The Mind of KLH

On this day, I am one of many who will reflect, talk, meditate on, or write about one of our greatest citizens, Martin Luther King.  Born January 15, 1929, educated in our nations colleges, and polished to a razor sharp edge in violently protested peace marches and dirty jail cells.  MLK was a man with flaws, but in spite of those flaws he rose to speak to a nation that had lost it’s way.  America Home of the Free, had become any but that for many of it’s citizens.  A movement began to resist ungodly persecution, and an institutionalized apartheid, not unlike that found in South Africa.  A reluctant leader came to the fore to lead this so called civil rights movement, to help it achieve it’s righteous goal of peace and equality for people of color.  That leader became the voice of a people that had grown impatient and fully ready to claim it’s rightful place at the table of The American Dream.

On August 28, 1963 between 250,000 to 400, 000 people gathered in Washington DC before the Lincoln Memorial to hear the keynote speaker of the March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom.  I don’t think anybody understood what they were about to witness.  This reluctant leader Martin Luther King gave what is widely believed to be one of the two or three greatest and most influential speeches ever given.  I Have A Dream is what he said.  He spoke in lofty often times thunderous words about his aspiration for our country.  He said that as great as our country was it could not achieve it’s full greatness while oppressing some of it’s people.  Martin challenged The United States of America to do what it should do.  He used it’s own founding principles to say that America must live up to it’s own creed.

Because of the leadership of Martin Luther King and the sacrifices, blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of righteous soldiers the Civil Rights Bill was signed into law by President Johnson in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law a year later in 1965.  This was all done with peaceful resistance, powerful oratory, and a refusal to accept anything less than what was righteous and deserved.  The work of Dr. King and many others ultimately lead to a surprising prophecy made by Robert Kennedy shortly before his assassination in 1968.  He said that the United States would have a “negro president” in forty years.  Forty years later in 2008 Barrack Obama was elected to become the 44th president of The United States of America.  Clearly Dr. King would have been proud having seen the realization of at least some of his Dream.

So here we are in 2012…with a black president that a lot of people hate.  Here we are in 2012 where there are more people living in or close to poverty, than there has been in decades.  Here we are in 2012 where people of color do indeed have civil rights, but way too many have no moral compass.  In 2012 more black men under 30 will go to jail than will go to college.  In 2012 the highest cause of death amongst young black men will be homicide…by the hands of another black man.  In 2012 the middle class is shrinking and our elected officials don’t even mention the poor.  What about the Dream?

2012 is a great time to reflect on Dr. King, what he fought for, and what he died for.  Many believe that 2012 will mark the end of the world as we know it.  I’d suggest that may be a good thing.  As we celebrate the life of one of our greatest Americans, let’s think about what we can do to advance the Dream.  Lets make our voices heard like Martin did.  Let’s speak truth to power like Martin did.  Let’s take rightful action to end poverty, to bring jobs back, and make sure that all Americans have equal access to the American Dream.  Let’s commit to ending the violence that is taking our young people away from us.

We have come so far, and there is a lot to be proud of as Americans.  However we still have a long way to go before we are Free At Last.  I call on each and every one of you to do something to help and even challenge our country to be great as it should be.  As for me I am building an organization to help eradicate youth violence.  It’s called Peace Squad.  I need help.  I need soldiers willing to do the hard work with me.  I have a very simple website up so that I can accumulate ideas and suggestions on how we can stop youth violence.  I’d love to hear from everybody.  God knows I have my flaws…and I’m no MLK…but I’m inspired by him…and so I am acting… and I hope you will too.  Then someday we can finally get to that place where we are all truly Free At Last.

Please visit the site by clicking on this link  - www.peacesquad.org

Stay Fly and Fly High
KLH

I remember a time when the term ‘baby daddy’ didn’t exist…I know that dates me but that’s OK.  Back then the term for my ’baby’s daddy’ was husband, but times have changed.  I heard a startling statistic on the radio today, it said that 50% of black women have a child out of wedlock before they are 20 years old.  I think this is tragic…but you wouldn’t know it by the way so many people react to a pregnancy.  There are the congratulations, the fancy baby showers and all.  For way too many people this has become the status-quo.  The problem however is that the status-quo is very problematic.

