Requsite gratutitous Jessica Alba shot...

Why? Because someone mentioned to me that it annoyed them! As the Homeboys from the 1990's FOX show In Living Color always used to say - 'Another satisfied customer!'

Speaking of color - this is Black History Month! Oh, I used to piss the people off when they wanted me to come up with stuff, because they wanted to always do something INSPIRATATIONAL. Now, boys and girls, if there's a word that I want hounded out of the Webster's Dictionary with dogs, shotguns torches and the requsite unwashed villagers, that's the one, alone with every damned permutation of the damned word. I am SO DAMNED TIRED of hearing about that.

Look at this - Americans are money-grubbing, untrusting, mean-spirited cold-hearted, calculating bastards. Exactly. Perfect for business and the legal profession. Seriously, though, what that means is that Americans have an affinity for people who can make money. If you can make money, well, hell, they may not want you to live next door to them, but they will run their grandchildren down cheerfully to get to the board meeting whey they sign a merger that will have you working with them if you can make them heaps and gobs and planetoids full of MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

Why am I bringing this up? There's a wonderful article that you've probably never read, called 'Legacy of Black Entrepeneurship in America Goes Largely Ignored'. Cliffs Notes Version - yes, racism has always been here in America, and no one will deny the good of the Civil Rights movement. However - something was lost in that time - a legacy of African-American business ventures that grew and flourished for several reasons... one of them now embodied in the Asian and Arabic small businessmen in this country.

That reason? 'We have to do it for ourselves, because no one is going to do it for us.'

In the idea that the government is supposed to come in and help solve many problems, have Black Americans forgotten that in the past, there were many untold men and women of color who managed - despite all the slings and arrows that a country apathetic to them (at best) could herl and overlook being hurled - to forge successful business ventures recognized by all as just that - successful? If you want to inspire someone - create wealth! As a person once told me, the path to success can be duplicated!

Along those lines, I was picking up some pain meds at the Walgreens yesterday when I got into a conversation about the upcoming elections. (Personally, I think that we're looking at McCain in 2009, unless he does a Leo McGarry before the election - but that's for another time.) Anyway, I mentioned that I was for Edwards - to me, he was the guy with the skills, and it shocked the little old lady to hear me say that. "But aren't you for Obama? Don't you find him inspiring?"

I really shocked her when I said, "No. I don't find him particularly inspiring." I found Colin Powell inspiring, because he was a guy who busted his ass moving through the military to get to one of the biggest, hardest jobs to obtain and handle without frakkin' up - and he kicked ass. I don't exactly consider a first-term senator who comes off as a cross between a rock star and a low-level preacher 'inspiring'... and trust me when I say that I have more than had my fill of inspiring preacher types. More than my fill, and more than a lifetimes' worth.

You want to inspire me? Bust ass on ONE major piece of legislation that has long-reaching remifications that will have people talking for a long while! You want to inspire me? Do that as 'a man from Illinois' or 'a man from Chicagoland' or as 'a lawyer who decided to do some good in the world instead of just making money'... not 'just as a Black man!'

It's like I would tell the jackasses who did the race thing back in college: 'Please - don't dislike me because I'm Black. Hang around. Get to know me - and I promise you that before long, you'll have reasons to despise me that have NOTHING to do with my skin color!' Obama might be the next President. He might even be a great President. Problem is, is Obama going to be a Black President, or the President - who happens to be Black? There's a difference.

Along those lines (getting back to the original subject), I remember someone telling me that Jessica Alba was a Latina. I was taken back a bit, because I thought that she was a brunette who dyed her hair for the Fantastic Four films. They said, no, she's a Latina, and I said - so what? As far as I'm concerned, she's a cute chick with a nice airframe!

After all - we have to consider what's really important.

P.S. - Watched Stargate Atlantis tonight. Emma Lahana (of Power Rangers: Dino Thunder fame) was the guest star. In her last scene, she and Joe Flanagan (who plays Colonel Shepard) were walking along a nice path, and she was wearing sone nice heels and a flowing shirt.

My, oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my. Someone's really been keeping up on her roadwork, because she has spectacular legs. See, I'm a leg guy - and I do like 'em long and defined. Yeah. She's the money.