Highest Rated Blog Posts

• TheFlyJock's Blog: Tavis didn'

  • From: TheFlyJock
  • Description:

    As boring as the presidential debate on Wednesday night was, everybody was talking it about on Thursday. Everybody except our political commentator, Tavis Smiley. I’m not trying to put him on blast, but I have to wonder why on earth the man who is never at a loss for words -- especially when it comes to his feelings about the candidates’ accountability to black people -- didn’t say a word about that debate.

    The commentary he did on breast cancer was warm and moving, and I know it had an impact on anyone who has lost a loved one the disease. I’m one of those people. My heart goes out to Cheryl, the woman on Tavis’ staff who is bravely undergoing chemo treatments, and we are all praying for the best. As we celebrate “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day,” we hope that his commentary will encourage women to do self exams and to get their yearly mammograms without fail. As Tavis pointed out, black women die from breast cancer more than white women do. Early detection of the disease will help close the gap.

    But why didn’t Tavis say anything about the presidential debate? Granted, he told us he went to the Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige concert and was out very late. But he’s got to have TiVo or DVR or, at the very least, an assistant who could have given him the highlights of the evening. My theory is that he deliberately didn’t mention the debate, and that is troubling to me. It’s troubling because whether you agree or disagree with everything that comes out of his mouth, no one does political commentary better than Tavis. For years, he has deciphered political mumble-jumble and put it in a tight, concise five-minute package that even I could understand. Sometimes all I could do was marvel and say, “Break it down, Tavis, break it down!” I miss those days.

    When I looked at the responses to Tavis’ Tuesday commentary when he told us he was leaving the show because he had so many new and exciting opportunities to pursue, a lot of you flat out didn’t buy it. You held firm to your belief that he couldn’t take the criticism he was getting for being critical of Obama. I have to take him at his word and believe that he believes it’s time for him to move on.

    But before does move on at the end of June, I want him to help me keep the promise I made to you all. I told you that he would keep doing what he had been doing -- saying things that made a lot of you upset. It’s not like the Tavis I know to retreat in the heat of battle. The Tavis I know fights even harder when he’s backed into a corner. The Tavis I know would have and should have been outraged at the presidential debate, and he would have gladly told us why.

    I hope all of you who complained bitterly about the way Tavis was doing his job are starting to see what he was trying do. With no heat on the candidates to discuss issues important to black people, we may just see more of the same.

    Listen to Tavis' Commentary

  • Audio blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 26660

• Inauguration 2009

  • From: snoopi64
  • Description:

    2009 Inauguration guest list
    
    Guests began arriving early. There are no place cards and no name
    tags. Everyone knows everyone else here. Now, there's a grand foursome
    Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz sharing laughs with Martin and Coretta
    Scott King. Looks like Hosea Williams refused the limo again, keeping
    it real. And my goodness; is that Rosa Parks out there on the dance
    floor  with A. Phillip Randolph? Seated at a nearby table, Frederick
    Douglass has a captive audience in W.E.B. DuBois and Fannie Lou Hamer,
    and Medgar Evers has just joined them.
    
    Marian Anderson was asked to sing tonight, but she only agreed to do
    it if accompanied by Marvin Gaye, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.
    Look, there's Harriet Tubman. No one knows how she arrived, but there
    she is. And my guess is that, when the time comes, no one will see her
    leave.
    
    There's Jackie Robinson swiftly making his way through the hall as
    the crowd parts like the Red Sea to the unmistakable sound of
    applause. "Run, Jackie, run!" Along the way he is embraced by Jesse
    Owens.
     
    Three beautiful young women arrive with their escorts - Schwerner,
    Goodman and Chaney. Ms. Viola Liuzzo flew in from Michigan,
    exclaiming, "I could not miss this." Richard Pryor promised to be on
    his best behavior. "But I can't make any guarantees for Redd Foxx and
    Moms Mabley," he chuckled. Joe Louis just faked a quick jab to the
    chin of Jack Johnson, who smiled broadly while slipping it. We saw
    Billy Eckstine and Nat King Cole greet Luther Van Dross. James Brown
    and Josh Gibson stopped at Walter Payton's table to say hello.
     
    I spotted Congressman Adam Clayton Powell of Harlem having a lively
    political discussion with Eldridge Cleaver. Pearl Harbor WWII hero
    Dorey Miller shared a few thoughts with Crispus Attucks, a hero of the
    Revolutionary War. And there is Madam C.J. Walker talking with Marcus
    Garvey about exporting goods to Africa.
     
    General Benjamin O. Davis flew into Washington safely with an escort
    from the 99th Fighter Squadron - better known as The Tuskegee Airmen.
    At the table on the left are three formidable women - Shirley Chisholm,
    Sojourner Truth, and Barbara Jordan - gathered for a little  girl-talk...
    about world politics.
     
    As usual, all the science nerds seem to have gathered off in a
    corner, talking shop.  There's Granville T. Woods and Lewis Latimer
    needling each other about whose inventions are better. Someone
    jokingly asked Benjamin Banneker if he had needed directions to
    Washington. And George Washington Carver was overheard asking, "What,
    no peanuts?"
     
    Dueling bands? Anytime Duke Ellington and Count Basie get together,
    you know the place will be jumping. Tonight is special, of course, so
    we have Miles, Dizzy, and Satchmo sitting in on trumpet, with
    Coltrane, Cannonball, and Bird on sax.
     
    Everyone's attention is directed to the dance floor where Bill
    "Bojangles" Robinson is tap dancing. Right beside him is Sammy
    Davis Jr., doing his Bojangles routine. And behind his back, Gregory
    Hines is imitating them both. Applause and laughter abound!
     
    The Hollywood contingent has just arrived from the Coast. Led by
    filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, Paul Robeson, Canada Lee, and Hattie
    McDaniel, they find their way to their tables. Dorothy Dandridge,
    looking exquisite in gold lamé, is seen signaling to her husband,
    Harold Nicholas, who is standing on the floor with brother Fayard
    watching Gregory Hines dance. "Hold me back," quips Harold, "before
    I show that youngster how it's done." Much laughter!
    
    Then a sudden hush comes over the room.  The guests of honor have
    arrived. The President and Mrs. Obama looked out across the enormous
    ballroom at all the historic faces. Very many smiles, precious few
    dry eyes. Someone shouted out, "You did it! You did it!"
    
    And President Obama replied, "No sir, you did it; you all - each and
    one of you - did it.  Your guidance and encouragement; your hard
    work and perseverance..."
     
    Obama paused, perhaps holding back a tear.
    
    "I look at your faces - your beautiful faces - and I am reminded that
    The White House was built by faces that looked just like yours.
     
    On October 3, 1792, the cornerstone of the White House was laid, and
    the foundations and main residence of The White House were built
    mostly by both enslaved and free African Americans and paid
    Europeans.  In fact, most of the other construction work was performed
    by immigrants, many of whom had not yet become citizens. Much of the
    brick and plaster work was performed by Irish and Italian immigrants.
    The sandstone walls were built by Scottish immigrants.
     
    So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that The White House is,
    ultimately, The People's House, with each President serving as its
    steward. Since 1792 The People have trimmed its hedges, mowed its
    lawn, stood guard at the gate, cooked meals in the kitchen, and
    scrubbed its toilet bowls. But 216 years later, The People are taking
    it back!
     
    "Today, Michelle and I usher in a new era. But while we and our
    family look toward the future with so much hope, we know that we must
    also acknowledge fully this milestone in our journey. We want to thank
    each and every one of you for all you have done to make this day
    possible. I stand here before you, humbled and in awe of your
    accomplishments and sacrifice, and I will dedicate my Presidency, in
    your honor, to the principles of peace, liberty and freedom. If it
    ever appears that I'm forgetting that, I know I can count on you
    to remind me."
    
    ROSA SAT SO MARTIN COULD WALK
    MARTIN WALKED SO OBAMA COULD RUN
    OBAMA WON AND OUR CHILDREN WILL FLY!
    
    Unknown

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 159

• They got OJ, We Got Obama!

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    They got OJ, We got Obama

    By

    Thomas N. Taylor

     

     

    Relax White folk: The Juice is no longer loose!

     

    Whether or not O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole Simpson/Brown and Ron Goldman, no one knows for sure but O.J and God. What is evident however; is that the man is criminally stupid and offensively arrogant; and for that he will spend the majority of the balance of his life behind bars.

     

    The amazing side bar to this bizarre scenario is the fact that “O.J. Simpson” was able to convince 5 or 6 six other grown men to cooperate with him in the ridiculous Las Vegas strong arm scheme that led to his ultimate demise; taking with him an obviously clueless friend and pawn.

     

    Considering the entire event was recorded and seemingly otherwise orchestrated, allowing other participants (even the persons actually carrying the guns) to go free; he probably has a strong case for appeal.

     

    But for now according to “the race card” the score is even.  To many, OJ’s going to jail is a concession prize of sorts for Barack Obama’s going to the White House. Others may see this pacification of those haters as a good trade off.

     

    What do you think?

     TNT

  • Blog post
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 238

• Obama ain't Jesus!

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    Obama aint Jesus Christ

    By

    Thomas N. Taylor

    From the African’s first forced landing upon these distant colonial shores in 1619 to election night 2008; the convergence of “Black history and American History was inevitable. The election of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44^th President of the United States marks a seminal moment in our nation’s narrative.

     

    The gritty journey of the African American from the struggles of slavery to his triumphant ascendancy to this countries highest office, is the story of a people personified as Barack Obama.  His success is but representative epilogue for all who came before him and we who now stand with him. And yet there are those who would deny him and us this victory. The anointed intellectuals among us and so call leaders are having a hard time with this scenario.

     

    I watched the “esteemed” Cornel West recently on Tavis Smiley’s program straddling the unstoppable Obama band wagon as he proclaimed how he’s out there campaigning and “pulling for the brother to win on November 4^th” (as if he had another choice) He immediately offered the caveat that “bright and early on November 5^th, should the brother prevail,” he would be in his face “holding him accountable” and otherwise placing demands on the President Elect.

     

    West boasted about how he told the immensely popular candidate Obama, “you’re not Jesus Christ you know” as though Barack had a crisis of identity or just needed to hear that. I wonder if Brother West thinks that if Christ did choose to come back in the form of his choosing, that he’s somehow obligated inform him (West) first? Did Cornel West take the time to inform George W. Bush that he wasn’t God or Hillary that she wasn’t the Queen Mother? Did he pull his boy, Bill Clinton’s coat and break the news to him that he wasn’t really the first Black President. If not then why did he think he just had to rain on the brother’s parade on his way to greatness?

     

    Over the past few months West, Tavis Smiley, Jessie Jackson and others got a kick out of talking about all this brother “aint” and what he aint doing or saying. I submit that Barack Obama aint a lot of things. He aint doing and saying even a lot more; which leaves plenty for somebody else to do. (Any volunteers from the hater’s committee? I didn’t think so.)   

     

    Whatever this brother aint, what he is, is pretty remarkable as is what he’s already done. Right now we should celebrate that and not be in such a big rush to tear him down and place more pressure on him than he already has. Let’s wait and see.   

     

    President elect Obama professes to be a Christian which is suppose to mean that he strives to be Christ like. If he chooses to think that he’s enough like Christ to stand in for him; God help the brother if it’s working for him. ( and it seems to be working) We should encourage him and let Christ take care of the issue of Identity theft if that is indeed the case.

     

    As a people, there are plenty of others who will challenge us and Obama and tell us who we are and who we “aint”. We don’t need each other to punch holes in our sails as we struggle to get off the ground.  We should allow ourselves whatever audacity and boldness necessary to overcome.

     

                All I have to say is; “whoever” the hell this brother, Barack Obama, thought he was, to stand his unknown Black a*# up and not just say but “Believe” against all odds- he could be the President of the United States of America/ the most powerful man on Earth, and go do it; then I say more power to him.

     

    Maybe we all should all take up Christ’s cross, put a big smile on our face and go out and do great historic things. But know this, there will be those among you who will both betray and deny you for the price of a published book deal or TV show.  (aka: a few pieces of silver)Thus is the lot of Christ.

