I don't know this family but I would like to offer my condolences to the family of the late Jake Rocker. He was the driver of an SUV that had a collision with a dump truck near my community. Jake Rocker was killed in the accident.The accident occurred on a major road leading into the city where I live. I drive the road daily and had to detour because of this accident in the morning rush hour.
The family of Jake Rocker is surely mourning the unexpected loss of their loved one. However the local newspaper chose to report this fatal accident by reminding the public of Jake Rocker's son. His son happens to be a former baseball player. Jake Rocker's son is former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker.
Thats where the story should end. The Rocker family lost one of its members in an automobile accident. There was no reason for the media to go into any details of past events that had NOTHING to do with the man and the tragic car accident that happened yesterday morning. I won't mention any of those past events as the world has moved on from those events. But appearantly the Macon Telegraph has not.
I have said recently that I am all about freedom of speech. That speech should be used with some respect under circumstances like this. The family has to deal with a death and funeral. Let them mourn in peace.
My condolences to the Rocker family at their time of loss. No family deserves to lose anyone in a horrible accident like that.
and my contempt for the news media for their reporting of the event. It wasn't necessary to include the history of the deceased' son's controversal career.
Just my opinion.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Don Imus was fired, now what?
OK, now Don Imus has lost both his radio show and the TV simulcast. He has been fired by both companies. He is history.
He did make a stupid mistake. People were offended and he was punished for it.
NOW WHAT?
It hasn't solved anything. You still have a lot of people INCLUDING those who led this protest who are guilty of racial activity. So are people going to put a stop to their madness? Will the advertisers who pulled away from Don Imus also pull away from others who are just as guilty? Or are all of these overreacting people who were protesting going to slide back under their rocks and celebrate a hollow victory.
Remember this the next time you listen to a rap song or a foul mouthed comedian. You'll be listening to a hyprocrate.
He did make a stupid mistake. People were offended and he was punished for it.
NOW WHAT?
It hasn't solved anything. You still have a lot of people INCLUDING those who led this protest who are guilty of racial activity. So are people going to put a stop to their madness? Will the advertisers who pulled away from Don Imus also pull away from others who are just as guilty? Or are all of these overreacting people who were protesting going to slide back under their rocks and celebrate a hollow victory.
Remember this the next time you listen to a rap song or a foul mouthed comedian. You'll be listening to a hyprocrate.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
"YOU PEOPLE" are a bunch of "NAPPY HEADED" HYPROCRATES
I assume that if I were a public figure then I would get into a lot of trouble for writing this blog. Especially with the title I have for it.
Unless you have had your head in your butt for the past couple days, then you must know about the controversy over a radio talk show host's comments about a college basketball team. Today I have been listening to the reaction, the demands for the radio personality's firing, the attempt at an apology by the host, the additional so-called offenses made within the apology and a whole lot of "spin" from every other radio host and their callers.
For the most part, the majority of what I have heard is from people taking advantage of the airwaves and every other public outlet by jumping on the bandwagon to throw their worthless two cents in. And to some of us who actually took the time to think about the situation BEFORE reacting to it, this has become yet another soap-opera starring people who are nothing more than publicity whores.
So now I will name the stars of this media circus.
Don Imus, a New York based radio broadcaster of over four decades whose radio show is syndicated nationally and simulcast over the cable television network MSNBC. He is a radio legend and known for a certain type of behavior and for making comments that some have deemed offensive. It has always been part of his "act" and hardly different than many radio hosts.
Don Imus is currently under fire for referring to the Women's basketball team at Rutgers University of New Jersey by using the words "nappy headed ho's" while talking with his radio sidekick/producer about a recent college basketball game. And in that same conversation BOTH men used words that some African-Americans consider offensive. The word "jiggaboo" was also used.
Don Imus is now facing the wrath of public scrutiny led by the other stars of this media circus, The Reverend Al Sharpton of New York City. Another legend in his own right as he has been an activist usually for race concerns. He became nationally known in the late 1980's through some highly publicized racial events in New York. Soon he got involved in situations outside of his New York home base through his organization The National Action Network. He has used his popularity to run for president and now is also a nationally syndicated radio talk host. Some consider Al Sharpton as a civil rights leader. I consider Al Sharpton to be a publicity whore, ready to take on any cause and make it a racial issue.
Another person considered a civil rights leader but I also consider to be the crown king of media whores (as Sharpton is the prince) is none other than Jessie Lee Jackson Sr, born in Greenville South Carolina and leader the Rainbow Push Coalition out of Chicago. Some of you might not know this but Jessie Jackson also has a nationally syndicated radio show. But you have to get up very early on Sunday morning to listen to it.
Now, to the issue at hand.
Don Imus definitely said something stupid on the radio. But my problem with the whole issue is with the reaction to it. The black community is so outraged at Don Imus for daring to call a mostly black female basketball team a bunch of "nappy headed ho's". And people SHOULD see this stupid comment for its offense. But have to I ask why this incident and why now? And why are we never as offended when we call ourselves these names? Even more baffling to me is why we continue to allow racist publicity whores like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson to be the leading mouthpieces of the Black or African-American community.
YES I CALLED JACKSON AND SHARPTON RACIST as everything with them is a racial issue. They too have made inflamatory comments over the years. Everything with them involves blaming the white man and demanding that the white man and anyone related to him to pay us lazy ass black folks cash for past injustices.
And speaking about LAZY ASS BLACK FOLKS (yeah I said it!) who never take on a cause that makes sense and actually would have a positive effect on our lives. We sit on our fat black butts waiting for a handout and for someone else to do something for us instead of doing it for ourselves. And we criticize those who ARE doing things for themselves to get ahead in life. I catch that hell all of the time.
Why am I picking on BLACK PEOPLE? Because my so-called brothers and sisters are truly a bunch of NAPPY HEADED LAZY ASS HYPROCRATES! (yeah I said it!)
