Jack & Jill Politics

President Barack Obama sits with daughter Sasha during a barbecue with family and friends in celebration of his 49th birthday on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 8, 2010.
—-Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Good Afternoon.

As you go through the rest of your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And continue to have a peaceful day.

APPLIED RESEARCH CENTER PRESENTS Facing Race 2010

Premier Racial Justice Conference includes presenters
Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Van Jones, Tim Wise and Maria Teresa Kumar

August 24, 2010 (New York, NY) – Applied Research Center, the nation’s leading think tank on race, is thrilled to present FacingRace 2010, the largest multi-racial gathering of leaders, educators, journalists, advocates and activists on racial justice in the country. With a comprehensive lineup of presentations and workshops covering a breadth of racial justice issues, prestigious speakers,and expected numbers of more than 1,000 participants, Facing Race is the nation’s premier conference on racial justice, to be held September 23-25 at the McCormick Hyatt Regency in Chicago, IL.”

Facing Race has become a pivotal event for galvanizing communities on racial justice issues,” said Applied Research Centerpresident and executive director Rinku Sen. “Facing Race 2008 was held ten days after the historic election of President Obama, with meaningful discussions on hot-button race issues. With this year’s conference, we will acknowledge strides that have been made, while offering criticism and innovative strategies for real change.”

Key issues to be covered at Facing Race include debunking“post-racial America;” economy and green jobs, reproductive justice; lesbian,gay, bisexual, and transgender communities; millenials and the 2010 elections;disparities in health care reform; SB1070 and immigrant rights; educational equity; welfare; and criminal justice.

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University, will serve as keynote speaker for the conference. “America’s failings to substantively address the continuing challenges of race emerges from a lack of shared vocabulary and experiences, collective understanding of the difference between personal attitudes and systematic discrimination, common data about racial inequity, and historical knowledge about how power and privilege operate,” said Harris-Lacewell. “Most importantly, however, we lack a collective vision of a racially just future. These are the aspects of race that we must face, working in communities across America among people of good faith. That is why I am so pleased to be a part of this conference.”

Facing Race 2010 presenters include Van Jones, Center for America Progress; Tim Wise, anti-racist writer and educator; Maria Teresa Kumar, Votolatino; FCC Commissioner Clyburn; Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California; Ai-jen Poo, Domestic Workers United; John Jackson, The Schott Foundation for Public Education; LeeAnn Hall, Northwest Federation of Community Organizations; Malkia Cyril, Center for Media Justice; and Kamau Bell, comedian and social commentator.

Founded in 1981, Applied Research Center is America’s leading think tank on racial justice. ARC investigates the racial consequences of public policy initiatives and develops new frameworks and solutions to address racial inequality. With offices in New York and Oakland, and staff in Chicago and Los Angeles, ARC engages in media and journalism, strategic research and policy analysis, and leadership development. ARC publishes ColorLines magazine.

Facing Race 2010 sponsors include Arcus Foundation, The Schott Foundation, Center for Social Inclusion, Center for Community Change, The Opportunity Agenda, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP),Campus Progress, Everyday Democracy, Free Press, Green for All, KirwanInstitute, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity, and Policy Link.

Press passes are available. For more information or to interview ARC president and executive director Rinku Sen, contact Rebekah Spicuglia at rspicuglia@arc.org or (415) 290-2970.

###

The President hosted the following group:Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

Good Morning.

As you go through your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And always, have a peaceful day.

And you KNOW who you are.  Roger Ebert just issued a call out.  Either you provide proof that the President is a Muslim or STHU.  Especially those who would rather lead the sheeple by innuendo, as opposed to bothersome things, like, well, FACTS (h/t Daily Kos):

The time is here for responsible Americans to put up or shut up. I refer specifically to those who have credibility among the guileless and credulous citizens who have been infected with notions so carefully nurtured. We cannot afford to allow the next election to proceed under a cloud of falsehood and delusion.

We know, because they’ve said so publicly, that George W. Bush, his father and Sen. John McCain do not believe Obama is a Muslim. This is the time — now, not later — for them to repeat that belief in a joint statement. Other prominent Republicans such as Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul also certainly do not believe it. They have a responsibility to make that clear by subscribing to the statement. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh must join, or let their silence indict them. Limbaugh in particular must cease his innuendos and say, flat out, whether he believes the President is a Muslim or not. Yes or no. Does he have evidence, or does he have none? Yes or no.

