2011!

I wonder where we are headed and what we will be talking about a year from now? I am sure that the 2012 presidential elections will be in full effect; wingnuts will be screaming more foolishness from their high profile perch over at Radio Rwanda; there will still be a war raging in some remote corner of the world; there will still be a war right here at home, where 300 plus people will, once again, lose their lives violently in my hometown of Killadelphia.

Still, I know what we won't be talking about: (By we I mean the folks here in A-merry-ca.) Poverty. Corruption. Education.Crime. Race. Social justice.....You get the idea; we won't be talking about anything that makes us uncomfortable. We don't want to feel uncomfortable while we pursue happiness here in A-merry-ca.

Anyway, we talked about a lot in 2010. And, for the most part, I enjoyed the conversation. At least the conversation we had here. We talked about a lot of the things that makes A-merry-ca uncomfortable, which is why this blog will always be, for the most part, on the outside looking in.

But we will keep having that conversation in 2011, because I want to talk; and judging from the comments and the folks who come to the fields on a daily basis, so do you.

So please keep talking to me and letting me know what you think. I promise that you will always know what I think no matter what.

Here is hoping that 2011 will be filled with happiness for you.

It's about time!!

I am glad to see that the Scott Sisters will be free from their Mississippi jail after 16 long years.

I won't get into this story again, it has been well documented here and other places. (Well, some other places. Some of you so call pro black women bloggers have been woefully silent on this issue.) But let me say this: folks here in A-merry-ca should not get upset when people in other parts of the world laugh at the notion of "American exceptionalism". It's cases like this that makes such a notion a joke. A life sentence for an $11 robbery? !!!


So Haley finally did the right thing and decided to act on behalf of these poor women. (For the record, he did not pardon them, he marely suspended their sentence for medical reasons. Yes, there are conditions to their release: One sister (Gladys) will have to give her kidney to the other (Jamie) whose kidneys are failing her.) Is there anyone reading this who doesn't believe that Haley did what he did for political reasons and to ease the sting of his ignorant comments about civil rights, recently?


And I have to take a moment to rip Ben Jealoous and the NAACP. I heard Jealous on CNN praising Barbour for his actions and refusing to say that he finally acted, after six years in office, for political reasons. Come on Ben, stop it! You know Haley only acted the way he did because he is thinking about 2012. Most A-merry-cans still don't know about the Scott Sisters, but I guarantee you that if one of them had died in jail, just in time for Haley's run, they would have.


So Governor Barbour, unlike those other Negroes like Ben Jealous, I won't be thanking you for s^&t. You should have acted six years ago. The state you lead -and which you are a product of- did this to these poor women, and countless others before them. You get no praise here, and I hope that everyone with half of a brain realizes why you did what you did.


Thank you NAACP! Even though,as usual, you were behind the 8 ball, and it was race chasing bloggers like moi screaming injustice for anyone who will listen, who were in front of this story. Still, we understand that you are the official face of the Negro in A-merry-ca, and if you hadn't gotten involved or Haley hadn't decided he wanted to be president someday, Gladys and Jamie would still be rotting in jail.

Some things to hope for in the new year.

The new year isn't officially here yet, but I already have some things that I am hoping and wishing for in 2011:

I am hoping that governor Neil Abercombie of Hawaii will be successful in quieting these "birther" nut cases here in A-merry-ca, forever. Good luck with that Gov.; the mind of the wingnut does not work like us normal folks.

I am hoping that A-merry-cans will stop obsessing over "celebrities" in our culture and start paying more attention to the people who really matter in our society. We can start with folks like our parents, youth coaches, and teachers.

I am hoping that "7" will find true redemption on the football field, and that folks will shut up forever about his damn dogs.

And, speaking of Vick; here is hoping that wingnuts like Tucker Carlson find it in their Christian hearts to forgive.

"Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson followed the company's interesting tradition the other day by making one of the most distasteful and egregious comments in recent media history. Filling in for Sean Hannity, Carlson said that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick should have been executed for dogfighting.

"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances," Carlson said. "But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that. He wasn't, but the idea that the President of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."

-Yes, and the idea that someone should be "executed" for killing a f&*^%$g dog is not?-

I am hoping that Ms. Thing gives black folks some shine on her new network. I mean how much more Rachael Rays and Doctor Phils can we take?

I am hoping that I am going to hear less of the word insurgents on the nightly news.

I am hoping that the authorities will find Jody Lynn Bennett. (No relation.) Tucker, who is worse? Jody Lynn Bennett, or Michael Vick?

"hand-held video game console and other items were stolen from the coffin of a teenager killed in a car crash on Christmas Day.
Jody Lynn Bennett, 38, of Mentcle, Pennsylvania, grabbed the items from the coffin of 17-year-old Bradley McCombs during a viewing on Monday night at a funeral home 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. State police have named the alleged suspect and said they were still searching for him this morning. "

Oh lawd!!

Finally, I wish that all of you Me-groes would stay out of A-merry-can politics. Charlie, Kwame, Larry, and Sheila; please don't let the door knob hit you where the good lord split you on your way out.

Some guys have all the luck: Part two.

It pays to have money in A-merry-ca. (Just ask guys like Hugh Hefner [Just say no to the pre-nup Crystal] and OJ. Well....maybe not so much OJ these days; but you get my point.)

I don't know too much about St. Louis, in fact, I have only been there a couple of times in my life. (just passing through once, and once on business) no offense to the folks in "The Lou", but its just never been one of those places on my wish list of places to visit. Anyway, folks in the know will tell you that St. Louis is Busch country. As in Anheuser Busch, as in this "Buds for you" Busch. And, if your name just happens to be Busch, St. Louis, is your town. Literally.

Which brings me, once again, to this story of the young lady who was found dead in the home of the former CEO of Anheuser-Busch, August Busch IV.

"Martin was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. according to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office. She was last seen alive at 3:30 a.m., the office said, though it's unclear when she died. Her autopsy was inconclusive, with no signs of trauma or any obvious natural causes of death. Toxicology tests could take six weeks.

On Saturday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that it took 42 minutes for someone to call authorities after Martin was found dead. The newspaper offered no explanation or comment from authorities on the timing of the 911 call.Calls by AOL News to Frontenac, Mo., police were not immediately returned.According to KTVI, investigators waited to release the 911 tape because there was a staff shortage over the holidays.Martin, a divorced mother of an 8-year-old son, had been dating Busch for about a year. She and her ex-husband, Dr. Kevin Martin, divorced earlier this year." [Source]

I swear, bad luck sure knows how to follow August Busch IV. Let's see now; first there was that girl in college:

"August Busch IV crashes his Corvette in Tucson, Arizona, killing a young female passenger. Police determined that Busch had left a bar with the woman and wrecked while speeding around a sharp turn. Busch left the scene and was found at his Tucson townhouse more than four miles away and eight hours after the crash. Busch still had blood on him from the wreck.August Busch IV - PHOTOS

Manslaughter charges against Busch were dropped. Blood and urine samples taken from Busch the day of the accident had reportedly been lost or damaged."

Then there was the time August tried to outrun the po po:

"August Busch was arrested after leading police on a high-speed car chase after leaving a Sauget, Illinois bar. Busch was accused of trying to run over two officers with his Mercedes during the ordeal. The chase ended when police shot out Busch's rear tire.
Busch claimed he thought the police were trying to kidnap him. He was acquitted by a St. Louis jury." [Source] (I heard somewhere that the police actually put the tire back on after they shot it out.)

