ProfD

Fair enough. Just providing a perspective. Keep your head on a swivel and do whatever it takes to stay safe.

That's easy...these are 1st world issues/problems. I do not believe any of it is a matter of life or death for you personally. There are folks dealing with far worse in the form of debilitating illnesses, being dumb/stupid, despair and poverty, etc. So, in my eternal optimism, there is no reason for you to bid this world goodbye. Our time will be up soon enough. No need to expedite it. I also enjoy reading whatever is on your mind. Besides, you've watched the movie this long. You might as well stick around for the credits.

Mzuri, calm down. Breathe. Relax. Some of the question to ask: 1) Why are people fleeing their own countries? 2) Why is their destination the US instead of another nearby country or the islands? 3) What role does the US play in the conditions of their home country? 4) Why can't the border patrol stop them from coming? America cannot have it both ways. We cannot police the world, finance greed and corruption in other countries and not expect blow-back. The people from [insert a country here] are coming the US because they are leaving the greed, corruption and poverty for better opportunities in America (US). They've seen the pictures on the internet and heard all about it from family members and friends that are already here. There is a lot of menial and manual labor work that needs to be done in the US. The average American is unwilling to do it because minimum wage is too low and unions dictate that skilled workers have to make a certain hourly wage. I believe they are allowing a certain amount of illegal immigrants to come here and do the dirty work whether it's harvesting grapes to make wine or cleaning people's houses. If the US wants to wants to stem the tide of what they're calling illegal immigration, it has to be honest with itself and do the following: 1) Hold the leaders of those countries accountable to insure the money being sent to them is being used properly to build and maintain the infrastructure in order to faciliitate a robust economy (jobs, housing, healthcare, food, products, services, etc.). 2) Stop allowing US companies to benefit from cheap labor both domestically and abroad. 3) Increase the US minium wage so that citizens can make a living from the work they do. As long as money is going into the pockets of a few corrupt leaders and business folks who don't give a d8mn about the multitude, there will be problems. The Afghan immigrants are a great example of how the US plays both sides against the middle. The US spent billions of dollars fighting so called terrorism and under the guise of nation building. The Afghan government took US dollars and military training and equpment with zero accountability or so it would appear. As soon as the US decided to turn off the spigot, the Afghan government and their military folded like an ironing board. The former Afghan president stole so much money while fleeing the country, he couldn't stuff it all in the cars and helicopter. Hundreds of thousands of US dollars were left on the tarmac. So, the US felt an obligation to bring the Afghan people here who worked to secure US interests rather than allow them to be slaughtered by the new regime. There could be bad seeds in the Pomegranate but that's par for the course. Mzuri, I don't believe you're in imminent danger from the Afghan immigrants. No need to relocate. I'd be more concerned about the legal citizens. They're wearing masks and shoplifting and sh8t.

Shoplifting in the Big Apple and Beyond Apparently, with a pandemic on the loose and unemployment up, there's a shoplifting crisis in major cities across America: https://nypost.com/2021/10/14/eric-adams-talks-tough-against-nyc-shoplifting-crisis/ Former NYC police captain and mayoral candidate Eric Adams says he's going to handle it if/when elected. I just figured the store shelves were bare because the shipping containers were stuck in the water. Now, you've got folks walking into stores wearing a mask and walking out with a trash bag full of stuff. I guess every day is Halloween out in these streets.

I read the articles. I have an understanding of NFT. Just tied in my brush wirh crypto.

You're on the right track. Lincoln did not want the institution of slavery to spread from the South upward into the North and West. The South threatened to secede from the Union. It was like keeping a drug dealer from expanding into new territories. The South wanted to go big and felt like the North should mind their business especially since they were benefitting from the goods and services the free labor of slavery produced. Lincoln stuck to his principles of keeping the institution of slavery as a Southern thing and not letting it expand. The Southerners bucked. War was declared. Black folks benefitted indirectly.

A few cats mentioned something to me about investing in a crypto-currency. So, I'm thinking I could break these chumps off with some change wtih an understanding of how much I could make at some point in time. Well, it wasn't quite that simple. It was more like entering the 36 Chambers of Wu-Tang. I didn't even bother to follow up. It could have been related to some NFT sh8t or something similar. Oh well, I'll never know. I've still got the fungi-colored money in my safe and underneath the mattress.

Yeah mayne. VB has been out of the closet for several years. Again, in my mind it goes back to having non-threatening black men on TV. They don't want a black man who looks like this spilling the tea.

