More Than Wii Be

And I thought the Wii was impressive.

Microsoft's got a new gaming system (it's a full-range entertainment system, actually) on the way.  Check this out:

No pricing or availability information was known at the time the article was published.

Too Black or too bad?

"D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" and David Alan Greer's "Chocolate News" have apparently been cancelled.  Apparently, some wonder if it has to do with them both being Black shows.

Personally, I don't think their shows were too Black for tv.  Based on what I saw, they were too bad for tv.

By the way, that ain't the jiiiiive version of "bad."  It's the literal one.

Flat jokes.  Poor transitions.  Brute-force approach to comedy.  Shallow consideration of the issues.

Of course, that's what I got from watching very little of their shows, but it was enough for me to form my opinion*.  Conan O'Brien was very unpolished in his earliest hosting days, but I found his approach more palatable.  I think that was largely because of his humility and humor.

I don't know if Conan did stand-up, first (I doubt it) but I'd expect Hughley's and Greer's collective decades in front of audiences to count for a heck of a lot more than I saw on the screen.

* - and I fully admit that's all it is - an opinion.

MegaCON 2009

MegaCON is a convention in Orlando, Florida that centers around comic books, sci-fi, anime, video games and more. There are vendors selling all of the above in addition to hard-to-find memorabilia. Some areas offer sneak peeks of upcoming movies and video games. Celebrities of the past and present sign autographs, pose for pictures, and talk with con-goers. And, of course, there are "cosplayers," people who dress up as their favorite characters and pose for us.

This year the convention took place over the weekend of February 27th. There were fewer vendors of-interest to me, the convention floor was just as crowded as usual, and parking conditions were insane but we still managed to have a bit of fun, sell some items, and take some great pictures. Not to mention the fantastic dinners we enjoyed at our favorite restaurants.

In the MegaCON 2009 section of my Flickr account should be some of the still photos I took with my Treo smartphone and traditional digital camera - along with some videos I took with the phone, as well. And, yeah, that's my big mouth providing the needless commentary at the end of the mock fight video.

The other video is of a working R2D2 replica that wandered around the convention floor, wow'ing spectators like myself.

I hope you enjoy the pix.

Podcasts and More, via Treo

Today's post is about how useful my Treo smartphone is for enjoying free internet content without having to involve iTunes or even a personal computer.

In his AdventureBlog, Michael May recently offered up some quotes from NPR, National Public Radio. I've become an NPR junkie, so I couldn't resist checking some of them out.

Also being a tech junkie and a cycling enthusiast, I became very fond of listening to podcasts of NPR shows while peddling around the city. Although they're called "podcasts," I don't listen to them via any of Apple's devices. I use my smartphone, a Palm device called "Treo." (Mine is the 755p.)

Back in the day, I used to download podcasts and play them on my iPod (yes, I do own an old one) but eventually I got tired of walking around like Roger McNamee with the geek version of a "utility belt." I had too many devices on my hips so I went back to basics. I got a Treo because it's something of an all-in-one device. Why not use it as such and put my podcasts on my micro-SD card and play them on the Treo?

That's just what I did... until I found out about a software application for my phone called "Kinoma 4 EX."

You've probably noticed that the internet offers a lot of free audio content like radio stations' (public and private) streaming certain shows or a full day's content. Well, Kinoma not only allows us to access that content through our phones' internet connections, but we also gain access to Kinoma's media guide which organizes and arranges this content by category. So, I can listen to NPR every day without having to open iTunes once.

If I decide, while on the go, that I feel like listening to NPR's Fresh Air's latest podcast, I open Kinoma, click on my Fresh Air bookmark, and then choose from the podcasts from the past week. At the touch of a button, I can either choose to play a given podcast or just find out what it's about to decide if I'd rather skip it.

So I now have access to an entire library of free online content that ranges from music, public radio podcasts, media reviews, public zoo live-cams, free public-domain audiobooks... you get the idea.

And I don't have to prepare at all before leaving the house. I don't have to open iTunes or transfer files or choose what to store and what to delete.

