African American Pundit

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noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:36:00 +0000

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NAACP Tracks Tea Party - Who is tracking them?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:19:00 +0000

AAP says: "There goes that colored organization again. Yes, the NAACP has nothing else to do with it's time but to track the Tea Party. Someone should be tracking the NAACP for all the money they get from corporate America. These folks at the national office of the NAACP need to be held accountable. Black folks need to be asking what has the NAACP done with the money Wells Fargo and others gave them, to sell out the black community."

Yes I said it!

Yes, as reported by Krissah Thompson over at The Washington Post, this what I would call, "out of of control" so-called "colored" civil rights group has partnered with three liberal media Web sites to form a "tea party tracker" intent on monitoring "racism and other forms of extremism" within the tea party movement.

Get this, Krissah Thompson also reports; ":The online project, which was developed and branded by the NAACP's new media staff, has already drawn strong criticism from tea party supporters, who have said repeatedly that racism plays no role in their movement. Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington bureau, said the project was started because NAACP leaders kept hearing from its members that they were seeing racist signs, T-shirts and commentary coming from the tea party movement." More HERE

Can you believe this, "NAACP leaders kept hearing from its members that they were seeing racist signs, T-shirts and commentary coming from the tea party movement." You got to be kidding me, this is such a contradiction.

As Black Agenda Report points out, is this the same NAACP which is all made up with Wells Fargo, the Black community-killing corporation that destroyed untold thousands of African American families through systematic predatory lending. Read More HERE

As Glen Ford over at Black Agenda Report points out:

"The NAACP first sued Wells Fargo, but then dropped the case after the corporation agreed to allow the civil rights group to review its lending practices. And, oh, yes, there was another aspect of the deal: Wells Fargo would be a co-lead sponsor of the NAACP’s convention. All it takes is a fat check and a world class institutionally racist corporation that undermined the very survivability of Black communities from coast to coast, gets to bask in the glow of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization. And, why not? The executives of Wells Fargo are not the kind of guys to say the N-word in public. They just destroy whole Black neighborhoods in the bright light of day."

Now the NAACP is tracking the Tea Party instead of addressing real issues impacting black America. I don't get it. As America reels over double-digit jobless rates, when black males are looking at numbers almost twice as worse. The NAACP is tracking the Tea Party for comments it makes against Obama?There is clearly a real leadership void at the national office of the NAACP. It's been like that for some time.

Larry Sabato predicts a Republican House majority

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:06:00 +0000

If Larry Sabato is right, black folks are royally screwed with a Republican control of Congress. But then again we have been screwed with a Democratic control of Congress and an Obama White house, and black folks know it.

As reported in the Washington Post, the University of Virginia political handicapper Larry Sabato estimated that Republicans will pick up 47 seats in the House on Nov. 2, more than enough to restore the party to majority status at the start of the 112th Congress.

"Conditions have deteriorated badly for Democrats over the summer," writes Sabato. "The economy appears rotten, with little chance of a substantial comeback by November 2nd. Unemployment is very high, income growth sluggish, and public confidence quite low."

The Post article also notes, he adds: "To most voters--fair or not--it seems that President Obama has over-promised and under-delivered."

Sabato's prediction comes amid increasingly pessimistic assessments of Democratic chances in the fall from the political prognosticator class.

Last week, Time magazine's Mark Halperin said that if circumstances didn't change Democratic House losses could total as many as 60 seats.

And, on Wednesday, Charlie Cook, a former Fix boss and editor of the Cook Political Report, wrote that "Democrats find themselves heading into a midterm election that looks as grisly as any the party has faced in decades."

Larry Sabato predicts a Republican House majority

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:05:00 +0000

If Larry Sabato is right, black folks are royally screwed with a Republican control of Congress. But then again we have been screwed with a Democratic control of Congress and an Obama White house, and black folks know it.

As reported in the Washington Post, the University of Virginia political handicapper Larry Sabato estimated that Republicans will pick up 47 seats in the House on Nov. 2, more than enough to restore the party to majority status at the start of the 112th Congress.

Kendrick Meek hurt by black politico's

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:36:00 +0000

Talk about Black politico's in Florida not sticking together...

Al Lawson
Democratic minority leader of the Florida State Senate

A reported by the Huffington Post, Al Lawson, Democratic minority leader of the Florida State Senate, has chosen to endorse Independent U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist over Democrat Kendrick Meek.

What a damn shame! It's clear to me that this endorsement is being made to send the message to blacks in Florida that it's O.K. not to support Kendrick Meek.

But there is more to this story as reported in the Huffington Post. Get this:

Al Lawson, the Florida State Senate's Democratic minority leader, said that Crist has "always been there for us" and had supported state employees, rural counties and universities as Governor.

"Florida desperately needs an independent senator in Washington who will fight for good jobs and economic opportunity, a quality education for every child, and Social Security for all of our seniors regardless of what the political party bosses want," Lawson said in a statement, according to CNN. "Charlie Crist will be exactly that Senator, and I am proud to endorse his candidacy."

But Lawson's decision to endorse Crist instead of Meek may not be so straightforward.

Lawson, the only black state Senator representing Northern Florida, suffered a defeat in a Democratic primary last month in Florida's 2nd Congressional District, thanks in part to a heavy effort by both the Florida Democratic Party and Obama's Organizing for America for his opponent, Rep. Allen Boyd.

And Lawson wasn't hesitant to admit his new found exasperation with Democrats. More HERE

AAP says: So...Obama's Organizing for America people are in Florida creating a bunch of mess... As Brendan McLaughlin noted in his ABC report recently. There are three candidates in the race for U.S. Senate, but Charlie Crist's campaign is trying to make it a two-man race. The governor, running without party affiliation, is counting on Democrats to abandon their nominee and send him to Washington. Read More HERE

It's going to be interesting how this plays out in the fall and in 2011 for Barack Obama. One has to wonder why the President and his national Democratic Chairman have not placed pressed democrats to support the nominee, Kenrick Meek and not Charlie Crist.

Black folks need to organize!

Black on Black Hatred - Killing Black America

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:37:00 +0000

Black on black violence continues to grow across America. Although some don't agree with the term, black on black crime, the reality is black America is killing each-other. While the NAACP, National Urban League, SCLC, Congressional Black Caucus, and faith based groups have lost their collective way, black America is dying, and black opinions makers are too busy kissing Barack Obama's ring or attacking right wing nuts and black conservatives.

