The Conservative Sage

I write this particular piece with a great deal of anger. For those who know me, boxing is and has been a major part of my life since I was 7 years old. It began with watching Ali fights in television in the late 70's. Then at the age of 13 I began a 7 year amateur career. The past several weeks have been the darkest in the sports history with the untimely deaths on three great champions. Three weeks ago, ring legend and native Nicaraguan Alexis Arguello took his own life with a gunshot to the head. A week later blood and guts warrior Arturo Gatti was strangled and beaten to death allegedly by his wife in Brazil while he lay passed out in a drunken stupor. If those events weren't tragic enough, Saturday night current Jr. Middleweight champ and former Olympian Vernon Forrest was shot to death in Atlanta in an attempted carjacking. This latest act of savagery perpetrated against one of boxing's good guys further illustrates the sick culture in which many black men choose to...

As the facts have come in surrounding the shooting death of former NFL star quarterback Steve McNair, the story becomes even more troubling. The official word is murder suicide committed by his 20 year old mistress Sahel Kazemi. McNair left behind a wife and four sons ages 5 to 17. Rich and famous men having affairs with young women is not new. However this is the first one that I can recall ending this way. Married men all over the world are re-thinking their "arrangements" I'm sure, although I'm not so sure it will change their behavior. Men can be so hypnotized by the "cat" that even if we knew we stood a chance of getting taken out, some would still take the risk. No one knows what was going on in McNair's marriage, nor is it important now. What we do know is the effects of his choices will have long lingering consequences-specifically for his children. Kazemi's fatal flaw was buying into the lie that many women do: he will leave his wife to b...

In a surprise move, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced she was resigning from office in order to "move the team to victory". Palin has been the subject of over a dozen ethics by Democratic hatchet men-all of which she has been acquitted of. However these probes are not without a price tag-Palin has rung up about $500,000 in legal fees defending herself as well as another $200,000 in state funds. Palin, speaking at a press conference from her lakefront home in Wasilla, Alaska, said that she wanted to "take a stand and effect change, not just hit our head against the wall and waste valuable state time and money." The opinions are split of whether it was a good or bad move, at least on the Republican side. The Democrats as you would expect think it ranks just above Watergate in terms of damage to the party. What do I think? Nothing yet. Palin will regroup, make a ton of money on the speaking tour, pay off legal fees, galvanize her base- which is huge and make a run ...

The sudden death of Pop megastar Michael Jackson for me really didn't sink in until the morning after. Its very difficult accepting the death of someone that you've grown up with and who was so rooted in American culture. Michael Jackson as well as the Jackson family are like the Kennedy's American Royalty. Michael Jackson was on this earth for a very short time and he certainly made the most of it. From his early run with the Jackson Five to his history shattering solo career the entertainment world will always have his footprint. Because of Michael, simply standing on stage and cranking out tunes won't due-you have to "bring it"! Selling a mere million albums won't get it anymore, you got to move millions ! His masterpiece Thriller forever broke the mode by selling over 100 million copies to date! I'm sure his death will make that figure even more unreachable. Hundreds of sold out concerts in scores of countries, billions of dollars in merchandise...

(Sorry,I had to go to the Sanford & Son reference)Please tell me this is a bad dream. Please tell me that one of the brightest lights in the conservative movement didn't lie to his staff, wife and family that he was going "hiking" when in fact he was in Argentina on a rendezvous with another woman. This can not be happening! On the heels of Senator John Ensign's revelations that he too had an affair with a staffer, Governor Mark Sanford of S.C. admitted his transgressions today in a rambling press conference. Sanford touched off a minor controversy when he disappeared for several days under the guises that he "needed a break" and was going hiking in the Appalachian trail. No one knew Sanford's whereabouts, including his wife or staff. Sanford has admitted it was all a lie. He had flown to Argentina to visit his Latina mistress. Maybe he was just trying to see if Latina women are as "wise" as Supreme Court Nominee Sonya Sotomayor said they a...

Once again our nation, more specifically the great State of California was embarrassed. Only this time it didn't involve OJ Simpson. After the Lakers clinched their 15th NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic, some of the Neanderthals disguised as fans went on a thuggish rampage in the streets outside the staples Center. Police cars and cabs were damaged , windows were smashed, stores were looted and there were 25 arrest-and this happened after a victory! I have never understood this type of "jubilation". Growing up I was a huge boxing fan and never after a Sugar Ray Leonard KO did I get the urge to go out and smash windows at the local McDonald's or throw bricks at passing trains. Not all of this of idiocy can be blamed on the-a a-a-a-a-alcohol because I'm almost certain I'm sure some of those losers have been career vandals. Everyone knows the guy who is just looking for an excuse to tear some stuff up. Whether his teams win or lose he's ready t...

A couple of months ago, a national controversy erupted when it was suggested by Democratic operative James Carville that the leader of the Republican party was Rush Limbaugh. The message was foolishly countered by RNC Chairman Michael Steele who dismissed Rush as "an entertainer". The debate continues within the party as to who the leader of the party is. The party is indeed out of sync with the trouncing it received in the last two elections. The hard core conservative crowd is at odds with the "bigger tent" wing who feel as though the party needs to be more "inclusive"-which to me means compromising. I have an idea on who the spokes person should be: Republicans. The party can and should come to a consensus and promote a unified message-when the party nominates its candidate for 2012, he or she will become the face of the party and sell that message to the American people. I would like to see "old School" conservatives like former speaker of t...