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There are no words to say when you walk into a conference room and hear the following spoken at the tail-end of a conversation:

"We're just having a really hard time finding a black Santa."

Unless of course you're Ambra, who always has something to say, and had to resist the urge to interject, "Trust me, he doesn't exist."

Okay I know I've had a tendency in the past to come down hard on the "classics", Dickens especially. I hope it comes across that I do appreciate books (even bad ones) and their impact on my life. When I categorize all the books I've read in my lifetime, I generally put them into three categories:

1) Really Good
2) Really Bad
3) Life-changing

Some of the life-changing books I've read haven't necessarily been the best books per se. For whatever reason, at the time I read some, no matter how poorly written, they were just what I needed. Then there are others that completely altered my thinking or worldview. Others enraged me. There are even books that changed my life that I vehemently disagreed with.

Aside from the Bible, which of course is off-the-charts by way of life-changing capabilities, I'm curious to know what other books had life-altering influence on your life? I'll start with just a few of mine:

• Osa's Pride by Ann Grifalconi
• Passion & Purity by Elisabeth Elliot
  
• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
  
• A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer
  
• Oedepus Rex by Sophocles
  
• More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
  
• The Jewish Phenomenon by Steven Silbiger
  
• The Mis-Education of the Negro: Carter G. Woodson

Today I was going to write about the recent release of "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas", the video game laced with the stereotypes and propaganda that encourages the type of negative and self-destructive behavior we eventually pay for with our tax dollars. Then I realized we have our own version of "Grand Theft Auto" taking place in politics as is. I am referring to the media hubbub surrounding Eminem's (Marshall Mathers's) recent anti-Bush video.

I just got finished watching the music video, which is called "Mosh"(as in pit), and I'm completely uninspired. Released strategically this week, the video is essentially an angry hate message regarding the current state of America and a final "let's oust Bush plea" not void of the typical "everything's bad, bring the troops home, Bush lied" predictable stuff that's been common to this campaign. Eminem even managed to slip in one last comment of "Disarm this weapon of mass destruction we call the president" and end the video with the words "Vote November 2nd" on the screen. He forgot of course to mention, "I myself can't vote because I have a felony conviction." Still, Eminem asserts:

"They tell us ‘no’, we say ‘yeah,’ they tell us ‘stop’, we say ‘go’ / Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell, we gonna let him know / Stomp, push, shove, mush, f*** Bush / Until they bring our troops home / Come on"

Gotta love that Black Panther spirit in him right?

I watched the video with an open mind, really I did. I even watched it twice. I tried to extract whatever "deepness" and "profundity" everyone else seems to be getting out of it. I mean, after all, the reviews I've seen of the video read as such:

"... the most powerful broadside against the administration since "Fahrenheit 9/11."

"Makes Fahrenheit 9/11 look like a GOP campaign spot..."

"Wow...this is the best thing that I've seen all year."

"The video they don't want you to see"

With all that hype, you'd think you were about to view something so wrapped up in profound insight that it'd make you want to go start a revolution. Well, that is of course Eminem's goal, but instead, it just made me want to take a sleeping pill, go to bed, and wake up on November 3rd. The "deepness"? It wasn't there. Mr. Mathers's somewhat feeble attempts to get across a supposedly potent message were just the typical rantings of our resident angry and bitter badboy and all the other Bush haters. The UK Guardian reports:

"The video was first aired on MTV on Wednesday and immediately went to the top of the channel's "hot video" charts.

In it, the rapper leads a crowd of hooded people, including a mother with an eviction notice and a soldier given orders to return to Iraq, in a march to storm a government building. Once inside, the mob remove their hoods and stand in an orderly queue to vote.

Eminem, now wearing a smart suit and red tie, declaims in a style reminiscent of Martin Luther King:

"In these closing statements, if they should argue, let us beg to differ, as we set aside our differences, and assemble our own army, to disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president, for the present."

Sound familiar? It does to me. The goal is a simple one: empower the masses to vote to oust Bush.
Even my favorite sold-out Democrat blogger Oliver Willis prefaced his comments on the video with

"It seems to be going in one direction, then pivots in the right way towards the end."

Yeah that "one direction" it was going was the typical unproductive whining that is common to Eminem. The "pivoting the right way" simply means that he's telling people to vote. How incredibly unpredictable with less than a week until the election. Deep? I think not. Calculated? You better believe it.

As you can imagine, the hip-hop community is going crazy over this one. The video is being pumped up on MTV's TRL and online. Eminem has long been viewed as the "outspoken rapper" who'll say "what needs to be said" (and some). Oh he says a lot all right. If there's one thing Eminem's not short on, it's words. Four letter ones too. Hateful ones too. Vapid ones too. With his past attacks on gays, women, his wife, his mother (come to think of it, who hasn't Eminem had issues with?) we should take everything he says with a grain of salt. The boy is a walking ball of anger who likely has more issues from his childhood than he does with the Bush administration.

The video lacks substance and just plays into the emotions and other pre-fabricated drivel my generation has been told about this election. Unfortunately, coherency of thought, and a decent argument are not pre-requisites for whether or not people will take heed to his words. And interesting words they are. Eminem is just a yapper with a lot of influence. If you were to corner him in a room, chances are, he couldn't defend his own arguments with any knowledge beyond emotion.

Thankfully, even some of Eminem's fans are reailizing this. Alternet reports:

Nineteen-year-old Kelley from Apple Valley, MN has a different take: "I am completely appalled by Eminem's 'Mosh' video. He may have his own opinions about our president, but there should be no reason that he has to come out with this Bush-bashing video a week before the election. I am a huge Eminem fan, but this is extremely upsetting. I am also afraid that people will watch this video and be corrupted by what he is portraying, and that is a false image of President Bush."

