careycarey

"fear of displeasing a white-haired old man in a flowing robe" Really Cynique?! Seriously?! Surely you're being factious?

"And to say that you are not trying to stifle free thought is ridiculous in light of your patronizing suggestion that everyone here should just politely agree and never challenge the bland platitudes of others - this in a forum which is an arena for controversy. Go somewhere and sit down and stop trying to manage people" ~ Cynique

Is that right, is that what I'm doing? Are you sure about that? I don't think so! And look, so now this board, this place of thought provoking conversation is home to "controversy"? Seriously?! Personally, I do not believe that should be, nor is, the goal of a meeting place like this, and although Prince wrote a song about it, CONTROVERSY... is not for everyone. And please tell me the goal and reasoning behind your need to "[challenge the bland platitudes of others"???!!!

Listen Cynique, you have a penchant for stereotyping people of a religious faith. That's a very slippery and misleading slope. Just as we as blacks are not a monolithic group, so goes individuals who profess being Catholics, Baptist, Mormons or of a Jewish faith. So I don't quite understand the purpose nor your reasoning behind the following words. I surely did not make the following claims. Take a look:

"How can you infer that Christians don't aggressively rebut the arguments of agnostics and atheists? Are you really trying to portray Christians as passive peaceful people who don't villify those who they consider satanic for daring to question the Christian idea of god? How can you ignore all the negativity and hate that is justified with obscure references from the bible? How can you dismiss the dissension within the Christians ranks wherein the different dominantions reject each other; Catholics vs Protestants, Baptists vs Methodists, Lutherans vs Jehovah's Witnesses, Everybody vs Mormons" ~ Cynique

Now Cynique, those are your words, these are mine ---> "To that degree, when a person chastises another for their beliefs, convictions and religion, I question the motives and purpose of them doing so. And as I've said many times, I think, I believe it's far more positive and enriching to highlight the good in ever religion, and person, than to swim in negativity. It's always been my opinion that gossip and the berating of someones religion serves no purpose and thus, those opinions should be viewed as garbage and thrown in the trash can. Another way to look at that is TAKE THE GOOD and leave the rest behind. In short, I believe it's safe to say that all (most) religions have a doctrine that they HOPE their followers will live by.. More importantly, it's also safe to say each (all) religions, text, Bible, etc, have a COMMON GOAL. That is to inspire happiness, joy and understanding to each individual who reads their "respective sources of reference" ~CareyCarey

So Cynique, if controversy is your goal, I am suggesting you will most assuredly reap your rewards as long as you continue to frame and define your own arguments. But I can safely assume that most of the free thinking individuals who visit this site can see through your maze of deciet, poppycock and confusion. In short, you can fool some of the people some of the time but...

Yes Cynique, you are right again, a fox does smell it's own hole and here you come arunnin'. Thanks for enhancing my point.

Now, first and foremost, I nor anyone else is trying to bind the hands of freedom of speech... lets get that straight! What I am doing and saying is that each of us are responsible for our words. To that degree, when a person chastises another for their beliefs, convictions and religion, I question the motives and purpose of them doing so. And as I've said many times, I think, I believe it's far more positive and enriching to highlight the good in ever religion, and person, than to swim in negativity. It's always been my opinion that gossip and the berating of anot religion serve no purpose and thus, it should be viewed as garbage and thrown in the trash can. Another way to look at that is TAKE THE GOOD and leave the rest behind. However, as been noted many times, over many years, many readers of this site love nothing more than ingratiating cynicism, confusion and negativity. That which I've come to believe serves little or no purpose whatsoever. And Cynique, without a doubt YOU are a leading voice in that form of "conversation".

In short, I believe it's safe to say that all (most) religions have a doctrine that they hope their followers will live by. That root and/or the birth of those "guidelines" may be debated, however, the substance of said "text" is where the rewards can be found. More importantly, it's also safe to say each (all) religions, text, Bible, etc, have a common goal. That is to inspire happiness, joy and understanding to each individual who takes the time to read said books. Then maybe, each of those individuals will pass their rewards forward.