We know if the facts are actually put out there for a thinking individual to determine for HIMSELF whether or not President Obama is a Muslim defeats the purpose of the Tea Bagger Gang, and that is to whip up incitement, fear and bigotry to achieve their purpose of regaining power in Washington to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except further screw up shyt.

And while I understand that the POTUS probably believes he doesn’t have to dignify this loony business with a response, I’d like to remind him that John Kerry thought the same damned thing when the Swift Boat people came gunning for him back in 2004:

The call for me to sign a 180 form came from the same partisan operatives who were lying about my record on a daily basis on the Web and in the right-wing media. Even though the media was discrediting them, they continued to lie. I felt strongly that we shouldn’t kowtow to them and their attempts to drag their lies out.^[77][78]

There are times when I think the POTUS gives the wingnut segment of America too much credit, as in terms of BEING CAPABLE OF INDEPENDENT THINKING.  Now that Fake Noise has come out of their closets and quit trying to be an actual news organization, the results were to reward them with Helen Thomas’ old seat at the White House Press Conferences, still in an attempt to curry favor with those who will not be appeased. 

It is like witnessing domestic violence between two people.  The abuser apologizes, behaves himself for five minutes before he erupts again.  The person being abused still believes that only if she behaves and not “set him off”, her partner will love her like he says he does.  Fake Noise does the SAME DAMNED THING.  Whine when the POTUS or no one in his Administration will go on their shows; beat them up in the press by persuading 25% of this country to believe Mr. Obama is a Muslim, and the White House gives them a front row seat in the Press Room in the hopes of more favorable treatment.

This is the same media outlet that facilitated similar knee-jerk reactions from this Administration since Mr. Obama campaigned for the White House; rather than repeat them, I’ve linked to them here, here and here.  And the Shirley Sherrod incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The GOBP has NOTHING TO OFFER; either going into the 2010 midterms, or in 2012.  Why can’t this Administration see that, and why can’t the Democrats campaign like they KNOW they have a better alternative?  And, BTW, those of you who feel you should vote third-party or stay at home in November, I will remind you, while you bask in your self-admiration of voting your “conscience”, just what you unleash if you do so:

1. John Boehner will become Speaker of the House.
2. Impeachment proceedings will begin.
3. Darrell Issa has promised all kinds of nonsensical investigations of the Obama Administration.
4. Continued obstruction in both Houses of Congress, instead of the Senate.
5. Sarah Palin continues to get more than her 15 minutes of fame as a GRIFTER.
6. Repeal of what the POTUS has managed to accomplish, including giving BP back their settlement money for the damaged they caused in the Gulf (remember the oil-soaked Joe Barton’s public fellatio of Tony Hayward?)
7. Recission of the Health Care Reform Bill.  In fact, recission of EVERYTHING, even where the POTUS continually made concessions to the Reich-Wing and they still hollered like HIT DOGS.

Worst of all, President Obama will waste the remainder of his term trying to answer the challenges and trying to issue rebuttals to this shyt; thus making him succeptable to an inter-party challenge from his Secretary of State (I said he shouldn’t have given Missy Hillary a position in his Administration – she will use it to backstab him.)

We can no longer be silent on the things that MATTER.  Neither can the POTUS.  It is time to make the GOBP either “PUT UP OR STHU.”

New Jersey lost out on federal education monies. The Governor of New Jersey popped off his mouth, and then was exposed for his lies. Rachel Maddow does a good job spelling out how ridiculous he is.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Good Afternoon.

As you go through the rest of your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And continue to have a peaceful day.

President Obama Addresses the Nation

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Good Morning.

As you make it through Hump Day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And always, have a peaceful day.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have to say — along with the Inauguration, the president’s first speech to the nation on Haiti and the passage of healthcare reform, this is probably going to be one of my favorite moments to date of Barack Obama’s presidency, reminding me why we all worked so very hard to get a brother elected in the first place. Congratulations on another promise kept.

