Read two Playboy magazines and call me in the morning.

I know that from time to time it might seem like I am being flip when I post. But tonight I have a serious question for some of my republiclown friends: Do you really expect me to consider voting for Michele Bachmann for president when she signed on to a pledge that said black babies were better off under slavery because they were born to a two parent household? 

"Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President." [Source]

Ok Ok, I know that when we were slaves we at least had jobs; but we didn't even get paid minimum wage back then.

And you wingnuts wonder why my cousins can't get under your tent with you. 

And, speaking of Ms. Bachmann, I see that her hubby is being called out for running a scam clinic where he says that he can cure Gays by praying for them. ---Because we just can't have those "Barbarians" running around with the rest of us good Christian folks. "Ex Gay Therapy" is what I think he calls it. (Hmmm, I wonder if it worked for him? )

I started this post with a question, and I will end it with one for Marcus and his crazy ass friends: Marcus, if you think that by praying you could actually change someone from being Gay to hetro, why don't you use your prayers for more important things like bringing us world peace and fixing our damn deficit problem?


 

  

Ten things that would cause someone to vote republican.

Some writer over a Kos wrote the following:
 
"#10: I shall vote Republican next time because I am a white male. It does not matter if they are otherwise against me, but since I am a white male, and they say that they are for white males, I am for them too! Lies matter not to me. I am a white male.

#9: I shall vote Republican next time because I do not belong to any union. I have been told that unions are evil, and of course I believe it since Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity said so.

#8: I shall vote Republican because the President is not a United States citizen. I have been told that from the Tea Party, the conservative talkers, and Michelle Bachman. If they say it, I know those truths to be self evident.

#7: I shall vote Republican because I think that the deficit and the National debt is the most pressing problem that we face. Even though that I am living off of retirement savings, jobs for Americans are a secondary issue.

#6: I shall vote Republican because I think that tax breaks for large corporations, making billions of dollars, stimulate job creation. It worked well under G. W. Bush, as I am told by the Fox "News" Network.

Now to reasons that would make me vote for the Republicans. Unfortunately, those are all contrary to reality, but if I were in those situations, I might just vote that way.

#5: I would vote Republican because my Daddy died and left me $50 million. I do not want to give a cent of it to the Treasury! Let the little people pay.

#4: I would vote Republican because I am the head of a large corporation that pays no tax after my attorneys get done looking at the dodges. Hell, some of us even get a REBATE when the loopholes are properly exploited! And having my highest marginal bracket so low is not bad, either! Back when Eisenhower was President I would have been taxed at over 80%! Thank God for the New Republicans!

#3: I would vote Republican because I run a huge defense contractor corporation. Not only is it a LEGAL PERSON because of the recent Republican Supreme Court decision, I get lots and lots of money for my fatcat shareholders, and they in turn vote to give me a sinfully large salary and bonus, every year! I LOVE the current tax code, and give some to what to me is pocket change to the Republicans who keep me in power. Money is GOOD!

#2: I would vote Republican because they might give me a cushy job as a political appointtee, and since I have no real skills otherwise, that would be cool! A cushy job and low tax rate rules!

#1: I would vote Republican because I am a hedge fund trader, and not only do I not draw a salary (so no FICA nor Medicare withholding, although I will be eligible for them), I pay only 15% on my income! You idiots working for wages and salaries pay over 15% on FICA and Medicare, and then up to over 30% in income tax! Fools! Let us say that I had a bad year, and you had a really good one. The income is $10 million.

For me, I pay NOTHING in FICA and Medicare! Even if I had to pay both parts, which I do not, since I have no earned income, it gets better for me! Let us do the numbers!

Out of the $10 million, I pay only 15%! That comes to $1.5 million, so I walk away with $8.5 million! You jerks pay around 30% give or take, plus FICA at 7.2% (on your first $106,000) and Medicare at 1.2% on all of it! Fools! Now let us run these numbers for the same $10 million.

