'Waiting to Exhale'

Who did it?...and Why?

2011-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

On the 10-year anniversary of 9-11, the air-waves have been inundated with chatter about whether or not this was an 'inside' job rather than a diabolical plot by an Al Qaeda terrorist at some remote mountainous location more than 13,000 miles away.

One talk-show host got rudely snippy with a caller, and angrily denounced him as a 'conspiracy theorist' because he dared to question how the Towers that were hit could collapse at all, and especially as rapidly as they did, in their own footprints - demolition style. He also questioned how building 7 could collapse about 8 hours later in exactly the same demolition-style manner without being hit at all.

To all these obvious questions, the host replied, that there was "no shred of evidence" that this was an 'inside job', and he would not let the airwaves be polluted with this conspiratorial line of questioning. My response to "no shred of evidence..." is, whoever was wealthy and powerful enough to pull this off, was equally able and powerful enough to ensure there would be "no shred of evidence" linking them to this crime. So I'm not persuaded with the 'lack of evidence' that this talk-show host and many others find so compelling.

I had to chuckle about all this not only because these are valid questions, but the 'terrorist' who was labeled the 'mastermind' of this action and headed up our Most-Wanted list for 10 years, Osama Bin Laden, WAS NEVER INDICTED FOR 9-11! Few Americans know that he was never indicted for his alleged crimes against America - why not? If all the evidence pointed to him as the architect of this outrage, why was he not indicted? And because he was never indicted, should he have been 'killed' extra-judicially without an indictment and trial?

So all this raises other questions - since he was not captured and put on trial for his alleged crimes, how do we know he did it and how do we know the person allegedly killed was in-fact, Bin Laden? Further, why was he buried at sea or disposed of so hurriedly and no pictures of his body produced? Who wanted him not to be put on trial and not testify in his defense? Could this be further evidence that the powers-that-be who have successfully ensured that there was "no shred of evidence" linking them to this crime, wanted to prevent him from testifying and providing the 'shreds of evidence' that would have been the smoking gun linking them to the conspirators or perpetrators of this crime?

Don't forget that all this was used as the pretext and justification for invading and occupying two mineral-rich Middle Eastern countries, and for drastically restricting our civil liberties while trebling our national debt and doubling the size of our Military Industrial Complex.

I'm convinced that in my lifetime we will never know the true story about 9-11. We have as many unanswered questions now, as we had in the Kennedy assassination, and Malcolm X's and Martin Luther King's assassination. I believe that the answers I seek won't be provided until the next life, and I'm looking forward to getting all my questions answered then!

Finally, I'm reminded that Bin Laden, Sadaam, Noriega, Mubarak, and Khadafy - were all on the CIA payroll as proxies at various times in the past. Isn't it strangely interesting how all have either been executed, overthrown or jailed as terrorists as we approach this anniversary?

Is this a coincidence, a conspiracy or a catastrophe for their country and ours?

Race Trumps Sports (at least in the NBA)

2011-06-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

It's clear to me the NBA wanted 7 games but they only got 6. I rooted for Miami because 3 black men decided to take their own future in their hands and not be slaves to racist owners like Dan Gilbert of Cleveland. Many racist fans there also burned LeBron in effigy, and treated his departure after 7 years of hard labor, as if he were a runaway, ungrateful slave who dared to leave their plantation. Thousands of them plus most of the white sportswriters were rooting for him to lose and be a failure in Miami.

This is why I rooted for Miami and him.

I also knew that this was probably the last chance for Dirk, Jason and Kidd to get a ring. But hundreds of great players over the years never got a ring and it did not detract from their greatness. Race has been made a sub-text in this season and in these playoffs, just as race has been the defining issue in America ever since the country was born. Just read the comments from 'so-called' white 'fans' around the country who see race first and sports second. They are pitiful little creatures cursed with the foul DNA of their worthless, racist, slave-owning ancestors. For this reason Miami's winning was more important to me for it's racial significance.

But it didn't happen this year and may never happen. The sports establishment is determined to punish LeBron in particular, and his teammates collectively, for daring to do what white folks do routinely - determine and be in charge of what's best for their own future. And they wanted to send a message to future uppity blacks that they too will be dissed and cursed and reviled if they dare to leave their plantation without 'massa's prior approval.

The NBA controls who wins or loses with their referees, and who gets punished or not is also controlled by them. It was very evident how this worked in this series. Even the sub-standard coach of Miami who never played a day of Pro basketball, had to follow the League's dictates, and coach as poorly and ineptly as possible when the game was on the line.

No one remembers that ESPN went to LeBron and suggested the staged format where he was to announce his decision to leave or to stay. LeBron gets all the flack and hatred for this, while ESPN gets away scott-free with none.

In the final analysis, the NBA is just a business pretending to be a game, that can't escape the racism that this country was founded on.

Just read the 'comments' section of any sports column or blog about LeBron and Miami, and you'll see what I mean.

Who Won?

2011-06-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the NBA season has finally dragged to a welcome close. For some it was way too long, for others it was too short, and for still others it was about 3 black men who dared to decide for themselves where they wanted to play, with whom they wanted to play, and damn what the sports establishment thought about their decision.

From the beginning of the season, LeBron, Bosh and D. Wade were vilified in the press and by 'so-called' fans for daring to come together to compete for a championship.

Just a few short years ago, the Boston Celtics brought in 2 super star players to help their team win a championship and no one said a peep about it. Oh, but that was a white, million dollar organization that had the right to determine what was best for them, unlike the 3 black players who exercised that same right but were castigated for it.

LeBron in particular was vilified like a runaway slave for leaving the Cleveland plantation after 7 years of hard labor with little or no support from the slave overseer, Dan Gilbert. He and most of the fans were so ungrateful and bitter, they would have had a lynching party and lynched LeBron if they thought they could get away with it - just like they used to do in the good ole' days to runaway slaves,

Looking back, LeBron did the right thing regardless of who didn't like the way he did it. He was thought to be uppity, irresponsible and ungrateful just like slaves were thought to be back in the day.

Not only did Miami have a successful year, but they made it all the way into the finals ahead of stellar teams like Boston, the Lakers, San Antonio and Chicago. The Dallas Mavs beat them in the best of 7 games, but they can hold their heads high for what they accomplished, and on their own terms.

So who's laughing now? LeBron and crew are still very young and very rich, and have ample time to win championships in the future. But whether that happens or not, they already 'won' when they dared to dream of their own future, and did what it took to make it a reality.

The NBA season is now a footnote in history and the real important problems of the world still have not lessened nor have been resolved. Dave Zirin wrote, " How can we deny the truth that many of us look to sports as a distraction from the trials and tribulations of our own lives? How can we deny that the reason so many of us read the sports page before the front page is that one is both bearable and comprehensible while the other simply isn’t?...We live in a crumbling nation with epic unemployment, two million people behind bars, and vast wealth inequality, while being told that we inhabit the best country on earth and to think otherwise is heresy. In such a world, sports become more than an escape: it’s a refuge. It’s much easier - and emotionally manageable - to hate Lebron James than face our collective future."

In the final analysis, who won or who lost means absolutely nothing to most of the billions of humans on planet earth, who have to scratch to find work and feed, clothe, and house their families every day.

Struggling to live is what's really important - not some game that the dumb white sports establishment thinks is relevant, but in fact is totally irrelevant to the lives of most people living in this world.

Were You ATLB ? (Among Those Left behind)

2011-05-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

We have now passed the May 21st, 6pm doomsday deadline, in all time zones around the world. If you are a Christian and reading this, you've been 'Left Behind' and not 'Raptured'....

The 200,000,000 (two-hundred million) or so that were presumably 'raptured', have left some unintended benefits for us...

- less usage of fossil fuels like oil and gasoline, thus lowering the carbon footprint..

- more job openings available for us, thus lowering the unemployment rate..

- less demand for food, clothing, transportation and housing, thus softening the market, lowering the demand, and hopefully lowering prices..

- I could go on and on, but you get the picture...

....also notable 'Christians' like George Bush, Rev. John Hagee, Hal Lindsay, Sarah Palin, Rev. Franklin Graham, George Romney, Glen Beck, Clarence Thomas, Anthony Scalia, Paul Crouch, etc., are presumably among those millions who just floated upward and out of this sphere - for this we can all say amen, hallelujah and good riddance!

note: unfortunately, some non-Christians like Michael Savage, Charles Krauthammer, Alan Greenspan, Henry Kissinger, Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch, and assorted other infidels, are still here, but we'll continue to deal with them as best we can....

Bin Laden: Dead or Alive??

2011-05-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Folks, Does it really matter whether he's dead or alive?

Now that we have been told there will be no confirming pictures, and the body has been disposed of at sea, we will have to trust the veracity of the Administration regarding his death. Many Americans also trusted Bush's bogus WMD claims, and that got us nothing but into an expensive and genocidal Iraqi quagmire....

Also I'm not persuaded by a reported DNA match, since he had 50 other brothers and sisters who also shared the same DNA...Also if he was worth a quarter of a billion dollars as he is reported to be, it doesn't make sense he would choose a location where he would be a sitting-duck waiting to be captured or killed. If I were a near-billionaire as he was, I would want the world to believe I had been killed, so I could continue to live undisturbed somewhere else in the world...

Regardless, the fact remains that Al Qaeda is highly decentralized and no single death is going to shut it down.

But the symbolism of his alleged death is significant, and Obama handled and acquitted himself very presidentially throughout the operation.

Apparently most of the rest of the world also believes he is dead, so whether he really is or not, makes it a moot point.

So once again we are asked to trust....but not verify....

If I were Bin Laden and still alive somewhere, I would say....Mission Accomplished!...

Finally Justice

2011-04-23T01:31:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm reminded that as I approach age 70, I'm much closer to the end of my life here, than to the beginning.

Most people dread the certainty of dying. Not me. I'm looking forward to the next life which I have every reason to believe and expect, will be far superior to this one - not even close!

Besides waiting anxiously to see and be re-united with my parents and the many family and friends who have already gone on before, I'm anxious to get the answers about this life that were either deliberately withheld or obscured, or were beyond my ability to comprehend and understand. Most of all I look forward to living eternally under a righteous King who is all just, all powerful, all knowing - no more compromised justice, no more compromised rights and wrongs, no more abuses by the rich and powerful, no more racism, no more war and dying, no more tyranny of the majority, and finally, those who escaped being brought to justice in this life, will get the justice that should have been meted out to them, but wasn't.

The worse part about this life, was and is, the inequity and inequality that is accepted as the norm and considered as fair and just. It's particularly bad in this country because there is so much available - enough for everyone to have a satisfactory life with plenty to eat and all needs taken care of. But the greedy powerful and rich 2% have stolen the lion's share for themselves, and left the crumbs for the remaining 98% of us who are here.

Jesus said it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven - so there will be few, if any of them, in Heaven - Oh Happy Day!

Trump and Birthers

2011-04-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

When a blowhard, egotist and probably white supremacist, red-necked racist, like Donald Trump, starts questioning the birth, citizenship, and fitness of our President, I immediately spring into action investigating why doth this "lady protesteth so much."

And lo and behold, I found this little gem which I have not thoroughly researched yet, but may hold some answers to my question http://trumpbirthers.blogspot.com/

....I don't know how true it is that Trump was born in So. Africa, but if true, then Trump's questioning of President Obama's birth certificate and asserting his unfitness to be president, is disingenuous in the least, and bold-face, white supremacist hubris at best....

This arrogant ass has also filed for bankruptcy 3 or 4 times already, and apparently can't profitably run 'can't-miss' cash-cows like casinos successfully, thinks he has what it takes to be a successful president. And on top of these business failures, he has a string of about 5 failed marriages in his wake! He also claims to be a billionaire - what billionaire have you ever heard of, who is employed by someone else? - in this case, the NBC network is his employer.

Oh well, another one joins the sordid sludge inhabited by the likes of Sarah Palin, John McCain and others of their pitiful and ignorant ilk.

..How Little We've Changed...

2010-12-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

..A brilliant commentary on the legacy of American racism....

"Make no mistake about it. This will serve to remind us of how little we've changed. Southerners are particularly to blame. They are so proud of their heritage that they cling to the behaviors, beliefs, and the language of slavery. The consequences are direct and unambiguous. Every Confederate flag displayed, every tourist backdrop celebrating the "plantation", every last name of almost every Afro-American citizen serve as a reminder of the ugly past still celebrated by the white culture in the south.

Let's put the dots closer together and see what picture is made clear. The history of the southern states is not merely one of the ownership of human beings. It is also a history that drags a sordid reminder along the years. The southern "charm" is tainted with the ugly stain of rape. Millions of cases of rape. Tens of thousands of children born as a result of rape. The rapists of the slavery era are the great-grandparents of today's southern elite. Yet the children born of those rapes did not benefit from the fact that their owner was also their father.

Count the years. From the early 1600's until well past the Civil War, over 250 years of a culture that secretly endorsed rape as a weapon to secure obedience from women at their disposal; controlling too the male slaves that were allowed to live if they did not revolt against the rape of their women.

The bitterness of the southerner who proudly protects this history lives with the guilt of the era and the knowledge, ultimately, that the people they discriminate against are their own relatives. They are the living DNA connecting today's culture to an unmistakable history of rape.

Even more current examples exist. Strom Thurmond eventually admitted fathering a child with his families maid in the 1930s. In the mean-time, he kept the sordid history secret with bribery. Make no mistake about it. It was rape.

The history of rape in the South continues to be the stain they cannot wash out"

Steven Kale - Eugene, Oregon

"..Thanks For Giving Me a Chance..."

2010-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

...these were the prescient words of Cam Newton, black QB of the Auburn Tigers football team, in his post game interview. His team had just soundly beaten So. Carolina U. for the SEC championship by 56-17, where he passed for 4 td, ran for 2 td and scrambled almost 100 yds - a remarkable feat considering that just 38 years ago, there had never been a black quarterback allowed to play in the SEC.

For this season, Cam is the first player in SEC history to pass for over 2000 yds. and rush for over 1000 yds. He also owns the Auburn single-season scoring record of over 114 points. He now also holds the best record in college football history of 28 td passing, and 20 td rushing in a single season.

On his way to this historic achievement, Cam has been the victim of a series of vicious, racist attacks by those in his conference and beyond, who never wanted to see a black playing for a previously all-white southern university, much less a black player leading it at quarterback. At issue are allegations that his father solicited payoff money from Mississippi State U. before his son would consider playing there. Clearly his son did not play there, but instead went to Auburn. So it must be asked, if these allegations are true, then what did Auburn agree to give him to play there??? Significantly Auburn is denying this ever happened - for good reason. If they did admit to paying him, they would be ineligible for conference play, and the conference championship they just won would be invalidated. As well, they would be ineligible for the year-end prestigious BCS championship bowl, worth about $40 million in income to the school. There are some that are hoping that just these allegations will be enough to deny him the Heisman Trophy award for the best player in college football. If he doesn't get it, it will prove that this award is worth very little, and not even worth the metal alloy it is made of.

Being given this chance that Newton spoke of, is the heart of the black experience in America since slavery - the denial of an equal chance for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for blacks in all aspects of American life. Some would argue that it has gotten much better, and it has, but there is still has a significant way to go, as the racist signs of the ignorant teabaggers prove.

What Cam did today, is the worst nightmare of red-necked supremacists, who correctly feared that giving blacks a chance, would result in historic performances like this. And would far surpass those of whites, thus exposing and denying the false premise of white superiority and black inferiority.

In Cam's final interview after winning the game's MVP award, he was asked what would he say to all the fans as well as the TV audience, he said, "a wise man told me, if God be for me, who can be against me?"

That wise man was probably his father who is also a minister. But, even if it wasn't, it was still the wisest thing anyone could have said to him and I'm glad he shared it with his fans and the nation.

The Bible and 'Free Markets'

2010-11-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.terryreport.com/

"One of the great American myths is that we live in a “free market system” and, as a result, the Republicans, Sarah Palin and the Tea Party fringe need to protect it, while the Dems want to choke it to death. We are up to our eyeballs in talking about free markets, so much so that even President Obama last week said that the big bonuses of Wall Street Bankers are part of the free market, just like baseball players getting multi-million dollar contacts.

The idea that free markets needed protection started way back in the 1920s and ‘30s. At that time, a campaign was produced by some of the first public relations companies, supported by big business, to sell the idea to the American public. The big PR firms, law firms and the US Chamber of Commerce have been carrying the torch ever since. Problem is, the idea is actually more false than real.

We have markets that are freer, less constrained, than some places in the world, such a Europe, but we don’t have wide open, free markets. We have regulated markets, we will always have regulated markets no matter if the Republicans take Congress and the White House for the next hundred years. Those regulations would be lessened, but they would not go away. Even the Republicans, after the banking disaster, would be talking more regulation today if they had won the White House in 2008. The need for some degree of regulation has been made apparent again and again, from the stock market crash of 1929, through the tech/dot com bubble in 2000 and the housing bubble that began to end in 2005 and crashed in ‘08.

The degree to which we have “free” markets is a discussion for another day. It is too involved to lay out in detail right now and, no matter, someone will always come up with an argument on the finer points and then say the larger point is wrong, too. So be it.

HERE IS MY QUESTION OF THE DAY: Where is the “free market system” in the Bible? Where do we find God or Jesus endorsing free markets? Yeah, I know, Jesus chased the money lenders out of the Temple. What else is there in the Bible? Now instead of driving banks out, we give money lenders tax breaks, bonuses and bailouts, because they took us so deep into trouble we would have to dig out with dynamite if they had gone under. The belief that the Bible somehow or another supports free enterprise is spreading, but there is no clear evidence behind that belief.

Despite this, support of free markets has been made into a test of fundamentalist conservatism. Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia requires its students to exhibit loyalty to free markets as part of its basic principles listed as “aims” of the school. Officials at Liberty have stated in public many times that students who don’t believe in those aims don’t belong at Liberty. Period. They used that argument in support of excluding certain student led groups. If you want to believe in highly regulated markets and try to organize a student group, they will shut it down.

The idea of the holiness of free markets is also creeping from religion into text books, too. Recently, the NY Times quoted a member of the Texas State Board of Education as saying that the roots of free market ideals can be found in the Bible. Yeah, where? If so, does that represent an endorsement? This same school board member , a dentist by trade, works with other Christian fundamentalists to bend text books in the direction of his narrow views of religion, government and history, to the exclusion of counter views.

It is fairly astounding to me that free markets are being turned into religious orthodoxy, a vital part of fundamentalist religious ideas. Who started this? Where is it going to stop? Why should anyone who doesn’t believe that free market capitalism is not the most wonderful thing on earth want to be part of such a religion? What if you are living out of your car, sleeping in a store parking lot because you’ve lost your home and job to free markets, do you want to worship capitalism and Jesus on Sundays? Come on down.

All of this can be seen as the antipode to what communism did in Russia: first there was communism, then there could be nothing else, no free thought, no religious practices, very little family, no enterprise. The religious zealots in America now want us to believe it is their way or the highway, that everything they believe is backed up by the ultimate authority, the Bible. They would leave us, in the end, as stripped of the ability to think for ourselves as communism once did around the world. If you question their business practices, you are also questioning their religion. What a deal.

I say to them, where is the free market system in the Bible? Prove it, Charlie. Show me how the Bible endorses the brutalities of take no prisoners capitalism. Where does the Bible say that no matter how an employer treats the employees, if there is profit, that is good? Where does the Bible say that, as cable and satellite companies do, they have a responsibility to their share holders to show pornography if that results in maximizing profits? Where does the Bible say that cheating and charging every last fee you can imagine from the poorest banking customers is, overall, a wonderful thing? Does the Bible endorse running your competition out of business in the most direct, efficient way possible so you can make more money, faster? Does the Bible praise operating commercial aircraft that are unsafe, just so long as the stock holders get their money?

The people who are pushing the belief that free markets are part of the Bible and, thus, “god’s plan” for the world are in the process of turning their religious beliefs into a joke. They are working backward from their political views and trying to turn them into canons of religious duty. This is not just nonsense, it is dangerous nonsense. In reaction to changes brought about by the modern world, they want to take us back a hundred or two hundred years.

It is a way of stunting the brains of their followers into believing that what can often be evil (rampant, unchecked power of corporations) is somehow good for them. In effect, they are endorsing everything that capitalism does and calling on their believers not to oppose any of those actions, but rather to lie down, willingly and happily, and submit in the name of the greater good. Otherwise, they would be interfering, interfering I tell you!, with the holy free market system.

Free markets are nowhere to be found in the Christian Bible. Nor is it any way factual to suggest the principles of free markets were inspired by the Bible. That is little more than fantasy enlarged to fit the evident need for belief. The closest analog to the teachings of Christ, to many who have studied the New Testament closely, can be found in the ideals (not the practices) under which communism raised its ugly flag: from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. In a sense, it would be grand if we could look to one book written a thousand and more years ago and know the answer to the complex questions of our times, but we can’t."

What President Obama Needs To Do - Now!

2010-11-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.terryreport.com/

"Obama and his troops came into Washington, DC, drunk with their own success and his "magical" abilities. It was as if they commanded a massive battleship when any opposition would likely be floating around in row boats. All they had to do, it seemed, was move forward; the waves alone would knock them away.

But, let's not go overboard, mates. The single decision to turn the development of the health care legislation over to Congress was the most self destructive act of the first two years. It was just one mistake. Wrapped securely in their White House cocoon, they had little idea of the disaster they had set in motion. Even I was repulsed by the resulting partisan carnage, and I am a former Capitol Hill reporter able to sit through seven or eight congressional hearings in a week without my head exploding. For the public, it was too much. The sausage making had invaded their living rooms and was stinkin' up the whole house.

We must remember this...a kiss is still as kiss...(sorry, wrong comment). Most of the public, as revealed in a recent poll, have turned against this president and the Democrats based on FALSE information about what he has done. Most think he raised taxes, instead of lowing them by 240 billion on the middle class. Most think the money loaned the banks and car companies will never be recovered (profits are ahead). And, most people think the stimulus didn't work when, in fact, the economy has grown slightly for the last four quarters. While these impressions have soaked in, Obama has been Mr. Cool, willing to push back on almost nothing and appearing on every television program besides Sesame Street (they are trying to book him there next week).

