Jack & Jill Politics

Thank heavens, vanilla, with hot fudge!...

..and cute as a peanut.

oh god--what a cutie!!

I know! I want to pinch her cheeks.

According to the former child psychotics here, she would respond: "step off, heifer!".

EVENING OPEN THREAD IS UP

Ted Kennedy is making a final press for universal healthcare, from his sickbed

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) listens carefully during the closing session of the White House's forum on health care reform in the East Room of the White House March 5, in Washington, DC.
As Congress wrestles with legislation to give Americans access to quality care, which the Democrat worked toward for 46 years, the senator is sidelined with brain cancer, but not out of the game.

By Faye Fiore and Noam N. Levey
July 26, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- Ted Kennedy wakes up mornings in his house on Cape Cod to a packet of news clippings put together by his wife. If there's a hearing going on in Washington, he watches on his computer.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/...

This man on the radio just went off because Obama invited Gates and Crowley to have a beer at the White House because somehow that is to blame for alcoholism in the Black community? It was really confusing, but he was really mad. I guess he's going to talk about it all next week. Obama said 'have a beer' not 'get sloppy drunk'

I think there's probably something else bothering him...
:)

LOLOLOL!!!!

what a fucking NUT!!!!

Please forgive generalization. Twelve-steppers can be as loony as some fringe groups.

I thought Americans liked having a president they could have a beer with.

Apparently that only applies to White Americans

lolol

Obama's not inviting them over for some Colt 45's is he?

The way that man went off, you would have thought he was inviting them for moonshine.

Are you listening to WAOK?

No, I was listening to a local show, you can listen online next weekend though, it's 107.5 in Columbus, Ohio and the show is on Sundays from 7-9

This was at my blog mailbox, if you could call it that... Sorry if it is a dupe. The person did not ID themselves.


Lucia Whalen Where Are You?

July 25, 2009


“There are 1 million black men in the prison system, and on Thursday I became one of them.” ....Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Where is Lucia Whalen hiding? She's the woman who on Thursday, July 16, 2009 around 12:30pm called Cambridge, Massachusetts police to say that, "two large black men with backpacks" were breaking into a house on Ware St. Ware St. is not far from Harvard Square, and anyone living in that vicinity is usually affiliated with Harvard University or very wealthy.

Turns out the person she saw breaking in was esteemed scholar of African American history, Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. trying to get into his own home! Turns out he and his chaffeuer were wearing suits, there were three pieces of luggage on the porch and a Town Car parked outside. Prof. Gates had just returned from a trip to China. Prof. Gates is an older gentleman, small and walks with a cane. As you've heard in the news, Prof. Gates was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after asking Sgt. Jim Crowley to produce ID. The charges were later dropped.

At first I thought the incident happened at night. Turns out it happened in broad daylight. So, from what I can conclude about Ms. Whalen is that she is a BIGOT! Yes, she may have been well intentioned calling in a potential B&E (Breaking & Entering), but her description of the two men was way off. What did she want...the police to shoot the two black men with backpacks? If Prof. Gates was a younger, stronger looking black man he probably would have been shot in his own home! Did she want to be declared a hero for nabbing two black men. Obviously she didn't expect to see black people living in a nice house on Ware St.

Lucia Whalen goes down in history as the woman who showed the world that racism is alive in America today. Lucia Whalen goes down in history as the woman who almost started a race riot, and international incident. She goes down as the woman who led President Obama to be reminded by bigoted white folks that even though he is President he is still an n-word! Thanks to Lucia Whalen, a stellar police sergeant is now labelled, Sgt. Jim Crow, while Prof. gates is labelled Prof. Uppity! Now there's a new saying, "Being home while black!" Yes, it was her actions that started the tsunami of emotion and polarization.

What was Lucia Whalen doing on Ware St. in Cambridge and she lives in Malden, MA? Well, she is the Fundraising and Circulation manager for Harvard magazine which has its offices on the same Ware St....just a few doors down from Prof. Gates home.

Why is she hiding? And what does Harvard magazine have to say about this? They should be ashamed to have someone who does not know Prof. Gates on their staff. The magazine has done many articles on him and his work. He is one of the prides of Harvard University.

I would ask Harvard magazine to make Lucia Whalen watch films like ROOTS, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, & Prof. Gates PBS series on African American history. She needs to be sensitized that black people are human beings too!

Come out from hiding Lucia Whalen and explain your side!

