On Starbucks' Bias Training

                                                                     

The other day I was out running errands and listening to National Public Radio.  The segment I heard was about Starbucks' bias training being administered to the thousands of stores on May 28th.  Initially skeptical, as I listened to what subjects were being covered, I changed my way of thinking as I heard about one segment of the training that seemed most cogent and poignant and ran true.  The guest was talking about how difficult it is for Black men, at just routinely walking into a convenience store.  Several testimonies by perfectly law abiding Black men were especially touching.

"When I enter a retail store I purposely keep my hands out of my pocket, and visible to the store clerks. I do not want them thinking I'm stealing something."

Another young Black talked about the constant self-imposed vigilance they must exercise to convince Whites that they mean them no harm.  That kind of "self-vigilance" creates a constant tension inside.  These poor good people have to carry around a burden that most people don't.

That "self-vigilance" was illustrated quite well with those two young Black professionals in Philadelphia, the incident that created the stir in the first place.  Just there for a business meeting, and while waiting for a third party to arrive, they had not placed an order and put an idiot store worker on immediate alert.  What happened as a result was both tragic and telling.

I feel sorry for the preponderance of good, law-abiding Blacks who have to bear the burden.  Obama, who rarely said anything really true, was right when he talked about Whites crossing the street when seeing Black men ahead of them.

So how do we resolve this problem?  Sadly, the tens of thousands of mostly Black urban thugs have caused the vast majority of this problem.  We read literally thousands of incidents of these thugs looting stores, either in every day occurrences, or in hyper mode during those infamous urban riots.  If the Black thuggery are not maiming and killing, they are looting for their sustenance.

So, when the "good Blacks" get out in public, thanks to their thug brothers, they must bear a greater burden.........the burden of proving they are harmless.

This is all very sad...made sadder because I have no idea how we solve this problem.  Perhaps folks can show a bit more patience.  Perhaps we can impose a "thug tax" on the thugs that make this a problem in the first place....maybe add an extra two years to a prison sentence for staining the reputation of their collective race.  And I am absolutely sure if Black folks spoke out more against these thugs they'd be better off.  Far too many blame the police in these criminal encounters, refusing to put the blame where it belongs.

While I believe Starbucks' declaration of a national day of training appears a bit staged, kind of a parlour trick to ease Black anger, I am at least pleased that at least one segment of that bias training might have given coffee workers a bit more to think about.

We all need to think about ethnic burdens that we don't have to endure.  If America was smart she would worry far more about the general Black citizenry, and far less than the Black dregs the police have to deal with on a daily basis.  Villainy should have no color.

Sad.  Damned Sad.

"Tongue-electomy?"

                                                                         

I'm not a fan of Roseanne at all.  In fact I once wrote that my concept of hell would be having to watch Roseanne re-runs down there in Hades.  But I am dismayed by ABC's abrupt cancellation of her show, because of one offensive tweet.

I am dismayed that our entire society has been co-opted by liberal brown shirt speech Nazis....folks who want their say...but don't want you to have yours.  And this type of mass bullying (ABC cancelled due to an overwhelming number of protest tweets) prevails today.  If someone does not like your social or political opinion you are quickly assigned to a racist, homophobe, or "Trumper" box.

This mass bullying came along long before the MeToo Movement, although the "Me Toos" jacked it up several notches.  Yeah, celebrities  and political notables are taking the brunt of the heat these days (and probably rightfully so), but we commoners ought to be reminded of that old Jewish saw "they came for the Jews, and you kept quiet, then they came for the....etc".  Just spend a day on social media and dare utter an opinion that's not cool to the liberal masses and you'll find yourself alienated, even your career ruined, for saying something you feel at the moment.

The First Amendment ain't what it used to be, boys and girls.  This is the 21st Century version of the Salem witch hunts, people.  Give any inkling that you have a less than mainstream opinion and you're doomed to the locks, or to the noose on a second offense.

Like I said, I'm not a fan of Roseanne.  But was what she said more cruel than ABC's jerking the livelihood of that show's innocents?  The rest of the cast and crew who did nothing to deserve the loss of a well-paying job?  

On this blog alone I've lost more "followers" for voicing positions that offend, failed to gain wide-spread popularity for those opinions voiced, but at least have the luxury of not being famous.

Were I a celebrity these days I think I'd go and have a "tongue-electomy", cut that bad boy out.  Because, being human, at some time, and at some place, they are going to say something that's gonna get em crucified.

Sad.  Damned Sad.

Cockroach Milk; The New Superfood

                                                                     

Well, I had just only recently acclimated myself to the fact that some of our world cultures show a fondness for introducing cockroaches into their diet.  (Tastes like chicken?).  Then, lo and behold, I'm just minding my own business this morning, when I come across an article about cockroach milk becoming the new superfood for those daring enough among us who will try anything.