    TNT

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 321

• Just Because He's Black

  • From: SassyorClassy
  • Description:

    A white man asked his black friend, 'Are you voting for Barack Obama just because he's black'?  The black man responded by saying, why not?  Hell, in this country men are pulled over everyday just because they're black, passed over for promotions just because they're black, considered to be criminals just because they're black, and there are going to be thousands of you who wont be voting for him just because he's black!  However, you do not seem to have a problem with that!

    This country was built with the sweat and whip off the slaves back, and now a descendent of those same slaves has a chance to lead the same country where we weren't even considered to be people; where we weren't allowed to be educated, drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, or even vote, so yes, I'm going to vote for him! But it's not just because he's black, but because he is hope, he is change, and he now allows me to understand when my son says he wants to be president when he grows up, it is not a fairy tale but a short term goal, because he sees, understands, and knows, he can achieve, withstand, and do anything just because he's black!

    Take a stand each and everyday of your life!

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 406

• Tavis Quit!!!

  • From: TheFlyJock
  • Description:

    Well, you did it. This isn’t the way you wanted it to happen but it happened anyway. Just like I knew it would.

    
    I got a call from Tavis on yesterday. And he told me he was quitting the show. He told me the reason was that he was tired and has a lot of things going on, and he feels that now is a good time to leave the show.

    We all know that isn’ t the real reason he’s leaving the show. The real reason is that he can’t take the hate he’s been getting regarding the Barrack issue—hate from the black people that he loves so much. He needed to feel the love. We all do, whether it’s from our radio audience or from people we know personally. He wasn’t feeling any love so he quit.
    A while back he told us that I don’t speak for him. But this morning, since he isn’t here to speak for himself I think it’s my job as a colleague and a friend. And maybe this time, you’ll really listen to me.

    Tavis truly loves black people. I tried to tell you that. The hate he’s been getting hurts. He’ll never admit that but it’s true.

    And here’s something you may not want to admit. Black people need Tavis. You may not agree with what he has said, but he said it because he has love for black people. I’ll admit that sometimes listening to him was like trying to figure out the Davinci Codes. I’ll also admit that I wanted to Tavis to show a little more love to Barrack Obama and that I was frustrated over his failure to do so. But what Tavis was saying made us think. It had us talking, it has listening to a different point of view, and it was damn good radio.

    Tavis on the radio, not saying everything that we want him to say is a lot better than not having Tavis on the radio at all. The Tom Joyner Morning Show without Tavis gives our listeners one less reason to tune in, and in case you don’t know, all of us in radio, and in black radio especially are in a battle for our lives. We need good, controversial, compelling radio and Tavis brought that.

    When Tavis put the first Covenant book together, he was on a mission to hold who ever led this nation accountable to black people and to things that were critical to us. At the time, he had no idea that Barrack Obama was going to run for resident. His goal was for EVERY presidential candidate to answer to every covenant in the book during this campaign. He has said all along that he is holding Barrack and all candidates accountable. Dr. King would have done the same thing.

    When asked What Would Dr. King want him to do on this campaign, Barrack has said Dr. King would want him to address the issues.
    That’s all Tavis was asking of him and I think Dr. King would have been proud of Tavis.

    But because Tavis has not come out and said, “I am for Barrack Obama” everybody has started hating on him and threatening him and clowning him and he can’t take it. Those of us who know him well, know that.

    If you read his autobiography, “What I Know for Sure,” you know that no matter how deep his love is, if he feels that he’s right, or that you’re wrong, he doesn’t back down. When his mom made him step down from being class president because his grades were slipping, he didn’t speak to her for two years. His own mama, a single parent of eight,! He lived in her house, ate her food while he sat at her table and didn’t say a word to her for two years. All because he didn’t feel the love that his mom was trying to give him.

    Tavis said the things he said about Obama because he wants the black people that he loves so much to think. But to most of you, it sounded like hate, and it sounded like that to me, too.
    Love or hate, real or perceived, none of it matters now. What matters is that Tavis wants quit the TJMS and that’s real.

    I want you to call him, e-mail him, text him, hug him, kiss him, get him in a corner and wrestle him, and tell him how much you love him and appreciate his love for black people. Everyone needs that sometimes, and Tavis needs it right now.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 13076

• Farrakhan Says Obama 'New Begi

  • From: starchild50
  • Description:

    Daily Cartoon

    (click here to view)

    David Cohen Asheville Citizen-Times Nov 10, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

    *************************

    Obama planning U.S. trials for Gitmo detainees

    President-elect has described camp as ‘sad chapter in American history’

    

    The sun sets in June over Camp Justice and its adjacent tent city, the legal complex of the U.S. Military Commissions, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, in Cuba.

    WASHINGTON - President-elect Obama's advisers are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials, a plan that would make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison but could require creation of a controversial new system of justice.

    During his campaign, Obama described Guantanamo as a "sad chapter in American history" and has said generally that the U.S. legal system is equipped to handle the detainees. But he has offered few details on what he planned to do once the facility is closed.

    Under plans being put together in Obama's camp, some detainees would be released and many others would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts.

    Read More and Watch Video Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27640617/

    *****************************

    High Court to examine Marri terror case

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court could take up a terrorism-related case challenging the President's broad powers of detention, observers say.

     The High Court will decide Monday whether to accept the case of Ali Saleh Kahlah Marri, a legal U.S. resident who was whisked into military detention in 2003 when Bush administration officials charged he was an al-Qaida operative plotting a wave of post-Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported.

    Marri was on trial in federal court in 2003 charged with using a false name and a stolen Social Security number to apply for bank accounts in Macomb, Ill., when Bush ordered he be turned over to the military. Marri was taken to a U.S. Navy brig in South Carolina where he's been held ever since, the newspaper said.

    Read More Here: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/09/High_Court_to_examine_Marri_terror_case/UPI-36011226246841/

    **********************************

    Obamas Visit Bushes At White House

    President-Elect And President Bush Discuss Transition Of Power In Private Meeting Monday

    CBS/ AP)  President-elect Obama and President Bush gathered Monday for their first face-to-face meeting, an Oval Office session that comes during a historic shifting of power to a new administration.
    
    Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived at the South Portico 11 minutes early with President Bush and first lady Laura Bush waiting for them. Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Obama enjoyed a warm greeting, while the president and his successor exchanged smiles and a handshake.
    
    Taking a bit of prerogative, the president-elect put his left hand on Mr. Bush's back as the two couples entered the Diplomatic Reception Room.
    
    "These things can be pretty frosty, but I think this time it won't be that way," said CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer, predicting "a nice and pleasant exchange" despite Mr. Obama's stated intention to undo many of Mr. Bush's initiatives.
    Watch Videos Here:

    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/10/politics/main4587490.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4587490

    And Here:

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/10/obama.bush/index.html?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

    **********************************

    The Bushes, The Obamas & The White House

    CBS' Mark Knoller On The Tradition Of Presidents-Elect And White House Tours

    There’s a lot of play-acting involved when a President-elect of the opposition party is received at the White House by the outgoing President.
    
    It’s not quite as awkward as when the incoming Chief Executive actually defeated the incumbent, as was the case in 1980 when Jimmy Carter welcomed Ronald Reagan to the Oval Office; or in 1992, when the first President Bush had to offer smiles and a handshake to Bill Clinton.
    
    Imagine how you’d feel if you’d been fired and were then required to show your replacement around your office and house?
    
    Barack Obama didn’t beat George W. Bush, but he did beat him up rhetorically. Mr. Obama spent most of the last two years repeatedly making the case that Mr. Bush needlessly took the nation to war in Iraq and ran the economy into a ditch. Not the kind of verbiage that makes for instant cordiality.
    
    And the worst thing Mr. Obama felt he could say about John McCain was that his election would amount to a third term for the Bush Administration.
    
    But Messrs. Bush and Obama are both top-flight politicians. They know how to put politics aside - especially when the whole world is watching. And President Bush wants to be seen rolling out the red carpet for his successor.

    Watch Video Here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/story?id=6217188&page=1

    And Here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/10/obama.bush/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCVideo

    Read More Here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/10/notebook/main4587823.shtml

    **********************************

    Bush leaving office more unpopular than Nixon

    

    President Bush has the lowest presidential approval rating in the history of such polling.On the day that President-elect Barack Obama is visiting the White House, a new national poll suggests that the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the most unpopular president since approval ratings were first sought more than six decades ago.

    Seventy-six percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday disapprove of how President Bush is handling his job.

    That's an all-time high in CNN polling and in Gallup polling dating back to World War II.

    "No other president's disapproval rating has gone higher than 70 percent. Bush has managed to do that three times so far this year," says CNN polling director Keating Holland. "That means that Bush is now more unpopular than Richard Nixon was when he resigned from office during Watergate with a 66 percent disapproval rating."

    Before Bush, the record holder for presidential disapproval was Harry Truman, with a 67 percent disapproval rating in January of 1952, his last full

    Read More Here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/10/bush.transition.poll/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

    **********************************

     

    5 Signs President-Elect Obama Is a Geek

     

    By Matt Blum

    Barack Obama, soon to become the 44th President of the U.S.A., is many things: a statesman, a lawyer, an author, and an orator. It is also our opinion at GeekDad that, even without knowing him personally, we have enough evidence to demonstrate that he is a big geek. Even if you didn't want him to win the election, you have to admit that it would be awesome for him to be not only the first African-American President, but also the first geek President. Here, then, is our evidence:

    1. Obama has pledged to create a cabinet-level Chief Technology Officer for the country. The U.S. CTO would be responsible for making broadband technology readily available to every U.S. citizen, and for fighting the telcos for net neutrality. While this is admirable for many reasons, it seems to us that nobody would make this a central point of his presidential campaign unless he were, on some level, a geek.

    Watch Video Here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/10/politics/washingtonpost/main4587983.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4587983

    Read More Here: http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/11/5-signs-preside.html

    ********************************

     

    Farrakhan Says Obama 'New Beginning'

    CHICAGO (AP) ―

    After months of silence about his support for Barack Obama, Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said in an address Sunday the new president-elect has a God-given capacity to handle any burdens he'll face as the nation's leader.

    Farrakhan added that Obama will only be able to make positive changes with help from "God and people of good will," and he urged the Chicago-based movement's followers to do their part.

    "President-elect Obama has energized all segments of the depressed, downtrodden, rejected and despised," he said in a 90-minute speech at Mosque Maryam on the city's South Side. "Now it is up to us to take the new energy that he has given us ... and channel that energy into making ourselves better."

    Dressed in intricately decorated red and gold robes and matching fez, the once-ailing 75-year-old leader spoke to more than 1,000 followers in an address called "America's New Beginning: President-elect Barack Obama."

    Farrakhan, who said Obama draws a "oneness of spirit" from all people, admitted he stayed quiet about his support for Obama during the past few months out of fear his words would harm the Illinois senator's bid for the White House.

    Watch Video Here: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=77539

    Read More Here: http://cbs2chicago.com/local/farrakhan.obama.new.2.860013.html

     

    *******************************

    David Duke's EURO Conference Meets in Memphis

     

    

    Reported by: Lacey Crisp

    MEMPHIS, TN - Despite being kicked out out of an Olive Branch hotel, and several others, David Duke and his International EURO Conference have found a meeting place.  Duke announced Thursday the meeting would be held at a secret location.  Members gathered Saturday at the Memphis Plaza Hotel & Suites on Shelby Oaks Dr. near Sycamore View Rd.
    
    The group of about 100 participants, met at the East Memphis hotel to discuss issues that Duke says are "vital to European Americans." According to Duke's official website, "The European American Unity and Rights Conference is dedicated to defending the heritage and rights of European Americans."  
    
    Memphis police were on hand in case of any problems, but the event went smoothly.
    
    This is the third International EURO Conference held by the white civil rights activist.  The first EURO Conference was held in New Orleans in 2004. Duke says now is an important time for the group because of President Elect Obama.  Duke says Obama has a record of anti-white racism and is close with an anti-white church leader, Rev. Wright.

    Watch Video Here: http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=f0784783-a8df-48b9-8285-19f2268595cd#BBECDEEMBEDEDPLAYER

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    Obama's Life In Photos

    

     

     

    To View Photos Go Here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-081028-obama-all-pg,0,6564040.photogallery

    *******************************

     

    Police: No Video of Inmate's Death

     

    UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) -- Internal reports at the Prince George's County jail reveal that a video camera failed to record the first five minutes when guards arrived in a cell to find a dead inmate.

