Learning to fly

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast, how
Can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to guide my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I



From Pink floyd, a momentary lapse of reason EMI, 1987

Sopranos

Family Values

What's wrong with the Lakers?

This has not been a fun season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Showtime and four-peat have been replaced with complacency, finger-pointing, dreadful execution, poor shooting, a string of opponents who don't give a hoot about them and very few wins.

Oh Holy Fright

The New York Post has this story.

Seems that Right after Cardinal Egan finished the Christmas homily, in which he urged parishioners to pray for peace and "love those who are hurting," Wesner Fequiere, a 39-year-old homeless man who was clearly hurting, entered the Cathedral and shouted that he was a believer and wanted to say a prayer.

Security guards and ushers, in an expression of love and the holiday spirit, tackled the man and dragged him outside. Once outside, he broke free again, ran back into the church and approached the altar before being tackled once more. This time, he was dragged from the Cathedral in handcuffs as he announced, "I'm not crazy; I'm homeless… I am the son of God."

He explained to police officers that he was homeless, hungry and just wanted to go someplace where he could take a shower and relax for a bit, so they took him to Bellevue.

What was Cardinal Egan’s response to all this? He told his gathered flock that "these things happen in New York," and ended the service by urging them once again "to come to the assistance of those who are alone, abandoned and in need."

Life imitates Watt

"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."--Interior Secretary James Watt, 1983 (the comment led to his resignation)

Homeless collect $5,000 Christmas present for NYC cop

A New York City cop who refused to arrest a homeless man for taking refuge in a parking garage has become a hero to the homeless community for his stand even though his superiors were less enthused. Officer Eduardo del La Cruz was charged with insubordination for refusing a direct order and suspended for 30 days without pay, just as the Christmas season was approaching. To demonstrate their gratitude for the officer, homeless across the city collected whatever money they could scrape together from welfare checks and selling cans to help him and his family of five through the holidays.

I commented on the original story a few weeks ago (I'm feeling too lazy to go search for it in the archives) in which I applauded this officer for standing up for what he believed was the right thing to do. I'm glad to see that the NYC homeless polulation has responded in kind.

Kwanzaa

Today marks the beginning of the African-inspired holiday Kwanzaa, a weeklong event that gives black people an opportunity to celebrate where they came from and strengthen their communities. Those unfamiliar with the celebration, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, think it’s a religious holiday meant to replace Christmas, but it was never intended to replace the Christian holiday.

Kwanzaa, whose name is derived from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanzaa,” which means “first fruits,” was founded in 1966 by activist Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University at Long Beach. The celebration encourages African Americans to embrace their roots and focus on seven principles to improve their lives and communities.

Another War

...And still no proof says Ted Rall

Does the U.S. really possess proof, as it claims, that Saddam is up to no good? Or does it merely suspect--in other words, have a gut feeling--that Iraqi scientists are cooking up smallpox bombs hundreds of feet beneath the desert?

A war in Iraq is easy:
the problem will be the peace

Times Online has this story.

The momentum for war is now so great that it cannot be stopped, short of a miracle. Of course, Saddam Hussein or President Bush could decide to climb down completely. .

Saddam could announce: “Here’s the anthrax, and over there is the mustard gas, and, by the way, we keep our nuclear material in the cellar of the palace. For myself, I have bought an economy class ticket to Zimbabwe, where my old friend Mr Mugabe has agreed to put me up for a year or two.” Or President Bush could state that the UN weapons inspectors had failed to find any prohibited material, and that the United States had therefore cooled over any further action in the Middle East.

Neither of these things is going to happen. If President Bush was now to flinch, which he will not do, the consequences would be disastrous, not only to his Administration and to the United States, but to world peace and to the Middle East. If he retreated at this point, he might just as well resign as President, and his authority would be destroyed.

Even worse would be the effect in the Middle East itself. Saddam Hussein would emerge as the leader who had twice survived an American assault. The Arab world, probably the whole Islamic world, would be convinced that his methods were successful. Apart from other consequences, there would be an immediate threat to other Arab regimes as well as to Israel.

On Racial Profiling

That insidious practice by which some police routinely stop African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans and others simply because of their race, ethnicity or national origin should be an issue of concern.

