Covering News, Race, Religion, Politics, Music, and anything on my mind. Asking critical questions & giving raw uncensored commentary (something that mainstream corporate media fails to do), taking a look at issues from my independent perspective. Challenging and correcting misinformation whenever I can. No gimmicks and no frills. I made a conscious decision to concentrate on content instead.
Sports of The Times A Young Gymnast’s Distant Olympic Dream By GEORGE VECSEY Published: July 29, 2009
On weekends, the subway and bus trip can take two and a half hours — each way, that is. Alexis Page, 13, is pursuing her sport, her art, from uptown Manhattan to the outer fringes of Brooklyn.
Millions of hopeful American youths ride to practice in team vans or their parents’ cars or perhaps they bicycle to a nearby field or gym. Alexis takes the No. 2 subway and the Q35 bus.
Her discipline is rhythmic gymnastics, twirling a ribbon, dancing with a ball, an Olympic sport that is obscure just about everywhere except the old Soviet bloc.
Alexis cannot afford to think about the Olympics themselves, she says softly. She must live within the moment of the music and the rhythm, and not think how she will pay for all this, or when she will sleep.
Her coaches, with the enduring poise of Soviet athletes, tell her she has it good. They tell stories of all-day training rather than the four-hour sessions she takes. They tell of children removed from their families to join the collective athletic system.
Alexis studies them, the way they walk, the way they talk. She is preparing for life, for college, not only the Olympics. She does not have time for a social life in her neighborhood; her friends are in the gym or on her Facebook page — girls from Russia, girls from Chicago, gymnasts, like herself. One of her friends is an octogenarian European gymnast, now living in New York.
Rest of article at link above.
Much encouragement to this young Sista on her own path....and much luck.
Alexis Page, right, and her mother Pamela Fair on the No. 2 subway.
Alexis Page trains at a sports facility at Floyd Bennett Field
All Three Men Were At Fault - Gates, Crowley and Obama
The more that I have learned about the Gates case over the past week, the more I’m happy that I didn’t jump on the Gates bandwagon…at least not completely. I did have one foot on the bandwagon though. But my inner voice usually tells me to avoid the knee jerk reaction that often comes from Black folks, especially on issues that have anything to do with race. I listened this time… but I probably didn’t listen enough.
I am making no excuses for Sgt. Crowley. I still believe that he could have walked away from the situation that day. The arrest was most certainly a discretionary decision that Crowley could have and probably should have avoided. And I am not convinced that Crowley would have made the same decision had Gates been White. However, based on what I have seen and the statements made by those involved, I don’t see this as a blatantly racist incident. Believe me… I looked…and looked, and looked again, but I haven’t found any evidence that this was primarily a racial event. I’m sorry…. I have to be The Angry Independent today and not the Angry Black Man. The Angry Black Man is on vacation for a few days anyway. He’ll be back next week. But nope... I did not see racism as the primary issue here. Now that ass_____ from the Boston Police Department is an entirely different story. But i'll leave that case alone.
I have also heard “racial profiling” thrown around. And this case doesn’t fit that definition very well either. It’s a term thrown around by those who don’t understand what it means. On the periphery there may have been profiling here…. On both sides, but this case is not primarily a profiling issue in my opinion. Profiling has to do with Police proactively and arbitrarily stopping people of a certain demographic on the streets. I know exactly what it is…. Living in a neighborhood that is 90-95% White, I have been the target of profiling. But in this case officers did not stop Gates on the street. These officers were responding to a 911 call of a possible burglary in progress. And yes…. This is the kind of call where multiple officers are routinely dispatched. I have been baffled by the comments of those who are wondering why more than 1 or 2 officers showed up. It's routine! On a burglary in progress, especially in a nice upper middle class - wealthy community, expect a minimum of 3 units. Often in a small city...an entire shift will respond (until cancelled)...and entire sectors in big cities. Not unusual at all. The call wasn’t for a Black man standing in his own Kitchen. The call was for a burglary in progress.
Crowley was wrong to allow Gates to push his buttons and provoke him. He should have used better judgment and left the scene once it was clear that there was no burglary. This may have been difficult to do with a belligerent man asking for names and wanting to complain. I have dealt with the Dr. Gates'… elites (of all races) who believe that you are beneath them. I deal with them all the time. They give you grief even when you are just doing your job…. Whether its getting their information for an accident report, or asking them about what happened regarding a dispute with someone else. Just getting them to calm down and speak logically is like pulling teeth. But Crowley should have given Gates all the information that he requested. Although the Police report states that the information was given, I’m not convinced.
Gates is also at fault for what I suspect was belligerence. Clearly he doesn’t understand Police procedure and didn’t appear to understand the situation that day. For the average level-headed person, there would be no need to fly off the handle in any sort of knee jerk fashion. I understand how officers can be cocky and disrespectful…. Walking into a home, not giving a citizen a certain level of respect, not responding when asked questions, etc. And there has been evidence of a disparity in Police service to the public based on the race of those being served. But Gates was wrong to assume that this officer should have known who he was. Gates may have been hanging out with Oprah too long. He thinks he’s a household name outside of academia….and he’s not. While Gates did provide identification, I have a feeling that the officer was subjected to a lot of verbal nonsense in the process. I’m not saying that a citizen can’t or shouldn’t question an officer….but there is a proper way and a proper time to do it.
It seems to me that Gates did much of the racial profiling himself…making assumptions about why the officer was there. When an officer arrives to such a call…. they have to confirm that you are who you say you are…. unless they know you. Gates believes that the officer should have taken his word that he was the rightful occupant of the House. But that’s not how it works. Perhaps the officer didn’t explain very well…why he was there. The saying… “it’s not what you say…but how you say it“…is really true. Maybe the officer had the wrong tone. We don’t know…none of us were actually there, so there is no way to know exactly what led up to the arrest… I can only base my comments on the bits and pieces of information that have been made available.
And the observers, especially most of the Black observers, almost got this story completely wrong. They certainly tried to distort the situation. From what I can tell… Gates was not arrested for being in his own home… nor was he arrested for breaking into his own home (he used his key at the back door). He was arrested for his knee jerk belligerence…causing a disturbance and I suspect for not being very cooperative. “Disorderly Conduct”… for good or bad (mostly for bad) gives officers a lot of latitude. It’s a broad law allowing officers to apply just about any behavior to it. The officer is more guilty of not using good judgment in terms of exercising his arrest powers. But folks immediately wanted to make this a Black/White issue. As I stated, Gates was just as guilty of racial profiling (if we are going to use the term…lets apply it evenly)…because he made assumptions about the officer based on what he saw through his lens.
What we had in this situation was a clash of ego’s. Gates saw the presence of this officer as a challenge to his position in life…almost an affront to his status. The fact that the officer apparently didn’t know who he was probably offended Gates. And the fact that the officer didn’t respond to his comments and requests only made Gates more irritated. Gates was probably tired from his long trip and was clearly already irritated with the property management people because his door was jammed. The officer was probably the last person that Gates wanted or needed to see at that moment. And now Gates is playing up race as a way to repair his damaged ego.
The last person at fault would be the President. What the Hell was he doing commenting on this case? I was at work when I heard the Press Conference. At the end, when he was asked about the case… I assumed he would be smart and take a pass….especially when he didn’t have all the information. But when Obama proceeded to give one of his long answers… I couldn’t believe it. I knew that he was stepping in it…big time. I knew that nothing good could come out of his answer. And of course I was right. The Right wing media jumped on it immediately…and made Obama sound as if he was attacking Police. Obama has a habit of handing these kinds of gifts to his opponents. His response at the news conference was definitely an "Un-Obama-esque" moment, because he's usually much more careful than that.
The only person that I feel sorry for in this case (well…not really sorry…because all of these folks are well off….and none give a damn about me struggling to survive)…is the woman who called 911. She was doing what I hope my neighbors would do if they saw someone messing around with my car or they saw someone who they didn’t recognize entering my place.
Hopefully after this White House meeting, the hardcore Black & hardcore White nationalists will take a break. Hopefully. I'll keep my fingers crossed....but I won't hold my breath. I know that they will continue to find ways to create controversy. That's why both extremes are so annoying.
Hold your fire The police blotter . . . July 30, 2009 BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
Walking back the cat: Looks like Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis was forced to backtrack on his deadly force policy amendment -- tipped in Sneed's column Wednesday -- allowing cops to shoot at suspected felons fleeing in motor vehicles.
• • To wit: Sneed hears City Corporation Counsel Mara Georges and Mayor Daley were flummoxed by the order, which they felt could have been a huge liability problem for a city already reeling in debt.
• • The upshot: The deadly force order, which Weis felt would give cops added protection, was issued July 17 to go into effect Aug. 3.
• • The buckshot: No more. It was dispatched to the bye-bye bin Wednesday.
Just so you know...nearly 1 out of every 3 dollars budgeted for the Chicago Police Department is done so to payoff POLICE MISCONDUCT LAWSUITS. Thus, the core of the mistrust of the Black community towards the PO-LEEZ.
On NBC's Today Show she claimed that Michelle Obama made it thanks to racial quotas (in other words... she was never qualified for anything).
My question is... why does the national media give these crazies a platform to spew this poison? Legitimate opinionated Progressives can't get on the airwaves...but Conservative loons are on all day and night...on both TV and Radio. There is no shortage of them. It's amazing.
This is why Progressives need to own their own networks...from top to bottom.
While it's true that Obama has surrounded himself with questionable characters...indeed cronies (I myself have criticized this), I don't think there is any comparison to Republicans when it comes to corruption. As bad as Obama's staff and Cabinet choices are, and as much of a walking contradiction he is on the issue of "insiders", his Administration is light years away from the cronyism and corruption that we witnessed under the Bush-Cheney Administration. It's not even apples and oranges. But Rethugs have to use propaganda to sell books (and the national media always willfully helps to peddle this stuff... it's poisoning the Country).
She also states that Obama is ruining the economy, lol. Uhhhh, earth to Michelle Malkin... the last Republican Administration, with the help of their allies in big business and on Wall Street, already ruined the economy long before Obama became President. I guess she had blinders on during the last few years of the Bush Administration. There is no possible way that she could believe her own nonsense.... instead what she is trying to do is take advantage of the American public's short and fickle memory... to trick folks into believing that the bad economy is Obama's fault. Malkin and her fellow Republican spinsters are of course glossing over the fact that Obama inherited an economy in severe recession and in some respects in a depression. Or the fact that the recession began in December of 2007.
What's scary is that this Right Wing propaganda campaign is actually starting to gain traction. More proof that the nation's education system needs an overhaul (I have been saying this for years). With an American public this clueless and gullible.... this Country is in serious trouble.
It appears that President Obama has turned Healthcare reform into the biggest battle of his Presidency, at least so far. I have already expressed how much I disagree with his timing and tactics on this issue. I think Obama may have miscalculated the power of his opponent & the willingness of the other side to do absolutely anything to obstruct Progressive initiatives. He also miscalculated the level of utter contempt & hatred that his opponents have for him.
In my previous commentary on Healthcare reform I mentioned the importance of controlling the narrative and winning the PR battle. Obama started from a disadvantage and didn’t even realize it. He must have believed (mistakenly) that the office of the Presidency would give him the platform that he needed to get his Healthcare initiatives through the Congress. But I warned that the Republicans, especially their Right wing media, controlled the microphone. They always control the microphone. And he who controls the microphone (megaphone in the case of Republicans) by dominating T.V. and radio, ends up dominating the debate and controlling the narrative. And whoever controls the narrative will carry the day & win the battle. This is how Republicans have been able to convince Americans (at least a sizable number) that they don’t want what they know they actually need - affordable Healthcare where decisions about treatment aren’t made by insurance companies. Americans know this, but the message from radio & the big networks over the last several months, driven by Right wing media, has convinced people once again to go against their own best interests. Add this media war against the American public to the behind the scenes lobbying where members of Congress are being bribed by insurance companies, and you have an almost impossible situation for Obama and Progressives in Congress.
Certainly there are some legitimate issues about costs, but many of the concerns amongst the public are baseless or have been overblown by the Right wing Republican propaganda which is simply aimed at scuttling Healthcare reform legislation. And the fear tactics seem to be working as usual. The right has even scared Blue Dog Democrats into falling in line…. The Blue Dogs are vulnerable to Republican political campaigning because many of them are from Conservative districts and could theoretically be ousted if targeted by Republican attack ads. So the Blue Dogs have been giving in…. mostly because several have elections coming up in 2010. It’s amazing that a bunch of rich Congressmembers, who have great health insurance, will block any efforts for the rest of us to have reliable healthcare all because they are running for re-election.
I have mentioned a million times that Progressives should build a media infrastructure that can compete on equal footing with Republican media. If Progressives & even independents want to get their message out, they will have to create their own media outlets. I’m afraid that Progressives will need a lot more than NPR and MSNBC. Although these networks do a decent job, they don’t put Progressives on equal ground with Right Wing Republican media. This should have been done years ago. Until a Progressive media infrastructure is created, Dems will start out at a disadvantage for whatever policy initiatives they want to get approved, even when their political party has a majority in Congress. Why? Because they can’t impact public opinion in their favor. They can’t even get their own message out. Not even when their Party controls the White House.
Fortunately, it looks like Obama has gotten the message that he will have to do more to grab the microphone & get control of his message if he wants to gain support for his initiatives. He gave a great speech on Healthcare in Ohio last week that seems to show that he has gotten that memo. It seems clear from the Ohio speech that he understands that he has to go on the offensive. Or does he? These were my thoughts last week…when I first wrote this…. But after observing his actions this week… I’m not so sure that he understands. He has already been conceding to Republicans and Conservatives within his own Party on core issues regarding Healthcare reform. After Conservative Democrats and Republicans made it clear that they would not support a public option, Obama has pretty much abandoned the idea. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated on CNN just today that we should be looking at Co-ops as the public option. In other words, she was admitting that the Public option was dead. Obama and Co. are now spinning Co-ops as the “Public Option” to compete with the private sector. But the truth is…. the basic plan as it is currently written not only leaves the private health insurance industry in charge…. But it will reward them with millions of new customers for their services…. making them even richer. So not only did the insurance lobby (with the Help of right wing media) stop the public option, but they have made themselves even bigger and richer in the process. [I wrote this post last week…before my computer died….warning that the American people and Obama were about to get scammed by this whole thing….and my God… before I could post this… it looks like it has already happened.]
Obama also seems confused about who his opponent really is in this battle. Based on the speech in Ohio, he seems to think that his opponents on Healthcare are primarily politicians in Washington. But once again, he is sadly mistaken. His opponent isn’t Mitch McConnell or John Boehner. They are simply following instructions & doing what they always do - obstructing without offering a cogent & meaningful plan of their own. Nor is his real opponent the “official” RNC leadership. Michael Steele himself admitted recently that he doesn’t do policy and isn’t interested in policymaking. Obama’s real opponent is the Right wing Republican media. This is the driving force behind the Republican Party itself. It is the nerve center for everything the GOP does. It’s no coincidence that there is speculation that Sarah Palin is considering talk radio or has already accepted a deal to do her own show. This would not be far fetched considering her background as a sportscaster. The quicker Obama recognizes what he is actually up against (a propaganda machine) the better for his chances to really get something done on Healthcare and any other big Progressive initiatives. Obama seemed shocked that folks in the GOP have no shame when they tell half truths and mislead (and scare) the American public. But I’m shocked that he’s shocked.
The Healthcare debate is shaping up to be one of the epic battles of Obama’s Presidency & one of the biggest political battles in recent memory. This could be a heavyweight political fight the likes of which we haven’t seen in quite some time. Both contenders are champions - each carrying titles into the ring. One side you have Barack Obama - probably the most unlikely President we’ve had in a Century. No one (including yours truly) believed that he could actually ascend to the highest office in the land. But he (along with his supporters) vanquished 2 very powerful political machines to claim victory…although he received a Hell of a lot of assistance from a thing called the economic crisis. On the other side you have the Republican media apparatus - the most powerful & most organized media network in U.S. history. One of the most powerful media apparatus’s in the World. The way the Right controls information, controls debate, and influences public opinion (through dirty tricks, disinformation efforts, propaganda & just by its sheer size) rivals what the World saw in Soviet Russia and Hitler's Germany. It is also no stranger to big victories. The Right Wing media destroyed efforts by a Republican President to achieve Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
How will we be able to tell who won this battle?
The Right Wing Media will claim victory if they can kill the public option. And on that front… it looks like the Fat Lady is done with rehearsals and is about to begin her performance. Round 1 in this 3 round fight clearly goes to the Right Wing Republican Media, to the Insurance companies and their allies in Congress. But it may be worse than that…. It looks like the Right wing media and its allies are in a good position to win outright.
Obama and Progressives in Congress will claim victory if they can get anything through at this point. They are already spinning a private Co-op plan as a public option….how pathetic can they get. This is far worse than watching Tyson getting knocked out for the first time…and seeing him try to get up for more. Sad. Obama seems to have already accepted some level of defeat.
What’s most likely to happen?
Both sides will claim victory….
The Right will claim victory because they were able to kill the public option. Not only that…. But internally, within Right wing circles, they will be laughing hysterically because they played the American public and Obama in a way that is really embarrassing. Why? because if the current private plan goes through… they would have pulled off one of the biggest hoodwinks in history- not only will we not have Healthcare reform… but in the process of killing real reform, they will make their allies even richer. They will also be able to claim that they played an integral role in reforming Healthcare in America…. The talking points that they plan to use in future elections. So in other words… they will hijack Obama’s initiative and make it their own.
On the other side… Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress will spin any legislation as a victory…simply because they were able to get SOMETHING through Congress. This is what I warned about in my previous post on Healthcare reform - that we will end up with a watered down plan that won’t really deal with the fundamental problems regarding our broken Healthcare system. The plan being considered won't make Healthcare more affordable to the poorest Americans, won't cover everyone, won't include a mandate for employers...and won't do much to deal with rising premiums.
The real winners?
The real victory goes to the right wing Republican media, the health insurance companies and their allies in Congress.
The real losers?
The real losers on this issue (if the current legislation is passed and signed) will be you and me.
