A Repetition of Mistakes

When will we ever wake up and realize that we are re-living past mistakes? Our constant meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations is further complicating our future and distracting us from the present day problems at home. As we continue to fight undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both products of our overly pervasive “War on Terror,” we find ourselves facing military involvement in North Korea, Iran, and a handful of African nations allegedly being overrun by al-Qaeda. There are only a handful of countries across the globe that do not hate us… the rest regularly express their loathing for the mighty American empire.

We once represented something that was so great and powerful that we were taught as children that the world was jealous of us because we were “free.” Unfortunately for the millions of Americans who don’t pay attention to the current affairs outside of the Hollywood spotlight, they still believe that. But for those of us who reject the reality TV era and maintain our ability to process logical thinking, we have begun to understand the repercussions of our hypocrisy abroad and the deceit beseeched upon us on the home front. We are no freer than the socialist French and yet we despise what they stand for as our government strives to attain the same way of life. We promote democracy and invade countries to spread it and yet the invasion itself contradicts the cause we seek.

The hypocrisy is running rampant and only the minority of the population within our borders has the interest to take notice. It’s the way they promote the movement that irritates me. Instead of pointing out the misconceptions, they point the finger in blame. They blame the Republicans for getting us into this mess; they blame the Democrats for the continuation of Republican ways; they blame the media for being biased… the list of complaints and card-turning in the blame game goes on and on. However, it is the people of this nation who are to blame.

Since the 1960s, there have not been any political movements that forcefully represent The People. It’s as if the hope for change that so many people voted for last November died with the last casualty of the Vietnam War. After the fallout of Vietnam and the civil rights movement, people began to disconnect from political involvement. But Why? Why, after all the demonstrations and demands that were heard, would we stop fighting for our say in the affairs of our ruling body? Why the dropout?



Some might say it was the drugs (mainly heroin and other opiates) that caused the activists to falloff into a complacent trance to help them come down from the rush of fighting “The Man.” That may have contributed to it and it may even give the liberty brigade another excuse for the failing movement of grassroots involvement today as drugs are as potent and destructive as ever in this country. There’s even the theory that our government agencies are helping to fuel the fire of drug abuse in this country through a rather sickening form of population control. But once again, it’s more of the same old blame game.

Rather than complaining about the misinformation and distractions being infused into the mainstream, why not direct people to the same information we find valuable and informative in a pure sense? The information is available if you know where to look. The unfortunate scenario that faces us is that the majority does not know where to look and what to look for. With the mainstream media manufacturing consent with each passing day, the “informed” public will continue to support the same detrimental course we have been lead along for some time now, not realizing the path of destruction we leave behind and the repercussions of our ways. With an administration that seems set to adhere to the D.C. political play, it’s going to take a lot more than hope in our new president to really change things.

It seems that things are going to continue the way they were and most likely escalate. The hour glass is running thin as internet censorship and warrantless wiretapping is becoming common place throughout the globe, even in “the land of the free.” Our window for action is still open, but for how long is not known. We must take advantage of what we have available to us. Corporations control Congress and the White House and we must stand up to take them back. We must dig into our history of defending our freedoms to protect our future and the future our children will one day face.

There is a fine line between Fascism and Freedom and we are treading it with clumsy work boots tripping each foot with each careful step. Orwellian tactics are being instituted all around us, slowly closing the steel door of control behind us and locking us into the cold cell of conformity. Some may argue that it is necessary to protect us and keep us safe and secure. These people have lost their way in a dark sea of fear mongering.

Benjamin Franklin once famously stated, “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

We need a stand by the people, For The People, if we hope to improve modern life as we know it. By focusing on fixing our problems while letting other sovereign nations govern themselves, we have a better chance to rebuild and bounce back setting the example for all other nations who wish to find the way. WE have the structure to make it happen, but we are letting private interest groups block our progression. Let us stand up for what we believe in our hearts and souls, and let us not be denied by those whose pockets stand in our way. Our tax dollars should go back into investing in our neighborhoods and our country, not the countries whose governments fail their people. Let us lead by example, not by the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle.