Almost any Democrat would have won in 2008, with the economy headed far south and two inclusive wars simmering in billions of American dollars and hundreds of lives. When the housing market fell to pieces, the fate of the Republicans was sealed, but the Obama tribe took everything that happened to heart, as if they, and they alone, possessed a special formula. Sadly, they, and we, have learned they did not.

To be fair (is that called for these days?), Obama came into office with some of the biggest problems in American history hanging over his head. Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered adding to those problems by pushing health care? He has done rather well, except in convincing the public to go along for the ride.

These were, and are, extraordinary times. They called for something more than business as usual, something more than mere government/Washington solutions. There was a deep need to engage the public in the effort to pull us through and out of recession and everything that was proposed were drawn from the official government playbook.

For example, there has been very little presidential "jaw boning" of business and corporations to get them to start hiring and spend the massive cash reserves on which their over paid backsides rest so comfortably. Business has left the building (backdoor exit). They do not care and are no longer engaged with the fate of this nation. They have slipped the surly bonds of earth and are touching faces in India, China and Ireland. Being president means you occasionally are required to spit in the face of those who sent you (just not always, ala Jimmy Carter).

Where is the threat, where is the power of this presidency? Like Clinton in the '90s (those grand years of ol), Obama has yet to demonstrate that he is strong enough, by virtue of a willingness to show and use the power of his office. We know where that got Clinton: impeachment by a bunch of political mice on Capitol Hill who believed he would roll over a play dead as soon as the House voted.

What can be done? Obama needs to widen his circle of advisers. He needs to spend less time on television and more time figuring out what to do. He needs to look for that hidden, enticing "presidential moment" when he can leave American citizens, and official Washington, thunderstruck with his daring and determination. He needs to prove that he deserves the office that the nation gratefully gave him.

He needs to try some new things. Obama needs to look to the extra-official aspects of the presidency, of leadership that does not involve getting legislation passed. Until now, bills in Congress have been his focus. It hasn’t worked, at least not in bringing support to him and his presidency.

He needs to find ways to make the nation feel and believe, in substance and by impression, that he and we can tackle our problems and get moving again. He needs to use the bully pulpit as none have ever before. He needs to pick some good fights and show the public he is not afraid to get dirt on his collar. He needs to give people new reasons to believe in him."

(excerpted from the Terry report)

Karma is a B***h

2010-11-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

The middle classes (liberals and conservatives) are now being savaged by the wealthy corporate class, because they (middle classes) either cheered or ignored the subjugation and degradation of the lower classes by wealthy corporatist and landowners, starting with slavery, jim crow-ism, sharecropping, through present-day entrenched toxic discriminations.

In modern times, even liberal Californians voted to overturn the Rumford Act of 1963, which prohibited discrimination in the sale, lease and rental of real property on the basis of race, religion, sex, marital status, physical handicap or familial status. An overwhelming 65% voted against extending basic human rights to blacks who were the chief beneficiaries of the Rumford Act.

So to see them now on the receiving end of the same malevolent mind-set, including being hit with high unemployment, outsourced jobs, foreclosed homes, obscene profits on Wall Street, and voting against their best interests through racist fears etc., is a reminder that karma often comes slowly, but it always arrives.

They have been so savaged that many of them are now embracing the Tea-bagging/Tea-Party fraudsters, and just elected a significant number of genocidal tea-thugs to further oppress them and take what little is left of their middle class.

I should be charitable and welcome them to the lower classes of which I am a part, and which they always despised. In this class are poor, middle income, and highly educated wealthy blacks, including President Obama, all deemed by the US Constitution and many whites, to be less-than, by virtue of being black.

But I won't, because they probably don't appreciate being lumped in with this class after multiple decades of being on top. I think I'll just let them stew and steadily decline under the onslaught of their masters of predatory capitalism, that are oppressing them while claiming to 'feel their pain'.

And to complete the 'Karma' circle, the ex-President whom they elected twice and who did so much to turn their dreams to ashes with his war-mongering, reckless deficit spending, crony capitalism with his bankster pals, and sociopathic sanctioning of torturous water-boarding and other outrages, began hawking his revisionist memoirs today, while desperately hoping none will remember his 8-year reign of lying, error and terror.

Sorry Prez, I am remembering, even if they won't...

The Free-Market Hoax

2010-11-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

When you hear Tea-Bagging racists and ignoramuses, and their Rethug cousins extolling the 'free-market' as the cure-all for government programs they hate, just remember that they are pulling a giant-sized con on themselves and their gullible followers.

There is no such thing as the Free-Market! - every American business is assisted by and wallowing in, some form of 'corporate welfare' - ranging from Tax Credits, Tax Subsidies, Tax Loopholes and Tax Rebates, to Farm Subsidies, Federal Earmarks and Depletion Allowances, - all paid for by we, the American taxpayers. And even with all that welfare, they still operate less efficiently than governmental entities like the Police Dept., Fire Dept., Post Office, Veterans Administration, Medicare and Social Security - just to name a few.

The Teabaggers and their enablers, either don't know this or are willfully ignorant so they can continue to nurture their stupidity. They hate personal welfare, which requires means-testing that the needy poor has to qualify for, but they love corporate welfare, most of which is a taxpayer giveaway to businesses who don't need it.

The government that they want to shrink or eliminate, is the same one they quietly have their hands out to for corporate welfare assistance. So if the government is eliminated, who will pay their corporate welfare????? And they want their country back - but from whom? Who took it and when did they lose it?

Oh I know, they lost it when half-black Obama became President and their simpleton minds infected with fissures of racism, couldn't handle it.

But they weren't concerned about losing their country when Bush was robbing them blind with 2 unfunded wars, 2 unfunded tax cuts which mainly benefited the top 2%, and other crimes and misdemeanors. Neither were they concerned when he squandered the $200 billion budget surplus Clinton left him, and saddled Obama with a $1.4 trillion deficit when he left.

Now that they have the House back, we'll see how well they do with their 'free-market' idiocy and other inane sloganeering.

God is Paying All Reparations Due Me

2010-11-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

As I travel, I'm reminded that each of us has visited and walked on lands where our ancestors were enslaved, whether in this country or in Caribbean lands like Barbados or Jamaica.

I've often wondered, what happened to the unpaid wages (with compound interest) that is due our ancestors for their slave labor? On a basic level, we know that this unearned wealth enabled countries like America and Great Britain to become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and expectations.

Note: the most conservative estimates places the present value of these compounded unpaid wages at $5 - $10 trillion (not incl. the costs of Jim Crow evils nor the costs of present day discrimination.)

http://cas.umkc.edu/econ/economics/faculty/Forstater/688/Reading/Black%20Political%20Economy/EconomicsReparations.pdf

We also know that the God we serve Who is all-knowing, all-seeing and absolutely just, laid down His laws about sowing and reaping, and they apply to all countries and people on earth.
So every cent of unpaid wages (with interest) due our ancestors, has been, is being, and will continue to flow to us and our descendants forever, or until paid. Our paychecks. retirement checks, self-employed earnings etc., are actually coming from these unpaid wages. (without our ancestors, we wouldn't be here to be educated, earn a paycheck and be able to retire)

On a macro level, these wages are deposited by our Creator God in virtual (karma) escrow accounts on behalf of each of our enslaved ancestors....every cent of their unpaid wages will be deposited and paid to their descendants, and each drop of blood shed by them and every indignity endured by them, will be avenged.

This is the bigger picture that we seldom think about, but we need to be comforted by....

".and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." Prov. 13:22.

"...for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" Rom. 12:19

One Year + 2 Months - For Murder

2010-11-06T11:18:00.001-07:00

"Johannes Mehserle, the former Bart police officer who killed Oscar Grant on the platform of the Fruitvale station on New Year's day 2009, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry gave Mehserle credit for 292 days already served, which reduced the amount of time Meherle will serve to 'just over a year and 2 months'."

It's an old, old story of miscarriages of justice when it comes to the lives of blacks at the hands of the criminal justice system - this outrage happened in Oakland, Ca., and was tried in Los Angeles, Ca.

This case is no exception and there were no surprises in this one. It should be noted that NFL Quarterback, Michael Vick, got more prison time for killing dogs he bred for fighting, than Mehserle got for murdering a human being, Oscar Grant.

If America ever wakes up to what she is building up in the sky-high wall of karma and "reaping" for her crimes against blacks from the day the first one was imported here to be a slave, it will be way too late to avoid the certain judgement that is in store for her.

IMHO the judgement has already begun, but America is too racist and ignorant to realize it.

The Judge did just what his societal peers wanted and expected him to do - always be on the side of the police no matter how egregious their actions, especially when it comes to the loss of life or the freedom of a black victim.

Well done Judge Perry! - you will be able to continue happily on with your country club golf membership and with your Synagogue or Church membership, and with your judgeship in the Superior Court . The people who count in your world are applauding your decision right now - you've done right by them.

But most importantly, have you done right by God - the Creator of Oscar Grant? And will He hold you and your applauders responsible for his blood? - when and where and how????

It's a certainty that you and they, will answer to God in due time...and if not, then there is no God (but don't count on it)...

How Stupid is Stupid?

2010-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well the question certainly has been answered, the mostly white electorate voted in the Rethugs again, along with some new anarchist Teabaggers. These are the same Rethugs that offshored the jobs and plundered the treasury that supported the middle class the past 40 years, and sent the economy headed straight to the bottom.

As they usually do to blacks, they gave Obama the worst job - to clean up the wreckage left behind by the Bush criminals. They admit he averted the crash, (and he also reduced Bush's $1.4 trillion deficit by $200 billion), but their inner racist redneck DNA couldn't stand the fact that he is black and occupying their white house (the color symbolism is inescapable). So in less than 2 years, they gave the House back to the criminals who savaged the economy in the first place, and in so doing they got rid of 2 of the most progressive middle class advocates in Congress - Russ Feingold and Allan Grayson.

How stupid is that? - Stupid is as Stupid does!

Note to Dems and the President: you deserved to lose.....

You were not progressive at all - you preferred to try and compromise with the Rethugs and water down everything to appease them. What did it get you? - not one of their votes!- and a loss of control of the House..

You stupidly did not include a Public Option when you had a chance to - instead you passed a watered-down Healthcare bill without one Repug vote! So it's clear you could have included it, but didn't.

You had a chance to investigate and ban the privately owned Diebold voting machines, but you didn't, so now you will never know how many votes were stolen from you and if your loses were real or faked.

You did not investigate the crimes of the Bush regime when you had the House, so now the Rethugs will investigate you and maybe impeach you.

You allowed that spineless, gutless, Harry Reid to be the Senate leader and he kowtowed to every filibuster the Rethugs threw at him. He didn't have the balls for the job and you knew it, but you let him have it anyway.

And to rub salt in the wound - Tim Scott, the first black Representative since Reconstruction was elected in So. Carolina as a Teabagging Repug, and he vows to repeal your Healthcare Legislation.

Good luck the next two years - you did not take enough progressive stances that would have energized the Progressive Independents to come out and vote - so you lost. You're now stuck with the Moderates, the DNC, the Blue-Dog Dems, and the Teabaggers who hate you - you deserve them all.

And today you said you would compromise with the Rethugnants who now rule the House. Less than 1 hour later, the winning Teabagging anarchist, Marco Rubio said, "hell no! - no compromise, we're sticking to our principles", and sambo Michael Steele parroted the same rebuff, "we're sticking to our principles!"

So Obama you've been kicked again because you still haven't learned that it's not just politics with your enemies, it's ideology and principle, and they (unlike you), don't compromise on those....

Tea-Partyers, Sports and Politics

2010-11-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

Professional Sports and Politics are two minefields that blacks have always had to tread very softly and carefully in. Those blacks that have risen to the top in these areas, have always had to live with the possibility of being targeted, scorned, slandered, rebuffed or undermined, because whites cannot accept blacks that have gotten too big or too rich, particularly if they are bigger and richer than they.

What does Randy Moss, Donovan McNabb, Allen Iverson, Tiger Woods, President Obama, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, Tarvaris Jackson, Martin Luther King, Albert Hanesworth, LeBron James, Maxine Waters, Ron Washington, Adam Clayton Powell, Plaxico Burress, have in common? - they were or are, prominent black sports or political figures who had gotten too big, too rich, or both, and have been censured and slandered by the populist mindset that says, "when it comes to these blacks, we're taking back our sports and country back, by bringing them down!"

And what were they trying to bring them down for? - mostly for being too outspoken, unfairly scapegoated, minor infractions made into major outrages, slanderous and untrue characterizations, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, bad choices, etc., - things whites routinely got a pass on, or if criticized, it was done very minimally and reluctantly.

Ever since President Obama announced his intent to run for President in 2007, you could feel the palpable resentment towards blacks in general gradually begin to build. And when it was clear that he had a better than even chance to win, it really intensified for blacks across the board.

Now, just 20 months into his presidency, you can easily see the white Tea-Party backlash of hate, fear, resentment and ignorance, that has spread to black sports figures as well as to other black politicians. The Tea party racist mindset has always been there, but since the Civil Rights Era, it had largely lay dormant until Reagan opened the door for it to emerge again with some respectability in the 1980s.

Now in spite of President Obama's reduction of Bush's $1.416 trillion deficit to $1.291 trillion, his Stimulus program creating $1.4 million jobs, and his tax cuts going to 90% of the citizens, he is being pilloried for losing the House, barely holding on to the Senate, and a high unemployment rate.

And worse, the Rethugs who almost sank the ship of state under Bush, have been empowered again by the racist Teapartyers and their enablers, who lost the most before, and have the most to lose now.

Most of them had their 'wealth' in their homes, other real estate, and their pension funds. From 2006-2009 that wealth declined a staggering $14 trillion under Bush!!

Karma is truly a bitch and history WILL repeat itself....

Whom Do You Trust...In?

2010-10-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday is being billed as the real referendum on President Obama's 21 months in office. During this time he has been slandered as a communist, socialist, anarchist, anti-colonialist, fascist, racist, Kenyan, anti-American, anti-freedom loving, Anti-Christ, interloper and usurper of the office of the President. The other names he has been called, can easily fill this page if they were to be all listed.

If the MSM pundits are to believed, he has earned a dismal C- on his report card, his poll numbers are at an all-time low, and he will be rebuked by his party's loss of control in both the House and the Senate. This is their view in spite of the fact that he has accomplished more legislatively, and in the shortest amount of time, than any previous president in our history.

Yet amid all the Repugnant obstructionism to his policies, their treachery in opposing life saving programs like National Health Care for all citizens, their opposition to extending unemployment benefits to suffering families, etc., it appears that the majority of white Americans will stupidly and ignorantly choose to return control again to the party that savaged and disbanded their middle class status, especially during the 20 yr. reign of the Reagan, Bush I and Bush II regimes. How stupid is that???

And as much as blacks are constantly maligned and marginalized as worthless simpletons, at least they have had the intelligence and smarts to vote consistently and overwhelmingly for those leaders who had their best middle-class interests at heart. In my lifetime that would be Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton, and Obama.

Next week blacks will again vote overwhelmingly for President Obama and the Dems as the best bet to fix the wreckage left behind by Bush and his band of war criminals. We'll see how many so-called superior whites and their Asian and Latino allies, will be smart enough to also vote in their best interests, or will they hasten their own destruction by voting for and installing a host of ignorant Tea-bagging anarchists and racists to govern them instead.

60 million of them choose the pathetic, moronic duo of Palin and McCain in 2008, how many will vote next week for imbeciles similar to or worst than these two?

I guess in a few days we'll find out how smart they really are....

And in spite of them, I can't forget that Jesus prayed, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven..."

This is who and what I trust in, no matter what they do at the polls next week...

The Tangled Web of Sexual Offenders

2010-10-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just wrote about the porn-based sexual harassment of Anita Hill by Clarence Thomas, and his wife's recent attempt to extort an admission from Hill that she lied on her husband.

The ink was barely dry when NPR analyst, Juan Williams, tried to pander to Fox's right-wing nuts via the O'Reilly show, and say that he has this fear of anyone dressed as a Muslim when he travels. Besides it being a punkish, idiotic and stupid thing to say in trying to gin-up anti-Muslim fervor, it also reminded me that not only has Juan been a right-wing ideologue masquerading as a liberal for many years, but he too has a checkered past that intersects with Clarence Thomas around the same time of his confirmation hearings in the early 90s.

Just after the hearings started, Juan wrote an Op-Ed in the Washington Post accusing Anita Hill of lying about being sexually harassed by his buddy, Clarence Thomas. What he and the Post failed to disclose, was that he had just been accused of the same kind of sexual harassment by 50 of his female colleagues at the Washington Post newspaper where they worked. To keep his job he was forced to write an apology which was printed in the paper. So his attack on Hill on Clarence Thomas' behalf was bogus, disingenuous and self-serving. He like Thomas were two peas in a pod when it came to the unwanted acts of sexually harassing females.

So his firing from NPR for violating his contract terms prohibiting him from appearing on Fox programs while being identified as an NPR analyst, was justified and long over due. Not only was he justly fired from NPR, but he should never have been hired by them in the first place, considering his sordid background. He also should have been fired from the Washington Post 20 years ago, for a far more serious lack of good judgment. Is it a coincidence that his present and past misbehavior have come to light again, around the same time that his buddy's sordid past has been uncovered and exposed to the light again? - I think not!

...Let's just call it well-deserved Karma for both of them, that was way past and long over-due! They both should be listed as registered sex offenders in the National Database which tracks those things.

A Cheating Thomas? - No Doubt!

2010-10-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Apparently old uncle Thomas did! - not only did Anita Hill testify to the kinky fetishes and sexual harassment by the married head of the EEOC, but now 19 years later, a former girlfriend who admits she was intimate with him, believes every word of Anita's testimony and corroborates it. She also remembers his obsession with porn and his fixation on the bra sizes of his female employees. He even had her come to the EEOC offices to check out Anita Hill, perhaps as a prelude to a future 3-way group orgy that he was fantasizing about.

This is the black slime ball that Papa Bush nominated and installed to replace the venerable and scholarly Thurgood Marshall, on the Supreme Court. A black face, with a lust to be white, married to a white woman, and sexually harassing black women - this was the wreckage that blacks were insulted with and affronted with as a replacement for Marshall. This was the right-wing's middle-finger to blacks and the progress won by the Civil Rights movement that Thurgood was so much a part of, and responsible for the legal side of.

It would not be a stretch to believe that his wife Ginny, either made that call to Anita because of her Tea-bagging hatred of blacks in general and Anita in particular, or to embarrass her cheater husband, or because she was in an alcoholic stupor early in the morning of last Saturday. How else can you explain such an unseemly and ill-conceived phone call threat, by the wife of one of the justices of the Supreme Court?

Yea, uncle Thomas, you thought you got away with denying what happened, and you thought that your depraved history of porn-fueled sexual harassment would never catch up with you, but your wife opened the door for all the world to see and remember. Perhaps she tired of your kinky fixations and can no longer measure up to them nor tolerate them anymore. Or perhaps her Tea bagging activities requires her to 'out' the nearest negro as part of their racist mind-set and agenda. So tag, you're it! - Yes, maybe that's it!...

With these latest revelations, the Senate body which confirmed him, should now consider charging him with perjury and lying under oath. Then they should impeach him and remove him from the bench. But alas, Harry Reid doesn't have the cojones to buck the right-wingers in the Senate, so they won't do anything. It also would be nice if Thomas had the inner decency and integrity to resign since he's been exposed as a liar and a pervert, but that won't happen either.

So we're stuck with him for the short term, unless or until the Higher Power decides to remove him permanently - let's hope and pray for that....

Palin for Pres.???? - lol !

2010-09-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

From her reckless but admitted insistence on traveling by air from Texas to Alaska AFTER her water broke; to the down-syndrome child that was born and that she claims is hers, but others believe it secretly belongs to her abstinent daughter; to her ranting about abstinence-only for others, while this same 16 yr. old daughter was getting f****d and pregnant, AGAIN; to her astonishing revelation that she doesn't read newspapers; to her incoherent speech patterns that highlights how ignorant she really is; to her insistence on being interviewed only by fawning, sympathetic enablers like Fox faux-News; to her appalling ignorance of the fact that Africa is a Continent composed of over 40 countries, rather than being just one country; to her quitting her job as Governor of Alaska, midway through her term of office; to the large deficit she ran up and left to her city of Wasila while she was Mayor - this is the laughable, lip-sticked face of the TeaParty Express and would-be candidate for President, in 2012.

America is rightfully the laughing-stock of the world after this nut-job garnered 60 million votes as VP on one of the worst presidential pairings in over 100 years of political campaigns. Now to think that to millions and millions, she is still considered a credible, viable presidential candidate, is beyond comprehension, but illustrates that being a racist, being pathetically and pitifully ignorant, and being a sociopath and pathological liar as well, are notable christian virtues to her many supporters - ask Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, and Beck, how well it has worked for them.

LeBron, the President, and Us

2010-07-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a baseball fan of the Cleveland Indians, went to the game with his sister while wearing a Miami Heat basketball jersey with Lebron's #6 on it.

The so-called fans near them, became enraged upon seeing LeBron's jersey, and started directing derision, curses and spittle at the young couple. Finally security had to come and rescue them by escorting them out amid cat-calls, curses, objects being thrown etc. Fortunately they were white, but had they been black, who knows, there may have even been an attempted lynching.

Welcome to America, LeBron fans, and a further wake-up call to you, LeBron. You have been demonized for exercising your rights to free agency and making the decision to play elsewhere next season. For that lawful decision, you have reverted to being the big-black n***** that the Cleveland trash always felt you were, but kept quiet about because you were so useful to them. Now that you have gone, they feel free to vent their racial angst on you and anyone else that identifies with you.

