They also knew my grandmother and great grandmother, the librarians at our neighborhood library would talk about my mother and grandmother being heavy readers and regularly volunteering. You may have had a similar neighborhood or at least had old neighbors who looked out for the local kids when they were outside playing or there were strangers around.

However, they could also be nosy as hell and could tell you other people’s business. One thing was for certain: they were one of those constants. You probably passed their house every day to and from school, work, or the corner store.

Then You Grow Up

Now you’re a whole adult, a few decades into this life thing. You encounter new faces, spend time in new neighborhoods—hell, you’re traveling, even. Changes occur. Those old heads pass away and the issue of their house—none of our business, by the way—can go either way. Some houses that were inhabited your whole childhood might end up abandoned and fall in disarray. Maybe their kids come to take over the house.

What I’ve noticed over the 30 years I’ve lived in this neighborhood is that the houses often end up abandoned or new faces move in. Those families who were a fixture of your street don’t have a presence there anymore.

It’s not unusual for the younger generations to move away from home and build their own home. That presents its own problems down the line if an heir seeks to take over the house—unless they’re able to juggle multiple houses.

Never mind that older Black folks will hold a house the family owns even if the neighborhood becomes blighted. I’ve always felt that nowadays, it’s too dangerous for seniors to live alone in high crime, high drug trafficking areas. But I get why they don’t leave: too much was invested in the house over several decades: time, money, memories—there’s familiarity. If anything doesn’t work in a house, they know the workarounds until a repair can be made—if ever.

Black Men Hold On to Your Family Home

Now, I don’t mind seeing new faces on the block but I have a good long-term memory and I remember who used to stay in what houses on my street. I’d seen them every day for decades, went to school with some of their kids—now adults with kids, and chatted with them about the same thing in discussing here.

“You know so-so passed. What a sweet woman. Her kids ain’t sh**, they let the house go,” was a common sentiment from several neighbors over the years.

Kids don’t always come back. That’s especially true if they’re in a safer neighbor or have a place close to work or school. Hey, the house could be close to a hovel, even. It would actually be regressing for them. While discussing this with man of similar age who also grew up in this neighborhood, he came to the conclusion that Black men just don’t want to take care of an old house in the old neighborhood.

I felt it was specific and definitely off base. It was just a blanket “Black men can’t be bothered.” It’s more generational—in multiple ways. Older relatives squabbling over a house, a generation didn’t take care of the house and now it’s not worth having, the neighborhood probably went to sh**, or those younger folks in the family are settled elsewhere.

My brother and I handle the family house which has been in the family for 55 years. It’s seen four generations of my family from my great grandparents who purchased it to my niece and nephews. Too much has been invested in the house by three generations of adults making sure it’s the family house, Mama’s house.

Again, I understand that different generations might not want to stay in the place they grew up. My neighborhood’s changed a lot over 30 years and it’s a very mixed bag of change, folks.

So, Black men—and we shouldn’t be the only ones tasked with it, but another Black man’s take prompted this thought—if you’re one of those who lives in the family house: hold on to it. Keep it fixed up and instill the importance of Black people owning their own houses. If you own a house that wasn’t in the family originally: make that a new family house.

That doesn’t solely mean “Go have some kids, fam”. At most it’s a house you own that the family frequents. That creates an attachment, it’s a constant. At the minimum, you own a house and annual property tax beats monthly rent any time of the decade.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.

Which it is. People want money, people don’t really want to be told what to do, people tend to want to be the boss—never mind the stress and responsibility that comes with leadership. If you’d like to be rich like them: buy their book, attend their seminars and luncheons, and so on.

An interesting question presented to me by ThyBlackMan owner C.T. is “Why do you believe so many of us have fallen behind business-wise.” Now, I’m not involved in business but I’ve observed things and I’ve been consulted and helped in some friends’ business endeavors. There are a couple of things that contribute to falling behind but here are the three I’ve noticed the most.

Things Get Real Real Fast for Aspiring Black Business Owners

When hearing about others’ success some folks might picture themselves in a similar position. They might start making plans for a business and getting a list of what they will need and who they need to talk to. What’s missing is research. Reading up on what goes into running a business, what all you will need as far as permits, licenses, location in relation to the demographics you’re servicing, and having the talent in place.