If a young girl in her teens has a baby her chance of graduating high school is greatly diminished.  With that is the likelihood that this teen mother and her child will live in poverty.  With the stigma of poverty, and what is often substandard living conditions the child will grow up and repeat the cycle.  There is also the drain on our economy.  The boys  get these girls pregnant and don’t have the financial ability or sometimes even the will to contribute to their child’s upbringing, so cities and states have to pick up the tab and pay for these babies.  This is a burden that society shouldn’t have to bear, and increasingly can’t afford to bear. In lots of minority communities having a baby is a career option. Something has got to change.

I try to never complain about a situation and not offer a solution, if for no other reason than to spark thought and conversation.  I’ll start with the girls.  They need to be taught from a young age, way before they are sexual that they have value. They need to be taught they are worth more than the sex they can give to a boy or young man.  Girls and young women should require more from guys than him saying -  “You know you’re looking hot tonight right?”  I wonder how many babies have been born because some guy told a girl she was beautiful.  Maybe moms and dads should be telling these girls that at home. 

Young women and young men should be very thoroughly educated when it comes to sex.  Just saying “be careful and make sure you where a rubber” isn’t sexual education…it’s neglect.  Make sure that kids know the consequences of sexual activity.  Make sure they know the physical risk, the emotional risk (broken hearts really suck), and the financial risk.  I think no one should have sex until they are mature enough, healthy enough, and financially stable enough to deal with a pregnancy if it comes.  Because the funny thing about sex is that, at least sometimes a baby comes out of it.

As far as boys, they should be taught how to respect girls.  They should learn the value of educating themselves, getting established financially, and growing up.  When a young man really has taken the time to get himself together, he is a whole lot more desirable to outstanding young women.  Also young boys should be taught to take responsibility for their own actions.  It is not the sole responsibility of girls to provide birth control.  It is a joint responsibility.  It should be deeply inculcated into boys,  that real men take care of their responsibilities.  That means you don’t have frivolous sex with some girl you barely know, because she might become your ‘baby’s mother’…and you might not want that. 

Again going back in the day, I remember when it was scandalous when a young girl got pregnant while she was in school.  I think a little ‘shock and dismay’ would do us some good today.  Of course we want mothers whatever their age to love and take care of their children.  But maybe we shouldn’t have a party to celebrate extraordinary lapses in judgement by young people.  How about this – children deserve to have to grown up parents who are stable and love each other AND LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE…but I digress..I’d like to see single parents reach out to young people and tell them how incredibly hard it is to raise children alone, or with not enough money.  I happen to think it’s not a foregone conclusion that kids are going to have sex.  I think we should expect and encourage kids to wait until they are ready in every way before they have sex.  Also last but not least make sure that children learn and progress in their schooling.  Kids who do well in school are much less likely to get pregnant early.

I happen to think kids are great, but kids with kids???…not so much.  Let’s bring it back to the way it was…when a baby daddy was a husband….just a thought.

Stay Fly and Fly High!

KLH

So…I’m on a job, and I ask the home owner what he did for a living.  He told me he worked for and retired from IBM.  He then volunteered this statement that really struck me, he said “We’ve had a wonderful life…my wife, our kids, three cats…we’ve really been lucky.”  As simple as that statement is, it’s equally unusual.  You’re more likely to hear someone say some version of “Same Sh^t different day” or some other complaint about how bad things are.  From time to time you may have someone tell you they’re “OK”, or “Fine”…but that’s usually about as good as it gets.

So I started to wonder how it can be that this retired gentleman could live in the same state as me in the same recession that the rest of us are in and say he’s had a “wonderful life”?  I should have interviewed him but the timing didn’t seem appropriate.  So, I’m gonna tell you what I think (being that you’re here reading “The Mind Of KLH”).  I think this was a man who probably learned early in his life that you get out of it, what you put into it.  You go to school and study hard, then graduate high enough in your class to get recruited into a great company.  Once you start working you look for a potential spouse who can be a great partner and an even better parent.  Get married, spend less than you earn, save that money and then buy a nice house where you can raise your children.  Keep saving and send them to good schools so they can repeat the cycle.

