Pioneer1

Cynique Thank you Cynique. WE ALL know that's your way of apologizing.....lol. Troy I will when I catch up with her. But just to clarify, she's not MY student....lol....she's A student at a university. As far as my posts. It's always better to think ahead and be safe than sorry. In this age, you never know who's monitoring your site looking for information to use for or against you. Think of all the people who read your posts and then tweet to you about what you've said. In another thread, Nah'sun talked about his "lurking days". Think of the hundreds if not thousands who just read and remain silent forming thoughts in thier minds but not expressing them which would give you the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions.

Admin You're right. I found out in my early 20s that some people are "manager" types who like running things and telling people what to do. But they tend make up less than 15% of the population. Most people are "worker" types who want as little responsibility as possible and just want to do their job, go home, and have a beer. I've also found that these classifications really don't depend much on intelligence level as there are some stupid people who still hate being told what to do and want to run things as well as very intelligent people who hate telling others what to do and would rather take orders than accept that responsibility. Although I wasn't in, they say the military is a good place to find out what type of person you are and what your true talents are. No we definitely aren't the same, and I've found that out in more ways than one trying to work with other Black people on various projects that I thought we should have all been on the same page with. But there are some similarities between most of us both mentally and physically. For example most adult AfroAmericans are lactose intolerant nor do we tolerate alcohol the way most Caucasians do. These 2 things alone should affect our social habits and make us adjust them in a way that would allow us to be more successful in society instead of trying to "fit in" by imitating others. True again. Most people don't know that not only are their different races among "Hispanics" but racism is alive and well in the Hispanic communities here in America as well as abroad. But the truth be told...these communities often group THEMSELVES together when they come to America. They may hate eachother in thier native countries but just like the White ethnic groups of the East Coast (Irish, Italians, Jews, Polish) who had their own gangs and neighborhoods and fought eachother like cats and dogs and even refused to marry eachother.....when the Blacks and Puerto Ricans came up they somehow FOUND a way to put thier differences aside and focus thier anger and opposition on the new people. Cynique Precisely! I see you've learned SOMETHING during out numerous exchanges.....lol. One point again. I've said for years that we can have a MULTI-RACIAL nation and still remain strong and united. But we can't have a MUTLI-CULTURAL one and remain that way. While we should be able to practice numerous little "sub-cultures", America needs one DOMINANT culture that unifies the nation and keeps most people on the same page. This dominant culture used to be (and still is for most of the nation) the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture of Western Europe. Problem is, much of that culture of force monogamy, drinking lots of alcohol, and eating lots of greasy and starchy foods doesn't work well with people of African and Native American descent. We need a more universal dominant culture that allows most people of every racial background to be successful and feel welcomed. For example............ Although I'm not fluent in it, I personally think a Spanish/Espanol based language would be the best national language for America because Blacks and Native Americans tend to learn and speak it better than English. Most Black people whether they are from America or Jamaica have to "chop up" English into a type of "Ebonics" in order to speak it and express themselves because the language wasn't designed for our genetic speaking patterns.

AfroAmericans lack a clearly defined goal as a people. Now that we've gotten most of our civil rights, there is no more "prize" for most to keep their eyes on. When our people are given clear goals and plans, we are so busy building and being productive we don't have time to fall into the mischief and immorality that shiftlessness and idleness brings. The military knows this best and this is one of the reasons Black people do so good in service. You take a kid from the hood with no discipline who's always getting into trouble and looks hopelss and after 12 weeks of Marine bootcamp he's a totally different person. He's in shape, speaks properly, and carries himself with respect. He was offered a clear challenge, and met it. He accomplished something. Our people need something to do.....a goal or dream to work toward in order to keep moving forward.

