Jack & Jill Politics

LeBron James should fling the first Indiana Pacer he sees to the ground during Sunday’s playoff game. Well, not necessarily the first. He has to be a “big.” Otherwise LeBron, a big guy, would be seen as a bully mauling an undersized—compared to him– guard. It should be early and he has to be slick about it, so he’s not ejected. Opening tipoff is good. He could pretend he’s just going for the ball. There’ll be a lot of opportunities taking shots and especially going for rebounds.

I spent part of my youth in too many clubs–or too much time in the same one—featuring Donna Summer songs. So of course I reminisced some, as did a lot of baby boomers, when I heard she died. Like others of my generation, I was saddened too. She was rare in that she actually had a few great pieces—like “Bad Girl” and “Last Dance.” She didn’t get all that much credit as a singer during her heyday. Part of that was her fault. She moaned a lot during her first hits. Part of it was beyond what she could control. She came along when ’Retha was around. That was bad enough. But then there were also Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore. And Natalie Cole. And Roberta Flack. Later came the incomparable Whitney. As that singer—Sylvester, I think his name was– once bellowed, introducing his back-ups: “These girls can sing, y’all.” But I always thought Summer had a good strong distinctive voice and she seems to be getting credit for that now.

What about that Danny Granger? He’s always in LeBron’s face. So is that certified Laker nutcase, the Metta World guy. LeBron’s a kind of oddity. Big and strong and from the streets. But his instincts are not those of a street fighter. Just this really sweet guy. (My grandson, another sweet guy, follows LeBron’s every move.) Who knows? Maybe he’s afraid he’ll hurt someone. He’s strong as an ox. But he is going to get a reputation for not hitting back. And people hit in the playoffs. Hitting back helps you to win.

Man, a lot of white people are going bat-feces crazy about Obama being president, aren’t they? We’re back to Jeremiah Wright. And Obama being born in Kenya. And he didn’t floss all last week although he told Michelle he did. And on and on. I’m sure Sean Hannity will have a breakdown on television soon. (If that guy’s not a member of some white supremacist group, my name isn’t Lee Haven.) But hey, when all is said and done, Obama is a politician. So he did throw Wright under the bus. And Wright, understandably, is upset. Upset enough to give an interview to a guy he had to know would pop up on Fox to keep the bat-feces craziness going. C’mon, Obama didn’t hear one of those sermons? And double c’mon, Wright’s not telling the truth when he says white men have run the world for awhile? OK. He’s indelicate. He’ll use words like “greedy.” This one’s for Wright: Did you really think Obama would allow himself to be associated with a man so critical of America and still expect to win? It would be interesting to have heard the conversations between the two when Obama told him he would run.

OK, I’ll say it. I didn’t like Donna Summer’s, well, hairs. Those damn wigs. Why were they so big? And unnecessarily ambitious—all those twists and turns and huge doses of frizzy or slick? They swallowed her natural good looks, her mostly sartorial elegance, and her shapely body. I know that I’m treading on sensitive ground talking about women and hair—especially sisters and theirs, given what they’ve been subjected to with the West’s insistence of white woman features as the standard of beauty. I suppose I remain partial to the natural. But even in the 60s, an activist like me understood that a sister didn’t always want to wear an afro. And I’ve learned to become OK with perms, extensions, etc. And I suppose I even like wigs—when they don’t look like a costume on your head.

Maybe Jeremiah Wright has to see it this way: Obama’s snub of him underscores what Wright has long said about America. Too many in this country are too racist to confront their racism and especially to stand a black guy telling them they are. Obama is admitting, then, by severing ties with the rev, that, in his heart of hearts, he knows this country—all that high-minded, we’re all decent Americans theme notwithstanding—is not what he tells them it is.

Whitney’s death made me think-sing a couple of her songs sadly for a day or two. Summer’s “Last Dance,” which I can’t get out my head, is giving me this energy. I didn’t plan on writing this piece. I had to write something. I’m humming, think-singing, and actually vocalizing “Last Dance” at this very literary moment. Wow. Rest in peace, Donna.

Pacer power forward David West flung LeBron to the ground the last game between Indiana and Miami. This for LeBron: Stick with Granger. Or as I said, someone your size or bigger. You shouldn’t go after David West. I understand he’s also a boxer. You need to acquit yourself, LeBron, but ain’t no sense in being a damn fool about it.

Some videos this afternoon.

