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I enjoy watching 2 women discuss the penis. It’s just great. (Thank you Chris, who found this from Cooper.) Quote: “Dick’ll make ya slap somebody!” 
I’m a small town boy to the core. Traffic, crowds, noise… those things annoy and scare me. But every once in awhile, I get this jolt of excitement just to think about what life would be like in Hollywood. For fun, I like to browse real estate there. It’s amazing how different the architecture is there compared to here in the South. Well tonight, I stumbled upon this house in the hills, by the Hollywood sign. WOW. I love absolutely everything about it. It’s just amazing to imagine what it would be like to live there. By contrast, Rodney hates it with a passion. He wouldn’t want the house if it were given to him for free. Here’s the listing with more photos. What’s your idea of a dream home?
We’ve been watching a lot of news reports on the sad events that took place in Virginia yesterday, as I’m sure many of you have been too. It’s a very unfortunate thing, and obviously a lot of people have brought up Columbine since it happened almost exactly 8 years ago on April 20, 1999. Most everyone who reads my blog is older than I am, and therefore they may not know what it was like to be in a school during that time period. In 1999, I was a Junior in high school. It was a very tense time for the nation, and schools everywhere felt it. I was 17 at the time. Classes were let out for several days. Cruel pranksters called in anonymous threats, which put the town in mass hysteria. I’m guessing this kind of stuff happened at many schools. You just never knew if it really was a prank. The thing that disturbs me about the Virginia case is that there were many reports that teachers and students were “scared” of this young man. He wrote violent plays, he acted irrational and dangerous around others. He was a loner, he felt outcast. In fact, he was even recommended to a psychologist. These same types of stories came out after Columbine. If students are acting this way, why do reports about them go un-investigated? Why aren’t these tell-tell signs taken more seriously? I’m not trying to get on a high-horse about this. I guess we can’t stop all murders in this world. But there are many questions raised about this. Gun control is another hot button topic in this. I haven’t formed a thorough opinion about this. I would like to learn more about all the different angles. I do know (for certain) that gun laws should toughen up. There was this student on TV complaining that the Virginia college had banned guns on campus, and he said that if he’d been allowed to carry a gun to class, maybe he would have been safer. REALLY??? WTF?!!! I can’t believe this student lives in such a mindset. Would he really be willing to carry a handgun into his classroom every day to make sure he feels safe? No way, I am just not convinced that’s the answer. If students have to carry around hand guns in order to feel safe, there is a much larger problem at hand. Then people bring up women who carry guns in their purses to protect themselves from thieves and rapists. Now, see that’s a very valid argument. Women are statistically more likely to be attacked at random than men are. That’s why I say I haven’t formed a solid opinion or argument on the whole gun control thing. I do, however, believe there should be a stricter process. Maybe even a wait period. In Virginia, there is not. I’m not sure if other states have one. Again, people will argue that you can just buy guns illegally. That’s true, but this guy in Virginia did not buy it illegally. He walked right into a store, bought the guns, and walked out. That was just 5 weeks ago. I have to wonder if there were a waiting period, would it have diffused his plan somehow? I’m not sure, and I guess we’ll never know. Anyway, I had a lot of things going through my head, and wanted to work them out “on paper” so to speak. It is a terrible situation, and I feel for the family and friends affected by this.
There has been a lot of buzz about the decision to fire Imus after he made racial remarks on his radio show. Some people think it was the wise thing to do, while others argue that it violates his freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is a touchy topic. Sure, Imus does has the “freedom” to make jokes that are considered racist. He can make jokes all day, it’s completely within his rights. But the fact remains that he made those remarks while on the job. That’s where there is a grey area. Let’s imagine I’m working for a company. I have the freedom to say whatever I want, assuming I’m working in America. I decide to make some racist jokes, and I get fired for it. Now… I did have the “right” to make those jokes, and nobody denies that. But there are certain things that are considered inappropriate in the work place. As a result, you can lose your job for them. It happens every day. So even though Imus works for a much bigger company and has a much bigger job, the moral of the story is still the same. It doesn’t matter who you are or who you work for, you can still be fired for your behavior on the job. When I look at the situation that way, I feel completely comfortable with him being fired. Job security is never guaranteed. Anyone can lose their job, why should he be immune? And one other thing… on the topic of freedom. I’m well aware that we all have the freedom to say whatever we want. But that doesn’t mean everything we say is “okay”. We also have the freedom to be nice, and we should exercise that freedom often. People typically don’t lose their job for being nice.
Well, April 15th is upon us and most of you are either about to file your taxes or already have. During this time of year, it’s common for people to take some of the money from their refunds and donate to charity. If you’re one of those people and you’re looking for charities, let me recommend one that can personally help someone. Most charity donations are used to help the people who need it, but you typically don’t get to know exactly who or what the money went to. In this case, you can find out EXACTLY who the money goes to and even learn about their story. Last month, my friend Kory’s sister Kendra was diagnosed with AIDS. She became infected through surgery. Unfortunately, this can happen in hospitals. This is a very hard time for Kendra, Kory, and their family and they are asking for donations to help with the growing medical expenses. So if you do plan on making a donation with some of your tax refund, or just feel like opening up your pocket book to help, please consider visiting Kory’s blog to read his story and make a donation to Kendra. Thank you.
