Thursday, June 30, 2005
Memin Pinguin and Racism in Mexico
Is Mexico racist? Of course it is. How could it not be? It has the legacy of genocide against native peoples and the enslavement of Africans. You can't have that history and escape the notion that white people are superior. Just look at Mexico's leadership. President Fox looks white, so does his wife, and so does the rest of the Mexican elite. The Mexican immigrants I see here in New York are mostly brown skinned, very brown skinned. The poor are dark and the privileged are light. Looks like racism to me.
Who knew that the Mexican government was also toned deaf and insensitive. They recently issued stamps depicting Memin Pinguin, a character from children's books. Memin looks like Little Black Sambo's cousin.
Jesse Jackson is mad, the NAACP is mad, even the Bush White House said that Memin has got to go. One black Mexican had this to say.
"One would hope the Mexican government would be a little more careful and avoid continually opening wounds," said Sergio Penalosa, an activist in Mexico's small black community on the southern Pacific coast.
"But we've learned to expect anything from this government, just anything," Penalosa said.
Gee, it sounds like Mr. Penalosa lives here in the U.S.
Cosby Won't Shut Up
Damn! Another groping allegation won't make Cosby zip his lip. He is committed to annoying the rest of us with his self-hating, nonsensical, psycho babble. I have no idea if he is a serial groper, like the Governor of California, but I was happy that he had disappeared and taken a vow of silence. Like many good things it just couldn't last.
I wonder if Mr. Morality ever got around to taking a DNA test and proving once and for all if he is or isn't Autumn Jackson's father. What a hypocrite. Just like Bill Bennett and Rush Limbaugh, the great moralizer has many skeletons in his closet.
That is Cosby's real problem. He obviously feels guilty about his own parenting. I usually don't get personal in my commentary, but Cosby's remarks make him fair game. One of his daughters had a drug problem. Does he discuss that? No he doesn't. It would be honest if he did so. Instead he just demonizes the most vulnerable black people and gets the cheapest of applause lines.
Cosby also has a strange way of defending himself.
When asked in the interview whether those allegations would hurt his standing on moral issues, Cosby said, "If they are not true, what happens if they are not true?"
If? Gee Cosby, don't you know if the allegations are true or not?
I won't spend time trying to figure out his guilt or innocence. I just want him to go to a monastery, one that requires a vow of silence. Then he would really help black people.
Damn! Another groping allegation won't make Cosby zip his lip. He is committed to annoying the rest of us with his self-hating, nonsensical, psycho babble. I have no idea if he is a serial groper, like the Governor of California, but I was happy that he had disappeared and taken a vow of silence. Like many good things it just couldn't last.
I wonder if Mr. Morality ever got around to taking a DNA test and proving once and for all if he is or isn't Autumn Jackson's father. What a hypocrite. Just like Bill Bennett and Rush Limbaugh, the great moralizer has many skeletons in his closet.
That is Cosby's real problem. He obviously feels guilty about his own parenting. I usually don't get personal in my commentary, but Cosby's remarks make him fair game. One of his daughters had a drug problem. Does he discuss that? No he doesn't. It would be honest if he did so. Instead he just demonizes the most vulnerable black people and gets the cheapest of applause lines.
Cosby also has a strange way of defending himself.
When asked in the interview whether those allegations would hurt his standing on moral issues, Cosby said, "If they are not true, what happens if they are not true?"
If? Gee Cosby, don't you know if the allegations are true or not?
I won't spend time trying to figure out his guilt or innocence. I just want him to go to a monastery, one that requires a vow of silence. Then he would really help black people.
Senator John Kerry, Would You Please Go Now
“This Fourth of July weekend, when Americans fly the flag, the best way to honor our troops is with a plan to complete the mission and succeed in Iraq. Completing the mission means getting it right.
Sen. John Kerry
Why can't John Kerry just disappear? In 2004 my common sense, my instincts and every fiber of my being told me that he was going to lose. I stayed the course and hoped against hope but he proved me right.
Now I have no qualms about saying that I am sick of him. Every time he opens his mouth or puts pen to paper he reminds me why Bush is still in the White House.
Karl Rove's screed and Bush's Iraq speech were proof that the attacks on the Bushmen are working. Instead of keeping up the fight we get the same lame crap from Kerry that made him a loser.
Iraq can't be made right. The occupation is a horror inflicted against the Iraqi people, a drain on U.S. resources and a windfall to Dick Cheney's corporate pals. The Democrat who has the guts to say this will be president. Making the case for an exit is the path to victory.
