Pioneer1

Troy I don't want it to seem as if I'm the biggest fan of Ms Jackson. I just mentioned her and Omar because they seem to be among the most popular names I've heard from some of the younger women in my family who enjoy much of her work. I'm not much on Romance novels. I'd rather use my "imagination" for more constructive purposes like designing and urban planning, not fantasizing about making love to my best friend's bi-sexual wife while he's in prison or some other theme many of these novels base themselves on....lol. Thanks for the info though. Perhaps I can direct some of the women I know who love this type of literature in this direction.

I don't believe ANY of this. It's nothing more than racial politics as usual. Conservative White politicians around the state of Michigan have been targetting Detroit and trying to destroy the Black political and economic structure of that city for decades. They tried it with Coleman Young, they did it with Kwame Kilpatrick, they targeted various Black Police Chiefs, School Superintendants, and other prominent Blackfigures. If they were serious about going after criminals, there are plenty of crooked White principles and politicians all over the state they could be going after....but they like focusing on Black Detroit. There's a Governor sitting up in Lansing right now who is directly responsible for the poisoning of over 100,000 citizens of a city.....why don't they go after HIM and charge HIM instead of targetting professional Black women in positions of authority? BTW....the teachers AND the principles deserve FAR more money than they're getting paid ANY damn way, so what if they decide to treat themselves to a perk or two? They DESERVE more than they're accused of stealing!

How do we remove the concept from society and begin to treat all people equally? These are actually 2 separate questions so let me offer 2 responses from my perspective...... 1. How do we remove the concept of White Supremacy from society? The answer is pretty simple, BLACK ACHIEVEMENT destroys White Supremacy. Black people (or any group of color) who achieve consistant success in academics, economics, morality, physical fitness, ect...counters the concept of White supremacy. Infact, Asians are doing a pretty good job of this currently. 2. How do we begin to treat all people equally? You're not. Don't even waste your time trying. You CAN'T treat all people equally because everyone doesn't deserve to be treated equally. I think a more realistic goal would be to try and treat others more FAIRLY. BTW Jazzy, if yall still on speaking terms....lol....tell Will and Jada I said 'sup.

