Tag: high school

Sunday Morning Thoughts: It’s Football Time in America!

On By kingsjesterIn Entertainment, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As the days grow shorter and cooler, praise the Lord, American males from Little League to the NFL have been hitting the field to practice for the upcoming season.

Now is the time to see what they’ve learned.

Friday night, my wife and I attended a high school football game in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Our grandson is a member of the band. He plays trumpet. Our family is very proud of him. While that is a big deal in itself, it is a bigger deal for our family and our grandson, especially because he is 80% hearing impaired.

While it may appear that I am digressing from the subject matter, why I brought this up will soon become clear.

Athletic participation while growing up by both genders remains a great way for kids to get used to winning and losing in this game called life.

It also helps them to reach their potential in their journey toward individual achievement.

I’ve always loved both Little League and high school football.

These are kids and teenagers out there working hard for no pay except the Love of the Game and the fun of participating in a sport.

While I did not participate in playing football because of my size of 5’4″ as a 17-yr old asthmatic Senior (I grew after I graduated), I was a gym rat who would climb the ladder of Halle Stadium in Memphis, TN with a camera and reel-to-reel video tape recorder in order to capture the home football games so that the coaches could review what went right and what went wrong in team meetings.

Sitting at that game Friday night and cheering for the team made me realize some things.

Even being inundated with all this technology that I believe can be a distraction for them, given the opportunity, teenagers are still social animals who enjoy the fun of  being with one another,

We were sitting on steel bleachers next to the Pep Squad, a bunch of young girls in matching outfits who would dance to the band and cheer with the cheerleaders while the Dance Team was behind the far end zone leading the raucous student section in cheers.

All these kids, including the ones running around the bleachers visiting with each other and joining in on all the festivities, and their parents, grandparents and friends, were having the time of their lives, cheering on these young boys giving their all for something that they believed in.

These individuals were not playing the game for money. They were playing it for the joy of the sport and to see if they could be the best they could be individually and as a team.

I guess that is why I enjoy these games so much. For the most part, especially in the small towns and suburbs outside of a big city like Memphis, high school football has not become corrupted like college football and the NFL have been.

There are no overpaid underperforming professional football players, nor are there male cheerleaders in tights prancing around like one of the girls in their dance routines.

These are high school students participating in an event that they will hold dear to their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Watching the fun that the girls in the Pep Squad were having as they went through their routines and cheers and listening to their giggles as they were next to my wife and me Friday night, made me realize that there are still young people being raised right in this country and that there were still kids that got out from behind their PlayStations and out of their mom’s basement to have fun with each other.

In other words, there are still kids being raised right and experiencing the joy of friendship, achievement, and growing up in this great country.

We need to celebrate and cherish these kids and the parents who have raised them more.

Their joy and their achievements give us  hope for the future.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Memphis Mob Violence: Mayor And DOJ “Jail Not the Answer”

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

Memphis KrogerFlashMobEach new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late. – Dr. Thomas Sowell

Friday Night Football. High School students, parents, and teachers rooting from thier team as they line up er stadium lights across the country.

Great memories, made to last a lifetime.

And now, the Administration of my hometown wants to end that tradition, in order to “protect the citizens” from teenage thugs who are beating the snot out of the very citizens he is supposed to be protecting.

Friday Night Football games could end for high schools in Memphis, because of an increase in youth mob violence.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton has asked Superintendent Dorsey Hopson to look into the possibility of ending night games on Friday breaking one of the biggest fall traditions in the Mid-South.

“What I told him today that we would look at it, we certainly want to be good neighbors,” Hopson told WMC.

Hopson added that the problem isn’t what’s happening inside school stadiums where the games are played.

“We are not having incidents at the games. What’s happening is things are happening outside the games after the game issues,” Hopson shared with WMC.

There have been waves of violent attacks by youth in recent weeks, including an attack at a local Kroger store and a high school mob who attacked a mother’s car.

Hopson explained that he thinks poverty and other factors are contributing to the increase in students acting out. He also said that something needs to be done right away about the social conditions people are living under before a change in the behavior of the youth happens.

Congressman Steve Cohen announced Wednesday that more than $800,000 in federal dollars will be spent in the 9th district to fight youth behavior and prevent violence. A portion of the money will be used to target at-risk teenagers and help their families create violence prevention strategies. Anti-violence programs will also be established in schools within the area with the money.

What the heck ever happened to actually punishing these tugs for their crimes?

The Obama/Holder Department of Justice Guidelines happened, that’s what.