And now this.

Look, this all might have been a tragic accident. But, then again, maybe not. Lady luck doesn't hang around forever. Just ask OJ.

Some guys have all the luck.

I see that O and the family are taking a well deserved Christmas vacation in Hawaii. O, we are all jealous of you. I can't think of a better place in A-merry-ca to kick back with the fam. and enjoy the holidays. Folks on the east coast must be hating on you right now. "Why does our president get to spend his vacation in paradise and we have to shovel snow from our driveway?" I am not sure the president's approval ratings will be up much come spring. Misery , after all, loves company.


Here is hoping that O can take this time to kick his nicotine habit for good. The White House says that my man has been cancer stick free for nine months, so it's all good from where I sit.

Believe it or not, the wingnuts actually tried to make an issue of O's cigarette issues. It's as if the entire country didn't already know that he likes to puff on the regular. They (the wingnuts) played it as if he was trying to keep a secret from all of us. Not.


The man has been up front with his addiction issues and that is a good thing. Others who have had issues with nicotine addiction can take heart that the most powerful man on earth is going through the same struggles that they are.


Finally, thank you O for reaching out to the owner of my birds and congratulating him for giving "7" a second chance. Some folks will hate on you for it but screw em. It's nice to see that you are standing up for someone and not tossing them under an oncoming Greyhound for once.

Coming from a different place.

Thank you Santa; I loved my gifts. I am glad you got my letter with my requests. I hope you made it back to the North Pole in one piece, because I really want you to do this gift thing again next year.

I hope that all of you reading this enjoyed your Christmas with your families and friends. Any excuse to get together with family and loved ones is always good.

To my people back in Philly, I am sorry to hear that a blizzard is heading your way. I just hope that all the effects of it will be gone by the time I get back.

So anyway, I have been reading a lot of stuff on the Web with my down time, and I came across an interesting article by Kyle -Ann Shiver over at Pajamas Media. Now, you have to understand, that Pajamas Media is a wingnut news website, and you go over there at your own risk. (Severe mental damage could result in too much reading.) But being your humble field Negro servant allows me to brave those wingnut currents so that you don't have to.
"Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour may run for president in 2012. If I were his wife, I would put every ounce of my marital capital on the line in my fight to stop him. Governor Barbour would be, in my opinion, attempting a swim upstream, against ghastly, frigid currents, towards a bridge beyond too far.

The reasons why this is so ought to be obvious to any fifth grader with even an ounce of worldly knowledge and a tiny grain of common sense.

I sincerely doubt that Haley Barbour holds any genuinely racist beliefs. But he has made and continues to make comments – in a most Southern, Southern drawl — that have made even this native Southerner cringe. The most recent remarks by the governor were made in a formal interview with the Weekly Standard, which was published a couple of days ago. Already Governor Barbour’s questionable take on his town’s “Citizens Council” has been pilloried from coast to coast in scores of publications. In addition, past comments have been unearthed, one actually putting the words “watermelon” and “blacks” in the same sentence. Enough said.

Like Governor Barbour, I am as Southern as they come, born and bred in Atlanta a mere two generations removed from a plantation in Mississippi. I’m four years younger than Mr. Barbour, which gives me an even better excuse for being too young to have been a segregationist, much less a slaveholder or plantation mistress. But even I have strong, vivid memories of the Civil Rights movement and of the Jim Crow segregation that spawned it.

Two of the first words I learned to read as a young child were “white” and “colored.” Whether at the public park water fountains or the restrooms of any public facility, those words were emblazoned across the South in bold, stark print. Those words are still painful to me in ways that might be hard to fathom by my generational peers from other regions. And I’m white. As far as I’m concerned, one would need to have the sensibility of an orange or be born after 1970 not to feel a sharp pain in his soul over Jim Crow and the whole host of indignities to real human beings because of it.

Governor Haley Barbour, I’ve read, has been a good public servant in a state that has had grave problems, many of them stemming from Katrina devastation. He is currently the chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. He has served ably in both positions and deserves recognition. But a run for president to unseat the first black president? Hailing from Mississippi? With a record for misconstruing the enormous shame on the soul of the old South?

Sorry, he won’t get my primary vote if he decides to run. In fact, I already question his bearings and feel the need to set a few things straight because he has so blatantly muddied the Civil Rights movement waters.

Mr. Barbour was born in 1947, too late to be held accountable for continuing to uphold a post-Civil-War era code of laws. But I’m even younger, was born in 1951, and the Civil Rights era still amounts to far, far, more than “diddly” to me. I clearly remember the tales of my grandmother’s childhood on the family plantation in Mississippi, where black tenant farmers and their children lived lives completely reminiscent of their slave ancestors. I was in at least the third grade before it dawned on me that the War Between the States had happened nearly a century before I was born, and I could finally rest easily knowing that some guy named Sherman wasn’t actually down the road a piece burning everything in sight. Our parents and grandparents spoke of that war as though it were still going on or had happened the day before yesterday.

I played with the children of my grandmother’s “colored” maid ....."

OK, let me stop, I am having some ABM moments, but you can read the rest of "Missy" Anne's article here.

I actually disagree with her political predictions for Haley if he were decide to run, but I see where she is coming from. In fact, I think that we all do. We all live where she is coming from every day.

Not everyone is in a holiday spirit this year.

*

My goodness, don't you people in New York have any shame? Why are you still whining about the D-Jack run to end the Eagles Giants game last week? Stop it; it's almost Christmas for crying out loud! Not letting go after a heartbreaking loss is not what the Christmas spirit is about.

I know who probably won't be in the Christmas spirit this year; August Busch IV. My man might have some "splaining" to do:

"ST. LOUIS – For generations, the Busches of St. Louis were the first family of American beer-making, the city's most devoted boosters, and bearers of the most famous name in town. But they have also been touched by scandal, tragedy and allegations of reckless behavior.

Now the Busch name is in the headlines again, this time after an aspiring young model was found dead in the gated home of August Busch IV, the former Anheuser-Busch CEO and heir to the Budweiser fortune. The death is under investigation.

The woman, Adrienne Nicole Martin, was Busch's girlfriend and there was "absolutely nothing suspicious" about her death, said Busch's attorney, Art Margulis.

The 27-year-old woman was dead when police and paramedics responded to a 911 call from Busch's estate Sunday in Huntleigh, a wealthy St. Louis suburb. St. Louis County forensic administrator Suzanne McCune said there were no signs of trauma or illness, and an overdose was among the possible causes of death.

Busch IV, 46, joined the family business in the mid-1980s and worked his way up. He was chief of marketing when the brewer rolled out many of its most popular TV ads, including the Budweiser frogs.

When Busch IV took over as chief executive upon his father's retirement in 2006, Anheuser-Busch owned roughly half the U.S. beer market thanks to its two giant brands, Budweiser and Bud Light. Two years later, Anheuser Busch Cos. was sold to Belgian company InBev in a $52 billion deal that created the world's largest brewer.

With the merger, Busch IV turned out to be the last in a long line of Busches to run the company, whose roots dated to the mid-1800s. He is a member of the InBev board but no longer has any role in day-to-day operations.

