I hate the fake outrage over the Redskins name

Let me be clear…. I hate the Redskins with the intensity of a thousand white hot suns. I hate Dan Snyder. I hate RGIII. I hate Mike Shanahan. I hate Joe Gibbs. I hate Joe Theismann. I hate Sonny Jurgensen. I hate Billy Kilmer. I hate RFK Stadium. I hate the Hogs. I hate their dumb fight song. I even hate Doug Williams. Yes I HATE DOUG WILLIAMS. The only Redskins that are a notch above co*ksucker to me are John Riggins, and Jack Kent Cooke, the former just a good ole boy that speaks his mind, and the latter maybe the greatest sports franchise owner that ever lived. If he still owned the club none of this name change bullshit would have life.

The elephant in the room is the utter disdain and contempt people have for the current Redskins owner Dan Snyder. In the spring of 2013 he came out and said he would “never change the name.” Yes, it was a brash statement but he was only saying what every football LOVER or intelligent person was thinking. It would be stupid to change the name of a 1.1 billion dollar business; a business with supreme name recognition and, who holds a monopoly in the Mid-Atlantic part of the country, just to appease drive-by fans. I’m the first to admit you’d be hard pressed to find 10 people that really like Dan Snyder, but is that reason enough to go after his team, the city’s team?

To a lesser extent social media is driving this stupidity. Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, make it so convenient for dummies to press a button and register their dumb thoughts. No time for logic, nuance, balance; clicks and page views are more important than prudence, and judgment. People under 30 probably think this is the first time the question of name change has ever come up. I’m 41 and I remember at least 3 times the winds blew for name change in DC. Real journalist, real thinkers, real intelligence weighed in every time and every time the name was kept. We weren’t savages in the 80’s and 90’s. Political correctness was around. There was sensitivity to the matter, but at the end of the day the name stayed. Now I’m hearing its “inevitable” “a matter of time” that the name will change. How can this be? People in 2013 are not wiser than people from 1983. In fact the very opposite is true.

I hate the Nigger argument. You know the one where a white man says “What if the team was named the Washington Niggers” how would people feel then? They say this as if Redskin and Nigger are fungible terms, as if they are synonyms. Really think about it; have you ever heard someone being called Redskin in a derogatory/racist way?

The hypocrisy of it all is so mind-blowing. You have sports writers like Peter King, Mike Wise, and Bill Simmons refusing to use the full name of the team. These people have lived off the tit of sports their entire adult lives. Listen don’t fall for the banana in the tailpipe. Wise is a fading voice in the DC markets and needed something to make him relevant. Simmons wants to be en vogue because the dumb young people on twitter think the name should change. But I’m most disappointed in King. A guy that was the beat reporter for the NY Giants for years, covered the NFC East for decades. Wrote about all the epic battles between the Giants and Redskins in the 80’s and 90’s never said boo shit about the name being offensive, but now in 2013 when he launches his new MMQB website he decides it’s the time to take a piss on the one that brought that him to the dance. I hate parasites, but there is a special place reserved in hell for parasites that act like they hate the organism that they feed off. Ironically I was watching PTI a few months back during the launch of MMQB.com and Tony called the site MMQB.com, and King corrected him and said it was actually “theMMQB.com”. He corrected him because A NAME is fu*king important!

The Redskins are a flagship member of the NFL. They are only 2nd to the Cowboys in franchise value. They have rabid fan support and their team has won 3 Superbowls. It’s not like you’re asking the Jacksonville Jaguars to change their name. It’s the fu*king Redskins for Christ sake.

The other argument that dummies bring up is public funding. How can a team that takes public funding have a racial slur in the name? First of all I’m still not sure Redskin is a slur, and secondly, the people saying this need to grow up. Tax breaks are given to every major company that is vital to the community it’s located in; see Nike, Lockheed Martin, Google, Ford, and Coke. This is the American way. Job/Commerce creators get perks. It’s that simple. Bank of America, FedEx, Toyota, are all lining up to be in business with the Redskins. Do you think that would be the case if the team was called the Niggers?

Look there are a lot of names I hate, like stupid made-up names that parents give their children, but at the end of the day I respect their right to ruin their child’s life. Where is the uproar against the Blue Devils by religious folks, where is the outrage about the Saints by atheist, where is the disdain for Pirates that rape, pillage, and steal. Fake outrage can be manufactured for just about any one of those teams.