Let's take a look at some of what is going on.

In New York, a fistfight on the 6 train in NY City as reported by the Gothamist.com is circulating throughout the Internet. Here's the video (warning: it gets particularly ugly at around 2:45).

Yes, NY city, hometown to opinion maker Al Sharpton.

While he is running around the country, hooping and hollering about racism, rather than addressing black on black crime and self hatred, with, as an example: the infamous NY City Train Fight.

Photos: Dailymotion.com

CHAOS: A Web video captures two men fighting (inset) before one is knocked down and a woman sits badly bloodied on a No. 6 train. Read more: NY Post.com

I guess I agree (somewhat) with Jimmie L. Hollis who writes about how Black-on-black crime is tragic in more ways than one. He highlights how the terror felt by a black crime victim is stressful and degrading enough. Knowing that the violence came from the hands of a black thug only adds insult to injury.

Such crimes occur almost daily in black communities across our nation. Criminals rove our neighborhoods like wild dogs, causing women and children to barricade themselves inside their homes.

He also writes: Contrary to popular belief, racism is not the main cause of black-on-black crime."

He also writes: "Racism didn't cause the evil attitudes, broken families, high rates of out-of-wedlock births, child abuse and abortions that plague black communities. The cause is a lack of moral foundation, ignorance, apathy, selfishness and greed. Yet, time and time again, we hear our so-called leaders repeating the age-old lie that these black problems stem from white racism. While some problems do have racist origins, black-on-black crime isn't one of these problems." Read more HERE

In Detroit, as jobs and hope have evaporated in the wake of a gnawing recession, the fallout has been more than just economic. For a tiny slice of the population, it's become increasingly fatal.

For black males in the city between ages 15 and 24, the chances of getting murdered have risen rapidly in recent years, increasing from 79 in 2005 to 102 last year. The number reached a high of 115 in 2008.

"We are aware of it," said interim Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. "We are concerned."

Young black men account for just 7 percent of the city's population, yet more than a quarter of all homicides.

They have a murder rate -- 200 per 100,000 residents -- nearly seven times higher than the rest of the population. If they had died at the same rate as everyone else in Detroit, there would have been 16 killed last year, or one every three weeks. Instead, police were investigating, on average, the murders of two young black men a week. Read more from The Detroit News at HERE

In Chicago, IL, Five dead, 25 wounded during violent 50 hours. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times Media Wire, Three men and two teenage boys were killed -- and at least 26 other people suffered violent injuries -- during an especially bloody 48-hour period. Both boys were shot and killed while attending block parties.

Three of the murders, and many of the shootings, were on the West Side -- an area the Chicago Sun-Times reported top police officials are targeting gang members. Police confirmed Sunday that at least two of the West Side shootings were gang-related.

The Sun-Times reported Sunday Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis and other top law enforcement officials met with reputed leaders of several West Side street gangs as part of the Chicago Gang Violence Reduction Initiative. More HERE

It's time for Blacks in America to address and stop Black on Black crime...

Now the question is whether black opinion makers are willing to move our local communities towards addressing black on black crime... or make excuses...

Poor People's Campaign vs Glen Beck

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:02:00 +0000

It seems that Glenn Beck has pissed off every group involved in protecting the rights of the poor. One group, The Poor People's Campaign out of Chicago, Illinois is talking about how Glenn Beck’s views and actions are diametrically opposed to everything the late Dr. Martin Luther King fought for, particularly as it relates to poor people and The Poor People's Campaign.

Check out the recent press release about Glenn Beck and the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King HERE. Jerry Robinson, President of the Poor People's Campaign has a lot to say about Glenn Beck.

PRESS RELEASE

National Headquarters, Chicago, IL

Contact person: Mr. Jerry L Robinson, President

Much has been said over the past few days about Fox News host Glenn Beck and his Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial which took place on the 47th anniversary of the “ I Have A Dream” speech. He has increasingly claimed to be taking up the mantle of the civil rights movement. Earlier in the week, Beck boasted that the rally will “reclaim the civil rights movement” and called the current civil rights community an “abomination.”

While Mr. Beck is attempting to fashion himself Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and trying to take up the mantle of the civil rights movement, we at the Poor People’s Campaign know that he is ultimately unfit to even speak on behalf of Martin Luther King’s legacy. It is clear to the Poor People’s campaign that Glenn Beck’s views and actions are diametrically opposed to everything the late Dr. Marin Luther King fought for: Particularly as it relates to poor people and The Poor Peoples Campaign. We agree with Media Matters when they write:

KING believed that it was America’s collective responsibility to provide economic justice for all. In 1961, the civil rights leader addressed the AFL-CIO on his vision of the American Dream. King said that his vision of America’s promise was a country where “equality of opportunity, of privilege and property [are] widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few.” King helped launch a Poor People’s Campaign based around demanding that “President Lyndon Johnson and Congress help the poor get jobs, health care and decent homes.” The civil rights legend explained that poverty was a problem that couldn’t be solved without a “the nation spending billions of dollars — and undergoing a radical redistribution of economic power.” He spent the last days of his life campaigning on behalf of a living wage for striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Read more at The Poor People's Campaign Website.

New Civil Rights Leader - Glenn Beck, Oh Hell NO!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:53:00 +0000

I have been saying for some time, the self-absorbed leaders of the national NAACP , civil rights groups, and many black politicans, have become irrelevant and a national joke. These so called civil rights leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP President Benjamin Jealous make me sick. They make me sick, just as much as Glenn Beck makes me sick.

Yes a bigoted Glenn Beck (a wolf in Martin Luther King's clothing) has drawn as many as 300,000- 650,000 angry white people, and a few ignorant blacks, like Alveda King, Ph.D., daughter of the late Rev. A.D. King and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who attended the rally on the National Mall this past weekend.

"I am attending this rally to help reclaim America," she told "Good Morning America's" Ron Claiborne from Capitol Hill. "I'm joining Glenn to talk about faith, hope, charity, honor. This woman has no honor, joining Glenn Beck.

