But Let's Not Dwell...
We ALL know what today is, right?
I mean it's not as though someone has been cramming it down our throats, in our ears, and up our bu...I mean noses for the better part of a YEAR now, is it?
But all that aside, there ARE other things happening all around us.
For example, Allen Iverson, perennial "illustrated man" (ever see those arms of his? No room for even a classified) and bad boy of the NBA is going to DETROIT. The word "IRONY" comes to mind here...dunno why.
And for the past two days, we've been receiving calls from the DEMS attempting to secure our vote for THEIR candidate. One call came from Massachusetts (617-556-0333), while the other originated from Monterey, California (831-359-4225). Feel free to ring them up and tell them what a great job they're doing, OK? And here I "thought" we were on the NO-CALL (national as well as state) list?
But let's not dwell too much on this...I feel the need to vent a tad.
There was an interesting letter to the editor in today's J/G, citing the DWB thing AGAIN. Seems this young black man was observed swerving on the street. The police pull him over, nothing is found, and he's let off with a warning. Sounds about right to me.
But apparently, "mama" is playing her (gov't-sponsored) "race card" in an futile attempt to negate typical police work, such as traffic stops. I've seen instances where an officer will pull over a group of people in a car if they're moving around a "little too much" (something to hide or just dancing while driving?)...don't give a LEO a reason to pull you over..simple, huh? I can say with both certainty and truth that it's NOT about "driving while black". It IS all about "driving while DUMB" (obviously this driver hasn't seen that Chris Rock You Tube video on how to behave with the police).
Here's the link if YOU need to view it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8

And if perchance, the DUMB person just HAPPENS TO BE BLACK, especially in a neighborhood that has a 90% (or higher) black citizenry...well, that's just the odds of fate. And don't be misled...we DO have our share of WHITE dumbasses as well. If a white person gets pulled over in a black neighborhood, that's not just a curiosity, but can often be a precursor to something illegal being committed. Then again, it COULD only be some average white guy going to HIS OWN HOUSE that HE BOUGHT with HIS MONEY that HE EARNED while WORKING at HIS JOB.
(Sound about right, Phil?)
I have stated here often (and to the FWPD quadrant captain) that you could have ALL BLACK LEOs here, and the department would STILL incur the misdirected wrath of the locals JUST BECAUSE it's a BLUE UNIFORM pulling one of "their own" over...period.
I for one, am also sick to death of "diversity for nothing more than diversity's sake".
-First off, we're all human (well, most of us are) and that alone lumps us ALL into ONE basket.
-Second, we're ALL Americans (at least the ones born here are), and again, that defines our "commonality" further.
-Third, in Indiana anyway, we're ALL "Hoosiers" (I'm just a transplant from Philly...sorry) - further definition of being similar.
-Finally, we're ALL "Fort Waynians" (at least those living in the city limits are).
AFTER all that, we can decide how best to define ourselves based on our cultures, beliefs, nationalities, and so on.
AFTER those four items I mentioned, THEN we can proceed to develop our "diversity".
Curiously enough, we tend to define ourselves by what we do, and that's a good start.
We define ourselves by how we project ourselves to our fellow man.
We define ourselves by values instilled as well as acquired in our journey through life. It's not all that difficult, really.
How we define OTHERS is even easier.
All THEY have to do is show the hell up, open their mouths and say something.
THEN, we have a good indication of who (or what) we're dealing with.
It's often said that people WILL "judge" you by the way you speak. It's not just WHAT you say, but HOW YOU SAY IT that is important.
They will also make a decision based on the manner you present yourself to them, as I said above.
You could be a Yale graduate with a doctorate in literature, but if you dress like a damn SLOB, and talk in mumbled, mono-syllabic grunts while you pick your nose and run your filthy hands through your greasy hair, you WILL NOT be perceived AS that Doctor of Lit, no matter how hard you try otherwise. Minds have been made up. It's that simple.
There is also the "nurture/nature" thing.
Were you brought up to BE a slob?
Did you LEARN it somewhere?
Conversely speaking, did you grow up being taught right from wrong, and what consequences were? Did your parents instill in you a fear of GOD, a sense of ETHICS, and a level of personal responsibility, and morality? Did you acquire those aspects of human development in life instead?
You see, there simply is no easy answer as to WHY our society "celebrates" diversity by means of a cultural facade, while never understanding what lies beneath the surface of every individual.
Then again, if we ALL were TRULY individualistic, and not political lemmings, or cultural lemmings, or even marketing lemmings, we'd have a much better grasp ON our society.
Yeah, that all sounds a bit TOO idealistic, doesn't it?
...And a bit philosophical as well.
Now I said all that to say this:
Today we decide WHO will be our next President. Actually we'll vote on electorates that will decide who to cast their vote for, so it's not even a "people" gig. We (by throwing some levers) will say to the 50 states (and the electoral votes FROM those states) that THIS guy is the one "we" select to run the show...or not, as the case may be. It's liken to a vote by proxy...kind of. None of that hand-written, one person-one ballot thing we see that works well in those 3rd world nations. But we're not facing any type of coup..or civil war..at least not yet (and hopefully never). And we're so damn technologically superior than they are anyway.
I'll be the first one to tell you I've forgotten more about the election system here, than I can remember, and I consider that a mixed blessing.
Then again, at my age, I take my blessings where I can get them (and living in this part of town "ain't one of them", believe me).
But let's not dwell...
Let's just hope for the best today (and this evening)...but expect the worst.
That way, none of us will be that disappointed...fair enough?
We (the American people) stand on a lofty precipice.
Whether or not we choose to enjoy the view...or jump the hell off is up to every one of us.
If you plan to jump...make sure you have a reserve chute...you're definitely GONNA need it.
It won't be the FALL that does you in...but it WILL be that SUDDEN STOP at the bottom!
Remember...get out and vote (early and often if possible...lol)
It's all about AMERICA...or AMERIKA...you decide!
We'll catch you on the flip side.