I am angry more about the response to Don Imus' remarks because I have been long tired of hearing people who look like me carry ourselves with no self respect. Then those of us like me who DARE to suggest that it is INAPPROPIATE to call ourselves "nigger" (notice I spelled it CORRECTLY) or our women "bitches" or "ho's" often get called nasty names ourselves. I cannot count how many times I have gotten into a conflict with a relative or neighbor whenever I challenged them for saying a word that we find offensive if someone of another race uses it.
So I dare to say this….How dare anyone get upset because some radio guy says something outrageous and then you make is a racial issue. HOW DARE YOU?
This is becoming an old question more often asked by people of other races but also asked by some African-Americans as well, you know, the ones who (like me) get accused of being a race traitor, uncle Tom, House N***** etc. The question is where is the outrage over RAP music, BLACK comedians and black politicians who spew RACIST comments damn near every time they open their mouths?
I have another good question to ask…..how many of the people who are so pissed at Don Imus ever heard of him before some so-called black leader told you that you needed to protest and get him fired? Hmmmmm?
I know the answers to this! How about LITTLE TO NONE or VERY FEW at the most. Black people who are so angry at Don Imus are most likely listeners of Steve Harvey, Doug Banks, Russ Parr, Tom Joyner or any local Hip-hop radio morning show hosted by some wannabe comedian with a dozen people in the studio with nothing important to talk about and usually everyone talking or screaming at the same time.
One radio host spent the first hour of his show angry about someone name John Imus. I guess someone had to call and tell him that the man's name was DON and not JOHN. So that was one of the many who reacted BEFORE really knowing what to react to.
Now, most of these radio hosts are joining the push within the black community to get Don Imus fired. Suspension is not enough for these people. Some of the radio hosts are planning to release the telephone numbers for the advertisers of Don Imus' show and the broadcasters who distribute it to have his career terminated and the listeners are going to make life hell for Imus for his stupid comments.
SO I ASK AGAIN……
When are we going to slam the advertisers and broadcasters who sponsor violent and racially offensive comedians and rap performers? Why is it that when we see a rapper driving a Cadillac Escalade and calling someone a bitch or ho, we want to drive a car just like the one in the video? Why can't we inform General Motors and the Cadillac division that the video is offensive and they should not associate their product with the offensive material? Do you see that ever happening?
I am rambling here, but I am annoyed. I also defer to FREEDOM OF SPEECH and with that, someone like Don Imus and even Al Sharpton should be able to have their say whatever that say is. NEITHER of them should lose their jobs for whatever offensive things they say or do UNLESS it is in direct violation of company rules and FCC regulations! I have not heard of the words "nappy headed ho's "as being any of the "forbidden" words within FCC rules. Now if they were included among the forbidden words or phrases, then most of the newer music out there and even some of the performers names would be banned from broadcast. (Isn't there a group or person who calls themselves "Nappy Brown"?)
Even some old songs could be banned for offensive lyrics like Stevie Wonder's song "I Wish"…."Looking back on when I was a little nappy headed boy"……
Well, this latest controversy didn't stop with the "nappy headed ho's". As Don Imus appeared on Al Sharpton's radio show to "apologize" for his "nappy headed hos" remarks, he used another term that black people get bent out of shape over. And that term is the double word "YOU PEOPLE." I believe the statement Don Imus said was "I can't get anywhere with you people"
Don Imus tried to explain himself and apologized on Al Sharpton's radio show. However he was constantly under attack and the apologies were not being accepted. Sharpton and his entourage were playing a power play and Don Imus' reaction using the "you people' comment made things worse.
Something I learned very clearly when I was young is that Black people take the "you people" phrase as an insult. It is taken as if the person saying "you people' feels as if they are better than you. As if "those people" are inferior to "us" or something. It is an offense that I have never understood nor taken whenever it was said to me. I have even used the phrase "you people" without the intention of insult and I have no apologies for it. I do think that people need to get over it.
Sadly, black people are adding the "you people' remark into the mix that is this current controversy over words.The reaction to Imus saying "you people" is as if he disrespected people who in my opinion had not earned any respect.
Black people are in attack mode. They are not willing to compromise. Whenever someone allegedly "offends" us, then we want their livelihoods to suffer. We want people to be fired as a way to be held accountable. Or we want corporations or individuals to kiss our black asses and give away whatever we demand.
So as people are demanding that Don Imus be fired, his radio and TV bosses are suspending him for two weeks. There was no word about whether his suspension was with or without pay and his suspension is delayed a few days so that Don Imus can help promote a previously scheduled radio telefon for charity. The whole suspension thing itself is a bad a joke as the situation surrounding it. It is nothing more than a vacation for someone who already earns several million dollars a year.
I am not sorry to say this as it is my opinion, but the only thing Don Imus needed to do was apologize for his comments and move on. As I am typing this, Don Imus is planning to meet with the women's basketball team and their coach to hopefully apologize to them in person and to bury the hatchet. But this will not satisfy anyone. People want a hatchet job done to the man who committed a verbal "crime".
Well I want a hatchet job done on the record executives who allow recording contracts to be issued to thugs who record disrespectful, violent and offensive material and profit from it. I want a hatchet job done on people who profit from and who use people for their power trips as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson have done for decades. I want a hatchet job for anyone who threatens FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
As I said earlier, I defer to Freedom of speech as a right we have in the United States of America, MY HOME! But I do so with the understanding and respect that having that freedom of speech has responsibilities AND consequences.
Freedom of speech should allow exactly what has happened with the Don Imus situation, the Mel Gibson incident and all of the others. They should be able to say what they want and what they feel. And if you don't agree, then you take action. Freedom of speech in the US gives you the right to express yourselves in protest, boycotting, or SIMPLY TURNING OFF THE RADIO OF TELEVISION and choosing other programming.
