So it's all over for the DC sniper tonight. I still don't know how I feel about it. Obviously the man (John Allen Muhammad) is severely disturbed to have senselessly taken the lives of so many innocent people. I've just seen other pending executions take MUCH longer to actualize. Maybe it's just me.
Maybe it's because there are still no real answers as to why. And what we have heard is confusing. Lee Boyd Malvo, Muhammad's accomplice, said Muhammad wanted to use the plot to extort $10 million from the government to set up a camp in Canada where homeless children would be trained as terrorists. What? Why? The guy did spend a good amount of time in the military so I'm just going to blame it on that. This is nuts too...Muhammad's ex-wife says she believes the attacks were a smoke screen for his plan to kill her and regain custody of their three children. Is that what she got? I didn't get that. Muhammad seemed pretty ruthless. I mean the man outfitted a car so that his teenage shooter could hide in the trunk and shoot through a hole....completely unsuspecting. That said, I'd think if he wanted to kill her and take the kids, he probably would've just done that.
So still, no one really knows why he did it. Muhammad has never testified or explained why he directed the attacks. It's very sad. Especially for the victim's families...he'll die tonight but they may never get the closure they need. They'll never know why.
Muhammad is to die by lethal injection tonight at 9 p.m. Malvo is serving life in prison without parole. The death penalty was ruled out as he was 17 at the time of the fatal shootings.
-ttyl, toya
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Little Boy Lost
Two for One today. I just finished watching the Chris Brown interview on MTV. I’m much less impressed with him. I don’t believe him. Don’t you get that feeling? It all seems insincere. His answers to these questions…. I’m getting zero depth. He seems over it and void of any genuine remorse.
Seriously…tweeting pics of yourself working the community service bid…caption: “check out my outfit”…? Yeah Chris, you’re so apologetic…we’re so sure. The big ‘Oops’ chain? Wow. For those of you that missed it, this kid wore a gaudy, blinged out chain with the word “oops” hanging. Chris says it was made before the incident. Mmm hmm.
He’s smug and ignorant. He’s clueless of the gravity of his actions. He still thinks he’s cute. It’s not cute brotha.
Now, a show of my heart. He is not a monster. He is a child, most likely afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder. I do believe his stories of childhood domestic abuse exposure. I do believe he’s harboring unresolved issues. I believe the kid has issues! He needs help. Focusing on romancing the media should be of his least concern right now. Who’s with me?
-ttyl, toya
Seriously…tweeting pics of yourself working the community service bid…caption: “check out my outfit”…? Yeah Chris, you’re so apologetic…we’re so sure. The big ‘Oops’ chain? Wow. For those of you that missed it, this kid wore a gaudy, blinged out chain with the word “oops” hanging. Chris says it was made before the incident. Mmm hmm.
He’s smug and ignorant. He’s clueless of the gravity of his actions. He still thinks he’s cute. It’s not cute brotha.
Now, a show of my heart. He is not a monster. He is a child, most likely afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder. I do believe his stories of childhood domestic abuse exposure. I do believe he’s harboring unresolved issues. I believe the kid has issues! He needs help. Focusing on romancing the media should be of his least concern right now. Who’s with me?
-ttyl, toya
Good Girl Grown Up
I'm surprisingly impressed with Rihanna. I just watched her interview with Diane Sawyer on 20/20. I missed it Friday night because I have an amazingly active social life with fans and rockstar status....lol! I watched the interview online instead this afternoon.
I think I said "wow" out loud twice. Rihanna is a smart girl. Woman. I wanted to believe that she'd just been well coached... maybe by Oprah. Eventually I was sold. She had much more depth to her than I'd imagined she would. She was so poised. She was eloquent. She seems strong. I felt pangs of guilt. I, like others, believed that she must have provoked Chris Brown. I thought she must have hit him first. I thought she went ghetto-girl crazy on him and he had no choice but to light her up. I don't believe that at all anymore.
Rihanna talked about that night in as much detail as she was comfortable remembering. Apparently there was a text message from Chris' ex. She said she pressed him for answers about the contents of the text. A heated argument ensued, then came the blackout. Diane rattled off the list of injuries from a police report. She read them to Rihanna as if Rihanna wasn't in that car with her lip on the opposite side of Chris' fist. I get it. We're journalists. That's part of Diane's job; to remind viewers of the horrific details and boost ratings. It's still annoying though.