    The Washington Post reports it reviewed 13 statements that guards, supervisors and jail nurses provided to internal investigators on the day 19-year-old Ronnie White was found dead.

     

    Watch Video Here: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0908/555544.html

    ****************************

     

     

    Working Poor and Young Hit Hard in Downturn

     

    By ERIK ECKHOLM

     Published: November 8, 2008

    NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1

    PHILADELPHIA — Harvey Shaw’s plans to move out of his parents’ house, finally, have been derailed. With a high school degree obtained belatedly at 21, he had held a full-time job for 26 months as a detailer at a car dealership here, sprucing up new and used cars.

    But in early October, Mr. Shaw, now 24, recalled, “I came back from vacation, and they said they were cutting back and replacing me with part-time workers.”

    Labor experts say the hardships of the gathering recession are sweeping down to hurt the working poor and younger job seekers most of all.

    From the fall of 2007 to this October, the share of 16- to 19-year-olds working fell by 8 percent, the largest decline of any age group, and the outlook for youths and low-skilled workers in coming months is bleak, economists say, with the industries most apt to employ them, like home-building and retail sales, taking steep dives.

    Read More and Watch Multimedia Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/us/09young.html?ex=1383973200&en=28499c89baac0e4d&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

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    Most 'undervotes' cast in counties won by Obama

    An analysis of ballots that had a vote for president but no vote for U.S. senator could have recount implications.

    By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press

    An Associated Press analysis of the nearly 25,000-vote difference in Minnesota presidential and U.S. Senate race tallies shows that most ballots lacking a recorded Senate vote were cast in counties won by Democrat Barack Obama.

    The finding could have implications for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and DFLer Al Franken, who are headed for a recount separated by the thinnest of margins -- 221 votes as of Friday, or about 0.01 percent.

    Though some voters may have intentionally bypassed the race, others may have mismarked their ballot or optical scanning machines may have misread them. A recount to begin Nov. 19 will use manual inspection to detect such ballots.

    Read More Here: http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/34116044.html

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    How to End the Recession

    By Robert Pollin

    November 6, 2008

    

    The collapse on Wall Street is now decimating Main Street, Ocean Parkway, Mountain View Drive and I-80. Since January the economy has shed 760,000 jobs. In September alone, monthly mass layoff 

    claims for unemployment insurance jumped by 34 percent. General Electric, General Motors, Chrysler, Yahoo! and Xerox have all announced major layoffs, along with the humbled financial titans Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. Fully one-quarter of all businesses in the United States are planning to cut payroll over the next year. State governments are facing a tax revenue shortfall of roughly $100 billion in the next fiscal year, 15 percent of their overall budgets. Because states have rules requiring balanced budgets, they are staring at major budget cuts and layoffs. The fact that the economy's overall gross domestic product (GDP) shrank between July and September--the first such decline since the September 2001 terrorist attacks--only confirms the realities on the ground facing workers, households, businesses and the public sector.

    Read More Here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081124/pollin

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    60 Minutes, CBS: Obama's Inner Circle (Video/Transcript)

    by icebergslim

    Nov 09, 2008

    I watched this interview with David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Robert Gibbs and Anita Dunn.  Their poise, effectiveness, showed throughout this interview.  The most important thing, no in-fighting, leaks, drama.  And they talk about how the McCain Campaign did not take them seriously, especially about winning Indiana and North Carolina.

    Read More and Watch Video Here: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/9/214644/606/727/658291

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    Cable News' Future After The Election  

    NEW YORK — Chris Matthews refused to be drawn in to a debate last week when fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough talked on "Morning Joe" about whether President-elect Obama had fumbled the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as his White House chief of staff.

     

    Matthews said he wanted to "do everything I can to make this thing work, this new presidency work."

    Wait a minute. A declaration of political peace? On one of the three cable news networks that has thrived on political combat during the presidential election campaign?

    CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC all knew the end would come. Now the networks must retool, and will learn how many of the new viewers who sought them out over the past year will stick around.

    Read More Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/10/cable-news-future-emafter_n_142612.html

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    Palin's own words: 'Amazing we did as well as we did'

     

    Blames Bush -Snake wearing lipstick!!

     

    Gov. Sarah Palin blames the Bush administration for the failure of the McCain-Palin ticket, thinks people need to move on from the so-called "Troopergate" controversy and has no regrets about state per diem for time spent at her home in Wasilla or state-funded travel for her children.

    Palin also said she loved her time in the national spotlight and won't rule out a run for president or vice president in 2012.

    Those were some of Palin's responses to questions posed Sunday afternoon in a wide-ranging interview with the Anchorage Daily News and KTUU Channel 2 at the governor's Wasilla home.

    Despite the defeat of the Republican ticket at the polls Nov. 4, Palin remains a national media obsession: Greta Van Susteren of Fox News had just finished an interview with her Sunday and was chatting with the governor and her husband in the kitchen. Moose chili cooked in the crock pot and moose hot dogs lay on the table. Palin insisted they weren't a prop for the national media but just how the family likes to dine.

    Watch Video Here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/55562.html

    ***********************************

    Man questioned in Hudson case to stay jailed

    Balfour

    JOLIET, Illinois - The convicted felon questioned in the killings of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew is staying in prison after authorities say a witness reported seeing him with a gun.

    During a 35-minute hearing in Joliet on Monday, authorities decided there's probable cause to hold William Balfour until a Dec. 3 hearing before the full Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

    Board Chairman Jorge Montes says the witness reported seeing Balfour with a gun that matches the description of the .45 caliber weapon used to kill Hudson's family members.

    Read More Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27645234/

    Watch Video Here: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6486018

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    In tough times, layaway makes a comeback

    Ahead of Christmas, plummeting sales spur revival of a ’50s standby

    Hot Shoppes. Green Stamps. Rexall. Layaway.
    Ask your grandparents.
    Wait a minute ... did we say layaway?

    Scratch that — of all the relics of 1950s retailing genius, it’s the one that’s still around. And with Christmas approaching in a time of widespread economic distress, it’s coming back strong.

    “For a lot of people, they’re not going to have credit and they don’t have a lot of money right now, but they want to have a good Christmas,” said Mary Bullock, manager of a Kmart store in Orlando, Fla. “It is a lot different than in years past.”

    Until recently, Kmart Corp. was pretty much the only major retailer that bothered to keep layaway plans prominent among their customer services. The service — in which a customer pays off the purchase price of a product in installments plus a small fee before taking it home — appeared headed for obsolescence two years ago when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shut down its program.

    Read More and Watch Video Here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27582079/

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    US 'in secret overseas strikes'

    The US has carried out nearly a dozen anti-terror attacks in Pakistan, Syria and elsewhere in the past four years, the New York Times has reported.

    

    The US has carried out attacks in Pakistan in recent months

    The previously unreported attacks were authorised in 2004 by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the Times quoted senior officials as saying.

    The order gave US forces permission to attack terror targets anywhere in the world without prior specific approval.

    The Times said the defence department declined to comment on its claims. E SF

    The White House also made no comment.

    Read More Here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7719050.stm

    ********************************

    MGM first to post full-length features to YouTube

    - Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios, better known as MGM, will be the first major movie studio to post full-length feature films on YouTube, the company announced Sunday.

    CNET News reported on Thursday that YouTube was preparing to launch a feature-film service after spending months smoothing over fractured relationships in Hollywood.

    MGM will likely not be the last studio to post full-length feature films on YouTube, according to an industry source. Last summer, Lionsgate announced a partnership with YouTube, but that deal calls for the studio to offer only short clips from films and TV shows. MGM will also post TV shows on YouTube, according to multiple reports published on Sunday.

    For Google, YouTube's parent company, the deal is a turning point in its relationship with Hollywood. There was lots of distrust and bitter feelings in entertainment circles after the way Google dealt with copyright infringement on its site. But that was when Google was in the driver's seat. Back then, thousands of YouTube's users would post clips from TV shows and films on the site and YouTube executives told the studios they were powerless to prevent it--all the while YouTube amassed an enormous following.

    Read More Here: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20081110/tc_cnet/8301102331009228393

    Starchild: I suggest all future HD television purchases = LCD with PC connectors -  VGA at the very least!

    ***************************

    Terminator Salvation Footage! Possibly Leaked!

    

    The fact that this new Terminator Salvation footage has popped up randomly leads me to believe that it hasn’t been officially released, so catch it while you still can. The video is called Terminator 4: The Art of Martin Laing and features a male (I assume it’s Martin Laing) talking about designing the new Terminators and then seeing them come to life. The footage shows a huge Transformer like Terminator called the Harvester, and we also get a glimpse at some motor cycle-type Terminators.

    Watch it below!

    http://filmonic.com/terminator-salvation-footage

    *****************************

    Miriam Makeba dies after collapsing on stage

    The story

    Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid, died after collapsing on stage in Italy. She was 76.

    In her dazzling career, Makeba performed with musical legends from around the world -- jazz maestros Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon -- and sang for world leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela.

    "Her haunting melodies gave voice to the pain of exile and dislocation which she felt for 31 long years. At the same time, her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us," Mandela said in a statement. Read full article »

    Watch Video Here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/10/obit.makeba.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCVideo
    

    ******************************

    Jheryl Busby Former Motown President  has died.

    

     

    b. 5th May 1949, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

    d. 4th November 2008, Malibu, California, U.S.A.

    Former Motown President and Chief Executive, Jheryl Busby has died. He was 59.

    He was found dead in the hot tub at his home in Malibu.

    The cause was accidental, probably natural, although this had not been initially determined, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office stated.

    During his career, Jheryl worked for Stax Records, MCA Records, DreamWorks Records and Def Soul Classics.

    He, also, developed the careers of Boyz II Men, Queen Latifah and Johnny Gill.

    Jheryl Busby commenced his business career at Mattel Toys, starting as an inventory clerk and ultimately promoted to new-toy coordinator.

    In 2004, he founded Def Soul Classics Records, signing LaBelle and the Isley Brothers, and two years later continued his partnership with LaBelle by starting Umbrella Recordings.

    In 1998, Jheryl Busby also became a majority stakeholder in Founders National Bank, the first African-American-owned and operated commercial bank in California.

    Read More Here: http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Respect.html

    *********************************************

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 277

• Lessons Learned from this Pres

  • From: E_Joyce
  • Description:

    To say that I am emotionally, even physically exhausted by this election is an understatement.   This election has generated more frustration, wonder, profound astonishment, infused with lots of creative writing.  Heck, I made it into the hallowed halls of Huffington Post three times.   I have volunteered in ways I would never have imagined, spoken out in the fitness gym, in the grocery store, even in the sauna to perfect strangers -- about this election.  I feel as though I am addicted to CNN and Jon Stewart.  So I decided to sit down and determine what, if anything, I learned from this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

     

    Lesson One: Truth does not have the same definition for everyone.  What both baffled and frustrated me was how many people chose to listen to only what they wanted to hear, bending the truth to fit what they perceived to be reality.   The notion that someone could repeatedly tell one who they are, show them who they are, tell them again who they are….only to have the same people say “I don’t  really know who you are” tells me you just don’t really want to know, What I took away from this is that there are people who have a very clear view, in their minds, of who people are according to race, gender, physical characteristics.  When someone does not fit that view and, in fact, destroys that view, some become uncomfortable, some become suspicious, others become angry.  Because you now have to see them as they are, not as you want them to be.  And you can't pretend they aren't there, as you have in the past.  So you look for anything, anything to justify bending the truth.  How sad for those who choose that path.  Some time ago, I wrote a small piece about the concept of truth and its impact:  There are always at least two sides to every story. Somewhere in between is where the truth is hidden. Those who seek the truth, even when it is not what they want to hear, will live the most genuine life. Your decisions may be the same, but they will be based upon an unadulterated integrity. If there is a small voice inside you whispering questions, have the courage to seek the answers, lest your personal truth becomes counterfeit by omission. Decisions made, actions taken, judgments ruled -- sans listening to every faction with as much objectivity as humanly possible -- will always be based upon warped evidence, ultimately causing those who continue stand upon such flawed reality, to fall.   

