Racism in Small Town Tennessee

My fiancee and I both grew up in small towns within the same county in east Tennessee. It was a nice place to grow up. Everybody knows each other, traffic is light and taxes are low. Those are all good things but let's face it there are still a lot of racist rednecks running around in that area. My parents put our wedding announcement in the county paper. There happy for me and they want everyone to know about this milestone in my life. However, it did cause a bit of a stir in her home town because of the biracial nature of our relationship. Her father has taken the brunt of it. He used to be a local politician. and that alone is enough to have enemies. However, his time in office was marred with scandal and a lengthy court battle. In the end he was found not to be responsible for the things that he was being accused of and it was dropped legally. Unfortunately a few of his constituents don't see things that way and they take every chance they get to cause him grief. There is this one guy in particular that is always bothering him and has now taken my impending nuptials as an opportunity to take pot shots him. He has been prank calling his home and also leaving messages wishing him many grandchildren(read between the lines). This of course infuriates her dad. It's one thing to have some idiot bothering you all the time but to use ones children as ammunition is salt in the wound. Others just make little remarks in passing like "it's all over now" whatever the hell that means. I advised him first and foremost that these people aren't worth going to jail over. So don't do anything crazy. Also, to blow as much sunshine up there butts as he could stomach. Tell them that he was extremely happy with the situation. Take their power away. It does make any since to continue doing something that isn't working.

Although her father has been nothing but nice and accepting to me I know that our relationship hasn't been easy on him. After all he was raised by the same man that told Kim that she had better not ever bring home a black man or he would disown her. Our relationship goes against what he was taught as a boy. With that said you have to respect a man who can change his way of thinking and walk his daughter down the isle and give her to a black man. I doubt the people bothering him would show the same loyalty in the same situation. I hope this whole situation has made him look back and think about some of the things he may have said or done in his life as it relates to dealing with other cultures. I think we all could stand to do that.

Death of the N-word

Monday the NAACP conducted a mock funeral to bury the N-Word during its 98th Annual National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. Much like it did in 1944 symbolically burying the Jim Crow Laws(separate but equal). It is part of the NAACP's STOP Campaign. Which basically wants everyone particularly the media and entertainers from portraying African Americans especially women in a negative light. This of course in the wake of the Michael Richards and Don Imus controversies. (More on the mock funeral) Video

I guess I can applaud the efforts of the NAACP in what is essentially a racial public relations move. I just wonder how effective it will be. I admit I cringe at sound of the word no matter who's mouth it comes out of. I do not use the N-word, nigga, nigger or any other form of the word. It is a personal choice about my own behavior and I hope the behavior of my family. I remember the first time someone called me that to my face. I was 18 years old at a get together of co-workers from the local restaurant I was working at the time. I happen to be the only black person there but I really wasn't bothered by that. I was used to being in situations where I was the only black face in the room. One of the girls there was having a fight with her boyfriend and he turned violent against one of my friends from work. Then out the blue with no provocation he directs a comment my way calling me the now deceased racial epithet. I was stunned. I kind of just stood there looking at him in disbelief. I had heard of people being talk to in that way but it had never happened to me. I was quickly ushered into the nearest bedroom for fear of what I might do once the shock wore off. Which it did and like most young black men I wanted to beat the guy so bad that he would trembled at the thought of calling anybody that again.

Now, twenty years later it doesn't effect me the same way. That word holds no power over me. I have risen above worrying about some good ole boy trying to get a rise out of me by calling my that. I'm not saying that it wouldn't anger me but I refuse to let them see that it does. I think that's where all races have to get too. Whether the slur is the N-word, spic, rag head or wop. Take away the words power. I think you should have your own burial inside your own spirit. Not only that you will not use this language but also that you won't let it affect you.

How effective can something like this really be? Is this going stop red necks and rappers from using that word? I doubt it. Is it worth all the time and effort? I don't know only time will tell. What if it reached the souls of just a few people here and there and those people reached a few others and those reached a few more. And all of those people raised there children that way and so on and so on. Then yes I would say it was worth it. A long journey starts with a single step.

Pacman Cartoon

Bang cartoons has made a Adam "Pacman Jones cartoon that is so funny I couldn't stop laughing at it. It portrays Jones as a super hero with all the music and sound effects from the old Batman series. Chris Henry the suspended wide receiver from the Bengals plays the Robin character and Jeff Fisher the head coach of the Titans is their butler. You gotta see this!

Picture of the Week

Found this picture on stumbleupon.com and I thought it was funny. Their facial expressions are priceless.

This is so funny!!!