Seems this researcher at the University of Iowa, while studying cockroach mothers, found that they emit these little crystals, which their young eat for nourishment.  Then, a little known scientific journal called Journal of The International Union of Crystallography published a research report that says each one of these little cockroach crystals contains three times the protein of cows milk and is just jammed pack with sugar and essential amino acids.

                                                        

So now they've started up a cockroach farm and plan to raise the Pacific Beetle Cockroach, the specific species of cockroach that produces the most cockroach milk crystals.  Once they cultivate the crystals they can then sell them in powder form and all you will need do is add water, and voila!, cockroach milk for the masses!

That got me to thinking as I wondered what they'd be feeding the roaches down on the farm.  What if they fed them a steady diet of Oreo cookies?  Then you'd have yourself a real snack; cockroach milk and Oreos.......but only for those who like to dip.

You're welcome.

                      

We Must Remember

                                                                   

Courage:  The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person

to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

The definition fails.  Oh there is fear.  Courage is doing what

you have to do, even in the face of fear.  

On June 2nd, 1864, General Grant brought his troops to Gaines Mill, Virginia, or Cold Harbor, as both the site and battle are known

General Lee’s troops were dug in to trenches in the woods back of the open field that Union troops would have to charge across to do battle.

Union sharpshooters across the road trained their long guns on the dug in rebels.  If even a rebel head was raised it was likely to be blown off, so even running for a cup of water was paid for with your life.

Grant hoped to roust General Lee, to keep him from retreating to Richmond.

So on the morning of June 2nd, Grant sent his troops charging across that open field.  Thousands of the boys in blue fell on that field, re-formed, then charged again throughout that long day….every charge met with hell fire from entrenched rebel troops.

Though better off than Grant’s troops, the Rebs suffered their share as well, confederate blood running like rivers down the trenches.  

Darkness at last brought respite, the Union boys recovering as many of the injured and dead as they could.  But, still, thousands lay out there on the field, under the June stars, begging for water, or relief from the pain.

Those Union troops that survived that first day licked their wounds and tried to get a little rest, perhaps a little food and water.  But when one of Grant’s field generals made a tour of the camp he found those boys in blue, wielding needle and thread to their uniforms.  When the general asked a subordinate what the boys were doing the subordinate answered “they’re sewing small pieces of paper to the inside of their uniform, their names inscribed on the paper so that, when they fall and die on the battlefield, they can be identified so that their families will know what happened to them.

In the morning, when the boys in blue answered Grant’s command to charge, they did so.  And  7,000 boys in blue died that morning,  in less than 20 minutes.

One hundred and forty years later I walked the Cold Harbor battlefield.  Lee’s trenches remain, the rivers of blood even now leaving a red ocre in the bottom of those trenches.

I first stood in the rear of those trenches, where General Lee stood, directing fire and issuing orders.  Lee could see through a clearing in the trees, to the meadow in front, where an ocean of blue lay dead.

I tread through the trenches, feeling like I was stepping on hallowed ground.  Then I stepped onto the vast green meadow where those 7,000 died in less time than it takes to drink a cup of coffee.  

And, upon walking that green meadow, soil enriched by the blood and bones of the fallen, I tried to think about the kind of courage those Union boys had to muster as they sewed their names inside their uniforms the night before they died.  

To me it is absolutely miraculous that this country has men and women who have, over our entire history, mustered the courage to march to their death for a cause.  From Bunker Hill and Trenton and Valley Forge in that first fight for our freedom, to Bull Run and Cold Harbor and a thousand other Civil War battles, to San Juan Hill, to Bastogne, to island hopping across the Pacific, ever toward Japan, to Pork Chop Hill and Khe Sanh, to the craggy cliffs of Afghanistan, that courage has been displayed a million times over.

Until one is confronted with the immediate prospect of certain death, not one American can say how they will perform.  And yet, when that ultimate sacrifice has been called for, Americans have responded with a courage that we can scarcely imagine.

Few of our citizens have been asked to sacrifice their life for their country.  That is right and proper.  But we should all keep the reason for Memorial Day in our hearts…and remember those who gave all so that we might remain free.

And Don't Let The Screen Door Hit You In The Ass.....

                                                                   

A Few Things To Consider Before You Sign The Cal-Exit Petition

As most Californians know, last year's Cal-Exit Initiative failed to collect enough signatures to get the proposal on the ballot. Most of you know that initiative was meant to approve California's secession from the Union. 

Well, California's "America haters" have changed their tactics and won a reprieve. On 24 April last month California's Secretary of State approved Yes California's request to petition again for California to leave the Union. The newly named Yes California now has some 44,000 organizers who will be going house to house, asking Californians to sign their petition and get their new initiative on the ballot.

Before you sign, let me offer a bit of advice if I might. I abandoned California in 2004, so I have no dog in this hunt but just thought I'd let folks know what they should consider before putting their "John Henry" on that petition.