This all becomes a problem when the idea for a business involves a lot of moving parts. As a result, many aspiring Black business owners find out very quickly that sh** ain’t sweet and end up blowing through resources before getting to launch. Perhaps they’re expecting sales out the gate and that they will cover operating costs with what they make as opposed to having some funds in the tuck to float the company for a while.

Our established business owners will say that’s amateur hour—a rookie mistake. They would be correct.

Lack of Desire to Learn About Business and Lack of Charismatic Names to Promote Business Literacy

That’s a mouthful but it goes hand-in-hand. Business, finances, economy, trading—all of those are areas of business that require time to explain because of the layers involved. These areas are all intertwined. People aren’t going to want to sit through lectures for the most part. Those willing to do so have a grasp of business but aren’t guaranteed to be successful—they can hope if they fail it isn’t disastrous.

Without that knowledge, someone diving into the entrepreneurial side of life will likely sink without fail. To get the most Black business owners out there, education is important and should be shared to improve success rates. The knowledge is out there but sometimes you simply have to ride with the one willing to teach.

And just like high school and college, sometimes the best teachers or the ones willing to teach aren’t the most charismatic. Without immediate incentive or some sort of penalty, those teaching need to be engaging or able to teach with some razzle dazzle.

Just look at getting grant money. We’ve been told for years that the money is there and there are ways to get it but ehh…most messengers have been like listening to wall of text. That is until Matthew Lesko and his question mark suits came along and he was able to dazzle folks into buying his books so they could find out how to get the money.

If you build it, they will come—but put a flashy sign out front to pique their interest. Sometimes educators have to be part performer to be effective.

“Too Many Bosses”

To quote DJ Paul’s verse in Three 6 Mafia’s “Dangerous Posse”.

“Cause it be too many loses, too many bosses

Too many n@@@@@ that’s wanting they own office”

Everyone wants to be the boss and not everyone is suited for it. Not only do they want to be the boss, they want to be hands on. Some don’t even realize they can be the owner—the big boss—and not have to run things. Sometimes the boss allows for their company to grow and be successful without being involved directly. They have a good mind for the Three Ts of time, talent, and treasure.

They used their time to build up the treasure to afford the talent. Those talents operate the company, the boss collects their share. Of course, that’s where people want to get and going back to the importance of education—some potential owners don’t know how to get there.

Tying into that is not wanting to cooperate with others on an enterprise because they want to be the Big Boss over it all. This is something I notice with multiple independent record labels in a city or multiple Black comic book imprints. Banding together, organizing and seeing who will oversee what could create so many Black powerhouse businesses.

However, there’s still that need to have your name first, your name on top, an apostrophe “s” after your name—and that can hinder things. There’s no telling how many Black business owners didn’t reach their potential or were derailed because they didn’t want to collab.

What are some things you believe stop Black people from progressing further in business? Let us know below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Creative Black Men: Never Stop Creating

It’s a fairly common sight for Black folks—particularly Black men: when you’re younger and have time to explore, develop, create, and refine your craft. However, as you age and you get more social, personal, financial, and professional responsibility, unless your creativity brought you to the dance—it’s taking a back seat.

I say “taking a back seat” but if we’re being real: many end up having no time to pursue their creative interests as an in-the-work-trenches adult. Expenses don’t rest and you can’t get tired. That’s the loop. Only we get tired and time that could be used for creating or honing goes to getting rest and whatever recreational activity we can squeeze in on our off days.

That’s also time to enjoy the company of those around you. Depending on the medium or project, creating something can be a solo activity. In 2021, I was usually in the room with my younger brother while we wrote pieces for AfroGamers and ThyBlackMan—however, I’ve done my writing alone for all but that year since 2010. Any creative project, I’m simply not a fan of having an audience while I’m working on it.

For some creative brothers, they can do with an audience and some arts or mediums such as stage/set performance, studio work, online broadcasting, and so on simply come with an audience. I mean, you’re expected to entertain right there if scheduled to do so.

