins, I think President Obama got elected because he represents the exotic ideal-he is bi-racial. Denzel, easy on the eyes. Will Smith, easy on the eyes. Not every bother is going to be eye candy. Some brothers like myself are "mild" and not a hypersexualized, hypermasculinzed, black buck. I was the nerd in school, the geek who was in the AP classes, who had to when he got to college, let the availability of girls go to my head. This of course lead to academic probation. But even then, I wasn't the typical pretty boy or captain of the football team-- I was strictly average. These sisters don't want that. They want the ideal, hence why they style themselves a certain way. Straight hair, be it their own, or synthetic, bodies which are synthetic and or synthetic. Why, so they can be attractive the same type. I'm sorry but that's how I view this piece.
R2

The Idiots Guide to a Being Black Man: How NOT to get into college

My nephew-- he just turned 18 and thinks he knows everything..... Ok we all thought that when we were 18 but still on the verge of 40 just watching it completely all over again gives me more respect for my parent. He's got a decent GPA like a 2.8 to 3.0 I think. But here comes the rub, the SAT. Now when he got his results back he was saying he had a 1400. We were all like YEA! But for some reason the colleges he applied to were just flat out saying no or re take you SAT. This is a classic lesson of hard head makes for soft behind. He didn't understand that they only take the reading and math portion of the test, not the writing sample too seriously thus knocking his score down to possibly the lowest in family history. No one got the point of this until like February when most schools are in the phase of making their initial decisions for entrance. Now he is complaining because he just turned 18, its spring break weekend and he cannot understand why his mother won't let him go to the beach. I mean he really made some appeals to various members of the family including myself. I was like hell, go, not too much you can do right now but his mom has like got him in the torture rack for the entire spring break and he doesn't know why. I broke the news to him as best as I could on Friday. I got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that your mother is flexible about you going to the beach. The bad news is that you have to get into a college before you go. Sucks right? Here is how one fixes it so he cannot get into college.
1) Get bad grades. Be mediocre at best. When you have homework, it's nothing but a doge to keep you from playing the latest video game.
2) Be as misinformed and disengaged as possible. Guidance counselors are there strictly to analyze your behavioral problems-not to help you navigate the college entrance process. When college day arrives on your high school campus, just use it as a senior skip day.
3) When your parents buy you SAT prep books for the holidays, use them as paperweights. The words they have inside them are meaningless and by all accounts are nothing more than attempts to force you to speak "white." Who needs to know words like acute or loquacious. The only time you might see these words would be on Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune.
4) Stay away from the library. The library is nothing more than the Legion of Doom. If you do go to the library, stay away from books because they are kryptonite. Now the audio visuals are allowable provided they are theoretical motion pictures and not informative videos like Nova, or Eyes on the Prize.
5) Avoid the following classes like H1N1-- Algebra1, 2, 3 Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Honors English, History Chemistry, Physics, or Applied Sciences. Instead, take classes like Clay, Wrestling, Brawling.
6) Deadlines--deadlines are just time wasters. Don't worry about deadlines. Fill out all applications when you get good and damn ready. This includes the FASA, oh hell, why even bother with FASA.
7) Extra curricular activities-- you don't need em. Again, they just take up too much time. If you have an extra curricular activity allow it to be football, basketball, or track. In fact, when you fill out your college application (if you get around to it) say you are going to major in football.
8) References-- get the most benign references you can find. A good start would be the teacher who doesn't know you from a hole in the wall. Another good reference could be one of your running partners, you know, your homeboy. He could be pretty good, And lastly, go to your pastor, who in all probability didn't go to the college you were hopping to get into.
9) Be a stand out. Be as disruptive in your classes as possible. Every class needs someone to be the center of attention, so why not let it be you. Go ahead, speak out when you don't know the answer. Make comments unrelated to the class discussion. It never hurts to be an over achiever. Get put out of class once or twice. Hell why stop with class, get put out of school for a couple of weeks. Now that's how you make a name for yourself.
10) Contribute to Gene Pool: Go get a few girls pregnant. This the foolproof way to end any hope of going to college for at least 18 years. If you have two, you've won the bonus round because now 18 becomes 36 years.

Money back guarantee if none of these tactics work.

