Don Imus, Aging Hipster or Racist?

Don Imus is back in the news again with charges of racism leveled against him. This is what he said on the radio:

Wolf: "Defensive back Adam 'Pacman' Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club."
Imus: "Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you thinks gonna happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs, there are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead."
Wolf: "He's also been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005."
Imus: "What color is he?"
Wolf: "He's African-American."
Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know."

The attack on Imus is wrong on several levels. Since Imus's crack about "nappy headed hoes" last year, Imus went on Al Sharpton's radio show and apologized profusely. He apologized to the the girls basketball team at Rutgers personally. Last fall, Imus got a new radio show on WABC in New York. Imus hired a new staff, including many black people in high paying jobs, for the production of his radio show. On his new show, Imus talked about issues concerning blacks in a typical liberal fashion, portraying blacks as victims in a racist society. He has talked about how police racially profile blacks for harassment and arrest. In other words, Don Imus went out of his way to appease the black activists that he knew were listening to his every word, waiting for a chance to pounce on him for racism. Imus has been walking on eggshells since the Rutgers incident in an effort to appease Al Sharpton and other race-baiters.

The comment Imus made was clearly an attempt at sarcasm, in order to illustrate that Pacman Jones was being harassed and profiled by police because he was black. Of course I don't believe that the police profiled Pacman Jones. Pacman has an extensive criminal history for drugs and violence leading back to his high school and college years in addition to his six arrests since he has been in the NFL. He has been arrested for brawls in strip clubs and violence against women. Don Imus was trying to portray Pacman as a victim of police profiling and also to appease the likes of Al Sharpton.

The greater problem is that Pacman Jones is embraced by so many fans who celebrate the gangster culture that he demonstrates in his personal life. Just like the gangster culture has taken over hip-hop music and the clothing industry, the gangster culture has now become mainstream in professional sports. Many professional athletes have multiple children with different women. They are lauded as "players". They sport hip-hop hair styles and wear gangster like clothing. Look at clothing that men are wearing these days. They are either wearing a sports outfit, often with the name and number of athletes who act like low-lifes off the field, or they are dressing like hip-hop gang-bangers, or they wear a black tee-shirt that displays a negative image and the unsavory name of a band. All three groups are proving to be negative role models.

The celebration of evil in our society is being hastened by the media, arts, sports and clothing industry who are catering to the lowest common denominator in our society. Don Imus is part of the problem. Not because he is a racist, but because he embraces the gangster culture. Imus was trying to be cool, and "hip-hop like" when he used the phrase "nappy headed hoes" to describe girls on the Rutgers basketball team over a year ago. Unfortunately, it is hard for a sixty-eight year old white man in a cowboy hat, to pull this off and still be believable. Had these remarks come from a younger man with baggy pants and tattoos on his neck, notice would not have been taken. In this recent incident, Imus embraces and sympathizes with a criminal football hero who he falsely depicts as a victim of unfair police racial profiling. In both instances (Rutgers' girls and Pacman), Imus was embracing today's twisted popular culture and it was misunderstood as racism.

After the first incident, Sharpton staged token protests against record labels that promote rap and hip-hop music that contain lyrics that encourage drugs, violence and demeaning of women. If Al Sharpton and his ilk truly want to help the downtrodden, they would condemn Pacman Jones and the fans that worship him for his extracurricular activities. They call it "street cred", and it helps celebrities gain popularity. Instead of being rewarded for "street cred", these "bad-boy celebrities" should be condemned and run out of the business. Perhaps that would send a positive message, but that is not likely to happen because the sports industry, entertainment industry and clothing industry, use these misguided celebrities as "cash cows" ready to be milked. There should be rage against what Don Imus said, but the rage is misdirected. Imus should be condemned for coming to the defense of the criminal celebrity, Pacman Jones.

Illegal Immigration is Harmful on Many Levels

Illegal immigration is a huge problem for America, as well as for the immigrants themselves. They may be bringing the very same problems to the U.S. that they are fleeing from at home. They are also abandoning their home country, leaving it to decay. Illegal immigration is a lose-lose situation.