Troy Whenever someone starts a sentence with, "I believe God...." I stop listening, because what man knows the mind of God? Who would presume to know what God knows. That is like an amoeba presuming to know what Einstein knows. Oh??? Is me admitting it's only a belief too humble for you? Would you be more receptive if people started off boldly declaring, "And Gaaawwdd told ME to tell YOU......." LOL I didn't say I KNEW I said I BELIEVED, for the reasons you just gave. Your counter response would be better aimed at one silly enough to come through boldly claiming absolute knowledge of God and His intentions. Pioneer, you know all the examples and symptoms you described, eyeglasses, clothing, and cars, none of those things are diseases. I seriously doubt anyone who needs eye-glasses would agree with or care about your assertion that they cause weakness , nor would any one who needs clothing to protect them from the weather or a car to transport them. I for one can speak from experience that wearing glasses can make your eyes weaker because I was diagnosed with having to wear prescription glasses years ago. I wore them until they got stolen and found out that they were making my eye muscles weaker so decided to try not wearing them for a while....10 years later I don't need them. I've heard similar stories from others. SOME people need glasses...but certainly not everyone being prescribed them by the optomotrist. As far as clothes and cars not causing diseases, I beg to differ.... We know that gasoline contains carcinogens, carbon monoxide is poisonous, a lot of the chemicals used to make and maintain clothes are toxic and quite a few people have allergies to wool and silk. The chemicals used in detergents and dry cleaning have been known to give people skin problems as well. I won't get into the amount of deaths and permanent disabilities automobiles are responsible for. I'm not anti-Civilization. I'm more specific about WESTERN Civilization because of all the civilizations I've studied Western civilization seem to be more inimical to nature than any. Much of what is considered normal in this society goes against the very nature of humanity. When you talk about life expectancy......WHO'S life? My father was born and raised in the rural South and he as well as many others who grew up during his time said that Black folks used to live MUCH longer and healthier when he was a kid. They said it was nothing to see a 90 or 100 year old man or woman walking up and down an old dirt road unassisted with maybe an old stick. Many of them still had most of their teeth....and some men were still making babies in their 70s and 80s! I don't know if it's true or not but I've heard there were people in many parts of continental Africa who live well over 150 years of age living a traditional lifestyle. They used to say cancer and diabetes were "White folks" diseases because Black people rarely got them. Now after following a European diet packed with meats and starch and following a Westernized culture many are dying of all types of previously unknown diseases...and at an increasingly younger age. Again, this civilization and diet isn't necessarily the best for US. 　 There are scientists who argue that modem man evolved because we cook food, not the other way around. Cooking food actually reduces greatly the amount of energy we need to exert in order to consume it. Man can consume meat just fine, we are adapted to do it. The whole notion that homo sapiens evolved to eat only vegetables flies in the face off all the available science, despite what some vegetarians might have you believe. Those vegans have the luxury of being vegetarians because they can go down to the Whole Foods and buy this stuff with relatively little effort. If these "nuts" were in the wild they would die from starvation or malnutrition come the first winter. Of course man was meant to eat meat. We are omnivorous Perhaps the reason it took so much energy to consume meats and vegetables was because we didn't have any business eating it in the FIRST place. It ain't hard to pick a plumb off the tree. It ain't hard to peel a banana or scoop up a cup full of fresh crystal clear water from a river. And these fruits are easily digestable. Along with some nuts (also considered fruit scientifically) this would provide all the vitamins, carbohydrates, and proteins one would need for a healthy and happy life. .....as long as you didn't have to wear yourself out working at a factory, or on a farm, or in a coal mine. Which is completely unnatural, as most "jobs" are....which is why so many people HATE their jobs. Again, this so-called "civilization" and the stressful demands both physical and psychological it makes on the human being just to survive in it REQUIRES a lot of excess energy. The very luxuries and conveniences that we praise so much are often the biggest culprit in causing disease and stress. It's like a soldier who happily joins the military and marches off to war so that he can get full medical insurance coverage and guaranteed trips to the VA hospital. Uh.....if you didn't go in the first place you wouldn't NEED those benefits! One of humanity's biggest assets over the animal kingdom...high intelligence...has also been one of it's biggest liablities by constantly inventing better ways to poison itself. I would argue that perhaps human beings were designed to digest cooked meat and cooked vegetables for only TEMPORARY emergencies like impending famines and other lack of resources.....giving us enough energy to survive and make other arrangements or find greener forests to forage so that we could quickly get back to the more simple diet we were intended.

Cynique Come on, Pioneer. Meat supplies iron and protein. Bread and vegetables supply fiber.The body needs a certain amount of salt and sugar. Moderation is the key. Ever known anyone who could consume RAT POISON in moderation? I believe God put everything on this planet for a purpose, however some things simply weren't meant for human consumption. Now, I'm eating a couple slices (blocks actually) of Sicilian style deep dish pizza full of cheeses and meats and a lot of greasy bread. So I'm not going to sit up here and preach too hard to people about something I'm not even doing. But atleast I do recognize that many if not most of the health problems human being face are from eating foods nature didn't intend for us to eat in the first place. Dairy products are the main contributors to asthma, colds, and the flu....some have even linked it to prostate cancer. Red meat...especially the way it's slaughtered and processed in the West....has been linked to colon cancer, obesity, aggressive behavior, high blood pressure, ect.. Bread is made of very complex carbohydrates that the body must break down. However , you do make a good point on the protein requirements that only the flesh of animals can fulfill. I rarely eat red meat, but if I do eat it I make sure I or whoever is preparing it almost BURNS it to a crisp before consumption. I used to eat at an Indian resturant and they got to know me because I was the only American who insisted that the meat I ate not only be served well done but BURNT until it's crispy. They found it interesting (many of them found ME interesting) because that's the way they liked their meat back home but they figured all "Westerners" liked their meat rare with the blood dripping out of it. I believe a diet that includes fish can supply all the protein we as human beings need and it's much easier on the digestive system than the coarse bloody red meat. Well ripend fruits the fall from the tree can supply enough fiber when eaten with the peeling and more than enough carbohydrates for energy.

