This "resolution" should not be televised.

There are a plethora of things that I could be blogging about tonight. I could start with half of Rev. Inc. calling out the Cav's owner.

“He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Jackson said in a release from his Chicago-based civil-rights group. “His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship—between business partners—and LeBron honored his contract.”

Well....I don't know Jessie; while I do agree that it's very possible that Gilbert has massa issues, I am thinking that he is just a pissed off owner who got mad because he saw his prized possession leaving and he stands to lose millions of dollars. Wait....

“I strongly disagree with Rev. Jesse Jackson’s recent comments and we are not going to engage in any related discussion on it,” Gilbert said. “Going forward, we’re very excited about the Cavaliers and the positive future of our region.”

Dan, please, just quit while you are ahead. [Article]

Then, of course, there is the NAACP calling for the fashioning of a resolution which declares that the teabaggers are racist. Duhhhh! Why don't they just declare that there is gambling in Las Vegas while they are at it?

"A spokesman for the nationwide Tea Party Express did not return a request for comment.

Yes, he is still preparing a statement that he hopes that folks will not find racially offensive.

And speaking of race...nah, I think I will leave this one alone. No racism chasing for me tonight. I am tired of chasing that SOB. Besides, I don't have my racism track shoes on; they are a special fit.

I do want to talk about a recent college graduate from the great state of New York. At a time when unemployment is pushing ten percent, and A-merry-cans find themselves in a recession, Scott Nicholson, a recent Colgate graduate, has decided that a $40,000.00 a year job-to start- is not good enough for him.

"Over the last five months, only one job materialized. After several interviews, the Hanover Insurance Group in nearby Worcester offered to hire him as an associate claims adjuster, at $40,000 a year. But even before the formal offer, Mr. Nicholson had decided not to take the job. Rather than waste early years in dead-end work, he reasoned, he would hold out for a corporate position that would draw on his college training and put him, as he sees it, on the bottom rungs of a career ladder. “The conversation I’m going to have with my parents now that I’ve turned down this job is more of a concern to me than turning down the job,” he said."

Welcome to A-merry-ca. I just hope that Scott doesn't live at home with his parents. Because, if he does, it speaks more poorly of them than it does him. And, believe me, that takes some doing.

Finally, I see that Rush Limbaugh is leaving the east coast and is selling his digs in New York. Hmmm, I thought it smelled a lot nicer outside.

Parents, it's 10:00 p.m., do you know where your children are?

Every city has its equivalent to our South Street here in Philly. For example: In New Orleans it's the French Quarter. In New York it's East Village. In San Diego it's the Gas Lamp District. And, in Miami, it's South Beach.

So anyway, a couple of nights ago a bunch of knuckle heads decided to have an all out street brawl on South Street. Lately this has been par for the course in our fair city. Young people converging on a particular area and going buck wild before the po po can break it up.

I am just thinking out loud about these kids. Like if they can take the time and energy to rip and run up and down city streets, why can't they channel that energy into doing something positive? Like, for instance, marching up and down the street in an organized manner for a just cause. And just where the hell are the parents of these children? That was a rhetorical question, I already know the answer.

"Why are there violent "flash mobs" in Philadelphia?

In different settings, different teenagers yesterday offered a variety of views on the furor over flash mobs, including the very term.

They scolded their peers. The boys said they were looking for girls. Some did it to establish a reputation, they said, and some didn't like the label being applied to them. They said the swarming was pointless. They said it probably would continue.
Authorities can't "put some tape on it and it's finished. . . . It's not really that simple," said Martisha Hardy, 17, of Germantown."

Actually, Martisha, it is pretty simple: your mama and daddy needs to stay on your ass!

"At Overbrook and during the radio program, students also were asked what could be done to prevent the violence. Several mentioned more after-school activities and recreation programs, but one boy at Overbrook pointed out that those services were available now.