Troy, please spare us, your actions link you to Cain, not I. Listen, just like Herman Cain, you talk a good game but your walk speaks differently. Look, over the last 4 years you've shown the signs of being a closet Republican in so many way. Seriously, you or anyone else would be, and will be hard pressed to bring any of your quotes, sentences or paragraphs that champion any of President Obama's acccomplishments. In fact, on the other hand you were one of the leading advocates behind Smiley and Cornell West's attempts to muddy Obama's name. So please Troy, save the pandering for sympathy votes. All closed eyes and silent pens are not asleep. In short, you may not be running for POTUS but you've shown the signs of a negative propaganda machine... long before Hermain Cain hit the scene.

"Do you ever get tired of the media focusing on all the negative attributes of Black people. Do you think if more attention was payed to the positive things Black people did Black folks and the country would be better off?" ~ Troy

That's a good place to start but first, I'm dancing around like the Munchkins from The Wizard Of Oz because the Wicked Witch, Hermain "Munster" Cain is dead. I mean, he's not buried in the ground but that Negro presence on the large stage was equal to the showing of The Birth Of A Nation. Come on now, speaking of negative news, Mr. Cain was juicy bait. Yes sir, he was propaganda of the worst degree.

But wait, before I go off on Huck & Buck Cain, I have to address the "ONE EYE" that's a TRIP who got caught in the big TRAP. Yeah, y'all know what I'm talking about. If there wasn't a "trap", there wouldn't be a place for the "ONE EYE" to lay it's tired head. I am suggesting there's a whooooole lot of complicity going on... that's being given a blind eye. Come on now, without a "Ying" there would be no "Yang". And, I don't think infidelity has a sex - does it?

Oh well, anyway, now it's time to stretch out on Troy & Cain. See, Troy has consistently beat Obama upside the head with a bunch of negative, unsubstantiated mess... just like Cain has repeatedly done in the past. That's right, it's true, Troy and Cain have both vilified our President, yet neither has come with any solutions - of their own - that would remotely replace, nor solve any of President Obama's alleged Missteps. So I am standing up and saying it's not wise for people in glass houses to throw stones.

It's a fool's errand to argue with those whose sole purpose is to convince others that their faith, religion and beliefs are wrong. That problem is complicated in a forum such as this because as noted in this discussion, the naysayers and doubt makers utter claims and opinions that are simply not true, and they're frequently extremely ambiguous. In essence, they usher in a ball of confusion and cloud the central issue - sometimes purposely, sometimes unconsciously. Consequently, I have to say I totally agree with anika99 and I understanding exactly what she is saying. I mean, in essence, I believe she is saying that a person will "get" what they are looking for. Think about that. If a person wishes to find alleged "errors", missteps and/or "misconduct" in any person, place or thing, they will most assuredly find it. That includes your lover, mother, father, sisters and brothers. And, your boss, neighbors, neighborhood, and what's playing on your TV screen.

On the other hand, there's peace and comfort in having a "THOUGH" faith, not an "IF" faith. In the end, it's not about Heaven & Hell, nor is it about who is right and who is wrong. It's about doing "right" solely because it's right to do right. Hey, I do know this, I'd rather be around individuals who have a faith and belief in solid moral principals, than those who have no faith at all. And thus, they might fall for anything, and take you with them. I also know those who knock the Bible are the ones who have never read the entire Bible. They show their hold card because in the Bible much of the information is a guide to simply being a better person. There's also illustrations and examples on how others have coped with life's many issues, i.e, depression, infidelity, bordom, loneliness, lose of a love one, sex, death, ect. Again, if they've read the Bible, they would not spend so much time trying to convince others that the words within it are not to be believed. In short, on the most elementary level, what's wrong with the 10 commandments? One does not have to consider themselves a "Christian" to believe in those 10 principles - do they? That reminds me, who among the nay say crowd has read the book of Solomon? Heck, who has read Psalms?