80% of African-Americans thought before the war in Iraq started that it was a bad idea. That’s partly because 25% of the Armed Forces are black — at twice the percentage of our population. It means if you’re black, you’re more likely than most Americans to know someone who might be put in harm’s way in active combat — a relative, a friend or a co-worker. In my case, I know people personally in each of those categories who were sent to Iraq, their lives disrupted and endangered for an unnecessary mission. What’s left behind — friends and loved ones who pray for their safe and sane return. You don’t always get both of those, I’ve learned. You can see that yourself on the mean streets of America — too many of our cities’ homeless are military veterans, shamefully treated by the society they risked their lives to protect. If you know someone who’s going to have to go to war, it means you’re more likely to take that burden a bit more seriously. Our people are not toy soldiers, but flesh-and-blood men and women. From the Boston Globe:

Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, major polls showed that African-American support for the invasion was as low as 19 percent, according to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, while white support ran between 58 percent and 73 percent in major polls.

Even today African-Americans by far lead the way in calling the war a mistake. According to Gallup, 85 percent of African Americans say it was a mistake, compared to 53 percent of white Americans. According to Pew, a plurality of white Americans, 49 percent, still say it was the right decision to invade Iraq, compared to 21 percent of African-Americans.

Our opinion matters as a people because without us, the military is starving for new recruits. Culturally speaking, it’s not just younger black folks who thought the war was wack but their parents, preachers and teachers. Here’s more from this excellent, must-read Boston Globe piece offering the African-American perspective on the war and why it’s so important given our history supplying the military with recruits:

Gregory Black, a retired Navy diver who last year started the website BlackMilitaryWorld.com, said that quote sums up what he too hears from African-American veterans of Iraq.

“African-Americans detest this war,” Black said yesterday in a phone interview. “Everybody kind of knows the truth behind this war. It’s a cash cow for the military defense industry, when you look at the money these contractors are making. African-Americans saw this at the beginning of the war and now the rest of the country has figured it out. It’s not benefiting us in the least.”

Asked about the reference to an “oilman’s war,” Black said, “It’s basically about oil, basically about money. It’s an economic war.” He said veterans are saying they are tired and burned out. “Guys are saying we’re halfway around the world fighting people of color under the guise of democracy and we can’t see how it’s benefited anyone,” Black said. “It’s hard to fight halfway around the world for people’s freedom when you’re not sure you have it at home.”

Today, we must turn our attention to the war in Afghanistan. It’s gone badly and is likely to take a nasty turn given the floods in neighboring Pakistan near the region in conflict. Desperate people are often targets for demagogues such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Black people in my experience at least tend to be more ambivalent about Afghanistan in contrast to Iraq which was just a crazy idea on the face of it.

Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan when they attacked the U.S. on 9/11/2001. Busting some ass over there made sense at the time, but nowadays, it’s not clear if our presence is doing more harm than good while putting Team America in danger’s way. I hope the President will address his vision for peace in that area of the world in his speech tonight…

Photo credit: American soldiers salute while the national anthem is played during a ceremony marking Veterans Day at the U.S. Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Tonight 8pm EDT, the Prez is going to update us on how he’s earning that Nobel Peace Prize, one war at a time. Finally. Thank the Lord.

President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office regarding the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.  Immediately following the President’s remarks, Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications will answer questions directly from Americans across the country. Ben speaks on Air Force One in the video above. He’s totally cute and cuddly like any guy who hangs out with tough, no-nonsense and no-sassback military dudes and dudettes all day long would be. Seriously though, he seems like the type of guy who will endeavor to answer your questions clearly and as forthrightly as possible. If you’re a vet or a military family member, I especially hope you will ask a question.

Consider this an Open Thread on the President’s Speech and Ben Rhodes’ response…

Meet Rick Scott – the GOP Nominee for Governor in Florida.

This is what he did in last job —- the company was fined a record 1.7 BILLION DOLLARS in criminal and civil fines for Medicare fraud.

AH, those GOP ‘values’.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Good Afternoon.

As you go through the rest of your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And continue to have a peaceful day.

Above: Sara Haile-Mariam and Tara Kutz go to “Beckapalooza” asking the question “Where the Black People At?” From Campus Progress:

For an event aimed at reclaiming the civil rights movement, the crowd was pretty homogenous. There may have been a lot of red, white, and blue — but there wasn’t a ton of black in attendance.