"I think if teenagers knew more about how it affects their future and knew about the consequences . . . that would prevent it," said Shaun Loadholt, a senior at Overbrook.
On the radio, Marques Carson, 17, said many groups of young people from different neighborhoods, when they find themselves in the same place, were bound to clash.

"Half of these neighborhoods are going to battle," said Carson, of West Philadelphia.
In these fights, or in causing other types of chaos, the youths are looking to "catch a rep," said John Laderer, 16, of Southwest Philadelphia.

"They doing this to get buzz, to ring bells," he explained.

"Image is becoming a big matter on the street," Carson added." [Article]

Yes, image is everything. I love the one of the sixteen year old in the morgue with half of his brains blown out.

Because we can't get enough of the black bogeyman.

In an effort to be fair and balanced, I am going to do a cut and paste job and post what a wingnut columnist wrote in my local paper.

Christine Flowers is a fellow member of the Philadelphia Bar. And, make no mistake, she is a wingnut. But to understand what goes on in the mind of the wingnut, you have to read folks like Christine Flowers.

" IN SPRING 1967, my father was a young lawyer trying to figure out what to do with rest of his professional life.

As an editor of Temple's Law Review, he had choices. But before embarking on a career that eventually led him to be named a "Legend of the Philadelphia Bar," Dad took a detour to Mississippi.

The year before Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down in Memphis, Tenn., Ted Flowers spent a summer registering African-Americans to vote and run for office in Copiah County. His journals tell tales that sound as if they were ripped from the pages of "To Kill a Mockingbird," including one incident he and some other lawyers experienced on the steps of a small courthouse:

"In the course of the next few seconds, we were called 'white n---s,' 'n--r lovers' and a few other names unworthy to print. I was amazed by all of this and couldn't help looking over at them. The expressions on their faces mirrored an intense hatred of us personally, and of everything we stood for. Even the small children seemed to wish us dead. It made me feel ill to know that there were people in America who differed very little in my judgment from those who manned Auschwitz in 1944."

I thought of Dad when I heard about what happened at a polling place in North Philly on Election Day 2008. Some militants of the New Black Panthers went to a polling place near the old Richard Allen Projects and strutted their stuff, complete with uniforms and billy clubs. Their clear intent was to intimidate people exercising their right to vote in what many called a historic election.

The story is old, but after a few brief mentions here at the time, people haven't heard much about it until recently. That's because the mainstream press, usually sensitive to the mere whiff of voter intimidation and ethnically insensitive behavior, basically dumped it.

Now, though, it (almost) can't avoid it. This week, a former career federal prosecutor appeared before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and talked about how the Obama Justice Department mishandled a violation of the Voting Rights Act. The irony is apparent: The black attorney general is in the cross hairs for failing to prosecute a case of racial intimidation that happened to occur on the day of the first black president's greatest glory.

J. Christian Adams resigned from the Justice Department in May to protest what he saw as a blatant violation of the department's responsibility to the American people - to enforce the laws in a race-neutral way.

In an article in the Washington Times, he described what happened when a DOJ headed by Eric Holder and filled with political appointees of a decidedly liberal stripe decided to derail the prosecution of the New Black Panthers, who had already been convicted by default by not even bothering to show up to defend themselves. Justice simply dropped the case, refusing to seek any criminal or civil penalties against all but one of the violators. Adams attributes this decision to "the open and pervasive hostility within the Justice Department to bringing civil rights cases against nonwhite defendants on behalf of white victims."

WHILE THERE might have been legitimate reasons to derail the prosecution before convictions were obtained against the Panther defendants (although none is apparent in this case), there was absolutely no reasonable excuse for dropping claims that had already been won by the government, even if by default.

I tried to get an answer from the NAACP, since it's one of the foremost organizations in this country concerned with voter rights. I thought it might have some idea why Justice would decide to drop a case of voter intimidation after a significant victory.
Their response? "No comment." (Maybe not surprising, since Adams testified that the NAACP actually lobbied the Obama administration to drop the prosecution.)