Civil War. A total of about 500,000 dead from the North and South. White folks fighting for real over a principle...slavery. Illusion of division. Afterwards, one of the primary successes of Reconstruction was restoration of the Federal Union and limited reprisals against the South directly after the war. Former slaveowners were given reparations. White folks will kill each other like it's nothing and when the dust settles, they're back to drinking and playing cards like nothing ever happened. Every World War is indicative of it. The one thing they are united in is maintaining racism.

Yessir. I remember many years ago, a dude was over in Singapore putting graffiti on the walls. The US tried to intervene. Nope. They whupped his azz. I bet that dude can't stand aerosol spray paint, magic markers, crayons, pencils, pens, etc. Thank goodness for computers and smartphones. He can type whatever he has to say. Corporal punishment (flog, cane, waterboard, amputate, stone, etc.) would reduce crime immediately. But no, that would be bad for businesss here in the US. They need to warehouse black folks. The prison industrial complex is a cash cow that props up the economy in many ways. The more f8cked up enforceable laws we have on the books, the better chances they have of throwing folks into greater confinement. I just heard a news report the other day that black folks are locked up 5 times more than white folks for similar crimes. Latinx folks are locked up 1.3 times more than white folks for similar crimes. I'm not surprised. Do yourself a favor and hang out at the courthouse one day. You will see black folks going to prison for drug offenses. White folks going to time out, er, drug rehabilitation class for the same offenses. Don't get me started on the n8gglets who enforce the laws (judges and prosecutors). They lock up the black folks and set the white folks free.

Troy, thanks for your effort in trying to provide me access to start a thread but so far it's still a non-starter. I'll try it again when I get to my laptop. Again, I appreciate this dialog space you've created. Thanks for allowing me to contribute. In the meantime, until I can start a thread, here's my latest musing: The Masked Driver As Cynique mentioned in another thread, laughter is the best medicine. I've always been a natural born clown. I can find humor in almost everything. That's probably why I'm not a drunk or drug addict. So, regardless of where one sits on the fence regarding mask wearing, this sh8t right here cracks me up: Feel free to explain to me how and why it makes sense to wear a mask while driving alone with the windows rolled up. If the Rona is in your ride, you're already f8cked.

Nope. It still doesn't work for me. I have a few credit cards, er, IP addresses. Let me know which one is good to use.

IMO, it has happened. I provided one example of a Talented Tenth black man who inspired excellence without being elitist. There are many others. They just don't get the shine or credit for the work they do in uplifting black folks. Instead, the spotlight is placed on athletes and entertainers. The talented 1% of which the odds of making are slim to none.

Right. But, they don't want to do that. The fact that Halloween candy hits shelves in the summertime and Christmas movies are shown all year round tells me the capitalists want to make money by any means necessary. Even mentioning the supply chain shortages and idling shipping containers will force people to run out and buy more water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and masks. Oh yeah, they will stay up all day and night trying to order another Playstation 5 for themselves, er, their kids. We already know Jeff Bezos' bag is overstuffed because all of this junk has to be delivered. His company has independent contractors delivering packages around the clock like Uber drivers. Folks are getting paid at the expense of the sheeple. Watch their hands. Follow the money.

It will never case to amaze me how people can comfortably eat off someone else's pain, suffering, misfortune, etc. Even more crazy when it's white folks who stand to gain the most when exploiting people of color. They have a way of discovering and/or digging up sh8t like it's an artifact, blowing the dust off and reselling it to a new audience. Oprah Winfrey galvanized white women into giving her a fortune. She's paying it forward by providing an innocuous platform that is Smooth Jazz for the eyes. I wonder if that makes these people the human equivalent of a buzzard.

Understood. Part of being among the 10% is having the ability to transcend those negative human emotions. It's takes a strong mind, courage and determination to shake haters and keep pushing. But, it's not impossible. Despite his personal problems, DC Mayor for life, Marion Barry is an example of the Talented Tenth. The man had a MS in Chemistry. He could have worked in corporate America and lived a nice, cushy life. Instead, he became the mayor of the original Chocolate City. Mayor Barry was beloved in the city by folks from all walks of life because he was of the community he served. Mayor Barry would show up any and everywhere just to kick it with the people. The business, educational and employment opportunities he created uplifted hundreds of thousands of black folks who are doing extremely well. I'm a living testimony.