Enough already. No more Kerry, Biden or Clinton II. I won't support another loser.
“This Fourth of July weekend, when Americans fly the flag, the best way to honor our troops is with a plan to complete the mission and succeed in Iraq. Completing the mission means getting it right.
Sen. John Kerry
Why can't John Kerry just disappear? In 2004 my common sense, my instincts and every fiber of my being told me that he was going to lose. I stayed the course and hoped against hope but he proved me right.
Now I have no qualms about saying that I am sick of him. Every time he opens his mouth or puts pen to paper he reminds me why Bush is still in the White House.
Karl Rove's screed and Bush's Iraq speech were proof that the attacks on the Bushmen are working. Instead of keeping up the fight we get the same lame crap from Kerry that made him a loser.
Iraq can't be made right. The occupation is a horror inflicted against the Iraqi people, a drain on U.S. resources and a windfall to Dick Cheney's corporate pals. The Democrat who has the guts to say this will be president. Making the case for an exit is the path to victory.
Enough already. No more Kerry, Biden or Clinton II. I won't support another loser.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
What is the Meaning of "Last Throes?"
Dick Cheney says that the insurgency in Iraq is in its last throes. He later back tracked and said last throes could be violent. Donald Rumsfeld says the last throes could last another twelve years. Well, the NY Times won't do its job, so John Stewart has to explain it all.
Dick Cheney says that the insurgency in Iraq is in its last throes. He later back tracked and said last throes could be violent. Donald Rumsfeld says the last throes could last another twelve years. Well, the NY Times won't do its job, so John Stewart has to explain it all.
A Victory for Separation of Church and State
You wouldn't know it from the corporate media, but there are million of Christians who understand and support the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of religion. If they told you about our existence they would no longer be paying homage to the right wing.
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling against Ten Commandment displays was the right call. You can read about the Baptist Joint Committee's support for this decision right here.
You wouldn't know it from the corporate media, but there are million of Christians who understand and support the constitutional prohibition against the establishment of religion. If they told you about our existence they would no longer be paying homage to the right wing.
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling against Ten Commandment displays was the right call. You can read about the Baptist Joint Committee's support for this decision right here.
Dick Cheney's Secret Hospital Visit
After the Secret Service secured the Vail Valley Medical Center, including the parking lot, the Vice President arrived under his own power and checked in at the orthopedic center under the name “Dr. Hoffman”. He was immediately whisked to the adjacent cardiac unit, suffering from what was described to me as “an angina attack”.
It is a good thing that Arianna Huffington was in Vail, Colorado at the same time as the Vice President. It seems the Veep is calling himself Dr. Hoffman and going to cardiac units in secret. You haven't seen this story on MSNBC or CNN or in the New York Times.
After the Secret Service secured the Vail Valley Medical Center, including the parking lot, the Vice President arrived under his own power and checked in at the orthopedic center under the name “Dr. Hoffman”. He was immediately whisked to the adjacent cardiac unit, suffering from what was described to me as “an angina attack”.
It is a good thing that Arianna Huffington was in Vail, Colorado at the same time as the Vice President. It seems the Veep is calling himself Dr. Hoffman and going to cardiac units in secret. You haven't seen this story on MSNBC or CNN or in the New York Times.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Just Say No to Bidil, Bidil Sucks, Take Bidil Off the Market, Bidil is Bad, Down with Bidil, Bidil: A Bad Prescription
I could go on, but I said it all in my most recent Black Commentator column.
I could go on, but I said it all in my most recent Black Commentator column.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
No Anti-Semitism at Conyers Hearing
Israel is something that is not allowed to be brought up in polite conversation. The last time I did this the previous director of Central Intelligence called me anti-Semitic.
Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst
"Sharon just has him wrapped around his little finger," Scowcroft told London's Financial Times. "I think the president is mesmerized."
"(Sharon) has been nothing but trouble."
Brent Scowcroft, Nation Security Adviser for Bush 41
During last week's hearings on the Downing Street Memo Rep. Jim Moran asked Ray McGovern why the U.S. occupied Iraq. McGovern may have thought he was protecting himself from charges of anti-Semitism with the above quote, but he was not that lucky.
Israel wanted the U.S. to occupy Iraq. McGovern pointed out that the neocons themselves have said that the U.S. and Israel should control that part of the world. I am really confused. It seems that quoting the war mongers is an invitation to being labeled anti-Semitic.
