April 29, 2005 (Running the Race)

Ola my fellow Americans welcome to the Journal and of course my name is Michael Jae.
In Deerfield this past week, 19 year old black woman Alicia Harden was arrested for writing hate letters to minority students saying that she was going to kill them and other great stuff. She did this all the name of getting out of Trinity University. I thought maybe doing too many drugs, crashing a car through the building, or just the normal sitting down and talking to your parents about your feelings would do, but hey, what do I know? By passing these letters around, she could tell her parents that she was scared because her peers were being targeted, and they would take her out of the school. Apparently during an interrogation, Harden confessed and there really was no stink about it except concern and worry. Yet, imagine if Harden was white. Do you think the outcome would be the same?

If Harden were white, we would see everyone’s favorite media ho Jesse Jackson run to Deerfield and demand that swift justice would be passed down. We would see the media make a circus out of this event, and then we would see so many people who work at Trinity making a special case to be nice to minorities. Well I say screw that shit. Minorities should be treated as equals to white. By the way, why are they even called minorities? By saying that, are we labeling them a “minor cause to help build a major society?”

Many people want to talk about the differences between blacks and whites on a daily basis, and people say racism still exists. Especially black people. However, I think that black people feel racism still exists not because people are saying the N word here and there. I think they feel like many white people coddle them in order to say “everything is OK. We are your friends. We are here to help.” The truth of the matter is there are some white people out there that are racist, but at the same time there are black people who are racist as well.

Racism is a fact of life we must deal with. But the heart of racism lies in the minds of bitter, ignorant, men and women who do not want to see past the lines and truly wish to treat people equally. Although there are many problems with this, I believe the media plays one of the biggest parts in dividing black and white. This became clear to me during the O.J. trial. The news was constantly talking about how this trial was cracking the relations between blacks and whites, and I thought that was bullshit. I am sure for every black man who wanted to see O.J. go free, there were three to four white people who agreed and vice versa. The media was bored so they wanted to create a story that wasn’t there. They wanted to raise questions that did not need to be answered at the time. The only important thing was O.J. Simpson, guilty or innocent. When the verdict was announced, the cameras went to South Central L.A. to show a black community center celebrating it, while we saw in downtown the whites was disturbed. This was a case of a man standing trial for murder, no matter what color his skin was. A man who was accused of murdering his wife. Yeah, she was white, but that has nothing to do with it because guess what? When she was killed, she bled red. A color that blacks and whites squirt of their skin if they get stabbed. Many times in the news, you will see black people get blamed for crimes that turn out white people commit. You want to call me a black lover, go ahead. I am not standing up for black people; I am just telling it like it is. I am proud to be a white Italian, Irish, American. I am grateful to be a white male because I do not have to fight the fights that women and minorities have to fight.

There are so many stereotypes out there about black people as there are about white. I think that treating blacks special because they are black is reverse racism. Many people complain about the way black shows only have black people in them, and the white people are always morons on the show. Yeah, well look at some of the white shows. In Soap, the butler was black. In WKRP, the black man was into soul. It is because the corporate heads of programming are targeting shows at specific demographics. The media makes more of a division between races than anyone. What people need to do is understand it is entertainment, and not try to analyze it so much. We may be different people who are into different things, but we come from different cultures that allow us to enjoy these things.

White people need to understand that black people have a bigger cross to bear due to the fact they have overcome so much more than white people did, and that was something they did not choose. They were the so-called “black sheep” of humanity for many years and have risen above that to have achieved great things. I don’t know if it was because whites back in the day thought blacks were aliens, but everyone was so scared of them back then. So they had to fight like hell to get to higher ground. Many people say black people tend to stick together in groups when they work together. Well why not? They can relate. Just like many white people of different nationalities hang together as well. People relate to each other culturally and socially. That is who they are more comfortable with. Yet, in life remember there are white assholes and black assholes. People are people. And that is all there is to it.

And there are more divisions and lines drawn out by people, but in reality there is one social line that sucks. The rich and the poor. The rich step on the poor, and poverty knows no color. Racism is an enemy that can be debated and although it may play a part in our lives, it is people like the corporations, the government, the people who believe they know what is best for humanity that are really screwing life up. George W Bush went to war based on a hunch that turned out to be wrong. And thanks to that, many black and white soldiers in Iraq died for that. He wants to eliminate social security and now has hired on a U.N. Ambassador who wants to reform the U.N. This is a problem that the people in control see all us white people, black people, Latinos, Muslims, Indians, whatever as numbers. As votes, as just victims that they can manipulate with stupid shit like this race war shit and whatever else.

In closing, we are all human beings. We all bleed red and the one thing that is for sure for all people, no matter what color, is some day we are going to die. Are we going to live our life in harmony with all people of all different ethnicities, or all we going to die slowly with all the hang-ups about life that are thrown at us? I guess it is your call. Thank you for your time.

