It’s Only Terrorism When They Are Muslim

You should not be surprised that our government is engaging in a war on Islam. Think about it. We're already in Iraq and Afghanistan but you must also consider our antagonistic with Iran and our covert support of the Ethiopian military in overthrowing the Islamic government in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Forget about the al-Qaeda sleeper cells, the scariest folks are those who claim to be patriots like mass murderer Timothy McVeigh. If these people had been Muslims, we'd still be innundated with news coverage, special reports and analysis up to our armpits on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ad naseum. What about the home grown terrorists?

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Link of the Day: Why Black Women Are Angry

Check out this post over at one of my favorite websites, Why Black Women Are Angry. Like me she's mourning the loss of 'Boondocks' comic strip by the brilliant social commentator and satirist, Aaron McGruder.

John McCain's Campaign D.O.A.

John & Cindy McCain, originally uploaded by Dave Delay.

Today John McCain announced that he's running for president. (Ho-hum) He has squandered his reputation as a Vietnam war hero and political maverick on such foolishness as going around declaring that President Bush's troop surge in Iraq was a good move and that Baghdad is much safer than it used to be. He has gone from being a critic of the Bush administration to being an ally.

Back in 2004, he was actually a Republican candidate that I could have voted for. I liked him because he wasn't afraid to go against the establishment, while the rest of the Republican party was pandering to the religious conservatives, McCain stuck with a moderate agenda. That's not the case now, he has turned into one of the politicians that he's spent the past few years criticizing. It's as if someone has sucked out his brain and personality with a vacuum cleaner.

He is getting some horrible advice from his campaign manager. I think he's failing miserably in his attempt to appeal to the broadest audience of the most narrow minds and alienating the average voter. He has shifted on some very important issues like Roe v. Wade, he's always been pro-life but back in 1999 he said that he would not press to have it repealed, now it appears to be one of his missions. This is an issue that need not be an issue in a presidential campaign but a certain portion of the population wants to outlaw abortion again. Then I could talk about the whole torture of prisoners debate that took place back in October. Very disappointing.

What's killing me the most is that he's changed his whole tune on the war in Iraq. It's almost like he has been brainwashed or his body has been taken over by an alien. He should know better, especially from having fought in Vietnam. What's distressing is that the majority of American people believe that the situation in Iraq is worsening in spite of the extra troops. Most believe that we have already lost Iraq and need a timetable established for withdrawal of the troops. Strangely, McCain insists on troop escalation and believes we should stay in Iraq. He should know better, but he doesn't. So I'm declaring his campaign dead on arrival (D.O.A.). Sadly, he's just like every other Republican candidate running for president, B-O-R-I-N-G.

Good Move George!

One of the reasons I like President Bush is that he's a spontaneous kind of guy. You never know what he's going to say when he isn't scripted. From making up words to butchering the English language, he never fails to entertain. Let's add dancing and drumming to his long list of credentials. All he needs is a good beat and he can cut loose.

In spite of the dancing and good times, he announced yesterday that he will provide $1.2 billion dollars over the next five years to help combat malaria in Africa. Malaria is a parasitic disease that kills more than one million people each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Pregnant women and children have the highest infection rates. For more information visit the African Medical & Research Foundation.

Russell Simmons Censoring Hip-Hop

Ludacris "Move"
Warning this video contains explicit lyrics

That flap over Don Imus' "nappy-headed ho" comment has now morphed into a censorship movement by Russell Simmons, the self-appointed authority on hip-hop culture. It's nice for Russell to step out and call for a ban of the words "bitch", "ho" and "nigger" in rap music but it's a bit too late for that. Millions of dollars have been made by record companies including DefJam who have promoted rap artists and their use of such words.

One of my favorite rap songs is "Jigga My Nigga" by Jay-Z, I believe it has the trifecta and includes all three words in it. I don't know all of the words but I like the beat and the hook in spite of the fact that Jay-Z raps "bitches better get it right, niggas better get it right". My head still bobs and I rap along with Jay. My other favorite rap song is "Move" by Ludacris. In this one, at least in the clean version, he just says "move, get out the way" but in the explicit version it's "move bitch, get out the way". And yes, I rap along to that one too. I'm all for creativity and I believe no words should be censored, not nigger, not bitch and not even ho; I just don't want to be called any of these names.

