The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I'm getting a little tired of the us-vs.-them rhetoric we hear so often nowadays, especially with regard to law enforcement and the Black Lives Matter movement. The two aren't mutually exclusive. It's perfectly rational to be both pro-cop and pro-Black Lives Matter.  First off, no matter who we want to pin the blame on, I think many have misunderstood the intent of Black Lives Matter (BLM). BLM activists aren't saying only black lives matter; they're simply saying black lives matter too. Many black-Americans feel like their voices have been ignored and like their lives mean less than those in other demographics (perhaps 3/5 of a person), to the point where they've decided to stand up and say, "Hey, our lives matter too!" So for those who like to counter chants of "Black Lives Matter!" with "All Lives Matter!" while that's technically true, it illustrates your lack of understanding for the BLM movement. Allow me to provide an ...

When debating, especially with far-right Republicans, I tend to resort to numbers, (consistent) studies, fact-checkers, and yes, even logic. I don't form an opinion simply based on things I heard from my parents growing up, what friends of mine believe, or what partisan sources constantly spout at me. In my view, my opinion is nothing without solid evidence to support it, and it's through a great deal of reading and research (and experience) I've come to form the opinions I have today. But, while I appreciate when someone on the polar opposite side of the political spectrum approaches me with numbers, appearing to have done some research themselves, just because a person uses numbers to support an argument doesn't mean those numbers are valid. Take Maryland Congressman Andy Harris, for instance. The Republican congressman recently attempted to block the Washington, D.C. marijuana decriminalization law by making some rather preposterous claims, saying African-American ...

Since Barack Obama was elected president in November of 2008, Republican legislators have been working effortlessly to pass laws requiring some form of voter ID in order to vote. These very Republicans said such laws were needed to prevent voter fraud, while most Democrats felt it was just an attempt to reduce voter turnout within certain demographics which tended to vote Democratic, namely minorities and women. Did Republicans hold a legitimate concern about voter fraud? According to statistics, not really. In a comprehensive study published by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt of the Washington Post in 2014, it was found that there were 31 credible cases of voter fraud out of one billion ballots cast since 2000 (0.000000031%). In other words, there's a greater chance of me transforming into a werewolf named Jack Nicholson overnight tonight than there is of a credible voting fraud case on election day. To no one's surprise, the conservative state of Alabama followe...

According to the dictionary, the noun "thug" can be defined as: "a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer." However, anymore, it seems as if the term is used only in reference to a certain demographic - African-Americans. Seriously, when's the last time you heard a white guy referred to as a thug? Take your time... This especially seems to be the case with regard to far right-wingers. Check out such a site. all of the comments below the article, and try counting the number of times commentators refer to an African-American as a thug. Then go through and count the number of times they call a person of a different race (especially whites) a thug. Just over the past year, I've heard the following comments: - "Richard Sherman is a thug!" - "Barack Obama is a thug!" - "Basketball is full of thugs!" - "Trayvon Martin was a thug!" - "Most rappers are thugs!" Never have I heard any of the foll...

Dallas Mavericks owner had some interesting words with regard to the Donald Sterling controversy, which many right-wing sites have picked up on as "rationale thoughts." Cuban called the potential matter "a very very very slippery slope," elaborating on the matter with this: "If it's about racism and we're ready to kick people out of the league, OK? Then what about homophobia?... What about somebody who's anti-semitic? What about a xenophobe?... In this country, people are allowed to be morons." While I can see where Mr. Cuban is coming from, I think his comparison is a matter of apples and oranges. In any one of those other scenarios (homophobia, anti-semitic, xenophobia), there would be some anger, most likely a fine, possibly a short suspension, but it would not bring about the same level of emotion as it would (and did) with regard to racism against blacks. The reason is quite simple. According to a 2013 report, blacks make up 76.3% of...

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal , AIG CEO Bob Benmosche said the following with regard to the public outrage over AIG paying executives $165 million in bonuses after being rescued by taxpayers during the Great Recession: "Now you have these bright young people [in the financial-products unit] who had nothing to do with [the bad bets that hurt the company.] ... They understand the derivatives very well; they understand the complexity. ... They're all scared. They [had made] good livings. They probably lived beyond their means. ... They aren't going to stay there for nothing. The uproar over bonuses 'was intended to stir public anger, to get everybody out there with their pitch forks and their hangman nooses, and all that - sort of like what we did in the Deep South [decades ago]. And I think it was just as bad and just as wrong." Yes, taxpayers whom showed their vocal displeasure with executives receiving $165 million in bonuses after they were t...

Ken Emanuelson, a Texas Tea Party activist, made a rather controversial statement at a May 20th Dallas County GOP event, when he answered a question with the following response: "I'm going to be real honest with you. The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote if they are going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats." Then just yesterday, the Tea Party loon (yes, a tad redundant, isn't it?) attempted to backtrack his previous remarks by saying this: "I hold no position of authority within the Republican Party and it wasn't my place to opine on behalf of the desires of the Republican Party. What I meant, and should have said, is that it is not, in my personal opinion, in the interests of the Republican Party to spend its own time and energy working to generally increase the number of Democratic voters at the polls, and at this point in time, nine of every ten African American voters cast their votes for the Democratic Party." Okay, so I'l...

So, I got into an interesting discussion recently. A radio show host just recently tried asking President Obama the following question - "I recently spent time asking African Americans about your policies and over 90% couldn't even name one. Do you believe its (sic) right that the black community votes for you strictly because you're part black?" This isn't the first time I've heard such a declaration. Following Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 Presidential Election, many far-right conservatives made the claim that he won due to the black vote, as he won 95% of it. Some went as far to say that African-Americans were being racist with their votes, because according to them - they were voting for Obama simply because of the color of his skin. Since almost 100% of blacks voted for President Obama, well, it seems pretty obvious that they were just voting for him for that very reason, right? Sorry to burst these people's bubble, but I'm not thinking...

I read a Facebook status yesterday asking why it was a big deal that no woman has ever been admitted to Augusta National. I then read an article by a guy asking the same question, both saying, "There are women's only clubs. Why can't guys have this?" They both pointed out these organizations known by all of 14 people whom are members, saying that Augusta's male-only membership was the same thing. A person then commented on my friend's post, saying that it doesn't make sense, just like African-Americans can have BET, yet if whites had such a channel, there would be an uproar. I'm sorry, but are some guys that stupid? What, if men weren't allowed to play at Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, would they be okay with it? Would that not be a big deal for male baseball players? Oh, but they had that one park at a middle school in Topeka, Kansas which only allowed males, so all is well then, right? Augusta is arguably the most well-known cour...

Whose responsibility is it in this country? The newcomers? The newborns? The elders? Those that were born and raised here? I just read a blog that it was the newcomers' responsibility, that America has a particular culture and we shouldn't adapt to those immigrating our land. It should be the other way around. She mentioned how everything has changed, that we can't say "Merry Christmas" anymore (even though I just wrote it). It has to be "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" and that offends her. Alright, so let me ask her this question. Does she think that African-Americans should still be slaves? That they shouldn't have the right to vote? That all our schools should still be segregated? That bathrooms should be separated for Anglo- and African-Americans? Give me a break. Change comes with the territory, especially in a Republic or "Democracy" like ours. Unless we want a dictatorship, we have to get use to change....