Eleven years.

It's that day again. The day we are all forced to remember that we are not as safe and insulated from the rest of the world as we would like to believe. And, of course, that human beings can be extremely evil and diabolical.

We all remember where we were and what we were doing that day some eleven years ago, and we all swore that our lives would change when it was over. Americans came together and the country was one big Kumbaya moment. We found out that there were plenty of heroes to go around, and that even a monumental tragedy doesn't prevent our government from doing inexplainable things.

It was fun while it lasted, and then we went back to being the same mean nasty divided country that we were before September 11, 2001. We are in that place now (mean and nasty) but, just for tonight, (unlike the classless former VP) I am not going to contribute to the cattiness.













 

   

Feeling the love, and perps walking.

*

OK, calm down Obamaholics, I know that your boy is up in all of the latest polls and that he is getting a lot of love in all the right places, but this race is going to be close. (I am talking percentage points here.) But I see you "bouncing" up and down after the dumbocratic convention. Mitt's people are calling it a "sugar high", but their own internal polls are not showing them any love.

Still, if you are a republican you have to be wondering about Mitt. Is he turning on us already? Why just yesterday Mitt was saying that he likes some parts of "Obamacare":

"Mitt Romney said on Sunday that if he were elected president he would keep portions of President Barack Obama's signature health care law, a seemingly abrupt turn on an early campaign promise.

"Well, I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform," the former Massachusetts governor said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press." "Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place. One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage. Two is to assure that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like. I also want individuals to be able to buy insurance, health insurance, on their own as opposed to only being able to get it on a tax advantage basis through their company." [Source]

My goodness, he was against Obamacare before he was for it.(???????)

Finally, it's time to attack black.

You all know how much I despise politricksters who betray the public trust. Especially black ones. They are particularly contemptible, because they were put in office by people who are for the most part powerless, and who trusted them to do the right thing on behalf of the community that they serve.

We can now add Trenton, New Jersey Mayor, Tony Mack, to the list of black politricksters who did their people wrong by looking out for themselves, first. Mack allegedly sold his office and was perp walked by the feds this morning in yet another embarrassing chapter in the story of local black elected politricksters in America. (I see you Kwame)

"Trenton, N.J., Mayor Tony Mack -- a.k.a. "Napoleon," "the Little Guy" and "Honey Fitz" -- was arrested and charged with corruption Monday following a two-year federal probe into kickbacks allegedly taken by city officials in connection with a development project.

A 31-page complaint also accuses two other men -- the mayor's brother, Ralphiel Mack, and Joseph A. Giorgianni (a.k.a. "the Fat Man," among other monikers) -- of demanding $119,000 in payments from a man they thought was vying to build a parking garage in Trenton, the state capital.

 

In reality, the man was working with federal agents in a sting operation that had begun in September 2010. That's when the man met with Giorgianni in Giorgianni's eatery, JoJo's Steakhouse, under the guise of representing a developer willing to pay bribes for the right to build a parking garage on city property...

 

Once the cash began flowing, prosecutors say, the accused used a system of code words and nicknames to send messages to each other, including using "Uncle Remus" to refer to money received by Giorgianni for the mayor." [Source] 

Now before one of you Negroes give me the "field, they all do it" speech, please understand that I don't really care. This is not about them. This is about our community needing those of us who get to a position of power and influence doing the right thing and not letting power corrupt them.

* Pic from Politic365





  

A very lame media.

I am going to leave Mitt Romney alone today, because this is getting way too easy. He says that Obama wants to take God off of our currency. He wants to keep some portions of Obamacare. He ripped the debt ceiling deal that his own VP backed, and he.....wait a minute; let me back up a little bit. Did he say that he now approves portions of Obamacare?

"Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has called for scrapping President Barack Obama's 2010 U.S. healthcare law, said in remarks aired on Sunday that he likes key parts of "Obamacare" despite his party's loathing of it and wants to retain them.

Romney, who faces Obama in the November 6 election, has vowed throughout the campaign to repeal and replace the Obama healthcare law. But asked about the Obama healthcare law on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, Romney said, "Well, I'm not getting rid of all of healthcare reform."

