Thursday, January 31, 2008
BILLARY'S OTHER MARRIAGE PARTNER: WAL-MART
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first woman ever to join Wal-Mart's board. She was the First Lady of Arkansas at the time and served on the board of directors from 1986-1992. During the late 1980's and early 1990's we were encouraged to "Buy American" by Wal-Mart.
In 1996 Wal-Mart set up shop in China. It has opened 39 stores, including supercenters, "Sam's Clubs" and neighborhood markets in 15 cities around China, including Beijing, Harbin, Dalian and Shanghai. Today, more than 70 per cent of the commodities sold in Wal-Mart are made in China.
In the spring on 2000 President Bill Clinton authored a letter addressed to House members, he wrote, "China with more than a billion people is home to the largest potential market in the world… If Congress makes the right decision, our companies will be able to sell and distribute products in China made by American workers on American soil, without being forced to relocate manufacturing to China. …We will be able to export products without exporting jobs."
In September 1993 Pres. Bill Clinton had this to say right before he signed NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement)..."So I say this to you: Are we going to compete and win, or are we going to withdraw? Are we going to face the future with confidence that we can create tomorrow's jobs, or are we going to try against all the evidence of the last 20 years to hold on to yesterday's? Are we going to take the plain evidence of the good faith of Mexico in opening their own markets and buying more of our products and creating more of our jobs, or are we going to give in to the fears of the worst-case scenario? Are we going to pretend that we don't have the first trade agreement in history dealing seriously with labor standards, environmental standards and cleverly and clearly taking account of unforeseen consequences, or are we going to say this is the best you can do and then some?"
Something very interesting happened in November 2007 that is worth noting... Wal-Mart de México opened its first consumer bank -Banco Wal-Mart, in Toluca, Mexico near Mexico City. Additionally, had made plans to open approximately 80 more branches before Dec. 31st.
When you're watching the Democratic presidential debate tonight I want you to ask yourself a few questions...Remember Hillary has assured America SHE IS(AND NOT BILL) running for President. I can't tell nor do I believe Bill can be presidentially semi-retired in the white house ever.
1. Did the average American or the Clintons benefit the most from having a business (non-consumer) relationship with Wal-Mart for the past 22 years ?
2. How many millions (salaries, donations, campaign contributions, consulting fees, book sales, stocks, etc) have the Clintons received from their on going relationship with Wal-Mart?
3. Where is Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters located? (I've give you a hint...The state where Bill Clinton was born and home to his Presidential Library).
4. Who is the biggest private and/or non-union employer in the world?...Hint...It ain't McDonald's.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
MRS. CHARLES RANGEL ATTENDS MRS. OBAMA'S FUNDRAISER
Mrs. Michelle Obama held a $2300 per person fundraiser today in New York where Mrs. Alma Rangel wife of Congressman Charles Rangel was in attendance. Also present were Mrs. Ted (Victoria) Kennedy, Patricia Blanchet the widow of "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley and John W. Rogers Jr., a Chicago mutual fund executive who has been one of Sen. Obama’s top fundraisers to name a few.
Charles Rangel has been a diehard pitbull on the attack more often than not for Hillary Clinton. He has been the undisputed Dean of Harlem for the last 36 years. Congressman Rangel did personally encourage Barack Obama early on to run for president reminding him that if he didn't do it now he might come to regret letting the moment pass and never to return. Charlie makes no apologies for strongly supporting the Clintons no matter what but has gone on record to indicate he has great pride, admiration and respect for Barack.
It will be interesting as to what Mr. and Mrs. Rangel will discuss at the dinner table tonight as they balance the checkbook together. I know their money was well spent today and Mrs. Obama will do the right thing with it...GIVE IT TO HER HUSBAND'S CAMPAIGN WITH A $MILE. Everything ain't always what it seems...If the Clintons were smart they wouldn't sweat Charlie about his wife's public support for OBAMA '08. Sometimes...A Sistah Has Got To Do What A Sistah's Got To Do With Or Without Her Man. Now, run and tell that!
Breaking News...JOHN EDWARDS QUITS
At 1 p.m. (EST) today in New Orleans former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards with his wife and three children by his side will make the announcement that he is quitting. He will be giving a speech on poverty and share his plan to work with Habitat for Humanity at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project Musicians' Village. Mr. Edwards is still very passionate about restoring the hearts, minds and homes of every Hurricane Katrina victim in the BIG EASY. John Edwards never won any State while on the campaign trail. After South Carolina it clearly became a two-person race for the Democratic nomination.
John Edwards and his family are in need of our prayers because his wife is still fighting cancer. Thank you Mr. Edwards for being a fine Southern gentleman and a true friend to those suffering from poverty in America. I know you would make an awesome Attorney General in the Obama cabinet.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Senator Ted Kennedy gives full support to Barack Obama for President
Senator Edward Kennedy stood up and endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President. In Kennedy's words, "It is time again for a new generation of leadership."
The endorsement was a huge move for Obama and a slam for Senator Hillary Clinton. The Clintons and the Kennedys have been friends and supporters of one another for a very long time.
"It is time now for Barack Obama," said Kennedy, who is the brother of the late John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy gave his endorsement speech with his son, Representative Patrick Kennedy and his niece, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F. Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy also endorsed Obama in a New York Times Op-ed piece entitled, "A President Like My Father".
The group gathered for the endorsement speech at American University, in Washington, DC.
"Like you, we want a president who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American dream," Kennedy said.
"I've found that candidate. And it looks to me like you have too," he said. Kennedy went on to compare Senator Obama to his brother, John F. Kennedy.
Obama said that he would work hard to pursue the vision created by Senator Kennedy's brother, the late John F. Kennedy.
"The dream has never died ... it lives on in those Americans, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight, who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was president of the United States of America," Obama said.
"That is the dream we hold in our hearts," Obama said. "That is the kind of leadership we long for in this country. And that is the kind of leadership I intend to offer as president of the United States of America."
Kennedy had words of praise for Senator Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, stating that Edwards "has been a powerful advocate for economic and social justice. And Hillary Clinton has been in the forefront on issues ranging from health care to the rights of women around the world."
Kennedy also contradicted the words of Bill Clinton as it pertained to Obama's position on the War in Iraq, "From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
What Frederick Douglass and Barack Obama Have in Common
By Syreeta L. McNeal, CPA, JD
White male representatives of the thirteen colonies undoubtedly compromised to indicate either explicitly or implicitly in the original United States (U. S.) Constitution that blacks were three fifth’s (3/5) of a person and women were considered property in 1791. Many abolitionists and feminists worked to change this political impact in later years. Two key figures of the respective movement are Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Feminist Susan B. Anthony.
Both Douglass and Anthony were close friends before the American Civil War beginning in 1861. Douglass performed the eulogy of Anthony’s father in November 1862. However, during the years of 1865 to 1870, Douglass split from many feminists over the issue of passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the U. S. Constitution. [Note: Fourteenth Amendment, passed in 1868, gives citizens due process and equal protection under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, and natural origin. Fifteenth Amendment, passed in 1870, gives citizens the right to vote regardless of race, ethnicity, and natural origin.]
Anthony and other feminists refused to support the Fifteenth Amendment because it excluded women from the basic right to vote. Douglass, on the other hand, believed with many abolitionists that it was important to secure the rights of African-American males before working to achieve the rights of women. Their argument was both public and private, and there was resentment and hurt on both sides.
Now, we have Obama, the first African-American male, striving to become president of the U.S. He is definitely a neophyte to the political game, but has charisma and a sense of hope to encourage more of the younger generation to participate in the political process which is always a good thing. Also, we have Clinton, the first woman to strive for the highest office in the U. S. She has the experience and factual basis to help bring about change that can be beneficial to all Americans, not just Black America. Both have legitimate chances especially with wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
But, what seems to be appearing under the surface is this classic debate between Douglass and Anthony. I do believe most African-American men would rather see another African-American male assume the helm of Presidency in the U. S. to prove that they are equal to their white male counterparts. However, as an African-American woman, I do feel compelled to see a seasoned woman who has more experience in the political arena than her counterpart and has a track record to get well needed programs for all Americans such as jobs creation with health benefits, lowering the economic gap between black/brown and white Americans, improved FEMA program so that Katrina responses will be minimized, credibility with Israel and Palestine to bring peace in the Middle East as achieved during her husband’s presidency, and bring our troops out of harms way in Iraq in a way that still keeps us ready for the potential terrorist threat to our national security.
