Raving rants...

Rapping Rant
Rapper 50 Cent has just released a book about hustling through his new publishing company. There are so many thing wrong with that sentence, none of which is the structure. I may not know an adverb from my ass, but I do know that 50 cent can’t even say his own damn name, let alone spell it and write about it? HUH? WHAT?

My main bone of contention is that this book will be marketing to youth. My age group will not likely be picking up a Hustling manual ( even though, I know some of y’all could use it). Mainstream America will not be buying this book. His target demographic is junior. For real and he’s teaching junior how to hustle.

That’s kind of like Dick Cheney writing a self help book about making the world love you for your glowing personality. 50 can’t hustle! He’s been shot 8 or 9 times. His hustle is BROKE!
Some may say that the fact that he even has this deal is a hustle and it may well be, but this is when my eyebrow raises and I question the “handlers”, the “advisors” because I don’t believe it’s HIS hustle. Follow the money trail.

The Presidential “Race”
The hats are all being thrown in and it’s still anyone’s game. That’s because we’re a year ahead of schedule. That also means, another year’s worth of millions to fund these campaigns. Whatever happened to campaign finance reform? I mean, it’s logical that if I have the most money, I’ll buy the biggest flag, more people will see it, recognize it and likely support it and many won’t have a clue why except for the fact that there is brand recognition. That’s branding folks. That’s Business 101. Is that what our Presidency is now? Just another business?
Well, it’s always been about the one with the most gold rising to the top, but they used to have to stand for something too…now it seems all of these folks are just in it to win it and will say whatever they need to in order to ascend to the Oval. One won’t admit she made a mistake in supporting the war. One supports the war and one is triumphing by saying he didn’t support the war all along. Senator Obama, you already had my support but careful with that because it might turn into anti-war sentiment and bite you in the ass in a year when those vets come home.

I supported Dennis Kucinich early on in the last election. When I realized that his chances were faltering because he didn’t have “The Look” that Americans wanted, I put my support behind John Edwards because I agreed with him on the issues. I could trust the future of the nation in his hands…for a few years anyway. There was a tiny bit of skepticism because he looks an awful lot like the character Damian in Omen 3 played by Sam Neil, but ya know, I figured maybe that’s just me. As far as religious conspiracies go, the Anti-Christ would have been older than Edwards and descended from a long line of royalty. Hmm, not unlike George Bush of Dubya.

But Dubya isn’t the anti-Christ. I don’t believe him to be inherently evil, just inherently stupid. Big difference. In all honesty, I raise my eyebrows and question his “handlers” and “advisors” too because I don’t believe all of this chaos is his hustle. Follow the money trail. déjà vu, isn’t it?

I caught a bit of the ‘Hot Topics” segment on the View, which I swore I wouldn’t watch after Star Jones was canned, but I still catch that first 15 minutes anyway. It’s amusing to watch. Yesterday, Rosie and Joy were discussing the current political climate and the conversation reached a fever pitch when they turned attentions to Elizabeth Hasselbeck and questioned her unwavering support of the Bush Administration. After The hunt for WMDs, after Haliburton, after Katrina, after Gitmo, after Abu Gharib, after the Patriot Act, after Enron, after Scooter gate, did I mention after KATRINA???? Rosie attributed Elizabeth’s loyalty to youth. Personally, I think she’s just a very very vanilla person ( bsdm reference notwithstanding and she wouldn't have a clue anyway) and that colors much of her world and thinking. It has nothing to do with age. It has something to do with class, ethnicity, education level, exposure to the world and a superiority complex that she isn’t likely even aware that she has. It’s White Privilege in a nutshell. It keeps people that want to be blind, blind.

It can be proven too. My theory anyway. If you were to engage a room full of people and ask them if race ( social construct) mattered, most would say it didn’t. Then go a step further and tell them that they can no longer identify as whatever race they had previously identified as. Most would lose their damn minds. They wouldn’t have a clue who they were or what they were expected to do and worse, they would feel “like everybody else” and that is something that Americans NEVER want to feel. We’re a funny group when ya think about it. People love to pretend to be “color blind” but if two days later someone asks what color they are, they are quick to say. Just the same, I’m not giving my Black back so I won’t be hypocritical about it. But there is no such thing as Black privilege. I guess, viva la difference

In other news
Expecting two feet of snow here...an inch and hour for the next day. For the kids, fun sledding with their dad. For me, lots more time to write. I know I shouldn't shop this week, but I need a new desk. I was thinking of a flat writer's table with two a-frame style sides and then a second architect's desk so that I can just switch up when I paint. Right now, there is far too much preparation and I almost lose inspiration by the time I have all of my supplies together. A snow day would be perfect timing to clear out this room next to me for my own purposes. I'm just trying to busy my hands so I don't think about my mother too much and don't write about her either. Just did though. I'm avoiding calling "Home" because I will have to tell them what's going on with her, though I could lighten the convo by telling my aunt that I ordered Chitlins online again. She gave me hell for weeks for that last time, but I swear I have never seen them cleaned so well in my life. They are what they are. I told her I would save her some time this season and order some for her too. I won't tell you the names she called me but I'm still her baby. Hell, I'm everyone's baby, still! Maybe my mom and I should go home next month after all. I haven't been since Katrina. I left on Sunday after burying Memo and Katrina came that Monday. Yeah, I need to go.

But for now, I'm off to RyeCrisp and turkey with pepperjack land and a side of cukes with Wishbone balsamic spray but I may treat myself to a Welch's grape. But, if I have a V-8 instead, I swear I'm baking a cake tonight! With all kinds of buttercream icing.