Biggest Stories and Topics Covered on Mirror On America in 2006
(1.) The North Korean Nuclear Bomb Test
(1.) Darfur Genocide
2. The Execution of Saddam Hussein
3. Death of Coretta Scott King
4. Iraq
5. The Democratic Victory in the Mid-Term Elections
6. Death of James Brown
7. The Foley Scandal & Cover up
(8.) Intelligence Community Report on Iraq (exposing the lies of the Bush Administration)
(8.) Domestic data collecting, and phone tapping by the U.S. government, on American citizens
9. The death of Rosa Parks
10. The U.S. march to war against Iran
11. The Lebanon (Hezbollah)- Israel war or the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
12. Terrorism
13. Death of Gerald Ford
14. The possible use of nuclear weapons by the U.S. against Iran.
15. Sean Bell
16. Louisiana Congressman William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson
17. The Bill Cosby debate
18. The resignation of Donald Rumsfeld
19. The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
20. The Iraq Study Group Report
21. Immigration
22. Alexander Litvenenko
23. 2008 Presidential Elections
24. Government waste, fraud, abuse and corruption.....and the Do Nothing Rubberstamp 109th Congress's failure to act.
-- of course there are stories & topics that I missed here.... not purposely....but because so much happened this year, and I wrote quite a bit...
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Saddam Hussein Executed
Saddam Hussein has been executed
It looks like Bush got a little gift for the Holidays. His sagging ratings will probably go up quite a bit. But what does it mean for Iraq? And why was there such a rush to kill Hussein?
The original plan by the U.S. was to carry out trials on a long list of crimes by Hussein. The purpose was the show the Iraqi people and the world what Hussein was responsible for. However, since the trials were not going as planned due to Hussein stealing the show, and lawyers & judges being killed every few months or so, it appears that the U.S. (and the Iraqis) decided to pull the plug on the show early, after just one case (The Dujail Case), although several cases were originally scheduled.
The Court never got around to the main charges that Hussein faced.
U.S. policy makers also did not want to deal with a situation where they would leave Saddam Hussein still alive in Iraq, if the U.S. eventually decided to leave.
Hussein is now a Martyr, and he will likely haunt the U.S. and Iraq for years to come. This will provide even more fuel for radical Sunni elements in Iraq.
________________________________
Monsters and Critics has more information on the legal charges against Hussein.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Remembering James Brown
James Brown
In Articles and In Pictures
James Joseph Brown, Jr
1933-2006
Great Bio from PBS
*********************
Here is a great blog entry on James Browns political clout. He was more than just a performer, especially for his people. See Here.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Amy Goodman's Democracy Now Program covers James Brown. Watch/Listen Here.
***********************
Innovative James Brown was the Most Influential Musician in History
by George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Originally posted 1/2/2007
AUGUSTA, GA. (NNPA) --When he died early Christmas Day, James Brown, left behind the legacy of having been the most influential musician in history, credited with single-handedly inspiring what was known as soul music, disco, funk and rap over a career that spanned 50 years and produced 800 songs, an average of more than 16 records a year.
Brown died early Christmas at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta of heart failure brought on by complications from pneumonia. He was 73 years old.
''He was an innovator, he was an emancipator, he was an originator,'' said Little Richard.
''Rap music, all that stuff, came from James Brown.''
Brown was buried Saturday on his estate in Beech Island, S.C., just across the state line near Augusta, Ga., following three days of farewells.
The most elaborate was Brown’s final appearance Thursday at New York City’s famed Apollo Theater, where thousands that had marveled at his showmanship in life came to bid him good-bye. Posters of James Brown shows at the Apollo flanked his gold casket and music from his 1962 “ Live at the Apollo” album filled the background. Mourners passed a 6 by 6 floral arrangement that spelled “Godfather” in red carnations.
Brown arrived at the Apollo in a white, painted hearse pulled by two white horses. His golden casket was lined with white velvet. He was decked out in a cobalt, sequined satin suit, white gloves and pointed silvery shoes.
Standing a few steps away, near the orchestra pit, was Al Sharpton, once part of Brown’s road crew before rising to prominence in the civil rights movement.
A private service presided over by Sharpton was held Friday at the Carpentersville Baptist Church in North Augusta, S.C. That service, closed to the public, was attended by relatives and dignitaries, including comedian/social activist Dick Gregory and boxing promoter Don King.
On Saturday, fans in Augusta, Ga., his childhood home, were able to pay their respects at the James Brown Arena.
Celebrities included Jesse L. Jackson Sr. and mega-star Michael Jackson. A tearful Michael Jackson bowed before Brown’s casket in Augusta and then hugged Sharpton.
“James Brown is my greatest inspiration,” the singer told mourners.
“When I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown.”
Aides and relatives say they expect to turn Brown’s home to a museum, similar to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former estate in Memphis.
In the meantime, members of James Brown band say they will resume touring, probably in February. Spike Lee has signed a contract to do a movie on the singer’s life, expected to be completed by 2008.
While most stars would be happy to be associated with one honorific, James Brown had five, more than any other entertainer in history: ''The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,'' ''Soul Brother Number 1,'' ''Mr. Dynamite,'' ''The Godfather of Soul'' and even ''The Original Disco Man.''
Brown was a spellbinding performer, sometimes playing as many as 350 shows a year. And what a show. In the early years, he leaped from a piano and landed on stage in a split. He was an energetic dancer, doing the camel walk, the mash potato and sometimes would ''back up and do the James Brown.''
In a booklet that accompanied the CD collection, ''James Brown - Star Time,'' long-time friend and performer Bobby Byrd said: ''The dancing y'all seen later on ain't nothing to what he used to do back then. James could stand flat-footed and flip over into a split. He'd tumble, too, over and over like in gymnastics. We'd say, 'What's wrong with you? When it's time to record, you'll be done killed yourself.''
Born outside of rural Barnwell, S.C. on May 3, 1933, Brown was abandoned by his mother at the age of 4 and reared by a great-aunt in an Augusta, Ga. whorehouse. As a teenager, Brown was convicted of stealing and served three years at the Georgia Juvenile Training Institute in Toccoa. There, he met Bobby Byrd, lead singer of a local gospel group. Some accounts say that Brown met Byrd when the latter's group sang at the juvenile correctional facility. But Byrd says they met when Brown's baseball team played against local residents. When Brown was released from reform school, Byrd's family took him in and Brown joined Byrd's group, the Gospel Starlighters.
But gospel would soon give way to rhythm and blues.
Byrd said, ''When we saw all the girls screaming for groups like Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, we thought, 'Oh, so this is what we want to do!'''
And they did. James Brown became the lead singer in a group that called themselves the Flames and, later, the Famous Flames. Little Richard would joke, ''Y'all are the onliest people who ever made yourself famous before you were famous.''
But fame was just around the corner.
In 1956, ''Please, Please, Please,'' was released by Syd Nathan's Federal label, rising to #6 on the R&B charts.
Other hits followed: ''Try Me'' (1958), ''Night Train'' (1962), ''Prisoner of Love'' (1963), ''Papa's Got a Brand New Bag'' (1965), ''I Got You - I Feel Good'' (1965), ''It's a Man's World'' (1966), ''Cold Sweat'' (1967), ''I Got that Feeling'' (1968), ''Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud'' (1968), ''The Popcorn'' (1969), ''Ain't It Funky Now'' -Part 1 (1970), ''Hot Pants'' (1971), ''Get On the Good Foot'' (1972) and ''The Payback'' (1974), the only gold-certified album [500,000 copies sold] of his long and successful career.
At points when his career appeared to be waning, a movie appearance would introduce James Brown to another generation of fans. In 1980, it was his role as a dancing preacher in John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's ''Blues Brothers'' and in 1986, it was performing ''Living in America'' in ''Rocky IV.''
Though his ''Say it Loud -- I'm Black and I'm Proud'' became a Black National Anthem'' in 1968, later that year, he released a lesser known, patriotic, ''America is My Home,'' causing some fans to boo him. He also supported a couple of conservative presidents, campaigning for Richard M. Nixon at a time when he was an unregistered voter, according to his autobiography, and served on one of Ronald Reagan's domestic abuse panels during a time he was being repeatedly arrested for spousal abuse. A series of problems with the Internal Revenue Service led to his losing Black radio stations in Knoxville, Tenn. and Baltimore, Md.
His low point came in 1988 when a high-speed chase with police in South Carolina and neighboring Georgia resulted in his serving a two-year prison sentence. But as has been the case throughout his life, Brown bounced back, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1992 Grammy Awards and being honored the following year by the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. LL Cool J told the Kennedy Center audience, ''In music there are three B's. There's Bach - I love Bach, there's Beethoven - I love Beethoven. And there's Brown. Doesn't that name make you feel good.''
Other rappers --including Chuck D, Ice-T and the Fat Boys -- also kept James Brown's music alive by liberally sampling his hits. Brown joked that ''the music out there is only as good as my last record.''
He told the Associated Press in 2003, ''Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me.''
James Brown revolutionalized more than rap music. What became known as the James Brown beat was a unique sound when he introduced it.
''What James Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip-hop, rap, all of that, is what Bach was to classical music,'' said Al Sharpton, who was once part of Brown's traveling entourage.
''This is the guy who literally changed the music industry. He put everybody on a different beat, a different style of music. He pioneered it.''
***************************
Commentary from the Huffington Post
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1968 Olympics: Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Brown in Vietnam Meeting with the Troops- Late 60's
Let's Dedicate 2007 To The Spirit of James Brown
By Anthony Asadullah Samad
*It is very rare that one person defines a generation, a movement and a culture, all at the same time-more than once-over the period of their lifetime. Cultural icons are far and few in between.
When James Brown died on Christmas Day of 2006, a little bit of all us died with him. The spirit in him was the spirit in us, Black America. We only became "Black" America because James Brown said so. Before then we were Negro America, or Colored America. And we became "black" kicking and screaming.
When Kwame Toure (Stokely Carmichael) started shouting "Black Power" during Freedom Summer (1964) in the civil rights protest marches down South, Dr. King and others made their thoughts known on how "uncomfortable" the term made him (and Whites in the struggle) feel. Therein, our struggle for identity became as conflicted as goals for equality. James Brown cleared all that up in 1968 (at least the identity part).
1968 was the most defining year in the history of America, and it was the year, "Black America" declared its identity and James Brown wrote our national anthem, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." It was the boldest proclamation in an era of proclamations that included Malcolm's "Freedom, Justice and Equality, By Any Means Necessary," Martin Luther King's "We, As A People Will Get To The Promise Land," and who could forget the boldest of the bold, Muhammad Ali, proclamation of "I Am The Greatest." But it was the spirit of James Brown, then "the King of Soul," that was the spirit of Black America. It was a time when Black America came out of its 350 year fog, and for a brief moment in time, we knew who we were. It's time for Black America to find itself again. What better time than in 2007. Let's dedicate 2007 to the spirit of James Brown, a man who despite his foibles, worked damn near every day of his life, overcame massive odds (and constant personal
challenges) to free himself and free the mind of his people-not just for a time but for eternity.
See, while Black America has gone backwards on many fronts over the past forty years, but we never quite went back to being Negroes (at least not officially). Lord knows some of us tried to take us back-and some might suggest that this latest iteration of the new "New Negro" (lost identity, lost ambition, lost cultural principals and lost sense of indebtedness to previous generations) combined with the maniacal behaviors of the new "Nigga" (gangstas, bangas, slangas) has Black America in such a jacked up state, that we need another movement just to get us all back on the same page.
Quiet as kept, as much as we now tend to romanticize the period, we all weren't on the same page in the 1960s. Everybody didn't march with King.
Most people didn't embrace Malcolm (until 25 years after his death, when the movie, "X" came out in 1991). Everybody didn't embrace the radicalism of the Panthers, the Pan-Africanism of the All Afrikan People's Revolutionary Party, the African centered culturalism of US, nor the intellectualism of integrationism (the other civil rights groups promotion of peaceful co-existence as a 'colorblind' society). No matter where you were in the socio-economic strata of the black diaspora, when James Brown said, "Say it loud." nobody insisted on maintaining their current identity. I don't recall anybody abstaining on the new identity by saying, "I'm Negro and I'm Proud."
Nobody was proud to be a Negro in America in 1960s-or any other time. Being a Negro in America had the negative connotation of being a second (or third class) citizen in a society that promoted egalitarian pluralism (society of
equals) but practiced inegalitarian Eurocentrism (a race caste system based on white supremacy). Now check this out; as negative as being a Negro was, being called "black" was even worse in the eyes of the American African.
Black folk would get in fights when somebody called them a "black muthaf***r, not because they were called a muthaf***r but because they called, black. Both terms came from the oppressor, but in our own cultural confusion, we rejected our blackness first. We were, indeed, a confused people. One song changed all that.
James Brown said it was not only okay to be black, but to be proud in that blackness, and if you are really proud of being black, then say it (and don't whisper it either). Say it loud. The knowledge of blackness may have come from Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and carried forth by Stokely, Angela Davis and the host of young pro-black "radicals" that were considered on the "fringe" of the black intellectual mainstream, but it was James Brown that mainstreamed blackness by taking a new generation perception of themselves and making the whole races perception of themselves. When James Brown came out with an "Afro" and black bellbottoms, suddenly we saw our parents, who we thought we total "squares," wearing Afros and bellbottoms. My father, who forced us get a haircut once a month now let his own hair grow out. A cultural transformation was in full effect (I still remember my mom in her "hotpants"). That might have been the last time black folk was "nappy and happy." It didn't last long, but at least it happened. Thanks to JB.
Of course, James Brown brought back "perms" and long leather coats in the 1970s as blaxploitation took over blackness and the King of Soul became the Godfather of Soul, but James Brown's trendiness didn't takeover his consciousness nor his impact on future "messengers" through the music of future generations. When Black America had been decimated by the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s, with poverty, black unemployment and violence at a 30 year high, when the question was being asked by Public Enemy, "Who Stole The Soul" out of the black community, it was James Brown who spoke up, saying, "Here we are in the '80s, practically the 90s, talking about the same thing we were talking about in the 30s." Brown wondered what happened to the spirit of the black community, but he led us into the 1990s, which served as a period of retroflection and cultural reconnection culminating with the Million Man March. James Brown never lost his spirit, his desire for black progress and was never too far removed from his people.
