Speaking of Lenny Kravitz, who says he’s abstinent (for over three years now – good role-modeling if sincere) until [re]marriage:
Rest easy, everybody. And thanks for reading LBC. 
From the monthly archives:
January 2009
The web has changed the way we do so many things, especially the way we consume news. The video below is a 1981 news story about reading newspapers online. It’s quaint, and there’s a sci-fi quality about it. Several newspapers engaged in a then-time consuming task of putting print news stories online. Check out those computers! (In fact, technology changes so fast that computers made at the turn of the century look ancient. Then again, that was almost a decade ago…)
David Cole of the San Francisco Examiner describes his paper’s experiment. They were trying to “figure out what it’s going to mean to us as editors and reporters and what it means to the home user. And we’re not in it to make money…We’re probably not going to lose a lot [either]…”
Man. Little did they know. Good thing they weren’t in it to make money. The world wide web caused newspapers to lose money as print readership dropped and advertisers went online. Laid-off editors and reporters and former owners of shuttered newspapers owe their downturn to the computer.
In 2007, I wrote this about Rosanna Pulido, head of the Illinois Chapter of You Don’t Speak for Me, a vocal group of Hispanics opposed to illegal immigration:
“Rosanna Pulido reminds me of me…She’s a woman, a racial ‘minority,’ a member of a so-called ‘disenfranchised,’ preferred, and protected group, [some of whom engage in] a myriad of disingenuous yet highly effective justifications to rely on skin color to get by in life and excuse the acts of badly behaving members of her racial group.”
I started writing for publication in 2002 and blogging in 2003, and I’ve had more than my share of nasty e-mails, 99 percent of which were ad hominem. Fortunately, I was not deterred by the “self-hater,” “race traitor,” “Aunt Jemima,” and “coon” epithets. Being called names made me more determined and more rebellious. Rarely did someone write to me attacking my arguments. When I did receive those e-mails, I read them carefully and learned how to strengthen my own positions.
I don’t blog as much about politics these days not because I’m intimidated. I’m just bored by it. There’s more going on in the world, and I want to write about it. The archives are here for the world to see, and I stand by every post.
Back to Rosanna Pulido. No doubt she’s received similar e-mail. It’s tough being a “voice in the wilderness” and having the guts to call a thing by its name. I can’t stand euphemistic talk or mealy-mouth attitudes or people who’re afraid to tell the truth.
I wanted to let readers know that the pro-enforcement, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life Pulido is running for Congress in Illinois.
Ms. Pulido, thanks for having the courage to speak up for what’s right. And don’t waste time thinking about the haters. They’re gutless.
Update: Michelle Malkin posts e-mail from haters. I’d say it’s typical. The well-reasoned stuff is atypical.
I read the novel Push when it was published over 10 years ago. I wasn’t heavily into fiction and wasn’t drawn to novels like this one, but the intriguingly simple title caught my attention. I skimmed the first couple of pages and decided to check it out.
The novel is about an overweight, HIV-positive black teenaged girl named Precious Jones, pregnant for the second time with her father’s child. (Her first child has Down syndrome.) Yucky, I know, but it gets worse. Her crazy mother is molesting her. Precious is a rough-around-the-edges, foul-mouthed, inner-city (Harlem) girl who uses bad grammar and mispronounces words. She talks back and curses at teachers. She can’t read but likes “maff.” If I recall correctly, Precious was suspended from school and sent to an alterative school. She meets a teacher who helps her learn how to read, and her attitude changes.
Once you get past the character’s defensive, stereotypical attitude, and vulgar language (yeah, I know…why bother?), the book becomes absorbing. The book ends with Precious, who so far as lived a chaotic, pitiful life, is feeling joyful because she’s doing something as ordinary as drinking hot chocolate at a café with girls who care about her. She’s “alive inside,” and her degenerate parents haven’t broken her spirit.
I think I either cried or was close to tears as I read the last few pages. A used and abused young girl who initially saw no value in herself becames a cared-about person, and it made all the difference. The theme is about pushing oneself: to improve, to get out in the world, to do the right thing, etc.
Push was made into a movie and won the grand prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It stars Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe as Precious, Mo’Nique as her mother, Paula Patton as the caring teacher, and Lenny Kravitz (!) as a nurse.
