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VOICES During holidays things went on as usual on the streets of big cities and small towns all over this America. And we think, if it's not on OUR local news, or does not make the CNN Headline News, like the Derrion Albert killing, we're OK; we're doing pretty good. Not so! The brother with the voice in the video recognizes this, and so do I. I like the real truth, not the relative truth. And blacks killing blacks has become nationally irrelevant That's the news business. Blacks killing blacks is no big deal. It happens countless times every single day all across this country! It is almost always, black men, killing or wounding other black men. It has seeped to the low news pile, kind of like shoplifting. You don't get those stories, because it's common place. Here are a few examples of the violent crimes done " by us-to us" over the holidays: In Baltimore, Maryland, police were investigating two shootings, one on the southwest side of the city, the other on the city's northwest side the Saturday after Christmas, one man was found shot in the chest another was pronounced dead at the scene. Sunday, after Christmas, in Baltimore, a member of the community took a gun and killed 23 year old Army Pvt. Clifford Jamar Williams, on leave for Christmas from Afghanistan. No it was not a Taliban insurgent in an Afghan village, but folks he should have been able to trust. In Dothan, Alabama, a shooting happened around midnight on Christmas Day inside a club. A gunman apparently opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon inside the club. Three people were wounded in the shooting. In Houston, Texas, a man allegedly used Christmas day to kill his wife and his mother-in law. A prison guard, he's on the run. In Albany, New York, a Christmas Eve party turned into the arrest of a city activist after a report of shots fired on Clinton Avenue. Police say they found cocaine and two craps tables inside a first floor apartment while they were investigating a shots fired call. In Salinas, California, over the holiday, while about 50 people gathered to remember those killed by gang violence, shots rang out about 150 yards away. In Highpoint, North Carolina, 4 teens have been charged in a shooting death. A 19-year-old was found wounded on a street and died shortly after at the hospital. In Tallahassee, Florida a 37 year old man was killed and another man was injured by a drive by shooting at a convenience store at Old Bainbridge Road and Fourth Avenue.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Christmas Day began with three shootings early in the morning that hospitalized three men and ended with a drive-by shotgun blast into a house in Homewood. In Chicago, Illinois, a convicted felon is now charged with first-degree murder in the Christmas Eve slaying of an elderly Hyde Park man A little more about Chicago, since the start of the school year in September, 17, Ninety-four young people have been shot and wounded in an epidemic of street violence that has plagued the city. No one in leadership — in government, the business community or even in the religious community — seems to be able to curb it.The one we most remember is the killing of 16 year old Derrion Albert, caught on video and broadcast. What about the other lives, mothers who lost children, siblings... Are we waiting for some 'human savior' to tell us to pay attention to this onslaught? If these were white folks doing this killing of our folks, would we be so quiet? Why aren't we saying something now? This comprises our credibility!! This is not all the violence that happened during the holidays in our communities perpetrated " by us-to us." I just mentioned a few, to show that it is not the city or town, but it is the way we enable living in cities and towns that provide protection for this crap! Every day history pages are being written about the efforts social and political advocates are making; the doors they can not open, the ears that won't hear, the problems being ignored, because we have become our own enemy! " BLACK MEN STOP!" Chapter TWO "THE STATE". At no other time in our American History have we practiced such barbarism against ourselves!! We can not afford to continue taking chunks out of OUR numbers. It is called self killing; self genocide! STOP! by Gail Smallwood "BLACK MEN STOP!" Gail Smallwood, author Official Release, February 2, 2010 Purchase advance copy at: http://tinyurl.com/blackmenstop
Posted By: g smallwood
Friday, January 1st 2010 at 2:31PM
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This is just ridiculous Sister!!! Our youth have got to do much better than this!!!
Friday, January 1st 2010 at 10:34PM
Siebra Muhammad
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We blame the youth because we want to be kool with their parents and don't want offend these irresponsible adults, but these young folks have been shaped by the only environment and life that they know, create by adults, mostly absent or barely there fathers and unprepared mothers. It's kind of late in the cycle to blame the young people. And the list of casualties continues each and every day. We've got to enter this cycle somewhere in order to slow it down and maybe help to stop it. It hurts me.