But what do I think? I think the Right didn't play the hip-hop vote correctly. They should've accounted for this. People are going to drink the sand on this. Eminem's the only one doing the talking and the lemmings will blindly follow. I have heard but a peep and seen minimal effort on the part of Conservatives to reach out to the hip-hop community. I find it hard to believe that Conservatives couldn't find even one inroad. Well I say it's going to cost them. Will it cost Bush the election? No. Not this time. I do believe failure to be more effective in their approach to gaining support from this generation is going to be evident in the polls. Make no mistake about it, the hip-hop generation isn't voting for Bush.

People want leadership and understanding. If Eminem qualifies, then clearly we have low standards. And regardless of how low our standards may be, or what the pseudo hip-hop leaders may be saying, people will be listening, and they'll be voting too. Yep. "Grand theft" for sure.

Update (10/29):
- Michele at "A Small Victory" lays some Eminem Smackdown
- Then again, as Cobb eloquently notes, Bush just may have the hip-hop vote. Heh.

Gah! There is an abundance of good/interesting/disturbing stuff going on right now. My one-person staff can't keep up. Or it could be that I'm too lazy to do so. So instead I offer links:

The Democrats' Plea to the Black Community
I'm not a huge Ann Coulter fan. Don't know why, I'm just not. But she careens the nail on the head in her latest column "40 excuses and a mule", which discusses among other things, the Democrats push for the black vote and their lack of much to offer to back up their claim as "messiah".

More on Eminem the Bush Hater
Brian Crouch has a good post up on the Eminem/Bush Hate controversy as well as a recap of Michael Medved's commentary.

(Update 10/29) Michele at a Small Victory also has some harsh words for the cult of Eminem.

Pulpit Pimpin' Backfires
Remember Allen Temple, the church where the pastor endorsed John Edwards and they handed out what I dubbed the "Kerry/Edwards 'Hope is on the Way' Memorial Church Pew Fans?" Well they got busted. The IRS is on the case. Nate Livingston at "Cincinnati Black Blog" has more info.

(Update 10/29) Michael King covers the recent move by the IRS to rexamine the NAACP's tax-exempt status. 'Cause we all know how nonpartisan they are, right? Right.

Freak Dancing a Constitutional Right?
Joanne Jacobs covers a story on students claiming they have a right to "bump and grind" at their high school homecoming. For the civilized, that's "freak dancing"; for the even more civilized, that's "really nasty dancing". To make it even more plain, think "dry sex on the dance floor". Oh you better believe I'll have more to say on this. Maybe next week.

'Sexy Chic'
Have I mentioned how much I love the Evangelical Outpost lately? Well I do. Joe *drops way too much science to be running that show all by his lonesome. If only I could graze the hem of his garment. See his post "Young Miss Pimp: Pop Music and Female Teen Promiscuity". Excellent stuff. I got something to say 'bout that too.

More on Bumpin' & Grindin'
Check out Hans Zeiger's take on "freak dancing" too.

So much good stuff, so little time...

*Dropping science: "to educate, to enlighten"

I get quite a bit of traffic from UrbanDictionary.com. It seems they've quoted me on something good I said about their site. It was an "Ambra & Ebert" moment I guess. It still remains, one of my favorite online hang-outs. It's a completely user-submitted dictionary of slang, idiomatic expressions, cultural icons and redefinitions of words. I personally find it rather intelligent (save some foul language) and it's also a good pulse on the mind of the "younger" generation.

Recently, I happened upon the dictionary's entry for Bill Clinton. Well actually, make that 69 entries. It seems people have quite a few definitions for Mr. Billy. To be honest, I was rather shocked at the consciousness that I found in the in the majority of the entries. Here are a few:

(Entry #1)
Bill Clinton: 1. To inherit a good economy when taking office while passing a recession off while leaving office
2. To create sperm stains.
3. To smoke but not inhale
4. To not remember yesterday as president under oath, yet when term is over, the ability to write memoirs on your life.
5. To lie under oath

(Entry #4)
Bill Clinton: Immoral president, not the first black president despite popular belief (All of you guys that are saying that he's the first black president, is because you saw a stand up comedian say it, and the joke wasn't funny at all).

See: Liar.

(Entry #8)
Bill Clinton: The fall of Western civilization.

(Entry #16)
Bill Clinton: Bad Guy. Horrible President.

(Entry #21)
Bill Clinton: plain and simple the reason for 9/11

And who said my generation wasn't paying attention?

Just returned from a yearly employment law seminar I attend. Events such as this always quietly reassure me that I made the right decision not to attend law school. Quite frankly, I just don't love the law enough to put up with it on a consistent basis. And I mean some of these lawyer people LOOVVVE the law. And we're not just talking some fileo type touchy, feely love. We're talking some straight up AGAPE type unconditional love affairs going on in the chambers of the halls of justice. They slobber and drool over the excitement of Constitutional Amendments, case law and mock depositions.

Most of my life I thought I wanted to be an attorney. Secretly I didn't, but since most people have a tendency to peg outspoken and flippant black little girls as litigators, I kind of bought into the concept. It was during my freshman year in college when the revelation of my apathy towards studying the law hit me hard.

I had a college government professor who you would have literally thought was high on exstasy at the simple mention of legal jargon. When the whole 2000 election, Katherine Harris, voting fiasco went down, the man didn't sleep for an entire week because he was glued to CSPAN, CNN, and LMNOPQ, enthralled by the impending opportunity to test our judicial process.

Right then I realized, it was never that serious to me. A lawyer I was not.

But back to my lovely legal seminar that I enjoyed oh so much. I of course, being the kinetic learner that I am, drew on my hotel-provided notepad during much of the seminar (see my doodle). Trust me, doing this helps me to pay attention. All you other kinetic learners know what I mean.

Throughout the droning about the Family Medical Leave Act, there was one interesting point during the seminar when one of the lawyers likened an employee posting Biblical references against homosexuality in his cubicle to Aryan Nation propaganda. Yes folks, this is what we are waging war against. Don't tell me philosophy hasn't seeped into the crevices of all that we do. Just a subtle reminder to me that we can't stand to be flaky on this issue. Do you hear that Mr. President? No flakiness allowed.