The solution is to ignore this nonsense and speak our minds. Sharon is trouble, he did want Bush to invade Iraq, and the neocons do whatever Israel wants. The facts back me up so I am sticking with them.
I saw nothing anti-Semitic in McGovern's remarks. Judge for yourself. You can watch the hearing here on Real Player. Moran's question begins 1 hour 40 minutes into the hearing.
Israel is something that is not allowed to be brought up in polite conversation. The last time I did this the previous director of Central Intelligence called me anti-Semitic.
Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst
"Sharon just has him wrapped around his little finger," Scowcroft told London's Financial Times. "I think the president is mesmerized."
"(Sharon) has been nothing but trouble."
Brent Scowcroft, Nation Security Adviser for Bush 41
During last week's hearings on the Downing Street Memo Rep. Jim Moran asked Ray McGovern why the U.S. occupied Iraq. McGovern may have thought he was protecting himself from charges of anti-Semitism with the above quote, but he was not that lucky.
Israel wanted the U.S. to occupy Iraq. McGovern pointed out that the neocons themselves have said that the U.S. and Israel should control that part of the world. I am really confused. It seems that quoting the war mongers is an invitation to being labeled anti-Semitic.
The solution is to ignore this nonsense and speak our minds. Sharon is trouble, he did want Bush to invade Iraq, and the neocons do whatever Israel wants. The facts back me up so I am sticking with them.
I saw nothing anti-Semitic in McGovern's remarks. Judge for yourself. You can watch the hearing here on Real Player. Moran's question begins 1 hour 40 minutes into the hearing.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Michael Jackson, Natalee Holloway, and a Runaway Bride
Just say no. Every time you see or hear the word "Aruba" or "Holloway" on the screen in the next few weeks, turn off the TV, or change the channel.
Arianna Huffington
I wouldn't watch an interview with the "runaway bride" if you paid me money. I'm glad Michael Jackson was aquitted but only because a conviction would have kept him in the news. I also don't want to hear about another missing person story that should be kept local but MSNBC insists that I simply must know about.
Arianna Huffington agrees with me and she has calculated the number of times these stories are mentioned on the networks in comparison to mentions of the Downing Street Memo (May 1st to June 20th.)
ABC News: "Downing Street Memo": 0 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 42 segments; "Michael Jackson": 121 segments.
CBS News: "Downing Street Memo": 0 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 70 segments; "Michael Jackson": 235 segments.
NBC News: "Downing Street Memo": 6 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 62 segments; "Michael Jackson": 109 segments.
CNN: "Downing Street Memo": 30 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 294 segments; "Michael Jackson": 633 segments.
Fox News: "Downing Street Memo": 10 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 148 segments; Michael Jackson": 286 segments.
MSNBC: "Downing Street Memo": 10 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 30 segments; "Michael Jackson": 106 segments.
Watch movies, sports or even bad situation comedies, but just say no to the celebrity scandal or missing person du jour. Turn off the network news and while you're at it, tell them why. I don't even want to hear the excuses from CBS or ABC that kept them from reporting on the Downing Street Memo even once.
Just say no. Every time you see or hear the word "Aruba" or "Holloway" on the screen in the next few weeks, turn off the TV, or change the channel.
Arianna Huffington
I wouldn't watch an interview with the "runaway bride" if you paid me money. I'm glad Michael Jackson was aquitted but only because a conviction would have kept him in the news. I also don't want to hear about another missing person story that should be kept local but MSNBC insists that I simply must know about.
Arianna Huffington agrees with me and she has calculated the number of times these stories are mentioned on the networks in comparison to mentions of the Downing Street Memo (May 1st to June 20th.)
ABC News: "Downing Street Memo": 0 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 42 segments; "Michael Jackson": 121 segments.
CBS News: "Downing Street Memo": 0 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 70 segments; "Michael Jackson": 235 segments.
NBC News: "Downing Street Memo": 6 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 62 segments; "Michael Jackson": 109 segments.
CNN: "Downing Street Memo": 30 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 294 segments; "Michael Jackson": 633 segments.
Fox News: "Downing Street Memo": 10 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 148 segments; Michael Jackson": 286 segments.
MSNBC: "Downing Street Memo": 10 segments; "Natalee Holloway": 30 segments; "Michael Jackson": 106 segments.