I love football. I’m of the opinion like GOD if football didn’t exist, it would have had to be invented. Stop this madness. Don’t let drive-by fans who really don’t care decide the name of the Washington Football Team. Just please…please leave the Redskins alone.

I hate that the best wing man is a WOMAN

First… In order for me to adequately explain this, I have to share a somewhat misogynistic theory I developed while matriculating through the dog days of college life. During my dating experiences, for simplicity purposes only, I categorized women into (3) distinct groups.

Ones (1) Girlfriends

Girlfriends were women that are attractive mentally and physically, who could possibly achieve girlfriend status.

Twos (2) Close Friends

Close Friends were women that I was actively banging, actively trying to bang, or actively trying not to bang anymore.

Threes (3) Friends

Friends were Platonic Friends.

I lived my life by this theorem when I was in my 20’s. It served me well. A (1) could start out as a (3) and elevate. A (2) could be a previous (1) that slipped, or a (3) that got trapped in the middle. A (3) was just a (3).

Sidebar…. A (3) could be a previous (1) or (2), but I’m telling you right now it’s not worth the effort. It’s the equivalent of turning wine into water which is ridiculous because (A) who’s stupid enough to want to actually turn WINE into WATER, and (B) if I told you I could do it, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. So let’s move on.

Hummm. This setup was a lot longer than I anticipated; maybe I should have made this a separate blog entry all to itself?

To the unexposed eye the (1) would seem to me the most valuable, but it was the (3) that I learned the most from, and enjoyed the most. I’d play chess with (ones), checkers with (twos), but (threes) held the skeleton key, that revealed the cheat codes to all games. If you ever want to understand a very fraction of woman’s immense capabilities, you have to align yourself with knowledgeable (3s). (Threes) are life MVP’s.

(Threes) are unique because there are no expectations, no jockeying, no pretense, and no state of the union. (Threes) are people you like, that like you back. Simple! Words, jokes, fun, have no clandestine or omnipotent meaning; they are what they are, nothing more, nothing less. PURE.

Members of the fairer sex by nature aren’t risk takers. Security is very important to them. Floors are more important than ceilings. They want to see something work before they try it. They want to see you handle a woman before they’ll let you handle them.

Our better halves are also envious. They contemplate with a zero sum mentality. If their friend finds a good man they are happy for them, but in the back of their mind they think “that’s one less for me.” If given the opportunity to seek her own or magically trade places with her friend, she would choose to change places. It’s easier, less messy, less risk.

The aforementioned items all rubberneck into my WINGMAN hypothesis.

Guys… I swear by this. If you don’t have one…find, develop, and cultivate an attractive (three). Bring her to a restaurant, bar, club, lounge….show her a great time, be engaging, thoughtful, attentive, and generous. EVERY woman around you will notice. A woman having a good time, and enjoying herself is a flame that attracts other moths. Other women are drawn, it’s hypnotic; they can’t look away. At this point the gymnastics are done, and all you have to do is stick the landing.

On some vague abstract level I’ve always known women were the best wingmen but I didn’t fully understanding it until I got older. I have this one WingWoman that is amazing. Her success rate is unbelievable. When I retire her, she’ll be a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Her (WAR – wins above replacement) *geek term* is off the charts. She’s a five tool player (Outgoing, Attractive, Loud, Likes Sports, and Enjoys Alcohol). If you find one of these, pay her the max, never let her become a free agent, stash her away. Her value can’t be measured.

The “prestige” of this particular circumstance is that she has no idea how many times she’s gotten me up to the plate. Oh that’s right….One last thing… Never tell her she’s the WingMan, because the moment you reveal it, the magic is forever lost. She’ll start to press, over-think it, and destroy your team chemistry.

The beauty of the dance is that it’s natural, un-staged, and most importantly organic.

I hate that Dennis Rodman was right about Lebron James

The old saying goes even a broken clock is right twice a day. Well, a couple weeks ago Dennis Rodman suggested that Lebron James would be a regular guy if he played in the 80’s. All the talking heads summarily rejected his statement immediately. Even I initially thought it was a cry for attention and didn’t give it much thought. His comments eventually lasted about one 24 hour news cycle and then vanished into the ether.