Blacks, Hispanics Biggest Losers if Health Care Reform Flops New America Media, Commentary, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Posted: Jul 22, 2009
Editor’s Note: A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that public support for President Barack Obama’s health care plan is decreasing. If the plan fails, blacks and Hispanics, who make up nearly half of the estimated 50 million Americans without health insurance, will be the most affected, says author and political analyst, Earl Ofari Hutchinson.
If President Barack Obama’s drive for some form of universal health care falters the biggest losers by far will be blacks and Hispanics.
Blacks and Hispanics make up nearly half of the estimated 50 million Americans who have no health care insurance, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund. But the danger signs for reform are real. A Washington Post/ABC News poll found that public support for Obama’s plan is decreasing.
This is no surprise.
The instant Obama announced he would make health care reform his defining issue reform opponents kicked their attack into high gear. The two hit points are that it’s too costly and too intrusive – meaning that it will snatch from Americans the right to choose their own doctors and health plans and dump health care into the alleged slipshod, inefficient hands of government bureaucrats. The real fear of private insurers, pharmaceuticals and major medical practitioners is that they’ll have to treat millions of uninsured, unprofitable, largely unhealthy blacks and Hispanics.
The huge racial disparity in the number of uninsured has been a sticking point for every Democratic president since Harry Truman proposed the first national health care plan in the late 1940s. The number of blacks and Hispanics without a prayer of obtaining health care at any price has always been wildly disproportionate to that of whites – even poor whites. It has steadily gotten worse over the years.
The legions of black and Hispanic uninsured are far more likely than the one in four whites, who are uninsured to experience problems getting treatment at a hospital or clinic. This has devastating health and public policy consequences. A study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that they are far more likely than whites to suffer higher rates of catastrophic illness and disease, and are much less likely to obtain basic drugs, tests, preventive screenings and surgeries. They are more likely to recover slower from illness, and they die much younger.
Studies have found that when blacks and Hispanics do receive treatment, the care they receive is more likely to be substandard than that of whites. Reports indicate that even when blacks and Hispanics are enrolled in high quality health plans, the racial gap in the care and quality of medical treatment still remains low. Private insurers routinely cherry pick the healthiest and most financially secure patients in order to bloat profits and hold down costs. American medical providers spend twice as much per patient than providers in countries with universal health care, and they provide lower quality for the grossly inflated dollars. Patients pay more in higher insurance premiums, co-payments, fees and other hidden health costs. At the same time, government medical insurance programs shell out more than public insurers in other countries with universal health care.
Cops now allowed to shoot drivers? Calling all cars! July 29, 2009 BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
Sneed hears Police Supt. Jody Weis has issued a new deadly force police policy, which is scheduled to go into effect this weekend.
• • To wit: Chicago cops will now be permitted to shoot at drivers or passengers in cases of felons fleeing in motor vehicles. (Weis' policy advisers recommended the change.)
• • The upshot: Proponents claim it helps protect cops.
• • The buckshot: Critics claim the new policy is "ridiculous" and the liability to the City of Chicago could be astronomical.
• • Translation: "Officers were allowed to use deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person, but it didn't allow them to use force to apprehend a fleeing forcible felon," said a police source. "If confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers were simply told to get out of the way, unless they were put in great danger," added the police source.
Some child is going to be killed by a police bullet...I can see it now.
In the 911 call, the witness was not even sure she was seeing a crime and she never she mentioned race in the call. Yet, according to Crowley's police report, the witness indicated she saw "two black men with backpacks." What are the implications of this discrepancy? It appears as if the police officer (and perhaps the 911 dispatcher) injected race into the equation. This casts doubt on the validity of the police report and the assumption that we should automatically take Crowley's version of events as manna from heaven.
Others surmise that there is much to this than merely race. Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post writes that much of this brouhaha is about class. I mean, how often do police officers run into black professors? Meaning, police officers are unaccustomed to dealing with African Americans from a particular station in society. After all, there aren't that many black professors. (The African American percentage of the total faculty and research staff at all of the nation’s degree-granting institutions of higher education in 2005: 5.9%.) For crying out loud, it was less than two years ago that a black Columbia University professor found a noose outside her office.
Conservative author Shelby Steele in the Washington Post opinion section tackled the ever-controversial topic of affirmative action and persistent racial inequality in the article “Affirmative Action Is Just a Distraction.”
In a nutshell, he argues that persistent racial inequality today between whites and African Americans is primarily a result of black underdevelopment rather than racism.
Today's "black" problem is underdevelopment, not discrimination. Success in modernity will demand profound cultural changes -- changes in child-rearing, a restoration of marriage and family, a focus on academic rigor, a greater appreciation of entrepreneurialism and an embrace of individual development as the best road to group development.
Moreover, Steele asserts that:
“this underdevelopment is primarily a black responsibility. And yet it is -- as historically unfair as it may be, as much as it seems to blame the victim. In human affairs we are responsible not just for our "just" fate, but also for our existential fate.
But continuing black underdevelopment will flush both races out of their postures and make most discussions of race in America, outside a context of development, irrelevant.”
Let me break down where I think Steele makes a good point—and where he and traditionally, most American conservatives, miss the mark.
Shelby Steele makes a good point: • I believe Steele is right when he argues that the problem—or rather, the cause of the problem of inequality—is underdevelopment rather than discrimination.
I think Steele might be onto something when he argues that the problem of racial inequality isn’t as simple and reducible to white racism anymore. In my own experience as an Asian-American and an immigrant, much of my own personal setbacks personally, professionally and academically were not a direct result or byproduct of white racism but primarily is a result of being in unfamiliar territory where I did not know the rules of the game and I did not have mentors to help guide me on strategies how to advance.
Being thrown in unfamiliar turf (such as college or the Washington, DC white-collar workforce) where many of the players were white, upper middle class and above, and American-born does put me at a disadvantage. But the fact is, I was able to gain entry into that turf and get a chance to play. I see some validity in Steele’s point that although a minority in the white, white-collar world, white racism did not hold me back from entry into that world. How far I could advance in that turf is a mixture of a function of my own personal drive, ambition, skills and network. And yes, racism may play a key role in determining who gets to break into the upper echelons of management. But right now, I don’t see white racism as a factor in determining how far I can advance in my field as much as I see social class and how well my early education, college and being middle class has prepared me to enter the professional workforce.
Shelby Steele misses the mark:
• I believe Steele misses the mark in his prescription on how best to tackle black (and other racial) underdevelopment. He argues that a change in culture among African Americans is the best road to development. A cultural change that leads to changes in behavior that deal with child-rearing, marriage and family, a focus on academic rigor, a greater appreciation of entrepreneurship, and a focus on individual development as the best road to group development.
This is where Steele’s argument gets a bit hazy. He posits certain factors as all missing from the culture of those who are underdeveloped—the prescription, therefore, is to inject these elements into the underdeveloped culture and watch family, entrepreneurship, and academic achievement grow. And oh yeah, it’s primarily blacks’ (and other marginalized groups) responsibility to change their culture. In one fell swoop, therefore, he absolves white America of having any role or responsibility in the uplift of their fellow Americans of color in the social and economic margins.
The problem I have with Steele’s culturally-based argument is that if you break it down to matters of public policy and how laws are implemented, government programs and resources are allocated, and the role of private citizens in making this happen all of Steele’s prescriptions boils down to a lot of feel good conservative rhetoric that lectures people on their supposed personal shortcomings—and not much else.
Furthermore, his singular focus on group responsibility to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps neglects the fact that persistent inequality is an American problem. In my opinion, Steele is far too eager in absolving white America of wrongdoing or moral culpability in matters of racial inequality and overlooks the idea that in a society we are all in the same boat.
The Persistence of Class
Where Steele and many pundits see racial inequality I actually see class. Historically, there have always been two schools of thought as to how an underclass should best to deal with the problem of inequality in capitalist economies: (1) for those at the bottom to learn how to play the capitalist game, to advance as individuals up the socioeconomic ladder and perhaps lead the way for other members of their group to advance as well; (2) for those at the bottom to challenge elite dominance through political activism, legislation and to transform capitalist society to be more equitable in distributing power, wealth and the rewards of society to the poor and working class.
Personally I do not see an inherent contradiction between these two strategies as methods to advance politically, socially and economically for marginalized groups. By that I mean an individual can be academically-inclined, aspire for professional success, and attain wealth in this society. At the same time, he or she can support political causes and activism whose aim is to advance class-based issues such as improving education for poor and working class students, providing meaningful healthcare to the uninsured, affordable housing, etc.
Steele and most conservative commentators see issues of inequality solely through the lens of individual effort and personal responsibility. They imply through their morally-laced arguments that if you are at the bottom of society and are not a member of the middle to upper class there must be something wrong with you and how you approach the problem of living in the complex, post-industrial America of the 21st century.
The way I see it, class is a natural byproduct of capitalist economies. There is a need for garbagemen, janitors, and service industry workers in this economy as there will be a need for doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and white collar professionals. The basic problem that Steele and other conservative commentators do not address is a question of fairness—is it fundamentally fair that the schools that service industry workers children go to, the housing and neighborhoods available to them, are inherently inferior and sub-standard in quality compared to the schools that the middle and upper classes’ children go to? Is it fair for the those who can afford to have excellent health and dental care while those who cannot afford have to do without? Is it fair for the children of professionals to have natural advantages in the quality of education they receive and preparation for life compared to the children of service industry and blue-collar workers?
Steele’s prescription is for minorities at the bottom to aspire to become middle and upper middle class, to take on the values and trappings of success as it is defined by those at the top. If your life sucks as a working class person, Steele and other conservatives argue that what you need to do is to aspire to be upper middle class where life sucks less.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that. What I am doing is to pose the question: why does life, opportunity, and other aspects of modern living have to suck for working class people? Wouldn’t a public policy and strategy that lifts all boats so it sucks less for marginalized groups make a lot more sense?
Where Does this Leave Affirmative Action?
By this time you probably would have guessed that although I come from quite the opposite political perspective from Shelby Steele, I actually agree with his assertion that the affirmative action debate in its current form is increasingly becoming irrelevant.
I am a proponent of injecting the notion of social and economic class and fairness in the equation of asking the question of what do we as a society do about inequality? I would argue that inequality is an American phenomenon – not just a black and white issue. If you actually look at the statistics, most poor and working class people in America are white. Addressing inequality has to do not just with ushering members of the poor and working class up the socioeconomic ladder without questioning the fundamental fairness of a social and economic structure where the fruits of society are only enjoyed by those at the top. I would argue that tackling inequality also has to do with how society allocates the rewards and resources at its disposal for the common good.
What an absolutely beautiful day it is, and it is my honor to speak to all Alaskans, to our Alaskan family this last time as your governor. And it is always great to be in Fairbanks. The rugged rugged hardy people that live up here and some of the most patriotic people whom you will ever know live here, and one thing that you are known for is your steadfast support of our military community up here and I thank you for that and thank you United States military for protecting the greatest nation on Earth. Together we stand.
And getting up here I say it is the best road trip in America soaring through nature’s finest show. Denali, the great one, soaring under the midnight sun. And then the extremes. In the winter time it’s the frozen road that is competing with the view of ice fogged frigid beauty, the cold though, doesn’t it split the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs? And then in the summertime such extreme summertime about a hundred and fifty degrees hotter than just some months ago, than just some months from now, with fireweed blooming along the frost heaves and merciless rivers that are rushing and carving and reminding us that here, Mother Nature wins. It is as throughout all Alaska that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future. That is what we get to see every day. Now what the rest of America gets to see along with us is in this last frontier there is hope and opportunity and there is country pride.
And it is our men and women in uniform securing it, and we are facing tough challenges in America with some seeming to just be Hell bent maybe on tearing down our nation, perpetuating some pessimism, and suggesting American apologetics, suggesting perhaps that our best days were yesterdays. But as other people have asked, “How can that pessimism be, when proof of our greatness, our pride today is that we produce the great proud volunteers who sacrifice everything for country?” Now this week alone, Sean Parnell and I we’re on the, um, on Ft. Rich the base there, the army chapel, and we heard the last roll call, and the sounding of Taps for three very brave, very young Alaskan soldiers who just gave their all for all of us. Together we do stand with gratitude for our troops who protect all of our cherished freedoms, including our freedom of speech which, par for the course, I’m going to exercise.
And first, some straight talk for some, just some in the media because another right protected for all of us is freedom of the press, and you all have such important jobs reporting facts and informing the electorate, and exerting power to influence. You represent what could and should be a respected honest profession that could and should be the cornerstone of our democracy. Democracy depends on you, and that is why, that’s why our troops are willing to die for you. So, how ’bout in honor of the American soldier, ya quite makin’ things up. And don’t underestimate the wisdom of the people, and one other thing for the media, our new governor has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone.
OK, today is a beautiful day and today as we swear in Sean Parnell, no one will be happier than I to witness by God’s grace Alaskans with strength of character advancing our beloved state. Sean has that. Craig Campbell has that. I remember on that December day, we took the oath to uphold our state constitution, and it was written right here in Fairbanks by very wise pioneers. We shared the vision for government that they ground in that document. Our founders wrote “all political power is inherent in the people. All government originates with the people. It’s founded upon their will only and it’s instituted for the good of the people as a whole.” Their remarkably succinct words guided us in all of our efforts in serving you and putting you first, and we have done our best to fulfill promises that I made on Alaska Day, 2005, when I first asked for the honor of serving you.
Remember then, our state so desired and so deserved ethics reform. We promised it, and now it is the law. Ironically, it needs additional reform to stop blatant abuse from partisan operatives, and I hope the lawmakers will continue that reform. We promised that you would finally see a fair return on your Alaskan owned natural resources so we build a new oil and gas appraisal system, an is an equitable formula to usher in a new era of competition and transparency and protection for Alaskans and the producers. ACES incentivizes new exploration and it’s the exploration that is our future. It opens up oil basins and it ensures that the people will never be taken advantage of again. Don’t forget Alaskans you are the resource owners per our constitution and that’s why for instance last year when oil prices soared and state coffers swelled, but you were smacked with high energy prices, we sent you the energy rebate. See, it’s your money and I’ve always believed that you know how to better spend it than government can spend it.
I promised that we would protect this beautiful environment while safely and ethically developing resources, and we did. We built the Petroleum Oversight Office and a sub-cabinet to study climate conditions. And I promised I’d govern with fiscal restraint, so to not immorally burden futre generations. And we did…we slowed the rate of government growth and I vetoed hundreds of millions of dollars of excess and wtih lawmakers we saved billions for the future.
I promsed that we’d lead the charge to forward funding education, and hold schools accountable, and improve opportunities for special needs students and elevate vo-tech training and we paid down pension debt.
I promised that we would manage our fish and wildlife for abundance, and that we would defend the constitution, and we have, though outside special interest groups they still just don’t get it on this one. Let me tell you, Alaskans really need to stick together on this with new leadership in this area especially, encouraging new leadership… got to stiffen your spine to do what’s right for Alaska when the pressure mounts, because you’re going to see anti-hunting, anti-second amendment circuses from Hollywood and here’s how they do it. They use these delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets, they use Alaska as a fundraising tool for their anti-second amendment causes. Stand strong, and remind them patriots will protect our guaranteed, individual right to bear arms, and by the way, Hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt.
I promised energy solutions and we have, we have a plan calling for 50% of our electricity generated by renewable resources and we can now insist that those who hold the leases to develop our resources that they do so now on Alaska’s terms. So now finally after decades of just talk, finally we’re seeing oil and gas drilling up there at Point Thompson. And I promised that we would get a natural gas pipeline underway and we did. Since I was a little kid growing up here, I remember the discussions, especially the political discussions just talking about and hoping for and dreaming of commercializing our clean, abundant, needed natural gas.
Our gas line inducement act, AGIA, that was the game-changer and this is thanks to our outstanding gas line team, and the legislature adopting this law, 58-1. They knew, they know AGIA is the vehicle to drive this monumental energy project and bring everyone to the table, this bipartisan victory, it came from Alaskans working together with free market private sector principles, and now we are on the road to the largest private-sector energy project in the history of America. It is for Alaska’s future, it is for America’s energy independence and it will make us a more peaceful, prosperous and secure nation.
What I promised, we accomplished. “We” meaning state staff, amazing commissioners, great staff assisting them, and conscientious Alaskans outside the bureaucracy - Tom Van Flein, and Meg Stapleton and Kristan Cole, so many others, many volunteers who just stepped up to the challenge as good Alaskans, but nothing, nothing could have succeeded without my right-hand man Kris Perry. She is the sharpest, boldest, hardest-working partner. Kris is my right-hand man and much success is due to Kris.
So much success, and Alaska there is much good in store further down the road, but to reach it we must value and live the optimistic pioneering spirit that made this state proud and free, and we can resist enslavement to big central government that crushes hope and opportunity. Be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn’t come free and often, accepting it takes away everything that is free, melting into Washington’s powerful “care-taking” arms will just suck incentive to work hard and chart our own course right out of us, and that not only contributes to an unstable economy and dizzying national debt, but it does make us less free.
I resisted the stimulus package. I resisted the stimulus package and we have championed earmark reform, slashing earmark requests by 85% to break the cycle of dependency on a stifling, unsustainable federal agenda, and other states should follow this for their and for America’s stability. We don’t have to feel that we must beg an allowance from Washington, except to beg the allowance to be self-determined. See, to be self-sufficient, Alaska must be allowed to develop - to drill and build and climb, to fulfill statehood’s promise. At statehood we knew this. At statehood we knew this, that we are responsible for ourselves and our families and our future, and fifty years later, please let’s not start believing that government is the answer. It can’t make you happy or healthy or wealthy or wise. What can? It is the wisdom of the people and our families and our small businesses, and industrious individuals, and it is God’s grace, helping those who help themselves, and then this allows that very generous voluntary hand up that we’re known for, enthusiastically providing those who need it.
Alaskans will remember that years ago, remember we sported the old bumper sticker that said, “Alaska. We Don’t Give a Darn How They Do It Outside?” Do you remember that? I remember that, and remember it was because we would be different. We’d roll up our sleeves, and we would diligently sow and reap, and we can still do this to carve wealth out of the wilderness and make our living on the water, with strong hands and innovative minds, now with smarter technology. It is what our first people and our parents did. It worked, because they worked. We must be prudent and persistent and press for the people’s right to responsibly develop God-given resources for the maximum benefit of the people.
