Under Da Hood!

Late last night, I came across a notebook I used in high school at the age of 17.  It was filled with my notes from physics, chemistry, and calculus along with a reminders about Shakespeare rehearsal after school (yeah, I was that much of a nerd) and other extra-curricular activities.  I was surprised that even after 24 years they were still considered (in my mind) well written and I still understood the concepts the notes needed to convey.  I then noticed that my handwriting had changed over time, I also realized that the girl’s name that I doodled on the corners of my pages (and totally obsessed with) was no longer a significant focus in my life, I no longer had aspirations to be in the chemical field/industry.  I had changed.  I realized the rules I played by, the beliefs I had, the goals I had, no longer applied to my current existence.  Yes, those experiences molded me (partly) into what I am, but I could no longer stand fast by those thoughts, rules, etc. since doing so would be as fruitful as wearing the same pants I wore during that time (30/30) compared to what I wear now (34/33).  “When I was a child, I talked… I guess”.

So I looked at the notebook one last time realizing over the 24 years since our initial introduction I had changed.  Some of the changes were mandatory, some were of my own choosing but all in all I was/am different and this notebook no longer applied.  Yeah, I can use it when my son and daughter face the task of taking on those courses and maybe it will help, but when it’s all said and done, they’ll have to take their own notes I guess to make it applicable to them.

I flipped through the notebook’s pages one last time and then tossed it aside realizing in doing so, I needed a new notebook.  Just sayin’.  =/\=

-Mr. Hood

As stated before during Black History Month, I have a tendency to change my profile picture on a daily basis to one of the African Americans who I believe were influential not only on the African American community but the American community as a whole.  These men and women are scientists, politicians, activists, industrialists, and educators.  I normally do not select celebrities or athletes (with the exception of Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Woody Strode and Kenny Washington) because their impact is usually superficial in nature and not lasting, but not today.  Today, “I’m Charles Washburn”.  

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Washburn a little over 10 years ago at my first Star Trek Vegas convention.  He was sitting alone at his table while the attendees scurried around the other more notable celebrities.  I stood there with my buddy Bill talking to James Darren (who was extremely nice and the complete essence of cool) when I asked Mr. Darren who was the gentlemen (referring to Mr. Washburn) sitting across the way.  Mr. Darren placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me slight not like the father from a Christmas Story showing Ralphie the hidden present.  At this point, I started to slowly walk over to this man who was greying and intensely reading something.  I looked back at my buddy Bill but he was already “flirting” (successfully some would say) with another Star Trek cutie - but that’s a tale for another time.  

As I approached his table, Mr. Washburn looked up from the book I was reading.  I found myself not being able to make eye contact with him.  I look down at his table and I saw this picture:

Yep, the man in front of me had worked on the original Star Trek series.  Not only had he worked on the original series but he was the assistant director.  And not only was he the assistant director, but he was the FIRST black assistant director, being also the first African American to apply to and graduate from the DGA (Director Guild of America).  

Now I wasn’t a big fan of Kirk and Spock when my dad introduced the show to me when I was about 8.  I was part of the “Star Wars” generation and watching Star Trek was just simply… bleh.  The special effects were sad (in comparison to Lucas’s masterpiece), the acting subpar, the only saving grace was Nichelle Nichols and to be honest, that was only reason I would sit for an hour with my dad through this trying ordeal just so I could see Ms. Nichols.  Yeah I know 8… don’t judge me.  It wasn’t until 1993 when I first saw Deep Space Nine that I started to get it.  Not the Star Trek thing, but science fiction… but as I stated, I was only starting to get it and then I met Mr. Washburn.

I remember stammering on about “Oh you were on the original series.  That must have been cool.”  Cool?  Who the hell says cool to a man who clearly has had some influence on one of the largest aspects of pop-culture in my lifetime?”

He smiled as he saw me recognize my error as I cleared my throat.  He extended his hand, “Charles Washburn.”

I extended mine, “Parker.”

His hands, creased with age and course but not rough from years of some sort of manual labor.  His grip solid but not overpowering.  But his nails, immaculate.  Why did I look at his nails you ask?  I’ve learned you can tell a lot about a person by their hands (and feet).  Gnawed fingernails would tell me the man had a stressful life and didn’t know how to deal with it and potentially had an issue expressing himself verbally, enlarged knuckles and scarred backhand could be the result of fights or smashing his hand into something which would denote a temper… and the list goes on.

“So,” he asked, “is this your first convention?”

I replied that this was actually my second with the first being in Philadelphia a few years prior and I was amazed at how large this convention was in comparison.  

“It amazes me how so many people… so many different people, have the same thing in common.”  I said looking throughout one of the convention halls.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “that’s the secret of Star Trek and Mr. Roddenberry.  It proved that we all may be different but we are all the same.”  