"He had a reputation as a bit of a risk taker," said Terry Ganey, a veteran journalist who co-wrote the 1991 book "Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Story of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty." `'That is demonstrated by the fact that he drove powerboats, motorcycles, jet planes and helicopters and participated in sports that could do him some physical harm. But as an executive, I think he operated in his father's shadow."

InBev maintained St. Louis as its U.S. headquarters after the merger, but many in St. Louis felt the region had lost an icon that rivaled the Gateway Arch and baseball's Cardinals — which used to be owned by the Busch family.

"Rightly or wrongly, it will always be recalled that he was the CEO when the company was sold," Ganey said.

Trouble seemed to follow Busch well before he got out of the family business.

In 1983, Busch IV, then a 20-year-old University of Arizona student, left a bar near Tucson, Ariz., with a 22-year-old woman. His black Corvette crashed, and the woman, Michele Frederick, was killed. Busch was found hours later at his home. He suffered a fractured skull and claimed he had amnesia. After a seven-month investigation, authorities declined to press charges, citing a lack of evidence. " [Article]

Oh oh August, it looks like "the ghost of Christmas past" might e coming back to haunt you.

Finally, there is one other person who is not in the holiday spirit; it's Renardo Sidney of the Mississippi State University basketball team. Renardo is not a good dude. Fighting your teammate in the stands at a holiday tournament? WTF? You two clowns embarrassed yourselves, the university, and your families.

Santa, please skip Renardo and Elgin's house tomorrow morning.

Holiday cheer!!

You all are going to have to hang with me for a little bit. I am going all Willie Nelson on you and going "on the road again." I am off the plantation but thanks to modern technology I can still do my thing. For the next week or so my posts will just come at some odd times, that's all.

Anyway, tis the season of giving, so I hope that you all, like me, are in a giving mood. (Amex, you are welcome.) The Malls are packed and Internet traffic is crawling at a snail's pace because of all the online shopping. (Aren't we supposed to be in a recession?) I guess Santa doesn't care who is president; little Johnny better have a gift from him under the tree come Saturday morning.

I am in the holiday spirit, because, in spite of what the naysayers will try to tell you, things ain't looking so bad here in the land of the [some are]free. The lame duck congress ain't looking so lame; no terror attacks; (knock on wood) the housing market looks like it's picking up; the stock market is up; violent crime and teen pregnancies are down; the unemployment rate is still not good but holding steady, and FOX NEWS ratings are down by almost double digits. Life is good!

Santa, you don't have to bring me anything this Christmas, you have already delivered.

SHOW THEM THE MONEY!

*

I swear you white folks don't like to give us black folks money. Even when we earn it.

Come on FOX, break off *Gabe and Brittany. Stop splitting hairs and playing word games because you don't want to get up off your money.

Anyway, the gig is up, thanks to the Internet you all have been exposed:

"Think 'Deal Or No Deal' Is Too Brainy?" read Linda Holmes's headline Monday at NPR.org's Monkey See blog. "Try Fox's 'Million Dollar Money Drop.'" Now it seems the show's contestants might be quite a bit brainier than its producers.

In the "Drop" premiere episode Monday night, contestants Gabe Okoye and Brittany May decided to try their luck in the category "Inventions." Host Kevin Pollak asked them which product was first sold: the Macintosh computer, the Sony Walkman, or 3M's Post-It Notes. Okoye was confident that the answer was Post-Its. But was it?

According to the answer supplied to Pollak, Okoye was wrong (as, by extension, was the much more hesitant May). But late yesterday afternoon, Richard Lawson of Gawker.com expressed his doubts. Post-Its first started trickling into the marketplace as early as 1977 — so, earlier than the Sony Walkman, which debuted in 1979 (and not, as Okoye guesses on the show, in "the '90s").

Lawson has updated his original post with comment from personnel attached to the show: An unnamed rep for Fox says that producers contacted 3M to fact-check the question, and were told that Post-Its date from 1980, when they were first sold nationally. The phrasing of the question did not make the distinction of how widely available the products were, and it's reasonable for the show's producers to write their questions based on information supplied by the Post-It manufacturer.

With regard to the controversy, Jeff Apploff, the executive producer of "Million Dollar Money Drop," is standing firm, issuing this statement to Gawker today: "The integrity of the questions and answers on our show are our No. 1 priority. In this case, our research team spoke directly with 3M, and they confirmed that although they had given out free samples in test markets in 1977 and 1978, it wasn't until 1980 that Post-Its were sold in stores. Million Dollar Money Drop stands behind the answer that was revealed on the show." Unfortunate news for Okoye and May — but, given the product in question, it's fitting that the show should stick to its original answer." [Story]

Oh, they didn't SELL IT IN STORES. Lawd you white folks is tricky.

Finally, I have a quick question: Is Mignon Clyburn (I guess her parents loved a good steak) related to James Clyburn? I was just wondering. She is on the FCC regulatory panel and......never mind.

Haley, Rogerio, and the FCC.

*
Who says Haley doesn't have Negro friends? There he is, right there, with a Negro.

Anyway, I am going to leave Haley alone tonight. He is what he is: a good ole boy from another time who happens to be still with us, and who holds a considerable amount of power and admiration from his fellow southern whites; members of his conservative gang; and certain black apologist here in A-merry-ca. Yes, he made a racial gaffe, but it was only a gaffe because he said it publicly. We all know that what he thinks he says privately, like so many folks in the majority population, (present company excluded of course) is much worse.

Folks in the National media are already writing off this latest little verbal faux pas and they are saying that it should not have any effect on his 2012 run. (I don't know who I want to come out of the republi-clown primary more; Haley or Sarah.) Good luck with your run Haley, you will be just fine.

Hold up, did I read the following headline correctly?:

"MAN KILLS BRIDE, BEST MAN, SELF AT WEDDING."

Yes, I think I did.

"RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A bridegroom fatally shot his new wife, his best man and then himself after announcing to horrified guests that he had a "surprise" for them, authorities said Monday.

Witnesses reported that 29-year-old Rogerio Damascena, a sales manager in Camaragibe, outside the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife, did not give any previous indication that anything was wrong at his wedding reception, police investigator Joao Brito said.
Brito would not speculate on a possible motive, saying family members were in shock and he had not interviewed them yet.

Brito did say the killings are believed to be premeditated because of the groom's announcement and because he had hidden a gun in his father's pickup truck.

Twenty-five-year-old bride Renata Alexandre Costa Coelho and best man Marcelo Guimaraes were both killed in Saturday's murder-suicide. A brother of the bride was treated at a hospital and released.

The website Globo.com quoted a sister of the bride who left before the shootings as saying she didn't believe it was a crime of passion.

"My sister was a wonderful person who loved and wanted to be loved," Lucia Helena Coelho was quoted as saying.

"He was happy, she was happy, the party was beautiful. His family adored her and doesn't understand this," Coelho told Globo.com. "He revealed himself as a sociopath who fooled the entire family and killed his best friend, who was ... the best man."'

Maybe the poor guy was a New York Giants fan.

Finally, I see that the FCC passed some form of "net neutrality" rules today. I am still not sure how I feel about this latest move on the part of the feds. I know that wingnuts are against it so it can't be all bad, but then there are some folks I respect who are on opposite sides of this particular issue.

I should really care more and do a better job of educating myself about this subject because I stay on the Internet. I have been sitting on the sidelines and letting other folks fight this particular battle because, quite frankly, a lot of this stuff goes right over my head. But I am getting better thanks to some really smart folks on this subject who keep me in the know.