I simply pull up what I want, when I want. And if I need to be offline for a while, I can have Kinoma save the song (or whatever other audio content) on my phone/sd card and play it when no internet connection is available.

Most of the time, I just listen to NPR podcasts or stream their live radio content for the day, but sometimes I pull up the link to a Jacksonville radio station I really dig... and just listen while I'm shaving, washing dishes, bike riding, or waiting on my lady to pick out a pair of shoes.

Did I mention that i can also search for and play YouTube videos? Yeah.

I watched the Watchmen

SPOILER-FREE ZONE

I dug it, but I have no clue whether it was a good flick or not. I'm too acquainted with the source material. I just know it as a fantastic adaptation.

I didn't see many trailers for Watchmen, but I only recall one that gave the merest inkling that this wasn't a typical superhero flick. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, though, because, c'mon, it was rated-R. And it earned that rating.* Leave the kiddies at home, folks.

The best review I’ve read said that a lot happened which we watched with interest, but we cared little for the characters, if at all. In my case, I cared most for Rorschach (of all people). Although I was very happy with most of the costume translations, Rorschach was best without the mask. That little actor really impressed me.

Overall, the casting was excellent. I never thought I'd say that, but after having watched it once (so far) Veidt is the only character who didn't quite seem to fit in the actor's skin. I didn't think most of the actors had many opportunities to stretch their thespian muscles, so I don't blame them for not inspiring an emotional investment (as opposed to a shallow, rubber-necking equivalent).

The story was about as fractured and distended as the graphic novel. The flow lost momentum a little too often, but when it picked up, again, it held on tight and so did I.

As a comic fan, I'm very glad they made this flick. I'm glad they waited until they had a better budget. I'm glad they picked filmmakers who were faithful enough to the source material without being completely slavish. I'm also glad they waited after we'd been exposed to more traditional comic flicks, so we'd recognize the film for the departure it is from most comic flicks (just as the graphic novel set itself apart from most comics of its time).

Maybe after a few more viewings, I'll be able to view it less as a fanboy and more as a regular movie-goer.


EDIT: I agree with the reviewers who commented on the added and unnecessary brutality. More on that after the flick has been out for a while; I may post a spoilerific addendum at that time.





* - Quick aside: Just imagine an R-rated Batman flick. Mmmm.
For that matter, imagine if The Dark Knight had been rated-R. Wow.

Black Characters in Iron Man

I've been reading and re-reading some old Iron Man issues, lately - especially the ones illustrated by Bob Layton, Iron Man artist extraordinaire. I dig the hell out of that period in Iron Man history for both the stories and the fantastic art.

One reason I'm so fond of Layton's Iron Man days (besides how skillfully he renders the title character) is the fact that this was the first comic book series I ever remember reading that had Black characters that looked Black.

James Rhodes (a.k.a "Rhodey") and his lady friend, Marcy (sp?) were the most consistent examples of this. Rhodey, in-particular, just blew me away because he was a strong-willed, though reasonably flawed, example of an honest and brave Black man in the comic book realm - even if he was "the help" for a long time.

Iron Man #225

That was great, but I also dug - I mean really dug - the fact that Rhodey wasn't just drawn as white man who happened to have brown skin (and curly hair), but as an African-American character. His lips were thicker without venturing into "Ebony territory" and his hair seemed to have been thoughtfully conceived and sculpted into a realistic and then-modern example of the "Negroid" hair-type.

Iron Man #125

The above illustration from Iron Man #125 is a little before my time, to be honest. I wasn't following the comic during the days that afro's were still in-style. (Now that I think about it, though, Black comic book characters have often sported or retained hairstyles and slang well beyond their expiration dates. I guess this is how it goes when you've got Black characters whose words and visages are usually crafted by white creators.)

Iron Man #224

Anyway, I'm enjoying these Iron Man issues for lots of reasons. I just wanted to chat a little about one reason of which I was recently reminded: the positive depiction of Black characters as Black characters (sans white hair, blue eyes, Caucasian facial features, etc.).

