Ignorance is color blind

Dear Ferguson rioters,

Let’s go to the score card from last night’s activities:

·         12 plus businesses badly damaged or destroyed.

·         3 police cars burned to the ground.

·         61 arrests.

·         Thousands of dollars of merchandise looted and dreams destroyed.  

This is what mayhem, bedlam and the destruction of your home accomplish:

·         One black male is still dead.

Congratulations, you just set civil rights along with humanity as a whole back 100 years! Who is to blame for all of this? The answer is actually quite simple. In a society where 90% of violent crimes against blacks are committed by blacks themselves, yet there are no protests, calls for justice or major media coverage concerning this issue. You know why? It is the same reason that you don’t hear about white on white violent crimes which happen at right around the same clip. It’s because the “race baiters” in society have nothing to gain from it. Where is Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc. when the above mentioned crimes are being perpetrated? Nowhere, because there are no camera present or dollars to be made. The race card is only relevant when there is something to gain. The dream that Martin Luther King had has turned into a multi-million dollar industry for the above mentioned players and others like them, and the ones who suffer are the people that they are reported to help. When this situation calms down and the TV cameras disappear, they will move on to the next “cause” and not take the time to look back at the destruction that is left behind. The problem with communities like Ferguson and others like it is that it’s too easy to blame others for the situations that it faces. I have heard over and over about the racial makeup of the city council, school board and police force and how blacks have no voice. In a town where 67% of the voting population is black, if 100% did there civic duty and voted then these publicly determined positions would be filled by the demographics that the town represents. That math works at both Chico State and Harvard. It’s not a matter of race and hatred, it’s a matter of ignorance and laziness. Use your God given right as a citizen of the United States to make a difference and vote. Race didn’t kill Michael Brown, the ignorance of attacking a police officer did. Racism didn’t cause the city council and police force of Ferguson to be white, the laziness of the voting public determined that. Race did not cause the violence seen in this same city last night, the race baiting of the lazy and the ignorant did and the community is ultimately the one who suffers. Ignorance and laziness sees no color, unless it’s told too….Merica.

PS. Happy Tuesday peeps on this holiday week, may you have a drink in your hand as it comes to an early close and remember…..You’re either at the table or on the menu.

#Ferguson #riots #michaelbrown #empireliving 

Your 2014 Pop Music Awards...Wait, that was country???

Dear 2014 CMA Awards,

Good morning and welcome to what I believe is my 3^rd or 4^th annual CMA Awards review. As I have looked back over the previous material that I have written about the state of Nashville country music, it seems that it has moved further away from what we would describe as “country”, and has drifted closer to what the definition of “pop” music is. After claiming last year would be my last review and against my better judgment and the well-being of my TV, I grabbed a drink and positioned myself on the couch for 3 hours to bring you the latest installment of the CMA Awards:

1.       Jimmy Buffet is the opening act of the night. Hippies dancing around, a rainbow painted school bus and a light show that had me contemplating dropping acid. What’s not country about that? Wait…What???...That was Kenny Chesney???...Makes perfect sense.

2.       Next act on stage is the dude from Rascal Flatt’s sporting a dress and extensions and singing the current pop anthem “All about that bass”. Two performances down and 20 minutes into the show and have yet to hear a tune concerning momma, trains, trucks or getting drunk.

3.       Brad Paisley, I have run out of hat jokes. You win.

4.       It’s nice to see Julia Roberts on stage with Brad and Carrie to announce the first award of the night. I’ve been wondering what she’s been up too.

5.       Florida/Georgia Line make their first appearance prompting me to reach for the remote for the first time. Due to the reviews of the past, my TV is currently fearless of this threat.

6.       Do you think Jason Aldean has already cheated on the new wife that he cheated on the last wife with? The fame that comes with starring in Benny Brown Ford commercials is sometimes too much to bear on a relationship.

7.       Another year of Jon Bon Jovi on stage and still no Bad Medicine. Go with what got you there, no one wants to hear this new country sound of yours. What???...That’s Keith Urban???

8.       Do you think Jesus finally hates Tim Tebow for appearing on stage with Hootie?

9.       Kacey Musgrave, the crackers are still on the nightstand and don’t even think about taking that bump-it off.

10.   The coal miner’s daughter still has a little left in those pipes.

11.   The jury is still out on whether Jason Aldean is currently on stage or if that is indeed Reno Rosser.  

12.   Only Nashville could ruin something as perfect as day drinking.

13.   What is an Ariana Grande?

14.   A little over an hour into the show and just hit the info button on the remote to make sure that this indeed was the country music awards.

15.   Florida and Georgia, having a hot sister still will not get me to like you.

16.   What is a Cole Swindell?

17.   Dierks, you get a pass on the jeans and bracelet. I’m a big fan.

18.   Guitar solos and shaking your hands around as if you’ve just suffered a seizure is the latest item to be added to the Nashville starter kit.