1. My lovely BCBG heels to make me look taller: $79
2. A fancy catered breakfast: $0
3. Parking: $10
4. Being reminded of the fact that I shouldn't have been a lawyer: Priceless

There are some things in life that money can't buy, for everything else, there's Mastercard, unless you're generation broke.

I'm not even sure what to make of Bush's most recent interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" where he spoke out in favor of civil unions, The San Francisco Examiner reports:

"Some conservative groups expressed dismay Tuesday over President Bush's tolerance of state-sanctioned civil unions between gay people -- laws that would grant same-sex partners most or all the rights available to married couples.

"I don't think we should deny people rights to a civil union, a legal arrangement, if that's what a state chooses to do so," Bush said in an interview aired Tuesday on ABC. Bush acknowledged that his position put him at odds with the Republican platform, which opposes civil unions."

How embarrassing. Is he now mirroring Kerry's stance? This was only one of the many things I took fault with in the President's interview. This election should be one for the books. My only prayer is that it goes down peacefully (only in a dreamworld).

Oh and Andrew Sullivan endorsed John Kerry as the "right choice for Conservatives"? How predictable. Yeah, sorry to say, but I called his bluff a few months ago. This stuff is so tired...

In America, Cancer fundraising is king. At least once a month in some way or another I am hit up on the job for cash in order to support some Cancer cause including prevention, treatment, and finding a cure for a disease that seems to be taking out someone I know at least twice a year. I trust that the Susan G. Komen foundation along with the Cancer Care Alliance can be counted among the two to bring in the most revenue.

Am I the only one who raises both eyebrows to this new rise in capitalizing on peoples' losses and pain via fundraising to "cure" a disease? And especially when the word "cure" is really up for discussion as a good part of me is inclined to think that with the cash flow this cause is bringing in, the arrival at a cure isn't exactly the goal anymore. I mean really, curing cancer although ideal isn't exactly in the best interest of those whose livelihood is based on the actual "research process".

My intention here is not to be insensitive about what I see is a great need, but merely to put the very thing we often glaze over because of the exterior of "good" under a necessary microscope.

Perhaps I take this reserved perspective because I live in Seattle, Washington, cancer research capitol of the world and home of the renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where everyone seeking out the latest and greatest in cancer therapy and discoveries comes to visit. In eight grade, one of my classmates was the daughter of famed astronomer (and evolutionist) Carl Sagan who temporarily re-located to Seattle for the sole purpose of getting treatment. "Fred Hutch" as we affectionately call it, pulls in big donors from around the world. They are perhaps the wealthiest nonprofit in existence in the Pacific Northwest. You should see their benefit galas, all the old (and new) money from around the town comes out in their best after five attire and parties the night away at the finest hotels for $250 a plate.

Awhile back, I took some flak short of being called "heretical" when I suggested I was skeptical of the latest fundraising trend by way of the Lance Armstrong Foundation: the yellow wristband. Well, here we are almost three months later, and the press is beginning to confirm some of my suspicions (although indirectly).

It was recently announced that approximately $20 million has been raised via the yellow bracelets thus far and with a significant amount on back order, the organization has no plans of slowing up anytime soon. The Houston Chronicle reported that the latest trend in fundraising has charities copying the bracelet, hoping for similar success:

"Charities and causes of all stripes are rushing to cash in on the popularity of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's yellow wristband.

A rainbow of wristbands are now being sold to promote awareness of everything from breast cancer to high medical malpractice premiums for doctors.

The trendy silicone rubber bracelet produced by the cycling superstar's cancer-fighting organization is imprinted with the motto "Live Strong." This week, the foundation will announce that it has sold 20 million wristbands at $1 each, the Austin American-Statesman reported today.

Proceeds go toward programs for young people with cancer."

That is 77% of the proceeds. The remaining goes to "overhead". Seventy-seven cents on every dollar are promised to go to "research". Because of the nature of and sensitivity surrounding such a cause, the regulation of funds received for "research" is not generally brought under suspicion.

Still, with the rise in the wristband's popularity, the opportunists have come out. Since the bracelets are in such high demand (month-long back order) The Detroit News reported on the rising trend in eBay price-mongering:

"...the yellow rubber wristband with the words “Live Strong” has become the fashion statement of the times.

Unfortunately, this hot new trend also has become the folly of some opportunists on eBay, who can’t resist a two-bit profit on an otherwise humanitarian effort....thanks to some heartless people, the yellow bands are now reselling on eBay for upward of $20 and the sellers are pocketing the profit.

“We are extremely disappointed that eBay has refused to take these auctions down,” Michelle Milford, a spokeswoman for the foundation, told me.

Milford says the foundation receives an average of 200,000 orders in a single day. The nonprofit’s warehouse can only produce 600,000 a week.

For those that may not know, Nike gave $1 million in seed money to kick off the Armstrong Foundation's campaign. A few discerning ones have been wise to note that the yellow wristband trend is extremely clever marketing on the part of Nike who partnered with the foundation to mass produce the bracelets. Undoubtedly, the funds raked in as a result of other Live Strong merchandise sold (e.g. shorts and t-shirts) far outweigh the current $20 million raised thus far in the campaign. And as far as I know, those funds aren't being donated to cancer research.

This isn't a knock against those who choose to support the cancer cause by purchasing or wearing this bracelet. I in fact probably have one somewhere in my disorganized junk drawer. If anything, my raised eyebrows exist simply because I see an area of permissibility in America that often goes unquestioned. Americans will generally give to any cause that seems "good" because for the most part, we all need to appease our consciences and make up for the lack of charity we show the rest of the year. Still, I feel more inclined to seek out other ways to help this cause. There's too much room for my dollars to end up in the wrong hands.

Are we headed in the right direction towards finding a cure? Draw your own conclusions.