This censorship debate should be about context and how the words are used. Creative expression is much different than using a word pejoratively. The problem with most hip-hop is its culture of misogyny. You can censor all the words you want but that isn't going to change the prevailing attitude of some rappers. Some of these guys just don't like women and will always characterize them (except for their mamas) by using vulgar, lewd language and referring to them as strippers, tricks and hos.

Realistically, a rapper who refers to women as bitches and hos probably doesn't have much respect for them anyway. If you want proof, just look for a happily married rapper. There are plenty who have children out of wedlock with multiple babies mamas and high-profile, long-term "relationships", but those who have stepped up and actually made the ultimate commitment (marriage) to a woman are lacking. Being a player and a pimp is revered, being a good husband and father isn't.

If Russell Simmons wants to stop rappers from using certain words then he needs to change the culture of rap. Excessive materialism, excessive violence and glorification of drug-dealing are popular themes that sell rap CDs, what's Russell going to do about that?

Slandering Islam

I always like it when Christian types who generally know nothing about Islam (or any other religion) try to convince everyone else that Islam is a violent religion. When disparaging Islam, Christians resort to very unChristian-like behavior to make their point. The latest is an article by Susan MacAllen about "Myths of Islam" on a website called Family Security Matters, a hard right website that advocates defending our national security and has somehow launched their own jihad against Islam and Muslims.

Capitalizing on people's fear and ignorance must be very lucrative. because website has articles about how the mainstream media enables Islamists, Hezbollah's terror network in the US and how to bring a new perspective to reporting on the Iraq War. They've managed to take the best of fear mongering and mixed in a healthy dose of intolerance and a pinch of xenophobia. After reading some of this alarmist, narrow-minded journalism, if I didn't know any better, I'd be terrified too. Luckily, I was born with commonsense and learned to think for myself at an early age so I'm not buying any of their claims.

One of the most preposterous claims made by MacAllen about Islam is that it does not deserve to be treated with respect like other religions because it advocates violence, tortures its followers and is intolerant toward other religions. I'm not sure how she arrived at these conclusions but I doubt she has ever read the Koran, studied Islam or any other religion besides Christianity. If she had, she wouldn't be making ridiculous claims like this:

True Islam advocates violence, is political in nature, embraces dominance, tortures its own followers, and does not contain a seed of tolerance for other belief systems. When one understands this, one cannot in good conscience treat it as an equal to other religions. We need to correct our teachers, politicians and newscasters who make incorrect assumptions that we all share values in common.

People like MacAllen have a very short memory when it comes to religion, especially their own. Religion is all about interpretation and with more than 50 versions of the Bible and more than a dozen sects and offshoots, she must have skimmed over the parts about compassion, love and tolerance for others. Christianity has been used to justify a myriad of sins like slavery, torture and murder so for her to expound on the myths about Islam she needs to provide some evidence other than her own personal beliefs. Moral superiority coming from any religion is wrong but hypocrisy is even worse.

Score One for the Boys

I don't like it when politicians and courts interfere in medical decisions, I don't like it. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold the ban on partial birth abortion. Meddling in patient-doctor relationships and interfering with gynecologists, obstetricians and other specialists' ability to treat their patients is unfathomable. Legislating how a doctor is to treat her patient sets a precedent for intrusion into our personal lives. Women will be affected more than men. Viagra and Cialis are readily available at the pharmacy but you have to call around to get Plan B birth control.

To further disparage abortion, the male-dominated Supreme Court called doctors who perform the procedure "abortion doctors", I'm certain the medical professional would take issue with this characterization. Defining a doctor by what he or she might do is unfair; I'm certain a doctor who has been sued for malpractice wouldn't want to be called a butcher. The American College of Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a statement yesterday that condemn's the Supreme Court's decision, but the organization's president, Douglas W. Laube, MD, MEd summed it up best by saying:

Today's decision to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is shameful and incomprehensible to those of us who have dedicated our lives to caring for women. It leaves no doubt that women's health in America is perceived as being of little consequence.

I thought the pro-life, right-wing pandering Congress had gone too far by interfering with the Terry Schiavo case a few years ago, but the Supreme Court has taken this meddling a step further by pandering to the "holier-than-thou" conservatives who are preoccupied with what's going on in everyone's bedrooms, before, during and after. That billion dollar program promoting abstinence failed miserably. Abstinence certainly isn't a realistic option for hormonally-charged teenagers and the statistics bear this out.