So, it is amazing that the Obama v. Clinton campaign of 2008 is taking on the same shape as Douglass v. Anthony from 1865 to 1870. I know the Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, gave women the right to vote under law. But, wouldn’t it be something if Douglass and Anthony realized that if they were able to include women in the Fifteenth Amendment for the right to vote in 1870, that they would have a powerful coalition to trump the real culprit to their power: white men who want to continue to treat them as either three fifth’s (3/5) of a person or property.
I hope both Obama and Clinton realize that their coalition of both respective interests, instead of division in those interests, will be more beneficial to all America in the long run to end the tyrannical reign of Bush and the Republican regime. However, after watching CNN’s January 21, 2008 Democratic debate on the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, I have a feeling it will probably not come to fruition at least in the next couple of days.
What Frederick Douglass and Barack Obama Have in Common
By Syreeta L. McNeal, CPA, JD
White male representatives of the thirteen colonies undoubtedly compromised to indicate either explicitly or implicitly in the original United States (U. S.) Constitution that blacks were three fifth’s (3/5) of a person and women were considered property in 1791. Many abolitionists and feminists worked to change this political impact in later years. Two key figures of the respective movement are Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Feminist Susan B. Anthony.
Both Douglass and Anthony were close friends before the American Civil War beginning in 1861. Douglass performed the eulogy of Anthony’s father in November 1862. However, during the years of 1865 to 1870, Douglass split from many feminists over the issue of passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the U. S. Constitution. [Note: Fourteenth Amendment, passed in 1868, gives citizens due process and equal protection under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, and natural origin. Fifteenth Amendment, passed in 1870, gives citizens the right to vote regardless of race, ethnicity, and natural origin.]
Anthony and other feminists refused to support the Fifteenth Amendment because it excluded women from the basic right to vote. Douglass, on the other hand, believed with many abolitionists that it was important to secure the rights of African-American males before working to achieve the rights of women. Their argument was both public and private, and there was resentment and hurt on both sides.
Now, we have Obama, the first African-American male, striving to become president of the U.S. He is definitely a neophyte to the political game, but has charisma and a sense of hope to encourage more of the younger generation to participate in the political process which is always a good thing. Also, we have Clinton, the first woman to strive for the highest office in the U. S. She has the experience and factual basis to help bring about change that can be beneficial to all Americans, not just Black America. Both have legitimate chances especially with wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
But, what seems to be appearing under the surface is this classic debate between Douglass and Anthony. I do believe most African-American men would rather see another African-American male assume the helm of Presidency in the U. S. to prove that they are equal to their white male counterparts. However, as an African-American woman, I do feel compelled to see a seasoned woman who has more experience in the political arena than her counterpart and has a track record to get well needed programs for all Americans such as jobs creation with health benefits, lowering the economic gap between black/brown and white Americans, improved FEMA program so that Katrina responses will be minimized, credibility with Israel and Palestine to bring peace in the Middle East as achieved during her husband’s presidency, and bring our troops out of harms way in Iraq in a way that still keeps us ready for the potential terrorist threat to our national security.
So, it is amazing that the Obama v. Clinton campaign of 2008 is taking on the same shape as Douglass v. Anthony from 1865 to 1870. I know the Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, gave women the right to vote under law. But, wouldn’t it be something if Douglass and Anthony realized that if they were able to include women in the Fifteenth Amendment for the right to vote in 1870, that they would have a powerful coalition to trump the real culprit to their power: white men who want to continue to treat them as either three fifth’s (3/5) of a person or property.
I hope both Obama and Clinton realize that their coalition of both respective interests, instead of division in those interests, will be more beneficial to all America in the long run to end the tyrannical reign of Bush and the Republican regime. However, after watching CNN’s January 21, 2008 Democratic debate on the holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, I have a feeling it will probably not come to fruition at least in the next couple of days.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
HILLARY TELL BILL TO GET OFF THE POLE...
Check out the top donors to the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation that have given a million dollars or more to include the governments of Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar; the Saudi royal family; a deputy prime minister of Lebanon; filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Stephen Bing, and David Geffen; Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart heir Alice Walton; the Anheuser-Busch Foundation; and Vin Gupta, chairman and CEO of infoUSA Inc., a telemarketing firm that has come under scrutiny for its handling of private information. In 2006 a $31.3 million donation was made to Bill Clinton's presidential foundation which wasn't reported by a Canadian named Frank Giustra. Giustra runs the Radcliffe Foundation. Pres. Clinton's generous friend has made millions financing mining deals around the world. Additionally, he accompanies Pres. Clinton on global jaunts and lets him use his private MD-87 jet. Since leaving the white house Bill and Hillary Clinton have collectively raised approximately $500 million for said foundation. The New York Times has compiled the first comprehensive list of 97 donors who gave or pledged a total of $69 million for the Clinton presidential library in the final years of the Clinton administration. The examination found that while some $1 million contributors were longtime Clinton friends, others were seeking policy changes from the administration. Two pledged $1 million each while they or their companies were under investigation by the Justice Department. Nine of the original library donors received presidential appointments, two of which, Mark S. Weiner and Vinod Gupta, in Pres. Clinton's his last days in office. The documented donors are as follows:
TRUSTEE LEVEL (INDIVIDUALS)
Sheik Abdullah S. Abdullah, Ewa & Daniel Abraham, Nasser Al-Rashid, Abdullah Al Dabbagh, Jay Alix, Malini Alles, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and Smith Bagley, Stephen Bing, Richard Blum, Jeff Cooper, Dr. Issam Fares, James Ferraro, Wallace & Jama Fowler Foundation, Vin Gupta, Patricia Hotung, Walid Juffali, Robert BET Johnson, Michael Lee Chin, Howard & Michele Kessler, Peter Lewis, Joe Morita, Viktor & Olena Pinchuk, Michael Rienzi, Bill Rollnick & Nancy Ellison, Dr. Cheryl and Haim Saban, Donald L. Saunders, Walter Shorenstein, Bren & Melvin Simon, Arnold Simon Family Foundation, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Joseph Stroud, Martin Varsavsky, Ted & Joan Waitt, Mark Walsh, Alice WAL-MART Walton, Gary and Karen Winnick.
TRUSTEE LEVEL (ORGANIZATIONS)
ALLTEL, Alphawood Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, Avalon Capital Group, Dubai Foundation, Embassy of the State of Qatar, Entergy Corporation, Government of Brunei, Magna (Bill Clinton’s Alleged Girlfriend - Belinda Stronach) International Inc., Satoshi Iue (Chmn. Sanyo Electric), Soros Foundation, State of Kuwait, Taiwan Economic & Cultural OfficeAnheuser-Busch Foundation, David Geffen Foundation, Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, Roy & Christine Sturgis Foundation, Royal Saudi Family, Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Foundation, Walton Family WAL-MART AGAIN Foundation and Wasserman Foundation.
PHILANTHROPIST LEVEL
Victor Dahdaleh, JB Fuqua, Carlos Bremer Gutierre, Gilbert & Rose Mary Chagoury, Dorothy & Lewis Cullman, Myra & Brian Greenspun, Elaine & Gerald Schuster, C. S. Westbrook & Hugh Westbrook, Sydney & Stanley Shuman, Carlos Slim, Katsuhiko Yoshida, Ruettgers Family Foundation, Global Artists, NY HHS Union, Local 1199, Bank of America and Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust.
Pres. Bill Clinton earned $31 million in speaking fees between 2001 and 2005, as disclosed in his wife's Senate ethics reports. Check out the real 411 on well over 100 speeches given to include the amount$ the former president earned:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2007/clinton-speeches/list/
"I never had a nickel to my name until I got out of the White House, and now I'm a millionaire, the most favored person for the Washington Republicans," Clinton told a friendly audience in Kentucky in the fall of 2006 and he went on to declare "I get a tax cut every year, no matter what our needs are." The Clintons left the white house approximately $12 million in debt due to the Whitewater, campaign fundraising and Monica S. Lewinsky legal issues. Now according to Sen. Clinton's most recent disclosure forms they have a net worth of between $10 to $50 million.
