F*ck the Police? Naw...f*ck YOU

Why do I say "fuck you"? Cuz when somebody breaks in my house, steals my car or tries to jakk me for my money...I don't see any of ya'll rushing out to stop the perpetrator. And you wanna talk that "fuck the police" noise? Whatever...I like the police.

I'm gonna tell you like this, for all the "bad blood" between blacks and cops in the history of this nation, I'd still much rather have them around than not. When cops are around, people (even the ones without home training) tend to ack rite. You know it's true. The thing is, cops are also one of the most hated entities on the planet. Your job is to confront grown people who who think they are too grown to have you all in their business. And you never know which "grown person" may violently oppose you trying to do your job. How many of you have a job where being shot at is a reasonable expectation? Being a cop is a thankless job. It's at times life-threatening and often their duties are performed without receiving gratitude.

So, here it comes. "Racial profiling", "racist cops", all the familiar stories of freedom fighters and peaceful demonstrators who were sprayed with hoses and attacked by dogs and billy clubs. Don't get me wrong, I know that racism exists. It always has and always will. Sorry to shatter your utopian dreams, but people have been looking for ways to subjugate, marginalize and devalue others since...well, hell since Cain and Abel. There will always be groups of people who feel they are better than another. We can hope to limit the political and social influence of these people, but they will always be among us. Sometimes these people are politicians, sometimes they bag your groceries. And sometimes they are police officers...

But does this event count? Sorry, I don't see it...and I'm not really sorry, either. Now this isn't my usual skepticism of overly sensitive people screaming racism. This is looking at how this thing is playing out. Gates cried "racial profiling", but he hasn't disputed any portion of the police report that's on file. Hasn't said anything to make us think the cop was trying to cover his tracks or anything like that. Gates is just out there demanding an apology. Crowley, and I respect him for this, says that apology is not coming.

Now, maybe Gates has had some run-ins with 5-0 that went poorly. Maybe in his studies to become such a profound African-American scholar, he has internalized the pain and plight of all black people in this country. Or maybe he was just an uppity black man mouthin' off to a cop. I wasn't there. But I know this, black people don't like being lied on, even if it's true. Accuse a black people of something unfavorable and we will deny it with amazing vigor. (Think about all those episodes of Maury you watch. "That ain't my baby, I swear, yo!!!" Or for the ladies, "You was the only one I was wit for like 2 months before and after I found out I was pregnant.") Gates hasn't denied anything from what I hear.

So why are we having this problem? I nosey ass neighbor. A neighbor called the cops cuz s/he thought somebody was breaking into the house. (Gates was having trouble with his door, which had apparently jammed.) The cop came to clear up the issue, asking for ID and whatnot.

Here is where the story takes a turn. (Dave Chappelle calls it "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong". The Boondocks call it a "Nigga Moment".) Gates decides to mouth off to the cop, "You don't know who you're dealing with" and the like. (Am I saying that the cop said nothing in response? No. I'm just going off the same info we all have, the police report that Gates has not bothered to refute.)

Dr. Gates, you are, in the words of Redd Foxx, a BIG DUMMY!!! For such an educated individual, don't you know the rules? When the cops are involved, SHUT UP! They give you the right to remain silent. USE IT!!! They have these "disorderly conduct" laws for the exact purpose of arresting people who are raising hell. You raised hell and we see where that landed you. And if you wanted to "say your piece", say it in the house and not out in public. Why are you tryin to front on a cop on the street? Did that really make sense to you? Nobody likes gettin chastised and all that in the street. Cops are people, too.

Now, before you go trying to revoke my black card, listen. I'm not justifying all cops. (As much as I like cops who do their job, I hate dirty cops.) I'm not necessarily defending the cop in this case. I'm not sayin that he isn't racist. For all I know, he throws darts at a portrait of Dr. King and burns crosses on the weekends. What I'm saying is that in this case, the isolated incident of Gates' arrest, I see nothing that screams racism. Was Gates being arrested excessive? Yeah, I'll give you that. You don't have to arrest him, just tell him you were following up on a report, thank him for his time and cooperation...then drive away. Did Gates get arrested for being an "uppity black man"? No, but being a stupid, uppity black man led to him running his mouth too much and in turn being arrested.