"What was Lucia Whalen doing on Ware St. in Cambridge and she lives in Malden, MA? Well, she is the Fundraising and Circulation manager for Harvard magazine which has its offices on the same Ware St....just a few doors down from Prof. Gates home."

Damn. Just so ridiculously and blatantly racist. And she was also standing outside when Gates was handcuffed according to Crowley's report.

Did you know that Obama's Gay Lover works in the White House? Yes, and Michelle is furious!

His name ain't Reggie Love for nothin'

Saw this at the checkout counter...and fell out laughing. Pure Comedy

Gotta love The Globe Magazine

Woooooooooooooooooooooow. LOL. Well Reggie is supposed to take care of Obama's needs before Obama knows he has those needs. So THAT'S why they call him Obama's "Body Man" LOL!

Okay, so I'm listening to the radio, and that 'Read a Book' song came on, while it's hilarious to ME, I wonder how many people it actually inspired to read a book, raise their kids, take regular baths, and drink water. . .

Here's the song in case you've never heard it (explicit language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlKL_EpnSp8

Anyone watch Sarah Palin's goodbye?

That woman is the devil. Period.

She was not worth watching as a candidate, why watch her now?

"Her first order of business as a private citizen is to speak Aug. 8 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. She also wants to campaign for political candidates from coast to coast, and continue to speak her mind on the social networking site Twitter."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/26/palin-...


She's gonna speak her mind...on twitter...that is so appropriate.

I've seen her tweets. She should go back to the 1st grade.

Oh my gosh, I had to turn it off before I gave my tv a beat down! I swear. She reminds me of Damian where people look at her and kill themselves, or that Riker character on Airplane (for those who are old enough to know that movie), where he talks and people kill themselves.

raotflmao

Had to share: Sign language translation of Sarah Palin's farewell speech

Perfect!

No, do I even want to know what she did?

Adam Serwer at TAP comments on Obama’s effort to cool down the media uproar: now we know what a black man can’t do — not if he’s president and not if he wants to get anything done: He can’t tell white people something about race they aren’t willing to hear, no matter how true it is.

(RaceWire) A scripted dialogue

President Obama’s walkback on his comment about Cambridge police and Henry Gates will read differently to different people—an admission of impropriety, a calculated political maneuver, or, to those who hoped the incident would spark a major public discussion, as a quiet surrender.

Regardless of the specifics of the Gates incident, Obama’s larger point about racial profiling is, as the president put it, a “fact.” A culturally skewed media applauds when Obama presses black folks to do better, but when it comes to challenging white people, well, that just isn’t appropriate. Maybe this is a bridge too far—it’s hard to imagine any politician getting away with calling cops stupid. But this conversation is inevitably charged with the tumultuous history of black folks and law enforcement.

Obama’s language describing the Cambridge Police was overly derisive. But this feels like much more than a personal apology to Sgt. Crowley. Obama did try to salvage his larger argument, saying that we need to spend “a little more time listening to each other, and focus on how we can generally improve relationships between police officers and minority communities.” But that point will probably be lost. In the end, Obama’s statement will be internalized in part as an apology to white people for not knowing his place — which is, at least in part, to make everyone feel really awesome about having a black president.

Is this the social contract that “post-racialism” has drafted? It's interesting how public anxieties about race tend to swell during times of political tumult. After all, when was the last time the media fixated on a clash between a powerful person of color and working-class white civil servants? It was only days ago that conservatives were nervously waving the banner of the decent, hardworking American firefighter, seeking to demonize a Latina woman who seemed to threaten a white-dominated political order. Both the Sotomayor and Gates battles reflect a spasmodic meltdown on the right, with conservatives clinging ferociously to their imperiled sense of entitlement.

Wow...I didnt even think about the comparison to the Sotomayor - Ricci siutation.

that's our dnA...doesn't he kick ass!!

Los Angeles Times | July 26, 2009 | 9:15 a.m. PT

---


Weekend box office: 'G-Force' triumphs, 'Potter' drops 61%

The tables got turned on "Harry Potter" this weekend, as "G-Force" took a bigger
chunk of the family audience than expected and came in a surprising No. 1 at the
box office.

Disney's lighthearted, effects-heavy action flick starring guinea pigs sold
$32.2 million in tickets in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates.
Aided by about 1,600 theaters that played it in digital 3-D, which brings a
ticket-price surcharge, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced picture is off to a
healthy start at the box office. If audience interest remains strong for a few
weeks, it could end up grossing more than $100 million.