    Lesson number two:  For the right reasons, even the most passive American can be awakened to action.  Like Barack Obama or not, most will agree that he has had quite an impact on the American public.  Young and old, every gender and race, has got an opinion and have acquired a voice about this election.  Which leads to…

    Lesson number three:  All of America now realizes that race in America is still a major issue in which there is plenty of room for growth. “Joe Six-pack”, “hockey mom” and “small town America” becomes code for the Anglo population that Palin is so approving of.  Most have been able to keep their racial points of view out of the public eye, but this presidential race brought the color of skin issue to every citizen’s doorstep, Race could not be dismissed, made invisible, or ignored. The repeated mantra, “I don’t know him.,”  has become another way of saying one can never really know a person of color, their genuine motives or if they are who they say they are, if they do not fit into the prescribed stereotypes that have been consistently, historically and politically socialized in the United States.   The use of labels – socialist (which in and of itself has a historical meaning when used to refer to African Americans), Marxist, Communist, terrorist -- all allow for the notion that confirms African Americans as a people who are always suspect.  This actually has historic relevance, as there has always been the myth that if three or more African Americans are together and talking, in a school, social, or corporate environment then they are plotting something.  Having had this and other anecdotal experiences, knowing others who echo similar experiences tells me that the paranoia and mistrust of others who don’t look like ”you,” is a pervasive stain on the fabric of this country.  Consider what might happen if you chose to change your mind?

    Lesson number four: The public media does not have the journalistic integrity I assumed.  When I first heard terms like “corporate media” liberally sprinkled though out public commentary as the primaries began to collect steam, I actually had to dig and find out – much to my amazement --- who really owned who and how many of those corporations had millions of lobbyist dollars on the line in Washington, DC.  Watching news stations, as these members of the small society with the power of the mike began to inject their bias and the bias of their corporate employers.  With their bias came their personal opinions; upon the discovery of having one, they decided that because they were in control of the mike, they hatched the misconception that we needed to hear – repeatedly – what that opinion was.  True journalistic reporting went out the window as straight forward coverage of the facts turned into a game of I-got-next rhetoric, parsed with sensationalized gossip, sliced up and served as news.  Most of my favorites sources fell from their journalistic pedestals landing in the mire of the reality that they are all, in the end, just humans with prejudices, opinions, agendas and egos.  There are times when I found more facts on The Daily Show.

    Lesson number five: Having a television show does not qualify your opinion as credible.  I found the eclectic mix of fact and funny on The Daily Show and the Colbert Report an interesting  take on truth.  Mostly because they knew how to support their spin.  Then there’s the View.  Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a loser from a reality show with absolutely no credentials that give any of her opinions credibility.  But because she is kept on the View (controversy sells in America, the fact that we don't like her allows her to keep her job) she actually believes her own hype and actually thinks people care about her opinion. Apparently she believes that if you repeat misinformation often enough, it becomes the truth -- which seems to be the current Republican strategy.   Cute sells ads, but one has to have something more to bring to the table, as time will prove out. I personally hope her fifteen minutes are about up. 

    Lesson number six: This campaign has gotten people to talk to one another.  A friend of mine commented that she has engaged in conversations with more strangers of all races, ages and genders about the election.  I have to admit I never saw myself being this involved in politics, writing, calling, volunteering. Talking to strangers in the checkout lines at the grocery, the sauna at the gym, anywhere people are gathered for more than a minute.

    Lesson number seven:  The Bible warns us not to put new wine into old wineskins because they will split.  As I watch state after state use their existing process of voting to accept and count a record number of votes, including my own state where I am actually working at the polls, I will not be at all surprised at the chaos that will likely result from trying to make old systems work with new voters.  Your best bet is to vote as early as you can.

    Lesson number eight, you can’t double dip at a  party because you leave behind some really gross looking germs, ginger really does help with motion sickness and  refrigerated onions are less likely to make you cry when you chop them.  I learned this because I am exhausted by this election and watching Food Detectives on the Food Network is mercifully without commercials.

     

    Get your Vote out today. By telling everyone that the race is basically over, the Republicans are hoping that the less motivated of the Democrats and Undecideds will think that it is not necessary to vote. Those of us who want Obama to win MUST vote. We can not be complacent, or else the lead will very quickly turn to a dead heat or worse.
    This is all a political game. Some of us have a better understanding of it than others, and some of us (like myself) are still just trying to learn all of the rules - forgetting that there are no rules. Each side will do whatever is in their power (good, bad & ugly) to win this or any election. So the power we voters have is go out and vote.

     

     

    There are always at least two sides to every story. Somewhere in between is where the truth is hidden. Those who seek the truth, even when it is not what they want to hear, will live the most genuine life. Your decisions may be the same, but they will be based upon an unadulterated integrity. If there is a small voice inside you whispering questions, have the courage to seek the answers, lest your personal truth becomes counterfeit by omission. Decisions made, actions taken, judgments ruled -- sans listening to every faction with as much objectivity as humanly possible -- will always be based upon warped evidence, ultimately causing those who continue stand upon such flawed reality, to fall.
    
    E. Joyce Moore
    2008 Avatar Literary Award for Spiritual Excellence Nominee
    BLOG: http://jemiltd.bravejournal.com/
    Black America Web - http://affiliate.kickapps.com/16936/E_Joyce
    You Tube Political Blog: http://www.youtube.com/jemiltd
    Author: Gettin' to the Good Wood http:/www.goodwood.bravehost.com
                 Ramblings Through the Attic of Thought (poetry) Available on Amazon November 10, 2008
                 I Like Brown (children's book)
                Jahzzara (children's book)
    Contributor: Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com
                        Chicken Soup for the African American Soul,
                        What is the Purpose of a Banana? by Dr. Carlton Green,
                        MoAD Stories Project - Museum of African Diaspora,
                        The Heart of Our Community: Anthology
                        Songs of Hope: Anthology of Poetry
                        Gumbo for the Soul

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 287

• Jesse Jackson comments--Please

  • From: Ladreine
  • Description:

    Jesse Jackson, and notice I said Jesse Jackson, he is not worthy of even putting the Rev. in front of his name any longer. We have supported this man through all this trials and tribulations over the years and for whatever reason he has tried, and I do mean "Tried"!!!! to put a damper on Obama's campaign for president. It saddens me when WE as black people try to hurt our own instead of uplift each other. He tried to run for president and unfortunately there was no chance for him. Obama has broken down many barriers for Black people to make a way and we have our own trying to bring him down. Now, on the other hand, our white counterparts are saying that it is to help us!!! What are we saying here? Help us? Well, we’re always downing one another (Yeah, I can see where they understand that as helping us L ) Blacks has a higher rate of violence and crime (Black on Black crime) and promoting this type of violence and crimes through our music and our so call black hero’s( I can see where they understand that is to help us too L ). So with all the mishaps we have within our race of people, I can see why white people feel that Jesse Jackson’s statement is to help Sen. Obama’s race. Jesse Jackson said referring to Obama, “I want to cut his nuts off”, according to the Fox News Website.

    Now, please tell me this, and trust me I had to think about this really hard. Out of all the places Jesse Jackson could think of hurting Obama, why did he have to go below the belt? He could have said that he would slap him, or even use the phrase “Cut his head off”? Get out of the man’s pants!!!! Why that body part? What was the topic of discussion for him to even think of going there? Now we have stuck by Jesse Jackson during his trials and tribulations when his baby came into this “Great Ole World” out of wedlock. Several problems and misguidance going on here!!!! 1. Infidelity---martial affairs outside of his marriage 2. Having “Unprotected” sex outside his marriage—we are trying to find ways for individuals to protect themselves while having sex and teach our children to do so as well. 3. Have a baby with another woman; Family values are out the door. One woman, one man---even though it may not happen all the time, these values has to be instill somehow. Wow!!! What a positive message he has given our young black people of America?

    Obama, has spoken about Family, Family values and given some single parents hope. Hope is what we need, Hope and courage is what not only our little black children need but all of us in this time of depression. Take a look around us and see what is going on. The story has been written in the bible: The Book of Revelations. We should try to live right and respect one another. Come on Jesse Jackson, you have to do better than what you’re doing. If age is getting to you and you’re not accountable of your actions, please stay out of the lime light. You’ve had your time. Be accountable for your actions. You have been a pastor in your day, you taught to live by your commandments; your track record speaks for itself and you’ll need us to forgive you once again. We’re seeking for a change in America, we need a change for Black America, let’s not destroy the one hope we have and that’s OBAMA.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 345

• Mom Teach Child 5 "F*ck Obama"

  • From: starchild50
  • Description:

    Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

    Daily Cartoon

    (click here to view)

    Terry Wise Ratland Ink Press Nov 14, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

    "West Side!!!"

    

    "East Side!!!"

    

    Life With The Secret Service

    

    The Obamas have a head start among First Families in learning to live with the Secret Service's constant presence.

    By Katie Paul | NEWSWEEK

    How would you feel if a frowning man in dark sunglasses and wires in his ears grabbed the back of your pants every time you walked into a crowd? That's just one of many less-than-enjoyable aspects of presidential life that the Obama family have been living with, ever since they were christened with their recently-released official Secret Service code names: Renegade (Barack), Renaissance (Michelle), Radiance (Malia), and Rosebud (Sasha).

    The Obamas have had some time to adjust; they have had a Secret Service detail since May 2007, the earliest one ever assigned to a presidential contender. The detail was assigned because of concerns that the African-American candidate might face greater dangers. Those concerns were not misplaced, as evidenced by the discovery of several plots to do the candidate harm this fall.

    Read More Here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/168899/page/1

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    O'Reilly devotes airtime to crazy 'f*ck Obama' video

    David Edwards and Muriel Kane

    Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly was in the uncharacteristic position on Wednesday of expressing dismay about an anti-Obama video which has appeared on YouTube and at a hip-hop website.
    
    In the portion of the video shown by O'Reilly, a young black woman is training a toddler to repeat, "Fuck Obama. He's not my president." She also states to the camera, "I don't consider him the first black president of the United States of America. ... He's the anti-Christ. ... He's not even black, he's a Muslim or Arab or whatever. His mother was white."
    
    The video appears at World Star Hip-Hop under the title "WTF: Psycho Mother Makes Her 5-Year-Old Daughter Say 'F*ck Obama'" and was apparently originally uploaded to YouTube.
    
    In her full rant, most of which was not shown by O'Reilly, the woman says, "He was put here as a plan. You think McCain didn't know that he was going to lose? Of course he did. Everyone that was in on the plan knew from day one that Barack was going to be president because it's a part of the bigger picture. ... You black people are being brainwashed. Everyone's being brainwashed. Even the white people are being brainwashed. ... He was just elected so that you stupid black people would think you're making a big change in the world, but you're not. ... He's the anti-Christ and world domination is upon us. Six, six, six, the Mark of the Beast."

    Read More Here: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/OReilly_gives_airtime_to_crazy_fck_1113.html

    Watch Uncensored Video Here:

    http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh2gbDPiuRR9GBHIwu

    ***********************

    Obama to deliver weekly address via YouTube

    The presidential radio address will be getting a well-deserved upgrade once Barack Obama is sworn into office next year. His weekly radio address will also be uploaded to YouTube for all of the Internet to see, according to the Washington Post.

    Read More Here: http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/11/obama-to-deliver-weekly-addres.html

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    Bush may be able to block subpoenas even after leaving office

    John Byrne

    President-Elect Obama seems tepid on investigating Bush

    

    President George W. Bush appears likely to claim executive privilege in blocking subpoenas after he leaves office, according to a report Wednesday.
    
    Three Congressional investigations into the President and his administration remain open. They include the role of Bush advisers Karl Rove and Harriet Miers in the firing of eight US attorneys, the prosecution of former Democratic Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and the torture of detainees held by US forces.
    
    But if Congress filed fresh subpoenas, Bush could file a court petition seeking exemption under executive privilege. President Harry Truman claimed privilege in 1953, a year after he left the Oval Office, and Congress eventually backed down.
    
    Moreover, President-Elect Barack Obama may actually stand in the way of Bush probes. All presidents generally try to preserve the powers of the presidency, and allowing release of information about his predecessor could subject Obama to unwelcome scrutiny after his own departure.

    Read More Here: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_may_be_able_to_block_1113.html

    ****************************

    President-Elect Obama On 60 Minutes Sunday

    Sits Down For His First Interview With Steve Kroft Since Election Day

    (CBS)   President-elect Barack Obama has agreed to give his first post-election interview to 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft. The interview includes future first lady Michelle Obama and is to take place on Friday, Nov. 14, in Chicago.
    
