Life's True Royal Couple...

My perspective on Life's True Royal Couple.....

I come to all of those within the Human Race with the nth amount of due respect & love for life. It’s in the air, the smell of changing tides & times. Life’s royalty & first family are far too busy to sit on their thrones & twiddle their thumbs; they’re more than mere figure heads. They cannot concern themselves or clutter their existence with the chaos & search for supremacy among their residents & denizens. Their calendar is overcrowded, their land holdings massive, their responsibilities burdensome & yet, they seem to carry out their duties tirelessly & with a bottomless pit of passion & fervor.

Who am I speaking of? Do you really need to ask? Why of course the oldest, grandest, most spectacular & stupendous couple in the Universe…Father Time & Mother Nature!! It takes them a whole year to traverse the breadth of their kingdom…an endless journey with no recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records. Many try to thwart their tasks & advance…failing to acknowledge that some powers are simply unattainable by man. This fact seems to add amusement & mirth to the private trysts of the royal couple.

As the year progresses & the seasons come & go, I am reminded of their presence & power. Regardless if you live within a plush valley, waving plain, rocky terrain or a shifting desert, their royal appearances touch all within. It seems that only humans allow ‘color’ to divide their numbers & rule their existence for Mother Nature lives a very colorful life indeed. She accompanies the passage of time on their journey with a pallet of many colors. I enjoy the down to earth artistry she displays on her ‘autumn stroll’. Fiery reds, browns, gold & orange with the scent of musk, all a product of her labor & homage to life. She seems to find strength & pride from her task of redecorating…never allowing herself to tire of her position or purpose in life. The majority of her residents & denizens seem to enjoy the fruits of her labor giving her the much needed energy to continue her journey.

Father Time seems to have an abundance of ‘unconditional love’ for his ‘life’ partner. He tolerates her artistry & mood swings, even created a day when they could celebrate privately their reign & accomplishments…the day is Feb. 29^th, mankind knows it as ‘leap year’. He would never think of abandoning or divorcing his life partner, due to her spontaneity & intriguing character he has nothing but love, respect & loyalty for his mate. He never tires of the ‘wrapping on the package’ for her image has never embraced a point of stagnation.

Like any ‘union’ in life, the royal couple has seen their share of struggles, trials & tribulations…but unlike the majority of ‘unions’ at this point in time, they fail to put a ‘monetary value’ on their self-worth in character & existence. They’ve learned to go ‘with the flow’, ‘roll with the punches’, ‘take it on the chin’, see their chalices as ‘half full, instead of half empty’. They do not see themselves as the most powerful or richest couple in the Universe, but are humble with their apologies for receiving numerous free gifts from life itself.

The royal couple has been vigilant within their kingdom in regards to educating their residents & denizens. They shudder at the thought of residing for any length of time in their own castle which was gifted to them by life itself. They have no desire to isolate or be out of touch with the beings in their kingdom, to appear as ‘unapproachable’. They have not found the need to embrace materialism on a monetary level to feel like royalty or appear regal. Their union to many seems ancient & passé, but every day of their existence they have perceived it as the first day…new, fresh & challenging. They’re not worldly travelers, but royal universal hobos.

For now, the royal couple has no plans to retire or relinquish their titles or purpose in life. As long as they have the will, desire & strength to continue their never ending journey, they will do so gratefully. Perhaps if Father Time finds a man or woman worthy of his wait or Mother Nature’s heart bursts from overwhelming appreciation for her talents…they will depart gracefully into the sunset.

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

Lady Gray

My Thoughts on Syria....

My Thoughts on Syria….

I come to my friends, new & old with the nth amount of due respect & love for life. I would like to share with you my thoughts & views on Syria. My intentions are not to offend anyone, but to provoke thought & discussion…both negative & positive.

I would like to share my thoughts on the Middle East & the recent catastrophic events which have occurred in Syria. The reason why the US has always failed in the Middle East & some Asian countries is due to the fact that we embrace the concept, ‘do as I say & not as I do’. Many times when we get involved in countries where there are internal struggles, our sense of democracy is not their definition of Freedom. We cannot force peoples or Nations that have had the same foundation for their govt for thousands of years to change & expect everything to be hunky dory. Just as here at home, change is hard to embrace, how more so for Nations who have deeper beliefs, morals & different views of righteous & equal life? I do not feel that it is our right or obligation to spread our concepts of democracy, just as I feel it is not the right or obligation of countries to spread & force communism or totalitarian govts upon others. However, I do feel that we have a moral duty & obligation as humans to protect the human rights of individuals…we should be our brother’s keeper to some extent when it comes to their very existence.