WREG.com reports the following…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — US Attorney Edward Stanton III was in Memphis to talk about something that’s on everyone’s mind: youth violence.

He says court summons instead of jail time aren’t the cause of an uptick in violence, but admits the justice system needs to make serious changes.

“I want to be clear that Smart on Crime is not a hug-a-thug policy or program,” he said.

Stanton says it’s time for a change in the justice system because Memphis, and the rest of Shelby County can’t arrest their way out of violence. He argued mass incarceration has never made our streets safer.

“We need to understand that one size does not fit all. What we may have tried 15, 20 years ago or when I was a youth, those things may not be working,” he said.

Stanton says this is especially true with kids today. He says the Memphis streets he grew up on are much more dangerous, and kids are getting sucked into crime at a much younger age.

“We didn’t have to worry about drugs or gangs or bullets flying over our heads. I think what we are doing today is a great start,” he said.

He said Thursday’s Justice Reform Conference shows the community wants to help bring change to the streets. And he says this is exactly where change starts.

Stanton brushed off suggestions the Department of Justice mandate that gives most kids court summons instead of jail time is leading to more violent crime. He says this mandate protects kids from a potentially racially biased system.

“We want to be vigilant in holding individuals accountable but the constitution prevails and safeguards must be in place before doing those things,” he said.

These messages of community and coming together to tackle the problem are exactly what everyone else in leadership roles are saying, but Memphians have said time and again, enough with the talk, let’s see, some action.

My beloved hometown of Memphis, Tennessee has been gutted by decades of poor financial stewardship and corrupt Black Democratic Leadership, who never saw a dollar they couldn’t spend, or a relative or friend that they couldn’t give a job with the city to.

And now, Memphis’ chickens have come home… to roost…brought about by a failed school system which turned in its charter in a successful scheme to take over the more affluent county school system, only to see the county municipalities start their own individual systems, Memphis’ black citizens murdering each other every night, and gangs of black teenagers beatomg the snot out of innocent people, simply because they’re bored, they have no parental guidance, and they know, as “juvenile offenders”, that nothing will happen to them.

President Obama will not address Memphis’ problem.

And, Outgoing (Praise the Lord) Attorney General Eric Holder is noticeably silent as well as are the Justice Brothers, Revs. Jackson and Sharpton.

For, boys and girls, the harsh reality of an out-of-control populace of a Democratically-ran city, well on its way to becoming another Detroit, must be ignored at all costs…due to political correctness, political expediencies, and the Liberal naivete that these “misguided lren do not need to be punished for ‘acting out”. They need to be “affirmed”.

Because, for these self-serving Democrat Liberal Politicians, as President Barack Hussein Obama himself has conceded, it is not about those “Black Youth” who break the law, it’s about making up for “past transgressions” that America was supposed to have moved past, with the election of Barack Hussein Obama.

Under the presidency of “The Great Uniter”, America has become more divided.

Until He Comes,

KJ

High Schoolers in Colorado Recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. Why it Matters.

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

pledgeofallegianceLast Monday, someone in the student-led Cultural Arms Club at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado decided that it would be cool and appropriate, if they said the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic.

That’s right. Instead of saying “One Nation Under God”, these high school students in Colorado pledged that America was “One Nation Under Allah”… and evidently, did not think a thing about it.

Seriously?

Back in October, 2010, I posted a Blog titled “The Pledge and the Progressives”, about an incident of spontaneous patriotism that happened at the beginning of a candidates forum with 8th Congressional District candidates Joe Walsh, Melissa Bean and Bill Scheurer at Grayslake Central High School.

According to Illinois’ top League of Women Voters official, “phony patriotism” was driving criticism over a moderator’s reaction when she was asked if the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited before an 8th Congressional District debate.

Executive Director Jan Czarnik said what happened and the firestorm of criticism afterward, directed at moderator Kathy Tate-Bradish, was an attempt by supporters of Republican candidate Joe Walsh of McHenry and tea party members to bully the organization.

Czarnik said someone was not a better American just by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
This clueless woman said:

It’s a phony patriotism issue is what it is.  They must think it helps their campaign.

Brought in from the League of Women Voters Evanston branch because she didn’t live in the 8th Congressional District, Tate-Bradish handled the event at Grayslake Central High School that featured Democratic U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington, the Green Party’s Bill Scheurer and Walsh.

As you heard in the video, Tate-Bradish was asked by a man in the audience whether the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited after she went over some ground rules and directed the candidates to make opening statements.

As Tate-Bradish condescendingly explained that the debate was not scheduled to start with the pledge, almost all in the crowd of more than 300 stood and enthusiastically recited it anyway.

