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Oct. 4, 2006 Congress itself is traditionally steeped in a “culture of corruption,” however, now it is the Republicans who are taking center stage. The latest gaffe centers around the actions of disgraced Florida Representative Mark Foley, and his lewd letters to a Congressional page. Part of Foley’s “rap” including asking one male page, "Can I have a good kiss goodnight?" Foley also was alleged to have invited a boy whom he knew was underage, to his townhouse "for a few drinks." Like maniacs rushing to toss gasoline on a burning man, the Democrats are attempting to pimp the issue. They label Foley’s actions as part of a moral malaise among Republicans. House Speaker Dennis Hastert blames the Democrats for leaking the e-mails, though ABC contradicts such a claim. The network says the e-mails were provided to them by other Congressional pages. Still, why would Hastert imply that leaking the missives was in itself, a dirty trick? It is important to know if other GOP leaders knew of Foley’s acts and covered it up. While the issue of Foley’s aberrant behavior was brought to the attention of the FBI, I doubt if there is a GOP cover-up. Sexual foibles have always been a part of government, from JFK’s peccadilloes, to the 1976 scandal involving Elizabeth Ray and Democratic Representative, Wayne Hays. From Bob “packin’-a-woody” Packwood, Newt Gingrich and former President Bill Clinton, to the Capitol Hill sex and drug scandal of the 80’s—which also concerned the harassment of Congressional pages by government booty bandits. Hopefully Mr. Foley‘s own alleged childhood abuse, legal loopholes, his social standing and problem with alcohol won’t be an excuse for him to escape criminal charges. In September, Black Entertainment Television canceled the program “Uncut” from its late night slate. BET executives claim that the move was made to clear the schedule for new programming. Critics differ, and cite complaints from viewers—including a petition signed by black females attending Spelman University, and a vocal campaign by students at Howard University—who wanted the show off the airwaves. The complaints reached a crescendo when notorious rapper Nelly, refused to respond to Spelman students’ queries regarding his “Tip Drill” video. The video includes a scene where the rapper slides a credit card through the bulbous buttocks of a female. Both that video and “Uncut” have been called “degrading to black women” and “misogynistic.” “Uncut” was known for showcasing large-breasted women with oversized butts, simulating lesbian sex acts, performing pole dances and flashing their breast. New York writer Jill Nelson wrote, “The use of women as hypersexualized props for the fantasies of male rappers is endemic in music videos. Though the objectification and abuse of women aren't confined to that art form, it sets a low standard of behavior. R&B singer R. Kelly has been indicted on 14 counts of child pornography. He allegedly had sex with a minor and videotaped it. Rapper Snoop Dogg recently branched out to direct porn films.” (“Raw rap videos fuel disrespect of women,” USA TODAY.com, May 6, 2004 ) In Thomas Sowell’s most recent book, he labels such immoral behavior as part of a new “black redneck culture,” promoted by white liberals and black music executives. Viewers on the other side of the aisle contend that the videos are adult fare that should be returned to the air with no change in format, and consider the show’s cancellation an assault on “artistic expression.” They argue further that the show’s air time of 3 a.m. and its disclaimers were sufficient efforts to minimize underage viewing. Cable TV is laden with gratuitous sex, from MTVs Spring Break to the “Girls Gone Wild” infomercials. Anyone calling these spectacles “art,” insults those with an appreciation thereof. This is the equivalent of hanging a “Drabble” comic strip in The Louvre right next to the Mona Lisa.” Joe Francis, the mastermind’s behind the popular "Girls Gone Wild" video series, faced 22 criminal charges after it was learned that some of the girls going wild were minors. Moreover, Mantra Films underwent FTC scrutiny after a bevy of consumers complaints. The complaints allege that ordering the popularly priced tapes enrolled them in a deceptive continuity program without their consent. According to the FTC, the company was fined in excess of $800,000 for the violations, which had been ongoing since December 2000. The charges Francis faced included racketeering, promoting and using the sexual performance of children, and procuring minors for prostitution. Last month Francis pleaded guilty “to charges that it failed to create and maintain age and identity documents for performers in sexually explicit films that it produced and distributed, and that it failed to label its DVDs and videotapes as required by federal law.” (Biography OF Joe Francis, Wikipedia). He paid $500,000 in fines. Scott Poulson Bryant’s book, “Hung,” debates and details the psychological effects of black male sexual superiority and the mythology of alleged greater penile endowment. Poulson calls his book “an effort to break new ground.” Too many youth believe that size alone is a prerequisite for happiness and being desirable, and are bombarded by imagery that suggests the only spoils worth striving for are bling, bad rides and “b-----s with big booties.” These young men fail to develop a recognition of females as more than a collection of super-sized body parts, and are unaware of their human qualities. (Boone F. Hammond, “The Contest System: A Survival Technique,” 1965). According to black sociologist Kenneth Clark (author of “Dark Ghetto”), the stereotype was based on the idea that blacks possessed an animalistic, and thus abnormal, sexuality. It was born from slavery, designed to frighten white women away from black men, and as a means of rationalizing the white males sexual exploitation of black women. Hopefully, Mr. Bryant’s work will spark a wider debate on other aspects of black manhood, such as responsibility, hard work and fatherhood. As sociologist Robert Staples espouses, “we need a sexual ethos that will contribute to our unity as a people and that value system must serve all of the black community.” (“The Myth of Black Male Sexual Superiority: A Re-Examination,” The Black Scholar, 1976). If the world’s oldest profession is prostitution, then surely the oldest job in politics in lying and manipulating data. So get over it, neo-cons. Bush and his boys lied about their reasons for invading Iraq—just like Clinton, the elder Bush, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and every other President before them, has lied about something, As for Al Qaeda’s “successful” recruiting tactics, I’m not buying it. Nor do I blindly accept the idea that the destruction of the Twin Towers wasn’t American manipulation at its finest. My reasons are simple: (1) It can’t be ruled out because our government is comprised of the most powerful body of liars in the world—lawyers/congressman. (2) PNAC (The Project for a New American Century) knew such a scenario would rally the country behind a war effort. This was a central theme of their foreign policy. (3) I remember Tuskegee and Cointelpro, so I know how diabolical our representatives in D.C. can be. (4) I don’t believe these terrorists have the balls to launch an attack on U.S. soil, knowing that their decimation will be the end result. Is it just me, or is their actually a dearth of scoring in the National Football League this season? There seems to be an abundance of 10-6, and 9-6 games. Furthermore, five teams have thrown shut outs this season, compared to two squads at this same time last season. The numbers of teams that have scored ten points in a game is 19, an average of almost 5 teams per week. The Charges, Bears and Ravens have given up 23, 29, 33 points respectively. (The Chargers have played but three games, one less than the Bears and Ravens). Two statistical oddities are the Denver Broncos and St. Louis rams, who are averaging 12 and 15 points per game, while giving up just 10 and 16. Also, betting the under has proven to be successful more than 60% of the time. Only one team has covered the over each week, the New York Jets (3 times). Football pundit Len Pasquarelli asserts that the cause could be due to the number of injuries to offensive lineman. He notes :Entering this weekend, “there have been 76 different starting offensive line units around the league, an average of 2.45 per team.” (“Line Dancing Takes Scoring Down A Beat,” ESPN.com, Oct. 3, 2006). Others say that scoring increases as the season goes on, and at least ten teams in the league have new Offensive Coordinators, requiring players to familiarize themselves with new systems. For the record, my picks for the Super Bowl are Carolina and Denver. Beware of the teams that get hot after the tenth week in the system—note Pittsburgh last year, and New England the year before that. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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