Am I goin to Hell for this one?

Maybe if it was up to you...but it's not.

WARNING!!! All you Jackson-ites who are still sensitive and touchy and shyt about MJ being dead, I'm gonna tell you like Scar told Simba in the Lion King. "Run. Run away and never return."

Over the past couple weeks, there have been what seems like a multitude of celebrity deaths. Some natural, some not. The biggest are Michael Jackson (clearly) and Steve McNair (due to the circumstances surrounding his death).

I spent a few days up in Maryland visiting my family. And while in the hotel room, I was heavily outvoted and forced to watch the Jackson Memorial. (I would've rather watched SportsCenter, but Grandma wanted to see the Memorial, so Grandma watched the memorial.) And it seemed like everybody was talkin about "Michael looking down" and he's "singing in the Heavenly choir" and all that jazz...

For all the love that people have for MJ and all the millions (if not billions) around the world who watched...none of us knew him. We knew him, but we didn't know him. (RIP Bernie Mac) And with all the tributes and songs and Ron Artest videos...I got to thinkin: Did Michael really go to Heaven? Like, how do we know he made it in? And that speaks to a larger issue: Why do we just assume our loved ones get into Heaven?

Before you get on your soap box and say I'm bashin on the man, I'm not judging anybody. It's not my place. I don't have a Heaven or Hell to send you to, so that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talkin about how we, as human beings, whenever someone dies, act like God gotta take 'em in. Why we keep puttin people off on God? What if He don't want 'em?

Steve McNair's case is clearer than Michael's. He was having an affair. Last I checked, that was against the rules. Again, not judging. But I didn't memorize the 10 Commandments as a child just to forget them because one of my favorite QBs got caught up in some mess. I didn't see any coverage of his memorial, but I'm pretty sure that there was mention of him being "welcomed into the arms of the Loving Creator". (I been to a lot of funerals in my life, so I just came up wit that one.) But if the man is committing adultery, is he really gonna meet his "Loving Creator"?

Michael's case is more complex. We don't have any hard evidence that MJ was doing anything wrong. We don't really know if he messed with those kids. Then again, that was a long time ago and (if he did) he could have repented for that. But we don't know Michael like that. Was Jesus really his homeboy? Or does Al Sharpton have more pull than I give him credit for.

There is the general, "social contract" rule about not speaking ill of the dead. Don't bash my deceased grandfather and I won't talk trash about your dearly departed mother. We're supposed to play up the person's good side when they kick the bucket. We ignore their faults, even if just for one day, and praise them for the good work they've done, tried to do, or that we worded in a way to make it not sound that bad. But that doesn't make a person's sins go away. At least not to Christians.

But I think we generally have a problem when it comes to the idea of Hell. We don't wanna go, we don't want our loved ones to go. Some people refuse to believe in God because "If He's so loving and powerful, how could He allow people to suffer and be tormented". It's the "Problem of Evil" as it is called in Philosophy. I think some people just think that they are too grown to answer to a "Higher Power", so they buck the system.

The bottom line is this, folks. The only people who know where Michael Jackson is right now are MJ himself and the One who put him there...God. Same thing goes for you and your loved ones. We'll find out when we get there if somebody else made it. So until then, keep remembering the good things about your loved ones. Cherish the memories, the good times and all that. I'm just sayin that God has a job to do, let Him do it.

BET has failed...and nooooobody was surprised.

So I haven't posted in a while and even this post is a couple days late. I apologize to all 3 people who actually read this blog. (And no, my mama isn't one of them. That may sound sad to some, but my mom isn't exactly tech savy, nor would she appreciate some of the language I use. Fuck it.)

