Pioneer1

Troy There are a lot of smart people..... And there are a lot of righteous people.... But there aren't too many who share BOTH virtues....lol. I actually agree with you that the police in most big cities aren't compensated enough for doing what they do on a daily basis. This lack of adequate compensation leads to stress, divorce, and corrupt policing practices like shaking down pimps and dope dealers for extra cash or being paid off. While a job paying 40 or 50 thousand a year with full benefits may be considered a "good job" to most Black people, being a police officer are still considered a lower class occupation by White American standards. They largely seen as uneducated and barely into the "middle class". So a lot of White cops are angry about their socio-economic condition and the stress it causes them socially and financially among thier peers. But there are quite a few who are not only NOT stressed out by their work but actually get an adrenaline rush out of it. These are the "cowboy" types who think their gun and badge puts them above the law and gives them the power to be judge, jury, and exocutioner on the street. At the end of the day, police officers know the stresses of the job BEFORE the sign on and take their oath. If at anytime they feel the pressures of the job are too much for them or they disagree with the policies they are charged with enforcing, then they should do the honorable thing and resign instead taking out their frustrations on the public.

Troy Lol @ "hummm..." To some of your points....... Being raised by White parents may affect a person's personal values and cultural norms but doesn't affect their actual phenotype (except for not being able to properly do Black girls' hair...lol). As long as Obama looked like an AfroAmerican he would have had atleast shared some of the same racist experiences in this society that other AfroAmericans shared despite his family background...which means he would indeed be able to relate on SOME level regardless as to how minimal. Whether or not a man marries a Black woman or even chooses to marry PERIOD doesn't necessarily have any bearing on his character as far as I'm concerned. But the fact that a mixed man who was raised by a White family in a White society and CHOSE to pursue and marry an obviouly Black (rather than very light or almost White) woman from a strong Black community and then decides to live in it tells me that he's not running from his Blackness nor is he afraid to express his love for it. 　 I'm not an Obama defender, his policies have done next to nothing for the AfroAmerican community. But again, my issue with Bernie isn't his intent but his ABILITY to help us. It's hard to put in words exactly why I don't have much confidence in Bernie Sanders. It's more intuitive than intellectual. Vermont is one of the Whitest if not THE Whitest states in the Union, how can a man representing that state possibly be able to effectively govern the affairs of such a diverse nation both racially and culturally? Plus he considers himself a Democratic Socialist which probably means he wouldn't stress Black business ownership too much b Many socialists have a nasty habit of "diverting" the focus on racism and making it about economics or classs assuming that White supremacy will just "fade away" once more socialist policies are in place. Perhaps if Mr Sanders were mayor of a major city first or governor of a state with a large diverse population where I could see his policies in action I'd have more confidence in him. Cynique Come on, you really think Barack chose to marry Michelle as some sort of political move....lol. With all the other beautiful and well educated Black women I'm sure he came across in college and at his various university positions I'm sure he had his pick of others. It seems to me the ONLY reason he chose her was out of love and actually wanting her.

Like Cynique said....yes. And as long as AfroAmericans continue to occupy the role as "children" in this society refusing to take control of their own destiny and design a future for themselves they will continue to find themselves asking this and other similar questions over and over again. If you don't want to be victimized by White racism then do something about it. Send your sons and daughters to the police force so that they can be apart of law enforcements to ensure that cops aren't misusing or abusing their power. In many respects AfroAmericans are like little children living in someone else's house who refuse to take responsiblity for their own communities but would rather sit around waiting for White people in power to "treat them right".

With this being an election year I was thinking the same thing about Trump. This incident will probably benefit him because it will stoke the fears of an already on-edge White conservative demographic. As far as the shooting...... They say only one man was involved but when it first broke out I saw reports where SEVERAL people were being held in custody. I know they say the guy was ex-military but wouldn't it be pretty hard for one lone man to gun down 11 trained officers. As with most muliple shootings that are covered in the media, the "facts" keep changing over and over again. Like I said numerous times. The solution to this problem of police brutality and racism is to have MORE well trained Black police officers who know our people and can deal with them justly instead of overreacting, which ultimately leads to situations like this