Still, It looks like his O-ness and his people had some kind of compromise (What else is new?) and decided on the something is better than nothing approach.

We will see.

What's a little civil rights between friends?

Today is the 150th Anniversary of the first secession from our great Union. South Carolina holds the honors. And, to commemorate that great day, they are holding a "Secession Gala" in Charleston. I wish I could be there.

"Organizers say the "Secession Gala" in Charleston tonight will commemorate the event as a show of courage in the face of encroachment by the federal government on state's rights. But some historians and civil rights groups are protesting the event as the glorification of a defense of slavery.

Dozens of Civil War buffs and Confederate reenactors are expected to attend the $100-a-head event, where they will sip mint juleps, nibble on Carolina crab dip and mingle to the tune of "Dixie" in the presence of the state's original Ordinance of Secession, signed in 1860." [Story]

Ahh come on. You "historians" and "civil rights groups" need to chill out. You are just jealous because you didn't get an invite.

I bet Haley Barbour was invited. My man Haley is considering a run for 2012, and he is already reaching out to minorities. He fondly remembers the days he kicked back and listened to MLK as a youngster in Yazoo City, (that doesn't even sound right) Mississippi.

"In an interview with the Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson, the GOP governor offers up some provocative comments about growing up in the racially charged deep South in the 1960s. By Barbour's account, things weren't "that bad" in his hometown of Yazoo City, Mississippi, which escaped some of the violence other nearby towns suffered during the civil rights movement.

"I just don't remember it as being that bad," Barbour, who was in high school at the time, tells Ferguson. "I remember Martin Luther King came to town, in '62. He spoke out at the old fairgrounds and it was full of people, black and white."

Barbour, who was 15 at the time, says he attended the rally because he wanted to hear what King had to say but ended up spending most of the time talking to his friends. "The truth is, we couldn't hear very well. We were sort of out there on the periphery. We just sat on our cars, watching the girls, talking, doing what boys do," Barbour tells Ferguson. "We paid more attention to the girls than to King."

Asked why Yazoo City was more peaceful than other parts of the South, Barbour offers credit to the Citizens Council, a controversial group that has been likened by its critics to the Ku Klux Klan. But Barbour says this critique is unfair and that the group actually cracked down on the KKK.

"In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town," Barbour says. "If you had a job, you'd lose it. If you had a store, they'd see nobody shopped there. We didn't have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City."' [Article]

You tell em, Haley. Those kids getting their bones broken as their bodies were thrown against the concrete with fire hoses were all just thrill seeking. ----It's no worse than bungee jumping. Right Haley? And those civil rights workers who were hung not far from your hometown committed suicide. Right Haley? And those little girls that were blown to bits when bombs went off while they were worshiping with their families was not real. It was a PR stunt by a few trouble makers to garner sympathy for their [so called] civil rights movement.

"But Think Progress's Matthew Yglesias suggests Barbour is presenting a revisionist history on race, noting that historians have described the Citizens Council as a racist organization that also worked to intimidate people who signed on to NAACP petitions at the time. A Barbour spokesman defended Barbour's comments, telling TPMDC's Eric Kleefeld that Barbour was addressing "the business community in Yazoo City" and was not talking about the group's history as a movement."

Here we go again with those "historians" and other groups starting trouble.

Why does everything have to be about race with you people?

Dream on.

"The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.”
~Tom Bradley~

You, as well as republi-clowns and wimpy dumb-ocratic poli-tricksters. They can kill your dreams as well. Especially if you are a child of immigrants.

How could someone block the path to citizenship for someone who has been in this country before they were 16 years old; lived in this country for at least five years; and served in the military or attended college? I thought these were exactly the types of immigrants we were looking for in this country.

The poor dumbocrats couldn't even hold their own together to get this done. Proving, once again, that some folks are dumbocrats in name only. I will give a pass to the republi-clowns, because I expect no better from them. They are who they are: Anti immigrant. Anti people. Anti progress. And, most important, short sighted.

"Americans love the underdog. Our culture is based upon coming from behind. We cheer the hero, who battles despite short odds, and defeats the bully. Republican Lindsey Graham was a bully in the Senate when he told students they were “wasting their time” because the most powerful country in the world had not sealed the border, so it was going to take it out on juvenile immigrants instead. He said they were playing a "Silly stupid game" aimed at turning Hispanics against Republicans, reported the SunTimes.com.

Clearly, after Republicans blocked hopes for comprehensive immigration reform for 2010, they could have saved the day by passing a token immigration bill called the Dream Act. Republicans refused, and launched a smear campaign against the Act, calling it Amnesty, something it clearly was not."

Lindsey, I hope that Hispanics remember how you republi-clowns reacted to this bill come election time.

"When it comes to immigration, our primary focus must remain on regaining the American people's trust by fully securing our borders that are threatened by emboldened and violent gangs, and fixing our broken immigration system," said Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, once a chief sponsor of the DREAM Act who now opposes the bill.

Senator, violent gang members are not in college or trying to serve in the military. But I am sure you don't care about that. You are too busy shoring up your ignorant bigoted base.

It's about time!

*

It's nice to see that the US military can join the rest of us in the 21st century. "Don't ask don't tell" can finally be buried in the trash heap of history where it belongs. And please spare me the lecture about the camaraderie of men and women in the military being compromised because they have to serve with openly gay soldiers. I think we have been down this road before, and things didn't turn out so bad. I just wonder how many folks like Glenda Jones had to suffer before we finally got to this point.

Also tonight, I see that yet another mentally challenged business person is drawing attention to his business by letting his ignorance flow.

"The fuss over a sign in Alabama at an electronics store reading "BBQ PORK RESTURANT (sic) IS SAFEST NO MUSLIMS INSIDE" shocked its longtime owner who said he doesn't understand why it's such a big deal.

Electronic Repair Company owner Chuck Biddinger, who put up the sign last week, said he meant the message as a joke. But he said this sign, which has garnered national attention, has gotten more positive reaction than negative -- and he has no plans to apologize to anyone offended.

He told local television station ABC 33/40 that while it was meant as a lighthearted joke, it was true.

"Muslims do not eat pork," he told the television station. "It's a known fact that Muslims have tried to commit crimes in this country."

On Friday, Biddinger said he planned to take the sign down sometime soon, but hadn't quite had the time to do it -- and was still looking for something equally eye-catching. Signs outside his shop are changed every week, usually with jokes he receives via e-mail chains. " [Story]

Say Mr. Biddinger, did you hear the one about why black folks like Tylenol?

Finally, I am sure you are all familiar with Heidi Jones by now. Let's give Heidi some credit; at least she didn't say it was a black man who tried to rape her in Central Park. Heidi apparently realized the black man did it line is getting old, so she tried the next best thing: The Hispanic guy did it.

"NEW YORK (AP) — A meteorologist on ABC's local New York station was suspended Wednesday after police said she made up claims she was assaulted in Central Park.

Heidi Jones of WABC–TV told police Nov. 24 that a man had tried to rape her a month earlier as she ran in Central Park. She said the same person harassed her outside her apartment Nov. 21 at 7:50 a.m.