Well, the world has been a crazy place since I last posted here. Governors are emailing their sexy South American mistresses. Senators are making sex tapes. And several celebrities have psssed on to the other side. Billy Mays (more of a cult celebrity), Farrah, McMahon...but none larger than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Now, I'm not one to gawk and all over celebrities, so I wasn't pressed to watch all the media coverage. Or to watch all the people who put their lives on hold to stand around the hospital. But it was, and still is, the biggest story going.

BET had about 3 days to put something together in the form of a tribute to this icon before their awards show aired. And what did they come up with? TRASH!!! HOT, SMELLY GARBAGE!!! Only reason I tuned in to the show was to see them pay tribute and just ended up wasting 3+ hours of my life.

Now, the show overall was a train wreck. If you were on Twitter or Facebook during the show, you saw plenty of commentary. But the largest disappointment of the night had to be the attempted tribute to Michael. Having people talk about their favorite MJ memories was good...well, except that one guy. Keri Hilson trying to recreate that scene from the "Bad" video...not good. (Keri, we could still kick it, but you were tryin to do too much.) Showing Chris Brown's MJ routine from however many years ago, good. (Having him actually BE THERE would've been much better, but you know...people don't like Chris Breezy right now.) Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo singing, that was alright. But for the love of God, those 2 were singing the whole damn show!!! But where was the video montage? He was known more for his dancing and videos than anything else, so why not showcase that in the final portion of the show? Naw, we just gonna show these two dudes standing on stage.

Jamie Foxx said "He was ours. Michael was OUR icon" blah blah blah...I think he made a joke about MJ's nose before he moved on. Well, if that's how we're gonna treat "our" icons and such...don't do me any favors. That tribute looked more like the first half of the movie "Kingdom Come", somebody dies and the family just randomly gets together.

I understand that they "only had 3 days" to put something together. But if you only have 3 days, you don't try to make the WHOLE SHOW about MJ. You plan 3 or 4 HIGH QUALITY segments and make sure you have his hit songs in heavy rotation during the breaks.

But let's be honest with ourselves. There's a reason many of us don't watch BET. A failed MJ tribute is just one more straw on the camel's back. Too bad the camel was already in full body traction...

To My Anonymously Gay Friend

So a mystery friend of mine is gay. (See, told you I have gay friends, I'm up to like 5.) And this person left some anonymous comments on my last post about gay marriage in California. You can check them out if you like. But instead of adding another comment, I figured I'd make this a separate post. So "Anonymous", I hope you get around to reading this.

So the question is, what if I were "in the crosshairs"? What if the people were to rally behind the cause of denying blacks civil rights? Well, after I went medieval on those...people, I would do exactly what I suggested in my post. I would reach out to the people in my community (whoever survived), urging them to reconsider what they've done. If it's about getting the popular vote, you have to reach out to the people who are voting. And that's really what I'm advocating for, people to speak their own minds. That's the thing about a democracy, everyone has a voice. True, some of those voices are what we would call "ignorant" or "intolerant". Some of them preach a message of hatred, some advocate for violence against those who are "different". But at the end of the day, I would like to believe that those voices would be outnumbered by the voices of tolerance, acceptance...or at least a voice that says "It ain't that damn serious."

As far as the issue of biological proof in my post, I used that to illustrate the difference between innate traits and those that are not. Being black is something inherited, it's genetic...I was born this way. Same way humans are born (generally) with 10 toes. I inherited dark skin from my parents. Homosexuality, arguably, is not innate. I'm not gonna say for certain it is or isn't, cuz I don't know. But if it's a choice, then what you've chosen has consequences...one of which being you can't get married. If someone were to discover a "gay gene", hypothetically, my argument really wouldn't change. I would still hold that, given the system we are working with, the vote of the people should reign supreme. I do, however, think that the vote would be drastically different. People often use the "it's not natural" line when arguing against homosexuality. Showing it is a natural, biological trait...well that would shut them up, wouldn't it?