I don’t know how the movie handles the book, but either way, the subject matter is awful. The redeeming factor about Push is that it shows how the human spirit fights to survive (and thrive) even in the midst of unspeakable pain. That’s what I got from it.
Embarrassing doesn’t quite capture the essence of what you end up doing and saying when you’re sloshed. I should know. I spent 12 years trying to stay sloshed. Some people can handle alcohol. I can’t ever go there again.
E. Curtissa Cofield, a judge in Hartford, Connecticut, “showed out,” as we say in the vernacular, at a police station following a drunk driving arrest. Cofield’s black, and I mention her race because it’s relevant. She referred to Sgt. Dwight Washington, who is black, as “Negro trooper” and “head nigger in charge” as he questioned her. He asked if she was ill, and she said her illness was “Negro-itis” and that she needed “anti-Negro” medication, and on and on. It’s pretty bad. Read the rest for yourselves.
Cofield obviously has drinking and self-image problems. Alcohol does lower inhibitions, and apparently Cofield has issues with being black and, in her drunken state, with blacks in authority who’re merely doing their jobs.
Thank the sweet Lord above my antics were not caught on tape (that I know of!), and I was never arrested for drunk driving. In March I’ll celebrate 12 years of sobriety. There, but for the grace of God, as they say. While I was drinking, I gazed into the future and saw myself as a 50-year-old drunk. It may be cute to be tipsy all the time in your 20s (extended adolescence and all that), but a middle-aged drunk? Nothing cute about that. I set a goal to stop drinking by the time I was 30. Two months shy of my birthday, I gave up the bottle.
Judge Cofield is 60 years old. Perhaps she gets drunk only twice a year. This may be a fluke. (Here’s a video of Cofield in a sober state.) Regardless, the video is an indication of how she handles alcohol. Badly. Just say no to the booze!
Hollywood leans left. It’s as certain as taxes and death. But I’m convinced there are enough influential right-leaning folks in Hollywood (Clint Eastwood, Kelsey Grammer, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Jon Voight, Gary “Sirius Black” Oldman, Gary Sinise, and James Woods, to name a few) with the power to push “conservative” projects. In fact, the task might be easier if more Hollywood conservatives came out of the closet.
…
Right-leaning actors and decision-makers do exist, though they’re not as vocal as their liberal counterparts. Perhaps Big Hollywood will encourage conservatives in Tinseltown to talk about their views loud and often. Just shut up and entertain, you say? Like it or not, political ideologies shape the entertainment culture and influence what’s produced in Hollywood.
Update: Related: A Wall Street Journal article titled, “What Christians Watch.”
The following is an op-ed originally published in 2003:
“Murder may pass unpunish’d for a time, but tardy justice will o’ertake the crime.” – John Dryden, The Cock and the Fox.
Last October, the Metropolitan Washington region was paralyzed with fear, wondering when and where a cold-blooded killer would strike next. Mobilized into action, law enforcement agencies on the federal, state and local levels were on the case of the “D.C. sniper” 24-7. With a mass murderer on the loose, the media covered the story round-the-clock. Righteous indignation pumped through the veins of red-blooded Americans. When the murderous pair was caught, the whole country was relieved.
Yet, when it comes to the slaughter of unborn children, the nation tarries. Thirteen people were killed in the sniper attacks; 43 million people–over a million a year–have been killed since Roe v. Wade.
On March 13, 2003, a Republican Senate spoke loudly and clearly against the slaughter by voting to ban partial birth abortion 64-33.
Today marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized the slaughter of unborn babies. The March for Life will take place today in Washington, D.C.
The other day, I read a sad account of a woman who now regrets her abortion. Attempting to kill the baby, the “doctor” had to try three times. He said the baby kept trying to “get away” from the killing device.
(In the photo: Pro-lifers I met at the 2006 March for Life.)
My supermodel-tall 10-year-old niece (she didn’t get that trait from our side of the family, that’s for sure) thinks my at-home antics are funny. I like to make her laugh. And it’s easy to make a 10-year-old laugh.
Robin’s * school is in walking distance of where we live, and sometimes I pick her up. I work from home, and walking to her school is a nice afternoon break. (I’m still getting used to this warm California weather; it’s almost February but spring’s in the air). Strangely enough, those same antics don’t make her laugh when performed within earshot of her friends.
“Aunt Shawn, you’re embarrassing me,” she said.