But don't get it twisted, you are just experiencing a part of the larger picture of racist hate being directed at the President of the U.S. Racist America is now in full bloom with their slanderous, racist depictions of Obama as a communist, socialist, maoist, hitlarian fascist - all because he has the temerity to be BLACK and occupying their WHITE house. Even many who voted for him have now reverted to their basic racist instincts, and are now in full-scale revolt now that the pitifully ignorant and inept Bush, followed by the cartoonish and pathetically stupid, Palin and McCain, are no longer a threat to their survival. So it's clear that many of the white voters for Obama were merely the lesser-of-two-evil voters, with dumbbells Palin and McCain being the greater of the evils then.

Whatever negatives black celebrities, athletes, and just plain black folks are experiencing now, is the run-off from what is being directed at the black President by the racist minions who call themselves 'true' Americans. Their mask is off now - it took a Harvard educated Lawyer, Professor and Senator, to expose how they really feel about educated, intelligent blacks who have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps and achieved the pinnacle of the American dream and political power. They feel no better about the President and his Harvard educated wife, than they feel about the despised and demonized lower classes of blacks who they have permanently consigned to the social underclasses.

And worse, these racists are predominantly people who call themselves good 'christians', but can't even dredge up a smidgen of Christianity when it comes to black folks - whether weak or strong, rich or poor, educated or uneducated.

So you see, LeBron, we and you, have much more in common with the President, than we ever could have imagined.

Myths and Realities

2010-07-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Senator James Webb of Virginia, just wrote an article for the WSJ declaring that 'white privilege is a myth' and diversity instituted to counteract it, has put whites at a disadvantage and has marginalized many of them.

If white privilege is a myth, try asking white Q.B. Ben Roethlisberger who has been accused of criminal sexual assault, twice, in the past year by different women, and is still walking around un-indicted and has suffered only a mere slap on the wrist and a brief suspension by the NFL - contrast that with black Q.B. Michael Vick, who was accused of criminally assaulting dogs, and wound up convicted and serving time in a Federal Pen and forfeiting over $100 million in future salary.

Or ask the white women who benefitted most from the affirmative action laws of the 60s, which were originally intended for blacks but extended to include women, 99% of whom were white. In my company they were promoted from clerical and secretarial positions to managerial positions without an undergraduate degree, and leapfrogged over many qualified blacks who had degrees. And some were even promoted to V.P. positions depending on how avidly and enthusiastically they took care of their bosses personal needs.

Or the then 23-yr. old segregationist, Strom Thurmond, who raped the 16 yr old daughter of his family's black maid, and was able to cover up the rape and impregnation, and subsequent birth of his daughter throughout his entire political career spanning 70+years. Only after his death did we find out about her when she wrote a book on her life and her father's, and toured to promote the book.

Or ask the 4 white officers who savagely beat Rodney King (on tape) in the 90s, and were acquitted by an all-white jury...

Or ask OJ Simpson, who was acquitted criminally, but was hurriedly convicted civilly by an all-white jury, and subsequently jailed 13 years later on charges of stealing his own memorabilia....

Or ask black wide-receiver Plexico Burris, jailed (at the insistence of a white, Jewish mayor intent on burnishing his tough-on-crime creds) in state prison for shooting himself in a night club with his own gun....

Or ask Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton - all whites who have been arrested repeatedly for drunken DUIs, spousal assaults, no driver's licenses etc. and released to repeat it over and over again (without even running afoul of California's 3-strikes law)...

Or ask the white transit cop in Oakland, who recently murdered a black suspect in cold blood as he lay face-down on the ground defenselessly, but given only an involuntary manslaughter conviction by a mostly white jury instead of the 1st degree murder verdict that was deserved. He got away with it because he claimed he was reaching for his stun gun but grabbed his pistol instead, and accidentally used it on the suspect...

Or ask Dan Gilbert, the spurned owner of the Cleveland Cavs, who wasn't even decent enough, grateful enough, nor gracious enough to thank his best Buck, LeBron, for the 7 long years he labored on the Cavs plantation, and for the multiple millions he brought onto the coffers of his Master. Instead he excoriated and 'dissed him publicly as a slaveholder might, upon learning his best slave had opted to gain his freedom and was running away to greener pastures.

Or ask the Tea Partyers who know if they were black, they would never be allowed to carry guns to rallies, hoist racist anti-white signs, spit on white congresspersons, nor engage in all the other outrages that are routine for whites but would never be allowed for blacks.

Yes, white privilege is indeed alive and well, and works wonderfully for whites when they desire to access and exercise their privileges....

Just A Garden Variety Racist? - of Course!

2010-07-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

By now everyone who has a pulse has heard the profane diatribes uttered by actor, Mel Gibson, directed towards his live-in girlfriend with whom he fathered a child.

What is notable and instructive to me, is not what the talk shows are primarily focusing on and commenting on - his abusive, controlling, sexist profanity leveled at his girlfriend. What they missed or ignored, is the fact that Gibson is an All-American racist pig...a garden variety racist that has no problem spewing his racist feelings towards blacks and hispanics, and uses them to invoke criminal imagery that he hopes will intimidate and scare his girlfriend into doing what he wants her to do.

His racist mindset is the All-American kind that so many whites in this country are afflicted with. Of course, all who have this affliction are suffering from a severe mental disorder that is mostly undiagnosed and under reported - the racist Teapartyers are a prime examples of those who have this affliction. But Gibson also claims to be a devout adherent of Christianity that promotes love of each other rather than hate. So his racist feelings towards non-whites is the height of hypocrisy and duplicity.

The talk-show hosts have barely commented on this aspect of his racist, sexist ranting, preferring instead to focus on the abusive aspects of his relationship with his girlfriend. This is the typical avoidance of discussing racism that many whites employ, maybe because it hits too close to them and their own personal circles. But his profane references to n*****s and wet****s, signaled to me that he has a profound mental disorder, which is the underpining for his sexism and probably his hatred of women. That's the real story - one that TBN and others missed when they were lauding and lapping up his movie "The Passion of The Christ" which he produced several years ago.

Even his ex-wife just came out and defended him by saying, that he never showed any of these signs during the 28 years of their marriage. Of course she's lying, but I understand why she said it - a woman who is depending on a wealthy man for alimony and child support for 7 children, wants to ensure that he keeps paying, and that he does not get prosecuted and perhaps even jailed, for assaulting his current girlfriend or anyone else.

So she becomes an enabler, along with his fawning fans like Whoopi Goldberg, who are willing to overlook his racist core, because he is one of them and many probably also feels the same way he does.

Whether rich or poor, he's just another GVR....

The Promised Land??

2010-07-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not really shocked nor surprised at Cleveland's owner, Dan Gilbert, and his intemperate comments and on-line letter posted to the Cavalier's web-site following LeBron's announcement.

It reminds me of the reaction most slaveholders had when their slaves were freed from their involuntary servitude at the end of the Civil War - "How dare they leave the wonderful life we provided for them? - If it wasn't for us, they would still be savages in Africa swinging from the trees in the jungle - they are totally ungrateful! - we even noticed that in the last couple of years they quit on us, probably figuring they would be freed soon - they will regret leaving because they will carry our curse on them wherever they go - where is their love for us and appreciation for the free clothing, food and shelter we provided all their lives? - We should have been more firmer with them, something like tough-love, so they would not want to leave us even if they were legally freed...."

Compare the slaveholder's reaction to the quotes from the interview and letter to the fans by Gilbert -

"...our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment."

"You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal. - You have given so much and deserve so much more." "I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels."

"Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. - Sorry, but that's simply not how it works. This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become."

"The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma."

"It's not about him leaving. It's the disrespect. It's time for people to hold these athletes accountable for their actions. Is this the way you raise your children? I've been holding this all in for a long time. "

"He has gotten a free pass," Gilbert said in a phone interview with The AP. "People have covered up for [James] for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is."

"He quit," Gilbert said. "Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar."

"LeBron James needs to go to another team with two superstars already so he can win a championship," Gilbert said. "We will win a championship before [the Heat] do."

"Gilbert said he now wishes he had done some things differently with James, who spent seven seasons with the Cavs..."

The comments by Gilbert are those of typical white supremecists, whose self-centered view of the world cannot conceive of blacks rejecting their crumbs, their supposed goodwill, their entreaties, etc. All of this is viewed by whites as disloyal, ungrateful, disrespectful, gross ingratitude, a betrayal, and to make it worse in their view, Lebron even dared to walk away from the $30 million more he would have been paid had he stayed.

Astonishingly, Gilbert even invoked religious imagery of Heaven and how you had to die to get there, as a metaphor for saying that LeBron didn't put in enough time, didn't work hard enough and struggle enough in Cleveland, before he could expect to reach the promised land of Heaven (an NBA championship).

Notice how he also mockingly called him "King" [James] and how he used the same racist, dismissive term, "chosen one", that was used against President Obama by his opponents, during and after his presidential run. And notice how Gilbert conveniently forgot to thank LeBron for the billions he made from the hundreds of sold-out games and millions from ancillary sales - solely due to the presence of LeBron on the Cavalier's roster.

LeBron James is very fortunate that he made the right decision to exercise his right of free agency, and leave the Cavaliers for Miami. Had he not done so, he might never have known how racist, patronizing, and unappreciative, the owner and many of the Cleveland 'fans' really are.

The Promise

2010-06-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 29th,

Today would have been the 70th wedding anniversary of my parents, had they both lived.

I was born exactly one year and 2 days later, on July 1st, and I can only imagine the joy my parents (particularly my father) experienced at my arrival, since he was the only one of his 5 brothers and sisters who had not had any children by their mid-forties.

They both had immigrated from different lands to this country, for the promise of opportunities and a better life. I'm sure they had heard the stories of vicious, violent racial segregation which was the way of life, primarily in the South, but that did not deter them from coming because they believed that with God's providence and help, they would be able to overcome anything and everything. By coming to New York they avoided much of the vilest discrimination, but still had to deal with whatever version existed 'up North', in New York.

I'm sure they did not know all of the history of this country when they came, and I'm also sure had they known, it wouldn't have deterred them anyway, since the country offered so much promise compared to most other places. This 'promise' still exists as it did then, but it consistently fails to be realized because of this country's insane, racist, imperialist, 'manifest destiny' mindset.

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the radio in the background, and hearing that we've just lost the life of another American soldier in Afghanistan - 51 in the month of June, so far. And then I hear that we are also celebrating the anniversary of our excursion in Korea, where we lost 49,000 soldiers. Later on today, doubtlessly I will hear about more losses of life in Iraq and wherever else we have chosen to invade preemptively.

The amazing thing is that so many whites, even well-meaning progressives, have delusionally accepted this insane foreign policy as just a benign attempt to “bring democracy to help 'them'...the Iraqis and the Afghans and...”

Happily, I know of few blacks who have deluded themselves that we are doing this to help 'them' while killing them in the process as Bush criminally did, first in Afghanistan then in Iraq, and which Obama continues to do in both places and justifies as “ a war of necessity” and being “essential to our national interests”.

Meanwhile our capital resources are being squandered in these war waste-holes, our economy is in shambles, our unemployment is in double-digits, our infrastructure continues to go unattended, the corporate assassins continue to befoul the earth and oceans as BP is doing in their oil gusher in the gulf of Mexico disaster. And through all this, the Repugnants who call themselves Republicans, treasonously resists and obstructs any and all measures that the President offers as a solution to these horrific problems.

Welcome to America with it's toxic stew of racist teapartyers, rednecks, idealists, apologists, congressional whores, pimping lobbyists, regressive activist judges, fundamentalist religious pharisees, warmongers, zionists, white supremacists – all standing in the way and trying to thwart 'the promise' that my parents envisioned and sought for themselves and for my sisters and me.

What keeps me hopeful, is the same promise that my parents sought and saw here in America. What gives me the most hope is the knowledge that God, my Creator, has the final say on what happens in America and in every other land on earth.

This is His promise – that His Will, will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven...Amen.

Dead or Alive?????

2010-06-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today is June 25th, one year to the day since the alleged passing of Michael Jackson. I say 'alleged', because I don't particularly believe that he actually 'died', given his penchant for secrecy and otherworldly occurrences.

I have not been investigating it as I did the OJ case, but there are so many odd, unexplained events leading up to and since his 'death', and as yet I have not seen positive, convincing proof that he died as alleged, and I don't trust the media reports or the family's statements, which are basically all we have as proof.

There are also a number of books and videos that also suspect that his death was faked, but those are not what has led me to believe what I do. It's a general unease about all the events that transpired last year that bothers me, and I know if you have enough money and connections, you can fake virtually anything.

My guess is he will reappear from his great escape sometime in 2011, and if he does appear, we'll have a lot more to say about this.....

the 'Tiger' Is On The Prowl Again

2010-04-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, after 144 days of Golfdom losing millions waiting for their cash cow to return from his self-imposed exile, Tiger teed-off to the applause of the large gallery. Most of them probably wished they could have lynched him sometime in the past 10 years, when his rampaging of defenseless white bimbo trash, began. So their applause now is the usual profit-before-principle hypocrisy, that whites usually routinely engage in.

His self-titled Cablanasian ass managed to par the first hole, even after such a long layoff, so all must be well on the well-manicured racist greens of Augusta National Golf Club, which took a red-necked snail's pace to admit blacks, and still haven't found the courage to admit women. And the Chairman of Augusta, had the gall to chide and chastise Tiger for his poor conduct, while completely ignoring the poor conduct of discriminating against women, practiced by his own Golf Club.

Perhaps they applauded because they can reasonably expect that his prowling will now be limited to his wife, given the adverse publicity that his recent activities have garnered.

It should be noted that if he had not had his insane penchant for white bimbos, but instead opted for an attractive, worthy black woman, he would not be in this predicament - she would have drained any need for him to stray from her loins - look how well it worked for President Obama.

But his Cablanasian ass was too stupid to understand that it was not about what he considered himself to be, but how white folks viewed him and would treat him. Now, for the rest of his golfing life, he will be scorned, whispered about, reviled and mocked, particularly after he loses his skills and can't be pimped anymore.

..All this 'makes me wanna holler'!...

Change You Can Believe In? - This Is It!

2010-03-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

In December, I graded President Obama's 1st year as a 'B,' and noted that it was one of the most, productive 1st years of any previous presidency.

Today, on his monumental, historical, unprecedented, accomplishment in pushing through the Healthcare Reform legislation and signing it, (without one Repugnant vote of support), he earned an A+++! Those who awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize, were far smarter and intuitive, than those who said he had not done anything yet.

The Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..." Above all, the single best way to achieve this, is through good health and Healthcare availability. This is why Healthcare is a right, and not a privilege.

It's now the law of the land, and from here it can be improved on, and hopefully will be.

The biggest single improvement I hope for, is to make it into a universal, single- payer, not-for-profit plan, that will be available to all citizens from day-1 of their lives.

Real Persons vs. Faked Persons

2010-01-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

The law of sowing and reaping has never been more evident than in the recent supreme court ruling - granting personhood to non-human corporations.

I believe that God has caused this abomination because His justice requires that those who denied the full personhood of His human creations who are black, have to now accept the personhood of corporations who are not even human. This denial of personhood was not only applied to blacks in this country, but in the countries victimized by our foreign policy as we sought cheap resources, labor and land, such as in Haiti. Haiti's current condition is a direct result of our interventionist foreign policies toward it, along with the foreign policies of other European imperialists, such as the French.

Some are calling it a major threat to democracy and rightly so, but it's the 'sowing' of the historical, horrendous, inhuman, denial of personhood to blacks, which now is about to be 'reaped' in having to recognize the humanness of non-human corporations.

With their unlimited financial resources and their increased ability to buy any or all of our democratic institutions and representatives as they see fit, these fake human corporations will demonstrate another precept of God - "The love of Money is the root of all evil"

I predict, we will soon see the awesome truths of these precepts as we have never seen them before!....

Is Democracy For Sale?

2010-01-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

Ever since the Supreme Court decision yesterday, granting 1st amendment human rights of speech also to corporations, it became legal for them to buy a congressperson, a senator or a President directly from their treasuries, in other words, buy the country.

Those in the know, now realize that the tremendous wealth of these corporations enables them to 'speak' by purchasing those legislators they want to do their bidding. Also foreign corporations will apparently be granted this right as well, so foreigners will also have a say in whom is elected to Congress and who is not - the best 'democracy' any one's money can buy.

Well, the thought occurred to me that this abuse and attack on the democratic process is the logical 'sowing and reaping' that is long overdue for the centuries of denial of democracy and human rights to black slaves and others non-whites, which started before the founding of this country right up until the 1960s. It's perhaps poetic justice that democracy is now officially for sale just as slaves were also for sale - "...what you have sown, you shall surely also reap.."

The Power of Images - 2009

2010-01-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

White folks control the image-making mediums such as the movies, television, videos, and print/newspapers and magazines, and utilizes a powerful ability to shape the perceptions about blacks for whites, and even for blacks...

2009 started with one of the most powerful, positive images, for and of black folks - the swearing-in and installation of Barack Obama, to the office of President of the U.S., and the first black President, ever.

The fact that blacks are only 11% of the population and less than 5% of the voters, meant that most of those who supported him were whites, followed by a high percentage of other ethnic groups.

Looking back at 2009, it is useful to ask, what did whites achieve and get out of his election, and what purpose did it serve for them? I would argue that they attained a long-sought image of being racially tolerant, progressive, and free from their racist history which has existed since the beginnings of this country. This of course also meant that internationally, they could point to Obama's election as proof of their progressiveness and good intentions toward others. This has been a bonanza for promoting and advancing our efforts in the arena of foreign diplomacy, worldwide.

But with every positive step forward, there are usually several steps backward, and I point to just 3 that were particularly offensive and onerous to me...

- The green-lighting, financing, and distribution of the movie "Precious", which offered some of the most negative stereotypes of blacks ever seen in a movie, ....another powerful image-destroyer of the black family...

- The over-the-top build-up and hype of the talented Tiger Woods, for the past 15 years, starting from when he was an amateur and then becoming the best pro golfer and the world's 1st billion dollar athlete. All this was followed by one of the most intense and vicious destruction of his image, when he was revealed to be a serial adulterer with a long list of white bimbos, to the embarrassment of his Swedish wife....another powerful image-destroyer of the black athlete...

- The recent February, 2010 issue of 'Vanity Fair', with it's cover photo of Tiger Woods, upper torso naked and darkened, and wearing the knit cap commonly worn by prison inmates. This 'darkening' also occurred on the cover of a prominent magazine, when OJ was on trial in 1996. Neither of these darkened images were unplanned, but were very deliberately placed for maximum effect.

- The terrorist 'attempt' by a black Nigerian to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas day - not only were the warnings about him strangely ignored by those in charge of our security, but he was suspiciously allowed to buy a ticket (paying cash and without any baggage) and board the plane in just a tee-shirt, headed to Detroit in the height of winter. In the many pictures of him that have been posted after his arrest, he looks just like an average young black man on the streets of any of our American cities - another powerful image destroyer of black males....

I am viewing these as the push-back by white supremacists against the hugely positive image created by Obama's election to the presidency. I suspected that there would be a reaction, but I was not prepared for the scope and the intensity of their fury. They were not going to let such a positive image stand, without highlighting and promoting multiple negative images to counteract the positive ones.

If you doubt that white supremacists have the power to create and build-up, then destroy and tear-down, as they choose, I offer these examples as proof....

Obama's 1st Year's Grade

2009-12-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

It's now the end of 2009 and almost 1 year has passed since President Obama assumed the office of the presidency. It's been a year of turmoil, both financially and politically, unlike anything I have seen since I have been alive. It is also the first time in 8 years that I did not have to suffer the embarrassment of having an incompetent as president of the US, and our country being the laughingstock of the world.

The things that I would downgrade him for, was his renewal of the Patriot Act, his renewal of FISA, his decision to send additional troops into Afghanistan, and his refusal to prosecute the criminals of the previous administration who approved torture and all manner of other violations of International and US law.

For these I would give him a grade of C.....

On the other hand, there were many notable things that he did achieve, the most recent was being awarded the most prestigious award in the world - the Nobel Peace Prize. Earlier in the year he also nominated and secured the appointment of the 1st Latina Supreme Court Justice, he fulfilled his campaign pledge to begin the daunting process of reforming healthcare in America, and he achieved a host of other legislative actions that had been neglected or denied by the previous administration. He has had many critics, both on the Right and on the Left, but at least one source correctly saw that his was one of the best 1st years in office that any previous president has had..

....from The BradBlog - http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7595

Continued the draw down the misbegotten war in Iraq
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Thoughtfully and decisively picked the best of several bad choices regarding the war in Afghanistan
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Gave a major precedent-setting speech supporting gay rights
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Restored America's image around the globe
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Banned torture of American prisoners
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Stopped the free fall of the American economy
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Put the USA squarely back in the bilateral international community
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Put the USA squarely into the middle of the international effort to halt global warming
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Stood up for educational reform
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Won a Nobel peace prize
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Moved the trial of terrorists back into the American judicial system of checks and balances
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Did what had to be done to start the slow, torturous and almost impossible process of health care reform that 7 presidents had failed to even begin
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Responded to hatred from the Right and Left with measured good humor and patience
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Stopped the free fall of job losses
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Showed immense personal courage in the face of an armed and dangerous far Right opposition that included the sort of disgusting people that show up at public meetings carrying loaded weapons and carrying Timothy McVeigh-inspired signs about the "blood of tyrants" needing to "water the tree of liberty"...
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

Showed that he could not only make the tough military choices but explain and defend them brilliantly
(But that wasn't good enough for his critics)

For all these first-term achievements, I would give him a grade of A....

IMHO, His overall grade for his first year is a B to a B+, and I fully expect it to rise to a grade of A by the end of his 4-yr. term in office.

Time Out - Tiger Says!!

2009-12-13T03:54:00.000-08:00

Well, the Tiger just announced that he was suspending his prowling on the PGA tour...and presumably in the bars and nightclubs where he picked up a bevy of flaxen-haired, blond hotties whom he clearly has a preference for, and who are just as unaccomplished as his nordic wife.

