Blogging Light

I may be missing in action for the next week or so. I have some issues to deal with.

I'm a little tired of blogging at the moment anyway. It is beginning to drain me.... with all the negative news. There is George Bush with his usual stupidity, and the (s)election campaign and the Swiftboating of Barack Obama (I knew it was coming... But I wish they would have gotten it over with earlier before our "hopes" got too high). Then there is the beast Hillary Clinton with her race baiting tactics.... where she has now turned everything around to make it Obama's fault. This adds a whole new meaning to "blaming the victim".

It's amazing that Obama's "Blackness" will end up being his downfall afterall.... even though he tried his damndest to run a smooth, clean, race neutral campaign that tried to put a focus on the issues. He was smeared anyway. Clinton's aim was to brand him with the "Black candidate" label, and with the help of her allies in the White Corporate media, she has now been successful. Gravity will take over & do the rest now. That says a lot about the United States of Amerikkka....when you are a Black or minority political figure and you try to deal with the merits of issues... they still find a way to use race against you. But it should be no surprise in one of the most racist nations in the World. It just confirms all many of the reasons why I hate being a Black man in this Country.

How do you have all of this scrutiny aimed at Obama regarding his former Pastor Reverend Wright.... and there is no one asking John McCain to denounce, reject, etc... a known bigot and hate monger who's endorsement McCain happily and publicly accepted? This is so ass backwards that I can't even begin to rationalize it... It raises my blood pressure too high.

And what about Hillary Clinton? This woman virtually has a goddamn Cemetery in her closet. David Axelrod is either too stupid or too weak & spineless to find any of the bodies buried inside. It wouldn't be hard to find any.... that scene from Hotel Rwanda comes to mind when Paul Rusesabagina steps out of the car on one of the main roads...and ends up tripping over bodies stacked two deep.

When will someone ask Clinton about her relationship with sweatshop tycoon Willie Tan...ask her to explain everything and ask her if she returned his money...& if not, why not? Mrs. Pro-Labor Rights my ass!!!

When will someone in the White corporate media corner Hillary and ask her about her true involvement in all of the fraud surrounding her Senate Campaign? When will they ask her to talk about her involvement with her finance director David Rosen, who was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury?

When will someone in the White corporate media ask Hillary "The Feminist" Clinton why she violated her feminist principles and defended a brutal wifebeater when she was at the Rose Law Firm?

When will the White corporate media go back and talk with the folks at the Rose Law Firm about Hillary? (The Rose Law Firm = The Rose Cemetary for Clinton).

When will the White corporate media look into Clinton's background at Wal-Mart and her work fighting AGAINST labor rights?

When will the White corporate media investigate Clinton's relationship with Healthcare Industry lobbyists leading up to...and after the absolute failure of her Universal Healthcare campaign?

And there are still a lot of questions left unanswered regarding Travelgate....and a whole host of other issues.

There are enough Skeletons in Hillary's closet to keep a team of good investigative Journalists and Campaign chiefs busy for months.... IF THEY WOULD ONLY LOOK.
And the above is barely the tip of the iceberg.

On top of all of this... The Country seems to be going broke... although it has been broke for a long time. But now it may trickle down to the entire Country. I posted a couple of times...back in 2006 and 2007 on the fact that the American system, as it is today, is unsustainable. Just last year people thought that $90 per barrel oil was a problem, but now it is at $110.00 per barrel.

There has been some more recent analysis on the U.S. economy, but I have not gotten around to posting that information. I am hoping that this is a normal financial correction....and not a global recession...or worse. But the dollar could tank any day now.... it has been on shaky ground for some time. The nation's leaders had a long time to do something about it....but due to a lack of leadership... no action was taken to fix fundamental problems in the nation's economy and with the currency in particular.

On top of all of that, I have issues at home to take care of.... including my own lack of funds. It's one problem after another.

Blogging, usually cathartic, has recently become a drag on the psyche.

______________________________________

On another note... I lost a co-blogger last week. Liberal Arts Dude (Redante) decided that he could no longer contribute. I would like to add another blogger... and my choice will be made with diversity in mind.

I am looking for ways to improve the blog. I am considering scrapping the site and starting over from scratch, because I am not satisfied with the readership situation, or participation (although that has grown by leaps and bounds from what it was a year ago). The bloggers here work hard....

It's annoying to see blogs of lesser quality with much higher readership.
I also find it hard to blog as a "Black" blogger. It's like having a weight attached to your leg when you are trying to sprint (Barack Obama knows a little something about that)....and it never goes away. Bolt cutters can't set you free. It's hard posting the right balance between so-called "Black" issues, and other broader issues that interest me...and issues that we should all be concerned with. Furthermore, there is just so much going on that it's hard to narrow things down...although I have it down to a science.