Let the marketplace decide who keeps their job! If there is a proven lack of support then you take a different course which in this case may mean a replacement in programming.
What happened to people making a choice? It is obvious that I am not a fan of Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson and because of that I choose to NOT listen to their radio shows and I have never voted for either of them when they ran for office. I also choose to NOT listen or watch Don Imus' radio program. It is not my type of programming. I never had any interest in his show. And unlike most of those who supposedly are in an uproar right now, I have actually heard of him and listened to his show a few times. And I moved on when I realized that it was not my cup of tea.
Perhaps the most important issue with me is that one should look in the mirror before being so critical of others. And find your priorities! We have so many more important issues to deal with than the words of an idiot especially when we have this terrible habit of giving a pass to "one of us" just because it is "one of us". It is a double standard that will continue to keep race relations in the dismal state that we are in right now.
And sadly those who are keeping us down are the ones who claim to honor the lives of those who died in the struggle for civil rights.
Those people have got to be turning in their graves.
I am done rambling on this issue. I just hope that it will die down soon and somehow we put this passion into matters that affect us more than the words of a radio man that so few of us even listen to.
Unless you have had your head in your butt for the past couple days, then you must know about the controversy over a radio talk show host's comments about a college basketball team. Today I have been listening to the reaction, the demands for the radio personality's firing, the attempt at an apology by the host, the additional so-called offenses made within the apology and a whole lot of "spin" from every other radio host and their callers.
For the most part, the majority of what I have heard is from people taking advantage of the airwaves and every other public outlet by jumping on the bandwagon to throw their worthless two cents in. And to some of us who actually took the time to think about the situation BEFORE reacting to it, this has become yet another soap-opera starring people who are nothing more than publicity whores.
So now I will name the stars of this media circus.
Don Imus, a New York based radio broadcaster of over four decades whose radio show is syndicated nationally and simulcast over the cable television network MSNBC. He is a radio legend and known for a certain type of behavior and for making comments that some have deemed offensive. It has always been part of his "act" and hardly different than many radio hosts.
Don Imus is currently under fire for referring to the Women's basketball team at Rutgers University of New Jersey by using the words "nappy headed ho's" while talking with his radio sidekick/producer about a recent college basketball game. And in that same conversation BOTH men used words that some African-Americans consider offensive. The word "jiggaboo" was also used.
Don Imus is now facing the wrath of public scrutiny led by the other stars of this media circus, The Reverend Al Sharpton of New York City. Another legend in his own right as he has been an activist usually for race concerns. He became nationally known in the late 1980's through some highly publicized racial events in New York. Soon he got involved in situations outside of his New York home base through his organization The National Action Network. He has used his popularity to run for president and now is also a nationally syndicated radio talk host. Some consider Al Sharpton as a civil rights leader. I consider Al Sharpton to be a publicity whore, ready to take on any cause and make it a racial issue.
Another person considered a civil rights leader but I also consider to be the crown king of media whores (as Sharpton is the prince) is none other than Jessie Lee Jackson Sr, born in Greenville South Carolina and leader the Rainbow Push Coalition out of Chicago. Some of you might not know this but Jessie Jackson also has a nationally syndicated radio show. But you have to get up very early on Sunday morning to listen to it.
Now, to the issue at hand.
Don Imus definitely said something stupid on the radio. But my problem with the whole issue is with the reaction to it. The black community is so outraged at Don Imus for daring to call a mostly black female basketball team a bunch of "nappy headed ho's". And people SHOULD see this stupid comment for its offense. But have to I ask why this incident and why now? And why are we never as offended when we call ourselves these names? Even more baffling to me is why we continue to allow racist publicity whores like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson to be the leading mouthpieces of the Black or African-American community.
YES I CALLED JACKSON AND SHARPTON RACIST as everything with them is a racial issue. They too have made inflamatory comments over the years. Everything with them involves blaming the white man and demanding that the white man and anyone related to him to pay us lazy ass black folks cash for past injustices.
And speaking about LAZY ASS BLACK FOLKS (yeah I said it!) who never take on a cause that makes sense and actually would have a positive effect on our lives. We sit on our fat black butts waiting for a handout and for someone else to do something for us instead of doing it for ourselves. And we criticize those who ARE doing things for themselves to get ahead in life. I catch that hell all of the time.
Why am I picking on BLACK PEOPLE? Because my so-called brothers and sisters are truly a bunch of NAPPY HEADED LAZY ASS HYPROCRATES! (yeah I said it!)
I am angry more about the response to Don Imus' remarks because I have been long tired of hearing people who look like me carry ourselves with no self respect. Then those of us like me who DARE to suggest that it is INAPPROPIATE to call ourselves "nigger" (notice I spelled it CORRECTLY) or our women "bitches" or "ho's" often get called nasty names ourselves. I cannot count how many times I have gotten into a conflict with a relative or neighbor whenever I challenged them for saying a word that we find offensive if someone of another race uses it.
So I dare to say this….How dare anyone get upset because some radio guy says something outrageous and then you make is a racial issue. HOW DARE YOU?
This is becoming an old question more often asked by people of other races but also asked by some African-Americans as well, you know, the ones who (like me) get accused of being a race traitor, uncle Tom, House N***** etc. The question is where is the outrage over RAP music, BLACK comedians and black politicians who spew RACIST comments damn near every time they open their mouths?
I have another good question to ask…..how many of the people who are so pissed at Don Imus ever heard of him before some so-called black leader told you that you needed to protest and get him fired? Hmmmmm?
I know the answers to this! How about LITTLE TO NONE or VERY FEW at the most. Black people who are so angry at Don Imus are most likely listeners of Steve Harvey, Doug Banks, Russ Parr, Tom Joyner or any local Hip-hop radio morning show hosted by some wannabe comedian with a dozen people in the studio with nothing important to talk about and usually everyone talking or screaming at the same time.