Looks like BILLARY got all FOUR of their hands in the donor and campaign cookie jars again. Bill has been on everybody's payroll too. Pres. Clinton all by himself poses several real conflicts of national interest and real security risks to America with all his different employers. Can somebody tell me why PIMP ME (AND MY WIFE) FOR A $DOLLAR$ BILL can't seem to stay off the stripper I mean speech pole??? I don't know about you but I don't want another BILL nor can I afford to pay another LEGAL BILL. America just can't afford ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL BILLARY CLINTON LIBRARY EVER!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
HARLEM SHUFFLE...BILLARY CLINTON STYLE
Check out the video of Pres. Clinton falling asleep on Martin L. King, III in Harlem on Sunday while Hillary was in the hood getting endorsed by her homies...Harlem Dream Team...Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts and Congressman Charles Rangel:
P.S. Billary's newest nephew Earvin MAGIC Johnson is busy on the road doing his HARLEM SHUFFLE for his Auntie Hillary...Check out the link and give the Clinton's nephew a listen:
Which CLINTON is REALLY running to become the 44th President of The United States Of America anyway...HILL or BILL (42nd President Of The United States) or BOTH???
Monday, January 21, 2008
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: The Great Need of the Hour
Video Of Sen. Barack Obama Speaking At Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Church
Atlanta, GA January 20, 2008 (Sen. Obama's Full Speech)
The Scripture tells us that when Joshua and the Israelites arrived at the gates of Jericho, they could not enter. The walls of the city were too steep for any one person to climb; too strong to be taken down with brute force. And so they sat for days, unable to pass on through.
But God had a plan for his people. He told them to stand together and march together around the city, and on the seventh day he told them that when they heard the sound of the ram's horn, they should speak with one voice. And at the chosen hour, when the horn sounded and a chorus of voices cried out together, the mighty walls of Jericho came tumbling down.
There are many lessons to take from this passage, just as there are many lessons to take from this day, just as there are many memories that fill the space of this church. As I was thinking about which ones we need to remember at this hour, my mind went back to the very beginning of the modern Civil Rights Era.
Because before Memphis and the mountaintop; before the bridge in Selma and the march on Washington; before Birmingham and the beatings; the fire hoses and the loss of those four little girls; before there was King the icon and his magnificent dream, there was King the young preacher and a people who found themselves suffering under the yoke of oppression.
And on the eve of the bus boycotts in Montgomery, at a time when many were still doubtful about the possibilities of change, a time when those in the black community mistrusted themselves, and at times mistrusted each other, King inspired with words not of anger, but of an urgency that still speaks to us today:
"Unity is the great need of the hour" is what King said. Unity is how we shall overcome.
What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to shake. If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done, maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. And if enough Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Unity is the great need of the hour -- the great need of this hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it's the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country.
I'm not talking about a budget deficit. I'm not talking about a trade deficit. I'm not talking about a deficit of good ideas or new plans.
I'm talking about a moral deficit. I'm talking about an empathy deficit. I'm taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother's keeper; we are our sister's keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny.
We have an empathy deficit when we're still sending our children down corridors of shame -- schools in the forgotten corners of America where the color of your skin still affects the content of your education.
We have a deficit when CEOs are making more in ten minutes than some workers make in ten months; when families lose their homes so that lenders make a profit; when mothers can't afford a doctor when their children get sick.
We have a deficit in this country when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for others; when our children see nooses hanging from a schoolyard tree today, in the present, in the twenty-first century.
We have a deficit when homeless veterans sleep on the streets of our cities; when innocents are slaughtered in the deserts of Darfur; when young Americans serve tour after tour of duty in a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged.
And we have a deficit when it takes a breach in our levees to reveal a breach in our compassion; when it takes a terrible storm to reveal the hungry that God calls on us to feed; the sick He calls on us to care for; the least of these He commands that we treat as our own.
So we have a deficit to close. We have walls -- barriers to justice and equality -- that must come down. And to do this, we know that unity is the great need of this hour.
Unfortunately, all too often when we talk about unity in this country, we've come to believe that it can be purchased on the cheap. We've come to believe that racial reconciliation can come easily -- that it's just a matter of a few ignorant people trapped in the prejudices of the past, and that if the demagogues and those who exploit our racial divisions will simply go away, then all our problems would be solved.
All too often, we seek to ignore the profound institutional barriers that stand in the way of ensuring opportunity for all children, or decent jobs for all people, or health care for those who are sick. We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price.
But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes -- a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts.
It's not easy to stand in somebody else's shoes. It's not easy to see past our differences. We've all encountered this in our own lives. But what makes it even more difficult is that we have a politics in this country that seeks to drive us apart -- that puts up walls between us.
We are told that those who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our problems are the fault of those who don't think like us or look like us or come from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The immigrant is taking our jobs. The believer condemns the non-believer as immoral, and the non-believer chides the believer as intolerant.
For most of this country's history, we in the African-American community have been at the receiving end of man's inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays -- on the job, in the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system.
And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community.
We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.
Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.
So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others -- all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face -- war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.
Because if Dr. King could love his jailor; if he could call on the faithful who once sat where you do to forgive those who set dogs and fire hoses upon them, then surely we can look past what divides us in our time, and bind up our wounds, and erase the empathy deficit that exists in our hearts.
But if changing our hearts and minds is the first critical step, we cannot stop there. It is not enough to bemoan the plight of poor children in this country and remain unwilling to push our elected officials to provide the resources to fix our schools. It is not enough to decry the disparities of health care and yet allow the insurance companies and the drug companies to block much-needed reforms. It is not enough for us to abhor the costs of a misguided war, and yet allow ourselves to be driven by a politics of fear that sees the threat of attack as way to scare up votes instead of a call to come together around a common effort.
The Scripture tells us that we are judged not just by word, but by deed. And if we are to truly bring about the unity that is so crucial in this time, we must find it within ourselves to act on what we know; to understand that living up to this country's ideals and its possibilities will require great effort and resources; sacrifice and stamina.
And that is what is at stake in the great political debate we are having today. The changes that are needed are not just a matter of tinkering at the edges, and they will not come if politicians simply tell us what we want to hear. All of us will be called upon to make some sacrifice. None of us will be exempt from responsibility. We will have to fight to fix our schools, but we will also have to challenge ourselves to be better parents. We will have to confront the biases in our criminal justice system, but we will also have to acknowledge the deep-seated violence that still resides in our own communities and marshal the will to break its grip.
That is how we will bring about the change we seek. That is how Dr. King led this country through the wilderness. He did it with words -- words that he spoke not just to the children of slaves, but the children of slave owners. Words that inspired not just black but also white; not just the Christian but the Jew; not just the Southerner but also the Northerner.
He led with words, but he also led with deeds. He also led by example. He led by marching and going to jail and suffering threats and being away from his family. He led by taking a stand against a war, knowing full well that it would diminish his popularity. He led by challenging our economic structures, understanding that it would cause discomfort. Dr. King understood that unity cannot be won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and determination.
That is the unity -- the hard-earned unity -- that we need right now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind optimism into hope -- the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what seemed impossible before.
The stories that give me such hope don't happen in the spotlight. They don't happen on the presidential stage. They happen in the quiet corners of our lives. They happen in the moments we least expect. Let me give you an example of one of those stories.
There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She's been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."
By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.
But it is where we begin. It is why the walls in that room began to crack and shake.
And if they can shake in that room, they can shake in Atlanta.
And if they can shake in Atlanta, they can shake in Georgia.
And if they can shake in Georgia, they can shake all across America. And if enough of our voices join together; we can bring those walls tumbling down. The walls of Jericho can finally come tumbling down. That is our hope -- but only if we pray together, and work together, and march together.
Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone.
In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone.
In the struggle for opportunity and equality, we cannot walk alone
In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this world, we cannot walk alone.
So I ask you to walk with me, and march with me, and join your voice with mine, and together we will sing the song that tears down the walls that divide us, and lift up an America that is truly indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. May God bless the memory of the great pastor of this church, and may God bless the United States of America.
My Food For Thought....
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Yo Hillary...Peter Paul Wants The Million$$$ Y'all "HOLLYJACKED" From Him Back In The Day...