This is something to note: if your work involves creativity—you’re fine. You’re probably not stopping for a while unless there’s an experience that prevents you from doing what you do. For those don’t get to indulge their art craft often or at all, I remind you of what that camp counselor told me decades ago:

“Use It Before You Lose It”

Now, at different ages that phrase hits differently. As an 11-year-old all I knew was that I wanted to draw comic books. That’s it. I had no idea of the education or how to break into comics at all. I’d draw characters and send them into Marvel and DC hoping to be included in the fan art section and whatnot. I was going to keep drawing because it was fun and my imagination was—and still is—wild.

Then you get to the age where you got to consider what to do: work? School? Both? Military service? Travel a bit then tackle it? In my case, it was comics or wrestling and I couldn’t afford wrestling school—so graphic design school it was.

By that time “Use it before you lose it” made a ton of sense because I realized I continue to draw because there’s people who enjoy it. They want to see more or what stories I come up with—plus it was free to read. Once work stepped in, I slacked up on drawing and focused more on teaching while writing in my free time.

This isn’t just about keeping up a talent you used to have. It’s knowing you have so much creative energy, so many stories to tell that you could take a break from your familiar trappings and explore another art form. Personally, I believe all creative people are capable of dabbling in different arts it just takes time to look into it and time to see where you want to go with it.

Then there’s the time spent creating. Sure, it might take away from music production or painting but you’ve added standup comedy and podcasting! Plus, you might find another art is more suitable for the time you and resources you can invest at that time.

Being flexible in how you express your creativity can help continue creating.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Black Men: Knowledge and Wisdom Are Inheritances That Go Far

No! A mind is a terrible thing to waste but we tend to apply that saying to not making an effort to learn and retain information or knowledge. What about sharing it and passing it on? Well, you can still end up wasting your mind by passing on your valuable knowledge—wisdom by this point–and skills you acquired to someone without the ability to learn and improve. It’s also a waste if they take what you taught them and do nefarious things with that knowledge.

Unless that was the intent then carry on, I suppose.

The thing is, taking that knowledge to the grave is quite a waste when something you’ve learned or experienced could be of value to someone. While it’s not unlikely, it’s rare that someone leaves this existence without picking up any useful skill, impressive talent, or some life lesson that could be applied to someone else.

Not only that, one person could have enough knowledge for multiple people. Holding on to it isn’t exactly the best use of it in your final years but as folks down here say when they don’t care what to question:

I’m Sure You Got Your Reasons

First off, I hope our readers are all healthy or as healthy as they can be. If you’re in the last year or hour of your life, I can see this being a bit of an unintentional stray—my apologies in advance. “I’m sure you have your reason” is basically “Who am I to judge? It’s not my business.” It’s your accumulated knowledge, you can do with it what you want.

While I aim to pass down my art and writing skills to a new generation—while continuing to create—my own reason is: a lack of people I want to teach or cultivate. It can be a problem because if you do multiple things or lived a long life, the effort of teaching someone who doesn’t care and/or never had the ability is just an unappealing thought. It sounds like a waste of time, never mind a waste of a mind.

You could teach what is applicable and what they can do something with but you might have some stuff you really want to pass on. What you’re teaching or passing on might not even be it. Personally, I think this is a good reason to hold off on passing knowledge on but not just knowledge in general. You’ve got something to pass on to younger Black men.

I understand some of you might truly feel you’ve got nothing to share or pass on. Hell, you might be still acquiring skills or experiencing the world and life. I’d say share that as well but it’s the decades of knowledge that this is about.

Ultimately, we don’t know when our time is up and we could pass before we finish passing our knowledge on. An incomplete manuscript if there ever was one. Then again, life tends to wrap it up when we have unfinished business. No, you probably won’t succeed in passing on your lifetime of professional and life experience. Hell, you probably won’t even get to pass on the good bits you’d like.

However, passing something on is like leaving a creative work behind: that’s a sign you existed and it’s one a few things that can make your name immortal and make your story—to some degree—remembered beyond family members and close relations. It’s a big step towards answering those heavy late-life questions of “Did I leave anything behind” and “Will I be remembered when I’m gone”.