MJ

April 22, 2005 (The Real Ozzie)

Hi there. Welcome to the journal. I would like to start out with a quote from someone who I admire lately in the Sun Times today.

''Magglio is full of [bleep], Apologize to who? I don't have to apologize to anybody because, first of all, he's the first one to name me. He said I was pushing him to play [last season], and I was responsible. If he thinks what I said hurt him, I don't give a [bleep]. I didn't come here to make friends; I came here to win games. I've got a lot of friends. If Magglio doesn't want to be my friend, I'm not going to lose sleep at night. He's a piece of [bleep]; he's another Venezuelan [bleep]. [Bleep] him. He thinks he's got an enemy? No, he's got a big one. He knows I can [bleep] him over in a lot of different ways. He better shut the [bleep] up and just play for the Detroit Tigers. Why do I have to go over and even apologize to him? Who the [bleep] is Magglio Ordonez? What did he ever do for me? He didn't do [bleep] for me. But he said I'm his enemy -- he knows me. Did he play good for me? Yes, he did. Did he play hard for me? Yes, he did. He might like me. He might be sensitive of me. He might be jealous of me, I don't know why. But saying I'm his enemy, he hates me, I could care less what that [bleep] thinks. I don't give a [bleep] what he does with the rest of his life. He [bleep] with the wrong guy, and he knows that, too. He knows for a fact that he [bleep] with the wrong people.''-Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox manager.

Yes, Ozzie, he’s the man. Finally an Ozzie that America can fear. Forget about Ozzy Osbourne. The man looked like a special education reject with that damn reality show of his. And the last album, Down to Earth should have been called Flung to Mars, because it sucked big time. You would think putting musicians like Zakk Wylde, Robert Trujillo, and Mike Brodin would make magic, but instead it was kind of like the time Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s secret vault, an empty room.

But with Ozzie, you can count on one thing for sure. He will always say what is on his mind no matter what. He doesn’t give a shit about who gets offended, and I believe that is a great quality in a person. I respect Ozzie. I liked him when he was a player, and love him as a manager. Finally, the White Sox have someone who they can be proud of in the dugout.

Ozzie has said one thing that all Sox fans still wonder. Why do the Cubs get more media exposure than the Sox? For years we heard about the Two Headed Monster Prior/Wood on the Cubs and how great they were, but what about Mark Buehrle, here is a great picture who has just received the acclaim he should have gotten for years. All the stuff about Sammy when he was good, and about how great the fans are. This is why the Sox fans are perceived as thugs. I would like to remind all of you that Eric Dybas, the fan that ran onto Comiskey to attack that Umpire is a Cub fan. He was at Wrigley before when the Cubs lost to the Reds, which would explain the drunken rage that prompted him to go out to the field. And do you guys remember when that dude got shot in front of the Cubby Bear which is across the street from Wrigley, that was a Cub fan who shot a Sox fan because he tapped on the hood of his precious SUV with a small bat because the man driving that oversized piece of shit almost hit him. Ozzie is a great voice for the Sox and their fans, and it is great to see someone finally stand up and say enough.

And even though he is a younger manager, look at the job he has done with the Sox compared to the "Dustiny" of the Cubs. Ozzie has cleaned up the image of the locker room of the "bitter" White Sox and has put a smile on many players faces and livened up the atmosphere. And then there’s Dusty, dragging the Cubs down further and further of that toleit known as a baseball park Wrigley. Ozzie has personality, he has style, and he is the man.
However, some times he needs to pick the right battles. What he said about Frank Thomas was really not called for. About how Frank "shouldn’t dampen the mood of the new Sox" was not too cool. Yet, I believe the media spun it because when they are not trying to suck the Cub’s dick, they are too busy throwing the Sox in the mud, and there is one man who is all over this. Our good friend, Jay Mariotti, columnist for the Sun Times.
Mariotti has a definite knack for writing, and did a good radio show on ESPN 1000, but if anyone has bashed the Sox and been a Cub fan, it is him. I don’t know why either. He left his show on ESPN because he didn’t feel like he could speak freely because Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was a major part of the station considering that Sox games were broadcast there. Well gee Jay, did you think that your constant Sox bashing would be welcomed? It is OK to be objective, as Mariotti can be. But when it comes to the Sox and he sees a chance to rip them into a new one, he does. And this is his right, but how about the Sun Times find someone to counter him. He is just an example of the fun loving media and their Cubs. All the radio stations camped out by Wrigley for their opener, but when do you see stations do something on the south side to appreciate the White Sox and their efforts? The Zone did it last year, but what about this year? I guess we’ll have to wait until next year. Ozzie will speak up about stupid shit like this and this is why the fans love him no matter what. Because we know it is more than just moving players around. Ozzie has a passion for this game and winning.

