The African American Roundtable for This Week

Here is a great African American Roundtable discussion, from NPR's News and Notes program.

This segment was taken from Thursday, April 5th.

The panel discusses Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) fundraising; Shaquanda Cotton- the Paris, Texas, teen who was serving a seven-year jail sentence for pushing a hall monitor is released; and Newt Gingrich calls Spanish a "ghetto" language.

Farai Chideya is joined by political consultant Walter Fields; economist and author Julianne Malveaux; and Ron Christie, former special assistant to President George W. Bush.

LISTEN TO PROGRAM

Thousands Expected For Pat Tillman Event

But What About Lavena Johnson?

Thousands are expected to take part in the annual Pat Tillman Run to benefit the Tillman Foundation.

However, another horrific Army death is not being covered at all by the mainstream Corporate media. Lavena Johnson was not rich or white. She was not a star pro-athlete who gave up a multi-million dollar NFL contract to join the U.S. Army. Lavena did not receive the hero send-off, nor the big fanfare upon the return home, like Tillman. And she certainly is not being immortalized like Tillman is today. Lavena did not make good propaganda footage for the Bush Administration.

But Lavena was a standout High School student...and was active in her church. She was also active in her community where she enjoyed helping others. She did the kinds of things that often go unsung.

Why is the Lavena Johnson case being overlooked by big media? Once again... (just like with the Darfur situation) this may be a case where the networks feel that the life of a Black individual is just not that important when compared to a Pat Tillman....a rich white man.... or even when compared to a white stripper for that matter.

I hate to bring up the issue of race.... and never intended to....but at this point race has to be looked at as a factor. It is pretty obvious that this is playing some role in this situation. Here we have a case that is more horrific than the Tillman case (as terrible as his case turned out to be). But not one story on it outside of the St. Louis Market. Essence Magazine covered the situation in a brief report...but there is only so much that magazine can do with such a limited market.

The BET Network? Bull**** Entertainment Television? PLEASE!!! If I could be President for a day.... one of the first things that I would try to do is close that disgraceful network down and arrest its executes for human rights violations.

This has been a story for only a few bloggers so far.... but I will keep pressing on.... as long as I have this canvas to work with....and as long as the story remains buried.
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Related Post about women in the military

Favs and Pet Peeves

I have been wanting to post a list of loves and hates.... but never seemed to get around to it.

All-time Favorite Movies
-In The Heat Of the Night
-A Bronx Tale
-Once Upon a Time In America
-A Raisin in the Sun
-Mississippi Burning
-Hotel Rwanda

All-time Favorite Music Artists
-Stevie Wonder
-Prince
-Bob Marley
-Curtis Mayfield
-Smokey Robinson
-Santana
-Miles Davis
-Marvin Gaye
-Grover Washington Jr.
-Donny Hathaway
-Boz Scaggs
-George Benson
-David Sanborn
-Herbie Hancock
-James Brown
-Gladys Knight
-Billie Holiday
-Joe Sample
-Roy Ayers
-Earth Wind and Fire
-Aretha Franklin
-Gil Scott Heron
-Chick Corea
-Bob James
-Donald Byrd

(and just about all of the 60's-70's Soul groups).

A Few Favorite Albums
-What's Going On- Marvin Gaye
-Songs In the Key of Life- Stevie Wonder
-Pieces of a Man- Gil Scott
-Kind of Blue- Miles
-Around the World in A Day- Prince


Favorite Meal(s)
-Chicken Cordon Bleu
-Pasta/Shrimp
-Sauteed Vegetables
-& a nice Salad
-I love just about any kind of Pizza...

Favorite Actors/Actresses
-Harvey Keitel
-Sydney Poitier
-James Earl Jones
-Denzel Washington
-Cicily Tyson
-Morgan Freeman
-Robert De Niro
-Halle Berry

Favorite Color
Blue


Things that I Cannot Stand

1. People driving & talking on cell phones...especially while trying to park. STOP IT PLEASE! And the biggest culprits seem to be people who can't drive to begin with.
USE A SPEAKER PHONE!
2. All of these damn movies w/ Black men wearing dresses. WTH? I thought that this would be a temporary thing when Eddie Murphy popularized it. But now it seems to be out of control.
3. Alcohol- Don't drink it, never have, and never will. I have seen this drug destroy too many lives (literally). Particularly the lives of several people in my own family.
4. Being stereotyped because of my race. This stuff can really drive you crazy. I try not to let it control me.
5. The out of control culture of consumerism.
6. Women w/ no substance whatsoever.
7. Poisonous rap music/culture.
8. Racism....injustice.
9. The USA's Anti- Democratic Political System.

What Would Be The First Thing That I Would Do If I Won the Lottery and Became a Multi-Millionaire?

-- Have you ever seen the Dave Chappelle Show episode where Dave has the relationship with Oprah?....Well, it would be something like that when I went back to work (if I would go in at all).