The Great Irony of Life

The enumerate number of paradoxes that continually peak through the blinds that hang from in the window frames of life will suffocate your happiness if you allow them to. Trust those words.

I haven't been able to keep them away and my sanity is eroding as the days pass by. I'm sure anybody who is reading this can relate with something from their life experiences. You could make good money but passionately hate your job. You could have a wonderful woman or man in your life but your crazy, psycho-delusional Ex- won't leave you be. Whatever it may be, the latter always distracts and distorts the enjoyment of the former. It makes it impossible to fully enjoy yourself in whatever the aspect plagued by the paradox I speak of.

In the recognition and acknowledgement of this Great Irony, one becomes fully engaged by aggravation and exasperation. Trust Me. This is becoming an all-too-common theme in my journey through the years.

I feel as though I can't catch a break in time where I can just sit back and soak in the pure bliss of life. As much beauty as there is in life, I have begun to find the opposing negative aura and it has left me in a state of lethargic existence. The yin yields the yang. The balance of man with the universe is potent with purity and diluted with putridity. True balance. Undifferentiated Tao. Ho-hum!

Positivity is a difficult mentality to maintain but it is absolutely essential to one's sanity. As negativity creeps into your perception, it grows on you like a plague. A bacterium of vileness. Life will no longer be fun anymore. The bareness of misery will take hold and fill you with frigidity the way the cold comes through the Northeast every winter burying civilized living beneath a thick blanket of snow and ice.

Cynicism has been a part of me since I could speak. Call it a birth defect if you wish. I blame growing up around paranoia and pessimism. Regardless, I'm treading water in an ocean without the ability to swim, continually fighting to keep my head above the darkness below. Some days I want to just let go and sink until I exhale my last bubble of life, but I shake it off and tread away hoping to see the lights of a rescue vessel emerge from the horizon.

This may be a dark piece. Some might even say, "a depressing piece." It is what it is. That's the reality of life right now as I sit here typing my way to some sort of peace of mind. By no means am I depressed. I'm thankful for the wonderful joys I'm blessed with. But goddamn the motherfucking yang!

"I'm vacationing on a beach with no sand... tryin' to check to time on a clock with no hands. Feel like I'm gettin' close but I'm nowhere near it... I touch it but don't feel it, listen but don't hear it." - Joe Budden

The Beauty of Night

Allen Ginsburg was a genius with words and the vibes they produced, using them to attack the materialism and conformity that swept our nation by storm years ago. He infused darkness with light with such poetic mystique that makes you appreciate the negativity that produced such radiance. In a time that we can all relate to the obscurity that shadows all the good that life has to offer, we should all take the time to appreciate those who inject beauty into repugnance and embody the illumination of night by the glow of the moon.

"Light up the darkness."

-Bob Marley

The New Dumb

Today, we find a new kind of dumbness circulating around us that is particularly aggravating to all persons with at least half a brain. Dumb, unintelligible people are now boldly attacking those who have the ability to think, learn, and formulate thoughts outside of those being fed through the television screen. What is this world coming to? It’s as if we promote this “New Dumb” by giving these simpletons an open forum to speak and unknowingly embarrass themselves. The worst part is, they don’t realize how foolish they sound.

One half-a-twit had the audacity to tell me to “Learn Something” as if he had any idea what he was even talking about. Not a single point (not even an opinionated point worth arguing) came out of his comment that was entirely intended to offend me because I did not agree with his statement. He lacked the ability to formulate sentences that made sense and used reckless passion as the driving force to express his incoherent retort. I’ve never been more annoyed by stupidity until I was called an “Ignorant Idiot” by a grown man who had the intellect of a 7 year old. Ignorance is not demonstrated by making valid points… Ignorance is demonstrated by assholes that have no understanding of a particular subject and result to CAPITALIZED TANTRUMS TO EXPRESS THEIR DISAGREEMENT WITH A DEFICIENCY OF FACTS.