Armed with a camera and a t-shirt that read “America Deserves Better” (circa 2008), we asked rally attendees what they thought the Tea Party could do to inspire more black people to join their cause.

Glenn Beck with the help of FoxNews did a good job of herding hundreds of thousands of terrified, confused and completely ignorant white folks onto the National Mall. Many of these people sincerely suspect that President Obama is a Muslim communist illegal immigrant who wants to take all their hard-earned white money and give it to some lazy, shiftless and/or criminal black and brown people — if you believe recent polling such as this and this and this.

I mean, look, if I thought that the POTUS was a communist and an non-citizen, heck I might be a little concerned too. Yet, despite ample, extensive, hard-to-ignore and really just plain hard evidence that Barack Obama is 1) Christian 2) so capitalist he helped bail out Wall Street while leaving ripped-off middle class American homeowners at the mercy of a “free market” and delivering not much in the way of accountability for the Wall Streeters who caused the housing mess in the first place and 3) very much an American citizen, born and bred, with the paper to prove it  – Beck’s white people felt the need to emulate the historic 1964 March on Washington to make their voices heard.

Beck sought to invoke the moral imperative of King’s historic March which strove t to overturn racial injustice. Back then, it was really, really obvious what racial injustice meant — systematic and legalized Jim Crow discrimination. “Separate but equal”.

Today, it’s not clear exactly what’s bothering Glenn Beck’s white people. The thrust of the so-called “Restoring Honor” march changed its focus a number of times, finally settling on a vague and inoffensive prayer-centric gathering. Who can be against prayer? Honor? Integrity? Certainly no Republican candidates or establishment institutions could be threatened by that. No moderate independent voters could possibly shudder at that, could they?

Beck’s organizers prohibited people from bringing signs to the rally precisely because they know that most Americans are troubled by what he and his mouth-breathing, misspelling & bigoted followers actually think. Better to restrict the self-expression of his throng to flag-draping, eagle theme t-shirts and patriotic hat-wearing. Sure, dress up as Ben Franklin — who could be freaked out by that?

No, much better to seek the lowest common denominator of American society – prayer & basic morality – so as to make the “movement” more legitimate & safe for American mass consumption. Frankly we can all agree that values could stand some strengthening in America. There’s no debate there really. That’s what Obama’s Hope and Change is all about, right?

So what is it that Beck’s marchers really want? The asks from the 1964 March were pretty clear: Jobs and Freedom, yet I’m left with the uncomfortable sensation of being unclear what these new people are actually after. What exactly was supposed to be the takeaway from this march other than the mighty power and reach of Glenn Beck — stand and tremble, ye mortals!

From watching Beck’s show regularly, I think they want some kind of return to the America of the Founders — which happened to be a time when America was mostly an agrarian society on the move (i.e. widespread poverty plagued with pirates on the high seas plus legalized indentured servitude – slavery for white people), women couldn’t vote nor hold elected office (i.e. completely dependent on their husbands’ will – slavery for white women) and slavery was legal (i.e. black and Indian slaves could more or less be beaten, raped, murdered or worked to death with impunity). Ah…such a simple, glorious, value-packed bygone era. Why can’t we bring it back?

Read the rest of this entry »

President Barack Obama talks with, from left, personal aide Reggie Love, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, and Director of Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard, aboard Marine One during the flight from White House to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Aug. 9, 2010.
—-Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Good Morning.

As you go through your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And always, have a peaceful day.

Colorism is discrimination in which human beings are accorded differing social treatment based on skin color. The preference often gets translated into economic status because of opportunities for work. Colorism can be found across the world. The term is generally used for the phenomenon of people discriminating within their own ethnic groups.

Sexism, a term coined in the mid-20th century,^[1] is the belief or attitude that one gender or sex is inferior to, less competent, or less valuable than the other. It can also refer to hatred of, or prejudice towards, either sex as a whole (see misogyny and misandry), or the application of stereotypes of masculinity in relation to men, or of femininity in relation to women.^[2] It is also called male and female chauvinism. Sexist is the adjective form of the noun sexism. Sex discrimination is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender.