Friday, January 1st 2010 at 10:42PM
g smallwood
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It hurts me too that this is what is going on, but some people need to open their minds and really see the big picture. Once that is done, one will see that a lot of these young people are not like this because of absent or barely there fathers nor because of unprepared mothers. Fact is, children do not come with a book when they are born. These are youth that have seen a blue print laid before them from the generations before they grew to the ages they are now. Many were little children watching the older people doing the same thing, hearing about this and how much of a man it made them to do such acts. Many do have both of their parents in their lives or other very loving and caring family members doing everything they can to keep them off of the streets and into positive things. Do state by state research into the communities of which many of these youth live and see the lack of adequate resources and places for them to go. Most of the money is spent on other things and the funds that could be used to benefit productive activities are removed and shifted to other areas of interest. In addition to the lack of holding them accountable for their own actions, too many people make excuses for them as if they don't have minds of their own. They do and they make a choice to either get involved in this mess or not. There are far more youth that are not involved in this mess, but we don't hear about them. So it seems like just about every young male is killing each other when that is not the case. Losing one is more than we should but the reasons why this is happening it not as narrow as presented.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 3:04AM
Marquerite Burgess
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Hi Mrs. Irma, I have been volunteering my time for over 18 years in my community and still active at it, working with the youth, even developed a mentoring program specifically for males. It is because of this experience and having discussions with these young men that I can make my comments based on my personal involvement. This is such a major issue but it has so many other things that come into play for this. Everyone has to look beyond what may seem as the obvious reasons for this to see there are so many other things that breed and feed this mentality.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 3:21AM
Marquerite Burgess
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Marquerite, I've done the research, it's in the book!! My experience came first from working with elementary school age children, as a reading teacher, then as a mentor. I also volunteer to help urban black teens _MID-HIGH & HIGHSCHOOL_ some college. This experience led me to do the research I share in the book...You know as a culture we don't want to see the problems. Look, we can continue to blame these adolescent humans( some of these are very grown 30 and 40 year olds) exposed to bad behavior--too many absent or missing fathers and far too many unprepared mothers--homes not focused on education, OR we can blame the adults who are responsible for bringing these humans into the world, post that decision should have moved heaven and earth to love, nuture and care for them and focus the family's pennies, quarters, time and effort to helping them realize their potentials. By the time far too many of these black boys AND black girls, I might add, get 13 or 14, they've already been trained by their environments through their hearts and their heads to have little or no respect for other humans, those they go to school with or those they help to create. Our ancestors did better with far less in an extremely dangerous environmental circumstance. There is no excuse for what we have done with that legacy!!!We can keep begging for the government to do something more--and while we're waiting--for some day over the rainbow, lose, lose, lose---or we can get off our duffs and take charge of our own lives, families and communities. Make better choices, and when children enter the picture, make the changes necessary for that generation to survive and thrive!!I've spent a considerable amount of time and depth researching this phenomenon. This is not off the cuff ideas or speaking without facts. Our culture is in trouble. The sooner we face the facts, the sooner another generation can be rescued from this nonsense. I appreciate your comments and view. I welcome them. This conversation needs to be had.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 11:28AM
g smallwood
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with you not by a long shot. Research tells only part of a story just like statistics and it if far easier for some to use that as a justification for what is going on here. It's just not that simple and requires a broader mindset to handle this. I see the facts every single day and refuse to look through a narrow scope as to why things are the way they are. I'm doing my part and have and continue to encourage others to do theirs. Yes it is a discussion that needs to be had and have been had yet too many offer no solutions. That is what is needed solutions, solutions and more solutions. Just like anything else, what may work for one may not work for another, in addition to actually listening to these same youth and their hurt and pain, being adult enough to hear the truths about themselves and being prepared to hear some things that they may not like or even agree with. All the talking in the world with no offered solutions means nothing. This issue requires action.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 11:41AM