A fellow brother and blogger MR. ZENNIE ABRAHAM @ http://zennie2005.blogspot.com/ has uploaded a video on YOUTUBE that you must see about the Clintons and the largest campaign fraud in the history of America. This is STILL A ONGOING LEGAL MATTER and Sen. Clinton will be deposed rather she wants to or not. Please watch the video and check it out for yourselves. Remember Whitewater cost the American people $70 million and the Barrett Report cost another $21-23 million. Last time I checked the Clintons were people of means back then and now we all know they don't need a DIME FROM US. Besides isn't Mrs. Clinton an experienced PARTNER and LAWYER??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9kP6wz5l4 - Peter Paul, Stan Lee, and Senator Hillary Clinton (video)
Below are some insightful and very well researched links to help us come into 'bout time, straight up and no chaser much needed double shot of the TRUTH relative to HOW RIGHT ON TIME Mr. Abraham's blessing to the free world really is. Thank you brother Zennie for being courageous in making sure we all have free access to the TRUTH. Remember it's the UNCOMPROMISING TRUTH that WILL STILL SET YOU FREE. As you watch the short 10 minute video you'll come to the sooner than right now and faster than immediately realization that we can't afford not to vote or waste even ONE precious vote. We must educate ourselves and understand every body's GENESIS ain't OUR GENESIS. If we can agreed on that point that our beginnings aren't the same than we must agree OUR vote will never be for "LIARS AND CHEATERS". Liars couldn't help us then and cheaters definitely can't help us now. The world has watched America lie, steal, cheat and destroy her young, old, sick and weak. We have a real opportunity to lead by CHANGE and show the world we can TELL THE TRUTH no matter how much it hurts. Because it's always better to feel the hurt now than the PAIN LATER. Furthermore, let your vote for CHANGE serve notice...NEVER HIRE US TO TALK ABOUT US TO DIVIDE US AND THEN TRY TO APOLOGIZE TO US THE NEXT DAY. By definition a leader is responsible for everything their people DO and/or FAIL TO DO. Enjoy the links below. I'm praying for unity and peace with our enemies at home then abroad. Ask yourself honestly what man or woman do you want sitting down with your enemies to ascertain peace for your children? One who has too many enemies to count at home and abroad or one who has none at all. NO MORE CLINTON NEVER ENDING IN OR OUT WHITE HOUSE DRAMA...I'M VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA...
LINKS:
http://barrett.oic.gov/ - The final report of David M. Barrett, an independent counsel appointed in 1995 to investigate potential felonies committed by one-time Clinton administration Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros (who’s still campaigning for the Clintons to this day @ http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=5120 ).
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/gavel/timeline/9610.html - Beginning in Oct ’96 this timeline will show ALL the key players the Clintons problems illegal campaign contributions from DNC fundraiser and convicted felon John Huang.
http://www.hillcap.org/ - website dedicated to documenting the largest campaign fraud in American history involving the Clinton’s friend Peter F. Paul and more Hollywood celebrities than the Oscars.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20clinton.html?_r=2 - In Charity and Politics, Clintons Donors Overlap.
http://www.wnbc.com/politics/4063107/detail.html - Sen. Clinton's former finance director indicted on filing false reports with the Federal Election Commission.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119679269014413319-7Z_Q1_GEllpCromVvwJA1Tp5mag_20080103.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top – Clintons top fundraiser Norman Hsu indicted.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10202007/news/nationalnews/hills_cash_eyed_as_chinese_lau.htm - Sen. Clinton’s problems with straw donors with no addresses.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59492 - New probe urged for Hillary crimes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/us/politics/17cnd-campaign.html?hp – Clintons supporters’ last minute lawsuit couldn’t stop culinary union workers’ in Las Vegas from caucusing on the strip on Jan. 19th.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Pimpin' Ain't Easy: Bob Johnson Plays with Black People's Minds
Democrat Dennis Kucinich and Republican Albert Howard had requested and been granted a recount of the New Hampshire presidential primary. The recounts will begin on January 16th. There is a serious problem with the AccuVote optical scanning system used by 111 of New Hampshire's municipalities. The scanner is maded by Premier Election Systems (formerly Diebold). Check out this video clip to learn more about this voting machine @
When votes were hand counted for verification it was found that Sen. Obama had received 23,509 - 52.95% but the machine had Sen. Obama Optical scan of 81,495 - 47.05%. These voices in the wilderness of democracy don't want to see another FLORIDA-GATE and have a presidential election pimped away from Americans again due to faulty voting machines.
Robert L. Johnson, Billionaire and Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) specializes in pimping the race card when he spots an opportunity to get paid. If you'll recall not too long ago he rounded up several Black business leaders and demanded an end to the estate tax. Mr. Johnson and his hand picked group even went so far as to take out newspaper ads of their own, Johnson's group attacked the tax for taking monies away from the African American community. Check out the letter he spearheaded.
http://www.freedomworks.org/informed/issues_template.php?issue_id=1896
Unlike "very wealthy white Americans" who supported the tax, he declared, "We as African Americans have come to our wealth on a different path, a different road than they have."(Bill)Gates and his friends, Johnson implied, were not really promoting the common good; they were trying to keep the black man down. All of a sudden, it was not so clear who held the moral high ground. Estate tax repeal had become a civil rights issue. "Elimination of the Estate Tax," Johnson's ad proactively suggested "will help close the wealth gap in this nation between African American families and White families." But the estate tax is paid only by people who inherit large fortunes. African Americans at the time the letter was written in 2001 represented about 12 percent of the population and were less than one-half of 1 percent of estate tax payers. Furthermore, he suggested the revenues from the tax could be used to help low income Blacks who were now relying heavily on federally funded programs.
The homeboy and founder of BET gave Pres. Bush the props he had to have to perpetrate a fraud and misrepresent himself as a visionary for Black issues, cares and concerns. "As Robert Johnson of Black Entertainment Television argues, the death tax and double taxation weighs heavily on minorities," said Bush, who added that his plan would allow people to transfer wealth "from one generation to the next, regardless of a person's race."
On May 2, 2001 Pres. Bush appointed Johnson to his commission for the privatization of Social Security. Once again, our friendly under cover brother Mr. Johnson wanted us to agree as a people we must turn Social Security into a system with individual investment accounts, he argues, because the current program hurts Blacks more than other minorities. I wonder if Mr. Johnson was including ALL women who are considered minorities in America in that thought process of his too. Johnson has made billions of dollars pimping, pandering, exploiting Blacks but especially women and children. Did Uncle Bob offer the Black community the opportunity to buy BET? Didn't Uncle Bob fired our brother and friend Tavis Smiley for doing an excellent job? Robert L. Johnson has always been one of Bush's henchmen and now he's a token OJT (ON THE JOB TRAINING)spokesman for Hillary and Bill Clinton checking for another white house paying assignment. I hear he's building in Liberia. Check it out for yourselves @ http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/27/johnson-billionaire-liberia-face-cx_po_0926autofacescan01.html so he probably wants a presidential appointment from Hillary and Bill. Thank God Sen. Barack Obama isn't for sell, cares about who speaks for him (and his wife) and STILL believes no matter what THE DREAM that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died for IS REAL FOR ALL PEOPLE. P.S. Happy Birthday Dr. King
Charlie Rangel Says Barack Obama Was Stupid
While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have agreed to tone down their rhetoric after this week's racially charged battle, one loyal follower of the Clinton camp, Charlie Rangel, had other ideas.
On a CNN interview, Rangel said that Barack Obama was "absolutely stupid" for his part in the conversation about the relative contributions of Martin Luther King and Lyndon B. Johnson.
"How race got into this thing is because Obama said 'race,'" Rangel said in an interview. "But there is nothing that Hillary Clinton has said that baffles me."
Clinton and Obama got into a dispute over the issue after Hillary Clinton implied in a speech that Martin Luther King's dream became reality primarily because he had a president willing to sign the legislation to make it into law.
"I would challenge anybody to belittle the contribution that Dr. King has made to the world, to our country, to civil rights, and the Voting Rights Act,” said Rangel. “But for him to suggest that Dr. King could have signed that act is absolutely stupid. It's absolutely dumb to infer that Doctor King, alone, passed the legislation and signed it into law."
Some have argued that Rangel is off base for his vicious attack on Barack Obama. Dr. Boyce Watkins, a Syracuse Professor and regular CNN guest, says that Rangel completely missed what the Obama camp was trying to say.