I am not for troops on the ground in Syria, but I also feel that we have a moral obligation in regards to protecting the Syrian people in regards to the use of chemical & biological warfare. As I stated last week after the event took place in Syria, I am not as concerned about the fact that they used chemical weapons as I am about where they attained such weaponry. In the past, both Iraq & Iran have used such warfare on the Kurds & we did not intervene. Nor have we intervened in several countries in Africa & Asia where genocide has been widely practiced. I remember being younger & wondering why as a power house in the World, we allowed such atrocities to occur while we ignored the practice by warring tribes, chieftains & rebels. I believe in a World today where technology, fire power & man’s immoral greed & magnanimous egos exist, that it is more important than ever, to protect our fellow man & the chain of life.

In the 21st Century, man should seek some form or decorum of peace & tolerance worldwide. I do not believe that any such goals will ever be attained when we continually bolster the military & defense of other Nations. Every single Nation where we have helped to fund their military, we have seen a deeper involvement & internal struggle further down the road. In some cases, we have fought our own weapons at a later date, have shed the blood of our fellow Americans & have depleted our own economy & quality of life in doing so. I further believe that certain allies who we have been aligned with over many decades, their radical statements along with actions, have not only hurt our foreign affairs, but at times have endangered the advancements we have made in the region. I am speaking in particular of Israel.

Just as we draw a line in the sand in regards to our intervention into the affairs of a foreign govt & military, we must also learn to draw the same thin red line in regards to any military actions or sanctions we embark upon. Nor should other countries & nations expect of us any longer to carry the full economic burden of ‘policing the World’.

I also do not feel that we can continue to economically fund the infrastructure of other Nations, when our own infrastructure & economic foundation is in question. As members of the human race & a leading power, we do have obligations to the welfare & health of our fellow man. We should focus more on the vital elements of survival abroad, food, health, water, environment & trade.

There are going to be times when we will have to come to the aid of nations, countries & people in a military role, but I do not feel that those decisions should come easy or be forced upon us by the military industrial complex. In this respect, I favor the President & how he has handled our foreign military involvement & missions. He does not seem to be swayed by the War Hawks or industrial Iron Horses who benefit financially from our military, but weighs in heavily by putting ‘human value’ into the equation of his decisions.

My present concerns with using missile strikes or military drones stems from the possible destruction of chemical & biological weapons in Syria, along with the deaths of innocent Syrians. It is not below the mentality of Assad to use his citizens as ‘human shields’ now that it has been made known & public that we will use missile strikes on his targeted military installations…thus adding to our portrait of being a member of the Evil Axis abroad. I can only hope that certain rebel elements within the country can aid the innocent citizenry in their safety prior to our attack & action. I had hopes that members of the Arab League would play a larger role in the present events & disposition of Syria with Assad’s use of Chemical & biological weapons…realizing that such weapons in the region could have a detrimental impact on their own security & the safety of their citizenry.

I’ve never considered anyone the victor in a war or mass rebellion…it would be different if we could throw the opposing parties & enemies in an arena & let them have a go at it there. Too many times the loss of innocence far outweighs the casualties of the actual combatants. The destruction of the infrastructure often hinders the reconstruction of the country for decades to come. I find this one fault within man’s character to wage war & compete with violence, death & destruction sad & somewhat morbid in nature.

I also find it disappointing that in the last 2 yrs, the U.N & Arab League has not found it necessary to take a more active role in what has transpired in Syria. With hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into nearby countries already burdened with their own economics & survival, I would have thought that more restrictions & heavier sanctions would have been levied against Syria. A rebellion that has already claimed the lives of tens of thousands & injured tens of thousands more, when all is said & done, it will take several generations in the process of Syria’s reconstruction.

I know one thing; I will accept my menial life over that of the burdens that heavily weigh on the mind & heart of my President. I can only keep the citizens of Syria, their women & children, the innocent males in my thoughts & hope that in the very near future, the death & destruction which presently surrounds them will come to an end. That as a people they will find their inner strength to reach beyond the wounds, pain & sorrow of the last 2 yrs, to come together in a positive & constructive manner to rebuild their lives & country. All life is precious, as individuals we play a very vital role in the total scope & portrait of life. I do not condone war & violence, death & destruction, suppression & oppression, the distribution of fear in our daily existence, the self-anointed few on self-serving agendas that prey upon the majority…I can only hope that one day man will rise from his sleep & get life right.

To the Syrian people & the surrounding countries harboring refugees, know that you are deeply embedded in my thoughts.

Lady Gray

The Verdict....