19.   Another year passes and still no hate for Blake Shelton.

20.   For the record, although we did share crackers, I am not Carrie Underwood’s baby’s daddy.

21.   Looks like Luke Bryan took advantage of the all things black end of summer sale at the Baby Gap.

22.   Fell asleep for 20 minute to be awoken to what appears to be the season finale of “Celebrity Biggest Loser”. I am very proud of you Vince Gill.

23.   Eric Church has come full circle. Welcome back to real country, I knew you could do it.

24.   For some reason the next act sounds and looks like the Doobie Brothers.

25.   Show is almost over and still no Taylor Swift sighting. That’s something to smile about.

26.   My night has perked up, Chris Gaines has just taken the stage.

27.   Luke Bryan “Entertainer of the Year” Let that sink in…

3 hours of my life that I’ll never get back, a mild buzz and the final nail into the Nashville country music coffin. This is one thing that can’t be pinned on Bush or Obama…..

Happy Thursday peeps on once again an amazing November day in God’s Country. The weekend is fast approaching so enjoy yourself and remember….There’s no time for bullshit when you’re building an empire.

#2014CMAs #nashville #skinnyjeans #leatherbracelets #empireliving

Republicans: Stick to your roots and change the game

Dear Republicans,

Woooo Hooo! You did it!...After years of the voting majority of the country believing that “Change” was what was right for the United States, the American people realized that true “Change” is what is needed to fix a broken system not only in Washington DC but across the landscape of this great nation. Now don’t screw it up!...I know you are all as ecstatic and giddy as a sorority girl on free Uggs giveaway night at the local Starbucks in the fall but that doesn’t mean you lose sight of the big picture and what got you elected to office. You all know what I’m talking about. Don’t be that youngest child who finally has the freedom to run the family business after years of being told what to do. The one who is drunk on power and will stop at nothing to leave their own lasting impressing on the company no matter how much it negatively effects the rest. This is what happened to the last administration and its followers, which has lead us to the disaster that we must right as a country today. Another piece of sage advice I would like to share with you is that the media and members of the Republican Party need to stop referring to any candidate who is a fresh face and has new ideas as the next “Ronald Reagan”. There is no bigger supporter of the 40^th President of the United States then the beer drinking, gun toting, freedom loving rice farmer who is writing this piece you are currently reading, but there will never be a “next” Ronald Reagan just like we will never see someone crush a fastball like Babe Ruth or hang in the air as long as Michael Jordan. They were all once in a generation game changers. Let’s focus on being the “first” and incorporate the ideologies of the great ones from the past like the immortal President Reagan into your agenda of fixing what is wrong with this country. Be the trendsetter that people are debating about being the “next” years down the road. Finally and most importantly, stay true to who you are and the people of the United States. Do not let Washington, politics and money detour you on your quest to fix what is wrong. Stick to the agenda at hand and make myself and the rest of the people who check “Republican” at the ballot box smile and not have us shaking our heads a few years from now. God Bless and most importantly…Merica!

PS. Happy Hump Day peeps on this gorgeous November day. Let’s make liberalism an endangered species and remember….Don’t ever trust someone who bites their ice cream without flinching. That just isn’t natural.

#election2014 #vote #republicans #empireliving 

Democracy works better when you vote

Dear United States citizens,

Countries go to wars over it. Empires fall because of it. People risk their lives in order to partake in it. It’s the basis of what a democracy stands for. If you answered “alcohol” after each I’m not going to argue with you, but what I’m looking for on this first Tuesday in November is your ability as a citizen of the greatest country in the world to vote. Yes, you have the power to change things. I know this may sound cliché, but it is true. Voting is what makes this country what it is. It offers everyone a chance to make a difference whether they are running for office themselves or electing someone that shares in their views and opinions on what their local, state or federal government should stand for. It has shaped this country since a bunch of wig wearing, feather scribbling bad asses thumbed their noses to a monarchy on the other side of the pond and continues to this day…Merica! Without the ability to vote, musicians would not be senators, actors could not become governors and idiot’s our president. People who fail to vote are constantly blaming the system as unfair and corrupt. They feel that one person never makes a difference and the constant barrage of all things political leading up to an election turns them off on the process as a whole. If you ask me, dealing with a mailbox constantly stuffed with trash, political ads that make local commercials tolerable and the abundance of signs that simply appear over the course of a night on every corner, fence or field within a 100 mile radius of a candidate’s district or referendum far outweighs the option of referring to someone as “your majesty” or the strong possibility of losing an appendage for your political views. As a person with future political aspirations and enough skeletons in the closet to fulfill these dreams, take the time today to make your way to your local polling facility and cast your vote. It doesn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, what you do today makes a difference in the future of this country you call home, plus they give you a sticker to show off to all your friends. I’m Marcus Monroe and I approve this ad…

PS. Happy Election Tuesday peeps, make a difference and remember….If it doesn’t include meat, it’s a snack. Merica.  

#vote #rockthevote #electiontuesday #empireliving