"Barack was communicating that politicians are bell weathers for public opinion, not much else," says Dr. Watkins. "If King had not engaged in the risk necessary to create the public sentiment needed for the Civil Rights Act to be passed, Johnson wouldn't have signed anything. King deeply cared about Civil Rights, Johnson only cared about doing whatever people told him to do. He would have signed a law reducing Civil Rights if the public had demanded it."
Charlie Rangel is a Congressman from the State of New York.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Bob Johnson v. Barack Obama
BET Founder, Bob Johnson, criticized Senator Barack Obama for his characterization of Hillary Clinton's remarks about the Civil Rights Movement.
Speaking and introducing Clinton on Sunday, Johnson said he was insulted by the statements from the Obama camp, and even seemed to hint at Obama's alleged drug use as a young man.
Johnson was America's first black billionaire and founder of Black Entertainment Television.
Hillary Clinton had been quoted on Fox News, a network that Obama has refused to appear on, as saying that Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality could not have been realized without the help of Lyndon B. Johnson. Some argue that the message implied that African Americans would not be able to achieve their goals without the help of white leadership.
"That kind of campaign behavior would not be reasonable with me for a guy who says 'I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier,'" said Johnson. He also said that voters should be critical of Obama's record.
"To me, as an African American, I am frankly insulted the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues — when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book — when they have been involved," Johnson said.
Johnson was referring to Obama's book "Dreams of my Father", in which he mentions teenage drug abuse: marijuana, alchohol and some cocaine. Johnson did not mention the indiscretions of the Clinton family, including confirmed sexual promiscuity on the part of Bill Clinton during his time in the White House and the Governor's mansion.
Johnson later claimed that he was referring to Obama's work as a community organizer in Chicago "and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect," he said in a statement released by Clinton's campaign.
Obama's campaign declined to respond.
"I'm not going to spend all my time running down the other candidates, which seems to be what Senator Clinton has been obsessed with for the last month," Obama said.
Obama's strategist had more to say.
"I don't see why this is so much different from what Billy Shaheen did in New Hampshire. Senator Clinton apologized for that. It's bewildering why, since she was standing there, she had nothing to say about this," David Axelrod said.
Last month, a top Hillary Clinton advisor, Bill Shaheen, resigned after suggesting that Obama's past drug use could be used against him during the campaign.
Obama supporter "I.S." Leevy Johnson, a former South Carolina state legislator, told the Associated Press that it was "offensive" that Clinton stood by during Johnson's "personal, divisive attack on Barack Obama."
"For someone who decries the politics of personal destruction, she should've immediately denounced these attacks on the spot," Johnson said in a statement issued by Obama's campaign.
Some have also criticized Bob Johnson as being a man who has earned billions while hurting the black community. His network, Black Entertainment Television, has been considered to be responsible for a decline in the value systems of black youth in America.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Our Civil Rights Record Won't Be Jocked Or Mocked
On November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President. First he obtained enactment of the measures President Kennedy had been urging at the time of his death--a new civil rights bill and a tax cut. Next he urged the Nation "to build a great society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor." Lyndon B. Johnson never felt the need to plagiarize Pres. Kennedy's previous efforts to bring real change, hope, peace, justice and equality to ALL people but especially to African Americans in America. LBJ proactively sought help, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, trust and unconditional prayers from our great Black leaders immediately upon taking office. In fact they were so highly sought after by Johnson that it was one of the few times our Black leaders were openly encouraged to bring their preachers, wives, husbands, children, relatives, friends and co-laborers to the white house and stay awhile. As the most powerful man and leader of the free world at the time our 36th President never attempted to take sole credit for something he couldn't have EVER accomplished without our help.
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina a civil rights veteran and who happens to be the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said he was rethinking his uncommitted position in South Carolina's upcoming Presidential Primary because of comments made both by Hillary and Bill Clinton that he viewed as self serving. “We have to be very, very careful about how we speak about that era in American politics.” “It is one thing to run a campaign and be respectful of everyone’s motives and actions, and it is something else to denigrate those. That bothered me a great deal.” “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Sen. Clinton said in trying to make the case that her experience should mean more to voters than the uplifting words of Sen. Obama. “It took a President to get it done.” Be watching for Rep. Clyburn to endorse Barack Obama For President real soon.
On January 21, 2008 at the Citadel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina the Congressional Black Caucus will be sponsoring the Presidential Democratic Debate. Soon, Mrs. Clinton without husband Bill at her side has some real explaining to do about why she (and her husband) blatantly attempted to jock our civil rights legacy to include dissing Dr. King too. Hillary recently reminded the American people with her win in New Hampshire that she finally found her voice. I hope it's not more mock tears because that would be more of the same old status quo. Remember when the little old white lady in the Wendy's commercial would shout; "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" My beef is "WHERE'S THE CHANGE WITH HILLARY AND BILL?"
Rev. Al Sharpton Speaks on the Hillary Clinton Win in New Hampshire
I congratulate Senator Clinton on a surprising and significant victory in New Hampshire last night. Not only did it appear to revive her candidacy, it literally threw this race wide open again.
As a result of her victory, the January 26th South Carolina Primary becomes critical to all candidates on their path to the presidency. Given the significant number of black voters in South Carolina, that Primary should be a referendum on 21 st century civil rights issues such as racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the rise of hate crimes across this nation, the racial gap in health care and educational opportunities, and the still present income gap between blacks and whites in this country.
As Iowans rightly made the candidates deal with ethanol and oil and the people of New Hampshire made them address the economy and immigration, The African-American community should force real debate on our particular American issues.
South Carolina is of particular relevance to me. in the 2004 primary in South Carolina I received 10 percent of the vote in that first ever primary in S.C.( They were caucuses before that) with virtually no money. I intend to extensively tour the state and use my daily radio show, which is heard in the state to ensure that Jena, the decency issues raised in the Imus situation, hangman nooses, education as a civil right and the high incarceration of black men are brought into the forefront of the national discussion.
Many undecided African-American voters like me can ill afford to throw our vote away at this historic moment, we must seize the time.
Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
"Lynch Tiger Woods in a Back Alley" Says Golf Channel Analyst
Kelly Tilghman, a former golfer for Duke University and now a play-by-play analyst for The Golf Channel, said some things on air that would have made Don Imus and Bill O'Reilly blush.
During a telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event, Tilghman said that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."
According to Newsday, a spokesman for the Golf Channel said that Tilghman apologized during Sunday's broadcast and has "reached out to Woods' representatives to express regret for the comments."
"I've reached out to Tiger to make an apology, and I've done the same with our viewers," Tilghman said.
"I can assure you that there was never any intention to offend anyone. I'm sorry for any misunderstanding."
The Golf Channel representatives have stated that they plan no disciplinary action.
Billary Stop Drinking The "HATE-OBAMA-ADE"...
