The re-election of President Obama
In spite of the Romney connection to a voting machine company, in spite of the GOP billion dollar budget for voter suppression and negative attack ads and in spite of Barack sleepwalking the 1st debate, he won.
The death of Whitney Houston
The death of this beautiful songbird was a boon to the heavenly choir. I imagined Amy Winehouse first at the pearly gates to greet Whitney with a hug and a heartfelt, "Girl what you holding?"
The excellence of Gabrielle Douglas
In the face of bullying by fellow gymnasts and racist remarks about her appearance, Gabby brought home the gold and is in my mind the most admired of the Fabulous Five. Nah, nah, nah!
Underage sex with Sandusky & Elmo
Jerry Sandusky admitted to horseplay in the locker room showers of Penn State U, with boys under his charge. His 30 year prison sentence will give him plenty of time to consider his shower shenanigans.
Kevin Clash, the voice and spirit of the lovable Muppet Elmo, had to resign his esteemed position with Sesame Workshop. After paying an accuser $125K to recant, a string of young men came forward with tales of underage dating site chats, fondling and sex with Clash. Kevin was certainly in dangerous territory courting boys almost three decades his junior; but why are 15 year old high school boys on a dating chat line? With his head hung low and his brand tarnished, Elmo knows...
Military suicides at all time high record
In the interest of brevity insert your own anti-war, multiple deployment, stigma of psychological counseling rant here ______. I am shocked and dismayed at the Pentagon report that during the first 154 days of this year, 154 military service members committed suicide. That number is higher than the combatant deaths in Afghanistan during the same period! Instead of dealing with the root cause of this horrifying spike (see your rant above) the military decided to band-aid the problem with, wait for it...anti-depressant nasal spray!
Which some how brings me back to our culture of killing and denial. I hope before the end of 2012 that no event rivals the Newton, CT school massacre. Our calculated murder of our each other is now so routine that if not high profile, very few even mange to attract national notice.
The killing of 68 year old former marine Kenneth Chamberlain
The accidental trigger of his "medical life alert system" lead police to taser torture Mr.Chamberlain during his attempt to assure them he was alright in his own home. The man begged to be left alone. They snapped the locks off his door. He proclaimed his US Marine Corps motto "Semper Fi" and begged for his life. The reply was a racial epithet and bullets through the heart. This behavior from officers responding to a potential medical crises, makes no sense.
The killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin
Skittles and Arizona Ice Tea got way too much publicity from the murder of this young man. The police dispatcher's order to Zimmerman to remain in his car went unheeded. He willfully disobeyed and left a lifeless boy on the ground. What a year!
I know 2012 held so much more. Remind me in the comments section below.
Then tune in this Saturday at 2:00 pm EST to Sistah Talk
Live on Time Warner cable in NYC. Simultaneously streamed online in real time
1pm CT, 12pm MT, 11am PT & 7pm in the UK
What a recap! Of course, we also had a hurricane, a Nor'Easter, a tortured young man who felt compelled to do away with his entire existence starting with his mom, her colleagues, the children she paid attention to, and finally himself. Some states have had the sense to legalize smoking pot the way some drink a martini -- to chill out after the stresses of a day. I wonder if a nice fat joint would've prevented or at least delayed the tragedy in Newtown, CT.