One radio host spent the first hour of his show angry about someone name John Imus. I guess someone had to call and tell him that the man's name was DON and not JOHN. So that was one of the many who reacted BEFORE really knowing what to react to.
Now, most of these radio hosts are joining the push within the black community to get Don Imus fired. Suspension is not enough for these people. Some of the radio hosts are planning to release the telephone numbers for the advertisers of Don Imus' show and the broadcasters who distribute it to have his career terminated and the listeners are going to make life hell for Imus for his stupid comments.
SO I ASK AGAIN……
When are we going to slam the advertisers and broadcasters who sponsor violent and racially offensive comedians and rap performers? Why is it that when we see a rapper driving a Cadillac Escalade and calling someone a bitch or ho, we want to drive a car just like the one in the video? Why can't we inform General Motors and the Cadillac division that the video is offensive and they should not associate their product with the offensive material? Do you see that ever happening?
I am rambling here, but I am annoyed. I also defer to FREEDOM OF SPEECH and with that, someone like Don Imus and even Al Sharpton should be able to have their say whatever that say is. NEITHER of them should lose their jobs for whatever offensive things they say or do UNLESS it is in direct violation of company rules and FCC regulations! I have not heard of the words "nappy headed ho's "as being any of the "forbidden" words within FCC rules. Now if they were included among the forbidden words or phrases, then most of the newer music out there and even some of the performers names would be banned from broadcast. (Isn't there a group or person who calls themselves "Nappy Brown"?)
Even some old songs could be banned for offensive lyrics like Stevie Wonder's song "I Wish"…."Looking back on when I was a little nappy headed boy"……
Well, this latest controversy didn't stop with the "nappy headed ho's". As Don Imus appeared on Al Sharpton's radio show to "apologize" for his "nappy headed hos" remarks, he used another term that black people get bent out of shape over. And that term is the double word "YOU PEOPLE." I believe the statement Don Imus said was "I can't get anywhere with you people"
Don Imus tried to explain himself and apologized on Al Sharpton's radio show. However he was constantly under attack and the apologies were not being accepted. Sharpton and his entourage were playing a power play and Don Imus' reaction using the "you people' comment made things worse.
Something I learned very clearly when I was young is that Black people take the "you people" phrase as an insult. It is taken as if the person saying "you people' feels as if they are better than you. As if "those people" are inferior to "us" or something. It is an offense that I have never understood nor taken whenever it was said to me. I have even used the phrase "you people" without the intention of insult and I have no apologies for it. I do think that people need to get over it.
Sadly, black people are adding the "you people' remark into the mix that is this current controversy over words.The reaction to Imus saying "you people" is as if he disrespected people who in my opinion had not earned any respect.
Black people are in attack mode. They are not willing to compromise. Whenever someone allegedly "offends" us, then we want their livelihoods to suffer. We want people to be fired as a way to be held accountable. Or we want corporations or individuals to kiss our black asses and give away whatever we demand.
So as people are demanding that Don Imus be fired, his radio and TV bosses are suspending him for two weeks. There was no word about whether his suspension was with or without pay and his suspension is delayed a few days so that Don Imus can help promote a previously scheduled radio telefon for charity. The whole suspension thing itself is a bad a joke as the situation surrounding it. It is nothing more than a vacation for someone who already earns several million dollars a year.
I am not sorry to say this as it is my opinion, but the only thing Don Imus needed to do was apologize for his comments and move on. As I am typing this, Don Imus is planning to meet with the women's basketball team and their coach to hopefully apologize to them in person and to bury the hatchet. But this will not satisfy anyone. People want a hatchet job done to the man who committed a verbal "crime".
Well I want a hatchet job done on the record executives who allow recording contracts to be issued to thugs who record disrespectful, violent and offensive material and profit from it. I want a hatchet job done on people who profit from and who use people for their power trips as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson have done for decades. I want a hatchet job for anyone who threatens FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
As I said earlier, I defer to Freedom of speech as a right we have in the United States of America, MY HOME! But I do so with the understanding and respect that having that freedom of speech has responsibilities AND consequences.
Freedom of speech should allow exactly what has happened with the Don Imus situation, the Mel Gibson incident and all of the others. They should be able to say what they want and what they feel. And if you don't agree, then you take action. Freedom of speech in the US gives you the right to express yourselves in protest, boycotting, or SIMPLY TURNING OFF THE RADIO OF TELEVISION and choosing other programming.
Let the marketplace decide who keeps their job! If there is a proven lack of support then you take a different course which in this case may mean a replacement in programming.
What happened to people making a choice? It is obvious that I am not a fan of Al Sharpton or Jessie Jackson and because of that I choose to NOT listen to their radio shows and I have never voted for either of them when they ran for office. I also choose to NOT listen or watch Don Imus' radio program. It is not my type of programming. I never had any interest in his show. And unlike most of those who supposedly are in an uproar right now, I have actually heard of him and listened to his show a few times. And I moved on when I realized that it was not my cup of tea.
Perhaps the most important issue with me is that one should look in the mirror before being so critical of others. And find your priorities! We have so many more important issues to deal with than the words of an idiot especially when we have this terrible habit of giving a pass to "one of us" just because it is "one of us". It is a double standard that will continue to keep race relations in the dismal state that we are in right now.
And sadly those who are keeping us down are the ones who claim to honor the lives of those who died in the struggle for civil rights.
Those people have got to be turning in their graves.
I am done rambling on this issue. I just hope that it will die down soon and somehow we put this passion into matters that affect us more than the words of a radio man that so few of us even listen to.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Stupid driver exposed!
I want to talk about one very scary driver in Central Georgia.