It’s nothing complicated really, it all comes down to this…make good decisions.  Carefully consider the possibilities and then make choices that will serve you well.  Most importantly though is to be grateful.  Even when you don’t have much, you have some..thing that you can and should be grateful for.  We live in a magnetic universe, and what we focus on is drawn to us.  What we focus on is what we are drawn to.  It is so very important to be aware of what we think about throughout the day.  Think about problems and problems will come into our home and take up residence.  Think about a “wonderful life” and…

So as I’ve been working in these peoples home for the last two days I’ve observed how happy they seem to be.  They eat breakfast together, sitting on the same side of the table.  They never say a cross word to each other (at least not in my presence).  The husband is a realtor…he says’s “it’s just to stay busy…I’m not making any money these days”.  The wife tends to the flowers and helps me choose which of the decorative tiles she wants on her back-splash…and I noticed how easily she laughs at my silly jokes.

As I look at them…now eating lunch…again sitting on the same side of the table, I think I get it.  They have a wonderful life because they decided…that they would have a wonderful life.  Seems like a plan to me.

Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH

So I’ve been really unhappy with where I am in life.  I have felt not so good for a while now.  I have always wanted more for myself and I have always had something going to put myself in a better place.  However, here I am still unhappy, and still not where I want to be.  So what’s the fix?   For a number of years I have had a feeling or intuition about this question – What would happen if  a person focused on achieving a goal for 90 days? For whatever reason I never found out the answer for myself…I’ve always procrastinated…that is until now.  I am on DAY 14 of a 90 Challenge.  You may be wondering “How’s that working out for you?”

Well just a little while ago I walked into my house…after having walked home from the local Chevy dealer.  It’s only about a 5 or 6 minute drive, but I can tell you it takes a hell of a lot longer to walk.  I had to leave my big blue van to have the spark plugs changed.  It’s gonna cost me $90 more than they told me over the phone…ain’t it funny how that happens?  But I digress…I can’t afford the money to repair it, but I can’t afford not to do it either…so, I’m waiting for a call from the very unfriendly service guy who couldn’t give a damn about me or my pitiful van.  I’m 14 Days into this Challenge and I feel sad, alone, broken, down…but not out.  On the walk home I decided to write about where I’m at…writing always feels good to me.

So I have these goals.  They involve losing some weight, launching a new website, and some other things that I believe will put me in position to start living the life I want to live.  Achieving these goals won’t make me rich (at least not immediately), but they will put me on the right path.  So often we see the big picture and we don’t act, because it’s such a big picture.  Big things are almost always accomplished by doing a lot of little things.  No matter what it is you want to accomplish all you can ever do is the next thing.  I heard author Michael Neill say that.  All you can ever do…is the next thing.

So that’s what I’ll be doing for the remainder of my 90 Days…is the next thing.  Then…the next thing…and the next and so on.  Sometimes I’ll take a big step, like yesterday I called and turned off my cable TV.  Some people might think that’s nothing…but it was big for me and that’s what matters.  I turned it off to allow me the time to work on the things that are most important to me right now.  TV has always been a huge distraction and time stealer.  So for me it was big…VERY BIG!!!  Later today I’ll chip away at my website and move ever closer to my launch date of July the 4th.

These coming days won’t all be filled with dramatic leaps of faith, and gigantic displays of brute willpower, although there may be the occasional flash of magnificence .  There will however be a lot of little things.  Things that will gradually add up to bigger things.  I believe that effort on your own behalf,  compounds, like interest in your savings account.  It seems like nothing at first, and that’s the snag.  But in time your investment grows, and the more you put in, the more it compounds. Effort works exactly the same way.

I cannot stand being where I am in life.  Now don’t get me wrong there are things that I am grateful for, but walking home from the Chevy dealer ain’t one of them.  Day 14 will see me move closer to the life I want for myself.  From the outside it won’t seem like much, but that’s OK.  I know I am acting in my own behalf, and building a future that I can feel good about, a future that doesn’t involve walking home from the freakin’ Chevy dealer. I would encourage you to look at where you are, be grateful for what you have, but if you want more for yourself and or your family…Why not try a 90 Day Challenge of your own?  Write down some goals that excite you, and then break them down into small nuggets that you can do in one day.  I bet you’ll be surprised at what you’ve done…I know you’ll be proud.

Stay Fly and Fly High!

KLH

What do you say, when the unspeakable has happened?  What can you do, when that one thing, that one unthinkable thing, comes to the front door of someone you care about?  There is no way to prepare…no class to take…or book to read…to help quench to impossible pain of a parent losing their child.  Everyone knows it defies nature to lose a child, yet still it happens from time to awful time. 

