Hoodie Alert

I woke up this morning and felt the weight of so many previous generations on my shoulders and my mind.  I heard what the President said about the legal system, but it does not satisfy my lust for revenge.  It is not just revenge for Trayvon and Emmett, those four innocent young black girls, and so many older "soldiers" fallen in the cause.  It is for my children and my grandchildren.

I have to ask myself if we have become complacent with our middle-class existence.  We do not know hunger, or violence, or blatant discrimination.  We have education, and professional status to separate us from the less fortunate.  We have connections in some of the right places.  We have money (not much, but enough) that we can shop at a regular grocery store rather than the corner market.  Why?

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION: Did divide and conquer play an important role in this?  Is it one more manufactured crisis for the communities of diversity to deal with?  Is it another distraction while the neo-cons strategically dismantle our protections?  Do we have to worry about the abortion debate, Stand Your Ground, women's rights, GLBT rights and basic protections for our young and our vulnerable?  What price is too much?

Let's see what happens next?

Dumpster

Anger
Danger
Warning
Staring
Blaring
Killing
Chilling
Willing
Able
Hurting
Blurting
Projecting

Nilly
Willy
Silly
Billy

Guessing
Fronting
Pushing
Daunting

Cowards
Lout
Angry
Sellout
Liar
Bias
Tyrant

Music Weekend: Basilica Block Party and Roots, Rocks and Deep Blues Festival

I did something out of the ordinary for me.  Crowds.  I simply hate crowds of people.  I get anxious.  My breathing increases and I lose some of my focus.  But I have already been anxious.  I sit around the house, watching TV and reading or listening to music.  What I know is that I just needed to do something different.  The Basilica Block Party is one very large outdoor music event right here in Minneapolis.  I completed the online applicaton for Cities 97 and a day later I had a voice message indicating I had two tickets for Friday night.  Wow.

The first two sets were great - Family of the Year and ZZ Guard.  Matt Nathanson was the headliner at the Church Stage.  He was engaging and entertaining.  Fun.

Saturday was another day of music.  Roots, Rock and Deep Blues Festival at Harriet Brewing, the Mosiac Cafe and Patrick's Cabaret.  This time it was Chastity Brown and her band on the 89.3 Stage.  She was funny and earthy and cool.

I am glad that I did both of these music events.  I caught some flak as a result of this, but sometimes you just have to be true to your self.  Be true to your self, too!