Thursday, May 31, 2007

Don't enter MY GATE!

It is perfectly clear that the older I get, the less I can stand dealing with ignorant people. And sadly, some of those ignorant people happen to be in Law Enforcement.

My run-in with such an ignorant person came this evening when I did something that was very normal but I admit was wrong for me to do also. I committed a "sin" for those who live in "gated" communities.

My infraction? While I was delivering a pizza to this gated community, I drove through an open gate entry right behind the vehicle in front of me. That vehicle happened to be a marked local police car driven by an OFF DUTY (and out of uniform) police officer who lives in the gated RENTAL community.

The police officer stopped his car just past the gate, made some hand gestures and put his car in reverse. Then he stepped out of his car and yelled back that I needed to back up and put in my code for the gate. I backed up to the gate's keypad, the gate closed and he began to drive away. Then I entered the code that I had for the gate and as I drove into the GATED RENTAL COMMUNITY the police car made a u-turn, flipped on his lights and pointed for me to pull over.

This is when a tall and FAT man with a shaved head got out of the marked police car and interrogated me about the responsibilites of entering the gated (RENTAL) community. He said that he watched me not back up far enough (as if he could tell while he was driving away) and that I allowed the car behind me to enter their code then he told me to turn around, go out of the gate and enter the code to come back in and that it was meant for EVERYONE to enter a code to access this GATED RENTAL COMMUNITY (not his words, mine). But as he was bugging me about not putting in my code (which I did), FOUR CARS PIGGYBACKED INTO THE GATED (rental) COMMUNITY RIGHT BEHIND ME!!

When I pointed that out I must have further offended this OFF DUTY "Buford Pusser" wannabe as he continued to press me about what code I entered and where I was going. This lasted for a couple of minutes with this idiot flexing his big ego verbally with phrases like "what part of what I said did you not understand" as if I had no idea that I was being ordered around like someone who did something wrong.

I'm probably sounding like I have an ego problem myself with this blog. And I don't give a damn if I do. But the part of this that really got under my skin was as this law enforcement employee was getting on my case for entering the gate behind him he kept using the phrase "my gate". As in saying you are supposed to put in a code when you enter "MY GATE".

Oh, HIS GATE? in this gated RENTAL community of hundreds, where people regularly follow others through an open gate. And one where even the police officers themselves also follow others through an open gate rarely entering THEIR code to get in. What an arrogant ASS this "Buford Pusser" wannabe was. In my opinion, he really came off as an oversized "barney fyfe" with half the brain.

It is people like this idiot that sometimes make it difficult to respect law enforcement. Dont get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the law enforcement community but then individuals like this one I dealt with, who sometimes overuse their "authority" while THEY have a privledge (as this individual does) that make the law enforcement community at large look bad.

His "privledge"? He lives in a gated RENTAL housing community who's priority housing goes to members of the military. Members of the law enforcement community also get first grabs at vacancies in this community. Civilians are not offered housing in this community UNLESS their are a high amount of military vacancies. And even then, the civilian could be moved out when a military family is in need of the housing.

In the city where I live, there are only a few "gated communities" and ALL of them are RENTAL communities. Only recently have some newer subdivisions installed security gates but none of them are in the area where I deliver pizza. Even so, when you are a HOME OWNER in a gated community, maybe then would it sound reasonable to use the phrase "my gate". But as this police officer used that phrase several times while he lives in a RENTAL COMMUNITY, it really appears laughable. And his attitude toward me just didn't rub right.

I wonder if one day, this person will pull me over and give me a ticket for going 35.3 mph in a 35 mph zone? Big time enforcer of the rules this guy. What a pathetic joke!

If he was really serious, (or to be taken seriously) shouldn't he have asked for my license?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

XM Radio made a HUGE mistake!

I am ashamed of XM Satalite Radio
I am a loyal listener and subscriber of XM Satalite radio. I enjoy several of their music channels but today I am ashamed of XM Satalite Radio!

Recently, XM suspended one of their programs because of an incident involving "shock jock" radio hosts OPIE and ANTHONY who are well known for saying or doing things that may offend people. The un-censored version of the "Opie and Anthony" show was suspended from the XM lineup for 30 days while a syndicated "censored" edition of the show is still available on radio stations that carry the show around the country.


NEWS ARTICLE ONE

NEWS ARTICLE TWO

What happened was someone on the Opie and Anthony show spoke of various fantasies including one of raping United States Secretary of State Condelezza Rice. It was a deplorable incident indeed and one that should not be a surprise when you consider that the radio hosts were fired in August 2002 by the former WNEW-FM 102.7 in New York City over a highly publicized incident where they staged a stunt involving two people allegedly having sexual intercourse in a vestibule within the sacred St. Patrick's Cathedral.

When Opie and Anthony was fired, their listeners revolted and the radio station's ratings suffered so badly that the station's format and name has changed a few times since. So it's clear that Opie and Anthony has plenty of loyal fans.