Like you said, a massive cultural shock and economic depression is the type of instability that spawns new values, family structures, and social paradigms....and that's exactly what this society has been getting for the past 10 to 15 years! Since the 60s, people have been shacking up in groups and living together for economic necessity and they weren't giving a damn about religious or family beliefs...they are just looking to survive because doing what society told them was the "right thing" didn't work for them. It's easy for a woman to stay home and rear the children if you have a rich husband who can take care of all of the families necessities. But most families today have to rely on ALL adults in the home working and bringing in money to maintain it or face certain homelessness. As far as group families..... They tried this in the late 60s and early 70s with the hippies living in groups and trying to start group families, but it didn't work because the economic situation for most hippies weren't dire enough. Most hippies were rich kids who rebelled for a minute and then went running back home. Today the young people and street families you see living on the streets and begging aren't playing...they're poor FOR REAL and have no where else to go running to. So they're making it happen already. The next step is to change the thinking of society to recognize that there is more than one way to form a "family" so that the stigma of adults living, having sex, and pooling their money in groups isn't "bad"....it's actually efficient and makes more economic sense.

No I wouldn't, for a number of reasons..... First the issue with Obama isn't sensitivity or recognizing which issues would be dear to the hearts and concerns of Black America. -He's half Black himself and no doubt has experienced what most other Black males have in this society. -He chose to marry a Black woman which says a lot about his character. -He spent time living in and successfully organizing in one of the largest Black communities in the United States. So it's not his sensitivities to or abilities to address Black issues that I would critique Obama on...but his INTENTION. He KNOWS what the problems are as well as some of the the solutions, but just won't bother to impliment them. However with Mr Sanders..... Bernie comes from one of the Whitest states in the union and probably has had very limited interactions with Black people outside of the political arena. I'm guessing the only time he's come into contact with poor or working class AfroAmericans is while working in Washington D.C. No matter how well meaning he may intend to be, it's difficult imagining that he would be sensititive enough to certain issues

The problem with most Hollywood liberals or "Left coast liberals" is THEIR definition of "liberal" doesn't jive with the traditional definition. Liberal means "open minded" and tolerant. When I was a kid, "liberal" used to mean you supported the rights of Black people and women. But now it seems to have morphed into some weird camouflouge quilt of veganism, environmentalism, and long distance running. Most Hollywood so-called liberal and most wealthy White "liberals" in general are just as intolerant and close minded as their consertive Republican counterparts. Having lived on the West Coast many of the White so-called "liberals" there are..... -Intolerant of anyone who doesn't recycle the way THEY think people should recycle....taking precious time to separate your garbage into 4 or 5 differnt categories to place in the appropirate bin. -Intolerant of those who go to resturaunts and not tipping the waitor or waitress ATLEAST the customary 15%....despite the fact that you may be poor or working class and unlike them don't have money to give away. -Intolerant of people who eat a lot of red meat. -Many are intolerant of those who profess a religious faith. Another problem is because most of them tend to live in rich secluded enclaves in California or New England and only run with the same circle of White liberal friends.....they are out of touch with the rest of America and especially poorer Blacks and Latinos; the very people whom many claim to empathize with. This was one of my issues with Bernie Sanders. People called him a liberal and I liked some of his ideas, but when you come from a place where there isn't many Black people I have to wonder how would certain issues that are dear to AfroAmericans be prioritized in your agenda. I've often found that in SOME respects I've had more in common with and easier conversations with poor rednecks than I've had with wealthy so-called liberals who often tended to be smug in their attitude and intolerant of any political idea that they didn't read off the Huffington post.

Sara You wont a piece of me? Yes. ....but I thought you had a spouse already....lol.