He has been accused of ripping on former players, but why should he compliment them? They aren’t on the team anymore. And the Maggs situation was started by Maggs and his "I don’t want to talk to him, he’s my enemy." Maggs was screaming for Ozzie to rip him into a new asshole. If anyone wants to talk shit, Ozzie will be there to let them know what time it is. As far as the Tigers go, who was that shit head that said the Indians and them were the only two teams that mattered? I guess that 9-1 victory will shut him up huh.

Bottom line, Chicago. There is a new storm coming into town. A new disaster breaking through. It makes the Great Chicago Fire look like a backyard campout with a bunch of Boy Scouts. It makes the Blizzard of the 70’s look like a flurry. It is the Blizzard of Oz, and it is taking the Chicago White Sox all the way to the World Series. So Cubs, Tigers, Twins, and anyone else who stands in the Sox way, make a path, or get run over by the avalanche, because the South Side is taking this one for sure mother fuckers!!!!

MJ

April 14, 2005-The Bad Thriller

Hello and welcome to the Journal. As you know 2005 has been a crazy year so far. A Tsunami wiped out most of Southeast Asia, the book was closed on the hockey season, and as you may have heard 14,321 times since it happened, the Pope has died. However, no one was ready for the assassination on rational thought that is taking place right now in a courthouse in sunny California. Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the Michael Jackson baby raping trial. Because no matter how you slice and dice it, that is what it is.

It is sad that someone who has power and money like Michael Jackson has completely abused it and has used it in ways that many can never dream. He invited kids to his Never Land Ranch, and lured them into a horrific nightmare fueled by alcohol, the Tele Tubbies, and a grown man sleeping with boys in bed wearing G.I. Joe Pajamas. Yes a lot of this is speculation, but if Michael wants to be known as “a boy who never grew up,” we should help paint the picture.

I find this disturbing, disgusting, and the fact Michael Jackson is standing up saying this is some kind of conspiracy makes me sick. Take some accountability and get some help. I feel that this is an instance of a man who abuses his power by shelling out millions of dollars to cover up this sick habit and makes me wonder what kind of world we live in here? What kind of world do we live in when a man can lure children, let me say that again, a man can lure children into his nest which serves as a faced as a happy place where like Chuck E’ Cheese says, where a kid can be a kid, but in reality is an orgy of illusions that bring a man who has the tendencies of a sewer rat can feast upon the scraps of the younger generation?

Is it fair to say Michael Jackson had a hard life growing up? Sure. He is another one of these stage kids who had parents who mentally abused him and made him perform numerous amounts of times so he might forget his childhood. Is he misunderstood? To a point, but this does not excuse the behavior he has been accused of engaging in. You know what, many people have been abused in this life. So have grown past that, some have not. One question I have for Michael Jackson is what the hell was wrong with Lisa Marie? She could have bared more children for him to play with.

Michael Jackson is a narcissistic jerk off. This is a very scary situation. This goes well beyond OJ and Robert Blake. This is not some case of a celebrity getting away with murder and shit like that. This is a man with lots of money and power abusing it by manipulating us the little people for their love of money and compromising it with their children. This guys walks around with a bunch of thugs protecting him when he goes to court. He has his own little fan club outside of the courthouse. Woo hoo, maybe they can go to Neverland, and Jackson can stick a plunger up their ass.

And to point out how all these people are sticking their heads out now to nail Jackson to the wall. Where were these people when the cups of Jesus Juice were going around? Where were they when the showers were taking place? Richard Roeper of the Sun Times put it best in today’s column when he said “coward or liar, there is no in between.” How could anyone let their kid sleep in the same house as Jackson, let alone their bed? After all the accusations and things that were said, how could anyone do that? It just isn’t right. If they want to use their kid as a fast paycheck from Jackson, their ass should be put on the same slab as Jackson’s.

I don’t want to sound completely judgmental or hateful here, but this is something that needs to be said. People may say that this case doesn’t affect them, but it does. It affects everyone. This is a true test of the system. Will the justice system do the right thing here, or will they sell out as they have in the past? Think about this, if Jackson can find loopholes in a case like this when the evidence is overwhelmingly against him, maybe other lawyers defending will take notes to get other child molesters off so they can make that buck. It is far out there, but we must all think outside of the box for crazy shit like this? How can any sane jury stomach what they are hearing in this trial, and then let the man out of the trick bag? One must ask the question. Does Thomas Mesereau really believe his client is innocent, or we will see him stand in line with all the other victims of the man who knows nothing about noses? Will he be able to sleep at night if Jackson walks and finds another cancer patient to take advantage of? Will he be able to look in the mirror if Jackson has a sleepover in his kingdom of joy and disillusion only to find that it wasn’t just the milk Michael was drinking? Maybe he can have a nice cup of some Jesus Juice and that may be enough to ease the sting.

