Well three years ago we saw the end of what for my generation was an unprecedented era under former President Clinton. Then we had the dawn of the presidency of George W. Bush who started out on what I shall call very rocky ground. The turning point most will agree was the 9/11 attack.

Americans united and rallied behind the Commander-in-Chief who vowed we would get them. Who can forget that famous picture taken of him and the firefighters at Ground Zero!

We finally woke up, it was early Sunday morning, eleven days before Christams 2003, when Paul Bremer broke the news that Saddam Hussein had been captured. "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him." Loud claps and cheers could be heard from the audience.

Saddam was caught in a cellar, looking rather unkempt. They reported that he was found with two Iraqis, a few rifles, and $750,000 US. Chenny and Tenet were seen at Christmas parties before the announcement and were extremely festive, more than usual. Tim Russert reported that he went over to Tenet when he was leaving the party and said, "He had a dream that Saddam had been caught." Tenet looked at him and said "Happy Holidays!"

Ok so we now have Saddam, but the deaths of Americans continue. Iraq is still unstable. It is still a costly affair for us.

But when all is said and done, this Presidency that began on very rocky ground will be one for the history books. How will President Bush, the son, be remembered?

Now the President is proposing new bolder ideas. He wants to see man on the moon again and on mars too. He wants to offer illegal aliens some sort of amnesty where they will be allowed to let's say integrate for three years then leave or get that three year period extended. This is not yet law so let's see what Congress comes up with as it's their domain to legislate immigration law.

For the Democrats, I don't even know what to say. President Bush's re-election might already be a done deal. In just a few days, the President will give his State of the Union address, where he'll tout his record to paint the best picture he can for his reelection campaign. All this will happen regardless of the fact that many many Americans lost their jobs, saw local businesses forced to lay off workers, saw healthcare costs skyrocket, saw important services cut by state or local government, and have been forced to pay higher college tuition.

The real terrorism threat is still out there. But that doesn't matter because Americans believe that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. Yes, I am looking in my crystal ball and I can see Osama walking in the Afghanistan mountains laughing. No, or is he napping? I can't even tell.

The world is watching as well. We have made the rest of the world (except Great Britain, Spain, and the few other allies we had) so upset, by not listening to them or working with them, by preventing them from bidding on contracts in Iraq, but then having the nerve to ask them to forgive Iraqi debt.

President Bush has taught us that America does not beg. We can do whatever we want, wherever we want, whenever we want.

The rule of law, (international law) only applies to the U.S. when it's in America's best interest. However, it must apply to everyone else all the time.

Well the President is a man of conviction and much has happened on his watch. He has taken what many would see as risks, he has weathered many storms, he has protected America the way he saw best.

As Novemeber approaches, watch out Americans, watch out the rest of the world, because you haven't seen anything yet!

Whether or not you agree with the President's policies, you have to step back and say the man is very gutsy.

Articles of Interest	Uncle Sam is Knocking!
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I’m Black and I’m Proud:
Growing up Ghetto Fabulous
By Stephen Earley Jordan, II

“As far as fitting in[to] black America is concerned, it appears that the black poor (or those who are not poor but choose to live the Ghetto Fabulousness lifestyle) have the final word on who and what is "really" black and therefore, who is an insider and who is an outsider.”—Donald Taylor

It is important to recognize that a focus be placed upon whether we as a people are black and proud. And, more importantly, there is an ardent need to discover the elite who decides whether one is black enough or proud enough to be incorporated in this old-school-turned-modern (and fashionable) concept.

My mother and I (though different generations apart) have paralleled lives. She, one of seven children from Yonkers, NY grew up with both parents; a home (was there a picket fence too? I don’t recall her mentioning it), and attended a mostly-white school system. Mother was all too conscious of the world around her, her afro-centrism was at its height at an early age—she lived the “I’m black and I’m proud” era; she lived through the days when the metal afro-picks (with the clenched-fist handle) were used and soon considered a weapon; and she understood that the place in which she lived was a racially divided neighborhood. Yonkers, today, when I stroll through the streets (perhaps I go to the wrong hood), seem to be predominantly black. However, during her time—it was divided—as is most of New York by race and religion. She lived in a home —true— but her neighbors were white. Where were all the blacks? Well, sadly, they were in the projects of Yonkers with DMX and Mary J, starting a camaraderie with gangs and blunts, who would end up being “’bout it ‘bout it” in no short time at all. My mother’s family chose not to live a Ghetto Fabulous lifestyle; most people of that generation knew that there was nothing truly fabulous about Ghetto Fabulous. It was merely an emulation, wishful thinking.

