O Give Thanks

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness,
Come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord, He is God.
It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good,
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endureth to all generations!

This is the time of year for reflections. TV and cable will soon bombard us with the Top 100 this and Top 100 that of 2008. People tend to look back over the past year and assess how well our expectations from the previous year have been realized. I like to think that reviewing the past helps me to orient and fixate on my future.

I typically do not do resolutions, mostly because I've never been able to successfully pull one off! I think I've got this personality flaw that rebels against being held to a standard or rule. If you tell me I must do something, even if it's in my best interest, I'm likely to do the opposite. I know, what are you gonna do? Sue me!

So, instead, I choose to focus on where I am at any given point in time; if I'm complaining or annoyed about how something is going, I figure out one or two small things I need to do to change it. I detest complaining and complainers; when I get dissatisfied about something, this becomes my call to action to make a change.

Looking back over the past year reminds me of how much further down my journey I have come. There have been ups and downs, and I ain't gon' lie, there've been times this year that I have wanted to throw up my hands and say, "I done." But even in the midst of the chaos, y'all, I've been blessed! As bad as some things have been, they could've been worse and I'm still here. So, there's hope.

I am taking this opportunity to say thanks and focus on my many blessings and acts of grace God has provided for me this past year. I thank Him for all that he has done, and like the song says, even if He never does anything else for me, I wanna say, Thank you!

Thank you, God:

for life

for the sacrifice of your son Jesus

for my son, who is my joy and reason for living

for my family

for loving friends: Chez, Vernon, Pam, Kacy, Shella, EB, Jason, Derrick

for wonderful blog friends: TrueUrbanQueen, MsKnowItAll, Maggie, Mary63

for ongoing employment and employers who recognize and honor the family

for a vehicle that works and satisfies my need for speed

for a roof over our heads

for laughter and the pursuit of happiness

Thank you, Lord:

for allowing me to see the election of the first African American president

for the process of change that I will be able to experience first hand in coming years

for online shopping (you know I can't STAND crowds or shopping, just on general principle)

for reducing the price of gasoline, enabling many of us to travel much easier this season. We are now at $1.55 per gallon.

for my place of worship and a leader who follows You daily and guides us in Your truth

Thank you, Father:

for common sense (everybody ain't able!)

for peace of mind

for the ability to live in the moment and enjoy the pleasures available to me NOW, rather than pining for the unknown future. I know that You are working THAT out!

for the gift of forgiveness. I'm sleeping much better now!

for that beautiful man I saw this morning in the coffee shop! That skin, those eyes, deep dimples and long locs have been a constant source of imaginings all morning.

Oh Happy Day

Well, it's done! Peace will finally reign in our house again. I no longer have to worry about catching a case over some mess at my son's school. I no longer have to leave him in a totally hostile environment and worry myself day and night due to my helplessness to change the situation.

We are homeschoolling.

My employers have allowed me to modify my work schedule, so that I can teach in the morning and my child will spend the rest of the day in a daycare surrounded by people who love and nurture him.

I am now prayerful that the nightmares will end. The constant face of anxiety will resolve. I'm praying that the need to fight and defend himself will finally come to an end. I'm hoping that his trust in my ability to take care of him will return.

My child overslept this morning. His anxiety usually drives him up about 5:30 am; this morning, it was after 7 before I dragged him out of bed. Once up he started singing:

We are the groovy cool cats
We are the groovy cool cats
We are the groovy cool cats
We are . . . cool cats.

This was sung to the Madagascar tune, I Like To Move it, Move it!

He has been announcing to any and all that would listen, "My mom's going to be my teacher!" And then in a quieter moment asked,

"do some mommy's pass their children along?"

"what do you mean baby?

"well, when they act bad? do mommies pass their children along?"

"well, some do, for various reasons, but you're not going anywhere. why do you ask?"

"well, I was just getting a little nervous, that's all."