Police investigated, speaking to possible witnesses and canvassing the area for a person matching description she gave of her alleged attacker: a stocky, Hispanic man dressed in a black jean jacket and blue jeans, about 5 feet 9 inches tall. Police said Jones admitted fabricating the story when investigators went back to her to discuss the case.

She was given a desk appearance ticket for false reporting, which is akin to a traffic violation and does not require the suspect be taken into custody. The charge is a misdemeanor and she was scheduled to appear in court Jan. 15. If convicted, she could face a year in prison and fines.

Jones' attorney, Paul Callan, told The Associated Press (News - Alert) that his client would plead not guilty to any charges.

"Ms. Jones has had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist and urges all concerned to refrain from jumping to conclusions about the unproven charges against her being discussed in the press," Callan said.

Jones also fills in on "Good Morning America." WABC said Wednesday that Jones has been suspended pending an internal investigation. She worked previously in Billings, Mont., and Houston and has been with WABC for about five years.

She has a blog centered on running, where she talks about her love of the sport and her time spent running in Central Park and other locations. Her motto, according to the site, is "if you knew you wouldn't fail, what would you try?" (Story)

Excuse me counselor, I don't want to rain on your parade, but she admitted to fabricating the story. What type of "conclusions" are we jumping to here? That she lied about being assaulted? That's not too much of a leap when she actually said that she made it all up.

Oh well, she was given a "desk appearance" ticket. No harm no foul. She will cop a plea, pay a fine, and her career will take off thanks to all the publicity. My girl will be on the air doing weather in San Diego before you know it.

Isn't A-merry-ca great?

*Pic lifted from the Grio.

"Bobby's Berms."

*

I want to start this post by giving a shout out to GQ Magazine for featuring the last surviving member of the original three Wailers in this latest issue of their magazine. It was a pleasant surprise to open up the pages and see my man Bunny Wailer in full effect.

Anyway, tonight I want to write about rising GOP star, Bobby Jindal. Seems my man, like so many wingnuts before him, was wrong about something else:

Remember when Jindal was ripping his O ness a new one about his administrations inactivity and incompetence during the gulf oil spill? My man even wrote a book about it and was on every wingnut talk show from California to Maine patting himself on the back and praising his skills as a governor on knowing how to get things done. Not so fast.

Now it seems that Jindal might have been wrong all along.

"The GOP's rising star, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, was the driving force behind the construction of sand berms to curb the Gulf oil spill. They were considered environmentally unsound, and a presidential commission has found that they didn't even work.

A draft of the commission's report was released yesterday, and aside from the obvious (BP), Jindal comes out looking pretty scummy. That shouldn't really shock anyone, but the particulars of the berm deal are pretty bad. So what really happened? Well, the berms cost about $220 million to build with another $140 million committed to finish the project. The report describes them as "underwhelmingly effective, and overwhelmingly expensive." The sand berm project got nearly three times more money than any other oil spill relief project in Jindal's state of Louisiana.

But how does Jindal himself feel about the berms' effectiveness? According to Bloomberg, on November 15, Jindal appeared on the Today Show touting the project's effectiveness: "The reality is, it worked. And the reality is, it prevented that oil from getting into the wetlands 15 to 20 miles away." Hmm. How well did it work? According to the presidential commission's report, the berms only stopped about 1,000 barrels of oil... out of about 5 million barrels that were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Nice try, Bobby!

And Jindal could have listened to skeptical experts during a June meeting to weight the pros and cons of moving ahead with the project. According to the report, "A Coast Guard officer present at the summit offered a similar [dismal] assessment. According to that officer, the experts ‘all said it's pretty crummy' and offered no ‘glowing endorsements' of berms as a spill response measure." That sure doesn't sound like something a fiscally responsible Republican would get behind.

Jindal responded with a typically shitty statement, calling the report "partisan revisionist history at taxpayer expense," which means we can call Bobby's Berms "the result of very little scientific evidence, at the environment, and people of Louisiana's expense," right? So, to all of the Gulf residents struggling to squeeze money out of BP in the wake of the oil spill, you can thank Bobby Jindal for sucking up hundreds of millions of dollars for a joke of a relief project." [Article]

What a fraud! It just goes to show you that you can't trust a wingnut with anything having to do with science.

Finally, I would like to invite all of you reading this to come to Philadelphia and see the "President's House "display. If you are a student of real history it will be worth the trip.

* Pic lifted from Gawker.com

First they took our clippers....

To all you brothers in central Florida getting your domes clipped in barber shops, please consider buying some clippers and learning to cut from the comfort of your homes.

Honestly, I have to ask: Is there no place sacred for brothers anymore? It used to be that the barber shop was our refuge. A place we could get together and bond. Cut up. Practice our own form of therapy with each other. But, sadly, if you are in central Florida, you might no longer enjoy the black barber shop experience.

"A while back, some black barbers in central Florida must have felt like they fell asleep – and woke up in 1833.

In Alabama.

That was the year when that Confederate state – as well as a number of others – passed codes that forbade five or more black male slaves from assembling. Such laws were aimed at discouraging slaves from plotting revolts, or sharing wisdom, or bonding too much for their masters’ comfort.

More than a century has passed since then, and black men have been gathering all over the place; at lodges, at the post and especially at the barber shop.

That’s where they get a haircut, where they take sons and grandsons to get their first haircuts, where they talk about the news of the day, and where they dispense wisdom and talk trash.

But nowadays, this misguided War on Drugs seems to have given law enforcement free rein to do what slave owners and Bull Connor once did: To act on stereotypes instead of evidence; to automatically see a bunch of proud and often boisterous black men as being up to no good.

At least that seems to be what’s been happening in Orlando.

Officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office raided some 40 barber shops in black and Latino neighborhoods between August and September. Rather than go through the trouble of obtaining search warrants, they tagged along with inspectors from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to enter the shops.

To hear the barbers and customers tell it, what happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.

According to the Orlando Sentinel and other news outlets, witnesses said the officers conducted SWAT-style raids on the shops, complete with police dogs and, in some cases, drawn weapons.

In some shops, barbers were forced to lie on the floor and submit to pat-down searches. Drawers and lockers were pried open with bars and a battering ram, and extensive damage was done.

Lawyers representing the barbers said that customers, including those who were in the middle of getting haircuts, were ordered out of the shop, and criminal checks were run on them.

After all that humiliation, however, only three drug-related crimes were uncovered. But dozens of barbers were arrested and jailed for minor license infractions – and, for extra fun, were driven around in police vans as they moved on to raid other black barber shops.

Keep in mind that only three barbers in the past decade have been arrested for license violations. Most get a citation and a $500 fine.

To his credit Jerry Demings, Orange County’s black sheriff, has ordered an internal investigation of the raids and has said that the license arrests were overkill. The DBPR has fired three officials involved." [Story]

Maybe some over zealous inspector mistook shaving cream for cocaine one day, and things kind of went down hill from there. Or, maybe you Negroes are up to something in those barber shops. All that laughing and joking around has to be artificially induced. You black men are never happy.

The chase continues.

Things seem to intensify during the holiday season. People's emotions tend to get the better of them, and their true feelings always comes out. It's why my man racism works in overdrive around this time. But I have no problem with chasing his ass around the room and shining a light on him when he stops. The trick is to find the real Mr. R, and not fall for the fake ones like this author did.

