Never undersestimate…
by Derek on Feb.25, 2010, under plain talk
Never underestimate the power of blogging everyday. From this point on, I hope to go to town every day.
Damn, It Feels Good To Be A Gangster
by Derek on Feb.09, 2010, under plain talk
Scarface of the hip-hop group the Geto Boys defines what a gangsta is:
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
A real gangsta-a** n***a plays his cards right
A real gangsta-a** n***a never runs his f**kin’ mouth
’cause real gangsta-a** n***as don’t start fights
And n***as always gotta high cap
Showin’ all his boys how he shot ‘em
But real gangsta-a** n***as don’t flex nuts
’cause real gangsta-a** n***as know they got ‘em
And everything’s cool in the mind of a gangsta
’cause gangsta-a** n***as think deep
Up three-sixty-five a year 24/7
’cause real gangsta a** n***as don’t sleepAnd all I gotta say to you
Wannabe, gonnabe, c**ksuckin’, p***y-eatin’ prankstas?
’cause when the fry dies down what the f**k you gonna do
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta
-”Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster” by Geto Boys
Someone locally referred to the government as “gangsta” in reference to the recent plethora of Toyota recalls. Normally, recall of a dangerous product doesn’t elicit a critical response of the government. It’s a power that some parts of the government have to live up to the part of our Constitution that says to “promote the general welfare”.
The recall could have been initiated by one of two parties. If Toyota initiated the recall, it’s a good thing because they needed to bring attention to their products’ failure. If it was initiated or encouraged by the US Government, it’s the Government doing their job. Either way, it’s a positive.
It is really disappointing how an innacurate and borderline racist depiction of our government’s leaders comes out of a totally apolitical happening. It also seems that this depiction is an effort to be cute with language. Trust me, it isn’t cute at all.
How does this relate to the song excerpt at the beginning? As Brad “Scarface” Jordan, says in his verse, a gangsta, in urban parlance, is someone who has considerable influence but doesn’t have to display it needlessly. Gangstas are vigilant and are people who look at the big picture. They are not one to start conflict but know how to handle themselves should it arise. They may or may not be involved with illegal activities. I am not advocating illegal activity however to me, this sounds like an adult (ladies can be gangstas too) who has a bead on things. However, this is not the picture painted by the use of the term “gangsta government”.
What they mean is a horde that took over quashing the rights of its citizenry. Funny, that sounds like the PATRIOT Act to me. The same folks that call our current government “gangsta” had nothing to say at that time. Funny how that works…
Speaking of PATRIOT Act, I have been wrong before in labeling the Bush regime “gangsta”. They were just bullies. They used power to crush opposition and leave America hanging. Sorry, George & Dick.
Liveblog: State of the Union
by Derek on Jan.27, 2010, under plain talk
19.20
I’m just glad he didn’t end with BYAH!
19.01
Stop hating and make laws, my legislators! #stuffbaracksays
18.56
Investing in people…wow, what’s a concept.
18.48
Hey, if any of you wiseacres have any better ideas, let me know!
18.41
He keeps saying “I encourage the Senate to follow the House…”. What IS the Senate passing?
18.41
The best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education -Barack Obama, President of the United States
18.39
We also need to rip up trade deals that hurt instead of help (NAFTA, anyone?)
18.27
What is considered a community bank though? Credit unions? Non multi-state banks?
18.19
Would things have been worse had Barack not acted? Most likely, though most of us hate to admit it.
18.11
Time for the speech. Joe Wilson, shut your yap, punk.
18.04
They don’t even give Martha Coakley props by saying that Scott Brown beat her. They called her “the Democratic candidate”. Waaack.
18.00
Hulu feed just kicked on….oh no, we are getting the Fox News feed. I must remember to turn it off before hearing the haterade.
The imperfect Tiger Woods
by Derek on Dec.22, 2009, under plain talk
Ok, since people feel compelled to comment about Tiger Woods and make him an emblem of all things perceived to be right and good, only to be hoodwinked , I have to speak on this.
“If there’s been a consistent narrative to this year and every other in this decade, it’s that most of us, Bernanke included, have been so easily bamboozled. The men who played us for suckers, whether at Citigroup or Fannie Mae, at the White House or Ted Haggard’s megachurch, are the real movers and shakers of this century’s history so far. That’s why the obvious person of the year is Tiger Woods. His sham beatific image, questioned by almost no one until it collapsed, is nothing if not the farcical reductio ad absurdum of the decade’s flimflams, from the cancerous (the subprime mortgage) to the inane (balloon boy).”
To paraphrase Ron Artest from his blog post, unless your name is Jesus Christ, you’re not perfect. I agree 100% with our Laker friend.
Instead of painting Tiger’s indiscretions as a fleecing of America like the housing crisis or some of this country’s actions this decade since 9/11/2001 (two questionable theaters of war, one shady election–2000 is technically last decade, questionable response after America’s worst natural disaster — Hurricane Katrina), let’s see it for what it is: a talented man that let his desires blind him on several occasions from what really matters. Many people in the financial realm didn’t just find the temptation of greed too much to resist, they engaged in economic assault on a mass group of people (via predatory lending) which, coupled with an expensive war and oil price instability, turned our economy to this (link semi-NSFW).
Tiger Woods is not an exemplar of bad behavior. He has made a good home for his wife and family and he is exceptional at his job. He is merely a mirror of our shortcomings. We may never know what it is like to be a billionaire or many of the other things he has accomplished in his short 33 years but we all know what it is like to deal with temptation and many of us have made the wrong choices when faced with temptation and hurt folks we love.
We are also not victims of Tiger’s indiscretions. We may never see him pick up another club and ply his craft again but he has already cemented his legacy as one of the best, if not the best, to ever grace the links, even at 33. His wife, kids, his mistresses (to a lesser extent) and himself are the victims here. The sponsors bet that Tiger was something nobody is (perfect) and it’s their failure, not his.
Tiger didn’t screw us (no pun intended), he is us.