The photo is of the scary driver's vehicle. If the car or arm of the driver resembles you or you know the person. Be glad I did not include a photo of the license plate and that I won't identify the driver further by revealing the person's age or gender. Also be glad that I am not identifying the specific city. However you may get some clue if you are from the area.
This scary driver really knew how to multi-task during a Friday afternoon rush hour!
This driver was on a busy street with many curves and traffic lights. The driver was talking on the telephone WITHOUT A HANDS FREE DEVICE! The phone was held firmly against the driver's head. And every few seconds another hand would reach out the window to flick ASHES from a cigarette even when the vehicle was moving!
This driver was smoking and talking while driving a little sports car on a BUSY street DURING RUSH HOUR! And this driver rarely let go of either the cigarette or the telephone for the 2 miles that I nervously drove behind this driving menace!
This two mile stretch included a narrow three lane street with the center lane used for REVERSE travel at different times of the day. During the morning the center lane runs toward Downtown. In the afternoon, the center lane runs away from downtown. The scary telephone talking-cigarette smoking driver DID use the center lane!
I photographed this idiot while at a traffic light. I wanted to show one person that really should not be allowed to drive a motorized vehicle.
It is my opinion that people who drive while talking on their cell phones are as dangerous as a stinking drunk driver. Add smoking, eating and other distractions while operating a moving vehicle and you risk the safety of everyone around you. If you are guilty of these habits, you should stop or be stopped before you kill someone!
And if you do kill someone, hopefully it is YOURSELF and not some innocent person or family who does take their responsibility to operate a motor vehicle seriously.
The photo is of the scary driver's vehicle. If the car or arm of the driver resembles you or you know the person. Be glad I did not include a photo of the license plate and that I won't identify the driver further by revealing the person's age or gender. Also be glad that I am not identifying the specific city. However you may get some clue if you are from the area.
This scary driver really knew how to multi-task during a Friday afternoon rush hour!
This driver was on a busy street with many curves and traffic lights. The driver was talking on the telephone WITHOUT A HANDS FREE DEVICE! The phone was held firmly against the driver's head. And every few seconds another hand would reach out the window to flick ASHES from a cigarette even when the vehicle was moving!
This driver was smoking and talking while driving a little sports car on a BUSY street DURING RUSH HOUR! And this driver rarely let go of either the cigarette or the telephone for the 2 miles that I nervously drove behind this driving menace!
This two mile stretch included a narrow three lane street with the center lane used for REVERSE travel at different times of the day. During the morning the center lane runs toward Downtown. In the afternoon, the center lane runs away from downtown. The scary telephone talking-cigarette smoking driver DID use the center lane!
I photographed this idiot while at a traffic light. I wanted to show one person that really should not be allowed to drive a motorized vehicle.
It is my opinion that people who drive while talking on their cell phones are as dangerous as a stinking drunk driver. Add smoking, eating and other distractions while operating a moving vehicle and you risk the safety of everyone around you. If you are guilty of these habits, you should stop or be stopped before you kill someone!
And if you do kill someone, hopefully it is YOURSELF and not some innocent person or family who does take their responsibility to operate a motor vehicle seriously.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Tornadoes in Americus Georgia
A tornado hit Americus Georgia on Thursday, March 1, 2007 after 9pm.
The local hospital was severely damaged and patients had to be evacuated. It will take months to bring the hospital back into operation.
Two people died in the Americus tornado.
Here are photos of some of the damage. Photos were taken four days after the tornado hit.
Winn-Dixie Supermarket
Advance Auto Parts
Home on Ga HWY 49 north
Church on HWY 49 loses steeple
Home in Historic District south of Downtown
Aarons store with delivery truck on its side
Downtown was not damaged including historic Windsor Hotel
These houses are South of Downtown between Lee Street and the High School.
Lots of historic homes and great old trees
Houses along Georgia HWY 49 in North Americus
The local hospital was severely damaged and patients had to be evacuated. It will take months to bring the hospital back into operation.
Two people died in the Americus tornado.
Here are photos of some of the damage. Photos were taken four days after the tornado hit.
Advance Auto Parts
Home on Ga HWY 49 north
Church on HWY 49 loses steeple
Home in Historic District south of Downtown
Aarons store with delivery truck on its side
Downtown was not damaged including historic Windsor Hotel
These houses are South of Downtown between Lee Street and the High School.
Lots of historic homes and great old trees
Houses along Georgia HWY 49 in North Americus
Sunday, January 21, 2007
I'm not the only one in a time warp!
For a few weeks, SOUL TRAIN is running "The Best of Soul Train" which is complete CLASSIC episodes of the longest running syndicated television show in history.
I discovered this by accident and confirmed it online.
Then I looked up the program guide and discovered it was on very early Sunday morning and so I woke up early to watch The Sugar Hill Gang and Patrice Rushen on an episode that originally aired in 1981.
Like many, I grew up watching Soul Train every Saturday and yes, I did watch this very episode pictured. Back then it was the first time I saw The Sugar Hill Gang on Soul Train but it was at least a year after I first heard their song "Rappers Delight". This was the early stages of popular RAP music when it was all about just having fun with music and words.
I hate to sound like the "stick in the mud" or the old fogie (sp) that I am turning into but, I prefer the more gentlemen like presence of RAP music from "back in the day". When rappers spoke in an interview and you could understand what they said. Their pants were pulled all the way up covering their butts and you did not have to bleep or blur anything audible or visual out. There was no violence back then, no calling people Bitches or Ho's either. Rappers actually called women LADIES although that term could have been questioned on an indvidual basis but still, there was some respect back in the day.
Rapping was a way to have a party and a good time. Or to showcase your vocal style, DJ mixing or dance moves. But on "Soul Train" it was purely LIP SYNC. (silently mouthing while the actual record was playing) And we enjoyed the hell out of it.
