Attn all FB Friends, Readers & Observers: Since I moved to my new location I have not been online as much as I would prefer to be. I have been receiving questions & complaints from individuals in regards to ‘individual’s friend requests & non-profit associates’. Those who have followed me for any length of time know that I will not send any individual, non-profit, Orgz or Foundation to you without first notifying you personally & discussing it with you.

My pages on the internet are Public & not everyone who follows me is closely associated with my person. I have many individuals here who do have programs for their country, communities & neighborhoods…that does not mean that I endorse their personal character, but that I respect their efforts to move life. I encourage everyone to always look into any non-profit or Orgz thoroughly before gifting any funds…I prefer that individuals donate to well-known local charities in their own communities.

Since the fall of 2010 I only help individuals within the Judicial/Penal realms that are ‘Independents’ & not associated with any group or Organization. I am a Democrat & Liberal…I do not believe that President Barack Obama was a street member of the GD’s at any time!! So for those of you who have asked me about this claim…’I see it as a recruiting effort’ by the Orgz’s that make such claims. If this claim were to be true the SS, T-thugs & Repugs would have been all over this like flies on shit.  Please do not direct such questions to me anymore. I do not believe in violence as a cure-all to any issue that we may face. I believe that our pro-gun society & ideologies need a facelift. The alibi by the pro lobbyists of keeping weapons out of the hands of felons no longer has any weight with me. The majority of our mass shootings & weapons being brought into our educational realms are by non-felons who can legally attain & purchase such a weapon. What can you not do with one bullet that you can do with 10-15-30?

For those ‘cowardly eyes’ who follow me & observe but do not report the truth…no outside individual, group or entity needs to ‘divide & conquer’ your realm…you’ve become masters at doing it yourself!! I do not allow anyone to berate or disrespect anyone on my pages…nor is sexual literature or graphics welcome!! I have many here of all ages, races, creeds & nationalities…from time to time I will let ‘ignorance run its course’ so that everyone may behold the small mind from whence it comes. There is NO BULLYING on my site…you may post ideologies, news & political views different from my own…but do not harass individuals who are on my sites. Perhaps the citizens can do what the politicians cannot, we can compromise, seek tolerance & have more compassion for our fellow man…catastrophic events should not be the only time when humanity & the human touch visit our lives.

I will be online more now in the future…I will be writing more also & addressing issues that we face in our daily lives & existence. If you have concern over content on my pages please feel free to contact me. I will discuss the content or issue with you. I thank you for all of your messages & keeping an eye on my pgs while I am gone. Thank you for remaining with me & touching my life….

Lady Gray                                                                                                     

 A New Frightening Trend

I come to all of those within Life’s Struggle with the nth amount of due respect & love. Within the following piece I wish to discuss an issue & trend within the realms of education that have me extremely concerned. I am placing my thoughts & concerns within to invoke thought & dialogue for all who read this. I thank you for your time & patience.

As many of my Friends & readers know I live in the Low Country in South Carolina. A region well known for its history, scenery & climate. The last 6 mos as I tune in to the Low Country news, it seems that a week does not go by when there is not a report of a ‘gun’ being taken & found on school property. What I find even more alarming is the age of the student in possession of the firearm. Firearms are being taken more & more to school by students in Elementary & Middle School grades. We have been most fortunate not to have any casualties from these incidents however as the incidents occur more frequently that will surely change.  The firearms in some cases belong to parents or older youth who do not take responsible actions of owning their firearms & properly secure them. More & more the weapons appearing on school property & buses are semi-automatics & may have accompanying ammo, which have been the weapon of choice in tragic events in our Nation & Educational realms.

In a couple of the cases the younger students may give the weapon a ‘Show n’ Tell’ status, finding it a fascinating ‘toy’. Those students within the Middle School realms find them as a means of ‘protection’ from peer elements or ‘bullying’ at large. I find it a sad & deplorable situation when any student feels he has to resort to such a dangerous means in a realm that promotes safety & protection for all children & youth. There was a time in this Nation when parents & caretakers could send their children off to school with some comfort that is no longer the case!! Children who come from dysfunctional environments & abusive situations could find some escape, comfort & joy from their daily treks to their schools & classrooms. But with firearms being brought within Educational Institutes are more frequent & such tragedies as Sandy Hook occur we must as a society realize that such events & actions affect the lives & performance of students. The ‘Boogey Man’ is no longer just under the bed or in a closet, but their ‘safe haven/place’.