“So, why do you think we have so little black people in lead roles or any other race for that matter in science fiction?”  I asked feeling if anyone would know the answer this man would.

“Oh, I don’t know… things are changing.” he said looking across the room.  ”Look at Avery.” 

Those words, “look at Avery” resonated something Vaughn Armstrong asked me when I talked him after recognizing him from Saved By the Bell (yeah, my nerdom continues to grow… but in my defense, my addiction to that show is my sister’s fault.)

“Was is important for you to see Avery in that role (as Captain).”  Vaughn had asked.

“Most definitely, it gave me the hope that not only was the African American male in the future, but we helped mold it and we are still significant without all the shoe shuffling, “N” word dropping, crotch grabbing, “Yo” slanging crap that modern media portrays.”  I responded.

So there I sat next to a Hollywood icon… wrong choice of words, an influential African American in television who’s work (which was at times uncredited) was and is impacting to the point that he was dubbed “Charlie Star Trek”.  A person who lived through the Civil Rights movement, while helping portray a galaxy where “Civil” rights were a non-discussion, because it was no longer a concern because everyone had them and everyone understood the concept of justice and equality.  

As I stated before, so I sat there.  We joked and laughed, he expressed his pride in Star Trek as he spoke with others that approached his table.  We took a couple of pictures together and I took pictures of him with others.  In the final moments of my visit with him as I grabbed Bill from the Star Trek hottie so we could see Patrick Stewart, I turned to Mr. Washburn and said, “Thank you”.

He nodded and smiled and gave the average “my pleasure.”  I then stated as I extended my hand, “No, seriously… Thank you.  Thank you for help  bringing a future to me I can dream about and realize.”

He shook my hand utilizing the same grip, but he held it a little longer this time.  I understood what that meant and what I was charged with.

Mr. Washburn died last year after his battle with kidney disease.  There was BET memoriam, no NAACP honor, no SyFy special or Science dedication for this pioneer, but then again, maybe that’s the way he wanted it.  His life… uncredited.  =/\=

-Mr. Hood

Ok, I’ve been holding this is in for awhile and now it’s time to let it out.  The following statement will definitely offend some of you as most of my post do and may firmly plant me in the “Tom” category.  Anyway, I digress…

With the President’s re-election and then his subsequent inauguration happening around celebrated day of Martin Luther King, Jr., I noticed many “memes” that have combined the images of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama with a statement along the lines of Martin Luther stating “I have a dream” and with Barack Obama stating “I am the dream fulfilled”.

Let me stop you right there.  First, let me start by saying I firmly believe Dr. King’s dream was not meant for one man, position or one group of people, but all people.  He saw the hypocrisy of the American system and called them out on it.  He showed the world the underbelly of the “American Dream” and did it without throwing a punch, pulling a knife, or shooting a gun.  He showed the world our inequalities, inner fears, inner hatred, and forewarned us as a country to change our ways. 

So when I see things like this:

or this:

I cringe a little.  

Don’t get me wrong, do I understand and appreciate the significance of the U.S. electing its first bi-racial President?  Yes.  Definitely.  But do I believe that this means Dr. King’s dream has been fulfilled?  Hell no.  I look at the President’s drone attacks and the continued war in the Middle East (King was completely against Viet Nam), I look at the President’s stance on social change (King wanted this, but not from a government’s stance but from a people’s stance), I look at the President’s stance on justice and the renewed NDAA (King’s response to justice).  To me it doesn’t matter if the President is White or Black or both, there will be issues I agree with and issues, I will disagree with because I’m judging him on his character not his color.  I voted for him or against him based not on his color, but his character.  I will stand with him or against based not on his color, but his character.  

Now I know there are some Black people who have voted based strictly on race because they may feel this is some sort of justice and to be honest, that makes me cringe even more. Are we as a people so oppressed (and yes oppressed is the word I used because it is still happening, just in a more PC way) that we have reverted to the same mentality that is being utilized against us?  Cannot we not rise above the concept of victimization and show the rest of the country who we truly are?  We do it every in just about every professional sport, why not in industry?  Why not in politics?  Why not in social change?  And how is this fulfilling Dr. King’s dream?

We as a people (all of us) still have in-fighting, to the point of extreme view points, we no longer cultivate the economy AND great minds, while fostering a moral code WE ALL can live by, not one designated by a select minority.  We’ve let political correctiveness and fear blanket the real discussions that still need to be made in order to keep this “delicate” peace among us which is actually fraying at the seams.  