When you marry a woman for the wrong reasons, you are bound to get bored and restless, even if she is the mother of your two children. And apparently he was very bored! - so much so that he recklessly left traceable text-messages, and voicemails on the phones of a bunch of one-dimensional sperm cups, and now is paying millions for their silence. If only he had his head on straight and had a preference for the many attractive, accomplished Sisters available, it's almost guaranteed that he would not be in this mess today.

You would think that palling around with certified 'playas' like Barkley and Jordan, would have taught him a thing or two about how to 'play' with discretion and minimal exposure and risk. Instead, he displayed all the street smarts of a Monk gone wild on vacation. Reportedly he did not even use condoms as he scraped the bottom of the barrel with his driver and his 9-iron.

Predictably, the American sports establishment is chagrined at being betrayed by one of their 'honorary' whites who had the temerity to 'diss' one of their beauties they allowed him to marry, by whoring around on her. Just a few years ago they would have lynched him for much less than this - and this is how he repays them??? There was also a time when he would not have been permitted to even enter the clubhouse doors, never mind play on their golf courses.

Now, beat writers are tripping over themselves in angst at the besmirching of their sport by Tiger -
"golf has always held itself on a higher moral plane as a sport ruled by principles of honor. Has any such publicity created a bigger stain on golf?", and, "the game of honor and integrity had been besmirched like at no other time in it's 500-year history. It is a stain that no amount of Clorox could remove."
This is the most laughable of all assertions...that golf could have been stained by Tiger's actions, notwithstanding their racist history of exclusion that did not end until 1961, when black golfer, Bill Spiller's 13-year court battle, finally permitted him and fellow blacks to play on the PGA tour.

What they probably are really pissed at, is the certain plunge in revenues that all phases of golf will experience while Woods is away from the game - from smaller gates, drops in TV ratings, smaller purses, decreased corporate sponsorships, decreased equipment sales, deceased Ad revenues; to tour players dropping back to the 'Peter Principle' salary levels, where they would have been had not Tiger come along in the first place.

Many of the golf pros grumbled at Tiger's greatness and invincibility whenever he played, now they have a lot more to grumble about while he's on his sabbatical - the longer he is gone the worst it will be for them. When he was on tour they loved to hate him, now that he is gone, they will love to have him back.

It now appears more and more, that Tiger was being beaten with a golf club by his wife, because of her fury at the published accounts of his infidelity. This is what caused him to run out of the house and take off in his SUV with no shoes on, just before the crash. Apparently his wife was running right behind him and succeeded in smashing out the rear windows in her fury. But by the time the authorities got there, the spousal battery of his wife on him, was turned into "her heroic rescue of him", thus saving her from being arrested and charged with spousal battery. Had he been the one beating her, he would have surely been arrested and gone to jail. Instead, she gets a pass plus millions of more dollars to stay in the marriage with him.

All the facts may never come out, but he made his bed and he has to lay in it.

A Prize For Peace - Or a Nobel War?

2009-12-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

As I listened to President Obama's speech, it struck me that his justification for the war he just expanded, is exactly what he had to say in order not to displease the powerful, elite, MIC ideologues who profit handsomely from our being constantly at undeclared war.

Do you think his life would be worth a plugged-nickel if he crossed them????

He is not a fool - he knows that they already murdered a sitting president plus his brother and two Civil Rights Activists, for crossing them by opposing the escalation of the Vietnam War; He knows that they warned Reagan with a faked assassination attempt when he strayed from their directives; he knows that they assaulted NYC and Washington, DC with massive air strikes that only they could have engineered and accomplished - all to provide a 'terrorist' rationale for war and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq...

He also knows that the recent security breech that allowed the 'party-crashers' to get close enough to kill him, was a thinly-veiled warning to let him know how easy it will be to take him out if it were ever necessary.

So it appears to me that President Obama is fighting to stay alive, while still trying to do some good for the people who supported him and even for those who did not - I don't envy his dilemma.

So don't get caught up in the hype that he could have ended the war by bringing the troops home, rather than choosing to expand it as he did - he may not have had that option because his life was on the line, and his first duty to himself and his family, is to stay alive!

How Dare You, Jesus!

2009-12-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

This is the month of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the only Eternal God and Creator of the Universe.....

But since His birth and earthly ministry, His teachings has created a conundrum and a dilemma for those Conservatives who consider America to be a 'Christian' nation, yet hate, resist and ignore most of His teachings, particularly those they consider to be too socialistic, too communistic, or too pacifistic.

When Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matt. 5:38-39), Conservatives reply, 'we consider this to be unrealistic - in fact we believe in capital punishment and Bush's doctrine of Preventive War that justified the bombing, invasion, and rape and pillaging of Iraq.'.....how dare you, Jesus!

When Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." (Mark 10:25), and in Matt. 6:19 He says "do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth", and a few verses later, in Matt. 6:24, He says "You cannot serve both God and Money". In Luke 6:24 He says, "woe to you who are rich." Conservatives reply to all this, 'we believe in being filthy rich and we love the tax cuts for the rich that Reagan and Bush lavished on us while the standard of living for the middle class and the poor worsened every year....and to expect us to 'sell everything we have and give to the poor' (Mark 10:17-22), is pure insanity - only a communist would expect us to consider doing something like that.....how dare you, Jesus!

So every year about this time, Conservatives of every stripe are reminded of how far from the teachings of Jesus they really are, and in no sense can they claim to be Christians or claim America to be a Christian nation.... Jesus says they are not, and how dare He?

Obama's War????

2009-12-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well, President Obama just fulfilled his campaign promise to send additional troops and expand the war in Afghanistan....much to the chagrin of many Liberal Progressives - many of whom are apoplectic with cries of, "we voted for change, and we are not getting it!"

Perhaps they didn't hear, or merely ignored Obama when he was campaigning - particularly in his Sept. '08 debate with McCain...he clearly said that the situation had eroded steadily there, and he would send in at least two brigades to shore up the deteriorating situation.

In fact, just 1 month after he took office, he sent 20,000 troops there as his first installment...now he has sent an additional 30,000 troops and an unknown number of support and logistical personnel. When they have arrived, we will have about 100,000 troops there, as well as at least 125,000 contractors.

Progressives want the troops to be brought home immediately because they see it as a hopeless mission, and that country has never been conquered by a foreign power in it's history. But we are not there to stop terrorism or the Taliban, we are there for other unstated reasons....

Like Bush, Obama can never say what are the real reasons for our being in Afghanistan, but here are a few -

- To secure and guard a right-of-way for the oil/gas pipeline which has already been started, and runs across the length of the country..

- To pacify the Generals who can only be pleased when there is war and they can be promoted...

- To provide a continuing stream of work and profits for big defense contractors and others of the MIC (military industrial complex), with profitable, no-bid contracts...and to provide a profitable bonanza for the oil companies which provides fuel for our military's needs...

- To control and profit from the world's largest narcotics growing area, from which the CIA derives most of it's funding for secret 'off-the-shelf' projects, and other mischief...

- To provide a military presence near the increasingly unstable Pakistani government, which has over 65 nukes in it's arsenal...

Will he start bringing them back in 18 months? - probably, if he really wants to be re-elected in 2010...but who really knows????...

MJ Docu: "Redeem or Fail To Acquit?"

2009-11-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

My buddy Nezet responded to the question this way -

A response to the Los Angeles Times Opinion section “Comments Blog” titled: ‘This Is It': Does the Michael Jackson documentary redeem or fail to acquit?

The title of the article is insulting and demeaning to Jackson and his family IMHO….tripe like this “'This Is It': Does the Michael Jackson documentary redeem or fail to acquit?” as a title gets neither benefit of the doubt nor station with me. It is intended to demean and be slanderous to Jackson. Like some of the comments made by folks to the article, and they are entitled to their opinion, after all, this is AmeriKKKa…and how some people will want to continually try Jackson in the court of public opinion and forever tie his acquitted cases to his musicianship is a red herring at best. If every artist’s personal life is to be a reflection on what they do for a profession (singing, acting, playing an instrument, etc.)…puh-leez…let’s pull out the tabloids and “true Hollywood” stories of some of our so-called stars of yesterday and current ones….oh, and let’s pull out the “race card” (even if Michael Steele is in the background shouting “NNNNnnnoooooo!!!”)…how is that white artists can have all kinds of “dirt”…be it sex with an underage person, DRUGS, car accidents, multiple marriages/divorces, etc. and that’s just the stuff we hear about…after living out in Cali and crossing paths with a few folks in the “industry” there is a lot of sheet going on that doesn’t make the press…I’m not having this crucifying of MJ to satisfy some inherent need of denouncing and demeaning him on trumped up charges by money-grubbing parents of some of these kids. MJ had problems…who doesn’t…we’re all human (well, I suspect some are reptilian but that’s a rant for another day!)…and on many cases I would say IMHO he had poor judgment in his actions as an adult (to put it mildly)…but I’ve yet to see or hear all these details of how he’s a serial child molester or how he had sexual activities with any of these kids. All I know is some families got PAID large (looked like, “Hey Johnny go spend a night with MJ, oh...he touched your arm at night…and he let you SLEEP in his bed…CHILD MOLESTATION!!! What’s that…oh, you’ll pay us $20 mil….okay, send over the check…thank you very much! Oh Johnny…he’s fine…LATAH!”). Yadda-yadda-yah!

Back to the movie…I liked it, it was sad and bittersweet to see a supreme talent like MJ at work…and how he treated his fellow dancers, musicians, staff…no boasting, no diva-behavior, no “this is my show dammit!”…frankly, a gentle human being who was a master at his craft, knew what he wanted…and I’ve no doubt the actual concert show would’ve been a monster (as in good)! He was a tragic figure, flawed by a skewed childhood (or lack thereof frankly)…and I’m probably in the minority when I put a LOT of the blame to his parents (not that I want to drag Katherine or Joe through the mud, wringer, etc.)…but despite all the success, money and materialism…as the parents you need to get a grip on your reality…so hopefully your kids can have one. But in the drive, and this is probably on Joe the most, to be successful in the music industry…MJ’s childhood and sense of “normalcy” was skewed from when he was like 7 or 8 years old…and we have all been witness to the result. Even his siblings have “issues” that I surmise from afar…the predictable multiple marriages/divorces…and “acting out” by many of them…the only one who seems to be fairly balanced is Rebbie…who you don’t hear about or see in the press…which is why she’s probably fairly “normal” but I’m just speculating on that idea.

I could go on but I think you get my take…MJ…a “force of Nature” as one friend put it…and I concur…never seen anyone like him before…and don’t know if we’ll ever see anyone like him again! May he RIP….

By “Nezet”

How To Protect Marriage

2009-11-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

I think it's absurd that the rabid right-wing is presuming to protect traditional marriages by supporting legislative bans on gay marriage or civil unions...this is like trying to promote cleaner air by banning air conditioners....Also, to think that marriages need protecting is laughable on it's face....

But to play along with their line of illogical thinking, I propose 5 ways to protect marriages while 'tongue is firmly ensconced and planted in cheek'...

1 Outlaw divorce - there is no better way to protect the institution of marriage..

2 Ban Viagra - except for married men and for procreative purposes only!..

3 Mandate arranged marriages - in much of the world this has worked best for centuries...

4 Levy a fee of $10,000 to obtain a marriage license - this way only the most committed, responsible and wealthiest citizens will marry....

5 Outlaw unmarried sex - if jail is mandated, it will provide a powerful incentive for responsible citizens to get married...

I am expecting an avalanche of congratulatory messages on my bold initiatives to preserve their non-issue, from the James Dobsons' of the world - but I'm not holding my breath!..

Achieving 'Scum Bag' Status

2009-11-05T02:11:00.000-08:00

One dictionary defines "scum-bag" as, "a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible..."

Among others, I would include the following right-wing blacks in this category - Clarence Thomas, Walter Williams, Juan Williams, Shelby Steele, Michael Steele, Kenneth Blackwell, Larry Elder, Armstrong Williams, Ken Hamblin, Roy Innis, Alan Keyes, Star Parker, Condoleeza Rice, Janice Rogers brown, Stephan Frazier, Rev. Jesse Lee Petersen....to name just a few...

Some say, "These guys don't really mean this stuff, and they are just saying and writing these things to get a paycheck." - I say if this is true, then they are worst than paid 'hos, and should apologize to the honest whores.

Others say, "Yes, they really mean this stuff deep down in their souls and heart of hearts" - if this is true, then I say they are traitors to our race, and no better than other traitors to our country.

So if they just vary from being 'dishonest' at best, and being 'traitorous' at worst, you can readily see how they have achieved this dubious distinction....

From Despair To Hope

2009-11-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

On the first anniversary of the election of President Barack Obama, it should be noted that it was a confluence of circumstances that worked positively for his candidacy and election.

I'm thinking back to 1999-2000 when Al Gore and Joe Lieberman ran against George Bush and Dick Chaney. Had Gore/Lieberman won and their tenure was not the disaster that Bush's was, it would have been impossible for Obama to have been nominated, and then elected president.

First, I wonder what kind of V.P. Lieberman would have made, given the scum-bag traitor/opportunist , we now know him to be. And worse, supposed Gore had conveniently died in office and Lieberman became President...what a disaster for this country and a bonanza for Israel and the predatory Healthcare Industry that would have been.

As much as I despised Bush/Chaney's candidacy and their Supreme Court appointment to the presidency, I was happy that Gore did not win due to his awfully poor judgment in choosing Lieberman as his V.P.

We know now what a disaster and catastrophe Bush's presidency has been, and were it not for that fact, and the desperation the electorate felt as the disaster engulfed us, they would not have voted in sufficient numbers to elect Obama as president.

So the back-slapping bragging about post-racialism etc., is just talk....Obama's election was due to and born out of, desperation and fear of the imminent sinking of this Republic's Titanic.

So far he has struggled mightily to undo and reverse the actions that were sinking this ship, and virtually no one believes that had Palin/McCain won, we would still be afloat.

We are still waiting for the wars to end, for healthcare legislation to pass, and a myriad of other promises to be fulfilled...hopefully by the second anniversary we will be able to collectively sigh and exhale in relief, and look forward to the promise of one of the best presidencies in the history of our country.

A Noble Effort Reaped A Nobel Prize

2009-10-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been, just a few days ago President Obama flew to Europe to make a personal appeal to the Olympic committee to award the 2016 games to America, and specifically to his hometown of Chicago. You would think that all Americans would have applauded his attempt to sway them in favor of our country. But not the rabid conservative right-wing, who frothed with their collective mouths and railed at him for "leaving his pressing duties here to make the trip there." So it was not too surprising when the committee awarded the games to a country and a continent that never had it before, Brazil and So. America, that the wackos erupted in an orgy of celebration that Obama had failed in his attempt to bring the games here.

These are the same hypocrites that like to trumpet their patriotism and alleged love of country at every drop of the hat - they are as phony as their family value pretensions that has been consistently getting exposed of late, as news of a string of their adulterous relationships has been popping up almost non-stop. But they see no disconnect in their apparent lack of patriotism and even less of family values, from the virtues they pretend to have.

The repugs disgraceful display of glee at what they viewed as a European 'snub' of Obama, was topped today when we all awoke to the fantastic news that President Obama had been awarded the most prestigious of all awards, the Nobel Peace Prize. The world body apparently viewed Obama's fledgling peace efforts to have been so significant and important, that they chose him above other worthy candidates, to bestow this ultimate honor for his efforts. This was a pleasant surprise to most of the 70 million who voted for Obama, but it was a day of mourning, outrage, and apoplectic angst for millions of his detractors, including most of the MSM, who are supposed to just report the news, not make it. Leading the charge, was the black, figure-head chairman of the Repugnants, Michael Steele, who reportedly had this to say -

"Says Steele: “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’ It is unfortunate that the President’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain - President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.”

This is the bile and swill that came out of this fool's mouth on the very day that the 1st black president in the history of this country was honored. His reaction is even more onerous than that of the real hardcore racists who inhabit every inch of this party, and who reacted with predictable outrage and disdain - what a pitiful piece of human waste and a Sambo, Steele has shown himself to be.

Well, the world is way more appreciative of Obama's extraordinary dedication to the principals of international diplomacy and to the cause of peace for the preservation of this planet. His many hate-filled opponents are so brain-dead, that they can't even understand and appreciate, that the award was bestowed on President Obama on behalf of ALL the American people.

The world peace body has spoken with this award, and has simultaneously sent a message of approval of our new President, and a rebuke and thumbs-down to the previous administration which lawlessly detained and tortured others, and illegally eavesdropped on many of us for most of 8 years.

Congratulations, President Obama!

Reprise: Is the Coz 'Truth-Telling' Again???

2009-10-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not into self-anointed, celebrity 'truth-telling' pundits like Cosby, who make money from white folks (book deals, speaking engagements) by bashing poor blacks who have not yet pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. I believe that whenever our dysfunctions are discussed publicly, the corresponding context leading up to and enabling this dysfunction must be discussed as well - Cosby never mentions the context of our historical and ongoing debasement in America (like the sick, racist attacks on President Obama that demeans us all) - If he's going to be a 'truth-teller', then he should tell the whole truth, each time!

And I remind folks that his own personal sexual misconduct over the years (what's his excuse?), also diminishes the credibility of his 'bully-pulpit', in my eyes.....basically his comments are an example of the shameless self-aggrandisement's of a 72 yr. old, aging, has-been entertainer, that still craves the limelight, and will say and do anything to stay in it.

The context of the dysfunction of the "lower classes", is the deliberate destruction of the working class and the middle class for the sake of profits. The so-called 'lower classes' do not benefit by Cosby and his ilk bashing them (to the amusement of white folks who love his tirades) - What has been accomplished for this 'lower class' since Cosby uttered his first tirade in 2004? - exactly nothing!....In fact things have gotten worse since then, and will continue to do so.

So I see him as a shameless opportunist, saying the right things and getting 'amens' from like-minded, star-struck sheep, while knowing nothing is going to change for the values of the those he is dissing, without jobs, employment, education, healthcare, housing, and a sincerely dedicated effort to change their lives and outlooks.

He should be speaking truth to power along with his tirades, but he is too cowardly to bite the hands that feed him. His disingenuous tirades ignores the contexts, and takes the focus off the real culprits, the capitalists (including those at BET) who value profits over people (particularly over black folks) and their betterment.

Ahmad's Night

2009-09-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday Night I saw a most heroic performance by the 79 yr. old pianist, Ahmad Jamal, at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, here in Los Angeles - I say 'heroic' because there are few musicians who can deliver the same level of improvisational skill, enthusiasm, joy and technical facility, at his age!

Coupled with his prodigious gifts on the piano, is his genius for integrating the American Jazz form with the European Classical form - there are only a few who have successfully coupled the two, as he has done - from Ravel to Ellington, from Strayhorn to Copeland and Gershwin, and most of all, from the percussiveness of Rachmaninoff to that of Monk - all of these were integrated into his inimitable stylings, which he applied to the full range of the willing Steinway Concert Grand he was playing.

Not only did he play in his customary bravura style, but he conducted his able sidemen as an orchestral conductor might - particularly his bassist of 26 years, James Commack, and the local drummer, Kenny Washington. The symbiotic bond between him and his long-time bassist was apparent...it was almost spiritual in how they related to each other and complimented each other's playing. Added to these was the superb percussionist, Manolo Badrana, who played an eclectic assortment of at least a dozen bells, whistles, drums, and more.

He was animated, played joyfully, and at times, even stood up while playing in response to the sheer joy of hearing the music that was bubbling inside of him. I was sitting behind the fabulously gifted pianist, Eric Reed, and I was able to see that he could hardly contain himself - his was the same dilemma that I also experienced.

It's a shame that Ahmad Jamal isn't better known, and iconically revered right here in America, rather than in France, all over Europe, Asia and much of Africa - all because of America's reluctance to celebrate the genius of it's best musicians, especially if they happen to be black. So it was gratifying and a joy to see the older crowd of mostly black music lovers in attendance, who came to show their appreciation and support, and to honor this gifted icon, notwithstanding America's neglect.

.....A rare, rare performance of a musical genius that enthralled us all.....I am still on a musical high and on 'cloud 9'!

Top 10 Things Vick Learned...

2009-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Now that Vick has been hired by the Eagles.....

"Top 10 things Vick (hopefully) Learned While Sitting in the Federal Pen"

1. No white quarterback would have received federal prison time (and probably no time at all) for a similar 'crime'..

2. America just finished 'shocking and awe-ing' Iraqis, resulting in the slaughter of over 1 million humans on a damn lie, with no one from PETA, ASPCA, etc. uttering a single word of protest at the human slaughter..

3. America loves it's dogs more than it loves it's humans, particularly if they are black humans..

4. America has no problem with the dog-racing industry brutalizing and eventually killing dogs, because that makes money for them..

5. America also has no problem with hunters like ex-governor Sarah Palin, shooting wolves and bears for sport from an airplane..

6. America continued it's grand tradition of thievery, first by stealing the land from the Native Americans, then by stealing the labor from the African slaves, then by stealing the $130 million he just received for being one of the best QBs in the league..

7. No NFL team would hire him to be the back-up for a white QB, because he's better than most of them and it would cause too much anxiety and insecurity among them..

8. No NFL team would hire him if he wasn't still among the best QBs, eventhough he hasn't played in nearly 3 years..

9. The NFL team that hired him, would do so because they can get him cheaply, and also keep him from playing for another team that could eventually beat
them because of his tremendous talent at the QB position..

10. Most defensive coordinators and other strategists, will probably have to endure sleepless nights again, trying to figure out how to defend against his passing plus his running..

If he learned just half of these, he should be able to move forward to earn a living and feed his family, never doubting that he was victimized by a racist double-standard in his punishment. He now knows that as long as he is black in America, he will be subject to this double-standard, and must take care to avoid being ensnared by it again - this is something we have all had to learn..

How Stupid is "Stupidly"??

2009-08-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

It depends on whether an experienced police sergeant, who is also reportedly an expert in racial profiling and a teacher of how not to do it, makes an arrest of a Black professor, Gates, in his home - after he determines who he is and that he is lawfully in his own home.

