I know I've not updated these gems of my wisdom in a year, but 1999 really sucked. My mother died. My grandmother died. My boss died. I suffered from symptoms of Graves' Disease (and treatment of the illness) for much of the year. I just hadn't felt much like writing. But here goes...

I haven't really touched on race relations in a while. Okay, I haven't touched on anything in a while. (Try that one on for a double entendre.) What concerns me most is the assumption that if you criticize the actions of a protected class in America, you will instantly be branded by some as a racist. What ends up happening is that the term "racist" gets watered down. There are actual racists in the world. But if I mentioned that black urban culture is destructive, Jesse, Al and the boys at the NAACP would cry racism faster than you can say "Jimmy Crack Corn". But the truth of the matter is that this ridiculous gangsta culture is destroying an entire generation of blacks in this country. (By the way, I use the word "black". We've gone from using "negro" to "colored" to "black" to "Afro-American" to "African-American". Who knows what it'll be next week. I'm sticking with "black".) When the number one cause of death for young black males is homicide, something is seriously wrong. And I hate to break it to you folks, but it is not racism. Illegitimacy is a major cause. It is heartbreaking that so many black children grow up without a father in the home. But hey, we're told that a single parent household is just as valid as a traditional family, right. Sorry, that's for another rant. Black youth are raised not only by single mothers or grandmothers, but by gangs of other displaced youth. There is no discipline. There is only a misplaced sense of loyalty and belonging to a gang of hoods. Is it any wonder that honest God-fearing people are wary of young black men dressed like thugs? Is it any wonder that police forces use racial profiling tactics when determining potential criminal suspects? Why do people generally think of a black person when they hear about an overnight shooting at a club or gas station? Because so damn many violent crimes are committed by them! It's not because the white establishment wants to keep all black people in prison so they're rounding them up and incarcerating them. It's because such a disproportionate amount of crime is committed by them. (And the argument that blacks are convicted of crimes that white people are getting off on is no argument. Don't let out the black criminals. Lock up the white criminals.) It is truly a shame that successful blacks are shunned and scorned by their brothers and sisters. They are looked at as having turned their backs on their people. Decades of government assistance and welfare handouts designed by misguided liberal do-gooders have created a permanent dependant underclass. Poverty is perpetuated. The cotton fields of Mississippi have been replaced by the killing fields of the inner city housing projects. There are just different masters. Yes suh, Massa Clinton! Right away suh, Massa Gore! Whatevah ya sez, Massa Kennedy! It's a shame.

And another thing ...

On a related subject, remember when illegitimacy was a bad thing? I don't know when things turned the wrong way around. Actually I do. Damn boomers! The stigma of illegitimacy has completely gone. Hell, it's practically applauded nowadays. You may not want to admit it, but Dan Quayle was right. Murphy Brown set a bad example. As do so many other "enlightened" celebrities. Why the hell does anyone even listen to those idiots? Nowadays, illegitimacy is an acceptable lifestyle choice. I'm sorry, it's not. When I listen to "Love Child" by The Supremes, it sounds so foreign in today's "do whatever the hell you want" society. I'm so sick of the "Who are you to judge?" attitude today. I'll tell you who I am to judge. Me!  Why not? No on else will. In the old days, if a man got a woman pregnant, he married her. "But Jeff, why create a bad marriage just for the sake of having a child?" If it would be a bad marriage, why are you people fucking each other? Aren't you in love? Oh, yeah, that's right. This is the latter half of the 20th century. What has love got to do with sex? Hey, if it feels good do it. Immediate gratification without consequences. Well, that consequence is crying for its 2:00 a.m. feeding. Yes, I am addressing women mostly, since men have a greater luxury of irresponsibility in this matter. Most of the single parent households are headed by women. Why put a child at a developmental disadvantage of being raised without both a mother and a father? "Oh, Jeff, you're just old-fashioned." Yep, and damn proud to be.

And another thing ...

Take me back! or I'll see your common sense and I'll raise you more.