President Bush pledged to end racial profiling nearly two years ago during his first address to a joint session of Congress. Attorney General John Ashcroft has acknowledged the damage caused by racial profiling and called for an end to the practice. It is time for the administration to move this effort forward.

In the last Congress, a bipartisan group of members sponsored the End Racial Profiling Act. The bill bans racial profiling and requires federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate and prevent the practice. This bill should be one of the top agenda items when Congress reconvenes in January, and the administration should follow through on its promise to address this issue.

Merry Christmas

... And Happy Holidays! May your season be filled with good cheers, peace and love.

Citiblog will return in a few days. Be safe.

-The Garrauds

Sign of the times

Still seeking that perfect gift for a special young girl in your life? Well, look no further than page 50 of the FAO Schwarz 2002 holiday catalogue. For a mere $45, you can surprise and delight her with a Lingerie Barbie.

And what a Barbie Babe she is, decked out in her sexy black (or, if you prefer, pink) garters, stockings and obligatory stiletto heels. Even her PR is PG, giving the phrase "sex toy" a whole new level of meaning:

"Barbie exudes a flirtatious attitude in her heavenly merry widow bustier ensemble accented with intricate lace and matching peekaboo peignoir."

Oh darn, reading this too late for holiday gift giving? Not to worry. Mattel plans a February launch for its sixth "limited edition" Lingerie Barbie, promising she'll be "simply sassy in a short pearl-grey satin slip trimmed in black lace" and "thigh-high stockings" that "add a hint of flair." [more]

Schoolbooks are flubbing facts

Ever wonder what your children might be learning when they hit the books? Would you want your kids learning from these books?

"It's a reign of distortion and censorship," said Diane Ravitch, an education historian at New York University and former assistant education secretary in the first Bush administration. "It's an environment in which words and images are routinely banned." And that's just the textbooks.

Homeland Security, back then.

(Walt Handelsman)

More Classic NYC

My favs.

the World’s Fair site at Flushing Meadow . . . the Grill Room at the Four Seasons . . . the Brooklyn Heights Promenade . . .the dozens of fiercely competitive Indian restaurants on East 6th Street . . .jay-walking as a sport ...Turkish baths . . . the fountain at Lincoln Center . . . the pretzel . . . people swearing every year that it’s their last year in the city . . . pigeons . . . staying friends with people only because they have the perfect window view for parades ... deli guys who memorize your order after a while so you never have to ask for your breakfast . . . the lions in front of the New York Public Library . . . unwritten but sacred social rules involving personal space (like, dude, take off your backpack on the subway) . . . graffiti . . . umbrella carnage on every corner after a storm . . . bike messengers . . . cheesecake (yum) . . . brunch . . . pride in showing off the city to friends in from out of town ... New Yorkers of every age, race, and class waiting patiently in four-block-long lines on 9/11/01 just to make an appointment to donate blood (God Bless America). . . famous people everywhere except where the tourists are looking for them ...hearing ten languages spoken in the course of a single block . . . the Apollo ...the opening night of a Broadway show . . . the waterfront . . . haggling with street vendors . . .a whole subway car full of people pretending nothing is happening even when someone just two feet away is screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs . . . the Rockettes . . . the confidence of living in the center of the universe.

Blook: Tony Pierce

I received my copy of Tony Pierce's book in the mail yesterday. I have copy number 74/125 , signed by the author and delivered via priority mail in a plain brown wrapper (Just kidding about the plain brown wrapper).

"Blook" is a compilation of the west coast power blogger's weblog entries from the past year. If you haven't yet experienced the busblog, check it out.

The first thing that impressed me was the front cover's unique imagery (busblog style), superimposed with the classy title that appears in a burst of light as if to suggest a bold and uncensored perspective. That, I agree is apropos, since "Blook" certainly delivers what it promises.

First, Tony gives special thanks to his readers, as well as the book's title creator Jeff jarvis. He then takes the reader directly to the first entry:

"Hi blog that I treat like crap. I love you. I'm making a hot meal for my hot girl tonight. I'm pretty excited, shouldn't I be? Some say you jinx it by being excited. I think Jinxing is a bunch of phooey, for if you have the ability to jinx something, you should also be able to unjinx it. I think this girl is killer."