Rachel Maddow on the continuing GOP War on Women: Washington, D.C. edition.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia, talks about how House Republicans are bullying her district into radical anti-abortion laws it can’t vote against, after attempting to undermine the Violence Against Women Act.

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Ed Schultz has Vice-President Biden fighting for the middle class.

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12-Year Old Child Reveals One of the Best Kept Secrets in the World
12-year old exposes the immorality of the global banking system and why sound money is essential to freedom and stopping the spread of misery on this planet

Lawrence O’Donnell of The Last Word takes on Mitt Romney’s job creation record and the bogus notion that the rich create jobs. Trickle down is totally debunked. He interviews Nick Hanauer. Bottom line, consumer demand rules everything.

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Good Afternoon.

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The New York Times just ran a story a few days ago based on a US Census Bureau report announcing that, for the first time in American history, white folks are the nationwide minority among the newborn. In other words, us colored are birthin’ more babies than white people. So naturally, the response among some (in the declining majority camp) has been to frustrate themselves over what this means about America’s future. Does this mean that we’re now becoming a minority majority country, someone asked? And what does that mean? Should we round up all the women and children and lead them to a safe white place?

OK, first thing. If we weren’t a minority majority country for all those centuries that white folks had us by the numbers, then why should America suddenly be labeled a ‘minority majority’ country once the former minorities become the majority? Sounds to me like somebody just can’t let that ‘minority’ designation go. Gotta find some way to keep that in there, right?

Except that no. Time to face up to the new dawn, people. To those of us who have been following this issue, this isn’t exactly news. The writing has been on the walls (on the wombs..?) for quite some time now. The US Census predicts that by the year 2050 whites will not only be the minority among the newborn population but among the entire US of A population (see video above). Look out y’all, here we come.

But I’m sure the concern about what to call this latest development isn’t the largest concern among some of our more paranoid brethren. The Big Concern is what happens to White Power once the numbers decline? And does the (possible) deterioration of White Power mean that whites will become targets of revenge for all that pent up anger going back to slavery?

Who knows, man. I’m trying to leave the prediction game alone. I predicted that Obama was going to wait until after the election before he openly supported gay marriage, and that this was the best course to take. Within about a day after I wrote that post here on JJP, here comes Obama making his announcement that he supports same sex marriage, right? So enough with the predictions. But I will say that, historically speaking, just because whites are due to  become the minority in a relatively brief amount of time hardly means they will switch places with the poor and dispossessed. Globally speaking, white people have been the minority pretty much forever and a day. And globally speaking, they have pretty much been running things for just about that long. Just take a look at how colonialism worked. That wasn’t the work of a majority population taking over a minority. Quite the opposite. Just sayin I think white folks are pretty good at holding their own when it comes to power.

Does this mean things will remain the same? Hell no. I seriously doubt it. The so-called minorities throughout the world – and here at home – have been paying attention to how the game is played, and I suspect there will be some rule changes taking effect. But don’t expect whites to be evicted from Wall Street anytime soon, if you catch my meaning.

As for the whole vengeful chickens full of pent-up anger coming home to roost thing, I doubt that as well. At least insofar as the non-white population rising up as one righteously angry mob to make the White Man pay for past injustices. To be honest, I’d like to believe we all have better things to do than revenge. If Nelson Mandela can come to such a conclusion in favor of moving forward, after all of the sheer hell white folks put him and his beloved South Africa through, then I believe such a necessary direction is instructive for the rest of us.

So rest easy white folks. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

This is being cross-posted at Black Liberal Boomer and Detroit Life.

This is what CITIZENS UNITED hath wrought.

From The NYTimes.com:

G.O.P. ‘Super PAC’ Weighs Hard-Line Attack on Obama
By JEFF ZELENY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: May 17, 2012

A group of high-profile Republican strategists is working with a conservative billionaire on a proposal to mount one of the most provocative campaigns of the “super PAC” era and attack President Obama in ways that Republicans have so far shied away from.

Timed to upend the Democratic National Convention in September, the plan would “do exactly what John McCain would not let us do,” the strategists wrote.

The plan, which is awaiting approval, calls for running commercials linking Mr. Obama to incendiary comments by his former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., whose race-related sermons made him a highly charged figure in the 2008 campaign.

“The world is about to see Jeremiah Wright and understand his influence on Barack Obama for the first time in a big, attention-arresting way,” says the proposal, which was overseen by Fred Davis and commissioned by Joe Ricketts, the founder of the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade. Mr. Ricketts is increasingly putting his fortune to work in conservative politics.