This was not my first run in with an uneducated person (who actually attends college) that watches Steven Colbert twice a week and thinks he/she is thoroughly up to par with their current events. Sadly, these people are growing in numbers and leaving our country and our world in the shambles of mediocrity. These half-minded fools who absorb information solely through high definition television screens are infecting our standards and lowering the bar for those pursuing a “higher” education. Education systems have gone down the drain since the government took control of it, but I guess that’s to be expected when those in power want to feel more powerful than they were ever intended to be. Regardless, We the People have to deal with these lowered standards and we are left to ponder why the world we know is falling apart through regression. At least we were given “Reality” TV to numb the dead weight that sits upon our shoulders.

The getting was good while it was to be had, but it is no more. We are now descending down the dark side of the mountain where the trek seems destined to be far less rewarding than the ascension to the peak of civilization. Oh how I wish I lived my life already.

The Gutter of American Society

In my town, you can go to Wawa in the morning and even the Mexican landscapers are high on heroin. It makes you think you've lived in New Jersey too long when spotting dope addicts is as natural as spotting a pregnant woman in her third trimester.

For those who have lived outside of the tri-state area all of their life, Wawa is the common ground for the common people. At some point in the week, every local resident makes a stop at a Wawa, whether it be for a cup of coffee, a sandwich, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper, whatever. Need to tap the Mac machine? Wawa. There's one just about every square mile it seems, and there's always a handful of people inside, so it's safe to call Wawa the common pool of New Jersey society.

In that very pool of class mixture, one can get an accurate portrayal of the character of that town, with South Jersey having the most diverse of settings. In one town, you get the aura of the inner city projects, while 10 minutes down one road you enter a farmland of hicks, and 10 minutes down another road you'll find yourself parked between a BMW 325i and a Mercedes SLK. Different worlds separated by invisible lines. There is consistency in the lack of consistency in the sense of class structure, but there is a common theme shared throughout the state. No matter what town you live in, no matter what major city is closest, every town has a deep rooted river of drugs that runs right through it.

Most towns are extremely well at hiding it from out-of-towners, but those who live locally know all about it. High schools all around suffer from the problem of an ignorant youth drinking the date rape drug from a water bottle before homeroom, or mixing their own concoctions of drugs into gel caps and swallowing them as they leave their third period math class. Students passing out during the Pledge of Allegiance are common place in South Jersey whether it appears so from the outside or not.

That is why I stole the title of this piece from a friend who described South Jersey as "the gutter of American society." When observing a house from the street, the gutter system is designed and trimly built to look neat and efficient as well as functional, hiding the grime and incestuous muck that flows through it spilling out into the neatly cut blades of grass surrounding the house. There is no better way to describe it.

To understand the causes of the epidemic decline of the once promising farm land with suburban growth potential, one must experience the struggle of the middle class to grow and prosper and even maintain in a state that costs so much money to live and do business. New Jersey has one of the highest cost of living standards in the nation thanks largely in part to the booming standards of North Jersey and its metropolitan location.

North Jersey is New Jersey. It's as if South Jersey is its own state that is forced to suffocate under the shadowing standards cast down by its Northern sibling. Standards that drive our youth and elders alike to horrifying drug habits used to cloak the discomfort and discontent served on a hopelessly rusted platter. You’re only chance at success comes by way of survival, affability, and procreation.

The American Dream is as dead as dead gets here in the Dirty Jerz, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

A Boxer's Toolbox

Andre Ward… you have silenced the critics. Welcome to the land of spoken talent, where names are known, respected, and defended with true heart and skill. You showed tonight that you have more tools and more heart than most of your colleagues that you will find straggling up and down the ladder these days.
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A tough and feared opponent, Edison Miranda, has been compared to a panther who stalks the prey he hunts between the ropes, but tonight he was domesticated and tamed to what one television announcer referred to as a “pussy cat.”