Empowered with unadorned directness, wit and imaginative points of view, Tony pierce's "Blook" is a hit. The 111 page compilation has a down to earth and credible style that entices the reader to dig deeper. You gotta love it!

Classic New York

You already know it's the greatest city in the world. From stilettos to power lunches, let us remind you why... You don't have to look hard to catch a glimpse of classic New York. Just do what the tourists do: Look up. But tourists, being tourists, see only the landmarks. What really makes this city constant over time is not so much the bricks and mortar but what's inscribed in the city's DNA: the people, the institutions, the ways of life that may evolve over time but remain unmistakably New York.

The skyline . . . neurosis . . . “Stand clear of the closing doors” . . . Shakespeare in the Park . . . the penthouse . . . pickles . . . very wealthy small children . . . the docents at the Met . . . seltzer . . . parties where everyone’s wearing black . . . “Page Six” . . . getting bus-slushed . . . the fine distinction among bodegas, delis, and corner stores . . . the knish . . . at 5 p.m., Town Cars lined up two deep in front of corporate buildings . . . Art Deco . . . standing under the Washington Square Park arch with its decrepit statue of George Washington and gazing up Fifth Avenue . . .

“I’m on the list” . . . the beat cop . . . famous people at the newsstand early in the morning so they can be the first to read their reviews . . . apartment envy . . . Ed Koch . . . spending the day sitting in the Cloisters’ medieval garden . . . illegally tapping fire hydrants . . . [more]

Slate: How Reaganomics became Rubinomics

The bizarre Republican swoon for deficit spending.

You and I as individuals can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?"

—Ronald Reagan's first inaugural address, 1981


"Glenn Hubbard, chairman of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers … derides the 'current fixation' with budget deficits, and labels as 'nonsense' and 'Rubinomics,' the view espoused by former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin that higher deficits lead to lower growth."

—The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 17

How in the world did this happen? Once upon a time, federal government deficits were denounced by St. Ronald as a focus of evil barely less threatening than communism itself. Now that concern is mocked by a Republican White House as the nonsensical "fixation" of a previous Democratic administration. In recent weeks the term "Rubinomics" has spread through the press like a rash—promoted by people who apparently believe that the best way to discredit anything is to associate it with Bill Clinton. They are not deterred by the inconvenient fact that the economy did rather well under Clinton and Rubin—better than under either of the Bushes or Reagan himself. Even more astonishing is that the Republican propaganda machine is trying to stamp "Clinton" all over one of the cornerstones of Reaganism. [more]

Send in the clones

The Daily News has this report

The chief scientist of a group that believes humans were spawned by space aliens is claiming an American in her care will deliver the world's first cloned baby within days. Dr. Brigitte Boisselier - a member of The Raelians, a Canada-based sect that advocates building an embassy for extraterrestrials - says the clone is a girl.

Boisselier's announcement is the latest from a string of scientists racing to produce the first copycat human. Last month, Italian fertility doctor Severino Antinori promised a cloned baby boy will be born in January.

But skeptics argue the cloning claims smell about as bad as a dirty diaper.

Maybe our friend Leah in Canada can tell us if she's ever heard of this Dr. Brigitte Boisselier.

Smoking ban in NYC

The City Council overwhelmingly approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ban on workplace smoking, including a prohibition on lighting up in almost all bars and restaurants.

The 42-7 vote with two abstentions Wednesday came after spirited opposition from smokers and bar owners, who said tightening the city's existing smoking law will diminish their rights, hurt tourism and cut into the business of bars and nightclubs.

The report notes however that there are several exceptions, including portions of outdoor cafes; bars that build enclosed, specially ventilated smoking rooms where employees would not enter; private clubs such as American Legion halls; nursing homes and other residential facilities that have smoking rooms; and existing cigar bars.

