Just Because It's D-Wade

Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade is featured in November's issue of GQ. And lucky for me, he's featured in a pictorial showing off his style. He is the most stylish man in the NBA. D-Wade can make a pair of jeans look good. If you don't believe me then you haven't the seen the pic of him at the Dsquared2 Show during fashion week in Milan, Italy; check him out here.

D-Wade dresses like a grown man instead of like your teenage son which is why I like him. I cringe every time I grown ass men rocking sports jerseys, baggy pants and sneakers especially when they have NBA proportions. D-Wade has his own sense of style which is why he is also the sexiest man in the NBA. For more of that D-Wade sexiness, click out the video of his GQ fashion shoot here.

Get Mitt Romney A Backbone or Send Him to The Wizard to Get Some Courage

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has mastered the art of the flip-flop, he changes his opinion as much as he changes his underwear (magic perhaps?).  I take great liberty in assuming that Romney practices good hygiene and showers at least once a day but either way, he is incapable sticking to his conviction on important issues.

Always the opportunist, he is so eager to get approval from the tea party crowd that he has no problem changing his opinion on any issue if it will get him a few more votes. Personally, I prefer someone with conviction and wherewithal; someone who won't fold like a cheap card table when faced with a difficult decision. This is not the mettle that makes someone presidential. Difficult decisions are not made based on political expediency but facts and conviction.

Mitt Romney changes his opinion on so many issues that he confuses voters. He has been running for president since 2008 and still languishes in the polls and has been bested by the come latelys Rick Perry and Herman Cain. What else does he really stand for besides corporations and the one percent that he is part of? His lame attempt at being every man is failing miserably. He has shifted his opinions on the flat tax, health care, abortion and gays in the military. His latest attempt to gain traction has to do with denial of science and skepticism about the cause of climate change.

As governor of Massachusetts supported regulation of carbon dioxide emissions and as a presidential candidate months ago, Romney actually said he believed the world is getting warmer and that humans contributed to it, now it's deny, deny, deny. Deny all you want, you and corporate friends won't be around to see the effects that climate change on our planet but our grandchildren and great grandchildren will.

Jig, Herman, Jig

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain

Although he is the Republican front runner, Herman Cain's presidential campaign appears to be all smoke and mirrors. For a front runner, he doesn't take in as much money as the humdrum Mitt Romney who raised $14.2 million or Texas prophet-cum-charlatan Rick Perry who raised $17.2 million. For all of his popularity, Cain has raised less money than the queen of crazy, Michele Bachmann. In my book, that's the equivalent of a third grade boy getting beat up by a first grade girl.

Herman Cain is the Republican darling of the moment because he can say things the other candidates cannot say. He can play the race card, claim to be a "real black man" and boast about wanting to put an alligator moat on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. All of this is supposed to sound more palatable coming from a black man, the most downtrodden, ostracized and feared in our society. Herman Cain is their kind of negro, he's the exception to the rule. Putting a black face on hate, intolerance and bigotry doesn't make it any more acceptable or believable.

I certainly wasn't surprised to hear that Cain's campaign is in shambles. Disgruntled staffers have accused him of being more interested in promoting his book than seriously running for President. Maybe. What is even more telling is that unwritten rule for his staff: "don't speak unless you are spoken to." No one should be surprised at hearing this, Cain is vehemently anti-labor and lobbied to end the minimum wage so I would expect for him to not treat his campaign workers well.

Cain is just a plant, a faux candidate with no real chance of getting beyond the primaries, his fundraising numbers tell the story. In the last quarter, his campaign raised $2.8 million which is $1 million less than Michelle Bachmann's. Sooner or later, the Republican's love affair with their token negro will end, they will grow tired of him and move on to the next candidate. The last negro that got put on by the Republicans has faded into oblivion. Sometimes I miss Michael Steele. If Cain were taken seriously, he'd be raising a lot more money. He may have "left the Democratic plantation a long time ago" but all it's gotten him is a place on a different massa's porch.

So Now What?