Fact is, when reason goes out the window, conspiracy theory creeps in through the back door. The president and his crew have no one to blame but themselves for the impression they've created that they don't care about the civil rights of nonminorities, at least not at polling places. With no valid explanation for essentially letting a small band of domestic terrorists run wild on Election Day, you have to believe that this administration doesn't exactly see the Voting Rights Act the way my father did.
And that's a tragedy." [Article] For an added treat, please read the comments after the article.

Christie, your daddy seemed like a decent man. But, unfortunately, the apple fell very far from the tree. To compare two men standing with night sticks [AND LET'S GO OVER THIS AGAIN: THEY STOPPED NO ONE FROM VOTING ON THAT DAY!!!!] to what people went through during the struggle for civil rights in this country, only tarnishes your father's name and his legacy.

Shame on you for exploiting your father's work for the sake of scoring cheap political points! (Did you feel this strongly about voting rights when black folks were crying a river after Bush v. Gore?) But that's Christie; a partisan hack with an agenda. Even if it means using her daddy's memory to make her point.

BECK HINTS THAT OBAMA WILL "KILL WHITE BABIES".

Yes he did. Today on his radio program, while playing the clip of some so called New Black Panther over and over again, he declared that the guy was only saying what his O ness was thinking. And he tried to link Obama to all things black and radical in A-merry-ca. (Did you know that DOJ is reviewing the verdict in the bay area shooting case because the victim was black?) And this is the second most listened to radio program in A-merry-ca. (He is behind this guy, who, just the other day, said that the Queen of day- time talk owes all of her success to her race. Go figure.)

But Glenn is trying to start a race war, and he got the NBP party to bite. (Of course that was easy. Those clowns have never seen a camera that they don't like.) Seriously, who pays attention to guys who go around calling for the "killing" of " all crackers and "white babies"? That is stuff you leave for fringe bloggers to talk about, not one of the most popular right wing political figures in the country. But this is all a part of a well orchestrated plan by Beck and company to racialize (Is that a word?) Obama and further divide the country. It's a smart move politically, because white folks still have the power of numbers when it comes to votes. At the end of the day, Beck is just a variation of the same republican machine. Don't believe that crap about being independent and not being beholden to any political party. It's not true. If you don't believe me, watch how the rhetoric changes when a republican finally takes back the White House.

Obama knows it, which is why he runs away from you black folks like Usain Bolt. Are you Negroes upset that he is skipping the NAACP convention next month? Don't worry, he will send Michelle. She is the designated black person in the White House.

But back to Beck. This all should be fun, because as we get deeper into the political season let's see how far the republicans will play along with Beck and company in this game of black vs. white. Some in the republican party are starting to say enough. But it might be too little too late. I think that horse has already left the barn.

Still, Beck will keep doing what he is doing, and folks who are desperate for a bogeyman to take away the pain from their own own miserable lives will keep biting. They will do it in spite of editorials like this from the very white Philadelphia Inquirer. The Inquirer, by the way, happens to be the flagship paper in the city where all of this so called voter intimidation against white folks was supposed to have taken place.

I don't know about the rest of you, but the more I think about it is the more I want to be in DC come August 28, 2010. I will stock up on lots of popcorn during my ride down.

SO THIS IS WHAT HELL FEELS LIKE: DAY FOUR.

It's still hot outside and there is no relief in sight. What's a good field Negro to do? I get tired of going from home, to car, to office. I need some sun y'all. But I guess times are tough as hell, so we might as well feel like it .

Speaking of feeling like hell: you have to feel sorry for the good folks of Cleveland tonight. King James just went all Sheila E on them and opted for the "glamorous life" on South Beach. Let's see how those championship rings work out for you LeBron, you still have to get past "Black Mamba" out on the left coast. I don't care if you have Wilt and MJ playing alongside you, if you don't have Kobe's heart you will never get to drive in that convertible down Biscayne Boulevard while Pat Riley smokes his victory cigars.