　 Cynique My point is that I make a distinction between preventing an unwanted pregnancy from occurring and dealing with an unwanted pregnancy that has already occurred. ....and wealthy White young people are better than poor Black people at BOTH. They tend to be educated enough to know what type of contraceptives and sexual techniques work to prevent unwanted pregnancies AND they tend to have the recources and connections to deal with unwanted pregnancies should they occur. Different dynamics are involved here and I don't lump them together. I also disagree with your idea that encouraging single young black women to breed in order to increase the black population is part of the solution instead of part of the problem. I am more concerned with the quality of life rather than the quantity of it. I agree with you. It's better to have a small but strong, educated, well balanced populous than a massive one filled with criminals and imbeciles. Jews are an excellent example of this as they tend to dominate the financial industry in the nations they reside despite their small numbers. I was just pointing it out to you as it was pointed out to me that perhaps if anything good could come out of so many Black children being born and raised out of wedlock....atleast it maintains our numbers. 　 Del It was and still is easier being a Dad than the husband role. Based on what most parents tell me, one of the good things is that you usually see steady progress as you watch your children grow from one stage to the next. In a world where many things tend to decline over time, under normal circumstances having children gives you the opportunity to watch what you produce continue to progress. Troy Pioneer you come across as somewhat religious calling children born out of wedlock "illegitimate." How long in the annals of history have we been calling children born outside the Christian construct of marriage; disparaging terms like this? Notice I said SO-CALLED "illegitimate children" and put the term in quotation marks as a sign that I don't accept that term. I don't think any child is illegitimate because I believe all human beings were born for a reason. But that WAS an in many circles still IS the term for children born outside of wedlock.....that and "bastard". Isn't it enough for kids to be cared for and guided by a loving adult? Can children only be raised by a man and woman, who were virgins when married, and committed to never having sex with anyone else for life? Why is this so detrimental? I don't think children necessarily have to be raised by state-licensed MARRIED parents. However from what I've observed over the years looking at so many children who grew up in single family homes, it's best to have BOTH the male and female influence and energy in a child's life. They need BOTH to be well balanced. They need both a dominant DISCIPLINARY and a gentle NURTURER. Doesn't matter which role which parents takes, even if the mother wants to be the dominant one and the father be the passive gentle one...as long as they get both. And it's even better when both are that child's biological parents instead of just a boyfriend/girlfriend of the other parent. Most men I know who grew up without their fathers active in their lives had an angry streak in them and grew up feeling insecure and angry about something being missing in their lives while not quite being able to put their finger on it. Girls who grow up without father figures or that male energy in their lives usually regret it and end up unbalanced. Even if they become materially successful with a nice job and nice home, having such an unbalanced childhood almost guarantees a life long feeling of insecurity regardless of how much they accomplish and that's why so many turn to drugs and alcohol. I agree with Welsing, I think we all should wait until we are 30 before having our first child. I was 30, and probably should have waited a bit longer. Many of the people having children younger than 30 are still children themselves; dependent upon their parents, unskilled, uneducated, and unmotivated. Sure many of these people pull it together later, but they would have fared much better without a child, and the child would have too. I think it's ideal but I don't now how healthy it is for so many women over 30 to have children, also I don't know if it's a good idea for older men to make babies because of the increased risk of defective sperm. Worst of all...... Having children when you're TOO old means your teenage son may start kicking your old ass before lhe earns that it's wrong and develops proper respect for you.......lol. But as I've said time and time again even on this very site, I believe their will be a NEW family structure coming in the very near future that will be superior to the current nuclear family consisting of 2 parents. That new structure would involve GROUPS of men and women....4...5...8...10???...all living together and raising their children together sort of like a mini-village and this will be the ideal family structure for most people as it's the most convenient and the guarantees the most stability.

