Jack & Jill Politics

Where is Evita? I don't see one post from her? She wanted the discussion to change from Mike. What's up with that.

AFTERNOON OPEN THREAD IS UP!!

From Field Negro:

Saturday, June 27, 2009
You know I have to keep it real with you.

That's why I want to talk about something that has been bothering me ever since we lost the King Of Pop on Thursday. It's the other half of Rev. Inc. Am I the only one who thinks that Jessie is way over the top inserting himself as the family spokesperson for the Jacksons? Like WTF? Look, maybe I am wrong, and maybe they asked him to be their spokesperson throughout this terrible time for them. But if they did, I am still not sorry about this post, because that's just the way I feel. Hey, Jessie made me this way. He has a history.

Honestly, I know the family is upset about the circumstances surrounding the gloved ones death, not to mention the lack of access to him in the months leading up to it. (Mike's doctor has some [as Ricky Ricardo used to say] "splainin" to do) Still, where did Jessie come from? And how about the other half of Rev. Inc? He has been all over the television in this Michael Jackson news cycle as well. And he has also become somewhat of an unofficial family spokesperson. I am sorry, but we just don't need Rev. Inc. overkill right about now.


And wait; it's not only Jessie and Al. I have seen former choreographers, make up people, some guy who met Mike in a bathroom after his trial, some lawyer who worked for a lawyer who represented Mike back in the day, some guy who made a comic book about Mike; and on and on. These networks are digging up anyone they can find with some kind of connection to Mike (any connection) to jump on their station and give their two cents. I saw some lady on Geraldo and I swear they made up her bio. Who are these people that keep crawling out of the woodwork to get their own shine from this tragedy? It's sick and pathetic, and they need to stop.


If you don't have a legitimate connection to MJ, such as a family member. Or if you were not in his inner circle within say the last ten years, I don't want to hear shit you have to say. I just don't.


Which leads me to Rev. Inc. again. They have been all over the networks. Part of it,I understand, is no fault of their own, because these networks have Jessie and Al on speed dial. Black icon dies? Call Rev. Inc. Trouble in the black community? Call Rev. Inc.


I guess my problem with Rev. Inc. is that they don't always have to answer the call.


Hi Rev. Sharpton? Yes, this is Bob, the producer from CNN. I was wondering if you could come on our network tonight and talk about Michael Jackson for us?


Well I have a sermon to deliver, but it can wait. What time do you need me?


http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-kno...

"If you don't have a legitimate connection to MJ, such as a family member. Or if you were not in his inner circle within say the last ten years, I don't want to hear shit you have to say. I just don't. "

Honestly, listening to Jessie Jackson is like experiencing a time warp. He and Al do have that uncanny ability to paint black folks on to a canvas of "Victimhood."

Agree agree agree.....

But but but ....Rev Inc is getting PAID when he comes on...so...he doesn't decline.

Reminder the BET Awards are tonight. Expect a huge Michael Jackson tribute. And, yes, JJP will have a BET Awards Open Thread.

Not to be Debbie Downer here...

...but I don't watch Booty Entertainment Television. My expectations of BET are somewhere between lower than a snake's belly and tunneling through the center of the Earth to reach China. I will read the reactions of the JJP fam.

Having said that, I pray that the angels are on triple overtime and guide the idiots in charge to produce a thoughtful, respectful and affirming broadcast.

Yeah!!!! Thank you, rikyrah.

Ditto!

TV commercial king Billy Mays dead at 50
Published: June 28, 2009 at 1:08 PM

TAMPA, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- Tampa police say 50-year-old television pitchman Billy Mays was found dead at his home Sunday.

Mays, whose distinctive voice and high-volume commercials and infomercials for variety of household products and Internet services made him a nationally known TV personality was found unresponsive by his wife Deborah, police told WTVT-TV, Tampa.

Paramedics transported Mays to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said an autopsy would be conducted Monday, but there appeared to be no evidence of foul play at the home.

The bearded Mays shot to fame when he began hawking products for Orange Glo International, including OxiClean and Kaboom. He most recently put his barker style to work with a commercial for ESPN's online service.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/28/TV-comme...

I called this one.

June 28, 2009
Axelrod: Obama has written Jackson family

CNN) — President Barack Obama has written to the family of Michael Jackson rather than making a public statement, his senior adviser said Sunday.

Appearing on the NBC program "Meet the Press," Obama adviser David Axelrod said Obama believes Jackson was "an important and magnificent performer" who made an undeniable impact on music and entertainment.

Asked why Obama had yet to speak publicly about Jackson's sudden death last week at age 50, Axelrod said: "The president has written the family and has shared his feelings with the family."

"He felt that was the appropriate way to go," Axelrod said.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/28...

I understand Presiden't Obama not wanting any kind of controversey
by speaking publicly about Michaels death
but if George Bush can make a public statement about James Browns death
Presiden't Obama can do the same
because we know The Godfather had his demons also

But then again Michaels fans don't really need public statements to validate what he meant to them

I finally read that Vineyard trash piece and wanted to write about it but you know the MJ thing happened. I see similarities though with the rampant disrespect of blacks by other blacks helping along racist whites in attacking our heritage and our icons.

Today's Conversation Toure: Trying to Pull A Perez Hilton & Failing http://tinyurl.com/mj79ef

I wrote when I posted the initial article over at JJP that I was NOT a fan of Toure, and I couldn't put into words the way that you just did, and you nailed it to the wall - wants to be a Perez Hilton - THAT IS IT!

And, ICAM about that Lawrence Otis Graham should have written this article. It's not like New York Magazine doesn't know who he is; I first read Graham IN New York Magazine. But, Graham would have given CONTEXT in ways that Toure couldn't even try.

Good piece about this being a hit job on the First Lady. Jennifer Hudson and the First Lady don't come from the same neighborhoods, and labeling something ' Southside' could mean anything from Robert Taylor homes to Beverly or Hyde Park. That's ALL Southside.

Good article.