Bush: Trip To Africa Postponed

President Bush is postponing a trip to Africa, scheduled for January. White House sources said Mr Bush needed to focus on domestic and other international issues, with an unnamed official saying that the delay should not be taken as a sign that war with Iraq was imminent. more

I'll miss Trent

Yeah, that's right ... I'll miss him because he's the only one that had the guts to say what the GOP really believes. And now that he's shot himself in the foot by talking a bit too openly about what was supposed to be spoken about, um, in private (or as Bill Clinton puts it "in the back roads") all we can do now is look ahead, but don't forget to take your blinders off so you can see both sides of the road.

And, Speaking of Bill Clinton, I always liked him ... Try to imagine a Bush or a Cheney visiting Harlem, or setting up an office there as Clinton did.

But I digress.

From the beginning, the whole Trent Lott story was like a freight train going down hill without brakes. The highlight lowlight of the moment for me was Lott's appearance on BET.

What was that all about? Was I suppose to all of a sudden get an everything's-gonna-be-allright-from-now-on type of feeling? No, it didn't work. I understood that he was coming from a position of desperation. Still others saw his appeal as groveling and pandering. Some of my colleagues even laughed at some of Lott's statements (and rightfully so) -- including his statement that he regretted voting (in 1983) against establishing a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and would vote for one now ... Oh! ok.

Oliver Willis brings up a good point when he asks: "Why, do so many conservatives assume that race is the only issue on which black Americans vote?" I was thinking the same thing.

But yes, I'll miss Trent Lott, the improbably haired Senator who had a momentary lapse of reason and dropped a bone or two out of the closet in the process.

Adios Trent !

Lott Resigns as Senate Leader

Bowing to pressure from his fellow senators and the Bush White House, Sen. Trent Lott resigned his position as Senate majority leader

Just as I expected. More later.

(Via Seattle PI)David Horsey

Putting the breaks on blowhard bloggers

If the Internet is a frontier, then the online self-publishing phenomenon called Web logging, or "blogging," is the virtual Wild West where any old varmint with a Web site can shoot his mouth off. A recent decision by the High Court of Australia, however, could civilize the Internet, perhaps to the detriment of the 1st Amendment. [more]

On the double standards issue

Surely, the racialism that Lott toasted at Thurmond's celebration is alive and well in the Democratic as well as the Republican party.

Recently, many have been debating the issue of whether the media uses a double standard when reporting on issues of racial politics. We hear questions such as "why weren't the same standards applied to the Trent Lott story being applied to Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, a former member of the KKK, who used the phrase 'white n----r' on television?"

Folks are asking why is Senator Byrd still in office while it's being suggested that Lott should be ousted.

I have this suggestion:

Byrd isn't a leader of the Democratic party. This is not to say that his statement wasn't just as insensitive and repulsive.

Trent Lott is in a leadership position, As Majority Leader, Lott is one of the most powerful men in Washington.

The issue is no longer whether he is racist but rather one of past record. His recent satement certainly opened up his past to further scrutiny and also leads me to aggressively question whether he is politically fit to be in a position of such high regard.

The reports that I've read points to a man that has twice uttered public statements regretting the end of Jim Crow. He voted against a federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. "Racial discrimination does not always violate public policy," he wrote in a 1981 amicus brief defending Bob Jones University's ban on interracial dating; Not to mention his associations with white-supremacist groups. Everything Lott has done and said in his career suggests he doesn't view the civil rights movement as being a part of the American ideal.

Sure others have been guilty of making similar statements, but the difference is, this is a man that will be closely associated with the President. In such a position, you are expected to be a standard bearer of the ideals that makes America great for all Americans. Lott failed in that regard.

President Bush said recently:

"We will not, and we must not, rest until every person of every race believes in the promise of America because they see it in their own eyes, with their own eyes, and they live it and feel it in their own lives."

Can we believe in this promise of America? Can we see it with our own eyes
or trust that this guiding social principle will apply with Lott as leader? I think not.

The preceived double standard in this instance seems to be based more on the merits of the situation.

A Whole Lotta' Racism

Mark Fiore does it again in this new flash animation on racism in Government.

Rated R for Racism. Contains inappropriate language and explicit hypocritical acts

Research: Brain Center for Music Appreciation

Sounds from the radio slip into a melody and suddenly your mind skips back to an evening of moonlight and romance and happy times. It happens to everybody, but until now science was unsure just why.

