Told You So!

[SuperScout]

For years, I have been advocating that we abandon this silly racial labeling process, especially when the "African-American" term is used to identify a Black person. It is bogus, and bad geography. But nobody in the media has ever had the cajones, brains, or use of other body parts to question this geo-babble, being gifted instead with a broad yellow stripe down their collective backs. Now there's news coming out of Omaha, Nebraska, that the seeds to this lingusitic whirlwind has ripened. At a nearly all-white high school, officials disciplined students who advocated effectively to award the school's "Distinguished African American Student Award" to what the school is now saying is the wrong person. The award was to be given to Trevor Richards, originally from South Africa, but very white indeed.

Peggy Rupprecht, spokeswoman for the Westside Community Schools district, said administrators at Westside High School discovered more than a hundred of the posters throughout the school first thing Monday ? Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"The content of the posters, they believed, was inappropriate and insensitive to some members of our school community," Rupprecht said.

Citing privacy policies, Rupprecht said she could not specify what the penalties were or how many students were disciplined. But the mother of the boy pictured on the posters said he was suspended for two days.

The award has been given the last eight years to an outstanding black student as part of the school's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, she said. The poster pictured junior Trevor Richards, 16, smiling and making a thumbs-up sign. A message at the top encouraged votes for him for next year's award.

Karen Richards said her son and his friends were not trying to hurt anyone. "My son is not a racist," she told the Omaha World-Herald. "He has black friends, friends from Bangladesh and Egypt. Color has never been an issue in our home."

"It was a very innocent thing," she said.

Two of her son's friends were disciplined along with him, she said. A fourth student was punished for circulating a petition Tuesday criticizing the practice of recognizing only black student achievement with the award, she said.

Tylena Martin, a junior, said the poster had been on the door to her homeroom class where she is the only black student. She said she felt hurt by the posters and the backlash that ensued.

According to 2002-2003 state statistics, 56 Of Westside's 1,632 students are black.

MORAL of THIS STORY: Be careful what yo ask for, you just may get it!!

[Jerry D]

Thats a shame that the one student in Westside High School Omaha,NE who was born in Africa isn't eligible for the "Distinguished African-American Student Award" That to me it is a very racisist act in itself . To say that some one who is white can't claim the regional distiction of being African-American would be to deny a young black kid named Sammy Davis from being Jewish-American or Asia Carrera from being German-American. A continent is a place not a race. So the School in Omaha is definitely out of line reprimanding these kids for campaigning for this young kid for the "Distinguished African American Student Award"
Deo Vindice

[SuperScout]

Instead of playing the Political Correctness Game with all it's attendant stupidity, perhaps we should recommend that Westside High School district officials enroll in some remedial geography classes. That way, they may be able to learn that neither Algerians, Moroccans, Libyans, Egyptians, nor many other living on the African continent are not "Black," and to label them as such is simply a mark of ignorance.

[MORTARDUDE]

So Scout...Clinton was a draft dodger and "loathed the military"...is Boy George Bush a deserter ? Why or why not ? Does it matter to you ? He had the brass balls to show up in a flight suit and say the war in Iraq was over and is a deserter too? If he was a Democrat how would you feel ?

Larry

[BLUEHAWK]

Interesting experience yesterday, along these lines...

Got a call at the museum from a young woman, from whose manner of speech I could discern was negro. She demanded to know what my museum was exhibiting on the occasion of "Black History Month."

I said, "Nothing in particular, but we do have some fine African artifacts on display and in storage I'd be glad to show you in person if you would wish to make an appointment."

She said, "Okay, how about tomorrow at 11AM." I said, "Fine, I'll see you then." I went to storage, and brought to my office three of our finest African sculptures, and made her photocopies of all the provenance we had on each piece... looking forward to our meeting and dialogue about the role of art museums in American society.

What do you think happened that next day at 11AM...

[Seascamp]

In that museum quality art and art forms have permanent residence in the shot-pouch of the cocked PC catapult, I venture a guess that almost anything happened and probably did. Who did ya offend now Blue ya onery critter?????.

Scamp :D

[BLUEHAWK]

Dang Scampness, I did it agin'... sure 'nuf.

"We shall overcuh uh uhm
We shall overcuh uh um
We shall overcuh UH UH um mmm mmmm
One day..."

Right?

[BLUEHAWK]

p.s.

didn't mean to bro, did NOT mean to.

[BLUEHAWK]

p.p.s.

My Lady Carol, upon hearing of this from mine own lips said, and I quote (precisely):

"HELLLOOOOOO!"

[Seascamp]

.......................what did you go and do now Blue, again and still? I wonder if there any museums on the dark side of the moon? I really don?t think the Lady was inquiring about that kind of African history and artifact for crying out loud.
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, you are going to get a PC Cop willow branch switching, for sure, for sure, just mark my words and wait and see. Yikes, you are incorrigible. :ek:

Scamp :D

[BLUEHAWK]

Well crap Scampner... this really shows how disappointing a warrior I would have been under fire.

There are NCO's (my beloved fellers among whom I would have one day wanted so much to count myself :-), and then there's the O group (such as my Scout and Doc whom I trust). Then there's guys like me, slicks... whom the uniformed military failed to see the beauty of.... which is not surprising since they was not looking for beauty. I weren't mean enough Scampness. I COULD have been mean as hell, if'n somebody had pointed the way toward the correct enemy... why hell man, I'd have gone all out... you know that of me, don't you Scamp? I believe Scout does, but how 'bout you?

That's just the plain and simple truth... but and howsomever, with the guidance of a competent NCO or O, I DO think I could have made a fine warrior one day, and surely did want to be one... practised nearly all my childhood on becoming one of you, and even volunteered. They felt I was a mechanic in mind. Maybe they was right after all.