Cynique Maybe in the 70s and early 80s, but things have changed since then. What government agency that you know of...federal, state, or local....still refer to Hispanics as "Brown" or "Chicano"? I would actually agree with this statement. So Kim and J-Lo are both Caucasian women. Well if I "AIN'T NO" more of an authority....lol.....and since we know a double negative is a positive. I positively thank you for acknowledging the insight and clarity I bring to this subject. And there's a big difference between the dark skinned thick lipped Wesley Snipes and the light skinned green eyed Terrence Howard too...but they're still of the same race. All that proves is that there are variations within races. I wonder how psychiatrists would classify people who only hallucinate when they are sleepy? KARDASHIAN (not Kardasian....lol) is definitely not an Arab name, it's clearly of central Asian origin. Again, Armenians are a central Asian Caucasian people related to Russians with SOME Arab ancestry because of Arabs conquered and ruled their land for centuries, but they are definitely not Arabs. They are actually more similar to Albanians and Macedonians.....a Slavic people. Troy It comes from the....compared to our own....convoluted racial classification system in Latin America. Historically in English speaking nations like America and Canada, one drop of Black or Native American blood would make one Black or Native American. But in Spanish speaking nations like Cuba and Mexico, historically speaking any Spaniard ancestry would make one officially a Spaniard. Only people of pure African descent are considered "Black" in most Latin American nations, which explains their low "Black" population as compared to the United States.

Cynique I'm pleased to see that you've made the wise decision to remove your slanderous accusations, or atlest the MOST slanderous of them. Now, as we continue.................. Since you removed the offending post, an apology....would be nice...lol...but won't be necessary. Actually removing the post is much better as I believe prevention is usually better than cure. I'm neither intolerant nor a hypocrite. For the record, I have a lesbian student in my group who is not only open with being homosexual but brings her girlfriend to meetings sometimes and has announced her desire to "marry" her if Michigan ever makes same sex marriage legal. She knows how I feel and I know how she feels and we respect eachother's opinon. If I were in any executive political position I wouldn't punish or even berate homosexuals for who they are, but I will not hide my views on the issue nor alter my morality just so it lines up with an ever changing highy fluid "public morality". YOU do.... What woman doesn't find a man who stands by his beliefs "stimulating", lol. Troy You wouldn't be the first! Years ago when I used to wash dishes at a resturant I got the same response from my boss when I handed him a letter demanding a raise, lol. ((Pioneer lays back in his chair, kicks his shoes off, puts his feet on his desk and crosses them)) Believe it or not I wasn't angry at Cynique's accusation. Although it was offensive, I wasn't offended. There are certain things that DO offend me and make me angry but I try not to broadcast them publicly so as not to let people know what buttons to push. Actually, Cynique wasn't too far off the mark when she says my response was a PR move. Many of my views are controversial enough, I don't need them distorted to further piss people off. I like people to know EXACTLY where I stand on very sensative issues. I see homosexuality as a sin and perversion, but I don't want to see harm come to someone because they are gay and I resent anyone even inferring this. I don't even believe in the death penalty.....even for convicted murders....let alone killing people for thier sexual practices. This is a GLOBAL forum where people all over the world are watching and reading and people have various methods of processing information. As one who is used to dealing with the public I'm sure you're well aware that a person can SAY one thing but people often HEAR something else based upon thier personal experiences and political leanings. As an AfroAmerican, a Republican can SAY "profiling" but I HEAR "watch the niggers" regardless of all the back pedaling and explaining he may do to try and convince me otherwise. For those already turned off by my position on homosexuality, reckless rhetoric like that not only tends to DISTORT their perception but often AMPLIFIES their distorted perception causing mistrust and could jeopardize opportunities for well meaning people to work together for greater common causes.

Cynique Well, in order for me to confirm or deny you would first have to stop thinking about me naked, lol. Then clarify (as best as YOU can....) what you mean by this "god" you're constantly displaying with a lower case "g" and in quotations. Because my God and your "god" may quite possibly be 2 separate E/entities.