Yes, she has lost her mind! Glenn Beck and his public, bigoted, color aroused comments don't demonstrate a consistency with the vision of Martin Luther King. Glenn becks lilly white, White Citizen Council or Klan type of a rally in Washington, was not the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is the same Beck, who last year accused the president of possessing a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture," during an appearance on Fox News, adding, "this guy is, I believe, a racist."

That being said, it still kills me that the NAACP and others in the black Civil Rights types, are pissed off with Glen Beck who has said he plans to reclaim the mantle of the civil rights movement have followed up with his plans. You see, the dreamers children have been fighting about money for some time.

I agree with Liam Fox over at newsjunkiepost.com who writes:

"The general consensus seems to be that Beck’s rally was little more than another of his attempts at race-baiting and an affront to the civil rights movement, as in fact it was. It was primarily deemed a self-aggrandizing religious revival and motivational speech, which it also was. But, what seems to have been missed was the redefinition of the civil rights movement to suit a very specific, very political, and very conservative agenda."

Read more HERE

If the NAACP, Al Sharpton, The National Urban League and others would talk with the President Barack Obama, and get him to spend the of the Stimulus dollars on people for a real jobs program such as the *Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (or CETA, Pub.L. 93-203) - that would truly addresss joblessness in America, and other poverty issues, maybe, just maybe, Beck would not have the opportunity to distort Dr. King's dream.

Note: CETA was a program that offered work to those with low incomes and the long term unemployed as well as summer jobs to low income high school students. Full time jobs were provided for a period of 12 to 24 months in public agencies or private not for profit organizations. The intent was to impart a marketable skill that would allow participants to move to an unsubsidized job. It was an extension of the Works Progress Administration program from the 1930s. The Act was intended to decentralize control of federally controlled job training programs, giving more power to the individual state governments.

How can this bigoted Conservative commentator Glenn Beck and tea party champion Sarah Palin appeal to the predominantly white crowd on the National Mall to help restore "traditional American values" ? This is truly a dishonor Martin Luther King's message.

More on the bigot, Glenn Beck and the decaying Civil Rights leadership later...

Meek's Got Tepid Support From Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:15:00 +0000

First let me say, congratulations to Kendrick Meek who beat the living crap of the billionaire bully to win the Democratic primary for U.S. Senator. I'm confident he will beat the flip-flopper Charlie Crist and Republican nominee Marco Rubio and in the general election.

Photo by AP file

Rep. Kendrick Meek

Now I thought I was the only blogger/pundit that noticed the weak and tepid support President Obama gave to Meek's. But guess what, I'm not the only one who is checking out Obama and the White House's lack of support of black politicans.

Well, Cheri Jacobus over at the Hill Blog is following this issue. She points out:

"President Barack Obama's tepid "support" of Florida Democratic Senate nominee Kendrick Meek has raised a few eyebrows — but only a very few. With Governor Charlie Crist (former R-turned-I-for-political-expediency-but-will-caucus-with-Dems-if-he-wins) capturing the silent Democratic backing (at least they've been hoping to keep it silent), Meek's chances seem slim at best.

Obama needs every Democratic vote in the Senate he can get. Crist has a "better" chance in Florida than Meek — so what's a failing, flailing, desperate president to do?

For the nation's first African-American president to offer anything less than full, enthusiastic, unequivocal support, assistance and endorsement of an African-American Democratic primary winner would be, or should be, big news. Huge news."

Bill Clinton campaigns with Kendrick Meek in Florida. (The Palm Beach Post/ZUMApress.com)

I agree with her, I have been talking about this on my blog talk radio program for some time. I also agree that Meek is one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington and in the media. But it seems that Bill Clinton has no problem jumping on the bandwagon.

Check out Cheri Jacobus full article HERE

Google Free Phone Service on Gmail.com

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Now that Google has a new, free phone-calling option (http://gmail.com/call), I'm canceling my triple play phone service with my cable company. Yes, Google announced that American users of its Gmail Web service can now call numbers in the United States and Canada for free from within their browsers.

Get this,calls to other countries will cost less than many traditional long-distance domestic calls: You could pay as little as 2 cents a minute to call Ireland, Korea, Argentina and many other countries.

Yes, I'm cutting off my land line phone off to save some money. You may want to check Google's free Google Voice Service, I have had it for some time, and found it very useful.

For more information, check out The Washington Post article on this same subject.

Fed's Conspire to Keep Blacks Out of New Orleans, Mississippi and Louisiana

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:52:00 +0000

I've been following how Post-Katrina investigations have been uncovering the many attacks on blacks by whites.

Trymaine Lee at the Austin American-Statesman has been covering it as well. It's about time that these news outlets uncovered and told the real truth behind racial violence in New Orleans.‎ It's clear that New Orleans needs and deserves more federal aid, including aide in cleaning up the police department.

I guess the bottom line is New Orleans continues to be a tale of two cities, one black one white.

Yes, the Federal government, along with the Mississippi and Louisiana state governments conspired to keep blacks out from coming back to New Orleans and Mississippi after Katrina. The fact is, the affluent got most help in Katrina disaster. Affluent whites benefited more than poor blacks from programs meant to help Gulf Coast residents recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Governments in Mississippi and Louisiana structured rebuilding programs in a way that provided the most help to the most affluent residents, The Washington Post reported Friday. More HERE

"The recovery is really the tale of two recoveries," said James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center. "For people who were well-off before the storm, they are more likely to be back in their homes, back in their jobs and to have access to good healthcare. For those who were poor or struggling to get by before the storm, the opposite is true."

Oh, but it's not just me saying it folks, get this, a federal judge found this month Louisiana's program to distribute funds allocated following the 2005 hurricane discriminated against African-American homeowners.

Now, let's see if President Barack Obama addresses how Federal funds were distributed and allocated following the 2005 hurricane. Let's see if he plans corrective actions, and shares them with the general public.

When a Federal judge finds the Federal agencies failed in their oversight of Federal Funds, and state agencies discriminated against African-American homeowners, the President and his administration should address it, in a straight forward manner.

I also hope that while the President is down in New Orleans, he will address the Health Care Crisis involving Katrina survivors. As reported by (UPI) -- Five years after Hurricane Katrina, child support systems -- parents, communities and schools -- are not yet functioning properly, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health tracked more than 1,000 Gulf Coast families affected by Katrina.