“Really?” I asked, genuinely surprised. What’s the big deal? I was doing and saying the same things that crack her up at home. Then it hit me: She’s entered the tween, peer-pressure, trying-to-look-cool phase. No kisses. No hugs. No cringe-worthy adult stuff.
As I’ve never raised a child, I am not familiar with this new stage of development from an adult’s perspective, although I can’t plead complete ignorance. My father used to enjoy embarrassing me, my sisters, and brother in public, especially in malls. Talk about uncool. I thought I’d die – die – from shame.
“People are looking at you,” I whined. “Pleeeaaassse stop doing that!” My mother was absolutely no help. She was used to it; didn’t bother her at all. Fond memories, childhood. Oh, ancient of days!
So I can empathize with Robin. Not a teen and not a “little kid,” she’s also going through an I-hate-boys-but-only-when–you’re-around phase (exacerbated by the fact that she’s the only girl among my sibling’s kids – her cousins are all boys). For example, whenever I mention her autographed picture of actor Taylor Lautner (her friend attends his church and asked Taylor to sign a photo of himself for my niece for her birthday), she frowns like she’s smelling something bad. “Gross!” she whines.
But her friend’s mother tells a different story. Robin was very excited to get that photo, we were told. Acknowledging that fact to her mother and aunt, however, would be the height of shame.
Being a quasi-mom to my niece is challenging, sometimes confusing, usually fun, and always enlightening. I sing Disney show theme songs in my sleep (Ahhhhhh!), I’m aware that Taylor gained over 20 pounds to keep his role as Jacob Black in blockbuster “Twilight,” and I know more than I need to know about DS games popular among middle-schoolers.
I’m learning how to be more patient and flexible, and most of all, more loving. I’ll always cherish these years. Thanks, Rob. 
*Not her real name. Totally phony for her protection. Besides, she'd be so embarrassed by this post.
I have a vision of what I want this web site to look like. This new theme is rest stop (will add blogroll), not the final destination. The next step is to come up with a cool header, something quick and simple to tide me over.
This blog will cover culture, digital technology, faith, and politics, and I want a header that reflects these topics. If you’re a web site designer and have ideas you’d like to share, e-mail me at lashawn@lashawnbarber.com. Please include your prices and availability.
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The thing is done. Barack Hussein Obama is America’s 44rd president and first biracial president. I almost – almost – envy black people excited about Obama. They really do have a pep in their step.
Yesterday truly was an historic moment for the United States. For better or for worse, Obama’s got four years to do his thing. In my world, values trump skin color, and I can’t get excited about the reign of someone whose system of belief is so different from my own, even if he’s half-black.
During the campaign, Obama said one of the first things he’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. Since he thinks women have a right to commit infanticide, I believe him. Then again, he’ll be so busy dealing with friends and foes trying to cash in favors, he might forget.
Readers have asked for my opinion on the following portion of Rev. Joseph Lowery’s prayer:
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest,
and in the joy of a new beginning,
we ask you to help us work for that day
when black will not be asked to get in back,
when brown can stick around,
when yellow will be mellow,
when the red man can get ahead, man;
and when white will embrace what is right.
That all those who do justice and love mercy
say Amen
I know white people are so weary of being made to feel responsible for everything wrong in the “black community,” from out-of-wedlock pregnancies, to the inability of people with bad credit to get home loans or, depending on which way the wind blows, their ability to get sub-prime loans, to the academic achievement gap, and on and on. Personally speaking, that is, I, myself, would rather be left alone. I don’t blame anyone else for my lot in life. It falls squarely on me. At least, that’s the way I choose to see it and how I conduct my life.
I understand how frustrating it can be that even in prayer, someone’s implying that you’re embracing what is wrong, that your efforts have been insufficient, that you must do more for people who are blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. Opportunities abound, but some people don’t want to do what it takes to seize them. Complaining and blaming are so much easier.
Somewhere along the way, equality of opportunity morphed into a desire for equality of outcome. But thanks to the true diversity of individuals – not just the skin deep-only kind – that won’t happen. Individuals will always have varying levels of talent, motivation, curiosity, drive…equality of outcome can only be produced by rigging the game and subsidizing the players.