Like Professor Griff of Public Enemy used to say, "Ignorance is at an all time high". People need to be educated........... ((PIoneer pushes his deep dish pizza box to the side and dusts off his hands)) Cynique I believe I EDUCATED you before on the matter. HISPANICS ARE NOT A RACE...nor are they of one color (e.i.."brown") Like Arabs, they are an ethic group made up of people who share the same culture and can be of any color or any nationality. Not all Hispanics are brown, there are White Hispanics like Ricky Martin and Black Hispanics like Sammy Sousa. Do I need to go to the closet and bring out the dunce cap and stool again? Because you know I'll do it if you make me, lol. When it comes to race or anything else biological.............. *It doesn't matter what they checked for the census. *Nor does it matter what "White America" considers them. *Nor does it even matter what they call themselves. The only thing that matter is what THEY ARE. You don't get to choose your biological make-up. They both are WHITE WOMEN with varied backgrounds. Having people of color in their distant ancestry doesn't make them any less White than me having White and Native American in my distant ancestry changes the fact that I am a BLACK MAN.

Cynique No...not really. Someone on your level couldn't manage to even SPAWN a web strong enough to trap me, lol. Yes but the congregation only shows up to hear ME speak, not you....lol. So that should tell you something. Garbage, garbage, and more emotional garbage based on delusions and projections. With foolish bets like that..... You're probably as lousy at gambling as you are at logic LOL!!

Fred Sanford Cynique That's the problem with your little theory of the origins of the spirit." You think it's a matter of "thought" or "self realization. The soul of a human being exists regardless of their level of spiritual development. And the problem with you, Cynique.....is that your cranky ass should take a nap before you post, lol. I haven't said any of the garbage you just attributed to me, it's more of your projections and misinterpretations. Troy 2 Reasons........... 1. Exposure The United States and most of the Western Hemisphere for that matter gives most people only 2 choices in religion. Be a Christian or be secular.2 Outside of Judaism (which doesn't propagate) most Americans aren't exposed to other religion material with which to compare it to the Bible. This material is certainly available in most libraries or on the internet, but unless they are a scholar most people aren't going to go in depth to compare religious scriptures....most learn new things through social settings. 2. Emotional attachment. Most Christians believe that the Bible is from God, therefor they don't see the need to "prove" it against other material. They are also afraid that if they find other material more attractive that it may pull them away from their faith so they avoid even considering it. It's like a married man who says he loves his wife and she's the only one for him. Would you ask him to prove it by sleeping with and trying to form emotional relationships with other women in order to TEST his love and PROVE that his wife really is the only one for him....lol? Now that's actually a logical way of proving how much you love your spouse and testing to see if they are indeed the only one for you to love. But because of the emotional attachments to eachother, as well as the unintended consequences it may bring (like finding out that your spouse really ISN'T the only one for you) very few people are confident enough to put their relationship to a test like that. It's the same with the Bible. Most Christians are too emotionally attached to it to experiment and compare it with other scriptures and asking them to do so would be like asking a person to have extramarital affairs to test their own marriage.

Cynique Well this is the first time I've heard that Puerto Ricans are an ethnic group that "even other Hispanics" look down upon. Both Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez are big butt WHITE WOMEN. Just because they have dark hair and a sense of style....doesn't mean they aren't White. Kim's is not Armenia she is a White AMERICAN (as were both of her parents ) born in Los Angeles who's grand parents from her father's side came from Armenia. And for that matter Armenians are indeed a Caucasian people with some Arab ancestry. Jennifer Lopez was also born in the United States and therefor is AMERICAN too and regardless of her ethnic background. And despite the fact that there are indeed hundreds of thousands of Black Puerto Ricans.....J-Lo ain't one of them! She's a White woman with a big butt who is marketing the Nuyorican culture she grew up around in the Bronx. Negroes need to get some self-esteem and stop trying to claim everybody they see with dark hair or a big butt as either Black or non-White. When you get out of America more, you begin to realize you don't have to have blonde hair and blue eyes or be built like Shelly Duvall just to considered White.