In 2007, let's remember what James Brown was-bigger than life, iconic in stature (Elvis, Lennon, and no other musical genius star shined as bright for 50 years), but also let us remember what James Brown stood for, a spirit that invigorated a culturally dead people and gave rise to a pride and identity that forever defined our blackness, in a positive way, that Blacks in America had never known. Let's live this year in embracement of cultural consciousness, and proclaim positive values, as James Brown, would say it, one last time; "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud."
********************
Inducted in both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Songwriters Hall of Fame Entry
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Entry
Brown was also inducted in the British Music Hall of Fame
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Kennedy Center Honors
Click Here for Brown's Kennedy Center Page
In Articles and In Pictures
Great Bio from PBS
Information from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
NPR Interviews Bootsy Collins
NPR Interviews Maceo Parker
James Brown- Boston 1968
By Douglas Belkin, Boston Globe Staff December 26, 2006
James Brown will be mourned by millions around the world this week as one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century. But in Boston, he will be remembered by many as the man who helped prevent the city from burning down the night after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
On April 4, 1968, the day before Brown was scheduled to play a concert at the Boston Garden, King was shot to death in Memphis. In Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, rioters set fire to white-owned businesses.
In Boston, Mayor Kevin White, then just 38 years old and four months into his first term, gathered his aides at City Hall and prepared for the worst.
"It was incredibly tense," said John Henning, the longtime television broadcaster who, in 1968, was in the fifth year of his career.
According to a Boston Globe account that weekend: "By noon Friday it appeared that Boston's black community of 80,000 was poised for a violent upheaval. Roving bands in Roxbury, North Dorchester , and the South End inflicted injuries on a dozen persons, set fire to one store , and looted seven others."
Fearful of more violence, the managers at the Garden decided to cancel Brown's concert, and White was faced with a dilemma, according to an account in the book " Common Ground, " by J. Anthony Lukas . If Brown didn't go on, there wouldn't be enough time to get the word out and thousands of angry black teenage fans would be left at the Garden with nothing to do.
Only this time, "it'll be in the heart of downtown," Lukas quoted Councilor Tom Atkins as saying.
In a telephone interview yesterday, US Representative Barney Frank, who was White's aide in the 1960s, said city officials believed Boston could potentially have a citywide riot among blacks and whites.
"You get a bunch of 17-year-olds together you never know what's going to happen," said Frank, a Democrat from Newton.
White made a decision. He would reinstate the concert, but would try to suppress attendance, get a television station to carry it live, and then appeal to youths to stay home and watch it.
But there was a catch. That Friday, Brown taped a television show in New York and was under contract not to appear on TV before it aired. If the concert at the Garden were broadcast live, it would cost him a bundle.
According to Lukas, who reconstructed events from interviews with the participants: Atkins met Brown at the airport, and explained the situation as the pair rode toward downtown in a limousine. "No way," Brown shouted. "They'll sue me in New York."
"James, James," pleaded Atkins. "We'll work this out! But right now you have an opportunity to help save this city."
Finally Brown relented -- at a cost. He demanded $60,000 to cover his expenses. White, now out of options, agreed, Lukas wrote.
Only 2,000 people showed up for the concert -- the Garden held 14,000. When White got on stage, the crowd was subdued.
White, according to a Globe report on the concert, urged the audience at home and in the Garden "to make Rev. Dr. King's dream a reality in Boston. . . . No matter what any other community might do -- we in Boston will honor Dr. King in peace."
"Brown sang and danced, and as usual thrilled his audience. But he also talked to them and for this is being credited with helping to avert potential disaster," according to the Globe.
The concert aired live on Channel 2 and was then immediately rebroadcast, Frank recalled yesterday. Across Boston, people stayed home and watched.
"I remember going through the South End and every window seemed to be watching James Brown," said Peter Wolf , the lead singer of the J. Geils Band.
Brown brought calm to a simmering city.
"It really prevented the city from blowing up," said Henning.
Said Frank: "You never know what might have happened if they all came down."
Globe correspondent Steve Morse contributed to this story.
James Brown's Political Reach
Here is a great blog entry on James Browns political clout. He was more than just a performer, especially for his people. See Here.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Amy Goodman's Democracy Now Program covers James Brown. Watch/Listen Here.
Innovative James Brown was the Most Influential Musician in History
by George E. Curry
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Originally posted 1/2/2007
AUGUSTA, GA. (NNPA) --When he died early Christmas Day, James Brown, left behind the legacy of having been the most influential musician in history, credited with single-handedly inspiring what was known as soul music, disco, funk and rap over a career that spanned 50 years and produced 800 songs, an average of more than 16 records a year.
Brown died early Christmas at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta of heart failure brought on by complications from pneumonia. He was 73 years old.
''He was an innovator, he was an emancipator, he was an originator,'' said Little Richard.
''Rap music, all that stuff, came from James Brown.''
Brown was buried Saturday on his estate in Beech Island, S.C., just across the state line near Augusta, Ga., following three days of farewells.
The most elaborate was Brown’s final appearance Thursday at New York City’s famed Apollo Theater, where thousands that had marveled at his showmanship in life came to bid him good-bye. Posters of James Brown shows at the Apollo flanked his gold casket and music from his 1962 “ Live at the Apollo” album filled the background. Mourners passed a 6 by 6 floral arrangement that spelled “Godfather” in red carnations.
Brown arrived at the Apollo in a white, painted hearse pulled by two white horses. His golden casket was lined with white velvet. He was decked out in a cobalt, sequined satin suit, white gloves and pointed silvery shoes.
Standing a few steps away, near the orchestra pit, was Al Sharpton, once part of Brown’s road crew before rising to prominence in the civil rights movement.
A private service presided over by Sharpton was held Friday at the Carpentersville Baptist Church in North Augusta, S.C. That service, closed to the public, was attended by relatives and dignitaries, including comedian/social activist Dick Gregory and boxing promoter Don King.
On Saturday, fans in Augusta, Ga., his childhood home, were able to pay their respects at the James Brown Arena.
Celebrities included Jesse L. Jackson Sr. and mega-star Michael Jackson. A tearful Michael Jackson bowed before Brown’s casket in Augusta and then hugged Sharpton.
“James Brown is my greatest inspiration,” the singer told mourners.
“When I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown.”
Aides and relatives say they expect to turn Brown’s home to a museum, similar to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former estate in Memphis.
In the meantime, members of James Brown band say they will resume touring, probably in February. Spike Lee has signed a contract to do a movie on the singer’s life, expected to be completed by 2008.
While most stars would be happy to be associated with one honorific, James Brown had five, more than any other entertainer in history: ''The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,'' ''Soul Brother Number 1,'' ''Mr. Dynamite,'' ''The Godfather of Soul'' and even ''The Original Disco Man.''
Brown was a spellbinding performer, sometimes playing as many as 350 shows a year. And what a show. In the early years, he leaped from a piano and landed on stage in a split. He was an energetic dancer, doing the camel walk, the mash potato and sometimes would ''back up and do the James Brown.''
In a booklet that accompanied the CD collection, ''James Brown - Star Time,'' long-time friend and performer Bobby Byrd said: ''The dancing y'all seen later on ain't nothing to what he used to do back then. James could stand flat-footed and flip over into a split. He'd tumble, too, over and over like in gymnastics. We'd say, 'What's wrong with you? When it's time to record, you'll be done killed yourself.''
Born outside of rural Barnwell, S.C. on May 3, 1933, Brown was abandoned by his mother at the age of 4 and reared by a great-aunt in an Augusta, Ga. whorehouse. As a teenager, Brown was convicted of stealing and served three years at the Georgia Juvenile Training Institute in Toccoa. There, he met Bobby Byrd, lead singer of a local gospel group. Some accounts say that Brown met Byrd when the latter's group sang at the juvenile correctional facility. But Byrd says they met when Brown's baseball team played against local residents. When Brown was released from reform school, Byrd's family took him in and Brown joined Byrd's group, the Gospel Starlighters.
But gospel would soon give way to rhythm and blues.
Byrd said, ''When we saw all the girls screaming for groups like Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, we thought, 'Oh, so this is what we want to do!'''
And they did. James Brown became the lead singer in a group that called themselves the Flames and, later, the Famous Flames. Little Richard would joke, ''Y'all are the onliest people who ever made yourself famous before you were famous.''
But fame was just around the corner.
In 1956, ''Please, Please, Please,'' was released by Syd Nathan's Federal label, rising to #6 on the R&B charts.
Other hits followed: ''Try Me'' (1958), ''Night Train'' (1962), ''Prisoner of Love'' (1963), ''Papa's Got a Brand New Bag'' (1965), ''I Got You - I Feel Good'' (1965), ''It's a Man's World'' (1966), ''Cold Sweat'' (1967), ''I Got that Feeling'' (1968), ''Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud'' (1968), ''The Popcorn'' (1969), ''Ain't It Funky Now'' -Part 1 (1970), ''Hot Pants'' (1971), ''Get On the Good Foot'' (1972) and ''The Payback'' (1974), the only gold-certified album [500,000 copies sold] of his long and successful career.
At points when his career appeared to be waning, a movie appearance would introduce James Brown to another generation of fans. In 1980, it was his role as a dancing preacher in John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's ''Blues Brothers'' and in 1986, it was performing ''Living in America'' in ''Rocky IV.''
Though his ''Say it Loud -- I'm Black and I'm Proud'' became a Black National Anthem'' in 1968, later that year, he released a lesser known, patriotic, ''America is My Home,'' causing some fans to boo him. He also supported a couple of conservative presidents, campaigning for Richard M. Nixon at a time when he was an unregistered voter, according to his autobiography, and served on one of Ronald Reagan's domestic abuse panels during a time he was being repeatedly arrested for spousal abuse. A series of problems with the Internal Revenue Service led to his losing Black radio stations in Knoxville, Tenn. and Baltimore, Md.
His low point came in 1988 when a high-speed chase with police in South Carolina and neighboring Georgia resulted in his serving a two-year prison sentence. But as has been the case throughout his life, Brown bounced back, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1992 Grammy Awards and being honored the following year by the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. LL Cool J told the Kennedy Center audience, ''In music there are three B's. There's Bach - I love Bach, there's Beethoven - I love Beethoven. And there's Brown. Doesn't that name make you feel good.''
Other rappers --including Chuck D, Ice-T and the Fat Boys -- also kept James Brown's music alive by liberally sampling his hits. Brown joked that ''the music out there is only as good as my last record.''
He told the Associated Press in 2003, ''Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me.''
James Brown revolutionalized more than rap music. What became known as the James Brown beat was a unique sound when he introduced it.
''What James Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip-hop, rap, all of that, is what Bach was to classical music,'' said Al Sharpton, who was once part of Brown's traveling entourage.
''This is the guy who literally changed the music industry. He put everybody on a different beat, a different style of music. He pioneered it.''
Commentary from the Huffington Post
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Let's Dedicate 2007 To The Spirit of James Brown
By Anthony Asadullah Samad
*It is very rare that one person defines a generation, a movement and a culture, all at the same time-more than once-over the period of their lifetime. Cultural icons are far and few in between.
When James Brown died on Christmas Day of 2006, a little bit of all us died with him. The spirit in him was the spirit in us, Black America. We only became "Black" America because James Brown said so. Before then we were Negro America, or Colored America. And we became "black" kicking and screaming.
When Kwame Toure (Stokely Carmichael) started shouting "Black Power" during Freedom Summer (1964) in the civil rights protest marches down South, Dr. King and others made their thoughts known on how "uncomfortable" the term made him (and Whites in the struggle) feel. Therein, our struggle for identity became as conflicted as goals for equality. James Brown cleared all that up in 1968 (at least the identity part).
1968 was the most defining year in the history of America, and it was the year, "Black America" declared its identity and James Brown wrote our national anthem, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." It was the boldest proclamation in an era of proclamations that included Malcolm's "Freedom, Justice and Equality, By Any Means Necessary," Martin Luther King's "We, As A People Will Get To The Promise Land," and who could forget the boldest of the bold, Muhammad Ali, proclamation of "I Am The Greatest." But it was the spirit of James Brown, then "the King of Soul," that was the spirit of Black America. It was a time when Black America came out of its 350 year fog, and for a brief moment in time, we knew who we were. It's time for Black America to find itself again. What better time than in 2007. Let's dedicate 2007 to the spirit of James Brown, a man who despite his foibles, worked damn near every day of his life, overcame massive odds (and constant personal
challenges) to free himself and free the mind of his people-not just for a time but for eternity.
See, while Black America has gone backwards on many fronts over the past forty years, but we never quite went back to being Negroes (at least not officially). Lord knows some of us tried to take us back-and some might suggest that this latest iteration of the new "New Negro" (lost identity, lost ambition, lost cultural principals and lost sense of indebtedness to previous generations) combined with the maniacal behaviors of the new "Nigga" (gangstas, bangas, slangas) has Black America in such a jacked up state, that we need another movement just to get us all back on the same page.
Quiet as kept, as much as we now tend to romanticize the period, we all weren't on the same page in the 1960s. Everybody didn't march with King.
Most people didn't embrace Malcolm (until 25 years after his death, when the movie, "X" came out in 1991). Everybody didn't embrace the radicalism of the Panthers, the Pan-Africanism of the All Afrikan People's Revolutionary Party, the African centered culturalism of US, nor the intellectualism of integrationism (the other civil rights groups promotion of peaceful co-existence as a 'colorblind' society). No matter where you were in the socio-economic strata of the black diaspora, when James Brown said, "Say it loud." nobody insisted on maintaining their current identity. I don't recall anybody abstaining on the new identity by saying, "I'm Negro and I'm Proud."
Nobody was proud to be a Negro in America in 1960s-or any other time. Being a Negro in America had the negative connotation of being a second (or third class) citizen in a society that promoted egalitarian pluralism (society of
equals) but practiced inegalitarian Eurocentrism (a race caste system based on white supremacy). Now check this out; as negative as being a Negro was, being called "black" was even worse in the eyes of the American African.
