Greetings from WAMK World Headquarters here in the lovely Denver Colorado area.
When I won the bet with Madeline's Dad on the UCLA vs. Memphis NCAA Tournament basketball game, I had no idea that he would actually fly me out here- first class- to do my guest post. But he did. My first thought after getting out of the limo and gazing upon this magnificent place was... we pay this guy way too much.
I'm assuming everyone has to pay membership dues here, and don't get me started on the comment fees that Madeline's Dad charges me. For you unlucky souls that have never been able to guest post from Where Are My Keys? (which would be all of you) here is a picture taken from the main gate.
The" fetching Mrs. P" that we have heard so much about, is indeed fetching, and a most gracious hostess, and Madeline is the sweetest child in the Tri-State area. I do have a problem with the maid that Madeline's Dad has assigned to me.. she doesn't put out... even though she is clearly an "undocumented worker". I thought they did the jobs that Americans won't do!
WAMK World Headquaters also has a time machine, so let's take a trip back in time. There is nudity involved, so please send any underage childen to another room:
It's April 4th, 1968 and a four year old typical white person is taking a bath. He is the "baby" of the family and some people would call him a spoiled brat. He hasn't a care in the world... until he hears his mother (whom he had never heard raise her voice) scream... "GO FIND YOUR SISTER!" to his older brother.
They lived in public housing. They were poor and only a few miles away from where Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assainated. The sister was out in the neighborhood, a neighborhood that a young and pretty white girl should not be during the riot that was developing.
I was the naked boy in the tub, so bring the minors back in, I only dropped the nudity bomb to make you keep reading.
My sister made it home. I don't remember how she made it back, but she did. She even went on to the great achoplishment of adopting me- after our dear sweet mother died many years later- and rasing me to be the fine neo-con, warmongering, Islamicfacist hating person that I am today. Not an easy thing to do considering that she is a Democrat.
My brother has recently been honored at the downtown bar he frequents, with an award for drinking a whole bunch of different kinds of beer. Really, he was, and I got to drink free that night. So you can see that the AmeriSiblings made it through that horrible night and went on to do great things.
I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats wondering what in heck the point of this post is. The point is that the University of Memphis Tigers have brought this devided city together. Something that does not happen often. The AmeriFamily moved on from that night, but Memphis never has.
If only for a brief shinning moment in time, our endless and mind-numbing disscussion of race has been sent to the shower-room. The only color that Memphis has seen for weeks has been Tiger Blue. Republicans and Democrats/Black and White? Never heard of 'em. We're all Tiger fans these days.
Let's take another trip back in time... back to the same public housing project ... the year is 1973. My brother and I watch Bill Walton get a free pass by the referees for multiple attempts at murder with no fauls called. The, then named, Memphis State Tigers lose to The University Of California at Los Angles Bruins that day in the National Championship game.
A devistating loss for a Tiger fan, just as the loss to Kansas Monday night was. But in the larger picture... for one day... everyone was looking at Memphis in a good way. We weren't making the national news for murder, poverty, poor race relations, or a combination of all three.
We were the talk of the land, because of something good that our college basketball team was doing. Not too bad for a shabby little ole river town. We'll take a day or two to reflect on the current U of M climb to almost the top, then go back to our endless, mind-numbing disscusions about race. But for a little while, it was a very sweet feeling, and I thank the Tigers for that.
Congratulations to the University of Kansas Jayhawks for winning the NCAA Championship... and the man of steel, Clark Kent... for winning the WAMK Bracketball contest.
Now if you'll excuse me, Madeline's Dad has just challanged me to a game of billards in the second floor game-room. Not the first floor game-room mind you, but the second floor. So I'll have to take the elevator. Some people get no respect when their team loses.
But there's alway next year.
AmeriDan