There are many programs that have been initiated across the Nation to deter ‘bullying & halt ‘firearms’ within our Educational realms. Some of them have seen success, while other students tell me it only intensifies ‘bullying’ & puts them at greater risk. Some students claim that when they relate their ‘bullying’ incidents to adults within their environments, the adults hear, but do not listen. Other youth have told me when they go to their parents or other adults they’re told that the adults suffered like ‘bullying’ when attending school & survived, the recipient of ‘bullying’ will survive also. As one teen from Detroit once told me, ‘I would like to help make things better, but as I look around me I don’t see adults moving very much.’ Often left the silent burden of their own emotions the victim of ‘bullying’ & peer pressure will find a way to rid themselves of their pain & suffering. If that means carrying a weapon to school so that they can feel they have a fighting chance, then that is what they’ll do. Others who do not have support or access to a weapon may seek out suicide to stop the pain & hurt.

An inmate once relayed a story to me from his youth of a tragic event that happened to him in his early teens. He was popular in school due to his participation in sports & was attending Middle School. One day after school he was walking home his best friend’s sister. Some older teens pulled up in a car & began shooting at them. The young girl age 11 was hit by bullets & killed. The next day when he returned to school he was greeted by fellow classmates as a conquering hero. He said “Lady, I was no hero…I was all tore up & crying inside.’ Twenty years later he still weeps when the memory comes to visit him.

I've discussed this issue the last 5 yrs with youth & adults. I cringe when I get embroiled in a discussion with a pro-gun extremist who has no problem telling me that they indeed would arm their child while attending school. Youth have a different outlook & silent fear they’re often burdened with. Students are constantly reminded to be on their toes & alert in regards to any possible situation, bullying & the possession of firearms. Many of them feel that they do not enjoy the same educational experience that the adults around them often refer to from their school days. More & more students are often carrying some type of protection with them including razors, knives, sprays & more deadly weapons…firearms. Too many students & young adults have been misinformed regarding the legalities of the laws protecting & concerning juveniles. There are 16 States in the US that may prosecute youth as young as 11yrs old for committing a crime as an adult.

You will find some members within the Law Enforcement & Professional realms that will tell you the incidents of weapons being brought into schools are relatively low when you factor in the ratios of weapons to students. I personally believe that perspective is extremely detrimental to the issue of weapons in our schools. I wonder at what point it would reach a concern & crisis for them.

What about the fears & silent pain our youth face today? The student who cries on the inside because the smiling face that once sat beside them is no longer in this life. Adults often have a difficult time coping with the death of a loved one, the finality of it all…how much more so for the young who believe they have a lifetime before them? When Life goes on tilt there’s no turning back no matter how many quarters you put in the slot or prayers you put up. How many parents & children must experience loss & pain before society as a whole changes their perspective & ideologies on firearms & weaponry? 

Many parents see their children as tomorrow’s caretakers & part of their legacy…how many chapters must go unwritten before they begin to ‘listen’ & seek change? As individuals & a society, when we do not seek or demand change, our youth see our stance as a ‘seal of approval’ for their conditions & actions. What role has Hollywood & the media played in regards to ‘gun toting’ individuals & gun control? What about the ‘glorified’ profiles that often are revealed within music & on the screen?

Americans rattled the halls of Washington DC over the deaths & disabilities our military endured in 2 wars. Every year in our Nation over 3,000 children lose their lives to firearms, is their value & loss any different? Whose child & how many children must we see maimed & murdered by firearms before we see new regulations within ‘gun control’? Have we made firearms the ‘crutch & cure-all’ for our fears & insecurities as a society? As our fears & insecurities increase, so do the size & capacity of our weaponry.

I wanted to share with you a few of my thoughts on the issues of children & juveniles who no longer feel safe within our schools & have fellow classmates bringing firearms into their realms. There is no clear-cut answer or resolution to this problem which grows with the silence of generations. Nor are we likely to see change when this topic is taboo socially & politically. How many more generations must pass for mankind before he returns to sticks & stones?

I leave you as I came with the nth amount of respect & love for life.

Lady Gray

Bullies!!

‘Social Snipers’

I come to everyone/everywhere with the nth amount of due respect & love for life. Within this piece I wish to implement ’flipping the script’ on portraits in the ‘social art galleries’. Therefore at this time I wish to discuss ‘bullies’ & ‘bullying’….

All of the ideologies & analogies that follow in regards to bullies are based upon my own observations, concepts & from being the recipient of their extraordinary talents. There has been an enormous amount of social & media attention lately focused on this issue due to the amount of violence & suicides by youth & young adults. Bullying however is not just confined to youth & social venues they visit; you can also find it in the work place, board rooms, political pits, professional ‘arenas’, military & religious venues. Bullying is almost as old as mankind itself, passed down over the generations, centuries & millenniums.