Thanks. I still think he's the anonymous quoter. Punk!

CNN has been airing Toure' commentary of MJ since Thursday. WOW, the HATERADE!

So let's see. Folks on this site who actually diss people by saying blacks sound like 'our kind of people' actually believe that someone who wrote the very book on 'ourkindofpeople' would someHOW put in perspective how blacks with 4-5 generations of education and affluence feel about a FLOTUS who refers to herself as being from 'the southside' in someway differently than it being ghetto?

LOG, IS 'ourkindofpeople' which is why he wrote the book, he has the same depth of self-loathing as MJ, complete with & including having had rhinoplasty because he hated his father's nose.

Please.

LOG, could not stand the heat for saying it. So he keeps his public lips zipped while he sips martini's on Vineyard private decks and spews the exact same arrogant classcism.

This is utter BS!

I loved your essay. I love to see examples of folks, like Chrisette Hudlin and the infamous anonymous color struck idiot mentioning ghetto and Michelle Obama in the same sentence, who don't understand that words have consequences. See, I had no idea about Reginald Hudlin. I have, of course, heard of the Hudlin brothers, but am not a fan. Don't follow them. Didn't understand how Reginald became head of Booty Entertainment Television. Now, after reading this article, it is clear. I have always maintained that the first thing to know about the only ones is they want to remain just that - the only ones. So, they will use means both fair and foul to insure that they, their progeny and their supposed kind remain the only ones.

And now, they should be front and center with a loss of credibility in the community. And this - not the 'only one' or the ghetto girl comment stupidity, - should be the takeaway. Everytime one of these simpletons opens their mouth to say anything, the first response ought to be:

"But your credibility with the African-American community is suspect, based upon your previous statements. Why should anyone in the community buy your (book, CD, attend your play, movie, etc.), when you've made it more than clear that anyone who is not of your class and skin caste is not worth the time of day in your eyes? So that you may make more money and espouse more stupidity and self-hatred? Perhaps if your statements and attitude are widely broadcast in the community, it may take care of the problem you have in taking money from those whom you despise. We wouldn't want you to be thought a hypocrite while visibly and consciously separating yourself from 'the people' ".

H&F, I'm a 'Southside girl', through and through, and have NEVER lived in the ghetto.

Channeling GreenLady....

You just speak!

If you have not ever lived in the ghetto on the 'southside' of chicago...then you wouldn't CLAIM it as Southside.

You call it Hyde Park or whatever other subdivision name it has.

Just as folks, who are from Detroit, and don't want folks to even think they grew up in the ghetto don't say they are from Detroit..they say instead that they are from Royal Oak, Oak Park, Southfield etc.

Michelle, claims 'the southside' with pride and she means nothing OTHER than ghetto. That is clear to anyone who listens to her speak.

What I don't get is..if Michelle has no problem with claiming the ghetto as her childhood stomping ground...why are black folks feeling a need to defend her as if someone else who says the same thing is somehow wrong?

IOW, for all the people on this thread trying to make something out of the she's from the ghetto' quote...why?

Own it and claim it just like Michelle has.

Instead of all this faux, pretentious shyt like she grew up middle class and affluent. Michelle has told the world she did not so why in the world are folks trying to put some new spin to it.

Being poor has nothing to do with values, aspirations or success.

But it does have a lot to do with class in America.

I agree with you on this statement....Michelle saying she is a "southside girl" is a politically correct way for her to say that she is from the ghetto and shes proud of it! the fact that she came from the southside to FLOTUS makes her story more amazing...we sound like the our kind of people crowd when we go out our way to say that her family was working class..hell back then in the ghetto most families were working class the ghetto today is different from what it was 40 years ago also historically the term "ghetto" had more to do with the ethnic make up of the residents than their socioeconomic class

I very much agree. I believed Michelle was describing her socio-economic reality. i.e. we were poor. Ghetto, historically meant working class, unlike how folks using it as slang today for ignorance. It generally refers to a working class community of one ethnic group primarily. Many whites think of it in those terms, unlike the young whites that listen to hip hop, and use the term ghetto as slang.

Michelle, claims 'the southside' with pride and she means nothing OTHER than ghetto. That is clear to anyone who listens to her speak.

wrb,

That's what you see. I don't see that at all.

It's the whole truth nothing but the truth. I went to hear Michelle speak and she stated it with pride. Quote...I am from Chicago. I am from the SOUTSIDE she emphasized. No one in the room misunderstood what she meant.

Justice, what does ghetto mean to you?

WRB,

Because there is a difference in growing up in Southshore, which was solid, working class Black neighborhood, and growing up in Robert Taylor, Ida B. Wells or Altgeld Gardens. She grew up in a working class neighborhood, Black, like many Black folks did, and worked their way up to the middle-class.

WRB -

I have to take strong assertions with your premise.

"Instead of all this faux, pretentious shyt like she grew up middle class and affluent."

Michelle may not have grown up affluent, but her family was definitely
middle class. Her father worked as a laborer for the City of Chicago and those were and are well-paying jobs. His income allowed Mrs. Robinson to stay home for a good deal of their childhood.

They were a long way from poor, and a long way from rich. They were epitome of the definition of middle class.

Furthermore, I too claim South Side, but I did not live in the ghetto or in the projects and grew up middle class. That is not what Michelle means when she says South Side. It is a peculiarity to black folks in Chicago, and black folks in and from Chicago know what she means when she makes that statement.

My bad...delete middle class.
If you describe middle class as stay at home mom. I understand that, to be very much a middle class standard in the fifties. However, blacks who were educated generally, both parents worked...'to get ahead'.

With all due respect, to Chicago black folks peculiarity, to the world at large 'southside' means ghetto.