A new study by researchers at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, suggests that recalling that melody is the job of a part of the brain known as the rostromedial prefrontal cortex. It is the part that remembers music and is even able to recognize a sour note in the midst of a familiar tune.

The fact that the brain is naturally wired to appreciate and remember music suggests that pleasant sounds were an important of part of the human mind from the earliest of times.

Free Speech: Maybe not

Legal Constraints on Web Journals Surprise Many 'Bloggers'

(Washington Post)

This is one reason why I don't write anything that is work or business related on this page. If my memory seves me correctly, I do remember signing one of those non-disclosure agreements ... So, mum's the word.

I'm switching to Pepsi

Britney's out and Beyonce's in.

Finally!

Judge Vacates Convictions in 1989 Central Park Jogger Case.

"Truth crushed to earth, shall rise again" - Winston Churchill

South Korea: New pres.

SOUTH KOREA has elected a liberal former human-rights lawyer as its next president. Roh Moo-hyun, who represents the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, ran on a platform that called for more open dealings with North Korea and less acceptance of the American view of things.

The Economist has the details.

Where's Lott?

It's been more than 48 hours since he apologized, does that mean he's planning to step down? Not really reports the Washington Times.

Knicks: Respect

Whatever the source of their motivation, the Knicks played with as much pride and determination as they have shown in the past two seasons in pulling out a thrilling 101-99 victory over the Nets Teusday night in front of a sellout MSG crowd.

With this win, the Knicks snapped a six-game losing streak to New Jersey. Allan Houston scored 25 of his 29 in the second half to lead New York. Kurt Thomas tallied 17 points and Latrell Sprewell shot 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, finishing with 12 points.

As Latrell Sprewell said in response to the Nets' pregame trash talk, they might be on top now, but they never can match the Knicks' fan support.

This was a huge victory and I expect a lot more games like this up ahead. Let's go Knicks!

When Intergration Was A Crime

As the nation debates Trent Lott's comments, it is important to understand what segregation really meant. First and foremost, this was not just a bad attitude but a vast set of laws designed to marginalize one group on the basis of skin color.

Thus, racism was being enforced not by skinheads but by the police, by the courts and even by society itself; individuals who broke these statutes were condemned by the local community, just as we would do to lawbreakers today. [More]

New plans for ground zero released

The photo gallery is here

Powell on Lott

"We'll just have to see how this all plays out... I deplored the sentiments behind the statement. There was nothing about the 1948 election or the Dixiecrat agenda that should have been acceptable in any way, to any American, at that time or any American now."

Hispanics: Under-represented in the news

The booming U.S. Hispanic population has yet to be reflected in the news reports of the major broadcast networks and CNN, a new study shows.

Out of about 16,000 stories on the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN last year, only 99 0.62 percent were about Hispanics, according to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Hispanics now represent 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, and their numbers have increased nearly 60 percent since 1990 to 35.3 million. What news stories the networks did carry on Hispanics often tended to be stereotypical and unflattering, the study said.

Telling it like it is

New York (CNN) Former President Clinton said Wednesday it is "pretty hypocritical" of Republicans to criticize incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott for stating publicly what he said the GOP does "on the back roads every day."

"How do they think they got a majority in the South anyway?" Clinton told CNN outside a business luncheon he was attending. "I think what they are really upset about is that he made public their strategy."

He added: "They try to suppress black voting, they ran on the Confederate flag in Georgia and South Carolina, and from top to bottom the Republicans supported it."

Bring it on baby!

Advantage: How ya like me now!

Radical Manhatannism

Gawker is a Manhattan weblog magazine edited by Elizabeth Spiers, designed by Jason Kottke and published by Nick Denton. It is a live review of city news, and by news we mean, among other things, urban dating rituals, no-ropes social climbing, Condé Nastiness, downwardly-mobile i-bankers, real estate porn -- the serious stuff.

"One more reason to love New York". -RG

BET: What Next [2]

Over at Fresh's weblog, a question on the issue of Black Entertaiment Television's programming direction was raised. Certainly, this is an important issue to those of us that watch BET and are concerned with these latest turn of events.