I've been searching for a way to highlight the under 25-year-olds of my generation that you should be afraid of. So I introduce yet another ongoing feature inspired by Joe at the Evangelical Outpost, called "Know Your Rebels".

Rebel: Princella Smith

Why you should fear her: The daughter of a minister and a teacher, she even won the attention of MTV viewers and was chosen as the youngest black woman to deliver a speech to delegates at this year's Republican National Convention. Princella is willing to go against the grain of this generation by being unapologetically Christian and Conservative. Plus she's six feet tall. Plus her name is Princella; that's an action-figure name.

Age: 21

Representing: Wayne, Arkansas

Status: Junior History and Political Science major at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas

Achievements: beat out 100,000 other contestants to become the winner of MTV's "Stand Up and Holla Essay Contest" sponsored by the GOP Convention and MTV was a featured youth speaker at this year's Republican National Convention. Chairman of district 4 for the Arkansas College Republicans, youngest member of African-Americans for Bush, member of the Lady Tiger Basketball Team, Senior Class President, 2001 Governors of Girl State and honors graduate from Wynne High School.

She recently finished an unpaid internship for U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., and her other political volunteer work includes service for Gov. Mike Huckabee and Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller. She plans on attending law school.

Speeches: Generation X-ample

Interviews: YM Magazine, OBU News, Southern Baptist Church Press, Boston, The Early Show, MTV, Washington Times.

You'll notice that's a phrase I use often in my writing. I do so in real life as well. Since I use it so often, I figured I better offer the meaning of one of my most favorite phrases. The origin of "That'll preach" I am unsure of. It's just something I've always said.

It is among other things, an affirmation or form of co-signing similar to "Amen", "That's Right", "Right On", or "Preach on". The only difference is the phrase "Now that will preach" has a bit more depth. It's like saying "Now that's deep" or "There's a lot more that can be said there" or "I could take that topic and run" or "Just give me my soapbox and let me at it".

The suggestion when I use that phrase is that a topic, subject, or idea has been brought to the table that in and of itself is preach-worthy meaning its ponticatable qualities are a 10 on the scale.

Thus ends my Nyktionary lesson for the day. Try it in a sentence sometime.

(P.S. Unrelated, but if anyone can find a solo picture of what I've now dubbed "The Kerry/Edwards Memorial 'Hope is on the Way' Church Pew Fan", I'd be more than grateful)

A recent study has proven what I've long lamented from the rooftops: getting a college education in this country is sending young adults to the poorhouse.

The report, "Generation Broke: The Economic & Political Lives of Young Adults", was released yesterday by Demos, an organization which despite its name is in fact not Democrat, but rather a nonpartisan, non-profit New York public policy group.

The PR Newswire reports,

The economic security of younger Americans is eroding at an alarming pace as a result of slow wage growth, underemployment, rising costs and mounting student loan and credit card debt, according to a new report, "Generation Broke: The Growth of Debt Among Younger Americans," released today from Demos, a non-partisan, public policy group based in New York City.

"This is an age when you set credit and finance benchmarks for the rest of your life," said Tamara Draut, Director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos and lead author of the report. "Young adults starting off in the red will find that it impacts their financial security for years to come. This report should set off alarm bells for every American."

The report's data and findings, based on in-depth analysis of the most recent Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances as well as dozens of other sources, paints a troubling picture of the financial health of America's population of adults aged 18-34, who are entering the period in their lives when financial responsibilities begin to expand. Ironically, this coveted demographic for advertisers and marketers are slipping into a downward debt spiral that is unmatched in modern history.

Now that won't preach. Oh but there's more.

"The report finds that major costs associated with adulthood that begin to mount between the ages of 25 and 34 -- such as housing, child care, and health care -- have all increased dramatically over the past decade. Coupled with rising unemployment or under-employment, slow real-wage growth, and sharp tuition hikes that have led to larger student loans, a massive debt burden has been unleashed on America's young adult population."

Did I mention that my friends and I sit down and commiserate around our college loans? Yes, it's that bad.

When it comes to getting any type of financial aid for college, it pretty much stinks to be middle class. Take my words with a grain of salt as no one twisted my arm behind my back and made me choose a university with $36,000 a year tuition. My parents made too much for me to get an extra large chunk of financial aid. Unfortunately, I grew up in that la-la land reality world where everyone is under the insane impression that their parents have some secret grandios college fund saved up for them. Every time I asked my parents about my "college fund", they pointed to my private school bills and my 81,000 after school activities. To even think that I was getting a free ride, was surely entertaining illusions of grandeur. Meanwhile, I apparently wasn't smart enough to land one of those fabo full-ride scholarship dealies and so to supplement what my over-priced college wasn't giving me in financial aid, I followed the traditional route and took out college loans. As of today, I strongly dislike Fannie, Nellie, Sallie and the entire Mae family. Let's just say, I wouldn't have them over for dinner.

Check out some of the statistics found in the study:

• Growing numbers of Gen-Xers carry a balance. 71% of credit cardholders aged 25-34 revolve their balances, compared to 55% of all cardholders
• Generation-Y may be the most at risk. Three out of four 18-24 year-olds carry a credit card balance, due largely to unregulated, aggressive marketing by card issuers on campuses. Between 1990 and 1995, one survey found credit debt had shot up 134%, from $900 to $2,100. By 2001, a Nellie Mae study found college seniors graduated with an average of $3,262 in credit card debt.
• More young Americans now face debt hardship. 13% of those aged 25-34 are in debt hardship (using 40% or more of their income to service debt), up from less than 7% in 1992.
• Credit card debt among the youngest adults (aged 18-24) skyrocketed 104% during this same period to $2,985.
• Student loan balances have doubled in the course of a decade. The average 2002 graduate carried $18,900 versus $9000 for 1992 graduates.