If this is indeed a peculiarity to the Chicagoans, Michelle must not know that, as she made this statement proudly to audiences all over the nation..many of whom know nothing about the geography of Chicago. Nevertheless, when she said that she was a 'southside girl' every black person in the audience heard 'from the hood' and whites heard 'ghetto'

Also, ghetto doesn't necessarily mean poor....it has much more of an ethnic meaning....as was commonly used in the early 20th century to describe areas, predominated by polish, jewish, italian,or irish immigrants. They were called jewish ghettoes, irish ghettoes etc

I too claim South Side, but I did not live in the ghetto or in the projects and grew up middle class. That is not what Michelle means when she says South Side. It is a peculiarity to black folks in Chicago, and black folks in and from Chicago know what she means when she makes that statement.

ICAM with you. When I exclaim 'Southside', the last thing I mean is Robert Taylor or Ida B. Wells or Altgeld Gardens. I grew up in a Black community , on the Southside, that nurtured me enough to send me to some of the most select schools in the country.

The issue is, with all these so-called blacks who had generations of education and affluence....I'm still trying to figure out what did they do useful with it, other than rubbing elbows with some white folks and getting into a few parties or committees....oh, how exclusive.

For all of Michelle's "ghetto" upbringing as you would call it......she actually held a high position in a hospital/healthcare system....where Black folks are often at a disadvantage....she presided over something that actually MADE A DIFFERENCE.....saying that you have affluence, doesn't mean shit or won't do shit, especially when you are so exclusive that you do not want to mingle with other folks...you know the ghetto ones.

For all these black folks out there anointed with class, generations of affluence and all that other OKOP.....how come up until now, none of them were ever able to reach the height of the Obamas.......the single-mother raised President and his "Southside(and apparently ghetto) wife......hell does the rest of America even know who all there priveleged, abundance of class Black folk are?

Monie,
I get your point about what folks do with the lives of affluence they are born into, but then you say:

"For all of Michelle's "ghetto" upbringing as you would call it......she actually held a high position in a hospital system."

Darn near everyone of those folks from the Vineyard, have had lives of similar achievement when it comes to 'career' success. They have similiar ivy league bkgrds and have worked in the upper eschelons of both private and government. So, if that is the measure for success then those folks have given back to. Because we all know that both Barack and Michelle are members of the "only one' club as well.

When you ask about them reaching political heights of the Obama you are talking about another barrier being broken RACIALLY. You are talking about a centuries old barrier which historically you do understand and so the question has to be meant rhetorically. After all, these are families and individuals who have broken barriers in other fields repeatedly. Whether it is education, medicine, local or civic govenrment groups, philantrophic organizations etc. Most importantly, they broke the CLASS barrier which is the sexond hardest in America FOR BLACKS. Black folks could have wealth and affluence but they were still treated niggardly.

In America, you are suppose to have the good life when you earn in the top 1% of incomes...and that was true for everyone in America except blacks. CLASS was NOT an equalizer in America if you were black.

Do you know the wealthy and affluent white families in America? Do you live in their communities and go to school with their children?

I just think all of these classcism talk is fruitless.

I just think the anonymous quote in the article saying "Michelle is a ghetto girl" is so ridiculous.....because while that person reamins anonymous and clinging to "class"...Michelle Obama is his/her First Lady. and that's the TRUTH.

I just never followed this type of stuff, so I'm interested in some names...who supposedly are these Black folks with an abundance of class.....most of the most well-known and largest American Black philantropists I know of did originate from the upper echelons of class..so I'm just looking at names...who are these people, seriously.

I have a good life, at least according to me, which matters most...I don't need a top 1% income...and I'm not quite sure why that is indicative of a good life.

If you want names...read Graham's book..that is the reason he wrote it. To name the faceless, educated generations of wealth black affluent class in America.

..but then again...if you truly believe classcism is fruitless...it would be a waste of your time.

Myself, I recommend taking it out at the library...I refuse to support Graham.

The point I was making about top 1% is about AMERICA. Not you individually. If your idea of the good life doesn't require significant financial means to have it..then you are right you do not need to earn in the top 1%. After all, you probably do not have friends who use the term summer as a verb. America is a capitalist society, where all the trappings of the 'good life' i.e. materialism, patronage, etc are suppose to come with that level of wealth.

That was not true when you were black. O sure you were recognized in some ways but society continued to bar you in others....heck even today black folks do not get invited with any frequency to the Upper East side dinner parties nor to West Palm Beach Fl.

your last statement is why I consider it fruitless....I'm going back to that article for a minute,....It is ironic to me that Black folks in Martha Vineyard, who still AREN'T invited to the white folks events in Martha's Vineyard, would have an issue with other Black folks who they presume has not had the upbringing, class or decorum of their level.....exactly who are these Black folk saying others aren't good enough, when in the same environment in which they trying so hard to be "accepted", aren't good enough for their target crowd. That's what makes it fruitless.


And even while Oprah is one of the richest, and well-known women in the WORLD...Hermes still did not want her buying their wares..

L'oreal does NOT want to sell to Black and Brown folk, and photoshopped Beyonce's complexion to the point it created outrage...

and we do not even need to bring up the liquor manufacturers who shun urban music artists (who are some of the richest Black Americans) and those same artist have made these companies billions by promoting them in song. And yes, I know people may say, well look who the comapnies are railing against...those rappers...but let it be known, say what you want about hip-hop/rap, it is one of the most popular genres of music in the world all over.

I guess I'll have to read the book.....this Black class-cism mess is somewhat fascinating.

No Monie...what makes this black class-cism so funny is the words of this guy in that NY Mag article: Craig Hockmeyer, who owns a bicycle shop in nearby Vineyard Haven, says he spent many nights at Lola’s, which was, until its recent closing, a central part of the Vineyard black universe. “A bald white honky like me could go in there and feel totally comfortable and dance the night away with all the rich black folks, not a problem at all.”

LOL....Craig REALLY didn't know what he said...but I damn sure do. LOL

"It is ironic to me that Black folks in Martha Vineyard, who still AREN'T invited to the white folks events in Martha's Vineyard, would have an issue with other Black folks who they presume has not had the upbringing, class or decorum of their level.."