Dr. King wanted us to be responsible to ourselves, to peacefully right wrongs and speak out against injustices.  Stand up for yourselves and help each other every chance you got.  All in all, I think Aaron McGruder is right in his assumption regarding if Dr. King were alive today.  We still have a lot of work ahead of us to achieve “The Dream” and it doesn’t rest on the shoulders of one office or group of people.  It is and should be OUR goal as a country.  

In conclusion, being judged on the content of one’s character and not the color of your skin is just the beginning.  True progress will come when we will all contribute to the American ideal which we have all created.  One where the only limits are the ones we place on ourselves and that can only happen if we all are aboard… and no government office “can do that for us”.  =/\=

-Mr. Hood

OK, here’s my thought for the day.  I know there are you out there that are concerned that your weapons (GUNS) may be taken away, but I assuage your fears with this.  We are talking about the same people (who are attempting this radical change) who couldn’t run a brothel.  Just let that sink in, they couldn’t run a WHOREHOUSE!  How hard is that?  Seriously.  It’s pussy.  And you think this same crew of people (idiots) will be able to come to a consensus (because they’ve proven oh so many times that they can and have) to stomp out a fundamental law in the Bill of Rights?  Seriously, stop listening to the dogma and think.  This is just another jab with the left so you pay attention to that instead of seeing the right hook coming.  #WAKEUP

I wonder if the same arguments would be made if these children and teachers were killed by a drone attack or was blown up using suicide bomber technology or slaughtered like cattle with a knife or strangled with his bear hands.  

As a person with a “fixer” mindset I don’t want to resolve the symptom, because that won’t prevent something like this from happening again.  I want to attack the root of the issue and fix it there and sadly, no one wants to really address that (at least from what I’m seeing) because the questions and answers are complex.  So to those who quickly run behind the Constitution to make some political statement for gun control or against gun control (which to a point sickens me) thank you for taking a tragedy that should have its focus on the those lost and what triggered the person to do such a thing to defending your belief for/against gun control.  Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever see that right change and honestly, why should it?  We as a nation tried to stop the use of alcohol and we sucked at it.  We tried to stop the usage of drugs and the business surrounding it and yep, drugs and their dealers, pushers, manufacturers still exist, so we suck at that too.

I mean think about it, the right to own a weapon wasn’t revoked after we lost our first President to an assassin, or the second, or the third, or the fourth and if the law isn’t stricken after that those successful attempts and numerous unsuccessful attempts… IT’S NOT GOING TO!  So with that in mind, what can be changed?  How about OUR thinking when tragedies like this hit us?  Instead of quickly blaming the tool used, how about we address the person’s mindset?  We did when Timothy McVeigh blew up a Federal building, we did when Charles Manson convinced others to kill.  How about Jeffrey Dahmer?  Or John Wayne Gacy?  Or John Allen Muhammed? What transpired in these people’s lives that would wire their brains to think these actions were acceptable?  Were their warning signs and if so, what can we do to address them before something like this happens… again?

I truly can’t imagine what those husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins are feeling right now and all those who are/were touched by this tragedy need our support, not our finger pointing.

So I challenge you.  Find (and fight) the real cause, not the symptom.  Propose a real solution, not spout your rhetorical political beliefs that’s spoon fed to you on a daily basis.  Make the change happen.

Oh, by the way… those of you asshats that are making the connection between owning a gun and shooting a person is like a person making a connection between owning a car and killing someone.  What are you 12? =/\=

-Mr. Hood

Dear Thief,

I want to express to you my deepest gratitude for showing me the errors of my ways last night when I left my car door unlocked.  I hope the $12 in loose change you took from the center console will help appease any financial needs you may have.  I continue to hope you will enjoy the half dozen 98+ rated cigars with the mini humidor which was going to be a gift for an employee.  But what the hell, you needed them right?  My staff member won’t mind not getting a gift he didn’t know he was receiving.  I do want to apologize for placing a password on my phone.  I don’t know what I was thinking making my phone unusable to you.  I truly, truly apologize.  I also noticed that after left the center console open and the glove box open, you did not take my wife’s sunglasses (must not have been your style, I’ll make sure we rectify that next time), my pack of Orbit’s gum or my Carmex.  If next time you could provide a list of items you would like to see in the car for your next appointment, please feel free to leave said list on the car.  You can even use a rock and scratch it directly into the hood.  Thanks again!

-James

Ok, I don’t know what class of asshat you fit (crackhead, meth-head, dick head, etc.), but I’m under the impression that where my wife and I park, coupled with the fact there is no lighting of any kind in that area, you had to actually walk up to our cars and try the door handles before becoming aware of my car’s unlocked state.  With that said I will tell you this, if I am blessed to find you near my car or my house again, I promise you the last thing you will see will be me and I will do my damnedest to unleash an amalgam of holy hell upon you, leaving you in a pile of your own blood and urine.  Try me.