Marquerite Burgess
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Mr. Smallwood, This makes me sad
Our youth, particularly male children need to grow up with a father as well as a mother in the home. Mothers can only do so much to a young male that eventually grows up taller, heavier, and stronger than her. A father is needed to represent law and order in the home and whoop the male child if necessary, much like I was whooped when I got out of line. Then the male youth has a respect for law and order when he become a grown man.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 12:23PM
jamal Abraham
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Jamal, I agree with you!! as a culture we have just seemingly thrown away black men as if they are irrelevant, not needed-- whether they are broke, with a job or without!! Black men of old were heads of their families, even though they were weakened by the system. We females have proven that we can not and were not made to be fathers or men in families. God just did not make us that way. The Jackson family is an example. Look a lot of people give Joe Jackson hell for how he raised those boys, but without Joe there would not have been a Jackson Five or a Michael Jackson. They had an incredible mother, who gave them what mothers bring to the table--love, nurture, manners, respect for their father, quality of home life, etc, but she could not have been the courage, strength, discipline and determination that God provides to males to bring to a family. Now I am not talking about a rule, because there are exceptions, I'm talking about what is visibly and statistically the rule for the black culture. No other culture in American has such a inferior and fragile family unit. A lot of folks want to blame it of 'Post traumatic slave syndrome', but I disagree. We don't even know what it is like to live a slave or in the shadow of racial segregation--the fear, the lack, the utter disrespect!!! But we women have proven that for about the past 40 years, we have failed as leaders of homes and community. Ours are in shambles. Black men need to stop the nonsense--the killing each other, the consuming and retailing of drugs(which puts most of them in prison), the dishonesty in relationships that expose their wives and girlfriends to HIVAids, and stop just leaving their kids alone to be shaped by alone, unprepared--sometimes trifling women. We need to provide a bridge for these men to get back into the drivers seats in our families, in our communities and into our lives. We are out of order!! There's no federal program or use of taxpayers money or black president that is going to dig us out of the mess we have gotten ourselves. If we don't make this turn around, we are committing genocide. And those that want to see this, will just sit and wait.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 12:42PM
g smallwood
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Thanks Clark, you provided some sound information. You are right. It's multifaceted. This cycle that our culture is in has to be stopped. We can wait around for some outside governmental promise of a plan OR, do what I think each of us has to think about seriously, and that is to poke into this cycle with the basics...two folks hook up, baby comes, game over. 2 poor parents- times- love discipline educational focus and direction- equals- children with promise, communities that are safer, strong future men and women! We as a culture must stop enabling the way our culture works today and stop providing grown men and women with excuses, reasons and crutches. We come from strong, tenacious, resourceful stock--with integrity! Yes there will always be children who thrive, despite their parents, and we can all name some successful ones, but what about the rest; what about the masses? Listen inferior family is a rule in our culture. It is not the exception. Those are the facts and if we can not see it, we need to crawl out of our suburbian homes and communities and visit the communities of how most of us live, work and play in this country. We can not turn our eyes away or expect help from our country when their eyes are wide open.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 2:04PM
g smallwood
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You are absolutely right!!
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 2:59PM
g smallwood
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It's people who give like you, Dorothy, that are going to be this generation's heroes!!! Covering your own parental responsibility is not easy. To step in, be a mentor, parent, or help to someone else's is remarkable! God bless you for that!!! We all have a responsibility to do all we can in our corner of the world. You get tired, frustrated...want to give up sometimes, I'm sure, but you will be blessed and our culture will be better because of the childrens' lives you've touched, even if your name never gets in the history books!! Those generational family lines that you have touched by loving those foster children will provide oral history about it. You'll leave a legacy they can be proud of.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 7:29PM
g smallwood
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My son was the first sixth grader to win the math and science award, but he soon changed from his eagerness to learn towards trying to fit into his environment. He would rather be recognized as tough, especially since the older dudes in the neighbor were calling him Big Al (really fed his ego).