Ageism, also called age discrimination is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice and discrimination. This may be casual or systematic.^[1][2][3] The term was coined in 1969 by US gerontologist Robert N. Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism.^[4] Butler defined ageism as a combination of three connected elements. Among them were prejudicial attitudes towards older people, old age, and the aging process; discriminatory practices against older people; and institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about older people^[5] The term has also been used to describe prejudice and discrimination against adolescence and children, including ignoring their ideas because they are too young, or assuming that they should behave in certain ways because of their age.^[6]

Dear JJP readers:

My colleague, Marcus Toussaint, posted an invitation to join an elitist club up in Harlem.  He posted it without filter or fanfare.  After reading the prerequisites for membership for both men and women, and after personally receiving an email requesting I promote this nonsense, as well as consider membership, here’s my response to Thomas Lopez-Pierre.  While I could have posted my normal saltiness, with some individuals, cuss words are WASTED.  Let me know what you think:

Dear Mr. Lopez-Pierre:

Thank you for your invitation to become an Associate Member of the Harlem Club.  After much consideration, this is one African-American Professional woman who has decided to pass on your invitation, and here’s the reason – well, actually, there are SEVERAL reasons for declining your invitation.

First of all, the criteria upon which women would be “allowed” to join is subjective, sexist, smells like ageism, while using code words like “hood rat” or “pidgeon” which, for me, translates to “any woman not working in Corporate America above Administrative Assistant/Receiptionist.  Sir, titles mean NOTHING if those in charge of your career advancement has already decided your worth is no more than an Administrative/Clerical person.  African-American women, in particular, are highly intelligent, even though we may not sound like it; we’ve HAD TO BE in order to survive.  For you to come up with such a concept continues to insult Black Women everywhere, and while I have no problem with you opening membership to women of all races (and you should), you need to be clear as to why.  I take it to mean Black women with skin darker than a paper bag need not apply.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rapper Jasiri X has continued his string of socially conscious rap songs with “Beck’s Dream Is Dr. King’s Nightmare” in which he raps from the perspective of Martin Luther King and disses Glenn Beck’s rally.

RELATED STORIES

Sharpton: Beck Rally Goes Against Dr. King’s Vision

Rapper Disses Tea Party With “What If Tea Party Was Black?” Video

Montgomery Residents Accuse City of Demolishing Homes to Sidestep Eminent Domain Laws
Mayor Says He’s Simply Cleaning Up His City; Residents Charge City With Targeting Low-Income Families

A group of Montgomery, Alabama residents, once too nervous to buck their elected officials, are organizing in protest what they say is the city’s “reprehensible” practice of demolishing homes to sidestep state eminent domain laws.
“It’s ridiculous the city is doing this,” native Montgomery resident and de-facto community leader Karen Jones said.

“The city is intimidating people,” she said. “They don’t try to give people due process of setting up fines or even putting up a fluorescent poster in the front yard saying, ‘We’re going to demolish your house.’”

Residents and activists have accused city leaders of using a local blight ordinance to target low-income Montgomery residents so the city can take their property and re-sell it to high-end developers without paying compensation.

Good Afternoon.

As you go through the rest of your day, don’t forget JJP.

Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.

And continue to have a peaceful day.

This is one of my favorite statues:

Booker T. Washington lifting the veil of ignorance. For the Black community,
from the moment laws were enacted to prevent us from READING…

EDUCATION has been the key to lifting the Black Community.

It isn’t a ‘cure all’, but it’s been one of the most dependable paths to self-improvement that the Black community has known.

I have been in the process of possibly transitioning from one career to another. But, in
order to get into the program that I’m interested in, I have to prerequisites
for those programs. The cheapest way to get those credits where I live is
community college. Going to the local community college has been a positive
experience. You meet all types of people at the community college: races,
ethnicities, age groups, differing goals.

Which is why, when I read this article, I was definitely upset:

Community Colleges Rethink ‘Open Door’ Admissions as Remedial Costs Rise
By Caralee Adams on August 13, 2010 6:03 AM

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley this week called for an end to the “open
door” admissions policy at Chicago City Colleges, citing concerns about
the cost of remedial courses and a desire to build a quality program.
Every year, the system spends about $30 million for remedial
classes—about 6 percent of its $457.5 million budget. Daley suggested
that a better approach might be to offer programs through alternative
high schools to get students up to speed before they enter college.
Is this a sign of things to come?

Read the rest of this entry »