The $10 million plan, one of several being studied by Mr. Ricketts, includes preparations for how to respond to the charges of race-baiting it envisions if it highlights Mr. Obama’s former ties to Mr. Wright, who espouses what is known as “black liberation theology.”

The group suggested hiring as a spokesman an “extremely literate conservative African-American” who can argue that Mr. Obama misled the nation by presenting himself as what the proposal calls a “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln.”

A copy of a detailed advertising plan was obtained by The New York Times through a person not connected to the proposal who was alarmed by its tone. It is titled “The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama: The Ricketts Plan to End His Spending for Good.”

The proposal was presented last week in Chicago to associates and family members of Mr. Ricketts, who is also the patriarch of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs.

Don’t let anyone sell you the bill of goods that this was just some ‘ discussion’. ‘Discussions’ don’t have 40+ page proposals, which you can read here.

Lawrence O’Donnell talks about this- Part One.

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Part Two

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TGIF and Good Morning.

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

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

And always, have a peaceful day.

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RIP, Donna Summer: Queen of Disco

Donna Summer, Dead at 63:

Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, dies at 63
By Mesfin Fekadu, Associated Press

Disco queen Donna Summer, whose pulsing anthems such as Last Dance, Love to Love You Baby and Bad Girl became the soundtrack for a glittery age of sex, drugs, dance and flashy clothes, has died. She was 63.

Her family released a statement, saying Summer died Thursday morning and that they “are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.”

“Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time,” the statement read. She had been living in Englewood, Fla., with her husband, Bruce Sudano.

Summer came to prominence just as disco was burgeoning, and came to define the era with a string of No. 1 hits and her beauty-queen looks.

Disco became as much defined by her sultry, sexual vocals — her bedroom moans and sighs — as the relentless, pulsing rhythms of the music itself.

Love to Love You Baby, with its erotic moans, was her first hit and one of the most scandalous songs of the polyester-and-platform-heel era.

Unlike some other stars of disco who faded as the music became less popular, Summer was able to grow beyond it and later segued to a pop-rock sound. She had one of her biggest hits in the 1980s with She Works Hard For The Money, which became another anthem, this time for women’s rights.

Good Afternoon.

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

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Sharing some videos with you this morning.

Glenn Greenwald, contributing writer for Salon, talks with Rachel Maddow about Fox News partnering with the national finance co-chair of the Mitt Romney campaign, Frank VanderSloot, to manufacture a fake scandal to paint President Obama as a “terrorist” and solicit donations to a Romney-aligned Super PAC.
Good Morning.

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Lawrence O’Donnell on the President’s attack on Willard’s time at Bain.

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Pres. Obama’s Likability on Display on ‘The View’

Tweety on Willard.

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As you make it through the day, don’t forget JJP.

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

And always, have a peaceful day.

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That taxation without representation thing?

Puh-leese.

So maybe the colonial governors had to have the ruling class across the pond check off on whatever the dear patriots decided was good for their little communities and wait until word got back the long-ass way it was sent–by boat. Maybe the crown had taken its tax money off the top before the colonists got theirs—even if the colonists had done the hard work of planting, storing what they grew, and killing those barbarians so upset somebody stole their land.

Who gave the much needed seed money to get the colonies going? The royals and enterprising businessmen from the home country. That’s who. The whiners would not have had a country to argue about how much taxes to pay if their acknowledged superiors didn’t create the country–and the jobs that followed–in the first place.

There was never any deal that any subject away from Great Britain would be independent of it. The deal, from the days the island gained influence in the New World, was that the Parliament of Great Britain, under the auspices of the monarchy, would govern from abroad.

Earlier, the Papas’ papas would, uh, settle the land, and pay their superiors in Mother England whatever they accrued from all that settling. And if they were anything like the nearly one-hundred percent who settled Georgia, some were probably allowed to keep their broke-asses out of debtors’ prison, where they would have joined the too-often too-cooled- out others wasting good kingdom coin for their care when it could have been better spent expanding the empire. Were they locked-down, where would their progeny have been?

Talk about betrayal. Who paved the way for so many of the Papas to become rich? OK, not as rich as the throne dwellers or the bigs of British commerce, but they certainly had more than what they would have had had they been commoners in England.

Why did they hate the richer so much? Sounds like envy. Then they got all those ne’er-do-wells all lathered up about what their betters had and what they themselves didn’t. Who did they think they were hurting by spillin’ all that precious tea all over Boston Harbor? The colonial merchants, that’s who. And the locals who worked for them.  When did British monopoly over the product get to be so important? They worked in earnest for that monopoly. And a deal’s a deal.