And we have come so far in just 50 years. We’re no longer a frontier outpost on the periphery of the world’s greatest nation. Now, as a contributor and a securer of America, we can attain our destiny in the promise of our motto “North to the Future.” See, the pressing issue of our time, it’s energy independence, because there is an inherent link between energy and security, and energy and prosperity. Alaska will lead with energy, we will prove you can be both pro-development and pro-environment, because no one loves their clean air and their land and their wildlife and their water more than an Alaskan. We will protect it.
Yes, America must look north to the future for security, for energy independence, for our strategic location on the globe. Alaska is the gate-keeper of the continent.
So, we are here today at a changing of the guard. Now, people who know me, and they know how much I love this state, some still are choosing not to hear why I made the decision to chart a new course to advance the state. And it should be so obvious to you. (indicating heckler) It is because I love Alaska this much, sir (at heckler) that I feel it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics as usual, lame duck session in one’s last year in office. How does that benefit you? No, with this decision now, I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, for truth. And I have never felt like you need a title to do that.
So, as we all move forward together, let’s vow to keep championing Alaska, to advocate responsible development, and smaller government, and freedom, and when I took the oath to serve you, I promised…remember I promised to steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state like that grizzly guards her cubs, as a mother naturally guards her own. And I will keep that vow wherever the road may lead. Todd and I, and Track, Bristol, Tripp, Willow, Piper, Trig…I think I got ‘em all. We will forever be so grateful for the honor of our lifetime to have served you. Our whole big diverse full and fun family, we all thank you and I am very very blessed to have had their support all along, for Todd’s support. I am thankful too. I have been blessed to have been raised in this last frontier. Thank you for our home, Mom and Dad, because in Alaska it is not an easy living, but it is a good living, and here it is impossible to lose your way. Wherever the road may lead you, we have that steadying great north star to guide us home.
So let’s all enjoy the ride, and I thank you Alaska, and God bless Alaska and God bless America.
Oak Bluffs Residents Bite Back At Toure's New York Mag Story Friday, July 24, 2009 at 9:00AM
And they said that wasn't THEIR lives at Martha's Vineyard writer Toure was penning for New York Magazine last month. In the article he talked about black self-segregation and how some residents of Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard wouldn't be interested in the First Family because the Obamas were "off the people" and Michelle Obama was a "ghetto girl." Stay classy, that one.
Well, naturally not everyone in Oak Bluffs was pleased with how Toure portrayed their little hamlet.
More after the jump.
(T)he overwhelming view of a large number of Island residents, seasonal and year-round, black and white, is that the piece, published June 21 under the headline Black and White on Martha’s Vineyard, was desperately unfair and wrong.
Thus Abigail McGrath, of Oak Bluffs, drafted a letter of response to the magazine and circulated it among her Island friends for their signatures.
She went on to bet “a free week in my Oak Bluffs house” that if the author were to interview any of the “heavyweight” blacks mentioned in the piece, “not to mention many whites, residents and visitors, each would question the accuracy of this article.”
And indeed this week when the Gazette contacted some of the people mentioned in the article — and others who were not — they did, in the strongest terms.
Since we had so much fun discussing the original article, I thought I would bring up this rebuttle.
I also thought we would get into a discussion about Blacks and Class because of that Tuxedo Ball dustup on Black In America. I remember Dr. Myles from another documentary on Class - People Like Us.
And, how can we have a discussion on class without Jack and Jill.
LAWRENCE OTIS GRAHAM reflects on the significance of the revered organization and why it's still important today
Then...
During my childhood, I believed that the only black kids who became successful adults were the ones who had grown up in Jack and Jill. No one had actually ever said this to me, but circumstances led me to this rather obnoxious conclusion. When I attended the 1974 Jack and Jill of America, Inc. convention in Los Angeles with my parents, I saw children of the hosting chapter being driven from the affluent hillside neighborhoods of View Park and Baldwin Hills in Cadillacs, Mercedes, and Rolls-Royces with "MD" and "DDS" license plates.
When I was a high school sophomore I met dozens of J&J teenagers at the annual Copacabana Christmas party in Manhattan who had already lined up summer internships on Wall Street. And when I moved into my freshman dormitory at Princeton, I wound up living across the courtyard from three Jack and Jillers, one of whom was the daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. I always had the sense that the J&J kids were not just well-heeled, but that they had life all figured out.
And Now...
This is why I have one answer for black friends who ask me today if they should try to get their kids into Jack and Jill: You're insane if you don't.
As a third-generation member of this great 70-year-old institutuion, I have six reasons why parents should want their children to be a part of this invitation-only service organization:
It exposes them to positive black experiences that build their self-esteem. It brings them into a social network that will carry them from childhood to adulthood. The J&J "Up the Hill" yearbook creates a great network for their college years. You and your kids will get to meet the most accomplished blacks in your city. J&J's charitable and social service programs will teach your kids how to give back to others who are less fortunate. It sponsors academic and cultural activities that prepare children for the real world.
Rikyrah, I think ya'll should post the transcript of Obama's remarks in totality. It reads much differently than the reports, and the media as usual is completely cutting an pasting to mke more controversy. It's pretty long, but I'm gonna post it in the comments just in case.
President Obama Speaks in Briefing Room about Gates/Crowley (The Article headline is different, but I think it was not quite a "mea culp")
And a promise to bring him and Professor Gates to the White House for a beer. Politically, the beer promise... it's kind of a killer, no? (Killer = political slam dunk.)
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, it's a cameo appearance. Sit down, sit down. I need to help Gibbs out a little bit here.
I wanted to address you guys directly because over the last day and a half obviously there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there.
I actually just had a conversation with Sergeant Jim Crowley, the officer involved. And I have to tell you that as I said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was a outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation -- and I told him that.
And because this has been ratcheting up -- and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up -- I want to make clear that in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically -- and I could have calibrated those words differently. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.
I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well. My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved.
The fact that it has garnered so much attention I think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America. So to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.
What I'd like to do then I make sure that everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts -- but as I said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, you know, African Americans are sensitive to these issues. And even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding.
My hope is, is that as a consequence of this event this ends up being what's called a "teachable moment," where all of us instead of pumping up the volume spend a little more time listening to each other and try to focus on how we can generally improve relations between police officers and minority communities, and that instead of flinging accusations we can all be a little more reflective in terms of what we can do to contribute to more unity. Lord knows we need it right now -- because over the last two days as we've discussed this issue, I don't know if you've noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care. (Laughter.)
I will not use this time to spend more words on health care, although I can't guarantee that that will be true next week. I just wanted to emphasize that -- one last point I guess I would make. There are some who say that as President I shouldn't have stepped into this at all because it's a local issue. I have to tell you that that part of it I disagree with. The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that race is still a troubling aspect of our society. Whether I were black or white, I think that me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive -- as opposed to negative -- understandings about the issue, is part of my portfolio.
So at the end of the conversation there was a discussion about -- my conversation with Sergeant Crowley, there was discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House. We don't know if that's scheduled yet -- (laughter) -- but we may put that together.
He also did say he wanted to find out if there was a way of getting the press off his lawn. (Laughter.) I informed him that I can't get the press off my lawn. (Laughter.) He pointed out that my lawn is bigger than his lawn. (Laughter.) But if anybody has any connections to the Boston press, as well as national press, Sergeant Crowley would be happy for you to stop trampling his grass.
I had a "discussion" on a message board about this issue.
A poster claimed that obviously the officer needed more proof that Gates was who he said he was.
I asked a simple question: why wasn't Gates' government ID and employment ID, both of which had his address on it, sufficient enough proof of residence? Why did the officer have to search for more proof that Gates belonged in the house?
I was called all sorts of race baiters and racists, to which I replied, "that's nice, but you still haven't answered the question: why wasn't Gates' government issued ID sufficient enough proof of residence?
The poster replied, well OBVIOUSLY the officer felt that wasn't sufficient enough proof and felt more comfortable with Harvard verifying who Gates was.
Again I asked, why wasn't the government ID enough proof? Why did the officer have to call Gates' employer for verification to feel comfortable?
And I was accused of wanting to call the poster a racist. To which I replied, racism is your problem. Why wasn't the government ID enough proof?
I never did get an answer. These people have a meme in their mind that black people are out to get whitey and nothing's going to change that. You can't reason with them, you can't talk sense into them. The local talk show guy said that Obama was being racist Wednesday night; Sean Hannity claimed that Rev. Wright taught Obama and Michelle Obama all about racism blah blah.
These people are having meltdowns because their white America is disintegrating before their eyes. And like I said in another thread, it seems to be one specific white ethnic group leading the charge against Obama. I don't know how important that is but it sure is interesting that most of the leading voices against Obama come from one particular group.
--------------------------------------------
So, White people, just so as all us Negroes will know next time...
WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE ID?
If it's NOT a workplace ID...
If it's NOT a State of MASSACHUSETTS issued Drivers License....
Don't say United States Passport, because: 1. It doesn't have your address on it, and that was SUPPOSED to be what was in question with Dr. Gates 2. Only 27% of Americans have one. I'm willing to bet real money that Dr. Gates is among that 27%..how much are you willing to bet that the officer has one?
So.........
WHAT ACCEPTABLE ID DO YOU WHITE PEOPLE HAVE THAT US NEGROES ARE MISSING?
The sickening hate of our new Surgeon General By John Amato Friday Jul 24, 2009 7:45am
As soon as Dr Regina Benjamin was named as our new Surgeon General the right wing haters crawled out from under their rocks. Every single move President Obama makes is immediately transformed into some socialistic/Nazi/Witch doctor conspiracy theory which is amping up the crazies and violence is sure to follow in even greater numbers now than it already has. C&L has vigorously objected to several of President Obama's moves on policy, but the freepers even attacked the jeans he wore when he threw out the first pitch at the All Star game.
Now they've expanded their hatred and have unleashed vile attacks on Dr. Benjamin.
The only problem seems to be that some people think the face is too fat.
From her photos, it appears that Dr. Benjamin will need a generous size 18 military uniform. The anti-fat brigade has been arguing in various online comments sections about her BMI and whether or not the term obese applies. These chattering masses wonder if a country plagued by obesity should have an above average-weight woman speaking to public health.
For me the answer is a resounding yes. This country is full of above-average weight women and children struggling for dignity as well as to lose weight. Achieving either of these is not easy. (Never mind that none of these criticisms have mentioned any actual health concerns Benjamin might or might not have, instead presuming "obesity" as a catch-all for bad health.) Having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman as America's family doctor could do more to improve their health than skinny HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It's good to know that even doctors struggle with their weight -- and lead full and active lives in spite of adversity.
Yet, as Marcotte points out, there is an increasing tendency to see all of this as yet another opportunity to marginalize and shame certain segments of society based upon appearance:
By saying this, I’m not making any health claims about weight. That discussion, while interesting, is beside the point of this post. It’s enough to know that most people strongly associate health and weight. So when disingenuous sexists start to bellyache about the dangers of letting fat women out in public, they get traction, because it’s becoming increasingly acceptable to suggest that not being perfectly healthy is a moral failing that should be punished with social disapproval, shaming, ostracism, and lowered access to society. Of course, we double down on fat people, and triple down on fat women, because of plain old prejudice, but this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Smokers, people who don’t eat right, and other people with poor health habits are also considered morally inadequate, if harder to judge because they’re harder to spot. The fetish for health management is, I suspect, a large reason that the anti-vaccination movement has taken hold. People who want an edge in the moral olympics of prevention are inventing counterintuitive (and anti-intellectual) shit to do in order to win as the bestest, most deserving of good health.
----------------------------
I would like to add my 2 cents. I believe that Dr. Benjamin is being attacked because of what she represents. Because her life story is not only an American success story,but it's a story of those who gave back.
Is anyone under the delusion that if she were some hotshot from a major city hospital, who shills for whatever BigPHARMA she could find that she'd be attacked by the right wing?
G-T-F-O-H
Of course not.
She is a medical doctor, who, because of a GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FORGIVING THE MEDICAL SCHOOL LOANS of doctors willing to go to underserved communities, was able to go an underserved community and work. Not only does Dr. Benjamin go there, but she STAYS there. Opens up a clinic, and gives medical care for FREE.
When her clinic is destroyed during HURRICANE KATRINA, does she pull up stakes, move to greener pastures?
NO.
She remains there, dedicated to her patients. To that community.
When it is burned in a fire (now, I could wear the tinfoil hat, but I won't..I'll accept the explanation that it just ' burned'), does Dr. Benjamin give up on the community?
NO.
So, you have a Black woman, from humble beginnings, who went to HBCU's, got into and finished medical school, used a government program to find a way to serve others, and doesn't ditch said community when the time is up.
Can you all see where this has very little to do with how much Dr. Benjamin WEIGHS, and everything for what she REPRESENTS.
SHE represents EVERYTHING THAT THE MODERN MEDICAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS NOT.
EVERYTHING.
She serves people that this country would rather not admit exists, and if they do admit it, then they don't believe that there's nothing wrong with these people not having any decent healthcare, which is what happened before Dr. Benjamin got there.
NOT CHARGING PATIENTS?
Who is this woman?
Some kind of socialist?
They hate that she went to TWO HBCU's'.
They HATE the GOVERNMENT PROGRAM that allowed her to serve a poor community.
They hate anything that reminds them of the utter failure that was Hurricane Katrina, and anything that would show sympathy towards the people that survived through that.
Dr. Benjamin might not be great on television (I don't know about her tv skills), but I'm willing to put serious money on her interpersonal skills. I'd be willing to believe that, in Townhall settings, that she could sell Healthcare Reform in a way that very few could, because of her story.
Plus, they know she's not a quitter. She's a fighter. For those who don't usually have a voice.
Of course they hate her.
She's a challenger to the corrupt, amoral, evil system of healthcare that exists in this country. She can't be lobbied. She can't be bribed to stop speaking out for those who need her help; for those Americans that need healthcare. For those Americans like the ones she's dedicated a nice portion of her life to, even though they're in Nebraska, Oregon, Kansas, Maine. She knows those folks. She's heard their stories before; she has taken them into her heart.
Don't let them distract you. The ' weight' issue is just a smokescreen.
They know Dr. Benjamin's power lies in her own personal story. They know that if you asked the average American,
' what would you want in your own doctor?'
That more than most would be describing Dr. Regina Benjamin.
You've heard of getting pulled over for a DWB? Driving While Black? Well, the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. saga in Cambridge, Mass. gives us arrested Entering Own Home While Black.
The Story To recount, if you have not heard, eminent Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested after returning home from an overseas trip. A neighbor reported seeing two suspicious black males breaking into a home. As it turns out his door was wedged shut so there was a bit of struggle. Unable to open the front door, Gates went around back and opened the door from the inside. Mind you, Professor Gates uses a cane to walk.
When the police arrived, Gates was asked for ID, which he provided. Still, Gates was arrested. Why? Apparently, Gates was "tumultuous." What the hell?
Analysis To many African Americans, this is a case of an arrest of an upstanding black male for not being appropriately deferential to the police. It is a long-running (never ending, really) story that defines the fabric of America. Blacks believe, and stories like this validate, the belief held by blacks that it doesn't matter how hard you work, how smart you are, how clean your record is, if you're black, it doesn't matter. If they want to lock you up, they can.
I'll be out of action indefinitely.... because my computer has finally died. It was almost 10 years old. I added a few more years to it by upgrading as much as possible...
Unfortunately I have no money for a new PC (yes...i'm broke...and life sucks).
But I hope to be back before too long....hopefully sometime in August or September.
Please delete any Spam or comments that don't fit the comment policy. (I usually have to check for this almost everyday...and have to delete nonsense all the time...even with the blogger filters in place).
Yes, I'm sure I'll turn some students off, but I'm not the first person to refer to this generation of college students as the Entitlement Generation. It's gotten so bad that researchers study the phenomenon of students expecting better grades simply because they worked hard. They tend to not realize our job is to reward actual performance, not merely effort.
Have you ever lived with someone of a different race? Did it change your perspective of what you thought of that person's race? The answer largely depends on the environment in which you were raised. If you grew up in a heterogeneous neighborhood with lots of diversity, living with someone that looks different from you was no big deal. If not, then problems are likely. Research shows that interracial roommates can reduce prejudice among college students...sometimes.
However, interracial roommates were also more likely to break up. Why? Sometimes the differences (i.e. music, friends of friends) are so vast as to be irreconcilable. Of course, roommates of the same race break up often too, so it's hard to say. One thing researchers safely agree on is that it is these instances of living together where efforts at diversifying college campuses really make a difference. In class, whites cluster with whites, blacks with blacks and so on. But, one-on-one in the dorm room? Adapt and acclimate or fight and become embittered.
CNN is back with Black In America 2. Because, you loved Black in America
SOOOOOOO much.
It's supposed to be
Wednesday, July 22nd, from 8-10 pm EST. Thursday, July 23rd, from 8-10 pm EST. There's even going to be 'Countdown to Black in America 2' on Wednesday, from 7-8 pm EST.
Tavis Smiley covered the subject of microlending over the past week on his radio program. This form of borrowing, usually more common in the developing World, has now found its way into the U.S. through the organization Kiva.org. Kiva allows lenders to seek out borrowers who want to start businesses that are promising and that lenders want to support.
Could this be used as a way to lift people out of poverty in this Country? Could it be used to help abandoned urban communities? I don't see why it couldn't.
Hear three segments on how microlending works, who it helps and why it is successful.
Segment One
Kiva President Premal Shah KIVA.org's Premal Shah talks about his group's new push to bring microlending to credit-starved US entrepreneurs.
Borrower Amanda Keppert Kiva.org has been making a difference for years for borrowers in the developing world, by using the internet to hook them up with small scale lenders around the globe. The service is now available to US borrowers, and producer Mia Lobel has this profile of new Kiva borrower Amanda Keppert.
"Birther Movement" follower hijacks Town Hall Meeting held by Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE).
Chris Matthews takes on Birther Movement Congressman John Campbell
Is there anyone still not convinced that we are dealing with lunatics?