Well Troy, I'll have to think about that one. But I am suggesting that there's absolutely no comparison between Michael Jackson's "alleged" misconduct and that of the dude from Penn State. Look, I used the word "alleged" because you nor I have read any specifics about his case. So yeah, he entertained kids at his ranch....so what? Would I let my kids stay there? I didn't let my kids stay at the home of anyone outside my family... and that was very seldom. However, you used the term "inappropriate relationships" and that's where the gray area exists. Did he rape or have sex with children? NO! And you have nothing to prove otherwise. So to imply that we turned our heads is inappropriate.

Troy, I have not dropped by in a minute so your "huria.org" is new to me. I think I'll check it out. And I agree, most news is crappy bad news. I don't do news shows.

In reference to "black sites" (run by majority owned corps), again I agree, it's/they are generally pushing a self-serving agenda while they "sell" us someone else's advertizing. They kind of remind me of most magazines, in that, they are stuffed with tid-bits of nonsence and a whole lot of ads. Thought provoking conversations on relavent subjects are becoming a lost art.

Excuse me, ANY DIFFERENCE..."over looking Michael Jackson any different, really?" . So Troy, you're implying what about Michael Jackson? You must have some inside information?

Dee, you may be new here but let me tell you first and foremost, the 2 loudest voices, Cynique & Troy, are closet Obama haters. If you pay attention, there's never any balance is their "criticism", and, as I am sure you've noticed, they will never have any solutions. They're content with bitching and moaning about what Obama has alledgedly done wrong, but never what he has done right. Let them tell it, he started the wars, and fired everyone who doesn't have a job. Yeah, they act like he can force the rich to open more factories and create more jobs. Isn't that sick thinking. Business men are not tryng to look out for joe smoe. I call the both of them died and fried cynics, who sit on the couch and stroke their egos and pat each other on the back. It's an old game reserved lawn jockeys. You know the ones. They carry the light for their Mr. Charlie. They's some good ol'darkies.

They have a propensity to throw out trite phrases like “we are making the president accountable” and “everyone else is hero-worshippers", yet, in the last 3 years or so, they've never once defined how they are making him accountable, and if you asked them who they would vote for, they’d sit there like damn fools with egg on their faces. Go ahead, ask them who they would replace Obama with? I’m telling you, it’s a big damn game with them. They will burn down your house and their own house so they can sit on the middle of the fence with the hope of saying “ I told you so”. Yeah, they have no solutions and no candidate, so they are nothing more than pesky flies who are waiting for shit to drop on the ground so the can stir it up and lick it up.

Watch, they’ll come back with some ambiguous BS but no solutions. Oh, and ask them to say one good thing about Obama. Yeah, try that and watch them coil up like the toes of the wicked witch of the west when water was splashed on her ass. They will not come clean because some people are constitutionally incapable of accepting the truth. They are basically fake jakes with a voice that says nothing. Nobody listens to them anymore, they only stroke each other.

Watch, listen to them real closely. It will not be hard to hear what they are not saying. Lies and deceit have no foundations so they will always be found talking in circles in an attempt to evade or cloud the issues.

WATCH! No solutions! no balance is their supposed “constructive criticism”! No candidate to replace Obama! Nothing good to say about Obama (that would make them have constipation)! No concise and defined way in which they are making him accountable! A foolish and kiddy definition of the word herowhorshiper!

Watch, they’ll slink back up in here with that same old mess, but every closed eye is not sleep. In short, they are your garden variety of hateful, jealous and envious negros, You know the type.

Cynique, it was just the way the man came through the door. He came in with a setup question. He didn't have to tell me the color of his skin. To that point alone, that's the same way I felt about The Help. The author of The Help didn't ask... "hey y'all, what do you guys think about a wellmeaning white woman writng a book about some dark women?"

I simply have to say yes-yes-yes to Xeon's most resent retort (30th Aug, 9:11 am), and Troy's following really has me shaking my head. Look at this...

