Proof: What is a Picture Worth?

Although I'd like to put Dead Prez on blast--like I planned on doing last week--I think it would be most appropriate to follow up last week's post.  I can't believe I'm about to force my fingers to type the following sentence, but here goes: I agree with the Obama Administration's decision not to publish the photos of Osama Bin Laden. 

One moment, please.  I feel a little dirty.

Death Certificate

I had planned to write a mini-diatribe about why I did not at all enjoy the Dead Prez' song and video "The Beauty Within" (a "response" to Bruno Mars' "Nothing on You") that was released late last week.  However, I've decided to abandon a hate-filled monologue on something asinine, and be a more mindful blogger by saying a word or two about what happened last night.  I'll save that hate for next week.

More on Football Being Just Like America

I've said it before; it bears repeating:  Football is the apotheosis of America(n).  The N.F.L. has decided to start suspending players for excessively violent, helmet-to-helmet hits:

From The Philadelphia Inquirer: 

NEW YORK - The NFL will immediately begin suspending players for dangerous and flagrant hits that violate rules, particularly those involving helmets.

Suspensions will be in place for this weekend's games, vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said Tuesday.

The Fantasy of Football

A few years ago during a trip to Las Vegas, NV (the only place not named Fort Wayne, Indiana where my father willingly spends the night), I spied Doug Williams in the food court of an outlet mall.  My father, sister, and I were sitting at a table eating crappy fast food when I spotted a really big black guy I knew I wasn't related to heading in our direction.  I told my dad, and as Doug Williams walked by, my dad said his name and Doug Williams waved.  My dad seemed really excited, so I convinced my sister to go ask Mr. Williams to take a picture with him; he was kind enough to oblige.  I remember two things about that day: 1. My father calling everybody he knew and telling them how he took a picture with Doug Williams, and 2. How Doug Williams shuffled through the food court.

For those of you not at all invested in American football, Doug Williams is known for being the first black man to quarterback an NFL team, the Washington Redskins, to a Super Bowl win; he's still the only black man to do so.  I know that doesn't seem like a big deal with Donovan McNabb, Jason Campbell, and Michael Vick having all stood under center as starting quarterbacks just yesterday, but  a black quarterback circa 87-88 was the equivalent to a married black woman in 2010 (I kid, I kid).  Doug Williams was the man.  Cheering for him (and Warren Moon) was a bazillion times more intense than rooting for the black person on Jeopardy! And leading the Redskins over John Elway and the Denver Broncos earned him a spot as a minor deity in the pantheon of black American heroes.  Seriously, he sits right next to Tupac and Richard Roundtree.