Ok, so this mommy prays, "Lord, thank you for all of your blessings you bestow on us each and every day. I'm thanking you in advance for your spirit of peace and calmness that will soon permeate our house and within our hearts. Thank you for removing us from a toxic environment and allow us to bloom in this current circumstance. Amen.

Arkansas State University (Jonesboro) students face acts of racism and police brutality post Obama's victory celebration

Some may have heard about a supposed "riot" taking place at the Arkansas State University in Jonesboro AR on election night November 4, 2008. Police arrested and have accused eight black college students of inciting a riot. These kids are at risk of losing their scholarships and possibly expelled from school, if they are convicted of the story. You can find the details here.

Eyewitnesses to the events claim that the kids were merely celebrating the victory of President-elect Obama and they have the video to prove it. In fact, one of the main officers who called for back up is seen in several pictures taking pictures with the college students! Two of the students are speaking out; the letter below is being circulated across the internet.

Man, I hope this is not what we have to look forward to in the next four years.

Greetings!

I am a student at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Following Obama's victory of the 2008 Presidential election we (ASU students) witnessed extreme police brutality and racially charged chaos in our area. Below is a statement of what went on. The media is only portraying one side of the story and have not yet given us the opportunity to tell our side to let it be known what really happened.

Following the results of the 2008 Presidential election, we all began to celebrate by means of meeting in the parking lot of the campus apartment complex. There were people, cheering, driving and blowing horns, and hanging out of their cars. When we arrived in the Grove Apartments, in front of building five (5), a crowd began to accumulate, at this point, a police officer drove up. Jeffrey Boyd, one of those arrested, went to the officer to ask if we needed to leave. He said no and congratulated us on Obama's victory. He also advised us that we could celebrate until 12:30 due to it being a school night. We then, continued to play music, cheer, and dance and take pictures. 10-15 minutes later, the same officer showed up again. He proceeded to tell us that he has been getting complaints from the nearby building and that we would have to turn off the music. The driver of the car immediately went to his car and turned off the music. At this point, we obeyed the officer's command and continued talking amongst ourselves and taking pictures, including one with the officer on patrol. Around 11:00 pm, the officer pulled up again this time he just sat in his car with the lights directly on the crowd. He sat in his car for about five minutes before three more cop cars pulled up. By now, the first officer was out his car telling us that we needed to leave. Due to it not being 12:30, people began to ask if there was a problem. The other officers had, by then, made their way to the crowd. While a few people talked to the officers, the crowd began to chant "OBAMA" again. The officers finally got the pathway cleared when an officer grabbed a bystander (Clifford Crisswell) and handcuffed him. Everyone automatically, came to his defense asking the officers what had he done wrong. Approximately 30 additional officers were now present as they began to handcuff three other guys (Seneca Hart, Kevin Jones, and Donte Jones), one of which whose chest had been pushed and covered with 6 or more infrared lights. The 30 officers continued on with their rant threatening us to either leave or be taken to jail. At this time, two guys were thrown to the ground (Kiano Prater and Leroy Trahan) with police lying on top of them. Jeffery Boyd, was later also thrown to the ground where he was continuously kicked in the stomach and head by a female officer before and after being cuffed and put in the car. The crowd began to leave due to the police repeatedly stating that they would release everyone if the crowd dispersed. At this point, everyone had made it their respective destinations. We looked out the apartment window to see police with dogs and rifles. We let no one in and no one was allowed to go out. The officers continued to search outside for about 30 minutes as if they were looking for something. After we were allowed to leave, we decided to go find out where the guys had been taken. When we arrived at the detention center at 12:00 am.(midnight), they told us that everyone was booked there except the guy (Jeffrey Boyd) who had been hospitalized due to injuries suffered. He and the female officer were at the hospital being treated. The officer on duty told us that some were going to be facing "failure to disperse" and "inciting a riot" charges. He then, gave us a number to call 2 hours later to get the outcome. When we called at 2:30, they told us that the guys had to stay throughout the night and would have been reporting to court at 1 pm the following day (November 5, 2008).