Now look…. Dennis Rodman is bat shit crazy. A few months ago he went to North Korea and got all buddy-buddy with a saber-rattling, over his head, twenty-something dictator. So there’s that. Then he went on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos and starting pontificating about American Foreign Policy. So there’s that. Obviously that’s ridiculous. Still not sure if I blame Rodman or ABC for that debacle.

There aren’t many things I’d take Rodman’s counsel on. I guess if he was talking about alcohol I’d listen, or he spoke about wedding dresses, I’d have to glance over. Now if he spoke about how to bang Carmen Electra, I’d pull up a chair and take copious notes. I’d be video -taping that, and I’d hire a court stenographer just in case I missed anything. But I digress.

I guess if he spoke about basketball I’d have to pay attention too. He is a hall of fame player. I’d have to listen. So I randomly pulled records from the 1987 NBA season and combed through the data. The more I read the more I realized that Rodman’s statement isn’t as asinine as I originally thought.

Here is a snapshot of the 1987 MVP voting and stats.



Michael Jordan 35p-6r-6a

Larry Bird 30p-9r-6a

Magic Johnson 20p-6r-12a

Charles Barkley 28p-12r-3a

Clyde Drexler 27p-6r-6a

These guys are all-timers, and they were still in their primes. I haven’t even mentioned these guys; Dominique Wilkins, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin McHale, James Worthy, Bernard King, Dennis Johnson, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Chris Mullin. The 80’s were loaded. There were a lot of great basketball players born in the 60’s. I don’t know why. I may have to research this for a future blog post.

Now look at today’s NBA. Lebron James is the king, and the 2nd best player is Kevin Durant. Is Kevin Durant an all-timer? I’m not sure. But I know this in the 80’s he definitely would have been the equivalent of an Alex English type who was 11th in the 1987 MVP voting averaging 25p-5r-5a. James is head and shoulder above Durant which gives the appearance of all-time greatness. Maybe the NBA is watered down right now? Who’s the 3rd best player Kobe Bryant? This dude is a 17 year veteran. How can a 17 year vet still be in the top 3? Think about it. Dennis Rodman may have been on to something.

I watched the 2011 Finals, and Lebron James cracked under the pressure. I watched Game 6 of the 2013 NBA finals, and he didn’t start performing until his back was against the wall. He didn’t want to deal with the shame of losing. The greats hate losing; they don’t fear the shame of it. No matter what happens tonight in Game 7, Lebron James is not an all-timer, and I’m not sure he has the mental make-up to ever be.

Why Blacks Hate Gays

Recently the blog has been a bit serious. Maybe even a bit too serious for my taste. There are a lot of important topics floating around the universe these days. It would probably be odd if I weren't moved to discuss a few of them. I wish I could say My 50th installment was a smidge more frivolous, more upbeat, more juvenile… but alas, I can’t. What I will promise, however, is a return to my sophomoric shenanigans in the near future.

This is by far the most complex post I’ve written to date. This issue has more moving parts than that shitty 3rd “Matrix” movie. So please hold on to your hat because this is going to be a bumpy ride.

First off Blacks don’t want to hate gays, but they kinda have to.

A couple of weeks ago at my weekly poker game a friend asked me “why do black guys have such a problem with gay dudes?” It was late, and a few adult beverages had been imbibed so I responded, “It’s complicated.” To which he said “man I really would like to know.” I said, “Okay if you really want to know lets have lunch this week and I’ll break it down for you.” We haven’t had that lunch yet, but I’m committed to making it happen. He wants to know…. And I'm eager to share.

Here is what I plan to divulge…..

Black v Gay

I'm black. We hate when people compare being Black to being Gay as it pertains to Civil Rights. Gay people were never slaves, they were never considered 3/5 of a person, and they were never considered property. A gay person could conceivably go his entire life and never have it held against him. I’m sure there have been gay persons that kept their sexuality to themselves and lived unobstructed by it. Let’s be real here, being gay is basically about the sex you have. Sex happens behind closed doors, about 4 times a week (on a good week), and about an hour a session (if you know what you’re doing). Black people are BLACK all the time 24 hours a day. They can’t escape it. There is no reprieve from being black. You can’t be anything other than Black, and being black definitely weighted down your hope in life. The freedoms that blacks fought for in the 50’s and 60’s were called “civil rights” but I think they were mislabeled. They should have been called “equal rights”. Blacks were seeking equality not civility. I think what gays are seeking is “civil rights.” Equal rights are for people that are the same who want to be treated the same. Civil rights are people that are different wanting to be treated the same.