MJ

April 8, 2005-The Ever Famous Should Haves

Hello everyone and welcome to the Journal. I am sad the Pope died because there will be some jerk taking his position that will not be able to measure up but note to media, will you please let it rest? It has been one week and they are still covering it like it is front-page news.

Now let’s talk about sports in Illinois. Some people who read this nice column live in Illinois. Some do not. However those of you that do know that Illinois is the most cursed place for sports. Some teams in Illinois deserve the curse; others do things to bring trouble to themselves.
Take the Fighting Illini for example. Here is the NCAA’s best team. Ranked number one in the country. They go into the tournament ranked number one. Everything is riding in their favor, but yet in the final four. They like any other team in Chicago or Illinois, blow it. The Illini is a team who did it to themselves. I have never seen a team take so many threes in the last five minutes of a game in my life. It may have worked for them before, but that was when they were 15-20 down. They should have thought small when they finally tied North Carolina and taken twos and play some good D. But no, let’s go out there and play like glory hounds so we can get those big NBA contracts. This of course led to the demise of the team in the finals, and they only lost one game when they score over 70 points. That was to the Tarheels of UNC, and now they have lost two. The team had it in their hand, but they dropped the ball, literally. If it weren’t for that turnover, the team had a chance if they weren’t going for threes every time they went down the court.

My best example is the 1984 and 2003 Chicago Cubs. Now it brings me great pleasure to talk about this because I hate the Cubs. They are the biggest blemishes of the city of Chicago. From those two huge, huge, huge loses, to the embarrassments of Sammy Sosa, the Cubs couldn’t be more cursed than the devil himself. In 1984, during the National League Championship Series, the Cubs were up 2-0, but then San Diego fought back winning the next three games ending the dream team of 1984. And of course my buddy Steve Bartman can tell you about the 2003 NLCS. The Cubs, who everyone was saying would be in the World Series against the Yankees had a repeat performance where they were up 3-1 in the series, but a fateful game 6 where I can’t remember the dude’s name since I don’t give a shit about the Cubs blew a double play which could have ended the game, but the Florida Marlins came back and whooped that north side ass. Many Cub fans would have you believe that it was Bartman who caused the fall of the Cubs, but that proves the ignorance of this breed of people who do nothing but drink, whine and cry. Cub fans don’t have a clue about what a baseball team is. This will bring me to the White Sox, the better team of the two.

The Sox number one enemy has been themselves. Frank Thomas has more mood swings that Sybil in a Starbucks. This has affected the team. It is kind of like what would a crew do if their captain were drunk all the time. Eventually the ship will crash or sink. Now I am not suggesting that Thomas is an alcoholic, but when Thomas is in a bad mood, the team’s structure is not all there. This is evident by the 2000 ALCS where Thomas did not perform and the team for some reason followed suit. The Seattle Mariners swept the Sox in that series. It is not fair to put such a responsibility on one man’s shoulders, but that is how the media portrayed it. Many Cub fans revel in the fact two of the South Side’s star players Maggilo Ordonez and Carlos Lee were traded. It may be some new life this Sox team needs. We will see who has the better record at the end of the season now won’t we?

Then there’s hockey. The Blackhawks were a force to be reckoned with for a long time, but in 1992 I believe, the Pittsburgh Penguins wiped them off the map in a 4-0 Stanley Cup victory. Then the team just died. They didn’t really perform well after that and of course as many of you know, the strike just happened so no NHL season this past year. This leaves us with watching the Wolves, which is great hockey at a fair price.

The Chicago Bears had one of the greatest teams in 1985, but will they ever be able to match that? They sure fucked up Soldier Field with the space saucer slamming into it. Nevertheless, the Bears who have come a long way not being under the leadership of people like Dave Wandstedt or Dick Jauron may be able to do some things in 2005, but I guess we’ll see.
Now Chicago has hope in one more team. They may not go all the way, but they have lifted many spirits in this city. The Bulls are destined to make the playoffs for the first time since the greatest basketball dynasty of all time kicked all forms of ass back in the 90’s. The team that John Paxson put together may not be the machine of that in the last decade, but they have the tools, talent, and desire to get there. NBA Basketball is getting exciting again, and all I can say is go Bulls go.

But the whole moral of the story is when will Illinois sports have the “we will rock you” attitude verses the “oh well, we will have to wait and see what happens this year.” Why is it every time we have the tools to rock other teams, we fail? Chicago is a city of many surprises. Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, and the fact some asshole came up with a team called the Chicago Cubs who infest the city with their crap on a daily basis called “Cub Nation.” No matter how you slice it, Chicago is the third largest city in America, and we will have champions one day. The question is when.

Thanks for reading and have yourself a nice day.
MJ