Maybe you should polish your bedroom skills, do a better job of whispering sweet nothings, and rub yourself down with some cocoa butter ....I used to do all of that! Then I found out THAT'S what was sending half of them to the couch to sip hot chocolate and read books, so I stopped. I don't know why AALBC doesn't have a section for Black Romance Novels....hundred of thousands if not millions of Black women seem to love it. Black authors like Brenda Jackson and Omar Tyree have made fortunes off of it. I can't go into a Barnes and Noble without seeing a gang of Black girls spead out all over the damn floor twiddling their legs, reading romance books and giggling over some sillinesses.

Nearly all diseases afflicting humanity are man-made either directly or indirectly from not living by attempting to defy and go against nature. Infact, what we called "Western Civilization" has been a major contributor to the suffering of mankind as people no longer live in harmony with nature. -Glasses are good for correcting your sight...but they also make the eyes weaker. -Cars are good for for fast transportation....but it makes the legs weaker and is responsible for thousands of people being killed and disabled every year. -Clothes and shoes are good for protecting us from the environment but they also make the feet weaker and the skin more delicate and vulnerable. Every holiday the most religious of people can be found stuffing themselves with all types of meats, breads, and alcoholic beverages.....and afterwards farting and talking nostalgically about the time when people ran around naked in a garden with only food that grew on trees as being the ideal way to live. Were human's made to eat meat? Where are the fangs and why must it be cooked first? Where humans made to eat bread? Who even thought up the relatively complicated process by which bread is made? Many people believe that the only food human beings were designed to eat are fruits and water, not even vegetables that must be cut and boiled to be edible.

Cynique Hummm. Well, when it came to intimacy with my lover, I wasn't big on foreplay. I preferred getting down to the bare essentials quickly... OOOOOOOH WEEEEEEEE YES! ... Basking in the afterglow supplied the romance...a leisurely-shared cigarette...a goblet of wine between us, and lotsa provocative pillow talk...Baby, baby, baby...Yes, Love, yes Love, yes, Love.... Then a short nap, our bodies entwined...... Slowly aroused, dreams would fade...seconds came next and so would we...time would stand still...the earth would move......and all was right with the world...... LOL Well hell........ If THAT'S the best you got.....you can go back to fighting Sara. Sheeeeyid, I'm GLAD I went on to bed instead of waiting up for that.....lol. To keep it real though, I don't think there's anything I could actually READ to get me hot anyway. Even Playboy magazines lost their effect on me after 14. Sara said I'm clueless about women....lol. Perhaps she's right. For over 30 years I've been triyng to figure out why a good day for so many women consist of curling up on the couch sipping hot chocolate and reading romance novels.

I'm not trying to bash Christianity by the way..... I'm bringing up a basic principle of Protestantism to help explain the dichotomy of America's moral beliefs vrs it's social acceptance.

Sara -So in your world, Assata Shakur hates homosexuals.... Uh, I don't know the woman, but I would never defame another so spuriously. Scheesh..... Uhh...Sara...I was being facetious with my previous response. Go back and re-read it CAREFULLY. Thank you for telling me that..... nonsense. I agree... It DOESN'T make a lot of sense to me that people are allowed to commit nearly every heinous criminal act known to man (except for the one "unpardonable sin"), but as long as they profess who their lord and saviour is....they will be absolved of their sins. But that's the basic foundation of Protestant theology. When the majority of people in a society believe they can do what they want as long as they proclaim their faith in Christ, for them to accept homosexuality while at the same time believing it is a wicked abomination isn't TOO far fetched of an idea.

Sara　 However, I have to say this FOR you - whateva you come up with, there's isn't the slightest bit of JEALOUSY, ENVY, or childish comparisons of your lot in life with others. Like your opinion or lump it, you don't attempt to tear others down in order to elevate yourself (like that works! ). You seem to be secure within yourself.... and that's to your credit. You can deal with ideas rather than feeling the nasty little need to assuage your lack of accomplishment by attacking others. Thanks.....I think..... Lol.....actually...I am quite envious and occassionally quite angry and jealous too. But rather than trying to suppress these powerful emotions, I've learned it was best to just use their energy to drive me toward achieving goals. I can also be quite scandalous....but I need a good reason. Trying to impress people who don't have the power to make me rich isn't a good enough reason, lol. Cynique But don't be shy, sara. Join in! Share with the board the first time you got turned out by another homosexual. I'm sure Pioneer would love that! Perhaps...... But not as much as I'd enjoy hearing one of YOUR stories from back in the day (before you got married) to send me off to sleep! I know this thread is titled "This or That".... But I'd like you to give us "This AND That"....and don't leave NUSSIN' out!