As previously stated, the media is only telling one side of the story, that being the story that the Jonesboro Police Department is giving out. Their reporting that there were 200-250 of students acting in a disorderly manner, when there were only 60-70 of us at the most CELEBRATING, with permission, a very momentous night. A few were interviewed on the scene, but none of their stories have been either published or aired. Six of those arrested are currently facing a Class D Felony for Inciting a Riot and one, Jeffery Boyd who was injured is facing two charges: inciting a riot and 2nd degree battery to a police officer. The guys are all upstanding young men. Some are seniors, fraternity members, well-known football players, and have no criminal background. We have video documentation of the incident and would like to get our side of the story heard, by all means.

This has been a nightmare to us all and if you can help in any way it would be greatly appreciated. PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND CONSTITUENTS. TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT OF THIS GREAT INJUSTICE!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Feel free to contact:
Chelsea Adams
chelsea.adams@smail.astate.edu

or

LC Kennedy
lc.kennedy@smail.astate.edu

Baptism

My sweet baby was baptized yesterday, Nov 16, 2008. I thought he might be scared, but he and his other baptizees (about 7 boys ranging in age of 7-12), were excited about going through this process. It was a beautiful thing to watch their evident joy and to be witness to the beginning of their spiritual journeys.

So, as per usual, this proud mama has pictures.

Beautiful

I'm Back!!

Whew!! This has been an incredibly intense couple weeks! I almost feel like a soldier coming home from the battle field, I am so happy to return to this space. A quick glance around shows me that I have quite a bit of catching up to do.

I believe I mentioned a few posts back that I have been promoted to a new job. Well, for any of you who have ever created anything from scratch, you probably understand the intense pressure and scrutiny that I am under. I'm going to be scrong though, mostly because I think the worst of it has settled down.

In the midst of work stuff, I had several self-imposed projects that included a submission to fiction short story contest, an online writing course, and participation in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, or something like that).

On top of that, my son's school is driving me nuts! I feel like all I've done these past few weeks, when not involved in the above is fight and cuss! I'm tired. When I heard myself screaming inside my head this morning when some rude ass cut me off in traffic, I knew something would have to give. Soon.

My employers have generously allowed me to adjust my work schedule. I am going to take my son out of the public school system and homeschool him. At least, until January. I'm looking for private school settings and I don't want to have to rush into any decisions.

Just making that decision went a long way to relieve the pressure in my head. Wish us luck on that.

Plans for the weekend? I've got 007 on my mind. I've already lined up my sitter and James and I are going to spend a couple exciting hours together tomorrow. My son is getting baptized Sunday morning and we're planning a family dinner after church. Y'all are welcome to join us!!

Why does the U.S. have an Electoral College?

This article was forwarded to me by a friend. It was timely because, in the course of trying to explain the election process of an American president to my 7 year old son, I realized that I was missing some information; information that I probably slept on in my Civics class in high school. This article allowed me educate him with facts, not just with the vague idea I was initially going to do. LOL!!

Read the full article, with sources and more here.

Q:

Why does the U.S. have an Electoral College? Why does the United States have an Electoral College when it would be so easy to directly elect a president, as we do for all the other political offices?

A:

The framers of the Constitution didn't trust direct democracy. When U.S. citizens go to the polls to "elect" a president, they are in fact voting for a particular slate of electors. In every state but Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who wins the most votes (that is, a plurality) in the state receives all of the state’s electoral votes. The number of electors in each state is the sum of its U.S. senators and its U.S. representatives. (The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, which is the number of senators and representatives it would have if it were permitted representation in Congress.) The electors meet in their respective states 41 days after the popular election. There, they cast a ballot for president and a second for vice president. A candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes to be elected president. The reason that the Constitution calls for this extra layer, rather than just providing for the direct election of the president, is that most of the nation's founders were actually rather afraid of democracy. James Madison worried about what he called "factions," which he defined as groups of citizens who have a common interest in some proposal that would either violate the rights of other citizens or would harm the nation as a whole. Madison’s fear – which Alexis de Tocqueville later dubbed "the tyranny of the majority" – was that a faction could grow to encompass more than 50 percent of the population, at which point it could "sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens." Madison has a solution for tyranny of the majority: "A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking." As Alexander Hamilton writes in "The Federalist Papers," the Constitution is designed to ensure "that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications." The point of the Electoral College is to preserve "the sense of the people," while at the same time ensuring that a president is chosen "by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice." In modern practice, the Electoral College is mostly a formality. Most electors are loyal members of the party that has selected them, and in 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., electors are bound by laws or party pledges to vote in accord with the popular vote. Although an elector could, in principle, change his or her vote (and a few actually have over the years), doing so is rare. As the 2000 election reminded us, the Electoral College does make it possible for a candidate to win the popular vote and still not become president. But that is less a product of the Electoral College and more a product of the way states apportion electors. In every state but Maine and Nebraska, electors are awarded on a winner-take-all basis. So if a candidate wins a state by even a narrow margin, he or she wins all of the state’s electoral votes. The winner-take-all system is not federally mandated; states are free to allocate their electoral votes as they wish. The Electoral College was not the only Constitutional limitation on direct democracy, though we have discarded most of those limitations. Senators were initially to be appointed by state legislatures, and states were permitted to ban women from voting entirely. Slaves got an even worse deal, as a slave officially was counted as just three-fifths of a person. The 14th Amendment abolished the three-fifths rule and granted (male) former slaves the right to vote. The 17th Amendment made senators subject to direct election, and the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. -Joe Miller

Presidential possibilities

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States of America will bring about many changes to our country, but have you really considered how things may be different?

*A picture of a black man will be posted in EVERY federal building in this country and not on the Post Office most wanted list.

*At some point, his face will grace the cover of our country's currency. I vote for the $5 bill since it sees more circulation. I bet someone has already been tasked to sort which ink combination to best suit his features.

*Michelle Obama has established a new standard of beauty and grace. How long will it take before Michelle resume's her practice of twisting and/or braiding her children's natural hair?

*We have a real possibility that our president will be able to facilitate a peaceful end to the middle eastern conflict.

Can you think of some others?

John McCain's Concession

This is the most intelligent thing I've heard him say in the last two years. If he had shown more of this side of his nature, he may have given President-Elect Obama more of a run for his money.

Yes we can!! YES, WE DID!!

Wow!!

It's just been announced that Barack Obama has been declared winner of today's presidential election and will become the next president of the United States of America.

I had hoped. I prayed. I campaigned and cajoled folk to take part in this process. But the emotion that was released at this announcement and my face bathed in tears bear witness to the fact that, somewhere in the back of my mind, I didn't really think this would happen.

The early results seemed to reinforce my doubts. My home state of Tennessee was quickly declared a McCain win, followed my its surrounding states of Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia. These are three of the most impoverished states in the union and a huge majority of these folk could not see beyond this man's heritage and recognize that within him and his administration lay our best chances of recovery.

But as I type, I am listening to John McCain concede and am overwhelmed by the joy that I will not have to hear that nasal whine for the next four years.

Today, November 4, 2008, I am witness to history in the making. I am going to bed tonight secure in the knowledge that today, a new standard has been set for my African American son in particular, and disenfranchised sons country wide. Today, I am witness to a renewed sense of hope and anticipation for our future.

God bless and keep Barack Obama!!

Election Day 2008

This long awaited, anticipated day has finally arrived!

We now have our final opportunity to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak. So, please, put all arguments and inconveniences aside today. You know there will be long lines at the polls this morning, plan for it. Bring something to read, pack a lunch, a port-o-potty. . . do whatever it takes for you to exercise your voting privalege. At the end of this day, you will experience a sense of satisfaction because you did your part to change the course of history in this country. We will be able to say to our grandchildren,

"November the 4th 2008 is the day that WE elected our first Black American president!"

If everyone takes this opportunity to cast their votes, we can make a difference, we can have the change that President Obama has promised us (sounds good, doesn't it?).