So now he was against Obamacare before he was for it, or was it the other way around? I am going to have to leave Flipper alone; dude has my head spinning. I honestly don't know how his supporters keep up with him.

Anywhoo, back to my issues with the "lame- stream- media": (I am starting to feel like Sarah Palin) Seems that CBS thought it would be cool to hire republican strategist and pollster, Frank Luntz. I am sorry, did FOX suddenly go out of business? Why is a news organization striving for any kind of journalistic credibility hire this republican shill?

"CBS News has reportedly hired Frank Luntz, the Republican strategist and pollster best known for helping Republicans craft often-deceptive messaging to torpedo liberal policies. In his post announcing the move, Politico media reporter Dylan Byers writes that Luntz will "make a number of appearances across the network between now and Election Day." Luntz's hiring comes only a few months after New York Times Magazine contributor Robert Draper reported that Luntz orchestrated a 2009 meeting where prominent Republicans formulated a plan to win back Congress and the White House.

In his book Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives, Draper reported that Luntz "organized a dinner" on Obama's inauguration night featuring a handful of "the Republican Party's most energetic thinkers." The attendees -- which included current vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan -- reportedly emerged from the nearly four hour dinner "almost giddily" after having agreed on "a way forward."

According to Draper, the Republican plan involved showing "united and unyielding opposition to the president's economic policies," with an eventual goal of defeating Obama and taking back the Senate in 2012:"

The "lame-street-media" just got even more lame.

Finally, I know that he is not little JonBenet Ramsey or Caylee Anthony in America's eyes, but could we try to remember little Amir Jennings? I am sure the little man's family would like to have some closure.

His Mother isn't talking, which is sad, so some national spotlight might lead to someone coming forward with some information about what happened to the little guy.

Sadly, there is no story here to see for the "lame-$tream-media-" . They are too busy hiring republican pollsters.

   

The silence of the sheep.

Let us, for purposes of this article, call the main stream media, sheep.

Sheep have certain characteristics that fit the frauds who have been pretending to be real reporters and journalists in America these days:

1.  Timid, fearful, easily panicked

2. Dumb stupid, gullible

3. Very vulnerable to fear, frustration, pests, hunger

4. Esily influenced by a leader, by the shepherd

5. Stampede easily, vulnerable to mob psychology

6. Little or no means of self-defense; can only run

7. Easily killed by enemies

8. Jealous, competitive for dominance..... (Source)

You get the idea.

Let’s take, for instance, this latest Mitt Romney pronouncement while visiting his friends over at FOX NEWS:

"We understand you went to the American Legion the day before and you talked about the service and sacrifice of the military there,” Baier continued. “Do you regret opening up this line of attack, now a recurring attack, by leaving out that issue in the speech?'I’m going to regret you repeating it day in and day out,” Romney replied. “Hahaha. No. When you– when you give a speech, you don’t go through a laundry list, you talk about the things you think are important.”
Romney added that he thinks it’s important for the military to be “strong,” and that he used the word “military” in his convention speech interchangeably with “troops.” [Source]

 

Now, I have to ask you, why isn’t this story being reported on major news outlets? Can you imagine if the other guy running for president had made similar comments?

But the plethora of  sheep who masquerade as journalists in America have nothing to say. They won't follow up to Mr. Romney; they don’t want to know how the troops in the battlefield feel; they don’t try to connect the dots and focus in on Mitt Romney’s obvious disdain for the American soldier. He didn’t mention them in his acceptance speech, and he rarely talks about them when he is out stumping in Middle America.

So what gives?   Folks, this is what they call in basketball parlance a make up call. In 2008 the perception was that journalists (sheep) were fawning all over the “chosen one”. Now they will be damned if they make that mistake again; so they bend over backwards to make a non-story out of  something that should be leading every news cycle.

I guess the sheep in the press were scared that Mitt would do his Etch A Sketch "Jedi mind game" on them.

“I think they’re the same thing,” he told Baier, in a comment that practically echoes his one-time insistence that “corporations are people, my friend.” An analysis of Romney’s speech reveals he used the word “America” more than any other, but said “military” just twice.