Notice how those in the media pushing their agenda are constantly trying to compare Gays with Blacks? They've been doing this for 30 years At first they used to get a LOT of opposition from Black people who didn't want to be associated with or compared to a sexual deviation that goes against most of their religions and moral beliefs. But the more the media kept doing it, the more "down low" books and articles they put out, and the more Black organizations were paid off or threatened......the more Black American began to accept it. But notice how they rarely compare Gays with Jews. Notice how they rarely compare Gays with Asians. Notice how they rarely compare Gays with Hispanics. Homosexuals have never been enslaved but they've faced low grade discriminiation in a way much more similar to the above ethnic groups. But despite this fact, they are constantly compare to Black people. Why? I believe it's because they figure Black people are easy to use for their political purposes. They figure most of our people don't have the intelligence, articulation, or moral fortitude to stand up and defend themselves against being compared to such a group. If they try it with other ethnic groups, they would rally together and cry out.....both men AND WOMEN. You don't catch Asian women arguing with Asian men in defense of gay Asians do you?

Cynique It's a waste of time for YOU to argue with me because you usually end up losing. And as usual out of desparation you resort to using exaggeration and outright lying and slander. Let's see the mess you made............ What facts have I "skewed and misinterpreted"? The FACT that a penis was made for a vagina and not an anus? This fact isn't skewed and it leaves very little room for misintepretation. The silliest adults just above the level of retardation know how to make babies because even they have a firm grasp of this knowledge. Nor do I remember DENYING that I am religious. Can you show me the thread where I made this denial? Or is this more lies and distortions from you as you monitor what I say then try to "fill in the blanks" of what you THINK I believe in order to make a better a target for which to focus your attacks on? Like many SO-CALLED Liberals (who aren't really liberal but just want to push and advance their own twisted agenda) you like to pick on Black people by comparing every freakish abnormal desire TO Black people. The difference between Blacks and Homosexuals is that Black people or being Black has NEVER been a sin. You can't find it in any religious book. And when did I say "White society" was waging a campaign of genocide against Blacks? Again, more distortions and lies. As long as my statements line up with my beliefs I stand by what I say until I receive proof to the contrary. Then I'll examine it and reconsider.

Cynique My disapproval of homosexuality is my OPINION. However the reasons behind my disapproval are FACTS. A person's sexual orientation is PART of their character....along with their intellect, honesty, ect.... You want to defend gays, but YOU seem to be prejudice against people who believe in religion. So since you like pointing out prejudiced people your mirror should have your finger prints all over it....lol. ((that was original and copywritten)) But forcing the public to accept sexual behavior that is immoral....or...sexual behavior that thier religions/spiritual belief systems atleast have declared immoral IS infringing on the rights of others. It's forcing people to not only tolerate that which disagrees with their morals but to accept it into their own personal space which is offensive. It's one thing for laws to permit people to walk around butt naked. But to FORCE you as a resturant owner to serve naked people who haven't washed and seat them in your establishment at risk of being fined or otherwise punished is an infringement on your natural rights. I have no problem with gay people working, going to school and living thier lives. I haven't called for them to be harmed, imprisoned, or otherwise punished. But when you try to FORCE me to accept homosexuality as normal and OK and force me to be friends with or hire them and treat them the exact same as I treat everyone else when my experiences and observations with gays tells me I CAN'T do this....is an infringment on my natural rights as well as my freedom to express myself and practice my morality. Again, what if people are force to hire and be friendly to child molesters 25 years from now...then what? Nature. A penis was made for a vagina and vice versa. It wasn't made for a mouth or anus, nor can 2 men make a baby or 2 women for that matter. Men and women were designed for eachother and that's a NATURal fact. It's only "petty" if you don't hold religious or moral views that condemn homosexuality. If you have no morals...it doesn't matter to you. For those of us with morals, it's hard to put them aside and just "accept" anything. Maybe not, but when you're trying to encourage ME and MY CHILDREN to do the same thing both directly and indirectly then it becomes a problem. Clearly there is an agenda to promote homosexuality in society and encourage heterosexuals to engage. I believe God created different races. I believe that the chemicals in the environment are influencing men to develope and act more like women, and it's the same with women looking and acting more like men. Look at many of the young Black girls today....they are much more muscular and masculine acting not only than Black girls from Africa but more than thier own mothers and grandmothers. Few AfroAmericans over 40 years of age will deny that the Black youth of today are not like the Black youth of the previous generations...neither in terms of physical development nor mental development. They can see that something is wrong. If you see a problem, isn't it better to discover the cause and CORRECT it rather than simply accept it as not being a problem at all? While clothing and cosmetics are social constructs and I actually agree with you on another thread.....sexual orientation and gender isn't, they are real. Go to any country on this planet and ask the average 14 year old boy does he have a girlfriend and he'll start smiling and act bashful. You ask him if he has a BOYFRIEND and he'll frown and give you a dirty look. That's not a result of conditioning....that's a viseral reaction for asking such an insulting question that offends his developing manhood. There's no other way around it, outside of the West....homosexuality is globally recognized as abnormal and perverse regardless of the public relation attempts to mainstream it and social engineering schemes to legitimize it.