Black folk would get in fights when somebody called them a "black muthaf***r, not because they were called a muthaf***r but because they called, black. Both terms came from the oppressor, but in our own cultural confusion, we rejected our blackness first. We were, indeed, a confused people. One song changed all that.
James Brown said it was not only okay to be black, but to be proud in that blackness, and if you are really proud of being black, then say it (and don't whisper it either). Say it loud. The knowledge of blackness may have come from Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and carried forth by Stokely, Angela Davis and the host of young pro-black "radicals" that were considered on the "fringe" of the black intellectual mainstream, but it was James Brown that mainstreamed blackness by taking a new generation perception of themselves and making the whole races perception of themselves. When James Brown came out with an "Afro" and black bellbottoms, suddenly we saw our parents, who we thought we total "squares," wearing Afros and bellbottoms. My father, who forced us get a haircut once a month now let his own hair grow out. A cultural transformation was in full effect (I still remember my mom in her "hotpants"). That might have been the last time black folk was "nappy and happy." It didn't last long, but at least it happened. Thanks to JB.
Of course, James Brown brought back "perms" and long leather coats in the 1970s as blaxploitation took over blackness and the King of Soul became the Godfather of Soul, but James Brown's trendiness didn't takeover his consciousness nor his impact on future "messengers" through the music of future generations. When Black America had been decimated by the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s, with poverty, black unemployment and violence at a 30 year high, when the question was being asked by Public Enemy, "Who Stole The Soul" out of the black community, it was James Brown who spoke up, saying, "Here we are in the '80s, practically the 90s, talking about the same thing we were talking about in the 30s." Brown wondered what happened to the spirit of the black community, but he led us into the 1990s, which served as a period of retroflection and cultural reconnection culminating with the Million Man March. James Brown never lost his spirit, his desire for black progress and was never too far removed from his people.
In 2007, let's remember what James Brown was-bigger than life, iconic in stature (Elvis, Lennon, and no other musical genius star shined as bright for 50 years), but also let us remember what James Brown stood for, a spirit that invigorated a culturally dead people and gave rise to a pride and identity that forever defined our blackness, in a positive way, that Blacks in America had never known. Let's live this year in embracement of cultural consciousness, and proclaim positive values, as James Brown, would say it, one last time; "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud."
Inducted in both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Songwriters Hall of Fame Entry
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Entry
Brown was also inducted in the British Music Hall of Fame
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Kennedy Center Honors
Click Here for Brown's Kennedy Center Page
Saddam Hussein To Be Put To Death Within Days
Saddam Hussein is to be Executed Soon....within days. I just heard a report that said that some in the U.S. government and Iraqi government feel that this could be the event that could finally calm the insurgency.
What in the world are these people smoking? They are still holding on to this pie in the sky nonsense. How many times have we heard about some big event that was supposed to calm the insurgency? I can count at least 5 events. None of them turned out to be the turning point towards a peaceful Iraq.
In fact, the death of Saddam Hussein will likely have the opposite impact. It will only solidify the insurgency (unfortunately). It will turn him into a Martyr. It has the potential to set off a new wave of sustained violence in Iraq. But the Bush administration seems clueless. Yes I understand that the death of Saddam Hussein is a decision that the Iraqi government is responsible for making....but it is our troops who will pay much of the price for that decision (along with Iraqi troops and citizens as well). Surely the U.S. government has some influence that it could use in this situation.
This also has the potential to bring down, or weaken the Iraqi government. Sunnis could pull out of the Parliament, which is not in the interest of the U.S..... or Iraq.
Now I am not saying that Hussein should not be punished. I am just pointing out that #1). The timing is horrible, and #2). The killing of Saddam Hussein will not improve the situation in Iraq. It is more likely to have a more negative impact on the situation there.
What in the world are these people smoking? They are still holding on to this pie in the sky nonsense. How many times have we heard about some big event that was supposed to calm the insurgency? I can count at least 5 events. None of them turned out to be the turning point towards a peaceful Iraq.
In fact, the death of Saddam Hussein will likely have the opposite impact. It will only solidify the insurgency (unfortunately). It will turn him into a Martyr. It has the potential to set off a new wave of sustained violence in Iraq. But the Bush administration seems clueless. Yes I understand that the death of Saddam Hussein is a decision that the Iraqi government is responsible for making....but it is our troops who will pay much of the price for that decision (along with Iraqi troops and citizens as well). Surely the U.S. government has some influence that it could use in this situation.
This also has the potential to bring down, or weaken the Iraqi government. Sunnis could pull out of the Parliament, which is not in the interest of the U.S..... or Iraq.
Now I am not saying that Hussein should not be punished. I am just pointing out that #1). The timing is horrible, and #2). The killing of Saddam Hussein will not improve the situation in Iraq. It is more likely to have a more negative impact on the situation there.
Sidebar Spotlights
Previous Sidebar Spotlights
1. Truthteller- Michael Moore
Crook/Liar- Ann Coulter
Black Hall of Shame- D.L. Hughley
Pride- Cornel West
2. Truthteller- Michael Moore
Crook/Liar- Bill O’Reilly
Black Hall of Shame- Debra Lee
Pride- Geofrey Canada
3. Truthteller- Keith Olberman
Crook/Liar- Hillary Clinton
Black Hall- Beyonce
Pride- Women of Spelman College for BET protest
4. Truth teller - Amy Goodman
Crook/Liar- John McCain
Black Hall of Shame- Reginald Hudlin
Pride- MLK, Dr. Edward Hart, Rev. Joseph Lowery
5. Truthteller- Barbara Ehrenreich
Crook/Liar- Ron Christie
Black Hall of Shame- Jam Donaldson - BET “Hot Ghetto Mess” creator
Pride- Gina McCauley from Whataboutourdaughters.com /W.E.B. Du Bois
6. Truth teller - Jim Hightower
Crook and Liar- Ted Stevens
Black Hall of Shame- Todd Boyd
Pride- Rev. Vernon Johns
7. Truth teller- Jack Beatty
Crook & Liar- Laura Ingraham
Black Hall of Shame- Michael Eric Dyson
Pride - Dr. Ben Carson
8. Truth teller - David Iglesias
Crook & Liar - Karl Rove
Black Hall of Shame - Monique
Pride- Irene Morgan Kirkaldy
9. truth teller - Dr. John Johnson (father of Lavena Johnson)
Crook & liar- Hillary Clinton
Black Hall of Shame - Russell Simmons
Pride- Curtis Mayfield
10. truth teller - Charles Ferguson (filmmaker for “No End In Sight” documentary)
Crook- Alberto Gonzales
Black Hall of Shame- Danyel Smith - Editor Chief for Vibe Magazine
Black pride - Stephen Bantu Biko
11. truth teller- General Paul Eaton
Crook- Rudy Guiliani
Black hall of shame - William Drayton (Flavor Flav)
Pride- Earl Graves- Black enterprise founder…pulled the mic from comedian eddie griffin for his excessive use of the N-word at an event.
12. Truth teller- Robert Greenwald
Crook- Senator Lindsey Graham- for pushing for the continued occupation of Iraq.
Black shame- Hip Hop R&B singer Ashanti
Source of Pride - Ronald Kenneth Noble- Interpol Chief (secretary general).
13. Truth teller - Senator Chuck Hagel
Crook - Bill O’Reilly
Black Shame - The Rap Industry
Pride - Constance Baker Motley
14. Truth teller - Jeremy Scahill
Crook/Liar - Michael Medved - "Slavery Not So Bad"
Black Shame - T. Shakur/Christopher Wallace...and how they are celebrated by Black Americans
Pride - Rev. Delman Coates for leading the "Enough Is Enough" Campaign against BET/Viacom and the negative images of Blacks in media.
15. Truth teller - General Ricardo Sanchez
Crook/Liar- Rush Limbaugh
Black Shame- Janet Jackson
Pride- John Mercer Langston
16. Truth teller - Valerie Plame Wilson
Crook/Liar - Sean Hannity
Black Shame - The Jena 4 (Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis for their flamboyance after the incidents in Jena, Louisiana. And Robert Bailey Jr. and a 4th young man for their bragging about money and fame from the situation.).
Pride - Guion "Guy" Bluford
17. Truth teller - John Edwards - Telling the truth about Hillary Clinton
Crook/Liar - Fred Thompson - lying about not being aware of drug trafficking buddy
Black Shame - The Black Political and Social Elite Establishment for not taking on Rap Culture.
Pride- Ralph Bunche
18. Truth teller - Dennis Kucinich
Crook/Liar - Glenn Beck
Black Shame - Damon Wayans (For comments regarding Rutgers Women's Basketball Team)
Pride - Herbie Hancock
19. Truth teller- Seymour Hersh
Crook/Liar - Dick Cheney
Black shame - Troi Torain
Pride - Kiri Davis
20. Truthteller- Thom Hartmann
Crook/Liar - Senator Bob Kerrey - For Lies about Barack Obama
Black Shame - Christina Milian
Pride - Cora Daniels
21. Truthteller - John Edwards
Crook & Liar - Hillary Clinton - For her lies (and her campaigns lies) about Barack Obama.
Black Shame - Cordozar Calvin Broadus
Pride - Hubert Henry Harrison
22. Truthteller - Dr. Michael Parenti
Crook & Liar - Lanny Davis
Black Shame - Bob Johnson
Pride - James Lawson
23. Truthteller - Keith Olbermann
Crook & Liar - Harold Ickes - Clinton Operative who wanted to change nomination rules to benefit his candidate.
Black Shame - Julian Bond
Pride - George Benson
24. Truthteller - Samantha Power
Crook & Liar - Geraldine Ferraro
Black Shame - The Congressional Black Caucus
Pride - Sidney Poitier
25. Truthteller- Phil Donahue & Tomas Young - For the documentary "Body of War".
Crook & Liar - Hillary Clinton
Black Shame - NAACP
Pride - Duke Ellington
26. Truthteller - Army Colonel Ann Wright
Crook & Liar - John McCain (for his love of lobbyists).
Black Shame- (no longer a regular spotlight item. Although i'll bring it back for those who really deserve being spotlighted). Last spotlight was Kwame Kilpatrick.
Pride - Dr. Beth Brown
27. Truthteller - Keith Olbermann
Crook & Liar - Roger Ailes
Pride - Acia Johnson. Read the Acia Johnson story from the Boston Globe. Listen to story here.
28. Truthtellers - Stephen Walt & John Mearsheimer
Crook/Liar - Monica Crowley of FOX News for her smears (and her networks smears) of Barack Obama.
Pride - Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II
29. Truthteller - Air Force Col. Morris Davis for taking a stand and speaking out on tribunals and habeas corpus rights of gitmo prisoners.
Crook & Liar - Republican Spokesman Michael Savage, for autism comments
Pride- Neil deGrasse Tyson
30. Truthteller - Ron Suskind, for the book "The Way of the World".
Crook & Liar - Republican operative Jerome Corsi - For spreading lies and smears about Barack Obama and his family.
Pride- Morgan Freeman
31. Truthteller - Campbell Brown of CNN... for challenging Palin's so-called foreign policy experience (which turns out to be none at all).
Crook & Liar - Bill Kristol
Pride - Dr. Errington Thompson
32. Truthteller - Dr. Cornel West - For sticking to his principles... although I don't agree with all of his positions. But I do fall in line with most of his basic philosophy... I particularly like his worldview. You can say i'm a student of the man. I wish Obama's worldview and foreign policy were being shaped by brilliant minds like Dr. West, Stephen F. Cohen, Bruce Hoffman, and StephenVan Evera, Ian Lustick, Juan Cole, Ivan Eland, Stephen Walt and others. Instead, Obama's foreign policy is being shaped by hardliners like Zbigniew Brzezinski- WT_!!!?. Why don't these prominent thinkers have a place in Obama's campaign? Why is Obama allowing himself to be influenced by more pro-war establishment thinkers (the same people and same old philosophies that got the U.S. into the foreign policy mess that it's currently in)?
Crook & Liar - Sarah Palin
Pride - Louis Gossett Jr.
33. Truthteller - John Lewis
Liar/Worst Person- Congress Woman Michelle Bachmann
Pride - Dr. Mae Jemison
34. Truthteller - Dr. Kenneth F. Warren - A Political Scientist at St. Louis University - for Telling the truth about why Obama lost the State of Missouri by less than 4,000 votes (a small fraction of a percent of votes cast)- The reason... the racist vote in Rural Missouri. It in fact made the difference. Obama lost, while White Democrats in the State won all major offices by wide margins.
Liar/Worst Person - (Two entries) Georgia Congressman Paul Broun & Republican Radio host Michael Savage - Paul Broun for comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler. And Michael Savage for suggesting that Obama somehow orchestrated or arranged the death of his Grandmother. (nuts!!!!). Savage has one of the more popular Conservative radio programs in the Country ....no wonder Republicans are so crazy.
Pride - Federal Appeals Court Judge Theodore McMillian. McMillian (d.2006) was one of the first Black Americans to rise to such a high level in the Federal Court system. Learn more about McMillian.
35. Truthteller - Amy Goodman
Liar - Rod Blagojevich & Bernard Madoff
Pride- Paul Laurence Dunbar
36. Truthteller - Linda Bilmes- For putting the cost of Bush into perspective. Hear a recent interview with Linda Bilmes from NPR‘s “On Point“.
Liar - Bill Cunningham, Dick Cheney & Ann Coulter
Pride - Branford Marsalis
37. Truthteller - Bill Moyers-- For taking a stand and telling the truth about Israel
Liar - Bernard Goldberg
Pride - Dr. Merville Marshall
38. Truthteller(s) - Aaron Glantz and Dr. Cornel West
Liar (Worst Person) - G. Gordon Liddy
Pride - Frederick D. Gregory
39. Truthteller - Rachel Maddow
Liar (Worst Persons) - Tammy Bruce & Joe Cassano
Pride - Dr. John Hope Franklin
40. Truthteller - William Greider
Liar - Dennis Miller
Pride - Myron Rolle
41. Truthteller - Dr. Juan Cole
Liar - Tom Tancredo
Pride - Dr. Derek Pitts (astronomer)
42. Truthteller - David Sirota
Liar - Lou Dobbs -For misleading & misinforming the public every night on his radio and TV programs, and for his campaign against just about all Progressive policies & ideas for improving the Country. Perhaps his worst offense is pretending to be an "Independent". Lou Dobbs is about has Independent as David Duke is color-blind. He's more like a Wolf in Sheeps clothing. Dobbs is a diehard Conservative who acts as a mouthpiece for the Republican Party.... doing the GOP's bidding under the guise of being an "Independent". I wish he would drop the "Independent" gimmick.... because he gives real independents a bad name.