President Obama said Sargeant Crowley acted "stupidly", in making that arrest, and it was! The proof that it was, is that the police department had to drop the charges because it was a bogus arrest, and the follow-up report written by Crowley, lied about what the 911 caller said. She said that she could not tell the race of the two suspicious men - Crowley wrote that she said "two black men were acting suspiciously." Crowley lied to justify his arrest and to obscure the fact that he had 'profiled' the professor in doing so.

Obama later spinelessly backed off his assessment of Crowley's actions for political reasons, but the fact remains - the police acted "stupidly" as he originally stated!

The Birthers

2009-07-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

- those who question Obama's birthplace and fitness to be president....

...these are the descendants of the dregs of Europe who colonized and raped this land, while enslaving and lynching Africans, and committing genocide on the native Americans. Even with that foul DNA in their bloodstream, you would think that over time, they would have evolved as they became better educated and presumably enlightened. Instead we find them to be as savage, racist, unenlightened and pathetically ignorant, as their ancestors - perhaps even worse than they, because it's 300 years later and the world has advanced so much in general, while they have stood still or regressed.

Miracle on Penn. Av.

2009-07-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today, July 20th, is exactly six months since President Obama took the oath of office and became POTUS.

Looking back, I now see nothing but miracles that were performed by God on his behalf, on the road to the White House. If you don't believe in miracles, consider these:

- a non-stop barrage of incendiary Rev. Wright TV ads, that would have derailed anyone else..
- a slew of racist comments and ads by the Clintons, trying desperately to derail him..
- the media's linkage of Obama with Bill Ayers as terrorist comrades..
- the false assertions that Obama was not a US born citizen..
- white trash Sarah Palin's strident assertions, that "he palled around with terrorists"..
- the false assertion that Obama was a Muslim..
- a major magazine's cover feature, picturing the Obamas as fist-bumping terrorists..
- right-wing, racist evangelicals like James Dobson, praying to their false 'gods' for rain to wash-out Obama's nomination ceremony in Colorado..
- an unprecedented number of death-threats issued, unlike any of those received by previous presidential candidates..

All of these and many, many more, had to be miraculously overcome in order for Obama to reach the White House...they were overcome, and he became the President in spite of all the racist garbage from hell thrown at him!

'Reverse Racism'??

2009-06-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Recently I was accused of 'reverse-racism' by a black conservative ex-colleague..this is how I responded to her...

'Of all of the instances of inexcusable ignorance, it is of those blacks who are ignorant of white racism, and either excuse it as being benign, or conveniently ignore it altogether. When a black person accuses another of 'reverse-racism', they are implicitly accepting this phony made-up term by white racists, who devised it to 'flip-the-script' on blacks and fool them into believing and accepting a specious premise - that blacks can be, and are, as racist as white folks.

Not only is this premise false, but it ignores the realty that there can be no effective racism without the necessary power to implement and execute it - something whites have always had, and blacks have seldom, if ever had.'

'Rising Above IQ'

2009-06-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

I read Nicholas Kristof's NY Times article, and the new book he referenced seems to finally get it right - that there are no innate intelligence differences among racial groups.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/07kristof.html?em

The differences arise from unequal history and access to resources, which translates into all manner of inequalities right down to the number of words a baby in a welfare family hears - "One study found that a child of professionals (disproportionately white) has heard about 30 million words spoken by age 3; a black child raised on welfare has heard only 10 million words, leaving that child at a disadvantage in school."

Interestingly, Kristof did not address white children raised on welfare, which number many-fold more than black children raised on welfare, and presumably they also have only heard 10 million spoken words by age 3, leaving them also with a disadvantage in school.

If this 'spoken word' count is correct and results in a learning and educational disadvantage, then it partially explains how 65 million mostly white voters could vote for Bush in 2000, 68 million voted for him in 2004, and 60 million mostly white voters voted for McCain/Palin in 2008.

In contrast Bush received less than 4% of the black vote in 2000, less than 11% in 2004, and McCain/Palin received less than 2% in 2008. So it appears that despite some blacks being handicapped by hearing lesser spoken words by age 3, we as a group 'rose above IQ' and had the sense to reject the Bushco disaster both times, and avert the McCain/Palin disaster that would have surely followed. Above all we had the good sense to vote for President Barack Obama! - now that's really 'Rising Above IQ'!

Reflections On The Moment.....

2009-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

As I see Barack and Michelle taking their victory walk along the parade route, I'm struck by the tremendous risk that they are taking to follow the 'walking' tradition started by Jimmy Carter. Of course Carter was never in the amount of danger that Obama is, and will be, throughout his presidency. So I held my breath and prayed along with millions of others along the route and watching on television.

It has been a momentous time ever since Obama declared that he was running for the presidency, over two years ago. America will never be the same again, even if they never elect another Black man again. History has been made and witnessed by millions who never thought they would see this day. And those who have passed on already, will not have the opportunity to experience what we did today. I'm thankful that God has protected him so far, and am hopeful that He will continue to do so in the days ahead.

The self-congratulatory expressions of our greatness and generosity, flowed freely in the many speeches that were made today. I just wonder if all the good things that we can rightfully boast about, compensates for the evil done by us or by our proxies with our permission. Can we ignore the 1,300 Gazians killed by Israel financed with our tax dollars. What about the 400 children and 100 women included in that number?....what about the 100,000 Palestinians injured, including 1,900 children and 800 women included in that number...the 24,000 buildings demolished and the 100,000 made homeless are too horrific to comprehend - all this done in our name and with our connivance. What about the millions of Iraqis that are either dead or injured by our actions?...And we call ourselves a 'christian', moral nation with a deep respect for life, unless of course 'the others' have been branded as terrorists and not worthy of humane treatment, as these have been by Israel and Us.

Oh well, fortunately, the final trump card is still held by Almighty God, and He alone will ensure that we 'sow what we have reaped'. Until then, we will continue to feel smug about our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power we have just witnessed. When the piper has to be paid though, it will all go for nought...we should enjoy it for now....

A Christian Nation?????

2008-12-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

I don't see anything christian about the preemptive invading of a sovereign country on the pretext of suspecting them of having WMDs, and then 'shocking and awing" them to death numbering in the thousands, while sacrificing thousands of our own citizens.

If the nation had collectively risen up and denounced the criminals who planned this, and then impeached and jailed them for their criminality, then we could at least claim to have some Christian virtue. Instead, most of the nation supported this slaughter, and 60 million voters just voted for McCain/Palin to continue this atrocity done in our name.

What about the billions of taxpayer funds stolen by war profiteers, with no-bid contracts and other ruses to facilitate their thefts? Would a Christian nation sanction and allow such stealing with impunity from the national treasury?

If this is a christian nation, then we will have to re-define what 'Christian' means, from following the teachings of Christ, to following the evil in the hearts of the men who lead this nation.

My Thanks to 2 Gods

2008-11-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is the time of year to express our thanks to God for the blessings of faith, family, health and strength, and all the other blessings of life that we enjoy.

I'm particularly thankful to God for His miraculous intervention on Barack's behalf, where He brought him from being the most unlikely candidate for president, to 'the one' who beat all of the more likely candidates who were ahead of him. This is the God who was able to hear and answer the prayers of millions of Obama's ancestors and supporters, by responding in a miraculous way on his behalf.

I also want to be sure to thank the 'god' of the John McCain and Sarah Palin supporters, who either couldn't hear their prayers, ignored their prayers, or merely decided to punish them by allowing an outcome that they absolutely could not conceive of and did not want. In fact, the TBN gang could barely whisper their usual, "Praise The Lord!". If I was their 'god' I would have also been offended by what many of them prayed for. One of their prominent supporters, James Dobson, who is a leading Evangelical, had the temerity to pray and ask his supporters to pray, that Obama's acceptance speech at the Colorado convention, would be rained out. Others hoped their 'god' would let something unfortunate happen to Obama, to prevent him from winning the presidency. Still others hoped their 'god' would kill him because Sarah Palin said that he 'palled around with terrorists', and was not like what a good [white] American should be.

All these ungodly prayers were being uttered on behalf of two of the worst candidates for president and vice-president, in the history of this country. What an insult it was to a 'god', to have to listen to these kinds of offensive prayers on behalf of two unqualified, unworthy candidates. It's no wonder he or she, either tuned them out, or exacted the ultimate retribution by turning the tables on their requests.

The last thing I am thankful for, is that this election made it abundantly and absolutely clear, that there were and are, two different 'gods' being prayed to. One is the true and living God of many of the Obama supporters, who not only could hear their prayers, but answered in a most convincing and miraculous manner. The other is the false 'god' of the right-wing, and particularly many Evangelicals, who left them high and dry, searching for an explanation of why he failed to grant their most earnest prayers, entreaties and supplications.

Never again should anyone think that just because someone calls himself or herself a Christian, that they are following and praying to the same true and living God. Millions have been unknowingly or secretly following their own false christian god, that finally got exposed this past Nov. 4th.

All thanksgivings to the true and living God.

Where's the Cos.....?

2008-11-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

Where's the Cos, when we need him????

The Cos of course is Bill Cosby, who made a small fortune writing a book and making numerous speeches and media appearances, lambasting poor blacks for their deficient English and speaking skills. His payoff besides the money, was the pat on the head from grateful whites and some blacks for his willingness to "tell it like it is" at the expense of blacks who can't defend themselves.

We'll, since the election, there has been no shortage of articles, opinion pieces and essays, about the butchering of the language by Caribou Barbie, better known as Sarah Palin. She has been charitably described as "an air-head with a scrambled brain between her head and her mouth". Her inability to put a coherent sentence together or answer simple questions, made the jobs of comedy writers easier than it had ever been. Her well-publicized ignorance of basic geography, politics, and the world in general, had most shaking their heads in disbelief.

Yet, none of this has stirred Cosby to rise up in indignation and disgust at her lack of the essentials that he was so quick to publicly criticize poor blacks for. Why is this?.. Is it because blacks are an easier, safer target, whereas targeting a stupid, ignorant white woman who happens to be a state governor and who could possibly retaliate, is a risk he's unwilling to accept?... In other words I suspect he is a cowardly opportunist, that genuflects and bows to white dysfunctions and mediocrities, but can't abide the same things among those who happen to look like him.

I am patiently waiting for Cos to apply the same standards that he has set forth for the black poor, to this cartoonish joke of an ex-V.P. candidate, named Sarah Palin, and her pregnant, unwed, high school drop-out daughter.

Of course I don't expect to hear a peep from him unless he can figure out a way to parlay it into a profitable book deal, while avoiding being lynched by many of the rabid and loyal Palin supporters, who also vociferously called for the lynching of Barack Obama.

"...And Let Them Have Dominion.." Gen. 1:26

2008-11-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

The dominion that God mandated is a far cry from the perversion that is practiced by the likes of Palin, Robertson, and Bush and their many evangelical supporters.

Their version calls for subjugation of inferiors, pre-emptive wars, manufacturing and lying about presumed threats to the US, murder and slaughter in the name of their god, illegally occupying another country, 'shock and awe', profiting from war, authorizing and condoning torture, waging war on all social programs that help the least able to help themselves, and opposition to hundreds of health, environmental and safety laws designed to benefit our society. Additionally, one writer said, -

"Dominionism has proved itself to be hooligan in nature. It is Machiavellian to the core. Dominionists take what is not theirs; they grab what belongs to others; they steal from the poor to give to the rich; they bribe; they punish with smears and condemnation. And they win elections at any cost—even at the cost of American democracy. In the end, that is the stated goal of Dominionists—they desire to establish an American Theocracy, where every one of them shall reign as “Theo.”

Where Jesus said to “turn the other cheek,” the Dominionists say, “dominate them; ruin them; run them out of power.” Their philosophy is anti-Christian and anti-Christ to the core. Dominionists have gained extensive control of the Republican Party and the apparatus of government throughout the United States; they continue to operate secretly. Their agenda to undermine all government social programs that assist the poor, the sick, and the elderly is ingeniously disguised under false labels that confuse voters.

Dominionism started with the Gospels and turned the concept of the invisible and spiritual “Kingdom of God” into a literal political empire that could be taken by force, starting with the United States of America. Discarding the original message of Jesus and forgetting that Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” the framers of Dominionism boldly presented a Gospel whose purpose was to inspire Christians to enter politics and execute world domination so that Jesus could return to an earth prepared for his earthly rule by his faithful “regents.”

"Dominionism’s purpose is to create theocrats (a Christian class of rulers). But in order to successfully place only certain Christians in positions of power, Dominionism divides Christian believers into classes based upon political ideology and certain hot point issues such as the privatization of Social Security and Medicare, freedom to decide on medical procedures with ones own physician, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, freedom of the arts, and certain rights like the right to a fair trial and protection from governmental intrusion into the privacy of marriage and adult associations.

The Dominionists have lost more American jobs in the last three years than since the days of Herbert Hoover. And now they want to eliminate the minimum wage laws too. America’s unions have helped to create a better life for millions of workers. The Dominionists want to break all unions apart (especially the teacher’s union). As Americans, we love our schools and are proud of our educational system. The Dominionists want to destroy all public education in America and force Americans to be educated in their religious schools. Americans love our culture and the arts. The Dominionists want to destroy that culture."

But God miraculously orchestrated Barack Obama's election, and it appears that He is throwing a monkey-wrench into the plans of these haters of freedom. Judging from the anguished cries and hand-wringing from their supporters, It appears that their attempt to sneak Palin/McCain across the finish line to continue Bush's dominionist reign, has been derailed, at least for now - All praises be to our God.

2008 - Post Election Notes

2008-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

It's always interesting to look back and see how Obama won the race...

- Approx. 208 million Americans were eligible, and 133 million voted - 33% more than the 100 million who voted in 2004. This might be the largest turnout in history - largely because of Obama's presence as the Democratic standard bearer.

- Of the 27 million Blacks who were eligible to vote, 17 million or 63% voted

- Obama got 95% of the Black vote; 62% of the Asian vote; 67% of the Latino vote; and 43% of the White vote

Although McCain had negatives going in, such as his age and uncertain health, one of his biggest mistakes was picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, which was widely regarded as a desperate 'hail mary pass' in football parlance. The other was their tremendous amount of racist and unpatriotic negative ads and campaign speeches targeting Obama - none of these were effective enough to beat Obama, although they fired-up his rabid, racist base.

Palin will always be remembered as the winking, smirking, dimwit, who did not know which were the 3 countries in NAFTA (America, Canada and Mexico); did not know that Africa was a continent made up of 40+ independent countries; did not know that So. Africa was one of these countries located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, rather than just merely located in the southern portion of the country of Africa; was said by McCain "to be the most knowledgeable person in the country on energy matters"; and said of herself, "that she had security and defense experience because she could see Russia from Alaska".

The supreme comeuppance experienced by McCain, was that he voted against establishing a national holiday in memory of the slain African-American, Martin Luther King, and yesterday he lost the race for president to a man who just happens to be African-American, Barack Obama.

McCain and his base probably will remain crazily trapped in their delusion that Obama is a Muslim, while simultaneously accusing him of having attended a Christian Church pastored by Rev. Wright for over 20 years, and Palin will go back to Alaska, cross the political 'bridge to nowhere', and keep an eye on Russia to protect us and keep us safe - good riddance to both of them.

A Win By God For Man

2008-11-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

"....and he doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth and in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will...." Dan. 4:25,35

Not only did God move the chess pieces of history, but He did it in a most amazing way - He took the seed of a pure black African man, and united it with the egg of a white woman mixed with European and Native American ancestry. From this union was born Barack Obama, an African-American, who was able to put together the best presidential campaign in the history of the world, and to withstand the most vicious and racist opposition in the primaries as well as the campaign, to become the next president of the United States.

Along the way were millions of Americans who were brought here as slaves or came here as immigrants, who worked, sacrificed, bled and died, while looking forward to this day ordained by God.

I, along with millions of others, never thought we would ever see a black president in our lifetimes, but this just proves that God's plans are way beyond anything man can think or imagine.

We have now been given another chance to make right what has been wrong, and to make amends to those we have wronged - we better take this chance and make the most of it.

And in the end, Palin and McCain did not fool me or many others one bit, they confirmed that they were the nastiest, fear-mongering, guilt-by-association, racist pigs that we thought they were - with lipstick, and we rejected them with a landslide vote for Obama.

As the 'Australian' news elegantly said, - "It is a sublime moment - Barack Obama to succeed George W. Bush, an affirmation of America, its foundation mission, its abiding dreams."

"The American people have turned the page. This is more than a vote for change. It is a act of renewal, a turning point in American history and a quest for a better nation.

The American people chose Obama yet most of the world also wanted Obama - that invests his Presidency with a potential authority unknown in history and an opportunity to touch not just Americans but people around the world."

Did the 'Surge' Work?

2008-10-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Another debate has come and gone between Obama and McCain, with Obama clearly the most presidential, and exuding the temperament, knowledge, and maturity, that is necessary for the highest office in the land. This is in contrast to the tired old discredited lies that McCain and his VP, Palin, continue to spout.

One inane point that McCain and his surrogate Palin keeps trying to make and shame Obama into saying, is that the 'surge' initiated by Bush in Iraq, worked. They keep trying to make that point to infer that the Iraq debacle is such a resounding success.

Everyone with half a brain knows that at $10 billion per month, with no end in sight, the occupation in Iraq has been a resounding failure, and trying to rejoice over a 'surge', is like trying to put lipstick on a pig.

The idea of a successful 'surge' is extraordinarily laughable when you consider that to this day, any American official down to the ordinary congressperson who is visiting Iraq, must sneak in under cover of darkness without any prior announcement, to ensure their safe landing there. The MSM dutifully spins this reality by calling it a "surprise visit" - in fact every visit has been and must continue to be a 'surprise'.

In the future, a so-called 'surge' could only be said to be successful, when an American official can announce that they are going to Iraq on a specific day and time, and expect to be able to arrive there safely without fear of being shot down - that will be the evidence that the 'surge', has in fact, worked.

Until then, Obama should rightfully refuse to give any credit nor credence to the notion of a successful 'surge', because it is a lie that is proven by everyone travelling to Iraq - they still have to sneak in and make it a 'surprise' visit.

The Simpson Verdict

2008-10-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as I watched the reading of the Simpson verdict - guilty on all counts, and watched the silly, simple, stupid look on his face, I thought that any sane black person who was fortunate enough to be acquitted of killing a white woman and white man in America, would never, ever, allow himself to be caught up in another criminal proceeding again.

Clearly OJ is not sane, and maybe should be pitied for his insanity, but I don't even feel any sympathy for him, sane or insane - he's just too stupid for words. In my view, being stupid is far worst than being insane. I have no sympathy for stupid black men, particularly those made stupid by voluntarily consorting with skanky, slutty white women as he loved to do.

Now in prison, he'll have plenty of time to reflect on the blood shed by thousands of black men, who were butchered and lynched for merely being accused of looking or whistling at a white woman. To think that he would ignore this sad history of savagery against black men, and forge ahead anyway, cavorting with these hos' as if no one had died and paid the ultimate sacrifice before him, and thinking he was celebrity enough to get away with it, let him rot in jail whether he is actually guilty of these latest crimes or not.

Clearly, he is at least guilty of allowing himself to be infected with the disease of wanting a white woman, and given the history of this country, that in my view, is reason enough to be involuntarily quarantined and thrown under the jailhouse forever.

Also, it's no accident that thirteen years later to the day, he was convicted after his prior acquittal in 'the murder trial of the century'. "What the man giveth, can always be taken away" has never been truer. You got played OJ...

...good riddance!....

Debate Whom?

2008-09-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Considering that McCain obviously, cowardly and clumsily tried to duck this debate with Obama, he came off way better than he should have. Obama should have hammered him for his juvenile ploy to avoid debating him, and then promptly and decisively challenged his many lies.

Also Obama was too deferential and said "I agree with John" eight times too often.. McCain was clearly angry that he had to debate who he considered an inferior, was very contemptuous and condescending, saying at least 6 times, "he just does not understand"...."he is naive...", "he is stubborn". McCain did not even look at Obama, once. Obama should have hammered him on his wanting 45 nuclear plants, pointing out the absurdity of it...

Obama looked more presidential, but McCain should have been knocked out, given his criminal role in the Keating 5 scandal, 95% support of Bush's policies, consistently voting against veterans benefits - yet he lives to fight another day because Obama spared him....

The problem was that Obama let McCain get away with too many lies: -

- that he warned of the present financial crisis -
he did not, just 10 days ago he said that "the economy was fundamentally sound",

- Russia invaded Georgia - Georgia invaded Ossetia first, then Russia responded by retaliating,

- he voted consistently for veterans issues and loves the veterans - voted against most veterans benefits,

- he was going to put a freeze on spending - he voted for every spending program of Bush,

- Iran threatened to wipe Israel off the map - they did not,

- he called for the resignation of the SEC head - he did not, he said he would fire him, not knowing that he could not fire him,

- that the surge worked - the surge benchmarks were political reconciliation, oil leases, - none of these have been realized yet, other than lesser violence due to ethnic cleansing - so the surge has not worked....,

- that he was against torture - he voted for torture after being initially against it,

- said that Pakistan was formerly a failed state before Musharraf - it was not,

- would create a 'league of democracies' - Obama should have said that was stupid and would undermine the UN which is already in place..

Fortunately the prelim polls show Obama won handily and decisively, particularly among undecided voters...

Hillary's Coronation???

2008-08-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the coronation of someone who supposedly lost to Obama, but is acting in fact, like she won instead of him. The 10 min. video would have been more than enough homage with it's greatest hits theme, but there also had to be a 5 min. standing ovation with a sea of Hillary presidential signs displayed, even before getting to her speech.

I'm wondering if Obama and his people knew all the details of this planned upstaging, but yet still signed off on this circus. Did he want the presidency so badly that he was willing to pay this humiliating price to gain her verbal but actually, marginal support??

I'm not convinced in the least that she fully supports his nomination, in fact it sounds more like she was presumptuously dictating what programs he should enact if he should gain the office of the presidency.