Dateline Indiana:

"A business owner in Nobesville, Inidana has been selling soap with racist slogans. Residents of his town have come to support him after he was criticized for the racist soap. Fox 59 Reports:

The controversy over soap with racist labels being sold at a Noblesville store continues. In addition to those who are offended by the store selling these items, there is also growing support for the vendor who has been ordered to take the soaps off the shelves or face eviction.

After hearing about the soap, Carolyn Gentner bought two bars including one labeled “Kolored Kids.”

“I don’t think they’re offensive, I think they’re nostalgic,” she told Fox59 News. “I believe if this is going to be an issue, we should be in Kroger for selling Aunt Jemima syrup. " [Story]

"Growing support", indeed. Oh for those good ole days.

Dateline Illinois:

"CHICAGO-Chicago Sun-Times) A 4-year-old boy was Duct-Taped at the Pui Tak Christian School, in Chicago Illinois and the boy’s parents, Harold and Cara Irving, who are African-American, are claiming that race was a factor. The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

“I received a call from the school informing me that my son was in the principal’s office because he refused to take a nap, and he didn’t want to wash his hands,” Irving told me.

“I told them that I would come and pick him up. I arrived shortly after that and found him standing there with his hands duct-taped together.”

“She told me that I have to tell my son that it is not acceptable not to listen, and this is how it ends up with kids getting guns,” Irving said.

“My reaction was: ‘Are you kidding me. Is this what you think of little black kids?’ ”

Irving said he’s also concerned that school administrators treated his son like a criminal, thus reinforcing the stereotype that young black males are dangerous.

“I can’t think of any other race that they would have done this to,” Irving said. “If we don’t stop stereotyping and demoralizing black boys, we will precipitate the stereotype. We have to send a message that this is unacceptable for anyone’s child.” [Story]

Momma don't let your sons grow up to be Negroes.

Still, I don't know; it doesn't seem that anybody is safe in A-merry-ca these days.

Troy Dale's revenge.

AOL.Black Voices, you are killing me with material tonight. (No, not this clown, he is just looking for attention. *Yawn*)

I think I will start down in that beautiful state of Georgia:

A white man from Georgia who beat a black female Army reservist as her young child looked on and begged him to stop has been released from jail early.

Troy Dale West (pictured above) had only been sentenced to six months in prison for beating Tasha Hill (pictured below), after they had words while both trying to enter a Cracker Barrel restaurant.

West allegedly punched Hill in the face, kicked her as she fell to the ground and yelled racial epithets.

An early release for a man who beat a woman-one who is serving our country no less- in front of her child while screaming racial epithets? Nice. (I know slave catchers and house servants, she had it coming. You can't just go walking around looking like a victim.)

"The sheriff in Clayton County, Georgia, said West received two days of time served credit for every day he painted trailers. He also acknowledged receiving pressure from West's friends to release him early, but said he did not relent. "

You can't make this stuff up. What gets me is not the ignorant racist who attacked this woman. I expect that in A-merry-ca. What is troubling is the justice system, once again, failing one of its citizens. It would have been nice if the folks in Clayton, Georgia decided to send a message to Mr. Deliverance. But I guess the sheriff wanted to get reelected. Old Troy Dale must have had a lot of friends. [Story]

Finally, you Negroes can pat yourselves on the back for contributing to modern science here in A-merry-ca:

"University of Illinois professor Deborah McGregor has shed light on an important piece of American history. McGregor has noted that Dr. James Marion Sims, considered the father of modern gynecology, developed many of his techniques by operating on slaves, many of whom were not given anesthesia.

McGregor, author of 'From Midwives to Medicine: The Birth of American Gynecology,' said "There is no doubt that he carried out experiments on women, and that he was only able to do so because they were slaves."

Part of the controversy regarding Sims centers around a statue placed near Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street in New York City. The statue is located next to the New York Academy of Medicine, in a neighborhood that is majority black and Puerto Rican. EastHarlemPreservation.org put a poll on its Website that asks: "Should the NYC Parks Department remove the statue of Dr. Marion Sims from its East Harlem location considering his experiments on female and infant slaves?"

Child birth without anesthesia? Goodness! How did Dr. Sims look into the eyes of those poor women? [Story]

I bet Troy Dale West would have made a great assistant to the good doctor.

Oprah, next time take in a nice game of Cricket.

How is this for irony? So Ms. O's peeps were upset when she visited a doll shop "down under" and found "Mamee dolls" for sale.

This is ironic, because some would argue that part of the reason for Ms. O's allure and staying power is because millions of suburban housewives who are her loyal viewers tune in because of a certain....how do I say this? "Mamee" comfort level.

"As part of her Australian adventure, for some reason Oprah Winfrey thought it was important for her lucky troupe of 300 viewers to visit the Dafel Dolls And Bear Shop in Melbourne. Who knows? Perhaps this store has a cultural legacy that makes it of critical importance to visit when one goes to Australia. But Ms. Winfrey was shocked and disturbed when her producers discovered that this store makes some of its money by promoting one of the most unflattering stereotypes of black women in history: the mammy. Yet, she visited the store anyway. Hip Hop Wired offers a summary of what occurred:

An Australian store was forced to remove seemingly racist dolls called "Mamee Dolls" to prepare for a visit from Oprah Winfrey.

As previously reported, Winfrey and her audience on an eight-day Aussie adventure as part of her 'Favorite Things' segment give-away.

According to the Herald Sun, the talk show mogul and her 300 guests were scheduled to visit The Dafel Dolls And Bear Shop in Melbourne when her producers requested that the store's "Mamee" dolls be removed from the shelves.

The Mamee dolls show a dark skinned African-American woman with red lipstick, wearing a maid costume and a scarf around her head.

The store owner reportedly obliged and the dolls were removed." [Story]

A couple of questions: Why was Ms. Winfrey "shocked and disturbed"? Does she really believe that the world that exists on the set of Harpo Productions- where all those white assistants fawn over her is the real world? Second question: Why did the store owner remove his/her Mamees just to accommodate Ms. O? Is he/she not going to put them right back out after she leaves? And I know I said a couple, but I have one more: If Ms. O was so offended, why did she still go to the shop?

It's been a rough week for Ms. O. (Rough being a relative term.) Seems some folks were saying that she was trying out for The Color Purple 2 by doing a little acting when she sat down recently with Barbara Walters:

"There is no way Oprah would be able to end her 25 year run without any noise. Only two days after Oprah’s interview with Barbara Walter aired, now writer and journalist Ian Halperin, suggest that one of Oprhah’s former employees has decided to share some info on the fake tears shed during the taping…

Oprah Winfrey had a dramatic display of emotions, in an interview with Barbara Walters, when she rebutted rumors that she was in a secret lesbian relationship with BFF Gayle King.

However; investigative journalist and writer, Author Ian Halperin claims the billionaire media mogul used a special chemical so she could come across all emotional for the Barbara Walters’ interview.

“She wanted to make the interview as dramatic as possible so she could promote her new TV station,” said one of Oprah’s former employees.

“Her tears were fake. She put a chemical in her eye to make her cry. She has used that technique before on her show.” [Story]

Don't worry about the haters Ms. O. I got your back. Do you have any of those giveaways left?

Our black president: Sarah does Haiti.

I am watching "G" on the tele while I get ready for my birds. (Hey,whatever happened to Chenoa Maxwell?) I better get this post in or I won't have time to do it later.