Today I heard that a friend of mine lost his son…his young son just entering the prime of his life.  I only see him occasionally, and I never met his son…but it still took my breath away.  Everything I had been stressing about today,  lost it’s meaning…my little problems meant nothing…my friend had just come face to face with that thing no parent should ever have to experience.  So what do I say?  I feel like words can’t fill a void that has no boundary….no width or depth.  What can anyone say?  “Everything will be OK in time”…is insulting…strike that it’s offensive.  “How are you doing?” …is silly…or even ridiculous.  It’s times like these that make it clear…words sometimes get in the way.

So why do things like this happen?  These kinds of tragedies make a lot of people question the existence of God, or the motives of God.  “How could God do this…or…What kind of God would do this?”  Some people say “It’s God’s plan”.  Well…I’m not sure why these things happen.  I can speculate, and frankly I think that’s the best any of us can do.  But one thing I feel very certain about, and it’s this…The God that I believe in would never take a child from his parents.  Tragedy… is not the work of God…of that much I am certain.

For all the pain that tradgedy brings…it also carries with it possibility…and opportunity.  Tragedy has a way of bringing the best out of us.  The humanity in us rises to levels previously unknown.  We donate money we couldn’t afford, offer up our homes to those displaced, charitable foundations are formed, new laws are passed and we lend a shoulder to someone who cannot bear the weight of an unbearable pain that has come to live with them. Tragedy reminds us how precious life is…how delicate…life is…and how much we need to savor and appreciate it while we have it.  Death has a way of bringing to life, relationships that had been dormant for months or even years.  The finality of death carries with it the possibility for rebirth…for reconnection to the meaning of our lives.  In these times we are reminded how important love and compassion are, and so we offer it freely to those who have suffered loss.  But the sudden interruption of life also provokes us to show love and compassion to friends and family we may have been taking for granted.  We so often live our lives like they will never end…times like these remind us that isn’t true…we all are only here…briefly.  We should live every day fully, deeply, and completely.

It is nearly impossible to expect a parent to feel anything but inconsolable pain when they are in the grips of this kind of loss…but perhaps what we can do…is silently hold a place in our hearts, where they can land softly.  Now is not the time to say everything will be OK…but we can hold that place for them.  In time…in their own time…they can move into that space.  So, after all these words I offer this to you my friend…I’m am so sorry for your loss and…I…am here.

Stay Fly and Fly High,
KLH

Yep…I’m gonna go there.  The N-word, I do not say it, I do not like to be called by it, and I do not like to hear it.  In fact it breaks my heart when I hear it.  I’m always amazed when I hear an otherwise intelligent person say “We’ve taken the power out of it, it’s a term of affection”.  If that were really true then black folks wouldn’t mind if a white person called them the N-word.  If that happened most likely a fight would break out. If it were true the the N-word was just a term of affection, then rappers wouldn’t refer to people they want to kill as “N-words”.

I hear black people gleefully claim that “we took the word back and they (white people) can’t use it, it’s only for us”.  I wonder to myself if there could EVER come a time when a Jewish person would use a horrible epithet to refer to themselves or another Jew…I think not.  I wonder if a white person would call a white friend a derogatory term and say it’s a term of affection.  I’ve never heard a Hispanic person call another Latino a horrible slur as a sign of affection. Why is this?

Well…I’m a black man, so I can only guess on the answer to this question.  But my guess would be that people of other ethnicity’s have pride in their heritage.  To disrespect their heritage would be unthinkable.  Of course they wouldn’t take upon themselves any term that was created to make them feel like they were less than human.  Ironically it has become common for Hispanics to use the N-word, but why?  Because it’s not the S-word.  It’s easy to co-opt disrespect that isn’t directed at you.  If we interviewed Hispanics about this they might not think about it so deeply.  They may just say “oh, it doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a friendly term”.  But I doubt that you could find many Puerto-Ricans who would find use of the S-word to be a harmless expression.  Again…it’s pride, pride about where they come from…and that’s something that way too many African Americans don’t have.

The history of African Americans in this country has been a difficult one.  We’ve been robbed of our history.  Most black folks have no idea what country they come for…not what continent, but what country. So many things happened to make us feel…less than.  Too many of us have internalized this oppression without even realizing it.  A lot of black folk have the outer expression of confidence but that confidence is betrayed by willingly taking upon ourselves the disgrace of the N-word.  This sickness shows itself in other ways like:  saying a black person is “acting white” when they speak proper English, throwing in the towel in the work place because “the white man won’t give us a chance”, selling drugs to our people in our neighborhoods, killing each other, the most likely cause of death amongst young black men is murder at the hands on other young black men.