Tate-Bradish, who joined in the pledge, issued a scolding, like a petulant schoolmarm, when the crowd finished.

Walsh campaign manager Nick Provenzano still does not understand why Tate-Bradish did not appear to welcome the Pledge of Allegiance suggestion. He said it was spontaneous and not orchestrated by Walsh’s campaign.

He said:

That neutral stance (by Tate-Bradish) toward the Pledge of Allegiance is troublesome.

Not just troublesome, sir.  Borderline treasonous.

Tate-Bradish stood by her unpatriotic actions and said she had been surprised by personal attacks directed toward her on the Internet since the forum, particularly posts stating she “hates America.” ( I’m shocked, I tell you.  Shocked.)  She claims that she ran the debate in the format established by some Grayslake High students and agreed to by all three candidates, none of whom asked for the pledge in advance.

She petulantly whined:

It’s pretty patriotic to run forums in election seasons where every candidate can be heard and they’re not stomped on.

Island Lake resident Joseph Ptak, a Walsh supporter, come forward later to admit that he asked for the pledge at the debate. Provenzano said he was not certain who made the request.

Ptak, 58, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said the pledge was a proper way to begin the event that was in a high school and had student participation. He said many veterans were in the audience, and he objects to Czarnik questioning the request’s sincerity.

Ptak said:

I’m a Joe Walsh supporter, but first and foremost I’m an American.

Bean spokesman Jonathan Lipman declined to comment.

Somehow, I don’t doubt that.

Progressives are only loyal to themselves.

Growing up in the Heartland of America, starting in elementary school, every student said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, facing the American Flag in the corner of our classroom with our hands placed firmly over our hearts.

And, I can tell you from first hand experience, that act of allegiance and reverence for our country still takes place every morning in schools across this country, including those here in Mississippi.

Why is this done?

Is it some sort of arcane ritual that has no meaning in this Modern America, where our Liberal politicians preach that diversity is what makes America strong and that the “Melting Pot” image of a unified America is no longer relevant?

Liberals, all over the Internet, have been asking what difference does it make that these kids decided to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic?

I’m glad you asked, Libs.

The Pledge of Allegiance is more than just words being said to an inanimate object.

Just as America’s Founding Fathers pledged “their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor” to one another, as they fought to secure our American Freedom from the forces of tyranny, every time Americans recite our Pledge of Allegiance, we are pledging our loyalty to each other as Americans, and to our country.

This is not a pledge to be taken lightly. This is not a pledge which was designed to be said in the language of our enemies.

This is a pledge which was meant to be said sincerely and said in a way that honors the flag of our country, a symbol which brave men have fought and died for in defense of our liberty.

As I have written before, my friend Johnny McDonald once wrote that “liberty is freedom with responsibility”. Our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge of responsibility… a responsibility to keep America “The Shining City on a Hill”… a country where legal immigrants can begin their new lives as Americans…”one nation under God with liberty and justice for all”.

Maybe those High School Students in Colorado were never properly explained the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance?  As I take my leave today, America’s Clown Prince, Mr. Richard (Red) Skelton, will explain it, so that even they might understand.  God Bless America!

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Petition Circulating to Keep Moochelle From Speaking At High School Graduation

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

Michelle ObamaI remember my High School Graduation. It took place in our school gym, which had two-story bleachers on each side and held 2,500. Our class was 360 strong, so, it was a lengthy ceremony, to say the least.

Right after the ceremony began, our Principal, (who in reality, was a wonderful man and a great Principal) decided that the air conditioner was too loud. So, on that hot Memphis in May night in 1976, in a jam-packed gymnasium of over 2,5000, he turned the air conditioner off.

But, hey, I would suffer through that again…because it would be better than having to sit there and listen to Michelle Obama deliver the keynote address.

The New York Daily News reports that

…A furor over what the Topeka school district considers an honor has erupted after plans were announced for Obama to address a combined graduation ceremony for five area high schools next month at an 8,000-seat arena. For some, it was the prospect of a tight limit on the number of seats allotted to each graduate. For others, it was the notion that Obama’s speech, tied to the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education outlawing segregation in schools, would overshadow the student’s big day.

“I’m a single mother who has raised him for 18 years by myself,” said Tina Hernandez, parent of Topeka High School senior Dauby Knight. “I’ve told him education is the only way out. This is one of the biggest days of their lives. They’ve taken the glory and shine from the children and put on Mrs. Obama. She doesn’t know our kids.”

