Prometheus 6

Darkstar wrote this thing

I'm Black and I'm A Republican

I was going respond to his assessment of how Black Republicans can get a little more respect by giving a little more respect, but MIB really boiled it down in his comment.

It's a free country.

However, I don't feel your position, like those of many self-identified Black Republicans, is any more substantive or plausible. You're just not as much of an a**hole about things.

Here's my view on this party thing. To be a member, you have to honor the principles of the party as truths. That's the true ones, the dramatizations and the lies. I don't keep the lies because I can't afford to, and prefer not to expend unnecessary energy on dramatizations. That means I'm not really a Democrat, identity-wise. And it's why I don't think Darkstar is a Republican any more than I'm a Democrat. After all, you don't have to be a Republican to be incorrect...

The Williams sisters are playing each other in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. I can catch Palin later on the web.

Anyone can post to this one while I'm watching tennis.

Who plays Fantasy Football?

Been programming. I'm going to upgrade the joint, which requires a couple of decisions. Actually, that applies in several areas...

Anyway, I'm going to do more with books and reviews and such. And the biggest problem turns out to be knowing when you're done. I started using what you call a defect and features management system, which is essentially a fancy "to do" list. This helps a lot...forcing yourself to write down every stupid idea gives you focus.

So that's what's been up. And now I'm going to do nothing for a little while so here's a wide open thread.

Come one, come all...no waiting to see your comment post.

For the first time in years I listened to Make It Like It Was by Regina Bell without tearing up in the slightest.

Not only have you no idea how significant that is, you never will.

I got some spam dropped in the comments of a post. On reflection folks might be interested, so I started this thread today so as to keep the joint as neat as a Chaos Lord can.

As such, this thread is open for all manner of self-promotion...except this is NOT one of those "everyone automatically posts" threads. We do not want, say, links to nekkidness or goatse or whatever. On the other hand, you got an actual site, I'll check to see it's not a spam blog and approve it...no matter if I think you're ridiculous or if I think you outshine me.

Say what you wanna say, no need to wait for me to approve it.

Nothing clever, just working some stuff. All comments will post automatically, no waiting for the unregistered among ye.

My probably libertarian friend Darkstar has added two more sites to his Black Self Help Information site: Daddy's Promise and Future Black Men of America, Inc. I suspect a number of folks will be surprised that I direct attention thataway. If you are, you must be new here.

My thing has, indeed, been to refuse to allow folks to excuse racism through their claims of Black irresponsibility. In fact, I insist Black folks are no more irresponsible than anyone else (probably no less either, but...).

Comments to this thread are unmoderated...anonymous comments post immediately.

This is from not-quite the Tao Te Ching.

Can you hold the door to your tent
Wide open to the firmament?
Can you, with the simple stature
Of a child, breathing nature,
Become, notwithstanding,
A man?
Can you continue befriendinn
With no prejudice, no ban?
Can you, mating with heaven,
Serve as the female part?
Can your learned head take leaven
From the wisdom of your heart?

If you can bear issue and nourish its growing
If you can guide without claim or strife
If you can stay in the lead of men without their knowing
You are at the core of life.

I leave you this link to think about. And this thread is open to all...if you got something stooopit you want to say, here's your chance. It will survive at least until Dr. Who comes on tonight.

Yesterday I reached a point where I just didn't want to think about politics, so I started programming. This post is the fruit of my labors.

Anyone can comment on this post and the comment will show immediately. Just on this post, and any others on which I check the little box on the input form. There's still a message that says your comment has been submitted for approval but it lies. I shall address that anon.

More than once a conversation has started that I wanted to open up. Now I can do that without opening up the whole site at once. Of course, if I don't tell you a particular post is wide open you'd have no way to know. I should probably do something about that too...

Oh, the devoweling filter has been improved. It now strips HTML tags first, then leaves a space where the vowel used to be instead of pushing it all together after ganking the vowels.

Actually, I'm considering upgrading the joint.

Of course Black people can swim. I'm pretty good at it myself. But you wouldn't believe the number of search engines that turn up asking that question.

what else...comments. If you draw dramatic universal conclusions based on nebulous statements, if you regularly say "my point is (something having nothing to do with anything previously said)", you'll probably leave feeling pretty disrespected.

Helping Girls as Victims, Not Culprits

Board Complains That Fewer Police Officers Are Being Charged With Misconduct

I'm actually aiming for high school.

Reading level test

There's a helicopter scanning the neighborhood as I write this.

So I called for cable service and things were wonky enough (definitely the line, boxes tested bad) that they were to send out a service guy. Woman sounded sort of confused, interesting background chatter.

Couple of hours later, I get a call. A guy said they were working on the wires in the neighborhood, is everything okay now? Yeah, for the last half hour or so. You want to cancel that appointment? No, not yet. Let me make it through the night. Okay...you can always cancel it...

This morning, phone rings. Cable service, is everything working? Yeah... You want to cancel that appointment? Okay, sure.

Did I mention I called the executive office to complain initially?

This is like four days of connectivity dropping at random. Cable TV too, not just the internet...otherwise I'd just shoot a letter to the FBI asking them to get their deep packet inspection gear straightened out.

I was looking for images for something I'm going to write. Stumbled on this page. Can't use them for what I'm working on, but I really like her photography...like landscapes writ small.

First, a moment of silence.

Next, a quote rather than the cryptic hint I intended to leave.

We have to start asking ourselves a basic question whenever we hear the adjective “Black” attached to anything, especially a negative trend. Is it Black because it involves Black people, or because it stems from Blackness itself? If we don’t start making that distinction, we are going to keep creating caricatures of ourselves.

(Basically I'm doing whatever takes less effort.)

And a request for opinions on this.

And speaking of rising above it all, I could see my way to tossing a couple of bucks toward this effort.

Folks are starting to take specific notice of the fact that Hitler was a tool of the God John Hagee worships. Terrance at Republic of T wrote one of his typically intelligent posts about it and ended with this clip, which amused me so I stole it.

That's the conclusion I've come to today.

Not on that note but because of it, I would like to thank my friend the ex-lion tamer for his stories from the language barrier.

I actually thought of this myself today.

Why are you pretending this is news...or that you didn't help?

As more and more families and students who place a premium on education flee to the alternatives of charter and selective-enrollment schools, who will be left behind in the neighborhood public high schools?

No one...that's the whole point. 

I gotta tell you, I'm not feeling fear...(se that Slate article I linked above)

Monday and Tuesday will probably be spotty around here. I'll be in Washington D.C., listening to speeches by our three Prezinental candidates and NOT checking email. Tuesday will be the thinnest day because I'll be heading back to Nycnyusa in the middle of it instead of on its nether end.

Good night folks...EARLY start tomorrow.