The late Muammar Gaddafi

While I despise despotic leaders of any kind, I was really disappointed to see how former Libyan president-for-life Muammar Gaddafi was treated. Don't get me wrong, I didn't sympathize with him or condone how he amassed billions or tortured and murdered his own people or how he used black Africans to create an atmosphere of distrust, a bullet in the head was too easy.

Gaddafi's undoing has been in the making for years, all you have to do is pick up a copy of the despot's playbook. It doesn't exist, but if it did, he should have saw this coming years ago but that's the problem with despots, they never quite know when their time is up. They consistently and routinely over play their hand because their big egos and even bigger bank accounts cloud their judgment and makes them delusional as evidenced by his last words "What did I do to you?"

Regardless of how Gaddafi was killed, the Libyan transitional government would have been better off sparing his life and putting him on trial for crimes against humanity. Dragging his body around and putting it on refrigeration so that it can be viewed is morbid and grim. It's even more tasteless to see endless pictures and videos of Gaddafi's corpse. The despot has been overthrown and murdered but what purpose does it serve to desecrate the corpse and put it on display for people like some kind of trophy?

We haven't really evolved very much as human beings because this kind of behavior is as barbaric as it gets. What good is this going to do Libya's provisional government? They have a long road ahead of them Ignoring the Muslim tradition of burying the dead as soon as possible after death is not a good omen for the future of Libya. These folks are no better than Gaddafi, they have exacted their revenge so now what?  They are starting off on the wrong foot, nothing good can come of this spectacle. Seriously, not one damn thing!

We can now mark another bad guy off our hit list. Our love-hate relationship with Gaddafi and his oil is finally over. The rest of Africa's despotic leaders as well as Syria's murderous ruler, should be paying close attention because Gaddafi's fate could very well be their own.

Link of the Day: Occupy the Board Room

Yesterday, October 15th was the Occupy Wall Street Global Day of Action, I'm sorry I missed it but you can still get involved. Jobs with Justice is promoting a wonderful website where you can reach out and share your personal story with your favorite Wall Street executive, board member or CEO. You can take your pick: Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, etc. They all got bailouts from the government and rewarded themselves with big bonuses.

Life at the top can be very lonely and very deceiving, if all you ever do is hang out at the country club and  hob knob with folks on your same economic level, you will never know or care about the struggles of the average working person. For the one percent, it's all about a six or seven figure bonus, for the rest of us, it's trying to make ends meet while prices rise and your wages stay the same or decrease.

Some of the stories on 'Occupy the Board Room' are downright heartbreaking but they are reality. I am not against rich people but I am against greed. Okay maybe a few, Alice Walton, the third richest woman in the world got arrested for driving under the influence over the weekend. A gas meter got in her way and she took it out.

Ms. Walton thought by throwing her name around (see Blame It on the Alcohol above), the officer would just let her off with a warning. She didn't get to skate away, all she did was pay a $950 fine and for someone worth $21 billion, it was probably just aggravation for her.

I don't even need to tell you if I took out a gas meter and said some shit like that with an 0.16 blood alcohol level, I'd still be in jail trying to find someone with enough money to bail my poor ass out plus I'd probably be missing a few teeth for calling the police officer a b*tch. Those are the breaks, the one percent are not like you and me at all.

Juan Williams Has A Race Card Too

FOX News' token negro mouthpiece Juan Williams was on the 'The Five' the other day cackling about racism and how liberals, particularly folks like the Rev. Al Sharpton, Professor Cornel West and Activist Tavis Smiley are threatened by black Republican Herman Cain.

Before my eyes rolled into the back of my head, I just had to glare at all of these smug, blabbermouth know-it-alls on this show who have no clue what racism is since they are the direct beneficiaries of something called white privilege. Juan Williams, the token negro is only there to lend credibility to their false claims and meet the network's hiring quota for African Americans and is a direct recipient of their largess. Juan is pulling down about $2 million a year from Fox News. Check him out around the 2:05 mark going in on West and Smiley and the conversation takes a turn for the worse.