Illegal immigration is harmful on the following levels:

• it leads to anarchy and corruption
  


• it promotes a "two class" system in America
  


• it keeps a downward pressure on wages
  


• it puts a strain on limited US services
  


• it gives criminals from foreign countries a safe haven in the US
  


• it allows disease to go unchecked
  


• it dilutes and changes American language and culture
  

Crossing the border illegally is the immigrants first crime. Often, the next crime is forging fraudulent documents, such as social security cards and drivers licenses. I know that if I was caught committing those crimes, I would be charged with perjury and most likely sentenced to serious time in prison. For the most part, illegal aliens get a pass on that. Many of them drive on fraudulent licenses, or licenses that were obtained with fraudulent I.D. Many drive without the benefit of even a phony license. Many illegals file tax returns with fraudulent social security numbers. Many don't pay income tax at all. If I falsified my tax returns, or failed to pay income tax, I would end up in jail. But for the most part, these criminal aliens get a free pass. All of these crimes increase the level of anarchy, corruption and inequality in America. It is a two tear system of anarchy. There is an unwritten law that allows illegal aliens to violate certain laws without serious consequence in exchange for working for low wages. Many so called "sanctuary cities" refuse to enforce immigration laws or question fraudulent documents. Unfortunately, this "two class” system is tearing the American culture, ethics, legal system and economy apart.

When I lived in Los Angeles, many Mexican illegal aliens were cocky and claimed that this part of America was their country, and it was stolen from them by the US. They said that the southwest US really belongs to Mexico. Absolut Vodka even put up ads in Mexico reinforcing this fallacy (click here to see and read more about the Absolut Vodka ad).
The fact is, the U.S. won some of this land in battle, and purchased the rest of land from the Mexican government. When we got the land it was baron, just like much of Mexico is today. We built roads, factories, gasoline refineries, cities, power plants, hospitals, schools, and everything that it takes to support a thriving civilization. Now that we built it up over a period of 10 generations, they think that they have a right to it, and all that has been built upon it. This attitude infuriates me.

Mexico has similar resources that the US has. They have fertile farm ground, two long coasts, petroleum reserves in the ground, natural resources, and over a hundred thirty million citizens for its labor force. Why haven't they built up their own nation? Answer: Their government is corrupt and the country is controlled by lawless drug cartels. They should stay and fix their own country rather than abandoning it and plundering our limited resources. We are suffering as a result of illegal aliens putting a huge burden on our schools, hospitals, police, jails, courts and other public services. At the same time, they are not in their country to help fix Mexico's political problems, and build up their own economy and infrastructure. By leaving they are helping their corrupt government stay in power with little or no opposition.

Mexicans who stay in Mexico consider the “illegal aliens” that emigrate to the US to be traitors to their own country for leaving. By giving Mexicans an easy way out, we are robing them of the opportunity to claim their own country and make it great. If they had no other options, they would surely rise to the occasion and defeat the drug cartels and corruption that is stifling prosperity in their own country. We are doing them a disservice, as well as doing a disservice to ourselves by not strictly enforcing our immigration laws. Strong fences make good neighbors.

Some Mexicans that are sneaking in to our country are criminals that are fleeing the law in Mexico. The corrupt Mexican government is only too happy to let them go, and not be bothered with the destruction caused by their crime, or the cost associated with bringing them to justice and incarcerating them. Many criminal gang members come from South America, through Mexico, and into the US where continue their criminal activities. Mexico tries to stop illegals from entering their country with strict enforcement on Mexico's southern border with Guatemala.

Another negative aspect of illegal immigration is the possibility of disease and epidemic. When my ancestors came through Ellis Island, they were checked for communicable diseases. With hundreds of thousands of illegals entering the US every year unchecked, many diseases enter with them. Measles and tuberculosis were almost eliminated in the US due to vaccine and aggressive testing and treatment. Now these and many other diseases are on the rise in the US due to illegal immigration. The possibility of an epidemic spreading across the US due to illegal immigration is huge.

So many Hispanics are coming to the US legally and illegally, that it is changing our American culture. As many as one million Hispanics are coming to our country annually, half of them illegally. Many are demanding that we speak their language, teach school children in Spanish and even have ballots in Spanish. It is estimated that over ten percent of Mexico's population, now resides in the US. There are about 40 million Hispanics now living in the US. One, out of every 8 people in the US is Hispanic. A majority of them are Spanish speaking. Our language, English, is part of American culture and binds Americans together. This country was founded on the principle of “E Pluribus Unim” which means “out of many, one”. This phrase is so important it is stamped on all US coins. It means that this country was founded by many different cultures and nationalities that “melted” into the common American culture that we know today. If one group comes to America too quickly and in large numbers, they will not assimilate into our common American culture, and the nature of America will change. The U.S. will become more like the failing nations that they fled. Maintaining American culture is vital to our survival and growth. Our unique American culture has led us to become the freest, most prosperous and most powerful nation that the world has ever seen.

We became a great nation by avoiding corruption and enforcing our laws equally for all of our citizens. If we continue to allow illegal immigration, we will watch our country devolve into the same kind anarchy, corruption, poverty and disease, that many illegals were fleeing, when they set off for the US in the first place. We must strictly enforce our immigration laws for the benefit of the U.S. as well as for the benefit of the immigrants themselves.

