Why You Hatin'?

OK, this seems obvious to me, but "the mainstream media" doesn't seem to be asking the question:
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's "crazy uncle" made the following comments about Calypso Louie... err, The Honorable Louis Farrakhan:

Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in salvery, and he didn’t make me this color. (emphasis mine)

So let me get this straight. Only your enemy would make you "this color"? Well, God did that. So, God is your enemy, Reverend? You are apparently in the wrong business if you claim God as your enemy, sir.

Of course, I'd like to see who put you in chains or slavery, since you had a middle-class upbringing in this horrible country "run by rich white men", the very people in whose neighborhood you just bought a huge house. I guess you don't want to stay among your flock now that you've retired.

Crazy uncle, indeed. I've been to black church, and yes... it's different from white church. But the things this lunatic is saying are far beyond "cultural differences". This guy is certifiable. Claiming that criticism of his vitriol is somehow an attack on the Black Church is tantamount to yelling "Fire!" in a crowded movie house. This is a blatant attempt to fan the flames of whatever racial animosity lingers in American society. I don't think pastor Wright will be happy until there are marches or riots in the streets.

No one has attacked the Black Church. We've only questioned the motives and character of a man who sat in the pew of Jeremiah Spite's church for 20 years and now is running for the highest office in the land. It's evident to me that Barry Obama did it for street cred since he wasn't "black enough" for the African-American Community. Even though the media hasn't mentioned it lately, the guy is half white. That doesn't fly in the Second Ward. So, in order to show that you're in touch with your blackness, why not start calling yourself "Barack" and join up with the most militant Black Liberation Theology church in town? Instant props from the hood. Now, having to explain it away just makes Senator Obama look like the tired, pandering, triangulating, lying type of politician he claims to be replacing. Ah, the audacity of Hype.

Can We Clone Brooke?

I don't really watch much of "American Idol", unless it's the very early audition shows where the deluded come to be humiliated. However, this season, there's someone on the show that just stands out, at least to me.
That person is Brooke White. Finally, a true light in the darkness. In this otherwise inane excuse for entertainment, this lady exudes humility, perseverance, class and dignity. I believe she's a Mormon, but I'm gonna have to let that slide for the moment. Musically speaking, she's got a bit of a "throwback" vibe, more like a Carole King than a Britney Spears (and yes, that is a GOOD thing). The sheer joy that just bursts from her countenance (that's her face for you public school dropouts) when she sings is infectious and genuine. Her responses to the judges are always unfazed, calm and imbued with an understated confidence and comfort in her own skin.
I say her husband is a lucky man!
I don't have any idea if she'll win (although I think she may be the last female standing), but I thank Fox and the voting viewers (so far) for letting us see someone on TV that we can point to and say to our kids "That's how you should act". Rare, indeed.

Umm, I reserve the right to recant this post if naughty pictures of Brooke show up on the internet... or if she gets indicted for running a dogfighting ring... or if it turns out that she drinks bear bile as a health tonic.

Flag Pins are Cool.

It seems that loving your country is out of vogue these days, unless you (a) don't live in the USA, or (b) include some sort of criticism along with your expression of patriotism (all the better if the criticism completely negates the patriotic part).
However, at the risk of sounding "unenlightened", I'll say that I unabashedly love this country. I can freely go to whatever church I want. I've got every cuisine worth eating within 10 miles of my home. I can call my president a dunderhead and not be in stocks the next morning. That's just a few things that make me love this place.
I don't buy into the "enlightened" view that all cultures are equally good, they are just different. If that were the case, people from every other culture on the planet wouldn't be willing, in droves, to leave their ancestral homeland, break laws, endure subhuman treatment and risk drowning, sharks, coyotes, and human smugglers just to get here.
Here's a couple of items that prompted this little flag-waving, jingoistic, entry:
Palestinian fisherman were captured on tape dragging in a huge leatherback sea turtle on the beach and slaughtering it (in front of kids, no less). Now, I don't expect third-world miscreants to be fully aware of horribly endangered species, but I DO expect people in the 21st century to not slaughter an animal so that "sick children or people with back problems" can drink its blood for the "healing properties". I'm just going to have to say, "We're better than that."
Also, in China, an Asian animal rights organization is in the process of rescuing dozens (on their way to thousands) of bears (small bears called Moon Bears) which are penned in tiny cages their entire lives for... wait for it... their bile. In China, bear bile is apparently highly prized for medicinal value. Mmmmmmm, we're better than that, too.
Sure, we've got Paris Hilton, Sean Penn, and the "Chocolate Rain" guy, but... we're still the best place on the planet to live. Yeah, I said it.