The Nightly Neighborhood Circus Show Continues

How are your neighbors doing? Oh my… there’s always something going on in our neighborhood. Every night, or nearly every night, it seems it’s got to be something. I always find myself running to the front window to find out what the latest calamity is about. Such exciting times we live in!

Tonight, we were treated to several individuals involved in a public display of what those in the therapy culture call “conflict resolution”. Conflict resolution occurs by listening to and providing opportunities to meet each side's needs, adequately addressing their interests so that they are each satisfied with the outcome. Here, let these fine young adults from our neighborhood demonstrate:

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

You may think that's a soundtrack put to the video, cracker, but you'd be wrong. It's hard to see, because the video is dark, but that's actually the volume level coming from a car stereo and the 5 individuals on the corner, across from our house, about a hundred plus feet away. The 5 individuals loudly refered to themselves as "niggahs".

Damn.... dat' shitz loud.

We were "treated" to this behavior nonstop for about an hour and half, sometime between 2 and 3 in the morning, before the cops showed up and dispersed these considerate, outstanding citizens, who of course gave the cops attitude while leaving, and in turn had to be threatened with arrest. You know, the police were harassing them because they were providing the neighborhood with free entertainment, drinking, breaking bottles, littering the corner with trash, and smoking their "stuff" out in the open. No wonder they were upset when they were told to leave.

Welcome to third world Dorchester.

Embrace Difference

A very thoughtful neighbor (they’re all so civic minded around here) just drove by playing a lovely song for this summer afternoon. It’s now my favorite tune, whether I like it or not, because its sonic footprint has been imprinted on my brain by the 120 decibel, sub-bass delivery system that can probably communicate with elephants and whales hundereds of miles away.

In order to share the wealth of this great cultural experience, I present to you the lyrics of A.M. TO P.M. by CASSIDY from the album “I'M A HUSTLA”. Everyone sing along, you know the words!


I still move work, from the A.M. to the P.M. Niggaz got beef, I'ma spray 'em when I see 'em {*2X*}

[Cassidy] I punk on the street from the A.M. to the P.M. Nigga want beef, I'ma spray 'em when I see 'em Lay 'em when I see 'em, AK 'em when I see 'em Hop out the Bronco, I'll O.J. 'em when I see 'em Cut a bone out his skin, fish fo-lay 'em when I see 'em n' wire is real, Kanye 'em when I see 'em On their job, so I'll pay 'em when I see 'em Turn boys to men I'll wine Yayo when I see 'em Cause I'll be on the grid from the pm to the am Paint pictures with my rhymes, you can see 'em when I say 'em My songs like movies you can see 'em when you play them If a nigga want beef, when I see 'em I'ma spray 'em For six g's I could get your wip swiss cheesed I'm like a red nose, spic you a mixed bread Bitch please all 'em dudes in your cool ass I'll get you strangled with the strings on your doo-rag

[Chorus: repeat 2X] I still move work from the A.M. to the P.M. Niggaz got beef, I'ma spray 'em when I see 'em I still move work from the A.M. to the P.M. Niggaz got beef, I'ma spray 'em when I see 'em

[Cassidy] I'ma let you talk all stupid, till you get harked all stupid Sparked out stupid, outlined in charcoal stupid Dog I bite I don't bark all stupid, it is wat it is I'm in the coupe room droped all stupid Fitted hat cocked all stupid, gettin' top off stupid My clientele cop all stupid We excels on the block all stupid, it is what it is It's a fact that I rap all stupid Get your wig pushed back all stupid We strapped all stupid, I'll get you clapped all stupid Don't let the pills and the yack make you act all stupid Yeah I do my thinh all stupid, let my chain bling all stupid Ny ring all stupid and my earring all stupid I got them things and I swing all stupid

[Chorus] [Cassidy] Yo, with my flow you all amazed and astonished I've been hot since I got my first single with sonic Back in the days when Shawn Kemp played for the sonics I rocked the huge jeans and I played the atonics You know I blow A'z, I'll be blazing the chronic It got my mind scrambled the and egg and an omelette I talk to God every day, and he made me a promise Me and T like, Malcolm and Alasia mahomie Me and Swizz like Martin and Jessy But the fact that I can get assassinated, is startin to stress me I ain't tryna let the police department arrest me But I still keep the still tuff under the fresh tee And I ain't just rapin for my health So before you diss me, you be betta off laughin at yourself Cause I ain't tryna battle on the mic I have them goons hop out on you like they did Harrell at the light

Ghost Ship

Today I went for my normal bike run from here in Dorchester to Castle Island in Southie, and along the way, something spooky happened. The shoreline was covered in dense fog and visibility was quite limited. I haven't seen such fog in a long time and I felt bad for pilots and passengers of the planes overhead on final approach to Logan.