I understand what you mean, but then that is the entire point of classcism. If we stop and think about this for a second, it is the same ol same ol...child abusers are typicall y abused children. It is the same sick sociopathology. For blacks however, it is worse, since the absolute worst thing you can be in America is to be black. So, no matter how much money you have you can't escape being treated like scum simply cause you are black.

It is like a friend explained to me once. If white people had simply made the distinction between blacks with education and wealth being different (based on class) than blacks who were poor and illiterate just like they do about white trash, then there never would have been a Civil Rights movement in this country.

The affluent and educated classes regardless of color would have been joined at the hip about crime and property rights. Both would have had property to protect and a legal system that deferred to their monetary status.

They didn't. They continued to use race as a barrier. So, for many blacks the only way to separate themselves by class was within their race.

It would be no different from the Kennedys being Irish and knowing no matter how much money they had the society was going to treat them as drunks and discriminate against them simply because they were Irish. Then the Kennedys would have had only one recourse and that would be to fight for civil justice while at the same time separating themselves socially from the havenots.

That is how it is in a capitalistic society. Class rules.

Except in America, where being black meant you were still excluded. Thus, all blacks were bound together, independent of class, by the racial social stigma. Unable to make more of themselves in the traditional captialistic way the society was funded on....and the civil rights movement removed much of that racial burden when wealth could not for blacks.

Oprah is wonderful, but she still is not inviting folks from the hood to any of her mansions, to ride on her private jet, nor to her backyard parties. Instead, she gave her BFF the money to travel with her and go out to parties with her and entertain as much as her!!

Agree with all you said about the liquor folks..black folks are just good for marketing..to bring them dollars.

That is why the artists who promote that ignorance to our youth need their asses strung up and tarred and feathered. When people have no respect for their own culture and especially our children they are just worthless. They are as much of a scourge on our communities as the KKK and predatory lenders.

The biggest question of all is why do we still feel the need for white acceptance.
That is what is TRULY ridiculous.

Well, for wealthy affluent blacks they do not give 2 shyts about white acceptance, BUT...if you are NOKD (notourkinddear) and you black, they don't want to socialize with you either.

Co-sign, rikyrah. A decent majority of 'our kind of people' in Chicago live on the South Side, in the Hyde Park, Jackson Park Highlands and Beverly neighborhoods. So, the anonymous idiot in the article was not only stupid and self-hating but...

(in my best tea and crumpets voice)

... talking out the side of his neck.

I hate to go ' Our Kind of People', but, um, are there any 'OKOP' from the 'West Side'?

LOL

Only if you include Oak Park as the West Side, LOL!

Thank You.

George Bush and Dick Cheney grew up in communities that were so-called different than Michelle Obama .....and they are THUGS.

ANd Michelle could mop the floor with their azzes, beginning with intellect and integrity for one.

I'd take a "Southside" upbringing any day.

Co-sign!

"ANd Michelle could mop the floor with their azzes, beginning with intellect and integrity for one."

That would mean they would have to STEP IT UP to be a part of that scene. Cause you know First Lady Michele Obama isn't going to STEP DOWN to that level of exclusivity. Sooo junior high, so amatuerish.

H&F

That was a thought provoking piece. One point of contention, is your assertion of when has Michelle Obama referred to herself as a 'ghetto girl', Michelle Obama has repeatedly referred to herself as a 'southside girl' or "having grown up on the southside". Now, for the majority of America that translates to ghetto or grew up in the ghetto. Just as saying you are from the RobertTaylor homes translates as 'grew up in projects' Or when Diana Ross talks about the Brewster projects as her home. Those statements do connote 'ghetto and project'.

Even if Michelle, herself, did not say ghetto...saying 'southside' means ghetto.

Umm.... WRB,

"Even if Michelle, herself, did not say ghetto...saying 'southside' means ghetto.'

According to who?

The world.

Are you actually saying that when people refer to the Northside of Minneapolis, they do not mean GHETTO?

If someone says to you that they are from the 'northside' of minneapolis, what does that mean to you? What does it mean to the vast majority of residents in the MinneapolisStPaul metro area?

Same as when they say Compton or Gary, or Miami-Dade County..it means ghetto.

Are you disagreeing with that common perception?

"Are you disagreeing with that common perception?"

Yes, purely on the premise that it is not MY perception.

Surely, you did not mean that. If you know that is the perception, what are you disagreeing with?

IOW, if someone uses the phrase, are you saying you challenge it cause you do not believe that geography IS the ghetto?

Yes, I surely mean that.

WRB, I have friends and family who live all over the world, including North
Mpls. I don't buy into that area or any other area of the world being
labled "ghetto."


Has anyone seen the "Soloist?" I'm checking it out this afternoon at the $2
theater.

Ok, let me ask this question,then.

What does the term ghetto mean to you?

Does the term ghetto hold derogatory meaning to you?

If so, doesn't having a FLOTUS from the ghetto stand as a direct rebuttal to those derogatory insinuations? Isn't that the way that Michelle projects herself? As an living embodiment and testiment to the fact that no matter where you hail from success can be yours if you work for it?

Do you prefer to say 'from the hood' then?

Kinda, like how we moved from colored to black to AA?

Are you referring to Broward County, Fl...

because if so, I gotta call up two of my sister-in-laws and tell them that their gated, palm-tree lined $600,000-plus homes are in the heart of the ghetto......their Realtor surely sold them down the river and pulled the wool over their eyes.

That was an error. I couldn't think of the County name, I think I meant MianiDade

That was such a thought-provoking and challenging piece. It really boggles my mind how in the last year, I've gone from getting up and spending half my mornings going to the news sites to going to certain blog sites to read the opinion pieces like yours....i dont always agree, but the depth and arguments you bring are so on point. That blogs for people of color exist like this one is a true blessing, we just need to push these sites to the forefronts so our young people can get challenged instead of zombied out by the perezhilton and mediatakeouts of the net.

It's meant to be digested slowly. And the media only puts out opinion pieces now. You have to read between the lines.

h&f, I Absolutely LOVED your use of the coffee metaphor for preferences.