Recently Jason Collins an NBA player announced he was gay, and immediately comparisons to Jackie Robinson sprung up. How ridiculous is that? Jackie Robinson was a man who was treated unequal his entire life even though he was born equal. Jason Collins hid who he was his entire life. Took NBA money for 13 years, and then when it was safe, he decided to announce who he has sex with. One man is courageous. One man is a coward.

Being black and being gay are not mutually inclusive; in fact they are mutually exclusive. If they were compared less, blacks would hate gays less.



Religion v Gay

For some people religion is an accessory in life. This does not apply to black folk. Black people need religion. Religion got us through our darkest hour. When others explain personal greatness by pointing to their intestinal fortitude, black people look up to God and say "if not for God I'm nothing. Only God got them through those long hot days of being equal and being treated far less than equal. Animals, plants, and minerals, were all treated better than slaves back in the day. Religion is in our DNA. In our minds we still allow religion to trump logic. Most religion frowns upon homosexuality.

In 2008 Prop 8 got crushed in California because the black vote was mobilized against it. Black people vote with God. If God is against it then they are against it. It’s as simple as that. God is mighty. Might is right, so gay must be wrong. Blacks will always choose God over man. We’ve been divinely conditioned to hate gays.



Minority v Gay

I’m not a fan of the term “minority” but I will use it during this discussion because it is an established part of the American lexicon. Not sure if you have noticed but when a group is deemed a minority they are referenced publicly as a “community”; so there is a Black Community, Latino Community, and Asian Community etc. Minorities fight everyday for acceptance and equality. Subsequently minorities develop a pack mentality. When a minority member does well, we win, but when someone in the community does something stupid we feel as if that is a poor reflection on each of us. We feel as if that stupid act will cast shame on all because we share a community. Whites (the majority) don’t feel that way. Have you ever heard of anyone referencing the “White” Community?

In 2008 blacks were ecstatic that a person of their ethnicity was elected president. Many in the “black community” prayed that he would do well; not because they were patriots, not because they were democrats, not because they were racist. They wanted him to do well because if he didn’t it would “set us back”. “SET US BACK” is huge in our community. It’s the pressure cooker of being a minority. Bush 43, who by many accounts, is considered one of the worst presidents in history never, had that pressure. No one has ever said George W. Bush set back the white race. Hell he hasn’t even set back the Bush name all that much. His brother Jeb is seriously considering a presidential run just a mere 5 years after W. left office.

Until most recently, being gay has been frowned upon socially. It has been seen to be a negative. So black people could not embrace the gay community because, it would be consider going backward instead of going forward. Also it doesn’t help that in movies and on television the majority of flaming, flamboyant, gay men are disproportionately cast as black people. Didn’t know that did you?



Sex v Gay

Black men take pride in our sexual prowess. For many years that was our calling card. Our freedom, education, and advancement could be taken away but our ability to hold it down in the bedroom, satisfying your and our women sexually, was and is something we hang our hats on. We embrace the spirit of Mandingo. Our sexual prowess is legendary. Some of it is myth, but most of it is true. When we see black gay men flaunting their gay ways we feel like it chips away at our sexual legend.

So you see, blacks have been socially engineered to hate gays. It’s more science than art. I don’t like it but it’s true. Years of conditioning, propaganda, myths, and devices have brought us to this point. Our feelings are softening but it will take some time before they completely thaw. In the end, humanity will win; it’s just a matter of how long it will take.

So there it is. I hope this helps people understand the circumstances a little better.

Here’s hoping the next 50 posts are as good as the first 50.

I hate the BT in LGBT

The BLT is a great sandwich. Am I right? Oops wrong post….

We are not born with biases but we develop them early in life. We use ourselves as the control of every experiment we undertake. Bias #1 is that we are normal and everything we are not automatically is abnormal. If I’m raised in a house where parents scream at each other to communicate (that becomes normal), when I go to my friend’s house for a sleep-over I expect his parents to be screamers. When I realize they aren’t screamers, (that becomes abnormal).

