Never have I seen so many, be so loud, and be so proud, and know so little.

According to the Pew Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, black folks (average %) scored near the bottom when asked 32 questions that tested their religious knowledge. Actually we were just above the last place group that scored the lowest (i.e. second to last place). Praise God!!! Oops… my bad! Second to Last Place???? I know black folks were reading that last sentence and thought second place. Just like when we think they called our lottery numbers. Nope!! I know people are sitting at home confused and saddened that some test has proved that they are religiously ignorant. After all those years of Vacation Bible School, Revivals, and Sunday School we end up 2nd to the bottom??? I know black folks that spend all Sunday in church….CORRECTION…they spend all Sunday, and 3 times during the week in Chuuuch!!! All these televangelists on television and we haven’t learned anything? Who can we blame for this tragedy???


Mom, for arriving to church late because she had a scuff mark on her church hat?

Dad, for impatiently waiting for church to end so he could catch the 1st quarter of the football game?

That Deacon that prays so long that you forget what you were originally praying about?

Reverend Ike and his Science of Living? (Yes, the Science of Living….I wish I could make this stuff up!)


Was this a faulty test or an example of Christian Know-It-All’s being exposed?? I’m going to go with the latter!! The people that took the test didn’t have to part the Potomac River or turn water into Ciroc. All they had to do was answer 32 questions. Oh Lordy!! Why hast thou forsaken the people that think they are at the right hand of God himself??


The problem with America is that everybody, who calls themselves a Christian, thinks they have a direct line to Jesus Christ. They are good at quoting scriptures on why you shouldn’t do what they don’t want you to do. But they can’t tell you anything about the person that said the scripture. America is fast becoming the land of “The Haves” and “The Have Nots.” Corporate greed and low employee wages have now become synonymous with regular business practices. And Illegal foreclosures are shrugged off as “well they shouldn’t have been in that situation.” I don’t remember Jesus walking around Jerusalem wearing tailored suits talking about Prosperity Preaching!! I must have missed that part of the bible where his mule was called Lamborghini. If more people truly followed the teachings of Jesus, we would be better people. But you don’t have to be a Christian to treat people with respect and have empathy for people that have less than you. We expect the President to be a holy roller and some of us are the biggest sinners. We have what I like to call “Cafeteria Religion”. We pick what we like and put back what we don’t like. It’s apparent that any nut job can pick out what they want to use out of the bible for their twisted agenda. You have a group of “so called Christians” protesting dead soldiers funerals claiming their deaths are because we are an immoral country.


Side Note: To all you Muslim haters out there, we got religious lunatics in America too!!!!


Black folks need to take another look at the way we practice religion. It has gone from what Jesus said to what Bishop said. People are being led around like donkeys because they refuse to use common sense. It is okay to fact check your minister (study to show thyself approved). Matter of fact he/she should challenge you to read the word for yourself. Stringent qualifications to get into the pulpit can cut down on some of this foolishness. But the rest is up to us.

God, if you can hear me, please start hitting people with lightning bolts or turn them into salt. Thank You, Citizen Ojo.

America’s new scapegoat seems to be Muslims. But don’t get too happy Illegal Aliens; they aren’t finished with you yet!!! They are just taking a break right now. First we find out that Muslims want to build a Mosque on top of the site where the Twin Towers fell. Then we find out the Community Center is actually two blocks down the street. So now people are confused between a Mosque and a Community Center. You have to pay attention to the way things are worded on tel-lie-vision. Listening to the reports I thought Bin Laden was building a ranch house next to Mount Vernon.


I could see someone saying this right now ~ That scoundrel!! Who gave Osama Bin Laden the building permit and the supplies to make this happen!!! If he puts one nail in a piece of wood, we are going to protest!!!


I wonder if the ancestors of the slaves that George Washington slept with have houses near Mount Vernon but I digress.......