I wrote about this same topic earlier this year in a piece called "Graduating Slaves". The debt to income ratio of the college graduates of my generation is frightening. That's not to say we don't play a part in our own over-spending. There's a reason we're the target spending group. Still, there are young adults who've graduated college debt-free or very much in a position to speedily repay their borrowing. I count myself rather blessed to be where I am financially in spite of what this study may show. Every time I pay off one of those wretched college loans I party like a rockstar. A sanctified one that is. I plan on buying a house this year and it certainly is no thanks to my burden of educational "privilege". Then again, I never got the blessed degree.

Of course studies like "Generation Broke" are usually void of any tangible solutions to the problems they expose. As for the heavy credit card marketing campaigns to college students, the motivation there is purely evil. No one is held accountable these days. My younger brother started getting credit card applications when he was 14 and couldn't even hold a job.

Still, I'm inclined to think that we set-up young adults for failure when we induce debt so young. Unfortunately, our current economic and educational structure doesn't support the belief in that last assertion. Does anyone?

Bush's support among black voters is on the up and up. Polls are pretty much worthless to me, but since everyone else seems to be referring to them as though they were they were the Torah, I think it's worth noting that a recent New York Times poll showed black support for President Bush at a whopping 17%. That's more than twice his support from the last election.

In her most recent column, "Why more blacks support Bush this year", Star Parker gives reasons for the percentage increase.

"I have been writing that traditionally Democratic voters in the black church going community are becoming disillusioned with the Democratic Party and that, in particular, the gay marriage issue has become a focal point of that disillusionment.
.......
The black community is by and large a religious community. When surveyed, blacks respond at higher rates than whites that religion plays a "very important" role in their life.

The interesting reality over recent years has been that blacks have not taken their faith with them into the voting booth as do whites. Regular church attendance has been a reliable predictor of voting behavior among whites, with church goers disproportionately voting Republican. Among blacks this has not been the case.

The gay marriage issue may very well be the tip of the iceberg of change among the black electorate. Gay marriage, and claims equating the gay movement to the civil rights movement, has been a wake-up call. "

Meanwhile, in what seems to be the Democrats last attempt at scaring up that crucial percentage of the black vote, Kerry/Edwards and cohorts have hit up black churches like free all-you-can-eat buffets.

The Gaia-worshipping environmentalist Al Gore recently spent his Sunday talking politics and scripture at a predominately black, Jacksonville, Florida Baptist Church.

While Al Gore perpetrated a fraud, John Edwards was schmoozing at Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Ohio, where the Kerry/Edwards memorial pew fans were passed out, and where the pastor Rev. Donald Jordan not only gave the Kerry/Edwards ticket a public endorsement, but also declared before the congregation of 1,200 that Edwards would be the next President.

Meanwhile, John Kerry did his "good deed" last Sunday by campaigning at Mount Hermon AME Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Pulpit, you have just been pimped.

You may have heard about this on network news, but here locally in a Seattle podunk suburb called Puyallup, school officials have decided to ban all Halloween festivities for the entire district.

The decision was based on two factors. The first being the fact that teachers reported that the events surrounding the holiday distracted students and took away from class time. The second, and more prevailing reason was due to the fact that local members of the Wiccan religion claimed that many of the costumes are offensive to "real witches". Yeah witches costumes offend me too, but not for the same reason (see my Halloween post).

Puyallup, Washington isn't the only district to make this decision. School officials at an Illinois school made a similar decision to downsize Halloween festivities in favor of more academic time.

Puyallup is also home of Boy Scout devotee Hans Zeiger who not surprisingly has his own take on the events:

"Last December, I returned to Puyallup High School for the first time since graduation to discover that the administration had banned the display of class Christmas trees at the annual Alumni Assembly. For decades, students of the sophomore, junior, and senior classes had decorated Christmas trees to show forth their class pride. Now, political correctness has overwhelmed school tradition. I found, in the course of conversations with older alumni, that I was not the only one offended by the onslaught of the Office of Diversity Affairs and its vicious holiday code.

And now we must pay our respects to the local witches. Let us cancel one holiday to offend the Christians; let us cancel another to please the Wiccans.
.......
As for me, I actually consider it a good development that Halloween is off the calendar in Puyallup. But political correctness is worse than Halloween, so it's no time for celebration."

I agree that Halloween shouldn't be celebrated in schools, but Zeigler is correct in pointing out the district's blatant inconsistencies in regards to Christmas. They would have been smarter just to note that the holiday takes away from academic time and keep it at that.

I've said it often and I'll say it again, American is more pagan than we care to admit. This Sunday, the last day of October will mark the annual celebration of what I believe to be one of the most disturbing and widely accepted holidays of the year: Halloween. I won't be celebrating, and I have my reasons.

I believe that the origin of everything, but especially holidays is worth knowing and very seriously considering. There is often a lot of symbolism involved in our "commemorations" that we tend to ignore or make excuses for. I count October 31st as one of the biggest cover-ups for Satanic activity to come along since, well, a certain rock music group which shall go unnamed.

I'm not generally one to bore with the facts. A simple "Google" search on the origins of Halloween can bring you this information, but I thought I'd condense it a bit for the sake of the lazy reader like me.

The Origin
You can trace the origins of Halloween back a number of different ways, but most will lead you to a Celtic Festival called "Samhain" which celebrated the changing of seasons and their "new year" on November 1st. The Celts believed that on the eve of their "new year" the boundary between the dead and the living became blurred. On that eve of the "new year" (October 31) they believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

On that eve, the Celtic priests (also known as Druids) built huge bonfires and offered crops and animals as sacrifices to Celtic deities. During the "celebration", the participants dressed up in costumes and tried to tell each other's fortunes. When the Romans conquered the Celtic territory, they combined their pagan festivals into one.

Traditions like bobbing for apples find their origin in the worshipping of the Roman goddess of fruit and trees called "Pomona". The symbol of Pomona is the apple (we French speakers know the word for applie is "pomme"). Even the tradition of the "jack-o-lantern" is historically based on a mythological character.