Some of the ridiculous views espoused by Williams is that West and Smiley and liberals are afraid that Herman Cain would steal 1/3 of the black vote from President Obama. This is a non-factor because black people did not get Barack Obama elected President, he won by 52% of the popular vote. In 2008, 16.1 million black people voted but the total number of people voting in the last presidential election was about 160 million. I don't think West and Smiley care whose vote Herman Cain steals, they are more upset by some of the most egregious things he said about racism.

The black unemployment rate is at a 27 year high and chronic black unemployment is quickly becoming the norm as opposed to the exception. In any economic downturn, you can expect to see unemployment rates for blacks to be exceptionally high. Remember the last ones hired, first ones hired? You aren't going to hear Herman Cain talking about this and you certainly aren't going to hear Juan Williams talking about this either. Juan and his FOX News cronies can't resist the urge to constantly characterize black people as pathological, lazy, underachievers expecting a handout from the government unless the espouse   conservative views and are members of the tea party.


If you recall last year, Juan Williams confessed to his Fox News crony, Bill O'Reilly, that he got nervous when he saw men dressed in Muslim garb. That statement was blatantly racist and played well on Fox News but he was fired by NPR. He didn't waste any time telling anyone who would listen that NPR, "an all-white organization" that exhibited the "worst of white condescension" in its handling of his firing. Isn't this racism or is it different because he used big sentences with four syllable words? I think not. Juan Williams is not only a racist but he is an opportunist as well.

Herman Cain, The Race Authority

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, this week's front runner

Just when you are about to paint those right wing Republicans with a big flat stupid brush, they do or say something else that makes you want to go out and buy one of those steamrollers and take them all out in one fell swoop. I can't stomach watching FOX News, listening to Republican pundits or watching Republican presidential debates because my head might explode. Sad part is, some people take this gaggle of goofs seriously.

The most outrageous of the bunch for sheer stupidity and ignorance is my man Herman Cain. I'm not disturbed so much by his ridiculous 999 tax plan but I am more disturbed by the fact that Michelle Bachmann, who may or may not be dyslexic, interpreted it as 666. The devil must be in the details and because he only seems to be communicating with her.

Sure Bachman has some backward, offensive ideas but Herman Cain needs to be thumped on the head for denying that racism in this country exists. I hope I'm not the only one who notices that when certain blacks like Cain make it to the pinnacle of corporate America or the highest court in the land, they will always tell you they reached this high level of success on their own merits and through hard work.

Just remember this theory works fine until you start talking about our current president, then these same people will tell you how unfit he is for the office because: a) he lacks leadership skills, b) isn't a strong black man and c) doesn't have enough experience. When was the last time you heard someone accused of not being white enough? See how ridiculous that sounds?

Since he is the token black dude, in true black Republican fashion, Herman Cain is going to claim the only reason folks like me are discriminated against is because it is all in our imaginations. Hell, if we wanted to be rich, there is nothing holding us back but lack of ambition and focus. We could all do that earning minimum wage, it might take us 20 light years to become millionaires but it is possible. Well alright Pizza Man.


Herman Cain is surging ahead in the polls right now because he puts some white people at ease. He absolves them of being racist and makes them feel good about themselves. They are not responsible for racism and because they have one or two black friends and see black people on the television all the time. These folks can also continue to deny that being white affords them certain privileges that are not available to people of color.

Cain allows them to stay in their permanent state of denial about racism in this country. They are of the mentality that "If a black man like Herman Cain said this country isn't racist then what he says must be true!" Sadly, Cain can't bite his tongue when it comes to the president, he has already taken the bait and started his attack the president from day one of his campaign. And as some of know, this slice of pizza is ice cold.

Aaliyah - Gone Too Soon

BBC 1Xtra's Stories is featuring a documentary about the life and career of Aaliyah. It's still hard to believe it's been ten years since she was killed in a plane crash at the tender age of 22. She still remains one of my favorite singers and 'If Your Girl Only Knew', one of my favorite songs.

'Gone Too Soon' doesn't even begin to describe the depth of Aaliyah's talent. Before her death, she was on the perch of super stardom with two movies completed (Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned). She had just begun work on 'The Matrix 2' before her untimely death. The music she did with Timbaland and Missy Elliot redefined R&B and set her apart from other female singers of the 90s and sets her apart from them even today.