Box office top ten:

1. 'G-Force' - $32,152,000

2. 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' - $30,000,000

3. 'The Ugly Truth' - $27,000,000

4. 'Orpah' - $12,770,000

5. 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' - $8,200,000

6. 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' - $8,000,000

7. 'The Hangover' - $6,465,000

8. 'The Proposal' - $6,423,000

9. 'Public Enemies' - $4,170,000

10. 'Bruno' - $2,719,000

Source: Nielsen EDI

I'm taping Black in America 2 for my sister and this crossed my mind:

Will Soleded have any AFRO-Latinos on her

Latino In America?

I beleive she will, and maybe even her own family members.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the commercial for it.

I would hope so since she is an Afro-Latina.

And when will Asians in America air?

Can I just say that JJP has the CUTEST, most adorable pics?!?!?! Really, I just love it! It's great to see these little bundles of joy...just makes me smile.

The current NCAA system exploits the black community more than any other (outside the prison system), since most of the top college football and basketball players in the US are African American. This exploitation is worsened by the recent commitment to use athlete images for videogames that gross several million dollars for the organization each year

Dr Boyce Money: The NCAA Finally Gets Sued

I've written extensively about the NCAA and what I perceive to be their consistent efforts to exploit the black community. They spend millions on public service announcements to protect their deception, but eventually the athletes and the public are going to wise up to what they are doing. The truth is that college athletes should be paid for the same reasons that any actor in a Hollywood blockbuster film would expect to receive compensation

The problem is that the families of athletes don't quite know how to organize and fight for their power. So, when I read about the recent lawsuit against the NCAA for allegedly misusing the images of athletes for videogames, I was a very happy man.

Let me break it down for you:

Based on my 16-years of experience as a college professor (I currently teach at Syracuse University, a school that earns millions off black families every year), collegiate athletics is not, in my opinion, about amateurism and it's not about education. It's about making money. Period. Many athletes are admitted to college every year and they would not be granted admission were it not for their ability to play sports and make money for the campus. Making money is not a problem, but the problem comes with the fact that universities do not share this revenue with the families of the players.

College sport is far from being extracurricular: it is an exhaustively time-consuming set of activities in which athletes are consistently required to miss class, wake up early in the morning and engage in as much stress as a professional to represent the university's financial interests. This is not the typical experience of a college student, and it impedes their ability to learn.

Finally, the lack of revenue sharing with the families of college athletes is not coincidental. There is a complex nexus of carefully designed rules and regulations which keep athletes and their families from getting any share of the money. These rules are supported by the anti-trust exemptions granted by Congress and allow the NCAA to use education as their excuse for not paying the players and keeping their families in poverty; that's why they run those ridiculous commercials in which they brag about how many of their athletes go pro in something other than sports. The truth is that they are working to manipulate your mind.

I went to see Harry Potter - good movie, but the most unfulfilling, because you know it's the setup for the final chapter.

Also saw a trailer for the Black Princess Disney movie....who am I kidding..I'm going to go see it.

my brother said the whole movie felt like a big set up, so should I not go see it? I was looking forward to going when I'm done with the Bar

I enjoyed the Harry Potter movie. The supporting cast of top notch English actors is a treasure to behold.

you should go see it, but I felt like I did at the end of Lord of the Rings 2 - good movie, but ready for the finale.

I'm waiting for my daughter to come back in town so we can go see G Force, a movie about ghetto guinea pig spys. I can't wait! I thought about going to see Harry Potter, but it seemed scary.

did you see GHETTO guinea pig spys?

BWA HA HA HA HA

Liberal Bloc Rebels Against Baucus as HCAN Goes After Dogs
by pronin2 [Subscribe]
Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 12:50:10 AM PDT

Looks like Senate liberals are fed up with Baucus. We saw in the past weeks them signing a public statement in favor of a strong public option. We saw a sense of deep mistrust among the bloc about Baucus prerogatives in the past few weeks as he stalls reform. Now they write an open letter to Baucus in oppostion to his private deals with BIG PHARMA to close the Medicare Pt D doughtnut and lower drug costs.

These deals outside the legislative process wont save near as much money as drug price controls will. We the taxpayer will lose billions if the government is not directly involved in regulating drug costs. Some deal with pharma should be deeply mistrusted and certainly is by this liberal bloc of 22 senators. They are warning Baucus-better worry about the Democratic Caucus-not the GOP or deals with industry. Baucus is so worried about the GOP’s feelings and big business placations that he is losing a good number of senators over the manner and goals of his mystery bill. More below, including full letter.