Your FICA comes to $7632, and your Medicare to $12,000. Now, let us assume that your top tax bracket is 30%, so you pay another $3 million! Let us add it all together:$10 million, minus the $7632, minus the $12,000, minus the $3 million. I walk away with $8.5 million, and you keep $6.98 million! What a deal for me!
That is why I will always vote for a Republican!" (Source)

(h/t Susan Porter)

A sudden destruction.

"For when they shall say, 'Peace and Safety',
then sudden destruction comes upon them," ~St.Paul~

I bet if you live in central Wyoming the last thing you would expect is a triple quadruple homicide in your area.  But hey, such is live in A-merry-ca. These days you just never know.

"WHEATLAND, Wyo. (AP) — Residents of Wheatland, a quiet agricultural town in central Wyoming, plan a community barbeque to raise money for funeral expenses for victims of a shooting spree.

Authorities say a man opened fire inside a mobile home here Thursday night killing his three sons and a brother. The man's wife was wounded.

Mayor Jean Dixon says the killings are shocking to residents of Wheatland, a quiet, agricultural town of some 3,600.

Everett E. Conant III, who's in his mid-30s, surrendered without incident and was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, battery and a weapons violation.

Prosecutors say Conant could face the death penalty. His lawyer declined comment." [Story] 

Sudden? Yes. Surprising? No.

And speaking of sudden. Here is more on Mr. One Punch. Seems my man is a teacher and an assistant football coach.  His wife works in a bank. Hmmm, hardly seems like a thug to me.

"Leticia Hawkins said the confrontation came during the first hours of a three-day visit to Las Vegas with her husband, a father of three, and their friends Jeremy and Kristina Brown of Monticello, Fla.

Benjamin Hawkins is a teacher and assistant football coach at Bradford County High School in Starke, Fla.

Jeremy Brown said later Friday he didn't think racial bias played a role in Hawkins' mind during the confrontation.

"Ben did not hit the other person just because he was white," Brown said. "Race may have been what motivated the other guy." [Story]

Race motivated the other guy? Noooo! He was just a "fashionista" trying to help a sartorially challenged man out.

Finally,all of you people out there in New Jersey creeping on your significant other; here is some news you might want to be aware of.

"Suspecting infidelity, a New Jersey woman, hired a private investigator to follow her husband. The investigator tried, but could not follow the elusive husband. So they put a GPS tracking device on the husband’s car, which is pretty tough to outrun. Needless to say, within a very short period of time, the GPS showed the husband’s car sitting in the driveway of a woman who was not his wife.
The husband sued his wife and the private investigator. The appellate court judge however ruled in favor of the wife and private investigator.

Appellate Judge Joseph Lisa, Jack Sabatino and Carmen Alvarez said Villanova (the husband) had no right to expect privacy because the GPS tracked his movements on public streets.

“There is no direct evidence in this record to establish that during the approximately 40 days the GPS was in the … glove compartment the device captured a movement of plaintiff into a secluded location that was not in public view, and, if so, that such information was passed along by Mrs. Villanova to (Leonard), Lisa wrote.” [Story] 

I don't live in New Jersey, but even if I did, I would say "bring it on Mrs. Field!"

Let me stop. The theme tonight is "sudden destruction". I don't need to experience that right now. 

Vengeance is mine sayeth the Governor.

Careful O, this is no time to be abandoning your most loyal constituents. Did you see the unemployment numbers today? Yeah, I know I know, the republiclowns are praying that you fail and that more A-merry-cans stay unemployed (which is sad and pathetic), and the folks with the ability to invest in the economy are sitting on their loot. But honestly, to steal a quote from "The Moments", I am not feeling like "I found love on a two way street" these days.

Anywhoo, I see that our god fearing governor down in that country we know as Texas decided to ignore a plea from the State Department --not to mention the U.N.-- and excecute a Mexican national. It must be nice to be governor big hair.