Now, on to "Responsibility". Whew...that's a big word. Tellin me what I'm "supposed to do". I'm not big on telling grown folks what they "have to" or "should" do. You're SUPPOSED to work to earn money and support yourself and your family. You're SUPPOSED to...well, it's hard to come up wit much more than that in my opinion. When you talk about moral/ethical responsibility, it's tricky because all of that centers on your own belief system.

Why do some people donate to charity? Some believe doing good will come back to them. Some do it for that "good feeling" they get when they know they've helped someone. Some do it for tax write-offs. Some just say, "It's the right thing to do." But if you look at it, most of the reasons people give for volunteering their time and/or resources are, on some level, self-serving. "I" feel good. My good deeds will come back to "ME". "I" get a tax write-off. Now the tax write-off is a tangible return, but not all returns on good deeds have to be tangible.

This goes to my point. People do what is in their best interest. (Or at least what they think will be.) If it's better for you to donate old clothes to charity, go for it. Why? Cuz it'll warm your heart, make you feel better bout yourself, etc. as opposed to just throwing them away and feelin that you wasted your money.

So should blacks stand up for gay rights? I can't say they "have" to. It would be nice of them, I mean "us". Maybe gays should've tried to piggy back on the Civil Rights Movement or Women's Lib. You know, while everybody was going around giving out equal rights, just sneak in line. But you gotta start somewhere, right?

Honestly, I think the real issue here isn't about blacks vs gays. You know the jokes about black families...we all at least got a gay cousin. It's RELIGIOUS BELIEFS vs Homosexuality. I took a class on the New Testament in college and we held a debate about whether or not the New Testament deemed homosexuality a sin. My team was on the side that argued Homosexuality IS deemed a sin. (It was randomly assigned to me. I'm not gonna fall into the trap of telling you what I think about that one.) I won't be ashamed to tell you...my team won. :brushes shoulders off: It was a narrow margin of victory, but we pulled it out. But in my preparations for it, I really did see some evidence that practicing a homosexual lifestyle is condemned as a sin in Christianity. Our opponents tried to argue that the New Testament was condemning an archaic form of homosexuality, not our current form. (I'm still scratching my head to this day tryna figure out how many "forms" of being gay there can be.)

But I wouldn't say that the SAME arguments upholding slavery are being used in this case. Or at least I fail to understand how they could. Religious defense of slavery sounded more like "They were born into this position. It's God's Will that whites dominate other races." Religious arguments against homosexuality sound like "YOU'RE GONNA BURN FOR YOUR ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD!!!" (Imagine my finger wagging.) (Again, we see the issue of being born into a life versus choosing how to live it.)

But I really think that religion is the strongest opponent to Gay Rights. This country, since it's inception, has had a strong Christian foundation. (Don't let reality TV fool you.) And if "Jesus said being gay was wrong"...um, gonna be hard to convince people otherwise. But what's more important, in my mind, is that Christianity teaches "Love thy neighbor." Jesus didn't roll wit a morally elite crew. Peter would cuss, fight and even turned his back on Jesus...but that was Jesus' homeboy. So regardless of what you believe, it's not cool, in my mind, to do all that condemnation and such. Jesus also said, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone." And like I said, I got more important things to do than worry about who YOU'RE having sex with...like finding some lesbians who'll let me join in. I KID, I KID!!!

Well, I don't know who you are...well, I do, but I don't know that I'm talkin to you. But I hope for 3 things:

1. My argument makes sense. Maybe it's not practical, but I just hope it's logical.

2. My views don't prevent you from considering me a friend.

3. If you're female, can I watch? PLAYING!!! JUST A JOKE!!! But maybe we could go pick up some girls? At least let me be your wing man? If you're male, well...all that stuff would be out. But we can still kick it.