Growing up I felt gay people were abnormal. I still do, to a degree, but that will be for another blog. I was taught by others that it was sinful. I’ve evolved on that one. I do think gay people are born gay, and aren’t given the choice of being gay or straight. If you look at it that way it broadens your perspective.

So, if you’re keeping score, the LG part of LGBT makes sense to me. I can accept it. It’s these BT (MFer’s) that are pissing in everyone's kool-aid. For the life of me, I don’t know why LG’s would allow BT’s to hitch their wagon under the rainbow flag.

Bisexuality doesn’t make sense to me unless it's girl on girl.... then that’s HOT! These bisexuals just seem greedy to me. They want it all. Being able to date 50 percent of the population isn’t enough for them. They have to F*CK everybody! It’s the equivalent of desiring a car that runs on both diesel and unleaded fuel, just so you have the opportunity to fill up at any gas station of your choosing. That’s selfish.

You ever met one of these a-holes that desires to be rich and famous…..like just being rich or just being famous won’t be enough for them. They have to be both. JUST PICK ONE!

And as for these transgender people, they are the absolute worst. Their refuge is “I’m trapped”. I feel like a man trapped inside a womans body or vice versa. So if that’s the case JUST BE GAY! LG takes care of that for you. Problem solved. This is analogous to someone that owns a dog, but realizes he/she is really a cat person so they change/disfigure a dog to make it more like a cat. JUST BUY A CAT, OR JUST BUY A DOG THAT ALREADY LOOKS LIKE A CAT.

I can’t be on board with anyone that ruins a perfectly good penis by splitting it down the middle and stuffing it inside. As a card carrying penis owner I find that disgusting. Anyone that does this should be exectuted.

One could effectively argue that BT’s severely damages the cause of LG’s because they increase the weight of  the CHOICE variable in the equal rights equation. If simply choosing to be something makes you that something, then what is stopping a white person from simply choosing to be black in order to satisfy an affirmative action quota? It’s a very slippery slope.

I hate the term Minority

I’m black. I’ve never embraced being called a minority. Even as a lad I instinctively avoided the term. I’m guessing subconsciously I knew it was stupid.

Minority is basically a math term. It denotes the smaller part of a number, but I can’t help but think that “minority” in terms of race, connotes something ominous. It promotes division, and is code for a modern day caste system in America.

The term minority took rise in the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement. It is the term of choice for all of the civil rights legislation of JFK, and LBJ, especially affirmative action law.

IGNORANT

I call the term stupid because things like minority and majority are fluid. Say a person owns 49% of a business. He is considered a minority owner. However if on the next day he buys and additional 2% of the business he becomes the majority owner.

NAIVE

I’m sure the activists and legislators of the time were well meaning, and thought the term prudent. At best its short sided. Maybe in the moment they could never see minorities as equal in number to white Americans. The country was less than 200 years old at the time, but someone should have had the forethought to ask the question, what will the country look like in 100 or 200 years? In math terms, 2043 is the year that the minority becomes the majority. That is less than 100 years from the civil rights movement.

DIABOLICAL

The dark side of me thinks that some knew exactly what they were doing when they popularized the term “minority.” To them, no matter what the demographic landscape looked like minorities would always be the lesser part of the whole. These diabolical men will not go quietly into the night. They will not share the driver seat, they will not relinquish the stranglehold they have on the stern of the vessel we happily call America.

Currently in Hawaii, New Mexico, California, and Texas the majority of the population is non-white, but non -whites are not called the majority. More importantly whites are not called minorities. These states are categorized as “minority/majority” states. Interesting right???

The other day I’m watching the White House Correspondent Dinner. This is an event where the President and the Press come together and make light of their sometimes contentious relationship. The President starting remarking about republican’s recent desire to reach out to the minority community to which he quipped; “I have a suggestion, I’m a minority, why don’t you start with me?”

Something about that joke didn’t sit right with me. Full disclosure I’m a registered republican. I’m not the biggest fan of President Obama. However, when he was elected in 2008 my flesh rejoiced in seeing a man of my race rise to the office of the president. In my mind a president can’t be a minority of ANYTHING. A president, to me, is in the MAJORITY, no matter race, creed, gender, or preference.