What was a piece of knowledge from a departed one that you still apply or build on today? Share it with the ThyBlackMan community.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Of course, cable news tends to have a lot to say each time a Black man or woman is gunned down. It tends to stay in the wheelhouse with mass shootings, violent international conflicts, and the occasional kidnapping or disappearances—that make headline news—each year. You might get a year like 2022 when there was a prison escape just to mix things up in American news.

In Black spaces—whether at home or an online platform—The Talk became a topic and it  was interesting to see the early days of this happening. The main reason was seeing that this was another commonality among Black people in America. Yes, The Talk has many forms—because each family is different—that varies by the approach of the parents or guardians, the social and racial climate of the time, and sometimes just location.

The Talk can occur at different ages and it’s always unfortunate because these are kids. They’re expected to enjoy a run of innocence with their parents as teacher and protector but The Talk is part of that protection because the world doesn’t care a child’s innocence and America at different times in history has shown that a Black child’s innocence isn’t particularly important.

How Talk Was Presented to Me

So, the discussion on how to navigate a police stop or just interacting with the police is something most Black households have. Sure, parents tend to talk with their kids about how to address authority respectfully and The Talk was that but the focus was on survival for a younger generation.

When I first heard it, my father explained things to me when I was just entering middle school. Prior to this, we would see the cops patrol apartment complexes and housing projects regularly. The regular cops would hand out the plastic badges and learn the kids’ name—you know, pretty old school patrol/beat stuff. They often didn’t live in the neighborhood but they knew the residents of the area.

However, there was the gap where we only saw the cops at school and rarely chatting it up with the locals. In fifth grade you took D.A.R.E or Drug Abuse Resistance and Education then you took Gang Resistance Education and Training—or G.R.E.A.T. Both programs were promoted and taught by local officers that some of recognized but there was an increased police presence on school grounds as I moved to high school.

But in middle school, I didn’t have a true grasp of what he meant because I wasn’t paying attention to the news in 6^th grade. Plus, I was a kid that mainly stayed inside—I didn’t feel it applied to me at the time. Now as an adult, I’m glad he told me since I had a temper and wasn’t above going low or arguing with authority over a slight.

The Talk stuck more when my mother had it with me a few years later in high school. It was the early 2000s, Columbine had determined what was truly school safety—at that time, anyway. Since I was leaving my neighborhood regularly to attend school and was on the MAX bus with others, she felt I needed to know not only how to deal with people in general but police officers specifically. It was an odd talk to have because you grow—again at that time—being taught to call the police if you need help and that they’re there to help.

Now there’s this element of they’re not entirely to be trusted and you have to conduct yourself a certain way not only out of respect but just to live. There’s definitely more fear than respect in the approach. I remember thinking it was odd to be fearful or concerned of someone who you contribute taxes to pay their check but there you are.

That talk occurred in 9^th grade since I was going to a magnet school and there was more of a diverse makeup than the school I would graduate from. I understood that she was telling out of concern for my life—something I didn’t have when my dad spoke to me. I didn’t have the understanding that his Talk was out of concern.

How about you? What age were you when your parents gave you The Talk? How do you remember it going down? Also—for our parents reading—have you had The Talk yet? Let us know down below!

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

I say “mostly unknown in the West” because while some of us watched the first Ultraman and perhaps even Ultra Q from a year earlier, many in my generation had most likely seen Ultra Seven on TBS MonsterVision in the 1990s. It was also the same TV block I discovered Godzilla. These two series were very popular superhero shows in their native countries but which one was better? Which one was more of a superhero series? And which one was simply the bigger show?

The Bigger Show: Ultraman

While the Ultra franchise is one of the longest-running, beloved series in Japan, the 1966 Batman series had more seasons and more time to grow among the fans. However, it has never been taken seriously here. It was watched regularly by kids at the time and it was in syndication for decades but it didn’t kick a franchise or anything. Once Batman was over, that was it. The original comic kept Batman as an American media institution and allowed for more TV series, cartoons and films to be done.

Ultraman had similar popularity and truly launched a franchise. Yes, Ultra Q was there but that was like X-Files/Star Trek/Twilight Zone mixed together. Ultraman was like Superman mixed with Godzilla. Both mixes made for interesting shows but UM is just the better one and on this front, it has the 1966 Batman beat.