Pride - Daniel Isom (St. Louis Police Chief)
43. Truthteller - President Jimmy Carter (about Obama and race)
Liar - Sen. Max Baucus
Pride - Noah Gray Cabey
44. Truthteller - Anita Dunn- White House Communications Director- For finally stating the obvious (one of the first "officials" to step up and say what needed to be said).... that basically Fox News isn't really a news organization at all.
Liars - Joe Lieberman and Harry Reid
Pride - Marlon Green (June 1929 - July 2009)
45. Truthteller - W. Horace Carter
Liar(s) - Sarah Palin & Dick Morris
Pride - Kimberly & Kelly Anyadike
46. Truthteller - Rep. Anthony Weiner - For telling the truth about Republicans in Congress and their relationship with the Insurance industry.
Liar(s) - Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Eric Cantor, and Rep. John Boehner
Pride - Stephen Stafford - 13 y/o college whiz kid
47. Truthteller - Alexander Zaitchik
Liar - BP CEO Tony Hayward
Pride - Charles Hamilton Houston
48. Truthteller - Mark Potok
Liar - Meg Whitman
Pride - Jefferson Thomas (1942-2010)
49. Truthteller - Ezra Klein
Liar - Rick Perry
Pride - Dr. Vince Moss/Dr. Vance Moss
50. Truthteller - Robert Reich
Liar - Willard 'Mitt' Romney
Pride - Dr. Roscoe Brown
51. Truthteller - Jim Hightower
Liar -Rick Perry
Pride - Ebonie Johnson Cooper
____________________
The Angry Independents "Wives of the Moment" List
* Alyssa Milano
* Scarlett Johansson
* Essence Atkins
* Tamera Mowry
* Anna Kournikova
* Rachel True
* Jurnee Smollett
* Leona Lewis
* Rachael Ray
* Robin Meade
* Bianca Lawson
* Nicole Lyn
* Carmen Ejogo
* Idalis DeLeon
* Rachel Stuart
* Kellie Williams
* Kaley Cuoco
* Evelyn Ng
* Hayden Panettiere
* Michelle Kwan
* Natasha Curry
* Sharon Carpenter
* Alejandra “Ali” Campoverdi
* Katie Stam
* Jennifer Esposito
* SofÃa Margarita Vergara
* Megan Gale
* Danica McKellar
* Cheryl Burke
* Marcela Valladolid
* Kate Beckinsale
* Dayana Mendoza
* Misty Copeland
1. Truthteller- Michael Moore
Crook/Liar- Ann Coulter
Black Hall of Shame- D.L. Hughley
Pride- Cornel West
2. Truthteller- Michael Moore
Crook/Liar- Bill O’Reilly
Black Hall of Shame- Debra Lee
Pride- Geofrey Canada
3. Truthteller- Keith Olberman
Crook/Liar- Hillary Clinton
Black Hall- Beyonce
Pride- Women of Spelman College for BET protest
4. Truth teller - Amy Goodman
Crook/Liar- John McCain
Black Hall of Shame- Reginald Hudlin
Pride- MLK, Dr. Edward Hart, Rev. Joseph Lowery
5. Truthteller- Barbara Ehrenreich
Crook/Liar- Ron Christie
Black Hall of Shame- Jam Donaldson - BET “Hot Ghetto Mess” creator
Pride- Gina McCauley from Whataboutourdaughters.com /W.E.B. Du Bois
6. Truth teller - Jim Hightower
Crook and Liar- Ted Stevens
Black Hall of Shame- Todd Boyd
Pride- Rev. Vernon Johns
7. Truth teller- Jack Beatty
Crook & Liar- Laura Ingraham
Black Hall of Shame- Michael Eric Dyson
Pride - Dr. Ben Carson
8. Truth teller - David Iglesias
Crook & Liar - Karl Rove
Black Hall of Shame - Monique
Pride- Irene Morgan Kirkaldy
9. truth teller - Dr. John Johnson (father of Lavena Johnson)
Crook & liar- Hillary Clinton
Black Hall of Shame - Russell Simmons
Pride- Curtis Mayfield
10. truth teller - Charles Ferguson (filmmaker for “No End In Sight” documentary)
Crook- Alberto Gonzales
Black Hall of Shame- Danyel Smith - Editor Chief for Vibe Magazine
Black pride - Stephen Bantu Biko
11. truth teller- General Paul Eaton
Crook- Rudy Guiliani
Black hall of shame - William Drayton (Flavor Flav)
Pride- Earl Graves- Black enterprise founder…pulled the mic from comedian eddie griffin for his excessive use of the N-word at an event.
12. Truth teller- Robert Greenwald
Crook- Senator Lindsey Graham- for pushing for the continued occupation of Iraq.
Black shame- Hip Hop R&B singer Ashanti
Source of Pride - Ronald Kenneth Noble- Interpol Chief (secretary general).
13. Truth teller - Senator Chuck Hagel
Crook - Bill O’Reilly
Black Shame - The Rap Industry
Pride - Constance Baker Motley
14. Truth teller - Jeremy Scahill
Crook/Liar - Michael Medved - "Slavery Not So Bad"
Black Shame - T. Shakur/Christopher Wallace...and how they are celebrated by Black Americans
Pride - Rev. Delman Coates for leading the "Enough Is Enough" Campaign against BET/Viacom and the negative images of Blacks in media.
15. Truth teller - General Ricardo Sanchez
Crook/Liar- Rush Limbaugh
Black Shame- Janet Jackson
Pride- John Mercer Langston
16. Truth teller - Valerie Plame Wilson
Crook/Liar - Sean Hannity
Black Shame - The Jena 4 (Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis for their flamboyance after the incidents in Jena, Louisiana. And Robert Bailey Jr. and a 4th young man for their bragging about money and fame from the situation.).
Pride - Guion "Guy" Bluford
17. Truth teller - John Edwards - Telling the truth about Hillary Clinton
Crook/Liar - Fred Thompson - lying about not being aware of drug trafficking buddy
Black Shame - The Black Political and Social Elite Establishment for not taking on Rap Culture.
Pride- Ralph Bunche
18. Truth teller - Dennis Kucinich
Crook/Liar - Glenn Beck
Black Shame - Damon Wayans (For comments regarding Rutgers Women's Basketball Team)
Pride - Herbie Hancock
19. Truth teller- Seymour Hersh
Crook/Liar - Dick Cheney
Black shame - Troi Torain
Pride - Kiri Davis
20. Truthteller- Thom Hartmann
Crook/Liar - Senator Bob Kerrey - For Lies about Barack Obama
Black Shame - Christina Milian
Pride - Cora Daniels
21. Truthteller - John Edwards
Crook & Liar - Hillary Clinton - For her lies (and her campaigns lies) about Barack Obama.
Black Shame - Cordozar Calvin Broadus
Pride - Hubert Henry Harrison
22. Truthteller - Dr. Michael Parenti
Crook & Liar - Lanny Davis
Black Shame - Bob Johnson
Pride - James Lawson
23. Truthteller - Keith Olbermann
Crook & Liar - Harold Ickes - Clinton Operative who wanted to change nomination rules to benefit his candidate.
Black Shame - Julian Bond
Pride - George Benson
24. Truthteller - Samantha Power
Crook & Liar - Geraldine Ferraro
Black Shame - The Congressional Black Caucus
Pride - Sidney Poitier
25. Truthteller- Phil Donahue & Tomas Young - For the documentary "Body of War".
Crook & Liar - Hillary Clinton
Black Shame - NAACP
Pride - Duke Ellington
26. Truthteller - Army Colonel Ann Wright
Crook & Liar - John McCain (for his love of lobbyists).
Pride - Dr. Beth Brown
27. Truthteller - Keith Olbermann
Crook & Liar - Roger Ailes
Pride - Acia Johnson. Read the Acia Johnson story from the Boston Globe. Listen to story here.
28. Truthtellers - Stephen Walt & John Mearsheimer
Crook/Liar - Monica Crowley of FOX News for her smears (and her networks smears) of Barack Obama.
Pride - Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II
29. Truthteller - Air Force Col. Morris Davis for taking a stand and speaking out on tribunals and habeas corpus rights of gitmo prisoners.
Crook & Liar - Republican Spokesman Michael Savage, for autism comments
Pride- Neil deGrasse Tyson
30. Truthteller - Ron Suskind, for the book "The Way of the World".
Crook & Liar - Republican operative Jerome Corsi - For spreading lies and smears about Barack Obama and his family.
Pride- Morgan Freeman
31. Truthteller - Campbell Brown of CNN... for challenging Palin's so-called foreign policy experience (which turns out to be none at all).
Crook & Liar - Bill Kristol
Pride - Dr. Errington Thompson
32. Truthteller - Dr. Cornel West - For sticking to his principles... although I don't agree with all of his positions. But I do fall in line with most of his basic philosophy... I particularly like his worldview. You can say i'm a student of the man. I wish Obama's worldview and foreign policy were being shaped by brilliant minds like Dr. West, Stephen F. Cohen, Bruce Hoffman, and StephenVan Evera, Ian Lustick, Juan Cole, Ivan Eland, Stephen Walt and others. Instead, Obama's foreign policy is being shaped by hardliners like Zbigniew Brzezinski- WT_!!!?. Why don't these prominent thinkers have a place in Obama's campaign? Why is Obama allowing himself to be influenced by more pro-war establishment thinkers (the same people and same old philosophies that got the U.S. into the foreign policy mess that it's currently in)?
Crook & Liar - Sarah Palin
Pride - Louis Gossett Jr.
33. Truthteller - John Lewis
Liar/Worst Person- Congress Woman Michelle Bachmann
Pride - Dr. Mae Jemison
34. Truthteller - Dr. Kenneth F. Warren - A Political Scientist at St. Louis University - for Telling the truth about why Obama lost the State of Missouri by less than 4,000 votes (a small fraction of a percent of votes cast)- The reason... the racist vote in Rural Missouri. It in fact made the difference. Obama lost, while White Democrats in the State won all major offices by wide margins.
Liar/Worst Person - (Two entries) Georgia Congressman Paul Broun & Republican Radio host Michael Savage - Paul Broun for comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler. And Michael Savage for suggesting that Obama somehow orchestrated or arranged the death of his Grandmother. (nuts!!!!). Savage has one of the more popular Conservative radio programs in the Country ....no wonder Republicans are so crazy.
Pride - Federal Appeals Court Judge Theodore McMillian. McMillian (d.2006) was one of the first Black Americans to rise to such a high level in the Federal Court system. Learn more about McMillian.
35. Truthteller - Amy Goodman
Liar - Rod Blagojevich & Bernard Madoff
Pride- Paul Laurence Dunbar
36. Truthteller - Linda Bilmes- For putting the cost of Bush into perspective.
Liar - Bill Cunningham, Dick Cheney & Ann Coulter
Pride - Branford Marsalis
37. Truthteller - Bill Moyers-- For taking a stand and telling the truth about Israel
Liar - Bernard Goldberg
Pride - Dr. Merville Marshall
38. Truthteller(s) - Aaron Glantz and Dr. Cornel West
Liar (Worst Person) - G. Gordon Liddy
Pride - Frederick D. Gregory
39. Truthteller - Rachel Maddow
Liar (Worst Persons) - Tammy Bruce & Joe Cassano
Pride - Dr. John Hope Franklin
40. Truthteller - William Greider
Liar - Dennis Miller
Pride - Myron Rolle
41. Truthteller - Dr. Juan Cole
Liar - Tom Tancredo
Pride - Dr. Derek Pitts (astronomer)
42. Truthteller - David Sirota
Liar - Lou Dobbs -For misleading & misinforming the public every night on his radio and TV programs, and for his campaign against just about all Progressive policies & ideas for improving the Country. Perhaps his worst offense is pretending to be an "Independent". Lou Dobbs is about has Independent as David Duke is color-blind. He's more like a Wolf in Sheeps clothing. Dobbs is a diehard Conservative who acts as a mouthpiece for the Republican Party.... doing the GOP's bidding under the guise of being an "Independent". I wish he would drop the "Independent" gimmick.... because he gives real independents a bad name.
Pride - Daniel Isom (St. Louis Police Chief)
43. Truthteller - President Jimmy Carter (about Obama and race)
Liar - Sen. Max Baucus
Pride - Noah Gray Cabey
44. Truthteller - Anita Dunn- White House Communications Director- For finally stating the obvious (one of the first "officials" to step up and say what needed to be said).... that basically Fox News isn't really a news organization at all.
Liars - Joe Lieberman and Harry Reid
Pride - Marlon Green (June 1929 - July 2009)
45. Truthteller - W. Horace Carter
Liar(s) - Sarah Palin & Dick Morris
Pride - Kimberly & Kelly Anyadike
46. Truthteller - Rep. Anthony Weiner - For telling the truth about Republicans in Congress and their relationship with the Insurance industry.