"Gov. Rick Perry rebuffed criticism Friday from the United Nations and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Texas' execution of a Mexican man whose lawyers said he was not informed he could have sought legal help from the Mexican government after he was arrested for the murder of a San Antonio teenager.

"If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws," Perry's spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said a day after convicted killer Humberto Leal was put to death in Huntsville.

In Geneva, the U.N.'s top human rights official said Leal's execution amounted to a breach of international law by the U.S.

The Texas governor has the authority in execution cases to issue a one-time 30-day reprieve, an authority Perry and other governors in the nation's most active capital punishment state rarely have invoked."

That a boy Gov. the wages of sin is death.

Finally, if you are a black woman in Pistolvania, you just might want to pay your parking ticket. If you don't you will be shackled and hauled off to jail....wait,this woman did pay her parking ticket, and she was still shackled and hauled off to jail.

Oh well, it could be worse, the poor lady could have been in Texas.






 

No dozens in the men's room.

I have a memo to all of you white dudes out there: never try to play "the dozens" on a black stranger in the rest room.

Poor John Massie, he allowed his "color aroused disorder" to get the better of him, and it cost him his life. I know he didn't see a lot of black folks in Utah, but sometimes you just have to keep your color aroused tendencies in check.

"LAS VEGAS (AP) — A racial comment in the restroom of a Las Vegas Strip casino restroom preceded a single fatal punch that left a tourist from Utah dead and a Florida tourist jailed in Nevada on a murder charge, authorities said Wednesday.

Benjamin Gerard Hawkins, 37, of Gainesville, Fla., took offense to John Massie's comment about "a black man in a yellow shirt" while both men were in the restroom at O'Sheas Las Vegas Casino shortly before the fatal 12:45 a.m. confrontation, according to a police report.

Moments later, Massie was felled by a single punch to the jaw.

"One punch," police homicide Lt. Lewis Roberts told The Associated Press. "He was out. Never got back up."

Hawkins is black. Massie was white. Massie was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes later at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas.

Massie's hometown wasn't immediately available. The police report released by the Clark County district attorney's office doesn't provide them, and the Clark County coroner declined to release the dead man's identity pending completion of the medical examiner's report.

The one-page police report of Wednesday's slaying offered a glimpse of a men's room slight escalating to tragic consequences at a rollicking Irish-themed casino offering "discount entertainment" including a Viper Vixens stage show, a resident psychic, a cigar bar and beer pong competitions.

"Massie made some comment to Hawkins to the effect of 'a black man in a yellow shirt,'" the police report said. "Hawkins told him to shut up."

Police said the two men squared off after exiting the restroom. Massie stopped in a food court area, put his hands in his pockets, and spoke to Hawkins.

Hawkins told police Massie challenged him with a comment such as, "What are you going to do about it?"

Hawkins told detectives he interpreted Massie's actions as aggressive.

"Hawkins said he feared if he turned his back on Massie he would be punched in the back of the head, so he punched. 

Mr. Hawkins, yellow really isn't a good look for us darker brothers, but I am guessing that Mr. Massie wasn't really vibing on your sartorial senses. I think he bought into the post racial hype here in A-merry-ca. Or, maybe he has been hanging out in too many Internet chat rooms.... The real world can be a bit different sometimes. I am just saying.

Finally, I see that some of  Rupert Murdoch's "chickens are coming home to roost." ---It couldn't happen to a nicer guy---. Hmmm, I wonder why we are not hearing about it from one of our major networks here in A-merry-ca? Hmmm. Anyway, here is hoping that this is the start of a long fall for his evil organization.

 

 

Roy, you just can't buy love.

I know that there are serious issues that I could be blogging about tonight. Black unemployment is at an all time high. Some of our urban areas continue to look like war zones. And there is an assault on workers from wingnuts who now hold power in state offices all across the country. 