Also HCAN has sent letters to all Blue Dogs pressuring them not to weaken the bill. See it below....



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/26/757905/...

Pro-Life State Sen. Paul Stanley, Mr. Abstinence cheats on wife with 22 year old intern and gets blackmailed
By John Amato Sunday Jul 26, 2009 1:00pm

Here we go again. Another phony pro-life or should I say, anti-choice republican gets exposed in dirty dealings. He's not so much against the idea of sex as wanting the young ones for himself.

Ken Whitehouse:

State Sen. Paul Stanley (R-Memphis) will resign his chairmanship of the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow, NashvillePost.com has learned, in the wake of the revelation that he was the subject of an attempted blackmail scheme over a sexual relationship with an intern in his office.

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/state-sen-...


BWA HA H HA HA HA HA AH AH HA

Family values.........maybe someone should ask them to define "family" for us, we could be assuming something that they don't mean.

Okay, this is bugging the hell out of me. In the new Twista song, is the woman saying I need a "daddy" or a "deity" or what?

"daddy".....its rather creepy IMO.

That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. Now that I know, I know I'm right to be offended. I have a daddy, I'm not looking for another one. And I can take care of MYSELF. See, that's another problem. I understand men needing to feel needed, and feeling emasculated by all of the women who say "I don't need a man" but at the same time, I don't want a man aspiring to be my "daddy." Ugh. This is why I don't listen to the contemporary radio stations.

Yeah, There are quite a few practices by the ghetto demographic that I don't understand. Forinstance, why do the males wear little girl hairstyles (multiple pony tails, etc.)? Why do the boys continue to wear their pants down even after knowing that it means they are available for sodomy? Why do young adults who want to be respected as young adults walk around sucking pacifiers? Why would that boy on BIA2 (or any kid) say that he wants to be a lawyer if he is not on grade level and unwilling to do what it takes to get on grade level?

I can understand someone thinking they need a daddy if they never had one.

Pacifers? What is THAT about? Do kids actually do that? Is this a psychological symptom of lack of nurturing as offspring of teen moms, who need mommies themselves?

Just went to kitchen to get tea and saw a commercial airing.with pre-teens girls portrayed as rock stars singing about their baby pops . So, they must be popular?

Edit - add
Just found a Jonas Bros Baby Pop Commercial while looking for the one on teevee.

I have no idea where this sprang forth from, but its really disturbing.

"Why would that boy on BIA2 (or any kid) say that he wants to be a lawyer if he is not on grade level and unwilling to do what it takes to get on grade level?"

Because thats what kids are programmed to say. Doctor, lawyer, firefighter, police officer, President. Except now I dont think many minority kids say Police officer anymore.

true--it's a learned, reflexive response. usually belies a lack of exposure to other professions as well.

black in america 2 was great, btw. soledad and crew should be proud. i skipped the tyler perry piece though.

I was gonna respond to you about these wierd practices, but when you bought up the pacifier, I completely forgot what I intended to write. The pacifier thing freaks me out to no end. I have no idea where or why or how that disturbing trend came to be. The sight of anyone with that pacifier-shaped candy actually makes the little hairs on my neck stand up. I was in my hometown during the 4th of July and had taken my nephew with me to get some paper plates and that candy was near the register and he asked for it....knowing that Tee Tee usually will get him what he wants, but as soon as I saw it I cringed and said "no, but you can pick another candy"...he did the whining "but tee tee I want this".................I totally had an outta body experience. I could see me and hear me and it wasn't my regular voice. I sounded like Darth Vader and I said "WHAT DID I SAY?? YOU WILL NOT EVER HAVE THIS FILTHY DISGUSTING POISON IN YOUR MOUTH! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? DO YOU UNDERSTAND TEE TEE??" My sister told me a few days ago that my Mom offered him a popsicle and he looked at it and asked "is it poison?"

hahahahha, you know you crazy!! I would done the same.

But Miranda, this was a 'teachable moment'
to ask, why you need a pacifier.

"I totally had an outta body experience. I could see me and hear me and it wasn't my regular voice. I sounded like Darth Vader and I said "WHAT DID I SAY?? YOU WILL NOT EVER HAVE THIS FILTHY DISGUSTING POISON IN YOUR MOUTH! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? DO YOU UNDERSTAND TEE TEE??""

lol. co-sign. I don't get pacifiers and yes, they are creepy.