I Used to Be Middle Class or Why I Am in Solidarity with the 99 Percent, Part 1

I am one of those people who used to be middle class. I have a college degree and had a successful career for over 15 years. My slide down the economic ladder started when I separated from my husband. After being laid off from my last corporate job, I wanted to start my own business and devote my energy to something I felt passionate about.  At my last job, I must have been the last woman on the totem pole because I was the only college educated person to lose my job; those who were less experienced, had even less education or who had curried favors with the boss kept their jobs, but not me. I was okay with that.

I decided to strike out on my own and start a business which was thriving until I separated and eventually divorced my husband. I took a chance and used my 401k money and a small inheritance and invested it our business. My then husband supported me working full time while I devoted all of my time and energy into growing our business. Things fell apart when he left. I had no steady source of income and definitely no legal recourse as far as getting alimony. I didn't have any children and the laws in my state allow men to leave their wives penniless unless they have children. I was out of luck.

I used whatever money I made from my business to support myself while I searched for a full-time job. In the meantime, I was at the financial mercy of my vindictive and cruel husband who had my gas cut off and didn't have a problem flying off to New York to visit friends while I was in a house with no heat. My attempts at getting help from him were useless and my appeals to his family members and friends were met with indifference.

It was the fall of 2008, I had managed to snag a part-time minimum wage job earning $7.35 an hour. I would sometimes work 4 hours a week and other times 20 hours a week but my income was not predictable and I could not support myself. I had to make some serious decisions about my financial situation. I was fortunate to be living in a family house where I didn't have to pay rent but my monthly bills were staggering.

It was officially winter and I had a monthly gas bill that ranged between $225 and $350. I also had credit card, electricity, water, cable and cell phone bills plus a monthly car payment. I didn't have money for food so I improvised. My diet consisted of oatmeal for breakfast and lunch and if I could scrape up some change, I would buy a candy bar from the vending machine at work.

Most of the time, I paid more to put gasoline in my car than I earned at my job. Gasoline around this time was peaking at around $4.50 - $5 a gallon. My life was the hardest it had ever been, it was the first time I was completely broke and had to struggle financially.

to be continued...

Herman Cain Plays the Race Card

Republican front runner Herman Cain

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain is still feeling himself. He handily beat out prophet-cum-charlatan Rick Perry in the Florida straw poll last week. Now that he's leading the pack, Herman Cain has finally dug through his bag of tricks and pulled out a race card. He's done with that 'black folks are brainwashed by the democrats' harangue, he has moved on and Rick Perry is his target.

Like me you probably noticed prior to winning the Florida straw poll, Cain got as much attention as an overweight person at an all-you-can-eat buffet but things have changed. Cain's folk have dug up some news that the Perry family camp had the word 'Niggerhead' painted on a rock outside the entrance. *crickets chirping* Is this news? Is anyone bothered or surprised by this? I, for one, am not.

The kinds of people Perry appeals to aren't offended by word the nigger and probably use it quite often to refer to our mixed race president, his family and the rest of us black folk. Cain is making a mountain out of a molehill. Rick Perry's base are the same folks who would cheer at the execution of an innocent man, boo at a soldier because he is gay and yell "pull the plug" on someone with no health insurance on life support. Why should Cain or anyone else be surprised that Perry uses such a word and that his family thinks that naming a hunting camp 'Niggerhead' is amusing. Time for Perry to parade around his handful of black friends to prove that he's not a racist in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

If only Herman Cain could find something more substantial to talk about. He wasn't bothered by Michelle Bachmann's claim that black folks were better off under slavery. He has been noticeably silent when some of the most callous and egregious things have been said at the Republican debates and has had absolutely nothing to say about them, until a day or two ago. At the time, Cain was silent.

Herman, take it from me, it's time to put your race card away and talk about the real issues facing Americans today like unemployment, lack of jobs, stagnant wages and the widening gap between rich and poor. No one cares if you think 'Hail to the Chief' needs a gospel beat.