The Better Superhero Approach: Ultraman

Both series had similar target demographics of kids and youngsters but the action approach of UM simply works, folks. That isn’t to say Batman was without action or that Ultraman was without comedy but both series had them in different amounts. For my viewing time, the more action-oriented approach will always get the nod from me.

The execution was simple for both series too. This was the late 1960s and neither series was written by Rod Serling or the team behind Perry Mason, so the writing wasn’t going to be too involved. These were monster/rogue of the episode shows. You didn’t have to remember any specifics of any episode since most didn’t play off of previous episodes and there were few multi-part storylines.

With that said, there was some Ultraman lore-building in the Tsuburaya Production show. That adds some to well-structured episodes and wanting to tune in. Batman didn’t necessarily need the lore-building since the series carried on as if everyone knew Batman’s villains. If you didn’t, you’d find out by the end.

Of course this could be down to the network and productions studio’s investment in the series as Ultraman was working with special effects—and good ones for that time

The Better Villains: Batman

There’s a saying about Batman that his villains are more interesting than him. Honestly, I find this to be true. This is an easy win for Batman. Again, there’s a monster if the week, episodic approach to Batman but when you knew what Bats rogues to expect and everyone played the characters well—eh, it’s a worthwhile watch.

Meanwhile, UM had constantly invading aliens for him to spank and few of them were of note.

The Overall Better Show: Ultraman

I’m giving it to Ultraman, this show was good and still holds up. Yeah the special effects and costumes look dated by 2024 standards but those special effects and the cinematography is better. It feels like a superhero show I’d turn into weekly like Power Rangers or Masked Rider. Even in elementary school there was feeling of “This is corny” with Batman and not “This is cool.”

Of course, I watched it to get to the syndicated episodes of Star Trek on local TV. I will say that, Batman was a nice lead-in. UM has me moving through all of the Ultraman shows in order even though they could be watched independently of each other up until a point.

If you’re unfamiliar with both and dig some retro TV shows, you can catch both on Tubi for free! For those familiar with both series: which did you prefer?

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.

In Civil War, we have letters and written accounts from leadership, soldiers, sympathizers, observers, and bound Black people. All who experienced the Civil War in some way and had takes on the conflict as it affected them.

However, when it comes to history taught in school there are things that can change what we—the People—learn. For instance, learning about the American Revolution in elementary, middle, and high school was as you’d expect. As the grades go on, you learn more and more about the specifics such as France’s involvement but there’s a lot of boosting George Washington and the Founding Fathers.

Then we change it to learning about the Civil War, Segregation and the 20^th Century Civil Rights Movement. It wasn’t unusual to get around other students and find that we all didn’t learn the same thing. As a matter of fact, in elementary and middle school, the Civil Rights Movement was kind of sped through.

In part, I sum it up as that’s what the state wants taught or what would be touched on in a state high school exit exam. You know, the criteria. The benefit I had was my mostly Black history teachers made sure to teach more about the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Looking back, it would’ve been odd not to really learn about those given this is Birmingham, Alabama and we have a whole Civil Rights Museum.

So Should U.S Presidents Be Required to Know U.S History?

But most of us are civilians, many won’t run for public office. However, many of us of have had to know U.S history to pass any number of exams over the decades. It’s a prerequisite in most cases most to get to the next stage of education or to teach history. However, for the position of President it doesn’t seem like it’s that important.

It’s of import but required?

For the record, I believe that world leaders should know the history of the country they’re governing and representing. I’m not saying they need an encyclopedic knowledge of history but they should at least know the hits as the youngest of the voter base should’ve learned. I mean, there is a cut-off to some degree.

History doesn’t stop after leaving college. By the time someone meets the base age requirement for presidency, there’s like a decade and change worth of events that happened. Not only that, there’s a high chance those events are impacting things they would be dealing with in Office.

Honestly, it would be odd if a 45-year-old American ran for President of the U.S and was a brick about the country’s more recent two-decade involvement in the Middle East. It overlapped four administrations, a lack of knowledge on that would be a massive red flag because it’s recent. They were of age to serve while this all went on. So, yes the Civil War, World War I and II—our candidates should know this stuff.