LMAO@ sounding like Darth Vader. I think I saw that candy once and wrinkled my nose at it.

For those who think that health care reform is dead take these words to heart:

"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

Frederick Douglass, 1857

Washington Post editorial on Health care "reform":
http://www.twp.com/detail.jsp?key=416495&rc=to_...

It's not Obama who is saying healthcare reform is pain free it is the corporate media who claim that change must be pain free.

There are many interesting aspects to the "reform".
For an instance - end of life care: AA are the most expensive when it comes to end of life care as they tend to request that the doctors/hospital do Everything they can for the patient. On the other hand, whites tend to put their loved ones into hospice or comfort care when there is no hope.
Hospitals/clinics that are held up to be emulated are often the biggest abusers of health care dollars. For example: The Mayo Clinic usually performs all the tests that were just done elsewhere in order to confirm the diagnosis.
Who pays for this new program? The "rich" seems to be a movable target. Employers will be tempted to dump their own insurance plans because they are already paying more than the 8% penalty for not providing insurance. The healthy young people in the work force will have to buy health insurance, thus subsidizing the older people, but the younger people will be subsidized by the govt. Makes me dizzy.
Then there is the talk about limited returns vis a vis Medicare. At what point do you stop treatment or perhaps not even give treatment to an elderly person? I have a personal interest in this as my 92 year old mother is receiving very, very expensive intraocular injections to try to prevent a progessive blindness, paid for (for the most part) by Medicare. Or should my 96 year old father in law have received that new heart valve when he was 84 years old? I would like questions like this answered not with platitudes but with facts.
Some clear cut answers are needed before a 100 billion dollar a year(low ball estimate) permanent entitlement program is started. The CBO has expressed doubt about the various payment schemes.

Some clarifications:
Taxing the rich is called progressive taxation because it's the kind that is less onerous on them than it is on the poor.

The young are already subsidizing the old through a popular program called Medicare.

Rationing occurs on daily basis. The determining factors are whether you have health insurance and what kind of insurance coverage do you have.

Medicare is actually a trust fund similiar to the Social Security Trust Fund.
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TRSUM/index.html
The idea is that you pay into the trust fund during your working years, than withdraw that money after 65 as needed to pay for medical expenses. And yes it is running out of money and will be broke in about 7 years. At which point all hell will break loose. That is why I want to see a clear cut funding mechanism for the new entitlement reform program.
I do not mind taxing the rich, but the proposed rate is not enough to pay for the program.
As a matter of fact rationing does not really occur in the Medicare system because congress keeps giving out more and more benefits. The same thing will happen with the new system. Did you know that the house bill will pay for Dental care for the under 18? Congress cannot help itself.

Wrong! The funding mechanism for Medicare is along the lines of SS. The thinking is that the young helps the old and so on and so forth. It is based on idea of solidarity or my I am my brother's keeper.

With respect to the surtax, it would be sufficient for funding the program.

What is wrong providing these services?

Social Security Trust Fund
Medicare Trust Fund

This is how the system works. What I am paying towards in Social Security right now is going to those who rely on it right now. When I retire, the money will be coming from a young person.

The social security trust fund is just starting to draw on accumulated funds. That HUGE pile of money has been funding the govt. by investing in Govt. bonds. It will not be a pure cash flow situation until about 2040

Maybe. I think they are going to fold it and we are going to lose our investment.

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about the gov closing down social security and keeping our $.

Medicare started about the same timethat I started working and I have paid into the "trust fund" for over 40 years. It will run out of money just about the time I retire.
So much for "trust".

Well thanks for the Repubs looting it for funding their tax cuts and wars.

I don't think the difficulty on its own is what bothers people. It's the fact that it seems like there are too many people in Congress who are in the pockets of the health insurance industry without there seeming to be any really strong advocates for things like the Public option. For the conservatives to be a "minority" they sure are controlling the debate.

The corporate media doesn't want healthcare reform.

Corporate media paid by the same folks as congress.

you ain't neva lied.

Rikyrah, who is this little sugar dumpling that's wearing her ice cream in this pic? She is too cute!

Yes, she is Miranda...adorable fat kissable cheeks..just begging to be smooched!!

Found the pic over at BookerRising.