It appears that The Dove World Outreach Center, a non-denominational church in Gainesville, has decided to mark September 11th with a special ceremony. The church will be having an "International Burn A Quran Day.” That’s not to be confused with the “International Burn a Bible Day” that is held in Hell. The pastor of this church, Terry Jones , is the author of a book entitled “Islam is of the Devil.” I believe he stole that from a movie title and added the word Islam. I checked the website (they always have websites) and he is really trying to get mileage out of this book. He is selling t-shirts and coffee mugs with the slogan “Islam is of the Devil.” He should see about getting a deal with Starbucks. The website also has a link to the church website. On the church website under the title protest, there was a woman holding a sign that read “God Hates Luke Warm Churches.” I personally can’t stand cold churches. I hate when folks are stingy with the heat. A luke warm church in winter time would be alright by me. Now if it was summer time I probably would be pissed. Oh?!!? Do you think she was talking about something else?

America needs to be honest and admit that we are Islamophobic. How can we not be? We have a buddy buddy relationship with Israel and we are trying to make peace with someone they hate. Have you ever had two friends that hate each other in the same room? I’ve seen cousins fight over a spades game. And we are trying to bring peace to the Middle East?

It must be difficult being a Muslim in American. To live in a country that distrusts you must be hard on your soul. Especially if you were born here….hold up…wait a minute!! For a minute I thought I was talking about Black Folks..but I digress….. My mother taught me to have respect for others. A lot of people do things that I don’t like but I don’t burn their property. My father taught me to judge a man by his character. I can’t blame all Muslims for what some rouge Muslims did on September 11th. In every religion you have crack pots. Christianity was used to co-sign on military campaigns in Europe and slavery in America. No one person has the moral authority when it comes to who has the better religion. I guess we’ll all have to wait until the Rapture to see what God really says. And that date, should be sometime in the year of 2012. Or at least that’s what was on a sign some dude was carrying yesterday.

I have an Anger problem. But you might have one too.

The wife and I had Ayofemi over for dinner last Friday night. Generally I don’t like being “Told” in my own house but this time it was needed. She called me out on some of my BS. I was telling her how America duped us into believing that we could have it all. How we were told that a degree was going to cure our ills. And that our employers were going to take care of us until retirement. We were sold on dreams of homeownership and a vacation to Disney World. If we just did everything right, we would live happy lives (Keep in mind I’m sweating profusely while I’m ranting.) I go on to tell everyone at the dinner table that I’m angry. I even tell them that the middle class is Angry and we are tired of being duped. And then out of nowhere Ayofemi asks me who am I mad at?


Side Note – Uh Oh!!!


I didn’t have an answer to her question. I just sat there stammering and sweating. I really wanted to run down a list of names but I couldn’t. All of the names and places that were rolling around in my head and I couldn’t even spit them out. As everyone sat staring at me, I realized that I have a problem. It’s not just my problem; it’s an America’s problem. We are all “Angry” and we don’t know who to be “Angry” with. So we shake our fists at the person that is the easiest to blame.


America has a Tea Party that complains about how the Government spends money but where were they when Bush 2.0 was in office. What does being over taxed have to do with a poster of Obama fashioned to look like Hitler? If you look at them when they are protesting, they look so confused and angry. And that’s how I looked when I was talking to my dinner guest. Sure I can blame the banks for me being laid off. I can blame the politicians for high gas and milk. I can even blame Jay Leno for ruining NBC. But all it does is make me angry. And I spend my days looking for someone to blame. Why? Because someone is at fault for my problems and they must pay!!! Or so I thought…..


The reality is that life isn’t fair and nothing is promised. Sometimes people treat you right and sometimes they screw you over. Life is about getting back up when you get knocked down. It’s not about you wallowing in self pity. Instead of me blaming people for my problems, I need to find solutions for them.

The Black Middle Class is on Life Support in Post-Obama America.

When Barack H. Obama was elected president in 2008, he won on a platform of hope and change. Political Pundits called America “Post Racial” and declared that all was right with the world. That starry night in November was filled with tears of joy. Black women and men wept like children. Their tears were for all the people that made that night a reality. This election was also a validation of the black middle class. These were black folks that did everything the “right way” and didn’t feel the need to apologize for it. They received an education and used their degrees to obtain jobs. They started in their companies at the bottom and worked their way up. They used the money from their jobs to buy homes and put their children through college. Meanwhile they built wealth for their families and went on annual family vacations. Many obtained job titles to place in front of their names. They became the model of what you could do if given the opportunity. Don’t think for one moment that it was easy for them. They still dealt with racism (even in Post-Obama America things haven’t changed) but they always bounced back to fight another day. Booker T. Washington would have been proud.


