Hello Lee Michaels:

On these clowns oin the radio calling Whitney “a crack ho” several times…that’s a good position you have taken on Whitney’s behalf which translates into the behalf of all people especially African Americans. It is a sick, mean, and cruel world out there and we have to make a difference individually and collectively as a race of people and as fair-minded people for the good of our Country and pride as a people.

I continue to blog and solicit folk, especially Brothers to speak out, viciously, if necessary to stop the denigration of Mr.”O” from a personal standpoint. His policies are fair game…however, when the racist, bigots, and un-American-types disparage our President (the HIGHEST official in the land) the way they have, I remind folk that Black men, then our race, are both being set up to be severely attacked with impunity. We as a race, allowing (mostly) asinine White folk, political affiliations notwithstanding, to attack Mr. “O” as they have, is a direct affront to us individually and collectively. And this sick demented barrage of negative talk relating to Whitney, to me, justifies that notion. And history has taught us that there is more to come if we subscribe to a “do nothing” attitude.

So let’s keep the pressure on… let’s stay virulent and fight back with vigor and not just make an attempt, but provide a force of strength to stop these negative attacks that are both unfair and unwarranted.

If it can be done to Mr. “O” (The President) and gotten away unmolested, then who am I or you…or Whitney for that matter.

2012 All Rights Reserved

I just commented on a Lynn Tolliver’s thread were he discussed the inevitable: death. He posed a question: “How do you feel about it?” A very thought-provoking question and it has inspired this writing.
To my mind, the really smart people of the world…the really mature people…are those that know that the length of our journey in this life is limited. They don’t dwell on it. But they make sure that they enjoy every day of the trip as much as they possibly can.
When we were young, we tended to think of life as never ending. Time for us as young people just stretched on and on limitlessly. We didn’t think about getting old…we were having so much fun. When I was 20, I wanted to be 30, because those that attracted me were older. But as we got older, even in our 40s…which should be a time of vigor, interest and activity; really a time of young maturity…we begin to get, from time to time, small reminders of our mortality. Those occasional reminders reminded us that time is not; after all, standing still…we began to realize that we were indeed mortal. Scary! But this is life.
I saw a story once about a 75-year old woman who was ice-skating. It reminded me that 75 is old only to people under 60. To people who where 75 (I am 65), it’s a good thoroughly enjoyable age. And maybe we’ll live to be 85 or 95. And maybe we won’t.
In any case, there is a limit. And since it is there, why not relax a little? Don’t take things too seriously. As a friend of mind once said, “In a life where death is inevitable, one should not worry about anything!”
I remember reading another story about an older man planting a young tree in his yard. His neighbor said to him: “What are you planting that tree for? You’ll never see it grown.”
The older man calmly went on with his planting and said: “I believe you have to plan on dying tomorrow or living forever. I’m not planning on dying tomorrow.”
That’s a good story. Actually I made it up. Just to make a point. He he he That ought to do something for my credibility. Lol But you get my point and I’m honest.
On Lynn’s threads I ended by saying: “One should realize that life should be enjoyed as much as possible and there is an immeasurable amount of enjoyment through helping others and being reverent to God.”
Thank you Lynn Tolliver, Jr. You inspired tonight’s writing. And as to death: “The really smart, mature people are those who know the length of this journey is limited.
Bless you my Brother.