Liar(s) - Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Eric Cantor, and Rep. John Boehner
Pride - Stephen Stafford - 13 y/o college whiz kid
47. Truthteller - Alexander Zaitchik
Liar - BP CEO Tony Hayward
Pride - Charles Hamilton Houston
48. Truthteller - Mark Potok
Liar - Meg Whitman
Pride - Jefferson Thomas (1942-2010)
49. Truthteller - Ezra Klein
Liar - Rick Perry
Pride - Dr. Vince Moss/Dr. Vance Moss
____________________
The Angry Independents "Wives of the Moment" List
* Alyssa Milano
* Scarlett Johansson
* Essence Atkins
* Tamera Mowry
* Anna Kournikova
* Rachel True
* Jurnee Smollett
* Leona Lewis
* Rachael Ray
* Robin Meade
* Bianca Lawson
* Nicole Lyn
* Carmen Ejogo
* Idalis DeLeon
* Rachel Stuart
* Kellie Williams
* Kaley Cuoco
* Evelyn Ng
* Hayden Panettiere
* Michelle Kwan
* Natasha Curry
* Sharon Carpenter
* Alejandra “Ali” Campoverdi
* Katie Stam
* Jennifer Esposito
* SofÃa Margarita Vergara
*
* Danica McKellar
* Cheryl Burke
* Marcela Valladolid
* Kate Beckinsale
* Dayana Mendoza
* Misty Copeland
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
More On James Brown - Funeral Arrangements Set
Great Bio from PBS
Information from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
NPR Interviews Bootsy Collins
NPR Interviews Maceo Parker
Funeral Arrangements Set and More
James Brown- Boston 1968
By Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff December 26, 2006
James Brown will be mourned by millions around the world this week as one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century. But in Boston, he will be remembered by many as the man who helped prevent the city from burning down the night after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
On April 4, 1968, the day before Brown was scheduled to play a concert at the Boston Garden, King was shot to death in Memphis. In Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, rioters set fire to white-owned businesses.
In Boston, Mayor Kevin White, then just 38 years old and four months into his first term, gathered his aides at City Hall and prepared for the worst.
"It was incredibly tense," said John Henning, the longtime television broadcaster who, in 1968, was in the fifth year of his career.
According to a Boston Globe account that weekend: "By noon Friday it appeared that Boston's black community of 80,000 was poised for a violent upheaval. Roving bands in Roxbury, North Dorchester , and the South End inflicted injuries on a dozen persons, set fire to one store , and looted seven others."
Fearful of more violence, the managers at the Garden decided to cancel Brown's concert, and White was faced with a dilemma, according to an account in the book " Common Ground, " by J. Anthony Lukas . If Brown didn't go on, there wouldn't be enough time to get the word out and thousands of angry black teenage fans would be left at the Garden with nothing to do.
Only this time, "it'll be in the heart of downtown," Lukas quoted Councilor Tom Atkins as saying.
In a telephone interview yesterday, US Representative Barney Frank, who was White's aide in the 1960s, said city officials believed Boston could potentially have a citywide riot among blacks and whites.
"You get a bunch of 17-year-olds together you never know what's going to happen," said Frank, a Democrat from Newton.
White made a decision. He would reinstate the concert, but would try to suppress attendance, get a television station to carry it live, and then appeal to youths to stay home and watch it.
But there was a catch. That Friday, Brown taped a television show in New York and was under contract not to appear on TV before it aired. If the concert at the Garden were broadcast live, it would cost him a bundle.
According to Lukas, who reconstructed events from interviews with the participants: Atkins met Brown at the airport, and explained the situation as the pair rode toward downtown in a limousine. "No way," Brown shouted. "They'll sue me in New York."
"James, James," pleaded Atkins. "We'll work this out! But right now you have an opportunity to help save this city."
Finally Brown relented -- at a cost. He demanded $60,000 to cover his expenses. White, now out of options, agreed, Lukas wrote.
Only 2,000 people showed up for the concert -- the Garden held 14,000. When White got on stage, the crowd was subdued.
White, according to a Globe report on the concert, urged the audience at home and in the Garden "to make Rev. Dr. King's dream a reality in Boston. . . . No matter what any other community might do -- we in Boston will honor Dr. King in peace."
"Brown sang and danced, and as usual thrilled his audience. But he also talked to them and for this is being credited with helping to avert potential disaster," according to the Globe.
The concert aired live on Channel 2 and was then immediately rebroadcast, Frank recalled yesterday. Across Boston, people stayed home and watched.
"I remember going through the South End and every window seemed to be watching James Brown," said Peter Wolf , the lead singer of the J. Geils Band.
Brown brought calm to a simmering city.
"It really prevented the city from blowing up," said Henning.
Said Frank: "You never know what might have happened if they all came down."
Globe correspondent Steve Morse contributed to this story. Douglas Belkin can be reached at dbelkin@globe.com 
Funeral Arrangements Have Been Set
NEW YORK -- James Brown's music career comes full circle Thursday when his body is brought to rest on the stage of the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, where he made his explosive debut, and the world changed to his beat.
The public will be permitted to visit the Apollo to have one more look at a man who steered modern music toward the rhythm-and-blues, funk, hip-hop, disco and rap beats popular, said the Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday. The reverend has been a close friend of Brown for decades.
"It would almost be unthinkable for a man who lived such a sensational life to go away quietly," Sharpton said in an interview from Georgia, where he was making funeral arrangements with Brown's children.
Sharpton said he and the children viewed Brown's body Tuesday.
"I looked at his body. I was walking in half disbelief and sadness but proud," he said. "I couldn't even begin to describe it, to walk around his house and he not be there."
Sharpton said the public Apollo viewing will be followed by a private ceremony Friday in Brown's hometown, Augusta, Ga., and another public ceremony, officiated by Sharpton, a day later at the James Brown Arena there.
"His greatest thrill was always the lines around the Apollo Theater," Sharpton said of the 125th Street landmark. "I felt that James Brown in all the years we talked would have wanted one last opportunity to let the people say goodbye to him and he to the people."
Brown, known as the Godfather of Soul, died of congestive heart failure on Christmas morning in Atlanta at age 73. He had been scheduled to perform on New Year's Eve in Manhattan at B.B. King's blues club.
Sharpton said he and Brown's children talked Tuesday about the moment after the Rev. Martin Luther King's assassination when Brown stepped to a microphone and told gathering crowds of angry people to go home.
"And they went home," Sharpton said. "For them to riot for a man who lived a life of peace would send the wrong message. He always said he was surprised and humbled that he had that influence."
Sharpton said Brown was "always very sensitive as to how people could be remembered."
The Apollo began recruiting and showcasing talent in 1934. Early acts included "Pigmeat" Markham and Jackie "Moms" Mabley. Before long, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin and Brown were making their debuts. Audiences cheered the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Michael Jackson, Fats Waller, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr. and Nina Simone. Comedians such as Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor performed, too.
Sharpton said he had been like a son to Brown since they met in 1973, introduced by Brown's son, Teddy, shortly before the teenager died in a car crash.
He said the son had wanted to encourage his father's support for Sharpton's youth organization, leading Brown to begin a lifelong commitment to Sharpton's civil rights projects.
"I became the son he lost," Sharpton said.
Sharpton said Brown always knew his place in history.
"He used to tell me, `There are two American originals, Elvis and me,"' Sharpton said. "'Elvis is gone, and I've got to carry on."'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Amy Goodman's Democracy Now Program covers James Brown. Watch/Listen Here.
Monday, December 25, 2006
James Brown Dead at 73
THANK YOU JAMES BROWN!!!!!!!
James Brown- The Godfather of Soul- Truly one of the most influential figures in American music of the last Century.
One of the Founding Fathers of Soul Music, along with Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, although Sam Cooke & Ray are more directly credited with the "Father" title. James Brown branched off and took American music in another direction, giving us Funk, R&B and to a large extent Hip Hop. His influence on Rock and Roll was also considerable. Without James Brown, American music would sound completely different.
There are few artists still around who are even close in terms of impact. Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Dylan, Aretha Franklin, McCartney, and Clapton are all certainly in the vicinity.
With over 50 years of work.... he had a long a fruitful career. His music will live on! But he was much more than just a performer.
I think the Stadium in Soul Heaven is definitely sold out today with its newest legend making his entry. They now have their new President.
Hear A James Brown Christmas Day Special Here. 6 Hours of James Brown- A Great Mix of rare James Brown material... despite the goofy DJ's. View Playlist Here. This Mix is from a few years ago.
I am cooking my own James Brown Funk Stew as well.
From The Associated Press
ATLANTA — James Brown, the legendary singer known as the Godfather of Soul, has died, his agent said today. He was 73.
Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia on Sunday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital and died around 1:45 a.m. today, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles A. Bobbit was by his side, he said.
Copsidas said that Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," he said.
Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the last 50 years. A generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.
If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator.
"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told the Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."
His hit singles included such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud," a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.
"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."
He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male). He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.
From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, "Please, Please, Please" in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.
With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince.
And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling.
Brown's work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. "The music out there is only as good as my last record," Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
"Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90% of their music is me," he told the Associated Press in 2003.
Born in poverty in Barnwell, S.C., in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal.
"I wanted to be somebody," Brown said.
By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 3 1/2 years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars.
While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B.
In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B Top Ten.
UN Security Council Approves Sanctions On Iran
The UN Security Council has approved watered down sanctions against Iran.
This is unlikely to resolve the issue. It is most likely the beginning of a series of events that will eventually lead to a military confrontation....either with the Bush administration or with the next U.S. President.
The dispute also has the potential to start a shooting war between some of the worlds major powers within the next few years.
The UN Security Council will likely have to return to this issue within the next year for tougher sanctions. However, Russia and China (members of the P-5) are unlikely to support tougher sanctions. The only reason that they supported the current sanctions was because the sanctions were watered down.....it's more symbolic than practical.
This is unlikely to resolve the issue. It is most likely the beginning of a series of events that will eventually lead to a military confrontation....either with the Bush administration or with the next U.S. President.
The dispute also has the potential to start a shooting war between some of the worlds major powers within the next few years.
The UN Security Council will likely have to return to this issue within the next year for tougher sanctions. However, Russia and China (members of the P-5) are unlikely to support tougher sanctions. The only reason that they supported the current sanctions was because the sanctions were watered down.....it's more symbolic than practical.
Republican Bigot Attacks Black Congressman Keith Ellison
Racist Americans Are In A Frenzy About Keith Ellison, A Muslim U.S. Congressman from Minnesota
Republican racists are having a fit because of Ellisons desire to use the Quran in an unofficial private swearing in ceremony (after the official ceremony is done).
Ellison is under attack from well known Conservative racists, such as Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Matt Drudge and others. However, one particular Republican Congressman stands out-- Virgil Goode. Goode wrote a letter to his supporters expressing his displeasure about having a Muslim like Ellison in Congress. Goode also stated in the letter that he supports limiting immigration to prevent the U.S. Congress from being overrun by all of these Muslims.
But there is one big problem with Goodes argument. Keith Ellison is not an immigrant and he's not Middle Eastern, as Goode suggests. This guy is truly showing his ignorance with this one. He also seems to have no clue that most Muslims are actually from Asia, not the Middle East. And as for Ellison?.... Keith Ellison was born in Detroit....an African American.... An American citizen. Not an immigrant.
Secondly, no Congressmember has the right to tell anyone what holy book they can use (and this is Ellisons own private ceremony). No member of Congress should criticize another member based on their religion. Radical Christians desperately want to establish Christianity as the official State religion.... when the Constitution states that government shall not establish ANY religion. However, radical Christians deny that freedom of religion (or not establishing a particular religion) is what the nations founders wanted, despite all of the clear historical evidence that says as much. (As I have mentioned a few times on this blog....Radical Christians like to create their own reality).
Conservatives are always talking about other cultures being intolerant of Christians, but here is one of many examples of their hypocrisy. Deep down, many folks from the Religious right (Republicans), like Congressman Goode and his followers, dislike anyone who isn't Christian and White.
Despite putting his foot in his mouth, Congressman Goode has refused to clarify or retract his statements. According to Goode, he has received mostly positive comments from his supporters.
Below is a copy of the letter Goode sent to his supporters. However, at least one copy was sent to the wrong person. That person took the letter to the Press.
Dec. 7, 2006
Mr. John Cruickshank
7— S— Dr.
Earlysville, VA 22936
Dear Mr. Cruickshank:
Thank you for your recent communication. When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way. The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran. We need to stop illegal immigration totally and reduce legal immigration and end the diversity visas policy pushed hard by President Clinton and allowing many persons from the Middle East to come to this country. I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped.
The Ten Commandments and "In God We Trust" are on the wall in my office. A Muslim student came by the office and asked why I did not have anything on my wall about the Koran. My response was clear, "As long as I have the honor of representing the citizens of the 5th District of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, The Koran is not going to be on the wall of my office." Thank you again for your email and thoughts.
Sincerely yours,
Virgil H. Goode, Jr.
70 East Court Street
Suite 215
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
____________________________
Lashawn Barbers Corner supports Virgil Goodes Bigotry. See here. I can't say I was surprised.
____________________________
A Brief Commentary
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Previous Topics and Blog Entries on This General Subject
Interview with Michelle Goldberg, who discusses (and warns about) the rise of Christian Nationalism.
New Right Wing Religious Video Game Condones Killing non-Christians in the Name of God. Scary and Looney at the same time.
Dr. Robin Meyers Talks About the Dangers of the Right Wing Christian Movement.
More Lunacy From the world of Radical Christianity
Jesus Camp. Read Comments Here and View Video
Bill Moyers Speaks on this Issue in his documentary Capitol Crimes.
The Strange and Infamous Patrick Henry College
Professors Quit Patrick Henry College in Protest
American Theocracy
Very Good Documentary About the History of Jewish Radicals in Israel. View Program Online.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Bush Says He Cares About U.S. Troops Dying in Iraq
But Does He REALLY???
Let's not forget that he joked about the sacrifices of U.S. Troops in Iraq back in 2004, when U.S. soldiers faced some of their fiercest battles and heaviest casualties.
Let's not forget that he joked about the sacrifices of U.S. Troops in Iraq back in 2004, when U.S. soldiers faced some of their fiercest battles and heaviest casualties.
THE SOLDIERS SPEAK!!!
U.S. Soldiers- Veterans of the War in Iraq- speak their minds on the On Point Public Radio program.
Summary
"We're not winning, but we're not losing," is the new formulation embraced now by President Bush on Iraq. But where does that leave the troops, the American men and women in the field, in the streets, in Iraq, where the frontlines are everywhere and the way home is always a season away?
President Bush is saying today that we need more troops overall in the US armed forces, and we'll hear a bit of that. But 25,000 American service men and women have already been killed and wounded in Iraq. Today, we hear from those who serve on the war, the daily battle, and the way ahead.
