I Must Admit…It’s True

I haven’t taken the time to sit down to leave a few words in quite a while. It’s unfortunate that I had to be angered to compose this piece. Teddy makes a great point in this quote. Since my early years, I’ve been a student of the politics of the day. I’ll never forget the surprise on the face of Jerry Hickman as I was describing the layers of government in civics class (and correcting the textbook on at least one occasion). I believe that, while it isn’t perfect, we have the greatest governmental machine in the world. We allow, to a certain extent, the people to choose their leaders, their laws and their fate. No other country in the world allows as many freedoms as are allowed in the United States of America. So my next position will bring pause to some of you. I personally believe we have too many freedoms in this country and, to a certain extent, we allow the people to be involved in too much that they’re uninformed about.


This quote says a great deal, especially when you reflect on those you know who either were vehemently opposed to President Barack Obama and couldn’t tell you why, or those who were staunch supporters and couldn’t tell you what his platform was. I mean I literally heard a woman argue that she didn’t like the president because he sat under the pastorate of Jeremiah Wright and had to know he was racist. She then said her issue was that he was a Muslim and didn’t back down from either when exposed to the contrast between the two, adding that he was an atheist because his father was one. So I guess that made him an Islamic Christian atheist. On the other hand I spoke to a woman who was upwards of 45 years old who admitted that it was her first time voting when the president ran in 2008. She went on to admit that she was only voting for him because she wanted to see a black man as president in her lifetime. I went on to tell her she was dishonoring the lives of those who dies for her to have the right to vote. I am of the mindset that neither of these people deserves the right to vote as they aren’t exercising the spirit of the vote in choosing whoever is best for their community and best for the position they are running.

I was one that argued against the statement that folks were opposed to our current president due to the hue of his epithelial coat. I was living with the notion that we are more intelligent, as a country, than that. However, with the compilation of events dating back to 2007, I must admit…it’s true. We’ve had folks oppose a president in the past and manage to still do what needs to be done for the country. We’ve had members of the senate and congress who didn’t agree with the president and put it aside to make sure the country’s best interest was first. We’ve had men and women in uniform not agree with the commander in chief but still carry out the orders presented to them. However, folks calling the president a liar on national television, governors verbally chastising a grown man in public (complete with the wagging finger) and now because he won reelection, utilizing the primary system set forth in this great country of ours (no supreme court intervention required), you have students burning effigies, signs and causing disturbances on college campuses and secession petitions being filed by some residents of the state of Texas (and over a dozen other states). With over 40,000 Texans signing this petition, I must admit…it’s true. This isn’t even scratching the surface on all of the other disgraceful antics displayed by members of the media, celebrities, sons of presidential opponents, etc that went unmentioned. On this day, I’m convinced that a great deal of the tom foolery allowed to go on with regard to the disrespect shown to the man sitting in the office of president of the United States is due to the his ancestral origin, I must admit…it’s true. When has it been allowed for a school to choose to not display the picture of the sitting president? When has it, or should it be, allowed for someone to lynch an effigy of a sitting president? At no time in American history have we seen a president, sitting or otherwise, disrespected at the level this one has. I, for one, am ashamed that we as a country cannot come together and do what needs to be done because some folks don’t want to follow someone that doesn’t look like them. I’m not saying everyone against him is against him because he’s black (that would be foolish and irresponsible), but I will say there is a contingent that’s making a noise that is wearing a brand new pair of these shoes and yes, they fit nicely, I must admit…it’s true. There are some who may be offended by this as there are others who think the same way but won’t say it.

Let’s be clear, I’m sick of folks thumping the racism card on the table every 10 seconds. I’m normally the last to make a claim of this nature (those who know me know this to be true)but in this case, I must admit…it’s true. It pains me to make this assertion in this case, but if you don’t see it the perhaps you need to take off the rose colored glasses. We, as a country, as a society, and as a people (American people) need to reexamine our relationships, our outlooks and reassess our allegiances. Do we really love our country, or are we for or against a particular person (or party)? Let’s all work together to stand firm for America, regardless of who sits as commander in chief. Respect the office, the man is just there for four more years.

It’s just my opinion, but I’m not wrong.

Standards? What standards?

