Are you KIDDING??

Over the past month we have all been bombarded with the flamboyant images and stories surrounding the downfall of the once promising and rising political star Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick.

Well...where do I begin with this "mess", to say the VERY least! I suppose I will start here: IS HE SERIOUS!!!!???? Does this man have ANYTHING in his character that even remotely resembles self and familial respect?! (Please note...that is a VERY rhetorical question...because the answer is most certainly NO!!) He couldn't! After all that has taken place, all that has come out AND the ridiculous amount of taxpayers dollars that has been expended already to cover the ongoings of court costs...after humiliating his wife and HIMSELF...after destroying the faith that the community in the city of Detroit had placed in him....after doing such a WONDERFUL job of living up to the very stereotypical ideals that many people have about black men (especially black men in positions of power), he NOW has the nerve to say that he will NOT step down as the Mayor of Detroit! So again I ask....IS HE SERIOUS?!?!?!

Many people will quickly say that the measure of a man is how he stands through tests and trials and various adversities that come his way. On many levels, I agree...but then I would also add, that the measure of a man, the strength of his character, is also built on the more difficult task of knowing when it is for the greater good for him to know that it is time for him to step back and have a seat. Strength is NOT, or at least should not, be solely based on the ability for one to flex his muscles. REAL strength is knowing when it is time to stop. Real strength is knowing when you have done enough and when it is time to look at the greater picture and consider the feelings, needs and best course of actions that are for the greater good.

In this particular situation, I would certainly say that I believe it to be in the best interest of Mayor Kilpatrick AND his family for him to stop and resign his post. It is my opinion that he is not pressing forward because he is truly innocent and is being unfairly picked apart by the press and the opinionated minds of the world, but that he is power hungry, one who must be in control and believes that he should maintain his post no matter what the cost.

He is not considering the greater good of his family, the people to whom he has pledged his service to, or himself. I believe that he sees the eminent death of his once promising political career and is determined to ride it until it is a s dead as it can possibly get. But why? Where is the honor in that? If there is any honor in it, who does the honor go to? When you have one at your side who loves you and forgives such blatent acts of infidelity, who honors their vow to stand at your side for better or for worse, is it not your obligation to make sure that you are not responsible for making the things that would be considered "worse" and harder than they need to be? Is it not your obligation as the leader of a people to know when the course of actions that you have chosen to take at any given point in your leadership are more harmful and should cease? Is it not your obligation to know when enough really is TOO much?

Malcolm X is famous for coining the phrase "By any means necessary!", well...sometimes the necessary means is NOT to go forward....sometimes...it is necessary to know that it is time to STOP.

What do you think?

The Political Point Pt. 2

Good evening everyone,I just came in from a beautiful candlelight dinner on the beach and decided to hop online for a bit while "J" is in the shower. I ran across this:

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/clinton-apologizes-to-black-voters/n20080312224109990017


Now, I am going to have to chime in with my father on this one by saying the following....

"It never really bothers me when white people or people of ANY other race gets ticked off for one reason or another and their true feelings for me and my people come flying out of their mouths. It DOES however, insult me greatly for them to offer up some strategic apology like I am not intelligent enough to recognize that they said exactly what they meant."

I have heard my father make this statement several times over the past 7 years or so, and each time I can clearly recall just closing my eyes and dropping and shaking my head while simultaneously thinking to myself "My Dad is REALLY over the top." Well, today, I have made a mental note to call my father and apologize to him as soon as my feet hit the ground on Saturday.

I reiterate that when I heard of Former President Clinton's remarks regarding Senator Obama's hands down victory in South Carolina, I was hurt because I, like so many other African Americans, had MUCH love for him during his 8 year presidency and wished that he could have stayed in office at least one more term.

Now, what he said may have hurt me and countless others, but it was the truth..it was what he had been feeling all along. So this sad attempt to regain status with me (and others) that was so callously thrown away is pointless. What has to be understood here? Well, a couple of things actually. Number one: Hurting a person's feelings is often worse than making them angry. Why? Simple, because if you have the ability to hurt my feelings, that likely means that I have some degree of trust/faith in you. To do something that would hurt them would then imply some violation of that trust and that is not easily repaired. Number two: If this apology was to be taken as genuine by the people it was meant for, why did it take so long for their to even be an apology? I'll tell you why. Because, had time been able to go by without them seeing how those comments were taking a toll on her ratings or for that to be the potential point at which she could start to see a drastic change in her support from the black community...THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO APOLOGY!

