Strange But True II: Crimes and 'Demeanors

Strange But True #1: When you think of illegal trash dumping, most of us have images of old tires, garbage, perhaps some old appliances left in an overgrown lot somewhere. Not in Detroit. Last weekend, someone dumped ONE TON of frozen chickens in the MIDDLE of the city’s main street—Livernois. Imagine, riding down the street in your car, only to run into this mess. The chickens had been packed last year, and it seems they had spoiled (probably during one of the city’s many power outages). What’s pathetically funny about this incident is that it isn’t particularly unusual for the “D.” They Mayor said he hopes to bring a halt to such practices which happen all too frequently. Wow.

Strange But True #2: Imagine you are in your basement when you hear some burglars upstairs in your house. That is what happened to Patrick Rosario of Bellevue, Washington. But in a funny twist, it was the robbers who were “robbed.” Patrick called 911 as he quietly fled his home. When he got outside, he saw the burglars’ white Ford Windstar van—motor running—in his drive way. So, Patrick got in it and drove to a friend’s house up the street to wait for the police. When the thieves came out with Patrick’s 3 TVs, a computer, and jewelry, they found their wheels “stolen.” A witness said the men looked pretty “startled.” They had to take off running, leaving their loot behind. The police are looking for them…

Strange but True: Death Threats Against Nadya Suleman and PR Firm

By now we all know that Nadya Suleman has 14 babies. We all know that Nadya is not the most sympathetic figure. She is single, she has no job, and has no home of her own. She revealed that she was “obsessed” with having children, and underwent IVF treatment (a second time), after she already had 6 kids. Of her original six children, one is autistic, another has ADHD, and a third has mild autism.

If all that sounds incredible, what is crazier is that complete strangers have been sending Suleman death threats. These are potential murders intent on making 14 children orphans. Really?!

When these wackos couldn’t get near Suleman, they went after a public relations firm that was managing her media appearances. The Killeen Furtney Group had to end its relationship with Suleman after they received a bunch of emailed threats, 100+ graphically violent and potentially credible in their promise to kill members of the PR firm. The firm also got slammed with nasty phone messages. The hateful people also called the firm’s other clients, even threatening them!

That’s a lot of venom. What’s up with this?

Prince Harry Your Racism is (Still) Showing

Prince Harry is being sent off to “equality and diversity” school, and none too soon. A few weeks ago, it came out that Prince Charles’ maybe baby--Harry looks a lot like Lady Di’s “special friend” James Hewitt-- likes to use racist language. In a video recently leaked, Harry can be heard calling an Asian, fellow squaddie a “Paki.” Racist! He teases another soldier about looking like a “rag head.” Racist, racist! In 2005, Harry went to a party dressed as a Nazi and wearing a swastika. Racist, racist, racist!!!

It seems Harry gets his hate through nurture and/or nature by way of his grandfather Prince Philip. In 2008, Philip is reported to have said he thought “Eastern women just sit around smoking pipes and eating all day.” In 2006, he is reported to have expressed the belief that the presence of Romanian orphanages is no mistake: “there’s so many over there you feel they breed them just to put them in orphanages.” In 2002, he wondered aloud if Australian Aborigines “still throw spears at each other.” In 1986, Philip warned British students visiting China to leave the country with the quickness or else they would end up “all slitty-eyed.” RACIST!!!!

Harry was recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and claims he is committed to fighting the “war on terror.” From where I sit, he is the real terror.

(Image: Harry and Hewitt)

Racist Cartoon?- A Gong Moment

I declare that for the next four years, linking monkeys with the Obama administration is off limits! It is a "Nipsey Russell-Gong Moment" for me. That is, it just doesn't feel right. I shouldn't be forced to get into arguments about when it is ok to associate monkeys with anything that has to do with Blackness versus when it is not. Spare us all--just leave monkeys out of it.