It's funny how the media and the anonymous racists who usually hide behind keyboards to spew their hate will focus on commercials that feature Black men with White women.....but we hear little to nothing from them when it comes to televison SHOWS like Scandal (Kerry Washington) and The Mindy Project (Mindy Kaling) that show Black women heavily involved in sexual relationships with White men. It's not interracial relationships they have a problem with. Let's be specific and tell it like it is, it's any man of color involved with White women that burns them. When I saw Kanye with Kim Kardashian I knew it would only be a matter of time before they come up with some scandal to try to demonize their relationship. They did the same thing with Puffy and Jennifer Lopez.....the media just wouldn't stop asking silly questions and hounding them until they broke up. And all these statistics they're constantly putting out about how the White race is declining and America is going to be majority minority are "dog whistles" that I believe are put out to inflame the passions of some Whites and rally them. It's put out to purposely make Whites feel threatened. Let us not forget that many Hispanics, Arabs, and other immigrants coming to this nation are actually White/Caucasian whether they actually consider themselve that way or not. And actually, if you look at the statistics over the past 20 years the fastest growing groups are the Hispanics and Asians....the Black population has actually declined in many areas. Look at Harlem, Watts, Atlanta and many other historically Black areas of America that have now been gentrified....they are mostly Hispanic and White now.

Cynique My explanation of religion is not only different and more simple, but more acurate...lol. Most religions around the world consist or moral codes, rituals revolving around higiene and sexuality/marriage, violence, male and female roles, ect. Few religions actually try to address the very nature of the Almighty as they believe He is too complicated to explain in any great detail. Don't confuse not being able to get past YOUR convoluted and oft-times confused ideas.. with not being able to get past ANY ideas.....lol. Whether your theory of the origin of one's spirit is true or false, I know not. However I must admit, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how one who isn't even conscious during the time they are brought into existence can manage to create a spirit for themselves. I do believe God grants man a measure of free will. Fear of God and Divine punishment is certainly a factor in my beliefs as it should be in the hearts of all men (and women). It keeps me constantly aware of my behavior and it's consequences in this world and the next. Some would argue that to even use the word "rarely" is a stretch....lol But when a person starts off a statement with "we rarely reach common ground"....it's usually followed by an indication that common ground has been met...lol. You seem to break the rules of conversational conduct almost as often as you break the rules of logic. BTW...Mr Spong's statement about hell being an "invention of the Church" is an inaccurate one. Musims, Hindus, most Buddhists, and many other religions believe in a place of punishment after physical death and many believed in these before Christianity was even invented. Most Hindus and Buddhists believe in multiple "hells" for punishment.

