Posts Tagged ‘National Anthem’

Hell, why not.  Everybody’s running for some office these days.  Nobody said you really had to be qualified, just run.

TRENTON, N.J. – Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis is planning to run for New Jersey Senate.

A state Democratic Party official says Lewis will announce his candidacy on Monday.

Lewis has called a 2 p.m. news conference in Burlington County to announce his “political plans.”

His advisory, issued Sunday night, contained no specific details.

However, a party official speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the 49-year-old Lewis, says the civic activist and four-time medalist plans to run in the 8th legislative district.

The seat is now held by Republican Dawn Addiego.

Monday is the filing deadline for anyone who wants to run for the New Jersey Legislature.

Just someone please ask him never to sing the National Anthem again…and it’s all good.

Here’s an abbreviated version of the catastrophe…

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For more Mo’Kelly, http://mrmokelly.com. Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at mrmokelly@gmail.com.

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You know Mo’Kelly loves him some Anita Baker…

But…folks were deluging the email inbox saying she “destroyed” the National Anthem before game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Now, The Mo’Kelly Report has a well-documented history on artist who wreck the National Anthem.  After a couple of listenings…

Well…

It’s not “bad”…it’s not “horrible.”  But it’s not her finest moment either.  You tell  Mo’Kelly what you think.

RELATED:

Keyshia Cole KO’s National Anthem

Ray J Kills National Anthem…(i.e. MURDERS)

And then there was this…

BUT THE KING KONG OF THEM ALL WILL ALWAYS BE CARL LEWIS!!!

[MRMOKELLY.COM - COMING IN JUNE!]

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Why…just WHY!

RELATED: Ray J Sings the National Anthem

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.

Subscribe in a reader or by email

Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

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Why…just WHY!

RELATED: Ray J Sings the National Anthem

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.

Subscribe in a reader or by email

Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

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Why…just WHY!

RELATED: Ray J Sings the National Anthem

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com.

Subscribe in a reader or by email

Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.

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By now you must have seen, heard or read about the recent comments made by Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard.

Filmed in a non-NBA setting, Howard inexplicably went into a rant on why he doesn’t “celebrate” the Star-Spangled Banner, as it played in the background of an outdoor video.

“Star-Spangled Banner going on right now. I don’t even celebrate that (expletive). I’m Black, (expletive).”

- Josh Howard

Given that the remarks were also stamped with an “Obama ‘08” exclamation point and “patriotism” has been uttered more times in this presidential campaign than Sean Hannity manages to contradict himself daily; the remarks have taken on an expected political tenor.

Although Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and the NBA haven’t officially “condemned” or reprimanded Howard; the NBA and national anthem controversy are relatively familiar with one-another.

Former NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf created quite a stir in 1996 for his refusal to stand for the anthem before games. He was suspended for one game. The late Marvin Gaye’s rendition of the anthem in 1983 at the NBA All-Star game, though now a “classic,” did more than raise a few eyebrows and call into question its alleged inappropriate nature.

Yes, all of the “blame” in this instance could and should be squarely laid at the feet of Howard for his inexcusable actions, but fans shouldn’t lose sight of the larger issues here.

Fans have been quick to respond in anger, alleging that a multi-millionaire should kiss the very ground of the country in which he lives and such brazen criticism is in a word…

Unfathomable.

To that I say, ”maybe…maybe not.”

Our respective perspectives on these issues lie at the heart of race relations. For many if not most African-Americans, the view of race relations in America is a “collective” concept, not an individual litmus test.

For example, most NBA players are African-American and commonly emerge from violent, and undereducated inner cities. These are inner cities replete with drugs, violence, and an inequitable judicial and health care system that disproportionately and negatively affect African-Americans. The largest inhabitants of the least cared for areas stand to suffer disproportionately. Let’s just agree to these facts and leave the reasons as to “why” for another discussion on another day.

Josh Howard’s ascendency into the NBA neither changes nor counterbalances these realities. Although extremely poorly articulated, Howard’s remarks speak to the collective concept, not the individual. How many friends and relatives of Howard did he personally witness fall by the wayside due to inadequate educational opportunities, insufficient healthcare remedies and/or financial impossibilities?

How many?

Josh Howard could earn $100 million and none of that reality changes for him. That same $100 million doesn’t erase the memory of being handcuffed on “suspicion” of selling drugs, the night before his SAT exam either.

No arrests were made, no charges were ever filed and no reasonable explanation subsequently given by police. Such an experience is common to African-Americans (yours truly included) and speaks to how our “patriotism” is cultivated.

The realities in America are these:

There are more African-American millionaires than ever before and there are also more African-American people living in destitute poverty than ever before.

It’s been more than 50 years since the historic Brown V. Board of Education decision ruled educational segregation unconstitutional, yet the majority of inner city educational institutions are still far inferior and underfunded. Use the recent Chicago public schools boycott as a prime example.

In the discussion of Josh Howard’s remarks, there have been many major mistakes made, granted…most of which were Howard’s. As a public figure, any statement he/she makes or questionable behavior will likely end up on youtube, especially when you knowingly are being videotaped. Carmelo Anthony, Shaquille O’Neal should have been poignant and perfect reminders to Howard.

Howard also knows that his “opinion” is only valuable in a public sense because he’s a public figure; yet conveniently forgot that his public celebrity isn’t tied to his “skills” as politician or rhetorician.

It’s as a ball player. Stay in your lane Josh.

For those mistakes, Josh should be ridiculed and ridiculed handily.

The other mistakes have been made by those “fans” who dismiss the whole of what Howard had to say, simply on the weight of Howard’s bank account. If hurricane Katrina proved anything at all, it’s that there are two starkly different Americas, two starkly different American experiences.