The study, published in the Journal of Disaster Management and Public Health Preparedness, finds one-third of the children displaced families have been clinically diagnosed with at least one mental health problem since Katrina -- behavioral and conduct disorders the most common.

However, fewer than 50 percent of parents seeking needed mental health treatment have accessed professional services, nearly half of the households were still living in unstable conditions and 60 percent of respondents still reported their situation was unstable or worse than before Katrina.

AAP: I know the President has much on his plate, but he needs to get his administration popping, on issues impacting our homeland, particularly the poor, and African Americans.

Rep. Jim Clyburn Not Voting For Black Man Al Greene

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:17:00 +0000

Roddie Burris at The State, reports U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the No. 3-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House, said Wednesday he will not support his party's nominee for the U.S. Senate, Alvin Greene, when he goes into the voting booth Nov. 2.

"No, I'm not going to vote for Mr. Greene," Clyburn said in answer to reporters' questions in Columbia. "Look, I have three daughters and a granddaughter. I think it would be an insult to them, if I did that."

Clyburn said it comes down to the charges that Greene faces.

A Richland County grand jury has indicted Greene on a felony charge of disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity, and a misdemeanor charge of communicating obscene materials to a person without consent. The charges came after Greene was arrested in November on charges of showing obscene photographs to a female student in a computer lab at the University of South Carolina. Read more of this story at TheState.com

Color Aroused Racism and Cell Phone Study

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:55:00 +0000

Tell me it's not true! Tell me there was not a color aroused and race-obsessed study saying that blacks use cell phones the most.

Well, it is true, and Kweli Wright over at madamenoire.com is on point about the newsflash about black people using cell phones more than white people.

Yes, as she points out, another study about blacks, and black women has been released, this time it’s about cell phone use. Read more of her opinion HERE

Get this, the report says; Black Americans rack up twice as many cell phone minutes as their white counterparts. An analysis of cell phone bills by the Nielsen Co. found that the average African-American uses 1,331 talk minutes a month. The average white person, on the other hand, only goes through 647. The Caucasians aren't making up this difference through texting either, as they text an average of 566 messages a month, to blacks' 780.

AAP says: I agree with Kweli Wright over at madamenoire.com - Yes, this is another bigoted, colored aroused study, and an attack on black women.

Why do corporations continue to bring up the race card, then get pissed off when blacks talk about issues of color and race? Hmm...

Rangel vs Obama and Adam Clayton Powell IV

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:40:00 +0000

AAP: It was Representative Charles Rangel vs President Barack Obama and Adam Clayton Powell IV, at a New York Candidates Forum last night. As reported by the NY Times Representative Charles Rangel was on the ropes and came out swinging against President Obama and his best known Democratic challengers, Adam Clayton Powell IV, who accused Rangel of “years and years of corruption.”

You have to read this article in the NY Times. Classic political reporting from Michael BarBaro. Great job!

H/T Faye Anderson, Citizen Journalist and publisher of the blog Anderson at Large for the link.

Source: NY Times:

It was a gentle but unmistakable nudge President Obama gave Representative Charles B. Rangel recently, suggesting in an interview three weeks ago that Mr. Rangel, 80, should retire to “end his career with dignity.”

At a tense and sometimes fiery candidates’ forum Monday night, Mr. Rangel shot back that it was not his dignity the president should be worried about.

“Frankly, he has not been around long enough to determine what my dignity is,” Mr. Rangel said of the 49-year-old Mr. Obama. “For the next two years, I will be more likely to protect his dignity.”

The unexpected eruption seemed to reflect the increasingly bitter relations between the embattled 20-term Democrat from Harlem and a president who is trying to protect his party’s prospects in a difficult midterm election season.

And it came during an uncomfortable evening for Mr. Rangel, who made a rare appearance with his five challengers and found himself facing harsh public attacks in front of his constituents at a Baptist church in the heart of his Harlem district.

Long accustomed to being showered with praise and accolades, and surrounded by friendly crowds who treated him like a folk hero, Mr. Rangel could not escape the controversy that has shaped his re-election bid: the 13 charges of ethical violations issued against him by a House panel last month, including hoarding below-market apartments and improper fund-raising.

The best known of his Democratic challengers, Adam Clayton Powell IV, accused Mr. Rangel of “years and years of corruption.”

“Four rent-controlled apartments. Four!” he yelled.

“It’s a slap in the face to his community!” Mr. Powell thundered.

Mr. Rangel, sitting a few feet away, fidgeted in his chair and fingered some papers, his eyes occasionally darting around the room.

But Mr. Powell did not let up, likening Mr. Rangel’s ethics troubles to a rotting tree: “To have good fruit, you must have a healthy tree. We no longer have a healthy tree, and we will no longer have good fruit.”

The candidates spoke in the sanctuary of the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in western Harlem. Organizers, including some tenants from Mr. Rangel’s apartment complex, appeared determined to tilt the evening in Mr. Rangel’s favor.

They announced unusual rules, just minutes before the forum began, barring photography and videotaping of the forum, ensuring that any heated moments or slip-ups by Mr. Rangel would not turn up later in a rival’s political ads.

The format for the forum, laid out days ago, had originally called for all the candidates to stand on stage at once, putting them on equal footing. But at the last minute, the organizers e-mailed each campaign with a “slight change”: Mr. Rangel would appear on his own, instead of sharing the podium with his challengers.

His rivals cried foul — Mr. Powell called it “the Democratic machine playing tricks” — Read more of this fantastic report HERE

AAP: Well, it looks like State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV (D) may be right when he said "If Rangel won't resign with dignity, "The community will take him out." Let's see what happens. I have been waiting for this day for years, but Rangel is not the only one that should go...

Read related stories HERE, HERE and HERE

DC Blacks Locked Out of Lucrative Medical-Marijuana Business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:10:00 +0000

Washington, DC is ready to sell herb/pot/Marijuana at $350 an ounce at sanctioned dispensaries. Read The NY Daily News.

The law provides medical marijuana at a discount for the city's poor residents. But who exactly is qualified to receive the cheaper pot, remains up in the air. It also looks like blacks may be cut out of the "legal" business of selling herb/pot/Marijuana in Washington, DC.

Yes, the city's poor get a discount to use the pot, but no discount to start a Medical-Marijuana Business in the District. It will cost well over $200,000, to start a business, without even factoring in the cost of the required video cameras and alarm system, insurance, a good licensing lawyer—and, most importantly, the pot itself. More HERE.