Has Democracy Taken a Knife in the Back?

OK. So many of you have heard about all the hubbub in California regarding the same-sex marriage deal. Here's a synopsis as I have followed it in the news:


1. The State Legislature passed a bill allowing same sex couples to get married.

2. People got pissed and raised hell.

3. The State held a referendum putting the power in the people's hands to say whether they did or did not want to allow gay marriage.

4. Gay marriage was banned based on the vote of the people.

5. People got pissed and raised hell.

6. The State Supreme Court reviewed the issue and upheld the vote.

7. People got pissed and raised hell.


Now, I'm not about to start talking about Constitutional rights. I'm not gonna talk about homosexuality. I'm gonna talk about democracy and marriage. Here, we have an issue where democracy was seen in it's purest form. Everybody got a vote on the issue, they added up the votes and one side won. Isn't that supposed to be the end of the debate?

I guess not...

Folks, please understand that democracy means that you win some and you lose some. That's the price you pay for living in a society where everybody gets a vote. Sometimes you're on the winning team, sometimes you aren't. In order for this society to work, we have to learn how to compromise with each other. (Doesn't this sound like kindergarten all over again???)

But to address the issue of same-sex marriage itself: My vote would be to call it a "civil union". Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. But I believe that "marriage" is a religious institution between a man and a woman. I know, I know..."But you have to get a maarriage license from the government." (Whiny, freakin liberals...) That's a formality that came from laws against polygamy and issues of property rights upon the death of one's spouse. Besides, you know the government will find a way to make you pay for any and everything it can.

It's true, some religions allow same-sex marriage. But those folks are in the vast minority. The majority of the people in this country of Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths are against homosexuality.

"So democracy just allows the majority to impose their sense of morality on everybody else?" No, democracy allows every citizen a vote. Some people don't equate legal issues and moral issues. There are some folks who really don't give 2 bits about gays getting hitched even though they think it's wrong. We have more important things to do than worry about who YOU are having sex with. (Like who WE are having sex with.) For all the people who think homosexuality is wrong, I don't see too many movements to stop people of the same sex from HAVING SEX. There is, however, a movement to protect what many feel is the sanctity of the institution of marriage. (Although the entertainment industry offers us so many opportunities to taint it.)

So all you folks who jumped up on your soap box, wagged your finger and spit every time you mentioned the outcome of this case...GET OVER YOURSELF!!! Maybe you don't like the outcome. Think about it this way, it's your tax dollars at work, defending the cause of democracy. (And holding back the wrath of God from smiting us with His anger for allowing this abomination. I kid, I kid...)

Correction: It has been brought to my attention that the Supreme Court of Cali had originally said that denying gay couples the right to marry was unconstitutional. Here is my response to that and an old friend's argument that this is similar to a vote that would (hypothetically) overturn Brown v Board of Education.

The rights of an individual are derived from the society they live in. If that society, through a democratic process (which we claim to be the best of all governing systems), decides that certain things are not to be, how can we (or the court, for that matter) argue with that? Leave morality to the side. Being born black is a proven biological issue. Can you find ANY scientist to say DEFINITIVELY prove that being gay is a product of biology? If not, then the analogy to Brown v Board of Education is faulty in that it compares something innate to something that is (arguably) a lifestyle choice. Also, since there was no definitive rule on same-sex marriage PRIOR to that vote, yeah...the court had to say that denying them marriage rights was unconstitutional. There was no precedent to say marriage was strictly a man-woman thing. The popular vote, however, changed that.

James Harrison isn't going to the White House...

...and so many people got their panties in a twist.

OK. I fail to see why this is an issue. Harrion isn't protesting a war. He isn't draft dodging. He's not even saying anything negative about the situation. He's a grown man who doesn't think it's a big deal to go to the White House for a photo op with the Presdent. He basically said, "If you aren't downwith us when we're losing, don't try to get down when we're winning." It's not even the first time he's done it. He didn't go back in 2005 either. But nobody knew.