(And as for ascension of Senator Barack Obama…)

If you wake up as a child on January 20, 2009 in the projects on the south side of Chicago with an absent father and an out of work mother with zero health insurance and an inferior elementary school in which to attend…the same will be true January 21^st after Obama’s inauguration if elected.

The ascension of “one” never should be the litmus test of the collective. The “collective concept” has always been the yardstick for most African-Americans and it should be for White Americans too as we assess race relations in 2008.

RELATED:
* R. Kelly Mangles the Star-Spangled Banner
* Ray J. (Brandy’s Brother) Sings National Anthem
* Woman Sings Black National Anthem (Instead of SSB)

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incit
e meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.

Subscribe in a reader or by email

Help Bring Mo’Kelly to National Radio HERE

Visit Mo’Kelly’s GIFT SHOP HERE

Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.

By now you must have seen, heard or read about the recent comments made by Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard.

Filmed in a non-NBA setting, Howard inexplicably went into a rant on why he doesn’t “celebrate” the Star-Spangled Banner, as it played in the background of an outdoor video.

“Star-Spangled Banner going on right now. I don’t even celebrate that (expletive). I’m Black, (expletive).”

- Josh Howard

Given that the remarks were also stamped with an “Obama ‘08” exclamation point and “patriotism” has been uttered more times in this presidential campaign than Sean Hannity manages to contradict himself daily; the remarks have taken on an expected political tenor.

Although Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and the NBA haven’t officially “condemned” or reprimanded Howard; the NBA and national anthem controversy are relatively familiar with one-another.

Former NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf created quite a stir in 1996 for his refusal to stand for the anthem before games. He was suspended for one game. The late Marvin Gaye’s rendition of the anthem in 1983 at the NBA All-Star game, though now a “classic,” did more than raise a few eyebrows and call into question its alleged inappropriate nature.

Yes, all of the “blame” in this instance could and should be squarely laid at the feet of Howard for his inexcusable actions, but fans shouldn’t lose sight of the larger issues here.

Fans have been quick to respond in anger, alleging that a multi-millionaire should kiss the very ground of the country in which he lives and such brazen criticism is in a word…

Unfathomable.

To that I say, ”maybe…maybe not.”

Our respective perspectives on these issues lie at the heart of race relations. For many if not most African-Americans, the view of race relations in America is a “collective” concept, not an individual litmus test.

For example, most NBA players are African-American and commonly emerge from violent, and undereducated inner cities. These are inner cities replete with drugs, violence, and an inequitable judicial and health care system that disproportionately and negatively affect African-Americans. The largest inhabitants of the least cared for areas stand to suffer disproportionately. Let’s just agree to these facts and leave the reasons as to “why” for another discussion on another day.

Josh Howard’s ascendency into the NBA neither changes nor counterbalances these realities. Although extremely poorly articulated, Howard’s remarks speak to the collective concept, not the individual. How many friends and relatives of Howard did he personally witness fall by the wayside due to inadequate educational opportunities, insufficient healthcare remedies and/or financial impossibilities?

How many?

Josh Howard could earn $100 million and none of that reality changes for him. That same $100 million doesn’t erase the memory of being handcuffed on “suspicion” of selling drugs, the night before his SAT exam either.

No arrests were made, no charges were ever filed and no reasonable explanation subsequently given by police. Such an experience is common to African-Americans (yours truly included) and speaks to how our “patriotism” is cultivated.

The realities in America are these:

There are more African-American millionaires than ever before and there are also more African-American people living in destitute poverty than ever before.

It’s been more than 50 years since the historic Brown V. Board of Education decision ruled educational segregation unconstitutional, yet the majority of inner city educational institutions are still far inferior and underfunded. Use the recent Chicago public schools boycott as a prime example.

In the discussion of Josh Howard’s remarks, there have been many major mistakes made, granted…most of which were Howard’s. As a public figure, any statement he/she makes or questionable behavior will likely end up on youtube, especially when you knowingly are being videotaped. Carmelo Anthony, Shaquille O’Neal should have been poignant and perfect reminders to Howard.

Howard also knows that his “opinion” is only valuable in a public sense because he’s a public figure; yet conveniently forgot that his public celebrity isn’t tied to his “skills” as politician or rhetorician.

It’s as a ball player. Stay in your lane Josh.

For those mistakes, Josh should be ridiculed and ridiculed handily.

The other mistakes have been made by those “fans” who dismiss the whole of what Howard had to say, simply on the weight of Howard’s bank account. If hurricane Katrina proved anything at all, it’s that there are two starkly different Americas, two starkly different American experiences.

(And as for ascension of Senator Barack Obama…)

If you wake up as a child on January 20, 2009 in the projects on the south side of Chicago with an absent father and an out of work mother with zero health insurance and an inferior elementary school in which to attend…the same will be true January 21^st after Obama’s inauguration if elected.

The ascension of “one” never should be the litmus test of the collective. The “collective concept” has always been the yardstick for most African-Americans and it should be for White Americans too as we assess race relations in 2008.

RELATED:
* R. Kelly Mangles the Star-Spangled Banner
* Ray J. (Brandy’s Brother) Sings National Anthem
* Woman Sings Black National Anthem (Instead of SSB)

The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incit
e meaningful discourse…as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.MrMoKelly.com.

Subscribe in a reader or by email

Help Bring Mo’Kelly to National Radio HERE

Visit Mo’Kelly’s GIFT SHOP HERE

Morris W. O’Kelly can be reached at Mo@MrMoKelly.com and he welcomes all commentary.