This hour On Point: we're going to the ground level, talking to the troops on Iraq".
Source Page
Listen to Program Here (direct link)
The Sarah Palin Information Page
A Repository of Sarah Palin Information
BIRTH DATE/LOCATION
Age 44; born Feb. 11, 1964; Sandpoint, Idaho
EDUCATION
Bachelors Degree, University of Idaho: 1987 (journalism)
Aspired to be a sports reporter for ESPN
-Academics were apparently a challenge for Palin. She could not seem to deal with the rigors of a University education. She attended 5 schools in 6 years, hopping from one institution to another.
The Institutions Are (in order):
-The University of Hawaii
-Hawaii Pacific University
-North Idaho College
-University of Idaho
-Matanuska-Susitna College- Alaska
-Then returned to the University of Idaho
Source- the LA Times
EXPERIENCE
Beauty Queen/Model. Miss Wasilla, 1984
TV Sportscaster: 1987-1989 see here
City Council; Wasilla, Alaska: 1992-1996
Mayor; Wasilla, Alaska (population: approx 6,000 at the time): 1996-2002
-- Although Palin hired an administrator to handle day to day operations
Chair, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: 2003-2004
Governor, State of Alaska: Dec 2006-Present (one full year as Governor at the time of VP selection)
FAMILY
Husband, Todd; five children
*******************************
Blog Links
John McCain/Sarah Palin Get KO'd on MSNBC (Keith Olbermanns Special Comment)
Keith Olbermann Special Comment on Palin's Dirty Politics, and her connections to an Anti-American group.
L.A. Times endorses Obama - See the reasons why
Obama Effigy Hung from a Tree in Ohio...as part of Halloween display.
More sickness from another Rally - Man Holds up racist Obama Monkey effigy at McCain/Palin Rally
More ignorance from a McCain/Palin Rally.
See the Hostility, Ignorance, and Xenophobia at a Palin Rally in Strongsville Ohio.
Palin Supporters Now Calling For The Death of Obama
Troopergate Investigation Complete - Concludes Palin Broke the Law and Abused the Powers of Her Office
7 Witnesses Have Now Agreed To Talk About Troopergate.
Did Sarah Palin Lie About Darfur?
A Great Commentary By one of our bloggers, entitled "Surviving Is Not Winning" (regarding Palin's Debate performance).
Review of the VP Debate
One Brave Witness in Troopergate Scandal Agrees to Talk
Preview of the Palin-Biden VP Debate - My analysis Turned Out to Be Pretty Close
More from the Katie Couric Interview- Plain Unable to Name One Newspaper She Reads
Palin Image Slipping Now That She Has Been Vetted
Saturday Night Live Takes On Palin Again
Palin Crashes and Burns Again in an interview with Katie Couric- Palin Caught Unprepared for a question about McCain advisor who turned out to be a major Lobbyist for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...in fact, he was taking their money while working for the McCain campaign- A huge conflict of interest. She was also caught off guard by questions about McCain's background as a supporter of less oversight of Banking system. He has been a staunch supporter for less regulation, not more.
Keith Olbermann Tallies Up The Palin Lies (there have been many more lies since our earlier list)
Palin Gets Special Treatment for VP Debate with Biden
Obama camp finally responds to the Lie Campaign of McCain/Palin designed to fool voters
NPR helps Knock Down Palin's Bridge to Nowhere Claim
Palin caught unaware of The Bush Doctrine during interview with Charlie Gibson - A major theme of the Bush Administrations foreign policy. The Bush doctrine = mainly the idea of preemtive war...that the U.S. can use its military to attack any Country before that Country or its actors can attack the U.S. It also spelled out the idea that nations were either with the U.S. or against it. This was an illogical (now largely failed) policy that was thrown together as a response to September 11th... and it helped the U.S. with establishing the excuse to go into Afghanistan and laid the groundwork for the invasion of Iraq a year later.
DNC Sets up a McCain Lie Page
Palin Connected to Right Wing anti-American Fringe Group
Palin Recently Praised Obama’s Energy Plan
Palin Almost Recalled and Removed as Wasilla’s Mayor
Palin Made Rape Victims Pay For Investigations
Palin - Is She A Racist?
According to Karl Rove, Palin Isn’t Qualified to be Vice President
Palin’s Religion is outside of the mainstream - Should a Fundamentalist Have the Power to wage war?
AIP official mentioned Sarah Palin as a former member on video at Secessionist event last year
If Sarah Palin Where Black....
Palin The Sports Reporter - Ready to be President?
Republicans Belittle Community Organizers
The Lies Told By Sarah Palin
_______________________________
Outside Links
More on Palin and Rape Kits
Walt Monegan, the former Alaska Public Safety Chief, Talks About Why He Was Fired By Palin
Sarah Palin's Not So Hidden Extremism
Palin caught lying already.... Did she really lead the effort to Kill The Bridge to Nowhere?
Palin's own former colleagues don't believe she is qualified
___________________________
Troopergate
Palin Not Cooperating with Troopergate Investigation
Palin Warned By Judge to Stop Abuse of Mike Wooten and his Children
ABC Reports on Troopergate
********************************
Click Here To See An Updated Rolling List of Palin Posts and Articles
(Label Search)
********************************
Useful Palin Posts
Post Link
The lies just kept coming during the Republican Convention....
Below are some of the lies told by Sarah Palin
Sidenote: Palin didn't write the speech....it was prepared for her by Republican handlers.
Lie/Distortion #1: She claimed to be an advocate for Special needs children and presented the McCain/Palin Ticket as Shepards for Childrens health.
Fact: John McCain voted against expanding Schip to millions of American children. Remember the 12 year old boy who Republicans attacked last year? Here's a link to refresh your memory.
Republicans don't have much of a track record supporting the needs of children or the healthcare of Americans.
Lie/Distortion #2: She compared herself to Harry S. Truman (as a way of saying that he was from a small town too....and as a way to deal with the experience question).
Fact: Yes, Truman was from a small town in my home State. But before being nominated for Vice President, Truman had years of experience as an Army officer and Veteran of World War I, was a Judge, and was a U.S. Senator for a decade.
This woman can't be serious.
Lie/Distortion #3: Claimed extensive experience to be VP based on her time as Mayor of Wasilla Alaska, and her one full year as Governor. She claimed in the speech that she would explain what her daily duties were as Mayor... but she never got around to explaining.
Fact: The town of Wasilla had a population of about 6 or 7 thousand when she was Mayor. This is hardly proper preparation to run a Country of 300 million and to deal with a $3 Trillion annual budget....the biggest budget in the World. Pat Buchanan (who Palin once supported) and other respected commentators, and former officials agree....she's not ready. Even Karl Rove agrees; Palin does not meet the qualifications for Vice President.
Lie/Distortion #4: She stated that she has a track record of governing with integrity and goodwill.
Not quite, Mrs. Britney Spears of politics.
Fact: She is currently under investigation in Alaska for ethics violations...(also known as Troopergate) for the wrongful firing of her Public Safety director. Palin wanted the Public Safety director to illegally fire a State Trooper, Mike Wooten, who happened to be Palin's brother in law. Wooten was involved (and still is) in an ugly divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
As if that's not bad enough, before becoming Governor, Palin was involved in the firings of several Wasilla City officials... who she did not agree with politically. These city officials were not fired because they were not doing their jobs...they were fired for petty political reasons. Sarah Palin was also nearly recalled as Mayor of Wasilla.
Lie/Distortion #5: She is a reformer...and she killed the Bridge to Nowhere.
The "Reformer" title is a stretch...and the Bridge to Nowhere story is a lie.
Fact: In Alaska, Palin took full advantage of wasteful earmarks (when she was on the receiving end of the money). She also initially supported the Bridge to Nowhere...and was a big supporter of her mentor Ted Stevens... who was indicted recently on corruption charges. Palin was in cahoots with the same corporate donors who sent money to Stevens. See more on the Bridge To Nowhere from the Huffpost.
Lie/Distortion #6: Claimed that her efforts to develop Alaska's oil industry would lead the nation to energy independence.
Fact: We can't get that much oil out of Alaska...not enough to free us from foreign oil dependence. And even if Alaska had half the oil that would be needed for energy independence... it would take at least a decade before we would see any benefit...and even then, it wouldn't be a significant savings for Americans. The Republicans keep framing the debate...and making voters believe that more drilling today will lead to lower prices at the pump next week. That's not going to happen.
The best way to achieve energy self sufficiency is to use a broad mix of sources (including some additional drilling)... but the main focus should be to move from oil as a mainstay of our energy policy. That's old thinking. Breaking dependence on outside oil will eventually require an energy policy built around new forms of energy....alternative energy... wind, solar, hydrogen vehicles, new battery technology, ethanol, natural gas, nuclear, and limited clean coal resources.
Palin is looking out for Alaska when she is talking about boosting the oil industry there...she's not looking out for the U.S.
Lie/Distortion #7: Obama never wrote or sponsored one piece of reform legislation.
Well....she was partly right... he didn't write or co-sponsor just one piece of legislation on reform... he helped write/ or co-sponsored at least 3. All significant.
This woman is going to be worse than Cheney.... we will have fond memories of Dick Cheney by the time Palin settles in as VP.
Fact: Obama co-sponsored ethics reform legislation as a Senator in the State of Illinois. After entering the U.S. Senate... Obama co-sponsored a Bill curbing gifts and gratuities for members of Congress... He also supported laws that require more transparancy (supported a Federal Website for the public) so that voters can see how Congress is spending their tax money. There have also been other ethics Bills supported or sponsored by Obama.
Highlights:
Honest Leadership & Open Government Act of 2006
Legislative Transparency & Accountability Act of 2007
The Coburn-Obama Bill (Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act of 2006)
Obama's Work in Illinois Senate
Obama's work with Russ Feingold
See Obama's Page on Ethics and Lobbying reform.
Obama has been applauded for his work on ethics and lobbying reform.
Lie/Distortion #8: Obama is against producing energy.
Fact: No response really needed here. But Obama has been the leading candidate (since early in the Campaign), along with John Edwards, for reforming U.S. energy policy and breaking U.S. dependence on foreign oil. McCain didn't become the Alternative Energy guy until he stole Obama's message about 3 months ago. And he only became the "change" candidate about a month ago.
Lie/Distortion #9: McCain will show compassion to the powerless.
Fact: McCain's record simply does not match the infomercial that the Britney Spears of politics was trying to promote.
From SCHIP (healthcare for poor/needy children) to his lack of support for a better GI Bill for Veterans... and his 19 votes against raising the minimum wage; (and so many other issues) McCain's record just doesn't match the rhetoric.
Lie/Distortion #10: She stated she received more votes as Mayor than Joe Biden received during his latest run for President.
Fact: She wasn't even remotely close to the truth on this. As a matter of fact, she wasn't close to the truth on hardly any of her major claims.
The plane she sold on Ebay?
ANOTHER LIE
The above list represents lies that I caught myself... Fact Check may have more. See here.
************************************
Sarah Palin as Miss Wasilla
This woman is not qualified to be dogcatcher. The idea that we can have the Paris Hilton of politics half a heartbeat away from the Presidency should scare the Hell out of anybody with a brain….regardless of Party affiliation. The idea that she could become VP is just as troubling. Yes I said half a heartbeat…. Not the cliché of “one heartbeat away“. We are dealing with a man who is half dead already. Let’s not beat around the Bush. The man is the cousin of Frankenstein.
"Oh Angry Independent, you are just being a sexist pig about this". The Hell I am. The Presidency and Vice Presidency are serious business…. This is not Wasilla Alaska…a town of six, seven, or eight thousand with a budget of a few million dollars. Being a beauty pageant girl, the Mayor and City Council member for a very small town, Being the Governor of Alaska - one of the smallest States by population- for only one full year does not make you ready for the second highest office in the land. It doesn’t come close to making you ready.
This is not about gender for me. I have no problem at all with a female Vice Presidential candidate or even a female Presidential candidate. I have no problem with that whatsoever. In fact, I would like to see one elected in the near future, it has been long enough. But don’t send me the Paris Hilton of politics. Give me a woman who is actually qualified for the job. I guess Kay Bailey Hutchison was unavailable. Was Elizabeth Dole unavailable as well? What about Olympia Snowe (A damn political giant….regardless of what you think about her Party or her politics)? But Olympia Snowe is not Conservative enough. There are at least 2 or 3 other powerful Republican women I could name…. But the 3 I mentioned pretty much make my point. These are Margaret Thatcheresque Stateswomen who, without any doubt, could handle the job of Vice President or President. But McCain is off his rocker. He couldn’t do any better than give us a beauty pageant contestant?
More of the Same Sinister Republican Politics
This was a sinister choice designed for 2 purposes: #1. To exploit the weaknesses within the Democratic Party and to steal some of the female Hillary Clinton supporters who are still upset about the Primary and who are reluctant to vote for a Black candidate…and simply needed an excuse to jump to the other side (even if it means voting against their own interests). And #2. To inject some energy into his Conservative political base. It has been reported that the McCain campaign received $10 million or more in the 2 days that followed the Palin announcement, despite the fact that she isn’t even close to being qualified. Her Conservative credentials trump everything else.
So yes… it was a sinister choice….and tactically, it was brilliant. I will admit that. It was clearly a ploy to fool voters. And unfortunately, it may work for McCain. Why? Because American voters are woefully stupid when it comes to politics, current events, world affairs, history, understanding why at least some qualifications are important for President and Vice President, knowledge of candidates and the issues, etc. Most voters couldn’t tell you who their local members of Congress are. So yes, it appears as though voters are taking the bait on Sarah Palin. And McCain understood this woeful ignorance among the American electorate…and took advantage of it, like only Rovian Politics could.