House to consider resolution demanding Obama apologize to Crowley - Congress would demand that President Obama apologize to the officer the president said had "acted stupidly" in the arrest of a prominent Harvard professor under a resolution set to be introduced by one Michigan lawmaker.

Another good House resolution would demand that Obama finally explain - Truthfully this time! - why he was a member of a racist group for 20-years. Obama first tried to save racist Wright, and recently tried to save the racist Henry Louis Gates...clearly a pattern of protecting racists.

bring it.

Go jump off a steep cliff head first!

He already did, kid. And now Obama, Crowley and Gates are gonna have a beer together.

Isn't it cool to have a grown up back in the white house?

We're taking your kun-tree!
We're taking your kun-tree!
Nanny nanny boo boo
nanny nanny boo boo

The president was born in Kenya
and he wont say the pledge
his wife hates america
you're sitting on a ledge!

nanny nanny boo boo
nanny nanny boo boo

We hate amerikkka
we're gonna make you a slave
you call the prez a chicago thug
thug means THE HATE YOU GAVE

nanny nanny boo boo
nanny nanny boo boo

we're taking over
there's nothing you can do
so bitch and moan and cry and whine
we dont give a fuck, boo-hoo!

nanny nanny boo boo
nanny nanny boo boo

You need to get a hobby, may I suggest reading things that aren't on the Internet? :)

"Obama in Mom Jeans" is Greg Morton's new song. His "Obama Man" took off BIG Time - 3,305,606 views so far.

R.A.O.T.F.L.M.A.O

Now you all have hit an all time low. He really got inside your head didn't he.

lolol Thanks for making my night Karmi. NOW I feel better. lolol snicker

If any of you feel your postcolonial, critical race theory and semiology mind getting a bit rusty from underuse, check this article out from the latest issue of the Barnard Center for the Study of Women online journal.

The issue is on Rewriting Dispersal: Africana Gender Studies. The article is by Tavia Nyong'o and is called "Barack Hussein Obama, or, The Name of the Father."

http://www.barnard.edu/sfonline/africana/nyongo...

Beware, this woman is seriously committed to and fearless of full catastrophe theoretical terminology.

However, I decided that I "had" to plough through it after she quotes both Jacques Derrida and Wanda Sykes (from that very funny press dinner) next to each other right up front.

Oh my goodness. My brain aches, but it had a few good points and introduced me to some new African American Feminist theorists that I want to look up.

Went & got some groceries...... mostly fruits & vegetables with meat for grilling. Just saw this at the NYTimes on summer minimalist eating. It was 10:30 am when I was driving home and it was 88-degrees. Fortunately our humidity isn't high (7-13% until night) because it's going to be hellified HOT today.

That's some good eating Ice Cream! Too cute! :)

Vernon Forrest shot dead in Atlanta:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/sports/others...

This is the 3rd boxer dead this summer - Arguello, Gatti and now Forrest...and all violent deaths.

This is one serious ice cream eater! What a little sweetheart!

oh my yes. i had to laugh when i saw that face. i needed a smile after struggling with writing all day!!!

Why at church today did my Pastor stand on the pulpit to say that he was glad the President "back tracked" from his statement the other night because he should have stayed out of local politics especially when he didn't have all the facts? Then he had the nerve to say to the congregation "and I support the President so . . .can I get an Amen!"

Well suffice to say he didn't get an amen from me . . . in fact he go a VERY loud -- YOU ARE WRONG. . . and I went on (during the service) to break it down and asked HIM for an explanation that he would in his role advocate for any citizen to be arrested in their own home for mouthing off! Folks, drama was all in the church this morning cause I didn't care where I was . . . if you are wrong you are wrong and you shouldn't have asked . . . for validation (can I get an amen) without expecting a response.

You can't have it both ways . . . preaching during black history months about the struggles of a race blah blah blah and then the rest of the time when a black man/woman is publicly standing up and is raising awareness around issues within the minority community . . .they should have "stayed out of local issues". This is the reason why for so long black folks had to struggle. 70% of the masses (even after being granted equal rights under the law) are stubbornly clinging to mental slavery and outright refuse to push against the status quo or demand equality and then they have the nerve to talk trash about the ones who ARE fighting for equality for all people. WTH!

Today wasn't such a good day for the Pastor. I understand he feels the President should have kept his mouth shut . . . but from where I was sitting if he was not willing to stand up and be a part of the solution . . .so should he (STHU).

You go Val. You are awesome, I would never been able to do what you did.