Cynique For the same reasons I don't smoke crack and haven't been to prison but many Black people have. Because people have different weaknesses and breaking points both physically and psychologically. Entertainment is a major part of social engineering. But I'll tell you something you'd probably consider strange and contradictory.......... I predict a time will come very soon when STRAIGHT MEN will be wearing make-up and getting their nails (fingers and toes) "done" and painted similar to women today. And although I have no plans for doing so myself, I wouldn't oppose it. I think Western civilization has been far too culturally restrictive and narrow minded for the vastly creative nature of most human beings. In the distant past whether among Native Americans, Africans, or Hebrews....men used to wear make up, earrings, perfume, ect.....and this wasn't seen as any take-a-way from their masculinity. I think the unnecessary restrictions and the image of "ruggedness" Western society has put on men has led to various pathologies and perversions that we see today.

Cynique Why am I not suprised? Anyone who can't even make up their mind on the existence of God and proudly calls themselves a "cinque" probably can't bring themselves to believe much of anything.....lol. The same thing can be said for child molestors and rapists. I'm not equating homosexuality with rape, but I will compare it to pedophilia as both are sexual peversions. Lil Jon said What?????? That's like saying we'll tolerate ILLEGAL immigrants as long as they work hard and obey the law...lol. Homosexuality is a moral and ethical issue and the fact that one is engaged in an immoral act by default MAKES them less moral. Homosexuality is condemned as unethical behavior in every society around the world except Western society. No one said it didn't. Rape, murder, and theft also occur in every community.....but these vile deeds aren't promoted and those communities aren't proud of those who commit them. Homosexuals and effeminates indeed exist in every community but they certainly aren't as open about it. Those communities still hold that behavior as shameful and immoral, as they do having babies out of wedlock and allowing men to hang around the home being lazy and unproductive. It all goes hand in hand to maintaining a strong family and community. You may not be sure....but I'm certain....they aren't. Those born with 2 different sets of genitalia or NO genitalia may be considered a third sex....But a man who simply THINKS he's a woman or vice versa is just confused. At one point most Americans tolerated slavery....didn't make it right. Right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of how many people agree or disagree. First of all, claiming that racial differences came about as a result of a mutation is a theoretical OPINION, not necessarily a fact. 2nd....ofcourse I'm being judgemental. Your success and safety in life often depends on your ability to make PROPER judgements and assessments of people and various situations. What's wrong with being judgmental? You've been judging my opposition to homosexuality all through out this thread. How dare you now accuse me of being "judgemental" as if it's a bad thing just because I hold a moral opinion that wasn't handed to me. You speak as if Christians are the ONLY one's who condemn homosexuality. Of all the major religions Christianity is probably one of the most TOLERANT of homosexuality today. Muslims, Jews, Hindues.....even Communist and various indigenous belief systems condemn homosexuality and perverse and abnormal. Again, it's universally condemned except by those who are being influenced by a handful of social engineers trying to FORCE them to accept it. I've never seen animals of the same sex/gender engaging eachother in sexual activity....have you. I'm not talking about 2 dogs or cats of the same sex grooming eachother or birds of the same gender pecking at eachother. I'm talking about the actual act of sexual copulation.....have YOU ever seen this? Look who's talking.....lol. One minute you're saying you're tired of homosexuals and they get on your nerves, the next minute you're praising them as productive "model minorities". I don't "harbor contempt" for anyone who hasn't personally wronged me. I'm giving you my opinion on homosexuality and it's effects on the Black community based on my personal beliefs as well as observations. In many ways the gay Black man is just as much of a victim as the little brutha on the corner with the doorag. He doesn't know why he feels the way he does and probably doesn't want to feel that way but there are forces manipulating his environment to encourage confusion in his mind. Affirmative action benefited White women more than Black people as a whole. However within the Black race it benefited Black women far more than it did Black men because just like most Federal Laws enacted to combat discrimination.....they were foolishly left up to those who actually were guilty of practicing discrimination themselves to execute them. And just like Black women were more welcomed in Corporate America than Black men. It's becoming increasingly obvious that in many places, GAY Black men are more welcomed in the work force than STRAIGHT Black men.