The "Birthers" can't seem to leave the Obama Birth Certificate Conspiracy Theory alone. In fact, thanks to Talk Radio and Faux News, the Birth Certificate nonsense has only grown over the last few months. Republican mouthpiece Jerome Corsi is now taking this propaganda to other Countries. He was recently in Israel for radio interviews...undermining President Obama, and painting a false picture of him for the people of Israel and for listeners throughout the Middle East. It's almost Treason.
To make matters worse, this nonsense has been given more legitimacy in recent weeks, with members of Congress getting behind the "Birthers" (and securing votes from the wacky conservatives who make up their political base back home). Republican Congressmen John Campbell and Bill Posey are pushing a Bill that would require Presidential candidates to provide proof of Citizenship (a step in the vetting process that already exists....so this is all BS political theater for Campbell and Posey. They are using this as a way to manipulate voters in their Conservative districts).
But what is this really all about? This isn't really about a birth certificate. Nor is it a genuine question of citizenship. These are excuses and distractions being used to hide the real issue. Those of us who are Black Americans know exactly what this is about. Let's just get to the real heart of the matter. President Obama's birth certificate is only an issue because he's Black (or biracial as some see him... including myself...but for the purpose of this discussion... we'll say he's Black)....and he has a Mideastern Middle name (and to some degree because his father was a Muslim). But race and American bigotry and xenophobia are really the heart of this issue.
If he happened to be a White man with a funny name....and especially if he were White and Republican, his birth certificate would not be much of a problem. The whole "Birther movement" is what America looks like when it wants to dodge the real issue.... in this case... the issue being dodged is race. I would rather have these gullible White Republican racists just come out and say what's really bothering them... what really scares them.
What this issue also highlights is the power of Right Wing Republican Talk Radio (where the so-called "Birther movement" got its start). Mainstream Republican talk show hosts helped to create and feed this beast.... and now the beast is threatening to consume those who created it. It's the same way that we ended up with Jim Adkisson, Scott Roeder, Hal Turner, and James Von Brunn....and it's the reason why Right Wing Republican media is so dangerous.
But I have to admit...I have gotten a chuckle or two in (you have to laugh to keep from crying). Watching these wackos as they are exposed...and embarrassed in the national media has been amusing. The youtube political vlog, The Young Turks, has been having a field day with this craziness, and so has CNN's Rick Sanchez.
But even when faced with reality...the loonies won't stop crawling out of the woodwork with this nonsense. The hits just keep on coming.
On Faux News over the weekend, Right Wing mouthpiece Ralph Peters called for the Taliban to execute captured Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl. I have seen a lot of nonsense by the Right...but this made my heart skip a few beats (not for any good reasons either). I thought I was imagining things... that maybe Rachel Maddow (who pointed this out on her program) was somehow playing tricks on me... but I went online and retrieved the video and replayed it just to make sure that I didn't lose my mind.
Peters has jumped to a lot of conclusions....mainly assuming that Pfc. Bergdahl abandoned his post. The latest reports that I have read have suggested that this soldier may have been drinking and may have wandered off too far.
"Five days ago, a drunken American soldier who had come out of his garrison named Malakh was captured by mujahedeen. ... He is still with mujahedeen," said the report. The short Web message did not elaborate on his whereabouts....
Either way.... Ralph Peters is out of line.
1. No matter what the circumstances are... this is an American. Period. The U.S. should do all it can to find him and bring him home alive.
2. This young man is/was the responsibility of his senior enlisted comrades (NCO's) and his commanders...regardless of the circumstances. It was their job to take care of him....especially if he was under the influence or for some other reason was not making good decisions for himself. He's a Pfc. for crying out loud! Even if he did something worthy of disciplinary action... he's still the responsibility of his NCO's and commanders. It is their job to make sure he gets home to his family. The same is true for any soldier. Even if they are under the supervision of MP's... They should still be brought home to their families.....and to face disciplinary action if appropriate.
3. It is way out of line for a pundit, a reporter, and especially a Right wing mouthpiece to call for the death of an American soldier being held captive. Especially when the family is panicked about their loved one. Isn't Ralph Peters, with the help of Faux News, collaborating with enemies of the United States by asking them to kill an American soldier? What Lt. Col. Peters did is sickening. His retirement status should be reviewed IMO.
Vice President Joe Biden recently expressed U.S. support for Ukraine's efforts to enter NATO (despite its own population being against it). Obama and his Neo-Con Lite foreign policy team are also cheerleading for Georgia's entry into NATO.
This is perhaps the dumbest foreign policy effort that the Obama Administration has engaged in so far, piggy backing on the damage in the U.S. - Russia relationship caused by the Bush Administration, and the Clinton Administration before that. Strategically it makes no sense. There are no good outcomes from this effort. None.
The best that could come out of this is a long-term chilling of relations between the U.S. and Russia; basically maintaining the status quo (not in the best interests of the U.S.). The worst that could come from this is a new arms race in Europe and a renewal of the Cold War...and a situation where military conflict (accidental or otherwise) becomes more likely....even more likely than the old NATO vs. Warsaw Pact days, when the two sides battled for influence in Europe and competed in other parts of the World (particularly Africa and Central America).
As I have written a million times before, expanding these kinds of treaties (NATO), particularly to include Countries that are politically, militarily, and economically unstable and are not at peace with their neighbors (and thus don't meet traditional requirements for NATO membership) would expose the U.S. and its military to unnecessary risks. NATO expansion would add more responsibility to a military that is already overstretched. Ultimately, this policy doesn't match up with Obama's efforts to focus more on domestic issues. These kinds of strategic moves overseas can easily derail his domestic agenda....an agenda that is already coming off the rails. Neo-Con Lite, despite what it says about improving relations around the World, seems to be deliberately testing Russia and appears to be willing to manufacture a crisis in Eastern Europe.
And what does the U.S. and NATO get for killing U.S.-Russian relations, taking on all these new responsibilities and risks, destabilizing Eastern Europe, and risking an arms race? Absolutely nothing of any substantive value. Georgia and Ukraine don't offer much militarily to NATO. In fact, the two Countries would be more akin to dead weight. Adding these Countries would be symbolic...another way for the U.S. to thumb its nose at Russia.... but this time the U.S. is dealing with a resurgent Russia. Such a move would only motivate the Russian Government, and its people (who once supported the U.S....but who now basically hate us) to do even more to work against American interests...whether in Iran, in the UN, on energy, North Korea, Iraq, the global economy and in other aspects.
I guess Neo-Con Lite and her 'reset button' nonsense was the gimmick that I thought it was afterall. That's exactly how the Russians are seeing it right about now.
Nope... no signs of reform within the Republican Party. In fact, it's becoming more hardcore as the GOP is forced to rally behind the racists who make up the Party's base.
Last week... the Obama family was the target of Right Wing racists on the popular Conservative website The Free Republic. The Free Republic's Founder Jim Robinson defended the comments on his website, calling it freedom of speech...and he even got in a few jabs of his own.
Police arrived at Gates's Ware Street home near Harvard Square at 12:44 p.m. to question him. Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, had locked himself out of his house and was trying to get inside. He was booked for disorderly conduct after "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior," according to the Cambridge police log.
He was booked for disorderly conduct after "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior," according to the Cambridge police log.
Friends of Gates said he was already in his home when police arrived. He showed his driver's license and Harvard identification card, but was handcuffed and taken into police custody for several hours last Thursday, they said.
I bet he did exhibit "loud and tumultuous behavior." I likely would too. Actually, I wouldn't. But I don't work for Harvard. And my mother taught me how black men are to address the police.
[S. Allen] Counter has faced a similar situation himself. The well-known neuroscience professor, who is also black, was stopped by two Harvard police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect as he crossed Harvard Yard. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification.
"This is very disturbing that this could happen to anyone, and not just to a person of such distinction," Counter said. "He was just shocked that this had happened, at 12:44 in the afternoon, in broad daylight. It brings up the question of whether black males are being targeted by Cambridge police for harassment."
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (born November 4, 1916 - died July 17, 2009) is a retired American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1970s and 1980s, he was often cited in viewer opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America" because of his professional experience and kindly demeanor.
Early years at CBS In 1950, Cronkite joined CBS News in its young and growing television division, recruited by Edward R. Murrow, who had previously tried to hire Cronkite from UP during the war. Cronkite began working at WTOP-TV, the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C.. On July 7, 1952, the term "anchor" was coined to describe Cronkite's role at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, which marked the first nationally-televised convention coverage.[4] Cronkite anchored the network's coverage of the 1952 presidential election as well as later conventions, until in 1964, he was temporarily replaced by the team of Robert Trout and Roger Mudd. This proved to be a mistake, and Cronkite was returned to the anchor chair for future political conventions.
From 1953 to 1957, Cronkite hosted the CBS program You Are There, which reenacted historical events, using the format of a news report. His famous last line for these programs was: "What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times... and you were there." He also hosted The Twentieth Century, a documentary series about important historical events of the century which was made up almost exclusively of newsreel footage and interviews. It became a long-running hit. (Note: In the early 1970s, You Are There, hosted by Walter Cronkite, was revived and redesigned to attract an audience of teenagers and young adults. It aired on Saturday mornings.) He also hosted a game show called It's News to Me, a game show based on news events.
The CBS Evening News Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of the CBS Evening News on April 16, 1962, a job in which he became an American icon. The program expanded from 15 to 30 minutes on September 2, 1963, making Cronkite the anchor of American network television's first nightly half-hour news program.
During the early part of his tenure anchoring the CBS Evening News, Cronkite competed against NBC's anchor team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, who anchored the Huntley-Brinkley Report. For most of the 1960s, the Huntley-Brinkley Report had more viewers than Cronkite's broadcast. This began to change in the late 1960s, as RCA made a corporate decision not to fund NBC News at the levels CBS funded CBS News. Consequently, CBS News acquired a reputation for accuracy and depth in its broadcast journalism. This reputation meshed nicely with Cronkite's wire service experience, and in 1968, the CBS Evening News began to surpass The Huntley-Brinkley Report in viewership during the summer months. In that same year, the faculty of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University voted to award him the Carr Van Anda Award "for enduring contributions to journalism."[5]
In 1969, with Apollo 11, and later with Apollo 13, Cronkite received the best ratings and made CBS the most-watched television network for the missions.
In 1970, Walter Cronkite received a "Freedom of the Press" George Polk Award. That same year, the CBS Evening News finally dominated the American TV news viewing audience, when Huntley retired. Although NBC finally settled on the skilled and well-respected broadcast journalist John Chancellor, Cronkite proved to be more popular and continued to be top-rated until his retirement in 1981. That year, President Jimmy Carter awarded Cronkite the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
One of Cronkite's trademarks was ending the CBS Evening News with the phrase, "...And that's the way it is:", followed by the date (keeping to standards of objective journalism, he omitted this phrase on nights when he ended the newscast with opinion or commentary). Beginning with January 16, 1980, "Day 50" of the Iran hostage crisis, Cronkite added the length of the hostages' captivity to the show's closing to remind the audience of the unresolved situation, ending only on "Day 444", January 20, 1981.[6]
For many years, Cronkite was considered one of the most trusted figures in the United States. Affectionately known as "Uncle Walter", he covered many of the important news events of the era so effectively that his image and voice are closely associated with the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the Watergate scandal. Enjoying the cult of personality surrounding Cronkite in those years, CBS allowed some good-natured fun-poking of its star anchorman in some episodes of the network's popular situation comedy, All in the Family, during which the lead character Archie Bunker would sometimes complain about the newsman, calling him "Pinko Cronkite."
Cronkite trained himself to speak at a rate of 124 words per minute in his newscasts, so that viewers could clearly understand him.[citation needed] In contrast, Americans average about 165 words per minute, and fast, difficult-to-understand talkers speak close to 200 words per minute.[7] Currently, Walter Cronkite's voice can be heard announcing CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric at the beginning of the news broadcast, and at Retirement Living TV's Daily Cafe.
Historic moments as anchor
Kennedy assassination Cronkite is vividly remembered by many Americans as breaking the news of the death of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Cronkite had been standing at the United Press International wire machine in the CBS newsroom as the bulletin of the President's shooting broke and clamored to get on the air to break the news. However, cameras were not ready for use and Cronkite would be forced to break the news without them while one warmed up.
At 1:40 PM, A "CBS News Bulletin" bumper slide broke into the live broadcast of As the World Turns. Over the slide Cronkite began reading:
"Here is a bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting."
A second bulletin arrived as Cronkite was reading the first one, which detailed the severity of President Kennedy's wounds:
"More details just arrived. These details about the same as previously...President Kennedy shot today just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and grabbed Mr. Kennedy, she called "Oh no!," the motorcade sped on. United Press [International] says that the wounds for President Kennedy perhaps could be fatal. Repeating, a bulletin from CBS News: President Kennedy has been shot by a would-be assassin in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned to CBS News for further details."
Just before the bulletin cut out, a CBS News staffer was heard saying "Connally too," apparently hearing the news that Texas Governor John Connally had also been shot while riding in the Presidential limousine with his wife Nellie and Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy.
Following the first bulletin, a commercial for Nescafe coffee aired, followed by an As the World Turns sponsor bumper, a preview bumper for the scheduled episode of Route 66 to air that night, and a ten second station identification break for the CBS affiliates. Just as the sponsor bumper for the second part of As the World Turns began, it was cut off. The "CBS News Bulletin" slide came back on the screen and Cronkite reported further information on the shooting of the President, with this bulletin relaying to the viewing audience for the first time that Governor Connally had also been shot.
"Here is a bulletin from CBS News. Further details on an assassination attempt against President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy was shot as he drove from Dallas Airport to downtown Dallas; Governor Connally of Texas, in the car with him, was also shot. It is reported that three bullets rang out. A Secret Service man has been...was heard to shout from the car, "He's dead." Whether he referred to President Kennedy or not is not yet known. The President, cradled in the arms of his wife Mrs. Kennedy, was carried to an ambulance and the car rushed to Parkland Hospital outside Dallas, the President was taken to an emergency room in the hospital. Other White House officials were in doubt in the corridors of the hospital as to the condition of President Kennedy. Repeating this bulletin: President Kennedy shot while driving in an open car from the airport in Dallas, Texas, to downtown Dallas."
Cronkite then recapped the events as they had happened: that the President and Governor Connally were shot and in the emergency room at Parkland Hospital and no one knew their condition as of yet. He then reminded the viewers that CBS News would continue to provide updates as more information came in.
CBS then decided to return to ATWT, which was now midway through its second segment and continued as the cast had not apparently been told of the situation in Dallas. When the segment wrapped the show took its second scheduled commercial break, during which Cronkite broke in a third time with this bulletin.
"Here is a bulletin from CBS News...President Kennedy has been the victim of an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas. It is not known as yet whether the President survived the attack against him."
This particular bulletin went into greater detail than the other two, as for the first time Cronkite detailed where the shooting victims were wounded (Kennedy had been shot in the head, Connally in the chest). At the conclusion of the bulletin Cronkite told viewers to stay tuned for further details, perhaps implying that the network would be returning to regular programming. However, Cronkite remained on the air for the next ten minutes continuing to read bulletins as they were handed to him, followed by recapping the events as they were known and interspersing the new information he'd received where it was appropriate. He also brought up recent instances of assassination attempts against sitting Presidents (including the murder of Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak in a botched assassination attempt on then-President-elect Franklin Roosevelt), as well as a recent attack of United Nations ambassador Adlai Stevenson in Dallas which resulted in extra security measures being taken for Kennedy's visit to the city. He also received word that Congressman Albert Thomas of Texas had been told that for the moment the President and Governor were still alive.
By 2:00 EST, Cronkite was informed that the camera was ready, and told the viewers over the air that CBS would be taking a station identification break so the affiliates could join the network. Within twenty seconds all the CBS affiliates (with the exception of KRLD in Dallas, who was covering the tragedy locally) joined the network's coverage of what was taking place. Cronkite appeared on-air in shirt and tie but without his suit coat, given the urgent nature of the story, and opened with this:
"This is Walter Cronkite in our newsroom, and... there has been an attempt, as perhaps you know now, on the life of President Kennedy. He was wounded in an automobile driving from Dallas Airport into downtown Dallas, along with Governor Connally of Texas. They have been taken to Parkland Hospital there, where their condition is as yet unknown."
Cronkite then tried to throw to KRLD's coverage of the Dallas Trade Mart meeting that the President was supposed to address, but the camera was not ready. After a few seconds Cronkite began speaking again but after a few more, the broadcast abruptly cut into the aforementioned meeting where the station's news director Eddie Barker was reporting (a director was audibly heard saying "Okay, go ahead. Switch it" while Cronkite was talking). He said that the President was still alive (as Cronkite had been told by the report from Congressman Thomas earlier and directly by Congressman Jim Wright just moments before Barker's report was filed). About five minutes later Barker reported that rumors has begun to circulate that Kennedy was in fact dead.
Cronkite reappeared several minutes after Barker reported that Kennedy was rumored to have been killed, advising that two priests had been called to Kennedy's bedside although the reasons for which were not made clear. He also played an audio report by KRLD's Jim Underwood, recounting that someone had been arrested in the assassination attempt at the Texas School Book Depository. After said report, Cronkite was told that KRLD was reporting that that the President was dead and Barker was reporting that he had been told by a doctor at Parkland Hospital of the President's death. While the coverage continued at the Dallas Trade Mart meeting Barker said that the assassination was officially confirmed, but neither the Associated Press or United Press International had done so. He then retracted the statement, saying that it still had yet to officially be confirmed that the President was dead. Shortly thereafter CBS stopped showing KRLD's coverage and returned to their own coverage of the incident.
Cronkite reported on location during the Vietnam War.Following Cronkite's editorial report during the Tet Offensive that the Vietnam War was unwinnable, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."[8]
During the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Cronkite was anchoring the CBS network coverage as violence and protests occurred outside the convention, as well as scuffles inside the convention hall. When Dan Rather was punched to the floor (on camera) by security personnel, Cronkite commented, "I think we've got a bunch of thugs here, Dan."
[edit] Other historic events General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to his former SHAEF headquarters for an interview by Cronkite on the CBS News Special Report D-Day + 20. This program was telecast on June 6, 1964. "SHAEF" means "Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force," and it had various locations, including in London, England, and in France.