Cyrstal I just finished reading the editorial. It sounds like Carey's arguement: It is founded on several flawed assumptions:

1.There is a grand consipiracy to make Obama look bad including paying off the Cornel West to bad mouth the President

2.Obama shoud be supported based upon what he says he is going to do versus what he has actually done

3.Critics of Obama are just bad people and are in not way justified for their opinions.

4.Only Obama supported care about the poor

Now come on Troy, talk about being condescending and disrespecting the intelligence of black folks? Your summation reeks of someone who's intentionally trying to cloud the facts and give the apperance that all Obama's critics are well meaning good white folks, and that there's no way in hell that clusters of racist, bigots, tea-party members, Republican and lost negroes, are not clustering together in small groups and large, with the sole purpose of bring down the black man. Troy, when you post such garbage, you lose crediablity. I mean, if YOU believe any of what you said is true... excuse me but, you're a bigger fool than Chicken Little or you think we are. And she thought the sky was falling down.

Damn Troy... NO grand conspiracy? All white people, Obama's critics and republicans are good people and thus "justified" for their opinions?! WTH... JUSTIFIED?! Care about the poor? Who the hell are you talking about? C'mon man, you tanked this one. Damn Damn Damn, you could have saved us this spit in the face.

.

Hello Leonce,

Great name, and your book seems to be quite intriguing. That opening clip was also well done. It held my interest and forced me to turn to the next page.

Now Troy will have to help me out, but I believe the last time we were visited by an author of western/the civil war/and books of this nature, was the author of Where I’m Bound, Allen B. Ballard. Thumper was the host of what was then called chat night - Thursday nights - at AALBC. Mr. Ballard came by that night and I was lucky enough to get an autographed book from him.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I will order your book.

John writes: "So, what do African-American readers think about a well-meaning white man writing a novel mainly about African-American characters?'

Okay John, since you asked the question I have to say I smelled game. Well to be honest, as a black man who has felt the sting of the white man with a fork tongue, that's my first natural reaction/response. I have to question you because my history tells me that the overwhelming majority of whites could care less about the ways and means of POC, so I'd be a fool to open my arms to you, even though YOU said you're a well-meaning white man. In fact, since that was in you're opening sentence, I am more prone to question your motive and agenda. I mean, what if you would have said "I am a racist, and I'm writing a book about a black man who served in the African-American 9thand 10th Cavalry Regiments during the Spanish-American War"? I mean, what's the purpose of telling us that? We've heard the "talk". Why didn't you tell us you have a few black friends?

Okay, I am not going to go on about this b/c from the jump your post didn't set well with me. For instance, they were not called the "African- American 9th Cavalry.

Then, after telling us you were a "good" white man, you decided to share this: "I make no profit on the sale of Braver Deeds". Why did you think you needed to tell us those fine details?

Well John, in short, I think the home team took it easy on you. They treated you like a guest, you know, with respect, but I'm gonna tell you right now, all closed eyes were not sleep.

Troy, if all you say be true, rabid supporter or not, the following [ I repeat] is the most relevant issue that I wanted to bring to the table. It goes back to what I've been saying.... we don't need enemies on our own team and if not Obama than who? Check this one more time because it cannot be denied nor minimized.

"The newest political strategy is to turn the African-American community against the first black president. The idea is to get black folks to scream at the President and to threaten to withhold our support come November 2012. Due to the very high unemployment rate in the black community, this could be an easy sell. The well-paid professional propagandists don’t ask African-Americans to lay the blame for the lack of employment at the feet of the business world (which is hoarding up a couple of trillions in their rainy-day fund), or to consider the fact that governors everywhere are cutting down on the public sector workforce (comprised of large numbers of black Americans per capita), or to holler at the Republican-dominated House, which has blocked most of the job-creating programs introduced by Democrats. Instead, they want us to aim our fire solely at our President and to blame him for 30 years of white men’s policies"

**looking around the room**

All that quasi-intellectual "constructive feed" and ego strokin and fence straddling that many of our black faces love to engage in, does nothing for the home team. It's the time honored tradition of divide and conquer... that's what I'm referring to. Think about it, seriously, at this point in the game what can be gained by displaying and talking about Obama's alledged errs? Play the picture to the end.