Cynique Some "fans" wouldn't have a problem if their favorite celebrity ate there own defecation and drink their own urination. That's why they're called FANS.....which is short for FANATIC I don't let what others accept or condemn cloud my judgement. I have a few male friends who loves Prince and play him everyday. I listen to him myself on occasion, "When Does Cry" is one of my favorite songs. I didn't say he wasn't a talented artist who produced outstanding music. My problem with Prince isn't his artistic ability, it's his freakish behavior and how he helped to mainstream it. Remember his first interview during a performance on Soul Train when Don Cornelius was interviewing him and he kept flipping his hair like a woman with that same "come and get it" look in his eyes. And the video of him dancing around in a g-string and trench coat. This is freakish behavior that leads to confusion in the minds of vulnerable youth.

Cynique A much more simplified explaination of most man-made religions would be systems designed to keep the population in check when the Laws no longer apply or the there aren't enough police available to enforce them. But before you charge me as "guilty" for doing something, check and make sure if I'm actually wrong or not. I said I didn't know for sure whether or not God has a gender, And since you're not even sure about HIs existence.....neither do you. So you're in no position to challenge my calling God "He". An agnostic is one who isn't sure about the existence of God one way or the other. I'm SURE that a Creator and Supreme Being exists. The Role that Supreme Being plays in the Universe I'm not entirely sure of....but of His existence I'm of no doubt. I'm trying to figure out how can one be "spiritual" and yet still be atheist or agnostic. Who in the world do you think CREATED the spirits and set everything in motion? Are you reluctant to believe in a Supreme Being unless some goofy looking guy in glasses and a sport's jacket comes on television with his legs crossed and give you the OK?

Del I believe there is much truth to this. I've noticed for years that women will allow flamboyantly gay men friends say and do thing to them that they would never allow thier straight male friends do. Like play with thier butt and call them "bitch" on the regular or talk about smacking them. One told me that her and her gay friend used to take a shower together after work outs! Troy Never underestimate the power of hate. Michigan used to be the home of the Reagan Democrats. Who were they? Working Class White men who had good paying factory jobs with benefits thanx to the Democrats and Unions. But the only problem was.....Black men had these things too. They hated so much that the largest cities were being ran by Black people and that Black men were able to get good jobs and work and live right along side them that when Ronald Reagan came through promising to undue liberalism and bust up the unions.....they got on board and not only voted against thier own party but they actually voted against their OWN INTERESTS! It was working class White male Democrats who helped elect Ronald Reagan, and when he got in office he was true to his word. He busted up the Unions, sent the factor jobs overseas, dismantled many liberal programs that helped many of those who voted for him. And now some of those same Whites and their children who WERE middle/working class and living in fine brick homes in the city are now broke as hell living in TRAILER PARKS out in the woods and when they aren't ducking and dodging tornadoes they're listening to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as they blame all thier problems on those Liberals in Washington and those "niggers in Detroit". Although this certainly isn't the case for most White people......... No matter how negatively it impacts them, there will always be some Whites willing to let everything collapse before they tolerate Black success.

Cynique For someone who always wants to pleeze Pioneer.....you're awfully argumentative, lol. But my problem with Prince goes beyond his vocal range. It's his whole sissified persona. THIS....... ....is no myth. That's real. Word is bond, no straight male over 11 years of age would walk into a public bathroom if he saw a man with THAT look in his eye walk in first!

