In light of what Al Sharpton said about Tiger Woods and his "white female problem" how many of you would or could say what you REALLY feel about interracial dating and marriages?  I am not talking about constitutionally or civil rights, I am talking about deep down personal gut feelings......As an AMERICAN of African ancestry I will give my view on this after I have read a number of views from others....BE HONEST.

QUESTION:  How many people out there think that professional sports are rigged? That each game is rigged so that the outcome is already known by the "fixers?"  Especially pro football.

Eating healthy. Not sure what that means except it all depends on whose “healthy” we are talking about. There have been so many definitions of “healthy” over the decades that it can be very confusing. What was “healthy” for the older generation is now different for the younger generation; and just when you think you have “healthy” down pat, someone comes along and changes the meaning again.

We’re warned that we shouldn’t drink water, don’t drink coffee it will make you obese, and to toss out that can of tuna because they are polluted with stuff that will kill us, things we can’t even pronounce. Last decade we were warned to not wear clothes made from cancer causing materials, to pour out that glass of milk and don’t even think about movie popcorn or exotic fruits. Somewhere along the way we were warned that our home deodorizers and rug cleaners would murder us in our sleep-----and if they didn’t get us, our underarm deodorant, rug shampoo, detergents and glass cleaner surely would. And if we really want to commit suicide all we have to do is ingest a red meat sandwich.

Too often these “warnings” come from so-called “experts” and “remedy manufacturers” that put out half-baked conclusions and self-serving studies about everything we eat, drink and wear. But if the truth were known, the only “healthy” they are interested in is when their wallets gets “healthier” and yours gets poorer. And those who heed these “experts” become frightened and more paranoid about almost everything. And the more paranoid they become the easier it is to separate them from their money buying pills, tablets, drinks and powders that the “hawkers” just happen to have for sale.

However, I am very thankful that we do have a legitimate consumer health organization with rules and standards that for the most part protect us from products that could potentially hurt or kill us. This organization has a tough job given the amount and complexity of the ever-increasing daily flow of American and foreign drugs, additives and foods that come onto the market. It is one of those jobs that is often criticized and rarely complimented.

Being ”healthy” is a good thing, but being scammed isn’t. I think “healthy” is whatever it means for you on an individual basis in conjunction with your personal physician. No two people have the same physical and mental abilities, and what helps one person is disastrous for another. There certainly are risks in our water, foods, clothing, and other products we use, but for the most part the risks are minimal. However, it is a wise person who does his/her homework on products-----and learning from the older generations isn’t all bad either. So before you gets all excited and throw out last nights dinner and burn all your clothes and curtains because some TV “doctor” told you how bad they were, my advice is this------take a very “healthy” dose of good old-time “Common Sense” in liquid or pill form. I know it is hard to find these days but there have to be some out there somewhere.

Islamic terrorists, does it really matter if one or more of their so-called leaders are killed or captured? This war is nothing like past wars (except Vietnam). We seem to ascribe a World War II mentality to this fight where capturing or killing the leaders of the enemy like Hitler, Rommel, Yamamoto, Tojo or Hirohito would have made a big difference because of the power and control they had over their military. In this “war” there is no “structured” military force. Killing or capturing any Islamic terrorists, whether they are seen by us as leaders or not, means little as there are hundreds just waiting to take their place and make names for themselves. Even though we have put a lot of emphasis on capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden, in real terms would it really mean anything if we did. There are so many terrorists’ bands, groups and splinter groups willing to kill us, that no one man among them can wield the power of a Rommel or Yamamoto. So, our mission should be to kill terrorists and not fool ourselves into thinking we can affect their desire and motivation by killing or capturing one or more of them.

I FOUND THIS ON THE INTERNET…….
Once upon a time a large company had a vast warehouse in the middle of an urban area. The Board of Directors said someone could steal from it at night. So they created a night watchman’s position (GS-4 level) and hired a man for the job. Then the board members asked, “How does the night watchman do his job without instructions?” So they created a Planning Commission and hired two people; one to write the instructions (GS-12 level) and one to do time studies (GS-11 level)
Then the board members asked, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?” So they created a Quality Control position and hired two more people, one to do the studies (GS-9 level) and the other to write the reports (GS-11 level).
Then the board asked, “How are these people going to get paid?” So they created a timekeeper position (GS-9 level) and a payroll officer (GS-11 level).
Then the board asked, “Who will be accountable for all these people we hired?” So they created administrative positions and hired three people, an Administrative Officer (GS-13 level), an Assistant Administrative Officer (GS-12 level) and a Legal Secretary (GS-8 level).
Then the board said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000.00 over budget. We must cutback overall costs!”

So they laid off the night watchman.

Isn’t that the way it always happens?