I’m hoping that this term dies as we get closer to 2043, but if history is an indicator some clever group will come up with a term to keep us divided instead of allowing us to UNITE.

I hate the reasons why people hate Ray Lewis

Full disclosure, I’m a Ray Lewis fan. I think he’s been the best and most influential football players over the last 15 years. In a league designed to showcase offense, he has been the standard bearer of defensive. He’s a throwback to old-school football. He is arguably the best LEADER in NFL history.

Let me be clear. I don’t have a problem with hate. I don’t have a problem hating NFL players, especially rivals that have hurt your heart by killing your favorite team year after year. Listen, as a Cowboys fan, I hate Eli Manning. If Eli Manning was the last piece of toilet paper in the world, I wouldn’t wipe my ass with him. THAT’S HATE!

I have SPORTS hate for Eli Manning, not PERSONAL hate. Many have personal hate for Ray Lewis.

I live in Atlanta now, and the people down here have personal hate for Lewis. Lewis was involved in a murder here in 2000. People actually believe he murdered someone and never was punished for it. This is what perplexes me about this, people actually think that Ray Lewis came to the Superbowl in Atlanta planning to murder someone at a night club in Buckhead. How preposterous is that?

Listen, I wasn't in the club that night, but I can tell you this much; the guy that got killed was looking for trouble. Average Joe's hate that pro athlete make so much money playing a sport for a living. Average Joe's  hate going to the club and seeing a pro athlete and his entourage flaunting their money and status.

The guy that got himself killed probably didn’t want to take a back seat to the pro athlete and he bowed-up. He didn’t know how to move on, and something very bad happened to him. This was basically a "body guards taking out a threat" or "suicide by cop" nothing more. Sure Ray Lewis destroyed evidence, and obstructed justice, but he didn’t commit murder. Also little known fact, the guys that did the murder were acquitted under reason of self defense.

Don’t hate Lewis for this.

Many in Atlanta point to this incident as the reason “last call” in Buckhead was moved from 4am to 2am. This is stupid logic because Ray Lewis didn’t change the law, he had no jurisdiction over the law. What happened was some overzealous politician over-reached looking to make a name for himself, using this incident as a way to advance his career.

Don’t hate Lewis for this.

Now to the complex hate. People hate Lewis because they think he’s overly religious. He’s too demonstrative with his belief. I admit Lewis can be a bit much to handle, but allow me to shed some light on this one for you. Lewis was damaged as a kid, like many other young black men are. He was abandoned by his dad and he grew up in terrible poverty. These roots often are attached to dysfunctional trees.

On that night in Atlanta, Lewis was traveling the wrong road. That murder presented a fork in that the road, and because he desired to do better, be better, project better; he chose the good path. However for this to  stick he needed a companion to ride with him. He needed to make these changes quickly because a franchise depended on it. He only had two choices to ride shotgun, they were religion or psychology. Psychology to gladiators looks weak.  So he chose religion like many young black men do. He saturated himself with religion. One year later, he led his team to the Lombardi. To him this validated his decision, causing him to go even deeper into his faith. He loved the faith, and he was a great leader so he transformed himself into a religious leader.

Please don't hate Ray Lewis for this.

Religion worked for him, so he chose to spread the faith to teammates. Every leader has a style. Lewis’ style was messiah. He led as a person who reached the “promised land” and wanted others to see and touch it for themselves.

Since 2000 you have not heard of Lewis having any legal incidents. His team, the Ravens, hasn’t been in the police blotters. No small feat because the Ravens play in Baltimore, and anyone that has been there or seen “The Wire” knows the landscape of Baltimore.

I ‘m begging all Lewis haters to sit down and watch the NFL Networks “A Football Life” then you will see the Lewis Impact.

Ray Lewis is great because of the impact he has on men. He told his team that 2013 was his “last ride,” and each person, to a man, played to their full potential. The Ravens were limping into the playoff and then they went on a “miraculous” run in the playoff. The only thing that changed was that their messiah was calling it quits.

In 2000 Ray Lewis won a championship for his team. In 2013 his team loved him enough that they won a championship for him. The Ravens won the first one on Lewis’ fuel, and the second they won on his fumes. This is what made Lewis great. He is equal parts physical and spiritual.

Ray Lewis is the greatest leader in NFL HISTORY.