What do you think? Should our president have a firm grasp on U.S history? Also, a side question to our millennial readers: did you learn about the Korean War and Vietnam in school prior to college? I’m curious because those were wars I learned on my free time away from school but they were never covered in middle or high school.

Let us know in the comments.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.

Meanwhile, Biden appeared very lethargic at times and struggling to find his point much of the time in the first half. In the second half, I’d say he was better performance-wise.

A televised debate is heavy on optics. It’s been that way since Kennedy-Nixon. You want your leader or potential leader to appear full of vigor mentally and physically for the next four years.

Are we aware that being President seems to age leaders? Yes, we know that but if you’re going to run again, then get some pep in your step.

The First Biden vs. Trump Debate of 2024 Went as Expected

Having seen both big party candidates in recent public engagements and while speaking on world events, we got an idea of their form before this debate.

I don’t believe anyone figured Joe Biden would head out there in 2020 form. At least I wasn’t. I mean, this hasn’t been the best couple of years to govern over—even though his administration managed some positive results over the previous one.

That would be a major factor in the debate as debates tend to hinge heavily on facts. Or rather they should. Of course, debates and discussions have been won just by being the loudest and the rowdiest. There were several issues such as the economy, jobs, crime and the border where Trump hit his usual points which were contested by Biden.

Also, post-debate fact-checking pointed out that a lot of Trump’s stuff didn’t hold water. However, Biden could never garner enough oomph to really check him in front of the cameras. Not everyone is going to check the points mentioned on Snopes and FactCheck, many will take what was presented and spread it without looking it over.

What was interesting—but not particularly surprising—was the lack of involvement from the moderator. See, a debate is really only a debate if there’s a moderator present to basically serve as referee. They keep things respectful for both speakers and push back when necessary on some claims. Without the moderator, it’s a discussion.

The Lack of an Actual Moderator Moderating

With CNN’s witness-moderator approach here, both candidates had room to groove but one guy didn’t use all the room allotted and the other used all the room but wasn’t heavily checked on claims during their time to speak.

So, the audience-less debate didn’t actually hurt Donald Trump. I guess the thought was to let Trump’s inaccuracy breathe and allow the voters to discover what is fact and what is false—but that’s putting a lot of faith in the voters. Then again, that’s where the post-debate commentary comes in: to make sense of what we just saw from facts to optics to insight. It’s simply that the moderator is supposed to contest points made since they have the numbers and notes in front of them. Failure to do that can reflect poorly on the moderator and the network hosting the debate.

But hey, this was an unconventional debate featuring unconventional candidates. What did you think about the presentation of the debate and who do you believe won? Let us know in the comments.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.

It doesn’t have the same umph as 34 convictions related to the 2016 Election. This was Hunter Biden being a menace to sobriety on his own time. Having guns while doing crack would actually go some ways to mayor run in Toronto if the late Rob Ford’s time in office is remembered.

Of course, Hunter’s not running for office as a felon. The gravity just isn’t there for it to be a crippling issue worth pushing. Had he been trying to sell federal secrets to get more crack, 100-percent. If the Justice Department found documents that should be in the White House in a trap house: yes. Those are issues of national security and presidential safety because how would a crackhead get their hands on states secrets?

The worst thing Biden could experience from this is embarrassment and having to address it each time it’s brought up as if he were the one who committed the offenses.

Where is the Achilles Heel for Trump and Biden?

If you’re looking for the actual weak spot for both presidential candidates, it’s something we’ve seen televised recently: both have had brain farts and mental stumbles. There’s the belief that President Biden no longer has it upstairs to govern as a strong leader. The man’s 81 and age catches us all eventually, amplify that with managing U.S involvement in two wars that aren’t on U.S territory and there’s an exploitable issue there.

Never mind the physical issues, that’s more of a concern over which fall might be the fall. FDR led the U.S through most of World War II while using a wheelchair, canes, and crutches because his health was deteriorating. That’s World War II. While nowadays able-bodied presidents have become the expectation of candidates, it’s the mental sharpness that factors in heavily to governing ability.