Mr. Morris just wrote a column about the so-called war between the Black Caucus and Obama. As a conservative AMERICAN of African ancestry I like Mr. Morris, but what I don’t understand is why he, like so many other pundits, can’t get it through their heads that no matter how angry the Black Caucus, or other black groups, get with Obama, THEY WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT HIM AND VOTE FOR EVERYTHING HE WANTS….Obama could burn down their homes, rape their daughters and shoot their dogs and they will still worship him and support him….BELIEVE ME, I KNOW THESE LIBERAL BLACK PEOPLE……..

The speech at West Point by President Obama on Dec 1, 2009 was one well anticipated by the American people. Whereas some listeners were pleased with his speech and its contents, there were others who were not. After digesting his remarks over a period of hours, my final assessment was that it was a strange, vague, uninspiring speech that sounded more like a lecture. If the intent was to rally the nation it fail way short of that goal.
Never once during the speech did he say the word “win.” Of course I must admit defining what is a “win” in a war like this is difficult if not impossible. So I don’t hold him to account on that. He also threw a bone to those who have been calling for additional troops in Afghanistan while in the same breath telling those who are against additional troops that they will come home after 18 months. The president caught a lot of heat on the 18 months statement from both left and right.
The president tried to explain his long delay in making his decision to send troops but it was not convincing to me. I believe he felt trapped and politically conflicted. An anti-war liberal president having to make such a serious decision about a military matter must have been very hard for him. Afterwards there were Republicans cheering his decision to inject 30K more troops into Afghanistan. Republicans should be very careful in supporting this decision too strongly, as it might come back to hurt them during the 2010 and 2012 elections. So far the Republicans have resisted being drawn into Democratic legislation and bills that are very unpopular among the general population. But if they show too strong a support on the additional troop surge and it all turns into one big disaster, the Democrats will blame the Republicans for sure.
Personally I think Afghanistan is and will be President Obama’s Vietnam. He said it isn’t, but I would not expect him to say anything different. I doubt if his heart was in the speech he gave, the words came but the underlying “fire” to rally the nation, just was not there. But he has committed himself and he is catching flak mostly from the radical left. But the president does not have to fear them or worry about losing their support because they will support and vote for him regardless of what he does against them.
So in my assessment the speech was uninspiring and academic, only time will tell if this president made the right decision. The voters in 2008 made a choice by electing Obama, the troops don’t get a choice, but lets hope they don’t suffer too much from the choice made by the voters.

The National Football League (NFL) is a very large business, and millions of fans watch the teams of their choice each week. My wife, who could care less about football, asked me one Sunday why I watch the games with the mute button on. I told her it was my annoyance-control button-----because the commentators annoy the heck out of me with their incessant prater during the games.
To listen to them argue among themselves about some personal matter during the games about this team or that player is ridiculous and adds nothing to the game. And their bias rhetoric for or against one team or the other is downright insulting. Sometimes the bias is so bad against one team that one would think there wasn’t another team on the field.
On several occasions I thought some of them were going to come to blows over some disagreement that had nothing to do with the game at hand. And the referees are always the target of their rhetoric and ridicule. Things some commentators have uttered occasionally about referees come close to being libel. In addition, I have even missed a current play on the field because a commentator was in a snit about the previous play.
Last year, I found out more about the personal and private lives of the players than I have about their talents and playing abilities. I don’t care about the quarterback’s girlfriend, or what the running back’s brother did at a nightclub last week. I don’t want to hear about why the coach’s wife is divorcing him or how many traffic tickets the wide receiver got last month. All of that stuff has no relevance to the game being played at that time.
Maybe it is just me, but all I want to do is get a bowl of popcorn, a cold drink, sit back in my recliner and watch a football game. Yeah I would like to hear the commentators comment on the plays and the excitement of the game, but I don’t want to hear all their spurious and inane rhetoric about the private lives of the players and the coaches. The commentators need to stop the showcasing and realize that the games are NOT ABOUT THEM!!! Hence, I watch the games mostly with the mute button on--works for me. JUST PLAY THE GAME PEOPLE!!!!!!!

A few days ago a black gentleman from Vineland said that despite my conservatism even I, as a black man, must get a sense of pride seeing a black President of the United States. I told him that the election of Barrack Obama as President of the United States was very bittersweet for me then….. as it is today.
It says a lot about our nation that a black man could be elected to such a high office, but at the same time there is a serious down side to his election. The left touts his election as a historical event of huge magnitude, and rightly so if his being black is the only consideration. But with the man comes his politics and Obama’s political views are so far left that they will eventually do more harm to the nation than healing-----and therein lay the bittersweet taste for me.
Yes, as an American of African ancestry I take cautious pride in Obama’s election as president, but as a conservative I have very deep concerns and disagreements with his far left politics. Equally, I would also be just as concerned if he was too far right in his views. The unknowable for our nation is whether or not it can survive the ravages of his march towards socialism.
I doubt any president comes into office wanting to be a failure, but if Obama continues down the liberal road he is now traveling, allowing his presidency to be run by far left Congressional leaders, then I think history will judge him as one of America’s worse presidents.