But sorry, tonight I am going to blog about my man Roy Williams. The "Dallas Cowgal" who dropped $76,000.00 on an engagement ring and now he wants it back.

Poor Roy, seems he tried to get hitched with Missy, but unfortunately for him she must have been watching the Casey Anthony trial and had OJ flashbacks.

 "Roy Williams is going to court to get back the $76,000 engagement ring he gave to a former beauty pageant winner.

In February, Williams proposed to his girlfriend, Brooke Daniels. When she turned him down, Daniels didn't return the ring. According to Williams' affidavit that was filed in a Texas court last week, he asked for the ring back but was told by Daniels that she had lost it. An insurance investigation later revealed that Daniels' father was in possession of the ring.

Michael Daniels told the Odessa American that his daughter will return the ring to avoid the lawsuit even though he says he has documentation saying Williams told her to keep it." [Story]

Hey fellas, what's that rule on engagement rings? Three months of your gross salary? I know that Roy makes a nice chunk of change in the NFL, but hell, those boys are on strike, and there is no telling when they will be going back to work. Roy might need to pawn that bad boy.  

Roy, I have some good news and some bad news for you: The good news is that if you lived here in Pistolvania [or a state with similar laws] you would probably win your lawsuit. That ring would be considered a conditional gift in our fine state. The bad news is that you live in Texas, and there is no telling what the courts down there will do.

Anyway, for your sake, I hope that daddy convinces his daughter to give you back your bling. And here is a little advice from the field: In the future, shop around a little more for "Mrs. Right" before you go hitting up your jeweler.

The Gipper,Casey, and FOX.

I wish I lived in a lovely flat in the Mayfair section of London with a dog. Why?Because I know where I would take him every day to relieve himself.

Anyway, if any of you in the area have a spare room I could use for a couple of nights I would greatly appreciate it. Mrs. Field is a little pissed at the kid right about now. This happens every time she believes that the system of justice we have here in A-merry-ca fails someone. "Field, how could you do what you do?" This is where I do everything in my power to avoid the conversation. It doesn't work. "How do those men who defended that woman sleep at night?" I make a failed attempt at defending our legal system. "Well dear, a jury of her peers found her innocent, I didn't really follow the trial but the prosecution must not have made their case to the people who mattered." Bad move. "Field, anyone can see that the woman killed her child. Who waits days to say that their child is missing? You know what field, don't even start with me; you are no different than the rest of them."

I am hoping that this is the last we will hear of that dysfunctional family down in "Gator" country. But knowing A-merry-ca like I do, I doubt that it will be. There will be a book, countless television interviews, a TV miniseries, and on and on. Casey Anthony will be paid.

People are making comparisons to the OJ verdict, and I suppose that given the weight of evidence against mommy, you could. You Negroes were happy when OJ was found not guilty of killing those two white people, even though, in your hearts, you know he did it. No one is happy that a two year old lost her life, (Nancy Grace is losing her mind)  and that the person who the state charged with the crime is walking. Some of you (especially the mothers out there) would pull the switch to fry Casey your damn selves. I know Mrs. Field would.

Finally, I swear that you just can't make this stuff up:

"The Fox News Politics Twitter account was hacked early this morning, and a number of Tweets claiming that President Obama had been assassinated were sent out. Fox has acknowledged the hack, but apparently still can't access the account—as of this post, the Tweets still haven't been taken down.
If you get your news exclusively from the Fox News Politics Twitter account, you will be relieved to hear that the president is not dead, to the best of our knowledge. Rather, the account seems to have been hacked at around midnight on Sunday by a group, vaguely aligned with Anonymous, calling itself "TheScriptKiddies." ("Script kiddies" is a pejorative term for wannabe hackers. I guess they're trying to reclaim it?)

At first, according to The Huffington Post, the hackers claimed responsibility, changing the account icon, linking to their own Twitter account, and reaching out to the @AnonymousIRC account, offering to "assist" the hacktivist band." [Article]

Sorry FOX. But I guess a news organization can always dream, right?
        