I know this movie is old and came out last year but I found a website for this movie that is just too much fun. I am of course referring to Snakes on a Plane. There is a website where you can have Samuel L. Jackson call a friend and prompt them to see the movie. This isn't just a generic call like you get from Bill Clinton or other politicians during election time. These are custom made to the person you are sending it to. It even calls them by name. You go through 5 or 6 drop down menus that ask you questions about the person you are sending it to and it tailors the message to fit them. If they have a bald head. Sam will comment on that. He will comment on there job, appearance, transportation and hobbies. I sent one to my dad, brother, sister, friends and even my future father in law.
Give it a try

The Death of Phillip Workman

I wouldn't call myself a death penalty supporter. Nor would I say I'm against it. I do think that in some cases it is justified. Mass murder, the murder of a child, torturing and murdering a victim and serial murders are all good situations for execution. It should never be an eye for an eye. In the case of Phillip Workman this is exactly what happened. In 2004, Fallon Tallent was convicted of two charges of first-degree murder for killing two policemen by deliberately running them down with her car. The sentence was life imprisonment. Phillip killed one officer while robbing a fast food restaurant. Both committed their crimes in the attempted to avoid capture. Why should Fallon get to live while Phillip must die. Neither case was premeditated. Workman didn't plan to kill anyone. He was just a common crook but under the law in which he was judged he had to pay his debt with his life. Don't get me wrong I'm not defending Workman. He is guilty and should pay for his crime. I don't even care if it was his bullet or not. He is still responsible. He shot at police during a robbery and it caused a man to lose his life. It doesn't matter if it were Phillips bullet or friendly fire. The result is still the same.
Lt. Ronald Oliver

Getting Hitched

They said it couldn't be done but now it has. It being me being dragged kicking screaming to the alter. Yep, that's me last weekend proposing to my girlfriend Kim and she said yes. No dragging needed. Every year her family has a spring tradition where they get together and play games like egg toss, water balloon toss and guess the number of jelly beans. Depending on your placement you get a certain number of points and at the end of the day they crown a winner. Well this years had a little something extra. At lunch before we said grace I gave Kim a gift with her whole family watching. It was a Tennessee Volunteers football jersey with the number 00 and my last name on the back. It matched the one that she gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. So, she opened it saw the name and I said "Damn they put the wrong name on it. It should have had your name on it". Then I went on to say "guess there's only one way to fix it". Then I pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee and proposed. Her family went nuts. No one on the plant knew it was coming except her grandmother and I only told her about an hour before I did it. Everyone is of course ecstatic and we have set the date for September 29th. We have booked the atrium and the loft at The Mill at Lebanon. The ceremony will be held in the atrium with the reception following up in the loft. We feel very blessed to have found a good venue with such a short engagement. Our families wanted us to get married in east Tennessee but we felt strongly about having it in the Nashville area. We have set up a Lewis and Kim wedding blog to keep our family and friends up to date with the planning. So far things are going well and I am looking forward to spending my life with my best friend.

I'm One Proud Papa

When I was in school I was an average (sometimes below average) student. I did pretty well in college. I was on the deans lists a time or two. However, nothing I did ever compared to what my 9 and 10 year ole daughters are doing right now. Especially my youngest child. Today I had a special meeting at her school. Not because she was in trouble. It was quite the opposite. They have determined through tests and evaluations that my daughter is academically gifted. She and her sister have always done well in school. My oldest daughter has been on the A honor roll the last two six weeks(I'm very proud of her also). I have been to so many meeting about my son under achieving in school it was so refreshing to have a child not only do well but to excel to a high level. I can't stop smiling about it.

It is especially good for this child because we have struggled to find her "thing". You know everyone has that special thing/things that they are good at. That makes you feel special. Her older sister does well at most things she tries academically or athletically. I think we may have finally found her thing. One day a week she will be attending Robertson Academy for the gifted and talented here in Nashville through the encore program. It's been a good day in Dadsville.

English First Drivers License

I thought I would weigh in on this topic. I am surprised at the number people who are against it. Us silly Tennesseans wanting all license drivers to speak English considering all the road signs are in what language again. Oh yes it was English. I’m just waiting for one of these non-English speaking people to miss the sign that says Bridge Out. I joke but I don’t care that much if drivers speak English or not. I just don’t want illegal immigrants to be able to drive legally. What kind of since does that make to be able to live here illegally but be able to drive legally? Even if you steal someone’s identity it wouldn't matter if you can’t read the test. Driving is a privilege! If you are here illegally then you don’t get that privilege. The same goes for buying and registering vehicles. "If we do that then there will be more people driving illegally". So, what! When there non-English speaking asses don’t obey traffic laws because they can’t read English then they’ll get pulled over. Then arrested and then deported. It works for me. Last time I checked you can get anywhere in the city by bus. I also could careless if it makes Tennessee look unfriendly. Anyone who knows anything about Tennessee knows that’s not true. Hell we could stand to be a little meaner when it comes to illegal immigration.