2011 All Rights Reserved

Gone are the days of Black Pride and a new era is dawning, it is the era of the seemingly heartless thug. Now don’t be so quick to jump in and say oh she’s hating or not my child or even that I don’t know the plight of the hood, I don’t need street credit or verification or to have to repeatedly explain the multiple hardships I have experienced or the traumatic situations that have hit close to home for me to understand this plight as I have lived all over Cleveland from Longwood to King Kennedy to the suburbs and everything in between North, East, South, And West and my point in this is for you to understand that if you go back to a time before this one a strong sense of Black Pride existed.
I am referring to what we know as Black Nationalism, but more so the sense of oneself. In the 1800’s during the times of slavery, although struggles with identity within oneself occurred, you also had the opposite which was pride and knowing that even though you were in a situation of indebted servitude that you could take pride in yourself, your surroundings, your circumstances, your family and more. Now, I know there are some who are dissenting, but have you ever sat back and thought, I mean really thought about where our pride has gone?
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white and move to the back of the bus. Feb 1st, 1960, A sit in at a lunch counter was held by 4 college students Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Ezell Blair, Jr., protesting buying school supplies in part of a store and on the other side a place to eat feeling because they spent their money in the store which was clearly segregated, that they should be allowed to eat at that same store in which they spent their money. Martin Luther King Jr. marches for freedom and equality for all regardless of race, creed, sex, religious background etc. only to later be assassinated for his work.
Fast forward June 1975 a young lady of bi-racial decent is brought into the world by a white mother and a black father, not even long before that would a black man have even been beaten, killed or worse even tortured for this very thing. The young lady was brought up to have a strong sense of Black Pride. How? The young lady raised by both parents until she was age 17 quickly learned in her early years that even having bi-racial parents, she would be subject to gawks, stares, or ignored because of who her parents chose to be with and having it be explained by her clearly prideful father that “you have some ignorant people in this world and because of the color of your skin or the texture of your hair or who your parents are or even how you speak, and they will judge you on it, because no matter what at the end of the day they want to be like you at least in the sense of tanning their skin to be like you. “You are my beautiful black baby.” The point is that from as early as she can remember she was raised with a pride that was instilled in her from day one and that baby is ME.
Fast forward to Sept 2011, you have these young people walking the streets being disrespectful, pants hanging way off their butts and I’m not talking about a little sag which brings about a little swag but the actual showing of your butts and I would hope that their mothers raised them better. In prisons, the cultural fashion statement known as sagging came about due to the fact that some inmates were a risk to themselves and would use their belts as not only weapons, but also as a suicidal weapon against themselves ex: for hanging, it is also a symbol of being ready or available to the other inmates. The fact that these young kids and even some older men see this as a fashion statement without full understanding of its meaning it mind boggling. A study involved about 100,000 men between age 20 and 79 who were held in North Carolina prisons at some point between 1995 and 2005. Sixty percent of those men were black (source by Genevra  Pittman, NEW YORK | Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:42pm EDT, Reuters Health). now imagine how enormous those numbers are across the U.S.
We as black people must return back to the times when we not only had pride in ourselves but our communities. The senseless violence is the direct result of a lack of oneself and in some cases lack of proper upbringing, not to say that some no matter what you do will slip through the cracks, but it is less likely with family and community who care enough to not only instill proper values and respect for each other but for human life. We must reclaim our own lives, respect, and know that we are still very much the kings and queens we once were. Period end of story/AR 9.23.2011

2011 All Rights Reserved

Different people have asked me a question and the same exact question quite a bit lately and that question is: What does love mean to you?” Now depending on your upbringing/teaching in regards to love or if you were taught it properly or even the lack thereof, we all at some point, I would like to think have experienced love or at least have a similar ideology in regards to it. One of the people who asked me this stated, “In my 41 years, I still can’t define this word”. I asked as I often do: “Why are you asking me that question?” I realize in getting to know people whether a friend, date, potential mate, or etc., people ask questions out of curiosity. You must realize that everyone’s definition will not be the same as people have different religious beliefs and value systems but, I gave my best attempt to explain it how I see it. Below is my definition of what love is:

“Love is God who sacrificed his son for us on a cross. Love is respect, honesty, and selflessness. Doing what makes your partner or loved one happy and your heart smiles when they are. You know that if they were to fall ill you would be there for them every step of the way. You communicate.  You understand that sometimes you have to be selfless or compromise. Love does not hurt. They are your best friend; the air you breathe and the reason why you push forward even in the face of adversity. Love is not pain and misery, but lust is pain and misery when not combined with love.”  You, of course do not have to agree, as I have stated this is how I view it. I think no matter how you view it if you can at least empathize with human feeling or put the shoe on the other foot sort of speak, then there is still hope for you. Period end of story/AR 10.5.2011