For too many decades, Americans have ignored the injustices within our judiciary & penal realms when it comes to adults & the New Jim Crow. We will no longer tolerate those same injustices visiting our youth or the mentality it generates. In all good conscience we cannot allow it to continue. The verdict in the murder of Trayvon Martin has taken the pot of injustice off the back burner & added salt to the wounds of those who have fallen prey to a broken justice system.

I have to question the character of the jurors…  man sits in front of them & openly admits that he has killed one of our youth. Unlike the jurors I was not concerned about whose voice was heard on the tape screaming for his life. There were too many other factors that raised the small hairs on my neck. ‘These people always get away!’ Which people Mr. Z-nut? There was only Trayvon, a lone Black teenager. Anyone who is active in Neighborhood Watch knows what ‘watch’ means. When you called 911 an officer answered your call. You were informed that officers were being dispatched & you were directed to wait for those officers to arrive. However, you disobeyed that directive, after all those officers may not have carried out the momentary agenda you had embraced at that time…they may have told him to go on his way. He was not out after curfew, it was not late at night. You had every intention of invading Trayvon’s personal space & comfort zone.

You followed Trayvon & exited your vehicle. Every day across this Nation women & children know all too well the fear that visits a person when they are followed, especially at night…when few people are in the vicinity. The ego of a judge & jury, a wanna-be cop confronted Trayvon. Your reputation of being a rough shod over young Black youth preceded you & when you approached Trayvon in a threatening manner, he reacted like any individual who had become prey. You shot him recognizing that you were losing control of not only the struggle, but your mission. After all, the law in Fla would protect you.

For over a year, your actions of that night have embedded ‘fear’ into the minds & hearts of youth & parents across this Nation. The verdict which was handed down has empowered your ego & those of your ilk who wield their own interpretation of justice. Now, despite the fact that you’ve had mental health issues in the past & trouble with anger management, cases that were buried due to the position your parents have held in the past. It is difficult for me to comprehend why the State of Fla would return your weapon in good conscience back to you. You Mr. Z-nut should be the image on posters for mental health background checks concerning new provisions for gun control. Personally, I do not want to live in a community where you reside or the State.

The only justice that has so far been dealt out of this travesty of injustice, is that your aspirations of a police officer anywhere in the US no longer exists for you to wield your power & sic justice. Threats of death & harm have fallen not only on the victim’s family, but the predator. Now you fear for your life…yet, nobody has entered your personal space or comfort zone to confront you for your actions. Individuals have a tendency to shy away from an animal when they know that it is rabid in fear that the same incubated disease will visit their person. Mr. Z-nut…the greatest thing you have to fear, is fear itself…the shadows & monsters of your own creation…the blood & nightmare that you’ll never be able to wash from your hands & sleep.

I hope that Trayvon’s murder will not be for naught…that justice & new stipulations for the Stand Your Ground Law will continue to be pursued.  I am grateful for the protests & their peaceful demeanor around our Nation. The greatest changes within our Nation have always come from a peaceful movement. There is still hope that a further justice process on the Federal level will proceed in the matter of Trayvon’s murder.  Changes undoubtedly will occur, not because your self-serving agenda was carried out…but because one of our youth was taken from us too soon in such an evil, insane, animalistic way before he could reach all that he aspired to be. Trayvon did not have an arrest record…but you did Mr. Z-nut. Always remember that what goes around comes around….usually tenfold..

Lady Gray

Life's Prisons....

‘Master Builders’

I come to all of those within life’s struggle with the nth amount of due respect & love for life. As the present recession & recovery phases of our existence play ping-pong & tiddley-winks with our daily lives, I wish to share with you a few thoughts. We have entered an age of opportunities, but if we become too comfortable in one chapter of our book from our life’s journey, our book will not be published to become part of our legacy. The true essence of life’s character is simplistic. Life does not have to create road blocks to deter us on our journey in life, for we have all become ‘master builders’ of our own prisons.

For decades, the impoverished and the disenfranchised in America have fallen prey to the social “Boogey Man.”  There are many forms of imprisonment within the social realms of survival that deter the advancement of man, all of them created and erected by man himself.

First, there are penal facilities, where society’s judgments have placed those who have erred or committed criminal acts, to make their atonement.

Then we have those who are products of their imprisoning environments:  racial, social, economic, industrial and educational.

The oldest prison known to man, however, over which he has no control, is the imprisonment of the mind, whether it is by birth, demented captivity, or social conditioning with the elements of the intellect and environment.

There is not an individual living who does not suffer or is not touched by some form of imprisonment in some aspect or dimension in life.

The key to these prisons is finding comfort within one of the prisons constructed by man long enough to overcome the hurdles and barricades placed before us, so that we may find the true essence in Life which we individually seek.