Cronkite is also remembered for his coverage of the United States space program, and at times was visibly enthusiastic, rubbing his hands together on camera with a smile on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing mission put the first men on the Moon. Cronkite has criticized himself for being at a loss for journalistic words at that moment.
According to the 2006 PBS documentary on Cronkite, there was "nothing new" in his reports on the Watergate affair; however, Cronkite brought together a wide range of reporting, and his credibility and status is credited by many with pushing the Watergate story to the forefront with the American public, ultimately resulting in the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon on August 9, 1974. Cronkite had anchored the CBS coverage of Nixon's address, announcing his impending resignation, the night before.
Cronkite also was one of the first to receive word of President Lyndon B. Johnson's death, receiving the information during the January 22, 1973, broadcast of the CBS Evening News[9]. While a videotaped report by Peter Kalischer about the apparently successful Vietnam war peace talks was being shown to the nation, Johnson's press secretary Tom Johnson (no relative of Lyndon Johnson) telephoned Cronkite to inform him of Johnson's death. CBS cut abruptly from the report at 6:38 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to Cronkite, who was still speaking to Johnson on the phone. After holding up a finger to pause and let Johnson finish, he broke the news to the nation that the former President had died, then continued to speak with Johnson (who was not patched through to the air) for a few more seconds to gather whatever remaining details he could, then hung up the phone and relayed those details to the audience.[10] During the final ten minutes of that broadcast, Cronkite reported on the death, giving a retrospective on the life of nation's 36th president, and announced that CBS would air a special on Lyndon Johnson later that evening.
On last night's Rachel Maddow show, here's MSNBC's Resident Racist, well, being who we know him to be:
Maddow: Why do you think that 108 of the 110 Supreme Court Justices have been white?
Buchanan: White men built this country. White men drafted the Constitution. Almost all the people who fought on the beaches of Normandy were white men.
White men built this country?
Oh really?
Actually, they didn't. The economic foundation of this country is built upon SLAVERY, Pat Buchanan. It is on the backs of AFRICAN SLAVES, for HUNDREDS of years of FREE LABOR, upon which this country was built. Find an industry in this country, and it was built upon SLAVERY.
Black people are a Founding Population of this country, Buchanan.
You want the TRUEST Americans, Buchanan - look no further than the Black folks that you so blithely dismiss.
Because, you've never once had to find a REASON to fight FOR this country. To actually THINK about it in any seriousness, and then decide, 'Yes, America is a country worth fighting for. ' Your mindless version of patriotism is so shallow and insincere, it's an utter farce. I don't believe, for all your patriotic yammering, that your ass put on an uniform to actually DEFEND this country...which puts you in good company with a whole lot of chickenhawks named Cheney, Limbaugh, etc. Name one, and somehow, there's some EXCUSE as to why you didn't fight for this country when the opportunity availed itself.
You want TRUE PATRIOTISM - how about men like my Father, and millions like him, who put on the uniform for this country, risking their lives for this country, when, officially on the LAWBOOKS, my father and others for generations, were SECOND CLASS CITIZENS.
THAT is a patriot.
You are a poseur.
A racist poseur.
There were nearly a million Black men who fought for this country during WWII, though none of the movies nor newsreels from that time would indicate such. Why would they - those men were putting their lives on the line in a SEGREGATED ARMY that treated German PRISONERS OF WAR better than Black soldiers.
The Black people who get a paycheck from MSNBC won't tell you what they REALLY think about you, but why don't you try this:
Go to the local barbershop and start spouting your racist BS and see what happens.
We're not going to the Back of the Bus.
No matter what you might think.
And Sotomayor isn't going to clean your house.
The TRUE beneficiaries of Affirmative Action?
WHITE WOMEN.
I'll say it again.
WHITE WOMEN. WHITE WOMEN. WHITE WOMEN.
And until that bit of truth slips past your lips, your condemnation of Affirmative Action will be seen for what it is and has always been:
RACIST DEMAGOGUERY.
Sonia Sotomayor, a Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton....who has more judicial experience than any nominee in 70 years...
Is unqualified?
But Sarah Palin, Miss 4 colleges in 5 years ...and we've STILL not seen PROOF of her degree..
Oh, SHE's qualified, says BuKKKanan.
G-T-F-O-H.
MSNBC must take responsibility for their actions in putting this racist on our tv screen. What the hell must this mofo say to get himself FIRED?
Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery NAACP Centennial New York, New York July 16, 2009
It is an honor to be here, in the city where the NAACP was formed, to mark its centennial. What we celebrate tonight is not simply the journey the NAACP has traveled, but the journey that we, as Americans, have traveled over the past one hundred years.
It is a journey that takes us back to a time before most of us were born, long before the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, and Brown v. Board of Education; back to an America just a generation past slavery. It was a time when Jim Crow was a way of life; when lynchings were all too common; and when race riots were shaking cities across a segregated land.
It was in this America where an Atlanta scholar named W.E.B. Du Bois, a man of towering intellect and a fierce passion for justice, sparked what became known as the Niagara movement; where reformers united, not by color but cause; and where an association was born that would, as its charter says, promote equality and eradicate prejudice among citizens of the United States.
From the beginning, Du Bois understood how change would come – just as King and all the civil rights giants did later. They understood that unjust laws needed to be overturned; that legislation needed to be passed; and that Presidents needed to be pressured into action. They knew that the stain of slavery and the sin of segregation had to be lifted in the courtroom and in the legislature.
But they also knew that here, in America, change would have to come from the people. It would come from people protesting lynching, rallying against violence, and walking instead of taking the bus. It would come from men and women – of every age and faith, race and region – taking Greyhounds on Freedom Rides; taking seats at Greensboro lunch counters; and registering voters in rural Mississippi, knowing they would be harassed, knowing they would be beaten, knowing that they might never return.
Because of what they did, we are a more perfect union. Because Jim Crow laws were overturned, black CEOs today run Fortune 500 companies. Because civil rights laws were passed, black mayors, governors, and Members of Congress serve in places where they might once have been unable to vote. And because ordinary people made the civil rights movement their own, I made a trip to Springfield a couple years ago – where Lincoln once lived, and race riots once raged – and began the journey that has led me here tonight as the 44th President of the United States of America.
And yet, even as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the past one hundred years; even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folks – we know that too many barriers still remain.
We know that even as our economic crisis batters Americans of all races, African Americans are out of work more than just about anyone else – a gap that’s widening here in New York City, as detailed in a report this week by Comptroller Bill Thompson.
We know that even as spiraling health care costs crush families of all races, African Americans are more likely to suffer from a host of diseases but less likely to own health insurance than just about anyone else.
We know that even as we imprison more people of all races than any nation in the world, an African-American child is roughly five times as likely as a white child to see the inside of a jail.
And we know that even as the scourge of HIV/AIDS devastates nations abroad, particularly in Africa, it is devastating the African-American community here at home with disproportionate force.
These are some of the barriers of our time. They’re very different from the barriers faced by earlier generations. They’re very different from the ones faced when fire hoses and dogs were being turned on young marchers; when Charles Hamilton Houston and a group of young Howard lawyers were dismantling segregation.
But what is required to overcome today’s barriers is the same as was needed then. The same commitment. The same sense of urgency. The same sense of sacrifice. The same willingness to do our part for ourselves and one another that has always defined America at its best.
The question, then, is where do we direct our efforts? What steps do we take to overcome these barriers? How do we move forward in the next one hundred years?
The first thing we need to do is make real the words of your charter and eradicate prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination among citizens of the United States. I understand there may be a temptation among some to think that discrimination is no longer a problem in 2009. And I believe that overall, there’s probably never been less discrimination in America than there is today.
But make no mistake: the pain of discrimination is still felt in America. By African-American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and gender. By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country. By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion for simply kneeling down to pray. By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.
On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination must not stand. Not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America.
But we also know that prejudice and discrimination are not even the steepest barriers to opportunity today. The most difficult barriers include structural inequalities that our nation’s legacy of discrimination has left behind; inequalities still plaguing too many communities and too often the object of national neglect.
These are barriers we are beginning to tear down by rewarding work with an expanded tax credit; making housing more affordable; and giving ex-offenders a second chance. These are barriers that we are targeting through our White House Office on Urban Affairs, and through Promise Neighborhoods that build on Geoffrey Canada’s success with the Harlem Children’s Zone; and that foster a comprehensive approach to ending poverty by putting all children on a pathway to college, and giving them the schooling and support to get there.
But our task of reducing these structural inequalities has been made more difficult by the state, and structure, of the broader economy; an economy fueled by a cycle of boom and bust; an economy built not on a rock, but sand. That is why my administration is working so hard not only to create and save jobs in the short-term, not only to extend unemployment insurance and help for people who have lost their health care, not only to stem this immediate economic crisis, but to lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity that will put opportunity within reach not just for African Americans, but for all Americans.
One pillar of this new foundation is health insurance reform that cuts costs, makes quality health coverage affordable for all, and closes health care disparities in the process. Another pillar is energy reform that makes clean energy profitable, freeing America from the grip of foreign oil, putting people to work upgrading low-income homes, and creating jobs that cannot be outsourced. And another pillar is financial reform with consumer protections to crack down on mortgage fraud and stop predatory lenders from targeting our poor communities.
All these things will make America stronger and more competitive. They will drive innovation, create jobs, and provide families more security. Still, even if we do it all, the African-American community will fall behind in the United States and the United States will fall behind in the world unless we do a far better job than we have been doing of educating our sons and daughters. In the 21st century – when so many jobs will require a bachelor’s degree or more, when countries that out-educate us today will outcompete us tomorrow – a world-class education is a prerequisite for success.
You know what I’m talking about. There’s a reason the story of the civil rights movement was written in our schools. There’s a reason Thurgood Marshall took up the cause of Linda Brown. There’s a reason the Little Rock Nine defied a governor and a mob. It’s because there is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to opportunity than an education that can unlock a child’s God-given potential.
Yet, more than a half century after Brown v. Board of Education, the dream of a world-class education is still being deferred all across this country. African-American students are lagging behind white classmates in reading and math – an achievement gap that is growing in states that once led the way on civil rights. Over half of all African-American students are dropping out of school in some places. There are overcrowded classrooms, crumbling schools, and corridors of shame in America filled with poor children – black, brown, and white alike.
The state of our schools is not an African-American problem; it’s an American problem. And if Al Sharpton, Mike Bloomberg, and Newt Gingrich can agree that we need to solve it, then all of us can agree on that. All of us can agree that we need to offer every child in this country the best education the world has to offer from the cradle through a career.
That is our responsibility as the United States of America. And we, all of us in government, are working to do our part by not only offering more resources, but demanding more reform.
When it comes to higher education, we are making college and advanced training more affordable, and strengthening community colleges that are a gateway to so many with an initiative that will prepare students not only to earn a degree but find a job when they graduate; an initiative that will help us meet the goal I have set of leading the world in college degrees by 2020.
We are creating a Race to the Top Fund that will reward states and public school districts that adopt 21st century standards and assessments. And we are creating incentives for states to promote excellent teachers and replace bad ones – because the job of a teacher is too important for us to accept anything but the best.
We should also explore innovative approaches being pursued here in New York City; innovations like Bard High School Early College and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School that are challenging students to complete high school and earn a free associate’s degree or college credit in just four years.
And we should raise the bar when it comes to early learning programs. Today, some early learning programs are excellent. Some are mediocre. And some are wasting what studies show are – by far – a child’s most formative years.
That’s why I have issued a challenge to America’s governors: if you match the success of states like Pennsylvania and develop an effective model for early learning; if you focus reform on standards and results in early learning programs; if you demonstrate how you will prepare the lowest income children to meet the highest standards of success – you can compete for an Early Learning Challenge Grant that will help prepare all our children to enter kindergarten ready to learn.
So, these are some of the laws we are passing. These are some of the policies we are enacting. These are some of the ways we are doing our part in government to overcome the inequities, injustices, and barriers that exist in our country.
But all these innovative programs and expanded opportunities will not, in and of themselves, make a difference if each of us, as parents and as community leaders, fail to do our part by encouraging excellence in our children. Government programs alone won’t get our children to the Promised Land. We need a new mindset, a new set of attitudes – because one of the most durable and destructive legacies of discrimination is the way that we have internalized a sense of limitation; how so many in our community have come to expect so little of ourselves.
We have to say to our children, Yes, if you’re African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that someone in a wealthy suburb does not. But that’s not a reason to get bad grades, that’s not a reason to cut class, that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands – and don’t you forget that.
To parents, we can’t tell our kids to do well in school and fail to support them when they get home. For our kids to excel, we must accept our own responsibilities. That means putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences, reading to our kids, and helping them with their homework.
And it means we need to be there for our neighbor’s son or daughter, and return to the day when we parents let each other know if we saw a child acting up. That’s the meaning of community. That’s how we can reclaim the strength, the determination, the hopefulness that helped us come as far as we already have.
It also means pushing our kids to set their sights higher. They might think they’ve got a pretty good jump shot or a pretty good flow, but our kids can’t all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be President of the United States.
So, yes, government must be a force for opportunity. Yes, government must be a force for equality. But ultimately, if we are to be true to our past, then we also have to seize our own destiny, each and every day.
That is what the NAACP is all about. The NAACP was not founded in search of a handout. The NAACP was not founded in search of favors. The NAACP was founded on a firm notion of justice; to cash the promissory note of America that says all our children, all God’s children, deserve a fair chance in the race of life.
It is a simple dream, and yet one that has been denied – one still being denied – to so many Americans. It’s a painful thing, seeing that dream denied. I remember visiting a Chicago school in a rough neighborhood as a community organizer, and thinking how remarkable it was that all of these children seemed so full of hope, despite being born into poverty, despite being delivered into addiction, despite all the obstacles they were already facing.
And I remember the principal of the school telling me that soon all of that would begin to change; that soon, the laughter in their eyes would begin to fade; that soon, something would shut off inside, as it sunk in that their hopes would not come to pass – not because they weren’t smart enough, not because they weren’t talented enough, but because, by accident of birth, they didn’t have a fair chance in life.
So, I know what can happen to a child who doesn’t have that chance. But I also know what can happen to a child who does. I was raised by a single mother. I don’t come from a lot of wealth. I got into my share of trouble as a kid. My life could easily have taken a turn for the worse. But that mother of mine gave me love; she pushed me, and cared about my education; she took no lip and taught me right from wrong. Because of her, I had a chance to make the most of my abilities. I had the chance to make the most of my opportunities. I had the chance to make the most of life.
The same story holds for Michelle. The same story holds for so many of you. And I want all the other Barack Obamas out there, and all the other Michelle Obamas out there, to have that same chance – the chance that my mother gave me; that my education gave me; that the United States of America gave me. That is how our union will be perfected and our economy rebuilt. That is how America will move forward in the next one hundred years.
And we will move forward. This I know – for I know how far we have come. Last week, in Ghana, Michelle and I took Malia and Sasha to Cape Coast Castle, where captives were once imprisoned before being auctioned; where, across an ocean, so much of the African-American experience began. There, reflecting on the dungeon beneath the castle church, I was reminded of all the pain and all the hardships, all the injustices and all the indignities on the voyage from slavery to freedom.
But I was also reminded of something else. I was reminded that no matter how bitter the rod or how stony the road, we have persevered. We have not faltered, nor have we grown weary. As Americans, we have demanded, strived for, and shaped a better destiny.
That is what we are called to do once more. It will not be easy. It will take time. Doubts may rise and hopes recede.
But if John Lewis could brave Billy clubs to cross a bridge, then I know young people today can do their part to lift up our communities.
If Emmet Till’s uncle Mose Wright could summon the courage to testify against the men who killed his nephew, I know we can be better fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters in our own families.
If three civil rights workers in Mississippi – black and white, Christian and Jew, city-born and country-bred – could lay down their lives in freedom’s cause, I know we can come together to face down the challenges of our own time. We can fix our schools, heal our sick, and rescue our youth from violence and despair.
One hundred years from now, on the 200th anniversary of the NAACP, let it be said that this generation did its part; that we too ran the race; that full of the faith that our dark past has taught us, full of the hope that the present has brought us, we faced, in our own lives and all across this nation, the rising sun of a new day begun. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
Originally from Ethiopia, Miriam Tigist Green, 4, was adopted by Emory professor Clifton Green and his wife in 2005. This is her hair unbraided, before her father applies his weekly loving touch. His care and attention to detail show mastery of a task few white men ever contemplate. ---Joey Ivansco / AJC
Perfect braids show depth of dad's devotion By MICHELLE HISKEY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 06/15/08
Clifton Green waited a decade to become a dad, imagining he would be like the man who raised him and made him feel like the most special kid in the world.
That day came in 2005, when Green and his wife adopted daughter Miriam Tigist from an Ethiopian orphanage.
Suddenly, fatherhood demanded a task few white men ever contemplate: hours of cleaning, combing, twisting and braiding African hair.
Such skills typically are handed down from older family members and, as this Emory University associate professor of finance discovered, take hours of practice. In the wrong hands, hair like his daughter's can break off.
"Besides the color of her skin, her hair is one of the few ways we are different," Green said last week as he twisted the thick curls of Miriam, now 4. "The more tangled it is, the more it hurts, the more she protests — in that way, it's pretty universal."
By knowing how to make straight parts, neat twists and careful braids, he has earned high-fives from stunned African-Americans.
"That meek and mild guy? He does not do her hair! You could have picked me off the floor when I found out," said Latise Egeston, an African-American counselor at Miriam's preschool. "Her hair looks fabulous every day, and I know what it takes."
.....................................
Friends with children from Africa lent books and support. Their Ethiopian baby sitter showed him cornrows, a daylong task he hopes to master some day.
He stopped trying new styles before church, because haste led to bad hairdos. "We wanted her to know her hair isn't a burden but something really wonderful, something beautiful to be celebrated," her mother says.
"I can do it, but it looks better when he does it. He's more creative, and he cares more about changing it up. It's a little gift he gives her, the little joy of feeling nice and getting good vibes from other people."
At stake, the Greens learned, was far more than hygiene or looks. Her hair was a litmus test of their parenting, he and his wife read in books such as "Inside Transracial Adoption."