Black folks need to wake up…we need to learn from the good examples of other ethnicity’s.  Jews don’t thrive here in America because they are cheap, they thrive because the are hard workers, and they support each other…black folk can learn from that.  Hispanics speak their language openly and freely (I can’t lie on the job I have a problem with this sometimes) and play latin music because of ethnic pride…black folk can learn from that.

I am a black man…I’m proud to be a black man.  I’m proud of what we have done and what we have overcome as a people.  In fact I’m so proud to be black that I have never been nor will I ever be an N-word.  I will never fall for the stupid explanation for why other blacks accept and embrace the word.  I love being a black man enough… to tell the truth…we as a people have some growing to do.

Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH

Awww man!!!  I am so tired of hearing about Charlie Sheen.  He’s a famous guy from a famous family who is really rich, and is acting like a fool.  This is news why???  It is so common for rich celebrities to act crazy.  Is this guy outrageous? Yes…but the more interesting question is why do we care?  Why do we pay attention?  I think it’s the same reason that people watch reality TV.  In the interest of full disclosure I LOOOOVE trashy reality TV.  With that said I think the reason most people watch is because it gives them a way to live vicariously through the lives of others.  Remember Fear Factor?  Most of us would never eat bugs or jump off a building, but it’s fascinating to see somebody else do it.  Most people have fantasized about being a music star, but few of us have the guts to go out for an audition, like the kids on American Idol.

The truth of the matter is that it’s safe to sit on our couch and watch other people live full out.  We don’t get our feelings hurt, we don’t risk our safety, or reputation.  Some of us may even think “hell…I can do that…I’m just too busy making a REAL LIVING”.  The other reason people watch is we can look at these people and feel like we’re not so bad off after all.  Some of this reality trash gives us a way to feel better about ourselves.  We look down our noses at these people behaving in ways that we may feel is quite ignorant…and “ghetto”.  We don’t want anyone to judge us…but how many of us judge the people we see on reality TV?  I cannot lie…I know I do.

Maybe Snooky, NeNe Leaks, the baby mama’s and daddies on Maury, and the transvestites on Jerry Springer are doing us all a favor.  Maybe they are sacrificing their dignity so the rest of us can have some.  Maybe the people on Survivor, The Apprentice, and American Idol are taking the arrows of rejection so that we don’t have to.  Or maybe we live in a world where people are so starving for attention and their 15 minutes that they will do ANYTHING to get it.

I think this kind of craziness on TV can serve us.  It can remind us how we can sometimes be hurtful to each other and that perhaps we can be a little kinder.  Reality TV can remind us that we really can pursue our dreams and actually accomplish them.  Reality TV is not going anywhere anytime soon, and to be honest I ain’t gonna stop watching anytime soon…but if I hear about Charlie Sheen ONE MORE TIME…I swear I’m gonna pop!!!

Stay Fly and Fly High
KLH

Well, he did it.  With the help of a lot of politicians who put their careers on the line, a comprehensive health-care reform bill was signed into law…but now what?  A few things will go into affect this year:  tax credits for employers, young folk get to stay on their parents’ plan until the age of 26, and you can’t get your insurance cancelled because you got sick (a particularly horrendous thing insurance companies do).  These are all good things.  The full benefits of the bill won’t be completely in affect for about four years…yikes!

I think the president deserves a lot of credit for persevering on this issue, but we shouldn’t forget about health-care now.  Costs will still be very very high for a lot of people, especially for those who really need insurance.  While people with pre-existing conditions won’t be able to be declined for new insurance the cost of new coverage will most likely still be quite high.  This has to change.  Rate changes will still come around way too often.  This has to change.  The influence of insurance companies over our elected officials will still be huge.  This too has got to change.

The new health-care bill is a great first step, but it’s only that a first step.  We have to remind our elected officials that more change is necessary.  If we persist we just might be able to reclaim the power that we as a people have surrendered to those we elected to serve us.  

