Washington Post Columnist, Courtland Milloy had an interesting Op-Ed piece which was featured in “The Tacoma News Tribune,” section B5 on Thursday, February 26, 2009. Mr. Milloy, with the precision of a medical surgeon, began a delicate dissection of the latest installment of the current “Madea” character of the hugely series of popular movies by filmmaker/actor Tyler Perry; who as it seems, stars as the main character. There is no doubt to the enormous appeal and financial success of Mr. Perry, and like King Midas, the legendary ruler of Crete, where everything Tyler Perry touches seems to turn into cinematic gold.
Yet, in spite of all the gut-busting, rib-tickling, and hysterical laughter which is the usual reaction from seeing his many characters on the ‘Big Screen,’ the social implications of this subtle negative stereotyping might not be so funny. The ‘Matriarch’ has been the pillar or foundation of the Black family, community, and Church; without whose widespread influence and almost sacrosanct status, Blacks would have a lot more problems than they do. Of course, the Hollywood executives aren’t too concerned about these negative characterizations of an updated version of ‘Aunt Jemimah’ upon the psyche of African-Americans, nor the repressed internal psychological damage and unhealthy self-esteem that these images may inflict. As long as these movies of ‘blaxploitation’ are shown on many theater screens owned by ‘AMC,’ the more the merrier. It’s all about “KA-CHING” of the cash registers, wearing the ‘Bling-bling,’ ‘Livin’ large, and driving a ‘BENTLEY.’
The problem doesn’t just rest with Tyler Perry because he is not the only performer to represent Black women in such a demeaning way because the long list includes Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy; to name a few. Even Flip Wilson’s “Geraldine” wasn’t that insulting. Of course it is always easier to parody a fictional and imaginary person because Oprah Winfrey didn’t see the humor of Kim Wayans portrayal of her in some of the comedy skits on “In Living Color.” In fact, Miss ‘O’ admitted to being hurt by Ms. Wayans, albeit funny, outlandishly insensitive, imitation of the then, overweight talk show host.
These routines, whether on the comedy shows, Broadway, or at the cinemas are reminiscent of the ‘Minstrel’ shows where White men in black facial makeup with lips and eyes painted white imitated ‘Negroes’ or ‘Colored People’ back then, with such disgusting and dehumanizing depictions; much to the approval, delight and enjoyment of their White audiences, with the most famous of them being the legendary Al Jolson. That was then, but now it’s our turn to make fun of ourselves. Forget about Steppin Fetchin and all that because it would appear that as Taalam Acey rightly depicts in “Pieces of Change,” that, “There is a Market 4 Niggaz, and the bigger the monkey the more the money.” Comedian Dave Chappelle finally came to his senses and found out the truth in that old adage, “They are Not Laughing with You, but at You.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 26, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The 81st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony
The 81st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2009, proved once again that it is not only a barometer of the changes going on in American society, but perhaps Internationally as well. Sean Penn was the lone American to win an ‘Oscar;’ alongside the beautiful Brit Kate Winslett and Spaniard Penelope Cruz. Also, what was not a surprise was the number of awards garnered by the movie, “Slumdog Millionaire.” Be that as it may, one wonders about the exploitation of the little children portrayed in “SM” who may after all the popularity dies down several months from now when the International media has turned to other interests, will these precious little ones be returned back to live in their familiar surroundings and home in some unnamed town amid the poorest of slums in Mumbai, India. Will it be for them, “Once a Slumdog, Always a Slumdog?”
Hollywood has always had an enduring and well-deserved reputation for exploitation, and history appears to repeat itself on a consistent basis. Kate Winslett, who is probably one of the best actresses on the planet, finally won an ‘Oscar’ but at what cost? Halle Berry won an ‘Oscar’ in 2001 for “Monster’s Ball,” although she has done brilliant work in other movies. What these two women have in common is that “IF YOU SHOW ENOUGH SKIN (nudity & sexual situations), YOU WIN.” Not wanting to leave it at that, consider rebel and non-conformist, Sean Penn, who sort of a combination of James Dean and Marlon Brando.
