I think it’s kinda wack how people love to set aside a day to do the things they should be doing anyway. Why wait until V-Day to show someone you love them? Why wait for Mother’s or Father’s Day to show your parents you love them? Life is too short to not do these things everyday.

If you DO these things everyday and still chose to celebrate the holidays in addition, then I applaud you. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t celebrate their chosen holidays. Like I said at the start, today should be like icing on an already sweet cake of a relationship. It can only make a good relationship better.

But if you’re waiting around for a holiday to show someone you care, if Valentine’s Day is the only day your SO feels appreciated, then you who are putting icing on bullshit and hoping it tastes good. I don’t care how much you pile that icing on, it’s still gonna taste crappy.

Keep that in mind as you rush out to buy candies and teddy bears today. It’s not promised anywhere that you or anyone else will make it to the next holiday. So take full advantage of every day and the special ones will be all the sweeter.

Anyways, before I post my favorite Valentine’s Day video, I went to a popular Japanese steakhouse in Augusta yesterday, by myself.  I learned quickly that I need to put japanese steakhouse on my list of “Places Not to Randomly Venture Alone on a Weeknight”.  I got there and when I told the hostess I was dining alone, she made one of those faces Bill Cosby makes when he sees a young black kid with his pants sagging halfway down his butt.  I’m just glad she didn’t announce, “Jackson, party of ONE“, when she called for me to be seated.  I wouldn’t have minded though, it would have been funny.  Nonetheless, when I go to my table, it’s full of couples where all the guys had the “I’m spending $50+ bucks on this meal, I better not just be dropping you back off at home” face.  High comedy.  Anyways, the way everyone is looking at me at the table, I felt like Magic Johnson when he announced he had HIV and nobody in the NBA would come within 25 feet of guarding him.  Even the cook, who looked a little too much like Carlos Mencia to be working in a Japanese restaurant, asked me if everything was ok.  Good times!  Well, just wanted to share that, not sure if it made you laugh or not, but hopefully it made your day a little easier.

Lastly, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to post the video link to one of my favorite R&B songs, “Georgy Porgy” by Eric Benet and Faith Evans.  What exactly does it have to do with Valentine’s Day?  Not much, but the unintentional comedy in the video is off the charts.  Two things to watch:  1)  The amount of time it takes Benet to fall to the ground after he is hit by the car, it’s like he turned into Neo from The Matrix or something and 2)  Benet’s creepy conservation voice at the beginning of the video, I think Michael Jackson served as his voice coach.  Also, this video ranks high on the list of “Videos that Have Nothing to Do with the Song”.  Click here for the link.  Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!

01. Asheru (Intro)
02. Asheru – The Boondocks Theme
03. Black Lincolns (Asheru, Heron Gibron, Blackberry Jones) – The Hustle (Produced by Blackberry Jones)
04. Talib Kweli – More Or Less (Produced by Hi-Tek)
05. Little Brother feat. Mos Def – Let It Go (Produced by 9th Wonder)
06. Skyzoo – The Bodega (Produced by 9th Wonder)
07. Gangstalicious Ressurection (Interlude)
08. Asheru Speaks (Produced by Tough Junkie)
09. Dead Prez feat. Common & Last Poets – Panthers (Dub Floyd Screamixx Produced by J. Dilla R.I.P.)
10. Akir – Politricks
11. Asheru – Revolution
12. Common – Nag Champa (Produced by J. Dilla R.I.P.) (Flashback)
13. Method Man feat. Lauren Hill & CL Smooth – They Say (Dub Floyd Screamixx
14. The Roots feat. Maimouna Yousef – It Don’t Feel Right
15. Doujah Raze feat. AG & Sean Price – Fahrenheit
16. Sway – Breaking News (Interlude)
17. AZ feat. Rakim – The Format (Dub Floyd Screamixx Produced by DJ Premiere)
18. Pharoahe Monch – Let’s Go (Produced by Black Milk)
19. Asheru feat. Talib Kweli – Mood Swing
20. Tough Junkie – The Boondocks (Freestyle) (Produced by Tough Junkie)
21. Danger Doom feat. Talib Kweli – Old School
22. Ghostface Killah – Whip You With A Strap (Produced by J. Dilla R.I.P.)
23. MF Doom feat. Ghostface Killah – Angels (Produced by MF Doom)
24. Blackstar – Hip Hop ( Dub Floyd Screamixx Produced by DJ Premiere)
25. Edo G feat. Masta Ace – Wishing (Produced by Pete Rock)
26. Gangstaliscious Ressurection Pt. 2 (Interlude)
27. Hi-Tek – New York Shit (Freestyle)
28. Jean Grey & Talib Kweli – New York Shit (Freestyle)
29. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You (Flashback)
30. Asheru Speaks 2 (Produced by Tough Junkie)
31. Asheru – Niggas (The Boondocks Exclusive)
32. The Procussions – Little People
33. Gnarls Barkley – Smiling Faces
34. Asheru (Outro)