XM Satalite Radio signed Opie and Anthony to have an uncensored radio program in response to the success of rival Sirrus Satalite Radio having Howard Stern on their lineup. Like Stern, Opie & Anthony were given many hours for a live morning show and repeats on a dedicated channel available 24 hours a day. Because of the adult content, XM offers to block the channel upon request.

NOTE: Howard Stern on Sirrius Satalite Radio requires an additional subscription fee. XM's talk channels do have commercials.

Recently, XM radio recieved a backlash that I consider to be simular to the recent Don Imus situation. Meaning those who expressed their being "offended" by the latest Opie & Anthony incident were more likely people who NEVER listened to the show or ever heard of them until someone TOLD them what happened and that they should be "offended" by it.

There were calls for the dismissal of Opie and Anthony by a few conservative types though they were nowhere near as loud as those who protested the "nappy headed ho's" incident on the former Don Imus Show. Opie and Anthony apologized for the incident and most considered their apology good enough to end the controversy. But then XM suspended the program.

Now, Opie and Anthony's FANS and even sponsors of XM's programing have revolted in great anger over the suspension. Over 20,000 subscribers have CANCELLED their XM accounts and many sponsors whos commercials were heard on some XM channels have pulled their sponsorsip.

I can't blame any of the people who are angry about Opie and Anthony's suspension. If I were a fan I probably would have reacted the same way. One of the major reasons why we subscribe to satalite radio is for the alternative to what we consider to be the restrictive selection and poor quality of broadcast radio. Just like when people started paying for cable and satalite television over having "rabbit ears" on top of the TV set. We want and enjoy more options even those options that are more "adult" in nature.

I feel funny referring to Opie and Anthony as either "mature" or even "adult" as their programing and probably their fans could hardly be considered either. But that is a matter of individual taste in programing content. I still support the idea of freedom of speech no matter how stupid or inappropiate I may feel that it is. I support the option to choose whether or not I will listen to it. With so many channels I can tell you that one channel I never heard was the very channel that Opie & Anthony was on. It's not something I would intentionally choose to listen to. And I feel that XM made a huge mistake in taking that option away from the Opie & Anthony fans.

Oh by the way, of those who were "offended" by the fantasy of raping Condelezza Rice as heard on Opie & Anthony, I haven't heard a single word from any of the BLACK voices who assumed the feeling of being offended when someone called a group of mostly Black female basketball players "nappy headed ho's".

Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Tavis Smiley, Tom Joyner, Michael Baisden, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (alumus of Rutgers University) and so many other Black or African-American public names I could mention....NONE of them had a damned thing so say about this "disrespect" of a woman who happens to be Black...Condelezza Rice.

I haven't heard any calls of "racism" either although Al Sharpton was busy saying something that offended the Mormons. Yes, he was in the hot seat for a little while in recent weeks for opening his big mouth again.

Sadly I also haven't heard any comments from anyone calling the Opie & Anthony incident disrespectful toward women to speak of any fantasy of rape. I heard not a damn thing from those people who were pissing their panties over the Don Imus incident and later celebrated his firing from both the TV and radio networks. All this despite the fact that 99% of those who protested and celebrated either never heard of Don Imus prior to the incident or never listened to his show anyway. I'm sure most of them never heard of Opie and Anthony either. Maybe that's the excuse for not saying anything to defend Ms. Rice.

Or could it be that the same black folks who protested loudly at Don Imus probably felt Condelezza Rice didn't deserve any respect because she is part of a Republican adminstration. They talk about her like a dog anyway.

Now which is the more "offensive", calling someone a "nappy headed ho" or fantasizing about raping a woman? Which is the more violent? Which one really is the more harmful. You know the answers to this. If you even bothered to read this far, you just might be using your brain. (I hope)

I think in both the Don Imus and the Opie & Anthony incidents, we have shared elements of HYPROCRACY and CENSORSHIP. We still have this very weak problem of not being able to turn away from the things we dislike or feel offense to. People want to control options and content. Public figures are already controlling most people's minds. People are too lazy to think and decide for themselves. And in the Opie & Anthony case, people were willing to PAY for what they enjoy. The subscribers were making THEIR choices and suddenly not getting what they feel they paid for. As a subscriber, I pay for Opie & Anthony too. But they are part of the package. My reason for subscribing to XM was based on music options as many have their own reasons for subscribing.

I say TO EACH THEIR OWN and I don't blame O&A's fans one bit for cancelling their XM accounts.

If XM ever screws with my favorate Sunday morning programing on channel 64 "The Groove" then I'll smash my reciever too. ( Don't mess with my music!)

Shame on you XM!

And more importantly, shame on all hyprocrates! Too many to list and they are too stupid to understand anyway.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Hide the steak knives

I am amused by the bold stupidity of some people.