Yes, according to Chris Schott, Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn and wife Stephanie Kahn have a simple plan for bankrolling their controversial proposed medical-marijuana facility on Blair Road NW. “We plan on financing this from our personal life savings,” he says.

How much are we talking? Well, that’s a bit, um, hazy at the moment.

The biggest expense will likely be the price of the herbal remedy itself, according to Stephen DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif., which both Rabbi Kahn and fellow aspiring dispensary operators with the nonprofit District of Columbia Patients’ Cooperative have toured in preparation for creating their own facilities.

DeAngelo tells City Desk, “Out of every dollar we take in, about 62 percent of that goes to paying for the actual medicine. The balance of that goes towards paying our rent, our payroll, our insurance—all the other typical expenses that a business has.”

While not a single legal pot plant is yet in production in the District, thus making the budgeting process quite difficult for would-be sellers, we can safely assume that all other costs aren’t even the half of it. That said, Mayor Adrian Fenty’s proposed medical-marijuana regulations at least provide specifics about some of the other start-up costs:

The annual fee for a medical marijuana dispensary registration shall be ten thousand dollars ($10,000) + an initial application processing fee of five thousand dollars ($5,000)

If you plan on growing your own, tack on an additional ten grand:

The annual fee for a cultivation center registration shall be five thousand dollars ($5,000) + an initial application processing fee of five thousand dollars ($5,000)

Next, you’ll need to register all your corporate partners…

The annual fee for each director, officer, member, incorporator, or agent registration shall be two hundred dollars ($200)

And every “bud-tender” on staff:

The annual fee for an employee registration shall be seventy five dollars ($75)
The annual fee for a Manager’s license shall be one hundred and fifty dollars ($150)

You may also need a permit for moving the medicine between manufacturing and distributing facilities:

The fee for a transport permit shall be twenty-five dollars ($25)

Not included in the regs: your necessary certificate of occupancy ($33 application fee).
Then there’s the whole matter of rent. According to real estate analysts Delta Associates, the average retail rent in D.C. (as of the end of 2009) is about $35 per square foot annually. For a modest 1,500-square-foot dispensary, such as the one the Kahns are proposing, that works out to roughly $4,375 each month, or $52,500 for the whole year. (Add on an additional month’s rent for the probable security deposit.)

Next up, payroll. The proposed regs specify that each dispensary “shall be staffed with at least two persons during its hours of operation,” with those hours of operation being anytime between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Let’s say you open on a more limited basis, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A dispensary employing two staffers at all times (minimum wage: $8.25 per hour) would thus run up at least $1,155 in weekly payroll (or, $60,060 annually).

Then there’s security to think about. The Kahns, for instance, are planning to hire an off-duty cop to monitor the premises, beginning from a half hour before opening until a half hour after closing. A police officer working “reimburseable detail,” as it’s called, runs about $55 an hour—roughly three times the price of your average security guard. Let’s say you go the cheaper route ($18 per hour); that’s $1,386 per week (or, $72,072 annually).

Already, we’re looking at well over $200,000, without even factoring in the cost of the required video cameras and alarm system, insurance, a good licensing lawyer—and, most importantly, the pot itself. If we accept DeAngelo’s 62-percent figure on the cost of product, then we’re talking around half a million dollars (if my math is correct).
In its own financial impact statement, the District predicted the average cost of marijuana sold at dispensaries at about $350 per ounce.

Therefore, a dispensary would need to sell about 1,429 ounces of herb annually to cover its basic costs. That’s about 119 ounces per month. Patients, meanwhile, are limited to just two ounces per month, and the District expects to register only 300 patients citywide in the first year. Which means dispensary owners may need to dip into their own inventory to make the math look right.

AAP: Will blacks be excluded from this business opportunity in the District of Columbia. Well, Mayor Adrian Fenty's track record is not that good in the black community with regards to economic empowerment of black businesses...

Thoughts? Join me on Facebook.

Medical Marijuana in Washington, D.C at $350 an ounce

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:47:00 +0000

Washington, DC is ready to sell herb/pot/Marijuana at $350 an ounce at sanctioned dispensaries. Read The NY Daily News.

UPDATE:

Washington, DC: Qualified patients will not be legally able to obtain or possess medical marijuana in the District until at least next summer, according to draft regulations recently issued by Mayor Adrian Fenty's office.

Under the law, which took effect in late July, the Department of Health and the D.C. Alcohol Beverage Control Board will establish and oversee regulations for the licensed cultivation and distribution of marijuana to registered patients. However, according to a draft version of the regulations circulated by the Mayor's office, the regulatory framework for the District's dispensaries and cultivation centers won't be completed until January 2011. It is not anticipated that the facilities will be up and running for several months afterward.

As amended, the District's medical marijuana law only permits patients to possess marijuana legally if they are registered with the Health Department and have obtained cannabis from a licensed dispensary.

NORML Legal Counsel Keith Stroup criticized the delay. "Many of the patients that this law is specifically designed to protect -- such as D.C. residents with HIV, cancer, and multiple sclerosis -- need medical cannabis now, not a year from now. These people should not be subject to arrest and incarceration for using a medicine that helps them. Who knows how long D.C. politicians and regulators may drag their feet on this issue? Why should patients have to suffer in the interim?"
More HERE

Margot/AP

Care packages' of medical marijuana are dispensed to poor patients at an Oakland, Calif. clinic. Washington D.C. hopes to make medical pot cheaper for its low-income residents.

Get this, according to the Medical Marijuana Blog, in yet another sign of the growing acceptance and support of medical marijuana, the Council of the District of Columbia gave unanimous, final approval to legislation that would place our nation’s capital alongside 14 other states in allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana for seriously ill patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other debilitating illnesses. The measure would also create a government-regulated distribution system to provide marijuana to qualifying patients though 5-8 dispensaries located throughout the District. The bill now goes to the mayor’s office for approval and, once signed, will be transmitted to Congress for a mandatory 30-legislative-day review period. If approved as expected, the effective date for the legislation would be mid-July.