IMO, a talented black person can still be a 10% if they decide to work, lead, live and play, etc., i.e. uplift a black community instead of taking their talent to a white community. People are inspired and motivated by those who look like and are of them. Unfortunately, through media and in their communities the role models many black folks are most often exposed to are athletes, entertainers, drug dealers and gang-bangers. But, that inspiration and motivation would work just as well if there were more black professionals (teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, etc.) and business owners in black communities.

Until I get my thread starter wings, I'll post a potential topic of interest here. If you notice prices creeping up on goods and empty shelves in the stores, there's a reason. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/containergeddon-supply-crisis-drives-walmart-rivals-hire-their-own-ships-2021-10-07/ Ships containing loads of cargo containers are idling in the water and cannot unload everything folks love to consume. Supply chain shortages are slowing down the production of goods too. That backlog and unloaded shipping containers will lead to higher prices on available products. Then, workers are quitting jobs which makes it harder to get products on the shelves. Domino effect. Just a public service announcement as we head into the holiday season. Start buying your gifts yesterday especially if it's an in demand item.

Ideologically, the responsibility of the Talented 10th was to put their own personal interests aside in order to uplift their communities. Regardless of whether it's a country or a corporation, when it comes to leadership, a small percentage of folks leads the multitude. A Talented 10th doesn't absolve the role of the 90%. Every individual within the community has the responsibility of using their knowledge, skills and abilities to make life better as well.

Sure. It only takes the talented 10% to hammer out a solid agenda and present it behalf of the group. The best and brightest black minds didn't wait around for consensus when it came down to getting things done. They knew there were more than a few butter biscuit and greasy chicken eating n8gglets licking their fingers who were down for whatever as long as they came up. Pioneer, as I read your last two lines quoted above, I'm hearing NF Jr's voice. ROTFLMAO. Nowadays, it's hard to get the talented 10th in the same room. They've got platforms that allow them to do a whole lot of talking without solving any problems. I'm not going to drop names but you have an idea. It's been 53 years since MLK Jr was assassinated. I'm beginning to think they killed the dream and buried any hope of a black agenda with him.

Personally, I'm not offended by Meek Mill's artwork. I just don't find it to be in good taste. The artwork looks like something that should be in a Boondocks comic book. I'm not a black woman either but as a connoisseur of them, I can type/say unequivocally that many black women take great pride in their bodies and personal appearance. They just want it to be seen by the *right* person i.e. someone who they find attractive. That's why black women wear clothes to accentuate the positive and give an idea of what lies beneath. They certainly don't dress like Middle Eastern or Amish women. Women do not want to be objectified or sexualized by those to whom they're not attracted. When a woman is digging someone, it's on and poppin' and everything comes off. Religion and morality is the smoke screen folks hide behind until they feel safe letting their hair down and doing what comes naturally. Whodini said, "nobody wants to be called a freak but everybody wants to get freaked". Even in black churches, the women try to out-dress each other in order to get the pastor's robe to rise. They certainly aren't going after the choir director dude because he's after the pastor too. The bottom line is that black women are comfortable in their nakedness and willing to share it with whoever they feel is qualified to see them.

Yep. This was started a couple decades ago. Mentally ill folks were released from institutions back into society. Many of them are living in homeless shelters or in a group home setting or on the streets. They really should be in a long term care facility. But, prisons have beome the defacto Pyschiatric asylum. Of course, there is no long term treatment and/or rehabilitation. Once time is served, that individual returns to society. We can only hope they do not commit a more heinous crime. Again, this country could do a much better job in tackling mental health issues. Maybe there is a reason it doesn't...by design.

I most certainly appreciate it bro. BTW, let me know which browser you all are using. I've tried Google and Explorer. No dice.

Thanks Cynique. I just tried to start a thread and GoDaddy shut it down. Access denied. Pioneer has volunteered to start threads on my behalf but I'm a grown azz man. I should be able roll my own. I'll just blabber in existing threads. Maybe I'll dumpster dive and dig up old ones that are relevant to what I wanna write/say. Seriously, there's plenty stuff happening every day worthy of discussion. I'll wait for my light to turn green.

When folks were under the illusion that they had rights and privilege, ignorance was bliss. This was their country to do as they d8mn well pleased. Now that they're being told what to do, wear a mask and get a jab, it feels like a violation of freedoms. They don't like it one bit. Tastes funny. Now, lines have been drawn in the sand between the left and right. The fighting will continue into the 2022 midterms and beyond. IMO, America will not shut down again. Except Jeff Bezos d8mn near doubling his fortune, too much money was lost during that exercise. They're going to do everything possible to return to normalcy.