Obama will be like any other president: going back on his promises, disappointing the base, etc. People who see him as some kind of great biracial hope who’ll bring together all the colors of the rainbow are deluded. He’s just a man. He has no magic powers. He doesn’t have the power to make rogue nations that hate us suddenly fall in love with us, for example. What he probably will end up doing is appeasing these nations. They will always hate the United States and live to see its destruction; an ally in the White House will make their efforts to destroy us easier.
Whoa! Pardon the digression. Back to Lowery. Keep in mind that he’s an 87-year-old black man who lived through Jim Crow. As co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Lowery was on the front lines of the civil rights movement. If anyone knows how this country once treated blacks, it’s Lowery. Make allowances for a man who witnessed something yesterday he didn’t believe he’d ever live to see.
Despite my difference of opinion with people like Lowery, I am grateful to him and to others for making the road easier and less steep for me.
(Photo credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing)
Update: Fabulous Carlotta Morrow writes, via Facebook:
“I agree with you about Lowrey. He offended many whites, but I just believe it came out the wrong way. Many of us oldies remember the phrases “black get back, white is right, and so on…” I took it to mean that those phrases have been wiped out but for those like you and me, we believe those phrases were wiped out long ago. Many were offended because it sounds like he’s still living in the past…as if Obama’s election meant nothing! The offense is understandable and Lowery needs to clarify if nothing else.”
After the passage of Proposition 8, a measure that amends California’s constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, homosexuals started protesting in the streets, blocking traffic, and trying to intimidate Mormons. Why Mormons?
A rumor was going around that the Mormon church had spent millions on “deceptive” ads supporting Prop 8, which a spokesman denied. The church itself didn’t pay for any ads.
Homosexuals “marched” to Mormon churches, yelled in people’s faces, snatched Bibles from the elderly, and other nonsense.
But that was strange. Why were they focusing on Mormons, when 70 percent of black voters in the state voted YES on Prop 8? Curious, but not complicated. I made the observation, as did Thomas Sowell, that white homosexuals hadn’t dared and would not have dared “march” to black churches and harass black churchgoers, although it would have made more sense for them to head down to Watts or Compton or up to Oakland and express their disappointment. Can you imagine such a scenario? I’d pay good money to see that.
Now I’m wondering the same about actor Tom Hanks. Singling out Mormons for voting to protect traditional marriage, Hanks called them “un-American.” An overwhelming majority of blacks supported the measure. I suppose the same applies to them, yes? Perhaps Hanks is waiting until MLK’s birthday on Monday or Barack Obama’s inauguration on Tuesday to make his pronouncement. What do you think? I’d pay good money to hear that.
I concur with Michael van der Galien at Big Hollywood. “We the people” voting to amend a constitution is American. Legislating from the bench is not only un-American, it’s unconstitutional. Put down the scripts, Mr. Hanks (loved “Cast Away,” by the way), and pick up a copy of the Constitution. It’s a fascinatingly simple yet profound document.
As reasonable people know, “tolerance” doesn’t mean acceptance. For example, I tolerate — or “put up with” — the fact that people are free to do whatever legal thing they wish to do, but I don’t accept whatever they choose to do. I tolerate differences, but that doesn’t mean I consider all differences good or worthy of appreciation.
In our relative-rubbish society, the definition of tolerance has shifted. It now means acceptance of any and all behaviors and lifestyles. Ironically, the new meaning of tolerance doesn’t extend to Christians or conservatives. Graphic novelist and artist Doug TenNapel, writing for new conservative site Big Hollywood, says it better than I do:
“I once had a meeting with an executive regarding one of my graphic novels that had been optioned. This exec started the writer’s meeting with a few notes to change some rough spots in the story. This is normal procedure with my work. I have no problem with making these changes, since it’s part of the game given where I’m at in my career. They pay me lots of money so I like these execs when I’m sentenced to work with them. I was taken aback by the first round of notes that went something like this, ‘For starters, we’re gonna get rid of all this Christian shit from the story, right?’
“The exec informed me that religious imagery didn’t sell to American audiences, that it was intolerant and it definitely didn’t export. This was before ‘The Passion of the Christ’ so I can forgive his ignorance of the world’s most popular religion, but it was the word intolerant that struck me. How was the inclusion of religion not tolerant while the removal of it was?
“This is my baptism into the myopic view of religion by most of my friends in Hollywood. For being multicultural, the lack of humility regarding a religion they didn’t know or understand is…is…well, these days it’s typical.”