And tonight, the classic Soul Train episode will air on my local NBC station at 11:00. My DVR is set to record and to quote Don Cornelius, "you can bet you last cash, It's gonna be a stone blast honey"! I think thats what he used to say.
Anyway in parting from this blog I quote Don Cornelius again in wishing you.....
Love, peace and SOUL!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Fellow speeders: Sonny does it too!
Anyone in Georgia may remember the 2006 political campaign commercials for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue with the slogan "Sonny did" as in Sonny Perdue "did" so much for the state.
Well, Sonny is doing it again. Wasting time in some laim bad ass idea of "cracking down on speeding drivers". And I just heard the governor himself say in a news conference that he is one of the average Georgia drivers that exceeds the speed limit.
Yes, Sonny does that too!
I drive a lot for work and I drive within the flow of traffic. If everyone is going 80 on a rural stretch of an interstate, I am not the slow poke to break the flow! If I were, then I am creating a safety hazard.
SPEED LIMITS ARE REVENUE SOURCES!
In my business I drive hundreds of miles a day traveling throuout the state. I frequent long stretches of I-75, I-16, US 341, Georgia 300 and Georgia 96. And I can tell you that the speed limits are a JOKE in many areas. They only exist to create revenue for local governments. Why else would the town of Byron Georgia police give tickets on an interstate hwy that has one exit on the edge of their town?
Why is there a 45 mph speed limit through the town of Warwick GA (home of the national GRITS festival!) on a 4 lane GA-300? So their lone police officer could raise revenue to make up for the meager income the tiny town gets from its Dollar General store? This highway has a 65 speed limit and a 55 speed limit as you enter Albany. But Warwick is special and you must slow down as you BYPASS the actual town (which is off the highway)
Georgia hwy 96 between Ft. Valley and Columbus is a newly widened open 4 lane highway with a short one mile section that runs through the town of Reynolds. Appropiately, the speed limit through Renynolds is reduced. But 10 miles west, this highway BYPASSES the town of Butler. And this open road remains at 55 mph while clearly designed for 65 mph or higher.
How much revenue does the Taylor county Sheriff's dept and Butler police raise from HWY 96 in a county that still has segregated high school proms? (I had to throw that in!)
ARE POLITICIANS EXEMPT FROM SPEED LIMITS?
I challenge anyone driving along a Georgia interstate to look at the license plates of the vehicle that just passed you like you were standing still. Does that vehicle have one of those special license plates with a CAPITAL symbol on it? It could be a "State representive" or other state or US political office identified on the bottom of the license plate.
Find a license plate like I just described on an unmarked Crown Victoria or on some large SUV or European Luxury car and notice that person is not only exceeding the speed limit but yapping on their cell phone at the same time. And one of those politicians just had a press conference announcing his plan to crack down on speeding and unsafe drivers.
What @#$%#$ hyprocracy!
Im keeping my cruise control set! I never had a speeding ticket before and I want to keep it that way! They want to double the fines!
News article below!
Crackdown on 'Super Speeders'
(WSB Radio) -- Saying speed is responsible for 20 percent of Georgia's fatal automobile accidents, the rising cost of trauma care and traffic congestion, Governor Sonny Perdue is proposing increasing the fines paid by drivers who violate the state's speed limit.
Perdue wants "hundreds of dollars" tacked on to the punishment handed out to motorists who get pulled over going more than 85 miles an hour on interstate and four lane highways and 75 miles an hour on two lane roads.
Perdue says "Georgia's drivers are among the fastest in the nation, and we've got to stop the excessive speeding."
The money collected through the fines would help offset costs at the state's fifteen trauma care centers.
Law enforcement also backs Perdue's proposal. Georgia State Patrol spokesman Larry Schnall says "we support anything to get people's attention and slow them down."
Statistics show the average Georgia motorist drives 20 miles an hour over the posted speed limit.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Too early for Christmas music!
I am growing more and more into a serious Grinch every year.
And I am not alone in my feelings on one topic, the playing of Christmas music too early. Read blog in Atlanta Journal Constitution (you may need to register and log in).
If you read the comment section of the blog, in which I posted a comment, you'll find that many think we should celebrate one holiday at a time. But then there are the "Christmas fanatics" too.
I discovered on NOVEMBER 14TH that another local radio station has gone ALL-CHRISTMAS 24-7. If you live in Warner Robins Georgia and points south, 99.9 FM radio is playing all Christmas music. They join 96.5 in Macon in playing Christmas music WAY TOO DAMN EARLY!
I work and travel all over Georgia and so far only ONE city had their Christmas lights actually turned ON. And that dubious honor goes to the city of Macon, who on VETRANS DAY November 11th, had the downtown Christmas lights turned on.
Other towns started putting up their decorations recently including the city where I live, but the lights are not yet turned on. (and they better not turn them on before we digest our Thanksgiving Turkey)
Now we know the retail stores are already in Christmas mode. After all, this is THEIR time of the year. And Christmas has become nothing more than a marketing season. It is all about ringing sales and turning profits. The only "birthday" that most will celebrate will be the people who were actually born on December 25th themselves or they know someone who was born on that day. And even then it may not be a big deal. But will any of these people, and that includes those who call themselves "christians" remember any other birthday in December? Don't bet on it. Cause it's really all about the gifts.
I was in Columbus, Ga last night (for the third time in a week) and before driving home I needed to do some shopping. I decided to shop for non-perishables before making my 90 minute drive home and in front of 10 different stores in the same shopping complex was a Salvation Army bell ringer. And half of them were wearing Santa hats. It was NOVEMBER 14TH!
Next week, there is a day that is called Thanksgiving. That day is nothing more than a dinner date now.
Bon Appite
And I am not alone in my feelings on one topic, the playing of Christmas music too early. Read blog in Atlanta Journal Constitution (you may need to register and log in).
If you read the comment section of the blog, in which I posted a comment, you'll find that many think we should celebrate one holiday at a time. But then there are the "Christmas fanatics" too.