Divine Joy also brings this petition to our attention that is well worth signing in order to help get the message across.

"NO!". Let's "Just Say NO!", to BET, Viacom, Bob Johnson and the world! Let’s show the world that we are worth more than a few ‘bootie shaking’, ‘bling bling’, 'gangsta' videos. IF not for ourselves, let’s do this for our children. Let’s show them that we are not going to just sit back and allow others to dictate to us what is IMPORTANT to US.

I'm hoping that BET will in short order reveal its strategy for growing the network in a positive direction. But for now, I'm not yet encouraged.

David Horsey

The NYPD wants to watch you

Nation's Largest Law Enforcement Agency Vies for Total Spying Power

The police department insists it needs broader authority to hunt terrorists, who may masquerade as regular law-abiding folks until the moment they strike. But if police win this bid, the followers of "extremist Muslim fundamentalism" they have mentioned won't be the only ones in their sights. Everyone becomes fair game.

As the nation's largest law enforcement agency—nearly twice the size of the Federal Bureau of Investigation—the New York City Police Department could be the biggest Big Brother of all. Yet it faces quite a stumbling block. A long-standing federal order, imposed after a landmark lawsuit revealed rampant surveillance abuses of political activists, prevents the NYPD from spying on whomever it wants.

Now the NYPD is fighting to gut the order and get its old powers back, reports the Village Voice.

Police currently cannot investigate people who are exercising their constitutional rights, no matter how unpopular the cause, unless there is some indication of a crime. Street protesters are the most obvious beneficiaries. But also covered are those who pray, attend community meetings, write editorials, or express their views in almost any other way.

Lott: Forget about it

Lott's statements on BET yesterday fell of my deaf ears. I was blinded by the Senator's record which I believe speaks louder than any words of apology he could ever convey.

According to liberal watchdog group People for the American Way, Lotts' record proves that over the years he has basically stuck his foot up black people's asses. Lott has consistently voted to the racist right of the purportedly "reconstructed" Thurmond on a number of major civil rights bills:

In 2001, Lott cast the only vote against the confirmation of Judge Roger Gregory, the first African American judge ever seated on the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Thurmond voted for Gregory.

In 1983, Lott voted against creating a federal holiday for civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Thurmond voted for the holiday.

In 1982, Lott voted against the Voting Rights Act extension. Thurmond supported it.

In 1978, Lott voted against the 1978 District of Columbia Voting Rights Constitutional Amendment. Thurmond voted with the two-thirds majorities in both houses that passed the amendment, which eventually failed to win approval in enough states to be ratified.

And, there's more.

Many African Americans sense that the Republican Party is riddled with bigots. Few myths exert as powerful an influence over blacks of all education levels. That's one reason why we resist pulling the lever for Republicans on election day, Now Lott comes along and digs a deeper hole for himself and his party.

I'm not being melodramatic, but I wonder how high my concerns would be on Lott's list of priorities. And, this sentiment resonates even more now that the balance of power in our government is tipped in the Republicans' favor; a party whose Senate majority leader will be one of our nation's half-dozen most influential people in the lawmaking process.

Lott has become a burden to America and he must go.

BET: What Next?

Ed Gordon of BET certainly did a good job of addressing Lott's recent controversial remarks. But just a few days earlier, BET made news of another kind. The Washington-based cable network announced it was eliminating most of its news division, including a nightly public-affairs program hosted by Gordon.

Artist or Prankster

Both The Daily News and The New York Postare reporting that the 38 black boxes bearing the word "FEAR" left under benches and stuck on walls in the subway station in NYC last week were all part of an art project. Several people had speculated this, but it wasn’t confirmed until yesterday when 25-year-old art student Clinton Boisvert turned himself in.

Publicity stunts like this don't go over well with edgy New Yorkers, especially post 9/11. There's a fine line that seperates Prank and art, at least in this case.

Lott On BET

Here is a transcript of the much anticipated BET interview with Trent Lott, in case you missed it.