Not only did the Council give its approval to the bill, but the amount of marijuana patients can purchase could also be raised. Previously, the maximum potential amount was 2.5 ounces. Under an amendment offered by Councilmember Phil Mendelson, the mayor will now be able to raise that limit to 4 ounces. Unfortunately, several other amendments offered by Councilmember Jim Graham that would have improved upon the bill by allowing Virginia and Maryland physicians to make recommendations and providing for civil discrimination protections for patients were defeated with Councilmember Mendelson and Councilmember David Catania leading the opposition.

Nonetheless, the vote represents a victory 11 years in the making. District voters approved Initiative 59 with nearly 70% support in 1998, but Congress quickly put the measure on hold by including a rider preventing the initiative from taking effect in the appropriations bill that provides funding to the District. MPP succeeded in removing the “Barr amendment” (after then-Rep. Bob Barr) late last year, and immediately went to work lobbying the Council to implement the initiative. More HERE

Is Mayor Adrian Fenty a Jerk?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Mayor Fenty recently commented to the Washington Post: "We were so focused on getting results, we . . . didn't take into account people's feelings and their desire to be heard and listened to."

"There's a lot of people who right now may be on the fence or thinking about voting against me who we've probably done a lot [for] in their community. But because we've just been focused on doing it rather than doing it with them, they don't feel as good about it as I would have thought just by delivering the results."

Now the Fenty's has a new approach: Humility. He says there will be differences if reelected. The Washington Post reports, acknowledging that he is in a tougher reelection campaign than he ever foresaw, Fenty is admitting failings in his bid for a second term and is modifying his pitch to D.C. residents at candidate forums, in interviews and in a TV ad released last week. Discreetly, he is also contacting voters to apologize for dismissing their views and promising to be more inclusive if reelected. Over the past few weeks, he has called at least 100 of these activists and other voters. Rattled by the strong showing of challenger Vincent C. Gray, the D.C. Council chairman, in the Democratic primary race, Fenty has turned the campaign trail into a tour of contrition -- a path supporters and advisers privately say he was not initially willing to travel.

AAP says: Yes, in many ways Mayor Adrian Fenty may be a jerk. As The Washington City Paper article notes: In Fenty’s own office, current and former lower-level staffers call him a “moody” boss. One says he became so accustomed to Fenty’s angry side that he could see the mayor’s rage coming by watching for the throbbing of a vein in his head. “He runs his ship by fear; people are afraid of him,” says one staffer. “He’s one of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met in my life.”

Several sources said Fenty has a ferocious temper. Last December, according to multiple sources, Fenty kicked a trash can, slammed a door, and screamed, “I’m the fucking mayor,” after learning that some much-hated New Jersey Avenue NW billboards were being removed without his being present for a photo-op. A Fenty campaign spokesman disputes the details of that event. The mayor also got worked up when he heard that LeBron James was in town and his staff hadn’t arranged for Fenty to meet with the basketball star, according to sources.

One former staffer likened working for Fenty to being an “abused wife,” constantly fighting a losing battle to make the mayor happy. The one time Fenty gave him a compliment, it came as such a shock that he called his significant other to tell her that maybe the mayor wasn’t such a bad guy, after all. Read More HERE

AAP: I supported Fenty 4 Years ago. I have said on a number of occasions since his election that Adrian Fenty is a disgrace. I'm not so sure how Vincent Gray will do as a Mayor. But I do know he cares about the less fortunate of Washington, DC. Something that has been missing in Washington, DC's most recent past. All I can say is good luck Mr. Gray, here's wishing you a successful 4 years as the next Mayor of Washington, D.C.

And for Mr. Fenty... good night and good luck as citizen Fenty.

Affordable Housing and Black America

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:34:00 +0000

There is a problem in America and it's poverty in America. It sems that no one wants to talk about poverty in America. Poverty in America is causing major housing problems across America and no one seems to want to talk about it. For the next 30 days I will be talking about poverty in America on my BlogtalkRadio program. I hope you will join me.

Check out the report in The Washington Post on how the Obama administration plans to address the lack of affordable housing in America. More on this topic later....

Wyclef Jean Is Not Eligible to Run for President of Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:15:00 +0000

As reported by major news outlets, Wyclef Jean Is Not Eligible to Run for President of Haiti. The Haiti Electoral Council has decided that the The hip hop star's candidacy is a no go. Despite his lack of political experience, he has been considered a potential front-runner in his earthquake-shattered homeland. Read more HERE

As reported by The NY Times, No explanation was given. A council spokesman, Richardson Dumesle, simply read the list of 19 presidential aspirants deemed eligible and 15, including Mr. Jean, judged ineligible.

Throughout the day, the Haitian news media debated unconfirmed reports that Mr. Jean had already been disqualified from running, primarily because of a failure to meet the requirement of having been a resident of Haiti for five consecutive years before the election. Mr. Jean left Haiti as a child for the United States and now shuttles between the two countries. On Friday evening, hundreds of Mr. Jean’s passionate supporters had rallied outside the electoral council’s offices, chanting, “We want Clef, Clef is Haiti and Haiti is for Clef.”

Black bloggers and journalist pressure Dr. Laura Schlessinger to resign

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:50:00 +0000

Hat Tip to all the influential black bloggers, black organizations, and citizen journalist who posted, wrote, placed, and continue to place, collective pressure on sponsors of radio talk show hosts like Glen Beck and the Dr. of Hate, Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

The Hate Dr. "Laura Schlessinger"

Maybe she will get a facelift or some botox like so many hateful witches do.

As reported by The Washington Post, bloggers and other news outlets, this bigoted witch, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, told CNN's Larry King that she will not renew her contract, which is up at the end of the year.

RIGHT! The only one that approves of your colored aroused bigotry is Sarah Palin.

"I have made the decision not to do radio anymore," Schlessinger said. "The reason is, I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what is on my mind."

The bigoted, and color aroused talk show host has been under fire for repeatedly using a racial epithet on a recent segment of her show.

"I am not retiring," she said. "I am not quitting. I feel energized."

"I want to be able to say what's on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry or some special interest group deciding this is a time to silence a voice of dissent."

So.... She wants to be able to say, Nigger, Nigger, Nigger, Nigger, Nigger, Nigger, as a voice of dissent? What a evil witch. She still does not get it.

AAPP: "What a liar that evil witch is. Her sponsors knew it was time to ditch her. Good night Dr. Laura Schlessinger."

