I'm starting another blog on blogspot, Black, Male, and Gay ... In That Order, that will be dedicated to gay issues and of course MY perspective on those issues (wink). 

"When I dare to be powerful, when I use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid" - Audre Lorde
I'm starting another blog on blogspot, Black, Male, and Gay ... In That Order, that will be dedicated to gay issues and of course MY perspective on those issues (wink). 



Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

Today is November 7, 2006; the day of decision... the day when we as a country can take back the broken system of American politics and replace it with the same idealism that compelled our ancestors to die. Sound romantic, doesn't it? If only our democratic republic were so pure. The fact of the matter is that Americans have no real choice. Each major political party is greatly influenced by wealthy special interest groups and an elite ruling class. The myth of one vote, one voice is outdated and probably never existed anyway, but it sounds so good, huh? How else would one explain the founding of a democracy by men who thought it was their right to deprive other men of those same rights? I'm not a cynic; contrary to what I used to believe about myself, I'm quite the idealist. However, my vote this election cycle is based on practicality more than idealism. Like me, countless Americans who consider themselves independent are typically forced to choose the less worse of each party as a candidate.
My grandmother's saying rings true today as it did when I voted for the first time in 1993. She said that, "What it really boils down to is what white sons-of-bitches get to fuck us better. As long as this [political] system stays the way it is, we are always gonna have to choose the less evil of two lessers." Of course, she would talk to me about these things after taking a shot of Glen Fiddich and dipping some snuff. One thing I gleaned from that bit of drunken southern wisdom was this, she ALWAYS voted... even if she felt like both candidates were awful. Like her, I sometimes feel the same way, but unlike her, I have hope.
The following excerpt came from an essay written to inspire the electorally apathetic (can I even use that term?). Although its factual basis is bogus, it romanticizes our democratic republic and the wonderful right and privilege we have. Even if you feel like your vote would be wasted, I challenge you to put your apathy aside and head to the polls to choose the less evil of two lessers.
Okay, I'll leave the soapbox now.







Okay, so thank you all for indulging me a little bit. Seriously though, how can a die hard Democrat, a Super-delegate even, endorse a candidate with ideological views that oppose everything you're supposed to believe in? Even worse, how does a a descendant of French nobility, a member of one of the most famous wine producing family owned vineyards in the world, call anyone an elitist? Bottles of Baron de Rothschild wines sell for upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is Lynne really serious when she expects us to believe that the reason she can't support Obama is because he and Michelle are elitists?

maintenance expenses and the entire home was out fitted with every modern amenity known to man, including top-of-the-line furnisings. 