The Hillary supporters have been rejoicing about the Palin choice…. Giving credence to the McCain approach….showing why and how it just might work…and why it may have been a brilliant move. Only time will tell for sure. But on the same token I think that the rejoicing of the disgruntled Hillary supporters says a lot more about them than it does about McCain’s choice… a choice that some are calling “inspired”… inspired my ass…. Inspired by Karl Rove tactics… that’s about all the inspiration I see behind this choice. This was a calculated, sinister move…. Period! What does this say about the disgruntled Hillary supporters who are now celebrating the Palin pick and will vote for McCain? It shows one of two things (or both). #1. That these women were primarily concerned about gender all along, and were not really Progressive Democrats concerned about their greater interests and the best interests of the Country. They are willing to vote against their own best interests to put a women into the Presidency or Vice Presidency. Or #2. These women (especially White Female Hillary supporters) were so full of racial prejudice that they were looking for an excuse not to vote for a Black candidate. Some probably were not going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. It also shows that many of these women were more Conservative than some may have believed…which might explain Hillary’s Conservative campaign tactics in the Primary, and her support among so many White Moderates and Independents in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Many of the Hillary Clinton/Palin supporters are women who are new to politics and have never really followed events closely before. This may be all new to many of them. These women were attracted to the current political cycle when Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy. So some of this erratic behavior on the part of Hillary supporters should not be all that surprising. It's troubling....but it shouldn't necessarily be surprising. Their main concern all along (this is what I noticed) seemed to be gender...not policy. Gender was Hillary Clinton's appeal to many of these women... not much else. That is why they saw any attack on Clinton's positions as an attack on her womanhood....because for them, it was all about getting a woman elected. So far, women's views of Palin seem mixed.
Some women seem to like her, while others are not being fooled by the Republican tricks.
Sarah Palin as Miss Wasilla
And it turns out that McCain didn’t even know this woman. How do you offer the #2 spot to a person that you don’t even know? It appears that this may have been more of a spur of the moment move. Definitely not a good thing when you are talking about the Vice Presidency. Despite this, Republicans seem to be overjoyed by McCain's choice- not surprising. They are already spinning it to their advantage, and the mainstream media (as usual) allows the Republicans to frame the discussion on their terms. This is a person who essentially becomes President the moment John McCain is incapacitated (the swearing in nonsense is for the cameras…to promote confidence in the Nation if the unthinkable happens). The VP has authority over nuclear forces (they have their own football unit that travels everywhere with them), they can control the armed forces…if something catastrophic were to happen and the President can’t be reached, and he has his own National Security Advisor, military attaché, and on and on. This is not the PTA. But McCain didn’t think this was important. This is a person who he only talked to briefly once or twice…and offered the job after meeting her once. Good Lord!!! What does this say about the man’s judgment in general terms? Is this the kind of man who should be in charge during a crisis with Russia, China, Israel, Iran, or Pakistan or any other significant geo-political crisis? I know I don’t want McCain chairing these crisis meetings in the situation room. I definitely don’t want McCain in charge of the nations armed forces, especially the nuclear arsenal.
I have not had time to post about Palin over the last few days because I have been swamped…. But another reason is that I keep finding out more and more interesting things about this woman that are blowing my mind. I feel like a bloodhound … I keep digging things up and I’m not even looking hard. Details keep emerging about this woman faster than I can adjust and wrap my brain around them. And she was vetted? Vetted by who? She certainly wasn’t fully vetted by the McCain camp. But the blogosphere will certainly have a field day doing what the McCain camp was too lazy to do. Now even the usually lazy mainstream media is finding that Palin is a Gold mine. Hopefully there are a few real investigative journalists who won’t let McCain and Palin off the hook.
This choice shows that McCain is a gambler….and is subject to making rash decisions. Is this the kind of person who should be in the White House? I mean, the Bush administration is full of evil bastards…. Perhaps a few crazy evil bastards… but even they have a certain level headedness, despite being arguably the most reckless Administration in American history. McCain seems to lack this important trait.
If McCain was really inspired to choose a woman…. If McCain genuinely wanted to put a woman on the ticket and make history, there were qualified women available. This was not about making history… this was about the Republicans doing what they always do… doing whatever it takes to win, no matter how dirty the tactics. They are a cutthroat bunch… and quite frankly, the Democrats could learn a thing or two about their aggressiveness and “go for the throat” approach to politics. I have stated several times that Democrats should stop fooling around and get just as serious about winning as the Republicans are. With the Palin decision, the McCain camp has been able to erase any Convention "bounce" that Obama could have gotten. It is amazing that in a year that Democrats should be leading by double digits, we are looking at a horse Race. And the election will ultimately come down to Obama being a Black man and whether White America will be comfortable with that or not. We could be looking at the Bradley Effect on steroids.
Women, including the disgruntled Hillary supporters, should be insulted by McCain’s ploy, which was nothing more than an effort to fool them. It shows that McCain thinks that women are stupid. It’s the same thing that George H.W. Bush did with his nomination of Clarence Thomas. He thought Blacks would appreciate the choice…and he assumed that there was some sort of comparison between Thomas and Marshall. Palin is the same Trojan Horse candidate. McCain has revealed what he really thinks of women with this pick. He assumes (and it may be partially true among some segments of the electorate) that women are not doing their homework, that they are not knowledgeable enough about politics to understand what is really going on…and that they are stupid enough to vote against their own best interests…choosing gender over policy. I hope this doesn’t describe most Hillary supporters. But then again they did tend to represent the less educated women. They also made up a good portion of the 15-20% of people in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere who stated that Race was a factor in their decision to vote for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. But again, McCain and his people understood this very well…so tactically, it may have been a smart move. But morally it was sinister…one of the most sinister political moves that I can recall.
What kind of responsible national leader (who claims to care about the Country) puts such an unqualified person in the #2 spot, especially considering the fact that he could kick the bucket from natural causes at any moment? The VP spot is supposed to inspire confidence among Americans of all political stripes- confidence that there is a proper Shepard in place for the nation if/when they are needed. The Palin choice doesn’t even come close.
Palin recently disrespected the office of Vice President… not only that, but she recently stated, in pure Britney Spears/Paris Hilton style, that she didn’t even know what the Vice President does on a daily basis.
In an interview just a month ago, she said that the VP job didn’t seem “productive.”
From The Huffpost and Politico.
Amazing! You can’t make this stuff up.
I guess she doesn’t understand the responsibility of being ready to launch a counter-attack against foreign enemies if the President is taken out, as I mentioned above. I guess she doesn’t understand the role of the VP as a chief ambassador for the U.S. around the World. I guess she doesn’t understand that the VP has to have the same situational awareness that the President does….which requires the VP to deal with a grueling schedule…to read/and listen to intelligence reports, and maintain his or her own intelligence staff (the VP gets his own daily briefing- just like the President, has his own national security advisor, his own travel staff, has his own military liaisons, etc…almost like a shadow government, so that a possible transition would be seamless). I guess she doesn’t understand the VP’s responsibility as an advisor to the President, Or as the leader in the White House's Situation Room or Emergency Ops Center (if an incident occurs when the President is out of Town). I guess she doesn't understand the VP's official role as the President of the Senate… albeit much of it is ceremonial… on the same token, much of the work with Congress is not merely ceremonial in nature. The VP has been known to push the Presidents agenda through Congress. The VP also sells the Presidents agenda to the American people… with constant appearances on the major political programs (that’s not done so that they can look pretty on TV). In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq… who did we see more than anyone else? Dick Cheney (right or wrong…that will be debated until the end of time… the point here is… that was his role). And I guess meeting with World leaders is a joke to Palin as well. I doubt that she could even name 10 world leaders. Scary!!!! George W. couldn’t name half that number of World leaders when he ran… but stupid American voters put him in office anyway… with the help of shenanigans in Florida. This woman doesn’t seem to have an understanding of any of this.
Here is even more evidence that Sarah Palin is not Presidential or Vice Presidential material. Palin is not even in the same galaxy as a qualified VP candidate.
Had enough yet? If not, there’s more….
Troopergate
Palin is currently the subject of an ethics investigation for abuse of power stemming from the firing of her Public Safety director, Walt Monegan. Monegan apparently didn't agree with Palin's effort to get her brother-in-law fired from his job as a State Trooper. The Trooper is involved in a bitter divorce from Palin's sister. Since Monegan didn't want to go along with the illegal efforts to fire the Trooper, he himself was fired by Palin.
Palin has now had to hire attorney's to defend herself. This is yet another debacle for the Republicans. But it seems that they are so used to political scandal....that they did not see this as a big deal. Corruption seems to be part of the Republican Party's culture. Now I know what the pundits meant when they said that Palin is a "good fit" for John McCain and the Republican Party.
Read the Story of Trooper Mike Wooten, and Why Walt Monegan was Fired.
(Do we really want a woman like this in charge of our government?)
Palin Chooses Oil Industry over the Environment
Palin has also aligned herself with the oil industry in Alaska, fighting for Big oil interests over the States environmental interests. In fact, she even has more extreme right wing views about climate change and the environment than the Bush Administration does… she is in the hip pocket of the Alaskan oil industry. She even threatened to sue the Bush Administration over its decision to list the Polar Bear as threatened, because the decision might harm the oil industry. (Now if the Bush Administration lists the Polar Bear as endangered… then to me, it shows the seriousness of the climate situation and the threat to the Polar Bear’s habitat…which is Sea Ice).
From the Anchorage Daily News:
Below are some of the lies told by Sarah Palin
Sidenote: Palin didn't write the speech....it was prepared for her by Republican handlers.
Lie/Distortion #1: She claimed to be an advocate for Special needs children and presented the McCain/Palin Ticket as Shepards for Childrens health.
Fact: John McCain voted against expanding Schip to millions of American children. Remember the 12 year old boy who Republicans attacked last year? Here's a link to refresh your memory.
Republicans don't have much of a track record supporting the needs of children or the healthcare of Americans.
Lie/Distortion #2: She compared herself to Harry S. Truman (as a way of saying that he was from a small town too....and as a way to deal with the experience question).
Fact: Yes, Truman was from a small town in my home State. But before being nominated for Vice President, Truman had years of experience as an Army officer and Veteran of World War I, was a Judge, and was a U.S. Senator for a decade.
This woman can't be serious.
Lie/Distortion #3: Claimed extensive experience to be VP based on her time as Mayor of Wasilla Alaska, and her one full year as Governor. She claimed in the speech that she would explain what her daily duties were as Mayor... but she never got around to explaining.
Fact: The town of Wasilla had a population of about 6 or 7 thousand when she was Mayor. This is hardly proper preparation to run a Country of 300 million and to deal with a $3 Trillion annual budget....the biggest budget in the World. Pat Buchanan (who Palin once supported) and other respected commentators, and former officials agree....she's not ready. Even Karl Rove agrees; Palin does not meet the qualifications for Vice President.
Lie/Distortion #4: She stated that she has a track record of governing with integrity and goodwill.
Not quite, Mrs. Britney Spears of politics.
Fact: She is currently under investigation in Alaska for ethics violations...(also known as Troopergate) for the wrongful firing of her Public Safety director. Palin wanted the Public Safety director to illegally fire a State Trooper, Mike Wooten, who happened to be Palin's brother in law. Wooten was involved (and still is) in an ugly divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
As if that's not bad enough, before becoming Governor, Palin was involved in the firings of several Wasilla City officials... who she did not agree with politically. These city officials were not fired because they were not doing their jobs...they were fired for petty political reasons. Sarah Palin was also nearly recalled as Mayor of Wasilla.
Lie/Distortion #5: She is a reformer...and she killed the Bridge to Nowhere.
The "Reformer" title is a stretch...and the Bridge to Nowhere story is a lie.
Fact: In Alaska, Palin took full advantage of wasteful earmarks (when she was on the receiving end of the money). She also initially supported the Bridge to Nowhere...and was a big supporter of her mentor Ted Stevens... who was indicted recently on corruption charges. Palin was in cahoots with the same corporate donors who sent money to Stevens. See more on the Bridge To Nowhere from the Huffpost.
Lie/Distortion #6: Claimed that her efforts to develop Alaska's oil industry would lead the nation to energy independence.
Fact: We can't get that much oil out of Alaska...not enough to free us from foreign oil dependence. And even if Alaska had half the oil that would be needed for energy independence... it would take at least a decade before we would see any benefit...and even then, it wouldn't be a significant savings for Americans. The Republicans keep framing the debate...and making voters believe that more drilling today will lead to lower prices at the pump next week. That's not going to happen.
The best way to achieve energy self sufficiency is to use a broad mix of sources (including some additional drilling)... but the main focus should be to move from oil as a mainstay of our energy policy. That's old thinking. Breaking dependence on outside oil will eventually require an energy policy built around new forms of energy....alternative energy... wind, solar, hydrogen vehicles, new battery technology, ethanol, natural gas, nuclear, and limited clean coal resources.
Palin is looking out for Alaska when she is talking about boosting the oil industry there...she's not looking out for the U.S.
Lie/Distortion #7: Obama never wrote or sponsored one piece of reform legislation.
Well....she was partly right... he didn't write or co-sponsor just one piece of legislation on reform... he helped write/ or co-sponsored at least 3. All significant.
This woman is going to be worse than Cheney.... we will have fond memories of Dick Cheney by the time Palin settles in as VP.
Fact: Obama co-sponsored ethics reform legislation as a Senator in the State of Illinois. After entering the U.S. Senate... Obama co-sponsored a Bill curbing gifts and gratuities for members of Congress... He also supported laws that require more transparancy (supported a Federal Website for the public) so that voters can see how Congress is spending their tax money. There have also been other ethics Bills supported or sponsored by Obama.
Highlights:
Honest Leadership & Open Government Act of 2006
Legislative Transparency & Accountability Act of 2007
The Coburn-Obama Bill (Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act of 2006)
Obama's Work in Illinois Senate
Obama's work with Russ Feingold
See Obama's Page on Ethics and Lobbying reform.
Obama has been applauded for his work on ethics and lobbying reform.
Lie/Distortion #8: Obama is against producing energy.
Fact: No response really needed here. But Obama has been the leading candidate (since early in the Campaign), along with John Edwards, for reforming U.S. energy policy and breaking U.S. dependence on foreign oil. McCain didn't become the Alternative Energy guy until he stole Obama's message about 3 months ago. And he only became the "change" candidate about a month ago.
Lie/Distortion #9: McCain will show compassion to the powerless.
Fact: McCain's record simply does not match the infomercial that the Britney Spears of politics was trying to promote.