So what's the difference between now and then? Then, he was broke (relatively, it's hard to think of a pro football player as "broke" as we normal folk would call it). Now, he just signed a fat contract. Then, he was relatively unknown. Now, he's the Defensive MVP. Then, he wasn't in the public eye. Now, he gets run up on at a gala event, somebody puts a microphone in his face and he had to come with a quick response.

Did he give an eloquent explanation for his decision? Not really. He said that he doesn't like the fact that it was a conditional invitation. "If you win the Championship, you can come see me." And to be honest, in our lives, don't we operate under the same principle? If a fine woman wouldn't give you the time of day yesterday, but today after you came up on a fat stack of loot...you would call her a gold digger and keep it movin. Obama just wants a photo op to make himself look good. (Or better, people seem to still like him.) Think about your fake-ass "friends" who only show up when times are good. But when you call them and you're in a bind...you can't get them to pick up the phone.

But more importantly...IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW ELOQUENT HIS EXPLANATION IS!!! He isn't turning down an invitation to the UN or the G-8 Summit. We're talkin about lunch at the White House. He can get free food anywhere in Pittsburgh...and plenty of other cities for that matter.

If I were Harrison, I wouldn't be at the White House either. I'd be startin on my Memorial Day weekend early. Get my gear together, custom-made of course cause I just signed a FAT contract. Find the best condo on South Beach. Organize entertainment for the many sexy ladies that are sure to be in the area. Rent a flashy sports car for my time there. Sorry, Mr. President, but I'm too busy gettin my swag on. Plus...you aren't even a Steeler's fan.

You make the choice: Hang wit Obama vs Plan for Memorial Day Weekend. Please don't let me down.

Welcome to a New Era

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to introduce myself. The government calls me Justin Paige, my friends call me Pizzle, J. Paige and a host of other things that...well quite frankly may not be appropriate to share with complete strangers. But anyway, welcome to my blog. As you can tell this is a brand new site and there isn't much to browse at the moment. Don't worry, I'll take care of that soon enough.

But I wanted to start off with something that I feel is the cardinal rule of my blog. It's the right to free speech. Now I'm not gonna advocate yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater or denegrate people with your words just because you are different from them in some way. If you think being gay is wrong, fine. Express your opinion and move on. If you think Obama was a bad choice for President, cool. Give your argument and keep it movin. People spend too much time on 2 things.

First, worrying about other people's opinions. Who cares if someone agrees with what you say? Do they pay your bills? Are they gonna send you to Hell for an eternity of torment where there is "Weeping and gnashing of teeth"? Please. If someone can't take the time to understand your opinion, that's their problem. Stop tryin to get people to agree with you so damn much. It's desparate...and quite honestly beneath you.

Second, trying to not offend other people. If somebody is so touchy that they can't take a lil criticism in their life...again, not your problem. Now I'm not sayin go around and be hard on people out of pure meanness. But you can't tip toe all the time. If the hammer has to come down, it's gonna come down. Better to be upfront from the beginning and treat the person like a grown up instead of all the handholding and such. That's just gonna make you a crutch and they'll be handicapped. Also, people who get offended are people who tend to take things personally. If you're a Dook fan, don't take it personal...I hate your team, not you. I wish all the bad things in life happen to Dook. It's nothing against you as a person, you just have sided with an institution that I see as a blotch on the city of Durham, a stain in the boxers of the ACC...sorry, I really REALLY hate Dook.

So before you jump on a soap box callin me all types of names like "bigot", "hate monger" or the like...I'm probably more open-minded than you are you self-righteous, self-serving, pedantic prick.

Whew...

Now that I've gotten all that out the way...I hope you can read my blogs, listen to what I have to say and if you disagree, do so in a civilized way. (And if you agree...we can make fun of all the people who don't. Hehehe...)

Enjoy.