"Preferences are desirable and coveted. If you aren’t a preference then you are not considered to be of any value beyond what resources can be taken from you (sex, money, attention, a couch to crash on). "

Excellent piece. Thank you.

Thanks

Iran detains some local staff at British Embassy

By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – 33 mins ago
EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

___

Iranian authorities have detained several local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran, a move that Britain's foreign secretary Sunday called "harassment and intimidation" and reflected a hardening of the regime's stance toward the West. The European Union condemned the arrests.

Iranian media said eight local embassy staff were detained for an alleged role in postelection protests, but gave no further details. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "about nine" employees were detained Saturday and that four had been released.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Corfu, Greece, issued a statement Sunday condemning the arrests and calling for the immediate release of all those still detained. The 27-nation bloc also denounced Iran's continuing restrictions on journalists.

"They make clear to the Iranian authorities that harassment or intimidation of foreign or Iranian staff working in embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response," the statement said.

Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has alleged massive fraud in the June 12 presidential election and says he is the rightful winner, not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest, singling out Britain and the U.S. for alleged meddling and for expressing concern about the ferocity of the regime's crackdown on protesters. Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats, and Britain responded in kind. Iran has also said it's considering downgrading diplomatic ties with Britain.

On Sunday, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported that the embassy staffers were detained for what was described as a "significant role" in postelection unrest.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090628/ap_on_re_mi...

Of course. SCumbags all--including the publishing industry.

The key however is that Sanford and Ensign were supposed to be the bulwark against the Godless and freewheeling Democrats (like Edwards). lol

TIME MAG’S SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE EDITION MICHAEL JACKSON COVER
Saturday, June 27, 2009

TIME will publish a special commemorative issue on Michael Jackson to hit newsstands on Monday, June 29.

For the special commemorative issue, TIME spoke with Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Nancy Reagan, Lenny Kravitz, Jesse Jackson, Tommy Mottola, Berry Gordy, Spike Lee, Sheryl Crow, Anjelica Huston, Clive Davis, Al Sharpton, Deepak Chopra, Kobe Bryant, Lance Bass, Oscar De La Hoya, Savion Glover, A.R. Rahman, Peter Gabriel, John Mayer and more.

Stories from the commemorative issue will appear on TIME’s official website on Sunday.

Read their ongoing coverage of Jackson’s death at www.time.com/time/specials/michael-jackson

This special edition of the magazine will be published in addition to TIME’s regular weekly issue and will retail for $5.99.

http://concreteloop.com/2009/06/time-mags-speci...

Wow,,... neither Diana Ross nor Quincy were spoken to? What type of commemorative is this?

Suzanne DePasse...hello?

Yeah! what's up with this? You know I bet the way this has gone to press so fast...the quotes are all old retreads!

Cuz, the folks that knew Michael are too upset right now to make statements...Time jumped the gun.

Aide's tale of John Edwards sex tape
Sunday, June 28th 2009, 4:00 AM

Former presidential candidate John Edwards is out of luck if he hoped that the extramarital affairs of Gov. Mark Sanford and Sen. John Ensign would take people’s minds off his own cheating scandal.
Former Edwards aide Andrew Young says the ex-senator and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, once made a sex tape, according to someone who has seen Young’s book proposal.

St. Martin’s Press just inked a deal with Young, who also says in his proposal that, contrary to his public statement last year, he is not the father of Hunter’s infant daughter — Edwards is. Edwards has denied that.
Young says that his belief in Edwards ran so deep that he agreed to take the fall for the candidate, inviting the pregnant Hunter to live with him, his wife, Cheri, and their three children. Later, after Hunter delivered the baby, Young and his family moved to a different home in California.

While he was unpacking, Young discovered a videocassette, according to the book pitch. Hunter had been hired by the Edwards campaign to videotape the candidate’s movements, but this one is said to have shown him taking positions that weren’t on his official platform.
The purported sex tape confirmed to Hunter that Edwards was even more reckless than he thought.

According to our source, Hunter confided to Young that she and Edwards talked about getting married should the candidate’s cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, pass away, even discussing what music they’d play at their wedding.
Elizabeth Edwards is said to hold Young partly to blame for her husband’s affair, since Young knew it was going on and sometimes used his cell phone to conference the senator and his girlfriend. Young has told friends that, in revenge, Elizabeth arranged for the media to learn about a youthful misdeameanor in which Young was arrested for stealing a sign from a biker bar.
Elizabeth also suspects Young stole the baseball card collection of her late son, Wade, according to a source who says that she told Young in an e-mail that other former staff members “have passed lie detector tests.”

Young’s proposal, which one editor said “was impossible to put down,” also contends that Sen. Edwards frequently clashed with running mate John Kerry during their 2004 race for the White House. And before Edwards owned up to his affair with Hunter, Young says he told him that Barack Obama had promised he’d make him attorney general if he didn’t pick him as his 2008 running mate.
Elizabeth Edwards and Young’s agent had no comment. An e-mail to John Edwards’ assistant wasn’t returned. Hunter couldn’t be reached.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/28/20...

John Edwards SEX TAPE?

EEEWWWWW

Incredibly unbelievable.

Where is the tape? Show it or STFU Young!

If John Edwards was THAT stupid, he deserves all the continued shame he'll be getting. How incredibly DUMB is this shit?!?!?!?

Taped Jackson's Last Night Alive, Could Be CD, DVD
“We have a live album in the can,” AEG official boasts.
BY SHARON WAXMAN

Michael Jackson’s last rehearsal at the Staples Center on Wednesday, the eve of his death, was recorded in multi-camera, high-definition video and multi-track audio, and could be released as the performer’s last album, according to several people close to the now-defunct concert tour.

The recordings were made as part of concert promotion company AEG Live’s deal with Jackson, which included a plan to produce both an album and DVD of what Jackson had billed his “final performance” tour, titled “This Is It.”
The entertainer died of heart failure on Thursday.