Cynique . Religion wasn't designed to explain God or "god". It was designed to keep man in check and maintain peace and order in society. That's why I said religion has it's proper uses, as long as it doesn't become too oppressive or abused by religious authority. Whether a fire and brimstone Hell actually exists or not.....I do not know. However I do believe there is some sort of punishment for exceedingly evil people who die. I was talking to a friend the other day who is a nurse and she told me about a man who was dying and saw something in another realm that horrified him so much they could barely restrain him in his sick bed and then he died not too long afterward. Troy It's funny, When I started studying other religions and ancient religions I found out the term "Mother Nature" actually came from the Egyptian "Metu Neter" as Neter was the ancient Egyptian word for "deity". I believe in a Supreme Being who created the entire Universe. I believe that Being is all powerful and all knowledgable. I don't know for sure if God has a gender or not but out of habit I refer to God as "He" and I believe He CAN control and manipulate any and everything but He only controls some events while allowing other events to occur on their own. I also believe in multiple spiritual worlds outside this one as well as an afterlife and ultimate Judgement. Notice how I said I said I BELIEVE.....I didn't say I KNOW. There is a clear difference. But my beliefs are strong and based on personal experiences, personal observations, as well as research.

Cynique So are most drug dealers.... Does material success means one's lifestyle and behavior is ethical and/or socially acceptable? You said "like everybody else"....but how many Arabs, Indians, Koreans, and Pakistani youth are "experimenting" with bi-sexuality? You don't see Arab and Korean boys switching and snapping up and down the street AS MUCH as White and AfroAmerican boys because they come from a very strong culture with family values that protect them from such immoral influences. The same holds true for Black boys from African families. They have FATHERS in the home that would disown them and probably physically harm them for shaming the family with that type of behavior. Our people USED TO share the same values, but when they abandoned them they fell prey to the immoral and depraved behavior that they now no longer even find shameful. It's as if many of our people have become so disoriented that they no longer know right from wrong or even have values and principle. For the same reasons feminism and alcohol and drugs and fast foods and the welfare system ill-effects AfroAmericans more so that it does White people....whatever reasons those are. A negro will take anything and run it into the grown if no one is around to stop him. Most of our people tend to lack the discipline necessary to "experiment" with these vices. That's not necessarily true. Not just some.....MOST AfroAmericans had strong families. A lot of Black men had good jobs and actually WERE taking care of their families UNTIL the erosion and decline of the agricultural and industrial economies that provided them with good paying jobs. After that, many of these men could barely take care of themselves....let alone a family. And let's not forget how affirmative action in corporate America favored hiring Black women over Black men which further contributed to the decline of Black male success in the workforce. I'm not trying to excuse the irresponsible behavior of so many Black men who don't want to work or assume responsibility, but we should tell the WHOLE story....not just the parts that conveniently aid our argument, lol. It's easy to pick on the little brutha on the street with the doo-rag on who isn't educated enough to articulate his frustrations.....but there is a history behind him and his condition.

Mzuri You make a number of excellent points that I EXPECTED to hear from the Left and Democrats during this current and long overdue so-called "privacy" debate and controversy. These agencies have been spying on people since they had the technology to do so and the Patriot Act passed by a REPUBLICAN Congress under a REPUBLIC President just gave them the legal right to do so. But all of a sudden with a Black man in office they decide to wake up and get angry about it. It seems like everything that was ever wrong with America or the government didn't really matter until Obama got in office, now they want to make everything right and restore the Republic....lol. This.....along with the IRS and Bengazi "scandals" are just more tactics from the Right Wing to smear Obama and his legacy.

From the brief research I've done, this is a White author who is married to a Black woman and specializes in "urban" novels centered around interracial relationships. Is anyone here familiar with his work? His book "A Good Man" happened to catch my attention as I walked past it in the book store a few days ago. Interesting title...and cover. The old proverb that a picture is worth a thousand words wasn't too far off the mark!