I think that materialism plays a big part in the direction that our teenagers choose. I remember when my son was 13, he wanted me to sew name brand labels onto his pants because he wanted to blend in with the other kids. I sent my son to school with a belt on his pants and as I watched him walked down the street, some of his friends approached to help him undo his clothing. When he came home his pants were fixed correctly so I tried not to give him a hard time. This was at the time when the teens were first letting their pants sag.
Saturday, January 2nd 2010 at 11:06PM
Helen Lofton
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Adolescence is a difficult time for all parents--good and bad--. There is a natural rejection and rebellion of parental values, including dress. Kids will not stay 6 or 8 years old forever. With that said, it's not the sagging pants that is the problem with our culture. From wearing the latest fad of sagging pants to committing murder is a BIG LEAP. Just because a kid wears the latest trend in fashion does not create a murderous tendency. Other more serious factors contribute to that. Anyone who's ever been a teen remembers whatever fad was going on was not the one parents agreed with, liked or accepted. Teenagers choosing to want to wear what their friends wear is normal. I've watch a lot of high school boys with sagging pants go on to major colleges and make suit wearing executives; some go into the military or start their own businesses. Parents need to pick their battles. Fight over whether or not they are studying in school and respectful, not whether they're wearing the latest trend. Finally, it is parents who decide the environments that children grow up in. When we live in environment where education is not respected, then some of that will effect our children. In those circumstances, we have to work harder. We can not give up! Dr. Ben Carson's mother did not give up on him. It's the least we can do for humans we bring into this world. It's what we must do.
Sunday, January 3rd 2010 at 1:41AM
g smallwood
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Dorothy, I think you're on to something. The strong men in the communities need to be the leaders, set up some way of being the protector of the women and children in it. Organize, like the freedom fighters did to win civil rights, to win freedom rights for everyone who lives in black neighborhoods, from those tyrannicals in our own culture that have become vultures. The strong men need to say, BLACK MEN STOP! NO MORE! and return our communities back to pre-Civil Rights Struggle condition: safe, healthy, loving, where neighbors were not the enemies. It will be difficult, because we've been locking our doors, putting up bars, sitting watching the game or playing the games for far too long, while or neighborhoods have become impossiblefor grandma to sit out on the porch, children to play ball in the streets and neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar.
Sunday, January 3rd 2010 at 3:32PM
g smallwood
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Irma, Just like past generations, we must be our own griots, until or unless the history books are changed to tell the truth. We must stop waiting on the government to change the books, give us some help for our children's behavior, stop the birds from flying or start allowing us to breathe!!!! As you say, in some of your comments, we are practicing self loathing behavior. Absolutely!! There are many lies that the society informs us about, but should we believe it? Shouldn't we find a way to help our children love themselves, instead of waiting for society to change it's mind? Yeh, I think we should. Incidentally, Irma, I do get paid to teach phonetics skills, grammar & comprehension to elementary school students. Little boys and girls need those skills before they can read history. I do not teach History. I also spend a lot of my spare time as a volunteer mentor for several young elementary school age children every year, and with mid high and high school students. Also, just in an interest of fair disclosure--I spent 15 years as a television news journalist. I was was never used to turn blacks against blacks. I'd have to be a fool to do it and not know it was happening or either I am a liar now. I don't believe any journalist can be or is being used that way. As journalist, we have a lot of control over the assignments we get, and the stories we tell. This is the rule, I'm sure there are exceptions. Not all blacks believe the same--some have different political persuasions, as well. This same rule, though, could be applied to any black person disseminating information or help to blacks...you know that the system is using them. One of my loves is research, so, I'm not prone to conspiracy theories. Again, there are exceptions to that rule, too. Oh yea, I don't get my statistics from CNN. We may get our statistics from some of the same resources. There are statistical engineers who do this work--from how many people ride the bus---to how many people shoot each other---whether that is the neighborhood grocer, to determine how many people like pinto beans so that they can fill their shelves appropriately, to the CDC, CENSUS BUREAU, FBI, PRISONS, POLICE ARREST RECORDS, US DEPT OF EDUCATION, CITY PLANNING COMMISSIONS..ETC.. In the back of my book there is a long list of the resources for the statistical information that I provide and resources for those who need help, too. Finally Irma, I say that we must look at what is going on in our communities. If you want to bury your head and play pretend, that's OK. But I submit to you that tooooo many of us have done that for decades and left grandmothers, children and innocent humans vulnerable to gunshots, drugs and abandonment. That's what our culture has been doing post Civil Rights. We have allowed our communities to become over run with danger. Strong black men, like the "freedom fighters" against the enemy of the Civil Rights Era, need to become "freedom fighters" against those of us who are enemies today, to provide freedom for grandmothers to sit on the porch, children to play in the streets and freedom to love and trust our neighbors again!!