As in civilizations and cultures through time, the will and spirit to survive, overcome and flourish, become a driving force, making each one of us stand strong, our thoughts and voices reverberating our dreams and our desire to live.  We unite and awaken our knowledge, wisdom, and spirit to overcome the evildoers, the power mongers, the suppressers, and those who would oppress us from proceeding on our life’s journey in peace and harmony.

“If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.”  It is my hope that, with collective wisdom and knowledge, we may bring some modicum of understanding between those who are judged and the rest of society, that we may find answers to the issues which plague us and find a porthole through which to apply those answers.

At the moment, our issues are numerous and grow daily:  justice; politics; overcrowding within our penal system and its violence; senior citizens and their many benefit cuts; education and the struggle for knowledge; police brutality, crime and corruption; poverty; and the negativity which encompasses our lives on a daily basis.  Of course, one of our prime issues is a broken judicial system, which seems to interpret its own laws at will, using a double standard:  one standard for the Haves and the other for the Have-Nots.  As of late, the most heinous crimes in America are being committed by people who have licenses to do so, or who hold elective office, enabling them to carry out their self-serving agendas at will.

Lines, barriers, boundaries, borders, comfort zones & boxes are all self-imposed prisons created by man. The size of the prison we’ve created for our self is representative of the amount of fear we host in our souls & daily existence. If we do not reach through the bars of our prisons, step beyond the walls we’ve erected to whittle down our fears & advance our life with growth, man will continue to be his own worst enemy & become a victim of his own fears & ‘small world’ he has created.

Tear down the walls which protect the issues which deter man’s growth & quality of life. Politicians today have become the ‘foreman’s’ for the construction crews of our social prisons…’If they’re not going to be part of the solution, part of our growth in life’ then they’re going to continue to be a problem…then vote them down, remove them from the equation. As a people, we do not need any assistance from our politicians with the disintegration of our society; we can do badly all by ourselves.  

The walls which protect our many fears must be removed, a brick, a word, a gesture, an action at a time…but they must come down so our fears maybe decreased to a state of ‘caution & wariness’ instead of fear & terror all of the time.

I leave you as I came with a great deal of love & respect,

Lady Gray

Political Pawn Brokers & 'Human Value'.....

I come to all of those within life’s struggle with the nth amount of due respect & love for life itself. At this time I wish to share with you some thoughts I’ve been haunted with the last 3 years. Poverty & the struggle has never been a gift or a blessing at birth to any individual, yet the majority of mankind often exists daily with its presence. Akin to politics & religion which often ‘divides & conquers’ Nations & Countries, this gripper disease divides people who struggle in their daily existence. For many decades, these individuals were seen as ‘minorities’ to minimize their multitude & daily struggle for an existence. I will not refer to those who ‘struggle’ as the ‘minority’ solely labeled by separation of race, due to the fact that the ‘struggle & poverty’ do not discriminate based on color, therefore I will refer to their multitudes as the ‘majority’.

At birth, mankind is given the ability to ‘bob & weave’, grow & develop, to increase its intellect & worth. Today however, where the World is experiencing rebellions, revolutions & wars, it seems that mankind’s priorities are focused on existing with The Wish Book of Living in its shirt pocket. If man has the intellect to spend on the creation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, then he also has the intellect to stamp out hunger, homelessness & diseases. We have the ability to traverse throughout the Universe, to create nuclear & atomic weapons, to isolate cells to create & save lives….yet, we have denied ourselves the ability to create sustainable edible produce & products to end hunger. Perhaps if man would dream of living in unison more than merely existing or dying, the World would see a period of unprecedented growth & peace.

Having lived in the country myself, I acknowledge the fact, that it takes more effort & strength to raise food for the ‘majority’ then it does to pull a trigger or push a button. Growth should be a never ending story for us…I also acknowledge the fact that there are individuals within the ‘minority’ who use ‘hunger & poverty’ as a means to control the ‘majority’, therefore they find it more favorable to limit the ‘sustainable quality’ of living for the majority so that they may maintain their membership in the minority.

