Gregg Henson.com

Video evidence of thevery deep and sad problems of the City of Detroit

I cannot come up with a better visualization of the problems that face the City of Detroit.  Look at these complete and utter idiots talk about the issues that plague Detroit.  They always scream race, even when race isn't the issue.  It is maddening that Detroit hasn't solved its race issues since they started in the late 60's.  These people on the right side of this panel are ignorant, uneducated and to powerful.  Oh and they are extreme racists too.  You just don't find this kind of racial hatred in other cities, it is uniquely a Detroit issue.

Queeen Carlita speaks from Dallas!

This article just might make you sick.  It is an interview with Queen Carlita Kilpatrick in the Dallas Morning News.

In the interview, Queen Carlita talks about about her posh, new life is Southlake, Texas.  she is obviously taking serious jabs at Detroit with her "everything is absolutely wonderful here" quote or the line about "there is so much energy here."  All that talk would be fine if her husband and his thugs in Detroit wouldn't have raped and stripped Detroit before they left it in shambles.  If he had done his job, Detroit might"have energy" and would be "absolutely wonderful."  Instead the asshole raped and pillaged his hometown, dragged it through the dirt on national TV and then was allowed to start anew thanks to Peter Karmanos's stupid, arrogant, ignorant ass. 

If the residents of the City of Detroit were smart and they most definitely ARE NOT SMART, they would toss Momma Cheeks-Kilpatrick out on her ass too, I think she needs to live in a place that is "absolutely wonderful" and "has so much energy" too.  Leave bitch, go be near your grandbabies.  The fact that she flipped the bird to Detroiters by flying "Hip-Hop" to Dallas on a private plane is the worst kind of arrogance.

The next two targets on the Detroit hit list should be Karmanos and Momma Cheeks, their recent actions are such a big F-U to the City of Detroit that they shouldn't even be allowed to show their faces in that city. But in typical Detroit fashion they won't be seen and the crooks that they are and they will be treated as Kings and Queens of the City.

The whole situation and the City's lack of outrage is just another reason why Detroit is in the dumps, no backbone, no vision and not one ounce of willingness to stand up to the very people who are stealing them blind.  Long live the Queen! 

Karmanos interview just pisses me off more.

The more I hear about Kwame Kilpatrick's new gig at Compuware, the more pissed off I get. I listened to his interview with Paul W. Smith on Friday.  You can listen here.  From my perspective Karmanos came off like a jerk.  He got pretty defensive, even though Paul W. wasn't actually asking any tough questions.  It was a softball interview and Karmanos still sounded like he had something to hide.  He should be ashamed of himself for hiring a convicted felon just days after he was released from prison. 

Karmanos should be worried, this isn't going away.  I don't know about you, but I get really annoyed that Karmanos keeps saying "he's done his time." That is such a diversion because he hasn't done his time, he still owes the City of Detroit millions, that we know of!  I don't know if Karmanos really cares what Detroit thinks, but he should.  Kilpatrick has done so much to hurt the CIty through sheer arrogance and "charisma" that every Detroiter should be offended and pissed that Karmonos thought it was a good idea to hire a felon and then turn around and lay off NON-felons.  This is a link to Compuware's contact pages, I suggest you drop him a note to let him know what a joke this decision has made his company in its hometown.  If enough of us complain, maybe he will rethink his decision, which was clearly made well in advance of Kwame's alleged "interview."

Click here to reach the Compuware contact page.

Peter Karmanos is a disgrace!

It is being widely reported that Compuware's CEO Peter Karmanos has helped Kwame Kilpatrick obtain employment with Covisint, an affiliate of Detroit-based Compuware Corp. 

Karmanos's continued support of Kilpatrick is nothing short of a punch in the face to all Detroiters.

How can a man like Peter Karmonos, who has so meticulously built goodwill in Detroit, thumb his nose so readily at the city residence who made him a millionaire?  Kilpatrick is a convicted felon who owes and has cost the City of Detroit millions of dollars.  Who knows, when the Tamara Greene investigation is done he might be a murderer!