Randy Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live, the nation's second largest concert promoter, emailed that he would not comment for the story.
The recordings also could be used to produce both a DVD or Blu-ray disc of the entertainer’s last performance -- the entertainer singing his greatest hits.
One AEG official boasted to a colleague this weekend, “We have a live album in the can.”

And what an album it would be. Amazon, record stores and retailers like Barnes and Noble sold of all Michael Jackson stock almost immediately -- and in a matter of minutes following the news of Jackson’s death, in the case of Amazon.
Press reports have said that AEG Live stands to lose tens of millions of dollars from the unexpected cancellation of Jackson’s 50-date London tour.
But any audio and video release of the final concert would undoubtedly sell millions -- if not tens of milllions -- of units worldwide and would be the music industry’s equivalent of a license to print money.

Jackson had failed to appear at many of the scheduled rehearsals in Los Angeles over the past two months. But he did show up at a full rehearsal at the Staples Center of his scheduled July 13 London concert on the night before his death.
The rehearsal, which went on for several hours, included dancers, musicians and aerial performers. Three people close to the production said it had been captured by multiple cameras, and the audio digitally recorded in a manner that could be used to produce a surround-sound DVD and audio products.

The show -- which was to kick off of a 50-concert series at London's 02 arena -- was planned as a spectacular performance. At one point, Jackson was suspended on a crane; at another, there was a 3D view of “Thriller”-style haunted mansion, that required the audience to put on special glasses.
Some of those there present at the rehearsal were concerned about the performer.

Patrick Woodroffe, lighting designer, watched the final rehearsal. He told the BBC4 that the singer seemed frail.
“We had rehearsed for the last couple weeks. We put together a complicated show, quite a spectacular show. Of course a huge part of it was him, and I would say for the last week he hadn’t really been with us. He would appear, and he would rehearse sometimes, and he would not rehearse.
He added: “I guess that we were nervous whether we would be able to carry off this show at the 02.”
Woodroffe also said that Jackson was “electric” at the rehearsal.

http://www.thewrap.com/article/michael-jackson-...

AEG is going to squeeze every last drop they can out of Michael Jackson because he can't complete the shows.

Health-Care Activists Targeting Democrats
Sniping Among Liberals May Jeopardize Votes Needed to Pass Bill
By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 28, 2009

In the high-stakes battle over health care, a growing cadre of liberal activists is aiming its sharpest firepower against Democratic senators who they accuse of being insufficiently committed to the cause.
The attacks -- ranging from tart news releases to full-fledged advertising campaigns -- have elicited rebuttals from lawmakers and sparked a debate inside the party over the best strategy for achieving President Obama's top priority of a comprehensive health-system overhaul.
The rising tensions between Democratic legislators and constituencies that would typically be their natural allies underscore the high hurdles for Obama as he tries to hold together a diverse, fragile coalition.

Activists say they are simply pressing for quick delivery of "true health reform," but the intraparty rift runs the risk of alienating centrist Democrats who will be needed to pass a bill.
In recent days -- and during this week's congressional recess -- left-leaning bloggers and grass-roots organizations such as MoveOn.org, Health Care for America Now and the Service Employees International Union have singled out Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) for the criticism more often reserved for opposition party members.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

On my way to honor the Real KING of KINGS...Mike's just the king of all music.

Evita, giving you space to bring the issues of the day (if you can find some). This group can definitely multi-task.

BUT, we'll talk about the boatload of trouble Dr. Murray is in later. He better hope the murder theories don't start surfacing BEFORE Mike hits the ground on his August Birthday.

It will be a real heartwrencher, becasue the truth is that Demerol is a cardio-respiratory depressant. Which would have made it extremely difficult to revive MJ.

OK for people whom hadn't had enough can we start a thread where all contibutors have to comment by only using lines, words phrases from the Jackson catalog as a tribute. rules should be simple one "phrase" per hour so others can add Like this

So you wanna be starting something
....

she's just a girl that says that I am the one

I didn't read these lyrics before today.....wow..I gotta post these lines by Michael though...sorry to go off the rules a little bit:

Tired of injustice
Tired of the schemes
The lies are disgusting
So what does it mean
Kicking me down
I got to get up
As jacked as it sounds
The whole system sucks

from "Scream" w/Janet (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty)

Looks like were're Living "Off The Wall" at JJP today.

Got to be there, be there in the morning when she says hello to the world!

Never can say goodbye, No No No No Mike!

Good Sunday everyone. A little sad but also illuminating, this story from the NYTimes Magazine on "G.M., Detroit and the Fall of the Black Middle Class"

"The story of the rise of America’s black working and middle classes is inextricably bound up with that of Detroit and the Big Three. It is not a story with a simple upward trajectory. For a long time, blacks were relegated to the least desirable jobs in the plants and initially confined to a small ghetto on the East Side of the city. But slowly, haltingly, over the course of the 1950s and early ’60s, the plants became fully integrated and black workers spread across Detroit block by block, moving the city’s de facto color line as they went. “It wasn’t that long ago that Detroit was the home of the nation’s most affluent African-American population with the largest percentage of black homeowners and the highest comparative wages,” David Goldberg, an African-American Studies professor at Wayne State University, told me.
Autoworkers still make up much of what is left of Detroit’s black middle class, but their numbers are shrinking fast. Last year, 20,000 black autoworkers nationwide were either laid off or took buyouts from the Big Three. A disproportionate number of those workers were from Detroit and its environs. When those who remain lose their jobs, have their homes foreclosed — Detroit has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation — and have to move elsewhere in search of work, when they accept an early-retirement package and no longer have any reason to stick around, that will truly spell the end of the city.
We’ve been hearing this phrase — “the death of Detroit” — for years now, but this is what it’s going to look like, how it’s going to play out. There’s a perverse paradox here, one that I was reminded of every time I met a black autoworker in an Obama T-shirt or with an Obama bumper sticker adorning his or her car. We have just elected our first African-American president, and yet, at the same moment, a city and industry that together played a central role in the rise of the black middle class — that made possible lives like Marvin Powell’s — is being destroyed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/magazine/28de...