In fact, noticing how cool Rhodey seemed, to me, kinda pointed out something I hadn't noticed before - just how rare these types of characters were. In fact, it was right around that time that I realized that I'd never seen Black hair depicted so well (not that it was never done right, but I didn't see very many examples). I also realized that, despite how much I enjoyed drawing, even I didn't draw Black characters very often ... so infrequently, in fact, that when I sat down and tried my hand at it, I realized I had to think very hard about how to draw hair like mine.

That seemed pretty strange to me, at the time, and kinda sad to me, now. Whenever I drew comic book characters, they were white characters with "white" hair, like the blonde-haired (and blue-eyed?) Johnny Storm (a.k.a. "The Human Torch") of the Fantastic Four. John Byrne had a very distinctive way of drawing Johnny's hair and I tried my best to reproduce it every chance I got - so much so that, when the time came, I had no clue how to draw "my own" hair.

I'm not sure what all the implications are of Black kids who only play with white dolls and draw white people and watch tv shows with white characters, but I doubt they're positive.

I'm thankful that there were at least a few opportunities for young Black readers, like my(younger)self, to see reflections of themselves in their entertainment. Bob Layton certainly wasn't the only example, but in my book, he's one of the best.

If only because it was among the very few times this comic book fan has seem Black male characters and Black female characters in a relationships... with each other.

The below isn't the best example (from Iron Man #238) of Layton's work, but, to me, it represents something very positive. Having said that, I should also give props to writer David Michelinie, for even (creating?) using these characters this way.

EDIT: And, according to a buddy, some credit should go to John Byrne for suggesting/deciding that Rhodey should be Black instead of a white guy, as he was reportedly originally conceived. Props, Mr. B.

Iron Man #238

Tech Q&A

In an effort to get back into the game (hopefully with a touch of regularity), today's post is in-response to my e-buddy, B. Good's tech question. She asked it in my chatbox (in the right margin); feel free to drop a note there, whenever you like... about whatever you like.

B. Good: West! My electronics guru. I'm in the market for a new TV. This TV will start off as my only TV (in the living room), and will eventually move to my bedroom TV once I get a 2nd TV specifically for the living room. I'm thinkin of goin with a 32" (or so) flat panel television. What do you think? Any brand you'd recommend?

West: B! I'm sorry, but I haven't turned on any of my televisions in over a year. :-O And before that, I hardly used them. Why? Because I believe digital projectors are the way to go. They offer far more bang for your buck, in my opinion. For more information, check out this old post of mine on the subject:

TECHNOLOGY: Digital Projectors Replace Big-Screen TV's

I hope that helps. By the way, here's a sample image from one of my projectors.

Click image to enlarge.
(Then you'll probably want to click, again, to see what a 93-inch picture can look like.)

Movie Review - The Bourne Ultimatum

* As usual, I begin by stating that my only qualifications as a reviewer extend no further than my love of television and film. I'm not an academic, when it comes to this particular topic. I just talk about what I like and what I don't like. *

The Story.

"The third installment in the Bourne movie franchise, 'The Bourne Ultimatum' lets us observe the amnesia-plagued, former spy's quest for real answers about how and why became such an incredibly capable super-(though not super-powered) assassin. "

In the first movie, after a failing to assassinate a target, Jason Bourne was injured, lost much of his conscious memory, and found himself able to fight, track, and infiltrate with unbelievable skill and efficiency. With the CIA trying to kill him for mysterious reasons, Bourne encounters a civilian woman who eventually became his love interest and helped him tie up some loose ends and secure a bit of peace.

In the second movie, Bourne's relatively peaceful life with his girlfriend came to an end, when she was murdered by operatives who were trying to frame and then kill Bourne, himself. This sets Bourne on a path back to the CIA and back into the brutal life he barely remembers, but keeps trying to escape.