Hernandez was among the parents and students who spoke Thursday at a school board meeting and urged district officials to reconsider their decision to invite Obama. Ron Harbaugh, spokesman for the Topeka school district, said Friday discussions were under way to work out the logistics and planning for the event, including how many tickets each family would be allotted.

“We will have a clearer picture of what’s going on,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh said officials asked the president or first lady to speak at graduation as a tie-in with the anniversary of the Brown decision, which outlawed school segregation. The district plans to place a priority on seating students and their families, and could broadcast the event to an overflow room at a hotel adjacent to the graduation arena for those unable to find a seat inside.

That’s not good enough for Taylor Gifford, 18, who started an online petition Thursday evening to urge the district to reconsider its plans. She and the more than 1,200 people who had signed it expressed concern that Obama’s visit would limit the seating options for family and friends.

“I really would like it to have a peaceful solution, but there is so much misinformation going on,” Gifford said.

Gifford said her initial reaction to the news was excitement, saying she was “freaking out” about the prospect of the first lady speaking at graduation. When rumors of limited tickets surfaced, Gifford felt like the focus was being shifted from the students to Obama.

“People think it’s a great opportunity, but it’s the graduates’ time. They are getting that diploma that they worked so hard for,” Gifford said. “Families are feeling that they are being cheated out of the loved ones special day.”

Abbey Rubottom, 18, a Topeka High senior, described herself as a “die-hard Democrat” but doesn’t like the idea of Obama sharing the stage with graduates.

“No disrespect for the first lady, and it’s amazing that she wants to come speak, I just think it doesn’t belong at graduation,” Rubottom said.

Rubottom suggested separate ceremonies with Obama speaking at one and the address being replayed at the other.

Some people have said bringing in the first lady politicizes the graduation. Others have suggested that if she wants to mark the Brown anniversary, she could just visit the historic site that commemorates the decision, which is just few blocks from the graduation venue.

The Brown site is housed in a former all-black school where the lead plaintiff’s daughter and another plaintiff’s child in the desegregation case were students. It tells the story of the 1954 Supreme Court decision.

Messages seeking comment from the first lady’s office in Washington were not immediately returned Friday.

Mooch? Attention-seeking? Race-dividing? Why, where did they every get those ideas?

I’m glad you asked.

In 1985, the future First Lady of the United States of America, who is presently represented our nation is one of the most powerful Communist Countries in the world, wrote her master’s thesis at Princeton University. The title was “Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Communities” by Michelle LaVaughn Robinson.

In a 66 page thesis which comes off more like a personal diary, the Future First Lady spoke about her personal experiences at Princeton University and her race-based reflections of her experience there. She wrote,

Earlier in my college career there was no doubt in my mind that as a member of the Black community I was somehow obligated to this community and would utilize all of my present and future resources to benefit this community first and foremost. My experiences at Princeton have made me for more aware of my “Blackness” than ever before. I have found that at Princeton no matter how little Liberal and open minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be towards me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus as if I really don’t belong. Regardless of the circumstances under which I interact with White at Princeton it often seems as if to them always be Black first and a student second.

These experiences have made it apparent to me that the path I have chosen to follow by attending Princeton will likely lead to my full integration and/or assimilation into a White cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant. This realization has presently,made my goals to actively utilize my resources to benefit the Black community more desirable.

At the same time, however. it is conceivable that my four years of exposure to a predominantly white Ivy League university has instilled within me certain conservative values.

What Mooch referred to as “conservative values” was  a love of status, power, and money.

And, as fare as her ethnocentric, “put-upon” point-of-view, it remains with her, to this very day.

In the March 10th, 2008 edition of The New Yorker, a 10 page article titled The Other Obama,  covering the future First Lady was published.  Here’s an excerpt:

Obama begins with a broad assessment of life in America in 2008, and life is not good: we’re a divided country, we’re a country that is “just downright mean,” we are “guided by fear,” we’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. “We have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it every day,” she said, as heads bobbed in the pews. “Folks are just jammed up, and it’s gotten worse over my lifetime. And, doggone it, I’m young. Forty-four!”

Now, for the life of me, I just can’t figure out how we peons in the Heartland ever came up with the notion that the First Lady of the United States of America is an “angry black woman”.  Can you?

I don’t blame the parents and kids who have signed that petition. I would not want that racist, self-serving, Anti-American heifer speaking at my High School Graduation, either. A graduation ceremony is supposed to be about the accomplishments of the graduates.

And, whenever Michelle Obama speaks, it’s all about her.

Until He Comes,

KJ