-Mr. Hood

Oh and P.S.

As most have you have guessed by reading the title, this post is about the death of Trayvon Martin and the circumstances surrounding it.  

Honestly, I’ve been pretty quiet regarding the whole event and the circumstances surrounding it.  I wanted to gather as many facts as I could before reaching my opinion.  I’ve read many articles both from the left and right.  Both conservatives and liberals and the one question that no one seems to want to answer is:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care about race at this point because it seems most people who are vehemently upset are blaming this tragedy on race which I find interesting since the shooter, George Zimmerman, is partially Hispanic.  But the question remains:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care that Mr. Zimmerman ignored the 911 responder’s recommendation of not following Trayvon, because if Mr. Zimmerman felt his community was in danger, then it was his right to follow him.  But the question remains:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care if Mr. Zimmerman suffered injuries during his confrontation with Trayvon, because the question remains:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care that Mr. Zimmerman has a history of violence towards both citizens and law enforcement, because the question remains:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care that Trayvon’s tweets were posted, because the question remains:

What is suspicious?

I don’t care about the fact that Trayvon was suspended, because the question remains:

What is suspicious?

What I do care about is another child has been taken from this world… violently.  What I care about is someone’s son is going “home” way too soon.  What I care about is the fact that this event eerily reminds me of Emmitt Till.  Which also tells me this may be the quiet before the storm.  And the reason behind this madness?  Because Trayvon looked suspicious.  So once again I ask:  What is suspicious?  

The media powers wants us to choose sides, so we continue to bicker among ourselves while the elephant in the room still isn’t addressed.  The politicians want us to bicker and riot to help sell more fear while picking our pockets clean.  All the while none of them want to answer the question:

What is suspicious?

Is suspicious a perception based on what we are fed mentally to the point that we find ourselves fearful of this image?  I’ll give you an example and some of you may have heard me tell this story and for that, bear with me and for those who haven’t… pay attention.

I was on a flight a few years back from Chicago to D.C.  I was seated in the next to the last row of the plane.  Just before we were scheduled to depart another passenger joined the flight, a man in his mid 40’s of Middle Eastern decent.  He hurriedly walked down the aisle and took a seat directly behind me sitting in the last row.

As the engines started, this man began reading a prayer from the Quran - loudly.  I mean so loudly that it could be heard above the plane’s engines.  Sitting in the aisle, I found myself getting pissed.  Not scared, but extremely pissed, because I knew this man was about to prevent me from seeing my wife and kids ever again.  I looked across the aisle at the older gentlemen wearing leather pants and a white t-shirt and we silently made the agreement that when this guy starts his craziness we were going to put him down… permanently.  

So we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally we reached D.C. and of course nothing occurred.  I felt horrible.  I had clearly judged this man unfairly due to my perception of his race and religion!  I had to do something.  I mustered up the courage and strength which had been sapped waiting for this man to start his mess on the plane.  

As I approached him, I found that my mouth was getting dry and my heart start to race. I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Excuse me sir.”  He turned towards me and responded.

“Yes?”

“I owe you an apology.” I said, “When I heard you reading your prayer from the Quran, I immediately assumed you were a terrorist and was ready to do you harm.  I misjudged you and for that I wholeheartedly apologize.”

He looked at me for a brief moment and then nodded and smiled as if to say “it’s ok, I understand.” And then shook my hand while giving me a politically correct acknowledgement and walked away.

But that’s the problem, it wasn’t “ok”.  What I did was wrong.  Granted, I think I did something most of us wouldn’t do and that was confronting my failure and apologizing for it.  But nevertheless, the mindset was wrong.  Regardless of what my past or history dictates, to broadly judge one person based on race due to the perceptions of others is simply ignorant and can lead to horrible tragedies like the one that has befallen the Martin and Zimmerman family.

Now you all know me, I not one to simply spout issues and place blame.  I am one who if I have the choice and opportunity, will provide answers (something most Op-Ed, politicians, and hate mongers avoid).  And my answer to this issue is simply this.  If we as a people, can stop believing the hype and the propaganda about each other as a group label and start taking people as individuals, we finally start to move out of the stagnant state of hatred, prejudice, racism, discrimination and fear we currently live in (and if you don’t think these are not only still around but prevalent, just check out Mr. Santorum’s slip up regarding our current President).  Believing these misconceptions has and always will lead us to a point of no return, straining this already tenuous bind.

So I leave you with this.  After now seeing the situation I was in, should I have jumped the man sitting behind me and strangled him to death before he could have hatched his jihadist plan?  And if so, should I have gone to jail for it?  Just sayin’. =/\=

-Mr. Hood