The Idiots Guide to a Being Black Man: How to survive a traffic stop

This morning I am on the verge of making a rather simple decision... I am debating on to or not to actually start creating video logs on youtube. Like I really have time for that-- Youtuebe in hindsight is a rather interesting communications device which really could be used to help folks--once you master the technology. Hence why today my life is a sitcom. I am trying to link my blog site to Itunes so that I can have a global audience. -- The first episode of my proposed youtube show-- I need to get a title that's catchy that can easily connect to my blog is going to deal with how to react to getting stoped by the police why being young and black. Honestly, I think that would be a very good survival guide for young African American boys growing to men. Can you imagine the backlash of such a book, "Being Young Black and Male for Dummies." I think it actually has universal appeal when you think about it. On to the proposed episode:
Friday night, my younger cousin (since I am 20 years older, I call him my nephew) had the experience of seeing his friends go through a field sobriety test at the gas station on Friday night. For the purposes of comparison-- I'm 39 he's 18. I'm dressed in jeans 1/3 of a three piece suit while he has his shorts pulled down show his boxer shorts. OK -- he's 18 and lets admit it, when we were 18, all of us did some things which pretty much had our parents where did I go wrong. Aside from his obvious fashion faux pas, at the gas station I noticed two young cats (bruhs) who been unavoidably detained by three white police officers. In my truck, my neph is like I know them, they my people. I'm like sit your ass in the car cause ain't nothing can do for them right now. What does he do, he tries to text them.... I'm like now this is messed up because you going to text them while they are being frisked. For all I know, he probably was going to put them on facebook. Again-- another dumb move. Thank god in 1988 and 1989 this stuff didn't exist. So anyway as I am pumping the gas I'm keeping my eye on the situation for two reasons. The first is because the boys did seem surrounded and out numbered by the police and I wanted to offer some type of brotherly support just by my presence. (Call it the John Shaft in me) The second was to keep my eye on the police. I wanted to make sure they did their job, no more, no less. Again, all the police present, who looked like scrtom heads with their jacked up low hair cuts needed to know that somebody had their eye on them who actually had some knowledge about police procedure. What could have happened is that these young cats could have submitted a search of their car without being fully cognizant of their rights. The basic rule is that the police do not have the authority to search one's car without their consent. Without the consent, you have to have a warrant or probable cause. Teens don't know this and therefore could easily wind up on the short end of the doo doo stick without even knowing it. Getting back into the car, my nephew was like, why were you watching. I was like, there is no law stating I cannot watch the police executing their duties form a safe distance provideing I do not interfere with them doing their job. Now, if I did see something that was jacked up, I had my camera with me along with a recorder -- the I phone is a bad thing. Greatfully everything turned out safe and the only problem was the kids, new to driving, made a bad turn and they were let go. Ok that said.
Here are my suggestions -- though I am not a lawyer --and one should consult with either their own attorney or seek your state and local general statutes or codes.
1) Make sure the rear of your car is straight. This means your plates are up to date. The police drive crown victorias, dodge chargers and in some cases unmarked pursuit vehicles. In Wake County- the sheriff actually has Corvette C6 in his arsenel for high speed purists-- don't beleive me, here is a link to the story.
2) If you are pulled, especially at night. Cut off the engine and put both hands on the steering wheel in plain sight. At this point--your job is to go home safe and in one piece.
3) Keep your driving credentials all in one central location which is expected. Don't be stupid and try to get the in formation out of the glovebox while the officer is pulling you over. Wait until you are asked,
4) Do not, under any circumstances drive with anything suspicious in plain view. This would include bottles, weapons (unless you have the proper credential) baggies or anything ward cleaver would not drive with.
5) When approached keep your answers short and to the point. Officers can ask some of the dumbest questions. "Do you know why I stopped you." Chances are you know but deniability is a freebee so use it. "No sir, No ma'am." Let the officer guide the conversation -- strangely they too are human and want to go on about their business. Make it easy for them and yourself.
6) Do not become alarmed when the second car with two officers approaches. This is for the officer's safety. Please beleive it, that officer will be going home to his family-- you might, provided you play your cards right.
7) When asked, supply the officer with the requested documents. If you have a friend in the car with you. Make him or her shut up. You are the one who has been pulled by the police, not your friend. If your license is out of date, just own it. When you go to court and show the new license, it's a wrap.
8) The officer will more than likely return to his vehicle and preform a local and federal warrants check while issuing you the citation if any. At this time be calm.
9) When he comes back--in the event there is some outstanding paper-- be smart. Get out of the vehicle and have your friend call your nearest bail bondsman-- in the event, you are free to go. Thank the officer and be on your way.

common sense prevails. on the street, the police officer is the law--in the court room-- the judge is the law