 

Unbelievable!

 

 

A "Drop Squad" candidate didn't like Obama's speech. Wait until you read why.

A lot of you Negroes despise John McWhorter; you think that he has been dodging the "Drop Squad" for a long time. I personally have mixed emotions about the guy. Sometimes he makes sense, and sometimes he leaves you scratching your head.

His latest article about Obama's speech was a head- scratcher. Not because he didn't like it, but because of the reasons he gave for not liking it.

"Why was the President’s speech at the DNC convention kind of boring?
Especially when it's this President? Remember that sense of drama there used to be whenever he was about to do some talking? Yet let’s face it, most of us were more titillated in anticipation of Mitt Romney’s speech than Obama’s.
It’s easy to forget how novel Obama’s way of making a speech was just four years ago for someone in the Oval Office. Bill Clinton’s Southern speaking flavor was notorious, but hardly unknown at 1600 Pennsylvania. America had heard a similar sound from Jimmy Carter, not to mention Lyndon Johnson in his more buttoned-down moments.

Obama brought the black English “flava” to the Presidency. Who would have even imagined, as recently as six years ago, a State of the Union addresses sprinkled with the floating speech melodies of the black church? Who would have imagined a President who, with all of his dignity and even reserve, can speak with a faint but perceptible hint of the street?

It was easy to drift into thinking of that melody as lyrics. The humble honesty we hear in the black sound — hiphop, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock — can come off as a statement in itself. Many, for instance, might be hard-pressed to remember just what black rock star academic Cornel West actually says. What moves people is the funky way that he says it.

Obama got by on that kind of thing to a certain extent in the old days. But like songs that get overplayed and jokes that run stale, the novelty in Obama’s gift of gab has worn off for most of us.

It’s great that his oratorical gifts helped get him elected. But after four years we just hear him talking, again. Comedians do imitations. Reality has caught up to “24” and “Deep Impact”: the President is black and kind of sounds like it. We’ve moved on.

Now what we need from the man is content over form, and at the convention he underperformed on that.

“Explainer-in-Chief,” the media has dubbed Bill Clinton for his masterful bullet-point refutation of the Republicans’ nonsense charges against Obama. But why in the world isn’t the President himself the explainer-in-chief?
Why can’t a former law professor, who could even give a tease in his speech about how being American entails not only rights but responsibilities, give us as good a teaching as Clinton did?

“Think about this,” Clinton often said before launching into a careful elucidation. It’s Obama who should have done more of this. He’s got enough gray hair and gravitas now to do that without seeming pedantic. The black cadence would even help rub out any possible air of Adlai Stevenson, just as Clinton’s down-home accent does for him.

Yet many people still thrill viscerally to Obama’s rising intonations because it reminds them of being in church. There is even a whole book about to be published about how Barack Obama talks, written by people to whom this mindset is likely not alien.....

 ....But that brand of spoken-word poetry won’t have the potency today that it did in 2008. There are people who are more interested in how Obama will deal with Sen. Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Fox News than in whether he can bust a move." [Source]

"Black English flava"? Did he really write that? "Bust a move"? Yes, I think he did. McWhorter's incoherent and silly article was a serious waste of his time not to mention the folks who took the ten minutes or so out of their time to read it. When he writes about people liking the "funky way" that Obama says things you have to wonder where he gets his motivation for such crap. Is he simply trying to impress his white editors by showing them that he has some insight into black thought? If he is, using seventies lingo-- that is both silly and stereotypical-- to help his readers reaffirm their stereotypes was lazy and superficial on McWhorter's part.

Right now I am thinking that I just might have to make that call to the "Drop Squad" after all.   

Radicals needed.

I am trying to get ready and pumped up for O's big speech. Popcorn? Check. Television? Check. Foot up on coffee table? (Mrs. Field out of town on business.) Check. This should be fun.

But not so fast; someone is trying to be a killjoy. I was reading George Will's article today, and he was writing about what a radical president Obama is because of his political ideology and leanings.