In her article “Beyond Ghetto Fabulous” in the July 4-10, 2003 issue of LA Weekly, Vaginal Davis explains that she, “. . . remember[s] when ghetto fabulous wasn’t so fabulous.” She continues to discuss how this lifestyle consisted of poverty, under-education and living without the basic needs—food, clothing and shelter. Sarcastically, she says, “Ah, the glamour of growing up way below the poverty line on welfare, food stamps, and Section 8 and AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children).” The article continues to argue how Ghetto Fabulousness is not a new concept, it’s basically the idea of people living outside of their means—to the extreme (expensive (perhaps gaudy) jewelry, multiple vehicles, homes, and/or flashy clothing); many black folks seemed to want to take the rich white culture to the extreme, and represent a new culture for blacks that allowed them to be, not sophisticated, but ghetto fabulous. Sadly, this ghetto fabulousness is more of an attitude—also a determining factor of whether who is “black enough” to fit into the black community. Otherwise you’re considered “too” white—because of your personal lifestyle, because you live in a white neighborhood, because you went to college (not on a sports scholarship either), and because you have a damn good job.

This is not a result of obtaining a status of being a celebrity, or the glimmer of their claim-to-fame money or bling-bling, but because DMX and Mary J., the queen of ghetto-ism, grew up in a disadvantaged city, the hood, the projects, the low-income, single-parent apartments with struggles they’ve become the tokens for black Americans. However, let’s put the ball into my mother’s hands. If she were to go to the same hood, folks, my folks, my beautiful people would look at her, laughingly—half-serious—and with a roll-of-the-eyes, a sucking of the teeth, not pay her any heed, and see her as nothing more than part of the supposed bourgeoisie, and more importantly she would be an outcast, though she talked the talk that they talked, and even trod in their shoes with calloused feet—and in short, worked hard to be in her current position. Pathetically, I question—how can we be black and proud when we’re discriminating against our own people?

I wasn’t one of seven children like my mother, but one of two—the youngest. However, the similarity I share with her is that I was raised in a predominantly white town. CONTINUE

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Don’t Get Me Vex

I, Ryan Williams, hereby resolve:

1. To stop f@%&!# cursing without good cause. Sometimes it just slips into my language for emphasis, or for laughs. But I know I’m better than that and could find decent ways to embarrass people without resorting to swearing. I’m going to work on it.

2. Workout the lard off my gut This is a tough one. It always is. This is actually the first year I’m putting it on my list, though. I’m getting closer to that 40-yr old prostate examination and, forget the health issues, I’d just like to be in shape for the FEMALE doctor who’s going to invade me back there.

3. Find ways to do things that matter on this world. I won’t go into depth about it right now, but I’ve been noticing how unimportant my job and many of the things I do on a daily basis are to the betterment or well-being of this world. Now, I’m not going to join GreenPeace and save whales or anything like that, but I was websurfing and found “The Better World Handbook: From Good Intentions to Everyday Actions” by Jones, Haenfler, et.al. and I think I’m going to be using it. Once I buy it, that is.

4. Learn to speak Vietnamese I’m getting married this year. That’s not a prediction, by the authority of my fiancée, that is law. I’m looking forward to it, or maybe just looking forward to the ceremony being over, but I digress. She’s Vietnamese, and (doh!) so is her family. I’d like to impress them by properly learning the language, but more importantly, I want to eavesdrop on them when they predict my offspring will look like con khi - vietnamese for monkey. They’re really nice people, but they’re human too. I know someone in my Jamaican family’s going to call one of them ‘chiney’.

5. To be more honest and revealing in this Column When I started this writing thing, I intended to tell you what’s going on in my life for my 30th year, you know, Saturn Return and all that. But I easily get side-tracked by my thoughts on the crazy oddities of the world around us. Well let me tell you that there are quite a few oddities in my personal life, and while I’ll try to protect the names of the innocent, I’m going to also try to be more forthcoming with the ridiculous and insane turns my life sometimes takes.

6. To not be angry with myself when I only get to half of these resolutions.

Now I thought I’d make some predictions for the rest of you this year. After all, if Miss Cleo can do it… CONTINUE

Same Sex Couples Win Rights in New Jersey Gay and lesbian advocates cheered and hugged, and some openly wept, as the state Senate voted on Januaru 8th to give them many of the same rights as legally married couples. Without a word of opposition, the Senate voted, 23 to 9, to approve a bill granting those rights. Governor James E. McGreevey is expected to sign the measure into law shortly. Gay and lesbian advocates campaigned to make New Jersey the fifth state to recognize domestic partners. Conservative and religious groups opposed the measure, saying it threatened traditional marriage values. When the vote was tallied, many of the several hundred supporters who crammed into the Senate gallery cheered. Under the legislation, domestic partners would get access to medical benefits, insurance, and other legal rights. New Jersey would also recognize such partnerships granted in other states. The bill does not authorize gay marriage, which is against the law in New Jersey. To obtain domestic-partner status, a couple would have to share a residence and show proof of joint financial status or property ownership or designation of the partner as the beneficiary in a retirement plan or will. Details about registration must be worked out. The bill would not force businesses to offer health coverage to same-sex partners of employees but would require insurance companies to make it available. It would also allow a surviving partner to gain property rights and other survivors' benefits. The measure includes some benefits for domestic unions between unmarried heterosexual couples age 62 and over. The vote outraged conservative groups, and they threatened to fight any law in court.