    The interview is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
    
    60 Minutes has covered the campaign and the election closely. Most recently, Kroft and 60 Minutes cameras were with Obama's top aides on election night for a segment broadcast on last Sunday's 60 Minutes that drew 18.5 million viewers, ranking it America's number-one program for the week.
    
    Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain both appeared on 60 Minutes in separate exclusive interviews for a special one-hour broadcast of 60 Minutes on September 21. Kroft interviewed Obama and Scott Pelley spoke with McCain.

    Read More Here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/13/60minutes/main4599840.shtml

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    In unprecedented move, Obama plans meeting with McCain

    Nick Juliano

    After a grueling campaign, former rivals Barack Obama and John McCain will sit down Monday to discuss how they can work together over the next four years in a meeting that virtually unprecedented.
    
    "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama-Biden transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said in an e-mail.
    
    The meeting will be the first time the president-elect and Arizona senator have spoken since Election Night, a transition aide tells RAW STORY.
    
    The onetime rivals will be joined by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close confidant of the former Republican presidential candidate, and Rahm Emanuel, Obama's new chief of staff. The two have a longstanding relationship and negotiated the terms of this year's presidential debates.

    Read More Here: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_McCain_to_meet_Monday_1114.html

    *************************

    Campaign Boogeyman William Ayers Talks to 'GMA'

    Chris Cuomo Grills '60s Radical Bill Ayers

     William Ayers, the 1960s radical whose violent history became a focal point in the 2008 presidential election, said today that the Republicans unfairly "demonized" him in an attempt to damage the campaign of President-elect Obama.

    Ayers defended his bomb-throwing past and repeated a statement that has infuriated his critics: "I don't think we did enough."

    The college professor also argued to "Good Morning America's" Chris Cuomo today that the bombing campaign by the Weather Underground, the group he helped found, was not terrorism.

    The Weather Underground bombed the Capitol, the Pentagon and the New York City Police Department in protest of the Vietnam War.

    "It's not terrorism because it doesn't target people, to kill or injure," Ayers said.

    Ayers became a boogeyman for Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, who demanded to know more about Obama's relationship with his Chicago neighbor. Palin accused Obama of "palling around ... with a terrorist."

    Watch Video Here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=6251086&page=1

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    SC priest: No communion for Obama supporters

    By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press Writer

     COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

    The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

    "Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

    Read More Here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_re_us/obama_catholics

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    Israeli Blockade Creates Food Shortages in Gaza

    By Robert Berger

    A crippling Israeli blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is creating food shortages. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

    A U.N. flour warehouse in Gaza is empty a week after Israel halted shipments in response to Palestinian rocket attacks. A warehouse containing canned meat is also about to run out of supplies, affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
    
    U.N. spokesman Chris Gunness condemned the rocket attacks.
    
    "They are an abomination and they have to stop," Gunness said.
    
    But he said cutting off food supplies is collective punishment.
    
    "We would love to see the borders open because you know, we have supplies going to blind children in Gaza; they are not firing rockets and they should not be punished," Gunness said.
    
    A wave of clashes during the past week is testing a five-month-old ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza.  

     
    Fighting erupted when Israel launched a cross-border raid to destroy a tunnel the army said was going to be used to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Seven Palestinian gunmen were killed in the raid. Hamas has retaliated with rocket and mortar fire.

    Read More Here: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-11-13-voa17.cfm

    *************************

    Indictment Looms In Blackwater Shooting

    6 U.S. Security Guards Accused In Baghdad Shootings That Left 17 Iraqi Civilians Dead

    (AP)  Federal prosecutors have drafted an indictment against six Blackwater Worldwide security guards in last year's deadly Baghdad shootings of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.
    
    The draft is being reviewed by senior Justice Department officials but no charging decisions have been made. A decision is not expected until at least later this month, people close to the case said.
    
    Also still undecided is whether the Justice Department would charge the guards with manslaughter or assault, according to the people, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
    
    It's also possible that prosecutors ultimately will seek charges against as few as three of the guards, whose identities are still secret. Depending on the charges, an indictment would carry maximum sentences of five to 20 years.
    
    Read More Here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/14/national/main4604344.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4604344

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    Girl's lesson: Bias, like shirts, picked out at home

    Read yesterday's John Kass column on Catherine Vogt's t-shirt experiment

    John Kass

    Catherine Vogt—the brave 8th grader who used a T-shirt test to find out about political tolerance in Obamaland—is something of a celebrity now, thanks to you readers of this column.
    
    By the time you read this, she will have already finished a round of TV and radio interviews, including a PBS spot for a Philadelphia station. It's all somewhat unsettling for a 14-year-old girl who had important high school entrance exams Thursday and a tryout for "The Music Man" at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park.
    
    "Well, a lot of people came up to me and told me that they saw me in the paper, and my teacher told me that a lot of people were telling her 'Way to go, way to support your student' and everything," Catherine told me Thursday. "It's been very exciting and hectic too."
    
    The Catherine Vogt Experiment on Diversity of Thought took place before the presidential election. She shared her idea secretly with her history teacher, Norma Cassin-Pountney.

    Catherine wore a McCain shirt one day and secretly recorded the comments of teachers and students in her journal. The next day, she wore an Obama shirt and also recorded the comments.
    
    Her findings?
    
    Read More Here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-14-nov14,0,3405674.column

    And Here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-13-nov13,0,2881384.column

    **************************

    U. of Texas Player Kicked Off Team For Racially Charged Threats On Obama

    By Logan Murphy 

     This story has little to do with sports, although you wouldn't know it from reading this article. Former center for the University of Texas Longhorns, Buck Burnette, made a racially charged threat against the president-elect of our nation and is lucky he only got kicked off his school's football team and didn't land himself in jail. The article brings up valid points about social networking sites and their potential pitfalls, but the real story here is about a racist pig who threatened our soon-to-be president.

    AUSTIN — A template on facebook.com asks, “What are you doing right now?” An ill-advised response led to Buck Burnette’s expulsion from the University of Texas football team.

    What began as a private text-message exchange on Election Night between Burnette and a friend soon became available for anybody with a computer to see.

    In the status update section of his Facebook page, Burnette posted, “All the hunters gather up, we have a (slur) in the White House,” in reference to Obama’s becoming the first African-American elected to the presidency. Burnette said the comment was a text message he received from a friend and that he exercised bad judgment posting it on his page. He later apologized in a written note that was read by Brown during a team meeting. Read on...

    Why is this bigot still a student at the University of Texas? My guess is that if he weren't a starting player for a nationally ranked football program he would already have been expelled and thrown out on his ass. People have been expelled for less, and I'm curious to know if the Secret Service has investigated the incident.

    Watch Video Here:  http://www.keyetv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=BAB78BA0-108A-423A-9802-AB706E2FD0CA&gsa=true

    ******************************

    Palin Trashes Media, Moments After Proclaiming Her ‘Respect’ For ‘The Profession’

    Katie Couric told Page Six recently that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) “should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about governing.” On Larry King Live last night, Palin responded to Couric’s remark by thanking her for the advice, claiming she wouldn’t offer Couric any advice in return because of her “respect” for the media. However, she then proceeded to trash the media as biased and unfair:

    PALIN: Well, thank you, Katie Couric, for your advice. And I won’t reciprocate in giving her any advice, that’s for sure, because I have respect for her and the profession that she is in. I would have greater respect though for the entire profession called mainstream media if we could have great assurance that there is fairness, that there is objectivity throughout the reporting world.

     Watch Video Here: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/13/palin-couric-king/

    *************************

    The Daily Show: The Biggest Election '08 Losers

     Jon Stewart lampooned this election season's "Biggest Losers" during his program earlier this week. Stewart highlighted the many follow-up interviews given by John McCain and Sarah Palin, in which both candidates attempted to improve their somewhat tarnished images with mixed results.

    Watch Here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081201/losers_video

    *************************

    Waiting

    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Callie Shell, who took this photo, describes the scene:

    Waiting: Obama listens from a back stairwell as he is introduced in Muscatine, Iowa. It was his second or third speech of the day. Unlike many of the politicians I have photographed in the past, I find it is easy to get a photograph of Obama alone. He lets his staff do their jobs and not fuss over him. Nov. 7, 2007.

    There's many more photos by Shell at digitaljournalist.org.

     

    *************************************

    Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State?

     There are numerous reports tonight that Hillary Clinton may be under consideration for Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

    From the Washington Post:

    There's increasing chatter in political circles that the Obama camp is not overly happy with the usual suspects for secretary of state these days and that the field might be expanding somewhat beyond Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and maybe former Democratic senator Sam Nunn of Georgia.

    
    There's talk, indeed, that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) may now be under consideration for the post. Her office referred any questions to the Obama transition; Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment.

     

    And NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports:

    Two Obama advisers have told NBC News that Hillary Clinton is under consideration to be secretary of state. Would she be interested? Those who know Clinton say possibly. But her office says that any decisions about the transition are up to the president-elect and his team.

    
    Clinton was seen taking a flight to Chicago today, but an adviser says it was on personal business. It is unknown whether she had any meeting or conversation with Obama while there.

    Read More Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/13/hillary-clinton-secretary_n_143735.html

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    Sarah Palin Baffles Reporters By Rehashing Stump Speech At RGA Conference

     Sarah Palin said today that she doesn't want to comment on the strategy behind the McCain/Palin campaign now that it's over, which is too bad, because that's basically the only thing (besides her aspirations for 2012, and snow machines) that anyone wants to talk to her about. BUT! That doesn't mean she's ready to give up on the stock stump speech she gave over and over again on the trail, though, apparently to the utter bafflement of reporters who are, by now, really bored to tears with the travails of Tito The Builder.

    Jonathan Capehart told MSNBC's David Shuster, "I watched her entire speech, and I had to remind myself that the election was a week ago, and this was not a McCain/Palin rally." Is that crazy white-haired lady who thought Obama was "an Arab" a Republican Governor? Probably! "Everything you heard at a McCain/Palin rally since she was selected as the Vice Presidential nominee since September, and even down to the same rhetoric was in that speech," said Capehart.

    Jonathan Martin added that Palin's speech was "perplexing" and "jarring," which are the two nicest things ever said about a Palin speech. He added that he wasn't "sure if she wanted to, you know, re-litigate the past campaign or look forward and diagnose where the party should go from here. And it was sort of a little bit of both, but also neither."

    Capehart added, "She needs to stop." And, according to David Shuster, 52% of people polled agree that it's time for Sarah Palin to go home. By contrast, 45% say they can't get enough of her. Funny how those numbers seem to correspond with another large accounting of the American electorate that was recently taken!

    Watch Video Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/13/sarah-palin-baffles-repor_n_143620.html

    *******************************

    FBI joins investigation of Klan initiation death

     COVINGTON, Louisiana (CNN) -- A woman recruited over the Internet and shot to death during a Ku Klux Klan group's initiation rite felt a need to be wanted and was eager to be part of a group, authorities say family members told them.

    Her relatives told investigators that Cynthia Lynch, 43, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had never been outside her home state, said Capt. George Bonnett of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Department.

    But she recently traveled to Louisiana for the Klan initiation ceremony and was taken to a campsite in the woods near Sun, Louisiana, about 60 miles north of New Orleans. Bonnett and Sheriff Jack Strain gave CNN this account of what happened:

    During the rite, members of the Klan group, which calls itself the Sons of Dixie, shaved Lynch's head. When she asked to be taken to a nearby town, an argument began and the group's leader, Chuck Foster, allegedly shot her to death without warning.

    Lynch wanted to leave the campsite because she was homesick, investigators concluded after talking to Lynch's family in Tulsa.

    Read More Here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/13/klan.slaying/index.html

    Watch Video Here:

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/13/klan.slaying/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

    ***********************

    Crowd of 1 million could attend Obama Inauguration 

    WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration is expected to draw 1 million-plus to the capital, and already some lawmakers have stopped taking ticket requests and hotels have booked up.

    Some people are bartering on Craigslist for places to stay for the Jan. 20 ceremony when the Illinois senator takes the oath of office. They are offering cash or even help with dishes for residents willing to open up their homes.