　 Cynique I made that comparison not simply between Blacks and Whites with race being the only factor, but between UPPERCLASS Whites vrs POOR/WORKING CLASS Blacks as these 2 groups dominate in the United States and are in such close proximity to eachother that it makes for an easy comparison. You help make my point, because my point is wealthy White kids take better precautions to PREVENT unwanted pregancies and STDs and those who DO end up pregnant or contracting STDs have the money and other resources to take the necessary corrective measures. I would say that society has become more liberal as far as accepting so-called "illegitimate children" as normal....especially in the Black community. Although given how detrimental it usually is to both the mother and the children, I have to wonder is this acceptance by the larger society a result of a more "liberal" attitude...... Or more an attitude of INDIFFERENCE, ...simply not carrying what Black families do or how healthy they are. If you notice, in that same 25 year time period, while it became more socially acceptable to have out-of-wedlock births...society became more CONSERVATIVE when it comes to sexuality itself. Mostly because of the AIDS crisis. I was surprised at the the sexual openness of places like Canada and Europe as compared to the United States. I used to complain about the high rate of out-of-wedlock births in the Black community until it was pointed out to me that if it weren't for Black women just having babies ANYWAY whether they were married and finacially prepared or not....the Black population would have steeply declined a long time ago! Many highly educated responsible young Black women aren't getting married and having children at all because they can't find enough men suitable for their socio-economic status. While many others of a high socio-economic status are either marrying non-Black men to match their socio-economic needs in a mate or openly engaging in lesbian relationships....neither of which actually produces Black children. It's the poor and uneducated sisters that are saving Black America by having enough babies to maintain our population levels! Troy 　 So can I conclude, based upon what you wrote that you do not consider Christianity to be a "Good" religion? I think it's good for SOME people, but not for MOST. I'm not the type of person to slander all religion as man-made tools of division like many do, I recognize that some people have been rescued from drugs, poverty, and other social ills through the power of the church. But Christianity in doctrine is far too complex and confusing to be followed "properly" and this confusion often leads to moral crisis in many individuals who attemp to. 　 Pioneer I don't think you can call for the implementation of rites of passage and freedom at the same time. Rites of passages require that you buy into a hold system of rules or behavioral norms that are adopted and enforce before you can be called a adult. What happens when you disagree with the rules? You see what I mean? If you want a well behaved society where people don;t make babies they can;t take care of you have to give up on the fantasy of complete freedom. I don't believe in COMPLETE freedom anyway. There is no such thing as society AND freedom as the two aren't congruent. In a society you have rules and regulations regardless as to how lax, while freedom means free from rules and restrictions. I believe in a society with as few legal rules as necessary to keep the peace while offering it's residents SOCIAL freedom to do whatever they like. However they would be given the EDUCATION to make the right decisions FOR THEM if they so choose. For example...... We have a society where people are not required to get married before having sex.. They can have sex with or without protection.... They can have sex with any consenting adult they want.... They can even have children outside of the boundaries of matrimony if they wish.... BUT as youth, they will be thoroughly educated on proper sexual protection and what the consequences are for for not practicing safe sex. As they're old enough to understand it they will be shown the benefits of having children in a stable family structure that is financially acceptable. This would be better than a the cookie-cutter rites of passage rituals that governed early societies for centuries if not millinia because it gives people who are not considered part of the "norm" (asexuals, homosexuals, loners, late bloomers, wierdos, ect....) the option to be who THEY are and not suffer from being forced to conform to a lifestyle not suitable for them. Atleast I'm not as strict as Dr Frances Cress Welsing who suggested that Black women waited until they were financially set and OVER 30 before even having their first child!! BTW..... Maury Povich featured and clowned on Black guests more than he did White ones...lol. He got famous giving paternity tests on his shows making Black men look like deadbeats who took pleasure in avoiding their responsibilities as fathers. Him and Jerry Springer made a living clowing and trying to disgrace Black people before the entire world (before World Star Hiphop took over the role) and only featured a sprinkling of White guests to point to just incase someone legitimately accused them of racism.

Sara No matter how nonsensical those semantics are, e.g., 16 year old gangbangers back in the day were counseled, guided, nurtured by their elder 17 year old gangbangers. **sigh** Hey Sara, come 'ere...........

I accept homosexuality as a part of human sexuality however...... Why is it that now-a-days almost eveytime the sexuality of Black men is referenced in public it is rarely complimentary? It rarely praises our sexual power, our virility, or our skills in the bedroom. For those of us old enough to remember, that USED TO be a stereotype of Black men that so many in our community....for some reason....worked hard as hell to dismantle. Rather now, too often the themes revolve around some backhanded attempt to "question" the Black man's sexuality. To "question" his manhood in this society. Too often the literature today discussing Black man sexuality isn't to promote traditional Black masculinity but rather sneaky attempts to create an image of Black men that makes the public look at every Black man they meet sideways and wonder whether or not he's gay and on the down low and "queer" instead of assuming he's heterosexual as they do the Asian or Latino male.

I just saw this on the news. It's interesting to see tso many Asians and Latinos were involved. Just like Mexican and White mobs were fighting eachother weeks ago at another Trump rally. It appears that THIS generation of Latinos and Asians are just now waking up to the racism and oppression that Black people have been complaining about for centuries. When the Nazis and Klan were just targetting Black people and telling them "go back to Africa"....they didn't care. But when Trump and other right wingers start seriously talking about sending Muslims and Latinos back, or building walls and keeping them from coming here NOW they feel it's time to take action....lol.