It has been my experience, for the most part, that when people make statements to others (especially those that we claim to care for) an apology is almost an immediate when you recognize that you have hurt someones' feelings. If it isn't immediate, it usually comes SOON after you recognize what you have done. Having said that, it is easy for me to formulate the conclusion that the apology was a strategic political move. And besides ALL of those things....WHY is SHE the one doing the apologizing for the comments her husband and ex-campaign manager made...she didn't say them, THEY did...so how do I get sincerity from apologies issued by someone who was not the one who made any of those hateful remarks. I mean really! When my children do something that is wrong and an apology is warranted, my daughter can't come to me and apologize on behalf of my son while he continues to sit off in another room doing what it is that he desires to do like nothing ever happened! NO! If he is the one who made the comment or committed the act, the apology would have to come from HIM! Another example, when he was President and came on television to apologize to the American people for the "Monica Lewinsky Incident" She wasn't sitting on the corner of that desk apologizing for him, HE came to the people and apologized.

In all honesty, I would have to say that just as much as she is running for President, so is he! He has been President twice, she never has...so once again he would be in the most powerful house in the country and very close to the dealings of the office of Commander in Chief....I believe that this is a way for him to vicariously be "in" the office of President again.

So, I say all of that, to say this:

If you make a statement back it up! Say what you mean and mean what you say! As the VERY old saying goes..."it is one thing for the world to assume you to be a fool...it is an entirely different case for you to open your mouth and prove them to be correct." Think about what you say and the ramifications surrounding it before you just hop out into the world and make ANY statement that you make in life...especially on the very visible front of a presidential campaign!

In complete truthfulness, I can certainly see these little "slips of the tongues" setting the downhill pace that could be a PRIMARY contributing reason causing Senator Clinton to lose the Democrat Party's Presidential Nomination.

What do you think?

The Political Point

Today, I read a blog that really made me think. About what? The "Us" vs. "Them" underlying mentality that is taking place on the political battlefronts currently being fought for the Democratic Party Nomination and possibly for the seat of what is easily classified by many as the most powerful office in the world.

Here is the link to the blog in which I am referencing and on which the foundational principles of what I have to say were launched from:

http://butforrealthough.blogspot.com/2008/01/clintons-bill-loses-his-ghetto-pass.html

(KUDOS to the Author of this blog for being bold enough to say some things that definately needed to be said!)

There is DEFINATELY a perception looming around that Obama automatically has the black vote simply because he is black. NOW, before I get off into my main points, do I believe that there are those out there who could care less what the issues are and have thrown their vote at Obama because they are black and so is he? YES, I do. BUT...I also believe that there are those out there who will vote against him (black AND white (and everything in between)) for that very same reason. It would be foolish to think otherwise.

Why would it be foolish? Because, let's just face it....regardless of the fact that this is 2008 or that there no longer abides the LEGAL issues of the institution of slavery, RACE is still a very big and very REAL issue with the people of this country. There, I said it.

When we look at the two candidates fighting for the democratic nomination the first two things we see are: 1) Man vs. Woman and 2) Black vs. White, and not necessarily in that order. It is my opinion that if people would stop being in such denial about the issue of race, it would cease to be an issue.

In watching the political warfare that is going on and in many conversations that I have both been a partaker and an observer of, I have heard the opinions and reasonings of many people for the direction in which their political loyalty and support have been sworn. Some, very intelligent and some...well, let's just say, make no sense to me at all. During the course of this race there have been statements and insinuations that there are places that Hillary can not win because the voting majority are black and that those places have a history of strongly supporting the black candidate, which has to automatically mean that the same will be done in this elective process.

Statements of this magnitude really upset me, why? Simple....the statement simply implies that I do not have the capacity to watch the candidate, learn of the issues and their stand on them, go to their political websites and request a written copy of their political plan should they be awarded the office of Commander in Chief, and make a choice as to whom I believe to be the better candidate for me based on my learning and understanding of that candidate on the political level and compare their beliefs and plans to my beliefs and desires, AND THEN, choose to whom the power of my vote will be given! And if it doesn't upset you, it should. As I previously stated, yes...there are those who see "The Black Candidate" or "The White Candidate", or "The Female Candidate" and in that basis immediately "cast" their vote. Do I agree with that...NO! I think it is one of the most foolish things in the world to do, BUT, I have no control over that. HOWEVER, does the fact that there are people taking that path mean that those people are incapable of making a choice on a more substantial foundation? OF COURSE NOT! And THAT is one of the points which bothers me. PLEASE don't misunderstand me to be saying that this is a reasonable path of logic...IT ISN'T! Casting a vote in any election should be rooted and grounded in some reasonable rationale! You should know something about the person for whom you are voting. You should have an idea as to what it is that they plan on doing should they be voted into that office and how their plans will effect your life and the issues that you care about, AT THE VERY LEAST!

So now, I have to look at the otherside of this issue, which is...Have we as a people become so indifferent to and jaded by the effectiveness (or lact therein) of politics that it is more important to vote for a black candidate over the BEST candidate? NOW BEFORE YOU GO AND GET INTO A TYRANNICAL TEMPER TANTRUM, I am NOT saying that Obama is not the best....I am simply forging a point here....and that point is this...We MUST be sure that we are doing the research that should be done when it comes to something as important as an election.