 So now  the Republican Party is pissed off, not because they care so much about the people.  They are pissed off because Obama slipped in and did something for the American people while they were busy taking care of the super rich and super powerful.  Now they are acting like bratty children who didn’t get their way.  Some want to repeal the bill, others want to sue the federal government.  If the Republicans cared anything about health-care reform they would have done it when they were in power.  All this righteous indignation is a pitiful joke.  They should try to retain a couple of crumbs of their self respect and go sit down somewhere and zip it!

Obama’s health-care…it ain’t perfect, but it’s better than what we got.

Your comments are welcomed.

Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH

Well…in two words I DO!!!  I recently talked to a really good friend of mine whose husband is in the hospital and had to have a CAT scan and other tests.  Even though they have health insurance they had to contemplate whether or not they:   1.  could afford the costs (because they have an enormous deductible and:  2.  could afford the risk of being dropped from their insurance, since they’ve been dropped twice in the past because they had the GALL to use their insurance for a previous illness.

I was very upset by this story because I too have health insurance that for the most part ain’t worth a damn.  First of all I’m self employed so I had to buy my insurance personally.  When I bought it I was healthy and had never been admitted into the hospital.  A little bit later I found out I had high blood pressure.  My health insurance company promptly raised my premium, which they have continued to do over the years.  About two years ago I found out I have diabetes, and again without skipping a beat my insurance company raised my premium again.  As I started becoming a little more educated about health insurance I realized I had no coverage for any kind out outpatient tests like X-rays, CAT scans, or blood work.  So, I called to see if I could purchase this additional coverage.  My insurance company did what insurance companies do and said NO!!!  I did this so easily becaue they know I can’t go anywhere else, with my pre-conditions.

If I get sick I wouldn’t be able to get any tests, at least none that I can afford.  If I get admitted into the hospital, I too like my friends have a large deductible.  Basically I cannot afford to get sick.  So now I watch the madness on TV regarding healthcare reform and it’s disgusting.  The Democrats don’t have any guts and the Republicans don’t have any hearts.  The truth of the matter is that most of our elected officials don’t give a damn about you or me.  They care about their own power and influence.  It got that way because we let it get that way.

There may be a solution, but it won’t be easy or fast.  We have to take the power back.  We have to remind them that they all work for us.  We must demand that laws be passed that limit the amount of money insurance companies can charge to keep us alive!!!!! It’s hard for me to imagine more selfish, greedy, and immoral people than the creatures that run health insurance companies.  The only way we can have insurance we need for life itself, is to force our elected officials to look out for our interests.  Even those who have insurance with their employers are at risk because insurance companies are raising the premiums every few months.  Soon even employers who want to provide coverage won’t be able to afford it.

So make your voice heard, and if your elected officials don’t give you what you want…VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE!  If the next ones don’t do the right thing,  get rid of them too.  Eventually we can take this country back, and have a true democracy.  Who cares about healthcare…I do…what about you?

Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH

Here I go again…complaining!  But if they didn’t give me anything to work with…. (I’m just saying).  I just watched the guys on American Idol…I recorded it, and the only good thing about that was I was able to fact forward through the commercials.  Anyhow…It struck me once again that this show has shot it’s load. (is that crass??)  There was a time when American Idol was something special, it really was about finding the “best singer” in America, think:  Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie.  Now think Taylor Hicks, or David Cook…WHAT???  Now it’s about…well, I’m not sure what’s it’s about, but I’m sure their interest is not in finding outstanding talent.

The notion that after auditioning hundreds of thousands of singers that these 24  are the best of the lot is insulting.  Simon is right when he says he can go into any bar or hotel lounge and hear similar performances.  The problem is that he and his colleagues chose these people to be on the show.  These singers get up on stage and do the best they can, then they get blasted as though they did something wrong.  Most of these kids where mediocre when they auditioned.  It is totally unfair to think that somehow they are going to morph into great talents when they hit the big stage in Hollywood.

The bigger problem I have with this mess called American Idol is that it holds up average singers as the gold standard of talent.  Consequently when young kids see this they feel like that is what you strive for.  It’s no wonder that truly great singers are becoming so much more rare.  If the average kid can sing as good as the people on stage, then the people on stage ain’t good enough.

On second thought…I think I do know what American Idol is all about.  It’s about creating an Idol.  A false image they can promote as something that it really isn’t…real talent.  American Idol is about making money, but don’t get me wrong making money is good.  Just don’t lie to me and tell me you’re looking for the best singer in America…we all know that isn’t true.

Stay Fly and Fly High!
KLH