CBC!? OH YEAH?

Rep. Barbara Lee, Chairman of The Congressional Black Congress: This Letter’s For YOU!

Dear Rep. Barbara Lee, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Can We Talk?

By Joan Ruaiz, on August 18th, 2011

As a constituent who resides in your district, I just want to weigh in on the hatred and political divisiveness that I hear and read about on the news and on the Internet. There are forces working very hard at making sure that President Obama is defeated in 2012. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took an oath or signed a pledge to that effect.

The newest political strategy is to turn the African-American community against the first black president. The idea is to get black folks to scream at the President and to threaten to withhold our support come November 2012. Due to the very high unemployment rate in the black community, this could be an easy sell. The well-paid professional propagandists don’t ask African-Americans to lay the blame for the lack of employment at the feet of the business world (which is hoarding up a couple of trillions in their rainy-day fund), or to consider the fact that governors everywhere are cutting down on the public sector workforce (comprised of large numbers of black Americans per capita), or to holler at the Republican-dominated House, which has blocked most of the job-creating programs introduced by Democrats. Instead, they want us to aim our fire solely at our President and to blame him for 30 years of white men’s policies.

Now, I have already informed myself on what this President has done to help the American population in general, and African-Americans in particular.

Considering 2.7 years as the current timetable of his accomplishments, I would note that President Obama has reformed the health care system, which will provide subsidies for lower-income individuals who may not currently be covered (many who are AA), and also provides funding for badly needed community clinics, while doing away with pre-existing condition restrictions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease, all ailments suffered in alarming rates by members of the black community.

In addition, women will soon get birth control free of charge if insured, which means that women who were previously going to Planned Parenthood – because, even with insurance, they couldn’t afford the price of contraceptives – won’t need to anymore. This leaves women who are uninsured more resources to get birth control via Planned Parenthood. Plus, the stimulus saved the biggest health care provider to the black community, the various state Medicaid programs. As well, the President closed the Medicare donut hole in prescription drugs, reduced seniors’ prescription prices by 50% through the use of generic drugs, and sent $250 payments to seniors to make up to the lack of a COLA increase for two years now.

Further, the President literally, by his lonesome, saved the auto industry (while being criticized for it all the while), and in so doing saved many jobs held by African-Americans in the Midwest. No less, the Cash for Clunkers program provided needed cash to those with clunkers permanently parked or about to stop running.

Benefiting young people who are attempting to afford rising college tuition, President Obama increased Pell grants, supported funding community colleges at unprecedented levels, and reformed the private student loan programs to eliminate the middleman, thereby reducing loan interest rates. He also revamped the actual repayment of loan programs, reducing them to not more than 10% of income, while providing incentives to those who would choose community service careers. His credit card reform bill stopped the predatory practice of credit card companies gifting young people with the ability to ruin their credit at an early age (something that hits our community harder than most). He is also cracking down on for-profit educational enterprises, some of which charge outrageous fees for inferior post-secondary education. These same young people are now able to stay insured under their parents’ health insurance until the age of 26, whether they are enrolled in school part-time, full-time or not at all.

For the younger children, President Obama is responsible for signing a bill insuring healthier meals are served in our nation’s public schools, thereby addressing the issue of childhood obesity, a subject that affects more children in the African-American community than in others. Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is also addressing this serious issue. And we shouldn’t forget that early in his term, President Obama provided healthcare to 11 million additional children via the CHIP program previously vetoed by President Bush.

As states cut funding for public education, President Obama recently allowed waivers to states to do away with strict requirements set by No Child Left Behind, requirements which would have marked many of the public schools in low-income neighborhoods for closure. He has also invested in the development and replication of successful charter school programs, again focusing on low-income communities, while rewarding teachers who plan to teach in such areas.

