HATED IT: Tatted Up… Thumbs Down!

Let me preface this post by stating, for the record, that I like tattoos. I can appreciate the art and beauty in body ink and feel that those who elect to mark their bodies are completely in their right to do so. To be completely honest, I, myself, would like a tattoo - more as a symbol of my life and learned experiences as opposed to a fad or “cool” thing to don. Recent tattoo news has me confused, a bit angry and completely HATIN’

Let’s examine the evidence, shall we?

Rihanna the “Thug” – I see you shaking you head already. Can someone please explain to me why, oh why, did pop star/singer Rihanna get a tattoo of Tupac’s infamous “Thug Life” tattooed on her knuckles.

It must really be a rough, hard knock life for millionaire pop singers.

Does Ri-Ri know that “THUG LIFE” is an acronym? Does she know that it stands for “The Hate You Gave Little Infants Fucks Everybody,” which, in the words of Tupac, himself, means “what you feed us as seeds, grows, and blows up in your face, that’s Thug Life.”

But, maybe I’m being too hard on her. Maybe, just MAYBE, she really does know that “T.H.U.G L.I.F.E” represents a code for the streets, designed to give order to the rise of gang violence and drug dealing. Word Yo! She can relate.

GTFOH!

Georgia Mom Arrested for Allowing 10-Year-Old to Get Tattoo – This is a crying shame and another case in point, as to why parenting skills need a complete overhaul.

Chuntera Napier was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old son, Gaquan Napier, to get a “memorial tattoo” for his 12-year-old brother Malik who died after being hit by a car. Ms. Napier said she had no idea it was illegal for him to get one, even with her consent.

In news reports Ms. Napier is quoted saying “She was touched by the request” and, my personal favorite, “What do I say to a child who wants to remember his brother? It’s not like he was asking me, ‘Can I get Sponge Bob?” Napier said. “He asked me [for] something that’s in remembrance of his brother. How can I say no?”

Umm, very easy, Ms. Napier... NO or Not until you’re 18 years old.

Now, I don’t believe she should have been arrested, but I honestly don’t understand why, as opposed to letting her son get the tattoo, she didn’t suggest that her son opt to memorialize the deceased by starting a foundation in his name, creating a vigil or new street safety measures at the site where the boy was killed. ANYTHING ELSE. Why was the tattoo even a consideration?

Sigh!

Officially HATIN!

HATED IT: A Week in Review

New to I’m HATIN’ is “HATED IT:A Week in Review” - a new segment where I will give you, good haters, topics/people/news/issues of the past week, that have just cause for HATIN’. Again this is an open forum and your submissions and feedback are encouraged.

Let’s begin…

Jay-Z, Beyonce and Baby Blue – You already know why. Moniker aside, the hype surrounding the birth of this kid is RIDICULOUS and Jay and Bey seem to be LOVING it. How was the baby born Saturday and papa Jay already has a devotional song, featuring baby Blue (already got her singing hooks and writing credits) on the Billboard charts? WTF? Also, the fact that the supercouple dropped $1.3 million dollars to buy the floor of the hospital, to have the baby, is insane. If they wanted privacy, why not have it at home and take the $1.3 mil and buy themselves an entire hospital staff? No, instead they piss off new mothers and fathers who, ultimately, want the same thing they want – to see their child brought into the world, happy and healthy.

Republican Primaries – Referencing the post “I’m HATIN’: Because A Rant, By Any Other Name, Still Sounds SWEET” is this REALLY the best we can do America? REALLY? Also, voter turnout at these things is so low, saying that any one candidate is a “frontrunner” is nonsense, hogwash and hooey.

Casey Anthony – PLEASE SHUT UP! This woman narrowly escaped murder charges as it relates to the death of her one-year-old daughter, Caylee, and now she just won’t go away. First, she start’s putting out YouTube videos, then she fires her lawyer (the one who got her off, mind you) for not securing her a high-priced, high-profile interview with media and now she claims that little baby Caylee was the result of date rape. SIGH! Casey Anthony, you escaped life in prison; do us all a favor… DISAPPEAR

I’m HATIN’: Because is “Minimizing” the military REALLY the best option

I’m not sure if it’s just my paranoia, but when news regarding the 2012 Pentagon and Military budget was released, and I hear our Commander in Chief say that it is necessary to “Minimize the Military” and its spending, I began to pack my bags. Next stop… anywhere but HERE. Needless to say, I don’t believe this new tactic will bode too well for the American people, and for that folks, I’m HATIN.

Let me explain.

I believe that cuts should be made in our military spending, but the issue lies in where our limited, almighty dollar, will garner the best return on investment.

Obama’s proposed cuts to the military, as a New York Times editorial explains, “Is based on the idea that the country must be smarter and more restrained in its use of force… It will mean a significant reduction in the size of the Army and Marine Corps. But it doesn’t minimize the fact that the world is a very dangerous place and says the country must still be ready to fight a major land war — although one lasting for years would require another buildup.”

The new tactic shows perceived confidence in dealing with national threats by air power, intelligence, special operations or innovative technologies, like drones.

The Times explains that Mr. Obama wants to “spend less on nuclear weapons and focus more resources on naval and air power in the Strait of Hormuz, to contain an increasingly assertive Iran, and in Asia, to moderate and counterbalance China’s ambitions.”

And, the Pentagon plans to shrink the Army even below current targets, dropping to 490,000 soldiers over the next decade.

Now I’m confused… I thought he wanted to cut spending to the Marines? Are the powers that be aware that the Marines are a large part of the USA's naval-based defense? And what about the idea of cutting the number of "land" soldiers, only to build it back up if a war breaks out and lasts longer than expected? Wouldn't that take time (that we don't have... Hello, we're engaged in war) to build up a new force of soldiers, ready to fight?

#DidntThinkThisThrough

This is where I begin to raise an eyebrow… It doesn’t make much sense to me to shrink/cut soldiers, who, mind you, just returned from fighting two land-based wars, and are trained to kill. Talk about a reason to go "postal." Do we REALLY think that taking away their jobs and cutting their benefits is a proper "Thank You" for their service, or that they would actually stand for it? I think NOT. Why are we eliminating their jobs as opposed to reassigning them to DEFENSE.

I feel that we have a backwards way of thinking here and believe our country to be a bit delusional when it comes to how the world perceives U.S. To put it bluntly – Everyone HATES us. So, as we end our respective wars, and perfect our naval and air strike tactics, it is IMPERATIVE that we reallocate some of those budget dollars on protecting our borders.

Someone please explain to me the usefulness of an unemployed soldier, especially when cuts could be made in many other areas of the military, without the dangerous backlash the current plans could evoke. Here are just a few areas the US could scale back on:

• Hiring/Pay Freeze for Government Officials, Congress and the Pentagon – It’s not fair that the civil service folk and soldiers are the first to experience cuts when we acknowledge a deficit.
• Wasteful Spending on Unsubstantiated/Unnecessary Weapons – If we’re focusing on Air and Water attacks, put a halt to, at least for the time being, on the development of weapons that cannot be used in those two ways.
• Payments to NATO - Obama sought in his address to minimize the military costs to the United States by saying NATO will now take the lead. But the fact is that the United States pays the largest share of NATO’s budget — a key omission by the president.

Live Free, Die HATIN’