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As each round rang to an end, another round of disillusionment fell upon Miranda as he walked back to his corner.

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Ward gave him a new feel and a different look every time he rose from his stool. He was fluent in switching his stance. He moved front to back, side to side. He boxed Miranda head on. He boxed Miranda from every angle, inside and outside of his peripheral. He used a long jab. He closed the gap and fought a battle inside. He bullied Miranda on the inside for an entire round, pushing him around and smothering him with uppercuts and short hooks, breaking the heart of his puzzled opponent.

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He frustrated Miranda in a way that showed the depth and range of the skill set the young gold medalist has in his repertoire and established his seat in a group that sits atop the Super Middleweight division.

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Although Ward may lack the power to really make waves in the dying sport gasping for mainstream appeal, he represents what boxing once was before the days of Iron Mike and his incredible punching power. Andre Ward demonstrates technical boxing in a true-to-form, gold medal style, ass-whooping.

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Great fighters don’t rely on their power punch. Ask Edison Miranda to comment on how well that game plan didn’t work for him. He fought 10 out of 12 rounds with his right hand cocked back, waiting for an opportunity that didn’t seem to open up the way he was hoping it would.

Impressively, Ward maintained his focus and demonstrated his adversity to the skeptics as he fought through an early cut above his left eye (due to an illegal head butt), taking the fight to Miranda relentlessly and dominating control over Miranda’s one-dimensional fight style. Not only was he able to hold the door closed on Miranda’s one-pop game plan, but he was almost instantaneously pouncing on the smallest of openings in Miranda’s defense. The underdog stalked the panther and attacked confidently.

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After the fight, Ward said that he was disappointed in his outing as he felt he left himself open too much even though Miranda was too confused and dumbfounded to take advantage. Ward was also upset with his inability to stop the fight earlier than the 12-round unanimous decision. In a division of heavy hitters and strong chins, Ward may have to get used to the fact that he might not have the power to keep knocking opponents to the canvas. Skillful boxing and a good cardio program to expand and sustain his stamina will no doubt propel him through the ranks.

When Can We Put Segregation Behind Us?

I read an article yesterday that was promoting a new book, "Searching for Whitopia: How the Whiter Half Lives" by Rich Benjamin, and although I agree with the basic idea of what Rich is saying in that there exists a definite line dividing race, I believe he himself is part of the problem. When discussing race, it's amazing how touchy a subject it is. There are only roughly 40 years between today and the Civil Rights Movement, so I understand that in the big picture it hasn't been all that long that "whites" and "blacks" have been equals. But an all out attack on "whites" because of the unearthed and ongoing problem is an utter disgrace and essentially more of the status quo racial tension building.

The problem exists in the recognition of the problem. The incestuous profiling of other human beings is so detrimental to the very idea of equality that we are only further putting ourselves, as a nation, back years that we have already fought through. It's bad enough that the generations of today are influenced by the older generations that we learn from while growing up, but we must stop spreading that racist propaganda and segregated way of thinking if we hope to ever weed out discrimination in this country. The idea that Rich Benjamin, a dark-skinned man, is attacking "Whitopia" for segregation is an absolute hypocrisy and an adverse train of thought.

The fact is, "whites" and "blacks" are equal in nature, but they will never be so in this country, "the home of the free," if we continue to acknowledge racial distinction and blame each other for the ignorant thought process of the minority of the population (and I don't mean minorities as in the racial way, I meant as the minority of the population; as in not the majority). Last time I checked, not all white people wear white hoods or tattoo Nazi symbols on the back of their shaved head. But according to Rich, all of "Whitopia" does. He even slightly touches on the idea that largely black populated urban areas are not the safest places to live, and yet he doesn't understand why people move away from those neighborhoods and head toward suburban and rural settings for peace of mind and sanctity.