I suppose, that in his mind, Mr. Will felt that he was dissing Obama by comparing him to Wilson and Roosevelt. In his mind. For those of us secular progressives in America, that article was actually an approbation of Barack Obama. If only Barack Obama himself would embrace all of the labels that the [right] wingnuts constantly throw at him.

"As such, Obama has earned what he now receives, the tribute of a serious intellectual exegesis by a distinguished political philosopher. In “I Am the Change: Barack Obama and the Crisis of Liberalism,” Charles Kesler of Claremont McKenna College rightly says Obama is “playing a long, high-stakes game.” Concerning the stakes, Obama practices prudent reticence, not specifying America’s displeasing features that are fundamental. Shortly before the 2008 election, he said only: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming” America. Tonight, consider Obama’s acceptance speech in the context that Kesler gives it in the American political tradition.
Progress, as progressives understand it, means advancing away from, up from, something. But from what?

From the Constitution’s constricting anachronisms. In 1912, Wilson said, “The history of liberty is the history of the limitation of governmental power.” But as Kesler notes, Wilson never said the future of liberty consisted of such limitation"

I am not sure that Mr. Will -or Mr. Kessler for that matter- can read President Wilson's mind anymore than I can, but I certainly hope that is what he meant. Because, I would submit to Mr. Will, that by limiting government we do not insure liberty for all. Quite the opposite. Those individuals who owned slaves in the South were not going to end that practice on their own. They weren't going to stop the practice because their pastors said that it was wrong. Women didn't get the right to vote because their husbands all of a sudden wanted to discuss politics with them over the dinner table.

I have some news for Mr.Will: we are the government.The people. That is what makes a true democracy.

"Wilson, the first transformative progressive, called this the “New Freedom.” The old kind was the Founders’ kind — government existing to “secure” natural rights (see the Declaration) that preexist government. Wilson thought this had become an impediment to progress. The pedigree of Obama’s thought runs straight to Wilson.

And through the second transformative progressive, Franklin Roosevelt, who counseled against the Founders’ sober practicality and fear of government power: “We are beginning to wipe out the line that divides the practical from the ideal” and are making government “an instrument of unimagined power” for social improvement. The only thing we have to fear is fear of a government of unimagined power:"

No, the "only thing we have to fear" are individuals who would choose to subvert the government (and thus the will of the people) to push forward their own selfish and backwards agenda. The right is full of radicals, it's time the left got some radicals of their own. Sorry George, I know that it doesn't fit into your narrative, but Barack Obama is not a radical.

"This, says Kesler, is “the First Law of Big Government: the more power we give the government, the more rights it will give us.” It also is the ultimate American radicalism, striking at the roots of the American regime, the doctrine of natural rights" [Source]

Remember George, we are the government. It can't get any more natural than that.

MSNBC? Check.


   







 

Unfriendly skies for Glenn, and Mitt's Negro council is up and running.

I have always been a US Air man myself, but from here on out I will be flying American Airlines every chance I get. I will tell you why in a minute.

Folks, nothing is more pathetic than watching a white man -especially a privileged one- play the victim role here in America. We have been seeing it a lot after Barack Obama became president of these divided states. It's as if a switch went off when they had to look at someone else who doesn't look like them hold the highest office on earth for once. There is nothing quite like envy and fear to kick in that "color arousal", but I digress, back to American Airlines.

The biggest "woe is me" white man in America, Glenn Beck, is playing the victim card once again. This time he is blaming American Airlines for all of his woes.

 "Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck says he was treated rudely on an American Airlines flight and will never fly on the carrier again.

American apologized and said it's looking into the incident.
Beck said on his radio show Tuesday that a flight attendant on a New York-to-Dallas plane "treated me as a subhuman." Beck said the man "fawned over the other passengers" but "barked" at Beck and slammed a can of soda down in front of him.

Beck implied that the flight attendant singled him out because of his political views. He wondered whether American even wanted conservatives on its planes.
"My family will never choose American Airlines again ... if this is the kind of people that American Airlines likes to hire," Beck said." [Source]

First of all, why is this clown even flying commercial? The guy's franchise is worth damn near a billion dollars and he can't afford his own Gulfstream?
Anyway, I am not sure what Beck expects when he goes out in public. He makes a living being nasty to people and expects the world to turn off a switch when they see him in public? Sorry, not going to happen. And Beck won't let it go, it's been days since the incident and he is still whining about it.