But I am calling out to anyone who has suggestions on improving the blog (in fact, I am always open to suggestions).

*What kinds of topics would you like to see discussed?
*How could we diversify and broaden the readership? (which is a long term goal of mine)
*More videos/multi-media....less...or just right?
*More original writing? (My time is limited....and so is Rikyrah's i'm sure).

Well... it's time for me to go....

If you have any complaints... contact Rikyrah. Whatever it is... it will probably be her fault anyway.

Good Night ...and Good Luck!

David A. Paterson Sworn In As The 55th Governor of New York

Paterson Is Sworn In
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: March 17, 2008


ALBANY — Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson ascended to New York’s highest office on Monday, pledging civility and unity in government to an ecstatic and palpably relieved gathering of state lawmakers and officials.

Mr. Paterson was sworn in as the state’s 55th governor almost exactly a week after revelations emerged that his predecessor, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, had patronized a prostitute and faced federal investigation.

In a relatively brief speech lasting about half an hour, Mr. Paterson offered soothing rhetoric to an audience that clearly ached to move beyond what has been an unusually sordid ordeal even for Albany, a capital well-acquainted with political scandal.

Speaking to a joint session of the state Assembly and Senate, with senior officials from at least three states in attendance, Mr. Paterson alluded briefly to the Mr. Spitzer’s difficulties over the past year in working with the Democratic-controlled Assembly and Republican-controlled state Senate.

“What we are going to do from now on is what we always should have done: We are going to work together, Mr. Paterson said. “With conviction in our brains and compassion in our hearts and the love for New York on our sleeves, we will dedicate ourselves to principle but always maintain the ability to listen.”

But Mr. Paterson’s inaugural remarks were most striking for what was absent from them.

In a speech with so many nods to other elected officials that even a former lieutenant governor made the cut, Mr. Paterson made no mention of Mr. Spitzer, who plucked him from virtual obscurity to join the ticket for statewide office in 2006, and whose powerful and at times overbearing personality were the central fact of political life here for nearly a year and a half.

Mr. Paterson alluded only vaguely to Mr. Spitzer’s resignation, noting that New York had experienced “a very difficult week.” And though he and his staff have sent signals in recent years that continuity would be a key theme of the transition between administrations, Mr. Paterson made no suggestion that the Mr. Spitzer’s core agenda items deserved to survive even if the former governor’s career did not.

Indeed, Mr. Paterson offered almost no specific policy proposals or promises, though an aide said that the new governor would lay out a more a specific agenda in the days ahead. He hewed closely to the theme of partnership, describing himself as Brooklyn-born, Long-Island-educated, and Harlem-residing, to rousing cheers from elected officials who hailed from each of those areas.

Unlike Mr. Spitzer, who in his inaugural address fifteen months ago fired shot after shot across the bow of Albany’s political establishment, Mr. Paterson warmly embraced the capital’s two other major powers, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.

“Let us grab the unusual opportunities that circumstance has handed us today and put personal politics, party advantage and power struggles aside, in favor of service, in the interests of the people,” Mr. Paterson said.

Rest of Article is HERE.


Congratulation, Governor. May you serve the people of New York well.







Governor Paterson and his family today, at the swearing-in.

JP Morgan Chase to Buy Bear Stearns for $2/Share

From The Wall Street Journal.Com:

Bear Stearns Closes in on Deal
To Sell Itself to J.P. Morgan
By DENNIS K. BERMAN, SUSANNE CRAIG and KATE KELLY
March 16, 2008 5:56 p.m.


Bear Stearns Cos. was closing in on a deal Sunday afternoon to sell itself to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., as worries deepened that the financial crisis of confidence could spread if Bear failed to find a buyer by Monday morning.

People familiar with the discussions said all sides were pushing hard to complete an agreement before financial markets in Asia open for Monday trading. "None of these things is done until they're done," Treasury Department spokeswoman Michele Davis said Sunday afternoon. "But I think everyone's expectation is sometime in the early evening hopefully" the deal will be done.

Terms of the deal were still being hammered out Sunday afternoon. Reflecting the dire situation at Bear, the company is likely to fetch considerably less on a per-share basis than its stock price of $30 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading Friday at 4 p.m. Last year, the shares hit $170.

One stumbling point appeared to be the amount of risk that J.P. Morgan would absorb in any type of transaction. While J.P. Morgan is eager to snap up some of Bear Stearns assets -- such as its prime brokerage business that caters to hedge funds -- Chief Executive Officer James Dimon was reluctant to pursue the deal without certain assurances that would protect his firm's exposure, said people familiar with the matter.

Despite the emergency funding from J.P. Morgan and the Federal Reserve that was announced Friday and gives Bear access to cash for an initial period of 28 days, the clock is ticking against the 85-year-old company. Regulators, bankers and investors are concerned that the firm could plummet even further when markets open Monday. A continued exodus by parties that Bear trades with could even cause the investment bank to collapse.

