"Girl, Boo" ! My Baby Sister Comes Of Age... Again !

Last night, I called my youngest sister Tonya, just to get caught up on her upcoming move to Nevada. Her husband, "Rock" is a career Navy man and will be stationed there after he completes his tour in Africa.


Tonya has always been a big spiritual influence on me, although we don't share the same religious beliefs. She was the most helpful to me when I went through my divorce some three years ago. She, like all of us Gunn kids, has always been an overachiever, especially when she was in the Navy and now in her civilian career. I see a lot of me in her and that was part of the problem.


Tonya, like me, is a very driven individual and like I was at one time, had found herself in danger of losing her identity to her career. Too many long hours, not enough sleep, too much stress and no time for herself made her question her life choices. 


Our parents divorced when we were very young and while the rest of us made our peace with that and maintained a relationship with our dad, Tonya did not until recently. She was very bitter about him not being in her life during here formative years.


Well the God & Goddess must've been thinking about my baby sister because there was a cosmic alignment of the stars, so to speak and the light bulb went off in her head. She told me that a voice in her head, telling her that she needed to reconcile. She called dad on his birthday, which was unintentional and they talked as if no time or space had ever come between them. That's the beautiful thing about family.


What did this have to do with her career ? Everything and nothing really. The way I see it, the light bulb stayed on a little longer in order for her to figure out what "The Pursuit Of HappYness" (*The movie was a big influence on her) was really about. She came to the conclusion that it wasn't about climbing the corporate ladder or making any more money than she already has. It was more about seeing the happiness she already has. A wonderful husband, great kids and the chance to work on her personal growth outside of the work place.


I told her how proud I was of her because I'd reached that conclusion a few years ago. I also saw that she was at the point to where she could benefit from learning "The Secret". If you don't know about it, you've got to get the book or the DVD.


Tonya and I talked for almost 2 hours. We were serious, but laughing most of the time. I'd almost forgotten just how funny my baby sister is. I haven't forgotten that she's not a baby anymore.


I love you "Bam Bam" She HATES that nickname. LOL

The Republican Party: From Sublime To Ridiculous In :60

Alright ! I've absolutely,positively have had it with some of the Right Wing Fringe !! As if the "Obamaisamuslimsocialistterroristracist","I want my country back", "he's not American and if he was, he'd show us his penus", "health care reform is designed to kill old people" insanity weren't enough, they've come up with a new one !

The President is scheduled to give a national address to our kids as they go back to school next week !! This isn't anything new. Presidents Bush Sr. and Reagan have done the same thing. Here's the kicker though. This idiot named Michelle Mailkin and others of her extreme right - winged rubber room wack job ilk are accusing

Mr. Obama of using his speech to "indoctrinate our children and promote his Socialist agenda" !!

Okay, so let me get this straight ! Encouraging kids to study hard and do well in school is somehow part of a "Socialist Agenda" ? You know, the more idiots like Mailkin, Beck and Limbaugh are allowed to open their pie holes as de facto voices of the Republican Party, the more the party loses it's grip on reality !

While GOP Chairman, Micheal Steele is busy disrespecting people who have lost loved ones because of not being able to afford health insurance, he should be concentrating on getting the party back on the road to looking like they at least have a freakin' clue !

There will be some that read the words of this Moderate Republican and say "this guy's a traitor to the party" and I'll not so respectfully tell them to kiss my disrespectful Black ass !!

This is NOT the party I joined during the Reagan Era. This is NOT the party that encouraged free enterprise and the virtues of competition. The Republican Party has become one being run by the lunatic fringe and has disgraced itself with it's racist, brat - like behavior and is need of a serious time - out !!

One would think that after 8 years of the WORST administration in this country's history, these idiots would want to give themselves a shot at re-election by at least appearing to try to get things done. But nooooooo, "the party of no" continues to conduct itself in a way that would a 5 year old scratching his head.

So while these clowns continue to shout people down at town hall meetings with their "Obama Is Hitler" signs and they continue to parrot the talking points of the Health Care companies that they've whored themselves out to (Mitch McConnell), Moderates like me will continue to get in their faces and demand that they PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP !

"We Have A Nigger In The White House..."

Now that I have your attention, here's a question. Who do you think would be more likely to make such an ignorant statement ? Would it be some White redneck racist or some ignorant Black person who blindly thinks that the word "nigger" is a term of endearment ? The sad reality is that it would be both, which brings me to the actual point of this blog. 

My girlfriend, Tracey and I attended an "Obama Victory Celebration" recently. We were there barely 5 minutes when I was greeted by a friend of mine , a White woman in her 40's, who hugged me and said "where's my nigger ?". 

Now it has to be understood that this woman spends a lot of time around Blacks and somehow, misguidedly so, feels comfortable enough to use "nigger" in her ever day language and seems to have a very distorted view of what Black culture is and isn't. 

My reply to her was "I don't where he is, but I'm here.", meaning that I am not, nor have I ever been anyone's "nigger". I was highly offended, but didn't want to let that spoil the rest of what turned out to be a fun evening. 

My point is this. There are those of us who've always had a very strong sense of pride in who we are and have never tolerated anything in the way of disrespect. We've been just as hard on Blacks and Whites who would try to refer to us by anything less than who we are. 

I would also imagine that our President, Barack Obama, has the same mindset. He would have to or he wouldn't have been able to achieve what he has. 

Obama's presidency has already had a profound effect on the lives of some young Black men. They've chosen to leave behind a juvenile lifestyle (pseudo thuggery, pants sagging, bitch assery nonsense) and to clean up their act. They now feel that America is finally making an investment in them and they see that by working hard, they can reap the rewards. 

I have the distinct feeling that you'll see a lot of that coming out of Black America and it's up to those of us that have already gained a measure of success to encourage these changes and to offer any kind of guidance we can. 

It is also up to all of us to keep our achievements and gains in self respect from being reduced or negated altogether by those that don't agree with our desire to be better than we are or those that've been brainwashed in distorted cultural ignorance. 

Really now, what self - respecting Black man or woman would allow themselves to be referred to as "nigger" ? You may as well get down on all fours and start barking like some dog. 

Bottom line: Just as you would never call the President Of The United States  "nigger", you won't call me or mine "nigger" either. How can you respect his milestone achievement on one hand and then ignorantly use a word that embodies the worst in the very country he's been chosen to lead ?