You better say that.

WOW, JUST WOW, VAL! What a hero you are! I have always wanted to do this but never had the courage. I also felt that I didn't have the right to disrupt. You go, Girl. Amen.

hey wasteacher. appreciate the support. I don't know about being a hero but I just can't sit quiet when I hear blatant nonsense. Some things you let go . . . this one . . . he should have known better.

I understand about your concern about speaking out in church (as you can see I am struggling with that myself. Still contemplating if I want to ask for forgiveness on that one when I meant what I said . . .) :-)

thnx

ITA.

I don't think people read or listen carefully at all...in fact, I know they don't. At no time did he apologize for what he said. Also, people didn't listen to Obama's statement during the presser--or they listen very selectively--when they say "but he admitted he didn't have all the facts." Balderdash. This was the quote:

"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

He said he didn't have all the facts to state that this was *motivated by race.* But you'd have to racist or a "good German" not to see that arresting a man because he was a meanie is at least motivated by stupidity.

This is exactly why I dont go to church anymore. Too many politics.

Preach it!!

Glad to hear, you preached to the preacher Val..you were absolutely 100% RIGHT to tell the truth in church.

How old is the minister?

Perhaps, he called himself not wanting to encourage black males to protest EVEN if they ARE in their homes?

Cause he knows, Gates could have just as easily been shot down on his porch. They would have laid that cane next to him and called it a lethal weapon.

Not saying it is right, and I know black males are sick and tired, but if he has young black males in the congregation, he does not want them battered or worse dead for
excersing their rights.

Nevertheless, you were right to add your perspective for balance.

Um, just curious did you actually stand during the service and counter him from your pew?!

Were your babies with you did your hubby support you?

girl he is in his 60's. Yes my kids were there and so was hubby . . . but when my husband saw my nose flare . . . he moved all the way over to the left side of the pew. lol YES I stood up and said what I said. I wanted him to stop the foolishness or explain himself.

Sick of folks who are responsible for the education of folks standing on the pulpit spewing garbage. . . . hours later and I am still annoyed. lol
Luckily my husband is used to me speaking up at inopportune moments. lol I ain't mad at him when he separates himself. . . a brother has to do what a brother has to do. but he always says although my timing may be a little "uncomfortable" I am always right.

No the Pastor wasn't thinking about influencing any young men. He meant what he said until AFTER I started asking him to clarify his statements.

lol YES I stood up and said what I said.


Did you stand up, Val?! lol

You preached today, sista! You opened some eyes too. You gave people a moment to think for themselves. Today was that day.

"girl he is in his 60's"

OK, that explains it..he has been terrorized and lived to the tell not only his tale but those of many other male relatives, friends and acquaintances."

I would expect him to do what he did.

But you brought it!! And the WOMEN shall lead.

How long before hubby goes to church again with you?

lol Whiterose hubby will be right next to me on next Sunday. lol He blew up the phone when he got home calling everybody telling him about today's events like he was the one driving the conversation. lolol . . . .but he does not like confrontations at all and will sit in front of someone who he KNOWS is bull shi**ing him and say nothing until we get home.

Me. . . I am different. Tell me something that makes no sense and I will ask you at that time to clarify your statements. Ain't got no time to go home, call Tom, Dick, Harry and Soldier Larry to complain or talk about what so and so said. No. . . explain to me what you mean and why and I finish the conversation right there.

YGG!

Black women have always had to lead when the consequences for our men were far more severe. It is understandable, why they do not go out on the limb. Most just keep their heads down, nose to the grind stone, so they can keep their jobs and provide for their families.

And loving spouses like you...that say what needs to be said!!

Cause he knows, Gates could have just as easily been shot down on his porch. They would have laid that cane next to him and called it a lethal weapon.

Damnnn! Think of the computer screens!

(And have you ever been whacked with a cane? Jus' asking.)

Not meaning to take away from this being 'an option' in their book.

lol

Word, I just gotta tell you. You have some real tangential thinking...but it's ALL good. I enjoy it.

When I first read your remark - "cause he knows......" I laughed because it was spot on. Prof. Gates could've just as easily been shot and then set up to look like the perpetrator on his own porch.

Now...I've been hit with canes & things while at work. You can do some real damage especially if it's solid, heavy wood.