President Obama has assisted all Americans, which includes African-American workers, by providing a payroll tax reduction (beneficial to workers who may or may not pay income tax), extended unemployment benefits, kept income tax low for the working class, and signed financial reform into law (which benefits our community largely because minorities were especially hard hit by the subprime mortgage crisis). There is also the up and coming Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which promises to be on the side of consumers, and we as black people are certainly that!

I cannot forget that the first black president increased military pay and improved veterans’ health care, is drawing down troops in Iraq, and has set a timeline for our departure from Afghanistan.

Lastly, President Obama instituted reform of crack cocaine sentencing, and the deadly killer, the tobacco industry. And – lo and behold – black farmers were recently finally awarded their long awaited settlement!

I may have forgotten a few other accomplishments that have been of assistance to the black community, but this letter is getting rather lengthy.

Now, that is not to say there is not much more to do, because of course there certainly is, and another four years would be a good start. But no president has ever been perfect, and this one should not be exempted from that rule. But I’m puzzled as to why some would want to believe that the majority of a particular minority group, who stood by FDR even as FDR basically cut them out of the new Social Security program as a compromise with Southern Democrats to get the bill passed, and who idolized JFK without gaining the rights that they were fighting for at the time, and who supported Bill Clinton, who gutted welfare, signed NAFTA, and then lied about having sex with “that” woman, would now be encouraged to drop their support of a black president who has done what I have listed in such a short time amidst political provocateurs and opportunists throwing rocks at him from the Left and the Right. It makes no common sense to me. In fact, it only tells me that we must insure that our community is well informed, so that we all hold steadfast, even as the most spoiled and entitled in this nation attempt to hoodwink us into believing that somehow we are worse off with this president than we have been with any other.

The Obama presidency is not about him, nor is it about black people. His presidency is about good common-sense governance for all Americans, while dealing with incredible odds and looking hateful enemies in the eye. Every day they conjure up ways to destroy this nation, just to say it happened on his watch. My bumper sticker statements are that ObamaCares, while Republicans won’t, and we shouldn’t turn our backs on him, we should cover his.

Thank you for your time and for your wonderful work, as I know that you have contributed to much of the changes I have mentioned. I support you and all that you do. I’m glad that we fighting on the same side. Stay as strong as you are, and I will do the same.

Respectfully,

Alameda County Resident and Voter

and Oakland Small Business Owner

You're right Troy, I didn't read the entire question. So this time I am going to say... hands down, the one on the right, simply because she's not "apparently" selling anything. Now, I have to hedge my bet by saying, my choice would depend on where the ad was displayed. It's sort of like picking a place to locate one's business or home... location-location-location. Different strokes for different folks with differing agendas on their mind.

I have to agree with KPCBookDiva, the question is woefully flawed. One image is asking a question, yet the other one is making a suggestion. Skin complexion would have no bearing on which ad I clicked on. Heck, if one of the ads was offering free chicken, pinto beans & rice and cornbread, I don't care if Betty White was in one and Halle Berry in the other, which one do you think I would click? But maybe I missed something?

Troy, "Deesha" is a fairly unique name, so when I see it pop up, I find out if it's our Deesha. That has happened a couple of times. And she can always be found @ her blog co-parenting 101.

re: fatherless daughters, I think we all can point fingers and lay blame, however the basic issue in this discussion is the affects on the black females who do not have their father's in their life. To a large degree, it does speak to what some people would define as the wayward behavior of some young mothers. I've personally been around women who have said they've never been around good black men, which affected the way they interacted with them, which included their choices of men and the decisions they made while with them. I am not making excuses for them, I am only pointing out the fact that this issue is focused on the ill effects of black children/women not having their fathers in their lives. .

"The O.J. Simpsons; the Lil waynes; the

California & Minneapolis "I don't want black children" brigade"

I wasn't up on Lil waynes but I sure know about Minneapolis. I shared this (raised without fathers) at another site and several women said they were moved to tears. I even had a chance to talk with our old friend Deesha, aka, furious kitten. It's a small world.