They can be anyone, a sibling, parent, relative, neighbor, friend, teacher, preacher, fellow employee, boss, officer of the law, politician or an individual sitting right next to you. They come in all shapes, sizes & ages. Bullying is fueled by many factors some of them are; character weaknesses, ignorance, fear, low self-esteem, envy, greed & just plain meanness.

To a certain degree I am grateful for the character often displayed by Bullies…not for the impact that they may have on an individual, but because they freely & willfully expose their own presence, agenda & weaknesses. Unlike a ‘terrorist’ who merges quietly within their environment & social scene, you do not have to look under rocks or rattle a bush to find them. I consider ‘Bullies’ to be nothing more than ‘social snipers’.  However, when youth carry their ‘bullying ammo’ with them into maturity, they can become mass ‘serial haters’. They become so enamored with the ‘false portrait’ of empowerment that ‘bullying’ gives them, they point their fingers more & more at other individuals & fail to strengthen their own image & character. Today these cowardly ‘social snipers’ have a new venue in which to launch their desperate acts…the internet, but still their character weaknesses are exposed. You can find these Super Bullies & Serial Haters by going to the Southern Poverty Law Center site & clicking on their Hate Group map link. You may also check at the same time into cases which they are pursuing on behalf of children & youth within the education realms & bullying…they have a top notch anti-bullying project.

Homo Sapiens are of the Animal Kingdom, therefore during their existence they also often become the victims of a ‘pecking order’. It often starts as soon as we can walk & is often referred to as ‘sibling rivalry’. But when competition enters a stage of empowerment gratification it can be classified as ‘bullying’. Many may see this as a period of growth in strength & character…they fail to see the hidden scars & wounds that can take a lifetime to heal & actually stunt the growth they hope to create.

You will be hard pressed to make your journey on this plane we call life & not observe or be the recipient of ‘bullying’. Spring risings, dissensions & rebellions are created by the recipients of ‘sustained bullying’. Cruel words, sic jokes & acts or an iron fist are not the only elements of bullying. It comes with many guises….violence to inflict fear & inferiority, economic gaps, limited human rights & restrictive knowledge, injustice, starvation & enforced poverty…the silent killers of ‘bullying’. It can come as a ‘lone wolf or run in a pack like wild dogs.”

‘The destruction of man lies within the grasp of his fingers, the power he holds within his imagination & only the knowledge he has capacitated through time will conquer’ (Lady Gray 1974). It is often said that individuals who do not retain the knowledge & mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them in the future. Thus history in some form is always repeating itself.

Bullies are a rampant disease within mankind…no amount of research, miracle discovery or justice can abolish its existence. For every cure we discover ten more pop up!! Its extinction can only come from man itself.  I believe in strength in numbers & the recipients of bullying are more numerous than the stars in the Universe. We must flip the script on bullies! Come to the rescue of their recipients, support them & help strengthen them on their journey in life. ‘Pay it forward…Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Strengthen our characters & not pick up the torches of the bullies which harbor their many internal weaknesses. “What comes around, goes around many times tenfold”, life’s justice can be more powerful than any written by man.

If any of you are experiencing or observing bullying please bring it the attention of someone you hold dear, your parents, teachers or law enforcement authorities…you do not have to bear the burden & pain alone. Every human life is precious…each plays a vital role & is a link in the circle of life. Every time we lose a link, the circle of life is weakened & man carries the burden of the loss.

I thank you for allowing me to share some of my thoughts on this issue & disease. We can no longer look the other way at bullying & the tragedies it claims within mankind. We can all start by ‘doing the right thing’.

I leave you as I came with the nth amount of respect & love for life itself….

Lady Gray

“It would be nice if we could all check our hearts at the door…but we find they give us life.” Lady Gray

“There’s a heart behind the fool you see or the individual with differences from your own.” Lady Gray

‘Southern Charm’

A ‘Treal Perspective’

I come to all of those within Life’s Struggle with the nth amount of love & due respect. Within the following article my words & observations are not meant to offend, but to merely share my perspective on ‘Southern Charm’ a new reality series on television. It is my goal to ‘flip the script’ on Hollywood’s version of ‘Southern Charm’ & some of the images & portraits which have been produced over the last 300 yrs.

