Black in America

My brother sent me a text yesterday to ask if I was watching "Black in America II (this time it's personal)." I told him what I said about the first "Black in America" special: As pretty as Soledad is, I don't need her to tell me what it's like to be Black in America. Just ask the Professor who was arrested, or the Cambridge Police Dept for that matter.

I have to say the reason I voted for Obama over Hillary, or even John McCain (I like them all) boiled down to Dept of Justice statistics. In states where there is a smaller black population, there is a much larger percentage of blacks in Jail. Consider this: in a State like Alabama 30% black, you would expect a larger percentage of blacks in jail, given the historical tensions between minorities and the Justice Dept.

But North Dakota, with only a 3% population of blacks has a 90% black prison population. The trend continues in states with a smaller vs. larger black population. What the numbers say is that a larger percentage of blacks usually translates to some blacks holding political clout in that state whereas states with a smaller percentage do not usually enjoy that protection. If you control for prison transfers,you can see the disturbing pattern. Having Obama, a black man, in office would provide a form of "blanket" protection (albeit at a distant federal level). Add to that, the fact that he appointed Eric Holder, a black AG (Attorney General) and you see that things like this won't go on for much longer- at least not at the current rate. Do you really think that a black man from North Dakota is more likely to misbehave than a black man from a Southern state? Why the disparate proportion of black inmates? You don't have to watch TV to see that. Just check the DOJ (Dept of Justice) website and you will see the charts for yourself. That's a story worth reporting, but prison is a business... Anyway, that's why I voted for Obama.

And they ask me why I call myself the madscientiss.M\

<—>Madman out

 
 
Pics of my car

 
Here's a picture of my son. He won the courtesy medal at our flag football match.

celebrate anyway...

I am expecting, or I should say we are expecting a little girl any day now. I am excited about everything going on, but a little worried about the economics of it all. I just transferred to corporate headquarters about two months ago because the money dried up on that contract.

But enough about that.

I celebrate my family and my friends because the good times are now.

Madman out

The whispering retard...

I always mouth out my words when I type. Even the punctuation. It's a stupid habit that I can't seem to break, especially when the words are long (I sound like a whispering retard).

back at it again...

So it's been about four months since my last post. A lot has changed, but for now I will focus on the fact that very soon the President will look like me. It's a pretty big deal.

A football analogy...

This year's elections bring about another cycle of insanity. As I grow older I may be able to put these cycles in perspective—we Americans have such short-term memory.

There have been comparisons between sports and politics. I used to find these terribly cliche, but I see their use. They allow us to make logical comparisons using similar parameters... or something like that. Anyway, here we go!

The analogy

The 2009 season schedule has been set. The New York Giants are slated to play the Lions and the Buccaneers in the preseason. The defending champs are fired up after their improbable super bowl win, and they play for sell-out crowds before the regular season has even started.

The game against Tampa bay was the first preseason game of the year, basically just a scrimmage which neither of the two head coaches attended. Let's say they had family issues. The game in Detroit, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

The Lions were not able to make it to the game. Let's say they had a preseason game in Europe and their flight got canceled. Due to a huge miscommunication, New York shows up for the game ready to play. The stadium is filled to capacity with fans, but there is no opposing team. The Giants decide to hold an extended practice in lieu of the game for the benefit of the sold-out crowd.

Fast forward to the final stretch of the regular season. The Giants are on the bubble for the playoffs and are in a position where they need other teams' cooperation for them to get in. Then an assistant coach has a brilliant idea. “Let's try to make the preseason games against Detroit and Tampa Bay count!”

“Now why would that work?” the head coach would ask, glaring at his assistant.

“Think about it for a minute,” his assistant says, gesturing wildly. “The league had record turnout at those preseason games. It proves America loves us, especially after the scandal-ridden run of the Patriots. This is a business, but our clients are the FANS! The league will have to listen to our demands!” The head coach sees his assistant's point, and the strategy is put into play...

Later that week, the commissioner calls an emergency meeting between the front office of the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears, another team on the bubble, but with their destiny in their own hands (which means they have to win the rest of their games to make the playoffs, for those not versed in sports jargon). He tells the Lions' president of football operations that he's thinking about a solution to this problem. “What problem?” the Lions' rep asks incredulously. “That was PRESEASON! It doesn't count!”

“Yes, I know it wasn't the regular season, but there was a huge turnout. Quite frankly, I've never seen anything like it, and I want to keep our attendance high,” the commissioner replies matter-of-factly.

“But the Lions didn't even TAKE THE FIELD!” the Lions' representative says through clinched teeth. He is visibly upset, and his hands begin to tremble.

Seeing her opportunity slipping away, the New York Giants' owner chimes in: “So you're saying those fans who attended the game don't count?”

So the commissioner is caught in a dilemma; if he caves to the Giants, the integrity of the game is compromised. On the other hand, if he goes with the rules he is bound as commissioner to enforce, he could risk losing millions of fans to Major League Baseball—a sport once plagued by scandal, but on the rebound after promised change by a rival fledgling commissioner.

Does this make any sense?

No, not my story, I mean the Democratic primary, which this analogy portrays.

—MadMan out

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