I think maybe I have not the intelligence to be a warrior Scamper... and this realization is unpleasant at my stage of life. I do not want to be killed or to kill, but it seems best if a man can get a fair shot at something.

[39mto39g]

I took anthropoigy in college, about a hundred years ago, The first thing that was taught was the 5 different races, Black, White, Brown, Yellow, and Red.
Just after being taught this, we were also taught that there is no such thing as each one of these races. No person is Red or Yellow or Black or white, we are all just different shades of brown.
NAACP and all the rest of the totaly racest organizations do more to permote raceizum than anything. Afterall, if raceizum went away, then these organizations would exist.
Black Power Hour, Black college player, Chicono hour, and so many others that I just don't want to permote.
African American is not a race. Black is the race. To give an award because you are from a certain race is stupid.
There is a big deal going on now in Houston because some black organizations did a study that says police racial profile drivers and stop blacks more than whites.
The police tryed to explain that more officers patrol high crim areas and therefore stop more people in those areas, The people they stop are black, because thats who live there. Did you ever go down the street in a perdomitly white neighborhood at 2 in the morning, You will find no one, Now go down the street at 2 in the morning in a black neighborhood, its like 12 noon, people everywhere, standing on corners, cars stop by and exchange stuff. White people aren't angles either, by the way.
Hears another one, I just heard on the news its Black History month, Isn't this just racest?

Ron

[Seascamp]

.......in my experience there wasn?t any such thing as smart or not smart in a combat situation, but just plane stupid was around. Ya either knew yer stuff or didn?t, simple as that. Once the clanging, banging, thunking, booming, hollering, screaming and crashing starts everything gets to a very tunnel vision situation, focused and instinctive, trust me on that. At that time all the training kicks in and the only stupid ones are the ones who were screwing around and ignoring the training in the first place.
Those were the guys that were thinking fast, scared spitless and making up crap as the situation progressed, and usually a risk to themselves and anyone around them. Maybe they had IQ?s that were off the chart and three layers of sheep skin covering their eyes, who knows, but stupid as all hell in the final analysis.

In every situation that I can recall, ego, arrogance and listening to the wrong messages was well ahead of the need for self preservation and team work. Too bad, as that was a great way to end up bagged and tagged in the ships refer waiting for the next ship back to Subic Bay.

As to yourself, I wouldn?t worry about you doing your job and being a teammate in any section I was in or in nominal charge of. I?m sure you would have been very receptive to being shown the need and the way, very receptive, LOL.

I had a habit of seeing to the transferring alleged Sailors to some pier if I felt they couldn?t be relied upon or would not submit to training. I?d make my case to the division CPO (usually an E-9 Master Chief) and that was usually it. I?m sure you aren?t the type that would want to be 86ed to some pier and watch your shipmates single up, make turns and steam away. The USN had a very special place and duties for pier birds, for sure. You wouldn?t have liked that place or that kind duty at all I?m thinking and would have made excellent choices all along the way, LOL.

I suppose you would have been a handful in some other respects, but that doesn?t mean being an unsuccessful shipmate. Sometimes that is the best kind of shipmate to have, it all depends on the circumstances and the challenge at hand. And sure, I was a handful at times as well, but usually our division CPO sorted my crap out post haste and in no uncertain terms. USN CPO?s have a way of presenting a full field of options to choose from and pointing to the best choice. Besides that, a surface combat ship at sea gets to be mighty, mighty small if one has provoked the ire of and need for special attention from the division CPO, trust me on that one as well, LOL.

Scamp

[BLUEHAWK]

Scampner... I guess what I am hearing is that a man needs to be able to only three things right... a) fight, b) have initiative in the form of a functioning brain and heart, and, c) honor the commander.

Ron -
Yup, they're racist. Beau takes issue (I believe) with me/us on this, but maybe not. The folks you refer to are plain racist if we apply the same standards to them as they apply to us... and yes there is a they and an us.

[Seascamp]

I?m not sure I?d use the thought ?honor the commander?. I?d more go with the concept of listen up, pay attention, follow instructions and try to keep the faith in others and yourself.

Scamp

[BLUEHAWK]

Okay Scamp... you know best.

I just get riled sometimes when people say one thing out of one side and another out of another side.

Hell, it is LEAD, FOLLOW, or GET OUT OF THE WAY!

I do not know squat (compared with ColMurph or Pho) about weapons... but I darn sure know which end the business comes out of and where onje triggers it off at.

So, for me the deal is this, "Point the way!"... "Show me the enemy".

I'm a flag bearer Scampness, which is a humble profession, with not a very long life span all in all... as you well know.

However, what I would pray my true brothers (and a few sisters) on here would sustain faith in old Blue about is that he fights, and fights well for the honor of our people and their safety.

[39mto39g]

I don't think you really want to be good in combat, In my humble opinion, the best people in combat are Homasidal mainiacs, They don't think or argue or reason or justify, Now I really wouldn't want to live next door to someone that was good in combat.

I don't think there is any intended glory in the people that are in combat, The people that get metals usually get them by accident or just happened to be the next person in line when it came time to do something. Most times when someone does a heroic thing its because instic kicked in and the person just reacted to a situation, (which doesn't make it any less heroic)

If you go into combat, the first and formost thing is to servive, If you do, you become part of a brotherhood that is undiscribable.

Ron

[SparrowHawk62]

This PC stuff really sucks. It's all warm and fuzzy to make someone feel good.
Look, if a man can stand beside me and let the world know he's my shipmate, that's good enough for me.

[BLUEHAWK]

Guess we verged over into PC Ron... but all points made, well taken... it's just an interesting conversation is all.

[39mto39g]

Don't know what you mean when you say PC execpt PC to me means personal computer, if thats what it means to you then what you wrote makes no sence.
What are you trying to say?

Ron