Sunday, January 3rd 2010 at 4:31PM
g smallwood
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Lets get off of our knees, go look into the mirror and look at your self...what do you see??? well who ever you see there, if you can be proud of your self for being a positive in your community, then sa,y" well done" and continue to do what you are doing. Tis is what "I" do and it works for me...
This comes from something my grandmother use to say, "When you have done the very best you can then say , well done"(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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g, have you found any statistics of those like you reading books to our young children about the make up of the traditional Black family where the brother of the single mother can take voer the role of 'father' in the family?!?
YOU KNOW SOMETHING THAT SHOWS HOW WE HAVE MANAGED TO SURVIV E EVERY THING THROWN AT US SUCH AS THIS THE BLACK SINGLE FEMALE IS WHAT IS CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS ON AN ALREADY VIOLENT, DISTRUCTIVE RACE OF PEOPLE LIKE US...DO YOU READ ANY BOOKS ABOUT OUR BEING BIA THAT CAN COUNTER ACT THESE FALSE IMAGES ABOUT US IN ANY WAY FORM OR FASHION?!?
I WILL REPEAT EVERY THING BEGINS WITH US BY SEENIG THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US ARE INDIDUALS WHO ARE NEVER SEEN IN STATICTICS THAT HAS NO DIRECT TIES WITH OUR RACE AS BEING MADE UP OF INDIVIDUALS.(and, "I" am not smiling)
Thank you my sister Marquerite and brother Clark for what you do in jyor community and on this site to help our youth who believe they are doomed and sister g, please add this wonderful blog into any statistics that has anything to do with what we as individuals do in our community..
the mass media talking head Black experts never do(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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AND AS FAR AS BLACK CULTURE...PLEASE I BEG YOU ONE AND ALL PLEASE STOP ALLOWING OUR CULTURE TO BE TAUGHT OUT OF US...WEHN WE GIVE CREDIT TO PAST GENERATIONS PLEASE LEARN THAT THIS HAD A LOTTO DO WITH THEM KNOWING OUR CULTURE IS MOTHER CENTERED...THAT THE OLDER THE PERSON IS IN NUCLEAR FAMILY/EXTENDED FAMILY IS TO BE RESPECTED, REVERED FOR PASSING ON TO US OW NOT ONLY DID THEY SURVIVE BUT HAVE BEEN PROUD TO SUFFER SO THE THEIR CHILDREN WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO SO..WHERE IS THE STATISTICS ON THIS..WHY DO SO MANY OF OUR YOUTH NOT KNOW EVEN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.....................LEARN ABOUT YOUR OWN CULTURE AND THIS WILL BETTER HELP MAKE OUR CHILDREN TOO TOO PROUD TO DO HARM TO ANOTHER PROUD AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR ANY HARM TO THEIR RACE/FAMILY/FRIENDS/SOCIETY AT LARGE...POINT THOSE ACCUSING FINGERS AT YOUR OWN SELF FOR ALLOWING OUR TRUE WORTH AND VALUE AS HUMAN BEINGS WITH DARK SKIN...WAKE UP...JOIN THOSE OF US WHO HAVE DONE THIS...OR LOOK FRO SOMETHING LIKE THI S IN STATISTICS ON TOAW BIA SPECIALS ON CNN...MORE BLACKS ON TV AS MORE THAN TOKENS TO TURN US AGAINST EACH OTHER AND TO CONTINUE THIS HISTORICAL LIE THAT WE ARE VIOLENT AND NONPRODUCTIVE ON THIS PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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Oh g and since you may hev dicided "I' hide my head in the sAND THEN YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ME