From SCHIP (healthcare for poor/needy children) to his lack of support for a better GI Bill for Veterans... and his 19 votes against raising the minimum wage; (and so many other issues) McCain's record just doesn't match the rhetoric.
Lie/Distortion #10: She stated she received more votes as Mayor than Joe Biden received during his latest run for President.
Fact: She wasn't even remotely close to the truth on this. As a matter of fact, she wasn't close to the truth on hardly any of her major claims.
The plane she sold on Ebay?
ANOTHER LIE
The above list represents lies that I caught myself... Fact Check may have more. See here.
************************************
Sarah Palin Would Make A Great Vice President
...of her local PTA
Post Link
Sarah Palin's Secessionist Background
Sarah Palin - A former Secessionist. Learn About Her Secessionist Connections. (Let's see how long it takes the Mainstream media to really look into this). hat tip to the Jed Report.
Clearly Unqualified
This woman is not qualified to be dogcatcher. The idea that we can have the Paris Hilton of politics half a heartbeat away from the Presidency should scare the Hell out of anybody with a brain….regardless of Party affiliation. The idea that she could become VP is just as troubling. Yes I said half a heartbeat…. Not the cliché of “one heartbeat away“. We are dealing with a man who is half dead already. Let’s not beat around the Bush. The man is the cousin of Frankenstein.
"Oh Angry Independent, you are just being a sexist pig about this". The Hell I am. The Presidency and Vice Presidency are serious business…. This is not Wasilla Alaska…a town of six, seven, or eight thousand with a budget of a few million dollars. Being a beauty pageant girl, the Mayor and City Council member for a very small town, Being the Governor of Alaska - one of the smallest States by population- for only one full year does not make you ready for the second highest office in the land. It doesn’t come close to making you ready.
This is not about gender for me. I have no problem at all with a female Vice Presidential candidate or even a female Presidential candidate. I have no problem with that whatsoever. In fact, I would like to see one elected in the near future, it has been long enough. But don’t send me the Paris Hilton of politics. Give me a woman who is actually qualified for the job. I guess Kay Bailey Hutchison was unavailable. Was Elizabeth Dole unavailable as well? What about Olympia Snowe (A damn political giant….regardless of what you think about her Party or her politics)? But Olympia Snowe is not Conservative enough. There are at least 2 or 3 other powerful Republican women I could name…. But the 3 I mentioned pretty much make my point. These are Margaret Thatcheresque Stateswomen who, without any doubt, could handle the job of Vice President or President. But McCain is off his rocker. He couldn’t do any better than give us a beauty pageant contestant?
More of the Same Sinister Republican Politics
This was a sinister choice designed for 2 purposes: #1. To exploit the weaknesses within the Democratic Party and to steal some of the female Hillary Clinton supporters who are still upset about the Primary and who are reluctant to vote for a Black candidate…and simply needed an excuse to jump to the other side (even if it means voting against their own interests). And #2. To inject some energy into his Conservative political base. It has been reported that the McCain campaign received $10 million or more in the 2 days that followed the Palin announcement, despite the fact that she isn’t even close to being qualified. Her Conservative credentials trump everything else.
So yes… it was a sinister choice….and tactically, it was brilliant. I will admit that. It was clearly a ploy to fool voters. And unfortunately, it may work for McCain. Why? Because American voters are woefully stupid when it comes to politics, current events, world affairs, history, understanding why at least some qualifications are important for President and Vice President, knowledge of candidates and the issues, etc. Most voters couldn’t tell you who their local members of Congress are. So yes, it appears as though voters are taking the bait on Sarah Palin. And McCain understood this woeful ignorance among the American electorate…and took advantage of it, like only Rovian Politics could.
The Hillary supporters have been rejoicing about the Palin choice…. Giving credence to the McCain approach….showing why and how it just might work…and why it may have been a brilliant move. Only time will tell for sure. But on the same token I think that the rejoicing of the disgruntled Hillary supporters says a lot more about them than it does about McCain’s choice… a choice that some are calling “inspired”… inspired my ass…. Inspired by Karl Rove tactics… that’s about all the inspiration I see behind this choice. This was a calculated, sinister move…. Period! What does this say about the disgruntled Hillary supporters who are now celebrating the Palin pick and will vote for McCain? It shows one of two things (or both). #1. That these women were primarily concerned about gender all along, and were not really Progressive Democrats concerned about their greater interests and the best interests of the Country. They are willing to vote against their own best interests to put a women into the Presidency or Vice Presidency. Or #2. These women (especially White Female Hillary supporters) were so full of racial prejudice that they were looking for an excuse not to vote for a Black candidate. Some probably were not going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. It also shows that many of these women were more Conservative than some may have believed…which might explain Hillary’s Conservative campaign tactics in the Primary, and her support among so many White Moderates and Independents in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Many of the Hillary Clinton/Palin supporters are women who are new to politics and have never really followed events closely before. This may be all new to many of them. These women were attracted to the current political cycle when Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy. So some of this erratic behavior on the part of Hillary supporters should not be all that surprising. It's troubling....but it shouldn't necessarily be surprising. Their main concern all along (this is what I noticed) seemed to be gender...not policy. Gender was Hillary Clinton's appeal to many of these women... not much else. That is why they saw any attack on Clinton's positions as an attack on her womanhood....because for them, it was all about getting a woman elected. So far, women's views of Palin seem mixed.
Some women seem to like her, while others are not being fooled by the Republican tricks.
And it turns out that McCain didn’t even know this woman. How do you offer the #2 spot to a person that you don’t even know? It appears that this may have been more of a spur of the moment move. Definitely not a good thing when you are talking about the Vice Presidency. Despite this, Republicans seem to be overjoyed by McCain's choice- not surprising. They are already spinning it to their advantage, and the mainstream media (as usual) allows the Republicans to frame the discussion on their terms. This is a person who essentially becomes President the moment John McCain is incapacitated (the swearing in nonsense is for the cameras…to promote confidence in the Nation if the unthinkable happens). The VP has authority over nuclear forces (they have their own football unit that travels everywhere with them), they can control the armed forces…if something catastrophic were to happen and the President can’t be reached, and he has his own National Security Advisor, military attaché, and on and on. This is not the PTA. But McCain didn’t think this was important. This is a person who he only talked to briefly once or twice…and offered the job after meeting her once. Good Lord!!! What does this say about the man’s judgment in general terms? Is this the kind of man who should be in charge during a crisis with Russia, China, Israel, Iran, or Pakistan or any other significant geo-political crisis? I know I don’t want McCain chairing these crisis meetings in the situation room. I definitely don’t want McCain in charge of the nations armed forces, especially the nuclear arsenal.
I have not had time to post about Palin over the last few days because I have been swamped…. But another reason is that I keep finding out more and more interesting things about this woman that are blowing my mind. I feel like a bloodhound … I keep digging things up and I’m not even looking hard. Details keep emerging about this woman faster than I can adjust and wrap my brain around them. And she was vetted? Vetted by who? She certainly wasn’t fully vetted by the McCain camp. But the blogosphere will certainly have a field day doing what the McCain camp was too lazy to do. Now even the usually lazy mainstream media is finding that Palin is a Gold mine. Hopefully there are a few real investigative journalists who won’t let McCain and Palin off the hook.
This choice shows that McCain is a gambler….and is subject to making rash decisions. Is this the kind of person who should be in the White House? I mean, the Bush administration is full of evil bastards…. Perhaps a few crazy evil bastards… but even they have a certain level headedness, despite being arguably the most reckless Administration in American history. McCain seems to lack this important trait.
If McCain was really inspired to choose a woman…. If McCain genuinely wanted to put a woman on the ticket and make history, there were qualified women available. This was not about making history… this was about the Republicans doing what they always do… doing whatever it takes to win, no matter how dirty the tactics. They are a cutthroat bunch… and quite frankly, the Democrats could learn a thing or two about their aggressiveness and “go for the throat” approach to politics. I have stated several times that Democrats should stop fooling around and get just as serious about winning as the Republicans are. With the Palin decision, the McCain camp has been able to erase any Convention "bounce" that Obama could have gotten. It is amazing that in a year that Democrats should be leading by double digits, we are looking at a horse Race. And the election will ultimately come down to Obama being a Black man and whether White America will be comfortable with that or not. We could be looking at the Bradley Effect on steroids.
Women, including the disgruntled Hillary supporters, should be insulted by McCain’s ploy, which was nothing more than an effort to fool them. It shows that McCain thinks that women are stupid. It’s the same thing that George H.W. Bush did with his nomination of Clarence Thomas. He thought Blacks would appreciate the choice…and he assumed that there was some sort of comparison between Thomas and Marshall. Palin is the same Trojan Horse candidate. McCain has revealed what he really thinks of women with this pick. He assumes (and it may be partially true among some segments of the electorate) that women are not doing their homework, that they are not knowledgeable enough about politics to understand what is really going on…and that they are stupid enough to vote against their own best interests…choosing gender over policy. I hope this doesn’t describe most Hillary supporters. But then again they did tend to represent the less educated women. They also made up a good portion of the 15-20% of people in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere who stated that Race was a factor in their decision to vote for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. But again, McCain and his people understood this very well…so tactically, it may have been a smart move. But morally it was sinister…one of the most sinister political moves that I can recall.
What kind of responsible national leader (who claims to care about the Country) puts such an unqualified person in the #2 spot, especially considering the fact that he could kick the bucket from natural causes at any moment? The VP spot is supposed to inspire confidence among Americans of all political stripes- confidence that there is a proper Shepard in place for the nation if/when they are needed. The Palin choice doesn’t even come close.
Palin recently disrespected the office of Vice President… not only that, but she recently stated, in pure Britney Spears/Paris Hilton style, that she didn’t even know what the Vice President does on a daily basis.
In an interview just a month ago, she said that the VP job didn’t seem “productive.”
From The Huffpost and Politico.
Larry Kudlow of CNBC’s “Kudlow & Co.” asked her about the possibility of becoming McCain's ticket mate.
Palin replied: “As for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?
Amazing! You can’t make this stuff up.
I guess she doesn’t understand the responsibility of being ready to launch a counter-attack against foreign enemies if the President is taken out, as I mentioned above. I guess she doesn’t understand the role of the VP as a chief ambassador for the U.S. around the World. I guess she doesn’t understand that the VP has to have the same situational awareness that the President does….which requires the VP to deal with a grueling schedule…to read/and listen to intelligence reports, and maintain his or her own intelligence staff (the VP gets his own daily briefing- just like the President, has his own national security advisor, his own travel staff, has his own military liaisons, etc…almost like a shadow government, so that a possible transition would be seamless). I guess she doesn’t understand the VP’s responsibility as an advisor to the President, Or as the leader in the White House's Situation Room or Emergency Ops Center (if an incident occurs when the President is out of Town). I guess she doesn't understand the VP's official role as the President of the Senate… albeit much of it is ceremonial… on the same token, much of the work with Congress is not merely ceremonial in nature. The VP has been known to push the Presidents agenda through Congress. The VP also sells the Presidents agenda to the American people… with constant appearances on the major political programs (that’s not done so that they can look pretty on TV). In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq… who did we see more than anyone else? Dick Cheney (right or wrong…that will be debated until the end of time… the point here is… that was his role). And I guess meeting with World leaders is a joke to Palin as well. I doubt that she could even name 10 world leaders. Scary!!!! George W. couldn’t name half that number of World leaders when he ran… but stupid American voters put him in office anyway… with the help of shenanigans in Florida. This woman doesn’t seem to have an understanding of any of this.
Here is even more evidence that Sarah Palin is not Presidential or Vice Presidential material. Palin is not even in the same galaxy as a qualified VP candidate.
Had enough yet? If not, there’s more….
Troopergate
Palin is currently the subject of an ethics investigation for abuse of power stemming from the firing of her Public Safety director, Walt Monegan. Monegan apparently didn't agree with Palin's effort to get her brother-in-law fired from his job as a State Trooper. The Trooper is involved in a bitter divorce from Palin's sister. Since Monegan didn't want to go along with the illegal efforts to fire the Trooper, he himself was fired by Palin.
Palin has now had to hire attorney's to defend herself. This is yet another debacle for the Republicans. But it seems that they are so used to political scandal....that they did not see this as a big deal. Corruption seems to be part of the Republican Party's culture. Now I know what the pundits meant when they said that Palin is a "good fit" for John McCain and the Republican Party.
Read the Story of Trooper Mike Wooten, and Why Walt Monegan was Fired.
(Do we really want a woman like this in charge of our government?)
Palin Chooses Oil Industry over the Environment
Palin has also aligned herself with the oil industry in Alaska, fighting for Big oil interests over the States environmental interests. In fact, she even has more extreme right wing views about climate change and the environment than the Bush Administration does… she is in the hip pocket of the Alaskan oil industry. She even threatened to sue the Bush Administration over its decision to list the Polar Bear as threatened, because the decision might harm the oil industry. (Now if the Bush Administration lists the Polar Bear as endangered… then to me, it shows the seriousness of the climate situation and the threat to the Polar Bear’s habitat…which is Sea Ice).
From the Anchorage Daily News:
The State of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin said.
She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts.
Palin argued there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.
Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, Palin said.
The announcement drew a strong response from the primary author of the listing petition.
"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Alaska deserves better."
Siegel said it was unconscionable for Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to sea ice, the polar bear's habitat.
"Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming," she said. "The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."
As marine mammals, polar bears are regulated by the federal government, not the state. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne last week made the listing decision and said it was based on three findings.
"First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival. Second, the polar bear's sea-ice habitat has dramatically melted in recent decades. Third, computer models suggest sea ice is likely to further recede in the future," he said.
Summer sea ice last year shrank to a record low, about 1.65 million square miles, nearly 40 percent less than the long-term average between 1979 and 2000.
Palin’s Connections To Other Corruption Scandals
There are also questions about Palin’s connections to the VECO Corporation, the same company at the center of the Ted Stevens corruption case. She has apparently been in bed with these folks for a number of years. Reformer? I don’t think so. She’s playing the game of wagging her finger at the oil industry with one hand, and taking their money with the other.