Now, on a bike you get to experience everything you normally would on a walk -passing conversations, smells, etc.-- but at 4 times the speed. What was neat about today's ride was nearly every conversation encountered centered on how amazing the fog was. Everyone seemed transfixed by it, and now you will be too!

Pure Evil

http://www.wpbf.com/news/13630001/detail.html

The father only sees his son Nathan "every few weeks", and he makes the admission that:

“Maybe he’s hanging around with the wrong crowd right now, I don’t know.”

...yet, he can't believe his shy, timid little boy would do something like this. Yeah, well, how would you know who he is, Dad?

This here might also give some background on the rich, home environment Nathan was raised in:

"His mother, Ruby Nell Walker, has been arrested nine times on charges that include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to do bodily harm. His father, also named Nathan Walker, has been arrested eight times."

Place your bets on whether or not the lawyer and family play the race card.

"I'm so tired of America" by Rufus Wainwright

"I don't particularly like this country either."

"We are stuck in this never ending jingoist meme, where even the most innocuous self-examination is considered treason. Our President is clearly a bully and a moron - and no one seems to notice."

"I truly hate my fellow Americans - we are lazy, greedy self-indulgent warmongers."

"Peace Democrats"

"During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Copperheads nominally favored the Union but strongly opposed the war, for which they blamed abolitionists, and they demanded immediate peace and resisted draft laws. The Democratic platform followed the Peace wing of the party, calling the war a "failure." They wanted Lincoln and the Republicans ousted from power, seeing the president as a tyrant who was destroying American republican values with his despotic and arbitrary actions."

See any parallels to the political situation today in regards to the war?

This, too, is amazing:

"On May 1, 1863, former Congressman Vallandigham declared that the war was being fought not to save the Union but to free the blacks and enslave Southern whites. The Army then arrested him for declaring sympathy for the enemy. He was court-martialed and sentenced to imprisonment, but Lincoln commuted the sentence to banishment behind Confederate lines. "

Clearly, the Patriot Act has nothing on Lincoln:

“During the Civil War, Lincoln appropriated powers no previous President had wielded: he used his war powers to proclaim a blockade, suspended the writ of habeas corpus, spent money without congressional authorization, and imprisoned 18,000 suspected Confederate sympathizers without trial.”

What Would Reagan Do?

"Intelligence officials say Daqduq is one of Hezbollah's top special operations commanders, an expert in the use of roadside bombs. The Americans say he, along with the Iraqi militia commanders he worked with, has admitted working with Iran's elite Quds Force special operations unit."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/01/iraq.hezbollah/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlO-cUGGQPo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhotair%2Ecom%2Farchives%2F2007%2F07%2F01%2Fyou%2Ddont%2Dsay%2Dus%2Dcaptures%2Dtop%2Dhezbollah%2Dbombmaker%2Din%2Diraq%2F

Why is it that Iran will suffer no consequence of assisting in the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq? Where is our leadership?

Also, this from Bill Roggio, where he clears up a false impression with some distinctions that nobody saw fit to make:

"On June 4, The New York Times released partial data from a classified memorandum that stated only 29 percent of Baghdad was secured, and provided little context to the status of the remaining 71 percent of Baghdad. The article was widely interpreted as heralding the failure of the Baghdad Security Plan, as four months into the operation, less than one third of Baghdad was secured. "

"On June 29, Major General Joseph Fil, Jr., the commanding general of Multinational Division Baghdad and the 1st Cavalry Division, briefed on the status of Baghdad and provided the much needed context to the security situation in the city. Maj. Gen Fil noted there are 474 “mahalas” – or neighborhoods - and that operations go through four stages: disruption, clearance, controlling, and retention. Each phase can be understood as follows:

Disruption: U.S. and Iraqi forces do not have forces established in the region or have not conducted clearing operations. Security forces are conducting raids and other shaping operations to “disrupt” enemy activity and gain intelligence on the terrorist and insurgent networks.

Clearance: Security forces are in the process of conducting large-scale operations, sweeps, and searches to find and secure weapons caches, detain insurgents, and establish a permanent presence in the area.

Controlling: Security forces have a presence in the area, and neighborhood watches and police forces have been established. The areas are now considered secured.

Retention: Neighborhoods are under control and have been fully transitioned to Iraq control.

Maj Gen Fil compared the numbers from April to today. In April about 19 percent of Baghdad was secured, 41 percent of Baghdad was yet to be cleared, and about 35 percent of Baghdad was in the process of being cleared. In May, as The New York Times reported, the number of neighborhoods under control jumped to 29 percent, but there was no discussion of neighborhoods in the clearance and disruption phases."

Question: Are there any responsible adults left in the media?