Mr. Penn won again for his portrayal of gay San Francisco politician, Harvey Milk, and due to the increasing activism of the Gay, Lesbian, Transsexual, and Bisexual (“GLTB”) movement in American it is not all that surprising; and not only that, but Heath Ledger undoubtedly benefited from his portrayal of a homosexual cowboy in the movie, “Brokeback Mountain,” which led to him receiving a Best-Supporting ‘Oscar’ posthumously for his role as ‘The Joker’ in the movie, “Batman: The Dark Knight.”
Although there have been quite a few movies where women have had to ‘take it all off’ in front of the cameras, very few movies included intimacy between two men or even the suggestion of it. Veteran actor Tom Hanks won an ‘Oscar’ for his portrayal of a gay lawyer in the 1993 movie, “Philadelphia.” A movie which was well written and acted by Forest Whitaker, Stephen Rea, and Jay Davidson was the 1992 movie, “The Crying Game,” in which Rea, as an IRA volunteer falls in love with British soldier’s (Whitaker’s) lover, played by Jay Davidson.
The unsuspecting Rea was not aware of a big “secret” which really heightened the tension between emotional conflict and the feeling of betrayal as well as the contradictions when you realize that someone you love is not ‘all female.’ Nevertheless, Hollywood doesn’t miss an opportunity when it comes across a script that pushes the buttons of our moral values, social traditions, and religious beliefs, and one can rest assured that on some executive’s desk is the next play or movie script that will either lift us up to a higher sense of philanthropy and service or we will spiral deeper into the abyss of moral and spiritual decadence.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 24, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Hollywood has always had an enduring and well-deserved reputation for exploitation, and history appears to repeat itself on a consistent basis. Kate Winslett, who is probably one of the best actresses on the planet, finally won an ‘Oscar’ but at what cost? Halle Berry won an ‘Oscar’ in 2001 for “Monster’s Ball,” although she has done brilliant work in other movies. What these two women have in common is that “IF YOU SHOW ENOUGH SKIN (nudity & sexual situations), YOU WIN.” Not wanting to leave it at that, consider rebel and non-conformist, Sean Penn, who sort of a combination of James Dean and Marlon Brando.
Mr. Penn won again for his portrayal of gay San Francisco politician, Harvey Milk, and due to the increasing activism of the Gay, Lesbian, Transsexual, and Bisexual (“GLTB”) movement in American it is not all that surprising; and not only that, but Heath Ledger undoubtedly benefited from his portrayal of a homosexual cowboy in the movie, “Brokeback Mountain,” which led to him receiving a Best-Supporting ‘Oscar’ posthumously for his role as ‘The Joker’ in the movie, “Batman: The Dark Knight.”
Although there have been quite a few movies where women have had to ‘take it all off’ in front of the cameras, very few movies included intimacy between two men or even the suggestion of it. Veteran actor Tom Hanks won an ‘Oscar’ for his portrayal of a gay lawyer in the 1993 movie, “Philadelphia.” A movie which was well written and acted by Forest Whitaker, Stephen Rea, and Jay Davidson was the 1992 movie, “The Crying Game,” in which Rea, as an IRA volunteer falls in love with British soldier’s (Whitaker’s) lover, played by Jay Davidson.