I don't know who is worst when comes to drinking and constantly spilling the "HATE-OBAMA-ADE". Sen. Hillary Clinton and/or her better campaigning half the 42nd President of the United States Of America "William "Bill" J. Clinton". Pres. Clinton earned alot of respect from African American people who had loyally supported him from his earliest Arkansas days whether or not he won or lost elections. We as a people greatly identified with him being tried in the court of public opinion and rendered guilty FIRST and maybe innocent later. We witnessed his daily struggle to keep his job, hold his family together, fight back with a smile on his face and kept his chin up despite Kenneth Starr spending a staggering $70 million of tax payers money to try and get him impeached during his second term. Bill had issues. You would think President Clinton and his wife Hillary would know BETTER by now..."DON'T HATE JUST CONGRATULATE". Here recently Hillary claims she's the "REAL AGENT OF CHANGE" not Barack. Furthermore, Sen. Obama is nothing like JFK or MLK in fact she's more like LBJ because like him she GET'S THINGS DONE. Somebody needs to remind Sen. Clinton that Democrats, Republicans and the American people ALL worked together to get the CIVIL RIGHTS BILL passed and made LAW. Pres. Clinton got mad when his beloved Hillary teared up recently in New Hampshire and demanded that BARACK STOP WITH THE FAIRY TALES. Bill is dumbfounded and Hillary is speechless at the plain and simple TRUTH that most Americans value "CHANGE" over "YOUR HUSBAND'S PRESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE". REAL CHANGE IS ALWAYS FOR THE BETTER. Experience can be either GOOD, BAD or NOT YOURS. Before IOWA the Clinton's were both carelessly advised and assumed Sen. Barack Obama didn't pose a threat to "IT'S 2009 BILLARY TIME" (again) and "CAN'T TOUCH THIS..I MEAN "US" quest for the White House. It's a proven fact voters don't like it when seasoned veterans with decades of campaigning under their belts go totally "NEG" and start mudslinging. It alerts the voters to beware of the HATERS spewing HATE, LIES and VENOM. It makes me think of the old punch line..."Wanna know when Johnny's lying... WHEN HIS LIPS ARE MOVING"... Additionally, it sends a clear message that your campaign has NOW become emotionally unstable, desperate, depraved, your supporters are going AWOL and soon NO MORE DONATIONS...RIP. No one likes a loser but a SORE LOSER is still the lowest of the LOW and worst of the WORST. HEADS UP...Check out what is being said about BILLARY AND COMPANY at the "Huffington Report" by the Editor no doubt. It makes for very interesting reading and quite insightful from a seasoned insider. Lay off the "HATE-OBAMA-ADE" Billary the President Of The United States isn't a office for HATERS, LIARS, BULLIES, WANNABES, JOCKERS and/or USE-TO-BES EITHER! P.S. Did I mentioned CRY BABIES TOO! MAN UP!!
Kenya Unrest Kills 486 People
Over 486 people have died as a result of recent violence in Nairobi, Kenya following the disputed presidential elections, according to a government official.
The death toll was calculated by a special committee of humanitarian services created by the government to tour areas most affected by the violence.
In addition to the 486 dead, over 255,000 have been left homeless.
U.S. envoy Jendayi Frazer was to meet on Monday with Kenya's opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who has said that he is willing to share power with the government. He accuses the government of rigging the elections and also called for mass gatherings, which some consider to be responsible for the bloodshed.
Frazer had plans to meet with Odinga Monday morning, on the last day of a 3 day mission, accoring to T.J. Dowling, the US Envoy spokesperson.
Sunday, Odinga said that he would no longer demand that Kibaki resign and would consider sharing power. But he would only work through a mediator with enough power to negotiate an agreement that the international community could support.
Ghana's President, John Kufuor, current chairman of the African Union, is expected to arrive in Nairobi on Tuesday as well. Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain appeared on BBC television Sunday, asking that the two rivals hold talks to end the political deadlock.
The vote was only the second free election held in Kenya since independence was achieved in 1963.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Michael Vick Finds a New Prison
Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick left his jailhouse home and got a new one. Vick was recently transferred to a Kansas prison to serve out the rest of his 23-month prison sentence on a federal dogfighting charge.
The camp is in Leavenworth, Kansas, said Traci Billingsley, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Yahoo! Sports stated that Vick is attempting to enter a drug treatment facility at Leavenworth. If he successfully completes the program, he will be eligible for parole in 12 months.
Vick was convicted on federal dogfighting charges after he and 3 co-defendants were found to have raised pit bulls with the intent of dog fighting. The dogs were found on Vick's property in Virginia and Vick was connected with the events that took place on the property.
What Martin Luther King Day Is REALLY About
I did a show on the CBS radio network today in which we discussed the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I haven't been doing many interviews lately, but I took the interview as a favor to my buddy Chad, a producer for the Lars Larson Show. Lars is a crazy conservative guy out west who loves to try to push my buttons. I push his right back, and there is a friendly exchange. But given that he is down with Bill O'Reilly, I guess you can't assume that the friend of your enemy is your enemy. I respect Lars but can't stand O'Reilly. Bill O'Reilly is a loser and a terrible human being, which is why I am glad that Obama and others also agreed to never appear on his show again. My conversations with him have never been productive, and when he physically attacked Obama's aide this week, it reminded me of how negative he was toward me during my appearances on his show. I DO NOT respect that man, and I do not respect Sean Hannity.
On CBS today, we talked about the legacy of Martin Luther King, and what it means for all of us. I went through the somewhat challenging exercise of explaining exactly how racism works and why people don't always seem to get it. People think that racism is about someone calling you a "n*gger" in the hallway or hanging a noose on your door. It is not. The biggest racial disease is INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM. Institutionalized racism is what you get when you have universities, board rooms, coaching positions and other entities that have never allowed an African-American to walk through the door or get the job. I think about my own university, which has dozens of academic departments that have NEVER tenured an African-American in over 100 years of operating history. Rather than working to fix the problem or at least acknowledge it, people would rather attack those who choose to point it out.
Imagine an oil spill. Let's say that a company spends 400 days dumping thousands of barrels of oil into a lake. The poison from the oil kills every single animal in the lake and makes the lake unfit for swimming, fishing or anything else. Then, after the company is confronted with what they've done, they simply stop doing it.
When asked what they are going to do to rectify the problem, the company simply says "We stopped dumping the oil, what in the hell else do you want?" They may even claim that another management team was in place when the dumping occurred and although they profited directly from the dumping, they are not liable for cleaning up the mess. I mean, after all, it's not like they're doing it anymore.
That is how America deals with racism.
The social poison of racism has been dumped into the lake of humanity of our country and into our institutions for 400 years. We fought like hell to stop the dumping, but the poison remains. It is not going to naturally clear itself up, the same way that the oil left behind by the corporation isn't going to go away on its own. A proactive, prolonged and committed effort must be made to clean the lake if it is ever going to be healthy again.
That, in a nutshell, is how I explained Dr. King's legacy to the show hosts. The conversation was respectful, but I made it clear that America and its ancestors left a 400 year legacy of toxic socioeconomic inequality that (many of) their grandchildren have taken little or no personal responsibility for helping to clean up. So, respecting Dr. King's legacy means dealing with all legacies of this country, and not just the ones that make us feel good.
Al Sharpton Issues Statement on Barack Obama Win
The winning of the Iowa Caucuses by Barack Obama is an historic event. It shows that America has a hunger for change and can come together to make that change happen. Though I have not made an endorsement in this race, I clearly see this as a positive occurrence at this point in American history. Unfortunately, some of the divisive and archaic forces in American politics are trying to divide us by saying that Obama’s victory in some way translates into an end of civil rights activism by people like me. This almost laughable notion has been repudiated consistently by Mr. Obama himself, who has gone out of his way to include the issues we have raised from the hate crimes to Jena in debates, and making several public appearances with me to show his respect for that work and the need for it to continue. Mr. Obama visited our headquarters in Harlem and had a public dinner with me at Sylvia’s in New York just 30-days ago. He went to the Iowa debates and pushed for our hate crimes legislation mentioning me by name, which clearly shows that Iowans voted with it in mind and that Mr. Obama relates to these initiatives and advocates do not see him in any way in opposition to it. Equally strange is this notion of generational shift. I must remind these pundits that Mr. Obama and I are only 6 or 7-years apart in age and his main supporters Oprah Winfrey and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick are the same age. I think that the hunger for change demonstrated in Iowa was also demonstrated by the tens of thousands of people, mostly young, that joined us in Jena in September and marched with us on the Justice Department in November. We have seen activism and voter participation rise as never before and we can not let those who have denied the need for change and equal justice divide us in moments of breakthrough. They are the same pundits who said there was no race problem. Now they say this ends the race problem. To his credit, Mr. Obama has not only refused to join them, but has publicly sent every contrary signal, as have the rest of the Democratic candidates. If Mr. Obama is successful in becoming President that will not automatically solve racial injustice in America and therefore the need for advocates for racial justice is needed in the same way that when Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court legal impediments in America were not ended; the need for Dr. King and other advocates at that time was just as strong.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Barack Obama Extends Lead Over Hillary Clinton
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has lost even more ground to Barack Obama, as the win in Iowa has pushed him further into the lead. Obama has, according to the latest USAToday/Gallup Poll, surged to a 13 point lead ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire, the next state in which they are scheduled to go head-to-head.
"New Hampshire always has this insurgency bias," says Joe Keefe, a former state Democratic chairman who supports Obama. "The voters decide they're going to upset the conventional wisdom and, given the opportunity, they will change the page of history."