Years passed and with the influence of Catholicism, celebrations evolved into what we now call "All Saints Day" on November 1 or loosely translated from Middle English, "All-hallows". The day before "All Saints Day" was known as "All-hallows Eve" or what we now call "Halloween".

Dressing in Costume
Celebrations were marked by bonfires, parades, and people dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils.

The History Channel reports some interesting background on Halloween:

"The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter."

Speaking as a Christian, we are not to make idols of the dead. We honor the dead, but we don't worship the dead. There is only one who gets the "worship" in this deal and it's God. The dead are dead. Let their bodies be in the grave and their souls rest in heaven or hell.

The Origin of Trick-or-Treating
It's been suspected that the act of going from door to door to get candy traces back to the All Saint's day parades when during the festivities, the poor would go around to peoples' houses begging for food. Families who answered the door would give them pastries called "Soul cakes" in return for their promise that they'd pray for family's dead relatives. This practice was eventually given over to children and intended to replace the tradition of leaving out food for "roaming spirits".

Today
Jump to the present. There isn't a lot that has changed from the past. During the 19th century, there was a move to center Halloween on family and community, but the roots and traditions are still visible and prevailing.

It is widely known that Halloween also serves as a time for those involved in the occult to commemorate their own sacred rituals. Covens gather and the worshipping of spirits commences. We often turn our shoulder, but the Wiccans, witchcraft, and demonism are very real and very prevalent in our society. There are many things I'm willing to tolerate and entertain, the occult is not one of them.

Many would argue that the holiday is all in fun and while I agree there are aspects of this celebration that seem harmless, the undertones are not something with which I personally desire to associate myself or my future children. Aside from trick-or-treating, the fruit of this holiday is arguably not heavily weighted towards "community". The abundance of haunted houses, witches, devil, and ghost costumes, séances, scary stories, and the general presence of "death" is not edifying in the least.

I believe people should act according to their convictions. If you choose to celebrate this day by putting your own moral "twist" on it, so be it. But I also believe we're accountable for what we know. Many black Christians know the negative origin and roots of Kwanzaa but choose to celebrate the holiday anyway. I am not one of those people. For those who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ, the connotations of Halloween are not good. The foundation for Halloween is steeped in paganism.

With Americans spending an average of $6.9 billion (not million) to commemorate Halloween, that makes it the second largest commercial holiday of the year. When people ask me what I'm going as for Halloween, I say, "I'm dressing up as the wacky Christian girl who believes the holiday is pagan."

I respect authority in many forms: God-given, parental, spiritual, governmental, you name it. I was raised to respect those with authority over me and I truly appreciate those who serve to ensure my safety on a consistent basis.

That said, despite a number of circumstances that should determine I do the opposite, I even respect police officers. However, I must say, my patience is wearing thin.

I would be lying if I said that all of my encounters with law enforcement have been positive. They haven't been. In reality, the fact that I have even had multiple experiences is sad enough, but what's worse is how mind numbingly irritating and humiliating 75% of my encounters have been. If you've even read one week's worth of content on this site, you know me, and it's clear I'm not into crying "victimhood". Similarly, I'm not generally prone to jump on the "black injustice" bandwagon, so forgive me in advance, but today I am completely frustrated with law enforcement, their pre-conceived notions of who the "criminals" are, and their completely self-regulatory nature and extreme lack of checks and balances.

If you want to know why I have a hesitancy to co-sign on the "racial profiling is a really good thing" declaration? Because I have zero convictions that the aforementioned statement is either true or ethical. Experience has led me to believe that our enforcement of it is highly, and I mean highly suspect.

To put it bluntly, I am taxpaying citizen with absolutely no criminal record, moving violations, let alone even an overdue library book who is quite sick and tired, and tired of being sick (and tired too) of being pulled over, harassed, and spoken to like I have zero intelligence by some of the low-life power tripping insecure ninnies that call themselves police officers. It is getting ridiculous.

I am certain that there are some folks who never grew up having "the talk" with their parents about proper police officer-pulling-over-etiquette. Maybe that's just a "black family" thing. Maybe not. Who knows really. One would think that with us having exited the era of Jim Crow, such conversations would be entirely unnecessary. In come, our jacked-up United States mentalities. Point being, I have long been trained on how to handle myself in completely unjustified situations with law enforcement.

Don't make sudden movements. Keep your hands close to or near the steering wheel. As a woman, if you're driving alone and it's dark outside, don't ever get out of the car--even if the police officer asks you to. Request to drive to a location where there will be witnesses. Don't get smart mouthed (even if the man's uncouth behavior is deserving of backtalk).

These are the fundamentals I remember from my semi-yearly reminder discussions with my mom. Sad huh? And I'm only a black woman. My brother got an entirely different speech.

And maybe if this were some hokey after school special I could say something to the likes of, "The police officer was just doing his job." Right. Let's outline this so-called "job" and re-cap some of my experiential chronology.

A Police Officer's Job Description:
- Excuse all the other high school students (none of which were doing anything wrong) on account of the fact that they go to the well-established white "prep school". Nevermind that they all get high behind the school during lunchtime.

- Don't assume the fact that I go to the same "prep school" because after all, I don't have that "look".

- Pull over a 16-year-old girl for going 6 miles per hour over the speed limit on the highway and inform her that you don't think she even has enough money to pay a speeding ticket.

- Pull over a 17-year-old girland her brother, doing nothing wrong, on their way to get ice cream and harass them about their destination. As if the two of them are really going to Baskin & Robbins for ice cream. Right. Sounds suspicious.

- Flash your spotlight on a parked car in an apartment complex and demand to see the identification of an 18-year-old girl and her best friend who are simply sitting in the car, having a nighttime discussion about the Bible. Because of course, whoever talks about the Bible without cocaine nearby?

