Is your mom/sister/girlfriend/wife/daughter ok? Are you sure

Not long ago I interviewed Cynthia Basinet. In that interview the topic of humanitarian aide came up. In particular were comments about the needs of Africa. Shortly after that I posted about an event that was targeting aid to women around the world and in Africa that have been victims of violence and rape.

And few paid attention, sadly.

But just days ago Chris Brown was arrested in connection to charges about violence against Rihanna. And the internet is abuzz. And I have to wonder.

Is it only when a celebrity endures a hardship that we care as a nation. Are we so cold-hearted as to ignore the suffering of millions of women simply because we don’t know their name or country. Has the media so blinded the masses that unless something happens to someone famous we don’t think it happens at all?

I despise the thought of what Chris Brown has been accused of doing. There is no justification, and I believe punishment is in order if the facts are as have been blasted across the media. Yet there is a bigger issue.

The odds are that 1 in 3 women, across the globe, will be the victim of a rape or violence. That means out of you mother, wife/girlfriend, sister, daughter 1 will definitely be a victim and more than a chance of another as well. That’s not something that I would wish upon even my enemy.

This is not just an issue of what celebrities do. It’s not just something that happens in movies, or to “those people” whoever you wish to define it. It’s happening in every part of the globe, every day. And the chance of you knowing a woman that this has happened to is better than you remembering what will be on TV tonight.

We should never let this pass without thought. We should never allow this to be a secret. This needs to be addressed and confronted.

No man ever needs to place a hand against a woman. It’s just not needed. There is no justification unless you are in a pool of your own blood. It is the act of a coward and a small child to lash out in such a manner. It is the action of a weak and pitiful boy, never a man regardless of age.

I am glad that Cynthia Basinet brought up the issue of violence against women in Africa. I am happy to heard of women like Jessica Alba, Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Camryn Manheim, Anne Archer and Sherry Lansing among many others are making this a reality to the millions of Americans that have turned a blind eye and deaf ear.

I hope that before I die I never need to read about the atrocities that Dr. Denis Mukwege tries to heal each day. Because they don’t happen any more. I hope that before I die I never have to fear for my sisters, mother, and every woman I have ever known.

But that means that you have to act, and not forget this post or the articles in the news. Because tomorrow it could be a woman you love.

Alone on Valentine's day? Violence is never an answer

I realize that Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and that some people just hate that. There is no joy in this consumer holiday dedicated to equating affection with a bank book, if you have no one to spend the money on. I think that was part of the motivation in a case of idocy turned violent.

Basically a woman broke up with her boyfriend. Happens all the time. The boyfriend in question though, had spent some thousands of dollars to provide her with breast implants. And obviously she wasn’t about to pay him back.

So like a violent ass, he instead decided to attack the woman and cut out the implants. Such an act I deplore. Thankfully he has been arrested, and she is alive. There is no justification for this act. It’s an act of violence against women and no male should ever act in such a manner if they in fact are a man.

Perhaps, for all those recently spurred or burned by love there is a far easier, definitely less violent, legal way to make a statement. Wear this





And it even comes in a version for guys to wear



Honestly, in all seriousness, violence against women is a horrendous act. With Valentine’s Day coming up, many depressed people do dumb things. Before you get that far, lighten up. It’s not that serious. The pain will pass. Have a beer.

But never harm anyone, especially an ex.

Scam targets grandparents

I wanted to mention a scam that I have just heard about. It’s a scam that targets grandparents. The vultures that do this should be beaten with a stick.

The way the scam goes a grandparent is called with the criminal asking for either grandparent. When they respond who is on the phone the criminal asks them to guess, hoping to get the name of one of the grandchildren. Once a name is offered they assume that as their own.

Then comes the trap. They mention that they are in a location, normally out of the country but not always, and their car has been in an accident. They may or may not be at a police station. But wherever they claim to be, and whatever the reason they ask for a large sum of money, thousands of dollars. They insist that the grandparent not contact the rest of the family – because they are embarrassed about the situation.

The money is to be sent via Western Union or another similar service.

This kind of scam preys on the fact that grandparents love their kids. They rip of the elderly for money that a grandparent might need to live off of but will provide to help a grandchild in need. There is nothing lower than this kind of scum.

For my readers that are older, never volunteer the name of any family member to someone on the phone. Never provide details of your personal information to someone that can’t confirm they are family over the phone, or the internet. Always check with other family members and the police – locally and at the supposed location of the “grandchild”.

These few steps could be the difference between helping a loved one and losing $5,000 or more.

So far this year one grandparent in Missouri was nearly scammed out of $8,000, another grandmother nearly lost $5,000. Luckily they checked with the police, in these cases at Niagra Falls on the Canadian side, and family before sending the money. It’s not known how many grandparents across the nation have received this kind of call and lost money but have yet to report it due to embarrassment.