The existence of crime-infested low-income neighborhoods is a result of failed government policy rather than the heavy-handed middle class, ignorance rather than self-education, escapism rather than fortitude, and anger rather than understanding... all negative characteristics which will never net a positive outcome. If black people in general think that the election of the first African-American president will help them out of unfavorable situations, then they are sure to be disappointed. Time and time again, I hear how “Obama is going to help us out because we are his people.” We are all his people. He’s Our President, not just a representative of blacks. So put your hand back in your fucking pocket and take some goddamn responsibility for your life and stop blaming white people for your "suffering."

**That’s right Henrietta Hughes, I’m talking to you. Obama is not going to help you because you’re black and he’s black and you bought a house you couldn’t afford because somehow you couldn’t find a job for six fucking years and now you’re broke as shit and homeless. You’re lack of ambition is Your problem, not Our problem. You’ve taken enough of our tax dollars and pissed them away on God knows what. Not our fault. Not Obama’s fault. Deal with it.

The constant complaining about the racial divide is setting this country back decades and is making Martin Luther King's dream a never-ending night of tossing and turning in the sheets. Believe it or not, there are a lot of white people, such as myself, who want to see the equality between men and women of all colors, shine with a glisten of a freedom we all deserve. I despise living in a world surrounded by racial acknowledgement rather than individuality. We are not equal in abilities by any sense… that is in actuality what makes us special individually. But we are all born equal by rights, rights that should not be denied to us based on the color of our skin. Nobody deserves special treatment. You get from life what you put into life. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but a necessary lesson all the same.

*Disclaimer: I am by no means a racist. I am a human being. I am a human being who is aggravated by the eternal existence of racial division in a country that deems itself the "land of the free." No other country has the racial discrimination problems we have here in America, donning this The Great Hypocrisy of American History.

Oh the Madness!

Can Villanova relive the excitement of the upset they laid upon Georgetown

in 1985 when they face the heavily-favored UNC this Saurday?

March is an awe-inspiring month for the spirit of what was once the Great American Dream. As we all scrambled to fill out our brackets between the passing of Selection Sunday and tip off that following Thursday, we lost our sense of perception of what was really about to take place. Sixty-five teams thrown into the tournament pot together, all with equal opportunity to dance the big dance all the way to a national championship. Regular season schedules, who you beat, who beat you, who was hurt... none of it matters. If you were good enough to get in, you're in and you're given the same opportunity as the other sixty-four. An equal opportunity for all. Win and move on. Lose and go home. The upsets and the 'almost' upsets are what we thrive on with relation to the underdogs; the small schools trying to make themselves known on a national level. Powerhouse programs personify the same percentage of upper-class socialites. We love to watch them play, but we thrive to watch them fall at the hands of the blue-collar, middle-class representatives. This year it was Arizona, Cleveland State, Dayton, Wisconsin, and Western Kentucky that did the dirty work and won over the respect of the majority of those watching. Arizona was considered on the outside of the bubble prior to the selection hour, and yet they won two games before being ousted by a Louisville team that was firing on all cylinders on the night they met. Not a single one of the other sixty-four could have beat the Cardinals that night, but who would have predicted Arizona would have made it the Sweet Sixteen when expert analysts didn't even give them a chance to get in the tournament. When duds take out the studs as Cleveland State did to Wake Forest, excitement runs rampant throughout the field no matter who you picked in your bracket. Some become frustrated when their pick to win it all gets knocked out in this wild pack of wolves hunting the same game, but they should let it go and appreciate the big picture. What fun would it be if the same teams were in the final four every year? We need that diversity and maliformity to revive our appetite for ambition, especially now in the year of the Great Recession of '09. We can all use a little feeling of equal opportunity as we stand side by side while they lower the casket of the "Dream."