2011 All Rights Reserved

2011 All Rights Reserved

How much impact does the COACH have on whether or not the team is successful?  Coaches have a great deal of impact on their players. Coaches who typically get too caught up in their won-loss record, who tend to focus too much on the importance of the outcome are always most vulnerable to making the kinds of unfortunate mistakes with their players, causing them to feel incompetent and unhappy, and undermining their confidence.
What may seem obvious to some isn’t that obvious to all.  Winning records are an extremely limiting and inaccurate way to judge the quality and effectiveness of a coach.  Winning doesn’t make you a good coach in the same way that losing doesn’t make you a bad one. The fact of the matter is that judging a coach’s abilities and effectiveness based on the record of his/her team is to totally miss the complexity behind good and bad coaching.  Coaches are not always right. They do not always say the smartest things. They do not always have all the answers, regardless of what they may tell you. They do not always make the right decisions. They are not always the most sensitive or understanding of individuals. They are not always fair. They are not always well-adjusted and mature. The fact of the matter is that coaches are human and as a consequence of this human condition their performance as a teacher is always limited by and filtered through their personality, life experiences, knowledge of the game, personal problems, maturity and psychological  finesse. While some coaches are absolutely brilliant teachers and should be copied, other coaches are appalling and abusive and should only be allowed to work with nonliving objects.
Individuals don’t seem to have a clue about you, your players or what you’re trying to accomplish with the team. You can be bad coach with good players or you can be a good coach with players that have bad talents. Coaches get their athletes to believe in themselves. They do not use embarrassment & humiliation as teaching tools. They keep the game in perspective and do not let their egos and self worth get tied up in the outcome. I say “COACH THE PERSON, NOT JUST THE ATHLETE TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO AND EDUCATE THEIR ATHLETES”
Coaches continually challenge their atheletes to better and push their limits.  Good coaches practice what they preach. A coach is “EMPATHIC “and tuned into the feelings of their players.  Empathy is the ability to tap into another’s feeling, experience what they are feeling and to then communicate your understanding to that other person.  Coaches are honest and conduct themselves with integrity.  The most powerful teaching tool as a coach is “ modeling” How you conduct yourself in relation to your athletes, their parents, your opponents, the referees, the fans and the media is never lost on your players. “MAKE THE SPORT FUN FOR THEIR ATHLETES” It doesn’t really matter what level that you coach at from the pros all the way down to Little League.
“USE NON DEFENSIVE IN THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THEIR PLAYERS /PARENTS” The part of being a good communicator is that you have to be open to negative feedback and criticism. Coaches USE THEIR ATHLETES’ MISTAKES AND FAILURES AS VALUABLE TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES.   One of the bigger teaching mistakes that coaches make is to get angry and impatient with their athletes when they mess-up or fail.

Parents walk the talk with their athletes and parents keep the learning environment emotionally safe.   Parents should be interested in how do the better coaches conduct themselves? How do they treat their athletes? How do they interact with you as the parent? How do they deal with winning and losing? How do the better coaches deal with mistakes and failures? Parents need to be educated as much as possible about their child’s sport and coaches in order to help their son or daughter have the best and happiest experience possible.

2011 All Rights Reserved

10/2/11

to me
The Facebook group, “You Might Be From Cleveland If…” is sponsoring a drive to donate $5.00 to the Cleveland Food Bank. With it’s over 2900 members (and you can too) we hope to make a difference. You don’t have to be from Cleveland to give. We ask that you donate to the Cleveland Food Bank or your local food bank. This is an important cause. Winter is coming and those less fortunate than us will find it difficult to eat this winter. With the rising cost of fuel, some may be forced with the choice of heating their homes, gas to go to work, or feed their families. If you are among the fortunate, please give to those who are less fortunate. Many people work and still find it hard to survive. Food is a basic human right, a basic human need. So please be human and look deep in your heart and look deep in your wallet and find just $5.00 to share.

Please make your check or money order out to:

The Cleveland Foodbank
15500 South Waterloo Rd
Cleveland, Ohio 44110

Please note on the check or money order “You Might Be From Cleveland If…” or “Cleveland Facebook Group” or similar notation. The Cleveland Food Bank has agreed to keep track of the proceeds that come in due to this promotion; but it is not necessary. The important thing to do is to give.

A special thank you go out to the spearheads of this initiative, Brian Arnold who’s idea it was, and his team, Von Carter and Kimberlyn Lavette. Also a special thank you to Allison Berry of the Cleveland Food Bank.

Lets do it, Cleveland! Lets feed those who are less fortunate this winter and holiday season.

Aaron Anderson aaron4971@hotmail.com

Aaron Anderson (c) 2011   All Rights Reserved

How do you regard the people you meet online? I have been online since 2004. I’ve been on sites from around the world. I’ve co-owned sites and blogged on others. I have met people who I regard as friends. Some turned out to be really caring and loving. Some turn out to be flakes. I’ve had internet romances and deep conversations. I’ve gotten help, and given help. To me, there isn’t much you can’t do intellectually online that you can’t do in real life. Some things aren’t so intellectual either.

A friend of mine recently was having a discussion with me. She doesn’t regard her online friends as real at all. She would never share important or personal information with them, no matter how long they’ve been friends. She don’t regard them as friends at all. I can understand this thinking because, what do we really know about these people, anyway?

In my internet travels, I’ve always been fascinated with the psychology of the internet. Therefore, I’ve been wanting to write a book on the subject. Part of my research is by polling and finding out what you, the reader thinks. So it comes to me to ask you…

Do you regard your online friends as real friends? Would you ever share your deepest darkest secrets with them? Could you love a faceless person in a far away place? Could you have love, concern, and compassion for an online friend?

The question is, “Do You Consider Your Online Friends To Be Real Friends?”