The reality series Southern Charm has brought a great deal of controversy to the Low Country in South Carolina. From an economical perspective ‘it can only be beneficial to businesses, from the citizenry perspective concern is raised as to how it will represent & portray the ‘treal’ charm of southerners in the Low Country & SC. My definition of Southern Charm will most certainly clash with the glitz & glamor of Hollywood’s definition & image.

The series follows families & members of the Low Country elite or ‘upper crust’ within our society. Their daily lives & extravagant lifestyles. What you will not see is what is below the ‘crust’, the tapioca that is used to stop the filling from running. Some of the individuals have built ‘social economic chests’ upon the shoulders of the impoverished & common citizenry. They should not be compared to self-made moguls such as Gates or Buffet since they are generational economic beneficiaries. One thing is certain, the plantation mentality that many contend with here in South Carolina will come to the screen weekly.

‘Southern Charm’ is the epitome of the haves & have not’s. You will not see a resident of less economic resources or position ‘breaking into a museum after the bars close with their mate because they’re feeling their oats on ‘Cloud 9’ & not be the slave of the judiciary realms. You will see the portraits of large houses, high end clothing & in your face pompous lifestyles, not the visions of 64% of our children who attend public schools living in poverty. SC is ranked 2^nd in the Nation for hunger. Since 2009, 300 children have died who had ties to the Dept of Social Services. You will not see that we rank #1 in the Nation for domestic violence & heinous crimes against women of all economical classes. You will not see those who struggle every day on sub-standard wages to maintain a menial existence with dreams of living.

I too fell in love with ‘Southern Charm’ as a young teen. I didn’t fall in love though with the Hollywood & media images of an elite few, but the victims of those portraits. The majority of those who live in the South have ‘charm’ deeply rooted in their characters & lifestyles, the ‘spirit stick’ which gives them strength & courage. They do not live in gilded cages of grandeur or flaunt their self-worth in character, it all boils down to their perception of the essence of life itself.

The true ‘charms’ of Southern living…those who are in the ‘middle class’ & ‘poverty who would not only give you the shirt off their back, but their last slice of bread & red cent. Those who are tired after working a full day & still greet you as you pass with a smile & a kind word. Individuals who have clean scrubbed bare wooden floors & tidy yards that did the work themselves & helped their misfortunate neighbor to do the same. They ask you about your health, if you need anything & bless you for your presence. They do not want to be acknowledged by fanfare or media items…after all, ‘that’s just what people do’…the right thing.

‘Southern Charm’ for the majority is not measured by a fat wallet & bank account; it is a deeply rooted ‘human right’ & spirit of those who have struggled for centuries, their prideful legacy. Their pride, respect & love are earned not purchased! Many are disheartened within their struggle, yet their ‘charm’ floats to the top & becomes an enchanting element for those who visit from a metropolis where isolation & seclusion exist in their daily lives. It would be wishful thinking I reckon if the ‘spirit sticks’ of ‘Charms’ could be collected on those visits & implemented elsewhere. Random acts of kindness are a ‘personal charm’ also. I only hope that the viewing public of the reality series ‘Southern Charm’ will not let the images of the ‘treal charms’ be suppressed & oppressed. That they do not limit their visits & experiences here to the images of the reality show…the real South is so much deeper & beautiful.

I thank you all for your patience, loyalty & presence within my existence. I leave you as I came with the nth amount of respect & love.

Lady Gray

Comment: “I have no desire to watch Fat Cats & their Kittens dining at 5 Star Restaurants stuffing their faces & lapping their cream when so many in our Nation are currently struggling with soaring food prices. Enough of ‘Reality & Crime’ Shows already…My bad, perhaps the well-to-do are struggling to put food on their tables as well & the ‘Southern Charm’ series is a way for them to maintain their present lifestyles. Rosie The Talking Mule

What happens to SC politicians with a blemished record & tainted character? The citizenry sends them to DC where square pegs can fit into round holes! The head chieftain of the Southern Charm clam who previously stepped down from his State Office position due to a cocaine conviction once again would like to join the political ranks as a Senator from SC. You’re absolutely correct in your observation Thomas that ‘reality isn’t reality TV’…Single at 51 with a newborn baby girl from a young woman more than half his age he has aspirations to represent the fine ‘forgiving’ citizens of SC in DC. If he can meet the requirements of a Senatorial campaign & is duly elected he will join the other tarnished soul in DC from SC..Sanford!! Mr. Revenel you could become a media pioneer by actually keeping it 100 with your audience & the citizens of SC. You should not be focusing on a select few when your desire is to represent the whole. Keep it 100 Thomas…

Lady Gray