Domestic Violence and the Double Standard

I really shouldn't be writing this because I need to re-write my methodology section so that it reflects media ethnography. That's on my list of things to do today. But as I said, yesterday was a pretty rough day. I feel almost like I am in a Will Smith drama. Good thing for me is that I am short so there is no chance that he would ever portray me or my likeness :-). On to my rant for the day. Yesterday I was frenetic-so much to the point where I had to really step back and take a serious accounting of what has happened to me and how to cope and also seek some type of accountability (right now the word seems so absurd). As I said before, for a woman in the state of North Carolina to obtain a DVPO, it's the equivalent of going to Wendy's and ordering a biggie burger, shake, and fries. Again, I want to state that yes, there is a need for domestic violence laws and I am a strong supporter of feminism. That said, I have to say there is a serious double standard within this system which really is stacked up against males, particularly African American males who are abandoned at the margins of the system of American Apartheid. Yes as I write this we do have an African American president and that's great but still, that represents only a drop in the bucket in the face of 400 years of physical, psychic, educational, civic, and political trauma. There I said it!
Looking at the structure of the DV court system, lets start from the ground up. As I said, my friend who will remain nameless, pretty much got shafted and drug into the court system--falsely I add. So after all is hashed out, he was able to obtain a lawyer and for the low low price of $3000.00 dollars he was able to escape being placed in the electronic plantation know as the domestic violence offenders list. But lets say my friend didn't have the access to money, education, psychotherapy, spirituality, or even interpersonal communicative skills. The outcome would have been drastically different. At the civil level, the intake coordinator is a woman. The agent of law enforcement (in this case the deputy sheriff) is a woman. With two strikes against one already, here comes strike number three. Both of these women are white. This translates into being SOL. When the woman does appear in front of a judge, unfortunately most judges in DV court are older southern white men who bring with them there personal biases and subjectivities. As a disclaimer, I can only speak about Durham County because this is where my friend is located and having gone to court with him on quite a few occasions, these are are strictly my observations. When the judge decided yea or nea to grant the protective order it's comical. The judge, who may have more wrinkles than Yoda, briefly looks over over the paperwork; I'd say three minutes at most. In the most southern of southern drawls, he will say, ma'am, you don't want him to come to your home, you don't want him to come to your job, you don't want him go to where your kids go to school, you don't want him to talk to your family, you don't want him to talk to you at all. Ok granted. That's how it happens. Then the real fun begins. Our hypothetical friend is then served. The first thing he's probably going to do is get mad. I mean really mad because there is nothing more embarrassing than having the police knock on your door at night, or have them come to your job and officially serving your. Honestly, that isht can bring on some emotional and physical changes that would make the weakest crackhead obtain "that gamma radiation like strength." So, already emotionally charged, guess what the next move is going to be. He calls the one who put the papers out on him. Not too smart; our hypothetical friend has in essence, strapped himself to the chair while the bomb is ticking. Why, because the papers explicitly said, do not contact this person. But it's too late for that; emotionally charged, our friend who is already broken the law by communicating with her, is not calling to assuage any misstep or alleged wrong doing. In normal everyday parlance, he's calling because he wants to put his foot to that (you fill in the three letter word that is most appropriate). A phone call later, our same friend, now has a warrant out for his arrest on two criminal charges, 1) this person violated the DVPO and 2) he communicated a threat. So now our friend who is presumed guilty until proven innocent now is a fugitive. Welcome to the orange jumpsuit brigade because if he's doesn't have the money for bail--lets just say he's won free room and board until his case comes up at the house of many doors. Solutions to this problem-- one, civil DVPOs just can't given out like trick or treat candy. In cases where there are obvious criminal infractions--like physical assault, rape, battery yes with all do deliberate speed, move to get these people off the street, into some therapy, monitoring and we hope that that the offender will not make the same mistake. But in cases where it is a civil matter, the burden of proof must be higher before law enforcement should intervene. To me, for one to make an allegation--results to nothing more than hearsay and of course hearsay isn't admissible in the court of law. There needs to be some evidence, police reports of domestic disturbance, medical documentation of abuse, psych evals, video evidence, photos. That in my mind represents hard tangible evidence which can be used to make legitimate decisions about someone's limited movement. In essence, that's all those papers do anyway control movement. But again as demonstrated, paper is only paper.