The unsuspecting Rea was not aware of a big “secret” which really heightened the tension between emotional conflict and the feeling of betrayal as well as the contradictions when you realize that someone you love is not ‘all female.’ Nevertheless, Hollywood doesn’t miss an opportunity when it comes across a script that pushes the buttons of our moral values, social traditions, and religious beliefs, and one can rest assured that on some executive’s desk is the next play or movie script that will either lift us up to a higher sense of philanthropy and service or we will spiral deeper into the abyss of moral and spiritual decadence.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 24, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Monday, February 23, 2009
An Inconvenient Truth
No, this is not a critique of the award-winning documentary film by former Vice-President Al Gore warning everyone about the global threat for the catastrophic danger from ‘Greenhouse gases’ and carbon emissions, which may lead to the extinction of life on planet Earth as we know it. The concern here is about America’s deplorable history of racial hatred and social injustice. It would seem that the Nation’s first elected African-American President and appointment of a Black Attorney General has brought about a renewed interest in this divisive and uncomfortable subject into a more public focus; no matter how subdued it may appear to be on the surface.
What was only mentioned in hushed tones and secret corridors in the private and personal discourse among the closest and most trusted confidants is slowly rearing its ugly head. The greater question is why the election of Barack Obama has sparked such a continuing interest and curiosity, as though somehow people are still in a state of “shock and awe?” To those who have marched in the Civil Rights protests during the 1960’s and lived through the era of Jim Crow, miscegenation, voting rights violations, lynching, segregation, police brutality and other such abuses, an African-American “First Family” represents the culmination of Martin Luther King jr’s ‘Dream;’ but for many others this is just another step in the long march toward equality, justice, and freedom for all Americans because as MLK once famously quoted, “None of Us are Free until All of Us are Free.”
White people may feel that finally and at last a President Barack Obama will silence the voices of the soldiers who are still fighting the old racial wars of the past and still singing the well-worn out battle hymns of “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem). These citizens see America as having not only turned the page on racial disparity and discrimination but rather that this country has essentially closed the book because the growing political, economic, and educational empowerment among quite a number of African-Americans. Indeed, many, if they are honest, believe that America doesn’t need Affirmative Action legislation anymore because of the all the Anti-Discrimination/Harassment enforcement and this country is a ‘Meritocracy’ where if you plan accordingly, work hard enough, get a good education, and do networking, you can be anything that you want to be. The thing is, they also fail to acknowledge that in almost all instances a White Anglo-Saxon Person (“WASP”) still has a “competitive advantage” over almost any other social, racial, cultural, or ethnic group based biologically inherited differences; especially if the individual is a White male.
Again, for African-Americans, it is replaying those old tapes passed down through generations of the oppression, horror, brutality, and dehumanization inflicted upon the ancestors during the period of ‘chattel’ slavery in America. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade helped America become one of the most prosperous Nations in the world and yet there are those who would want to deny its existence, except for the abundance of historical documentation which also preserves the legacy of a people and reminds us all of the depravity and depth of human cruelty as evidenced during the near extinction of nearly three-fifths of American Indians, “The Armenian Genocide” (‘Turkey; 1915’), and “The Jewish Holocaust.” One cannot use the excuse of ‘plausible deniability,’ that is, ignorance is bliss so just sweep it under the rug, pretend these things never happened or are not important today so just go about your day like ‘business as usual.’
So, the answer to solving ‘race’ relations isn’t talking about it, proposing reparations or playing upon “White Guilt;” but rather doing what Nelson Mandela did after being released from almost thirty years in prison; and that is, to “FORGIVE.” Mr. Mandela was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) which was labeled a Terrorist Organization and this activist group was outlawed in ‘Apartheid’ South Africa under President’s Botha and DeClerke at first, and was also recognized similarly in the International community; including the United States for quite some time. After Nelson Mandela was freed from prison due to pressure from the International community and economic sanctions from media exposure to the repressive and ‘racist’ regime of the South African government and amid numerous murderous atrocities and violations of human rights from the White S.A. soldiers and police against the Black South Africans whom their White, Dutch Boer overlords called “kaffirs.”
Anyway, after Mr. Mandela ascended to the presidency in South Africa, he assembled some people in his Cabinet and in other governmental offices who were once his prison guards. Mr. Mandela had come to learn during his incarceration that hatred and revenge is not the answer but that healing of a Nation and reconciliation between people who were once enemies had to include ‘forgiveness.’ This wondrous experiment was displayed before the whole world to see through the camera lens and microphones of the International Press and as it turns out, it seems to have been quite a success and unprecedented anywhere else in the known world on such a large scale. In order to receive forgiveness and in some way absolution (in a personal sense) all the perpetrator has to do is simply confess what evils they did, and that’s all there is to it.