During the last Federal Elections I found myself caught in a time warp…the rhetoric by candidates who isolated races & groups of individuals within the ‘majority’, reminded me of the 60’s. Their intent was not to merely get elected, but to ‘divide & conquer’ the citizenry within the ‘majority’. They railed against any issues which pertained to the ‘sustainable quality’ within our daily existence. Personally, they did not succeed in their false portraits of ‘shortcomings’ within the ‘majority’, but they displayed the true colors of their political weaknesses & their inability to be a trailblazer with issues involving the ‘majority’. Thus, their platforms & agendas were focused on the top 2% instead of the 98%. Their vile rhetoric & tactics not only opened up many wounds within the ‘majority’ & caused divisions within the citizenry, but left a chasm within their own political parties. Lacking strength in character to represent the 98%, they threw them under the bus to rub elbows with the 2% in the ‘minority’. Due to their lack of representation for the ‘whole of the people’, we have seen the ‘majority’ strengthen with a swell in its numbers. More times than not, I came to perceive them as ‘pawn brokers’ for isolationism by the ‘minority’ within the 2%.  Often displaying a lack of moral fiber, they attacked many provisions & promises made decades ago, endangering the integrity of our political foundation & the very survival of many within the ‘majority’.

It has taken me 4 yrs to figure out why so many Republicans & those within the ‘minority’ have such disdain for our President & the First Lady. I couldn’t understand what it was about the President & First Family that had me so enamored with their presence in the White House. Then during the Presidential Address this year, it dawned on me….an element that had become extinct during Republican Presidencies…’Human Value’. At first, I thought it was the fact that he wasn’t some ‘DC archaic corner stone’ who shined shoes & played corporate ‘pocket pool’. He came on the scene as a ‘marathon runner’, not electing to run a relay race in the ‘political rope-a-dope maze’. He was the young ‘underdog’ contender in a Nation looking for hope & progressive change. Then they tried another ‘archaic ruse’, the ‘old race card’. That was simply an ‘alibi’ for their ‘pawnshop’ license & silent pacts made within the 2% to retain & maintain their status & quality of life.

‘Human Value’…the Family in the White House made me feel like I was no longer just a statistic, I had worth, I wasn’t just a vote cast, I was an American! They criticized the rhetoric & attacks on the 98% & those programs which were vital to the survival of many within the ‘majority’. We actually have a First Lady that is not only beautiful, but is passionate & compassionate about the welfare & quality of life for all citizens. She’s energetic enough to take on the issues of our personal health & fitness along with the hardships of our military heroes & soldiers. I often feel that much of the political criticism that is tossed her way is out of jealousy, in other words, she has one happy hubby in the WH!! Back to Human Value…

This past Memorial Day as I watched the National Memorial Service, I was forced to ponder the many sacrifices our fellow countrymen have made through the generations & wars. Tens of thousands who lost their lives in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam….I watched old war documentaries & movies, realizing how far we had advanced with technology in our military realms. As they spoke of the casualties within our past wars, I thought, how many more lives could have been saved then, with the technologies of today. How many more civilian lives could have been saved, the length of the wars shortened & the massive territory they encompassed perhaps lessened. So many of us complain about the magnitude of our ‘power & might’, but I couldn’t help feeling with the stats of casualties from other wars, being in 2 wars for 10yrs now, that we would once more see tens of thousands of our fellow Americans buried without those advancements. Drones, a pet project of Bush Jr…expanded by President Obama…their cost is astronomical, but how many more American lives would we lose if we had to replace them with boots on the ground instead? Without them, how many families would have an empty chair at their table & the impact a loss of life would have on children? If a drone can save the lives of our soldiers & minimize civilian deaths, then I agree with a limited use. I also agree with his ‘cautionary’ decisions & actions abroad. I do not believe we should send Americans abroad for ‘false portraits’ again…to tell you the truth, I wish that all people could just lay down their weapons & go home!!

Human Value…what price or value do we place on a ‘human life’? We often base our appraisal on a personal basis of family, friends & individuals within our community that touch our lives. What makes their value more precious & priceless than an individual in the next community, city or state? Is not all life precious? Do we not ALL play a vital role in the total portrait of life? I believe that all life has value, you may have to shake up the piggy bank & look in the bottom for it, but it’s there. Every day across our Nation, we see the ’devalue’ of Human Life…domestic crimes, drive bys, accidental shootings, mass murders & terrorist actions. Many times the victims are young members of our society, taken before their natural time, unable to blossom or shine, unable to complete their role in our lives. I cannot comprehend the mindset of the mass murderer or terrorist who seeks glory through his heinous actions. Society as a whole does not remember his name or the journey that brought him to such a juncture in life…we only see the victims, feel their tragic loss & shed tears for their absence…what have the perps gained or changed by their actions? Not a damned thing!!! Our politicians refuse to hear the voices of the ‘majority’…they refuse to place Human Value in the equation of Gun Control…the bottom line is always corporate gains with the 2^nd Amendment as an alibi.