Troy I've been told many times that I'd make an excellent father in part because of my rather naturally disciplined demeanor; the problem is being a good husband...lol. I was born and raised a typical Black Christian like both of my parents and I studied the bible hard as a kid to the point that some people thought I was going to be a preacher when I grew up. I knew sex outside of marriage.....fornication...was a sin. But then puberty hit and the urge was so strong that like a lot of people I ignored the rules and did what the other boys in my environment was doing and tried to get myself as much coochie as I could hustle up on...lol. As I've gotten older and less religious I've realized that some things are just nature and you can't legislate against it or use religious dogma in an attempt to supress it. Even in the Middle East where men and women are pretty much segregated and the sex laws are strictly enforced you still have people sneaking around and occasionally they get caught. We have a society in America where young men and women are PHYSICALLY FREE to eat, sleep, work, and play with and around eachother...it would be pretty silly to expect none of them to have sex with eachother until they marry. Sex is as natural as eating and making laws that forbid people against sexual activity and expecting them to abide by it would be like forbidden people to eat and expecting them to "be good" and just sit on the couch and starve to death....lol. Rather than restricting people from natural urges, I believe a good religion would EDUCATE people on how to properly have sex while avoiding unwanted pregnancies, diseases, and hurt feelings, rapes, ect.... Do you think there should be a law against people bring children into the world if they are not financially independent themselves? Interesting you should ask that.... Me and my brother had our father in our lives and the advice he gave me as a Black male on how to survive in this society ALONE was priceless...let alone all of the other things he did for me; so after witnessing what many of my friends and family who DIDN'T have fathers went through and how their families were so broken, so undisciplined, constant fights with the mothers' boyfriends, ect....for a long time I was absolutely adamant that there should be a strictly enforced law that no one should be allowed to have children unless they were MARRIED and FINANCIALLY SET ! Not only did I believe this but I would argue with people over it. But the older I got the more I realized that life happens and things happen that aren't predicted that can take you from an ideal environment to one of strife and turmoil. Especially if you are a Black person in this nation. You could have a good job with a fat pay check one minute and all you need is for the wrong guy to take over the company and he starts slashing the payroll just to boast a bigger bottom line and without so much as a month's notice you'll find yourself wondering how much money you can sell your cars for and whether or not you qualify for some unemployment insurance. I now believe in FREEDOM and allowing people the freedom to make mistakes even if that mistake involves bringing unwanted life into the world. I wouldn't make a law against people who aren't prepared having children because to enforce such a law means sterilizing people and forcing abortions on them and we KNOW where that will lead. But along with that freedom I believe in EDUCATING people on proper birth control as well as how to be good parents if they so choose so that they won't continue the same mistakes their parents and grandparents may have made with them. The key is EDUCATION. For years I wondered why rich White kids could get drunk, have wild orgies, and have MORE sex that poor Black kids yet they rarely came up pregnant and you rarely heard about them getting serious sexual disease. They had their fun and grew up without having tons of children out of wedlock and broken families. I found out they were better EDUCATED and had the money and knowledge to have their fun safely and take the proper precautions to prevent unwanted pregnancies and births. As you know quite well, PARENTHOOD isn't taught in this society. If you don't learn it from your own parents you basically learn as you go along...which is a damn shame. People joke around that parenting doesn't come with a manual, but why not? In African cultures through the rites of passage the boys and girls were TAUGHT their roles and what would be expected of them as young men and women...as mothers and fathers. We don't have that in America. Here you're free to grow up and be whatever but lost as hell which means the children often come up lost and in worse shape than their parents because instead of compounded knowledge passed along from parent to child you get compounded IGNORANCE passed along from one generation to the next.

Cynique You know i was actually thinking the VERY same thing when I heard about this. Where is the outcry to arrest the parents of the White kid who was snatched? I didn't realize they actually KILLED all those gators they found. When I heard that they came across 8 or 9 aligators but none of them had the boy I kind of wondered how would they have known that UNLESS they killed them and opened them up....but i didn't really think about it afterward.

Sara Stop sighing and listen to me....... You're confusing the word "elder" with "elderly" but they have 2 different meanings. Elder simply means older. E.g.... "Having an elder sister is a blessing in disguise, especially if you have a sister like Anna; remember "You can't marry a man you just met!" 　 　 http://www.polkacafe.com/elder-sister-1507.html "I was only a year and some odd months younger than Woloda, and from the first we had grown up and studied and played together. Hitherto, the difference between elder and younger brother had never been felt between us, but at the period of which I am speaking" -Leo Tolstoy Chapter V. My Elder Brother http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/boyhood/5/