Bloggers: Leading the pack on Lott story

"The papers did not make note of his [Lott's] comments until days after he made them," Time reported . "But the stillness was broken by the hum of Internet 'bloggers' who were posting their outrage and compiling rap sheets of Lott's earlier comments." Paul Krugman of The New York Times gave credit to blogger Joshua Marshall , whom he said, "more than anyone else, is responsible for making Trent Lott's offensive remarks the issue they deserve to be." Joe Conason's Journal said initially Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish was angrier than The New York Times, the Washington Post and National Public Radio.

John Podhoretz, of the New York Post, said bloggers' role in the development of this news story is exciting evidence of a new medium maturing.

Sean Penn: Smart Move

When Sean Penn visited Iraq last week, he seemed determined not to say or do anything that might incriminate him or perhaps cast him as the new Hanoi Jane.

The NY Times has the full story

Instead, Mr. Penn chose the diplomat's path, sparing both Mr. Bush and Mr. Hussein the full power of the "conclusions" he said he had reached in the momentum toward war. "Can I think of more extreme things to say?" the actor said, referring to Mr. Hussein's rule, during an interview in a suite in the government-owned Al Rashid Hotel that offered a twinkling nighttime panorama of Baghdad's palaces, party buildings and mosques Mr. Hussein has built in the bulldozed heart of old Baghdad. "You bet I can."

He added, "You come here on a Friday, you leave on a Sunday, and you start throwing out flamboyant and inflammatory messages — that doesn't seem to be of advantage to anyone." Where Iraq is concerned, he said: "I can read something one day, and the next day I read something else, and I think, `Oh God, I didn't even think about that,' and that's humbling. So I'm afraid of saying something that might hurt somebody, and then find out I was wrong in the first place."

An about face it seems, considering that Penn "paid for a $56,000 advertisement in the Washington Post in October accusing President Bush of stifling the debate on Iraq.

Google vs Evil

The world's biggest, best-loved search engine owes its success to supreme technology and a simple rule: Don't be evil. Now the geek icon is finding that moral compromise is just the cost of doing big business.

FedEX Workers File Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

FedEx Corp. faces accusations of rampant racial discrimination in a lawsuit filed last Thursday by 26 current and former California employees who say they are on a crusade for the company's entire minority work force.

Lead attorney Waukeen Q. McCoy, holds up a copy of a class action suit against delivery company Federal Express as a number of plaintiffs in the suit look on, during a news conference in San Francisco, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002. The 189-page complaint filed Thursday, seeks damages for race discrimination, wrongful termination of violation of public policy, retaliation, racial harassment, gender based discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, violation of the California Equal Pay Act and injunctive relief.

And to think that last time I looked at the calendar, it said December, 2002.

As the Trent Lott saga continues...

Rand Simberg has an interesting revelation about Trent Lott

Excerpt:

"As you all know, Bill Clinton was the first black president. Well, I'm the first black Senate Majority Leader. It's truly a proud day for the Republican Party and the African-American community."

"I know that many of you will be surprised to learn that I was 'passing' all of these years. It was a deep, dark family secret."

"My great-great grandmother was a house nigra on a plantation outside of Biloxi. My great-grandfather was a mullatto, my grandmother was a quadroon, and my mother was an octaroon, which makes me a hexidecaroon. As all of you from hereabouts know, just a touch of one hair of the tarbrush means that I can never be truly white."

Merry Christmas NYC

Transit Strike Averted

“It gives me pleasure to announce to the entire citizenry of New York that we have a proposed agreement,” Local 100 union president Roger Toussaint told a crowd at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown where round-the-clock talks have been held since Friday.

Info To Go

I recently decided to replace my palm V and spent some time searching for a PDA that would offer me some great features without breaking the bank.

Having been a proud owner of the Palm V for 2 years, not only was I searching for an elegant looking PDA, but also one that provided adequate memory, expandability and a color screen .The Sony CLIE PEG SJ30 was perfectly suited to my needs so I picked one up last weekend.

The SJ30 uses the standard Palm OS 4.1 but adds a few flourishes to the basic theme: a high-resolution, color screen; 16MB of RAM; a Memory Stick slot; (which is especially useful if you want to carry around family photos) and extra software for viewing or editing images. The unit uses a 33MHz DragonBall VZ processor which will adequately handle most tasks with ease and the built-in lithium-ion battery delivers an acceptable amount of operating time

There are hundreds of third party software available for the Palm OS that I find very useful. In addition, the avant go service provides a prefect vehicle that allows me to stay apprised of current events even when I'm away from my PC.