The most recent installment, The Bourne Ultimatum, shows just how badly Jason Bourne wants answers about his past and has us wondering how much his deceased girlfriend's values will temper his rage and determination. The CIA tries to tie up some loose ends that happen to contain the answers Bourne has been looking for. It's just a question of who will get to them first and who'll survive the journey.

The Acting.
Matt Damon remains remarkably effective at portraying a character whose drive, aptitude, and failed attempts to find peace make him nearly robotic in his precision, while struggling to retain portions of his dwindling humanity. Damon's ability slip become enveloped in this role once again accomplishes the semi-rare feat of dimming the star so that the character can shine. I couldn't ask for more from this actor.

The other actors are all very capable, but none stands out too much one way or the other. Their supporting characters do just what they're meant to do: they keep Bourne's character facing credible threats to his goals and to his life.

This is true despite the huge character flaws that are hard to identify as scripting flaws or deliberate portrayals of how easily ambition can lead to corruption and self-destruction.



The StoryTELLING.
I'm afraid this is where the movie falls short the most. In each installment, we've seen CIA operatives trying to eliminate Bourne as a threat, despite the fact that he is no threat to them, as long as they leave him alone.

As I said above, this could just a representation of how pursuing our own ends takes on a whole new meaning. Ultimately though, it comes across as tired and it diminishes our respect for the intelligence and capabilities of Bourne's antagonists. The value of such a capable "hero" is neutralized when the "villains" can't seem to stop making the same mistakes over and over, again.

Luckily, there are a few interesting character moments and a number of impressive fight scenes and car crashes to distract us. Unluckily, these distractions aren't enough to pass Bourne's amnesia to the audience and make us forget the pay-off we expect before the closing credits.

Frequently, the filmmakers give us a glimpse of character and story potential, but never bother to explore that potential to a satisfying end. What was the bond between Jason Bourne and character x and what role did s/he play? How was Bourne transformed into the super-soldier he's become? Why was Bourne such a suitable candidate for the experimental training and conditioning program? What made character y switch sides? Why is the CIA so talented and yet so inept?

We get answers to some of these questions, but not the right ones and not enough to make the Bourne Ultimatum live up to its tremendous potential and hype. After three installments, I'm guessing this is as good as it's ever going to get.

Sadly, that leaves me hoping that this will the last installment.

Recommended?
Yes, with reservations.

Despite its flaws, The Bourne Ultimatum remains an enjoyable film, but at the end, I felt like something was missing. Kinda like when you're hungry, but instead of a meal, you eat a bunch of potato chips and junk food. Your hunger is abated, for the time-being, but you're not truly satisfied.

The Bourne Ultimatum didn't offer enough substance to fully live up to its promise, but it'd already set the bar so high that it's almost understandable that it exceeded the reach of the filmmakers.

Or maybe they were too busy leaving room for yet another sequel.

More Than Meets the Eye

It's funny how the addition of a fictional symbol can increase one's cool-points, exponentially!

Comic Con, Glyphs, & NPR

Congrats to Rich Watson for being acknowledged as the creator of the Glyph Awards during NPR's coverage of the recent (and very big) San Diego comic convention. You can find a summary of and a link to the NPR segment here. I can't seem to find a decent link to Rich's updated site, so here's an old one (I know it contains a link, but it seems to be dead or dying, as well).

"The Glyph Awards recognizes the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, we hope to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field."

Comic Con and comics, in general, have become more and more relevant to mainstream audiences, consumers, and creators of books, film, and other media. Plenty of folks covered Comic Con. I just thought I'd take a sec to give a shout-out to Rich for being recognized for all his hard work.