Watch movies, sports or even bad situation comedies, but just say no to the celebrity scandal or missing person du jour. Turn off the network news and while you're at it, tell them why. I don't even want to hear the excuses from CBS or ABC that kept them from reporting on the Downing Street Memo even once.
Starve the Corporate Media Beast
I wouldn't miss anything if I didn't watch MSNBC or CNN. I would know about the latest missing person case, but I wouldn't know about the Downing Street Memo. Maybe I should tell my cable company to keep them off my television. TV News Lies is on to something.
I wouldn't miss anything if I didn't watch MSNBC or CNN. I would know about the latest missing person case, but I wouldn't know about the Downing Street Memo. Maybe I should tell my cable company to keep them off my television. TV News Lies is on to something.
Senator Dick Durbin
Too bad Durbin back tracked. His remarks on Guantanomo were on the money. The U.S. military is using the tactics of the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge and the Soviet Gulag. As for Newt Gingrich requesting censure, Durbin should tell him to go to hell, and not back track either.
Too bad Durbin back tracked. His remarks on Guantanomo were on the money. The U.S. military is using the tactics of the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge and the Soviet Gulag. As for Newt Gingrich requesting censure, Durbin should tell him to go to hell, and not back track either.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Joe Biden, Worse Than Kerry
Democratic Sen. Joe Biden wants to run for president. I would gouge out my eyes before I would vote for Joe Biden. Period. End of discussion. He is a loser in waiting.
In 2004 I knew that John "Empty Suit" Kerry was a loser. I hoped against hope. I thought that newly registered voters in swing states could put him over the top. I should have listened to the instincts that told me he was a goner before he got started. I have the same instinct about Biden.
Democratic Sen. Joe Biden wants to run for president. I would gouge out my eyes before I would vote for Joe Biden. Period. End of discussion. He is a loser in waiting.
In 2004 I knew that John "Empty Suit" Kerry was a loser. I hoped against hope. I thought that newly registered voters in swing states could put him over the top. I should have listened to the instincts that told me he was a goner before he got started. I have the same instinct about Biden.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Happy Juneteenth
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
www.juneteenth.com
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
www.juneteenth.com
Saturday, June 18, 2005
John Paul in Heaven
Pope John Paul II gets to heaven. St. Peter says, "Frankly, you're lucky to be here."
Pope John Paul II says, "Why? What did I do wrong on earth?"
St. Peter says, "God was very angry with your stance on women becoming priests."
Pope John Paul says, "He's mad about THAT?"
St. Peter says, "She's furious."
Just for Fun
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
Pope John Paul II gets to heaven. St. Peter says, "Frankly, you're lucky to be here."
Pope John Paul II says, "Why? What did I do wrong on earth?"
St. Peter says, "God was very angry with your stance on women becoming priests."
Pope John Paul says, "He's mad about THAT?"
St. Peter says, "She's furious."
Just for Fun
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
Friday, June 17, 2005
Conyers Kicks Butt
John Conyers, my hero, tears the Washington Post a new one. The Post has said little about the Downing Street memo. When Post reported Dana Milbank covered Conyers' hearing he printed a story that was both factually incorrect and snide. Raw Story has Conyers' letter to the Post.
John Conyers, my hero, tears the Washington Post a new one. The Post has said little about the Downing Street memo. When Post reported Dana Milbank covered Conyers' hearing he printed a story that was both factually incorrect and snide. Raw Story has Conyers' letter to the Post.
If Kerry was Like Conyers
If John Kerry was like John Conyers he would now be in the White House instead of the Senate. Conyers ignored his minority party status, shrugged his shoulders when the Republicans tried to throw him out of the Capitol, persevered when the Republicans scheduled key votes to decrease attendance, and held hearings on the lies told that got the U.S. into Iraq.
All Kerry had to do was say, "I voted yes." He was too chicken to even do that. Instead he used hair splitting, incoherent, weasle words, "I only voted to authorize the use of force." Kerry should have owned up to voting yes and laid the blame on Bush. "I voted yes because I believed there was WMD." He should then have held hearings, like Conyers in the basement if necessary, and weakened the support for war. He didn't. The rest is history. You can watch the Conyers hearings tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on C-Span2.
If John Kerry was like John Conyers he would now be in the White House instead of the Senate. Conyers ignored his minority party status, shrugged his shoulders when the Republicans tried to throw him out of the Capitol, persevered when the Republicans scheduled key votes to decrease attendance, and held hearings on the lies told that got the U.S. into Iraq.