Ask The Wife

I recently went to the doctor. I was getting a consultation on some elective surgery. My girlfriend went with me because she is of course concerned about me and my health. While there we saw some things that were in our opinion were just weird. There were a few married couples waiting and filling out the mountain of paper work that always seems to come with a doctors visit. We noticed that I was the only male filling out his own papers. All the married guys had there wives doing it for them. Not only were they handle the papers they were on the phone with the referring doctors offices and handling insurance issues. All the while the men sat and read magazines. I thought to myself is this what happens when you get married? Do you become incapable of doing things for yourself? Then I thought about the married men in my family. My mom doesn't take complete care of my dad but she does keep him on the straight and narrow with his health. Things like keeping up with his doctors visits and taking his medications. I think my brother would be totally lost without his wife. She is the organized one that keeps the house running and the bills paid. A few short years ago he was single and taking care of these things himself. I can't tell you how many times I have heard him say that he goes to work and his wife takes care of the money. Do we just get tired of taking care of ourselves? Do we miss our mommy's and want a women to take care of us? If I were to ask my girlfriend she would have filled out my papers for me. We live together and she knows everything about me. Even she was shocked at the sight of this one wife that was carrying her husbands cell phone for him. The phone rang she took out of her purse and handed to him. She didn't even look to see who was calling. It was amazing.

I'm not sure I could ever be like these men. I have come accustomed to doing things for myself. Maybe it has something to do with being a single parent. Perhaps we misunderstood those situations. Everyone in a family has their roll to play. Maybe the role of these women was to take the burden of these things off their husbands. Maybe by the same logic when they get home their husbands chop wood and fix cars and other manly things. Kind of an old fashion type of family. Regardless I don't see me doing this. Don't get me wrong I don't see a problem with a wife taking care of her husband and maybe when my children are grown I will change my way of thinking. It's hard not to be a take control type of person when so many depend on you. I think the first thing I would let go of is cooking. I cook for my children every night and it would be nice to have a wife to take care of some of that. Not to mention the hair stylist duties that come with being a single father of two girls.

And the Emmy goes to ME!!!!

This year’s win was the most gratifying of all the accolades I have received. I had won 2 previous Emmys for technical director but I had never won one for directing. This was my seventh nomination for Director/News (insert Susan Lucci joke here) and I couldn’t have been more surprised. I know people always say “this is so unexpected”. This year for me it was. I kind of just sat there for a second asking myself did he just say me. On the previous nominations I was always confident that I would win. I always thought my shows were top notch but this year I didn’t feel that way. I usually have some sort of acceptance speech in my head but this year as luck would have it I had nothing. It turned out fine considering it was all off the top of my head. If you would like to see what I came up with take a look at the show. I’m about 10 to 15 minutes in. This year was also the first time that I hadn’t directed the Emmy telecast in about 5 years. Although, I do enjoy directing that show it was nice to sit out in the audience for a change and relax instead of working. Well, mostly relax I of course critiqued the directing the whole show. It may be a little cocky of me but I think I do a much better job. Congratulations to Anne Holt on winning The Governors’ Award for Lifetime Achievement. I have worked with Anne for years and she is one of my best industry friends. I am very happy for her. Also, congratulations to Lisa Patton, Bob Mueller, Davis Nolan and Anne Holt on their win for Daytime Newscasts. Lisa and Davis worked their butts off when severe weather comes and they deserve some recognition. Here are some pictures we took.

Resolution in the Memory of my Cousin

I have never been much into resolutions. I believe in just doing what needs to be done. I don’t need a promise to myself to make changes in my life. I am making an exception this year. I am making a late resolution to stay more in touch with family and friends back home. Yesterday I learned that my cousin past away suddenly. She had been sick lately but I don’t think anyone saw this coming. We saw a lot of each other growing up but our encounters became few and far between after we grew up and I moved away. She had two sons that I really don’t even know. There have been far too many times that I have lost touch people only to have our paths finally cross under tragic circumstances. My half brother died several years ago and it had been nearly 15 years since we had seen or spoken to each other. It’s not that we didn't get along. He moved to Texas and I moved to Nashville and our paths never crossed again. He would come into town when I didn’t and vice versa. The point is I have to do a better job keeping in touch with people. I will see some relatives at the funeral that I haven’t seen in years and they live in the same county as my parents. I just don’t take the time to seek them out when I’m in town or call and let them know that I am coming. I am making a resolution to do better and if most people thought about it they probably could do a better job keeping in touch with family and friends themselves. I encourage anyone reading this to evaluate there personal relationships and see if there are people that they have lost touch with. If so make an effort this week to reach out to someone you love that you haven’t spoken to in awhile. You never know it might be your last chance.