This time it involves a man who I have long wished would just exile himself to an island somewhere so the world can forget about him and move on. That person would be OJ Simpson.

We all know what happened and the jury verdict that most people disagreed with. Then the proud display of the former football star having as much of a "good life" as he possibly could in the face of extreme public disgrace.

OJ plays golf and enjoys his life. Last weekend he enjoyed a weekend at the Kentucky Derby and he along with an entourage planned to enjoy a dinner at a nice steakhouse in Louisville. But the owner refused to serve OJ and he left the restaurant.

Now, as news of this is spreading, we hear the OJ's lawyer may plan a lawsuit or challenge the restaurant's liquor license. The lawyer even pulled the race card! More on that part later.

The owner of the restaurant said very bluntly that he refused to serve OJ Simpson because of his (the owner's) personal beliefs regarding the murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. For the restaurant owner, it was clearly personal.

Now that restaurant has some free advertising for those who support the owner's decision to refuse service. The owner was applauded and is getting positive feedback. He has been interviewed by many media outlets and was the STAR guest of Nancy Grace's TV show on CNN Headline News.

This incident adds to the passion of the hate of OJ by media loudmouths like Nancy Grace and Gloria Allred. Two women that I really cannot stand. Listening to them is for me as painful as pouring bleach in my ear.

Lets get this clear! I don't care what happens to OJ. I thought he was an ASS long before the 1994 murders. I never paid any attention to the trial but I always suspected him because of his immediate actions after the bodies were found. And I see the actions of OJ Simpson and his family as arrogant after the trial.

The reason I paid so little attention to the trial is because I just cannot stomach a tabloid zoo enviroment. It was hard to avoid the zoo everywhere you went back then and the more I heard it, the more disgusted I became and I simply tuned it out.

I have long wished that OJ would just go away. I also wish that the public would let him go away. Once again, he is getting attention and people are milking it. And I think OJ craves this attention. If we ignore him, I like to think that he will finally get the point and fade away.

The owner of the restaruant said that OJ showed some "class" by leaving the restaurant quietly. Thats BS. You have to have some class in order to show some class.

Showing up in places where you know everyone hates you isn't showing class at all. Having an attorney that makes a press announcement that this was about race and they are considering legal action is definitely not having any class.

OJ has a legal parasite for a lawyer and that person claims that this happened because OJ is black and even said "he screwed with the wrong guy." Whooo, sounds like fighting words. Better hide those steak knives!


Funny thing that O.J. Simpson gets kicked out of a restaurant and the next entorage to sit at the same table included a man by the name of Michael Jordan. Last time I saw someone named Michael Jordan, it was a bald headed black man.

Hmmmm.

All of this and all future incidents like this could easily be avoided if only Orenthal James Simpson would do the world a favor and become a recluse. It is obious that he isn't smart enough to see that he may be the most hated man in the US. And now that one restaruant owner has made a name for himself by refusing to serve OJ, there is sure to be others to follow suit. Especially if the free advertisement for the restaurant turns profitable.

Yes, this incident is free advertising for the restaurant. Read the news and you know the name of the owner and you learn that he owns three upscale steak restaurants. And when the OJ haters feel like having a good steak dinner, I don't think they are going to choose the local Outback or Longhorn anytime soon.

Anyway, I only make note of the restaurant getting free press as one of many benefactors of the mess that is O.J. Simpson. Along with the media loudmouths that needed another attention getting-ratings grabbing tabloid story. And these people who take advantage and profit from this mess all criticize the messer (OJ) for not paying on the 33 million dollar lawsuit he lost to the Goldman family.

I wonder if anyone benefitting from this latest OJ mess has any plans to help OJ pay off that 33 million? THINK ABOUT THIS!

Hey, I am an equal opportunity critic. The restaurant owner has appeared on several TV shows and networks appearing like a superstar himself. Free advertising for his restaurants. People will show their appreciation for the owner refusing OJ service by getting served. It won't matter if the food is good, those steakhouses will be serving a lot of beef and raking in many loaves of bread.($$$)


TV networks get to talk about it and advertisers pay them for the higher ratings. Assholes like Nancy Grace, Bill O'reilly and that arrogant runt Sean Hannity all get have a passionate topic to discuss. Black hyprocrates (who hold platinum race card accounts from the Bank of (Al) Sharpton- "The B of S") will join OJ's lawyer's race card pull on one side and critize OJ for dating a white woman on the other. (Black folks calling into the Tom Joyner Radio show were sure quick to point out that both O.J. and Michael Jordan was seen a white woman at that restaurant over the weekend.) Entertainment Tonight gets to take a break from covering American Idol and soon to be jailbird Paris Hilton, bloggers like me post meaningless babble in an attempt to appear like real journalists and bored newspaper eporters get to work overtime reporting any angle of this story and collecting the latest soundbite.

All of this made possible because OJ SIMPSON simply doesn't get it and wont go away.

I'll have my steak medium rare!