What is a “Nipsey Russell-Gong Moment?” Three decades ago, the great entertainer Nipsey Russell was a guest judge on The Gong Show. On one episode, a White male ventriloquist appeared as a contestant. His dummy was white, but he (inexplicably) sloppily painted it brown, hence, it looked a bit like blackface. As the man told bad, though not racist jokes, Russell gonged him. Russell explained that he gonged the man because something just wasn’t right. Sometimes things just feel wrong. If you get that feeling, don’t doubt yourself. Just gong ‘em!

Dominican Blowout- Hair it is!

Sisterdoc has been growing her dredlocs (nothing "dreadful" about them) for more than a hot minute now…about seven years. Apart from thinking that those cheap “pack hair” hair weaves look atrocious, I won’t begrudge any sistah for how she gets her style on. I know some of you love the straight-as-a-board silky hair. If so, check out dominicanblowout.com. I read an article about Dominican stylists in the U.S. giving a chemical-free blowout that gets kinky/curly hair smooth as glass. It is supposed to be an all-natural process—just conditioner—no oil, no grease. It should last until you wash it, get it wet, sweat it out, or whatever.

Back in the day, I used to train it up to 135th Street in Harlem with one of my SisterGirlfriends so that she could get her hair relaxed “by the Dominicans.” The beauty shop, and others on the block, had signs in the window trumpeting “Dominican relaxer here!” Their relaxers were supposed to be over-fierce…getting hair straighter for longer. The beauticians also had good PR, invoking a proximity to “the motherland” as a source of their special expertise. Black women seeking a hair miracle would line up at the crack of dawn to get their ‘do did…and it wasn’t very expensive.

Interestingly, the secret to the blowout is some sort of Italian conditioner concoction. Ah, a multicultural effort is in play here.

Let’s hope this new hotness keeps your locks ever lovely. Peace y’all.

Super Bowl Champ Mike Tomlin-Steelers!

Mike's prayers paid off! The Steelers have done it AGAIN! Six, Baby..six-time champs!

Things to Watch Out for in 2009

The key phrase for today is “watch out!” While 2009 marks incredible change, there are still a few old school issues we need to keep a look out for:

1. A challenge to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! The Supreme Court is going to hear the challenge, put forth by a Texas district (Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Mukasey). Texas wants Section 5 of the Act, which permits the U.S. government to oversee electoral-law changes, to be ruled unconstitutional. Section 5 protects us from voter racial bias. Even with Section 5, all sorts of funny business has taken place (red lining, the barring of former convicts, denial of bilingual aid, etc.). Without it, things could be worse. Section 5 has prevented (White) majorities from diluting minorities’ voting power. Texas believes now that we have a Black president, we don’t need such racial protections! According to Richard Hasen, an election-law expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, this challenge "has the potential to be the most important election case since Bush v. Gore." That 2000 decision cut off Florida ballot recounts and ensured Bush the White House. Read more in this USA Today article.
2. The “suicide” of Billey Joe Johnson. Watch out for this case, as well as that of Oscar Grants’. Johnson was a star high school football player in George County, Mississippi. He had offers from a host of Division I colleges. On the day of his death, he was to attend an awards banquet. However, according to a Mississippi sheriff’s office, one of their deputies pulled Johnson over for a “traffic stop.” For no apparent reason, during the stop, Johnson shot himself with a 12-guage shotgun in the head. Police called the incident a “suicide.” However, when Johnson’s remains were taken to the Cowan Funeral Home, the handlers thought the wounds didn’t match the suicide story. The funeral home operator took photos, and contacted the local NAACP. Oh, and there is speculation/rumor that Johnson was dating a White classmate, and that her father was strongly opposed to the relationship. Purportedly, the deputy and the girl’s father are friends.
3. The Martin Luther King, Jr. kids. Watch out for the siblings to implode this year. With the potential for profit mounting, as folks try to link King with Obama, the squabbling over selling their father’s image is going to come to an ugly head.

(Image: Billey Joe Johnson)