Must have been because that’s the only reason I can think of for every major news outlets devoting to this floozy’s death. People, this does not qualify as news, it might be worthy of noting, but some D-list celebrity’s death does NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE merit a whole weekend’s worth of news coverage! This culture of celebrity worship that we have developed in America is rid-damn-diculous!

There is a darker side to this story. I have a theory as to why this has received so much press. Smith died on Thursday, so why were they still running stories on Saturday, the day that Barak Obama announced his official bid for presidency? The solution is simple, the right wing media didn’t want to give the black man his shine. Call me crazy if you want to, but you know it’s true.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog…

They’re mad lucky that the line was busy, ’cause I was about to tell them about themselves. I’m not saying whether I agree or disagree with Hardaway, because I don’t want to muddy the point I’m about to make. My opinion is irrelevant to the issue. The real issue is why is this man being punished for having an opinion?

Black people were calling in saying that Hardaway should have held his tongue. They said, overwhelmingly, that he should have not voiced his opinion and that he had no right to say what he said. In the words of Huey Freeman (who I seem to be quoting very frequently these days), “Man, that’s some ol’ bullshit.”
the Perversion of the Constitution

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every American citizen freedom of speech. Interpreted, this means that we can say pretty much whatever we want without fear of being punished. But Americans have become so selfish and PC in their dealings that the Amendment is more often interpreted as “You’re free to say whatever you want to say, as long as you don’t offend me.”

This country was founded on offensiveness and argumentativeness. Don’t you think the British monarchy was offended by the revolutionaries questioning their “god-given” right to rule? Don’t you think that racist whites were offended by the idea of having to go to school and share facilities with colored folks? It is only through open and unchained discussion that anything can happen in this country.

You ever notice that the only initiatives that get pushed through these days are by extremists who don’t give a damn who they offend. You want a good example, because I just so happen to have one. Do you really think that Bush cared about what you thought of him when he declared war on Iraq? Nope. He just bully-footed his way into it. It’s pretty obvious that most people were like WTF? when he targeted Saddam Hussein instead of Osama Bin Laden. But it was politically correct to support the troops, wave flags and (above all) not question the Commander-In-Chief so we as a collective people just fell in line… all because we were scared to utilize or freedom to speak.

I repeat, “That’s some ol’ bullshit.”
what does this has to do with Hardaway

Whether or not you or I agree with Hardaway is, as I said at the beginning, irrelevant. The man has a right to say what he feels without fear of punishment. The same constitution that allows gays and lesbians to march in a Gay Pride parade should be protecting Hardaway right now. The same constitution that allowed abolitionists and civil rights leaders to speak on the behalf of the black minority during times of slavery and segregation should protect people like Michael Richards when they say things that go against the grain.

Michael Richards is a bag of douche.

Yeah, I tossed Richards in there, but he’s the perfect counter-example. He said some racist things. He offended me and I don’t like him as a person, but the constitution that we live under as American citizens say that he can say whatever he wants so long as it doesn’t bring me immediate physical harm.

If we as a collective say that it is okay to squash the opinion of a single man, then we’re saying that it’s okay for the government to censor our speech and ignore our pleas. We’re saying that it’s okay for you to be fired from your job because you don’t worship the same God as your boss. We’re saying that it’s not okay to have your own mind or to be different. Ask any lawyer and they’ll tell you that you must be very careful and aware of what precedents you set.
man up America!

It seems that in America we’ve become so obsessed with being PC and non-offensive that it’s impossible to tell what anyone thinks about anything. We’ve become homogenized into a sea of politeness and tiptoeing around issues. All of the politicians are saying the same thing, the safe thing. You never know how your neighbors feel about any of the serious issues in this country, because people are so worried about accidentally offending someone.

The offshoot of this is that your (yeah… you) First Amendment Rights are compromised every time you censor yourself in the name of being politically correct. Every time you don’t voice your opinion for or against racism, homosexuality, abortion, war or any other issue because you don’t want to offend someone, you are putting your own rights in check.

America needs thicker skin. Offensive words are just that, offensive words. My mom would call me a punk if I went running to her every time someone called me a name, and she’d be right in doing so. Toughen up America, your rights are worth more than your feelings.