Troy ....so it looks like neither Cynique or Sara will allow the other to have the last word. As long as either was dissed, made fun of or in any way slighted. Neither are willing to simply let it go. Come on man ! You know how women tend to carry grudges....lol. I know women who were good friends until something happened at a party 15 or 20 years back where one didn't like how the other said "hello" to her man at the time and they STILL can't stand to be in the same room together. I know atleast 5 sistaz right off the bat who won't eat at certain resturants no matter how good the food may be because of some silly dispute they may have had with one of the waitresses or the cashier there....lol. On the other hand, some of my best friends from childhood were boys I got into fist fights with. I remember being hired for a job and paid good money by the same guy I got into an argument with and broke the antennae off of his car a couple days earlier...lol. As far as Sara's anonymity...... You know everybody ain't like you or CD who don't mind sharing some of your lives with the public. Or Cynique....who seems to enjoy ADVERTIZING herself in a flood of pictures from time to time....lol. Some of us like to keep aspects of our identity private.

　 Sara So anyone who has ever QUOTED the bible in discussions about Africa and the so-called Middle East AUTOMATICALLY "condemns homosexuality?" Yes! That's correct! That's exactly what I was TRYING to say but for some reason the words didn't come out....lol. I'll tell you what I've discovered Sara.... If someone discusses Africa...no big deal. If someone quotes the Bible...so what. But if EVER the situation arises where I'm somewhere eating lunch and happen to catch someone at another table discussing Africa AND quoting the Bible during the same discussion little bells go off and the alarm is sounded: THIS PERSON HATES THE HELL OUT OF HOMOSEXUALS! 　 It just occurred to me - your "assumption" that all Christians are homophobic: The overwhelming majority of Americans are Christian. If your "assumption" is correct, how did LBGT rights and gay marriage (in some states) get passed? Actually I don't believe all or even most Christians are homophobic because society today has forced people of all faiths to work and socialize with open homosexuals which usually helps to break down prejudices and social barriers. But I do believe that most sincere Christians anti-homosexuality. How can they not be when homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible both Old and New Testament? As far as "Christian America" promoting LBGT rights..... Americans tend to be Christian NOMINALLY (in name only) ....but not practically. Most don't observe all of the scriptures they claim to believe in. The Bible quotes Jesus as saying to turn the other cheek and blesses are the peace-makers, yet "Christian America" has the world largest military and the right to bare weapons of death are guranteed in the very Constitution....lol. Unlike Catholicism....the Protestant Christianity that dominates the American demographic allows you to believe in and engage in just about anything you want as long as you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior. BTW, in that same thread I mentioned, as I look back at it you also talked about the findings of paleontologists and aspects of evolution. I must admit I didn't follow things too closely.

When I was younger I used to wonder why so many women found "bad boys" attractive myself. Especially not being a "bad boy" myself. My father was "badder" and that kept me out of a lot of trouble....lol. The good thing about getting older is if you keep your brain healthy and observe your surroundings you'll eventually get a better understanding of what makes people tick.....why they (and you) do what they do. I discovered it wasn't so much them being "bad" as it was their willingness to display their strength and courage that so many younger women find attractive. It makes them feel secure knowing they have a man who can protect them. I know quite a few women who only hook up with cops and soldiers in uniform based on that same principle. Also, in the Black community there's a history of Black women admiring the "bad nigga" who defied "massa" and wasn't afraid to challenge the system. That same attitude of desiring the "rebellious negro" is still alive and kcking among many of our women who seem to only date ex-convicts and career criminals.