Gang Violence vs. Single Moms

I recently saw a documentary on CNN news about gangs in southern California. This documentary highlighted the hard luck stories and the cycle of violence in this gang infested neighborhood in Los Angeles. It told of various gangsters who were brutally murdered, interviewed others who were currently gang members, a priest who buried 150 slain gangsters from the neighborhood, and offered others a way out through a work program .

There were also numerous interviews with their sobbing mothers. They all blamed poverty, peer pressure, and a history of gangs in their neighborhood and families for the fate of these young men. The documentary was 1 hour long and about twenty percent of it was listening to mothers, sisters and girlfriends sob as they told their stories. Amazingly, every mother portrayed in the story was a “single mom”. Also amazingly no, one ever discussed the possibility that just maybe the reason why so many of these men went down the wrong path was that they had no father in their household to discipline them, set an example for them, direct them or advise them.

Every one in the story was portrayed as a victim, even the priest who had been taken advantage of by some of the men he was helping. No solution was given except, the priest who insisted that he would not give up on these young men and keep giving them another chance to do good. From what I saw in this documentary, these men were already “ruined”. Even with the “kit glove” treatment these violent gangsters were given in the interviews, I could tell that they had no conscience. They rationalized hurting and killing others and selling drugs. Many had already been shot and were proud of it. One talked about enjoying feeling the pain when he was beaten. One said that he hated cops because they could carry guns and get away with it. These gangsters had gang symbols and and other bad things tattooed on their bald heads, foreheads necks, forearms, and hands. The only thing that they seemed to take pride in was how evil they could be and how much pain they could cause and receive.The young men interviewed were clearly psychopaths or very good actors. No doubt that these young men probably harbor a great deal of anger and resentment which is probably justified, but it is precisely that anger and resentment that has caused their psychopathic attitudes and behavior.

I myself do not know the path to unlearn this anger and resentment, but there in lies the key. I believe that the answer is individual and spiritual. Some have found it, I have not.They have an attitude of “you can't do anything to me, I'm prepared to be locked up or killed like most of my friends were. Try to hurt me, I welcome the pain and I will only enjoy my revenge even more”.

There is only one example I can think of in my own life that even comes close to this experience. I had an experience as young boy, away from home for the first time, in a sleep-away camp. I remember being on a hike with my counselor and my bunk mates. I began to misbehave in some way on this hike. I don't know exactly what I was doing but I remember the counselor repeatedly scolding me and telling me to stop. I clearly remember thinking that he wasn't my mother, he couldn't beat me up, therefore he had no power over me and I was free to continue to do what ever I wanted. So,I continued with my bad behavior with a feeling of impunity. Next, my counselor told me that if I didn't behave that I would not be permitted to see the movie on Saturday, I would have to remain in the bunk alone instead. I continued to misbehave and he made good on his threat. He already made up his mind and my crying didn't soften his resolve. I stayed alone in the bunk the next day while the other kids watched the movie. I realized that the counselor did have power over me and for the rest of the summer I knew when to back down. Is it possible that this simple incident had changed my life?? I don't know but I still remember it clearly 40 years later.

That day I learned how to take direction from an authority. I believe that is why it is so important for a child to have a strong father for direction,discipline, guidance and example. A mother is also crucial for love, nurturing, support, understanding even sympathy. It is only from this combination do we have a chance of growing up normal.In this day and age, women are no longer stigmatized for bringing up children alone. To the contrary they are glorified as strong and independent women who struggle to succeed against all odds in bringing up their children while maintaining a household and often by working a full time job, all by themselves. While single mothers do struggle and sacrifice, society as a whole, and their very children in particular, are far better off having a strong loving father in the home.

You can jump up and down and scream at me all you want. You can call me sexist and racist. My answer is simple common sense.Open your eyes. Look around you. The black community has a 70% rate of unwed mothers. The Hispanic community has a 35% rate of unwed mothers and whites are not far behind at 25%. These figures have tripled in the past 40 years. Can you not see the accompanying rise in gang activity, and general disrespect for authority?? Men are commonly used as the scapegoat here. It is said that they walk out on their pregnant girlfriends, do not pay child support, are woman abusers,child abusers or abuse drugs and alcohol. That might be true in many cases, but remember two things. First, those behaviors are much more common in men who grew up without a strong loving father and second, the woman has the ultimate responsibility for getting pregnant in the first place. Blaming the man and glorifying the woman does not change this fact. Any woman who has gotten pregnant without the support of a loving husband has made a huge mistake. Only when strong social pressures are put on women not to make this huge mistake, will society see a decline in single moms. And in this mans opinion that is the only way to reduce gang violence, poverty, crime and misery in America