But this is par for the course for Mr. Victim. He complains about everything from people at an outdoor movie to the people of New York. His latest rant about New York is classic.

 "After a weekend in New York City, I remembered why I was so glad to move out of New York City. It started for me on a Friday night, this last Friday at a barbecue restaurant. Now why my daughter who lives in the city thought that coming from Texas we should go have barbecue in New York City is beyond me, but we did. As we walked in, my wife said, oh, my gosh, this is so‑and‑so very famous, you know, barbecue couple that do this barbecue thing, you know, on TV. And I said, “Oh, okay.” She said, “It’s supposed to be really good.” Well, I have to tell you, the look that I was given by those in charge at this restaurant was, how dare you even come in here. It was quite amazing. I said to my wife as we were walking up the stairs, I said, this isn’t going to go well. And she said, no, this was really a mistake. This is a minority‑owned shop. Was that the line that I dared to cross? No? No, it couldn’t be because there were white people in there. So it must be something else besides my character. It’s amazing to me. One would think that ‑‑ you wouldn’t want to shun people that might have diverse opinions. Maybe they could put a second door in or another entrance in for people like me." Read more here. It only gets better.

Whaaaa. What a pathetic loser. Mr. Beck, I am sure that the people of New York are all glad to see you go.
*
Finally, I think that seeing all those "blah" people and other minorities at the dumbocrat's convention got Mitt thinking that maybe he needs some advice on how to deal with you people of color.

To address that problem Mitt went out and did what all good business men do when faced with a problem; he formed an advisory council to address it.

"Mitt Romney's presidential campaign announced Wednesday the formation of a Black Leadership Council.

The group is chaired by Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., and Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll. Its advisory council includes Mia Love, who as mayor of Saratoga Springs is the first black woman to govern a Utah city. Love was one of the stars of the Republican convention last week in Tampa, Fla.
In recent decades, blacks have been the most reliably Democratic group in the country and voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, the first black to receive the presidential nomination from a major party.

The Romney group's leaders argue this year their candidate is the one who can help blacks." [Source] 

Mitt, I am still waiting for my call. I am not sure that Allen West and Tim Scott are going to help you reach black folks. You don't need the people you selected, you already have the house vote.

But seriously, poor Mitt makes the classic mistake that folks in the majority population always make when dealing with black folks: they think that we vote for skin color and not ideology. Negroes like Scott and West are never going to help Mitt reach blacks folks, and it's because of their political ideology. Both those men could be blacker than Djimon Hounsou after a day in the sun, and they ain't moving the Negro needle one little bit for towards the republican side.

Sorry Mitt, "The House Black Leadership Council might need to be redone. (h/t to my twitter fam, @JamesWSmittIII for this story) 


*Pic of Mr. West from the Hinterlandgazette 

     





 


   

Mitt's fabulous flood tour, and Paul's nose keeps growing.

Mitt couldn't wait to get to Louisiana after his convention. Not because he cares about those poor people down in the boot, but because he wanted to beat the president to the photo op. (Real classy guys those republicans)

But one of his high priced side- kicks needed to get into his ears and teach Mitt how to connect to normal folks. Especially normal folks who are experiencing real problems.

"It was already a risky decision for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to visit Hurricane Isaac-ravaged New Orleans immediately following the Hurricane Katrina anniversary-timed Republican National Convention, a risk exacerbated by conservative gloating that Romney had beaten President Obama to the “prize.”

Already open to criticism that he was using the disaster as a political prop, Romney could hardly have asked for a worse headline than what he reportedly told one flooding victim.

When the White House’s announcement that President Obama would visit New Orleans on Monday followed the Romney campaign’s announcement by a few hours, conservatives were quick to childishly declare he was simply following Romney’s lead, despite the fact that the President’s trip had already been planned, and despite the fact that the President actually has a legitimate purpose for going to tour a disaster. While this delighted right-wingers, it could only seem crass, at best, to everyone else.