Almost a year later the black middle class is fighting for survival. Blacks working in the financial, health care, retail and manufacturing sectors have lost jobs due to the financial crisis. These losses have reversed many of the financial gains that have been made by the black middle class. Money that was planned for retirement is now being used to keep the lights on. Money put aside for college is now being used to pay for groceries. Jobs these days are few and far between. It’s hard going from a project management position to bagging groceries as a full time job. But with an unemployment rate for black men of 15.7% what can one expect. The “Blue Collar” black middle class has a situation that looks even worse than their “White Collar” brethren. Their manufacturing jobs are going away without any realistic expectation of returning. What does a person do when they have been working in textiles and automobiles for 40 years? You are looking at people that will have to learn to cross train into another field. That means workers as old as 60 are attempting their 2nd act in life.


This is not Obama’s fault that we are in this recession/depression. I merely mentioned his name because of the irony in our current situation. American blacks have the highest unemployment rates and a black man is the president of the United States. Many blacks had this fairy tale notion that Obama would cure all ills. They thought he would stop gang violence, teen pregnancy, and have an all black cabinet (if you don’t believe me listen to black talk radio sometime). Some are even complaining that Obama doesn’t have a black agenda (when you find out what a black agenda looks like let me know). This is a case where expectations do not match the realities of the day. My concern about this is what happens when America finally “rights the ship.” Blacks will be behind in how much money they have via stocks, and savings. How many kids will have to forgo college because their parents couldn’t afford for them to go? How many workers will have to work past retirement in order to keep their house lights on? I must reiterate that this is not about who has the biggest grievance. But with one race having the highest unemployment rate, this one-sidedness must be discussed. Unemployment has been hard for many Americans but for others it has been the kiss of death. Is there a possibility that we looking at a smaller black middle class in the future? If that is the case, then the working poor will definitely increase in ranks.


For some blacks these events will be seen as a wakeup call. Expect to see more minority businesses being formed. Some will be very small (i.e. no more than 5 employees) but they will be formed by folks who want to take destiny into their own hands. It is always nice to call your own shots but most people will still need to work in the private/public sector. They say that there is always a silver lining in every cloud. Well the current economy is mostly cloudy with a 100% chance of rain. And Until the economy changes, the black middle class will have to weather the storm the best they can. Or there might not be much left after the crisis is over.


What do you think?

Tell the Angels not to get BBQ Sauce on their Wings.

Marvin Lyles and Gospel Sunrise Productions did their thing this past Saturday and I missed it. For $20 in advance or $25 at the door I could have had a blast. A Holy Ghost Blast that is (wink wink)!!! Gospel Wings 8 was held this past Saturday at the YMCA of Northwest Indiana. What makes this event so special was that the price of admission included all-you-can-eat-chicken wings. All You Can Eat Chicken Wings!!!!

Lord say it ain’t so! You mean I can hear your word and eat all the chicken wings that I want? You got preaching, singing and chicken eating all at the same time. It’s a black Baptist preacher's dream.

Barack Obama didn’t raise the Dead. They were already among us.

The mainstream media wanted us to believe that RACISM was dead (Someone better ask Dr. Henry Louis Gates if they don’t know). But then a man by the name of Barack Obama decided to run for President of the United States. Black folks always joked about a black president. Dave Chappelle did a skit about it on his former show. Jamie Foxx even played former British Prime Minster Tony Blair. Chris Rock played an Alderman running for president in a movie. Morgan Freeman played the president in a movie where a meteor was going to destroy earth. So in black peoples’ minds, black presidents were always associated with comedy or the destruction of the world. Black folks really didn’t think there would be a black president. Little black boys and girls would say the wanted to be president and their parents would say “you sure can baby.” The parents didn’t really mean it but who wants to break their kids’ hearts? Black folks didn’t even take to Obama at first. Who was this Will Smithesque character trying to be the leader of the free world?