Then I would buy a modest $250,000 home. Once my family was taken care of... I would put together programs to help those who are less fortunate. I might push for the rebuilding of North and West St. Louis.... where large areas appear to have been hit by an atomic bomb.

I would definitely work to start job training programs for the poor in every major city in the USA. And I would contribute funds to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa.

A Brief Interview With John Edwards

John Edwards Interviewed After a New Hampshire Town Hall Event, on April 2nd.

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

Fundraising totals for the first quarter show that the money race is close for the most popular Democratic candidates. Obama is right on the heels of Hillary Clinton. By some measures Obama is doing better than Clinton, considering that he had twice the number of donors.

John Edwards is 3rd among Democratic candidates with a healthy $14 million.

But this obscene chase for money also shows the sickness of American Democracy. We essentially live in a system where leaders are selected based on who is the best fundraiser, rather than on the substance of the issues, the plans and platforms of the candidates, the track record, skill, charisma, and experience of the candidates, etc.

A system of publicly funded campaigns is desperately needed. In such a system, each major candidate would have the same amount of money. Candidates would no longer gain a huge advantage based on how many rich friends they have. This would go a long way towards leveling the playing field.

Public Campaign funding Needed

Article from Open Democracy.net

The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee Says "Fair Elections Needed"

CampaignMoney.org

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My previous comments on this subject

On a Related Note: Amy Goodman recently spoke with Congressman Dennis Kucinich on the Democracy Now program.

Kucinich: "This Isn't American Idol, We're Choosing the President of the United States" - Kucinich on Corporate Media Campaign Coverage

Watch/Listen to Democracy Now Segment Here

Uncle Ben and Marketing Racism - Pimping Uncle Ben

AAO says: Yeah, they are making him the fake Chairman, but show me the money! This appears to be nothing more than a PR Scam, yes Mars, marketing 101.

What's up? Are black folks not buying "Uncle Ben's products like they use too?

Are the family members of the original “Uncle Ben" receiving his (long past due) Chairman's salary and royalties? Yeah we said it, money - $$$. If they (descendents) are not available, are nonprofit HBCU's, or inner city boys and girls clubs getting any $$$.

This is pure bogus to us. A fake Chairman of the Board. Soon they will be placing Kentucky Fried Chicken, Col. Sanders in Black Face"

Read more about the new Uncle Ben in the New York Times article titled:

Uncle Bean, Board Chairman

A racially charged advertising character, who for decades has been relegated to a minor role in the marketing of the products that still carry his name, is taking center stage in a campaign that gives him a makeover — Madison Avenue style — by promoting him to chairman of the company.

Newspaper ad and image of Uncle Ben in his office, Masterfoods USA

A Web site for Uncle Ben’s, unclebens.com, offers a look at his executive office.

The character is Uncle Ben, the symbol for more than 60 years of the Uncle Ben’s line of rices and side dishes now sold by the food giant Mars. The challenges confronting Mars in reviving a character as racially fraught as Uncle Ben were evidenced in the reactions of experts to a redesigned Web site (unclebens.com), which went live this week. Read More>

Nursing a Terrible Cold!!!

Suffering from a serious Cold! Head Congestion, Sore Throat, Nose out of order, Headache, ugly cough, sore lungs, weak.... I have it all. It would be nice if I had a beautiful young lady- any one of my wifeys- to feed me soup (Alyssa Milano, Alicia Keys, Rachael Ray, Nicole Ari Parker, Bianca Lawson, Rachel True, Essence Atkins, Lark Voorhies, Nicole Lyn, Lisa Bonet, Gabrielle, Halle, Sanaa Lathan, Michelle Rodriguez.....any one ...or two.. of you would be great.) I may have to go to the ER for this one.... but I will try to see if it gets any better. I'm one of the millions of Americans who lack adequate health insurance, so I don't want to deal with Hospitals unless absolutely necessary.

I had a list of things to write about...but I doubt if I will get around to doing much posting for the next couple of days. Most of you who know my writing pattern know I do most of my posting at the beginning of the week....because what little free time I have is at the beginning of the week.

However... I have almost 900 posts in the archives. There are a lot of gem posts on this site.... documentary videos, audio documentaries, all kinds of interviews, music, political commentary, and my own writings (Check out "My DMV Nightmare"). A lot of the things I post here are not found on many other sites.

There is enough material on this site to last you a month.

Also check out the PBS documentary "The Insurgency". This is an outstanding program that you can watch online. There are dozens of other gems. Just use the blogs search feature.

I also hope to change the site around at some point.... It has been a year and 3 months with the same look. But I don't have the technical savvy that I would like to have. I would like to keep the functionality that I have now....but change the color scheme. I also want to keep all archives in tact.... The Dubois image is also a keeper. Why do I use the image? For one.... he was a Civil/Human/and Justice Rights advocate who's views are often close to my own. His struggle with race (from outside and from within) is a struggle that I relate to. His quest to make change through writing, fighting for what was right non-violently, through challenging the logic of racism & injustice, and fighting for change through good strategy and by trying to impact policy.... these are still the best ways to deal with injustice today. Not knocking the work of others.... protests have in the past been very effective. But those 50's and 60's protests (the effective ones) were often connected to a larger plan and strategy... seldom were they effective on their own, isolated from a larger vision.