Abortion has always been an issue for religious conservatives; so much concern for the unborn but none for the living. These are usually the same people who support the death penalty because criminals deserve to die. From the way this issue has been discussed, you would think partial birth abortions are going on all the time, but that isn't the case. Having an abortion is probably one of the most difficult decisions a woman ever has to make, but it should be hers not Congress' or the Supreme Court's.

Misery Loves Company

(Photo taken from NBC News)

The picture says it all. The tragedy at Virginia Tech University where 33 people lost their lives and 17 people were injured has become a ratings bonanza for NBC News. We can thank the murderer Cho Seung Hui for giving NBC a ratings boost by sending them an 1,800 word manifesto, 43 pictures and a 27 minute video.

As if this whole ordeal hasn't been analyzed and over analyzed by commentators, celebrities, psychiatrists, psychologists, ad nauseum for two days, I suspect it will get worse once the real experts have a chance to analyze Hui's package. Until something else happens on a much larger scale like Anna Nicole coming back from the dead, Osama bin-Laden crawling out of his foxhole or Katie Couric getting fired from CBS News, we should expect to be inundated with analyses, comments, and opinions about this tragic incident for days to come.

The fact that today was the deadliest day in Iraq since we sent more troops in to "secure" Baghdad is another misfortune. One hundred and thirty one people were killed and 164 were injured today by four car bombs. The anger, grief and helplessness that we all felt when we heard about the mass murders at Virginia Tech, the Iraqi people contend with this kind of senseless violence on a daily basis.

We are lucky in the sense that we live in country where we are not under constant threat from suicide bombers and assassins like the Iraqis but we are not immune to random violence. Homicide continues to be one of the main cause of death for people in all age groups.

Tragedy Strikes Daily

I am saddened by shootings that took place yesterday at Virginia Tech University. Thirty-three people were killed and 17 people were injured in what sounds like a surreal series of events lasting over two hours yesterday on the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. My prayers and thoughts are with the victims and students at the university in what has already become the worst gun related massacre in the history of our country. Sadly, it won't be the last.

“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.”

Robert Francis Kennedy, former U.S. Attorney and adviser, taken from ThinkExist.com

For now, we can shift our focus away from trivial issues like the war in Iraq, the shifting sand under Alberto Gonzalez' feet and whether Sanjaya will coast through another week of 'American Idol'. Cho Seung Hui has been identified as the shooter, he's an immigrant from South Korea so I'm wondering if Bill O'Reilly will go all "ape-shit" about the availability of handguns.

I just hope Hui isn't a Muslim because the media will be tying itself in knots trying to make the correlation between his violent act and Islam. If Hui passed a mosque on the way to classes at Virginia Tech, they'd find the connection between that and his murdering rampage. We can expect to have this tragedy deconstructed and overanalyzed for the next few weeks until something more newsworthy happens. Our collective attention span isn't that long and I predict this will be old news in about a week.

Violence in this country has gotten way out of hand, the availability of guns is part of the problem. As a person of peace, I find this all very disturbing.

O'Reilly, Hannity & Sharpton, Oh My!

Activist and self-appointed leader of the black community, Al Sharpton will be hobnobing with two of Fox News' finest, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) is having a convention this week beginning Wednesday, April 18 in New York City. Some of the other media folks scheduled to participate in this three day convention include Soledad O'Brien(CNN), Brian Williams (NBC), Paula Zahn(CNN) and Joe Scarborough (MSNBC). And you wonder why Al Sharpton is the media authority on race and civil rights issues!

Rev. Jesse Jackson must have shared his "get rich and die lying" playbook with Rev. Al because the hustle is on. The similarities between the two are not coincidental. I'm so glad Jesse elected to bypass the perm. Operation P.U.S.H. and Sharpton's National Action Network websites have radio broadcasts, highlight civil rights accomplishments and praise their leaders' power broker credentials and political clout. Makes me cringe to think that some people are stupid enough to buy into this nonsense, but if it worked for Jesse, it will work for Al. Rush Limbaugh is quoted in Al's biography as saying that “Reverend Sharpton has the best shot of anyone at becoming the “Limbaugh of the Left". Say what?