We are living in a society where today standards are simply suggestions that can be discussed and tossed aside, or ignored altogether. We have rising numbers of youth and children who are committing suicide and basically not knowing how to handle it when some issue in life doesn’t go their way. It’s sad when you look at a school district that makes a rule that everyone who tries out for an interscholastic sport must make the team and must get playing time. It’s disgusting to hear educators say that they aren’t allowed to fail students even if they didn’t do the work, didn’t try to do the work and basically didn’t care. What are e teaching our youth? That no matter what, everything will be ok…that they don’t have to put forth any effort and they’ll still get what everyone else gets? I recently attended a sports banquet for kids where they gave trophies to every play on every team. Whatever happened to the old adage ‘to the winners go the spoils’? I came up (not too long ago) in an era where if you won you got a trophy and if you lost, you tried harder next year. What you basically learn from this is that everything just ain’t for you (yes I used ain’t)! If you’re 4’11” and in the 11th grade with no dribbling skills and no vertical then you have no business on the basketball team. Perhaps the chess club would be better suited for you…or perhaps debate. There’s a suburban school here in Texas where they allowed a male cheerleader to wear the same uniform as the female cheerleaders, skirt and spanks included, and thought that was acceptable. I ask again, what are we teaching our youth? What kind of world are we creating? Yes, we live in a free country, but just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should. All things that are possible aren’t always permissible. That’s just my take on it.
Aside from the previously stated social ills, let’s also look at the educational permissibility. I spoke to a kid who told me that the teachers at his school aren’t allowed to fail students. They get a 60 for simply putting their name and date on the assignments and tests. The worst they can do is a D…the school district doesn’t want them to feel bad if they don’t pass or make the same grades as their peers. Yet they have no problems not allowing them to graduate when they can’t pass the standardized tests; interesting concept there. I heard an interview this morning on the drive in with an Army recruiting specialist. She advised that many high school graduates aren’t even equipped to serve their country. In a study over the past five years 40% of black, 25% of Hispanic and 16 of white high school graduates could not pass the Army entrance exam. This is preposterous! These folks are supposed to be ready for the world right? If they can’t pass the Army entrance exam, then they obviously aren’t ready for the workforce either; since jobs in the military closely mirror jobs in civilian life to a certain extent. The saddest thing was the first question from her interviewer was, “So, why doesn’t the Army just lower their standards?” What?!?!?! Why is it when someone doesn’t reach the mark we decide that the standards need to be lowered? Why not keep the higher level of expectation and give out youth something to reach for...something to work toward? I’ve said for years that the reason why we have so many people in the highest level tech jobs in this country born outside of this country is because the American educational system is failing our country. This is true, but perhaps Mr. Jamil was right as well when he made the statement back in 1988…Americans are lazy! Lazy! Lazy! Lazy! Why else do we give our kids 2 to 3 months off each year from learning when the rest of the world educates year round? Why else do we make rules about teachers not being able to fail kids? Why else would we have sports organizations for kids where they don’t keep score and give trophies to everyone? Why else would we stipulate acceptance for whatever it is that you want to be, think or do?
What these ‘save your self confidence’, ‘don’t hurt my kid’s self esteem’ idiots fail to realize is success is born out of failure. You can’t learn the right way if you have no knowledge of wrong. You cannot improve your game and win next year if you have no incentive to do so. We need to let our kids fail and teach them, in that failure, how to deal with it and use it to propel them to success. No one likes the feeling you get when you give your all and it just isn’t enough…so work harder next time to make sure you don’t get that feeling again. People, stop lowering standards…set some standards, high standards, live by those standards and do your part to create a stronger society than the one we’re headed toward now.

-Harvey J. Whipplemeyer

It’s Just My Opinion, But I’m Not Wrong!

YOUR President...MY President...OUR President

Every since Nov 5 we have all heard it and some of you reading have made some of the statements, but have you really put it into perspective? I sat listening to Warren Ballentine (yes frat I’m calling you out) and he made the statement that makes my skin crawl. He said, “Y’all’s president only has a few days left.” “My president will be sworn in on Jan 20th” To be a barrister and one who quotes the constitution on a regular basis this bothers me. While I’m talking about Ballentine, he’s not the only one who makes foolishly racist statements like this. Let’s look at it this way…if a white person would say, ‘…my president is leaving office on Jan 20 and y’all’s president will be sworn in that day.” There would be picketing, protesting and acting a fool until he was thrown off the air. No, not in this case; he has callers calling in agreeing with him and saying the same racist crap. There were even some idiots calling in after the shoe throwing incident saying they wished Bush would have gotten hit. How stupid can you be??? He is still YOUR president as long as you live in America!! Others saying, “…secret service better respond better when Obama takes office...” What??? Dumb as all outdoors!!!


Here in Dallas there will be an inaugural ball at the House of Blues. I heard the ad for it on the radio a couple of times, but then one time I really heard it. The radio personality said, “…come out and celebrate the inauguration of our first president.” What?!?!?! He’s not our first president!!! He’s our 44th president!!! The black community lauds Ebony, Jet and Essence for hiring permanent white house correspondents to start working after the inauguration. What?!?!?! Did these magazines just realist they are in America??? This is crap. How would the black community react if several magazines or television networks pulled their white house correspondents now that Obama’s president? How about if Fox decided they didn’t need a White House correspondent any longer? What’s different about that than BET sending one now; after all these years. Even when they had a legitimate news program (thanks Jackie and Ed), they didn’t have a full time DC correspondent.


We keep whining about what ‘main stream media’ and white folk do to slight us, but if you turn the mirror around we do the same thing, if not worse. I love being American and I love being black. I ain’t African American/Afro-American or whatever else you want to call yourself. Divisiveness must end and we must begin with ourselves sand stop using the actions of others as justification for our own ignorance. As I say this I think about the HBCU’s; I won’t go there now, but think about how you’d look at a school that bragged about being a HWCU. With an African American (he’s truly one, a generation away from the continent) in the White House we need to stop separating ourselves from our other countrymen. We’re all Americans and regardless of who’s in the White House they are YOUR president, MY president, OUR president!!! Even if you don't respect the man, respect the OFFICE...President of the United States. Not President of black people, Asians, whites, or any other segment of our population, but president to ALL Americans. If you don't consider yourself American, then move to whatever country you claim and get the hell out of mine!

It’s just my opinion, but I’m not wrong.