A Special Laugh & A Forrest Quote

A couple of copy/pastes from a recent conversation:

WEST3MAN: Freshman year in college, some friends and I were laughing at someone's yearbook.
WEST3MAN: Laughing at the horrible pictures of folks.
WEST3MAN: Pix that really made'em look dumb or whatever.
WEST3MAN: We stumbled upon a photo of some folks in some club that looked ... well, they cracked us up.
WEST3MAN: After laughing looooong and haaaard,
B: lol
WEST3MAN: we realized it was a "special club."
B: that's messed up
WEST3MAN: They were all mentally retarded or something.
WEST3MAN: We felt AWFUL, but we'd already laughed so hard that we couldn't stop...
WEST3MAN: ...in fact, we laughed even harder.
B: heathen
WEST3MAN: The fact that we were supposed to stop made us laugh harder and we felt terrible as we cried and laughed and told each other to stop.
T: "where that bolt of lightning came from next, i'll never know . . "
WEST3MAN: the worst, best laugh i ever had.
WEST3MAN: indeed.
WEST3MAN: ever had that kinda laugh that makes EVERYthing funny, afterward?
B: yes
T: No
WEST3MAN: one of those moments, which was unfortunately followed by the revelation that we were laughing at the mentally challenged.
T: i always assumed that involved drugs of some kind
T: cuz i've seen it happen to people
B: alcohol
T: Alcohol is a drug
T: anyway
WEST3MAN: i don't drink or do drugs and it's happened to me many times.
T: i knew a guy who was proud of his personal motto "Hire the Handicapped, they're fun to watch" that he woudl wear it on a T-Shirt to Church
WEST3MAN: it's an incredible thing. i laughed, though, until i no longer sounded like a human-being - which is probably mildly appropriate.

And one more...

WEST3MAN: random comment (which'll probably end up on the blog):
WEST3MAN: perhaps my absolute favorite moment in Forrest Gump (one of my favorite movies) was when he tried to ask...
WEST3MAN: ...if his son was slow, like him.
WEST3MAN: he choked on the words and i choked on the frog in my throat.
WEST3MAN: that's all.

Feel free to comment on either.

Jolie's Role

In a previous post, I complained about Angelina Jolie being chosen to play slain journalist, Daniel Pearl's, widow in the movie, "A Mighty Heart."

I feel somewhat differently, now.

Let me state, at the outset that 1) I don't care how many kids Jolie adopts and 2) I realize that the movie's by Brad Pitt's production company.

None of that factored into my current or former opinion (I don't think).

I still would've preferred that they'd cast a biracial actress for the role, but seeing Jolie "all made up" lessens my pissivity. It doesn't look or feel like "Blackface," to me.

I still mildly wince at the idea of Jolie playing a (partly-) Black woman, but I'm starting to think that her features help suspend disbelief a bit more... and her box-office pull is sumpin' fierce.

Anyway, I haven't completely changed my mind, but I've got more of await-and-see attitude going on, right about now.

How about you?

♪ Read a $#^$ ^%*%^in' Book! ♪

This hilarious bit o' BET animation slipped past me, somehow. Luckily, the kind folks at 4thletter hooked us up.

Lemme know what you think.

(Not safe for work unless you have headphones and an obscured monitor screen.)*

* - There's no nudity, but there is profanity and a couple of mildly out-there scenes.

Pirates 3

My Memorial Day weekend was pretty decent. (Sadly, I must confess that I didn't give more than a moment's thought to true purpose of the holiday.) M'lady and I went to her folks' place for the weekend - eatin', watchin' movies, and gettin' beat-the-hell-up by her little sister in a fighting game called "Dead or Alive."

Oh yeah. We also went to see this guy*:

(Pic taken in the movie theater.)

While the movie did drag here and there, I was pretty pleased with it overall. I was just there to get entertained and it did that.

The acting above-average, the story was fairly engaging, but the storytelling left something to be desired. Since I'm only so invested in the franchise, this didn't bother me as much as it might have otherwise.

Low expectations, dontchuknow.

The story wasn't told with the new-comer (or a low- to mid-level fan) in-mind. Maybe that was because the flick was long enough (2hr 45min) without a recap. I dunno. But, as someone who's only seen the previous installments once each, I didn't always understand what was going on or who a character was.

I don't remember the first two chapters very well. It's hard to say if the latest placed worst or first. (M'lady prefers Part 2, by the way.)