Knowing Rush is impressed with Al means that you shouldn't be surprised that xenophobe Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity are attending Al's convention. O'Reilly is listed as a special guest at the Keeper of the Dream VIP Reception this Wednesday night. Somehow I'm getting a visual of Al and O'Reilly sweatin', smilin' and doing the electric slide in their tuxes and shiny patent leather shoes. Friday evening Al will debate the other Fox News' personality, Sean Hannity on "Race in American in the 21st Century". (Note to Al and Sean: The race issue is b-o-r-i-n-g. Why not debate the difference between "hardcore hos" and "nappy-headed hos" or how Al is going to address misogyny and the degradation of women in hip-hop.)

Another guest at Al's convention worth noting is Michigan Representative, Carolyn Cheeks. Ms. Cheeks is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute who has partnered with Fox News to bring us two presidential debates. I'm certain Ms. Cheeks wasn't invited there so Al could talk her into pulling the plug on CBC Institute's partnership with Fox News. He's probably going to congratulate her and share some tips on how to become a legitimate power broker.

I got awfully warm and fuzzy reading Al's overly exaggerated biography, it reads like a work of fiction. It's well written but it didn't change my mind about him, I still believe he is an opportunist. Al can't possibly represent all of the diverse opinions of black America any more than Hillary Clinton could claim to represent the diverse opinions of white America; the sooner the media realizes this, the better off everyone will be.

Thank You Jackie Robinson!

Jackie Robinson, originally uploaded by PopCollector.

Sixty years ago, Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Major League Baseball joining the Brooklyn Dodgers as a second baseman. The game of baseball was never the same again. When he joined the majors, he had millions of African Americans cheering him on as he faced constant death threats and racial epithets from angry baseball fans and players who felt the league should remain lily white. The whole world was watching and he gave them a show. Two years after integrating the league, he was named MVP of the National League. He was an exceptional athlete.

Jackie had the weight of black America on his shoulders as he endured insult after insult to his character, race and abilities. In the midst of racial segregation, he proved that black athletes deserved to play in the majors. He opened the door for black athletes not just in baseball but in other sports as well. If there were no Jackie, there would be no Ken Griffey, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds or Dave Parker. Someone had to break the color line in baseball back in 1947. I am so glad it was Jackie Robinson.

Hot Link of the Day: Harvey Fierstein's Op-Ed

Please read Harvey Fierstein's op-ed published in the New York Times today. He offers an unusual perspective on prejudice from a gay man's point of view. It's worth reading.

Haterade, the Al Sharpton Version

While visiting one of my favorite websites, I decided to plug in "Al Sharpton" in the search box. Seems like I am not the only one who has a beef with Al. Quite a few people seemed to have a problem with him especially since this Don Imus incident. I heard that Meredith Vieira interviewed Sharpton on The View this week. I missed it but I hope she made him sweat out that perm.

Some of the angry comments about Sharpton had to do with race baiting, hypocrisy, his hair and the assault on free speech. If we deal with the race baiting accusation first, I believe Sharpton is an opportunist. Like his counterpart Jesse Jackson, he always manages to insert himself into situations that don't warrant or need his involvement. Hell, if something goes down of the racial nature, Al is on the spot. I'm figuring him and Jesse have each other on speed dial and compare notes. Neither Sharpton nor Jackson would have a platform if the media didn't rely on them to represent the black community.

I'm going to say this for the last time in 2007, it's only April but it needs to be said: THE BLACK COMMUNITY DOES NOT HAVE A MONOLITHIC VOICE NOR ARE WE LED BY JESSE JACKSON, BILL COSBY, AL SHARPTON, BARACK OBAMA OR ANY OTHER FAMOUS BLACK PERSON. Contrary to popular belief, we do not caucus with Jesse or Al in a secret location to have them raise our concerns with the media or accuse white people. They do this on their own.

Is Al Sharpton a hypocrite? Of course! We shouldn't have double standards. Let's make black people accountable for the same things we make white people accountable for. _____________ (Fill in the blank of your favorite rapper here) is no less guilty than Don Imus. Sharpton has been notably silent about rappers and their "bitches and hos" chorus. Misogyny has taken over the rap game.