I discovered on NOVEMBER 14TH that another local radio station has gone ALL-CHRISTMAS 24-7. If you live in Warner Robins Georgia and points south, 99.9 FM radio is playing all Christmas music. They join 96.5 in Macon in playing Christmas music WAY TOO DAMN EARLY!
I work and travel all over Georgia and so far only ONE city had their Christmas lights actually turned ON. And that dubious honor goes to the city of Macon, who on VETRANS DAY November 11th, had the downtown Christmas lights turned on.
Other towns started putting up their decorations recently including the city where I live, but the lights are not yet turned on. (and they better not turn them on before we digest our Thanksgiving Turkey)
Now we know the retail stores are already in Christmas mode. After all, this is THEIR time of the year. And Christmas has become nothing more than a marketing season. It is all about ringing sales and turning profits. The only "birthday" that most will celebrate will be the people who were actually born on December 25th themselves or they know someone who was born on that day. And even then it may not be a big deal. But will any of these people, and that includes those who call themselves "christians" remember any other birthday in December? Don't bet on it. Cause it's really all about the gifts.
I was in Columbus, Ga last night (for the third time in a week) and before driving home I needed to do some shopping. I decided to shop for non-perishables before making my 90 minute drive home and in front of 10 different stores in the same shopping complex was a Salvation Army bell ringer. And half of them were wearing Santa hats. It was NOVEMBER 14TH!
Next week, there is a day that is called Thanksgiving. That day is nothing more than a dinner date now.
Bon Appite
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Danny Rolling's execution- 16 years too late!
In Florida, someone will be executed by lethal injection for the murders of 5 college students. His name is Danny Rolling. He was sentenced to death in 1994 after pleading guilty for killing college students in Gainesville, Florida. They were students of the University of Florida and SantaFe Community College in Gainesville.
Click below for news on this subject
THE GAINESVILLE MURDERS-DANNY ROLLING TIMELINE FROM FLORIDA NEWS WEBSITE
The disgusting events happened near Labor Day in 1990. SIXTEEN YEARS AGO! And it does seem like it was yesterday to me. I remember the time so vividly as many people are remembering the time when the city of Gainesville and residents from all over the state were scared almost into a panic over the brutal murders of college students near the University of Florida campus.
Everyone in Florida either had someone or knew someone with ties to the college town of Gainesville and we all feared for the safety of loved ones and friends as the bodies of five college students were found during this killing spree.
One of the murder victims was Sonja Larson, who I did not know personally but she attended the same high school with my sister and they were the same age. My sister did not know her directly. Also, the Larson family attended the same church we attended growing up. Although we never knew the Larsons, we knew or worked with many people in Pompano Beach who did know members of the Larson family and experienced the saddness with everyone around us. This was so senseless.
I had three friends who were attending college in Gainesville at the time of this murder spree. One of them lived in the same apartment complex where one of the murders occurred. I remember one of my friends as a staunch beliver of gun control suddenly finding herself taking gun safety classes with her boyfriend and seriously considering buying a firearm for personal protection. Those gun safety classes along with karate classes were suddenly overbooked with people wanting to find any way to protect themselves from what at that time was an unknown murderer killing young college students in their apartments.
Some people were so scared at the time they moved out of Gainesville. Others were pulled out of college there by frantic parents not wanting to take any chances.
There was one suspect arrested for the crime but he was cleared and considered to be somewhat mentally challenged ("slow") and he did not match any of the DNA testing that was done at the time. But DNA tests did match with Danny Rolling and he was indicted for the murders in 1991.
Three years passed then Danny Rolling pleaded guilty in early 1994 and was sentenced to death a couple months later. By then I was living in Tampa and still had two of my friends living in Gainesville. I was making regular trips to Gainesville and I remember that the events of August and September 1990 were more than still fresh on the minds of the residents and students in that city. There was a roadside wall that was made into a memorial for the murder victims with spray painted names and images that remained for many years.
Now SIXTEEN YEARS after FIVE young college students were murdered, the person convicted of the crime will be put to death.
Excuse me for saying this, but this is 16 years too damn late! Danny Rolling was allowed to outlive his murder victims and it is disgusting that the taxpayers of Florida, expecially the families of the victims paid taxes that helped to support 16 years of room and board and legal proceedings that kept that piece of shit alive longer than necessary.
Reading and watching the news of the victims families today, you see that they are still hurting. They had to endure this pain for 16 years and the execution of Danny Rolling will not bring closure nor bring back the lost lives.
I am not a mean spirited person but if only criminals who murder could suffer the same type of demise they put upon their victims. It is just not right for Danny Rolling to be put COMFORTABLY to death with a needle and some fluids. He should die the way his victims did or in a more painful fashion.
No, I don't have any personal connection to this but I am still angry that someone could get away with murdering of innocent people who were there to get an education and hoping to grow and prosper. Those five victims could be outstanding citizens today. They would all be in their mid 30's now, living and working their chosen careers. They could be raising families and living the American dream. The simple fact that the five victims were college students show that they were more accomplished and valuable to society at age 18 through 22 than that worthless Danny Rolling was at twice their age.
I can't help but wonder what anyone could have done with themselves if they were alive today and at the same time I am also looking back at what I could have done for myself during those 16 years. I am fortunate to still be here. But that is for anothe
Click below for news on this subject
THE GAINESVILLE MURDERS-DANNY ROLLING TIMELINE FROM FLORIDA NEWS WEBSITE
The disgusting events happened near Labor Day in 1990. SIXTEEN YEARS AGO! And it does seem like it was yesterday to me. I remember the time so vividly as many people are remembering the time when the city of Gainesville and residents from all over the state were scared almost into a panic over the brutal murders of college students near the University of Florida campus.