I'm not an academic genius like Dubois, but I relate to his visionary spirit. And he was relentless and told the truth, and was Socratic in his approach...always asking important questions and stirring debate. MLK was great, but his image is too generic. Plus he was a religious figure. I prefer a more secular figure as the image for the blog. Booker T. Washington was great too.... Booker T. and Dubois were both right about their positions a Century ago....although Booker T. would be considered more Conservative today. And Booker T. Washington's image is used quite a bit already (Booker Rising). So Dubois was my choice when I looked for an image that would say a lot about my blog. Dubois' vision is still so relevant to what is happening today. Since I am an Independent (an Independent Progressive with a few Conservative Tendancies, lol)....Dubois was the better fit as a symbol of what I believe.

I will need some assistance figuring out how to improve the site and create a more mellow scene for the eyes. I picked the current template because I didn't know how to do my own....and because of its functionality& structure.... not because of the color. Pink or Rose color is not really me, lol.

I'm thinking Blue, Black, Brown (earthtones).... these are colors that I generally prefer.

I thought about Wordpress....but migrating a blog is way over my head. lol. I researched the blog migration process and found it to be far to complicated....too much labor involved as well.

So I will be staying with blogger. Also.... I don't care for Wordpress' functionality for authors.

Blogger is easier to work with IMO.

Jib Jab Satire of American Corporate News Industry

Priceless!!!! ....and so true. Hat Tip to The Moderate Voice.

What We Call the News Send To Friends Funny Animations at JibJab

Iraq Violence Still Intense Despite Security Plan

Dead Bodies Outside of the Tal Afar Morgue

John McCain must have been suffering from a severe case of dementia when he stated last week that the U.S. was finally turning the corner and making significant progress in Iraq. How long have we been "turning the corner" in Iraq? They (the neo-cons) have been saying this for the past 4 years. The U.S. has been turning the same corners over and over again, since it has been in Iraq.

It's that strange neo-con Republican reality kicking in again.... Their perception of reality is usually different from the reality that the rest of us see. McCain has boxed himself into a tight corner on the Iraq issue; so much so that his entire Presidential campaign hinges on the outcome of the U.S. adventure there. This is why McCain wants to paint such a rosy picture of Iraq.... he has a big stake in making sure the public hears more good news than bad news.

But aid groups who are on the ground everyday paint a different picture. These are aid groups who have no political motives...they are not running for office. They say that living conditions in many areas are on the decline in Iraq.

Not to mention the upsurge in violence that occurred last week throughout Iraq, particularly in the town of Tal Afar. At least 150 Iraqis were killed in that town alone, in one attack. As I have mentioned in earlier postings regarding the U.S. troop surge, insurgents decided long ago that they would move out of Baghdad and would hit other parts of the country, in anticipation of increased security in the Capital. This is exactly what is playing out. A Truck Bomb last week was also the deadliest bombing attack since the war in Iraq began, more than 4 years ago.

There was another troubling aspect of the Tal Afar killings- Iraqi Policemen (Shias) were involved in revenge massacres. What does that say about the security situation in Iraq? Can these security forces be trusted with the country? Can the U.S. expect these people to Stand Up and provide security for their country, while maintaining the letter of the law and establishing legitimacy that the masses will respect once U.S. forces supposedly leave? ("Supposedly" because I have always felt that the whole idea of the U.S. leaving Iraq anytime within the next decade was probably a falsehood....but the media has taken that bait hook, line, and sinker).
Many analysts have pointed out that many of these Police officers and Army soldiers owe their primary allegience to their tribe and sect, before any alliegance to their jobs.

Even more troubling was the fact that many of the Iraqi officers involved in the massacres were recently arrested, but quickly released. To me, that move doesn't encourage all Iraqis to have confidence in their government.....especially the Sunni minority. This will only lead to more sectarian trouble down the road, because Sunnis will continue to feel that they have no chance at justice and fairness through "legitimate" avenues. Therefore, they will instead be more willing to seek help from Sunni militant groups.

Innocent Iraqi children were also ruthlessly mowed down by militants in last weeks bloody violence. Ironically, the victims were both Sunni and Shia children, playing together when they were killed. I would like to ask the Muslim radicals (cowards) where in the "Holy" Quran does it say slaughtering innocent babies is one of the Islamic virtues that must be followed in order to be a good Muslim?

Iraqi deaths were up 15% in March despite crackdown. And U.S. Troops have also paid a heavy price in Iraq over the last month- the first full month of the so-called security crackdown. The U.S. death toll in March was nearly double the toll of the Iraqi Army.

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The Moderate Voice Also Covered this Story

U.S. Surges & Iraq Violence Upsurges

Is The Surge Working?