Thank you Although I'm not a father biologically, I consider myself a father to many of the young men and women I try to help and give advice to. Watching what my cousin and other older men went through from attempted suicide to going in and out of jail for back child support to baby-mama drama to having their children hate them for not being around even when much of it wasn't their fault...... I decided at a young age that if I couldn't have children and raise them the proper way and in the proper environment then I wouldn't have them period. That meant practicing birth control....at various levels (don't ask). But to me, the subject of birth control is easy and rational....even when I was a very religious man. If you can't even take care of yourself (providing adequate food, clothing, shelter, and health care for YOURSELF with no help from your family or the government) you have no business bringing another human being in the world. I felt this way even at 17. I'm in my 40s and still have no plans to have children anytime soon. I tend to hook up with older women who already have children and no longer have that biological urge....so these things work themselves out. However if I do have children I'm probably going to adopt one for every one me and my wife have naturally. I'm a strong believer in adoption...especially of Black and Brown children through out the Americas.

Troy You asked an excellent question that I've found myself asking many women over the years..especially those who claim to be irreligious. WHO told you monogamy was the "right" thing? As far as I'm concerned it's a matter of preference....choice. Most men are polygamous and prefer multiple parnters. Most women are monogamous and prefer the comfort of a secure single relationship. Harmony comes when both groups respect the desires and preferences of the other and work along those lines. The above book was clearly aimed at women because most men aren't waiting on "Ms Right". Ms Right for them is whoever they find attractive and is willing to sleep with them. It's a shame so many young women are being indoctinated into holding out for some mythical "knight in shining armor" who doesn't exist. I blame Hollywood for this and the fantastic (in the truest definition) standards it seems to set for so many young women. But concerning that book.... It's unrealistic and down right absurd for a couple of wealthy attractive relatively young people to sit back with grins on their faces telling the average man and woman to "wait". You learn about relationships by HAVING them and the trial and error of making mistakes. Telling people to wait for the perfect mate is like telling a young driver's ed student they should wait until the weather is 70 degrees and perfect before being taught how to drive. This sounds like some foolishness they picked up from thier priveledged White friends who have so much money and so many friends they have nothing better to do than play "relationship games"...lol. Lisa Brown I know you're young and fresh to the world so I'm gonna tell you the straight up truth and you can either accept it or reject it...but it you accept it relationships will be much easier and things will make more sense. Men cheat because they like sex with multiple women and if they told you the truth they know you wouldn't sleep with them....so they lie to you. Not all men cheat or have sex with multiple women. Some men are gay, others have a low sex drive where they don't want sex as much. But MOST men do....especially those under 40. That's a biological reality and there's NOTHING wrong with it. The only thing wrong is the MISEDUCATION of most women in this society concerning male biology and psychology. You've been TAUGHT that normal is wrong or bad....so now you must be UN-TAUGHT.

Sara Well eeeuuuuu...... I said "elder gang members" and instead of picturing men in their late 20s and 30s, YOU pictured grey headed people Crip walking and trying to fire automatic rifles at their rivals while holding on to their walkers. Eeuuuu....yuck! As for street gangs, surely you're not saying "elders" joined gangs started by teenagers? I see you DO catch on. It may take a minute or two.....but eventually you seem to "get it".....lol. 　 In this thread: http://aalbc.com/tc/topic/3902-not-all-cops-are-bad/ you said: "You can't deal with a message or issue if you're going to ignore it to talk about a tangential one." I couldn't agree with you more.

Cynique Trump supporters also suffer from cognitive dissonance, and I don't think they make a distinction between Latino ethnicities. Truth and accuracy are irrelevant to the mob mentality of Trump's constituency, Their anxiety and bias makes them irrational. I used to think that the ultra-nationalist, xenophobic, and out right racist voting patterns of so many Whites in America was a case of cognative dissonance. I thought (and still think) how stupid they are to consitently vote against their own best interests and support right White establishment figures who could care less whether they work or not whether those figures were Reagan, George W. or "The Donald". Sara I'm glad other people seem to recognize the threat of White racist domestic terrorists. There was a report that came out a few years ago that the Obama Administration basically IGNORED that warned of the rising threat of right wing racist and extremist group like militias and the Klan. With spokesmen like Alex Jones and others, these groups are stock piling weapons and openly declaring war on the U.S. goverment yet most politicians REFUSE to call them "domestic terrorists". Actually both the White terrorist in the United States and the ones in the Middle East stem from the same line of thought. Both groups are made up of bearded, sexist, racist, extremists who believe in using violence and religious ideology to force their bigoted views on others. If it weren't for Black people standing up and raising hell to ensure the rights of EVERYONE in this nation, White women in America and Europe would still be wearing long dresses, have their heads wrapped up in bonnets, and living a life just as oppressed as the women in part of the Middle East.

