Dexter's Vantage Point!

Rusty DePass, a prominent South Carolina Republican activist recently suggested first lady Michelle Obama descended from gorillas. DePass commented on a story about a gorilla escaping from a local zoo by stating, "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless." He apologized by saying, “I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest." Obviously the comments were not called for and the apology was half-hearted. What’s the deal with South Carolina? You remember when golf analyst Kelley Tilghman stated that Tiger Woods should be taken in a back alley and lynched last year to curtail his dominance? I guess birds of a feather think and flock together. More recently the New York Post runs a caricature of President Obama by depicting him as a gorilla being shot by two white police officers. Remember? True to form Woods steered clear on controversy and so has the president and his wife. Taking a situation like thi...

There’s a segment of white America fearing a power shift in this country. The rise of President Obama has prompted fear from a segment of this country that their on the cusp of losing their power: there’s a fear of a black planet. According to the Census Bureau so-called minorities will shortly outnumber the current white majority. Fearing this power shift some whites are suggesting reverse discrimination is fast becoming a problem. Some whites believe African Americans are exercising their power and authority against them unfairly. Are you kidding me? When one looks at the historical development of this country the initial seeds of racism were planted in America with institutionalized slavery. One of the components of racism is discrimination. Is reverse discrimination a problem in the United States? Or better yet, should this even be an issue? The short answer is no. It can subjectively be asserted there's a problem with reverse discrimination but once the facts are analyz...

In the art world it’s suggested that nothing is as good as the original. If the latter is true who do you think would take home the dough if Woods or Nicklaus squared off in their primes? When Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods competed in the skins game over a week ago I'm sure many wish they could turn back the clock. I’m surely one of them. Instead of Nicklaus being a 69 year old legend hosting his own PGA tour event some wish he was 29 walking alongside Woods up the 18th green tied with the trophy at stake. I’ve had an opportunity to watch Tiger live as a fan in California and I’ve been credentialed to cover him as a writer in Ohio. I grew up watching Nicklaus on television as a youngster. I must say Woods recently put on a show for the ages at Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament. He was down by four strokes Sunday morning and he was hoisting the trophy in triumph later that evening. It’s fitting that he won on the course that Jack built because unfortunately he serves as Tiger’s chief ri...

Michael Vick is almost done paying his debt to society as he serves the rest of his sentence on house arrest in his Virginia home. Now the question is will Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstate Vick. Commissioner Goodell has been emphatic about wanting Vick to demonstrate great remorse for his off-field activities. How is this remorse to be measured? Does it consist of breaking down in Goodell’s office and beg for another chance to play? Does it mean calling a press conference and having aired on ESPN like Roger Clemens? Know one knows how it’s going to go down but without question someone is going to take a chance on Vick when he’s reinstated and not if. To me there’s no legitimate reason why Vick shouldn’t be allowed to work once he pays his debt. Some have questioned when Vick comes back should he play quarterback. The so-called experts in the sports world are trying to create an atmosphere to further Vicks’ punishment by suggesting he should be switched to another position. Recently...

George W. Bush is relaxing in his new spread in Texas knowing he pulled a fast one on the American people. Bush managed to ride off into the sunset after destroying this country. I guess if you knew the Bush family legacy and how they operated you’d likely conclude the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree. In 1966 George W. Bush’s grandfather Prescott Bush, stated the following, “There's three things to remember: claim everything, explain nothing, and deny everything.” Did you know Prescott Bush was indicted under the Trading with the Enemy Act for funding Adolph Hitler and the Nazis in 1942? Bush, along with business partner W. Averill Harriman funneled money to Hilter from 1926-1942 while his son, George H.W. Bush,fought against the Germans in World War II while in the Navy. As a result the government seized all of Bush’s and Harriman’s business assets. Obviously Prescott Bush wholeheartedly embraced his 1966 quote because it enabled him to serve in the Senate from 1952 to 196...

Get wind of this. Did you know part of the stimulus package President Barack Obama signed in February called for nearly 200 million dollars to be distributed to Philippine veterans who fought with alongside US soldiers in World War II? If President Obama can provide Filipino soldiers back pay he can produce dollars for African Americans whose forefathers endured bitter cruelties during slavery? I don’t know about you but this rubs me the wrong way. Is President Obama duping the African American community? In my world actions speak louder than words: rhetoric is only relevant unless constructive action results from them. The rhetoric with respect to the African American community has been empty. President Obama is living in a mansion that was built by slaves. Institutionalized slavery was a profit-making machine. Slavery thrived off the free labor African slaves were forced to render by oppressors. For over four centuries Africans were subject to the most heinous crimes every committed ...

On May 2nd the 135th Kentucky Derby concluded. This one of the biggest sports spectacles in the world. Race horse Mind That Bird won the race despite being a 50-1 underdog. As many African Americans were watching Kobe Bryant and LeBron James continue their journey towards a showdown in the finals I was thinking about the Kentucky Derby. I’m one who attempts to look beyond the obvious to secure deeper significance. Like usual I came up with following. Did you know 20 years after the Emancipation Proclamation African Americans dominated Americas’ first favorite pastime? Back in the day the Kentucky Derby was like the Super Bowl today. It was the marquee sporting event of the day. In 1875 the inaugural Kentucky Derby was won by 19-year old African American Oliver Lewis while sitting atop Aristides. Also, 13 of the 15 riders were African American. Matter of fact of the first 28 Kentucky Derby’s run 15 races was won by African American riders. The great Isaac Murphy was the first jockey to ...