Views from Point Breeze

On the field of Battle, a person's occupation does not make a terrible death more or less devastating.  The death of three American Doctors by friendly fire reflects the need for our soldiers to leave this country.  In 2012, at least 60 soldiers were killed by Afghan soldiers who decided to end their lives for whatever reason. The trend continued in 2013 with a number of horrific murders of US servicemen.  Imagine that you are not suspecting an onslaught of bullets when you are reclining or in the gym working out.  . Afghanistan first came on my radar screen when the Russians invaded back in the late 1970's.  Being that Russia was a major super power, this invasion supposed to be swift and decisive.  It reminds me of when the U.S. invaded Grenada.  The invasion was over in about two hours.  Russia, due to the dangerous terrain, and the covert tactics of the Afghan soldiers known as the Mujahideen, lasted for ten years.  There was no victo...

If there was ever a television show that mirrored reality, it was The Wire.  I recently watched the first two episodes of the first season.  They reflected the rise of the Barksdale family and their increasingly tight grip on the crack trade. It also reflected the reluctance of witnesses to testify against them if crimes were committed during the course of the drug trade.  Lieutenant McNulty began his series long investigation of the Barksdales.  In spite of the violent scenes in the series, I never experienced first hand the results of the depravity that crack use can cause. I read an article in the Baltimore Sun today that recounted the short life of Najee Thomas.  He was fourteen years old and was the third teenager killed in a week in this city.   I have a cousin that lives in Baltimore on a beautiful tree lined street.  It seems miles away from this carnage that is going on in this city that features the bliss of the Baltimore Harbor and other ...

I became hooked on Game of Thrones last year.  I watched the first two seasons in three days.  Blood, gore, mayhem and all kinds of intrigue.  Leave it to HBO to produce this series based on the books in a series called A Song of Ice and Fire.  Last nights episode was especially bloody.  A young lady was hunted and savagely eaten by dogs.  This was after she was shot through the leg by an arrow wielding young lady.  Theon Greyjoy is basically a servant now.  He lost his private parts last year to a very torturous Ramsey Snow. King Joffrey has to be one of the most vile characters ever in a series.  He inherited the throne when his stepfather was killed by a boor.  He is really the son of his uncle.  This incestuous relationship may have caused some of the sadistic tendencies that Joffrey exhibits.  The one thing that I saw when his castle was being attacked last year is that Joffrey is really a punk.  When it came time ...

While many people will be thinking about the upcoming tax deadline, I will be preparing to party with the Jay Clan this weekend.  There is nothing like a good cabaret.  BYOB and some chicken and salad.  We will be partying for a cause.  Dance Journey is a school led by my Aunt Denise Lewis.  The artistic bug flows through her and her daughters and nieces in a big way.  Aunt Nece danced with Philadanco and maybe Alvin Ailey.  It is a tough job running a dance school but she has her team rolling. The non-profit world is a tough one to operate in.  You have to wear five hats at one time and good people willing to work for less.  Kia Boggs Pinkney is currently in charge of collecting funds for the school.  I didn't know she was a tough administrator but she has to be.  The one time I visited the school she was handling some business and Shavonn was teaching class.  Brandy Merritt was there in support and she teaches also.  ...

I guess I was a little more impressed with the win of the University of Connecticut men's basketball team in the National Championship.  I do not want to take anything away from the women's title but the drama from that game was over in the first minute.  In spite of the Lady Huskies playing undefeated Notre Dame, Stefanie Dolson and Breanna Stewart ripped the life out of Notre Dame with surgical precision.  The game did not seem like a battle of undefeated teams.  The twenty-one point margin of victory took most of the suspense out of the game. The U Conn women have established a dominance rarely seen in college basketball.  By winning his ninth title last night, Geno Auriemma surpassed Pat Summitt as the head coach with the most titles in Division I basketball.  I used to root hard against the Tennessee Vols when they were on top of the game.  They had so many All-Americans that it should have been illegal.  Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker...

Until I can get golf back on my agenda, I will continue to devote time to developing various aspects of my blog.  I pride myself on being able to comment on most aspects of current or past events.  I am not a good prognosticator of future events.  I always inculcated into my children to never give up.  As they are both almost adults, I have to follow the same advice.  On a trip to one of my favorite places in the whole world, I discovered two facts that have helped to shape life in America today.  The term African American was not created during this time period.  The individuals that helped forge American society were sometimes resented but appreciated in hindsight by researchers and those who appreciate history. The Bucks of America were an African American military unit that served during the American Revolutionary War.  The war was fought between the years of April 1775 and April 1783.  That means that while I am sitting...

I couldn't believe what I was hearing yesterday on the news.  A shooter had caused injuries on the Fort Hood military base.  I immediately thought about the tragedy inflicted by then Major Nidal Hassan in 2009.  He killed thirteen people in an outburst that seemed to based on Muslim beliefs that led him to commit this crime.  He actually had completed medical school and was treating soldiers who had returned from Iran and Iraq.  He is paralyzed now and serving a life prison in Fort Leavenworth. Last year in Washington, thirteen people were killed when Aaron Alexis entered the Washington Navy Yard and unleashed a reign of terror that ended when he was killed in a firefight with first responders.  He was captured on video stalking his potential victims.  Mr. Alexis had been able to access military bases based on his work as a subcontractor on an IT contract with the Navy.  He had been complaining of being stalked and followed by unknown assailant...