Ope@panafya
-----------------
www.panafya.com
Fitness, health & wellness for black women

I've never bought a foreign car. I've bought American.

Well I can cop out easy and say I've never bought a car (spent my adult life in NYC so no need to). But ultimately, folks are going to go for perceived value when buying a car, American or otherwise. Also, given that a ton of the "foreign" vehicles are manufactured in these United States (in the South mainly not Detroit), you can still buy a foreign car and prop up our people.

Ditto.

Detroit always had the largest freedom fund dinner in the country, annually.

I've thought about this too...its really true that Detroit had one of the largest concentrations of a thriving black middle class that has just been gutted - its so sad. Gosh.....My mom and dad had plenty of cousins who were able to take just their high school diplomas (or less) and secure great lives because of the Big Three.

A little know black history fact from my dad - I always wondered why it seemed like depending on where you lived, people would migrate from the south to certain cities - my dad said people ended up whereever the bus stopped last. lol. So that's why it seems like people from the same area in the South would all wind up in Chicago or Detroit or Cleveland or New York. Maybe its just the people I know, but that seems hilariously true.

No joke! Migration of southern blacks 'movin' up north' can be directly corrolated to the bus and train routes.

Also, of course, it's ironic that Obama is elected as the first black President while the largest Black middle class in Detroit is dying. BUT IT AIN'T HIS FAULT!

Motown was dying long before PBO. Detroit and the Big 3 automakers started dying when they didn't adjust to the Japanese making cars that didn't break down and got better gas mileage. Arrogance, pure arrogance is what killed Detroit and the automaking business in the US.

I haven't ever purchased an American car. I watched my family and neighbors get put down by Fords, Chevys, Buicks, Pontiacs, even Cadillacs. My daddy bought a VW rabbit as a second car, and that was it for me.

And even after VW got cheezy with the 3-5 mph bumper in their new models, I switched to a Nissan and drove that Sentra til the wheels fell off.

Now I'm a Toyota girl and haven't had a minute's trouble. I KNOW I'm not the only one.

I give the side-eye to American cars. Probably the only American brand I would buy would be FORD. Everything else can go sit down.

I snicker inside at my white coworkers who insist it's our American duty to buy American cars to keep Americans working. "Buy American," they say. Why should I buy "American" when "American" has a reputation of falling apart?

And I don't blame the assembly workers because the same Americans putting together Fords and Chevys are down South putting together Toyotas and Nissans. Those cars arent' falling apart. Why?

I conclude it's the materials and design, not the workers.

And if I imposed a ban on Toyotas and Nissans, wouldn't that be harming American workers, since a lot of Toyotas and Nissans are manufactured here in the US?

The American car companies need to stop making ugly cars that break down. They need to stop making pretty cars with low gas mileage. I love it when all the Republicans and Rush Limbaughs and talk show hosts scream about nobody wantign to buy small cars that get high gas mileage. Have they seen all the Civics and Sentras rolling down the road? Have they seen all the Versas and Fits careening down the highway? Have they seen the uptick in people buying hybrid vehicles? Have they heard the new Ford & Chevy commercials boasting their new vehicle gets 700 city miles to a tank?

Of course it's what people want. That's why they're buying Asian cars, not American ones.

To repeat: STOP making ugly cars that break down and STOP making pretty cars with low gas mileage. Make a pretty car with high gas mileage that doesn't break down and people will start buying American cars again. That is all.

When my Daddy told us that I was floored...that was just too funny to me! He said that's why so many people from Mississippi wound up in Chicago...because that's where that busline ended....and so many from Alabama and Tennessee went to Detroit and Cleveland...lol Georgians landed in DC, Philly and NYC. That tickles me to no end but I totally get it!

I have always owned Nissans.....but Lord knows I grew up in a Caddy household. My Daddy is one of those who had to have a BIG AZZ Cadillac - and that meant I learned to drive in a 79 Sedan de Ville....a car we lovingly referred to as "the land yacht".....my 3 point turn in that car was more or less a 8 point turn...that car fit 9 comfortably. It was so damn big. Now my Daddy has a Lincoln Town car...why my nephews thought it was a limousine?? LMAO

I learned in that '70s green, 2-door, Caprice Classic, baby! I think the doors on that thing were bigger than most cars nowdays...

But my uncle owned a funeral home. Ain't nothing, NOTHING like the ride in a real Caddy limo. Butter, I mean smoove.....

The first car I remember my Daddy driving was a brown '65 Pontiac station wagon. After that car, it's been a Ford. He's 85, and he still drives a Ford truck.

It's always been a Ford for me. Good enough for my Dad, good enough for me.

Thanks to being on va-kay, i'm just seeing some of the mj news, so sorry if I seem obsessesed. just flame me and tell me to move on, i don't mind.

Anyway, for those into commerative issues, here's a heads up:

Time Magazine to Publish Special Jackson Issue

Time will publish a special commemorative issue on Michael Jackson to hit newsstands on Monday, the newsweekly has announced. The issue, to sell for $5.99 (and to be available in addition to the magazine's regular edition), will contain interviews with John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner, Nancy Reagan, Lenny Kravitz and others speaking about the late pop legend. The Jackson issue is the first such commemorative special from Time since its 9/11 edition in 2001. Stories from the Jackson issue will appear on Time.com starting Sunday.

I know people are tired of MJ stories, but I'm a Simpson fanatic (I still have it on my tivo) and of course i love mike's music, so I had to share this:

Michael Jackson: 'The Simpsons' to re-air 'Do the Bartman' video in tribute on Sunday

The Simpsons will re-air the music video for "Do the Bartman" and show a title card in memory of Michael Jackson before Sunday's episode at 8 p.m. on Fox, EW.com has learned. The 1990 pop-rap hit was co-written by Jackson without credit. A fan of the animated comedy, the pop sensation—who passed away on Thursday—told executive producer James L. Brooks that he wanted to write a No. 1 song for Bart. (Featured on the album The Simpsons Sing The Blues, "Do the Bartman" was never released as a single in America, but it reached No. 1 in the UK, while the Brad Bird-directed video enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV. ) Jackson's other Simpsons wish came true when he guest-starred in the season 3 opener "Stark Raving Dad" as an oversized mental patient; this time, he was credited as John Jay Smith. Alas, syndication rights issues weren't resolved in time for that episode to be rebroadcast on Sunday.