Federal regulators also are trying to prevent Bear's crisis from mushrooming into a systemic threat to the stability of financial markets and other securities firm, for which confidence is essential to their ongoing operations. Unwinding Bear also would be a nightmare because it trades with nearly every firm on Wall Street.

This is a pretty big story, and I would say tune into all the business channels to see how the market reacts. It's bad out there, folks. And getting worse by the minute.

Trinity UCC's Palm Sunday Statement

Hat tip:Prometheus6:

From the NYTimes.com:

While Senator Obama has distanced himself from the incendiary remarks by his former pastor, including comments about how the United States brought on the Sept. 11 attacks by its own actions abroad, the Chicago church’s current pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss III, issued this statement on Palm Sunday.

Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.

Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ. This does not include weekday worship services, revivals and preaching engagements across America and around the globe, to ecumenical and interfaith communities. It is an indictment on Dr. Wright’s ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite,” said the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

During the 36-year pastorate of Dr. Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ has grown from 87 to 8,000 members. It is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ denomination.

“It saddens me to see news stories reporting such a caricature of a congregation that has been such a blessing to the UCC’s Wider Church mission,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a released statement. “ … It’s time for us to say ‘No’ to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends.”

Trinity United Church of Christ’s ministry is inclusive and global. The following ministries have been developed under Dr. Wright’s ministerial tutelage for social justice: assisted living facilities for senior citizens, day care for children, pastoral care and counseling, health care, ministries for persons living with HIV/AIDS, hospice training, prison ministry, scholarships for thousands of students to attend historically black colleges, youth ministries, tutorial and computer programs, a church library, domestic violence programs and scholarships and fellowships for women and men attending seminary.

Moss added, “The African American Church was born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery has been and continues to heal broken marginalized victims of social and economic injustices. This is an attack on the legacy of the African American Church which led and continues to lead the fight for human rights in America and around the world.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached the Christian tenet, “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Before Dr. King was murdered on April 4, 1968, he preached, “The 11 o’clock hour is the most segregated hour in America.” Forty years later, the African American Church community continues to face bomb threats, death threats, and their ministers’ characters are assassinated because they teach and preach prophetic social concerns for social justice. Sunday is still the most segregated hour in America.

We talked with Angela Faison, a spokeswoman for the church, just moments ago, who verified the statement from the Reverend Moss. We asked her if Senator Obama or his campaign cleared the statement, and she asked: “Why would we do that? We are two separate entities.”

Obama/Rezko....Done. Over and Out.

Obama sat down with the Chicago Media for a be all/end all session on Obama & Rezko.

From the Chicago Tribune:

When we endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination Jan. 27, we said we had formed our opinions of him during 12 years of scrutiny. We concluded that the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him.

Nothing Obama said in our editorial board room Friday diminishes that verdict.

Here are the opinions of 4 Columnists of the Chicago Sun-Times.

As I've said before: there is no 'THERE' there. Glad he finally cleared the air.

Likely Vice Presidential Picks

(at least for Obama....if he gets that far)



In no particular order

*Evan Bayh
*Tom Vilsack (Unfortunately a Clinton supporter at the moment)
*John Edwards
*Jim Webb
*Richard Durbin
*Gen. John Batiste
*Mark Warner
*Bill Richardson
*Rep. Mike Thompson
*John Kerry
*Joe Biden
*Russell "Russ" Feingold
*Gen. Anthony Zinni
*Rep. Jim Marshall (Jim Marshall would be a nightmare for Republicans).
*William Fallon
*Wesley Clark (Clinton supporter unfortunately....perhaps he'll come to his senses)
*Christopher Dodd
*Tim Kaine
*Tom Daschle (barely a good choice... may be seen as too weak or divisive. He also lost his Senate seat & leadership position in 04. But because of his support for Obama, he is someone that Obama may be considering. Very experienced political leader).


This is not a full list... but this would be a good start. Half of those listed are Vets.... the kind of VP candidate that Obama may want to have on his ticket in a General Election matchup with McCain. However, the non-vets are also good choices. He probably couldn't go wrong with any of the above. Although some are supporting Clinton at the present time.

Who do you think Obama will choose as his VP running mate?

William Fallon, Jim Hightower, and the Week in Review

Three great shows from OnPointRadio.


1. A Discussion about Admiral William Fallon.




2. An Interview with Jim Hightower. Hightower is awesome.... He has made my truthtellers list at least once.




3. A Review of the Weeks Events.

Obama on his Pastor

On My Faith and My Church

Barack Obama On NPR

Responds to Clinton on the issue of Michigan and Florida...

Listen Here