TRYING TO TEACH HOW ANY WHY THE BLACK PANTERS WERE MADE PUBLIC ENEMY #1 BECAUSE OF THEM BEING AHEAD OF THEIR TIME IN TRYING TO STOP RACIAL PROFILING IN THEIR LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD...HOW WE SHOULD GO TAKE SOME CLASSES IN THOSE BLACK DEPARTMENTS CAUSE TO BE HAD IN OUR CLOOEGES ALL OVER THIS COUNTY FROM OUR OUT LOOK ON WHO AND WHAT WE ARE THEN AND NOW...HAVE YOU EVER CALLED THEM FREEDOM FIGHTERS ON ANY OF YOUR REPORTINGS BFORE THE PUBLIC...DID YOU REPORT HOW HAVING A TOKEN IS TO ALLOW IN ONLY ONE AND LOCK OUT THE COUNTLESS QUALIFIED BLACK PEOPLE AND EVEN ONE OF MY PROFESSORS AT UCD ADMITED IN HER FIRST CALSS THAT IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE COLOR OF HER SKIN SHE WOULD NOT BE ON THAT UNIVERSITY'S STAFF...HERE NAME IS PARTICA TURNERS...HAVE YOU READ ANY OF HER BOOKS AS THE PROFESSORS AT UCD MUST WRITE RESEARCH BOOKS JUST TO REMAIN ON STAFF..SE LIKE REV. J. WRIGHT ALSO TEACHES HOW WE DANCE TO A DIFFERENT DRUMMER, HOW WE ARE A UNIQUE CULTURE AND BE PROUD OF THIS. AGSIN LETS START WITH OUR SURVIVAL METHODS AND NOT THE THINGS BEING USED SO SUCCESSFULLY TO DISTROY OUR RACE/CULTURE...OPRAH AND OBAMA ARE DIRECT EXAMPLE OF REV. WRIGHT'S TEACHINGS AND LOOK HOW WE ARE HELPING TO BRING PEOPLE LIKE TIS DOWN BY WAY OF OUR BLACK CHURCHES...WAKE UP...WAKE UP..IT ALL STARTS WITH US AND OUR OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES AS LIVING BLACK HISTORY...it our black culture being taught out of us with us being the main backers of this....?????????????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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Hay Dorothy, would you say our children killing each other just may have a lot to do with having a closed mind????????being unwilling to see the big picture of there are many many different people who don't have their problems nor a magic cure. Or one can not cure something they don't know what is causing it, but putting limits on seeking knowledge because we are not personally interested in what others have to say is not part of a solution, it is a problem???!!!!!
I am willing to bet a lot of them have never had anyone to listen to what they have to say.And, this is a guranteed way to low self-esteem. but, that's just me...(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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thank you so much , as I have already raised my two daughters. They had children after marriage and college..son't smoke do drughs and have never so much as had a traffic ticket...my youngest daughter has about 3 more years before retiring from the Navy and has survived her tour in the middle-east. my youngest is a regristered nurse and supervisor of her ward as an chemo specialist...my grandchildern is one in college one in her last year of high school and one just in kindergaren...now what was this about me helping keep our children from killing each other...
me my college major was in back culture as beginning in African and not in the 60s...this is my job as I now help our young people get justice for somoen killing themk because of the color of their skin...I deal with our youth after being killed in hate crimes...I repeat no oone shoe fits all in our community nor in saving our children...(smile)
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA
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