It is so simple, yet profound, and should serve as a beautiful model for America’s huge step out of the darkness of the past into the light of a “New Day.” For too long Black Americans want to visit the “sins of the father’s upon the children,” or want some kind of public apology from the federal and state governments for the injustices of the past along with some other resources for compensation of unpaid slave labor denied to the original petitioners by proxy from their descendants, but even if that were possible, it would not give anyone permanent closure. Perhaps we need to forgive ourselves first, that is, by changing some of our self-destructive behaviors and the accompanying excuses we use to justify such acts before we can ask anyone else’s forgiveness.
America, which by its creed espouses that it is a ‘Christian Nation,’ – “One nation Under God With Liberty and Justice For All;” It is high time that America practices what she preaches and to forgive greatly one has to love greatly. Yes, forgiveness is the balm which will heal our racial wounds and this act is so important that Jesus said if we do not forgive one another, then our Heavenly Father will not forgive us.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 23, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
What was only mentioned in hushed tones and secret corridors in the private and personal discourse among the closest and most trusted confidants is slowly rearing its ugly head. The greater question is why the election of Barack Obama has sparked such a continuing interest and curiosity, as though somehow people are still in a state of “shock and awe?” To those who have marched in the Civil Rights protests during the 1960’s and lived through the era of Jim Crow, miscegenation, voting rights violations, lynching, segregation, police brutality and other such abuses, an African-American “First Family” represents the culmination of Martin Luther King jr’s ‘Dream;’ but for many others this is just another step in the long march toward equality, justice, and freedom for all Americans because as MLK once famously quoted, “None of Us are Free until All of Us are Free.”
White people may feel that finally and at last a President Barack Obama will silence the voices of the soldiers who are still fighting the old racial wars of the past and still singing the well-worn out battle hymns of “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem). These citizens see America as having not only turned the page on racial disparity and discrimination but rather that this country has essentially closed the book because the growing political, economic, and educational empowerment among quite a number of African-Americans. Indeed, many, if they are honest, believe that America doesn’t need Affirmative Action legislation anymore because of the all the Anti-Discrimination/Harassment enforcement and this country is a ‘Meritocracy’ where if you plan accordingly, work hard enough, get a good education, and do networking, you can be anything that you want to be. The thing is, they also fail to acknowledge that in almost all instances a White Anglo-Saxon Person (“WASP”) still has a “competitive advantage” over almost any other social, racial, cultural, or ethnic group based biologically inherited differences; especially if the individual is a White male.
Again, for African-Americans, it is replaying those old tapes passed down through generations of the oppression, horror, brutality, and dehumanization inflicted upon the ancestors during the period of ‘chattel’ slavery in America. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade helped America become one of the most prosperous Nations in the world and yet there are those who would want to deny its existence, except for the abundance of historical documentation which also preserves the legacy of a people and reminds us all of the depravity and depth of human cruelty as evidenced during the near extinction of nearly three-fifths of American Indians, “The Armenian Genocide” (‘Turkey; 1915’), and “The Jewish Holocaust.” One cannot use the excuse of ‘plausible deniability,’ that is, ignorance is bliss so just sweep it under the rug, pretend these things never happened or are not important today so just go about your day like ‘business as usual.’
So, the answer to solving ‘race’ relations isn’t talking about it, proposing reparations or playing upon “White Guilt;” but rather doing what Nelson Mandela did after being released from almost thirty years in prison; and that is, to “FORGIVE.” Mr. Mandela was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) which was labeled a Terrorist Organization and this activist group was outlawed in ‘Apartheid’ South Africa under President’s Botha and DeClerke at first, and was also recognized similarly in the International community; including the United States for quite some time. After Nelson Mandela was freed from prison due to pressure from the International community and economic sanctions from media exposure to the repressive and ‘racist’ regime of the South African government and amid numerous murderous atrocities and violations of human rights from the White S.A. soldiers and police against the Black South Africans whom their White, Dutch Boer overlords called “kaffirs.”