"There is no tolerance in the [black] community for not taking care of a child's hair," the authors write. "The end results of your efforts will be judged by the high standards of the black community and not the laissez-faire white model."
BWA HA HA HA HA HA
You all know you've said the same thing.
Rest of article at link above.
Judge for yourself:
Miriam had short, patchy hair when Green snapped this photo of her in an Ethiopian orphanage in March 2005. ----Clifton Green / Special
Dad Clifton and mom Jennifer initially were uncertain what to do with Miriam's hair after bringing her home. They considered just letting it go, as a sign of freedom. They wanted others to accept her, regardless of her looks. -----Joey Ivansco / AJC
At one point, Clifton Green stopped trying new styles on Miriam before church, because haste led to bad hairdos. "We wanted her to know her hair isn't a burden, but something really wonderful, something beautiful to be celebrated," her mother says. ---Joey Ivansco / AJC
In learning how to take care of Miriam's hair, the Greens learned that what was at stake was far more than hygiene or looks. Her hair was a litmus test of their parenting. Here, half an hour into the braiding process, Miriam lets out a yawn. ----Joey Ivansco / AJC
"By and large, most whites are oblivious to the cultural minefield young black girls are born into, just by virtue of having hair that doesn't bounce and behave," one journalist wrote last year. This is the drawer in the Greens' living room that holds all the tools Dad uses to care for Miriam's hair. -----Joey Ivansco / AJC
Hair like Miriam's takes a lot of time and the process of caring for it is also a way for father and daughter to bond. ----Joey Ivansco / AJC
Sunday, July 12, 2009 WBFFD (What Bougie Folks are Forced to Do) – Defend our Blackness
Subtitled Adventures in BougieLand…
Okay, this is going to be lengthy but bear with me here. Being a person of color in America is an inexplicably complex state of being. Being Black or African-American adds another layer of complexity. I'm not complaining, just stating facts. Blackness, unlike political affiliation, class association or sexual preference cannot be lost or found, does not fade or waiver. If you are born black, you die black and there's nothing to debate. Old time black folks have a saying, "There are only two things I have to do in this life, that's stay black and die." (Other variations include staying black and paying taxes but that's a whole different post). I'll also take a moment to acknowledge the multi-racials who often aren't given a chance to declare their race one way or the other. The way this country works, once you are perceived as any part of black, you are lumped in here with the rest of us (sorry, Tiger).
In addition to the association of blackness vs. whiteness or any other race, an African-American also realizes that there are perceived levels of "blackness" within our own community. Bougie blacks have an even tougher path to walk. We face bias both inside and outside of the race. We have to be "non-black" enough for White America (well spoken, non-threatening, calm, educated) yet still "down" enough to hang with our own (talk the talk and walk the walk). How many jokes about Bryant Gumbel's "lack of blackness" have you heard? What makes him more or less black than anyone else? Does he really need to rock a FUBU shirt, hold a rib in one hand and drop quotes from the Jay-Z Songbook?
Here are just a few things I've noticed that seem to weigh in on the scales of blackness…
Speech – Chris Rock tells a joke in his HBO special, "Bring the Pain" about how the main stream media emphasized how Colin Powell "speaks so well." A large portion of my life has been spent trying not to wince when white people tell me, "You are SO well spoken." Think holding back the wince is hard? Try holding back the scowl when your own people ask you, "Why do you talk so white?" Argh! What is talking white? Using proper English and embracing all the syllables? What is talking black? Talking fast and lyrically with a lot of slang thrown in? If you can put English and Spanish together and get Spanglish, how about I put the Queen's English and Ebonics together to form Quebonics?
Assimilation – I went to a private school through 9th grade. My older sister and I were 2 of the 5 black girls in all of k-12. Suffice it to say, everyone knew who we were. At least once a month, some shocked parent would say, "You are not like any other black person I've ever met!" Yes, I know – I speak so well. On the flip side, when attending my youth group meeting at the predominantly black church I attended, I overheard a disgusted parent say, "She's not like us, she goes to that private school." People, I was 12 and just trying to find my place. If I was too black for the white folks and too white for the black folks, where did that leave me? So I learned to adapt and compartmentalize. I listened to two sets of music, read two types of books, and talked two different ways. At one point I had separate sets of friends (that never overlapped) and attended completely different kinds of events. Yes, it was exhausting seeing the Kinks one night and Kool and the Gang the next.
Money – While it's recognized and perfectly okay for rappers, entertainers and ballers of color to have bank; bougie blacks get the side eye when they've acquired some outward signs of upscale living. When I was in California, I met a gentleman and agreed to meet him out for a date. I arrived at the restaurant at the designated time and pulled into valet parking (I'm bougie and I had on 4" heels, okay). BrotherMan was standing outside and watched me climb out of my car. It's a German-Engineered luxury four-door sedan. I came around the car and said hello. His entire demeanor was salty at best. "What's wrong?" I asked. He said, "Oh, that's how you rollin', all material and whatnot? Okay – I think we're done here. I keeps it real." Me and the valet were like – huh? Bouge rule #10 – Don't hate, congratulate!
On the opposite scale, two days later I stood outside a mall waiting for my car when an older white gentleman handed me his stub and a five-dollar bill saying, "It's the blue Volvo." Was I dressed like a valet? No. Did I not have a shopping bag in one hand and an Italian leather purse in the other? Just as I contemplated letting my inner Shaniqua loose, his wife rushed over and took the ticket and money from me, "Honey, she doesn't work here." Damn skippy. When my car pulled up and I slid in, he stood there with the red face, mouth open. (sigh) So either I'm too black to own this car or I'm not keeping it real because I drive it? In the Cartoon Network series The Boondocks (check it out if you haven't seen it), Riley Freeman says, "People always hate when you shinin'."
Location – Black people, don't hate me for living in the suburbs. I grew up here. Where is here? Nowhere near the hood. I know not from hood. Am I less black because I don't have an "up from the ghetto" tale to share? No one is knocking Dr. Dre for leaving Compton so why must I encounter hate for not wanting to move there? Conversely, white people – stop asking me about ghetto things or how to get there. I am not a ghetto GPS. If you want to find the hood in any major city, start by locating MLK Ave, Malcolm X Blvd and/or Cesar Chavez Fwy. (Okay, I know that's wrong but stop me if I'm lying!)
Clothing – I grew up preppy. Bass loafers, khaki pants, oxford shirt, grosgrain ribbon for a belt with a deep commitment to Keds and Topsiders. As time have marched forward, so have I… to a point. Baggy is still not in my vocabulary. Trendy is held to a minimum. I still tend to skew closer to "classic" than "fly". My work wardrobe staples include the navy "interview" pantsuit, the red "power" skirt suit and a rotation of khaki staples that I flavor up with bright tops, great accessories and shoes that grown women envy greatly. I still believe that things should "match" but discreetly.
I don't do raggedy. There are no clothes with holes or faded spots anywhere in my closet. When I was moving from one apartment to another in San Francisco, my girlfriend said, "Even your moving clothes are bougie." I had on a denim shirt, navy leggings and denim Keds. I thought I looked like a bum. I was told that bums don't match their shoes to their shirts on moving day. And then we have my colleagues at work (read Caucasian) always proclaiming, "You are always so well put together, I couldn't pull that off." Is that a compliment? Me throwing a scarf over a basic jersey two piece outfit is flashy and therefore inherently black?
Music/Film/TV – Thankfully, times have changed considerably and the TV and the Internet have allowed for merging and melting of tastes and cultures. But in my younger years I had to balance my love of Singin' in the Rain with my love of Uptown Saturday Night. I actually pretended to my white friends that I watched the Brady Bunch when seriously; even we weren't bougie enough to watch that stuff. No my black friends, I did not see every episode of Good Times, I did not see the one where James died (damn, damn, damn!). Yes my white friends, I had the soundtrack of Shaft right next to the soundtrack of Grease. I'm sorry black friends, I loved me some Bee-Gees. Sorry white friends, I know you didn't know anything about the Brothers Johnson. Yes, we all loved the Cosby Show. I had a college professor argue me down that the Huxtables were a fictional pipe dream not applicable to the "real Black Experience which was rooted in the ghetto." I explained to her that my father was a doctor, my mother an accountant and the Cosby Show was the closest representation of my life I'd ever witnessed in TV or film. I theorized that I knew just as much about the hood as the white girl sitting next to me knew about the trailer park – nothing! I said her inability to process that said more about her lack of teaching skills than my apparent non-existence.
Rest of this thoughtful and honest article at link above.
A new report by the Congressoinal Black Caucus raises concerns that a number of committees, chaired by whites, have far too few black staffers and aides serving on them. I have no reason to doubt the CBC's numbers, but I strongly disagree with how problematic that is.
Besides drawing on seasoned veterans (yes, not every congressional staffer is a rich college intern), most committee chairs use their privileged position to reward their home constituencies. Meaning, their committees tend to reflect their home districts. Committees chaired by blacks have more black staffers because their district is black. You really wouldn't expect an Agriculture committee or its subcommittees, which are manly populated by Plains state legislators that represent states and districts that are upwards of 90% white to have large numbers of minorities.
Does it affect policy? Yes. But, so does not having strict gender parity too.
I was interested in going until I saw the ticket prices. Cheap seats and standing room tickets were starting around $400-$500 when I looked. I quickly came to my senses and realized how nice it would be to watch from home.
Home Run Derby tonight....and the game tomorrow.
Our friendly right wing radio people (Station KFTK 97.1 FM) have been suggesting to their listeners (in a roundabout way) that they should boo Obama when he shows up to throw out the first pitch tomorrow night. I doubt if they'll get enough people to take part....but it wouldn't surprise me if the boos are noticeable. Although the City is Obama Country... the people who can actually afford to attend baseball games tend to be a little more affluent, more Conservative and are from the suburbs, and in this case from different parts of the Country.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama announced Monday his choice for surgeon general -- Dr. Regina Benjamin, a 52-year-old family practice doctor who has spent most of her career tending to the needs of poor patients in a Gulf Coast clinic in Alabama.
"When people couldn't pay, she didn't charge them," Obama said. "When the clinic wasn't making money, she didn't take a salary for herself."
He called Benjamin "a relentless promoter" of programs to fight preventable illness.
Benjamin cited the toll of preventable illness as the reason her family was not with her at the announcement: Her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure; her older brother and only sibling died at age 44 of an HIV-related illness; her mother died of lung cancer after taking up smoking as a girl; her mother's twin brother could not attend because he is at home "struggling for each breath" after a lifetime of smoking.
"I cannot change my family's past, but I can be a voice to improve our nation's health for the future," she said. Watch for more on Benjamin »
Benjamin received a bachelor's degree in 1979 from Xavier University of Louisiana, attended Morehouse School of Medicine from 1980 to 1982, and received a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1984.
She completed her residency in family practice at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in 1987.
Her medical training was paid for by a federal program, the National Health Service Corps, under which medical students promise to work in areas with few doctors in exchange for free tuition, one year of service for every year of paid tuition.
Benjamin founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990 in the fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and has served as its CEO since.
A graduate of Xavier University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Dr. Regina Benjamin chose to return to the region that she grew up in, starting a family practice in Bayou la Batre, Alabama (a small shrimping village along the gulf coast). After several years moonlighting in emergency rooms and nursing homes to keep her practice open, and with an MBA from Tulane under her belt, Dr. Benjamin converted her medical office into a small rural health clinic dedicated to serving the large indigent population in her community.
Her extraordinary dedication and self-sacrifice have already won Dr. Benjamin national recognition. In 1995, she became the first African-American woman, and the first person under 40, to be elected to the American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees. Dr. Benjamin also serves on the Board of Physicians for Human Rights.
Dr. Benjamin is a 1998 Mandela Award Winner, a former Kellogg National Fellow, has been featured as ABC Television's Person of the Week, and in 1996 was chosen by CBS This Morning as Woman of the Year.
I couldn't help but love this commercial. Although i'm not a fan of Rap, I did grow up on the early music of the genre and vividly remember this track. I listened to this music 20-25 years ago. The song (from Sugar Hill Gang), the boombox and the backdrop remind me a little of my days in Kansas in the Mid 1980's and my own boombox blaring as I played Basketball on the schoolyard Blacktop. The music also reminds me of my fathers famous Cookouts (definitely a simpler time).
I also can't live without my Evian (say whatever you want about the water.... I am not going to stop drinking it) :).
US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Sasha and Malia stand at the entrance of the 'Door of No Return' during a guided tour in Cape Coast Castle, a former slavery outpost, in Cape Coast, Ghana, on July 11, 2009. The visit marks Obama's first to subsaharan Africa as President. -------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
A view of a slave fortress in Cape Coast, Ghana in 1996. Hundreds of thousands of Africans were forced through its dungeons and loaded onto slave ships anchored along the Atlantic coastline.
US President Barack Obama speaks after touring Cape Coast Castle, in Cape Coast, Ghana, on July 11, 2009. Obama and his family made a "moving" visit to a former slave trading fort in Ghana during a landmark visit to the west African country. The Obamas went on a guided tour of Cape Coast Castle, formerly one of the continent's main outposts from where countless slaves were shipped trans-Atlantic to the Americas. Obama, the son of an African immigrant, and his wife Michelle, a descendant of African slaves, were accompanied on the tour by their daughters Malia and Sasha. ------------------------------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
U.S. President Barack Obama leads his family from the slave holding cells inside Cape Coast Castle, a former slave holding facility, in the Ghanaian town of Cape Coast, July 11, 2009. -----------REUTERS/Jason Reed
US President Barack Obama holds a child as he tours with US First Lady Michelle Obama the La General Hospital in Accra on July 11, 2009. ------------ AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
US President Barack Obama chats with his Ghanean counterpart John Atta-Mills on July 11, 2009 during breakfast with with First Lady Michelle Obama at Osu Castle, the government headquarters and a former slave trading fort, in Accra. -------------------------------- AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk with pregnant women during a tour of the La General Hospital in Accra on July 11, 2009. -------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
President Barack Obama is accompanied by Speaker of Parliament Joyce Bamford-Addo, left, as during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner following his address to the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Ghana, Saturday, July 11, 2009. ---------AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
U.S. President Barack Obama's convoy leaves the presidential castle in Accra July 11, 2009. ---------REUTERS/Luc Gnago
US President Barack Obama tours the La General Hospital in Accra on July 11, 2009. The visit marks Obama's first to subsaharan African as President. Huge crowds lined the streets of Accra hoping to catch a glimpse of the first Black US President, the son of an African immigrant, after he arrived from the Group of Eight summit in Italy. -------------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
John Atta Mills, the president of Ghana, walks alongside US President Barack Obama (C) upon arrival at the Presidential Castle in Accra, Ghana, on July 11, 2009. The visit marks Obama's first to subsaharan Africa as President. Obama, who will address parliament Saturday, said before the trip that he had chosen Ghana as his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa because it was an example of a "functioning democracy" in the conflict-scarred continent. ----------------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
President Barack Obama walks with Ghana President John Atta Mills, right, at the Presidential Palace in Accra, Ghana, Saturday, July 11, 2009. --------AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari
US President Barack Obama speaks at Ghana's Parliament in Accra on July 11, 2009. . The visit marks Obama's first to subsaharan African as President. Huge crowds lined the streets of Accra hoping to catch a glimpse of the first Black US president, the son of an African immigrant, after he arrived from the Group of Eight summit in Italy. ----------------AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
Text of Obama's speech in Ghana By The Associated Press – 2 hours ago
Text of President Barack Obama's speech Saturday in Accra, Ghana, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House:
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Good morning. It is an honor for me to be in Accra, and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States.
I am speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I began in Russia, for a Summit between two great powers. I traveled to Italy, for a meeting of the world's leading economies. And I have come here, to Ghana, for a simple reason: the 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well.
This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America's. Your health and security can contribute to the world's. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.
So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world — as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility, and that is what I want to speak with you about today.
We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans.
I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.
My grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya, and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him "boy" for much of his life. He was on the periphery of Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade — it was something experienced personally, day after day, year after year.
My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education. He came of age at an extraordinary moment of promise for Africa. The struggles of his own father's generation were giving birth to new nations, beginning right here in Ghana. Africans were educating and asserting themselves in new ways. History was on the move.
But despite the progress that has been made — and there has been considerable progress in parts of Africa — we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya, which had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born, have been badly outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent. In many places, the hope of my father's generation gave way to cynicism, even despair.
It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.
Of course, we also know that is not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or the need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates of growth.
This progress may lack the drama of the 20th century's liberation struggles, but make no mistake: it will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of another nation, it is even more important to build one's own.
So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana — and for Africa — as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you — the men and women in Ghana's Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people — brimming with talent and energy and hope — who can claim the future that so many in my father's generation never found.
To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.
As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I have pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa's interest and America's. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by — it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.
This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership. And today, I will focus on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy; opportunity; health; and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments.
As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions. But history offers a clear verdict: governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, more stable and more successful than governments that do not.
This is about more than holding elections — it's also about what happens between them. Repression takes many forms, and too many nations are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.
In the 21st century, capable, reliable and transparent institutions are the key to success — strong parliaments and honest police forces; independent judges and journalists; a vibrant private sector and civil society. Those are the things that give life to democracy, because that is what matters in peoples' lives.
Time and again, Ghanaians have chosen Constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a democratic spirit that allows the energy of your people to break through. We see that in leaders who accept defeat graciously, and victors who resist calls to wield power against the opposition. We see that spirit in courageous journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his life to report the truth. We see it in police like Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human trafficker in Ghana. We see it in the young people who are speaking up against patronage and participating in the political process.
Across Africa, we have seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny and making change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where civil society and business came together to help stop postelection violence. We saw it in South Africa, where over three quarters of the country voted in the recent election — the fourth since the end of apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the Election Support Network braved brutal repression to stand up for the principle that a person's vote is their sacred right.
Make no mistake: history is on the side of these brave Africans and not with those who use coups or change Constitutions to stay in power. Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.
America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation — the essential truth of democracy is that each nation determines its own destiny. What we will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance — on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard; on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting, automating services, strengthening hot lines and protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.
As we provide this support, I have directed my administration to give greater attention to corruption in our human rights report. People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do.
This leads directly to our second area of partnership — supporting development that provides opportunity for more people.