　 The more controversial my columns were, the better they liked it because, as we all know, the media loves controversy. and the response to my columns was piles of hate-mail. I've also noticed that most White people tend to like Black people who can effectively articulate themselves and their frustration without being too emotional. One of the problems I've seen on jobs and even in community matters is that too often Black people will get frustrated with something going on but when they get before those in charge they are often completely unprepared as to what to say or even WANT. They just start shouting and cussing. You're angry because there's no traffic light or stop sign at a particular intersection and 2 kids have already been hit by cars this year. So you go up to City Hall cussing and shouting and talking about the FBI's files on Martin Luther King and Black men being locked up in jail..... everything except what the actual problem is. And when you are marked a nut and ignored...or actually escorted out of the building....now you have a problem with the "system". I've found that many if not most Whites in authority tend to be cereberal and wish to "understand" why people do and say what they do and say so those who can best help them understand why are often the ones who have their ear on matters even if what they have to say is quite controversial. Malcolm X used to call White people devils out in the open, but he did it so articulately that most educated White people couldn't get enough of him because he helped them understand the frustrations of Black America at that time.

This thread is prompted by an observation by Cynique on another thread but it goes into the response by Black men in general society when it comes to conflict in the community and especially between Black women. Why do so many Black men allow people and especially women to fight without doing the "manly" thing of stepping in to resolve it? I can't speak for other male posters, I can only speak from my personal experiences and observations as to why this often happens....... First of all, a lot of Black men actually DO step in Especially when things get physical....as I have on several occasions when women started fighting eachother in my presence. But as long as it doesn't get physical I step back and either observe or go about my own business as I believe people both male and female (and hermaphrodite) should have the right to express themselves as they wish. Maybe they needed that release to keep from really exploding. But I have noticed among the generation of younger men under me, fewer of them seem willing to step in and put an end to conflicts they may witness between women and indeed too many seem to actually CHEER on the girls as they fight eachother. You see it on facebook and youtube videos where girls are banging eachother around as the boys surround them seemingly enjoying it. This is going to sound like a sexist comment....and it probably is. But MOST men don't take women's fights seriously. Ofcourse the women do but most men don't and they don't see women as being capable of inflicting serious harm on eachother without weapons....so many see it as "cute" in a way and entertaining. Perhaps one step aboves school children fighting eachother. Also, there seems to be a cultural component to it because if there's a White man around, chances are HE will try to break up the fight. Most White men are taught to take charge of their community and they believe that they are the masters of the women and children in the community so even on a site like this if there was just one White male poster he'd probably be the first one to step in an try to settle things....because that's how they are. It's that chauvinism that is inherent in many of them. But many women come to rely on that male chauvinism and often miss it when it's not present. Most Black men on the other hand....perhaps from so many experiences of powerlessness in the home where their wife earns more money and commands more respect in the home than him - or in the community where all it takes to shut him up is a threat to call the police. Many brothers feel it's useless to try to stop adults be they male OR female from fighting eachother. Most Black men have grown up in a home with women in charge, they tend to respect the authority and power of women more so than White men so they are more hesitant to put the women "in their place" by stepping in and trying to quiet them. I saw 2 White women fight eachother in a pool hall one time and one of the White men tried to stop it and BOTH of the women turn on him and took turns whipping his ass with pool sticks. It took 4 or 5 other men and women to stop it and settle the place down....lol. White women are WAAAAAY more vulgar and violent than Black women when they are drunk! Finally, it doesn't seem that chivalry or being " a man" pays as much as it used to. Back in the past when people lived in a sexually repressed society a man had to EARN a woman's respect and love and if he was fortunate enough...MAYBE he'd be able to get sex from her. Men did a lot of nice things for women because it got thier attention and often lead to courtship and marriage or just plain sex. Now, it doesn't seem to matter whether a man acts like a gentleman or not. Hell, he doesn't even have to be a responsible human being. Most men can manage to get a girlriend or someone to have sex with him there's no pressure for him to be "extra nice" or even be extra protective to the women in society. I remember when I was a teenager and used to take the city bus, if I saw a woman struggling with her bags or a baby stroller to get on the bus I'd help her and if she was attractive I'd use it as an opportunity to get her number or strike up a conversation to get close to her. As we got into the late 90s I started noticing fewer women would say thank you or even smile. And then I started noticing more and more than many of these women had BOYFRIENDS either with them or waiting on them and these men wouldn't lift a finger to help them with their belongings...yet they would hug and kiss all over these men. Seeing that got me a little angry so I stopped doing it for the most part unless the woman was elderly or disabled, the same as I'd do for an elderly or disabled man. Now was it shiity of me to be nice to these women "expecting" some opportunity from them? Perhaps....although I did it for a lot of women expecting NOTHING in return. However the fact is most men desire sex or atleast admiration (ego sex) from women and most of what they do for women is to either directly or indirectly to get this. Once a man feels that no amount of chivalry and being a gentleman will improve his situation with a particular woman, nothing he does matters... then he sees no need to be a "nice guy" or step up and be a "man". I don't like the fact that so many young brothers in our community have such a selfish attitude. I personally would like to live in a society knowing that if I'm being assaulted and for some reason couldn't defend myself there are others willing to step in and come to my assisance and put an end to the assault. But then again, in a society where Black men have been made to feel so powerless and marginalized even in the home where they often aren't listened to or respected.....is their any wonder things have gotten to this point?