- Lastly, flash your lights at a 23-year-old girl and her best friend who are parked in a restaurant parking lot talking. Do so for no apparent reason. Send another car with flashing lights for back up (and further humiliation). Usurp authority and demand to see both the driver and passenger's identification, insurance, and registration. Find spotless records on the computer. Feel stupid for having pulled over squeaky clean citizens. Try to make small talk with them as you completely humiliate them for no good reason. Have your partner ask them what church they go to stall your further search for some sort of "dirt" on the trusty computer. Leave with your tail between your legs because you acted like a Biblical donkey.

Those are just a few. You've seen my pictures, do I look like a criminal to you? How's about our law enforcement officials go out there and fight some real crime? They can start by busting up that white collar crack house a few blocks from where they flashed their lights at me.

What a waste of my tax dollars.

So ends another semi-fruitful week. I am exhausted, but the 80s references are totally "taking me back" and giving me a much needed boost, keep 'em coming.

On another note, add these to my list of words I simply must use more often:

Balderdash and Poppycock.

Quite honestly, I don't understand why anyone needs to cuss when there are an abundance of perfectly suitable obscure words that will leave the person you're talking to staring at you like you're crazy.

Oh yeah, and my "correspondent" sent me this link about Newsweek writers supposedly declaring John Kerry as the winner in print. To that I say, "poppycock".

Have a great weekend everyone. See ya Monday.

Let me begin with a few notes. If you made it through that last screed, God Bless You. Simply put, I had to get that off my chest.

In other news, to whichever reader that's never met me but sent me the "halitosis" email, to which I jokingly referred yesterday, HA HA VERY FUNNY.

Okay, on with the missive.

Maybe it's because I've only been bothering people since 1981, but I am utterly convinced that the "80s" have few redeeming qualities. Verbal expressions like "Fresh" and "Cool" were abundant. So were pleated stone-washed jeans, and neon, and bad hair, and Olivia Newton John. Reagan ruled the land, and Bobby Brown declared it was "his prerogative".

So I ask, what made the 80s so great? What made them not-so-great? Quite frankly, I think we could have skipped them all.

My maternal grandfather is a very matter-of-fact type man. Aside from his occasional use of the word "Oriental" to describe things other than rugs, he has always been practical in his lectures to his grandchildren. From the time I turned thirteen, he has been perched at his proverbial lectern, rambling speeches out the sides of his mouth on "youthful lusts" and avoiding "moments of indiscretion" caused by the "urgency of the moment". To these words, we usually rolled our eyes, but as a young adult reflecting, I respect his cautionary wisdom.

There are few things that "kept me" during my youth. I don't profess to be saintly. In fact, quite the contrary in my own right I must say. I have, however, by the grace of God, avoided a number of typical "adolescent", "teenagery" and "young adult" pitfalls. And no, it wasn't any thanks to that horrible D.A.R.E. curriculum or the hokey "Smoking Smokes You" commercials. Credit wasn't due to the predictable after-school specials which were generally marked by their propensity to find the most washed-up and horribly corny celebrity to deliver our generation some played out "reality check". And God knows it wasn't the vapid and confusing "What's Happening to My Body: for girls" book (complete with how-tos) we had to read in our "Life Skills/Sex-ed" class, and it certainly wasn't my childhood doctor giving me the unsolicited disclaimer that if I ever considered becoming sexually active, she could provide me birth control without my parents' knowledge. No. None of these things did much for me amidst a morally relative culture.

I am quite certain, that the main ingredient that "kept me" was the fact that at a very young age, I had my eyes opened up to my own human potential. I saw my life beyond what was right in front of me. I knew early on that the journey wasn't just for tomorrow, it was for a lifetime. It was purpose. Purpose guided me, and purpose kept me. It was that simple. No magic tricks. No shaking the magic eight ball to find out what was next. Carefully aided by those who cared for and influenced me, God slowly revealed me to me and for that dominant reason, I am who I am today. I can't apologize for or shrink back from what I didn't experience, but I can be objective.

To the older and wiser, I assert: I think we might be going about some things the wrong way.

There are many, even those who don't profess to be Christians, who are familiar with the beginning words of Proverbs 29:18 which reads, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." A different translation reads, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint." Of the vast amount of life, wisdom and revelation the Bible breathes, I am convinced that the admonition in Proverbs is most apropos to my generation.

If you give an innocent 2-year-old a fresh, uncreased copy of the latest Wall Street Journal, chances are, the young one will use it for everything but its true purpose. The "toddler" may crumple and tear the pages, scribble on it with a crayon, or even attempt to eat it. The Wall Street Journal is useless to 2-year-olds. They could care less about the wealth of business information and current events available in its content. For them, its purpose isn't yet defined nor has its proper context been revealed. That lack of revelation leads them to do what is only natural and inherent--abuse the newspaper. Abuse is merely "mis-use", and how many of us are guilty of doing that with our lives?

At some point or another, we have all "cast off restraint" for lack of personal vision and understanding of what exactly this vessel called flesh was really meant to do. One of the saddest states of humanity is when we operate at a quality of life that is lower than what God truly expects from us. This isn't about some "just believe in yourself" or "reach for your dreams" message the average teenager has heard so many times that they've completely tuned it out. This is about recognizing that a person who has no real concept of who they truly are will abuse their life in an undoubtedly repeated fashion.

The sea of insecurity and lack of identity that plagues the typical middle and high schools is no respecter of class, race, or degree of intellect. From the urban, nearly-run-down-with-no-books-classroom, to the elite private school where the "old money" sends their inheritors, you will find the same fundamental issues: Lack of purpose, and lack of vision. It is the number one issue facing my generation and it is leading to self-destruction.

"Self-destruction" manifests itself in a plethora of ways, many of which are somewhat camouflaged by society's concept of "normality". If a young person is packaged the right way with all exterior evidence of what we deem "good" (e.g. new school clothes), we assume them to be healthy and well-adjusted.

