tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7033737867048066352024-03-08T07:21:25.664-08:00AirHarp TalksAirHarphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10103361396324818393noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703373786704806635.post-65394594390887546342009-10-25T07:34:00.000-07:002009-10-25T17:37:52.892-07:00You can go home again...IF anyone knows my Da<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">D</span> you know he is a very well respected man in the Syracuse NY world. Pretty much all aspects of it. From the average person in the street to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">politians </span>to family friends. But pretty much every person also knows he is an incredible clown. He is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">jokester</span>, a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">comedian</span> on a level up there w/ Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Buddy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hacket</span>, and yes even Richard Pryor. When my grandmother died he made a joke to my just widowed grandfather about people being happy she was gone.<br />"There are going to be a lot of happy people in this church today..."<br />My cousins, my brother and I were frozen w/ shock. How could he say that!?!<br />"Huh?" was what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">GranPa</span> Lock said.<br />"Yeah, they won't have to pay back all those loans!"<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">GranPa</span> Lock let out a good old fashion laugh that I hadn't heard from him in a long time.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">That's</span> my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DaD</span>. He has a gift. Plain and simple.<br />All that being said he is not that good of a communicator when it comes to his feelings. My father is more of a mater of expressing his feelings non verbally. When I was a child he would give a wink when I was doing what I was suppose to do. A wink and a grin when I was giving a presentation and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">doing</span> well. He didn't clap...he <em>never</em> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">applauded</span>. A grin and a wink and I knew I did a great job. No words, but I knew all that I needed to know.<br />When I told him I was coming home he didn't say anything like "glad to hear it". What I did get was his classic joke of: "fish, family, friends should only stay in your house 3 days. After that they start to go bad."<br />But this time, I don't know, his jokes felt different. Almost as if he meant it this time. I just could have been reading too much into it, I don't know.<br />When I saw my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MoM</span> waiting for me near baggage claim she of course <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">greeted</span> me w/ a HUGE smile. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">That's</span> why you love moms, they wear their love on their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">sleeves.</span> As we picked up my luggage and walked to the car I was a little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">apprehensive</span> about seeing Da<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">D</span>. Weird I know. I opened the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">passenger</span> side front door and looked over at him and he smirked as he said "So...when do you leave?" and started to laugh.<br />I was home...and everything was going to be all right.AirHarphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10103361396324818393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703373786704806635.post-60107138754858799682009-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:002009-10-22T15:38:01.951-07:00Black Folks Didn't fight in WWII...Yep its true.<br />Don't believe your grandfather or great-grandfather.<br />He is a liar.<br /><br />You <span style="font-style: italic;">should </span>believe is the History Channel. The truth is right there on the TV. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. I mean I figured it out and I have never been confused w/ a rocket scientist. I have watched DAYS of WWII documentaries on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">His</span>-Story Channel (yeah I know saying that way is cliched but it fits) and maybe once I have seen something said about Black soldiers. So obviously Blacks did nothing to help stop the Axis powers.<br />Not in The Sea (184,000 {includes Marine Corps})<br />The Air (994)<br />And certainly not The Ground (909,000)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If</span> Blacks were in the service, I am sure they only "<span style="font-style: italic;">contributed</span>".<br />I mean really? How important are supplies to an advancing army?<br />So what if not one of the bombers escorted by those airmen from Tuskegee was lost.<br />Aircraft carriers have enough guns, they really don't need to be escorted.<br /><br />Excuse my sarcasm above. But I really get upset when I watch the <span style="font-weight: bold;">History Channel</span> and they air all these shows on WWII and I have not seen one talking about our part in The War.<br />I am sure they have them. They are probably place in the back of the storage room just waiting for Black History Month to come so they can be dusted off and and paraded in front of Black America.<br />"Look! We have shows documenting Colors in WWII!"<br />And when the shortest month of the year is over they back into storage.<br />I want to see these shows aired just like <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Last Days Of WWII</span>. Or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hitler's Lost Plan</span>.<br />By putting us off to the side only to be brought out once a year, you belittle us and all that we contributed.<br /><br />I found it hard to believe that in the documentary, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Last Days of WWII</span>, they only interviewed <span style="font-style: italic;">one </span>Black soldier. In the series, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Enterprise</span>, they mentioned that there was Black sailors but did not interview any of them.<br />Our Black WWII heroes are getting old and their story needs to be told.<br /><br />Another thing: You mean to tell me there aren't any Black professors/historians? <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NOT ONE</span>!?!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lwfaam.net/ww2/">http://www.lwfaam.net/ww2/</a><br /> has a lot of info check it out.AirHarphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10103361396324818393noreply@blogger.com1