And just for the hell of it - I googled 'tangential thinking' just being curious.... oh jeezzus - all kinds of schizophrenic, etc., type files. Enjoyed this tidbit:

Another common difficulty in diagnosing schizotypal personality disorder is distinguishing it from other the schizoid, avoidant, and paranoid personality disorders. Some researchers believe that schizotypal personality disorder is essentially the same disorder as schizoid, but many feel there are distinguishing characteristics. Schizoids are deficient in their ability to experience emotion, while schizotypals are more pronounced in their inability to understand human motivation and communication. While avoidant personality disorder has many of the same symptoms as schizotypal personality disorder, the distinguishing symptom in schizotypal is the presence of behavior that is noticeably eccentric. The schizotypal differs from the paranoid by tangential thinking and eccentric behavior.

Welll, I was thing more along these lines:

Idiom

off on or at a tangent, digressing suddenly from one course of action or thought and turning to another: The speaker flew off on a tangent.

because you wrote:

"Think of the computer screens! "



No schizo, psychobabble intended at all.

Ahh! Because I was drinking iced tea!

It's what everyone says - unless it's work-related, then I'm very much on task. And most of my friends feel this bewildering panic when they've managed to keep up with the twists & turns of our conversations.

No schizo, psychobabble intended at all.

You may rue this ....... LOL.

LOL! Had I been there I would have backed you up. Obama didn't backtrack at all. We have a lot of "Uncle Ruckus"es coming out after the drama of this week (not saying your pastor is necessarily one as I don't know him :o} )

He didn't take back his comments, but he did cater to those who thought he was wrong for saying it. It made him appear weak to me.

Bush rocked ruff and tuff with his afro puffs and look where that got us. :-(

Ms. Martin, I hope you are doing fine.

I agree with you, though I am really tired of people scrutinizing Obama's every move looking for a reason to imply sissiness/weakness/girliness/efeminate tendencies. America really must expand it's definition of manhood and get rid of the cowboy fetish. It is madness. I also think it contributes to our boys shunning intellectual development. If we could embrace ideals like humanity, humility, peace, maturity, and the like, we would not see his back track as being weak, we would see it as being generous. He saved 2 citizens from having a protracted and ugly court battle. He made it go away even though he kinda had to sacrifice himself to do it.

"If we could embrace ideals like humanity, humility, peace, maturity, and the like, we would not see his back track as being weak, we would see it as being generous."

Exactly wasteacher. although I wouldn't call it a backtrack but a change in verbiage . . . but that is neither here nor there. I agree with your overall assessment.

He's a very non-confrontational person, I looked at his statement more like a "you guys REALLY can't seem to get over this yourselves, so let me build you the bridge so you can get over that river you've been crying" moment. More often than not Obama has to step in and be the adult in the room, otherwise Rev. Wright would still be in the news 24/7.

Well said Muzikal.

So would I!!

**Justice runs up and daps Val with white handkerchief!**


I AIN'T mad @ You, Val!

Tell it!

You were spot on about "preaching during black history months about the struggles of a race blah blah blah and then the rest of the time when a black man/woman is publicly standing up and is raising awareness around issues within the minority community" . . .they should have "stayed out of local issues".


And the nerve to ask for validation as if everyone should agree with his stupid mentality! Amen Val...looks like you preached today! Go ahead sista!

Oh Lawd......

..... well - you weren't wrong in my book.

One of the reasons I don't attend church any longer is I cannot BEAR the bullshit.

And when they aren't promoting BS, they're asking for money (which is a huge turn off to me, I give what I can, and you're not getting anything else out of me)

The sanctimonius bullshit - right on.

yea I know I have to do pennance later cause you shouldn't mouth off at a "man of God" but . . BS is BS. So I will ask my God for forgiveness later "IF" I regret my words. Otherwise. . . I will accept responsibility and deal with whatever happens.

I still can't believe that he said that. . . .

That's right BS is BS regardless of the mouth spewing it.

Ministers ain't no more a man of God, than you are when it comes to expressing political opinions. You were every bit as Godly as him in that moment.

LOL, well next time feel free to direct him HERE and WE'LL set him straight

I think it was God who told you to speak out, afterall, you were in his house. The truth can't be held back, it doesn't matter who has to hear it.

yea I know I have to do pennance later cause you shouldn't mouth off at a "man of God" but . . BS is BS.


Val,

When he is wrong....he is wrong! What if Dr. King took this Pastor's stand? There were some pastors back then that went against Dr. King out of fear. Courage is when you are afraid but yet STAND!

thanks for the words Justice.