    The National Park Service, which is planning for an inaugural crowd of at least 1 million, will clear more viewing space along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route. Jumbo TV screens will line the National Mall so people can watch the inauguration and parade, park service spokesman David Barna said Thursday.

    The District of Columbia's delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, is urging planners to use arenas and stadiums to help with overflow crowds wanting to view the ceremonies on big-screen TVs. She is also urging churches to hold viewing parties.

    Read More Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/13/obamas-inauguration-may-d_n_143698.html

    *************************

    The Color of Change

    Obama's Victory Is a Sign of Racial Progress on Multiple Levels

    By KI MAE HEUSSNER
    

     In the days leading up to the election, Tracy Rector, 37, wore a button emblazoned with the message: "I'm Indian and I vote."

    That simple statement belies a complex heritage that spans no fewer than four continents. But, for the sake of convenience, the Seattle mother of two was willing to let brevity trump accuracy.

    Her 13-year-old son, however, wasn't.

    "Where do I get a button that says, 'I'm Cuban, French, Sicilian, Native American, African-American, Irish, Mexican, Hungarian and Scottish ... and I vote?'" Rector's son Chai asked her.

    As Barack Obama's profile soared, she said, so too did her sons' eagerness to embrace and identify with every piece of the racial whole they inherited from both of their parents.

    "[Chai] feels as if his peers treat him differently because the most powerful person in the world is a person of color," Rector told ABCNews.com.

    But Obama's victory isn't only significant because it provides a new generation of mixed race Americans with a powerful role model and a relatable story of growing up with multiple loyalties.

    His example, as a man with both black and white parents, gives a country, too comfortable with a rigid approach to race, a new opportunity to examine the outdated color lines and social pressures that define, in many ways, all of its people.

    "I think it's time for the conversation to open in this country," Rector said. "Things aren't just black and white; there's gray in that middle ground and it's very fruitful. For us to have a president who is biracial and multicultural, it's going to bring to light for many people a deeper understanding of race."

    Read More Here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6249150&page=1

    ****************************

    Commentary: Letter to Obama on the Muslim world

    By Arsalan Iftikhar
    Special to CNN

     Editor's Note: Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.com and contributing editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington. This is one in a series of letters to the new president that will appear on CNN.com in the next several weeks.

    (CNN) -- First of all, as one of more than 66 million Americans of all races, religions and ethnicities who voted for you, your electoral victory was one of the proudest moments of our collective lives.

    As our American political history witnessed the magnitude of our nation's first African-American president, our society was also able to collectively (and finally) exhale, knowing that the mailbox at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. would now read "Obama" instead of "Bush."

    With hardly a moment's rest, as you transition toward Inauguration Day, our nation (and the rest of the world) will not wait for long before seeking your leadership on many pressing global issues.

    From an economic recessionary mess to a perpetually broken health care system with 46 million American neighbors as uninsured casualties, your soon-to-be administration will face some monumental domestic and foreign policy issues that will affect us for generations.

    From an ill-conceived war in Iraq to an oft-forgotten war in Afghanistan, from global flashpoints from Tel Aviv to Islamabad, your diplomatic and political interaction with the Muslim world may decide the success (or failure) of your foreign policy legacy.

    Your unenviable task will be to undo the catastrophic policies of George W. Bush and his fellow neoconservative ideologues, facing the specter of al Qaeda's sinister terrorism while undertaking public diplomacy efforts addressing anti-Americanism around the world.

    Read More Here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/12/iftikhar.obama/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

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    From a War Zone to Stateside Nightmare

    Recruiters Describe Brutal Working Conditions They Say Led to Soldier Suicides

     Staff Sgt. Nils Aron Andersson was a newlywed of just a few hours and had completed his first counseling session when he shot himself atop a parking garage.

    Staff Sgt. Patrick Henderson had made plans with his wife and stepson to go fishing the night he hanged himself in his shed.

    Now their friends and family members are speaking out against the job they say led the men to kill themselves -- recruiting for the Army.

    The families have said high-pressure, sometimes abusive tactics used on recruiters combined with lingering combat-related mental health problems drove the soldiers to suicide. There have been four suicides in the Houston Recruiting Battalion alone, including three in the past 18 months.

    The allegations have led one senator to call for an investigation into whether the military is covering up a "toxic" work environment.

    The Army has launched an internal investigation into the Houston allegations, but spokesmen for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command and the Army itself did not respond to the specific charges raised by the friends and relatives of the recruiters who committed suicide, saying the investigation is a response in itself.

    Read More Here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6239531&page=1

    *********************

    Did 'American Idol' Play Part in Former Contestant's Death?

     When the body of a former “American Idol” contestant who was obsessed with Paula Abdul was found outside the "Idol" judge's home Tuesday, several reports suggested that the woman's harsh rejection during her audition on the show may have sparked the downward spiral that ended in her apparent suicide.

    But neither the “Idol” judges nor the show are to blame, a well-known psychiatrist told FOXNews.com.

    “Goodspeed’s apparent suicide was certainly not just because of her experience on ‘American Idol’” said Dr. Keith Ablow, a FOX News contributor, pointing to the likelihood that Paula Goodspeed, 30, suffered from several other serious mental health issues that led to her death.

    “It’s certainly possible that someone who is emotionally vulnerable could be deeply injured by a perceived failure in the public eye,” Ablow said. “But her apparent suicide was certainly not just because of her experience on the show.”

    Read More Here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,451524,00.html

    ********************

    Shaquille O'Neal's hero gives abuse victims a way out

     LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Volunteering with local law enforcement, Shaquille O'Neal has learned from his peers that domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous for police officers.

    "[It's] a very disturbing thing," said the NBA star, who has dealt mainly with children's cases. "I don't really think a lot of women know what to do."

    That's where Karen Earl comes in.

    As executive director of the Jenesse Center, the oldest domestic violence intervention program in south central Los Angeles, California, Earl is a "tireless and fearless" champion of women and children living in abusive situations, O'Neal said.

    The Phoenix Suns center called Earl "the pillow of women's society."

    For more than two decades, Earl has helped give victims a way out through the Jenesse Center, which provides shelter, education, outreach and legal services to more than 8,500 victims of domestic violence every year.

    "Thank God for Miss Earl," O'Neal said. "She takes women that have been involved in domestic abuse situations and gives them a place to come rest their head."

    According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year, and one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

    Earl has heard countless stories of domestic abuse and has seen a range of tipping points before victims seek help. She is working to lower these statistics.

    She recalled one woman whose husband beat her with an iron; for another, "the beatings were standard, but when he sold their refrigerator and she couldn't keep her baby's milk cold anymore, she knew it was time to go."

    Watch Video and Read More Here:

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/11/13/heroes.oneal.earl/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCVideo

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/11/13/heroes.oneal.earl/index.html?eref=rss_topstories#cnnSTCText

    **************************

    ********************

    Could You Pass Obama's Background Check?

    President-Elect Tries To Weed Out Controversial Candidates

    Applicants for President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet get ready to chronicle your life story.

     Those interested in joining Obama's administration have to pass an extensive background test.

     The Obama transition team is sending a seven-page, 63-item questionnaire to every candidate for Cabinet and other high-ranking positions in the incoming administration.

     It includes requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants’ spouses and grown children as well.

     Obama wants applicants to “list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet,” and asks people to include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook.com pages.

     Hoping to weed out anyone with ties to companies at the center of the $700 billion bailout, question 18 of the Obama application asks whether “you, your spouse or any member of your immediate family” have been affiliated with Fannie, Freddie, American International Group, Washington Mutual and any other institution getting a government bailout.

     “President-elect Obama made a commitment to change the way Washington does business, and the vetting process exemplifies that,” Stephanie Cutter, chief spokeswoman for the Obama transition office, told the New York Times.

     Traffic fines of $50 and less don't have to be reported.

  • Blog post
  • 14 hours ago
  • Views: 384

• Tavis Hosts Hater's Party

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    Tavis Smiley hosts Haters Party

    By Thomas N. Taylor

    If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Tavis Smiley, an intelligent and once thought conscious Blackman with a world wide platform was on national TV coming from the floor of the historic 2008 Democratic convention hosting a hater’s party and serving generous portions of hater-aide with special guest, Drs Cornell West and Julianne Malveaux. They were all so animated and drunk on the stuff it was dispicable.

    I’m really floored and disappointed because I’m still a fan of Tavis and gave him the benefit of the doubt in his rift with the Black Obama-nation. He had a good chance of redeeming himself by saying nothing at all, since he had nothing good to say about Senator Obama; but there he was unashamed and unapologetically wielding that bitter chastening rod still trying to force his own agenda on a man who clearly has demonstrated he knows what the hell he’s doing.

    The bitter trio of West, Malveaux &Smiley said that they were “extremely disappointed” in Barack’s speech because he failed to talk about traditional Black stuff or acknowledge the roll history played in his getting to this point. They castigated him for not mentioning Dr King by name but instead relegating him to “A southern Baptist preacher.’ They praised Hillary Clinton for boldly invoking the name and words of Harriet Tubman. They were overjoyed by the presentation of Bill, race card playing, Clinton but they were “disappointed” in the history making man of the hour who risk assassination and loss of privacy and life as he knew it for himself and his family, to make it all possible.

    If you want a real wake up call; trying calling the white agent that represents any ot these three finger pointers and ask how much it would cost for either one of them to show up at your business affair, church or graduation to tell you how much they owe to the King legacy? Dr. King wouldn't charge you a dime. That's why he died broke. Check out the hourly fee rate for Tavis or West, then we can talk. (lest I digress)

    I was disappointed because what I thought were three intelligent insightful people; were blinded by jealous ego and failed to see the big picture but settled instead on concentrating on a small section of a brilliant portrait. The entire convention was Barack’s masterful thesis. Who do they think influenced and approved the musical faire? Who do they think OK’d Dr. Kings Children to speak along with John Lewis, the lone surviving speaker of that historic march on Washington? Who approved the video tribute to Dr. King? The entire day was a tribute to Dr. King's legacy but the final leg of this 4X4, four night race was ran brilliantly by Mr. Obama who took the baton and ran off into future history. He spoke boldly of "Marching" forward which doesn’t mean he’s not looking back; just not dwelling on it. And don't think that the use of the word marching was not without consciousness or intention. It's too bad that some of us can't appreciate this man's subtlety or fail to have patience with his pacing and timing as his race continues to unfold. Pay attention bitter people for a picture is more valuable than a thousand words. Can you see our guy out in front? Let us not be the instuments of his undoing and trip him up.

    With all that’s at stake we all need to stay focused on the immediate future. Barack Obama’s goal was not to get to the political playoffs but to be President and win the championship. He’s going for the gold. This is no the time for victory speeches praising those who came before him. The job is not yet finished and the best way for him to pay the ultimate tribute to Dr. King and those who preceded us is not talk about it but be about it. Not quote Dr. King but be like Dr. King and live to update the dream.

    The bitter trinity said that they liked all of the other statements that were made at Barack Obama’s party. The statements made by those who themselves had similar parties: John Kerry, Al Gore’s and Bill Clinton. But it was at Barack Obama’s party where these statements were made and possible, not theirs. Why do you think that is Bitter Three? The entire day was one enormous statement. Barack made sure that Dr. King's legacy had been well serviced before he took the floor. His part of the night was a different piece of the puzzle.

    In the science and art of today's visual media, it's not what you say that counts most but what you see that ultimately carrys the greater impact. It's like people who always quote the bible and invoke the name of Christ, yet on any given day you'd be hard pressed to find a trace of evidence of either exhibited anywhere in their lives. If we can be about King's legacy we wouldn't have to talk about it so much because the proof would be in the pudding since Success leaves its own evidence.

    Barack Obama is running for president of these United States. He has a strategic plan and he’s working it. (very well thank you) Don’t hate. Let’s work hard and celebrate while we keep our eyes on the ultimate prize.

    Meanwhile; my family and I will be forwarding our condolences to Brother Tavis and those consumed by hate and envy of Barack Obama's success void of their blessings; for it is written that jealousy is crueler than the grave. Let us pray. Our father...