So it finally took a Havaaad professor to tell A-merry-ca what black folks already know: that his Oness, in spite of his white mama, is black. And I know that I tease and call him the beige president and half and half, but I knew it too. Please believe that the one drop rule is still in effect here in A-merry-ca. It's why that clown who used to have the great golf game before he started playing like he was a young Hugh Hefner had us black folks laughing when he tried to come up with some exotic name to define himself. Yea right Tiger, and I am a Jamaricanegro.

Anyway, there is now academic evidence that most A-merry-cans view his O ness as a black man, first:

"A recent study out of Harvard University has concluded that the typical adult American sees mixed-race Americans like Barack Obama and Halle Berry as being more black than white. The study, conducted by Arnold K. Ho, a doctoral student of Psychology at Harvard, says that even when bi-racial people are equally mixed with both the white and black races, they are seen as being more black than white.

Ho conducted the study with James Sidanius, a Professor of Psychology and African American studies, also at Harvard.

The authors interpret their findings to relate to the "one-drop rule," based on a 1662 law in Virginia that connected mixed-race individuals to their lower social class. Even as recently as 1985, a Louisiana court ruled that a woman with a black great-great-great-great grandmother could not claim that she was white on her passport.

"One of the remarkable things about our research on hypodescent is what it tells us about the hierarchical nature of race relations in the United States," Sidanius said. "Hypodescent against blacks remains a relatively powerful force within American society."' [Source]

"Hypodescent", that's a fancy word, what dat mean?

"In societies that regard some races of people as dominant or superior and others as subordinate or inferior, hypodescent is the automatic assignment of children of a mixed union or mating between members of different socioeconomic groups or ethnic groups to the group that is considered subordinate or inferior.[1] The opposite practice is hyperdescent, in which children are assigned to the race that is considered dominant or superior.

Parallel practices include agnatic descent and cognatic descent, which assign race according to the father or mother, respectively, without regard to the race of the other parent. Since either parent (or both) might be of mixed-race, hypo- and hyper-descent can operate in tandem with, or separately from, a system of agnatic or cognatic racial assignment."

Thank you. That explains a lot.

And it's not only Obama. Halle, this means you too. I guess having that white boyfriend didn't help much.

Finally, I see where my girl Sarah is down in Haiti getting her missionary work on.
Good for her. Although I hear that her trip has more staging than a Broadway play. (Sorry folks, only FOX NEWS allowed.)

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting this community. They are so full of joy*,” . “We are so fortunate in America, and we are responsible for helping those less fortunate.”

Yes they are Sarah. They are a joyful bunch those Haitians.

Anyway Sarah, I hope you read my blog before you leave, because I have some travel tips on Haiti for you:

1. Caribou does not mean I love you in Creole.

2. Papa Doc was not the name of a famous pizza company there.

3. Port-au-Prince was not named after a famous American pop star.

4. Those little black things you see running around are children, not baby grizzly bears.

5. I know it seemed like a short flight but Haiti is not a part of Louisiana.

6. And, finally, whatever you do; please don't tell them that you are there on behalf of FOX NEWS to investigate their pact with the devil.

Go Birds!!!

A post for the adults.

It looks like terrorism has hit home for the folks in Sweden of all places. It just goes to show you that no one is safe in the world anymore. This battle for the soul of militant Islamic minds could be raging for awhile. -Coming to a town square near you. -

Anyway, tonight I want to share something I ran across while reading Slate.com and get your opinions on it. It has to do with the very serious and sensitive subject of incest and how one particular case is being prosecuted in the state of New York. Since we are all adults I figured we could discuss it and learn from each other.

"David Epstein, a 46-year old political science professor at Columbia University, has been charged with third-degree incest for allegedly having consensual sexual relations with his 24-year-old daughter. Under New York State law, a person is guilty of that crime when he or she has sex "with a person whom he or she knows to be related to him or her, whether through marriage or not, as an ancestor, descendant, brother or sister of either the whole or the half blood, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece." If the allegations are true, that would apply to Epstein—and also to his daughter. Why wasn't she charged for the crime as well?

Because she's seen as the victim. Prosecutors could have made a case against the daughter, but when it comes to incest, the authorities tend to focus on one party. In this situation, "consent" is irrelevant, since it's the act itself that constitutes the crime; and blame tends to fall on whichever half of the incestuous couple has more control. A law professor told Salon today that children are generally assumed to be part of a "protected class" even when they're above the age of consent. So the older party tends to be considered the guilty one, although in some cases—a man caring for his bedridden and elderly mother, for example—the ages of perceived control could be reversed.

In some cases, both parties are held accountable. Earlier this year, a 48-year-old man from Palm Coast, Fla., named Alton Everett Smith pleaded guilty to incest after impregnating his 27-year-old daughter. She, too, was charged with incest (after giving birth to her own half-brother) and is now serving five years of probation.* That's despite the fact that the father was clearly in control of the relationship: He was pimping her out for sex on Craigslist. According to court records, the daughter has a tattoo reading "Daddy's Girl" on her behind.

What happens in cases in which the power dynamic is less clear—as between similarly aged siblings? As a general rule, an older sibling will be in greater legal jeopardy than a younger one, and a brother gets more blame than a sister. In 2003, a football player named Tony Washington was convicted of engaging in sexual intercourse with his biological sister. At the time of the act, she was 15 and he was 16. While Washington pleaded guilty (and is now a registered sex offender) his sister was never charged." [Story]

Now before anyone goes off the rails on this and says that this is a double standard and reverse sexism run amok; I give you cases where mothers were charged with having incestuous relationships with their sons, here and here.

I am just trying to help you come to a "fair and balanced" opinion. There seems to be so little of that these days.

Sarah Vick?

I am totally hyped for my "birds" going into Big D this Sunday and taking on the Cowgals. Here is hoping that my main man, Michael Vick, chuck and ducks out another win for the birds. (Did I mention that I hate the Cowgals?)

Michael Vick is a perfect segue into my next post, because I want to talk about my girl Sarah Palin and an interesting double standard being played out in A-merry-ca.

Unless you have been living on another planet you know by now what Michael Vick was accused -and ultimately found guilty- of. He served two years and lost a hundred million dollars for his mistreatment of Fido. But thankfully, and with all due respect to F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are second acts in American lives. And Michael Vick is burning up the stage while he plays out his. But I digress.

Sarah Palin has been torturing animals and killing them for sport as well, and she is a hero to a lot of people here in A-merry-ca. Why? Where is the outrage for this heartless killer? Sadly, it took a Hollywood screenwriter to point out our willful hypocrisy:

Unless you've never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather chair or eaten meat, save your condemnation."

You're right, Sarah, we'll all just go fuck ourselves now.

The snotty quote was posted by Sarah Palin on (like all the great frontier women who've come before her) her Facebook page to respond to the criticism she knew and hoped would be coming after she hunted, killed and carved up a Caribou during a segment of her truly awful reality show, Sarah Palin's Alaska, broadcast on The-Now-Hilariously-Titled Learning Channel.

I eat meat, chicken and fish, have shoes and furniture made of leather, and PETA is not ever going to put me on the cover of their brochure and for these reasons Palin thinks it's hypocritical of me to find what she did heart-stoppingly disgusting. I don't think it is, and here's why.