She gave perfunctory short shrift to the McCain/Bush disastrous candidacy. IMHO, the bulk of her speech should have been spent skewering him and pointing out his madness and failed politics, rather than acting like the presumed candidate whose nomination was stolen by Barack.

I thought it was a thoroughly narcissistic, self-congratulatory screed, without any apology for the demeaning things she said about Obama during the primary. She sent the message that the wrong candidate won, and she should have been nominated instead. And no apology was made for making statements that McCain can and will surely use in ads to bolster his case against Obama. Tomorrow her other half will probably continue her coronation while also indulging in self-congratulations for his presidency in the 90s.

I predict that Billary will net far more from this evening than Obama will, and it's his fault for allowing it.

If Obama loses in November, this upstaging won't be the only reason, but will be a major reason why he lost.

A $400 Million Shill

2008-07-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

On this day of independence, it is interesting to note how dependant many pundits are, on the largess of the Repugs for following the party line. They all have noted with envy, the contract Rush Limbaugh just signed with Clear Channel, to continue shilling eight more years for the Repugs, and deny all the obvious signs that this republic is sinking like the Titanic, thanks to BushCo and their mis-rule. His contract averages out to $45,000 each hour he broadcasts.

At least Limbaugh is just a talk-show entertainer, and not a newsman, but there are a host of 'newsmen' who openly side with the Repugs and their worldview, while supposedly broadcasting unbiased news. To name just a few; Scott Simon - NPR; Mark Shields - PBS; Liz Sedoti - AP; David Broder - Wash. Post; Jack Tapper - ABCnews; Sam Donaldson - ABC; Chris Matthews - MSNBC Hardball; Sean Hannity - Fox; Brit Hume - Fox, etc., all report biasedly, and at times openly, to favor the Repugs and to ensure their staying in the good graces of the Repugs, who pay handsomely, as demonstrated by Limbaugh's contract.

So much for the principles of independence, fairness, balance, accuracy in reporting, all of which this country supposedly separated itself from the British Crown for.

This is the 'independence' that Obama is up against, as he gamely strives to get balanced reporting on his campaign and platform issues. It's already clear that this is not going to happen - not if our news persons have anything to do with it.

From this 4th of July onward, it's going to get much worse.

The Pastor's Disasters

2008-05-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the shoe is now on the other foot, and the MSM as been somewhat reluctantly forced to expose and examine the rhetoric of John McCain's spiritual advisers, whose endorsements he solicited and pursued for over one year.

Unlike Jeremiah Wright who merely told some inconvenient truths, there has been nothing but delusional, hateful, false theology spewing forth from Rod Parsley and John Hagee, the spiritual icons of McCain and the right-wing Repugnants.

Hagee said among other things, that hurricane Katrina was judgment sent by God to prevent a gay pride parade from happening in New Orleans; then he called the Catholic church the "Great Whore" and apostate false cult system of the anti-Christ; then he said that "Hitler was a 'hunter' sent by God to hunt the Jews from every mountain and rock, and send them back to the land of Palestine......"

Rod Parsley said, among other insanities, that "the US was founded in part, to battle and to destroy the evil religion of Islam...."

Their screed is far more incendiary and worst than anything Rev. Wright ever said, and yet they will not get the endless 24/7 looping on every broadcast medium, and the universal, apoplectic denunciations, that Wright's comments received.

Added to all this, is the spectacle of Hillary Clinton's lust for power melt-down, as she mused ominously, that her staying in the race for the democratic nomination, is due to the possibility of Barack getting assassinated, as was Bobby Kennedy in the month of June.

These are all the lumpenproletariat that the MSM would rather not cover, preferring instead to savage Obama and his choice of spiritual advisor, who spoke the truth, and was also a Marine who served his country honorably.

Who Lied?

2008-05-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

I like and admire both Rev. Jeremiah Wright's truthfulness, and Barack Obama's audacity of hope to be the president of the US.

Neither of them is perfect and certainly none of us are either.

I'm saddened that Obama felt he had to distance himself from Wright and his statements, but I understand why he had to do so - he's running for president, and America is not ready to acknowledge inconvenient truths about herself.

I also know that Wright has been saying these inconvenient truths from the pulpit, for the full 20 years that Obama and his family has been members of his Chicago church. So it defies belief, that Obama is only hearing these things for the first time in recent weeks - in other words he lied!

As Rev. Wright said, he's a politician, and has to say the things that will get him elected - so lying about what he heard and when he heard it, proves the point that Rev. Wright made.

I'm saddened that there are somethings in life that some of us may be willing to lie about, in order to gain our broader objectives - so I understand why Obama lied, but very glad that Rev. Wright has chosen to tell the truth all of these years.

Who Hurt Obama???

2008-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's troubling to me that many progressives who normally see through political chicanery, are buying into the hype that Rev. Wright has hurt Obama's campaign for president.

What is being forgotten, is that the MSM was using those edited clips of Wright's sermons, and looping them 24/7 for the last month. It was a savage, libelous, racist attack, and was meant to discredit and hurt Obama by linking him to this 'raving maniac' who had been his pastor for the past 20 yrs. This was only just one of many tools that were marshaled against Obama, in addition to saying he is a Muslim, conflating his name with Osama and with Saadam Hussein etc. - all of this to prevent Obama from getting the dems nod.

Bill Moyer, who is a member of the Riverside church in NY and also of the Church of Christ federation of churches, tried to give him an opportunity to defend himself in the PBS interview, and to dispel the slanderous, racist imagery of him - and most will agree that it was a successful interview and Obama was not hurt by it.

Next, Wright spoke at the Detroit NAACP gala which had been booked over 1 year ago, and again, there was nothing in it that can be said to be hurtful to Obama without deliberately twisting and distorting his words.

Finally, he spoke at the Nat'l Press Club, apparently invited and facilitated by a fellow minister who was also a Hillary Clinton supporter. We all watched it, and whether we agreed with all the things he said, they were truthful and forthright. Yet Obama was pressured to denounce him once again.

Anyone who used his speeches as a justification to withdraw their support from Obama, was looking for an excuse, and had no intention of supporting Obama in the first place. No true supporter who truly wants Obama to be their president, could or would withdraw their support because of what Rev. Wright has said.

Obama has been put in an impossible position of having to denounce Wright, not because of the truth of what Wright said, but because of MSM trickery, cheered on by McShame and Billary. As Wright noted, " he has to distance himself because he is a politician and want's to be president".

Hillary's Big 'Bell Curve' Win

2008-04-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

With the results in from Pennsylvania, it's proof that those who the 'Bell Curve' touts as having the superior intellect and higher IQs, have spoken again. First they voted overwhelmingly for Bush....TWICE!...and are now paying $4/gal for gasoline.

And they have voted overwhelmingly for Hillary who voted for this war, which is costing them over $3 billion per week, and whose husband implemented NAFTA and CAFTA which has resulted in the outsourcing of most of their good paying jobs and a ruined economy.

At least blacks had the intelligence to give Bush less than 7% of their votes in the two prior elections, gave Hillary less than 11% of their votes in the primaries so far, and have given Obama over 85% of their votes because he is the superior candidate.

How do you like us now, 'Bell Curvers'????

How Smart is Smart...?

2008-03-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

...depends on what is, is.

So goes the latest in a long litany of political scandals, this one is once again bringing negative publicity to presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton.

The first time it was her husband Bill, who was outed for having a sexual affair in the Oval Office with a twenty-something admirer, named Monica. When impeached, he parsed the admission of his affair, with the infamous, "depends on what is, is..."

This time it's super-delegate, and her major political endorser, Elliot Spitzer, Governor of New York and rising star of the Dems party. His scandal is much more serious, because he transported a prostitute across state lines to meet him in Washington, D.C. This is a federal crime and violation of the Mann Act, which was used to dethrone and jail the black boxer, Jack Johnson, at the turn of the last century.

Both Bill and Elliott are considered the smartest of the smart, and yet they have both done some extremely stupid things, damaging themselves, their families, and possibly Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations. The ghosts of Bill's affairs in the 90s still follow Hillary as she campaigns, and the stench of Elliott's $4,300 pay-for-play sex scandal, will also hover over her, even as she tries to distance herself from it.

What is it about Hillary, that the men in her life seem to have little or no regard for the impact their inappropriate behaviors may have on her, particularly now that she is running for president. If she can't persuade them to do the right thing, how can she be expected to persuade the country, the legislature, foreign leaders, etc., etc., to do the right thing.

New York State Lieutenant Governor, David Patterson, stands to become the first black governor of New York State, if Spitzer, the former anti-crime crusading attorney-general who used similar wiretaps to snare his targets, resigns in disgrace for his criminal conduct, as expected.

So how smart, is smart?....depends on what is, is.

The fall of this latest rising star, could be a harbinger of things to come for the Dems, if they steal the nomination from Barack and give it to Billary.

Innocent? - So What!

2008-03-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight on '60 Minutes' there was the incredible but believable story, about a black Chicagoan who was falsely arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for the past 26 years, for a crime that he did not commit.

The incredible part is, that there were two lawyers representing a defendant in another case, who knew he was innocent because their own client confessed privately to them to the crime for which this other man was falsely accused of.

Instead of promptly notifying the authorities who were about to try the innocent defendant, they kept the secret on the specious premise that what their client told them was confidential and privileged. So they let him be tried, convicted and jailed without saying a word in his defense.

What jumps out at me, is that the innocent defendant, had the misfortune to be born black in a racist society with a racist criminal justice system, as was the guilty defendant. In this system, they don't care much about which black defendant is guilty or innocent, so long as they have black defendants who they can convict and imprison. So they kept the secret of his innocence, and in so doing, obtained the convictions of two black men, one very guilty and one very innocent.

There is no doubt in my mind that had the innocent defendant been white, they would have under no circumstance, let him be tried, and certainly not convicted nor jailed. No excuse of privileged information or anything else would have prevented them from doing the right thing, and freeing an innocent white man.

But this system was never designed for justice for black men. Any justice accorded is due to the herculean efforts of dedicated lawyers like those of the Innocence Project, who have worked mightily to free the many mostly black prisoners, who are innocent and have been unjustly convicted and imprisoned. In most cases they have had to waste away for years until the science of DNA matching, caught up with the system.

In this case, DNA was not a factor, but it might just as well have been, since they waited 26 years until the guilty defendant finally died, while jailed for another crime. So now they are belatedly stepping forward to clear the innocent black man they cavalierly let rot in jail all these years. Thanks a lot!

I believe that there is a hell, and these two lawyers along with the guilty party, will have a special place there in the next life. The sad thing is that this is just one of hundreds, maybe thousands of examples of innocent convictions, jailings and probably even executions, that have been perpetrated against the powerless and less fortunate by the justice system.

When will 'justice for all in the land of the free and the home of the brave', finally be a reality for everyone, rather than just for some?

Trickle Down Effect??

2008-03-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

The news over the past several weeks has been bleak and bleaker on all fronts. From a spike in the homicide rates in several key cities; to mass shootings on school campuses; record foreclosures of homes; oil prices hitting $105/bbl; the dollar hitting historic lows vs. other major currencies; gasoline prices going sky-high; hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children murdered by precision weapons of war wielded by the Israelis in occupied Palestine; a revenge-seeking suicidal Arab entering a Jewish seminary and murdering 8 students with an automatic weapon; random gang shootings of rivals and innocent civilians on the streets of our cities; the layoffs of 85,000 American workers in January and February alone, along with unabated outsourcing of key jobs; large arson fires set by radical environmentalists; Ralph Nader running again for president as a spoiler rather than as a real candidate; and on and on and on.....!

It seems to me that there is a general air of despair and uncertainty in the air, brought on by the horrific news reports from so many different sources and in so many different areas. These all have had an overall unsettling effect on the moods and the emotions of our citizenry, contributing to these eruptions of mindless violence and other signs of extreme negative stresses.

It would not surprise me that this is the trickle-down effect of the illegal war and occupation, we have now been waging for 5 years on the people of Iraq. With all the massive deaths and costly destructions we have waged over there, the universe cries out for justice, and requires that we reap here, some of the things we have sown over there.

This reaping is manifesting itself in these awful, horrible news events at home and abroad, as we go from one terrible crisis to the next one. The economy is teetering and barely functioning, unemployment is at record levels, the rich are getting insanely richer with unseemly corporate profits, while the majority of us continue to get poorer. Our human rights are being eroded, we are and have been spied on illegally, those doing the spying are being given immunity from prosecution, while those ordering the spying are successfully evading censure and impeachment, and.........

I don't think Reagan envisioned this kind of 'trickle-down' mess, but he started the ball rolling with his phony economic theories and his ripping-off of the working classes. This is the logical effect of his voodoo economics and the ongoing illegal wars of empire and rapacious covetousness that have followed - these all have brought us to this insane point.

The Spin of the 'No Spin Zone'

2008-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this excellent commentary by attorney Star Jones Reynolds, because it strips away the excuses and phony apologies of the likes of Bill O'Reilly and his fellow racists, and reveals them to be the cowards and pathetic creatures that they really are.

"I'm sick to death of people like Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, and his ilk thinking that he can use a racial slur against a black woman who could be the next First Lady of the United States, give a half-assed apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap.

This week O'Reilly gave the following response to a caller on his radio show who was making unsubstantiated negative charges against presidential candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle Obama:

'And I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down.'

What the hell? If it's 'legit,' you're going to 'track it down?' And then what do you plan to do?

How dare this white man with a microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008, he can still put the words 'lynch and party' together in the same sentence with reference to a black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I don't care how you 'spin it' in the 'no spin zone,' that statement in and of itself is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.

O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context. Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting me. I've read the comments and heard them delivered in O'Reilly's own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology and "out-of-context" excuse is not going to cut it with me.

And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to be Independent while talking Republican, the liberal media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history, dignity, taste and truth.

Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me tell you what the phrase 'lynching party' conjures up to me, a black woman born in North Carolina . Those words depict the image of a group of white men who are angry with the state of the own lives getting together, drinking more than they need to drink, lamenting how some black person has moved forward (usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the audacity to think that they are equal. These same men for years, instead of looking at what changes, should and could make in their own lives that might remove that bitterness born of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that resentment and anger and decide to get together and drag the closest black person near them to their death by hanging them from a tree -- usually after violent beating, torturing and violating their human dignity. Check your history books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree from Harvard to know that is what constitutes a 'lynching party.'

Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to think that they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and ideals. O'Reilly must think to himself: how dare they have the arrogance to think they can stand in a front of this nation, challenge the status quo and express the frustration of millions? When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for O'Reilly and people like him is: 'it's time for a party.'

Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet.

Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase with reference to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean, in all of the statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan, the one-time mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, I never heard any talk of forming a lynch party because of something she said or did.

So why is it that when you're referring to someone who's African-American you must dig to a historical place of pain, agony and death to symbolize your feelings? Lynching is not a joke to off-handedly throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in political commentary; provocative or otherwise. I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here having buried my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud, amazing African-American man raised his family and lived through the time when he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of a bus, take his wife on a date to the 'colored section' of a movie theater, and avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street for fear of what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the urge to 'party'; don't tell me that the phrase you chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was taken out of context.

To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to 'clarify' his statements, by using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term 'high-tech lynching' during his confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see Justice Thomas did mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist context. He was saying that politics and the media were using a new technology to do to him what had been done to black men for many years -- hang him. Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas' premise or not, if in fact -- Bill O'Reilly was referencing it -- the context becomes even clearer.

What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling that one of the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking he could get away with it in the first place, and then followed it up with a lame apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, is because he doesn't think that black women will come out and go after him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be clear Bill O'Reilly: there will be no lynch party for that black woman. And this black woman assures you that if you come for her, you come for all of us." -- Star Jones Reynolds

Buckley's Obit

2008-02-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

Bill Buckley, the so-called Conservative, but in realty a 'racist' of the highest and purest order - in the mold of Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, John Wayne and other white supremacists, has gone on to his eternal reward, earlier today. What his reward will be and where he will wind up, is not for me to speculate, but I can assuredly say we are the richer for him moving on and leaving us, finally.

I have to laugh as his admirers work overtime to paint him as a witty, urbane, bright, charming person. I remember him saying, "Negroes should accept their lot without complaint". I also could list hundreds of other racisms that he wrote and uttered with regularity and fluidity, with the silver tongued drollness and the arched eyebrow, which he was famous for.

If he was a Conservative as so many are calling him in their remembrances, then maybe being a Conservative is synonymous with being one of the worst of the pure racists.

Novelist and critic, Gore Vidal, once correctly called him to his face, "a pro-war-crypto-Nazi", to which Buckley could only respond by threatening to beat him to a pulp.

If he is the 'father' of modern conservatism, as others are extolling him, then every negative thing I've always thought of Conservatives, has now been vindicated.

Compare Buckley's legacy with that of Oscar Peterson, the world-class musician and humanitarian, who was born in the same year of 1925, and who passed away just a few weeks ago, at the same age of 82. Oscar brought to this world the ennobling and uplifting beauty and grace of music, while Buckley brought nothing but eloquent, scholarly racist speech and thought.

He, like Reagan, was so contemptible, that I can't even say R.I.P. - so I won't.

McCain's Scandal

2008-02-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

Regarding the negative article just published by the NYTimes about McCain and his possible affair with a lobbyist, a few short weeks after endorsing him, seems to me to be very suspicious, particularly the timing.

To me , although the LAT is reputed to be a'liberal' paper, I've always thought it was really a right-wing tool of BushCo and a cheerleader for this war. I believe they wanted to take the focus off Obama's momentum, and give a boost to the repugnant candidate. They have been sitting on the story for months, and could have derailed McCain's candidacy in favor of Romney if they ran it earlier.

They accomplished several things by dropping the story now - they have united their base behind McCain, because although many repugs dislike McCain, they hate the Times even more as a supposed 'liberal' tool. They had to do something to 'rally' their base in sympathy with McCain - this was it. Up to now, the right-wing talking heads have been vocally opposed to McCain, but are now tripping over themselves to defend him and attacking the Times for publishing the story without proof. Further, although McCain denies it, he does not seem to be very enraged and his famous temper has not been activated, which says to me he okay'd the story as a strategic move. As further proof that he is not angry about it, he is using the publishing of the story as a point to raise sorely needed funds for his campaign. The Times is playing the 'bad guy' in this, while dutifully facilitating McCain's fundraising for his campaign.

Although ultimately, I believe either of the three candidates are acceptable to the Elites who really run the show, McCain most closely fits the bill to carry forward the domestic and foreign policies of BushCo. Obama is the least acceptable, which is why I believe he won't get the Dems nod, and if he does get it, he won't win in November.

This is a classic example of the fourth estate working hand in hand with the executive branch and their interests, instead of being the independent, unimpeachable voice that it is supposed to be.

The bigger and more important story they should have put on page 1, is McCain's shameful flip-flop by approving the torture bill, eventhough he was tortured himself. This is the story being buried by the sex scandal.

R U a 'Macro' or 'Micro' Elite?

2008-02-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about and researching the little-known powers that really run this world. They inhabit the wealthy top one-tenth of one percent of the earth's population. They are the true globalists and are not subject to geographical borders nor political ideologies. Their power and wealth has been concentrated in their families for centuries, some are American but most are Europeans with a few Asians sprinkled in - maybe ten families in all.

New billionaires like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet etc., have to get on their knees and defer to these people. Money alone is not the ticket for entry, it's the power conferred by vast land holdings, corporate ownership, family trusts, ownership of the world's banks and currencies, and ownership of the world's natural resources.

As world owners, they have the final say about who will run their world kingdoms, whether they be American, European, Asian, African or Middle Eastern. From an earthly standpoint, their power is absolute and irrevocable. Their surrogates are removed or installed by assassinations, appointments, elections, coups - or by whatever means necessary. As an example, Sadaam was just a caretaker for their interests, and when his usefulness had been exceeded, he was summarily overthrown and executed.

The political systems that operate in different parts of the globe, are for control of the people who live under them, only. The elites don't care if they are labeled Capitalist, Socialist, Communist, Fascist etc., their fortunes and power are never at risk, regardless of war, peace, prosperity, recession or depression.

They operate only at the highest 'macro' level, all others operate at the lesser 'micro' levels, or below.

We at the micro level in America, are consumed with the politics of electioneering, party partisanship etc., but whomever wins the presidency will serve the elite's interests just as well as if the opposing party had won. This applies to all kings and kingdoms in all other parts of the world.

At the macro level, the world is neatly sectioned off by these elites, they are no wars or squabbles at this level. Everything is dependent on their control and cooperation. They use surrogates for all of their public utterances and to carry out their personal wishes. They are amoral, irreligious and conscienceless, even death is no impediment to their control, since everything is perpetually passed on by prior agreement and arrangement.

Theirs is a totally different world from ours, it's absolutely impossible to know or imagine how different their cares and concerns are, from ours.

Only the sovereign God has more power than they, and only He has absolute veto power over everything they do.

This fact alone, is reason enough for our spirits to be at peace, and maybe even optimistic about our world's future.

It's The War Stupid!

2008-02-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how many people are missing the most obvious factor in everything that is wrong with our country....

How can $250 million per day being thrown down the war sinkhole, not be the major factor in our downward spiral??

It's affecting everything negatively....from the sputtering economy, to causing drastic cutbacks in social services, record foreclosures, record joblessness, record cost of living increases - including unconscionable increased costs of healthcare and gasoline, unprecedented diminution of our standing in the world, record number of tragic suicides among our overburdened and overextended servicemen and women, record number of outsourced jobs, record increase in homelessness, record increase in those without health insurance, dysfunctional underfunded public schools - virtually ever negative can be traced back to this illegal, ungodly, murderous war, and it's drain on our national economic resources and our collective morality.

And who of the surviving presidential candidates, actually voted for this war and is unrepentant of her votes even when given an opportunity to do so during recent political debates on national TV? Hillary Clinton - who waffled, meandered, equivocated etc, but never disavowed her vote and support for the war...I wonder why????