Liberty? Justice? Equality? What was next—to be regarded as highly as the chosen because it’s… fair? Work harder. Marry well. Be especially servile to the crown. Report, say, those who talked crazy about living better. Those were their options. That’s what the Papas should have been preaching—using their material success, not their rebellious spirit, as examples—not class and authority envy. Could they have been as successful as the ruling class in Great Britain? Check with God about that. Did they, like the monarchy, have a direct line to deity? The Papas chose instead to encourage thuggery that deified mob violence and aped those losers so upset somebody stole their land.

This is what justified a revolution?

First Lady Michelle Obama Welcomes Kids to a Let’s Move! Event with the LA Galaxy

Good Afternoon.

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

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

And continue to have a peaceful day.

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I was in Madison, Wisconsin when the citizens took over the statehouse and it was one of the most amazing events I’ve witnessed. I saw firsthand the power of regular people coming together in unity to fight back against corrupt politicians and corporate influence. I’m honored to add my voice to this historic campaign to recall Scott Walker and rebuild Wisconsin.

“You’re Fired” was directed by Paradise Gray and stars Silas Russell as “Scott Walker”

We’re shooting the remix video live at #RebuildWI on May 19 in Milwaukee. Sign up at http://rebuildrevivals.org/wi and join us to make history

LYRICS
Yeah, it’s time for a Recall
Untied we stand divided we fall
We tired of being treated like we small
You forgot you work for us and we the boss

So let’s tell Scott Walker you’re fired
Go clean out ya desk cause you’re fired
Cash that last check cause you’re fired
You don’t wanna show us respect now you’re fired

The powers with the people don’t let these coward device you
Like since it’s time to vote now they need you
We are not who these politicians speak to
When it’s $10,000 a plate just to meet you
Ask Mr Walker about all his offers
Barely half a term look how much it cost ya
Month after month of consecutive job losses
While he with the Koch brothers in aspen straight flossin
He’s with the NRA they got they guns cocked
He passed stand your ground just took him one shot
And that lead to the death of Bo Morrison
Such a bright future now they’re more morning him
This election they don’t even want you voting in
Tried to make you have an ID before going in
But now accountable is what we’re holding them
Open up the polls we got the whole hood rolling in

Yeah, it’s time for a Recall
Untied we stand divided we fall
We tired of being treated like we small
You forgot you work for us and we the boss

So let’s tell Scott Walker you’re fired
Go clean out ya desk cause you’re fired
Cash that last check cause you’re fired
You don’t wanna show us respect now you’re fired

Is this who you really want as ya governor
The second he gets elected wanna stunt on ya
Got you’re vote now he got no love for ya
Every day he got a new way of hand cuffing ya
Like education nah we don’t need that
We don’t wanna to pay anybody to teach that
Ease back see they really believe that
Smart people vote so they don’t want you to be that
Or make a good living that pays
Scott Walker rather see you making minimum wage
With no unions, no benefits and no future
So his corporate friends can stay rich it’s so super
Unless you’re working class or poor
they always slam the door on what we asking for
It’s all we can stand and we can’t stand no more
Of these hardcore liars Scott Walker you’re fired

Jay-Z is just a rapper, right? So who cares what he thinks?

Jay-Z is not just a rapper. He’s an icon of a generation. Maybe a couple of generations. He’s an entrepreneur, artist and producer of music, movie and Broadway play. He’s also married to one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world who recently gave him a daughter. He’s an unabashed family man. Mr. Carter has tweeted over at @S_C_:

“I got nothing but love for you”

and

“Black people unite and let’s all get down” – ED OG

Shawn’s politically active & aware. Sort of. Pastors and rappers may be divided about homosexuality in our society. But at least one of the biggest hip hop stars around doesn’t believe that hip hop = hate. From CNN’s Political Ticker which emphasized the gay comments over Jay’s support for economic policies, btw:

The rapper said Monday in an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow he knows little of GOP contender Mitt Romney, and considers Obama’s announcement of support for states legalizing same-sex marriages to be a political plus.

“I’ve always thought it as something that was still, um, holding the country back,” Jay-Z said of not allowing same-sex coupled to wed. “What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. [It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”

The bonds between the rapper and the president go back at least as far as the 2008 campaign, when candidate Obama said the way to handle political mudslinging was by brushing one’s shoulders off — mimicking Jay-Z’s trademark move. Jay-Z’s hits shuffle on Obama’s iPod, he said in July 2010 — alongside the likes of crooner Frank Sinatra and opera great Maria Callas. The rapper and his wife, Beyonce, visited the White House earlier that year, and their VIP tour included a stop inside the Situation Room.