Aaron Anderson (c) 2011 All Rights Reserved

You have to understand what I am saying or really what I saw a Caucasian man in black-face. I mean how offensive. I understand his point, however this is not my first time going to these sorts of festivals as I have been attending since I was a child, and never before had I saw such a sight. The volunteers of years past would be dressed up in traditional Native American garb and wearing Iroquois jewelry and moccasins clearly looking Native American. I never thought that he couldn’t pass for a Native American, as I have been friends with a few and I believe had they seen what I saw it would be just as offensive. We have to think before we do sometimes before we decide to transition into other cultures and understand fully the cultural customs of those said cultures. I can only say that to me, it was offensive to see that and I would hope that the next time they hold such a festival that they would be a little more culturally sensitive. Period end of story
AR/9.25.2011

2011 all rights reserved

Thinking about the Troy Davis murder (and he WAS murdered) I’m reminded of a bumper sticker I once read. “Why Do We Kill People Who Kill People To Show That Killing People Is Wrong?”  Troy’s murder/execution also fills my mind and ears with Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”, where “Lady Day” laments:
“Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees…”
This couldn’t be more true than it is in the case of Troy Davis..

Troy Davis, was convicted of the 1989 murder of off duty police officer Mark McPhail. McPhail, who was working security at a Burger King in Savannah, Georgia, attempted to help a homeless man who was being beaten over an argument about beer. While intervening, McPhail was shot in the face and through the heart. Shell casings at the scene also linked the murder weapon, a .38 caliber gun, to that of a previous shooting.

Seven eyewitnesses testified that they had seen Troy Davis shoot McPhail. Two others testified that Davis had admitted his guilt to them. One of the eyewitnesses, Redd Coles, admitted to having a .38 caliber gun that night, but had just prior to the shooting given it to another man. Redd Coles is also reported to have admitted his guilt to the shooting to a woman who now fears for her life, although in open court Redd Coles contends that Davis was the shooter. Several others place Coles at the scene that night and say that Coles is the shooter and not Davis. By 2006, seven of the nine witnessed have recanted their testimony, citing either Police pressure or mistaken identity.

If there had been more evidence, I’d might be inclined to agree with the courts, but when your main evidence is the testimony of others, and then later those same people not only recant their stories, but cite reasons of police pressure as to why they gave their testimony; the stubborn thinking that the only way to bring justice to this crime is to put a man to death should give way to common sense, fairness, doubt, and jurisprudence,

I’ve never been a fan of Capital Punishment, regardless of the circumstances. If a mistake has been made, how do you make it up to the person if you took their life? At least with someone in prison, you can attempt to compensate them for their lost time if a mistake has been made; however no amount of money could buy back time. Also, personally, if the person did commit the crime, I would rather see the person rot in prison to reflect and suffer every day,

Mistakes happen in the legal system every day. How could we ever be sure that the person accused of committing a crime is guilty enough to take their life? Barry Scheck, most notable from the O.J. Simpson trial, is co-founder of the Innocence Project; a foundation which looks at the preserved DNA from crimes long past and attempts to clear the “guilty” party of the crime in which they were convicted. According to Wikipedia, “As of 23 January 2011, 266 people previously convicted of serious crimes in the United States had been exonerated by DNA testing. Almost all of these convictions involved some form of sexual assault and approximately 25% involved murder.” According to The Innocence Project’s own website, to date, 273 people have been exonerated. Meaning, that  since January 23, 2011 thru September 23, 2011, another 7 people have had their convictions overturned. These are just the people that Barry Scheck’s Innocence Project has exonerated. There are many more still pending or waiting through this or other similar projects.

It is also far more costly to kill a prisoner than it is to house them the rest of their lives, against popular belief. Citing time and money, New Jersey became the first state to ban the death penalty since it was reinstated in 1976. A March 7, 2009 MSNBC.com article states, “Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine commuted the executions of 10 men to life imprisonment without parole. Legal costs were too great and produced no result, lawmakers said. After spending an estimated $4.2 million for each death sentence, the state had executed no one since 1963. Also, eliminating capital punishment eliminated the risk of executing an innocent person.”   Richard Dieter, director of the Death Penalty Information Center goes on to say, “This is the first time in which cost has been the prevalent issue in discussing the death penalty,”  The article goes on to quote “The Hanging Judge of Orange County” former Judge Donald McCartin, “It’s 10 times more expensive to kill them than to keep them alive,” though most Americans believe the opposite.

There must be a moratorium on the death penalty. The death penalty serves no purpose whatsoever; and with statistics like the ones above, I can guarantee to you that many innocent people have been put to death, or are waiting to be put to death. On The Innocence Project’s website is a petition to sign to call for a moratorium on executions in the State of Georgia. I urge everyone to sign it. These senseless killings must stop, and they must stop now.

For more information on the Innocence Project and how you can sign the petition for a moratorium on executions in Georgia, please visit their site at: www.innocenceproject.org

2011 All Rights Reserved