The host of one blog even ran it as a feature issue, including the request for donations. That reminds me, Deesha told me that the host and her go back to 2002 and I didn't know she even knew the guy. yep, it's a small world.

Your question cannot be answered because it's based on a false premise.

"Obama’s biggest advantage is that he is a sitting president and the opposition have not asserted a strong candidate"

Well Troy, there it is. When I think of politics and the "working class" (whomever they are?) I believe most of them are woefully ill-informed and consequently are moved emotionally as opposed to relying on their critical thinking skills. Words are very powerful, and those that move us the most, and hit the right receptors, are the ones that leave the most lasting impressions which leads to our actions. To that point I think about those that go to church and hear a great moving message. Regardless of the facts(truth or not) in said message, the person is physically and emotionally moved, which propells them to engraciate the theme of the speaker, and the speaker. Music has the same qualities to attract a person regardless of the lyrics.

On a side note, if the deciding factors to Obama's re-election depends of the job issue, a right-minded working class citizen surely wouldn't chose a money grabbing republican to lead the way to the promise land. It's been shown in every state that has republican law-makers and governors, that they care little or nothing about the average middle-class worker and their jobs. Be he a fireman, police officer, school teacher, government employee, etc., Republican are not the ones to run to if jobs are the issue. One leadng republican proposed to eliminate the minimum wage reguirements. That "MIGHT" crate more jobs but for who, and what can the "working class" do with 200 dollars a week?

Your assertion that Obama's mouth may not carry him as far as it did to get him elected may have "some" merit, but again, based on the parameters of this election and the cast of characters of his opposition, I still believe he has the best hand.

And really, on a light, yet serious note, he is one of the slickest brothas I know. Seriously, he doesn't show his hold card when people are yelling and panicking and acting a damn fool. Oh no, I'm telling you, ol'boy has been playing for the long haul, he knew this was an 8 year battle, so why make his moves too soon? When the time is just right, he will say all the right words. And when it's all said and done, he will break-out on post election night with James Brown's songs "It's The Big Pay Back" ... "Say it loud, I am Black And Proud", how y'all like me now? Then he will not give a damn what the red necks, tea party, racists, republicans, nor black prognosticators have to say.

I hear both sides of the argument, not only in this thread but across the blogspere. Today, I have to agree with Cynique. Now, although I understand Kola’s position , I can only address the issues she used to support here claims.

Watching movies is one of my biggest passions, so I have to agree with Cynique in that the roles listed by Kola where over a span of 70 or more years, and I am here to tell you that for every role of a maid, there are at least 50 different roles that black actresses have played on film and in the theater.

Also, there remains the argument that black dark skinned actresses are seldom seen and/or projected as “beautiful” on the big screen. And, imo, that’s a valid argument.

In short, the most defining factors of what and who we see on the screen is supply and demand. As someone mentioned, and we all know, there are wonderful stories of POC, but if history serve us well, the black viewer is a fickled bunch. Some have defined them a hypocrites. We cry that we want a better “quality”/diversity of television programming and movies, and that we want a “better” representations of “black life”, however, our dollars speak differently.

In a broad sense and if we use Hollywood’s standards of success, we don’t support movies that some believe champion the black face in a positive light.

I saw it, I liked it, and Viola Davis might win an Oscar.

I never thought about the audience angle, I saw it in my home, on bootleg. I took it by my mother's house and she fell asleep during the movie.

I actually thought this was quite poetic, but the caps were a little "loud". I believe one had to read it as if it was coming from a spoken word artist.

John H, I am totally feeling you and agree 100%. I've been saying the same thing (at this site) for several years. My "voice" is different than yours but we are saying the same thing... take a look.

Raise your hands in the air if you just don't care. Or, wave the flag for Ms Palin or any old Mr Charlie?

Let me cut to the chase. Some blacks should change their names to Mr. & Mrs. BootyForSell.

That's right, they should flash a red sign and adorn it with big purple lips - and a big fat booty. You know, them big booty lips that compliment deep ass kissing while they spout half-baked solutions. But wait, dez some smart negros that may not know the errs of their ways. I mean, they have great writing skills that most would die for - but many of them ain't talking about a damn thang except what Obama has "alledgedly" done wrong.