I've always admired Karmanos for his commitment to the city, but this move blows all the goodwill he ever earned in Southeast Michigan.  It is the height of arrogance for this man to take the ridiculous and obscene tax breaks provided by the Kilpatrick administration and then to so publicly pay him back with a cherry job with one of his corporate affiliates.

This is why our country is broken.  Here we have a disgraced politician who has robbed his people blind, who went to jail for his crimes being bailed out by a donor!  Clearly there was an agreement that Kilpatrick would benefit from his political and business dealings with Karmanos.  How much were the tax breaks that Compuware received to move downtown?  Was there always a "job" waiting for Kilpatrick at Compuware when his political career flamed out?

How does Kwane's experience qualify him to work for a company like Covisint that develops systems for large computer networks to communicate with one another?

This whole process is corrupt and Peter Karmanos should be ashamed of himself for what he has done to the citizens of Detroit.

Kwame is coming to Texas?

Thank you for the the good wishes as Kwame sets his sights on my current state of Texas.  I don't blame Kwame for planning to leave Detroit but I guess I don't understand why.  Why leave a state where you have the support of a large portion of ignorant people in your hometown?  Nobody is Dallas is going to buy his crap because he isn't from there and doesn't have as many business contact as he did in Detroit.

There are people in Detroit like Peter Karmanos that still believe that Kwame Kilpatrick is worth saving, don't ask me why, although I'm sure it has something to do with Compuware getting superb treatment and cherry deals from the City of Detroit for years.  Jesus, his followers still don't think he should be in office.

My biggest question is, who is hiring this convicted felon when there are so many non-felons looking for work?

I welcome Kwame to Texas, I believe everybody deserves a second chance and this is his to take advantage of, it isn't easy to leave your hometown but sometimes you have to make the best of it and move on, but I promise you he will NEVER be King Kwame in Texas.

My two cents on Mitch's Alboms "Detroit" column

In the last week I've received multiple requests for me to comment on Mitch Albom's "Detroiters carry on amid hardship" column in Sports Illustrated.  I didn't get around to reading it until this weekend and I have some definite thoughts.

You can say what you want about Mitch, he's arrogant, he's aloof, he's an outsider, yada, yada, yada, but you can't deny that the guy has become a Detroiter.  Face it, he could have left years ago for greener pastures, he could have pack up and moved to Chicago, New York and L.A.  Frankly, I thought he would have been gone many years ago and always wondered why he didn't leave.  There are more glamorous places to be a multimedia star, but the guy ALWAYS stayed.

Mitch Albom's Redemption

I think a bit of Mitch's turnaround can be traced to the disastrous "MSU" article that was at least partially fabricated.  I think Mitch had a lot of time to reflect and certainly seems to have emerged as a more sympathetic figure in recent years.  Maybe all it took was for all of us and HIM to see that he wasn't infallible?

Much of the Mitch Albom hatred is based on petty industry jealousy, broadcasters and journalists are some of the most petty, angry people you will ever meet.  On many occasions I have been guilty as well.  I'm not jealous of Mitch, we aren't in the same business, he's a journalist, I am a radio entertainer (or at least I was).  I just couldn't get past Mitch's perceived arrogance, he seemed to ALWAYS come out on the short end of any encounter with a fan.  Face it, Detroiters trafficked in Mitch Albom "snub" stories.

Mitch hits with his SI article

The SI article isn't the first one Mitch has written in defense of Detroit.  He also wrote one that took the southern Senators to task for their opportunistic attack on Detroit.  I blogged about it here.  Believe it or not, Mitch is Detroit's most hi-profile journalist and his article are well thought out and written, they do have an impact nationally as they are the only way people outside of Michigan get Detroit's side of the story.  Don't underestimate the impact of his opinion to the rest of the U.S.  Most don't have the background and history with Mitch that we do as fellow Detroiters.  I think his articles have been powerful and instrumental with those that Detroit are asking for help.

Mitch has become a Detroiter

The bottom line, Mitch has become a Detroiter, he cares about the city and its residents.  He can be sappy and trite, he can appear arrogant, he is often dismissive but he NEVER left and NEVER will.  After a lot of water under the bridge Mitch has solidified himself as a "Detroiter."  Southeast Michigan should be thankful that they have such a voice.