    TNT

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 390

• Blacks not welcomed Water Park

  • From: one_mans_opinion
  • Description:

    KBZE 105.9FM of Baton Rouge has "issues" with Blue Bayou Water Park

    Blacks not welcome at Blue Bayou

    On Tuesday, May 14, 2008, I was told by Liz Harrison, Marketing Director of Blue Bayou Water Park and Dixie Landing Amusement Park, that they have no plans to continue their long-term practice with KBZE 105.9FM, of trading 100 or more admission tickets to the parks, in exchange for double that value in radio advertising. Liz Harrison said that their summer concert series has country and pop artists, so their radio concern will be for these formats.

    "We have no interest in an African-American audience," she said.

    I replied to her, "Do you realize that is blatant racial discrimination?"

    She replied, "You call it what you will, I call it free enterprise."

    I am asking that all African Americans who listen to either of my radio stations call and voice their opinion to Ms. Harrison. The number at Blue Bayou is (225)753-3333. Her e-mail address is lizh@bluebayou.com .

    As a side note, we have confirmed that Blue Bayou also does not do business with any Black radio in Baton Rouge, or the African American-owned Louisiana Weekly, the state's oldest weekly newspaper, and one of this country's oldest African American-owned news publications.

    Should any of you have further questions on this, please do not hesitate to call me at (985)312-2154, or e-mail me at howard@kbze.com . It is time we bring issues like this to the forefront. We all love our children, but we all work hard for our money as well.

    Howard J. Castay, Jr.

    President & General Manger

    KBZE 105.9FM and KFRA 1390AM

    P.S. This is not the first time this has happened in the area; several years ago, this same conflict came up, the manager relayed the same message. If you choose to give your money for prejudices and injustice, you have that right.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 416

• Hell yeah he's an Elitist!

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    Hell Yeah He’s an Elitist!

    By Thomas N. Taylor

    According to the dictionary Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the elite — a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities, intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most weight; whose views and/or actions are most likely to be constructive to society as a whole; or whose extraordinary skills, abilities or wisdom render them especially fit to govern ^[1] .

    Elitism may also refer to situations in which an elite individual assumes special privileges and responsibilities in the hope that this arrangement will benefit humanity.

    Given the above definition of the word, both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have labeled Senator Obama an elitist while in the same breath calling him unqualified. Well; which is he? They can’t have it both ways.

    When questions arose about Barack Obama’s qualifications and ability to handle himself under pressure, a firestorm of controversy was unleashed along with innuendos and flat out lies. The opposition quickly learned that “good black don’t crack. That elite exterior and inner fortitude withstood the pressure while rising above the fray.

    Ascending from a historically oppressed people who have been conditioned over time to instinctively gravitate to and populate the permanent underclass position in America, the good Senator from the hood has elevated his game. In doing so he’s raised the bar for all American People of color. A distinguished Harvard grad with superior intellect, he’s one of us, the elite tribe that gave the world the concept of theocracy (one God), the study of modern medicine and confounding architectural accomplishments whose mysterious existence has yet to be explained. Add in the countless inventions that have benefited and advanced humanity along with our social and military contributions, I’d say that the "Elite" shoe is a perfect size. Slip it on my brother, you wear it well.. Finally somebody recognizes.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 445

• Prez Obama: Destiny or Ego?

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    President Obama, Providence or Ego?

    By Thomas N. Taylor

     

    I was born by the river, in a little tent. Just like the river I’ve been rolling ever since.

    It’s been a long time, a long time coming and I know a change is gonna come .

                Those prophetic words were written and recorded by the legendary Sam Coke in 1963 after hearing Bob Dylan’s acclaimed musical social commentary, “Blowin’ in the wind, ” a song that was recorded a year earlier. Though inspired by the words, Cooke’s inspiration had just a tinge of envy as he considered the profoundness of Dylan’s message. Sam observed; “that song is so deep, it should have been written by a Blackman.” And so with pen in hand he wrote the enduring classic, “A change is gonna come” which became an anthem for the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.

     

                Forty six years later Barack Obama courageously revived the change consciousness not by discussing it but by moving boldly in a direction that would challenge and change not only his life and his family’s; but change history and the status quo. Still there are those, both Black and White, who would relegate the historic Democratic Presidential nominee’s mission to that of an insignificant ego trip despite the dangers and pressure he uniquely face, more so than any other candidate running.

     

                We all know any number of people and prominent speakers who can quote and recall every single word of every speech ever uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while situated comfortably on stage or in front of the TV cameras collecting big bucks for their borrowed brilliant oratory. But given a chance would they walk in his shoes? Would they put their life on the line for their life’s work and the cause of humanity or race? Would they be willing and courageous enough to suffer the lethal morale breaking slings and arrows that accompany being the first to challenge ultimate power in a real way. And would they do so for little or no money?

     

             Hank Aaron had his life threatened for a game he played as he approached what in the scheme of things is really the insignificant milestone of breaking Babe Ruth’s Home Run Record. That record was a long perceived symbol of white superiority. Jackie Robinson was spat upon, threatened and called out of his name; for playing a game ! Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Fred Hampton and countless other were killed for just speaking out in favor of equal rights and respect for Blacks. Emmett Till had his throat cut, head bashed in, his privates were cut off and stuffed in his mouth with is lifeless body anchored to the bottom of the Mississippi River for being Black and looking at a white woman .

     

                In recent years a Blackman in Texas was lynched and dragged behind a pick- up truck because of his color. Do you seriously believe that Obama doesn't know that? Blacks, the new face of HIV-AIDS, occupy the jails, courts and grave yards just for being Black. Can we remember Hurricane Katrina or the Jena Six?

     

                Today Barack Obama, a Black Man, is standing up in the face of tremendous opposition, real danger nurtured in a legacy of violence, hate, fear and ignorance to provide hope, change, power, redemption and a picture of a brighter future for those who would deny him! Although we describe his efforts as "winning" This aint no game y'all.

     

              It's ironic that a couple of years ago with the influence of "a movie" we readily accepted and embraced sympathetically the notion that “It’s hard out here for a pimp, ” yet from some; there’s no such love or sympathy for he would be President. Why is that? The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind and although it’s been a long time comin’ I know, “A change is gonna come”

     

               Thank God that Barack Obama has enough ego, courage & audacity to fulfill the prophecy of change as he forwards the flame, that others only fan with their hot air.

     

    TNT

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 450

• A Poem for and from our people

  • From: bksown76
  • Description:

    With all that's going on with the election and everything around it, I had tio write this. I hope you all love it and enjoy...

     

    Just Because I’m Black

     

    Why can’t I vote for him,

    Just because he’s black?

    I’ve lost jobs,

     Just because I’m black.

    I couldn’t drink water,

    Just because I’m black.

    I couldn’t get an education,

    Just because I’m black.

    Let’s not forget public transportation,

    Or the years of humiliation,

    Just because I’m black.

    I’ve been spat on,

    And doused with water,

    Like I was a raging inferno,

    Just because I’m black.

    They had to create a law called affirmative action

    Because I’m black.

    My skin color has held me back for years,

    Orchestrated by the tears and fears

    Of never being accepted by my peers.

    We were good enough to fight wars

    And then came home and had to crawl on all fours.

    So pardon me for evolving into something

    You call a show off.

    You stare at my Rocawear

    But I say nothing when you switch

     In your Abercrombie and (female dog).

    It’s 2008 and I still feel the hate.

    You don’t really want me to retaliate…

    Do you?

    See it’s not me that perpetrating a fraud.

    I live for the Lord.

    And in Him,

    All things are possible.

    So call me all the names you want,

    Yeah the sticks and stones and all those taunts.

    Add fuel to the fire,

    Because the spiritual journey just gets higher and higher.

    Just remember one thing,

    On the 4^th of November

    I’m getting my swagger back

    And I’m casting my vote just because I’m black.

     

     

    Created by Kareem Alexander

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 642

• Barack Obama Vs. Tavis Smiley,

  • From: thomastaylor
  • Description:

    Barack Obama

    VS.

    Tavis Smiley , Maxine Waters, Bob Johnson, Charles Rangle, Magic Johnson etal

    And the winner is…..

    By Thomas N.Taylor

     

     

     

     

     

    After a landmark racially charged primary election where literally every single delegate vote counted in determining its historic outcome; the Democrats have selected a Blackman as its party’s Presidential nominee. In doing so a number of key African American influencers and super delegates across the country now find themselves on the wrong side of (Black) History.

     

            The United States is poised to possibly elect its first African American President. Barack Obama, the charismatic senator from Illinois , has captured the heart and imagination of our country as he inspires the nation toward real change. Still with such a narrow margin of victory eerily comparable to the number of Black super delegates who voted against him, it’s scary to think that this propitious moment in our community’s narrative was almost denied on the strength of these few change resistant African American elected officials and trusted media personalities and businessmen.

     

            If there was ever a justification to Bet on Black , now is the time. Barack is arguably the best qualified candidate and represents the best platform for the majority of Americans. Finally we have a realistic luxury of “choice” and in an unprecedented show of unity, 90% of the Black community voraciously jumped at that choice and onto on the meteoric Barack Obama express wagon . Buoyed by the beliefs that our man, the Distinguised Gentleman Senator from the hood, will be given at least a fair chance of succeeding, we boldly acknowledge that “he’s Black and we’re proud.”

     

            With this overwhelming majority of the community voting for change, the question begs to be asked “why our beloved Black electoral and prominent influence peddlers were so determined instead, to uphold the status quo? Did they choose to vote for political expediency and favor or was it simply that they voted out of habit? Maybe they voted for what they thought was legitimately the better candidate. But how much better and at what historical cost?

     

            The ironic twist in this unique situation is that many of those who elected to side against this courageous sepia champion were themselves; stall worth warriors for the cause with enduring legacies steeped in civil rights activism and radical advocacy. They are members of The Congressional Black Caucus, Black Mayors, Legislators along with New York ’s newly appointed Black Governor (himself a historical first). Some, like Representative John Lewis of Georgia , eventually saw the light and switched his support to Senator Obama. Others, possibly guided by some noble moral code, chose instead to go down with the ship in a last act of loyalty to an old friend and her husband.

     

            Presumptive first Lady (my call) Michelle Obama, described this phenomena of reluctance as “a fear of possibility ” from a people accustomed to being oppressed and harboring the long held erroneous assumption that “we’re not ready and that someone else is usually better prepared. She allowed that this is not a mean spirited sentiment voiced by people who genuinely do love us but a result of being traumatized by the strain of their oppression coupled with a possible latent plantation mentality.

     

            Before his decisive victory in predominantly White Iowa, Senator Obama had what many in the African American community perceived as “a snowball’s chance in hell” of winning. Faced with the choice of lesser evils in Clinton, Edwards and others who have a less significant interest in our well being; many of us rationalized that it would be imprudent to “waste our vote” in symbolic support for a well educated, qualified and conscious Black Man fresh off the mean streets of Chicago; where he championed community concerns and interests. Then came Utah and Wyoming where one senator quipped; that on any give day; Obama while campaigning there, was likely to have been the only Black person in the entire state. Still he carried those states by impressive margins; ultimately forcing out all but one of the so called “better qualified” White candidates on the slate.

     

            And now, further on down the road in the Winner's Circle, Presidential Contender Barack Obama stands victorious and alone atop of the Democratic ticket. And because of his courage and convictions the evolution of the African American male image has come into clearer focus. Finally a beacon icon for the world to see that’s neither athlete nor entertainer; “wanted” but not criminal. The fragile line of hope once drawn in the shifting sands of our past is now forever etched in a stone ballot box marked “Yes We Can,” and mounted staunchly on the audacity of hope platform.

     

            In retrospect, we all had our chance to influence this election’s outcome. We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to determine “What history we would make and how each us in this generation of Negro decedents, chose to be remembered? Not quote Dr. King, but stand up and be like him.

     

            One can only wonder if the aforementioned venerable champions of the people suffer silently in their moments of solitude, wishing that they had been more courageous and forward thinking; lamenting their now tainted legacies.

     

            Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

    “… Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won .”

     

            It’s time now to move on and time to heal. There’s work yet to be done.

    How about a family reunion? (Psst! Let’s not mention this to BJ, cousin Bob, though. I think he's still a lil bitter.)

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 890

• The Total Package and The Tota

  • From: TheFlyJock
  • Description:

    Whew! What a weekend.

    On Friday. I participated in a panel discussion about race relations at Howard University, then I flew to Augusta, Georgia to attend the Masters Golf Tournament. But if I had one of those thought bubbles over my head, everyone would have known I was really thinking about Tavis’ decision to move on. And a lot of you were, too.