OK, I'm posting this on June 14 at 5:03 pm but those who were on the board earlier can CONFIRM that my previous post above questioning whether or not this guy may have been gay and his sexual conflicts were a motive for his murdering so many gay people was posted well over an hour ago! Now I log out to check on some news and LOOK what I find: FBI to investigate if Orlando gunman's sexuality was a motive in shooting http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fbi-to-investigate-if-orlando-gunmans-sexuality-was-a-motive-in-shooting/ar-AAh3fpz?ocid=wispr It doesn't take a genius to figure out why a man who has been hanging out at gay clubs and associating with gay people but comes from a culture that demonizes homosexuality would do something like this.

Cynique And after these dying people are visited by those who have gone on ahead and who presumably will escort them through the valley of the shadow of death, - where is it they are going? Do you really think there is a judgment day and a heaven and hell? I don't know about heaven or hell in it's traditional sense, much of the details of that belief comes from religious dogma. But I definately believe there are other realms of realities that people go to when they transition from this one and I believe those realms offer rewards. I don't necessary think that death is final. I prefer to believe it is a gateway into another level of existence. Exactly. Troy There are a lot of "maybes" in your post...lol. But the evidence from all over the world and through out history is too consistent and too overwhelming for this all to be mass hallucinations and dreams or the brains way of "coping" with trauma. Scientists tell us that the brain shuts completely down when the heart stops beating beyond 5 minutes and there is no sign of brain activity to even cause hallucinations, dreams, or anything else of a cerebaral nature...yet these people STILL have these spiritual experiences during their "death" state before being revived to talk about them. I actually DO believe that many if not most forms of dreaming is spiritual in nature and involves entering other realms though I'm not sure how much of it is. Many Native American traditionalists believe that the higher spiritual realms can be accessed THROUGH the dream realm. And btw I'd LOVE to hear some of your spiritual experiences!

Sara Facts are never excuses. Again, facts are INDEED excuses if they aren't part of the solution and actually get in the way of solving the problem. The rate of Black violence in Chicago is out of control and the FACT that other races engage in violence doesn't solve that problem nor does that FACT comfort the Black victims of this violence. All it does is shift the focus and lessen the resolve of those who want to solve the problems directly impacting their community by bruching it off as, "Oh well...everybody's doing it". As for the black gang structure in Chicago, street gangs were NOT started by "elders" in the 1950s. SMDH I didn't say Black gangs swere STARTED by elders. I said: "Chicago has had Black gangs since atleast the 50s but atleast back during that time you had a type of structure or code where the elders called the shots and the younger gangsters fell in line and did as they were told" They were LED by elder members who had more experience and wisdom than the baby gansters and called most of the shots and instilled a sort of discipline in street gangs that you no longer have today.

Cynique Prince was androgynous as opposed to feminine It's to his credit that he could wear eye-liner and high heels and not be sissified. He strutted and had swag. His singing voice was a high falsetto but his speaking voice was low and seductive. He loved to flaunt his muscles and abs and flex his great buns. He was a character; one of a kind. There are a few Black women in the public today that I could name who have masculine features and exhibit masculine behavior but because this site is so popular I don't want to be accused of insulting them so I'll refrain from using them as examples and use the drag queen Ru Paul. I don't care HOW great a shape Ru Paul was in, how well he did his make up, how sexy he "catwalked", or how well he sang in a high feminine voice....there is NO WAY me or most other straight men would find him sexy! Not in the least. Comical maybe...but the masculinity he exhibits naturally is too much of a turn off. For me adrogynous is not sexy....it's scary...lol. For a woman to be half-way or "sometimes" feminine doesn't fly with me or most other straight men. Maybe for bi-sexual men who like both feminine and masculine features, but not with straight men. Which leads me to my point about the attraction of Prince..... I guess I'm making a big deal out of this because I noticed that a lot of the girls that i knew growing up who liked Prince also seemed to find feminine and "cutesy" type boys attractive in general. Which makes me wonder how many of them were really lesbian but in the closet or even in denial about their sexuality.

Troy Lol..... How can you acknowledge a Black CULTURE without acknowledging the Black RACE who produced it? It's like a person who believes in the religion of Christianity without believing in a historical Christ.