Anyway, after Mr. Mandela ascended to the presidency in South Africa, he assembled some people in his Cabinet and in other governmental offices who were once his prison guards. Mr. Mandela had come to learn during his incarceration that hatred and revenge is not the answer but that healing of a Nation and reconciliation between people who were once enemies had to include ‘forgiveness.’ This wondrous experiment was displayed before the whole world to see through the camera lens and microphones of the International Press and as it turns out, it seems to have been quite a success and unprecedented anywhere else in the known world on such a large scale. In order to receive forgiveness and in some way absolution (in a personal sense) all the perpetrator has to do is simply confess what evils they did, and that’s all there is to it.
It is so simple, yet profound, and should serve as a beautiful model for America’s huge step out of the darkness of the past into the light of a “New Day.” For too long Black Americans want to visit the “sins of the father’s upon the children,” or want some kind of public apology from the federal and state governments for the injustices of the past along with some other resources for compensation of unpaid slave labor denied to the original petitioners by proxy from their descendants, but even if that were possible, it would not give anyone permanent closure. Perhaps we need to forgive ourselves first, that is, by changing some of our self-destructive behaviors and the accompanying excuses we use to justify such acts before we can ask anyone else’s forgiveness.
America, which by its creed espouses that it is a ‘Christian Nation,’ – “One nation Under God With Liberty and Justice For All;” It is high time that America practices what she preaches and to forgive greatly one has to love greatly. Yes, forgiveness is the balm which will heal our racial wounds and this act is so important that Jesus said if we do not forgive one another, then our Heavenly Father will not forgive us.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 23, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Friday, February 20, 2009
Ken Griffey Jr. Wears Mariner Blue for One Last Time
When Ken Griffey jr. left the Seattle Mariners over a decade ago, the fans as well as the print and broadcast media were not so understanding or supportive. Griffey's trade to the Cincinnati Reds was met with much criticism amid rumors of chasing the big dollars but he took a pay cut instead. All he wanted to do was be a little closer to his family. Randy Johnson’s (“The Big Unit”) departure to the Arizona Diamondbacks didn't nearly get the kind of negative publicity nor did Alex R-O-I-D-riguez after being traded to the Texas Rangers; so that question is: "Why all the 'Hoopla" over a returning aged player who is playing in perhaps his last season of professional baseball before retirement, and his very likely induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, P.A. Is it because Ken Griffey Jr. is a hometown prodigy who has finally decided to end his career where he started it all at in front of the now adoring and local fans who have now finally forgiven him for leaving them in the first place.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 19, 2009
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 19, 2009
The Economic Stimulus Plan: A Political Trojan Horse?
For more than three weeks president Obama and the Congress have been trying to come up with a way to jumpstart the economy and create jobs; well, on the cusp of what appears to be the massive stimulus plan becoming ‘Law,’ it seems that once again old habits die hard in the nation’s capitol. In spite of the talk of bi-partisan support and President Obama visiting Republican Legislators in both Houses of Congress, there have been recriminations, cries of partisanship and the usual rhetoric espoused by both political parties such that the honeymoon may be over a lot sooner than expected.
The “New Deal” that is supposed to create jobs, free up tight credit from banks and financial lending institutions, and stop the hemohhraging from mortgage foreclosures appears to be in ‘cardiac arrest;’ if not for all intents and purposes, DOA. According to the “Associated Press,” which featured a version of the ‘Plan’ in the Tacoma News Tribune, Section A5, February 11, 2009, of the 23 different provisions contained in this economic package, only about 3 or 4 have anything to do with creating jobs and at least 1 is geared toward helping banks with their losses.