The 14-year-old girl who has given up her virginity and some, seeking affection, validation, and affirmation from the man missing in her life since birth is no different from the high school Junior who is quickly heading towards becoming a full-fledged alcoholic, eating away at his liver every spare evening he gets. Similarly, those two scenarios don't vary much from the highly-caffeinated college Senior with straight As in a field of study she detests, cramming for the LSAT her parents are pressuring her to take, yet considering suicide when hit with that overwhelming feeling of lonliness, despair, and helplessness at the thought of going on in a life with no meaning. Even the gang-banger packing heat and occupying that ally over there shares a commonality with all of these constituents of my generation. Really, it's all the same. Same lack of vision, same abuse of our own capabilities, and same attempts to gain approval from people who don't hold our destiny.

Our rampant inability to see beyond tomorrow is a scary epidemic in its own right. Even worse, are those who know, yet still disregard that a tomorrow even exists because they are among some of the ring leaders of those in my generation who are unable to help themselves.

There are varying degrees of evidence that planning and acknowledging the immediate and delayed future are not the popular message.

For my generation, media and consumerism are the gods we worship. If you can package it, we will buy it. If it sounds good and the beat is hot, we'll listen. If it stinks but you tell us it's "hot", chances are, we'll still listen. If it appeals to our flesh, better believe we will watch it. I suppose this is no different than generations past, but in the era of the multi-sensory media--mobile phones, two-way pagers, Mp3 players, 24/7 music video stations, and satellite radio--messages and philosophies are being transmitted at lightning speed and from every direction. The overwhelming message being preached: if it feels good, do it.

Instant gratifcation is "in" and calculated preparation is "out".

That's right folks, don't worry about tomorrow; you can pick up those pieces later. It's okay to waste your life right now as long as you grow up and get a good job and have a family. After all, there is a general allotted time for everyone to be reckless right?

Something isn't adding up. We are not equipping this generation to reign in this new millennium. We throw dollars at the youth, hoping to bring about some sort of "change" or "enlightenment" through far too many worthless "just do right" campaigns, social programs, curriculum and philosophy that is often missing that key element of ushering youth into living purpose-filled lives.

Meanwhile, self-appointed "youth specialists", "adolescent psychologists", and school administrators that don't give a flying fig about our future, often think they have this whole generation figured out as they quietly project their own personal short-comings and insecurities onto us. Excuse me? Who said we were ever called to make the same mistakes as our forefathers? The "you'll have to learn the hard way just like me so I won't tell you what I struggled with, but instead I'll allow you to make the same mistake" mentality is wretched. Yes, growing up, we will make mistakes, but for the love of the Lord crying out in the night, we should at least demand progress. We should at least demand a higher standard than what came before us. Isn't that what the generational concept is all about?--building on what was and not starting at the same place our parents did?

Is not an entire generation dying a slow and silent death?--playing life like bumper cars, crashing against the culture walls, curses and low expectations that lack purity and character. Is it not glaringly obvious by the continual seeking out of all methods of guidance through song lyrics, fortune cookies, horoscopes, email forwarded personality tests, celebrities and faulty "guidance counselors" who themselves are quite bitter and often lack their own identity and vision?

The preached message of "just believe in yourself" is rendered useless when the "self" we're encouraging people to "believe in" is fake, flawed or in many cases, nonexistent. And yet we continue to feed the generation that will eventually lead this nation with watered down, feel-good messages of socialism and humanism, concepts that have proven themselves to do very little at readying young people for no more than future disgruntled lives as adults who would have "done things differently" if again given the chance. The evidence of past generations displays this in neon lights.

So where is the vision? Believe it or not, people are perishing. The war for truth is taking place in our bedrooms, our classrooms, and most importantly, our minds. This "trying to find yourself" business is figuratively killing kids off. We will continue to reap a harvest of young people left cleaning up the mental mess of years of systematic indoctrination and lies if we do not stop prescribing medicine that merely treats symptoms. Shake the magic eight-ball on that and it will probably read, "Outlook not so good".

Oh how I long for the day when we will hear a consistent message from those with a willingness to speak on what is right. We are not what others are telling us to be. We are not mistakes or accidents. We are not just to be "thrown" into the garbage or picked off like targets at a shooting range. Our minds are reserved for greatness. Our bodies are precious. We are vital to our collective future. There are countless individuals who are depending on us being us. We need to get in touch with the one who formed us in the womb. There is a plan for us to do great things even now. We can even walk a straight line if we want. The pathway of most resistance is merely waiting for footprints.

Again, while participating in my 18th most favorite past time (checking my referral log for the funny Google searches that land people here), I came across a winner of a search request:

"eliminating halitosis, the facts"

I certainly hope this individual eventually located the information they were after. Did you know that there's an online company that will send an anonymous "you have bad breath" letter (on your behalf) to a friend or loved one? I'm sorry, but that's hilarious.

I've often wished that I could personally call these Google searchers to answer their search requests. On the off chance that that they come back, here are a few answers to some of the top search requests:

Search: "Black women bad attitude"
Answer: Sometimes, but not this black woman. But the attitude part, that's a female thing in general.

Search: "Jesse Jackson coined phrases"
Answer: Anything that uses alliteration or rhymes. One of my personal favorite is "I'm a victim, give me money!"

Search: "Commentary and rappers"
Answer: Bad combination since KRS One opened his yap.

Search: "Proper Way to wear jeans"
Answer: Not showing any butt-cleavage would be a start.

Search: "Theo's shirt made by his sister Cosby show"
Answer: It was a Gordon Gartrelle shirt, and it was ugly.

Search: "mona lisa smile ineffective classroom"
Answer: A resounding yes.

Search: "Vicodin"
Answer: Good results, baaaaad stuff.

Search: "do white people believe in spanking their kids?"
Answer: Of course, silly. The paddle is no respecter of persons (substitute paddle for slipper, shoe, switch, whatever the weapon of choice)

Search: "my mom spanked"
Answer: Mine did too. Join the club!