So again I go back to my question...have we become so indifferent....have we sent out the ideology that we we are so shallow as to only vote for someone because we are of the same race as we?

It is certainly something else in which we should be investing some serious thought.

What reasons are the right reasons to back ANY candidate?

I can't say what is right...but I CAN and WILL say that it should certainly be MUCH more than the fact that they are members of the same race as you!

(FYI, I DO support Obama...but his race has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it b/c I started out a Clinton backer!)

SO WHAT WILL YOU DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE VOTE IS GIVEN, BECAUSE IT IS DESERVED AND BASED ON MERIT...NOT RACE????

Alpha Kappa Alpha: 100 years later, 100 years from here?

******This blog is a result of much thought and MANY conversations with my Sorors, Collegues, and Friends.******

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc was founded 100 years, one month, two weeks and six days ago. In that time 200,000 women have joined her ranks and left their marks in the sands of time. Women like Soror Rosa Parks, Soror Coretta Scott King, Soror Donda West, Soror Maya Angelou, Soror Mae Jemison, Soror Eleanor Roosevelt, Soror Marva Collins, Soror Leah Tutu, Soror Catherine Hughes and of course, our Guiding Light, Soror Ethel Hedgeman Lyle.

We are a rich sisterhood of women who have made impact all over the globe since our birth on the human condition. But what about now? Are we still the organization that sets the standard, or have we been reduced to following it? Are we still the sisterhood that consistantly draws the best, brightest and most influential women in the world, or have we been reduced to an organization reduced to just being "pretty girls" with arrogant demeanors and snobbish attitudes? Are we still the community known to lift our sisters up and strengthen one another via our compassion and determination to make a difference no matter what it is, or are we now reduced to being the club of women who lack dedication, pride and the compassion to be sisters who are of Service to ALL mankind, but only a chosen few?

In my opinion, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc is one of the finest organizations to ever grace this planet. The potentiality to influence change and to mold women of standard who will continue to grace our history book in the next 100 years is exponential......should we take the chance to do the work, NOW! What work you ask.....well....the work which is usually the hardest to do; that which requires us to look long, hard and DEEP within OURSELVES and make an OPEN and HONEST inventory or what is there (and what isn't), evaluate the truths of what we find, make a plan to positively effect those truths and most importantly, PUT THEM INTO ACTION!

Now the all important question....What ARE those truths. In all honesty, they are SELF evident, and they in some ways may even be a matter of opinion, but overall...are they really? When we take the time to remove ourselves and look with the eyes of those who have been the observers and mental historians of our journey and the changes that time has brought to it, we then and only then may have the chance to see what is really there. While there are those of us who are devoted to our Illustrious Sisterhood and to BEING the tools through which her purposes breathe, we have to look readily at the impact that WE are making vs the impact that those of us who are desirous of membership in her house because they want to be able to participate in a "party stroll" or send out a "Skee-Wee"; because they want to be able to wear a T-Shirt and a "line-jacket".

In the eye of the world...who is seen more? Well my sorors, I think that it is time to face the unfortunate truth, which is, that the "sorors" who perpetuate the stereotypes and who only particpate in our ranks to say that they belong, the ones who only participate in public events of notoriety, BUT not in community service projects, those who are quick to recommend their friends for membership, but NOT set the standard by being demonstrative of what an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman REALLY is; those who are QUICK to complain, but have not paid dues since they were taken from the fees originally paid for membership; those who walk around looking pretty in OUR pink and gorgeous in OUR green. And now....during the course of the observation of our centennial year, we MUST do some inward reflection if we indeed desire that we live for yet another centennial.

Individually and collectively we must be willing and equipped with the tools needed to ask ourselves and one another the HARD questions and then deliver the honest and often HARD TRUTHS that need to go along with those answers. It is honestly time for our sisterhood and others like her to implement the attitude that we must do what is needed to ensure that our membership(s), our involvements, our projects, our attitudes and processes are about QUALITY rather than the wasted and underlying emptiness of quantity!

Do I have the answer, unfortunately....NO.....I don't; however, I am determined to be a contributor to the solution that needs to be effected in order for us to continue to grow in the cohesiveness that our founding mothers intended for us to exist in. I am of the very STRONG opinion that if we are unwilling to stand and fight for our membership body to be made up more of those who carry her purpose in her heart and mind and the dutty of fulfillment in the ACTIVE palms of her hands....through every fault built and bred in the course inaction, we slowly...but most CERTAINLY, surely dig the grave in which our beautiful sisterhood will be tossed aside, buried and forgotten.

It is time out for taking in members who are merely decorations, designers of great jackets and mere perfectionists at "Skee Wee-ing", It is time to become what we have always been meant to be....The SETTERS of the STANDARD!

So, my dear Sorors and candidates......what will it be?

~~~~~~~~~~~BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT~~~~~~~~~~~