Now we learn the Dr. of Hate has posted on her website, another apology, saying that "I made the promise that it will never happen again." But she complained of receiving "hate-filled diatribes" and reflected on how society has changed. What the hell, now she is complaining about "hate-filled diatribes."

Great twist attempt Dr. Hate, great twist, but no one is hearing your twist of hate."

Check out the audio clip of the Dr. of Hate, Laura Schlessinger as she uses the N-word on her radio show numerous times.

I agree with blogger, Janet Shan at black political thought who writes, "The reality is that Dr. Laura shouldn't be the only one thrown under a bus for using the N-word. Neither blacks, whites or Latinos should use the word." Check out Brother RiPPa who is on point.

The Christian Progressive Liberal over at Jack and Jill Politics is on point as well. Good work black bloggers and progressive bloggers.

Note: Some are saying that boycotts have little negative impact on programs like Glen Beck with: ratings for the controversial show having never been higher. Get this, advertisers who are “boycotting” the show have only moved their ads to other Fox programs.

Now it's time to get the afrospear bloggers group more active again, in this and many other issues.

Should a mosque be placed at ground zero?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:39:00 +0000

It's a simple question; Should a mosque be placed at NY's ground zero?

As a someone who was born in NY I say NO!

But not for the same reasons as some...

We know how President Obama feels, He supports 'The Right' of Muslims To Build The Ground Zero Mosque. Yes, a Islamic community center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero.

Should blacks in America be concerned about this?

Why should we, when blacks are treated like slaves in Iraq and other Muslim countries?

Why did the President have to jump into the fray? Why did he engage FOX News and other right wingers in opening these old wounds? Why is the President playing into Fox News hands? Let's talk about it tonight, on the AAPP's political slugfest... "If you can handle the truth."

Before you call into the show, be aware that despite what you might have heard, a 13-story mosque is not going to be built at ground zero in lower Manhattan. For that matter, a 13-story mosque is not going to be built within a few blocks of ground zero. Rather a 13-story building is going up which will contain, among other things, a mosque. More HERE

This might seem like an academic distinction, but in the heated debate surrounding Park51, or as the building is known more commonly, the "ground zero mosque," it really is an important one.

[Check out our editorial cartoons on the "ground zero mosque" controversy.]

First here are the facts: The building in question is planned to be a Muslim community center, a sort of YMCA (or, I suppose, YMMA). The plans are for it to have fitness facilities (swimming pool, gym, basketball court), a 500-seat auditorium, a restaurant and a cooking school, exhibition space, a library, art studios, a 9/11 memorial--the impudence! the outrage!--and childcare facilities (which no doubt will soon be referred to as a "Manhattan Madrasa"). And it's also going to house a mosque.

But calling the entire building a mosque is a bit like referring to the Empire State Building as a 103-story Walgreens because the pharmacy chain has a store on the ground floor.

And for that matter it's important to keep in mind that it's not at ground zero. It's two blocks north of ground zero, on a street running parallel to the old World Trade Center site.

More HERE

It's too bad the President didn't lay out all the facts... maybe, just maybe, the American people would understand.

Maxine Waters, Charles Rangel and Big Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:46:00 +0000

I have been quiet on the whole Maxine Waters (D-CA) vs the House Ethics Committee investigation into the congresswoman’s involvement with arranging a meeting between OneUnited Bank and Treasury Department officials who later received $12 million from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). See video HERE

I have not been a big fan of the Congressional Black Caucus for some time. But you got to give it to Maxine Waters her 90 minute news conference to contest ethics charges against her was a big success in news media coverage. Even if right wing bloggers hate her.

Now the big question is whether House Ethics Committee investigators believe her, when she says that any appeals she made to Treasury officials in late 2008 were to get minority banks access to decision makers, not to protect a family investment.

The committee has filed three charges against Ms. Waters, accusing her office of intervening on behalf of OneUnited at the height of the recession, after it had lost $50 million on an investment it held in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the federal housing finance agencies.

Hmmm...

As reported by the NY Times and other news outlets, She also presented a PowerPoint review of documents — essentially a preview of the defense she will offer at her ethics trial. The documents, Ms. Waters argued, proved that any federal assistance provided to OneUnited, the Massachusetts bank her husband still owns stock in, was based on the merits, not any intervention by her office. More HERE

Like the case of New York Congressman Charles Rangel, no date has been set for a trial, and that angers Ms. Waters. And like NY Congressman Charles "I'm not going anywhere" Rangel, she has also requested that her case be resolved before the November election.

Well it looks like the legendary California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters and New York Congressman Charles Rangel may be getting set-up for their own collective stupidity. Yes a second high-profile trial of black politico's with political implications for Democrats this fall. More HERE

I personally have mixed feelings about this situation. On one hand I see the clear conflict of interest involving Waters who helped arrange a meeting between regulators and executives at Boston-based OneUnited Bank without mentioning her husband's financial ties to the institution. (note: her husband, Sidney Williams, held at least $250,000 in the bank's stock and previously had served on its board). Yet on the other hand, the former Vice President of the United States, Dick Chaney helped his buddy's get plenty of dollars with Haliburton without a problem. As an example:

1992

Example: Halliburton subsidiary Brown & Root is paid $9 million by the Pentagon (under Cheney's direction as Secretary of Defense) to produce a classified report detailing how private companies (like itself) could provide logistical support for American troops in potential war zones around the world. Shortly after this report, the Pentagon awards Brown & Root a five-year contract to provide logistics for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The General Accounting Office estimates that through this contract, Brown & Root makes overall $2.2 billion in revenue in the Balkans. More HERE

1995

Without any previous business experience, Cheney leaves the Department of Defense to become the CEO of Halliburton Co., one of the biggest oil-services companies in the world. He will be chairman of the company from 1996 to October 1998 and from February to August 2000. Under Cheney's leadership, Halliburton moves up from 73rd to 18th on the Pentagon's list of top contractors. The company garners $2.3 billion in U.S. government contracts, which almost doubles the $1.2 billion it earned from the government previously. Most of the contracts are granted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Halliburton's overseas operations go from 51% to 68% of its revenue. According to the Center for Public Integrity, under Cheney's leadership the company also receives $1.5 billion worth of assistance from government-sponsored agencies such as OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) and the Export-Import Bank, a huge increase compared to the $100 million that the company had received in federal loans and guarantees in the five years prior to Cheney's arrival. Years later, during the 2000 campaign in a broadcasted vice presidential candidates' debate with Joe Lieberman, Cheney asserts that "the government has absolutely nothing to do" with his financial success as chairman of Halliburton Co. Halliburton pleads guilty to criminal charges of violating a U.S. ban on exports to Libya by selling Col. Qaddafi six pulse neutron generators, devices that can be used to detonate nuclear weapons. Halliburton pays a $3.8 million penalty to settle alleged violations of the U.S. trade ban. Read More HERE

2010

Maxine Waters and NY Congressman Rangel are small time fish in a big sea of political corruption in Washington, DC. OK, but Congress woman Maxine don't blame Bush. Look in the mirror. Some times the appearance of doing something wrong, is just as bad as doing something wrong.

