Circles and Boot Straps

Saturday in Cincinnati, also known as the Queen City, was absolutely beautiful.  It was warm, sunny, and the leaves were at the height of their photosysthesis process.  With it being such a great day, the Colored Man just could not stay indoors all day long.  So, I decided to drive around a little bit, and eventually make my way to this new coffee shop that I found in a neighborhood named Lower Price Hill. 
But before I got there I stopped off at Wendy's and decided to get one of their salads.  Normally I am all about the #2 or #3 burger combo, but I am trying to grab my bootstraps and change my wicked ways.

After getting the salad, my next stop was this beautiful urban parked named, Mt. Storm.  Cincinnati has some beautiful parks and Mt. Storm is no exception, with an overlook that encompasses downtown, the Ohio River, and parts of Northern Kentucky.  It was the perfect location for a salad and iced tea.  Oh, and by the way, I have become a big fan of those salads!!!  After eating and watching quite a number of bridal parties take photos inside the Greek Revival archway, I circled around and made my way to the coffee shop to get a smoothie, this time blackberry and blueberry.

Being out and about on a Saturday is nothing new for the Colored Man.  I've grown accustomed to the city and its' winding streeets and hills.  I know my way around sufficiently well, so I have taken to checking out the billboards quite a bit while driving.  Over the past several weeks I have seen a number of billboards saying that abortion is the #1 killer of African-Americans.  I have seen them quite a few times, but have not paid much attention to them.  But things always seem to go in circles and information stored today will be information used tomorrow.  It was circular for me with the billboards.

Earlier that morning, I was channel surfing and stopped the television on one of the public access channels, which happened to be showing a documentary on African-American women and reproductive health.  I did not catch the program from the beginning, but what I did watch was very informative.  I learned that African-American women have about 50,000 abortions each year. I also found out from the leader of a women's health group, that the reason that I was seeing all of these pro-life billboards is that pro-lifers are attempting to throw a wedge between people within the African-American community, and this is part of a greater drive by right-wingers to use social issues such as, abortion, gay marriage, immigration to split the 80%-90% of African-American's who vote Democratic at the polls.

Let me clearly state, that I am a big proponent of a woman's right to abort a fetus that she does not wish to carry to full-term.  And yes, I have seen the films of actual abortions, and it doesn't bother me.  Just as men have the right to walk away from children that they father, women should have the right to not have that child and the responsibility of that child for 18 years, if that is what they choose. 

Many of the problems facing African-American's, particularly if examining the education system, are due to children being raised by single mothers who don't have the economic means to raise children by themselves, because they don't have the education needed to gain successful high-paying employment.  Higher education equals better neighborhood, which equals better schools, which equals better opportunities, which equals better colleges for children - it's all circular.  Many are children raising children.  Many are "vagina factories" who have babies by "nut hunters", those elusive men who are constantly running around like squirrels, seeking to hide an unprotected nut somewhere.  A majority of these women are simply too damn tired and down-trodden to effectively raise a child in today's society, and unfortunately, their children are the ones who suffer the most. 

Of course there is always exception to the rule, and I salute those women who have been forced to be mother, father, breadwinner, football coach, and everything else in their child's life.  Statistics are showing that more and more women who are watching the baby-making clock tick down and who are financially able, are choosing to have children without fathers active in the child's life.  That is their choice, and I have no problem with it.

As I stated earler, I am pro-choice.  However, I fervently believe that all women need to start protecting themselves, particularly those who are poor and uneducated.  When you meet a guy and he has children already, you need to listen carefully because eventually he will start talking about his children's mother or mothers, and it will come out that she or they had to take him to court for child-support.  Ladies, that should be your key to RUN!!!!!, and if you don't run, PLEASE practice safe-sex.  It amazes me how some women think that a man will treat their child better or different than he treats his other children.  Ohhhhhh......it must be the curly baby hair, the dimples, or the pretty skin.  Don't fool yourself.  Leopards never change their spots.  Further, stop being "tap-heads" - all that's necessary for you to give up the goods are a few sweet nothings whispered in your ear, then a tap on the head, and you're primed like a greased engine. 

My fellow Colored Men, we need to step up to the plate and take care of the children that we father.  Stop being "nut hunters" and start being fathers to the children that need you so desperately.  Stop lying to yourself that everything is ok because you pay child support, and that's just fine and dandy.  Stop pretending that your child doesn't need visits to the school, one-on-one time, and unconditional love.  Stop making babies that you are neither financially, spiritually, morally, or mature enough to take care of.

It's time for us all to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and get focused on making decisions that are best for us and the greater community.  To start thinking about how our decisions today, may effect others tomorrow.  To start realizing that our children are our greatest asset, and they deserve the best that we can give them.