I hate that Vatican City won’t be real with itself

Let me be clear I don’t have a problem with religion in general or Catholic ideology specifically.

Having said that.....

Vatican leadership will be meeting this week to choose a new standard bearer. The previous leader resigned because he didn’t have the physical strength to meet the rigors of the job. Some point to the many pedophilia scandals and more recently a male prostitution scandal in Vatican City as the reason.

I may be in the minority, but I really don’t see the group that headquarters at Vatican City as a religious group. I see them more as a socio-political group. A group that wields great power and influence in many countries. Their influence penetrates, democratic, socialist, and communist governments. The group’s global reach is un-paralleled. This group has the potential to do great and even greater good.

Unfortunately I can’t take the group seriously until they come to grips with their most obvious flaw. The group has no self awareness.

The group doesn’t acknowledge that people are BORN gay. It’s true. I know this because I was BORN straight. I was born being attracted to women. No one had to tell or coach me to like women. It came naturally; just like I arrived at being right handed naturally.

Sidebar.... My brother and I had a god brother that had "gay mannerisms" when he was 2 years old.  We lost touch with his family soon after.  17 years later we were invited to Thanksgiving Dinner and were told he would be there.  On our way over, we were talking about all the people we were looking forward to seeing, and then we both mentioned him, and thought aloud... "I bet you he's gay."....  "Not that there is anything wrong with it."  We just knew it though.  Lo and behold when we got to dinner he and his boyfriend were sitting next to each other holding hands being thankful for one another.

PEOPLE ARE BORN GAY!

Very few people choose gay. How many people do you think would have the strength and self loathing to choose to be gay knowing that they have to deal with the world's ridicule?

The group also doesn’t acknowledge that "gay BORN" people seek priesthood in their group because they are ashamed, and are desperate to become asexual. So they can avoid dealing with what they really are. Then they subsequently yield to their sexuality knowing that the group’s hierarchy will cover-up their “transgressions.”

And most importantly!

The group doesn’t acknowledge that people born with a penis have an intense desire to put said penis into other people’s holes.

So here’s hoping during the group's vote this week that they take a really good look in the mirror. And if they really want to do good, put a young reformer in leadership that will have the intestinal fortitude to fix what been left broken for so many years. THE MIRROR.

I hate exit questions at the cash register

Does this sound familiar? You need to restock your home, so you head over to the local Superstore to pick up a basket of items. You get there, and then stroll the aisles for your favorite products. You grab everything you need, and then you start chucking some things in that you really don’t need. You’re satisfied with your decisions and you head for the counter to check –out. You remove the items in your basket transferring them to the conveyor belt. The check-out person scans your items, your total appears on the LCD display, and then the check-out person asks you a question that’s some variation of this.

“Would you like to give a $1 to help fight Muscular Dystrophy?”

Really!

Let me tell you what I hear when that question is posed to me. “Hi asshole. I see you just spent $5 on Butterscotch Krempets, $10 on skin products (anti ASHY cream), and another $10 on pucks that you put in your toilet so that the water will be blue when you flush it. I should be asking you for $25 at this point, but because I know you’ll never give me that, would you please… pretty please, give me 1/25th of that to help fight this totally curable disease, that will probably never get cured because of assholes like you. “

Now... 

I always say NO, because instinctively it feels like a shakedown. These companies incent their employees based on how many $1’s they can collect during their respective shifts. I feel justified because I donate money annually to, The March of Dimes, The American Heart Association, St. Jude, and Sarcoidosis Research. I give time to The Atlanta Women and Children Shelter, Hagar House, and the Center for Family Resources.

So I’m covered right?

Problem is… I still feel a little uneasy because it’s only a $1. A $1 is like giving nothing. I refuse to give it only on principle nothing more.

Charitable people hate being asked for things.  It's funny because I could have just given my left testicle to cancer research 5 minutes before I entered Wal-mart and still would feel a little weird about not giving the $1 when being asked for it.

In the future I think I’m going to start saying NO, and then asking the clerk if he/she would like to give $1 to some fictitious charity group that I make up; like the “FreeBall Society.”

I hate that “Homeland” sucks now

Mature people will understand this. Remember the first time you had really great sex. It occurred when you obtained a significant amount of experience, causing your confidence to soar, eventually landing on a higher plateau. Everything started to slow down for you. Instincts, intuition, inhibitions were all heightened and set the stage for you to perform at your very best.