Like 95% of the people I know, I don't have a visceral (look it up) problem eating meat or wearing a belt. But like absolutely everybody I know, I don't relish the idea of torturing animals. I don't enjoy the fact that they're dead and I certainly don't want to volunteer to be the one to kill them and if I were picked to be the one to kill them in some kind of Lottery-from-Hell, I wouldn't do a little dance of joy while I was slicing the animal apart.

I'm able to make a distinction between you and me without feeling the least bit hypocritical. I don't watch snuff films and you make them. You weren't killing that animal for food or shelter or even fashion, you were killing it for fun. You enjoy killing animals. I can make the distinction between the two of us but I've tried and tried and for the life of me, I can't make a distinction between what you get paid to do and what Michael Vick went to prison for doing. I'm able to make the distinction with no pangs of hypocrisy even though I get happy every time one of you faux-macho shitheads accidentally shoots another one of you in the face." [Source]

I could not have said it better myself.

"Evildoers"

I see that the evil ones are still up to their old tricks in Washington:

"WASHINGTON – House and Senate Republicans on Wednesday thwarted Democratic efforts to award $250 checks to Social Security recipients facing a second consecutive year without a cost-of-living increase.

President Barack Obama and Democrats have urged approval of the one-time payment, saying seniors barely getting by on their Social Security checks face undue hardships without the COLA increase.

But most Republicans contended that the nation couldn't afford the estimated $14 billion cost of the payment, and that the COLA freezes in 2010 and 2011 come after seniors received a significant boost in 2009.

The measure was brought up under a fast-track procedure in the House that required a two-thirds majority for passage. The 254-153 vote in favor of the bill fell short of that." [Source]

Damn! You mean to tell me that you republi-clowns can't afford $250 for grandma? That's the cost of a tie and a shoe shine for you boyz. But I am not surprised, republi-clowns tend to roll like that:

"An Indiana baby needs life-saving surgery, but the state health care agency -- whose budget was slashed this year -- won't pay for it.

Six-month-old Seth Petreikis suffers from complete DiGeorge syndrome, which keeps him from developing a thymus, an infection-fighting glandular organ. He needs a transplant that's been pioneered by a specialist at Duke University in North Carolina. But the procedure costs $500,000, and the state's Family Social Services Administration won't pay for it under the state's Medicaid, reports the Northwest Indiana Times. It claims that the treatment is "experimental" -- even though 58 of 60 children to receive it have survived.

We last wrote about Indiana's FSSA after some of its staffers told parents to drop off their developmentally disabled children at homeless shelters. The parents had failed to receive schedule Medicare waivers to pay for care, after Gov. Mitch Daniels -- who is now weighing a possible 2012 GOP presidential run -- cut the agency's funding to deal with a budget shortfall." [Source]

At least we know that they don't discriminate; they f&^% over young and old.

But wait, there is more:

"The Senate Republicans did what they said they'd do today -- they blocked a bill aimed at providing over $7 billion in federal money for 9/11 responders and their families because it came before a vote on taxes. But despite the almost scripted outcome, Democratic Senators behind the bill seemed shocked at the outcome.

"We are gravely disappointed," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a key sponsor of the bill, told reporters following the failed cloture vote. "When every Senator on the Republican side signed a letter saying no business can be done until they had a vote a vote on a tax issue, I find [it] to be morally reprehensible."

Sen. Chris Coons, a Democratic Senator from Delaware for all of three weeks, said the bill was the first one he chose to co-sponsor. The fact that the GOP stopped it in its tracks (for now, at least) was a surprise, he said." [Source]

Oh my! The young; the old; and first responders.

Still, if you are the GOP, it must be nice to know that you have a major news network in your pocket to work on your image for you:

"It's no secret that Fox News' political coverage isn't always quite "fair and balanced." But emails obtained by Media Matters show that Fox News' Washington managing editor Bill Sammon urged his staff to actually echo Republican talking points on the health care debate.

According to the emails, Sammon directed his staff to use specific wording when describing the health care debate, preferring the term "government option" over "public option."

Here's an email that Sammon allegedly wrote, outlining his instructions:

1) Please use the term "government-run health insurance" or, when brevity is a concern, "government option," whenever possible.
2) When it is necessary to use the term "public option" (which is, after all, firmly ensconced in the nation's lexicon), use the qualifier "so-called," as in "the so-called public option."

3) Here's another way to phrase it: "The public option, which is the government-run plan."

4) When newsmakers and sources use the term "public option" in our stories, there's not a lot we can do about it, since quotes are of course sacrosanct.

Apparently Sammon's instructions made an impact. Media Matters reports that Republican pollster Frank Lutz in August told Fox News' Sean Hannity that referring to health care reform as a "government option" creates more public disapproval than calling the reform a "public option." Media Matters also reports that the memo affected Fox News anchor Bret Baier's wording from one night to another." [Source]

You can't make this stuff up. And yet, there are folks in A-merry-ca who still believe that the folks over at Radio Rwanda are real journalist. Unbelievable.

Imagine there's no hypocrites in Washington.

So it's been thirty years since that wack job with the Catcher in the Rye jones put a cap in John Lennon's dome. He seemed like a cool dude and all, but I never understood the obsession. (Field, that's heresy! I know.) This is how f&^%$d up I am; Ringo Starr has always been my favorite Beatle.

Anyway, it looks like O might share a tragic anniversary with Lennon. This is the day that Lennon died, and it might very well be the day that the Obama mystique died as well. (At least with the lefties) I sure hope not. Maybe he will be ultimately viewed as a disappointment, but he does have two years to go. That is an eternity in polit-tricks.

Folks want to know why I am not as pissed off about his O ness caving as some other people, and I always have to explain that I never expected as much from the man as the people who are crying a river now. I took him for what he was: a career politician raised in old school democratic urban politics with a centrist and go along to get along mind set. He is no more no less. Ultimately what type of president he was going to be was going to depend on the people he surrounded himself with. That's why I was disappointed when I saw the first cast of characters.

---I am still waiting for someone to get his ear who knows what is going on with real people in A-merry-ca.

Still, what is pissing me is watching folks like Mary Landrieu play Jane f&^%$#g Addams all of a sudden. Give me a break! Question for folks like Michael Collins over at the Agonist; why are you even using Mary Landrieu as an example of liberal angst?

"Here's what Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu said about the deal. Landrieu is a conservative Southern Democrat with big energy agenda. She represents a very conservative state. Even she knows this deal is a disaster.

"He's enthusiastic about this new arrangement dealing with the Republican caucus that stated, according to their leader, their number one objective is to unseat him. I can understand trying to appeal to independent voters. I do that myself. I think it's very important. But this sort of enthusiasm for caucusing with Republicans – and he didn't even, literally, didn't even speak to the Democratic caucus. Not any of it. Not the liberal group, not the moderate group, not the conservative group," said Landrieu. Senate Democrats Openly Upset with Tax Cut Deal

When Mary Landrieu opposes your strategy on tax cuts for the rich, you know you've gone too far. But Obama is just doing his job, the one he signed up for - an elegant, charming functionary for the ruling class who could fool people just long enough to allow the Bush bailout looting to continue in full force."

Ahhh excuse? Let me remind you folks of something: MARY LANDRIEU VOTED FOR THE BUSH TAX CUTS! (h/t Lawrence O'Donnell for calling out this fraud)

" this "is beyond politics. This is about justice and doing what's right."

O- man, no wonder you're going gray.