Rodney and I had an interesting discussion yesterday, and I thought it was worth sharing. He was telling me about how he and his manager were discussing politics. They both despise George Bush (that’s a given). Then, he said they both agree on immigration. “Really?” I asked, “and what do you feel about immigration?” “Well, we both think illegal immigrants should have to leave the country,” he told me. So Rodney and his manager both felt happy because they agreed on it. And they should. Agreeing with people makes you feel good. When you find someone who thinks the way you do, the connection is automatic. But here’s the kicker: these same conversations happen all over America. Most people agree that illegal immigrants should not stay in the country. Duh. (Yes, I can still say duh… I don’t care if it is 2007). In fact, I see signs all over Middle Tennessee that say “Stop Illegal Immigration!” How stupid. I pay taxes. I am a U.S. citizen. Of course I want immigrants to do the same. What’s really going on? This whole issue is yet another way to distract the American public from BIGGER issues. It feeds into the racism that’s deeply embedded in white politicians. People naturally agree that illegal immigration is wrong, and then they transfer those strong feelings over to people of other races and nationalities. Anyone with dark skin is a terrorist, right? I have a feeling immigration is going to be the big issue of 2008 (along with Iraq, of course). But why? Is it even worth talking about? Naturally our next President should have a plan to make sure illegal immigration stops. I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat, that’s a no-brainer. So why don’t we focus on issues that make people FEEL GOOD? I remember a time when politicians worked for the people. Why don’t we have lower taxes? Why don’t we do something about healthcare? And what the hell is going on with Social Security? Do you have any idea how difficult it’s becoming for people to retire these days? What about the children, who will someday be the voices of our nation? The education system is under constant pressure. Teachers are underpaid and overworked. Classrooms are crowded and there isn’t enough funding to get students the materials they need to succeed. Let’s not even get started on how the cost of college is going up every year. Let’s all just agree and move on Anyway, the purpose of this lengthy post is to say that we need to focus on making things better for the American people. I don’t care about immigration. We all agree that illegal immigrants should leave, so what is there to discuss? Get on with it and move on to other topics. Stop using it as a blanket to cover up what’s really going on in the world. And especially stop using it to feed into racist stereotypes. This is by no means a rant against Rodney. I’m simply saying that the politicians focus on all these weak issues to get people talking. And while they are talking about gay marriage or immigration, they aren’t talking about what’s really happening in the world. And I purposely left out Iraq because I think it’s already clear to most people - we need to get our troops home now. So when 2008 elections roll around, what do we really need to be discussing?
One of the things I rarely mention on here is that I would like to release a book. Okay, multiple books. In fact, this blog started out with the intention of writing a book. It’s very common, in fact. Many bloggers have the intention of writing a book someday. If you keep a blog, you have to at least have a minimal interest in writing. But what is a book? Is it a 300 page story? Is it a 20 page pocket guide? And what should a book cost? How much are my words worth if I put a price tag on them? I think a dollar is more than fair. When you are in the checkout line at the grocery store, there are plenty of little books for sell for $1. Okay, they are typically horoscope pocket guides. But they are short, and people buy them. They even buy the single bottles of Coke that cost about as much as a 6 pack. Point being… people will spend a dollar. So what if I published an e-book? You could pay $1 and download it instantly. Would you buy it? What would the topic have to be? Something inspirational and motivating? Something humorous and maybe a bit crude? And how many pages would you expect for a dollar? I’m asking because I’m serious. It just sounds like a great experiment. Anyway, post your thoughts in the Comments. I’m curious.
Rodney is a loyal viewer, so I avoid the living room on Monday nights (sorry, but I can’t decide which is worse: the guts or the one-liners by David Caruso). But one character really stands out to me. Her name is Alex, and she’s played by Khandi Alexander. Whenever I happen to walk by and see Khandi, I say “That’s wonderful that they have a drag queen on a popular TV show. I really applaud ABC for their diversity.” Rodney gets irritated and says “She’s not a drag queen!” “Rodney,” I say, “don’t be judgmental. There’s nothing wrong with drag queens.” HA! I’m sorry… is that wrong? That gets him every time! I enjoy taking the facts and turning it around to make him sound like he’s dragophobic, when he’s really just saying Khandi is a woman. I’m sorry, Khandi. I’m sure you’re a beautiful woman. I just like using you to bug Rodney.
“I believe that you’re great, that there’s something magnificent about you… Regardless of what has happened to you in your life. Regardless of how old or young you think you might be. The moment you begin to think properly, this something that’s within you, this power that’s within you that’s greater than the world, it will begin to emerge. It will take over your life. It will feed you. It will clothe you. It will guide you, protect you, direct you, sustain your very existence… If you let it. Now that is what I know for sure.” Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, “The Secret” ————- I had a great weekend, and I hope everyone else did too! I also had the pleasure of meeting Dewayne for the first time. He and his partner Todd had a get together at their house, and it was so much fun. Today is a beautiful day, and I wanted to share this quote above because it really inspires me. I hope it inspires you too. Have a great day!
Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to break out the ol’ 2 disc collector’s edition of a classic.
HAPPY EASTER!
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Is anyone here a fan of CSI: Miami?