    I got voice mails, texts, faxes, snail mail and telegrams (That’s really old school!). Some said Tavis should “grow some” and get back in there and fight; some said black people really need him, and some, when he actually leaves in July, want his job!

    Let me make it clear that if Tavis leaves, it won’t happen until July. He will be doing his regular commentary tomorrow.

    For those of you who asked for his job, let me say this: Tavis wasn’t just doing a “job.” It was more than that. It’s like if a family member ran away from home, and someone showed up and said, “Is it okay if I replace your brother?” You would look at that guy like he was crazy because you know that the relationship, the memories and the history you had with your brother is irreplaceable. I feel that way about Tavis.

    I met Tavis 12 years ago at the White House. Bill Clinton was running for his second term, and Ron Brown and Al Gore invited black media to talk about getting black issues discussed during the campaign (If Hillary does win this thing, I wonder if I’ll still be on the list. She looks like she can hold a grudge. But I’m not “bitter.”). Back in 1996, Tavis had a one-minute commentary on an L.A. radio station and a book of his commentaries from that show. The TJMS was a little over a year old, with maybe 40 stations and a million and a half listeners. As I listened to the same old empty promises to address black issues, I read some of the Smiley Minute Reports in his book. I knew immediately that this guy was passionate about black people.

    I shared an idea I had for getting more black people to register to vote that included giving every person that registered a chance to win a new Lexus with a gold kit. Tavis didn’t like that idea -- mainly because it was illegal -- but he came up with a plan of his own. He would come on our show twice a week, and we would get people excited about registering by wrapping it around a big road show that would include music, celebrities and political guests. A "party with a purpose” -- and the birth of the Sky Show.

    Tavis chose 11 cities where black turnout at the polls was crucial if we were going to elect some black candidates (I hope those black candidates are supportive of Tavis, whether they agree with his commentaries 100 percent of the time or not.). Tavis’ focus on black people has not changed. He’s still about getting black issues before the candidates and giving black people a reason to vote.

    I’m giving you background about Tavis and me because I want you to know the role he’s played on the show. I also wanted to make this point: In any healthy relationship, you shouldn’t allow one incident to determine your actions. You look at the total package, the total history, the total experience. Knowing how much Tavis loves black people and all the things he’s done for black people, I would not let the one time he isn’t saying exactly what I want him to say nullify all the good things he’s done for our show and for black people -- and you shouldn’t either. I believe that if he’s cared about black people all these years, he wouldn’t stop now.

    More tomorrow.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 3685

• TheFlyJock's Blog: Breathe & S

  • From: TheFlyJock
  • Description:

    Yesterday, a few minutes after the show started, I was trying to make a point. I was trying to discuss this blog and how I was going to write about Tavis until he changes his mind about leaving the show. J. kept interrupting me so he could make his point. I got frustrated and said some things I shouldn’t have said. I told J. to shut up, turn off his microphone or go home. He went home. I wasn’t trying to keep J. from expressing his views; I was trying to keep him from stopping me from expressing mine. But since I did it in a rude, unprofessional way, I am sorry.

    This thing is really getting strange. I was upset about Tavis leaving and upset with some of the people who didn’t like the way he was expressing himself. In defending Tavis, I got upset with J. and expressed myself. As a result, some people, got upset with me.

    When you think about it, it was our first on-air fight.

    Actually, as much time as we spend together, J. and I could have fallen out over a lot of things over the years. Like the time we were in Atlantic City, and a white guy spilled ketchup on J. When he “raised up” on the guy, he says neither I or our friend George Wallace had his back. But we didn’t fall out over that. We laughed about it. Then there was the time when we were riding in a car together in L.A., and we got stopped by the LAPD. I told J. not to say a word, I would do all the talking. But when the officer came over to the car, I had flashbacks of the Rodney King beating and couldn’t get a word out. We laughed about that, too. Oh, then there was the time J. needed a ride to the airport. I showed up to pick him up in my two-seater and he had 37 pieces of luggage. We didn’t fall about that either. So surely we haven’t fallen out over Tavis, have we?

    Oddly enough, in the center of all this unrest is Barack Obama, the black man who has an excellent chance of becoming the first black president of the United States. You would think the idea of seeing a black president in our lifetime would be a source of unification for black America. In many ways, it has been, but there’s also a lot of quarreling and feuding going on. I don’t think any of us are angry, but we are emotional, and we’re letting our emotions get the best of us. If we don’t all stop for a minute, take a deep breath and remember to keep our eye on the prize, we’re going to be shaking our heads in November wondering what happened. As the Rev. Jesse Jackson likes to say, we’re treating the pre-season like it’s the Super Bowl. We’re not even done with the primaries yet, and if none of us are speaking to each other by November, there’s no way the outcome will be a positive one.

    When I spoke to Tavis yesterday and in his commentary today, he’ll tell us in his own words why he’s decided to move on from the TJM . Listen, and get the story firsthand. It will probably be the last time he talks about it. By Thursday and until he leaves at the end of June, he’ll be back to saying some of the same stuff that got everyone riled up in the first place. Stay tuned!

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 3702

• Tavis Needs A Reality Check

  • From: pob406
  • Description:

    As a long time listener of the TJMS I was very disappointed by the commentary that Tavis gave this morning. When did he become such and egotist? From start to finish all I heard from Tavis was pride, arrogance and self righteousness. But he did it really "nice nasty" if you know what I mean. Lots of swelling words like a fourth of July speech. He knows how to play the game. Underneath it was ugly. Tom was there for Tavis when no one else was. He gave Tavis a platform that no one else could have or would have. Maybe it is time for Tavis to move on. One monkey don't stop a show.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 4263

• It's All About Sean Levert

  • From: TheFlyJock
  • Description:

    “ If you’re a father or a son, or both, give yourself and your dad a break. Love your children and your father with all the love you know how to give them and make every moment together count.”

    This is a quote from my book “I’m Just a DJ But…It Makes Sense to Me.”

    And this morning, it makes more sense than ever. Sometimes déjà vu is a good thing. This morning it was awful. I got a phone call on the way to the studio this morning with word that our good friend Sean LeVert had passed away. It was eerily reminiscent of a phone call I got on a Friday afternoon on November 10th about the death of Sean’s older brother, Gerald. Both times, I couldn’t believe my ears, both times, I had recently been in contact with the family and both times, my heart went out to parents Eddie LeVert and Martha LeVert.

    The Tom Joyner Morning Show and the LeVert family go way back. You see, in the early days of the show, it wasn’t always easy to get “A” list artists to perform. What became the “Sky Show” started out as a live performance with maybe two hundred people in the audience on a good morning. One of those good mornings in Atlanta, Sean and Gerald performed live at the CNN Center. We were grateful to have them and they gave it all they had, Gerald was just becoming the “sex symbol” that he eventually became and clearly was uncomfortable with the role. When an audience member told him she loved him, a confused expression came over his face and he said, “how could you love me, you don’t even know me.” Sean who was as talented or in a lot of people’s opinions more talented than Gerald never rose to the same level of popularity as his older brother but I never detected any jealousy. He supported his brother 100 percent and Gerald was always the loving, protective older brother. He wanted nothing more than to see Sean finally get his props. A lot of us thought that after Gerald passed and with news that the group LeVert would be reuniting, this was going to be Sean’s time. Sadly, we were wrong.

    About a year before that live performance in Atlanta, I had a very memorable conversation with Eddie LeVert. We were in Phoenix, Ariz., at the NBA All-Star game. I was there with my engineer and a tape recorder getting live stuff to play on the morning brand new syndicated TJMS. Gerald, Sean and Mark Gordon were there, but they were really just Eddie’s sons and another guy just launching the group LeVert. I grabbed hold of Eddie because back then, he was the bigger name. The first thing I thought about when I saw Eddie there to support his two boys, was my two sons Thomas Oscar who both were away at college. I recounted this story in the book and it went like this: “While Thomas and Oscar were away in college and I was busy getting the syndicated radio show off the ground in the early mid 90s, I got to know Eddie LeVert of the group the Ojays and he had the life I wished I had. I would see him and his sons Gerald, Sean and Eddie Jr. and I thought he was the luckiest guy in the world. Here was a guy who had been hugely successful in his musical career, and his sons had followed him into the business. Eddie Jr., helped him on the road and of course Gerald and Sean had singing careers. How cool was that, I thought, to have a job that you love and to have your sons right by your side, working with you and hanging out with you almost on a daily basis? I knew that when those boys were young Eddie was on the road most of the time, in fact, he was away from them more than I was away from my sons. How did he pull this off? I found myself feeling tinges of jealousy over the fact that his boys dug him and respected his career so much. My boys hadn’t grown up hanging around the radio stations I’d worked at and even if they had, radio wasn’t really the kind of business you wanted your kids to follow you into. There’s hardly any job security, and to be honest, I knew they had higher aspirations. Plus, It’s not likely that the three of us could have done a radio show together even if they had shown the slightest interest. Thomas had been thinking of becoming a lawyer and Oscar had announced in the tenth grade that he was going to run a marketing company, Joyner Incorporated…even though, at the time, neither he nor I had any idea what Joyner Inc. would possibly market or produce. Fast forward to the year 1998 when I decided to form the Tom Joyner Foundation to raise money for kids who had run out of money at may possibly love HBCUs … Thomas who possibly loves HBCUs just as much as I do, was the perfect person to run the foundation and low and behold, I had a son working with me… Oscar would soon get his business degree. He had completed a paid internship at Proctor and Gamble and had gotten job offers from more than one Fortune 500 company. Finally, the three of us , Thomas Jr., Oscar and I were a team and even though we’re not singing group, our harmony is on par with Eddie Levert and his boys. "

    I asked Eddie how he was able to maintain such a good relationship with his boys having been away from them so much, having gone though divorce, having made mistakes, etc. He told me that it hadn’t been easy but he said that when his boys became men, they became a lot more forgiving. They grew to understand things about their father and why he’d some of the choices he’d made. They didn’t agree with everything but they understood. The key was to stay close and always be there for them, even when they try to push you away. Hang in there and be the man until your sons catch up with you.

    I recount this story for a couple of reasons. For one, I’ll never forget it, but more importantly it serves as reminder that envy is a dangerous thing. God really does know what’s best for us at each point in our lives. We can’t see the future so our best bet is to trust God and take everything one day at a time. My relationship with my boys is my relationship and no one can take that from us. They are a blessing to me and my greatest reward. Fourteen years ago, I thought I might have wanted to trade places with Eddie, this morning, I can only grieve for my dear friend. Another important thing to remember is that in spite of what Eddie and Martha have gone through in losing two sons in less than a two-year span, they wouldn’t give up the time they had with those boys for anything in the world. They wouldn’t trade places with me any more than I would trade places with them. And that’s what should keep us all going.

    This morning shortly after went on the air, I asked Sybil why things like this happen. She said, there are no answers, but all we can do is keep on living. She really is the smart one on the show. We do have to keep on living and keep on loving each other. I tried to call my sons this morning after hearing the news, and of course they didn’t pick up. My daddy passed away a few months ago, so I couldn’t call him, but I sure thought about it. J. called his three children and they reminded him of how early in the morning it was to be calling them. The thing about working in morning radio is that no one ever wants to hear from us while we’re on our way to work.

    My question now isn’t why do things like this happen, my question now is how am I going to make every moment with everyone I love count? Who am I upset with and how would I feel if I never have a chance to say I’m sorry or just to say, let’s move on.

    If you’re upset with someone you love or someone you like, write me and let me know what you’re going to do to resolve things.

    I don’t know this for sure, but I don’t think Eddie has any regrets as a father. He admits that he wasn’t perfect but one thing for sure, he was there for his children. He knew they loved him and they knew he loved them. I don’t know what his last conversation with Sean was like, but I’m willing to bet that they both said “I love you,” before the conversation ended.

    One thing I didn’t include in the book that I remember about seeing the LeVert family in Phoenix 14 years ago is that as I was wrapping up the interview with Eddie, we could hear the newly-formed LeVert band gearing up. Very few people were interested in hearing them at that point but Eddie started getting antsy. “I gotta go, man. I gotta go listen to my babies.”

    Eddie had his priorities in order. Family first. No regrets.

    Rest in Peace, Sean.

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 10894