Now, on to the hair. Yes, Al's hair is ridiculous. I can't take a man whose hair looks better than mine seriously. He's high maintenance. How much is a wash n' set running now? In New York, I bet $50 - $100 a pop. The hair smacks of some deep-rooted self-hatred issues; natural vs. processed, nappy vs. straight, good vs. bad, black vs. white. Imagine Al with a 'fro. No more trips to the salon, no rollers or curling iron and no head scarves. I believe it was Alice Walker who said, "Oppressed hair puts a ceiling on the brain." Wash and wear Al, wash and wear!

Al Sharpton is definitely an opportunist. Being an opportunist requires that he capitalize on situations for his own benefit. Once he gets involved in a civil rights case, you soon forget what he was fussing about and it becomes all about Al. In this case, years of hard work shaming corporate America and preying upon liberal guilt has worked very well for Jesse Jackson so now Al is on the grind. The minute the narrow-minded, ethnocentric media begins to understand this, the better off everyone will be. If you stop putting the mic and cameras in front of Jesse and Al, they would both go away. I promise! Heck, Al might even let that perm slide for a few weeks. Okay, probably not.

I'm not even going to address the claim about Al and some FBI undercover agent on tape in a drug deal. All of this negative information has just popped up with the past few days since that blow up over Don Imus' "nappy headed hos" comment. It should be clear to everyone by now that the only person responsible for Don Imus' situation is Don Imus, not Al Sharpton. These claims only serve to shift the focus away from the real issue which is Don Imus. If you think it's socially acceptable to characterize black women as "nappy headed hos" or any kind "hos", you need to loose your job, just don't blame Al Sharpton.

(Picture of Ann Coulter and Al Sharpton borrowed from The Phoenix.com)

CBC Still Committed to Fox News Debates

The Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) has released another statement saying that they are still committed to the presidential debates they are co-sponsoring with Fox News. Claiming these debates will be an opportunity to "help educate African Americans and others on key issues of national policy", CBC Institute also claims this will an opportunity for candidates to present their ideas in an unfiltered atmosphere.

Perhaps it was the Fox News slogan, "fair and balanced" that won CBC Institute over. With none of the Democratic front-runners attending, this debate will likely end up being a debate for the Republican presidential candidates. We know they don't have a beef with Fox News because its their "fair and balanced" opinions being presented on the network 24/7/365.

MSNBC Drops Don Imus

In a shocking bit of news, MSNBC has announced that its dropping Don Imus' show. Oh, yeah and CBS is dropping him too. Imus' two biggest advertisers, General Motors and American Express have pulled their ads from his show as well. The big money advertisers are leaning back on Imus now which is probably why MSNBC and CBS are dropping him. They are going to lose $1.2 million in revenue just from American Express alone. GM's position on Imus was best summed up by Ryndee Carney, a spokesperson:

This doesn’t mean that we either agree or disagree with the views that are expressed on the show.

Say what? You mean to tell me GM isn't advertising on Imus' show because of his inappropriate racial slurs!? This nappy-headed ho doesn't think they went far enough in distancing themselves from Imus' foolishness.

Playing the Race Card with Obama

Plenty of folks have complained about the Congressional Black Caucus Institute's (CBCI) decision to co-host the Democratic presidential debates with Fox News. A massive email and telephone campaign launched by ColorofChange.org failed to reverse the CBCI's decision. They're determined to reach a broader audience and believe Fox News can help them. CBCI cares nothing about Fox News' record for distorting and misrepresenting black Americans.

The alternate route to shut these debates down with Fox News has been to contact the Democratic candidates and persuade them not to participate. It appears to be working. John Edwards was the first Democratic presidential candidate to say he wouldn't participate in the CBCI-Fox News debates. Now Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have said they will bypass the debates as well.

Former president of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Elijah Cummings has called Obama's decision not to participate in the debates "unfortunate". Cummings has it twisted. The fact that CBCI chose to partner with Fox News is "unfortunate". What about John Edwards and Hillary Clinton? Isn't their decision not to participate "unfortunate" too? Not according to Cummings since he only singled out Obama on this issue.