In the movie Ghostbusters I and II, there were ghosts running all over New York. First it was one ghost and then all hell broke lose. The MSM would like us to believe that RACISM is dead like a ghost. But just like the movie RACISM is popping up like those ghosts in the move. The 2009 racists have lost their minds and they are coming out the woodwork. When black folks were singing and Latinos were dancing there were no problems. A black man wants to be President of the United States……problems!! But we can’t blame this resurgence of hate on Obama. He’s got too many other issues that he will take the rap for.


Racists, Race Baiters, Angry White Men, and Angry Black Men that wish they were white are all up in arms. They believe the world is going to end. They fear Affirmative Action or any progress for minorities. Patrick J. Buchanan was actually asking to see Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s LSAT scores. Apparently he doesn’t believe she is as smart as everyone says (including Yale University). I guess every minority in college snuck in while the registrar wasn’t looking? I went to college with someone that was enrolled during 3 Consecutive Presidential Administrations. Maybe that’s who Pat was talking about? You would think that most white folks would be okay with us by now. Nope!! Racists don’t even want us swimming in their pools in 2009! I thought, it was because of the loud music and sexy dancing. But no….they were afraid that the pool would turn into Tea!!!


All our favorite hate groups are on the rise. So the racists have gone back to multi-tasking. Judges, Lawyers, Cops by day and Klansmen by night. The racists were already upset with black athletes marrying white woman and now Obama. But don’t think because Obama is in charge that he is excluded from the attacks. If there was a dog named Obama, walking down the street, the racists would kick it just because. The racists also say nasty things about his children and wife. They have Blogs and Websites that rip his family on a daily basis.


SIDE NOTE: The funny thing about the internet is that everyone is a tough guy behind a mouse pad.


But is all this really new??? We can’t lay all of this at the feet of Obama.


What makes this foolishness distressing is that black folks have been duped. If I hear another black person say, “I can’t believe this would happen in 2009” I’m going to throw a brick at my television. Black folks are running around like no white person has ever called them the “N” word. Black parents are doing their children an injustice by shielding them from RACISM. Just because you live across town doesn’t mean you can raise your children like your neighbors. Don’t be fooled by this pseudo resurgence of RACISM. These “old ghosts” weren’t really dead but were here all along. RACISM can’t die. It is part of our American Fabric. RACISM has learned to adapt and change over the years. Its main goal is to make minorities complacent by them thinking it doesn’t exist. And from the looks of things it seems to be working.

Wealthy Black on Black Ignorance

Thanks to the folks at Essence for this one.

Apparently some black folks from Martha's Vineyard are upset with the Obama's pending vacation there. (READ HERE).

I would prefer to crack jokes on Gov. Mark Sanford but when I hear things like this it pisses me off. If the Obama's were to ask me, I would tell them to save their money and go to Charleston.

Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight

This has been a tough week for Black men in American. Especially if you were running for president, were shot 50 times and didn’t pay your taxes. I can’t wait to see what next week brings. I hope that people were paying attention this week and learned some valuable lessons. I learned that people disguise racism as patriotism. I also learned some black folks like being ignorant and happy. The most important lesson I learned this week was don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. It is impossible to “kill them with kindness” when running for public office. You have to beat your opponent over the head until they beg for mercy. Senator Clinton proved that it’s better to beat your opponent down than talk about issues. She believes that even though she is behind in the race, she is still winning. Go Figure!!! I generally don’t know what kind of math that is, but I think it’s not taught in America. The North Carolina State Republican Party decided to run a commercial against Senator Obama and other Democrats even after Senator McCain and the Head of the Republican National Committee told them not to (unless that was a trick as well). It’s too late for peace and reconciliation. It is time for Obama to take his gloves off and start slapping people silly. Or have his minions to start slapping people up side their heads. He needs to bring out commercials remind us about 4 dollar gas, foreclosures, layoffs and the dilapidated infrastructure of roads, and bridges. He needs to remind people of Monica Lewinsky, Travel gate, Whitewater, Paula Jones, and The Impeachment. Obama, you have got to fire off some shots man. You aren’t going to be able to stop Fox News or Rev. Jeremiah (wright sermon wrong time) Wright, but you can put the breaks on the Clinton Express. You are in a street fight so you have to use street rules. And one of the rules of the street is: Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight!!!!!!!!!