Everyone in Florida either had someone or knew someone with ties to the college town of Gainesville and we all feared for the safety of loved ones and friends as the bodies of five college students were found during this killing spree.
One of the murder victims was Sonja Larson, who I did not know personally but she attended the same high school with my sister and they were the same age. My sister did not know her directly. Also, the Larson family attended the same church we attended growing up. Although we never knew the Larsons, we knew or worked with many people in Pompano Beach who did know members of the Larson family and experienced the saddness with everyone around us. This was so senseless.
I had three friends who were attending college in Gainesville at the time of this murder spree. One of them lived in the same apartment complex where one of the murders occurred. I remember one of my friends as a staunch beliver of gun control suddenly finding herself taking gun safety classes with her boyfriend and seriously considering buying a firearm for personal protection. Those gun safety classes along with karate classes were suddenly overbooked with people wanting to find any way to protect themselves from what at that time was an unknown murderer killing young college students in their apartments.
Some people were so scared at the time they moved out of Gainesville. Others were pulled out of college there by frantic parents not wanting to take any chances.
There was one suspect arrested for the crime but he was cleared and considered to be somewhat mentally challenged ("slow") and he did not match any of the DNA testing that was done at the time. But DNA tests did match with Danny Rolling and he was indicted for the murders in 1991.
Three years passed then Danny Rolling pleaded guilty in early 1994 and was sentenced to death a couple months later. By then I was living in Tampa and still had two of my friends living in Gainesville. I was making regular trips to Gainesville and I remember that the events of August and September 1990 were more than still fresh on the minds of the residents and students in that city. There was a roadside wall that was made into a memorial for the murder victims with spray painted names and images that remained for many years.
Now SIXTEEN YEARS after FIVE young college students were murdered, the person convicted of the crime will be put to death.
Excuse me for saying this, but this is 16 years too damn late! Danny Rolling was allowed to outlive his murder victims and it is disgusting that the taxpayers of Florida, expecially the families of the victims paid taxes that helped to support 16 years of room and board and legal proceedings that kept that piece of shit alive longer than necessary.
Reading and watching the news of the victims families today, you see that they are still hurting. They had to endure this pain for 16 years and the execution of Danny Rolling will not bring closure nor bring back the lost lives.
I am not a mean spirited person but if only criminals who murder could suffer the same type of demise they put upon their victims. It is just not right for Danny Rolling to be put COMFORTABLY to death with a needle and some fluids. He should die the way his victims did or in a more painful fashion.
No, I don't have any personal connection to this but I am still angry that someone could get away with murdering of innocent people who were there to get an education and hoping to grow and prosper. Those five victims could be outstanding citizens today. They would all be in their mid 30's now, living and working their chosen careers. They could be raising families and living the American dream. The simple fact that the five victims were college students show that they were more accomplished and valuable to society at age 18 through 22 than that worthless Danny Rolling was at twice their age.
I can't help but wonder what anyone could have done with themselves if they were alive today and at the same time I am also looking back at what I could have done for myself during those 16 years. I am fortunate to still be here. But that is for anothe
Monday, October 09, 2006
The Mayor JACKass of Macon Georgia
Mayor Jack(ass) Ellis
I just happened to be online when the TV news came on and the "H-M-I-C" (Head Mayor In Charge) of Macon Georgia, also known as Mayor Jack Ellis is on a rampage ranting about how he is going to clean up crime in the city.
That idiot has been the mayor of Macon since 1999. Excuse me, he believes he is king of Macon. And now he is concerned about crime, after some 14 year old girl gets raped in a vacant house?
Why all of the sudden is he so concerned? Could it be because George Bush is coming to town tomorrow for a fundraiser and there may be some out of town media present? Could it be that yet another corruption scandal is about to come out? Why now does this lame duck (term limited) Mayor jackass give a damn about crime and vacant buildings in blighted areas of the city? Don't tell me he just now discovered theres a problem.
That Mayor Jackass is considering a run for congress once he is out as Mayor of Macon. And if the same idiots who re-elected him for a second term actually vote for him in 2008, then the entire city deserves to crumble into the Okmulgee River.
Sorry for the rant. I cringe every time I see Jack Ellis on TV and I want to thow a shoe at the screen. He is a patronizing parasite. A true example of a politician with nothing but snakes up his sleeves. BS promises and games and then acts like everyone should bow at his feet and kiss his ass.
And thank god I don't live in Macon city limits. I would be totally ashamed to have such a pathetic grandstanding ASSHOLE for a mayor.
WHEW!
I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
I just happened to be online when the TV news came on and the "H-M-I-C" (Head Mayor In Charge) of Macon Georgia, also known as Mayor Jack Ellis is on a rampage ranting about how he is going to clean up crime in the city.
That idiot has been the mayor of Macon since 1999. Excuse me, he believes he is king of Macon. And now he is concerned about crime, after some 14 year old girl gets raped in a vacant house?
Why all of the sudden is he so concerned? Could it be because George Bush is coming to town tomorrow for a fundraiser and there may be some out of town media present? Could it be that yet another corruption scandal is about to come out? Why now does this lame duck (term limited) Mayor jackass give a damn about crime and vacant buildings in blighted areas of the city? Don't tell me he just now discovered theres a problem.
That Mayor Jackass is considering a run for congress once he is out as Mayor of Macon. And if the same idiots who re-elected him for a second term actually vote for him in 2008, then the entire city deserves to crumble into the Okmulgee River.
Sorry for the rant. I cringe every time I see Jack Ellis on TV and I want to thow a shoe at the screen. He is a patronizing parasite. A true example of a politician with nothing but snakes up his sleeves. BS promises and games and then acts like everyone should bow at his feet and kiss his ass.
And thank god I don't live in Macon city limits. I would be totally ashamed to have such a pathetic grandstanding ASSHOLE for a mayor.
WHEW!
I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
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