So Rihanna sits back with legs crossed and takes it. She can't be shaken it seems. She admits that she was deeply in love. She admits that she maintained a relationship with Chris, post-beating. She talked about the abuse of her mother at the hands of her father and Chris' mother's abuse at the hands of his stepfather. She spoke about her hope for Chris career and future - without her. Rihanna, with tears in her eyes, says now she's focused on positively influencing other women, young girls in particular. She felt she'd be essentially endorsing domestic violence if she stayed with her abuser.
Rihanna says she was so in love. Deep in love. These days she says "ef love, love is blind". I'm just glad Rihanna's not. Good girl.
-ttyl, toya
I think I said "wow" out loud twice. Rihanna is a smart girl. Woman. I wanted to believe that she'd just been well coached... maybe by Oprah. Eventually I was sold. She had much more depth to her than I'd imagined she would. She was so poised. She was eloquent. She seems strong. I felt pangs of guilt. I, like others, believed that she must have provoked Chris Brown. I thought she must have hit him first. I thought she went ghetto-girl crazy on him and he had no choice but to light her up. I don't believe that at all anymore.
Rihanna talked about that night in as much detail as she was comfortable remembering. Apparently there was a text message from Chris' ex. She said she pressed him for answers about the contents of the text. A heated argument ensued, then came the blackout. Diane rattled off the list of injuries from a police report. She read them to Rihanna as if Rihanna wasn't in that car with her lip on the opposite side of Chris' fist. I get it. We're journalists. That's part of Diane's job; to remind viewers of the horrific details and boost ratings. It's still annoying though.
So Rihanna sits back with legs crossed and takes it. She can't be shaken it seems. She admits that she was deeply in love. She admits that she maintained a relationship with Chris, post-beating. She talked about the abuse of her mother at the hands of her father and Chris' mother's abuse at the hands of his stepfather. She spoke about her hope for Chris career and future - without her. Rihanna, with tears in her eyes, says now she's focused on positively influencing other women, young girls in particular. She felt she'd be essentially endorsing domestic violence if she stayed with her abuser.
Rihanna says she was so in love. Deep in love. These days she says "ef love, love is blind". I'm just glad Rihanna's not. Good girl.
-ttyl, toya
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I just wanted to talk about it some more...
Let's just say that Donna, Felicia, Shenay and I didn't want to go to class. Because Dr. Cornel West lives and loves out loud, he makes you want to follow suit. He graced the stage of Wilder Hall at Norfolk State University on Tuesday, November 3rd. Thanks Felicia for the last minute 'heads up'!
Dr. West is humble. He sat unassumingly as the MC listed his accomplishments, his contributions, his victories. When he took the mic, he praised the MC's success as we praise him. He's humble.
Instant energy, as soon as he spoke. He booms! He is connected to his audience. And he's funny and he's cool. Like I would love to hang out with him. Dr. West feeds you constantly. Your knowledge tank will overflow in his presence. He told us to be "set on fire" when we left that auditorium. He told us to feel dissatisfied...for it was the only way to remain committed to the fight for justice. He told us to be 'jazz women and jazz men'...'blues women and blues men'. Dr. West says "no one is self-made". He means we need eachother. We can't win alone. I agree.
I'm going to get his latest cd - 'Never Forget'. It's a compliation of socially conscience music featuring Jill Scott, Talib Kweli and a host of others. West says next, he'll be getting funky with George Clinton. I told you Dr. Cornel West was cool.
Like I said, I had to leave for class. I had to give a presentation. If anybody happened to record the entire lecture, please forward it to your sister.
-ttyl, toya
Dr. West is humble. He sat unassumingly as the MC listed his accomplishments, his contributions, his victories. When he took the mic, he praised the MC's success as we praise him. He's humble.
Instant energy, as soon as he spoke. He booms! He is connected to his audience. And he's funny and he's cool. Like I would love to hang out with him. Dr. West feeds you constantly. Your knowledge tank will overflow in his presence. He told us to be "set on fire" when we left that auditorium. He told us to feel dissatisfied...for it was the only way to remain committed to the fight for justice. He told us to be 'jazz women and jazz men'...'blues women and blues men'. Dr. West says "no one is self-made". He means we need eachother. We can't win alone. I agree.
I'm going to get his latest cd - 'Never Forget'. It's a compliation of socially conscience music featuring Jill Scott, Talib Kweli and a host of others. West says next, he'll be getting funky with George Clinton. I told you Dr. Cornel West was cool.
Like I said, I had to leave for class. I had to give a presentation. If anybody happened to record the entire lecture, please forward it to your sister.
-ttyl, toya
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