Cynique That is funny, Pioneer. Because for some reason, guys do like cat fights and female mud wrestling. Well, I can't speak for the other male posters but I do find women arguing with eachother somewhat attractive, especially when they start talking nasty or vulgar. Not sure why. I guess because you don't see it much as women tend to be more reserved with their aggresion. But I don't like when women PHYSICALLY fight eachother at all. I was expecting some of the male posters or lurkers to jump in and request an end to all of this vulgar nonsense, but I guess people like it. Almost as hilarious as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and their wife bashing. No fools, no fun Excellent observation. I think my response to this deserves it's own thread as I'm sure it will raise more questions and commentary from others.....

　 Sara- "STFU, you nasty old beast!" Cynique- "Your are a duplicitous, mentally-disturbed, mean drunk." .....LOL. Believe it or not, there are some crazy ass weird dudes who would actually pay GOOD money just to stand in between 2 angry women sweating and cussing at eachother. Sara What in my previous post led you to believe that? Where have I "condemned" homosexuality???? Nothing. I've never heard you actually condemn homosexuality. But concerning a discussion about Africa and the Middle East you started quoting the Bible and biblical scripture in this thread: http://aalbc.com/tc/topic/3638-tyler-perrylast-hours-of-jesus-christ/ This led me to believe that perhaps you took a scriptural view on homosexuality, but if you're not a believer in the Bible then I stand corrected. As for NO ancient cultures having a problem with homosexuality, i.e., ALL ancient cultures finding homosexuality natural and acceptable, I find that hard to believe. I didn't say NO ancient culture had a problem with it. I'm honestly not sure how most ancient cultures viewed it since most of what we know of ancient history has been filtered through Western academia.

As soon as I saw pictures of Bin Laden and others sitting around in robes and sandles eating with their hands I thought about the old pictures of Jesus and Moses I saw when I was younger and how most of the characters looked like that. I used to go to a Catholic school for the first few years of elemenatry school. When I was a kid nuns wore a "habit" or long black head covering over their hair and head. You don't see too many of them in it today. Most of them wear their hair short and uncovered and many even wear pants. I wonder did seeing the Muslim women who also cover their head influence the nuns to "drop their habits".

Chicago Defender ??? I still remember little Michael Evans talking about that paper on Good Times when he was a young "rabble rouser" and James was still living...lol. I'm not much on sending opinionated letters to the media because I don't think it's the MOST effective way to either change things or even have my views heard. Plus, I don't like the idea of someone sitting around deciding whether or not they want to make my opinions public or just keep them to themselves and dismiss them. I'm the type who likes to put my opinions out in a way that guarantees they'll be noticed regardless as to whether folks agree with them or not. That's why I like message boards. Don't get me wrong, I HAVE used the media to change things in my community, but I had to personally go down to the television station and ask to speak with a journalist and explain to him and her what was happening and constantly hound them to investigate in order to get those in authority to take notice and make the changes.

Cynique Riots are a definite possibility after the elections in November and this country might erupt into a mini-civil war. You may be right. Many people who were around to remember are saying that they're feeling the same electrifying "spirit" that saturated the politically turbulent 60s and early 70s. Infact, regardless as to who gets in office.... I predict that perhaps one of the biggest conflicts will be over attempts to suppress and miss count the Black and Brown vote.