Listen, I am a ride or die Obama supporter that....

"HOLD UP CAREY, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP HERO WORSHIPING?"

No, you hold up, and you can miss me with that one. I mean, you should define hero worshiping. I know you may believe that's a clever phrase, but it's nothing more than a tired and trite remark that allows you to run from the truth. Get back to me with your definition of a hero worshiper.

But first, tell me, who would you rather have in office, Obama or and ol'nondescribt Mr Charlie? Come on now, answer that question. I know most of my wayward friends will have a hard time answering that one. Well, since they claim to be supporting Obama's mission, they can't say, "we love Mr Charlie". On the other hand, if they say Mr Charlie, I'd say "give me his *bleepin* name". Who would be a good replacement? And, since I am referring to smart negros, they wouldn't say anybody except President Obama. I mean, that reply would instantly discredit them. And lord knows what that would do for their egos.

That reminds me, I believe much of their whimsical hater-aid "constructive feedback" (conscience of not) is rooted in an ego that's in grave need of constant stroking. What else could justify their negative rants about our presidents?

"But Carey, we can't give him a pass just because he's black"

Who said anything about a pass you knuckle head? Again, if not Obama than who?! See, some folks wish to run from that question, They will never answer that question. They generally give a ambiguous answer like "it could be someone who has not yet stepped in the race", yeah, right.

Really, that's the big elephant in this house "who would my naysay negro friends chose as a replacement". If you can't stop the elephant, then your house will become very raggedy. And, we all heard what Malcolm said:

"if your kitchen is dirty and your mind is cluttered, your house is dirty"

So, would it be right to invite someone to dinner and feed them Cracker Jacks? Wouldn't that be kind of dirty? Well, inside a box of Cracker Jacks, there's always a surprise. Who exactly is going to jump out of the box? But I am still wondering who my no-no Obama friends would bring to the table. Who?... Any ol'cracker-Jack?

Remember, the elephant is still there. He ain't going to disappear because the question is side stepped. Consequently, until the chicken head naysayers can tell me the purpose behind their eloquent dissing of President Obama, I can't help but believe they are unconsciously soothing a soul that needs to sound intelligent. More importantly, they have to know their words are a cheap cloned edition of Mr Charlie's. I wish they would just speak the truth and come out of the closet. I wish they would change their names to STUPID Black Booty For Sale: The place of intelligent BIG BOOTY for your Disposal. "We don't know and have no idea who would replace Obama, but we'll just flip a coin and maybe a "good" republican will appear from the clouds"

"But again carey, we can't give Obama a pass because he is black, we have to make him accounting"

Okay, one mo gin for all the circle jerks. Do you really think you are making him accountable by mimicking the words of his arch rivals?! I mean, really? Do you think you're making him accountable by sitting with a bunch of people that acquired their political science degrees on-line - or off the 10 o'clock news? I mean, what's accomplished by listening to rants, half-baked solutions, haters and naysayers - huh? Surely that's not making him accountable. That's nothing more than a game of spades or dominoes. Any negro can sit around a table and talk trash. I mean, making him accountable??? Tell me, tell me exactly how you're doing that? I mean, considering the un-focused willy-nilly rhetoric, that's the final product of most political discussions, I find it hard to believe that's a package that would make the president accountable. Having said all of that, in the very least; would your words move people toward Obama or move them away from him? Don't duck now, but the BIG ASS ELEPHANT is still in the house. If not Obama than who? Think about it.

Play the story to the end.

I know this post will not get me invited to soft music and satin sheets, but as Martin Luther King said,

"Many people fear nothing more terrible than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion. The tendency of most is to adopt a view that is so ambiguous that it will include everything and so popular that it will include everybody"

Come on folks, John is laying the results right in front of you. Look at the big picture. Obama vs WHO?! Pick a side. We don't need enemies on our own team.