As I see it, a candidate’s physical condition or state is mainly an issue when it comes to being at different meetings or summits. I mean, as a world leader, you have to be present. Health or home arrest can’t be a hinderance. I don’t see Biden being wheeled into a clean energy summit in an iron lung any time soon.

Of course, Trump’s only younger by four years and has had mental gaffes of his own on TV. You could say it’s not as obvious or prevalent but that says more about 45’s mental aptitude in a government role given questions about injecting bleach to combat COVID or reportedly being surprised that Hitler’s generals weren’t as loyal to him as he thought.

Just imagine being in the room with the President and having to tell him he can’t say “Hitler wasn’t all bad” or having to tell other staffers to avoid the Prez because he might have committed treason.

So, Hunter Biden? Caught charges on his own time independent of his father’s political career. The 34 convictions in New York for political benefit? It likely won’t put Trump’s campaign in the dirt. Thinking Hitler is a stand-up guy, buddying up to authoritarians or relief efforts during your administration dropping stale Sour Skittles in Gaza? You’re getting warmer both are egregious. The ravages of time? That might do it—especially if tied in with the mentioned egregious actions.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.

I don’t know if loyalty was expected after that or what. I mean, one of the cardinal rules of doing dirt at this level is making sure the person who knows where all the bodies are buried is either well taken care of or out of the picture entirely. Cohen was given three years; he was never going to be out of the picture and was basically tossed aside after he did his job.

It was an interesting sequence of events considering it got to the point of a President being convicted of something that should’ve cost him the White House. Voters hope that the candidates will be honest and have a fair election, but I believe we knew that something like this was possible.

Maybe not when it would happen or even if it would happen in lifetime but with claims and lawsuits over campaign fraud over the years and similar nefarious political tactics being done at state and city level, there’s no way there was a belief that this couldn’t happen when the presidency is up for grabs.

The 34 Convictions Won’t Do Trump in Come November

While being convicted of 34 felony counts should be enough for any party to decide to run a less tainted candidate who could at least be presented as an honest candidate, parties want to win ultimately. That’s merely considering the establishment Republicans and not those who got into office—in part or entirely—because of their association with and support of former President Donald Trump.

If anything, the conventions were a strong statement that no one is above the law as it was expected that most of this wouldn’t stick. Never mind that Trump didn’t go to jail to await his sentencing and make sure he didn’t skedaddle—in that regard, why would he if he’s running for President?

As recent poll touched on; these convictions wouldn’t have much bearing on their decision. Interestingly, it showed they would lean towards a Democrat who claimed that Donald Trump was a “unique threat to democracy” over a Republican candidate who attempted to overturn the 2020 election. The finding was 53-20 for the Democrat with 27% bowing out of the question.

That event occurred and Trump managed to avoid action for his part in it—it was for his benefit—up until now. He got to govern in office, getting hit now in a fair trial, taking place in a city where the dirt was orchestrated—he’ll be fine. At worst, if he gets house arrest. He won’t be in some kind of special prison as if he was Judge Dredd’s President Booth imprisoned underneath Fort Knox. This isn’t that and 34 convictions isn’t silver stake. I’d say neither is Trump’s recent televised mental misadventures with aging.

What would have a greater impact is the recent video of Democrats calling for former President Trump to send the D.C Guard on January 6^th. To be exact, his action and inaction that day as far as stoking the fire, lethargy in protecting the Capitol building, and what he was doing as the fervor grew should be enough.

According to those close to Trump during the Capitol Building attack, in the days leading up, he wanted to use the D.C Guard to protect himself and his supporters from expected left-wing retaliation. Of course, that wasn’t the case and others were convicted that day. The country saw this happen, who the aggressors were during the attack, and saw that several were prosecuted afterwards.

Now, there will be some leaving details out in support of Trump—maybe even some putting earmuffs on and not listening. It’s all very involved. Something else that should do him in is this leaning towards authoritarianism we’re seeing and hearing recently.

Then again, some of our citizens and fellow voters rock with that and unless you follow all of this, it likely won’t be a factor or as great of a factor as it should be.

What do you see being something that could cost Trump this time? Do you believe it is the 34 convictions? His recent rhetoric? January 6^th? Let us know in the comments.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.

One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.