With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base for prosperity. The continent is rich in natural resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and commitment to create their own opportunities. But old habits must also be broken. Dependence on commodities — or on a single export — concentrates wealth in the hands of the few and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.
In Ghana, for instance, oil brings great opportunities, and you have been responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and infrastructure; when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled work force and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs.
As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we will put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. That is why our $3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers — not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it is no longer needed.
America can also do more to promote trade and investment. Wealthy nations must open our doors to goods and services from Africa in a meaningful way. And where there is good governance, we can broaden prosperity through public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; and financial services that reach poor and rural areas. This is also in our own interest — for if people are lifted out of poverty and wealth is created in Africa, new markets will open for our own goods.
One area that holds out both undeniable peril and extraordinary promise is energy. Africa gives off less greenhouse gas than any other part of the world, but it is the most threatened by climate change. A warming planet will spread disease, shrink water resources and deplete crops, creating conditions that produce more famine and conflict. All of us — particularly the developed world — have a responsibility to slow these trends — through mitigation, and by changing the way that we use energy. But we can also work with Africans to turn this crisis into opportunity.
Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity and help countries increase access to power while skipping the dirtier phase of development. Across Africa, there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and bio-fuels. From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coast to South Africa's crops — Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad.
These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They're about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to the market; or an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It's about the dignity of work. Its about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.
Just as governance is vital to opportunity, it is also critical to the third area that I will talk about — strengthening public health.
In recent years, enormous progress has been made in parts of Africa. Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn't kill them. When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.
Yet because of incentives — often provided by donor nations — many African doctors and nurses understandably go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. This creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.
Across Africa, we see examples of people tackling these problems. In Nigeria, an interfaith effort of Christians and Muslims has set an example of cooperation to confront malaria. Here in Ghana and across Africa, we see innovative ideas for filling gaps in care — for instance, through E-Health initiatives that allow doctors in big cities to support those in small towns.
America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy. Because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience and our common interest. When a child dies of a preventable illness in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.
That is why my administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges. Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and eradicating polio. We will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation — we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children.
As we partner on behalf of a healthier future, we must also stop the destruction that comes not from illness, but from human beings — and so the final area that I will address is conflict.
Now let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war. But for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.
These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. We all have many identities — of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st century. Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division. We are all God's children. We all share common aspirations — to live in peace and security; to access education and opportunity; to love our families, our communities, and our faith. That is our common humanity.
That is why we must stand up to inhumanity in our midst. It is never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systematic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in Congo. No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. All of us must strive for the peace and security necessary for progress.
Africans are standing up for this future. Here, too, Ghana is helping to point the way forward. Ghanaians should take pride in your contributions to peacekeeping from Congo to Liberia to Lebanon, and in your efforts to resist the scourge of the drug trade. We welcome the steps that are being taken by organizations like the African Union and ECOWAS to better resolve conflicts, keep the peace, and support those in need. And we encourage the vision of a strong, regional security architecture that can bring effective, transnational force to bear when needed.
America has a responsibility to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there is genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems — they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response. That is why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy, technical assistance, and logistical support, and will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa and the world.
In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. That must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don't, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict, and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.
As I said earlier, Africa's future is up to Africans.
The people of Africa are ready to claim that future. In my country, African-Americans — including so many recent immigrants — have thrived in every sector of society. We have done so despite a difficult past, and we have drawn strength from our African heritage. With strong institutions and a strong will, I know that Africans can live their dreams in Nairobi and Lagos; in Kigali and Kinshasa; in Harare and right here in Accra.
Fifty-two years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: "It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice."
Now, that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. And I am particularly speaking to the young people. In places like Ghana, you make up over half of the population. Here is what you must know: the world will be what you make of it.
You have the power to hold your leaders accountable and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, end conflicts and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move.
But these things can only be done if you take responsibility for your future. It won't be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you. As a partner. As a friend. Opportunity won't come from any other place, though — it must come from the decisions that you make, the things that you do, and the hope that you hold in your hearts.
Freedom is your inheritance. Now, it is your responsibility to build upon freedom's foundation. And if you do, we will look back years from now to places like Accra and say that this was the time when the promise was realized — this was the moment when prosperity was forged; pain was overcome; and a new era of progress began. This can be the time when we witness the triumph of justice once more. Thank you.
The discussion veered off into the more broad issue of self image.
I have to admit that I have always hated the way that I look. Skin whitening was never my thing... but I have wanted to change my facial features. I'm probably fortunate that I never had the money (wealth) to actually do anything. But I have gone as far as calling Plastic Surgeons to ask about costs.
I don't think I have Body Dysmorphic Disorder.... But I definitely hate the way I look. That was a few years ago (calling doctors).... My thoughts on my image have moderated somewhat since then.... But I am not confident that the issue won't come back.
The story stresses the importance of having a thoughtful President in office during a crisis, and it presented a contrast between someone like a George W. Bush and someone like Kennedy. Or..you could really use any number of examples for a contrast... it could be George W. Bush Vs. George H.W. Bush. The point is the same.
Sometimes your inner circle of "Best and Brightest" experts doesn't always know what is best in certain situations. Sometimes leaders have to lead and think for themselves. I'm so glad we didn't have a Cuban Missile Crisis with George W. Bush at the helm...although we did have some close calls (Georgia for one). And I don't even want to think about Sarah Palin in charge during a major National Security crisis. That's too horrible to even contemplate.
I wish President Obama could hear this story. Why? Because over the next few years, Obama is going to be under tremendous pressure, not only from pro-war Republicans, but from the Hawks within his own National Security Team (the Clintonites, the Brzezinski-ites, and other pro-war Democrats) to attack Iran, North Korea and to continue the quiet brinksmanship with Russia...by pushing for NATO expansion and placing missile systems in Eastern Europe. Obama is much better off thinking for himself and going with a more sensible Progressive approach.
Hear an interview with Air Force interrogator "Matthew Alexander" (a fictitious name), the author of "How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq". Alexander was assigned to hunt down Al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq and has also worked in other parts of the World. In his book, Alexander challenges (and pretty much destroys) the Conservative conventional wisdom on the need and usefulness of torture. He instead describes a more sensible approach that uses more modern interrogation techniques that rely on skill to outsmart suspects.
The tactics described by Alexander are more practical and have been proven in the law enforcement community. It's not surprising that the smarter techniques produce better, more reliable intelligence information.
NPR has a new segment on Sylvia Martinez. The program is part of a radio series on the experiences of the unemployed as they seek work during the recession mini-depression.
This segment seems to be just as depressing as the last one.
Obama has been accused of ogling a young woman during his G-8 trip.... I will not bother posting the photo on this blog.
But once again, it turns out that there is no scandal afterall. Photos can be deceiving, especially when they already fit the pre-packaged narrative of those who are seeking to create a controversy for political gain.
I initially thought nothing of the photo that was floating around. Even if he were looking... I thought to myself- "No big deal". "He's a red blooded, strong, normal healthy man". But today, I noticed that the commentary had turned more nefarious. By this afternoon.... Obama was being described as a sexual predator. (It fits the image that Whites, especially White Conservatives, already have of Black men...how convenient).
How evil and toxic can the U.S. political climate get? I should probably be afraid to ask that question.... because whenever I do... a higher power always seems to show me an ugly answer...one that always seems to top the previous ugly event.
I'm sure I will hear something later today on the radio (I listen at work) about "the photo". We have 3 very Pro-Republican/Conservative radio stations in St. Louis that carry the Right Wing message.... and they are anti-Obama all the way. They are KMOX 1120 AM, KTRS 550 AM, and KFTK 97.1 FM. I listen just to get an idea of what arguments Republicans are using to attack Progressives and Progressive policies. I'm sure this will be a subject of discussion over the weekend for at least one of them.
It shows how desperate some folks are for a scandal. This is what happens when you have a political party that has no plans of its own for the Country (except that they hope the Country fails).
Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion" Campers sent packing after first visit to swim club By KAREN ARAIZA Updated 3:01 PM EDT, Wed, Jul 8, 2009
More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.
Kids at Creative Steps Day Camp were thrilled to go swimming once a week at the Valley Swim Club. But after only one trip to the private club, they were...
"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.
The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.
"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."
The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.
"I said, 'The parents don't want the refund. They want a place for their children to swim,'" camp director Aetha Wright said.
Campers remain unsure why they're no longer welcome.
"They just kicked us out. And we were about to go. Had our swim things and everything," said camper Simer Burwell.
The explanation they got was either dishearteningly honest or poorly worded.
"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.
While the parents await an apology, the camp is scrambling to find a new place for the kids to beat the summer heat.
Being a Black parent in America is preparing your child for the day that they will be hated and mistreated, NOT for anything that they DID..
But, JUST FOR EXISTING.
Period.
from Jill Tubman: If you’re mad as hell like I am, you can email, call or just go on ahead and “change the complexion” of the Valley Swim Club by showing up with picket signs. I am picking up the phone after I finish this post, y’all. Do it for the kids.
Club Phone Number: 215-947-0700 Club E-mail: info@thevalleyclub.com
If you're single and in your mid-30s, it doesn't matter who you go out with. Whatever you do is between you and your partner and that's the way it should be. On the other hand, if you're a married man with four children, you have responsibilities to provide more than just money. Now, don't get me wrong, in this economy, providing money is plenty but it isn't the whole story. The children need guidance.
Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star rightly pointed out the true tragedy. McNair's four children. Four young boys were denied a father because Steve McNair was not focused on what was most important in his life. It really doesn't matter what was going on between Steve McNair and his wife. What matters is that McNair did not put himself in position to be around for the long haul.
I spent a lot of time recently thinking about affirmative action and the black community. The Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. For nearly 20 years minorities and women made huge strides into closing the quality gap. Something happened around 1980. I'm not saying that it was just Ronald Reagan. Instead, I think it was an atmosphere of hostility towards affirmative action and also towards unions which together has helped to cripple the black community. (Of course, there are other factors. There are internal problems in the black community which are very critical to retarding personal growth but, for now, I'm focusing on external problems.)
I do not have any statistics but I would bet that a large percentage of union jobs were held by blacks. As Reagan and the rest of the conservatives waged war on unions, blacks lost jobs in droves. Wall Street applauded as large corporations shipped union jobs overseas. This devastated the black community. Hundreds of thousands of black men without jobs. There were no prospects on the horizon. Many of them for various reasons become incarcerated in large numbers or fell into low wage dead-end jobs.
Against this backdrop, we have Steve McNair. He's just completed a highly successful 14 year career as an NFL quarterback. The number of black NFL quarterbacks can be counted on two hands since the inception of the league more than 70 years ago. McNair had an obligation to guide his young boys through the hazards that afflict all young Americans but especially those that have ensnared so many young black men. All McNair had to do was to stay on the path. He had made it out of the inner city (da' hood). Imagine being a multimillionaire. You have every creature comfort you need. Your only job is to be a husband and father. That's it. (I'm not saying that being a husband and father are easy. I'm not saying that being Steve McNair was easy. I'm saying that he made it through the tough parts.) You can't tell me that McNair wasn't on Easy Street.
I hope that Steve McNair's sons find a new role model. Role models are so hard to find these days -- especially in the black community.
It looks like the next generation of Republican leaders are no less bigoted than the current leadership. Yippeee... I guess we can look forward to 25 more years of this stuff from political "leaders".
I guess the Republican makeover never reached the future leaders of the Party.
Here's a story about volunteers in the (abysmal) DC school system. We need volunteers because too many students enter school lacking the requisite skills to make adequate progress. We need volunteers because too many students forget over the summer what they learned the previous school year. Finally, we need volunteers because too many parents (in places like DC) don't spend the time with their kids preparing them for school, teaching them the norms and expectations of society. Teachers are overwhelmed and overworked, so we need volunteers to fill in the gaps. Thank goodness they're available, but it's a shame we need them.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R), his wife Svetlana (2nd R), U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a picture at the presidential residence Gorki outside Moscow July 6, 2009. Visiting U.S. President Obama and Kremlin leader Medvedev agreed a target for cuts in nuclear arms and a deal to let U.S. troops fly across Russia at the start of a trip intended to mend strained ties. ----------------REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Vladimir Rodionov
Either way, though, her 10 months on the national stage have been a dispiriting period for American democracy.
If Palin were exactly what her critics believe she is — the distillation of every right-wing pathology, from anti-intellectualism to apocalyptic Christianity — then she wouldn’t be a terribly interesting figure. But this caricature has always missed the point of the Alaska governor’s appeal — one that extends well outside the Republican Party’s shrinking base.
In a recent Pew poll, 44 percent of Americans regarded Palin unfavorably. But slightly more had a favorable impression of her. That number included 46 percent of independents, and 48 percent of Americans without a college education.
That last statistic is a crucial one. Palin’s popularity has as much to do with class as it does with ideology. In this sense, she really is the perfect foil for Barack Obama. Our president represents the meritocratic ideal — that anyone, from any background, can grow up to attend Columbia and Harvard Law School and become a great American success story. But Sarah Palin represents the democratic ideal — that anyone can grow up to be a great success story without graduating from Columbia and Harvard.
This ideal has had a tough 10 months. It’s been tarnished by Palin herself, obviously. With her missteps, scandals, dreadful interviews and self-pitying monologues, she’s botched an essential democratic role — the ordinary citizen who takes on the elites, the up-by-your-bootstraps role embodied by politicians from Andrew Jackson down to Harry Truman.
But it’s also been tarnished by the elites themselves, in the way that the media and political establishments have treated her.
Think about that for a minute.
Here is part of Ta-Nehisi's wonderful column:
What The Right Means When They Say "America" 06 Jul 2009 12:35 pm
UPDATE: Several posters have pointed out the distinction between the meritocratic and democratic ideal. I have conflated the two, and thus portions of this are wrong. Having thought on that fact though, I still can't bring myself to see Palin is one or Obama as the other. Perhaps this is my color barrier, but the promise of more "democratic" America never meant, to me, black people, their actual knowledge of the world be damned. It meant a fair shot.
That said, Ross is owed an apology--conflating the two changes the meaning. There is more here. But I want to think on it some more. ............................................
There is in this critique, a kind of Al Sharpton analysis--Sarah Palin as a stand-in for all of her social class. Ross contends that her failures are not her own, but somehow the failures that would afflict anyone else presumably from her "social class." But this only works if you think that most of working class America is as fucking inept as Sarah Palin.
There is more to be said about that, but I'd like to move to something more important--that being Ross's definition of "Anyone."
In the last ten months, we've seen the son of a single mother, son of an immigrant, roots in Kansas, roots in the quintessentially American South Side of Chicago, standing for the "traditional values" of family, and the lesson we take from this is is that American meritocracy is broken.
Conservative condescension toward working class America, works in tandem with racial blindness. I have tried, through a few re-readings, to avoid seeing that in Ross's column. But it's very difficult to process the notion that Sarah Palin is a better model of the all-American meritocratic ideal than Barack Obama, without believing that that judgment hinges on race.
My black readers are laughing at me. Again.
The entire column is at the link above.
This is my reply to Coates:
Coates, this is superb, and yes, for a minute, I laughed at you.
Douthat just takes over from where his fellow conservative pointed out a month or so ago: you know, if you ignore Black folks, then Obama's popularity ratings aren't that high at all.
we go back to that 'REAL ' America ' meme'.
it is because you're Black, Coates. Coming from a people that, in their history, were KILLED because they tried to learn how to READ, despite 'White folks stereotypes', you and I both know about the importance of education to the general Black community (excluding the Underclass).
being from a population with no inherited wealth, the only way Black folks knew how to ' pull themselves up by their bootstraps', was to get themselves a pair of boots, which has always meant EDUCATION, for those of us who knew we'd never make it in entertainment or sports.
THAT is why Palin's ignorance is so offensive to you, Coates. She stands against what your father taught you.
For my grandmother and her daughters, an education meant that the only children they'd have to take care of were THEIR OWN.
For my father, it meant no sharecropping.
My family isn't odd or extraordinary, it's what millions of Black folks saw as their path in America. Because you know your history, and you know Black folks' history, Palin's ignorance punches you in the gut, and anyone pushing forth this woman as someone to admire, you have to give the side eye.
Former Obama Campaign Aide Wade to Head Minority Business Outreach Date: Monday, July 06, 2009, 4:12 pm By: BlackAmericaWeb.com staff
Rick Wade, Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Commerce, will help oversee the department’s minority business efforts and community outreach for U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
Locke will host a conference call with African American journalists Thursday to discuss efforts by the Obama Administration to support minority businesses across the country.
At the Department of Commerce, Secretary Locke is charged with helping implement President Obama’s ambitious agenda to turn around the economy and put people back to work. His department’s Minority Business Development Agency was created specifically to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses in America.
Wade's involvement with the U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) comes as the agency is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
According to its Web site, the MBDA was originally established as theOffice of Minority Business Enterprise by President Richard M. Nixon on March 5, 1969.By establishing a federal agency dedicated exclusively to minority business enterprise, President Nixon recognized the impact of minority businesses on the nation’s economy and on the general welfare of the country.
This year, the Web site says, as the economy continues to present challenges to minority businesses, access to capital is a primary focus. MBDA plans several meetings with financial services companies and minority business community stakeholders to find ways to best serve the needs of minority businesses during this critical time.
During the Senate confimration process, Locke had the support of The Minority Business RoundTable, the only national non-profit organization for CEOs of the nation's leading African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American and other minority-owned businesses.
Before Wade joined the Obama administration, he was in South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges' cabinet before joining the Obama campaign and has been serving on the president's 10-person Task Force on the Auto Industry for the past two weeks.
Wade received a B.S. degree from the University of South Carolina and Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, where he was also a KennedyFellow, and has studied theology in Atlanta and in Washington.
In remarks in May at Zions Bank 8th Annual International Trade and Business Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, Wade said: “Secretary Locke expressed his vision of a vibrant Department of Commerce that is an engine for job growth and economic revival. At the Department, we have some potentially powerful tools to help U.S. companies looking to expand their business overseas and compete globally.”
