Sitting On My Porch Part Fifty Eight : Just Thinking

I think I want to wish my dad and my late grandfather a happy Veterans Day.

I think we do a lot of kissing up to military people but once their service is over and they take off the uniform we don’t do nearly enough to make their lives easier.

I think days like Veterans Day which honors people who served like my family and friends makes me want to punch anyone in the face who implies that somehow black people from New Orleans aren’t real Americans.

I think I wish I had more pictures left of my family in their military uniforms but flood water hates photo albums.

I think that I am coming to terms with the fact that as long as I live I will never fully understand women, the tax code, and black on black violence.

I think that this story is far more depressing to me than anything else in the news.

I think one of the hardest things for young black men and boys is to soak in negative images of themselves every day and then somehow believe that none of those images apply to them. Most of these images are disguised as cool and attached to pretty girls. This is a difficult thing to do even with a good family supporting you.

I think that if the slaves used music to communicate and get through their struggle and if music inspired people during the civil rights era, just maybe the constant barrage of misogyny and violence in today's music may not be causing problems directly but it sure ain't helping the situation.

I think one of the hardest things to do in the world is to invest time in someone else’s child.

I think the thing about myself I am having trouble restoring is my youthful exuberance for the little things in life like using my grill or having a few drinks at a bar with strangers. I’m far more happier sitting at home alone than I should be.

I think I was going to let my hair grow out after years of being bald but my co-workers made a joke about me coming to work looking like George Jefferson so I scrapped the idea. I think I am not old enough yet to tolerate an afro with shiny spots in it.

I think that George Bush should be embarrassed for saying Kanye West’s statement was the low point of his presidency. I’m not saying that it shouldn’t have upset him but I can think of at least five things lower than that.

I think Kanye shouldn’t have apologized because he only said out loud what everyone was feeling at the time. Besides, the president told me Iraq had weapons of mass destruction to start a war and he never apologized for that being false so he shouldn’t be complaining about anything anyone else said.

I think some of the same people criticizing people that voting for Cedric Richmond because of President Obama voted for Senator Vitter for the exact same reason.

I think I have no problem saying that I want Barack Obama to be a great president because of the historical significance and his skin color. I would have felt the same way if he was a Republican.

I think with that being said, he and his administration are failing because they act like they forgot that a lot of people voted for John McCain and many of those folks are passionate about their views. It’s like they thought everyone was going to join hands and let them do whatever they wanted. They were not prepared to deal with opposing views. President Obama needs to find the Democrats’ version of Karl Rove if that person exists.

I think that right now in the city of New Orleans you can’t have a debate about contracts or the city budget along racial lines because any resolution will hurt someone black. If we keep the sanitation contracts the way they are now then their happy but some programs and infrastructure things that need to get done around the city won’t and that affects black people too. Take race care out of that discussion because no one depends on government programs more than black people in this city do. It’s a rough situation but I don’t see any way around paying less for trash pickup.

I think if I could get a guarantee that the next 20 hurricane seasons would turn out like this year’s not only would I accept 20 straight losing seasons by the Saints but Wade Phillips could be our coach and Brett Favre could be the first ever QB to play until his 60’s in black and gold.

I think the Saints are going 6-1 after their off week and will end up with a first round bye. I feel good about our chances of getting back to the Superbowl but I am scared of Michael Vick and the Eagles.

I think this blog post is long enough and I need to end this foolishness.

Before I go I want to dedicate this song to Big Cliff because it’s the song that’s playing in the background on his first night serving guard duty in Vietnam. I won’t give you the details because it’s a father and son story I want to keep to myself but I am sure glad he came home safely. His service to the country could have denied me the chance to carry on the Harris legacy. What we don’t have in money we make up for in character and personality. Hopefully one day we get can some big money to see how it all works together.