The folks over at Radio Rwanda are doing their best to make the president's life hell. Are they serious with the manufactured story about the New Black Panther Party? (Just watched the video again, and my man is a buck fifty soaking wet. The white dude standing next to him and the white female behind him sure don't look scared. But, then again, they are Philly white folks, and they aren't afraid of black people.) Still, you have got to give it them, they sure know how to pick a story to scare some white folks and get their base all fired up.

And white folks, if you really want something to be scared about, you shouldn't be worried about the New Black Panthers, you should be worried about OJ's dumb ass. It seems that he is on his way to marrying another white woman. Can you really stand to lose another young blond to this man?

Finally, to stay with the hell theme: The "Grim Sleeper" won't be making life a living hell for some residence of LA anymore. Hopefully the LAPD has finally caught this monster. If you haven't heard of him don't be embarrassed; his victims were not young white women, so I honestly wouldn't expect you to.

Stay cool people.

SO THIS IS WHAT HELL FEELS LIKE: DAY THREE.

"Michael Steele deserves our prayers!

We must let Chairman Steele know that our prayers are with him during this difficult and contentious time. Having personally experienced firsthand the open door policy of his administration, I can truly say I appreciate his strengthening of the GOP through his emphasis on coalitions. His notable fundraising ability, especially in the present economy and with him having taken his position when so many Republicans were downhearted and disgusted can only be commended! He has been an up front leader in one of the toughest seasons of his party, and when the going is toughest, the tough keep going.

For those like Ron Bonjean, spokesman for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who think Chairman Steele will ultimately survive and that stepping down would be the wrong decision, I say “join us in praying for Chairman Steele.” Most importantly, we must keep praying for all of our leaders, no matter what their political parties are. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are a dream that must yet be realized, and now is the time to rally, and not tear down! " [Article]

Was that the niece of one of the great civil rights icons of our generation? (Oh Lawd, I think this heat is getting to me.) Yep, that's her.

If someone were to dig up brother Martin's grave I bet he would be lying on his stomach. All that turning will do that to you.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to my man Jeff Winbush for bringing this Negro to my attention. Thank you Jeff, I needed a good laugh. And right about now H.K. Edgerton (That's him in the pic.) is the closest thing to real comedy that I have. Well, him and the aforementioned Mr. Steele.

Heatwave!

Whoever said global warming was a hoax can kiss my black a%#! It must be 110 degrees all up and down the least-coast. Anyway, the blog must go on.

Right about now I am feeling Reggie. The little dude, who in true Philly fashion, went on stage and jammed with the Goo Goo Dolls. Definitely a YouTube moment. And, I am not feeling this church lady. Girlfriend sued her church for $250,000.00 large because they allowed Gay marriages. I don't agree with her, but that is not my issue. This is a free country, she can believe anything she wants.

My issue with "church lady" is that she dropped $250,000.00 in the offering plate over a 37 year period. Thirty Seven years ago $250,000.00 would have bought her a really nice house. And it would have been paid for by now. Instead, the good Reverend got it. Man I sure hope she worships in a very nice building.

Hey, did I read this right? They sentenced a woman to death by stoning in Iran? WTF?

"Human rights activists are rallying the international community to stop an Iranian woman being stoned to death. In 2006, Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was convicted of having extramarital relations with two men, who subsequently killed her husband according to Huliq.

While she initially received 99 lashes for adultery, during an appeal of her case, the court sentenced her to death by stoning. Her sentence has caused widespread outrage because there is no conclusive evidence that she actually committed a crime. Ashtiani's attorney, Mohammad Mostafaei, an acclaimed human rights lawyer, told the Guardian, "This is an absolutely illegal sentence. Two of five judges who investigated Sakineh's case in Tabriz prison concluded that there's no forensic evidence of adultery." For a case of adultery to be punishable by stoning, four witnesses must be able to confirm the act, according to Article 74 of the Iranian penal code. In Ashtiani's case, there are no witnesses .