Banks are increasing fees for everything you do to make up for their bad loans. Watch you statements.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

ya know, i was checking my balance online for my BOA account, and it had a charge from an another banks atm that charged me for "viewing my balance" and for withdrawing money. The charge from that other bank for withdrawing money from their atm wasn't new, but the charge to view my balance was. I think it was Wachovia. So basically, Wachovia charged me for 'bout $2.25 for the withdrawal, and another $2.25 to view my balance. I was royally pissed.

Join a credit union. There are some national ones if you aren't eligible locally.

YEAH FOR CREDIT UNIONS!! They are the bomb. No (or few) foolish fees. FREE checks, FREE on line pay hookups, FREE ATM withdrawals.

I switched back in the day when banks started charging me to withdraw MY OWN MONEY from a machine.

Good morning JJP.

Today is the last day of my DC vay-kay, and my feet are tired, but i had a great time!

Anyway, i found this comment on balloonjuice.com on a post about the media coverage of MJ death. I know some people have been complaining about the amount of coverage, this comment attempts to address this, and I think it does so very well.

media coverage of MJ death

Brachiator




James Joyner thinks the coverage of MJ’s death is over the top, and I completely agree. I will, however, note that while the MJ coverage is over the top, it still pales in comparison to the three day self-absorbed wankfest that followed Tim Russert’s death.

I guess the reference to Russert confirms that the blogosphere is its own kind of Village. While NBC and some newspapers covered Russert, it didn’t have anywhere near the world-wide impact of Jackson’s death.

I mean, people were noting how they got a copy of Thriller when they were kids and wore it out. I don’t recall reading many talking about how they got a video of a Russert MTP episode and watched it all day and night for weeks.

And while I see that many people have some kind of magical internal grief monitor by which they calibrate appropriate levels of grief that other people should feel or express, you really should keep this narcissistic shit to yourselves.

As I walked along the streets of Southern California yesterday, I was struck by the number of foreign language newspapers that had MJ on the front page. And noodling a bit at work, I was struck by this photo montage from the Daily Mail (Shocked fans gathered around the world to mourn Michael Jackson).

On the way home, I was listening to LA Times reporter and talk show host Patt Morrison on public radio, asking for listener reaction to Jackson’s death. One woman, originally from Saudi Arabia, spoke about hearing MJ on pirate radio broadcasts and how his music was connected with her dreams of wanting something more in her life than was laid out for her by her society. Another listener, from Romania, spoke about being able to see Jackson during one of his world tours, noting how the concert was attached to his memories of unshackling from totalitarianism.

A music industry executive noted how Jackson’s albums Off the Wall and especially Thriller broke big worldwide, where the past model was for even the most well-known artist to break big in the US and maybe the UK, and then gradually roll out in other countries. The Wiki notes of Thriller:


Following the release of the album’s first single “The Girl Is Mine”, some observers assumed Thriller would only be a minor hit record. With the release of the second single “Billie Jean”, the album topped the charts in many countries. At its peak, the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time.

But again I note that Jackson, musically and culturally speaking, had been a part of people’s lives since first burst onto the scene with the Jackson 5. Many people grew up along with him.

ricky —Name one musical contribution Jackson made that has lasted beyond the MTV playlist change.

I don’t know. In my little universe, any time corporate racism is blasted is a good day. Before MJ, the assumption was that white people might explode—just freaking blow up in their living rooms—if they saw black performers showing up on their teevees.

burnspbesq—Coltrane died at age 39. That was a tragedy, and an incalcuable loss.

This is a pointless game of one-upsmanship. You might as well say something like “Franz Schubert died at age31. That was a tragedy, and an incalculable loss.”

More real is the tangible impact that a musician or performer has on those who listen to their work, or who have had the pleasure of actually seeing them perform at their creative peak. Their effect on people’s eyes, ears and hearts is so great that they can barely believe it when the artist dies, and perhaps explains why some semi-seriously (and others with an obsessive weirdness) maintain that Elvis is still alive. And it certainly explains this often noted reaction to the death of jazz musician—yes, Wile E. Quixote—jazz musician Charlie Parker:

Shortly after Parker died, graffiti began appearing around New York with the words ‘Bird Lives.’

Lamh, the coverage will continue to be over the top of MJ until he reaches martyr status in death.

The only other ocassion AAs have had a chance to do this was with Martin. Our heritage has been full of worthy people but not until Mike have we had one to die that crossed multi-international color barriers. We will fight hard for his just do.

Here's my favorite line:

"And while I see that many people have some kind of magical internal grief monitor by which they calibrate appropriate levels of grief that other people should feel or express, you really should keep this narcissistic shit to yourselves."

Damn, skippy!

AMEN!!!

I argued with one of my friends over Lil Kim and Mary J. Blige's outpouring of grief over Biggie...how in the hell can we even begin to judge another person on how they deal with somebody's death?? Hell, they knew him, and I'll be damned if I would care about the cameras if somebody I knew and loved died. I understand people may not personally have broken bread with MJ but damn, they're probably closer to his music than they are half the people they DO break bread with at a family reunion.

Truth!

After caring for hospice patients and their families, it has deepen my appreciation for the living and the dying. Folks grieve on so many levels.

Mesage for folks who want me to shut down on MJ.

Even the folks who want others to cut their grieving short might be grieving. They are uncomfortable with their own grief and want to stiffle other folks. If they are.. I'm ok with it. Just know if you don't want to go there, don't expect other folks to turn it off because you say so.

THANK YOU!!!