Please spread the news on this. I don’t know if the major media will cover this, they ignore important news like this regularly. But this is not a made up internet joke. This is real. You can check this news on the Associated Press

The most dangerous people in America Part 2 - 4.9.2008.1

This is a reply to a specific and series of comments found at Black & White Blog and The most dangerous people in America - 11.4.2007.1


Soldie,

First, my name is Michael Vass not dude. Please use that as after 40 years of life I think I am at least deserving of that if not the more polite and respectful Mr. Vass.

But to answer your comment, I did not isolate my initial post or comment above to only Columbine. As I stated and is a clear fact virtually every mass murder occurring in a school or college to date has been committed by a White young male. None have ever happened, or even been planned as is known, by African Americans or Hispanic/Latino Americans. And that is throughout the decade of time you wish to isolate my comments to, which I do not.

Thus while same race crimes may be more likely to cause harm or death to a Black male, which is a problem on a one-on-one basis, young White males are vastly more dangerous to groups of individuals. That is to say nothing of those older White males that are predominant in committing “gone postal” shootings, serial murders, and murder sprees.

You go on to mention how homicides are the leading cause of deaths to Black males under 30. You fail to mention that 66.2 percent of hate crimes are enacted against Blacks (according to D.O.J. 2006 reports). Further looking at the data from 1994 through 2004 we see that crimes by more than one offender against a victim work out as follows:

http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/abstract/cvus/race.htm

White victim - 1,555,490 Percentage committed by White - 48.8% Black - 22.2% Other - 11.8% Mixed race - 12.2% Unknown - 5.1%

Black victim - 372,680 Percentage committed by White - 10.8 Black - 67.1 Other - 6.7 Mixed - 13.9 Unknown - 1.5

In addition violent crimes committed by 1 offender are as follows:

Crimes of violence 6,930,880 Percentage committed by White - 62.1% Black - 26.2% Other - 9.3% Unknown - 2.4%

So we get this realization, Whites committed 4,297,146 acts of violent crime against a single person, and 759,079 acts against multiple victims that were White. Including the 40,249 multiple Black victims we get a total of 5,096,474. Thus once we move away from percentages and look at real numbers we learn that Whites are far more likely to commit a crime of violence against anyone, especially other Whites. Again I never isolated my comments to murder; I was speaking of violence and general danger.

Now add in the age component of multiple victims:

Crimes of violence 2,010,170 Under age 12 - 0.3% Ages 12-20 - 46.9% Ages 21-29 - 13.9% All over 30 - 5.7% Mixed ages - 25.9% Unknown - 7.2%

Thus 61.1% of all violent multiple crimes are committed by those at or under age 29. [Single crime age data not found, all data via the Department of Justice records] That is considered young.

So again I say what the numbers prove true, and seemingly leaves some readers feeling uncomfortable, young White males are dangerous.

It is not hateful or mean to state facts. You may not like the facts, you may feel embarrassed by them, but they are facts. There is no dispute of the numbers. And by not hiding behind percentages that sound impressive, we see the reality that was expressed to me on that Sunday.

The truth is that I have never in 40 years heard of a White male shot by police 50 times, or 40, or even a dozen – though multiple Blacks have been (Sean Bell and too mant others). The truth is I have never heard of a Black kid shooting a school or college. The truth is that nooses are used by Whites to intimidate and threaten Blacks (Jena 6). [By the way, as a friend of mine mentioned, what other purpose would anyone – especially kids – have to know how to make a noose?] The fact is that 6 Whites (most of whom were young) raped, tortured and kidnapped a Black woman (Megan Williams) that was avoided by the media. For all your protest otherwise you avoided speaking about any of these events. And for each one we can find multiple events of an exactly similar nature over the last 40 years. These are facts and they are not filled with hate or mean. They are just the truth.

You might like to be told the facts of what happens in America in a manner that makes you feel good, but that’s just sugar-coating. You might be upset that some Whites act in a manner that is despicable. But you have yet to deny or prove me incorrect.

And why is any of this important?

Because America is filled with anger and penalties of law that are motivated by the inaccurate and tunnel-visioned lie of who is committing crimes of violence. Because these prejudices and stereotypes influence our entertainment, politics, and daily lives. Because instead of saying that there is a problem and dealing with it we look to address the symptoms.

If you find me a pain because I’m presenting you the reality that actual numbers back up, and not the prejudiced image that percentages present, I can’t help you.

So now the question is before you, since the factual and accurate numbers state that young White males are the most dangerous group in America what will you do about it? Feel embarrassed and upset with me for telling you the truth, or do something to change the facts?