Sounds to me like Cummings is trying to play the race card with Obama to me. If he were an avid viewer of Fox News, he would know that there is nothing "fair and balanced" about them. He has overlooked the fact that Fox News ran a story falsely linking Obama to jihadists. Aside from that piece of false reporting, the network attacks Obama and from what I've heard he refuses to appear on any of their shows. I can't blame him; they have used everything from his middle name to cigarette smoking to his Muslim father to attack him.

Cummings should know that this isn't a "black thing" and should reserve his criticism of Obama for some other issue. He and the CBCI keep bringing up the fact that they hosted debates with Fox News back in 2004 as if that absolves them of their poor judgment in 2007. It doesn't. We know there is nothing "fair and balanced" about Fox News or their treatment of Barack Obama.

(Photo taken from MSNBC)

"Roots" Revisited

It's been more than 30 years since the mini-series "Roots" was first televised. Now that I'm older, I have a more critical, discerning eye for some of the details. It's currently airing this week on TV One at 8:00 pm with an encore at 10:00 pm. "Roots" made history because it was one of the rare times that both blacks and whites shared a common television experience. Alex Haley's story gave many of us a sense of history.

The story of Kunta Kinte's journey from being a Mandinka warrior in Guinea to a slave in Virginia was documented in Alex Haley's best-selling novel of the same name. Haley's account of his ancestors provided many us with some much needed history about how we came to America even though the brutality of slavery will never be accurately depicted.

Three days into watching this, I am amazed at how Kunta is derided by Fiddler and the other blacks on the plantation for being African. The master has the overseer beat Kunta into submission when he refuses to answer to his Christian name Toby. I know "Roots" is a semi-fictional account but I am awestruck by Kunta's refusal to abandon his culture. He is constantly being mocked and ridiculed for speaking Mandinka, practicing Islam and wanting to be free. Of course, Fiddler is there to remind him that he is in America and that he needs to forget that "African talk" and learn to speak English and forget Islam and adopt Christianity. No matter how cruel Kunta is treated, they never quite beat the Mandinka out of him.

Kunta never gives up the idea of being free even though everyone around him tells him he's better off being a slave than dead. He doesn't believe them and it shows. The other slaves on the plantation don't get him because they are so far removed from Africa that they can't relate to Kunta. Having no cultural or social ties to Africa, they can't understand why Kunta won't let that African stuff go. After being captured and enslaved, Mandinka culture is all Kunta has left.

Tomorrow, I've got to talk about the highly sexed mulatto woman running around the plantation.

I'm Not Really a Racist , I Do Nice Things for Black People

The folks over at MSNBC have published transcripts of their exclusive interview with suspended talk show host, Don Imus. This time he wants us to know he is down with black people. He's going to appear on Al Sharpton's radio show and has "reached out" to another black minister, DeForest Soaries who "knows" that Imus is a good person.

Sharpton and Soaries will no doubt fast-track Imus' "I'm Not Really a Racist" credentials before the monolithic black community they claim to represent. The only person missing from the fray is Jesse Jackson, I must be missing something somewhere. An incident involving racism and a camera, Jesse, where are you bro?

Let's see if Sharpton, Jackson and these other black ministers will jump out front on this "bitches and hos" thing with the rappers. Now that's something I'd like to see.

(Photo courtesy of myclockworks)

Don Imus Gets a Two Week Vacation

For now, Don Imus has been given a two week suspension for his rude and degrading remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. I'm just waiting for him to get fired or will MSNBC and Westwood One put him back on the air after sending him to racist rehab? Call me a pessimist but I believe he will be back in two weeks.

In spite of his stupid comments, he seems to have a tremendous amount of support from people. Empty promises to reform his racist ways just don't cut it with me. I call this window dressing. We're all supposed to be stupid enough to believe he is remorseful. He's only remorseful because people are on his case. Remember it took him two days, exactly 48 hours to apologize. I don't care if he meets with the sweet baby Jesus, I ain't buying his apology. People don't change their racist beliefs overnight, Don Imus is no exception.

Nappy Headed Hos

Black women reside at the bottom of the food chain called respect. The stereotypical portrayals of black women as welfare mothers and prostitutes is common in popular culture; therefore it should come as no surprise that radio talk show host Don Imus called members of the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" but not before his producer, Bernard McGuirk called the women "some hardcore hos" first. They obviously thought this was amusing and that there was nothing insensitive or demeaning about their comments. Imus waited two days to apologize for these comments. These days apologies, especially for such overt racism means nothing because people expect you to apologize when you make such ridiculous comments.