Additionally, the trial was conducted in Farsi, while Ashtiani, from Northwestern Iran, speaks Turkish. Ashtiani's children, son,Sajad and daughter Farideh, are leading the campaign for her freedom. Sajad told the Guardian, "She's innocent, she's been there for five years for doing nothing...Imagining her, bound inside a deep hole in the ground, stoned to death, has been a nightmare for me and my sister for all these years." Women executed by stoning are buried up to their necks (men are buried up to the waist) and a crowd throws stones at their head, which slowly leads to death. Sentences are commuted if one is able to dig oneself out of the hole"...[Article]

Unfortunately for you, Sakineh, this did not happen in Israel, so there will be no real International outcry. Certain bloggers won't take up your cause. And there sure as hell won't be any denouncing of the evil Iranians.

Finally, speaking of evil; I know I touched on this in an earlier post, but I can't let it go just yet. Besides, I saw an excellent article in HuffPo by Stanley Kutler that brought my thoughts around to the subject all over again:

"Elena Kagan's confirmation is likely if no other reason than the emptiness of the Republican case against here. Her hearing had, in her own well-chosen words, "an air of vacuity and farce." Nevertheless, the Republicans scored electoral points and solidified their appeal to those whose hostility toward President Barack Obama is rooted in racial basis.

Kagan, as is well known by now, clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's first African-American. Apparently, there is no statute of limitations on the kind of attacks Marshall endured in life, and which continue 17 years after his death.

At the first day of Kagan's hearing, the Republicans seemed bent on projecting Kagan as Marshall's clone, one who would follow his "activist" judicial philosophy. Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) laid the cards clearly on the table when he charged that "too often, it sounds to me like Ms. Kagan shares the view of President Obama and Justice [Thurgood] Marshall that the Supreme Court exists to advance the agenda of certain classes of litigants." He insisted that Kagan had the burden to demonstrate she can be "a fair and impartial Justice, rather than one who would have an outcome-based approach."

Kyl and fellow Republicans Sens. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (R-AL), Charles Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) invoked Marshall's name nearly forty times in two days, nearly three times more than President Obama's. They repeatedly referenced Marshall's judicial philosophy as "evidence" of Kagan's intentions. Sessions, the ranking member of the Committee, made it perfectly clear, calling Marshall "a well-known activist." The Republicans offered no examples of how Marshall's rulings twisted the Constitution to achieve that sinister-sounding "outcome-based approach."

After the first day of hearings, a Utah newspaper asked Hatch if he would have voted for Marshall when his confirmation came up in 1967. "Well, it's hard to say," Hatch replied. Hatch projects himself as an ordinary fellow (listen to his YouTube rendition of his "Eight Days of Chanukah" song) with an upright Mormon world view, and the Senate's moral voice. Some moral voice.

Had Hatch opposed Marshall's confirmation in 1967, he would have had had interesting bedfellows for 10 steadfast segregationists rejected Marshall, joined by one newly-minted future of the Republican party - the never-repentant J. Strom Thurmond. There are two contexts here: the present moment of Kagan's hearing, and the historical one of Marshall's travail in his confirmation hearings.

Kagan appeared with impeccable credentials, and with smarts and savvy for running essentially a seminar with the senators. Robert Bork foolishly tried to take the lecture senators as if he were in a classroom, but only succeeded in alienating them. Kagan not only demonstrated a learned and supple mind, she showed herself to be a very human, warm individual, with a sense of humor that provided a few spontaneous moments.

So, why the Republican hostility? Their not-so-subtle uses of the Marshall analogy amounted to stump speeches for the electorate back home. The senators well know their constituents' hostility toward President Obama has powerful racial overtones that fuel the public anger so calculated for the evening television news. The Thurgood Marshall references amounted to a purposeful, well-orchestrated strategy to fire up the "base." [Article]

Can someone please convince me why I should become a conservative? I promise I will keep an open mind.