Sleeping with the Enemy

Make no bones about it. I hate the Florida Gators. Their fans are by far the worst in the SEC. I have put up with years of abuse at the hands of these fans. There rude, cocky and obnoxious. I just got back from the Outback Bowl in Florida where the Tennessee Volunteers played Penn State. Do you think the Gator fans were supportive of the SEC fans who were there to take on a Big 10 team. No! Every where I went there was some Gator fan gator chomping at me. I wasn't bothering any of them. We weren't even there to play them. That's why I hate them so much. They always have to be a-holes. That's why up till now I was hoping that they get their butts kicked really bad tonight in the national championship game. The rest of family has been on board from the beginning. Saying that we support the other SEC teams. Which usually do but those Gators just tick me off. My brother had to make it a point to make friends with every Gator fan he saw in Florida. Even the ones chomping at us. I told them they were number one alright but not as nice as he did.(if you know what I mean) With that said I have found myself starting to change a little. The more I hear people picking against Florida the more it feels like they are picking against the SEC and that doesn't sit well with me. The SEC is the toughest conference in the country no doubt about it. Most people will tell you that. It's bad enough that the Vols lost to a big 10 team. We don't want them to beat another SEC team for the championship. So, I won't say go Gators but I will say GO SEC!!!

Best New Year's Eve Ever

I spent this past New Year's Eve in Tampa, Florida at the Outback Bowl with my dad, brother, girlfriend and sister and her boyfriend. To bad the game didn't go as well as the night before. We spent the early part of the day at channel side. Having lunch, a few beers and good conversation. There was a cruise ship getting ready to depart. It's amazing how something so big can still float. My dad especially loved that part. He has been after us for years to take a family cruise. Maybe next year. That night we took the trolley to Ybor city for the Outback Bowl Parade. The parade wasn't anything special both it was a good atmosphere with the fans from both teams present. The best part was after the Tennessee band went through. They were the last element in the parade and after they went by all the Tennessee fans flooded the street and followed them to the pep rally. Singing Rocky Top all the way. It was cool to be apart of that. Working in TV you get used to covering things like that but not getting a chance to take part in it. At the pep rally the UT and Penn State bands played and the cheerleaders danced on stage. Each band had an announcer to introduce each song. Retired anchor Bill Williams of WBIR channel 10 in Knoxville did the honors for Tennessee.

We stayed at the pep rally for about a half hour then found a bar to ring in the new year. This place was cool the dj played almost exclusively old school R & B with a little rock ,rap and Spanish music mixed in every once in awhile. Through the night he would play each teams fight song and challenge the fans to out do each other. I have to say the Tennessee fans won that battle all night long. The place was full of Vols fans. We did shots with a group of them and rang in the new year. If not for the early kick off the next day we probably would have stayed out all night. Great time great memories. Here are a few pictures from the trip. Go Vols in 2007!

Vandalism Update

I have posted here (1 2 3 ) before about the vandalism I had to endure last month. Updating this saga the 19 year old kid that was involved has now been arrested in this case and now he has a weapons charge to go along with it. He was on his way to the work last Monday when he pasted an officer without his seat belt on and not using his blinker. The officer pulled him over and then of course found that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Upon being asked if he had any weapons on him or in his car he told he did and the officer found a LOADED gun. How scary is that. Just last month I was chasing this same kid through my neighbors back yard and he could have be packing heat.

My girlfriend and I had to go to a hearing the Friday before Christmaws where we both had to testify. The judge did find there was enough evidence to send him to the grand jury. She also shot down a request to lower his $35,000 bond. So he probably spent Christmas in jail unless his family came up with $3,500.

Although I am still really mad about what happen I can't help but feel a little sorry for him and a lot sorry for his parents. I met them the day after this happened and they seem like really nice, church going people and I know this has to be really tough for them. The day they came over I could see the heartbreak in his mothers eyes. I'm not sure why I feel sorry for him. He was being a little shit on the phone the day after and I would love to have 15 minutes alone with him in a back room some where. Maybe it's a black thing. There are so many black kids that go down the wrong path I hate to see one start his adulthood with the deck already stacked against him with a felony over something stupid like this.