Still, Romney isn’t responsible for what his stupidest supporters say, and could have as easily faced criticism had he decided not to go. When faced with one of the victims of the flood, however, Romney came up well short in the empathy department:

"Romney and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) spent close to an hour meeting with first responders and local officials. Romney shook hands with National Guardsmen outside the U.S. Post Office and talked with a local resident, Jodie Chiarello, 42, who lost her home in Isaac’s flooding.

“He just told me to, um, there’s assistance out there,” Chiarello said of her conversation with Romney. “He said, go home and call 211.” That’s a public service number offered in many states.

Chiarello said she will likely seek some other shelter because her home was submerged in the flooding." [Source]

"GO HOME AND CALL 211"? Sorry Jodie, it's time to rebuild your home.
Maybe you can get some republicans to help you, because, if you let them tell it; they built damn near everything else.

Finally, let me say for the record that I think that the dumbocrat who compared Paul Ryan and his lies to Joseph Goebbels was wrong. It's never cool to use the Nazi analogy. As much as I despise wingnuts I do not think that comparing them to Nazis is fair or appropriate. John Burton was wrong, and those who called him out for his characterization of Paul Ryan were right to do so.

Having said that, a comparison to Pinnochio would have been more apropos.

 "Republican vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been getting so much ink for being an exceptionally prolific liar that it was inevitable the media would miss a big one, but he snuck out a doozy on Thursday that deserves some kind of an award. NBC News’ Brian Williams confronted Ryan about the Republican Party Platform’s abortion plank, which contains no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. Ryan’s response was literally unbelievable.

'Are you prepared to leave this gathering and own the fact that the platform of this party allows a woman who has been raped no exception but to carry that child to term?' Williams asked.

'Well, I think the platform is– is silent on that particular issue,' Rep. Ryan replied. “Mitt Romney has a position on this. The president of the United States sets the policy. And Mitt Romney’s position is that there are exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.”

'There’s no exception in the platform,' Williams astutely, correctly pointed out.

 'Well, I think the platform’s silent either one way or the other on that,' Ryan repeated. “The platform – of which I think is a great document. I’m proud of the platform – it’s something that was produced by the delegates, and the president of the United States sets policy on this issue. And Mitt Romney’s policy is well known....

For the life of me, I’m trying to cut Brian Williams some slack for not turning to Ryan and saying “Pardon me, but how the eff can you be silent about an exception? An exception is, by definition, something you have to say out loud in order for it to exist. That’s like saying ‘This pizza isn’t plain, it’s just silent on the issue of toppings,’ or ‘I’m not naked, I’m just invisible on the issue of clothing.’” [Source]

But this is what makes republicans so good at what they do. This isn't talking out of two sides of your mouth; this is talking out of your ass and making it look like your lips are moving. 





  

Mitt's laborers.

*

It’s Labor Day, so it is the perfect time for us to remind our republican friends--- who have been chirping about all that they built--- who really built this country.    

I have a hint for you: It wasn’t Mitt or Paul’s Ryan's daddy.

Anyway, is it just in my mind or was Mitt talking to some of us folks when he tried to play "white identity politics" with his welfare Queen meme? I got the impression that Mitt was using folks like me to blow dog whistles and pander to his base. Those Negroes don’t want to work, they want things for free. Obama is their president. I am your candidate. I want people to work for a living. Obama and his supporters want free stuff. (He trotted out the same line when referring to college students receiving student loans. As if money for a college education is a bad thing.)  

Yes, because we all know that the poor middle aged woman who leaves her home in North Philly at 5 o-clock every morning, and takes three different buses to get to the burbs to clean some old woman’s shit, doesn’t really work hard. That’s for the guy wearing the Brioni suit with the custom made shirts who sits on his ass all day and cuts deals.