Sara I once read a study on male gays. The examiners(?) wanted to find out if having a 'strong' mother made males gay. Upshot: it didn't. Weak or strong, it made no diff. The study concluded that the examiners couldn't determine what made males gay. Even though the study wasn't about them, they also spoke to Lesbians. Unlike the males, they were shocked to find that every single Lesbian they spoke with reported being raped as a child. This seems to be the deciding factor in almost all cases. The Lesbians are not raped just once, however; seems they were REPEATEDLY raped as children. IMO, that causes some "wires" in the brain to cross. One thing I've noticed as well - every actress I've seen who says they're gay, reports being raped as a child.... and almost in every case, by a male relative (usually the father). IMO, 90%+ gays (male AND female) are made by pedophiles. I am being generous (IMO) by saying maybe 10% are born that way. 　 It is true that many lesbians were molested as young girls. I've also noticed that a lot of the boys that were molested by Catholic priests turned out to be gay or feminine acting men. But I've also heard that either MOST girls period or just MOST Black girls have been molested as children, not sure if it's true...but clearly it didn't turn all of them homosexual. Sexual trauma was one of my arguments as to why some people became gay or lesbian. What really changed my view of homosexuality was looking outside of the Judeo-Christian Biblical concept of it and started studying indigenous African and Native American cultural beliefs about it and from what I dug up, homosexuality and even hermaphrodites were accepted and played a huge role in many societies. It is said that in certain indigenous religious systems, most of the priests and priestesses were and are homosexual or bi sexual as they don't have to take on the responsibility of family life. From your previous post I take it you believe in the Bible which clearly condemns homosexuality so I don't expect to change your mind in this issue. No person could change my mind. I had to step back and look at things from a scientific and objective point of view instead of a religious one. But as I've found, sometimes comparing moral positions froma MULTIPLE religions and cultures gives one and entirely different perspective that helps certain social problems experienced in the West make more sense. Homosexuality aside, Western society SUPPRESSES and CONDEMNS many things in general that occur in nature, and this causes undue stress on the population that lead to a host of other problems that ancient cultures didn't have.

I can't believe this..... I honestly LOOKED for something to point out and criticized during the trailer and couldn't really find anything legitimate. I mean, this movie isn't exactly MY cup of tea....but for a cast featuring majority Black actors and actresses...it looks pretty wholesome and meaningful. And where did they find so many good looking Black people ??? Damn.... Even the old sista in pearls had me going. I thought she was Marla Gibbs at first..lol.

Sara I'm not going to go into lesbians are made, not born, so be careful of sending your girl children to nasty old grannie's house.... alone. I used to think women who were lesbian may have "turned" that way as opposed to being born that way. Now based on my observations I think it's a matter of BOTH. Although no one is born with a certain sexual preference but develop it later on in childhood....you are born PREDISPOSED toward certain inclinations by the hetero or homo....or bi-. Some women clearly start off their sexual experiences with men but after experimenting with sex with other women, discover they like it better and "turn"....while others were already lesbian but didn't know it UNTIL something in their life made them aware of this. 　 Troy Cynique said, "And I would have no objections whatsoever if Troy elected to not call this site Cynique's Corner. I would totally understand if he wanted to go in a different, younger, more positive direction" So I'm sure if you changed the name of this forum from Cynique's Corner to "Pioneer's Square" ....she wouldn't be too mad at ya. Personally, I like the more "hands off" approach to moderation for the reasons you mentioned and more. I had a message board myself before and the only time I stepped in was if someone tried to publish another poster's personal information or threatened to do them great bodily harm.....other than that....as the late O.D.B. said -do ya thang baby do ya thang. One thing I do have in common with Conservatives.....I'm a man who feels people are usually governed BEST when they are governed LEAST.

The call for the 10,000 is not to go target or bust the heads of dope dealers and gang members. The call is to get people who would be willing to work to reduce the violence. It is my understanding that Minster Farrakhan said he wanted 10,000 men to reduce the violence by standing between Black people trying to kill eachother. http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_102600.shtml We know that both street gangs and the drug game are MAJOR contributors to the killing and other forms of violence happening in the ghettos all across America. They aren't the only contributors but they are among the major ones. If they aren't part of the focus, I'm not sure how effective the brothers will be.