Now that I’m living so close to Hollywood, I plan to write more about Christians in the industry and how they’re treated. Since I briefly mentioned Christian entertainment in Hollywood, readers have sent lots of links to valuable resources: groups for Christ-following screenwriters, producers, actors in Hollywood…a whole world I never knew existed.
You don’t know what someone’s really like until you live with him/her, as the saying goes. Residents in left-leaning Montgomery County, Maryland, are dealing with something Northern Virginians learned the hard way. Illegal aliens bring crime (and lower property values?). (Source)
As Northern Virginia cracked down on illegal immigration (checking immigration status of arrestees, for example), lawbreaking aliens fled to places like Montgomery County, a well-known unofficial “sanctuary” county. Pro-enforcement folks in Virginia were called xenophobes for their trouble, as liberals declared themselves open and “tolerant” toward our border-jumping friends. Now, they’re singing a “racist” tune of their own. I do love it so.
From the Washington Post:
As of a week ago, eight of 16 people held in the county jail on murder charges had immigration detainers placed on them, meaning federal authorities might move to deport them after their criminal cases have run their course. Such suspects are not necessarily in the country illegally.
Police officials, however, have said two of the suspects — alleged gang members accused in the Nov. 1 shooting death of 14-year-old Tai Lam — are illegal immigrants whose status went undetected during previous arrests in the county.
“People in the mainstream are saying, ‘Wow, we could have had this person and we didn’t. What could have been done differently?’ ” said council member Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty).
The police could have prevented a murder…if only they’d checked the arrestee’s immigration status. “Serious” crime in the county has increased by 7 percent, and the police chief is following in the footsteps of xenophobic Virginia. He’s proposed to check the immigration status of people arrested for violent crimes. A liberal quoted in the story who believes law-abiding Americans should pay for illegal aliens’ healthcare supports the proposal.
But…but…isn’t that…racist?
Crime’s a-rising in MontCo, and I’m glad anti-enforcement liberals see the connection between illegal aliens and crime. I’m glad they’re feeling and seeing the repercussions of unchecked “immigration.” I’m glad they’re learning that being pro-enforcement does not make one a racist. And for good measure, they are the living definition of hypocrisy. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Let this be a lesson. The next time you call someone a racist or a xenophobe for wanting to keep his family safe and preserve his way of life, think about the consequences of your so-called open and tolerant attitudes. Along with the “vibrant” and positive aspects of a culture, you’ll also deal with the negative. What’s that other saying? You mess with the bull, you get the horns. I don’t know about yours, but from my perspective, America’s got enough home-grown crime. We don’t need to import it.
Every illegal alien is a criminal, whether they come here to work, steal, rape, or murder.
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By now you’ve probably heard about Andrew Breitbart’s “Big Hollywood” project, which he hopes “will help challenge the status quo in what he believes has been a one-party, left-tilting town.” (Source)
Conservative, moderate, and libertarian folks in Hollywood will offer their commentary on the industry. Big Hollywood probably will look like a right-leaning Huffington Post. Speaking of HuffPo, Breitbart, an editor for The Drudge Report, also helped create Arianna Huffington’s left-leaning site. Hey, business is business!
Right-leaning actors do exist, though they’re not as vocal as their liberal counterparts. Perhaps Big Hollywood will bring more of them out of the closet.
What I’d really like to see, however, is more Christian entertainment in Hollywood. Why, you may ask, would Christians want to be part of an industry that is anti-Christian? I submit that instead of retreating, Christians should be salt and light, even in Hollywood, and smuggle in the Gospel.
Come to think of it, the message doesn’t have to be subtle. Look at Kirk Cameron’s “Fireproof.” The message of Jesus Christ was overt, and that film, with a budget of $500,000, raked in $33.1 million at the box office. (Also see Cinematic Christian soldiers in S.A.)
Is La-La Land any less a mission field than Africa? A heathen is a heathen, whether or not he’s got indoor plumbing and plenty of food and clean water.
I’m working on a related piece for Pajamas Media. In the meantime, check out my recent contributions to Pajamas Media and Townhall. More to come.
Update: A reader sent a link to the Hollywood Prayer Network.
I linked to an article about a Christian film festival. Christian homeschooling blogger Laurie Bluedorn writes: “My kids just got back from the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Our sons’ web site was one of the sponsors.”
See Christian Filmakers and festival photos here and here.