Once again, we attended a pre-noon showing - this time in Jacksonville, Florida. Admission was $5 per person. Maybe, if I'd paid twice as much, I'd have walked out pissed. As it stands, it was a flick with a lot of fun, a few flaws, and a few touching moments.


Recommended?
Sure. Why not?!



* - Although I missed about 10 minutes of the flick when I had to leave to take a call. (Yes, my ringer was off.)

"S/he needs to apologize..."

Although most are probably sick of hearing about anything Imus-related, I've been meaning to crank out this post for a while, now. A podcast I listened to, this morning, prompted me to get off my electronic ass and hit the keyboard.

A guest on NPR's "News and Notes" radio program mentioned that Don Imus, and people in-general, should apologize after having wronged someone(s). Later, I was pleased to hear them begin talking about sincerity, which was a refreshing change from what I've heard from most folks. Sadly, though, that didn't seem to be the point of her original statement or of similar statements that I hear from media personalities all the time.

Sorry if this is repetitive but I'm of the opinion that the only folks who "should" apologize are those who are sincerely remorseful - and children. I don't hear anyone saying, "I'm sure ol' Don didn't really mean to be offensive or to call those college athletes a bunch of 'nappy-headed hoes,' so he should let people know how bad he feels for his words.*"

All that leaves is the version of the apology that is reserved for children. Y'know, how you tell kids to say they're sorry, even if they don't really feel it? I think that serves a purpose in that it forces a dose of humility down the child's throat and, hopefully, gets him or her used to taking responsibility for his or her actions.

I guess forcing an unrepentant child to apologize could also encourage the practice of false apologies. That's what I think is going on in Imus' case.

It's not "important that he apologize," as the "News and Notes" guest put it... not unless he actually feels that he did something wrong (or wants to pull one of those "sorry that you took offense" apologies out of his ass).

Though I'm tempted, I'm not going to get into whether Imus is truly remorseful. I just wish that people would stop calling for the Imus', the Michael Richards', and the Mel Gibson's of the world to apologize.

They're grown-ass men. They should apologize only if they mean it - not because a bunch of newscasters, political leaders, or even the wronged individuals demand it.

It's simple. You only say, "I'm sorry for wronging you" if you're actually... wait for it... sorry for having wronged someone.

Anything else is a lie and devalues the very concept of contrition.





* - as opposed to how bad he feels for the repercussions he's suffered as a result of those words

Spider-Man 3

CBR's Andy Khouri, better known as The Fanboy by some, has a pretty good review of Spider-Man 3 here.

I don't agree with everything he says there, but our impressions overlap more than they diverge on this topic.

Spidey 3 was very good, in my opinion. It suffered some of the same shortcomings of the previous installment, but with better execution. It could've benefited from better editing, as some visual jokes lasted too long and transitions were sometimes pretty weak. Also, it seems (especially after reading recent post from 4th Letter) that the story was cut in various places, without making the appropriate changes to the remaining portions (with the new context in-mind).

I was cool with almost all of the acting and the action was fan-freaking-tastic.

With so much going on, this film could've been a big ol' mess (and according to some, that's exactly what it was), but I think the plotlines were interwoven very well.

My lady and I walked away from the theater feeling good about the previous two hours. Although I'm sure the $4, pre-noon ticket prices didn't hurt. ;p


Recommended?
Absolutely!

The Dignity of Celebrities and other Public Figures

When I first heard about Imus referring to a ladies college basketball team as "nappy-headed hoes," the people doing the objecting often differentiated between inflammatory remarks about hard-working student athletes versus celebrities and other public figures.

I don't see why celebrities are deserving of being stripped of their dignity, privacy, or good names.

I recognize that many celebrities and public figures share a rather "special" relationship with the media, but that's not excuse to invalidate their rights (human, if not civil).

Being an actor or an activist doesn't mean that offenses like Imus' lose all their sting.


What am I missing here?

Flash! AHH-ahhhhh!

According to Michael's sources, a dvd of the Flash Gordon movie will be available in August.