All I can say is that degrading black women, even those attending Rutgers pursing a college education, is not in the slightest bit funny. Out of all the possible descriptions he could have used, he resorted to those which required the least amount of intelligence. I can recall a similar incident last year when Rush Limbaugh referred to the black college co-ed who accused members of the Duke University lacrosse team of rape a "ho" too. The common denominator is between the two comments is black women. Must all black women be "hos"?

So Al Sharpton says he is going to picket the studio where Don Imus' show is taped. He also needs to set up permanent residence in front of Def Jam, Bad Boy, Jive and other record companies because their rap artists demean and degrade black women on the regular. My point is we shouldn't be any more mad at Don Imus than we are at Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Jay-Z or any other rapper who refers to black women as "hos and bitches". If we're angry with Don Imus for calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy headed hos" then we should be angry when rappers do the same. The word "ho" is no term of endearment between black men and black women either, it's degrading and offensive no matter who's using it.

Hillary Clinton Outmaneuvered & Outsmarted

I don't know what the Clintons did to Dick Morris, but he doesn't have anything nice to say about them. He has confirmed one of my personal beliefs that Miss Hillary has all but drawn up her cabinet list and agenda for the first year of her administration in 2008. Sadly, she is cocky, conniving and believes her own press. As I've always said, so many things can happen between now and the Democratic party primary.

Barack Obama has outmaneuvered and outsmarted the "Hill-raisers" by waiting a few days to make his campaign fund announcement. Of course Miss Hillary was the first to shoot her wad earlier this week by proclaiming that she'd raised $26 million from 50,000 donors. Nice Hillary but Obama waited to make his announcement and it paid off. He not only raised $25 million but he had 100,000 donors, twice as many as Hillary. John Edwards has taken some of the shine off of Hillary's apple too. He also posted some impressive fundraising numbers with more than $14 million in his campaign chest. This proves that the Democratic race for president isn't all about Hillary. It's only going to get more difficult for Hillary Clinton. Confidence is good, cockiness is not.

Note to Miss Hillary: Better watch your back. You might want to rethink that front runner status and act like you are fresh off the block; voters may forget you are married to a philanderer, are fond of black pantsuits and that you refuse to apologize for your position on Iraq. If it gets any worse for you, you might want to dig up some dirt on Obama to send over to Fox News since they're already in Obama-bashing mode. In all honesty, mud-slinging rarely works because the more you sling, the dirtier you get.

(Photo by seiu_international)

CBCI: Reaching for a Broader Audience with Fox News

I hardly ever agree with anything Jesse Jackson says or does but this time I find myself on the same side of the fence with the reverend. Our brethren over at the Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) have wrongly partnered with Fox News to bring us the 2008 presidential debates. Jackson issued a press release condemning this decision (let the congregation say "amen").

I'm astonished at those CBCI people, they must never watch Fox News or don't give a damn about how the commentators and guests on that network routinely bad-mouth black people. Aside from that, a campaign was launched by ColorofChange.org to shut this deal down by having constituents call and send emails to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. In spite of the 12,000 emails and nearly 800 phone calls, the CBCI went ahead with the deal anyway. Board member and Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (MI) summed up the their decision by saying:

I am pleased that Fox News will broadcast two CBC Institute debates and especially honored that the Institute will host a debate in Detroit.

To avoid further scrutiny CBCI's press release quotes Board Chair Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson from Mississippi as saying their goal is to present the presidential candidates to the "broadest audience as possible". Fox News does appeal to a broad audience, a kind of audience that blames illegal immigrants for the rising crime rates, thinks the word "articulate" is a compliment when describing a black person and believes Katrina victims turned the Superdome into a ghetto in three days.

As if they have sworn some kind of blood oath with board members, no one in the CBCI has spoken out about this deal. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been painfully silent on this issue as well. I think it's great that CBCI wants to sponsor the presidential debates, it goes along with their mission to train young blacks in the political process but Fox News is the wrong partner. By cozying up with them, the CBCI is sending a message that they condone the network's disdain for the black people. They are more concerned about acceptance from this "broad audience" than they are about principles, dignity or pride.