Hillary Clinton aides say they have what it takes to keep moving forward, no matter what happens in New Hampshire. "President Clinton lost the first five states" in 1992, notes Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, "and he not only won the nomination but the presidency."
In December, Democrats in New Hampshire said with a 47% - 26% differential that Hillary had the best chance of winning in November. Now, that difference has shrunk to 45% - 34%.
"After Iowa, electability comes down to this: Winners win and losers lose, and that's about it," says Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire.
Obama and Clinton both have the same support among Democrats, but Obama leads 2- 1 among independents. Female voters in the state are split, but Obama leads with males 2 - 1. Surprisingly, Obama lead handily among females in the Iowa primary.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Barack Obama Aide Physically Attacked by Bill O'Reilly
Fox News Host Bill O'Reilly appeared at a Barack Obama event at Nashua High School. Upon O'Reilly's presence, the crowd took notice, since O'Reilly has been accused of being racist and heavily against Barack Obama. However, it wasn't his presence that got the most attention.
Obama staffer Marvin Nicholson, a close aide to Senator Barack Obama, was standing next to Obama as he was taking handshakes. O'Reilly then yelled for Nicholson to get out of the way of his camera's shot. Nicholson also said that O'Reilly proceeded to move beyond the barricade protecting Obama, demanding a closer look.
"Then he grabbed me with both of his arms and tried to push me out of the way," Nicholson told the press.
Fox News has no comment about the incident.
"I told him, 'Sir, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't shove me anymore.'
"He called me 'low class.' He was pretty upset."
Secret Service agents assigned to protect Obama strongly ordered O'Reilly to get back behind the barricade, at which point, Obama extended his hand. O'Reilly then asked if Obama would appear on his show.
Nicholson, who has worked on other presidential campaigns in the past, said that he has never seen anything like this in his long career.
"I've never seen a member of the press lay hands on a staffer before," he said.
Democrats, to this point, including Obama, have refused to appear on Bill O'Reilly's show, as have most African-American leaders. Fox was forced to cancel a Democratic debate after none of the candidates agreed to appear.
"The senator said he would think about going to the show after the primaries," Nicholson said.
Some say O'Reilly's show has lost credibility in recent months, as he has been accused The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC and many major networks of being biased. Being accused of attacking a close aide of Barack Obama isn't likely to help his reputation.
BLACK AND BROWN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE - JANUARY 15TH
100 Black Men of America, Inc. and The Nevada Democratic Party, along with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, IMPACTO and the College of Southern Nevada have partnered to hold a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas.This marks the second debate held in Las Vegas. Nevada holds the distinction of being the second state in our nation to hold a presidential caucus, and Nevada will be the first state in the west to host early presidential voting.The January 15, 2008 debate will be telecast live by MSNBC and comes just four days before Nevada's January caucus - January 19th, which is positioned between the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary."There are many issues our organization want the candidates to address in the upcoming debate. We are extremely interested to hear perspectives on critical issues impacting the lives of African Americans and Hispanics, which coincide with the areas of focus that impact the 100 Black Men and our 106 chapters," said Albert E. Dotson, Jr. Esq., Chairman, 100 Black Men of America, Inc."Basic quality of life issues must be discussed such as providing quality education to all students; providing support for programs that reduce the gap in health disparities between Black Americans and other groups; creating economic empowerment programs to help the underemployed and the unemployed care for their families and achieve financial independence; and supporting mentoring programs that allow Black children, specifically Black boys, to experience nurturing relationships that activates them to model appropriate social, professional and self-esteem enhancing behaviors."The 100 Black Men understand the significant role this debate will have on upcoming contests and felt it critical their organization participate and give a voice to so many who remain voiceless."Creating self-sustaining communities through economic empowerment initiatives, access to quality education, as well as eliminating the health care disparities that negatively impact black and brown people are just a few of the common issues facing African Americans and Hispanics," stated John Hammond, CEO, 100 Black Men of America, Inc. "These issues are nonpartisan and we would also welcome an opportunity to discuss the exact same issues with the Republican candidates."Chapter presidents from across the nation have been invited to offer questions and attend the debate. Members from the Collegiate 100, the organizations mentoring program for college students, will also be in attendance. The organization is also planning to use the MSNBC live telecast as part of their January mentoring session to educate younger Mentees and to also engage their families on the issues and on becoming actively involved in the political process."The 100 continues to believe that men with a pure idea of educating and empowering youth can change a world," said Dotson, "Our reach is far and ever-growing, yet lasting and sustaining. Our services are universal and global, yet locally relevant and specific. With a passion for helping young people and a drive for education, our commitment remains clear and our response unwavering."The debate will take place at the Cashman Center, located at 850 North Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89101 and will be telecast live from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The 100 Black Men urges all concerned citizens not attending the debate in person to tune in on January 15, 2008 to view the live broadcast. Visit http://www.100blackmen.org/ for more information on the programs and initiatives of 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
"The deadline to submit ticket requests for The Nevada Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate is noon on Wednesday, January 9th. The Nevada Democratic Party will hold a lottery for a limited number of tickets the afternoon of Wednesday, January 9th and notify recipients on Thursday, January 10th. Ticket requests must be submitted in writing through www.januarydebate.com/tickets. "Nevadans also can submit suggested questions for the debate at http://www.januarydebate.com/.
Please click onto the link http://www.sheepfinders.com/sheep_radioshow_archive.asp#radio and select "December 30th" to hear Sr. Pastor Joseph E. Terry, Jr., Yvette Williams, Jason Green, Moses Smalley and myself passionately discuss (with some opposition too) "BARACK OBAMA...A Man Of FAITH In America and BEYOND"...
P.S. Jason Green and Moses Smalley are two upcoming Brothers you want to look out for and keep in your prayers. Check out these links below to learn more about these wonderful blessings...
Moses Smalley
http://redseafilm.com/ (Check out the videos)
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Obama Wins Iowa: Next Step Toward Becoming First Black President
In a major touchdown for his campaign, Senator Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
Obama, from Illinois, has taken his most significant step yet toward becoming the nation's first black president with this win. John Edwards and Hillary Clinton were in a close tie for second.
Obama was joined by Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and ordained Baptist minister, who was an equally surprising winner on the Republican side. Huckabee defeated front-runner Mitt Romney easier than expected, raising more eyebrows on the Republican side.
Both Huckabee and Obama rode grassroots campaigns to defeat their wealthier and more established rivals. The 2008 presidential campaign is considered to be the most wide open campaign in nearly 50 years, with neither a president or vice president running for the nation's highest office.
Although Iowa is a state small in stature, a win there is considered to be a tremendous boost to a campaign. The candidate can then claim to be the front-runner and has an easier time getting new votes and contributions.
Hillary Clinton and her camp are now back peddling to find ways to slow down the strength of the Obama campaign. Obama's work with Oprah Winfrey and other black leaders has cut into Clinton's base. Obama has also proven himself to be a more charismatic candidate and a better fund raiser than Clinton, nearly matching her dollar for dollar with a smaller number of political connections in Washington.
By winning Iowa, Obama is in a prime position as he moves into the races in New Hampshire and South Carolina. More half the voters in South Carolina are black, giving him a tremendous edge.
Many African-Americans had been afraid to support Obama because they felt that Clinton had the greatest chance of winning the presidency. That tide is slowly turning.
"Now that I know he has a chance to win, I am not going to vote for Clinton," says Dewhite Scott, a supporter of Obama. Many others are echoing this sentiment.
Everything Breaking Towards Obama In Iowa
Obama 31%, Edwards 27%, Clinton 24% - Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby
Des Moines, IA (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama surged to a 4 point lead over John Edward in Iowa, with Hillary Clinton fading to third place just hours before the first presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Thursday.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=4076176&page=1
Obama and Edwards gained ground overnight in the tracking poll, and Clinton fell four points to third place – a finish that, if it held, would deal a dramatic setback to the one-time Democratic front-runner.
The new Zogby tracking poll shows a clear break toward Obama and away from Hillary. If Obama beats Hillary by 7% in "Iowa", it's a landslide and Obama has a whole new narrative that says: "Iowa proves Obama can bring together a governing coalition that can end the partisan gridlock and change our country and the world." However, this is based on the 2004 turn out model. If a few Independents, youth and Republicans show up for Obama on top of this, the entire world will be much different tomorrow morning.