Now, after reviewing all the goodies of which the Senate version will cost an estimated 835.3B or so, and the House version is roughly 791.5B, the daunting question is how will all of this be paid? ‘Bush 41’ famously said, “Read My lips, No New Taxes,” which he later raised, and President Obama has constantly assured the American people that he will be able to pay for this Economic Stimulus Plan; all without raising taxes. Of course, one must cautiously listen to any politician who says they won't raise taxes because it usually means "payroll taxes" because taxes can still be raised on gasoline, alcoholic beverages, telephone and cable services, etc.
This leaves very few other viable options other than authorizing the US Treasury department to print more money, thereby devaluing the dollar even more. Also, the Federal Reserve will sell government securities in the form of Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds to foreign nations and thereby mortgage our future posterity, way of life and National Security to countries who may not have our best interests at heart. Indeed, what might appear to be a ‘gift’ at our gate just might end up looking like the “Trojan Horse” which Ulysses and his fellow Greeks left outside the walls of the city of Troy (modern ‘Anatolia’ in Turkey); and history tells us how badly that one turned out.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 12, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
The “New Deal” that is supposed to create jobs, free up tight credit from banks and financial lending institutions, and stop the hemohhraging from mortgage foreclosures appears to be in ‘cardiac arrest;’ if not for all intents and purposes, DOA. According to the “Associated Press,” which featured a version of the ‘Plan’ in the Tacoma News Tribune, Section A5, February 11, 2009, of the 23 different provisions contained in this economic package, only about 3 or 4 have anything to do with creating jobs and at least 1 is geared toward helping banks with their losses.
Now, after reviewing all the goodies of which the Senate version will cost an estimated 835.3B or so, and the House version is roughly 791.5B, the daunting question is how will all of this be paid? ‘Bush 41’ famously said, “Read My lips, No New Taxes,” which he later raised, and President Obama has constantly assured the American people that he will be able to pay for this Economic Stimulus Plan; all without raising taxes. Of course, one must cautiously listen to any politician who says they won't raise taxes because it usually means "payroll taxes" because taxes can still be raised on gasoline, alcoholic beverages, telephone and cable services, etc.
This leaves very few other viable options other than authorizing the US Treasury department to print more money, thereby devaluing the dollar even more. Also, the Federal Reserve will sell government securities in the form of Treasury Bills, Notes, and Bonds to foreign nations and thereby mortgage our future posterity, way of life and National Security to countries who may not have our best interests at heart. Indeed, what might appear to be a ‘gift’ at our gate just might end up looking like the “Trojan Horse” which Ulysses and his fellow Greeks left outside the walls of the city of Troy (modern ‘Anatolia’ in Turkey); and history tells us how badly that one turned out.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 12, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
J-U-D-G-E-ment Day
In the ever-growing and competitive entertainment industry there has been a steady, albeit predictable entrance of so-called “Reality TV” shows; among which are the popular ones featuring real judges. There used to be a time, not so long ago when legal proceedings were closed to the public, but not anymore. No one could have foreseen what Judge Harry Wapner, and afterwards, Judge Judy Sheindlin did to inadvertently pave the way for the latest crop of shows such as The People’s Court, Texas Justice, Divorce Court, and a host of others too numerous to mention.
These Judges have an almost cult following and celebrity-like status with household names such as Jeanine Pirro, Joe Brown, Greg Mathis, Alex Ferrer, Marilyn Millian, David Young, Larry Joe Doherty, Lynn Toler, Gloria Hatchett, Maria Lopez, Mabel Ephraim, and Larry Elder; to name a few. And don’t these judges like to ham it up in front of the camera as well as before their court audience. Never before has the public been interested in anything involving the usually tedious and slow-paced legal proceedings which normally happen behind the scenes and out of public view. Of course, the only exception to this usual rule of thumb was during “The Clarence Thomas Confirmation Hearings” and “O.J. Simpson Murder Trial.”