All Kerry had to do was say, "I voted yes." He was too chicken to even do that. Instead he used hair splitting, incoherent, weasle words, "I only voted to authorize the use of force." Kerry should have owned up to voting yes and laid the blame on Bush. "I voted yes because I believed there was WMD." He should then have held hearings, like Conyers in the basement if necessary, and weakened the support for war. He didn't. The rest is history. You can watch the Conyers hearings tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on C-Span2.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Billy Graham and Jews
"They (Jews) swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them." - Billy Graham in 1972 taped conversation with Richard Nixon
"I'm a rabbi and I like Billy Graham." - Marc Gellman
Graham apologized when those remarks were made public in 2002. "I cannot imagine what caused me to make those comments . …I was wrong for not disagreeing with the President."
Graham's comments haven't hurt him with Jewish leaders. Like Gellman they forgave him and still praise him. Once again we see that influential white people can get away with making bigoted, ugly remarks that are quickly forgiven and forgotten. Meanwhile, the ADL is still foaming at the mouth over Farrakhan and demanding that black people denounce him.
It still pays to be white.
"They (Jews) swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them." - Billy Graham in 1972 taped conversation with Richard Nixon
"I'm a rabbi and I like Billy Graham." - Marc Gellman
Graham apologized when those remarks were made public in 2002. "I cannot imagine what caused me to make those comments . …I was wrong for not disagreeing with the President."
Graham's comments haven't hurt him with Jewish leaders. Like Gellman they forgave him and still praise him. Once again we see that influential white people can get away with making bigoted, ugly remarks that are quickly forgiven and forgotten. Meanwhile, the ADL is still foaming at the mouth over Farrakhan and demanding that black people denounce him.
It still pays to be white.
Meaningless Lynching Apology
Were you unimpressed with the Senate lynching apology? You should have been. It is always difficult to impress us at Black Commentator, especially when mealy mouthed apologies from dangerous people are supposed to be taken seriously. Check out this week's issue.
Were you unimpressed with the Senate lynching apology? You should have been. It is always difficult to impress us at Black Commentator, especially when mealy mouthed apologies from dangerous people are supposed to be taken seriously. Check out this week's issue.
Conyers Hearings on C-Span
Congressman John Conyers will hold hearings today on the Downing Street memo. The hearings will be broadcast today on C-Span 3. If your cable company doesn't provide C-Span3 you can watch via C-Span's website. Greg Palast tells us about all the memos that make the case for impeaching Bush.
Congressman John Conyers will hold hearings today on the Downing Street memo. The hearings will be broadcast today on C-Span 3. If your cable company doesn't provide C-Span3 you can watch via C-Span's website. Greg Palast tells us about all the memos that make the case for impeaching Bush.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Schiavo Autopsy
Michael Schiavo deserves apologies from George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Frist, Joe Scarborough and the rest of the right wing. An autopsy of his wife Terri proves that she was in a persistent vegetative state, that her husband didn't beat or strangle her, that she was blind and that her condition was irreversible. The right wing was so bent on using this poor woman to pursue their anti-abortion, fundamentalist agenda that they lied about her husband, lied about her medical condition, lied when they said she was being starved, claimed that liberals wanted Terri dead, and even said that quacks were Nobel prize nominees. Schiavo shouldn't hold his breath waiting for the apologies.
Jesse Jackson, ordinarily at odds with the Schiavo propagandists, should apologize too. His presence prolonged an already tawdry media circus and played into the hands of the right wing political agenda. Michael Schiavo shouldn't expect to hear from him either.
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Michael Schiavo deserves apologies from George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Frist, Joe Scarborough and the rest of the right wing. An autopsy of his wife Terri proves that she was in a persistent vegetative state, that her husband didn't beat or strangle her, that she was blind and that her condition was irreversible. The right wing was so bent on using this poor woman to pursue their anti-abortion, fundamentalist agenda that they lied about her husband, lied about her medical condition, lied when they said she was being starved, claimed that liberals wanted Terri dead, and even said that quacks were Nobel prize nominees. Schiavo shouldn't hold his breath waiting for the apologies.
Jesse Jackson, ordinarily at odds with the Schiavo propagandists, should apologize too. His presence prolonged an already tawdry media circus and played into the hands of the right wing political agenda. Michael Schiavo shouldn't expect to hear from him either.