I think of Human Value every time I hear that an inmate within our penal realms has been released with innocence after years of incarceration. How do you put a price on 20 yrs of life? Time within itself is priceless, once it’s gone, you can never retrieve it. Take 20 yrs from a social icon or billionaire, how the hell do you put a price on that…is it enough to say it was a mistake & just walk away? You already have one broken life; wouldn’t you want to fix a broken justice system also?  We have an infrastructure in this Nation that is crumbling; in dire need of repairs & replacement…lives have been lost as bridges collapse. Are not our lives worth the cost of a bridge? Let the wife or offspring of a politician lose their lives in a bridge collapse & see if he doesn’t add pork to a bill to get that bridge rebuilt & have his name on it!! Our country contributes monetarily to the infrastructure of many countries & nations abroad, as a people, do we deserve any less? Plain damned sad….our politicians are out of touch with those they claim to represent. We’re ‘out of sight, out of mind’ until it’s time to torture us with pleas for campaign donations & media ads again. It’s time for us to put ‘human value’ back into the equation of our daily lives & political realms…we’re not just numbers & statistics, matter taking up space…we ALL play a vital role in the total scope & portrait of life…we ALL have Human Value & worth!

I thank you for your presence & patience as I share my thoughts with you.

Lady Gray

"Sneakers"..

SNEAKERS



All of the theories, analogies, logic and observations in this article are based solely on the mental frame and leg work of Lady Gray.

When will it end, this vicious circle in life that tears up the roots of people and ravages communities all across this nation. The games of life where the players get younger every year, the paper chase, the self-servings agendas of a self anointed few who ravage the communities that either spawned them or they choose to govern? When will the security bars come off from the houses we work so hard for, our children be able to play stick ball and football in the streets again safely, spend Sunday afternoons as bar-be-ques and family gatherings on the yards in our
communities, men and women dressed in their Sunday finest with their children in tow walking to church again? IF, the biggest, little word in the English language,a self induced sentence all of its own making.

I am a staunch believer of “strength in numbers” and “collective wisdom and knowledge.” I often ask those within my alliance and following who are incarcerated, what would happen if men and individuals took all of their negative energy and converted it to positive power?

How many of you have ever seen the old classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life”? In the movie, the star role is played by James Stewart. Although he sees himself as insignificant and somewhat minute in his existence, by the end of the film, his individual character has touched and enriched everyone within his community, in all
reality, he is the most important man in town. As individuals, for every life we touch or enrich, they will in turn touch and enrich a thousand others in their lifetime.

This summer I was speaking with two elderly black women in Detroit, they live near the university. One of the women is a retired government employee, has lived in her home for 40 odd years. Two blocks from her home, when she came to a stop sign, a young male specimen broke out the passenger side of her truck and stole her purse. At the end of her street, a young white male specimen was found hanging in a tree over a drug deal gone bad. But the saddest news of all or information that I received, was when they told me the young “corner puppies” and individuals on the “paper chase” were hanging the sneakers of individuals they had “dusted off” or “powdered” (murdered), in their windows and on their porches to mark their territory.

First of all, I felt sorry for the families who would never have those sneakers sit beside or walk through their doors again. Then I felt sorry for the individuals who had no strength of their own, they felt the only way they could obtain it was to take another life. But most of all, I felt sorry for society in general in the community, the individual who once filled and gave life to those sneakers, would not be “touching” or “enriching” their lives.

This display of character and mentality upset me. I would like to now address this issue of these animalistic rituals and characteristics which is practiced in many communities across our fine nation. I had no clue of this display by male specimens who run the streets and life’s gamut, so I went in search of answers. This was a difficult task, finding answers and knowledge of this bizarre display of male identity. Most of the men within my alliance are from state correctional facilities and can stand on their own two feet, they don’t belong to any organization within or without, they’re independents and choose to exercise their intellect for the good
of the whole tomorrow. The men who are within my alliance that have been connected to an organization, do not practice this display of “thuggism” either, however they do respect and honor the silent codes of other organizations, and could or would not discuss my inquiries into “sneakers”. So I decided to run down some of the puppies within my realm who have come to me for help in the past and wrench the information from their depths (smile). The following information, although not forged in iron, is of fairly consistent knowledge and you may gather from it what you may. That’s both sides of life’s fence.

SNEAKERS: When I think of sneakers, I thing of youth and sports. However, over the years, podiatrists have found themselves recommending the foot apparel of yesterday to the elderly of today, for comfort and support. There is however, another mentality that thrives in this country, and they use “sneakers” to mark their territory as a symbol of fear and terror within their communities for all who reside or pass through their neighborhoods. For those of you who have not seen this display, who have not ventured outside of your safe bumper zones in life, I will now tell you what I know of “sneakers.”