The sad part of being Republicans in Washington these days is the fact that they have no power or influence to stop the Democrats from passing anything they wish. To their credit however is their continued beating of the drums of warning about the dangers of the socialist agenda of this president and his administration. One of the Grand Old Party’s (GOP) most glaring flaws in past years has been their move away from conservative principles as they try desperately to win elections by acting more like Democrats on political issues. This strategy worked in New Jersey as a liberal Republican was elected as governor of that very liberal state; however, it has no chance of succeeding on a national level. In NJ, it could be said that even a broken clock is right sometime.
The Democrats are counting on a divided GOP going into the upcoming 2010 election. They hope to hide or diminish the many negative things that characterize the Democratic Party and this president. Yet passing an onerous and unpopular healthcare bill will surely work against the Democrat’s hope of deceiving and confusing the voters. Voters, especially seniors, may not understand every jot and tittle of the healthcare legislation but they do understand key points that will adversely affect them. They owe their information to the tea party movements and outrage from the general public and non-liberal news media.
Republicans are afraid of putting up a true conservative candidate for fear that he/she will not win. It has been a long time since they have put up one, and they are judging their chances solely on what the media and the left tell them-----which in itself is flawed and strange reasoning. What they should do is take a look at the 2006 and 2008 elections where true liberal Democrats soundly beat their liberal GOP candidates. The GOP could bring millions of conservatives back into the party if they redirected their energy, time and money towards fiscal and social conservative solutions for our local and national problems.
Unfortunately conservative voices fall on deaf ears as the GOP purposely ignores them. Even though the Republicans in Washington continue to beat the drums of warning against socialism the infection of liberalism within their own ranks tend to water down their message. After all, if they cannot show any significant difference between themselves and the Democrats, then what makes them more deserving of a seat than the Democrats?

Recently I corresponded with several of my conservative friends about the so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats that they were complimenting for holding their ground. I told them that they should not hang their hopes on what the “dogs” say--- just watch what they do. The game played by the “Blue Dog” Democrats on the healthcare legislation is transparent. Often they say, “If this is in the bill I won’t vote for it,” or “If this isn’t in the bill I won’t vote for it.” Since their words have proven to be hollow and meaningless in years past, why should anyone believe them now? Liberal Democrats know that when the final vote is taken, the “dogs” will all vote the party line. They also realize that Senator Collins and Snow, the two RINOs (Republican In Name Only), will also vote with the Democrats. So this show by the “dogs” of being stubborn, concerned about fiscal issues and being judicious is very transparent and a huge sham. There are a lot of liberal fleas on these “dogs”--- politics is indeed a malodorous and duplicitous business.

BLACKHAWKE

Sarah Palin is a very personable and intelligent person. Liberals are very much afraid of her huge popularity among the American people. They have tried everything to bury, demonize, criticize and marginalize her. Liberal activists, the media and Democrats have viciously attacked her family and overall tried to destroy her. They have failed in their attempts. Sarah Palin, ex-governor of Alaska, is more popular now than ever before.
When it comes to style, honesty, strength, consistency, toughness and connecting with the people, she reminds many of President Ronal Reagan. The Republican Party needs her and other real conservatives to put it back on track and get out of the minority. But, I fear the liberal majority in the Republican Party will not support her in 2010 or 2012. They too do not like her because she represents exactly the type of down to earth conservatism that they lack. They would rather pursue the failed strategy of trying to out-liberal the Democrats. A strategy that the Democrats want them to keep------ which begs the question to Republicans, “what is the definition of insanity?”
As a conservative Independent I view Sarah Palin as the first person to come along since Ronald Reagan that I can get excited about. If the Republican Party makes the huge error of kicking her to the curb, I do hope she runs as an Independent. If she did that, I truly believe she would be the first Independent to win the Whitehouse.

It is imperative that our military and national defense teams present a united front to all our enemies. This front must be maintained even when the decisions and policies of this president seem anti-military and weak on national defense. Truth is, over many years Democrat politicians have often shown their disdain for our military and national defense through speeches, policies and rhetoric on the floors of the Senate and the House.
A friend of mine, a retired Marine of African ancestry, emailed me in April and said that it sickened him to watch the Marines having to salute Obama as he entered and exited Air Force One and the helicopter. I reminded him that those Marines are saluting the Office of The Presidency, not the man. He said I was right but it still didn’t make him feel any better. Told him to eat more whole grain and take a nap.
For conservatives it is difficult to watch our military establishment undergoing attacks from a Democratic administration, and it makes it extremely taxing and stressful for the men and women in uniform. So I can understand my friend’s frustration, but the fact that presidents come and go every four years offers hope for our military. One thing is for sure our military will continue to provide a united front to both our foreign and domestic enemies.