 Mitt, I think we just all want the same opportunities that were available to you. I want to be able to take advantage of tax loopholes. I want to be able to get a good education and make the same type of connections while getting it. I want to be able to play on the same level playing field with someone whose father might have been wealthy and well connected. I want to be rewarded for my hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. That is what America is supposed to represent. I don’t want to be working in a society that won’t reward me for my hard work because the deck was stacked by you (Mitt) and your wealthy influential friends against me.     

It’s really that simple.

Happy Labor Day everybody.    

*Pic from Radio Man's Kansas City.

Partying done right, Clint gets cut, and no love for El Pato.

I don't give enough praise on this blog when praise is due, so tonight I am going to give a big shout out and props to all the young heads who showed up at the Parkway last night to make the "Made In America" concert a huge success. It's always a beautiful thing to see young people of all colors and different backgrounds vibing together.

Nothing like music to bring folks together. People are here from all over the world, and, so far, Philly has represented like the world class city that I know it is. (The Boss is in town as well, and I am sure that he will deliver the goods for his fans. ) 

Let's hope that they keep the party going tonight with nothing but positive vibrations. Ron Howard should have a pretty good documentary on his hands.

Speaking of filming, can someone tell me why Mitt Romney cut Clint (and the chair) out of the RNC video? I thought that wingnuts were all excited about what a terrific speech Clint gave. What happened? I told you all you can't trust Mitt. You wingnuts better be careful what you wish for. What kind of red blooded American cuts Clint from his video? I know. One who refuses to show his taxes.

But O, always the classy one, still happens to love Clint.

“He is a great actor, and an even better director,” Obama told USA Today aboard Air Force One en route to a campaign stop in Iowa Saturday. “I think the last few movies that he’s made have been terrific.” [Source]
O, I keep telling you, you are way too nice.
 

Anyway, I wonder if RNC delegate Mark Harris will show up in the video. Mark and his wife are typical wingnuts who don't seem to get out much. If they did they would notice that not everyone in America looks exactly like they do.

"During a trip to Epcot at Disneyworld, Pennsylvania delegate Mark Harris and his wife were shocked and offended to find a Mexican employee working at the amusement park’s American pavilion, which showcases the different cultures in the United States. According to the couple’s blog, Harris complained to staff that he was “highly offended” that a “person from Mexico” was working in the American pavilion when other nations’ pavilions were staffed by people from each respective country:"

Mark even posted about the "sad" incident on his blog. Poor Mark, one day he will look around and realize that America has changed. And if he and his friends on the right don't change with it, they will find themselves in the political wilderness for years to come.

Finally, I have to give Mr. Ryan credit for coming clean about his running skills.

"Representative Paul D. Ryan has taken back his claim that he had run a marathon in under three hours, an assertion that had drawn great skepticism in the running community and one that came after his convention speech faced scrutiny for some questionable and misleading statements.
Mr. Ryan issued a statement that was published over the weekend by The New Yorker magazine and Runners’ World clarifying his marathon performance:

“The race was more than 20 years ago, but my brother Tobin — who ran Boston last year — reminds me that he is the owner of the fastest marathon in the family and has never himself ran a sub-three. If I were to do any rounding, it would certainly be to four hours, not three. He gave me a good ribbing over this at dinner tonight.”

In the interview with the radio host Hugh Hewitt last week, Mr. Ryan was asked what were some of his best times in marathons, and he replied, “Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something.”
Mr. Ryan is known for his dedicated physical fitness regimen. But as serious runners know, a marathon run under three hours is quite a feat, and requires a pace of under 7 minutes a mile for the whole race, as The Los Angeles Times pointed out."

Now if we can only get him to come clean about all the other whoppers he has been telling of late. 








   

Paul's fables, and the LAPD gone wild.

I have what might be considered some bad news for my friends in the dumbocratic party: I happen to like Paul Ryan a little bit. (Yeah I know he listens to AC/DC, but we can probably get past that.) I disagree philosophically with him on how to make the country better, and I probably agree with his policies five percent of the time.

Still, he seems like cool people, the kind of dude I wouldn't mind throwing back a few Red Stripes with on a Sunday evening while he cheers on his Packers and I get my holla on for #7 and Gang Green.   