"There is a clear Clinton fade," pollster John Zogby said. "None of it has been dramatic, but it has been steady."
Obama 32%, Clinton 25%, Edwards 24% - Des Moines Register’s Final (‘Golden’) Poll
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday's nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register's final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests, also referred to as the “Golden Poll”.
The findings mark the largest lead of any of the Democratic candidates in the Register's poll all year, showing Obama with a lead larger than the survey's margin of sampling error, which is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Obama Grabs Lead In Iowa
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0264367920080103
Real Clear Politics Iowa Average: Obama +4.2
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/iowa_democratic_caucus-208.html
Intrade Real Time Quotes To Win Iowa
Obama 61%, Clinton 24%, Edwards 15%
Biden Aide: "Right now, Obama gets our support because we're more inline with his vision of foreign policy than any of the other candidates, and besides, we like him and how he's run his campaign."
Biden Likely To Throw Support To Obamahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/beverly-davis/obama-on-track-to-win-cau_b_79308.html
Des Moines, IA (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama surged to a 4 point lead over John Edward in Iowa, with Hillary Clinton fading to third place just hours before the first presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Thursday.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=4076176&page=1
Obama and Edwards gained ground overnight in the tracking poll, and Clinton fell four points to third place – a finish that, if it held, would deal a dramatic setback to the one-time Democratic front-runner.
The new Zogby tracking poll shows a clear break toward Obama and away from Hillary. If Obama beats Hillary by 7% in "Iowa", it's a landslide and Obama has a whole new narrative that says: "Iowa proves Obama can bring together a governing coalition that can end the partisan gridlock and change our country and the world." However, this is based on the 2004 turn out model. If a few Independents, youth and Republicans show up for Obama on top of this, the entire world will be much different tomorrow morning.
"There is a clear Clinton fade," pollster John Zogby said. "None of it has been dramatic, but it has been steady."
Obama 32%, Clinton 25%, Edwards 24% - Des Moines Register’s Final (‘Golden’) Poll
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday's nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register's final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests, also referred to as the “Golden Poll”.
The findings mark the largest lead of any of the Democratic candidates in the Register's poll all year, showing Obama with a lead larger than the survey's margin of sampling error, which is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Obama Grabs Lead In Iowa
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0264367920080103
Real Clear Politics Iowa Average: Obama +4.2
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ia/iowa_democratic_caucus-208.html
Intrade Real Time Quotes To Win Iowa
Obama 61%, Clinton 24%, Edwards 15%
Biden Aide: "Right now, Obama gets our support because we're more inline with his vision of foreign policy than any of the other candidates, and besides, we like him and how he's run his campaign."
Biden Likely To Throw Support To Obamahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/beverly-davis/obama-on-track-to-win-cau_b_79308.html
In case you need a history lesson check out what fellow Queen "Pearl Jr. @ http://www.trutalk.us/" has to say:
THE CONS OF PRESIDENTIAL NEPOTISM
by Pearl Jr.
Currently, there have been two families that have held either the position of President or Vice President of the USA for the past 27 years and that has resulted in this country moving further and further away from the basic truth that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness:
George Herbert Walker Bush - (Vice President) - 1981-1989 (under Ronald Reagan)
George Herbert Walker Bush - (President) - 1989 - 1993
Bill Clinton - (President) 1993 - 2001
George Walker Bush - (President) 2001-current
Once again, racism is on the rise, the racial economic gap has grown, the rich have gotten richer, the poor poorer, leading to too few controlling too much. Do you ever get the impression the rulers are now big corporations and not the American people?
Presidential nepotism simply promotes that those that have power will maintain control via family ties. The United States of America is a democracy to which the people rule the government; the government isn't supposed to rule the people. If this type of nepotism continues, we'll be contemplating that Jeb Bush is the most qualified because his father and brother were Presidents, meanwhile grooming the Bush twin daughters to run for a duet Presidency right after Chelsea Clinton finishes her first two terms.
Following that logic, then George W. Bush should have done a better job as President because his daddy was Vice President and President of the USA. To the contrary, many are saying George W. Bush is the worst President EVER due to the fast declining American economy, the housing fiasco, the humongous deficit, the state of foreign affairs, the war, the health care crisis, and a failing educational system. All of which are in the worst shape of the past 60 years.
Most people would agree that a Democrat will most likely win the race of being the 44th President of the USA, due to this Republican administration's complete failures to move the country forward.
The most profound similarity between the top two democratic candidates is they are both lifelong public servants. Both have law degrees. Mr. Obama earned his from Harvard and Mrs. Clinton from Yale. Barack has accomplished many "first" as a Black person and Hillary has many "first" for a woman. The major difference is Hillary governs from the top (corporations and leaders) down and Barack from the bottom (people) up.
The supposed Achilles heel of Senator Barack Obama (Illinois) has been his reported lack of experience, which is for the direct benefit of Senator Hillary Clinton (New York) and raises her value to deserving the democratic nominee. When one looks deeper, that's not necessarily the truth, especially since Hillary is 14 years older than Barack, which has given her additional time to accomplish more.
Now, Barack Obama has been an elected official as a State Senator (Illinois) since 1997 (to 2004) and then elected to the US Senate in 2004. Hillary has been an elected official only since 2000, so judging by this, Barack Obama actually has more experience in elected life than Hillary Clinton.
Many people are including Hillary's ties to her husband, Bill Clinton, as her accolades: She was First Lady of Arkansas and the First Lady of the United States, only because her husband was Governor of Arkansas and President of the USA. O.K. so Hillary chose a very ambitious man to be her husband and from that she is supposed to be the most experienced--HOGWASH!
Furthermore, Hillary will not be a better President just because she slept in the White House for 8 years. Bill has way too many enemies inside and outside the USA to not consider him as a liability, instead of an asset. Can anyone say aspirin factor bombing, Whitewater, travelgate, and Monica Lewinsky? The Clintons bring the country backwards because of the fires that are smothering underneath the surface and it is estimated that the Clintons will have way too many antagonists who are set in place to under mind their Presidency-Oops, her Presidency!
As far as on the international front, Obama is African and Anglo-Saxon, who was born in the South Pacific US state of Hawaii, grew up in Indonesia and has a half Chinese sibling. He understands Muslims because he grew up in a Muslim country, his wife is African-American, and he is a devote Christian-now that's international and connecting internationally! Most importantly, Barack doesn't have international enemies, and THAT could be his best asset of all--representing a fresh new start in foreign affairs.
Nepotism is rarely fair. Bill Clinton is constitutionally disallowed to run the country again due to the 22nd Amendment that set Presidential limits to two terms (1947). The "Herbert Walker" and "Walker" Bush nepotism directly following a possible Bill and Hill loophole manipulation can lead to other constitutional changes, which can spell Monarchy instead of Democracy-a potential danger to the American way of life, indeed!
After watching Hillary for the past year, it is fair to finally stop with the Hill is the brain behind Bill delusion. She's losing that perception with each and every debate. Furthermore, Bill is the man who earned every vote because no one played that saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show but Bill. Of course, this race is Hillary's to lose because as Bill has enemies, he does have devoted followers that will support his wife Hillary. Nonetheless, the Karl Rove, brain behind the power, perception can finally be laid to rest. After all, Hill just ain't Bill!
So taking all this into serious consideration, I'm not for Hill or Bill, but I do believe that Obama is the one to get Osama because Barack realized long ago Bush was looking under the wrong rock and going backwards finishing his Daddy's unresolved business, which was Saddam Hussein. Do we really want to go backwards again with Bill and Hill? Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden is bragging about killing 3000 Americans and putting on makeup for his many photo shoots telling us, you better watch out, I'm not finished yet.
Lastly, it's only fair to write a word or two about the nationally leading Republican candidate, Rudy Giuliani. Just because Mr. Giuliani was the Mayor of New York City during the biggest attack on American soil EVER, surely cannot make Rudy and Judy the best person(s) to handle the important job of protecting the country.
BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!
Representing Change & A Fresh Beginning!
Your Next Move Is You Best Move,
Nina S. Griffin
Christian Talk Show Radio Host
"SAVE THE LOST AT ALL COST"
Every Sunday LIVE @ 3:02 p.m. (PST)
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