Could it be the vast campaign dollars coming in bucketfuls from the lobbyists and special interests that she is beholden to and corrupted by....??

Could it be the vast propaganda machine in Israel and in America, that supports the Iraq war and it's expansion into Iran and Syria, because it is seen as good for Israel's security....??

Could it be the Military Industrial Complex and other corporate war profiteers, who profit from the numerous no-bid contracts and other treasonous thefts from the public coffers....??

Congressman Dennis Kucinich was the only candidate who wanted to end this monstrosity of a war immediately, and establish a 'Department of Peace' - this is why he is no longer a candidate for president, but the war supporters still are.

May the Peacemakers and the doves be blessed, and, may the hawks and the traitors be damned.

"..The war in Iraq has bankrupted Americans morally and fiscally, and yet the American public continues to shake the hands of aspiring politicians who ignore Iraq, pretending that the blood which soaks the hands of these political aspirants hasn’t stained their own..."

"..the only policy direction worthy of consideration here in the United States concerning Iraq is the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of American forces continues to hold true. And the fact that this option is given short shrift by all capable of making or influencing such a decision guarantees that this bloody war will go on, inconclusively and incomprehensibly, for many more years..."
- Scott Ritter 2/08

Super Bowl Myths

2008-02-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

I have been just watching the pre-game activities and waiting for the Super Bowl to begin. Out of nowhere, they announced that former and present NFL greats, would be reciting the Declaration of Independence, as is the tradition before each Super Bowl. I had no idea this was the tradition, but it gave me an opportunity to listen once again to these words of Independence by the Rebels from the British Crown, which was signed starting on July 4, 1776 through Aug. 2, 1776 by the 55 signatories.

Although this has nothing to do with the Super Bowl, I should note some little known facts about the slave-holding colonies in 1776, that are rarely spoken about.

Right after the signing in August, the biggest battle of the Revolutionary War happened, and the British trounced the Rebel Continental army in Long Island, nearly forcing an American surrender. Those loyal to King George III, surged into New York City and remained under British protection for the rest of the war. These Loyalists had no desire to sever their links with Great Britain, along with one-fifth of other Americans who felt the same way. Those who remained loyal to the King, were called Loyalists or Tories, and at the end of the war, 80,000 of them left the colonies to start new lives in other parts of the British Empire.

Among them were about 3,000 black Loyalists - former slaves who had been granted their freedom in exchange for fighting for the British, who fled north to Canada to escape America's oppressive, peculiar institution of slavery.

The scale and range of this exodus points to a myth and a gap in what is popularly believed about the American revolutionary period. We pride ourselves on the freedom and tolerance embedded in our founding principles, but have rarely acknowledged the discrepancies between the nation’s vaunted commitment to these principles, like “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, and the gross abuse of these principles in practice — glaringly above all, during the subjugation of slavery, followed by 100 years of Jim Crow segregation. Compared with the United States, the British Empire was a good bet if you were an enslaved black or a Native American.

Those black slaves who remained in slavery and were unable to escape to enjoy the 'freedom' that these Rebel American patriots were denying them, had to wait another 90 years before their freedom finally was gained at the end of the civil war.

It should be noted that even today, many of the ideals of the Declaration as applied to blacks and other minorities, are still just that - ideals, rather than realities. So interjecting them inappropriately into a sports event like the Super Bowl, as if they were a reality for all citizens, is as hypocritical as the hypocrisy of the founding fathers, most of whom were slaveholders.

Repugnantisms

2008-01-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

Unfettered capitalism, is the surest route to unimagined wealth, and the best way to firmly ensconce the elite in a separate world, millenia away from the unwashed masses they have exploited.

This partly explains the stampede to 'privatize' everything in sight, from social security to the armed forces, and particularly those social institutions that were set up for the common good of all. What better way to 'manage' the prospects of the unwashed, and subject their futures to the iconic whims of the elites.

Thus remove all regulators that will ensure accountability and oversight. Dismantle the FCC, FTC, EPA, and all other regulatory agencies that are charged with these responsibilities.

Throw caution to the wind - spend $250 million per day in Iraq - the rapture is nigh - do unto others before they do it unto us, and bomb them to set them free!

Welcome to the Rupugnant wet-dream.

Hurtle in Myrtle

2008-01-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

The 'Hurtle in Myrtle", just like the "Rumble in the Jungle" of old, was the bruising primary fight in So. Carolina that Obama just won big, but may have ultimately lost, because he was solidly and effectively tarred and smeared as the 'black' candidate.

Billary (Bill and Hillary), deliberately set out, in the lead-in to the SC primary, to accomplish two things: bring Obama down from the 'Change' pedestal above the mean streets of the fray Obama had set himself on, by goading him until he cracked, as he finally did during the debate in Myrtle Beach.

Thus, Obama became just another politician, not the shining symbol of 'Hope' he started out to be, and he was now fair game.

Then, Bill needed to break Obama's wise tactic of carefully framing himself as a candidate for 'All' the people, not just as an 'African American' candidate. Again, by attacking Obama as viciously as he did, Bill alienated the African Americans who might have voted for the Clinton co-candidacy, resulting in the landslide for Obama.

Canny politician that he is, Bill knew that the landslide aspect of the vote in SC would be seen as a racial vote, and would further polarize the electorate (especially the White and Latino voters in other states), who will now see Obama's victory in SC as purely racial.

Since there are far fewer Black, than White and Latino voters nationwide, Obama's chances of winning the Dems nod, are now diminished even further.

Treat, or Trickle-Down Trick?

2008-01-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

So Bush wants to create an economic stimulus to bolster this failing economy? - his ridiculous remedy is to make his 2001 tax cuts to the rich, permanent. That's his 'trickle-down' fantasy that was first proposed by his repugnant predecessor, Reagan, who started us down the 'give-away-to-the-rich' road.

In the interim, he and his repugnant-lite enablers, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, have devised what they say will keep the lid on and boost the economy - rebating taxpayers $600 each, give couples $1,200, plus $300 more for each child.

To say this would stimulate the economy is the height of political fakery and trickery, because they know it will be mostly spent by the recipients, to reduce their huge credit card debt - money paid right back to the usurious bankers who overcharged them in the first place.

If they were really serious about stimulating the economy, there are a lot of sensible measures they could be taken, that would make more sense.

First, I would remove the cap on social security payroll deductions, which currently sits at about $90,000. It makes no sense and is unfair, that someone making $250,000, $500,000, $1,000,000, $2,000,000 etc., has no deductions after earning $90,000.

Secondly, I would rescind the 2001 tax-cut giveaway to the wealthy - they have had an unearned ride at our expense for 7 years, now it's time for it to end!

Thirdly, I would declare a tax amnesty for the year 2008, where no social security, medicare, federal or state taxes will be owed or withheld, from people earning $75,000 or less - all these would be easily covered by removing the social security cap, and rescinding the criminal tax-cuts to the rich.

Fourthly, I would put a moratorium on all home foreclosures, thus giving those at risk, a year to marshal their resources to save their homes and equities.

I am under no illusion that these suggestions would even be considered, much less implemented by those at the top, but the inequities of our system must be addressed, and these are my suggestions to address them.

Farewell Kucinich

2008-01-26T03:09:00.000-08:00

I'm real sorry that Dennis Kucinich withdrew from the political mix. He was the only candidate who had the purest program to remove the stench of the repugnant BushCo / Pelosi / Reid / alliance, immediately get us out of Iraq and future preemptive entanglements, repair the social networks, rebuild the environmental infrastructures that have been savaged, and set up a Department of Peace, instead of war.

And that's why he did not have a ghost of a chance of being president - these interests even denied him access to most of the primary debates, so that his voice could not be heard, and his vision could not be shared.

Fascism is basically, the marriage of corporate and state interests, to the detriment of the political and economic interests of the people. This was started under Reagan, furthered somewhat by Clinton, and brought to full fruition by BushCo and his Repugnants.

Neither Clinton nor Obama is fully committed to ending this unholy alliance, in fact they are both funded primarily by these interests. I do believe though, that Obama has the most potential for positive change in the future, if consistently pushed to the left by the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

Edwards has been a political loser, nationally, although he is more progressive than either Clinton or Obama.

We'll see who the Dems make their standard bearer at the convention in August. Let's hope whomever it is, will end this long nightmare of Repugnant misrule, misdeeds, and mismanagement.

The Spin of Race and Gender

2008-01-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

If you don’t think race and gender still plays a major role in a Presidential election, just watch from now until November. The media is doing their usual number in fueling the fire between Clinton and Obama only because of their gender and race, and the TV viewers are loving it.

The Republicans are salivating at the thoughts of a black man and a woman being the front runners in the Democratic race for the nomination of their party, because they know that neither will win in the national elections.

They know Americans will not vote in sufficient numbers, to elect a woman or a black man when they have a choice of a white man, particularly if he's a war-hero like McCain.

Dennis Kucinich followed by John Edwards, are the most progressive, and are the best hopes for the Democrats to regain the white house - and that's why the media is dead set against giving them any coverage.

If we haven’t had enough of the Repugnants in the last 8 years, and can’t see through what the corporate-controlled media is up to, then maybe we do deserve another disastrous Repugnant win this coming November.

....Don't ever forget that gasoline was only $1.39/gal. when Bush took office in 2001.......

Was There Election Fraud in N.H.?

2008-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

The wife of the former president of the US, who also won his New Hampshire primary in the 90s, performs a miraculous 21 point swing and wins the primary, after being seriously behind until the day of the primary. This was in a state where ALL 17 polls got it wrong, and ALL were outside the statistical margin of error - which is highly improbable! Moreover where the ballots were counted by hand, Obama was up by 6 points, but where the machines counted the ballots, Hillary was up by 15 points. Further, only 496,000 people voted, but 510,000 votes were actually tabulated - 14,000 more than were cast.

Would the Clinton machine and the BushCo repugs in New Hampshire, tamper with the election, in order to obtain a desperately needed primary win for Hillary, and derail the Obama express? - You bet your sweet bippy they would! Remember Hillary voted for their illegal war and voted for the Patriot Act, among her other consistent votes for war funding, plus, she is the matron of the Dem centrist/right wing of the DNC, which controls the national party and the local Dem party in New Hampshire. Although they used paper ballots, they were mostly counted by optical-scan machines, and therefore subject to manipulation and other machinations.

As the status quo candidate and part of the DNC centrist/right wing of her party, Hillary is the choice of corporate America which has given her a war-chest of over $100 million, so they have a vested interest in her winning, and Obama losing. The military industrial complex would also love nothing better than to have her and her Repug opponent be supporters of the war - what a great way to ensure eight more years of unlimited military appropriations and spending, regardless of which party wins the presidency.

Few Democratic politicians, especially Clinton, would publicly cite Obama's race as a liability. But in brutal political terms, this unstated vulnerability may now be used to persuade leaders of the party establishment and fundraising network, to stick with Clinton, through what is now sure to be a bruising fight until at least February 5th, and perhaps all the way to the convention in August.

In any case, this loss allows Obama to see more clearly what he's up against. Hopefully, his people can adapt their campaign strategy to the inevitable election tampering that is sure to occur again.

My guess is that this was the opening salvo to secure the nomination for Hillary, and the rejection of the Obama movement. Then Hillary will go up against the Repugnant standard bearer, and probably lose to him, thereby keeping the presidency safe for the Repugs.

Is the 'Surge' Working?

2008-01-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, come on - Iraq is no nearer to any internal political coherence than it has ever been since we destroyed the previous regime. We sent in 30,000 troops after the majority of the ethnic cleansing had been accomplished by the competing factions in Iraq. If we had sent 50,000 troops, there would have been even less violence. The fact that we have found a formula for occupying Iraq with lesser risk to our troops instead of extreme risk, doesn't mean that the surge has worked. It sure isn't working to make a viable nation of Iraq. And, it doesn't change the indisputable fact that we have no right to BE in Iraq, that invading it was a colossal mistake and a violation of international law. So saying the surge is 'working' and celebrating that, is like saying that robbing a bank 'worked' because you killed all the tellers and got away with the cash. That doesn't make it something that worked, and it doesn't give you anything to celebrate - you're still guilty and a failure. In fact, 2007 was the bloodiest year since the invasion 5 years ago, and there is now new violence in the north between the Turks and the Kurds.

This is not what I call a strategy that 'worked.' Our military is the weakest it has ever been at any time in any living person's lifetime. Our resources are draining from our economy at an alarming pace. And our stature in the world is approaching 'pariah' level. The purpose of the surge was to provide space for political progress, but no political progress has taken place, hence the surge has failed. But an even larger failure looms ahead, because one thing the surge did accomplish, is the arming of the Sunni factions in preparation for it's eventual showdown with the Shiites.

The BushCo's concerted propaganda war to convince the American people that the 'surge' has worked, is not working. You can clear all the hookers out of Times Square, and put cops on every corner, but how long will it be before they come back? The surge is working - how? Is the Iraqi government now representative, bi-partisan and democratic? Do the people now have hospitals, electricity, sewage, schools, security, heat, jobs, rebuilt homes? Do the Iraqis and the rest of the people in the Middle East now acknowledge that the US is a great friend? Is Basra is a success story? What about the 4 million refugees that has had to flee to other countries?

Last month, we were down to 23 deaths in Iraq, so is that what we call doing a good job? How many soldiers are going to need arms, legs, and minds worked on, for how many years to come - has anyone counted them? How many Iraqis are still dying, how many of their children will be too old to go to their grade schools again, and what about food, water, electricity, sewers, homes? What about the money we have spent on this war? - and lets add the amount that has been pocketed by Bush and his friends? - how about the price of gas we are now paying, and what about our own children that we can't now afford to give heath care too?

Until there is political, economic and social progress, and the troops leave, Iraq will be judged a failure that no 'surge' can fix, and it will remain a ball and chain around America's neck and a stain on our reputation forever.

Truth or Consequences?

2008-01-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

"If you know the truth and don't speak out, then your voice becomes heard with the lie. Silence is a lie when you know the truth. If you know the truth but say I'm not going to get involved, I'm going to remain neutral, then you are siding with a lie. There is no neutrality when you know the truth."

There are so many instances where the truth is known but routinely hidden.

Prosecutors withhold exculpatory evidence from the defense; police observe the 'blue code' of silence to shield each other from censure, dismissal or prosecution; witnesses refuse to testify out of fear of reprisals from perpetrators.

And as yet, we have not found out what really happened on 9-11, and who were the conspirators.

And then we have Bill Bennett knowingly spouting his false 'truth', - "I do know....if you aborted every black baby, the crime rate would go down."

Also athletes who feel pressured to take performance enhancing drugs, just to compete with those who are already doing so, but successfully hiding it.

The lie by BushCo about WMD's in Iraq and the need to go to war, and the shameful complicity of Colin Powell and others, in rubber-stamping this lie.

The media routinely censures 'inconvenient truths' in order to lie from silence.

For years, baseball's management ignored rampant steroid use, to benefit from enhanced athletic performances, resulting in increased media ratings and much higher profits.

Rape is one of the world's most prevalent but underreported violent crimes.

Racist whites, routinely lie and say they are not racists.

What is clear, is that there is much more lying, than truth-telling going on, and few would argue with this.

"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing to reveal and further the truth"

"Africom" For Africa - But Not Egypt ?

2008-01-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

This military command, 'Africom', just created by BushCo, is the latest being launched to grab the world's resources that we need to maintain our imperial empire.

I have not written anything about this previously, because so far, the only sources for news and assessments, have been our own governmental sources. But a friend of mine just commented about it, and I think it would be good to give my preliminary take on it as well. I will write more definitively, as African, Middle Eastern and other world sources become available.

In a nutshell, 'Africom' has a dual purpose - one, is to steal the natural resources that we covet, using our military; and the other, is to protect other natural resources that we will need in the future, from other thieves like China, Korea and Russia.

The worst thing about this 'Africom' con, is that BushCo just appointed a black army general to head it up, thus sending a black face to Africa to fool them as to 'Africoms' true intent.

Also we should be aware of something interesting as illustrated in this recent news headline - "U.S. Creating New Africa Command to coordinate and oversee all military efforts in all of Africa, except , Egypt".

So here again we are continuing to pretend that Egypt is not part of Africa, and to do so, we must separate Egypt from Africa. Thus we can continue to extol the genius and wonders of Egypt, while denying that Africans were the architects and the geniuses who created these wonders.

Although some things seem to change, they really just stay the same!

Love Thy Brown Neighbor???

2008-01-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

According to polls, immigration is a much more important issue among Republican voters than among Democrats. That's especially true in early voting states such as Iowa and So. Carolina, where sizable pockets of illegal immigrants have settled in the last decade.

The intensity of Repugnant resentment towards illegals, has come as a surprise to Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister. As an abortion-detesting, evolution-denying homophobe, Huckabee is fast winning the devotion of his party's Christianists, who seem to confuse the office of president with that of preacher or priest. But Huckabee has one glaring flaw in an otherwise perfect Repugnant doctrinal resume, he has shown (gasp) some compassion towards illegal immigrants.

As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee supported legislation that would have made undocumented college students eligible for college scholarships and in-state tuition discounts. Huckabee said "he wouldn't hold children responsible for something their parents did," like crossing the border illegally.

For that modest bit of pragmatism, Huckabee is being hammered by Mitt Romney, who lost to him in Iowa. Though he was relatively moderate on immigration as governor of Massachusetts, Romney now presents himself as the leader who bravely "stood up and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens, and opposed driver's licenses for illegals."

Polls notwithstanding, Huckabee's position is more Biblically correct. "We welcome the stranger because the Savior himself was not welcomed in mainstream society," said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. "The whole teaching of 'no room at the inn' was about someone poor and marginalized and pushed off to a stable."

The more thoughtful question is then this, what would Jesus do - and would He be a Republican?

What Does Life Have To Do With It ???

2008-01-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

Looking back on 2007, brings to mind the extraordinary number of deaths of family members and friends, unlike any single year that I can remember previously. This has caused me to think more deeply of life and death and the purpose for each of our lives, which must eventually end.

I believe that God is the author of all life that is conceived, and He alone determines who is actually born and who is not. So He allows some lives to be born, and others to be aborted or miscarried as He sees fit. The issues of being 'pro-life' or 'pro-choice' are really moot points, when you consider that God holds the final trump cards concerning all lives and deaths. I believe that man cannot do anything that God does not actively or passively permit, and this includes the ending of lives. Being all knowing, all powerful, and perfectly just, is what defines and distinguishes God from man.

What is really important though, is the purpose that God has for each life that He permits to be born. Whether born with disabilities, deformities or no handicaps at all, each birth has a reason and a purpose, known only to God and sometimes made clear to man, as his life progresses. This explains how lives that would normally be written off like Ludwig Van Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and many others, could be so purposeful and fruitful, in spite of the seriousness of what we would call their handicaps.

So as I look forward to 2008 and away from the sad events of 2007, I can rest assured that God had a purpose for each of those loved ones that passed from the scene. During their lifetimes, they surely fulfilled their purpose as directed and controlled by God, and when that purpose was completed, they left this life, some willingly, and some, probably unwillingly.

Oscar Peterson - R. I. P.

2007-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

A musical giant and a great human being just passed away, after over 75 years of making music which gladdened the hearts of all that heard him.

To say his piano playing was influential is one of the biggest understatements one could make. As a pianist I can testify to his impact on my playing for the many, many years I've been listening him. I know of no other pianist that would not agree that his impact on their playing was enormous. My playing was most affected by his peerless ballad playing, and his incomparable ability to accompany other soloists, in the most tasteful and understated way. His touch, his harmonic sense, and his total command of the instrument was the standard that I aspired to and continue to do so. He, like Erroll Garner and Art Tatum, who also gained total command of the piano, are the gold-standards for all musicians to aspire to and emulate.

I remember first hearing him in the late 40s and being astonished at his virtuosity and touch. Later in the 80s I was able to meet him in person and spend a rewarding two or three hours with him in a piano emporium owned by a dear friend, David Abell, who also has passed on. He was in town on that occasion, to play at a jazz club owned by the bassist of his first great trio, Ray Brown. In our conversation, we discovered that we had a similar cultural background, and that our fathers were both immigrants from the West Indies, and had immigrated from there approximately the same year, his dad to Canada and my dad to New York. They were both amateur musicians and had started each of us in music lessons around the age of five.

From that time on, right up to his recent passing, I was able to more deeply identify with him as a person, along with continuing to being inspired by his awesome musical gifts. The outpouring of love and affection for him from around the world, as well as the universal admiration for his prowess on the piano, is a tribute to the man and his music.

Rest In Peace Oscar - musically, you left this world a much better place, and we are the richer for it.

The 'Cause' or the 'Effect'?

2007-12-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

All year, on topics of race, I have been ranting and raving at the ongoing news stories that highlight the dual-standards that the media applies to blacks, particularly athletes, versus whites. I've also been outraged at the plethora of black so-called 'truth-tellers', who are supposedly 'keeping it real', while savaging mostly the black underclass for their lack of sophistication, morals, poor English, and a litany of other supposed sins.

I say they are neither 'truth-tellers' nor 'keeping it real', instead they are cravenly, crass, well-paid opportunists, who will say anything for fame and fortune, while giving aid and comfort to unrepentant whites, most of whom are hiding their racist agendas behind the 'cover' provided by these black proxies. The proof is how whites generally fawn over them, providing them with lucrative book deals, bully pulpits, media appearances, and constantly commend their 'truthfulness' and their 'independent thinking' which they say runs refreshingly counter to the prevailing mindsets of those blacks who they dismissively label as 'poverty pimps', or worse.

The latest in the lengthening list of these black proxies is Roland Martin, a CNN contributing columnist. Another, is author, Pamela Wilson,who claims to be a born-again Christian. Both are being lauded by the white media and praised to the sky for their 'fearless truthfulness'.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/11/roland.martin/index.html
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071217/30521_Black
_Christian_%27Racialism%27 _Challenges_Faith_in_America.htm

I say nonsense! - they are guilty of half-truths, false straw-men arguments, and a host of other pandering-to-their-benefactor, sins. But my biggest problem with them, is their appalling failure to identify and excoriate the historical, systemic racism of whites, which is the context and the 'cause' of much of the black dysfunctions they are railing against, and instead are obsequiously slamming the conduct of the black underclass, which is merely the 'effect'.