The Jigga also said that reversing the country’s economic decline was a full-time job and suggested that we should, as a nation, support free enterprise but not unjust practices. And that we should seek a balance in the nation to ensure we’re looking out for the less fortunate. He also said:

The rapper also showed some political savvy, comparing campaign rhetoric to a “hook,” the catchy chorus at the core of rap songs.

Politicians “argue points and they forget that at the end of those points are real people, and real people going through real problems. So people put up these talking points and then they say, ok, we got something.

“It’s almost like the hook of a song. Like I would go in a studio and say, I have this huge hook,” he said. “At the end of [the rhetoric] there’s real people.”

I can get wi’ that.

Will Smith also got jiggy with the Prez’s same-sex marriage turnaround saying (via Perez Hilton):

“If anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form.”

Those who oppose are on the losing side of history – and of hip-hop. Think about it – it’s not too late to evolve like the President!

So…after the President stated publicly that he supports same sex marriage, I wrote a post entitled:
How to Talk to Your Christian Black Relatives About Obama & Same-Sex Marriage

in which I anticipated the highly mixed reaction among black folks about Obama’s pronouncement. I encouraged those who are more enlightened and interested in equality to conduct a little outreach among their brethren to soothe irritated nerves and calm ye bible-thumping. Those of us who are straight must be allies of those in the LGBT community.

Anson Asaka has written a post called Why I Don’t Support Same Sex Marriage that disagrees vehemently with me and quotes scripture. It got a lot of comments.

The Bible says a lot of things. It is strong in discouraging the consumption of shellfish, pork and cheeseburgers. Don’t believe me? Re-read Leviticus. The Bible also believes that having multiple wives and slaves is totally cool. It even provides some rules on how you should treat your wives, slaves and livestock.

Ticorules left in this comment in Anson’s post:

there’s no consistency when it comes to the bible.  The same people who are taking a stand on marriage because of scripture, aren’t having their disobedient children stoned to death (Det 21:18-21).
Nor do we as a society belive that rape victims should be forced to marry their attackers after rapist pays the father 50 sheckles of silver (Det 22:28-29).

So why is it OK to avoid those passages but emphaisize the anti-gay ones?

Let’s not forget in terms of morality, the bible is perfectly fine with the institution of slavery.  In fact, it perscribes exactly how slaves should treat their masters (Ephesians 6:5-9)

So in many many ways, everyday, most of us are leading lives in opposition to Bible precepts and in fact today strongly disagree with the Bible on certain points. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy shrimp. I like it fried or in a nice scampi. And the best lobster I ever had was in the company of my hero, Obama’s right-hand, Valerie Jarrett along with her right hand Michael Strautmanis.

I think slavery is wrong. I’m also not so sure about the whole sister wives thing.

The black community can be conservative when it comes to sexual matters. I get that.

I also agree with Anson on the self-conscious linking of the movement for gay & lesbian rights with the civil rights movement. Sometimes that feels a bit forced. That said, there is a connection — both blacks and gays have faced down legalized discrimination. The struggle for equal treatment under the law is something with which we as African-Americans should be sympathetic.

Generally speaking, I find that those who have a real problem with homosexuals have a tendency to be either a) older and uptight or b) homophobic because they fear their own nuanced sexuality. Ask yourself who it harms if a man you work with loves another man? Or if your sister loved another woman? Does it impact your life and your opportunities in any way that’s significant? Why is it of any interest to you what people do in their own homes? I was raised in a Christian household. I’ve heard all of it – believe me. I’ve read the Bible 6 times so I know there’s a lot of stuff in there – you can use scripture to justify all kinds of things.

The Mormon church, Mitt Romney’s faith, used the Bible to discriminate against its black members for generations, for example. If you decide that you don’t want to vote for Obama because of this one issue, then you are handing the country over to someone whose faith once didn’t see blacks as fully human. Is that what you really want?

I know enough about the Bible to know that Jesus was about love and forgiveness. Period. Consider taking the loving approach toward same-sex marriage – it’s what Jesus would have done.