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Monday, June 13, 2005
1 Million with HIV vs. Michael Jackson
Today truly terrible news was announced, but like the tree that falls in the forest with no one to hear, it didn't make a sound. There are more than 1 million people in this country living with HIV, a disease that is preventable. These sobering statistics were not likely to get attention in any case, but sadly the news came on the same day as news of Michael Jackson's acquittal. Guess which story will make the morning headlines?
We might also want to talk about the terrible injustices faced by the average black man in the so-called justice system. The Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Thomas Miller-El. Texas prosecutors deliberately kept blacks off of the jury that convicted him of murder. Miller Schmiller. Let's talk about a millionaire who can pay for the best legal defense money can buy. I don't deny Jackson's right to stay out of jail, but I don't think that he or Brad and Angelina or Tom and Katie are worth the amount of news print they get.
I am glad Jackson was acquitted. He will disappear from the media until the next strange interview or allegation against him. A conviction would have meant Michael 24/7 for weeks on end. Viva Michael.
Today truly terrible news was announced, but like the tree that falls in the forest with no one to hear, it didn't make a sound. There are more than 1 million people in this country living with HIV, a disease that is preventable. These sobering statistics were not likely to get attention in any case, but sadly the news came on the same day as news of Michael Jackson's acquittal. Guess which story will make the morning headlines?
We might also want to talk about the terrible injustices faced by the average black man in the so-called justice system. The Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Thomas Miller-El. Texas prosecutors deliberately kept blacks off of the jury that convicted him of murder. Miller Schmiller. Let's talk about a millionaire who can pay for the best legal defense money can buy. I don't deny Jackson's right to stay out of jail, but I don't think that he or Brad and Angelina or Tom and Katie are worth the amount of news print they get.
I am glad Jackson was acquitted. He will disappear from the media until the next strange interview or allegation against him. A conviction would have meant Michael 24/7 for weeks on end. Viva Michael.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Dean in 2008
When Howard Dean became Democratic National Committee chair he said he wouldn't run for president again. Well, all of the undeclared candidates for 2008 are trashing him. Joe Biden, John Edwards and Bill Richardson have all said that their party leader in fact is not.
I can't see any of them winning a presidential election. If John Edwards knew anything about winning he would be Vice President now instead of a private citizen.
Republicans use hateful rhetoric, tell lies to bring the nation to war, and Biden and Edwards say nothing. If a Democratic shows a little guts they run for cover. We have seen this movie and we know how it all ends. It ends with another Kerryesques Democratic wimp giving a concession speech.
Dean would have been better off if he had said "right wing Christians," but on the other hand, he didn't lie about WMD and kill thousands as a result. This Christian forgives him.
I say all bets and past promises are off. Run Howard, run.
When Howard Dean became Democratic National Committee chair he said he wouldn't run for president again. Well, all of the undeclared candidates for 2008 are trashing him. Joe Biden, John Edwards and Bill Richardson have all said that their party leader in fact is not.
I can't see any of them winning a presidential election. If John Edwards knew anything about winning he would be Vice President now instead of a private citizen.
Republicans use hateful rhetoric, tell lies to bring the nation to war, and Biden and Edwards say nothing. If a Democratic shows a little guts they run for cover. We have seen this movie and we know how it all ends. It ends with another Kerryesques Democratic wimp giving a concession speech.
Dean would have been better off if he had said "right wing Christians," but on the other hand, he didn't lie about WMD and kill thousands as a result. This Christian forgives him.
I say all bets and past promises are off. Run Howard, run.
Better Off Dead
One would think that Anglican clergy in Uganda and Rwanda would take cash from anyone willing to help them overcome the effects of genocide and ongoing war. But nooooo. If the money comes from diocese that supported gay bishop Gene Robinson, then let the people starve.
"To be honest, there is not enough money for the needs we have in Rwanda after the [1994] genocide," said Rwandan Bishop John Rucyahana of the Diocese of Shyira, "but if money is being used to disgrace the Gospel, then we don't need it."
I'm guessing that the Bishop has plenty to eat.
One would think that Anglican clergy in Uganda and Rwanda would take cash from anyone willing to help them overcome the effects of genocide and ongoing war. But nooooo. If the money comes from diocese that supported gay bishop Gene Robinson, then let the people starve.
"To be honest, there is not enough money for the needs we have in Rwanda after the [1994] genocide," said Rwandan Bishop John Rucyahana of the Diocese of Shyira, "but if money is being used to disgrace the Gospel, then we don't need it."
I'm guessing that the Bishop has plenty to eat.
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