Bill Cosby, Juan Williams, Roland Martin, Pamela Wilson and a host of others, are in this stew of black foot-shufflers, who are being lauded, feted and patted on the head by whites, and commended for their 'refreshing honesty'. They are either too stupid, too greedy or too self-hating, to recognize that if the accolades are coming more overwhelmingly from racist whites than from blacks who agree with them, then their screeds must be demeaning and hurtful to the black underclass in particular, and to blacks in general.

Perhaps they don't even care - this is what makes them so utterly contemptible.

The 'Roids of Summer

2007-12-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

Now that the Mitchell report has been released, the untouchable teflon wall erected around Clemons, the multi-Cy Young award-winning pitcher, while the home-run champion, Bonds, was being savaged, has now crumbled as it should.

In fact I would say, if the pitchers were on steroids, the hitters arguably had a duty to counter their pitching advantage with their own steroid use. I probably would not use steroids, but then again, I'm not being judged on how well I am hitting against steroid-enhanced pitching, which also could affect the size of the contract I could get next season based on my hitting. Bonds and others could certainly have used this rationale, and probably did. But let us not forget one important fact, Bonds never failed a drug test, and based on that, remains innocent of all charges.

But I have another angle that is seldom considered, all of baseball history and records are suspect, going back to the days of segregated baseball. The white 'record-holders' like Ruth, Cobb, etc., got those records by being shielded through the farce of segregation, from the pitching and fielding of many of the superior negro-leaguers like Satchel Paige and others. Had they had to face them, many doubt they would have obtained a fraction of those records.

So once again, this country's sorry racist history is coming back to bite it, and baseball now embroiled in the steroid scandal, is 'reaping-what-it-sowed' for disenfranchising worthy black ballplayers for 50 years, and denying them an equal opportunity to make a living and earn the records that whites got credited for, by not having to earn them on a level playing field.

Those early records should have been given an asterisk but were not, now the current records are plastered with those asterisks. And the Hall of Fame, which had already embraced wife beaters, murderers, gamblers, and drunkards, now has to embrace 'Roiders....so much for baseball's supposed 'integrity'

Our Tortured History

2007-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Why are we so surprised at the present-day willingness to torture by our government. Don't we remember the thousands of blacks that were routinely lashed, lynched, raped, branded, sold away from their families, discriminated against, kidnapped and forced to work as slaves from sunup to sundown - all forms of torture, for much of this country's history.

What about the delightful practice of scalping the 'savage' native Americans we found here?

So torture is as American as apple pie, and it should not surprise us that we are readily repeating our history and cannot run away from it. In fact we parse and justify things like waterboarding, just like we justified torture back then.

To prove it was normal and accepted by the good citizens of those times, how many of the torturers of blacks were ever indicted, tried, jailed or executed?? - few, if any - do you know of any, I sure don't?

So we can spare ourselves the feigned outrage - history is merely repeating itself, it's in America's DNA.

Who Should Come Clean??

2007-12-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

Quoted today from the British Guardian Unlimited newspaper, -

"Bush demanded that Tehran detail its previous program to develop nuclear weapons ``which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge.'' The Iranians have a strategic choice to make,'' he said before a political appearance in Omaha, Neb. ``They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities,'' and accept U.S.-backed terms for new nuclear negotiations, ``or they can continue on a path of isolation."

I say, why isn't Bush demanding that Israel "come clean" with the international community about the scope of it's nuclear activities, which the Israeli regime has yet to acknowledge? Apparently I'm one of the few that is willing to ask this question....maybe it's because I have not been paid off or blackmailed to ensure my silence.

Israel with nuclear and other weapons is much more dangerous to it's neighbors than Iran could ever be - in June 1967, it bombed, torpedoed and napalmed the clearly identified American naval vessel the USS Liberty, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 174 others; in 1982 it invaded Lebanon and preemptively bombed Iraq's nuclear facilities; in 2005 it bombed Lebanon again and attacked Syria in 2007; not to speak of it's illegal settlements and it's brutal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, where in 2007 they killed 457 Palestinians, while the Palestinians only killed 10 Israelis in retaliation.

I'm so sick of the deafening silence regarding Israel's lawlessness and immoral criminal actions, while neighboring countries are being held to a higher moral and political standard than she is being held to. She gets away with it because four-fifths of the country including her leadership, are European whites who are part of the world-wide network of white supremacists seeking permanent imperial dominance over non-white countries, particularly those with valuable natural resources that they covet.

Jefferson the Hypocrite???

2007-11-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

It is interesting to read the historical record and find that Jefferson was one of the immoral landowning gentry, that were able to afford their lavish lifestyles by owning slaves. Not only slaves for free labor, but apparently for their sexual needs and fantasies as well, as illustrated by his slave mistress, Sally Hemings.

But the historical record also provides a nuanced insight into another side of Jefferson...that of a conflicted slaver who tried to abolish slavery nationally, in his writings, speeches and legislative actions. His attempts at ending slavery even lasted into the final years of his life, when he objected to the state of Missouri being admitted to the union because of their embrace and practice of slavery. His last attempt was crushingly defeated by the infamous 'Missouri Compromise' of 1820, which made the admittance of the slave state of Missouri, as a quid pro quo for admitting the free state of Maine. Jefferson correctly noted that the acceptance of this compromise "would eventually lead to the destruction of the Union." Just 41 years later, the civil war was fought, with slavery being one of many issues that led to the deaths of 618,000 - 700,000 soldiers and civilians.

Physical and economic slavery is still a worldwide phenomenon, and the lifestyles that we enjoy here in America, are in part made possible by the slave labor in China, Malaysia and other countries that produces goods and services that we import.

If we close our eyes to this fact, then we are in fact similarly conflicted as Jefferson, and also somewhat as hypocritical as he was.

R U a Celebrity Fawner?

2007-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

A Fawner is defined as - "someone who behaves as if without self-respect or independent thoughts, who curries favor by behaving obsequiously and submissively, an apple-polisher, a bootlicker, a kowtower, etc."

As long as there have been celebrities, there have been those who have idolized and deified them, by attaching undue credibility, importance and credence to their every utterance and action, no matter how inane, ignorant, mean-spirited, self-aggrandizing or misinformed. Because of this near universal deference by their fans and wannabe followers, celebrities often take this as license to pontificate wily-nily on their bully pulpits, regardless of who it hurts or slanders.

I'm mystified that so many, despite their own personal accomplishments, will deify and give credence to the most inane, sophomoric, mindless rantings of celebrities. I know TV and movie exposure plays a big part in this 'anointing', but it still is dumbfounding.

My wise buddy, Nezet, Prophet of the Surreal says..."Completely and utterly dumbfounding! I've gotten into many an argument, not mere disagreement, but full-blown arguing with fam and friends over some sheet that a so-called celeb has said or done. I do NOT do celeb "worshipping" at all...and despite what society and the media says, I try to raise my kids to not worship celebs either. They are people...as flawed, nice and f-up'ed as any of us walking the planet, period. I think it has to do with collective low self-esteem, hero/ine worship, consumerism and projection (psychological term!). People are fed a constant dose of so-called reality by marketing, advertising and other corporate entities that they haven't achieved enough (foundation of capitalism IMHO), that when they hear and see people who speak well (and have all the material possessions to boot)....they seduce the masses with mass psychology/hypnosis (see: Hitler and other dictators, many televangelists and others)...and the lemmings (fawners) get behind the message cause it makes them "feel good"....and they feel so "connected" to the personality (see: Oprah, Cosby et. al.) that they think they are living their lives vicariously through these individuals. Despite a high level of education, people still flock to and are deluded in their thinking that Cosby, Oprah, Trump, Jakes...whoever, is somehow worthy of being deified and is "better" than them, because they have marketed themselves to make you part with your dollars and buy the "kool-aid" they be selling!"

Two prominent celebrities whose every word is often revered by faithful celebrity fawners, as if it was spoken from a mountain top by gods of the universe, are Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby. Recently these two have been quoted saying dismissive and disparaging things about the 'lower classes' of blacks in the ghettos of our cities. Their fawners, who hang on their every word, dutifully ignores the mean-spirited, damning words, and instead anoints them as modern 'truth-tellers' while ignoring their insulting, elitist words.

One admiring fawner wrote this;

"I am also so sick and tired of the jealous Black (and White) newsmongerers who can’t stop criticizing Oprah and Bill Cosby whenever they get the chance. Both of them have been exceedingly generous, having donated millions over time to historically Black colleges, numerous causes and to innumerable individuals in need here in the USA. Neither of them came from wealthy backgrounds, in fact just the opposite. They know the “ghetto mentality” and could have chosen to remain there themselves. However, God has blessed them exceedingly and has prospered them. They have the right to do with their wealth what they will. If they want to help the other Black nations of the world to come out of poverty, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, so what??? What wrong with that? We need to be proud of them and LISTEN to what they are saying.

Whether we want to accept it or not, calling it “airing our dirty linen in public,” what they have said is THE TRUTH!!! Ipods and sneakers and long baggy pants, hiphop music, rap music with its awful disgraceful lyrics, gansta rap, holdups, prison, gangbangging, crack/cocaine, methamphetamines, MTV, homelessness, fatherlessness, teen pregnancies, “Baby Daddies” welfare, etc etc etc are the order of the day in the Black community and it is DISGRACEFUL. Just walk through any mall or through any of our urban communities and there they are with doo rags on their heads and hairstyles with 5 different colors. Ask them a geography question and they’re looking at you as if you have rocks in your heads. Most don’t own a passport because they are not planning to go anywhere. Most can’t spell, read or speak. They take disgraceful pride in being on Jerry Springer and Maury Popvich illuminating their disgusting lifestyles. We know there are many of us who have pulled ourselves up against unspeakable odds and have succeeded. But we are less than 1%. Let’s not kid ourselves.

When Oprah or Bill Cosby try to speak out. They are NOT being insulting. But even those of us who know better want to shush they down. Why? We are in crisis!! MLK and Malcolm would turn over in their graves if they could see where we are now. After all they fought for, we have slidden backwards instead of forwards. Stop the jealousy because that’s all it is. Leave Oprah and Bill Cosby Alone!!!!"

It's clear that there will be those, like this writer, who make equally offensive remarks about the 'lower classes', and will defend these truth-tellers' not because they are necessarily telling the truth, but because they are celebrities, and therefore above criticism and being held accountable for damaging and insulting words, that would be rightfully deemed stereotyping and racist if uttered by any other ethnic group.

Moreover, every story has a contextual framework. To only tell part of the story while dismissing contributing factors, is disingenuous and factually incorrect. If one is going to tell the "truth" - then tell the whole truth, warts and all (see an article by the recently departed Norman Mailer that does such, here: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0708-01.htm )

We will all do well, if we view celebrities as just as flawed and subject to error, as any of us who are not celebrities. Their words and deeds must be subjected to the same scrutiny and criticism, as those of us who don't have the big bully pulpits they do.

'Trump'-ing Oprah and Cosby

2007-11-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby are three zillionaires who reek of egocentric excesses that say more about them, rather than the purported cause de jour they are trumpeting. Maybe I'm being too hard on Oprah, but I'm certainly spot-on about Trump and Cosby.

Trump has filed for bankruptcy, twice - hardly what we should expect from someone billing himself as the biggest. the brightest and the best at everything. His golf course and real estate housing development in Palos Verdes, Ca., is embroiled in a multi-million dollar lawsuit by neighbors who have alleged property destabilizations and devaluations because of his project. Also I can never forget the full-page ad he took out in the 90s, libeling minority youths that were falsely arrested for the rape and assault of the Central Park jogger, as 'wilding animals'. After years in jail, the real perpetrator was caught, and the youths were all released, but without nary an apology from 'The Donald' who libeled them.

Cosby's corporate sponsors did not make him wildly rich without expecting a payoff somewhere down the line, and at a time and place that suits them. Apparently, now is the time for him to use his bestowed celebrity as a bully-pulpit to savage and disparage a segment of his own people. This is the ultimately selling of his soul, and once one starts down that road, there's no turning back. This explains why Cosby, despite heavy criticism, continues to spew his invectives, at and against, the defenseless 'lower classes', as he is now doing in his latest book and rounds of media interviews. He apparently values his riches more than the suffering he is causing and will continue to cause, his people to be subjected to.

Oprah has had a string of over-the-top personal investments that have turned sour. Her trumpeting of the book by Frey as her #1 book club pick, that turned out to be mostly fabricated, is just one of those that I remember recently. Another is her lavish reception for Obama at her estate in Montecito, Ca.. Well-heeled attendees were reportedly miffed and outraged that they were restricted only to the expansive lawn of the estate, and were not allowed to enter her home as a wealthy guest who paid so much money to attend, would normally expect. Now her lavish $49 million girl's academy in South Africa is in the spotlight because of alleged sexual abuse of some of the girls by a member of the staff. In this instance she has told of how personally hurt and betrayed she has felt, which leads me to believe that it is more about her feelings and ego, rather than about the feelings of the girls that have been abused.

Oprah and Cosby's brand of truth-telling' about the black community, could best be described as picking on the weakest and lowest segments of the community, for more fame, and for more profit. Cosby is now touring and hawking his book on all the major networks, where he is dutifully being given the mike to rant his dismissive venom on his own people. Of course nary a word about the 'cause and effect' of the dysfunction is given - because that would inappropriately indict the rich white boys that gave Cosby his fat book contract. It would also indict the systemic, societal racism that acts in one accord to neutralize and render ineffective, as many blacks as possible - by any means necessary. Listening to him you would think that the ills he is ranting against just happened out of thin air - like magic, with no cause other than the defective genes these 'lower classes' are born with. He is too much of a coward and bully to hold his sponsors accountable for the 'cause and effect' of their actions - plus he is not about to lose his well-paid lifestyle they have been providing over the years. Likewise Oprah would never dare confront the power structure that gives it's blessing to the system of inequality and white supremacy that is dished out to a segment of her people, by any means necessary. If you think Oprah's fortune is not conditioned on her following a prescribed program dictated by those sponsors who made her rich, you have a fool for a brain.

Some of us are apparently so stricken with celebrity worship, that we will confer credence, importance and integrity to the most inane and disingenuous rants of comedic buffoons and political sell-outs like Cosby, and increasingly, Oprah. Personally, I am not in awe of either of them, because I know their bully-pulpit is bought and paid for by their corrupt corporate sponsors, who made them rich enough to compromise whatever integrity they originally had.

It's undeniable that the corporate sponsors of Oprah and Cosby have made them disproportionately rich compared to most blacks, and even most whites - the question is why....and to what purpose?????

This same question must be asked of all who have been made rich by accepting various corporate sponsorships in the form of book deals, think-tank fellowships, speaking engagements etc., and who have also been lashing out at a defenseless segment of the black community. Their words have been a verbal lynching that encourages regressive public policies by racists in high places, who point to their words as proof of an innate, genetic dysfunction among the 'lower classes', which cannot be addressed and changed with liberal social policies and programs. Therefore many of the most needed, critical programs have been defunded or ended.

It's time to connect the dots and ask... why?????

Amused by the Abusive Imus

2007-11-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

So Don Imus is shortly about to return to the airwaves on right-wing radio station, WABC. This will be a fitting place for his brand of racist, sexist, sophomoric, unintelligent drivel. The marketplace has decided to take another chance on him, after deciding he was too much of a liability by his offending so many a few months ago. His free speech was never an issue then, since no government entity attempted to suppress his speech. Instead, the capitalist marketplace decided he was a liability, at least in the short-term, and would lose more money than he would make for it, so he had to go.

His many fans of like-minded insensitivity and racism, will be delighted that he is returning, and on one hand I'm not so sorry he is returning either. We need examples of slime like him, to remind those who say racism and sexism is now a thing of the past and the playing-field is now level, that racism is very much alive and well, and has not really gone anywhere, at all. On the other hand though, what about the millions who tune in to validate their own belief systems that embraces privilege, separation and hate? I can see how this show can serve to bolster their unbalanced view of the world, and if Imus believes it and says it, this is all they need to perhaps embolden them to racist actions. For this reason, I would prefer that he did not return.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200704040011
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/opinion/10ifill.html

The marketplace that had been rewarding him so handsomely, turned on him and decided to suspend subsidizing him. It had nothing to do with Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson's displeasure, just plain old American profits and the bottom line that was being jeopardized by this latest of his many racist rants. The angry white men demographic, that Imus champions, are in the same school of bullies like him, picking on those who have no voice or a microphone, as they did to the Rutgers female basketball team. This time enough people resented his disrespect and racism, that even the amoral capitalistic marketplace had to react and fire him, at least for a while. His brand and product was the lowest of the lowest products out there, and for just a few months, the consumers voted with their wallets, and said, 'you're fired!'.

To me, Imus is just a decrepit, unapologetic, alcoholic, cowardly racist, and his ignorant vitriol has been ongoing for decades. His defenders cried 'political correctness', which is just another attempted slur invented by white males, who can't abide cultural changes and diversity, and who believe themselves to be exemplars and paragons of the best and brightest. Consciously or unconsciously, he was using his bully pulpit to affirm his investment in whiteness, and protecting his group's privileges and power as top dogs in America. He was also showing his deep investment in historical white narcissism expressed as scorn for 'others' - in this case the mostly black, Rutgers basketball team.

He's now found a different network where his insensitivities are acceptable, at least initially and until he again reactivates the market forces that 'fired' him before. I'm betting that he will be just as, or even more offensive than before - after all, there are millions of his demographic that just loves his slop!

'It's the 'Dawg' in Me'

2007-11-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

That's the song that Duane 'Dog' Chapman should be singing after being exposed for the racist he is, by a tape of a conversation with his own son Tucker, that liberally used the 'n.....' word concerning his son's black girlfriend.

The cable company A & E, has suspended their number one bounty hunter/bail bondsman show, pending an investigation of what he said and how it negatively impacts their bottom line. Already one sponsor, 'Yum Brands' which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, has cancelled their sponsorship, citing Chapman's "despicable" behavior". A & E's position to me, is most hypocritical since they put this low life ex-con on the air in the first place. So what should they expect of this kind of scum/trash, given his background and criminal record. I certainly did not have any expectations of anything different from the 'dog', so to learn that he is the racist that I already thought he was, is no big deal to me.

I've watched the show and laughed hysterically when 'Dog' and his posse is shown 'praying' before they set out to capture the bad guys. Some folks even have been fooled into thinking there is some kind of spiritual 'mandate' for his efforts, because he prays in Jesus' name before his trips. I would remind them that the KKK also read scripture and prayed before going out to lynch, rape and burn blacks who they despised. So praying ain't necessarily more than empty words, depending on who is praying.

Another interesting point in this story, is that his son, Tucker, taped their conversation and sold it to the National Enquirer for a reported $15,000. So his fear of being exposed as a racist, was actually achieved by one of his 12 children by 6 different women. I'm sure his son had numerous experiences with his father's racism and racist speech over the years, and finally had enough when his father demeaned his black girlfriend and threatened to fire him if he did not leave her.

Of course 'Dog' has apologized profusely and said his remarks were misunderstood and taken out of context. But that's what they all say when they have been caught in mid-racism. Instead of telling his son to get rid of his girlfriend so she would not hear his and his posse's racist speech, it would instead, have been more sensible for him to clean-up his speech and avoid exposure. But as some of his many defenders are saying, he has the right to speak privately as he wishes. I agree, but I also agree his son has the right to expose his racist dad as he did, even if it kills his TV show.

I would have expected nothing less from the 'Dog', and I have not been disappointed.

'Bowling for Iran...and then Syria'

2007-10-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

The title is a take-off on Michael Moore's highly successful documentary, but in this case the target is Iran..and then Syria, and then...?

Under the just announced executive order #13382, U.S. authorities will be able to freeze the assets of, and prohibit any U.S. citizen or organization, from doing business with Iran.
This would certainly be considered an act of war if this had been done to the U.S. by another sovereign country. One newspaper reported it this way: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1025/p99s01-duts.htm

Not surprisingly, Sen. Joseph Lieberman is quoted as being ecstatic at this further escalation and provocation of war with Iran. Lieberman is an Israeli proxy, whose main concern is the destruction of any country who Israel deems to be a threat to it's security. The certain destructive impact of war with Iran on our own country and it's economy, is of little concern to him, just as the horrific human and economic losses already caused by our ongoing war on Iraq, is of no consequence to him, and is still supported by him.

Although I'm very sorry that Al Gore was robbed of the presidency in 2000, on the other hand, in a way, I'm glad that he lost. Had he won, we would have had Joseph Lieberman as our vice-president, and if something unfortunate happened to Gore, Lieberman would have become president. Can you imagine where we would be right now if he were president??? IMHO, it would be much worse than it has been with Bush, and we probably would have already been at war with Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and any other perceived enemy of Israel.

The justification for this latest sanction and warmongering, is Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions and it's threat to the region. Few, besides me, are brave enough to point out, that Israel has 200+ nuclear weapons in it's arsenal, and is certainly more of a threat to the region than any of it's neighbors - (they bombed Iraq's facilities in 1982, Lebanon a few years ago, and Syria a few months ago). And even if they were not an immediate threat to their neighbors, they are more than capably equipped to defend themselves if attacked. No one is asking them to get rid of their arsenal, so why is Iran being told not to develop theirs? This double-standard when it comes to Israel, is so blatant and accepted universally, that it would be laughable, if it was not so deadly serious.

Israel's supporters would label my views as being anti-semitic, as a means of denying the facts and truth of this double-standard. They have very effectively used this canard on virtually anyone, in and out of our government, who would dare to speak the truth about what's going on. It's time to lose this fear of speaking the truth, because if we don't, we will be soon rolling to war with other sovereign countries, on trumped-up charges, on behalf of the war profiteers and on behalf of Israel.