Stephen Maglott who left this comment on Asaka’s post to address the haters:

It is not behavior that you have an issue with (if it were then marriage would be the perfect solution), it is identity.  You know nothing about individual behavior (are they in a committed relationship, are they celibate, are they promiscuous?)  Your issue is the “otherness” that gay and bisexual individuals pose.  That is why you are identified as a bigot.  Homosexuality is found in 2400 species on earth.  Homophobia is found in only one.

Science!

I’m going to give the last word to commenter Bethany Anne who offered this insistent, frustrated yet poignant plea for understanding and tolerance:

You are saying to me, to my friends, to the people I love, that we will never be fully citizens in your eyes.  We can never have civil marriage, we can never be truly equal.  This is so important to you that you are willing to overlook every other issue in this race.  You will overlook the way the poor are treated.  You will overlook what wars we enter.  You will overlook whether the Civil Rights division of the Justice department is allowed to do it’s job.  All of this to help ensure that me and mine do not have access to that last piece of dignity.

I don’t understand such a decision, I don’t respect it, and I am at a loss as to how to respond civilly to it. I’ve heard you and SouthernGirl2 say that this isn’t out of hate.  I have to tell you, from where I sit, it’s indistinguishable.

 

Sharing some videos with you this morning.

Rachel Maddow describes how Mitt Romney’s opponents are using his time at Bain Capital against him, to paint him as heartless and greedy at the expense of American taxpayers drawing parallels with bailout of the collapsed financial industry.

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Elizabeth Warren on the fiasco at JPMorgan.

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Martin Bashir – Grading Obama’s and Romney’s dueling commencement speeches

Good Morning.

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

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

And always, have a peaceful day.

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By Elesha Barnette

While some continue to exert tireless effort and spend millions of tax payer dollars researching and improving upon alternative clean energy sources like wind and solar, others are wasting no time re-educating the public on the benefits of our existing clean energy source: nuclear.

As far back as his 2010 State of the Union address President Obama begin setting the record straight on what he felt nuclear energy brings to the table and why it’s a necessary part of this country’s energy portfolio:  “To create more clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country.”

Building more nuclear energy facilities brings about a myriad of consumer benefits, including increased access to a reliable, less expensive form of energy. The National Academy of Sciences in a 2009 report said that the cost of nuclear power is equal to or lower than natural gas, wind, solar, or coal with carbon capture. Reactors can operate for 80 years, while wind and solar last about 25 years. And nuclear reactors operate 90 percent of the time, while wind and solar are only available about a third of the time. Reliability and cost-efficient translate into lower utility rates for consumers.

With a focus on the environment and in the wake of the Fukishima disaster, nuclear has had to battle some bad press. However, despite what extreme environmentalist might have you believe, nuclear is a clean source of energy.  Nuclear power emits zero greenhouse gases. Today it produces 20 percent of our nation’s electricity, but 70 percent of our carbon-free electricity; and due to vigorous safety inspections and regulations mandated by the industry, the United States has maintained its record of safety for over 30 years.

In the American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air report St. Lucie County in Florida was listed as one of America’s five cleanest in terms of air quality.  No coincidence, St. Lucie County is home to St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

read more…

hat tip-The Obama Diary:

President Obama delivered the Commencement Address at Barnard College.

President Barack Obama hugs Britney Wilson, class of 2012, after he delivered the commencement address at Barnard College’s graduation ceremony on May 14, 2012.
—-TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImages

Good Afternoon.

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

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

And continue to have a peaceful day.

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The report from the Pew Center on the States on the economic mobility of the states has earned some well-deserved buzz. The report fits in nicely with other research demonstrating that economic mobility in the United States is worse than in many European countries.

Even though conservatives accuse Democrats of moving to European-style socialism, you will never get conservatives to acknowledge that Europe can teach America quite a bit about economic mobility.

They do not do it through cutting regulations on business or perpetually cutting taxes on the wealthy. Instead, Europe invests in its citizens such as the 360 approach to Finnish schools.

In America, there are clear differences in economic mobility between the states. The South and Southeast are worse off than the rest of the nation. In other words, a child born poor in Louisiana, Texas, or South Carolina, has a much better chance of dying a poor adult than a poor child born in New England.

Several factors are at play, but three are critical.

First is the South’s history. We can reach back to the New Deal when southern politicians fought to ensure that agricultural workers would not receive the minimum wage. Wealthy landowners did not want their workers to receive just compensation for their labors. There are numerous other examples of Jim Crow-style racism that seeped into public policy and were designed precisely to limit African American mobility. Read Ira Katznelson’s When Affirmative Action Was White for a primer.

Second, there is a general consensus that…