1) Let's start with national defense. California currently has some 200,000 U.S military troops stationed in the state. If we leave is California prepared to fund their own defense? Has anyone figured out how much it costs to lease one battleship? Is San Diego prepared to go it alone without the massive economic presence of the U.S. Navy? And given that, while California is the most populist state, the state has the lowest numbers of military enlistees, can your state find enough people willing to serve in a California military?

2) Given that Silicon Valley is your state's richest enclave, what will the rest of the state do when Silicon Valley declares themselves a "second Luxemburg" and keeps their money in house...leaving the rest of the state to tough it out without them? 

3) How will Californians sustain their high housing costs without Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD to foot their mortgages?

4) How quickly will the Socialist State of California become a second Venezuela when Union capitalism depart the state? And can California alone negotiate trade terms as favorable without the massive weight of the entire U.S. economy behind them?

5) How thirsty will Southern California be when the United States cuts off their share of Colorado river water? 

6) California, though just one of the current 50 states, owns more than $2 trillion of our national debt. Can they service that debt, considering that the state currently has $400 billion in its own state debt and has a $500 billion state pension deficit? (Will Venezuela send in a few economic advisors?)

7) Will Californians be happy under the oppressive iron hand of progressivism....the societal bent that chooses to limit your consumption of sugar and cigarettes, but legalizes pot, free needle exchanges for heroin addicts and frees felons from their prison sentences?

8) When the U.S. Border Patrol finally withdraws from California's border with Mexico, can Californians live with another hundred million impoverished Central and South Americans? Will the California DMV just issue them all driver's licenses, register them to vote, and issue them state welfare and food stamp cards?

9) Are Californians prepared to fund the cleanup and restoration after a 9.1 earthquake? Will students at Berkley fan out to rescue the victims? Will Cal-Trans finally go to work and rebuild earthquake damaged areas? 

Just a few things to consider, my California friends. I for one would be happy to see your state leave the Union. Without California's immense liberal representation in our Congress the Republican Party can rule the roost and finally get our country back on the track of sanity. As it is now your liberal representatives are a drag on both prosperity and national morale.

So, on second thought, please sign that petition....and vote for Cal-Exit when it gets on the ballot. I assure you no Union troops will be coming your way to force you back into our grand Union. We'll all just issue a big sigh of relief, then come back for the Venezuela-like spoils once you collapse.

So please leave, California. And don't let that swinging screen door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Why I Would Not Be Shocked By A Trump 2020 Victory

                                                                 

This morning, while perusing the seven daily news sites I regularly visit, I came across exactly 107 news articles that presented negative Trump sentiment.  The articles ranged from everything from the daily celebrity slams, to outrageous speculation about Trump's legal troubles, to opposition to Trump's policies on Iran and the Koreas.

Having toted up the mainstream media's collective diminution of Trump, the President, I began thinking about how likely it just might be that, in spite of supposed widespread opposition, Trump just wins the Presidency again despite them.

America, or at least flyover America, and Americans over 34, do not much like bullies.  They don't much take to one-sided politics.  In all the hoo-hah about Trump  the Trump haters forget that some 60 million Americans voted for the guy.  And they don't like being called "racist" for doing so.  And they don't like to be called "religious nuts", or "homophobes", and they certainly don't like being called "deplorables".

The Left make a huge mistake when they group all Trump voters under one oppressive gray blanket.  Their name-calling, their foolish accusations, and the Left's sense of liberal righteousness has a sour taste to the tongue.  And the crop they sow from that brand of politics is a huge collective resentment over being put into a box and "branded".  Well, it was that resentment, imposed on us by the Left, that won Trump his Presidency in the first place.  Trump voters can be classified in several ways; the three most obvious being those red ball cap types who supported Trump, no matter how loud and vulgar.  But what came as a shock to the pollsters and liberal media was that there were millions of rather quiet and subdued voters who walked into the voting booth and voted for him, almost ashamed to admit they did. And finally, there was that group of center right and independents who simply could not pull the lever for a corrupt Hillary Clinton.

So where are we now?  If you read the mainstream media you're at least half convinced that Trump is close to being impeached.  Or, at best, you might believe that Trump does not have a chance in hell to win in 2020.  

But what the pundits and the media are missing is what they missed the last time out.  America does not like to be collectively pidgeon-holed.  Americans do not like being the brunt of jokes by Jim Carrey, or the late night "Jimmys".  They do not like being called racists for wanting to protect our borders.  They do not like to be called cruel for opposing socialized medicine, and they don't like being stuffed in a tidy little box and called "deplorable."

So, as vulgar and inarticulate as Trump can sometimes be, many people are appreciative of the things he's accomplished.........things that the traditional Republican party has been unable to achieve.  We now have an idealogical balance on the Supreme Court, we now have a reprieve from political targeting by the IRS, from stifling EPA regulations, and we finally have a tax cut for the blue collar American working stiff.

So keep on trucking Liberal Left!  Keep on smearing Liberal Media!  You may just win Trump another four years!  And if the Democrats trot out Socialists Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth "Pochahantas" Warren, you can start planning for Trump's second inauguration.