In some cities, communities and neighborhoods, “sneakers” are thrown over telephone and electrical lines as a symbol that the drug shipment has arrived and the dope man is there also with his wares of debilitating vices for you to purchase. “Sneakers” which are hung within windows of houses like prisms to catch the light have two meanings of display as well. The first is the individual within the residence is gang related, he hangs his shoes up as a sign of the “dirt” he has walked through and dealt out on the streets within the games of life he chooses to play and distribute. The second display of “sneakers” are trophy symbols, meaning they belong to the individuals that they have personally “powdered” or “dusted off”, in other words murder. They hang these in a symbolic attempt to distribute their fear and terror into the souls and hearts of their communities and rivals. These “symbols” and “trophies” are used mainly by the organizations known as the “Crips” and the “Bloods” along with several factions and wanna be huggers within their organizations. This is also practiced by some Spanish-American organizations within the U.S. I do not or choose not to have these individuals within my alliance; I do not speak Spanish.

Now that I knew the gist of it, I wanted to try to find some level or plane of comprehension and reasoning behind these actions and rituals…evidently there is no sound logic behind this practice, so I had to indoctrinate my own reasoning and philosophy behind such a display.

Over the last two and a half decades, I have lived within and visited cities and communities throughout the U.S., where different factions of organized crime governed and dwelt. Within these neighborhoods the crime syndicate or faction did not need symbols of their existence or life’s feces droppings to mark their territory. Their names and actions within the neighborhoods carried enough weight and respect. Sad to say, but these are the neighborhoods I chose to live within, they were well protected and those who dwelt within rarely had crimes bestowed upon them, unless they chose to bring them down upon themselves. In other words, the governing self-anointed body did snot prey upon their own. For those of you who have lived within the realms of darkness, I prefer to think of these individuals as “Old Guard” and “Old School.”

However, there is a “new breed”, renegades or rogues who have spawned their own factions off organizations and syndicates of crime long ago. They prey upon society and communities indiscriminately, they have no cause, purpose or reason, they distribute their wares, fear and terror at will and with wild abandon. They have no sense of family values, moral or loyalty, yet they join these “gang factions” in an
attempt to seek out these very elements. But this is where I become confused…when young individuals tell me they joined these “gangs” and organizations for a sense of “belonging”, respect, family, loyalty, and these gangs advertise these attributes…if they don’t display it on the home front, and all of these individuals are
basically joining or being “plugged” in search of the same elements and aspects in life, how do they get it or find it in “the life?”

They don’t. Once again life has chosen to put a mirage in their travels. They become bitter, angry, spiteful and destructive, their animalistic and volatile behavior destroys the very communities that have given them birth. They start out on one block, one street, one neighborhood and when their virus has destroyed their
homestead, they move on to spread their incubated disease, envious of what is left still standing in life.

These fearless individuals who run in “gangs” or “packs” like wolves, mark their territory with the blood, sweat and tears of others, their greed and minds race faster than their legs, and soon they become engulfed by time, darkness and incarceration, if they’re lucky….

These are the puppies and waifs in life, who when they enter the dark halls and corridors of time, they are the first to wait for Mother Nature to provide them with release from their pain and self pity. They wait for it to rain, the rain drops masquerading the flow of their own fear now. They become preyed upon by men seasoned within times incarceration. Harassed, beaten, mentally and physically abused, taken for sexual “toy boys”, the very life they chose to prey upon, swallows them up in the bowels of darkness.

Facing conviction and atonement now alone, their biological families and “extended family” throw them to the dogs, they have nothing left to show for their time on the outside…no money, no material objects, no family, significant other or children. The only mementos of their life beyond the walls, are the scars, tattoos, and nightmares they harbor within their souls, and the hollowed shells of the communities they destroyed.

Two wrongs in life, don’t make a right, two negatives do not create a positive, and every time a pair of “sneakers” are adorned in some neighborhoods window…our youth and tomorrow, the future and hope of society slip within the horizon.

I leave as I came with a great deal of love and respect for life.
Lady Gray/bossladyjmc

Judged Men Alliance

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JudgedMenAllianceForTomorrow/

Americanism-Let Us Dream Again

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Americanism_apple_pie/?yguid=222029573

The Old Man & 'Touchdown'....

The "Old Man" & "Touchdown"

"Touchdown" was a young boy born in Memphis, TN, raised in theScutterfield District. A young boy of 8 or 9 years of age, growing up in the projects and being raised by his grandparents. Like many young boys at this age, he was extremely impressionable, his eyes full of wonder within his dysfunctional environment, an adventurous young boy to say the least. His area of Memphis was like many hoods, impoverished, riddled with crime and street games. Individuals involved in life's struggle, just trying to survive the times.