No barbecues for Dr. Boyce.

Some more thoughts about A-merry-ca's birthday from you black folks.

"When I think about the fourth of July, my mind is motionless. I don’t get happy, sad, angry or thoughtful. As a 40-year old man, I can’t even get excited about the fireworks anymore. The holiday means as much to me as the birthday of my biological father who abandoned me at birth. In fact, I don’t even know what day he was born.

The fourth of July has quite a bit of meaning for our nation at large, of course, given that it was the day on which the Declaration of Independence was signed. Black people were still slaves on that day, which highlights the core of persistent American hypocrisy as it relates to race. All the while, one has to respect the courage shown by Americans of all ethnic backgrounds who fought against the tyranny of the British to create the powerful nation in which we live today. If we actually had the courage to live up to the ideals of those who gave their lives for freedom, we’d be a much better country because of it.

For African Americans, we don’t quite have a true fourth of July. This is not only because the original fourth of July took place while we were still slaves, but because we have not yet earned our independence. Of course, we obtained some semblance of freedom in 1865, after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation; but being free is far from being truly independent. Despite the fact that slavery ended long ago, the descendants of our historical oppressors still control nearly every dimension of our lives:

1) Large corporations like Viacom and Time Warner control major black media outlets like BET and Essence, giving them the right to shape our collective point of view. We depend on these companies to tell us what to think.

2) Most African Americans are controlled by corporate jobs that mute their ability to speak out or stand up on issues of social justice. We depend on companies owned by others in order to feed our children.

3) Black children’s minds are obliterated at an early age by media giants who mass market hip-hop music that sells black boys a recipe for self-destruction by the time they reach kindergarten. Capitalist and shareholder-created monstrosities like Lil Wayne teach them how to kill themselves and each other by the time they become teenagers.

4) Our children have their futures thrown into the trash by school systems that put even the most brilliant black boys in special education at a rate that is five times greater than white kids.

5) The NCAA still earns over a billion dollars per year on the backs of black families, leaving many single black mothers in poverty. In fact, athlete compensation has been criminalized, while mostly white coaches and administrators sign multi-million dollar contracts without playing in any of these sporting events.

6) Black unemployment is nearly double that of white Americans, with no politician in Washington expressing any interest in alleviating the suffering with targeted policy. We depend on politicians and a Democratic Party that fills our minds empty rhetoric, while not respecting us enough to deliver on campaign promises.

The most glaring sign of our lack of independence is the prison industrial complex, which has served to decimate the black family in America. Black men are disproportionately incarcerated and used as slave labor to make expensive corporate products. In fact, the 13th Amendment, which allegedly abolishes slavery, actually includes a clause stating that slavery is still legal if the government can label you as a felon.

So, part of my ambivalence toward the fourth of July doesn’t rest on hating others or carrying the crippling burden of acidic anger. It comes from the fact that I know that my people are at least 100 years away from gaining their independence. Consider me to be a pessimist, but when I look at the world around me, I see very little independence for black people."
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the
Your Black World Coalition.  [Link]

Now before some of you patriotic A-merry-can folks go bashing the good doctor; just remember that only 58% of you know the actual year A-merry-ca won her independence, and a shocking one in four of you don't even know who we won it from.

But I do disagree with the Doc about one thing: I still get excited about fireworks.

*Pic courtesy of Newsone.com

Where is the love?

"What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour." ~ Frederick Douglass~

Wow! Talk about raining on our parade. That Douglass was one angry black man. Back then he had every right to be. But should we [black folks] be angry, today? Aren't we living in the greatest country on earth? And didn't we just elect a black president? He promised change, but, sadly, A-merry-ca still feels the same. Some of the people in A-merry-ca seem to be angrier and even more hateful.

For those of us fortunate enough to share in the A-merry-can dream, A-merry-ca is all we could ask for. For others,on the other hand, the dream continues to be elusive.