Without this maturity you don’t get the great performance. The maturity allows you to take your time, linger, concentrate, probe, pay attention; all vital in building to the satisfying denouement. Mature lovers understand that the journey colors and illuminates the view of the destination. Without the confidence during foreplay, without the smoothness when taking those curves, without the breathlessness of the slow- wind , sex can be empty, cold, and unsatisfying. All the pleasure spots can be touched on but you can be left yearning for more. Season 1 of Homeland understood this; Season 2 not so much.

Season 2 took us back to the days when we were just excited to have a girl like us. We were so giddy to be alone, with the lights out that we fumbled through everything. Season 2 of Homeland was awkward, rushed, incoherent, forced, un-planned, and ultimately not satisfying. Season 2 had no resemblance to Season 1. It was like aliens who never saw Season 1 were brought in to run the show.

Homeland was the best drama since The Sopranos, and The Wire. Season 2 did start off in fine Season 1 fashion but then it got greedy, went too far and became unrecognizable. The beautiful love making that I looked forward to every Sunday night, became the quickie that people have just so they can say they had sex, in a veiled attempt to prove something to themselves, and the omnipresent appointment calendar that they live by.

What I realized in hindsight is that the show runners got nervous and shot their wad too early. Then they panicked and ruined the best thing they had going for them. THE SLOW-WIND.

Season 2 basically had 4 seasons forced into 13 episodes. It went from tantric sex to full blown orgy, and never asked why?

Season 2 could have been the story of Carrie getting her job back at the CIA, followed by her trip to the Middle East, with the cliff-hanger being Carrie confronting Brody in the hotel.

Season 3 could have been the story of the CIA turning Brody; making him a triple agent, with the cliffhanger being Roya, and Brody in the Helicopter going to see Abu Nazir.

Season 4 could have been the story of Nazir breaking Brody again, with the cliffhanger of Quinn holding a gun on Brody in the Limo.

Season 5 could have been the Hunt for Nazir with the cliffhanger being the bombing of the CIA headquarters.

I still don't understand what the rush was.  It's Showtime, we didn't mind waiting.  It felt like a person eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one sitting to fulfill a 3 meal a day requirement, without understanding the ramification of such a foolish act.  You eat 3 meals.  You enjoy none, and your tummy is really starting to hurt.

The worst thing about all of this is that Homeland increased in popularity in Season 2, and this microwave generation, with very little attention span, loved Season 2. Many think Season 2 was superior to Season 1 which is pure poppycock. Here’s hoping Homeland goes back to its roots in Season 3; a psychological thriller that both thrills and makes us think.

I hate that I haven't written a blog post in 10 months!!!

Last fall I started an education journey that will have me "committed" for the next four years. As I was counting up the sacrifices this journey would require, one of the items I laid at the alter was my BLOG. At that time I felt like I had to streamline everything. Trim the fat.

I was trying to "make" time by cutting friends, activities, commutes, content. I love books, and chose not to read one for pleasure. I love women, and chose not to go on more than four dates since May. I love TV, and resolved myself to only record seven shows on Tivo. I was/am serious about this thing. So it seemed an afterthought to break up with my BLOG. My BLOG is fun, and selfish, I surely could part ways with it right?

If I'm giving up wine, women, and song; why not writing? Well, I really didn't know how much my BLOG meant to me, and how theraputic it was to vanquish some of these thoughts from the logical mind. Don't get me wrong, I was still keeping notes of all the things I hated. I'd jot down "hate doodles" from time to time, but it wasn't the same. I now realize I need the outlet. I've missed it. I haven't been the same without it. And of course the hate; the hate has been building up like dirty grease on the grill at your local Waffle House.

So today I start my spring break....which sounds weird because I'm 40 years old now. Bygones... I have 5 days of vacation. Pure unadulterated vacation, and I'm going to use this time to write. So in conjunction with buns, mai tai's, Cohiba's, golf, beach, poker, the Steve Jobs biography, "The Matrix", and "Real Husbands of Hollywood" (DONT ASK),  I'm gonna bang out 4 or 5 HATE Posts this week because Poppa needs his fix.

"IT BE CALLING ME" !!!!!