US President Barack Obama walks alongside First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia to Air Force One prior to departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, July 5, 2009. Obama is traveling to Moscow, Russia, on the first leg of a week-long trip that will also take him to Italy and Ghana. ------ AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
Here is the schedule for the Obamas week abroad:
Russia - July 6-8th http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0509/to_russia_with_9c17510a-873d-49c0-9b7c-cb179f22d7a2.html http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_eu/eu_obama_china
Italy - July 8-10th - President Obama will attend a Group of Eight summit in Italy. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0509/A_trip_to_Africa.html?showall
Vatican City - July 10th - (CNN) — President Barack Obama [and Mrs. Obama] will meet Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced Wednesday.
Africa – Accra, Ghana - July 10-11th - The President and Mrs. Obama will visit. While in Ghana, the President will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President Mills. The President and Mrs. Obama look forward to strengthening the U.S. relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa, and to highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0509/A_trip_to_Africa.html?showall
Wake Up!! Lobbyists spending 1.4M a DAY against any public option by icebergslim Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 05:08:33 AM PDT
This is cold water on many faces.
Not faces here, not faces who follow politics, but for everyone else.
If you are one of the millions with no health insurance, lost your job and can not afford COBRA payments (which is a joke), insured but your coverage is lacking and you are paying sky high premiums or have you gone bankrupt because you either have or don't have any insurance?
Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines.
Many that have insurance or feel comfortable that nothing will happen, think again. One of those stories can easily become a nightmare for you and your family.
The nation's largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosures and other records.
Nearly half of the insiders previously worked for the key committees and lawmakers, including Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), debating whether to adopt a public insurance option opposed by major industry groups. At least 10 others have been members of Congress, such as former House majority leaders Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) and Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), both of whom represent a New Jersey pharmaceutical firm.
The hirings are part of a record-breaking influence campaign by the health-care industry, which is spending more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying in the current fight, according to disclosure records. And even in a city where lobbying is a part of life, the scale of the effort has drawn attention. For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million.
Folks, I don't trust NONE OF THE ABOVE. Especially, when you have the egotistical Senator Chuck Grassley admit the obvious in health care, here. Again I don't trust, ANY OF THEM.
The old adage, "Money talks and bullshit walks", is applicable here. The money that is being thrown around like water out of a fountain is why we hear the likes of Blanche Lincoln, Independent Joe Lieberman, Mary Landrieu and many other DEMOCRATS come out and challenge the choice of a public option plan. These are the same congress persons who enjoys the health care offering in congress which is PUBLIC OPTION. The plan is one of the best in this country. My question is, "if it is good enough for them, why not us?"
In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform.
"We shouldn't be focusing resources on each other," Obama opined in the call, according to three sources who participated in or listened to the conversation. "We ought to be focused on winning this debate.
I want to win this debate, but when you have the likes of Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman, Mary Landrieu, etc., going on the record of not supporting a public option, then they must be called on it.
Congress has public option. Congress has the best health care plan out there that is available. The American people do not.
One has to wonder what is in it, IN THE END, for these Democrats to totally chuck any notion for the public option. My only reason is that these Democrats depend on heavy donations from the insurance and health care communities, via their lobbyists.
If this health care bill goes down or is watered down to nothing for the American public, there will be repercussions and that will start with the 2010 Mid-Term Elections.
President Obama, we understand you want consensus and a good debate, but in the end the public wants and demands a choice, that choice is a strong public option plan.
It can not be anymore clearer than that.
slinkerwink has all the contact information, HERE, let us ALL GET BUSY.
Thank you, Icebergslim.
We have to keep folks informed and we have to keep on pressing.
TV One to begin Sunday public affairs show aimed at Blacks July 3, 2009
Roland Martin will anchor a new Sunday public affairs show aimed at a Black audience that will debut in September on the TV One network.
The “Washington Watch” program aims to tap into a new interest in politics and government due to the election of President Barack Obama, said Johnathan Rodgers, TV One’s president and CEO. It debuts Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. ET, and the show will be repeated each week at 5 p.m.
Martin, who is also a CNN commentator, will interview newsmakers and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. April Ryan, White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, and Robert Traynham, Philadelphia Tribune columnist and Comcast host, will be regular panel members. TV One is in about 48 million homes, a little less than half of the nation’s TV homes.
Rodgers said it dawned on him when TV One covered last year’s Democratic convention and saw many Black Caucus members trudge up to the network’s temporary rooftop studio for interviews: these politicians have few outlets to talk about their issues and people have few places to hear them.
“I hope to get smart, intelligent, entertaining conversation,” Rodgers said, “but I put this under the public affairs arena. It doesn’t have to be a ratings success.”
Despite the election of the nation’s first black president, many of TV One’s older viewers — the network tends to get an older audience than competitor BET — wonder what whether his administration will actively push a civil rights agenda and other issues that interest them, he said.
“Barack Obama is truly the American president,” Rodgers said. “He is not the white American president or the black American president. He is our president. A number of our viewers might have had a different expectation.”
Martin said he hoped the show would reflect the state of black America every week.
While the show is Washington-based, he said the concerns of people across the country would be reflected. He said he hopes to have viewers participate in the shows by suggesting questions and topics.
“We want to be bottom up,” he said. “The problems I see right now from so many of these shows is that they are top down — these are the things that we think are important.”
Rodgers said he initially wanted the show to first air in the late afternoon or evening, to distinguish it from the crowded field of Sunday morning public affairs shows. But he was advised that premiering “Washington Watch” at that hour during football season would be suicidal.
DAVID BAUDER, AP
Is this 'Lead Story' for the 21st Century? (yes, I am dating myself.)
Serena Williams beat sister Venus in straight sets, 7-6 and 6-2 to win the 2009 Wimbledon Ladies Final.
from Craig Hickman: Wimbledon has a tradition of allowing to ball kids to carry out the bags of the finalists. This year, two little Black girls got the honor to carry out Serena's and Venus' bags. Was a lovely picture.
I've seen on a couple of sites, talking about the Black Community and their 'patriotism', and how, with the election of Barack Obama as President, that ' suddenly', Black folks are ' patriotic'.
I call BULL on that one.
I've said it numerous times, and don't care how much trouble I get into about my feelings on this topic:
tired of folks questioning Black folks' patriotism. Black folks, from where I sit, are the TRUEST Americans, because we have FOUGHT FOR this country to live up to its creed.
so, I have to roll my eyes at anyone questioning Black folks' patriotism.
waving a flag doesn't make one a patriot.
Putting on the uniform and risking your life for a country, that in its LAWS, has codified you as a Second Class Citizen....
THAT is patriotism.
Patriotism is my father, who would have been 43 years old AFTER RISKING HIS LIFE FOR THIS COUNTRY, before he would have gotten his FULL CITIZENSHIP ON PAPER in this country, if he had stayed in the state of his birth.
Patriotism is my parents, and millions others like them, taking onto their shoulders of the pain and burden of Jim Crow, while pushing forth their children to believe in the possibility of this country living up to its creed and giving them opportunities our parents could not have imagined.
Blacks folks waving a flag doesn't mean patriotism to me....that's the shallow, right-wing definition given by people who have never had to truly struggle to find what is worthy about this country that it's worth fighting FOR.
Black folk, as Dr. Condoleeza Rice herself has said,
Are a FOUNDING POPULATION of this country.
Indeed, we are.
Fighting to improve America is the greatest act of PATRIOTISM.
From Crispus Attucks, to Prince Hall, to Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Fighting 54th, the Tuskegee Airmen, and on and on and on......names we know and a lot more we don't know.
Honoring Black Patriot BY RICK FOSTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Friday, July 3, 2009 2:19 AM EDT
Plainville man eyes recognition for Prince Hall
He was an outspoken contemporary of John Hancock and George Washington, a patriot and a civic leader who organized opposition to slavery and started schools for African-American children. His name is revered among the Masons, of which he was an early leader and loyal member.
Yet Prince Hall, who some historians say should be counted among America's founding fathers, rates scarcely a footnote in most history texts. Nevertheless, some scholars consider him among the most influential men of his generation whose legacy is felt to this day.
Hall might be better known today if he had been white.
"Prince Hall might be the most influential black man who ever lived in this country," said Red T. Mitchell, a retired insurance executive and history buff from Plainville who is part of a group that has organized to honor Hall with his own monument in the city of Cambridge. "He was a patriot, an abolitionist and could be considered the first civil rights organizer."
It would take another 200 years of marches, constitutional amendments and Supreme Court decisions to bring about equal rights for black as well as white Americans. But every major milestone - from the abolition of slavery to the right of minority children to an equal education - had an early advocate in Hall and his followers. Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons is spearheading the effort to install a monument to Hall on the Cambridge city common, the same place where George Washington once stood at the head of the newly formed Continental Army. The $100,000 monument, funded through private donations, is due to be unveiled Sept. 12.
For decades, the freed slave who became a prominent tradesman and civil rights advocate has been shrouded in mystery. But historical research has pieced together the work of Hall from his tireless efforts to abolish slavery to his insistence on free public schools for blacks.
His efforts would later be echoed in the 14th and 15th Amendments and the historic 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"He was, in a sense, the first black organizer in American history," writes Sidney Kaplan in his book, "The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 1770-1800."
"His gift was to show some of his people in the new climate of independence how they might get together in defense of their social, political and economic rights," Kaplan wrote.
Born about 1735, the details of Hall's life are mostly a mystery. However, a written statement by Boston leather tanner William Hall shows that Prince Hall was a slave in his possession in the 1740s and the young black man presumably learned his trade from the white Hall.
Marriage and other records indicate that Hall opened a leather goods shop in Boston, as well as a catering business.
Other documentation, including petitions sponsored by Hall, indicate that the ex-slave was at least as politically active as his fellow tradesman, Paul Revere.
Long before the first shots of the Revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord, Hall was already agitating for racial equality. Initially denied membership in a local Masonic order, Hall and other blacks in Boston asked for and were granted a Masonic charter through British sponsorship.
Hall became the first black accepted into the Masons and the first master of a black lodge. Hall and his supporters weren't satisfied with merely leveling the playing field within a fraternal organization, however, and presented British colonial Gov. Thomas Gage with a petition demanding the abolition of slavery in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Gage ignored the request, as did the state Legislature, which referred a subsequent Hall petition to the Continental Congress.
Congress ignored the request, too, foreshadowing the Civil War. However, a court ruling in 1788 did bring an end to slavery in Massachusetts, the inevitable result of Hall's agitation.
Long after the Revolution, Hall campaigned for his own community to make good on the promise in the Declaration of Independence that "All men are created equal," and particularly on behalf of black children.
In 1796, he pushed the selectmen of the town of Boston into approving a school for black children who were not welcome in the town's all-white schools. However, the town fathers welched on their promise and Hall eventually offered his own home as the first black schoolroom.
While remaining the new nation's most visible civil right advocate, however, Hall could see in an overwhelmingly white America that African Americans would continue to be the victims of insults and discrimination for some time to come.
Hall, a pragmatic man, urged perseverence coupled with patience and nonviolence.
Hall died in 1807, his work on behalf of racial equality and civil rights unfinished. But the foundation he and his compatriots laid would become a platform for greater progress under the leadership of a procession of civil rights advocates ranging from W.E.B. DuBois to Martin Luther King.
The Prince Hall Memorial Fund continues to solicit donations toward the monument in the late civil rights leader's memory.
Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too Ñ great enough to give frame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not, certainly, the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory....
...Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?
Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation's sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation's jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the "lame man leap as an hart."
But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people!
"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth."
Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!" To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America.is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery Ñ the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.
But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, "It is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, an denounce less; would you persuade more, and rebuke less; your cause would be much more likely to succeed." But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!
For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!
Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? that he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is that a question for Republicans? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood? How should I look to-day, in the presence of Amercans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? speaking of it relatively and positively, negatively and affirmatively. To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding. There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.
What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their mastcrs? Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.
What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman, cannot be divine! Who can reason on such a proposition? They that can, may; I cannot. The time for such argument is passed.
At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.
What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.
Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival....
...Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. "The arm of the Lord is not shortened," and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from "the Declaration of Independence," the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age. Nations do not now stand in the same relation to each other that they did ages ago. No nation can now shut itself up from the surrounding world and trot round in the same old path of its fathers without interference. The time was when such could be done. Long established customs of hurtful character could formerly fence themselves in, and do their evil work with social impunity. Knowledge was then confined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude walked on in mental darkness. But a change has now come over the affairs of mankind. Walled cities and empires have become unfashionable. The arm of commerce has borne away the gates of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe. It makes its pathway over and under the sea, as well as on the earth. Wind, steam, and lightning are its chartered agents. Oceans no longer divide, but link nations together. From Boston to London is now a holiday excursion. Space is comparatively annihilated. -- Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other.
The far off and almost fabulous Pacific rolls in grandeur at our feet. The Celestial Empire, the mystery of ages, is being solved. The fiat of the Almighty, "Let there be Light," has not yet spent its force. No abuse, no outrage whether in taste, sport or avarice, can now hide itself from the all-pervading light. The iron shoe, and crippled foot of China must be seen in contrast with nature. Africa must rise and put on her yet unwoven garment. 'Ethiopia, shall, stretch. out her hand unto Ood." In the fervent aspirations of William Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let every heart join in saying it:
God speed the year of jubilee The wide world o'er! When from their galling chains set free, Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee, And wear the yoke of tyranny Like brutes no more. That year will come, and freedom's reign, To man his plundered rights again Restore.
God speed the day when human blood Shall cease to flow! In every clime be understood, The claims of human brotherhood, And each return for evil, good, Not blow for blow; That day will come all feuds to end, And change into a faithful friend Each foe.
God speed the hour, the glorious hour, When none on earth Shall exercise a lordly power, Nor in a tyrant's presence cower; But to all manhood's stature tower, By equal birth! That hour will come, to each, to all, And from his Prison-house, to thrall Go forth.
Until that year, day, hour, arrive, With head, and heart, and hand I'll strive, To break the rod, and rend the gyve, The spoiler of his prey deprive -- So witness Heaven! And never from my chosen post, Whate'er the peril or the cost, Be driven.
The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass, Volume II Pre-Civil War Decade 1850-1860 Philip S. Foner International Publishers Co., Inc., New York, 1950
Gov. Sarah Palin will resign her office in a few weeks, she said during a news conference at her Wasilla home Friday morning. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the Governor's Picnic at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks on Saturday, July 25, Palin said. There was no immediate word as to why she will resign, though speculation has been rampant that the former vice presidential candidate is gearing up for a run at the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Muflats has crashed...so many people trying to get to the site..LOL
UPDATE:Mudflats is up at her old site.... 'back-up.'
Michelle Obama escorts her daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, off the stage as President-elect Barack Obama begins his victory speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008. ---AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Michelle Obama to Russia, Ghana, Italy, Will Meet Pope Benedict Posted: 07/2/09 Filed Under:The Daily FLOTUS with Lynn Sweet
First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, along with her mother, Marian Robinson, will join President Obama when he travels to Russia, Italy and Ghana next week. The First Couple will meet with Pope Benedict XVI on July 10 at the Vatican. The White House announced in May that Mrs. Obama would visit Ghana -- and only recently confirmed that she will be with the president for the entire swing. The president will deliver two major speeches during the trip -- in Moscow, on U.S.-Russia relations, and in Accra, before the Ghanaian parliament.
Not all details about Mrs. Obama's activities on this trip are out yet, but a Wednesday briefing at the White House revealed some of her plans.
This is Mrs. Obama's second overseas trip in less than a month; she, her mom and daughters flew to Paris and London in June, marking Sasha's eighth birthday in London. Malia turns 11 on July 4. The next day, the Obama family flies to Russia aboard Air Force One, landing in Moscow on Monday.
Unlike the Paris and London trip -- basically a vacation for Mrs. Obama, with the exception of a side visit to Normandy to mark the anniversary of D-Day -- this travel is official business.
Once in Moscow, the president will meet with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, said Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor for strategic communications.
"He will hold a press conference that afternoon in Moscow. After the meeting with President Medvedev, then he and the first lady will have dinner Monday evening with President and Mrs. Medvedev.
"They'll overnight in Moscow and the next morning will have breakfast with Prime Minister [Vladimir] Putin; will have a meeting with former President [Mikhail] Gorbachev. The president will give a major speech at the New Economic School that afternoon on U.S.-Russia relations. And then the president will hold meetings with a variety of Russian political, business leaders during the course of that afternoon."
On Wednesday morning, it's on to Rome and then to L'Aquila, Italy, for G8 meetings. It's not known yet what schedule, if any, Mrs. Obama will have in connection with the G8 spouses before returning to Rome on Friday for the meeting with the pope. The president will also meet with the Vatican secretary of state.
Next up, McDonough said, is Accra, Ghana, where the presidential party will arrive late Friday evening. On Saturday, the president will attend a series of meetings as well as make a major address in the Ghanaian parliament on development and democracy. After the speech, he and the first lady will tour the Cape Coast Castle, and then leave for Washington.
Michelle Gavin, the White House senior director for African Affairs, said the Ghana stop is an acknowledgement of the nation's stability and that Obama "certainly looks forward to traveling more widely in Africa in the future."
She noted that said the president wanted to emphasize "the importance of governance for stability. And Ghana is a truly admirable example of a place where governance is getting stronger, a thriving democracy. They just had an extraordinarily close election at the end of last year, decided ultimately by about 40,000 votes, that remained peaceful, power was transferred peacefully, and they continue to pursue a development agenda and bolster the rule of law.
"And this is worth pointing out, because far too often discussions of Africa are focused on crisis. Ghana is not in crisis, and it's an example for the region and more broadly."
Mrs. Obama was last in Africa in 2006 when, with her daughters and some of her friends, she flew to Nairobi to join then-Sen. Obama in Kenya, the homeland of his father.
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A page focusing on the Republican Right Wing media and its war against President Barack Obama and any kind of Progressive policies to move the Country forward. Yes, the Republican Party IS led by Rush Limbaugh & Co. And yes, Rush Limbaugh & Co. DOES speak for Republicans...and they have been the spokesmen & the foot soldiers for the Republican Party for years. See why their hate speech & divisive politics are so dangerous to the Country and understand their current propaganda campaign aimed at undermining President Obama and weakening his government and the Country. Hoping that Obama fails in these uncertain times = hoping that the Country fails (in the minds of these bigoted Republicans...it's all about their own political gain).
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