It seems that there are segments of American society who have a puerile and salacious interest in and gain immense satisfaction while watching other people air their dirty laundry in Civil Court when neighbor sues neighbor, friend against friend, parent against child, relative against relative, and sibling against sibling. The only thing missing from these shows is Jerry Springer introducing the litigants and after watching the perhaps unscripted dialogue and testimony of the Plaintiffs and Defendants in Court, the sitcom “Boston Legal” isn’t so ridiculous and farfetched after all.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 16, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
These Judges have an almost cult following and celebrity-like status with household names such as Jeanine Pirro, Joe Brown, Greg Mathis, Alex Ferrer, Marilyn Millian, David Young, Larry Joe Doherty, Lynn Toler, Gloria Hatchett, Maria Lopez, Mabel Ephraim, and Larry Elder; to name a few. And don’t these judges like to ham it up in front of the camera as well as before their court audience. Never before has the public been interested in anything involving the usually tedious and slow-paced legal proceedings which normally happen behind the scenes and out of public view. Of course, the only exception to this usual rule of thumb was during “The Clarence Thomas Confirmation Hearings” and “O.J. Simpson Murder Trial.”
It seems that there are segments of American society who have a puerile and salacious interest in and gain immense satisfaction while watching other people air their dirty laundry in Civil Court when neighbor sues neighbor, friend against friend, parent against child, relative against relative, and sibling against sibling. The only thing missing from these shows is Jerry Springer introducing the litigants and after watching the perhaps unscripted dialogue and testimony of the Plaintiffs and Defendants in Court, the sitcom “Boston Legal” isn’t so ridiculous and farfetched after all.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 16, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Obama's Seamless Transition Hits A Snag
Senator John McCain's Arizona Cardinals may not have won "SUPER BOWL XLIII," but he just may get the last laugh as his opponent for the presidency, an angry and embarrassed Barack Obama tries to explain before the American people the recent implosion of his high level Cabinet appointments. Before he even took the oath of office, there was the withdrawal of former New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson. Now the latest fallout has included former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, who withdrew their names from consideration.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner barely mustered enough support for confirmation, even though he tried to blame his financial troubles on using TurboTax. In what would seem like a sort of political "egg on his face," President Obama has had to deflect the criticism and distraction of these unintended consequences of exercising 'poor judgment' while taking the blame for the failed appointments, all at the risk of possibly losing some bi-partisan Congressional support in his effort to pass the massive Taxpayer Bailout Plan to jumpstart the economy and create new Green Energy jobs.
Indeed, it may seem as though the staff who vetted Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for John McCain must be the same people who are working for "TEAM OBAMA." Candidate Obama rode to the White House on the 'high horse' and lofty words of change, transparency, deliberateness, and getting it right, but it seems as though the horse has thrown its rider. In this political rodeo, President Obama needs to get up from the ground, mount his horse, rope them little dogies and handle the nation's business; and wipe off the clown's make-up that he has been wearing lately.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 5, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner barely mustered enough support for confirmation, even though he tried to blame his financial troubles on using TurboTax. In what would seem like a sort of political "egg on his face," President Obama has had to deflect the criticism and distraction of these unintended consequences of exercising 'poor judgment' while taking the blame for the failed appointments, all at the risk of possibly losing some bi-partisan Congressional support in his effort to pass the massive Taxpayer Bailout Plan to jumpstart the economy and create new Green Energy jobs.
Indeed, it may seem as though the staff who vetted Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for John McCain must be the same people who are working for "TEAM OBAMA." Candidate Obama rode to the White House on the 'high horse' and lofty words of change, transparency, deliberateness, and getting it right, but it seems as though the horse has thrown its rider. In this political rodeo, President Obama needs to get up from the ground, mount his horse, rope them little dogies and handle the nation's business; and wipe off the clown's make-up that he has been wearing lately.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 5, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
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