That's great news, at least for me. I love that movie. It's a perfect balance of very good and very bad.

Queen soundtrack, old-school effects, 70's/80's style. Nice.

Luckily, m'lady copped a dvd for me some months back. According to the seller, it wasn't a bootleg, but that wasn't exactly accurate. Luckily, it was a bootleg of excellent quality and even included the original trailer.

I hope there are a bunch of extras. Otherwise, I might have to pass. *fingers crossed*

My guess, though, is that they'll make it as appealing as they can the first time around - unlike a lot of today's releases, which are bare-bones for a year, then are followed-up by some type of special edition.

Luckily, I'll have my current copy to keep me from going nuts while I wait to see if the new release will be worthwhile.

Quick Hits: Alanis' Humps, Kids Inc., & Peace-of-Mind

My recent comment at Liz's spot was stretching to full blog-post proportions, so I thought I'd post'em as Quick Hits.

* Alanis' version of "My Humps" is a trip. I wonder 1) why she did it and 2) why Fergie let her do it.

* Do any of you remember "Kids Incorporated," the 80's show with the singing and dancing kids? Well, the little blond girl was Fergie.

* I'm feeling secure about a purchase I made last night. Peace-of-mind is awesome.

I was originally consulting ConsumerReports.com (my new Bible) and weighing the financial pro's and con's about a laptop extended service plan. I decided against it.

Then I asked some of my geek brethren for advice and one of them said, "If you can afford it AND if you'll feel more secure with it, just do it."

Damned good advice. I did it and I must repeat: Peace-of-mind is awesome.

Questions? Comments?

Colin & Condi

About a year ago, I asked some folks if they thought Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice have gotten a pass when it comes to criticizing The Administration's policies and statements.

I think they have - particularly from the Black community.

I've heard a ton of people criticizing Bush and Cheney. I've heard plenty of calls for Rumsfeld's resignation. There seems to be plenty of blame to go around. Yet somehow, I've hardly heard a word of criticism directed at "Colin & Condi" - relatively speaking, anyway.

I'll say it right out. I think it's because they're Black.

I think that a lot of US had high hopes for such high profile, high ranking Black government officials. We wanted them to succeed. We wanted them to be noble. We wanted them to be shining examples of US doing right.

What *I* think we actually got were a couple of people who were too blind to see or unwilling to expose the hypocrisy of this Administration and how many of their actions contradict so-called American values and philosophies.

Instead of admitting this, I believe many of US were in denial and kept making excuses for them.

"Well, Bush must not be listening to them."
"Well, they don't really have anything to do with what's going on."
". . ." (silence)

Or sometimes, we're deafeningly silent. And, to me, that's among Colin & Condi's most obvious offenses. They didn't stand up, break ranks, and say to this country and this world, "This is wrong!"

People act like voices of dissent provide the lion's share of our enemies fuel and fire. No. They've got plenty of motivation. They don't need our help and they certainly won't dry up and blow away if every U.S. citizen, official, and media representative pretended to get behind a single policy or plan-of-action.

I'd like to conclude this little rant by addressing that last element: the media.

In a recent News & Notes podcast, I heard the host, once again, referring to Secretary Rice as "Condi." Interestingly enough, I never hear people referring to Bush, Cheney, or Rove as George, Dick, and Carl. To be fair, they also don't have four-syllable names, but it seems obvious, to me, that there's something particularly familiar about "Condi."

"Condi" sounds like one of your sorors, co-workers, or family members. It sounds like someone you like and respect. It does not sound like someone you would skewer with the same fiery criticism that we direct at others who support and encourage Administration policy.

I think it's a small, admittedly inconclusive sign of the broader issue.

So, the way I see it, we're all (including me) complicit in this disappointing display of discrimination. It's time to take the blinders off and recognize that bias, then deal with it appropriately in all areas.

Powell may be gone (though occasionally publicly critical of Administration Policy) but Rice is still there.

If we want to fuss about the different treatment that Obama gets from the media and the masses, then we need to rise above such political hypocrisy, ourselves.