(Photo by ostwestfoto)

Grab Your Calculators! Inflation Projected to Reach 2,500% in Zimbabwe

The South African newspaper Mail & Guardian Online is reporting that Zimbabwe's inflation rate will reach 2,500% by the end of the month. Coupled with 200% - 500% price increases, the people of Zimbabwe are truly suffering. With 80% of his people living in poverty, President Robert Mugabe has the support of all the African leaders in the region.

Members Enablers of the Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) include Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia. The members support group met last week to discuss the worsening situation in Zimbabwe help boost Mugabe's self-esteem and blame the West for Zimbabwe's troubles. Mugabe left the meeting in Tanzania feeling so much better that when he returned to Zimbabwe, he instituted goon squads to go around brutalizing and intimidating citizens in an attempt to suppress civil unrest.

Sadly at age 83, you would figure Mugabe would want to retire and spend some time with his wife Grace on the 3,000 acre farm she seized back in 2002. It's doubtful that either of them will outlive the fortune he has amassed over the past 20 years.

Hot Link of the Day: The Raw Story

In a story that can only be categorized as distressing, an army recruiter went all homophobic and racist on a potential recruit and he's got the emails to prove it. Miss Army Recruiter didn't mince words in her amusing but sometimes disturbing emails. All the guy did was say he was gay and she took it from there. I bet she gets fired for the disparaging comments about his African ancestry rather than her homophobic comments. Check the story out over at The Raw Story.

Congressional Black Caucus Partners with Fox News

In spite of 12,000 calls and letters to members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), they have decided to go forward with the sponsorship of the 2008 presidential debates with Fox News. The Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) is an off-shoot of the CBC that purports to provide political training and education and positive role models in public service for future African American leaders . How co-sponsoring presidential debates with Fox News promotes this objective is lost on me.

Fox News is not a friend to black people and this bit of partnering isn't going to change that. I wonder how much money CBCI got paid to do this. From what I hear, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus didn't want any parts of this debate. I'm glad they had some backbone.

If you are as disturbed about this as I am, please visit ColorofChange.org.

McCain's Photo Op in Iraq

"They were just making fun of us and paid this visit just for their own interests," he said. "Do they think that when they come and speak few Arabic words in a very bad manner it will make us love them? This country and its society have been destroyed because of them and I hope that they realized that during this visit."

Baghdad merchant as quoted by The Washington Post

On Sunday Arizona Senator and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain paid a visit to a Baghdad market to prove how safe it is but neglected to mention the extreme security measures taken for the visit. Various news sources say that during the visit helicopters circled overhead, the streets surrounding the market had been cleared and that there were between 100 - 120 soldiers in armored humvees accompanying McCain's delegation.

Just last week McCain was bragging that the American commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus travels around the city in an unarmored humvee because it is so safe. I guess McCain wasn't taking any chances during his visit. Adding to McCain's rosy assessment of Iraq was Indiana Congressman Mike Pence who said the Shorja market was “like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime”. A day later, snipers returned to the area called "the sniper zone" by area merchants.

All I can do is shake my head at this. I guess if you don't have any good news to report from Iraq you can always make some up.

(Photo by Sgt. Matthew Roe/10th Public Affairs Operations Center, via Reuters taken from the New York Times)

Thabo Mbeki's Wishful Thinking

Robert Mugabe, originally uploaded by Siegfried Woldhek.

Less than a week after publicly praising Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, South African President Thabo Mbeki has now said that Mugabe will "peacefully renounce power in the future". Though he refused to give details about Mugabe's departure, Mbeki hinted that he knows something about Mugabe that we don't know. How can a man like Mugabe do anything peaceful when he has been nothing but brutal against the opposition?

Mbeki is trying to atone for last week's foolishness in Tanzania at the Southern African Development Committee meeting. In case you missed it, leaders of the countries in the region called a meeting to discuss the dire situation in Zimbabwe. Instead of talking some sense into old dude, the members praised him and blamed the West for Zimbabwe's problems. They also had the nerve to suggest that the West end their embargo against the country. If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

If Mugabe goes peacefully, that will be a first. My bet is that someone in his army or political party is plotting some kind of coup d'etat. Mugabe ain't leaving office until he is D.E.A.D., at that point he doesn't have a choice but to go peacefully.