Who’s Your Daddy?

I have to admit.  The first thing that went through my head were visions of women with Q-tips in hand, trying to find ways to obtain saliva samples from the cheeks of men they’ve “befriended”.

Why?

There’s a new, do-it-yourself DNA paternity test that is being sold in drug stores throughout the country.  (see article)

The entire kit (included lab processing) costs about $150, and results come back with 98-99% accuracy.

Anybody nervous???

Seriously, what impact, if any, do you think selling do-it-yourself paternity tests will have on those you know?

Public or Private?

Yeah, yeah…I know it’s been a while.  Work is keeping me busy.

Chelsea Clinton was recently asked about the impact the Monica Lewinsky ‘incident’ had on her mom.  She responded by essentially saying, “It’s none of your business.” (see article.)

A few weeks ago, the new governor of New York, David Patterson, divulged that both he and his wife had affairs during a rough point in their marriage.  In the wake of his predecessor being ousted, Mr. Patterson chose to tell his own business, before someone else told it for him!

I’m amazed at how much the general population knows about the personal lives of ‘famous people’–athletes, entertainers, etc.  You probably wouldn’t have to ask too many people to find out the name of Halle Berry’s new baby.

Here’s my question…Are public figures entitled to maintain private lives?

Tell me what you think.

Teenage Girls and STDs

OK.  Maybe the article yesterday is a fabrication, but, unfortunately, today’s information is sadly true.

In a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (see article),  at least 1 in 4 teenage girls nationally has a sexually transmitted disease. 

The article states, “In teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens.”

These numbers are disturbing!  Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

What is going on with our young ladies?  And what can we do about it?

Is the Suspect Black?

I’ve been debating whether or not I should share this post for a long time.  With the readers being so diverse, I wasn’t sure what type of reaction I’d get.  However, the issue keeps coming up, so I feel almost obligated to put it out there and get your feedback.

Recently there was a shooting at Northern Illinois University.  This is one of many shootings recently.  And each time there’s breaking news about some tragedy, I found that I ask myself the same question EVERY TIME.

What is the first question you ask yourself when you hear about a tragedy?

For me, it’s not…Is everyone OK?  It’s not…Has the person been caught?  It’s not…What made them do such a thing?

No.  My FIRST question is…Is the suspect Black?

Yes, I do ask the other questions.  But my initial reaction involves the racial identity of the perpetrator.

Does anybody else ask themselves a similar question?

Struggling

Black History Month.  A time that America attempts to review the challenges and celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans in this country.

The word that keeps coming up during this review of history is the word, ”struggle“.  Whether it was enduring the inhumane conditions of slavery, the marginalization of the Jim Crow era, or the battle for human dignity during the Civil Rights movement, Black Americans have been perpetually engaged in struggle.

Yes, even in the shadow of having a viable Black Presidential candidate, I believe that we would all agree that a large percentage of Black Americans are still engaged in intense struggle. 

Look at the population of those in the criminal justice system.  Look at the conditions of our school systems.  Look at the issues of our inner cities.

I believe it is one thing to struggle with one’s internal issues, habits, and inadequacies.  We all have them, no matter what our ethnicity might be.  But I believe it is an additional challenge to struggle against the external, systemic issues that appear to have large groups of people locked in to a poor standard of living.

If you’ve read my stuff long enough, you would know that I’m all about personal responsibility–taking ownership of your life to be what you were destined to be.  At the same time, I’m believing more strongly than ever, that we all have the responsibility to fight against the unfair systems and policies that restrict the progress of any segment of our population.  As Dr. King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Do you think there are some things that we should collectively be struggling against?

Love One Another

I hope you voted this morning.  If not, make sure you do at some point today.

And then tomorrow, I’d like you to continue with your civic duty: I want you to love your neighbor as yourself.

Voting, in my opinion, is a valuable exercise.  It is a opportunity for you, and the rest of your fellow citizens, to have your interests expressed in government.  Essentially, you are making your selection as to who you would like to best represent your interests in political decision-making.  And hopefully, the individual that is elected, properly represents you.

I believe we have a higher calling, though.  I believe we have the civic responsibility to treat our fellow citizens with concern, compassion, and fairness.  We are too quick to point fingers at our politicians, when our own “policies” are not always fair nor just.

For example, we “send aid” to those that we want to, and not always to the ones that need it most.  We provide “tax relief” to our inner circle, not to those struggling financially.  We often “declare war” with motives that self-serving, not for the protection and well-being of a defenseless people.

Don’t just vote.  Live a life–everyday–that includes concern and love for the least of these. 

What do you think?

From Civic Duty…to Civic Booty

How can you tell when a politician is lying?…His (or her) mouth is moving! 

OK.  Maybe this isn’t the right time to put this one out there.  I’ve been trying to encourage everyone to get engaged in the political process.  And then another one of our elected officials decides to act a fool. 

Detroit’s mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, was having an affair with his chief of staff.  That’s one issue.  The real issue (in my opinion) is that he lied under oath about the affair. (Check out the story).  Text messages (from city-owned cell phones) between the two of them clearly revealed that they were much more than friends.

He did his necessary public apology (from a church, as you can imagine), and appears ready to move forward as mayor.

What are your thoughts on this?  Is this behavior just “par for the course”?  What should be done about it? 

 

The Way You Make Me Feel

For the last two days, the blog has addressed issues related to violence.  As I thought this morning about sticking with that them, I heard about the shooting in Las Vegas.  Six high school students were shot getting off their school bus.  They believe the shooting was in retaliation of a fight that occurred earlier that day at school over a girl.

To be perfectly honest, I’m sick of hearing, and talking, about violence.  And since I’m a lover, and not a fighter….let’s use these recent incidents to talk about love.

I’ve noticed that most of the people that commit these crimes are individuals that don’t feel loved.  They are the “outcasts” of society, the “loners”, the ones that don’t fit in.  And here’s what I’ve learned about love,

Love is less about how you feel about another person.  It is more about how a person makes you feel ABOUT YOURSELF.

Think about it.  You could be with the greatest person in the world.  But if they treated you like dirt, you probably wouldn’t feel loved.  And I believe the opposite is true.  You could be with some that the world considers a loser, but that person can treat you right and make you feel like the most loved person on earth!

Spread a little love today.  Make somebody you love feel special!

Shot…at Church

Isn’t church supposed to be a sacred place?  A refuge?  “Holy Ground”?

Well, yesterday, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at a church in Colorado.  (Click to read artice.) 

There are a lot of little stories in this big story: the troubled history of the pastor, the fact that a church has armed security guards, etc.

I’m sure we’ll hear a lot of discussion around some of those issues.

But here’s my concern…Are we at a place in human history where there is no such thing as a safe place?

Within the last week or so, we’ve heard of a professional football player killed in his own home, another killer went to a mall to massacre shoppers, and now, a shooter comes to a church to kill people. 

Is there any such thing as a safe place?

Urine Test

Thanks, Stephanie, for sharing this.  I’m not sure who originally wrote this piece, but I’m curious to get your comments on it.

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rear, doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?