Wishing Detroit a better year...

On Thanksgiving eve, we are thinking about everybody in the Motor-D.  Its been a tough few years in Detroit but Nicole and I are Detroiters and are always thinking about the city and the people who we were raised with.  The economic environment are tough in our beloved hometown and we wish you NOTHING but the best in 2009.

Hang in there, the tough times always turn around.  If you are forced to leave as we were just do what you need to do and plan a return when Detroit is back on its feet.  It's never easy to leave what you know and love but many of you must.

Happy Thanksgiving Detroit!

Why is the bailout stalling for GM, Ford and Chrysler?

Are you starting to get the feeling that the Republicans are blocking the automotive bailout as a payback to Michigan voters for not supporting a Republican Presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan?  This may be payback for years or not supporting Republicans.

I don't know if this is the case, but it sure doesn't seem like a good idea to allow our automotive sector to go belly up, even if it is just "bankruptcy reorganization."  I'll admit I think the auto manufacturers are guilty of completely ignoring the public sentiment regarding fuel efficient vehicles, but why bailouts for Fannie, Freddie, AIG and the Airline industry but not Detroit?

Many are calling this a "Union bailout" as it is the only way to protect the current union contracts, but the UAW needs to stop with the hardball negotiations and understand that their time has passed, they can no longer make twice as much as their non-union counterparts.  The money just isn't there anymore.  Face it, one of the main reasons capitalism works is because competition keeps prices in line and the American union workers must adjust.  The market has spoken and the American Car makers must change the way they do business.

The Republicans appear to favor bankruptcy for the Big 3, I don't see how that is good for anybody.  I don't know that they should get a "bailout" but I'm not against low interests loans to stabilize the car companies while they re-tool.

Kwame-less Detroit!

I awoke this morning in a Kwame-less Detroit and it certainly feels great.

While I do feel bad for Kilpatrick because he couldn't control himself, I am glad that he got taken down a few notches. It is plain and simple, Kilpatrick was drunk with power and I certainly believe he thought he could get away with murder as long as he was the mayor of Detroit. After all, it is "yall's boy."

Sadly, I don't think we've seen the end of King Kwame.  If the crack smoking Marion Berry can run and win re-election, surly a twice convicted felon, jailbird can rally his base for another run at the Mayor's gig five years from now.

I don't think Detroit will be any better or worse now that Kilpatrick is gone, his presence didn't help or hurt Detroit. Detroit has been in decline for 50 years and it likely won't end anytime soon, no matter who is Mayor.

So enjoy the end of the hated Kilpatrick regeim but understand, he will be back and the voters in Detroit will embrace him, maybe even tighter than they do now.

Pistons eliminate Magic

It was just a couple of days ago that a Detroit media member predicted the Pistons would get run out of the playoffs in five without Chauncy Billups in the lineup.  The person even when as far as to us the prediction as a "promo" for his radio show.  I think the quote was "without Chauncey the Magic win the next three."  My memory is fuzzy, but I think you get mt drift.

The point I am trying to get at is, RADIO TALK SHOW HOSTS AREN'T experts.  It is cool to be opinionated and even cocky at times, but just because you are on the radio, it doesn't make you an expert.  At WDFN we NEVER tried to pass our hosts off as "sports experts" because all we were was a bunch of fans with a microphone and a transmitter.  Stoney and Wojo are great examples of this, they NEVER have tried to be the over the top analysts that can get so annoying.  WDFN does a great job of talking about things that are interesting to a 25-54 years old man, they don't try to over analyze things that can't and won't ever be solved because the very basis of sports radio is OPINION and passion.

The guys who take sports so seriously that they consider themselves experts are usually the biggest blow-hards on the radio and have likely NEVER even attempted athletic competition, hell, some aren't even interested in the teams they purport to be "covering."

So, next time a radio hosts adamantly predicts the outcome of a game or a series based on his 4 years of expert knowledge, take it with a grain of salt and remember who you are listening to, many times he or she won't have even watched a single game of the team he is analyzing.

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