I think that one of the problems with A-merry-ca is the selfish nature of those of us who have managed to move forward. There is no empathy or love for the folks who have been left behind. "Hope" and "change" was supposed to change all of that. It didn't.  

Mrs. Field is coming, (hey, I am still on vacation, I shouldn't be blogging) so I will leave you with the words of one of my heroes:

"We talk of change, What is change? Change is the willingness to look at your system and have the courage to know what is wrong. More is not change. Change is to reorder the values of your life. Change is having a vision of a new hope for society...The system by which we can achieve power for our people and freedom that is a change. The means where people sacrifice now for a great day tomorrow, where we will march together in the name of work, in the name of justice, because the word is LOVE." ~ Michael Manley~

Happy Birthday, A-merry-ca. I just hope that we will start learning to love each other more than we love you.

 

It takes a village.

I am on vacation, but racism and ignorance is not. (h/t to Lynn for this story)

"JACKSON, Miss. -- A Brandon pastor said he had warned police and school officials that if something wasn't done about Deryl Dedmon's behavior, the teenager may one day kill someoneDedmon, 18, is charged with murder in connection with the Sunday death of James Craig Anderson. He is accused of running Anderson, 49, over with his truck. Dedmon is currently free on a $50,000 bond.

Pastor Brian Richardson, of Castlewoods Baptist Church, said his son, a student at Brandon High School, was bullied by Dedmon.

"My son was harassed by Deryl Dedmon. Beginning in 2008, specifically September 2008, Deryl began this campaign of harassment against my son and it continued for two years," Richardson said.

Richardson said in 2009, his son called police after Dedmon and a group of boys confronted him at a Brandon pond and tried to start a fight. He said the group, including Dedmon, tormented several teens in the community, using racial and homphobic slurs.

Richardson spoke during a news conference Friday at the Cochran Law Firm, which is representing Anderson's family in a wrongful death lawsuit. Attorney Winston Thompson said the pastor reported the harassment to the Brandon police and school district.

"(Richardson) went so far as to send emails and made statements to the effect that if something's not done about Deryl, it's possible that he may take a life," Thompson said.

The pastor said Dedmon transferred to a different school last year. Richardson said the Brandon police and school district did the best they could in dealing with Dedmon.I thought it was obviously painfully clear that Daryl was going to injure someone severely or possibly kill someone. And I believe if he doesn't get some help, if he isn't taken off the streets that it's going to happen again," Richardson said.

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith sat beside Richardson during Friday's news conference. Smith said after reviewing the facts in the case he filed a motion Thursday to revoke Dedmon's bond. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday before Jackson Municipal Court Judge Ali Shamsideen.

John Rice, 18, is also charged with murder in connection with Anderson's death. He was denied bond Thursday during an initial hearing before Municipal Court Judge Henry Clay.

Anderson's family claims that the fatal hit-and-run was racially motivated and should be considered a hate crime. A witness to the incident told 16 WAPT News that he heard Dedmon yell racial remarks and expletives before Anderson was killed." [Article]

Kids!

Are these men Gay?

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend. I am chilling with the fam in one of those lovely Western Pistolvania resorts. (I won't say where, I don't trust the surrounding area.)  

It's always good to get away and try to clear out my head. Although I can never really get away from the news and what is going on here in A-merry-ca. Sadly,as we celebrate the beauty of this wonderful experiment, we have to constantly deal with the people who are trying to take away from all the advances that we have made as a nation.

Michele Bachmann's husband calls Gays Barbarians, and the governor of Ohio just signed a bill into a law that makes it cool to carry a concealed weapon in a bar. A BAR! Call me crazy, but I am thinking that alcohol and guns are not a good mix.

Finally, I thought Mrs. Field loved shopping, but this lady has her beat.

Some of you Negroes need Jesus!

Okay I am out. I shouldn't even be blogging, but I am addicted to you folks.