The First Amendment. Tiger. Perseverance. Billy Jack. One Night In Miami.

Assemble Peacefully. Affection or Affected? Let’s Put A Helicopter on Mars. A True Badass. Thought-Provoking.

More than one person asked me why I had no ‘take’ on the events that took place on January 6 in Washington, D.C. and the United States Capitol Building. My first response and what will always be my response is that I long ago divorced myself away from the world of politics. I neither discuss or write about anything political. Politics is energy-draining to me and often spurs negative vibrations – whether with friends or family or with co-workers.

After further review and a bit of contemplation, and to address ‘why I did not comment on the events of January 6’, here is my take on all situations that involve protests and protestors:

• The Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment clearly states “…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” I support the Constitution.
• There is a great divide in America and it is not just systemic bigotry, bias, and hate. There is a definite divide amongst people representing their political parties – bipartisanship that has been ignited by the presidential election.
• Refer again to the first bullet point. I believe that the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the 1st Amendment are the backbone and thread of the United States. I don’t care about political parties, the “red” and the “blue”. What I do care about is that we are the American people. The right of people to peaceably assemble and to air their grievances is a basic right of all Americans, regardless of race, creed, or religion.
• Without political reference, the breach the U.S. Capitol Building resulting in damage and taking property is in no way a peaceful assembly. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but how and why did the security apparatus fail to protect the U.S. Capitol building?
• There is now information from law enforcement agencies that groups are preparing to protest at most or all State capitols on Inauguration Day, January 20. Again, in following the First Amendment, the people have the right to peacefully assemble and air their grievances. Threats to fellow people, trespassing on Federal property, and causing any damage was never close to the realm of thinking from the Founding Fathers who wrote the Constitution.
• I disagree with any protest or assembly that does not follow the First Amendment. That is my take. What is yours?

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I like people who are competitive. At one point in time – that actually lasted many years, there was no greater competitor on earth than Tiger Woods. I won’t go into his specific golfing prowess, but there was no doubt that on the golf course he was a force to be reckoned with…and his fierce competitive nature provided him with a path to dominating the PGA tour.

I make no excuses for Tiger’s personal conduct in the massively publicized issues that evolved during his marriage to Elin Nordegren. Shameful, immature, and unbalanced are words that describe his actions and behavior. We were all puzzled by his fall from grace and public relations nightmare. If you can make the time, I suggest that you watch HBO’s Tiger, a two-part documentary offering a revealing look at his rise, fall, and epic comeback. I watched part one last week, and at a minimum this documentary may answer a few questions that all of us have regarding Tiger’s DNA. Part two is now available – for me a must watch.

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Mark your calendars for the afternoon of February 18, 2021. I could go into my diatribe about NASA’s Perseverance Mars mission, but other than parachuting a landing module from the launched rocket – that contains the Mars Rover and a helicopter onto the surface of Mars, I have no ability to comprehend how these scientists and engineers are making this happen. What I do understand from this video is very cool:

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A retro look at one of my favorite fight scenes from the past. I described a very upset individual as “going Billy Jack” to a friend of mine. She had no idea of what I was talking about. There have been many badass lead actors including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Denzel Washington and Daniel Craig, but there was only one Billy Jack:

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I was raised in Miami, Florida. As sports fans along with my father being an AAU boxer, my family followed the career of Muhammad Ali. Early on and for many reasons, I was aware of racism, racial divide, and activists including the infamous Malcolm X. My Miami roots and Ali obviously spiked my interest in the movie One Night in Miami, no different than any other movie that takes in the dynamics of my hometown and sports. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise but did not follow what I assumed would be the storyline of four black men, in 1964, getting together to ‘celebrate’ Cassius Clay (a.k.a. Muhammad Ali) beating Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship.

I will not comment on the storyline as I suggest you take two hours to watch what I feel is a very good film, full of memorable performances and thought-provoking speeches and arguments. The storyline, direction, cinematography, and acting was outstanding, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, playing Malcolm X, will surely be nominated for an Oscar. A 1964 view of four unique celebrities who provide us with their individual viewpoints. Directed by Regina King, One Night in Miami is excellent.

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Adios, pay it forward, be safe and have a Funday Sunday!