Domestic Violence Reform in North Carolina

DVPO--Those are the last letters anyone wants to have associated with their name. I'm not naming anyone, that said I will talk about this issue because it to me has a special place. For those who are unfamiliar the DVPO, it means Domestic Violence Protective Order: in North Carolina its called a DB50. What does it mean. Usually a DB50 is associated with some type of partnered domestic relationship in which one of the partners has committed some act of violence or child abuse within the context of a committed relationship. Note I did not say man and wife, him or her, because domestic violence is not really a problem of gender but more so a problem of lack of self efficacy or esteem. In relationships which are abusive, low self esteem and, or insecurity represent common threads. One could be in a homosexual relationship and still suffer the psychic and physical trauma of abuse. That said, I am all for statues and prompt enforcement of statutes that protect the abused, punish and treat the abuser and protect children. These are vital, essential laws which must be on the books. That said, what happens are misused and turned into weapons of mass disruption.
In the state of North Carolina, obtaining a DVPO is easier than getting a drivers license or even a handgun, particularly if you are a female. Here is a simple step by step process to get a DVPO.
1) Go to the magistrate or DVPO intake officer.
2) Fill out the DB50 form. Write any information related to abuse. Check the boxes which offer restricted movement to the alleged abuser.
3) Take it to a judge in the Domestic Violence Court.
4) It's signed and then served by the local sheriffs office.
It's that simple.
Once this is served the defendant may be ordered to leave the residence, surrender their firearms, ordered to stay away from the complainant, their family and their associates, and of course their children. The sad thing about the DVPO is that one is considered guilty until they are proven innocent. Time and the judicial system is an interesting thing here because technically the case must be heard within 10 days from the issuance of a complaint. However, there is nothing that prohibits one from obtaining what is called a motion for continuance. Motions can usually go for an additional two weeks. This of course forces the alleged assailant out of their home for an additional 14 days. Of course if there is a lawyer involved it can be extended for another period of time due to that lawyer's schedule. No where in any of this has any physical evidence been issued against the defendant. The defendant is basically penalized as they forcibly removed by the legal system out of doors. To me this salient if there is a criminal DVPO as opposed to a CIVIL DVPO... There in lies the rub. In criminal matter, there usually is an arrest and there is usually a hospital accounting of some type of abuse. But in civil matter, it's all just a matter of interpretation by the complainant and the presiding judge. How much does it cost to successfully launch a defense against these types of charges? For the low low price of 1500 to 3000 dollars your name can be cleared. If you don't have it, oh well there is no court appointed lawyer so have to defend yourself. Trust me, going to court without a lawyer and the other party has one, is like going up against Bruce Lee with your hands tied behind your back. Lawyers have the equivalent black belts in the courtroom dojo. Of course everyone is innocent until they are proven guilty right? If you don't have a lawyer, welcome to the world of DVPO hell. You are then basically on probation with the same stipulations of which you were living under previously and you of course get a chance to (well ordered to) go to domestic violence offender classes, which you do have to pay for and you are ordered for a year to have no contact.... To me something is wrong with this process. Not that I went through it, but I do have a little familiarity with it and I'll just say, money is a big factor here. If you have it, you have a chance of getting cleared. If not, well you have a chance, like the snowball in hell. Its time for someone to step up and step the hell out of line and call for an end to the BS of NCs DVPO..

Popularity Breeds Comtempt

This will be a cross post at MLTWF. In this new age of transparency particularly with government, we are now beginning to see those in power, suddenly coming under fire. The most recent contestant asked to come on down to catch the beatdown is former NC Governor, Mike Easley. From the media reports, apparently his political muscle went a little too far as he used his power and influence to get his wife an appointment at NC State University. From the now recent fall out, a provost and a chairman of the board of trustees of NCSU have been either forced out or been given their walking papers. Just yesterday the Chancellor of NCSU leaned on Easley’s wife to leave her position. How did all this happen? Could it be trip to Europe that I and other NC taxpayers fronted the bill for where he and his wife stayed at hotels which exceeded normal line item costs. Could it be the fact that his wife, a state employee received an 88% raise in pay when all government agencies were asked to cut back? What I find interesting is the ivory axe coming for one of its own. Again from my perspective when it comes to white collar crime, white folks have low tolerance when it comes to one of their own in a position of power operating in nefarious activities. Remember Mike Nifong. After being summarily bankrupted, tarred and feathered by the press, he then spent one day in jail after being disbarred all curtsey of the Duke Lacrosse Machine. From this latest report, I believe the feds are beginning to preform their version of a colonoscaphy on the former governor. Just think about it if you will. If you are like me, you don’t exactly look forward to a prostate exam. Now imagine Dr. Jeckle administering it. You really don’t want it now. For Mike Easly, he’s about to really feel the wrath of pissed off white folks, especially in this new age of transparency. Again, you’re the governor, and ex NC Attorney General, who’s going to stop me? What was that thing about Pride and Falling? Man that cliff is looking pretty steep, and I am a moderate democrat–somedays libertarian. As a rule, I usually stay away from politics because to me I really don’t see the spot where the interworking of the government I just see the aftermath. That said, maybe this should be my wake up call. After all, they are public servants whom we elect. I think the problem though is the status we associate with the elected official. We see politics as we do many things in our society, through the lens of celebrity as opposed to what it is, a job. As Chris Rock said, if your register comes up short at the Gap, you’re going to get fired. Same thing with our elected officials–there has to be some accountability otherwise the system becomes jaded and as usual you have the few feigning service for popularity-which as the culture club said, “Popularity breeds contempt.”