Which is why is has been so disappointing to hear that Paul has been playing fast and loose with the truth when it comes to his personal life. (Notice I didn't say when it comes to his politics, because I know that as a republican he has to lie to get elected. He has been telling some real political whoppers of late, but that is how politics works these days in America: tell a lie, and hope that it sticks, because the "lame street media" will ignore it, and your base will want to believe that it's true.) The other lies I can live with, but then I heard about a couple of others which kind of left me wondering about my man Paul.

First, he lied about the time it took him to run the marathon.

"In a radio interview last weekRyan claimed he ran a marathon in just under three hours, an almost unbelievably impressive time. For the record, winners of the New York City Marathon usually clock in around 2 hours and 10 minutes, while the average marathon time is somewhere around 4 hours and 30 minutes. That would make Ryan one impressive athlete.

But despite Ryan's claims that his best time was "two hour and fifty-something," it turns out Ryan's actual time was much, much higher. Runner's World delved into the matter and found several factual inaccuracies with Ryan's story.

From Runner's World: "Ryan's name does not show up in the 1991 race results provided by Grandma's. Runner's World checked 11 years of results for Grandma's Marathon, from 1988 through 1998, and found a finisher in the 1990 race by the name of Paul D. Ryan, 20, of Minneapolis. Ryan's middle name is Davis, and he was 20 in 1990. The finishing time listed was 4 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds."

So there you have it. Ryan's best time is significantly higher than previously stated. To be fair to Ryan, though, 4 hours is still a pretty impressive time, just not nearly as amazing as his earlier record. [Source]

That is "pretty impressive", so why lie about it to make yourself look even more impressive?

Then there is the other lie. This one wingnuts should find ironic because my man Paul actually plays the race card.

"The cheerleader who Paul Ryan dated in college and helped forge his uncompromising opposition to racism says that she may not be a Republican but still supports the 'nice guy'.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Deneeta Pope said she met the future vice presidential candidate through friends at Miami University some 20 years ago.

Pope, 40, said: 'Paul is a very nice guy, a kind guy and a family guy. He's very approachable and a very likeable person.'
The relationship and the negative reaction he said he suffered from his so-called friends were a formative experience in the political evolution of the VP pick who described himself as a 'big, big fan' of Martin Luther King and is a staunch advocate of civil rights.

But Pope, an I.T. specialist and realtor living in Chicago, denies that they experienced any racism as a couple. [Source]

Oh ohh. Did she say that they didn't experience any racism? Yes, I think she did.

Well why did Paul say......

"In a 2005 interview, Mitt Romney’s future running mate said that he had been confronted with racism personally, because he had dated an African-American and also had a brother with a black wife.
‘I have a sister-in-law who’s African American,’ he told Milwaukee Magazine.
‘My college sweetheart was black,' he added.

‘I just experienced some ugly comments, some racist views from people who I thought were friends of mine.'' [Source]

Another lie? Hmm, maybe. But, to be fair to Paul, his friends at Delta Tau Delta could have been telling him to cut the jungle fever crap and get on with his life. Maybe Paul didn't tell Deneeta the ugly details because he wanted to protect her from the evils of color arousal. (Apparently it worked, because Deneeta married another guy just like Paul.) If that's the case I might have to apologize to Paul. If not, I might need a psychological profile of the guy before it's too late.

Finally, I see that the LAPD is up to their old tricks. Sadly, three very ugly incidents have us all thinking Daryl Gates, again.

They beat the crap out of a poor woman for using her cell phone while driving, the commander tried to cover it up and thankfully he was removed from his command.

Then there is poor Brian Mulligan; he must have felt like the white Rodney King after the LAPD put a serious beat down on his behind. (Check out this picture of what used to be Brian's face.)  

What happened to Ms. Jordan, and Mr. Mulligan is bad, but at least they are still alive and here with us to tell of their horrible experiences. Alesia Thomas, unfortunately, is not.

 "Los Angeles police are embroiled in another excessive force investigation after a mother of two died during a chaotic July arrest in which an officer kicked the woman in the groin while she was handcuffed, officials said." [Source]

If LA's finest continue to act this way we could be looking at more riots down the road. Count on it.