Oh, and by the way, The Federal government should be going after the big fish.

But they won't because the big fish are inside the government.

Aiyana Jones, detroit police and the first 48 hours

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 08:22:00 +0000

Aiyana Jones (Family Photo)

I've been wondering for some time, who is protecting the lives of little black children who's rights are violated by police and state/county social service agencies? Take for instance the death of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was shot and killed during a police raid at their Detroit home. From all indications it appears that police operation were flawed and heavily influenced by camera crews who were filming the raid for A&E's crime show "The First 48," according to a published report.

Aiyana was fatally shot early Sunday morning during a raid targeting a homicide suspect, when police say an officer's gun discharged and struck the sleeping girl in the neck.

Detroit police spokesman John Roach confirmed that the raid and attempted arrest of a homicide suspect at the two-unit house was being videotaped for an episode of the reality crime-show "The First 48." Roach said investigators are going through the footage to determine what happened, reports The Detroit News.

As William Norman Grigg at the blog LewRockwell.com points out:

"Troops from the Detroit Police Department's Special Reaction Team ("troops" is a more appropriate description than "officers") seeking a murder suspect executed a no-knock warrant on the home where Aiyana was sleeping on the couch.

Despite warnings from neighbors that there were children present in the home – a fact attested by the toys scattered in the front yard – the SRT paramilitaries chose a Fallujah-style "dynamic entry," hurling a flash-bang grenade through a closed window and storming through the front door with guns drawn." Read More HERE

The Assistant Chief of the Detroit Police Ralph Godbee would not comment on newspaper reports that neighbors told police there were children in the house and showed them toys in the front yard before they threw a flash grenade through the window of the house.

Apparently, the 34-year-old murder suspect the Detroit police were searching for shares the home with Charles Jones, Aiyana's father. However, according to Oak Park attorney Karri Mitchell,"There was nothing but innocent people in the home where they put this flash grenade."

Even though a no-knock search warrant allowed police to search both apartments, Mitchell told The Detroit News the police "were excited; they were on TV...They didn't have to throw a grenade through the front window when they knew there were children in there." More HERE

In the age of Barack Obama, Black Mega Churches, National NAACP's, Urban Leagues, Congressional Black Caucuses, and black Attorney Generals, and black elected officials, who's watching to protect the rights of Aiyana Jones and other children like her?

OK, some want to cast the blame for Aiyana Jones’, the 7-year-old Black girl who was killed by the police in Detroit, death (Black Voices) on the house she was living in and her environment for her killing. Read More HERE

Yet, when so many black children are in harms ways, what organizations, or groups should stand in the gap?

With all the money that the NAACP and other "Civil Rights" groups get from corporations in America, one would hope that they would work in 2010 to protect black children caught in the cross-fire and less on image award shows.

Who is protecting black children from the media and reality TV shows such as the first 48 hours. You're thoughts?

Commemorate 45 Years of the VRA by Voting in November

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 02:19:00 +0000

Guest blogger, Terri A. Sewell
Democratic Nominee
Alabama’s 7^th Congressional District

Dear Readers:

Today marks the 45^th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. The VRA and the expansion of voting rights to millions of African Americans was the culmination of years of struggle and determination by countless civil rights workers. But the passage of the VRA can be most directly tied back to the events of Bloody Sunday – March 7, 1965 – in my hometown of Selma, Alabama.

On that day, 600 marchers were met with shocking violence as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Two days later, Dr. King led marchers from my home church, Historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, to Montgomery. Along the way, the marchers rested at my ancestor's homestead in Lowndes County.

The brutality of the Alabama police and the bravery of the marchers in Selma helped arouse the conscience of our nation.

Today, 45 years later, the only real barrier remaining to voter participation is our own apathy. As we enter the 2010 midterm elections, the political pundits tell us that there is an “enthusiasm gap.” Too many Democrats and too many of the first-time voters who went to the polls in 2008 are not planning to vote in November 2010. And too many of these voters are African American. We cannot let up on the progress we have made.

On July 13^th, I was proud to be chosen by the voters of the 7^th Congressional District of Alabama to be the Democratic nominee. This majority-black district, which includes Birmingham and my hometown of Selma, is not only my home district but the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement.

Seated in the audience at my home church, Brown Chapel, I was inspired by then-Senator Barack Obama’s 2007 speech commemorating Bloody Sunday. He spoke of the “Moses Generation” of the Civil Rights Movement and of the responsibility of our generation – the “Joshua Generation” – to carry the torch forward. It was on that day that I knew I had to answer the call to public service.

The President made history in November 2008 and has been fighting to bring change to our nation. Now, we are set to make history in Alabama. If elected, I will be the first woman elected in her own right to Congress from Alabama and the first African American woman to serve our state in Congress.

I grew up in Selma in the years immediately after Bloody Sunday. I watched the changes that occurred in our community, including my mother’s election as the first African American woman on the Selma City Council. Change did not come easy in Selma, and the change our President promised for our country will not come easily either.

I am ready to join the President in Washington to fight for that change. We need to create jobs for the American people, turn our economy around on Main Street, improve public education and continue the fight for health care reform.

Change will never come if we lose our Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate this November. We can make a difference by voting this November – by exercising that right that so many sacrificed to obtain for all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or gender.

Terri A. Sewell
Democratic Nominee
Alabama’s 7^th Congressional District
www.sewellforcongress.com

Also posted on the blog Left In Alabama