Growing up with two older Uncles in their late teens involved in "street life", "Touchdown" became enamored at a very young age with the "street games" and "preying" on those weaker within life. He would often listen late at night to the older teens and young males talk of their endeavors within "drugs, pimping, robbing and gang banging". Late in elementary school, he was excelling in sports and had many friends due to his Uncle's position in the neighborhood. He soon followed in his Uncle's shoes and portraits of negativity, turning his small "click" into his crew of "neutral"followers. Not yet "plugged" into a gang, "Touchdown" looked for "youthful" ways to attain money for himself and "crew". They played arcade games, ate pizza and hung out with the older teens and male individuals within their "hood". Often they would make "beer runs" for the older gang members and this seemed like an honor to them. But they all wanted to be like the individuals around them who sported new cars, jewelry, girls, smoked dope and partied.

There was this "Old Man" who lived down the street from the projects who had two dogs. He had a fence around his yard and often left the dogs in the yard to take fresh air. This "Old Man" was a centurion in his neighborhood. He had survived time and was filled with life's knowledge, pain and suffering. He would watch all of the coming and goings on his street. One day the "Old Man's" two dogs got out. "Touchdown" and his "crew" walked by and the "Old Man" asked them if they had seen his dogs? If he found them for him, he would reward them."Touchdown" knew where the dogs had gone.

Everyday the "Old Man"would take the dogs for a walk to the park. "Touchdown" knew this was where the dogs probably were. So he and his friends went to the park in search of the dogs. Sure enough, they found them running and playing in the park. They took the dogs back to the "Old Man". Grateful and true to his word, he rewarded the boys. He gave them enough money to get a pizza and play a couple of arcade games.

It wasn't long before "Touchdown" turned this event in life into a money making game. He and his "crew" would go by the "Old Man's" house and let the dogs out. Then go and hang out with older gang members for a while before walking past the "Old Man's" house once again. They knew there was only one place the dogs would go, to the park, the only place the "Old Man" would take them. They'd come by and the "Old Man" would ask them to find his dogs again. This left the young "crew" with inflated egos, because now they had a money making game too, just like the older gang members in the neighborhood.

At 43, "Touchdown" is now doing a heavy sentence for gang related offenses and organized crime. Being "plugged" into the "GangsterDisciples" in his young teens by his "Uncle", he soon rose through the ranks of the organization. He had his own crew and set. He was also a star athlete. Many within his neighborhood protected "Touchdown" hoping that he would be one of the "lucky" survivors who made it out of their hood. True to their dreams and hopes, "Touchdown" excelled in sports in High School. He became a protected fixture in the neighborhood. He was left out of the harsher side of "gang banging". He became a State All-Around Athlete and attained a Football Scholarship to a University where he played Quarterback. In his sophomore year of College in one game he blew out his knee. His dreams and desires came to an end. He returned to his "hood" and those in his "crew".

All of this time he had been protected, family and individuals within the community were counting on him. Once again "Touchdown" picked up the "street life" within the GD Organization and excelled. After all, in his heart he owed many of those around him who had protected him from the darkest chapters within life.

At age 43, one-third of his life spent behind bars, "Touchdown" is one of a handful from his set that has reached 40. This is only due to the fact that he has been incarcerated within State and Federal Penal Facilities. As he sits now in his cell, buried within time, many of those he shared life with taken by the "games" and "plays" of the streets. He sits back and thinks about that "Old Man". Was he as stupid as they all thought, or was he truly one of life's Angels? He knew everything that went on in his neighborhood, he had nothing better to do, then sit and watch time pass him by. Did he give the young boys money, hoping that they wouldn't follow in the footsteps of others in his neighborhood? Was he hoping as he saw these young boys open his gate and pass by his house, that they would be the future and the real "warriors" in life? Could they possibly by the ones who wouldn't fall into life's traps and pick up the "struggle" where he left off.

The "Old Man" now gone with the passage of time. "Touchdown" sees life through his eyes a little late and the hard way. He lies in his cell and thinks about these younger days in his life. The "Old Man"didn't look so stupid anymore…for "Touchdown's" only desire now, was to take up life where the "Old Man" had left off. Sitting in a small house, in front of a window in his neighborhood, watching the "struggle" and "the life" claiming its victims. Maybe, just maybe, he will be able to finish what the "Old Man" had started and find the new "Warriors" to fight the "struggle" before "life" claims them.

I leave you as I came with a great deal of love and respect for life.
Lady Gray
This article is dedicated to "Touchdown" presently incarcerated in a Federal Penal Facility