This model will appeal to those who don't need all the extra bells and whistles and are simply looking for a well-designed, moderately priced, color PDA. I highly recommend it.

North Korea: Trouble looms

A combination of factors makes North Korea uniquely dangerous. It has an unpredictable and untrustworthy dictator, an economy in free fall and a two-track nuclear weapons effort that appears more advanced than Iraq's. ... Washington seems to think that it can afford the luxury of deferring the North Korean problem until it has finished disarming Iraq. It cannot. [more]

The situation is a lot more complicated than it seems, indeed. Read on and judge for yourself.

(Via NY Times) Reg. required.

American Media: Under the Gun

The Portsmouth Herald has this story

The American people know that U.S. forces handily defeated the Iraqi military in 1991 and that American bombs have already begun to drop on Iraq a decade later. What has happened since then and why the need to return?

These are questions for which few Americans have the answers, yet informed citizenship depends on them, according to University of New Hampshire professor and media analyst Joshua Meyrowitz.

Meyrowitz argued that by reporting mostly what government sources say, the American media have become instruments of war propaganda, thereby crippling their audience’s ability to find the truth or to hold their leaders accountable. Journalists in bed with the government have spawned an impaired version of free speech, but Americans take freedom for granted, so they don’t pressure the media to protect it, he said.

Death Penalty: Disparities

Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has vowed to rescind Maryland's death penalty moratorium as soon as he's sworn into office. If so, seven inmates currently on death row - six of whom are black - could soon be eligible for execution.

Yet a statewide poll conducted earlier this year found that at least 60 percent of African-Americans support the current moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Consider: Maryland has one of the highest percentages of black death row inmates in the country - more than 70 percent. Although most murder victims are black, the 12 men on Maryland's death row were convicted of killing white people. Nine of them were convicted in Baltimore County.

Several prominent people have raised concerns about the fairness of the death penalty, including two sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices who have publicly expressed reservations.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told a law conference last year, "If statistics are any indication, the system may well be allowing some innocent defendants to be executed."

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a speech that she had "yet to see a death case among the dozens coming to the Supreme Court on the eve of execution petitions in which the defendant was well represented at trial."

In fact, the Supreme Court has recently agreed to consider the case of a Maryland death row inmate, Kevin Wiggins, who claims he was sentenced to death because of incompetent representation.

African-Americans and other people of color deal with a broad range of economic, educational and political inequities that are embedded deeply in our culture. Racial profiling, police brutality, poor legal representation and false imprisonment persist in a system that often fails to deliver equal justice under the law. [more]

Album Reviews:
Nas - God's Son
GZA - Legend Of The Liquid Sword

If you are talking straight lyricists - artists who can paint pictures in your mind with the use of clever wordplay, metaphors and words with double-meanings, it doesn't get any better than Nas and GZA. Both steeped in consciousness, MC battles, commercial success and New York City folklore, you would be hard-pressed to find any two MCs better than the Queens and Brooklyn-natives.

(Via Black Electorate.com)

Gore: No More

"I've decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004,'' Gore told CBS' "60 Minutes'" Sunday evening.

" I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think that it 's the right thing for me to do.'"

"I think the current policies have to be changed," Gore said. "I think that my best way of contributing to that result may not be as a candidate this time around."

Gone but not to be silenced any time soon, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, websites like these are dissapearing rather quickly.

Transit Union: Sufficient Progress

Moments before the midnight deadline, Transport Union Workers secretary-treasurer Ed Watt said "we have made sufficient progress to stop the clock" and continue negotiations.

Transit Strike On Monday?

At 5 p.m., Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint reacted to the statements of the mayor and the governor (see below) with his own press conference. "There is time to resolve this contract still," he said.

"I believe that there is plenty of opportunity to resolve this contract before midnight tonight. I say this because the issues we have presented are relatively simple issues, and at the point at which the MTA has decided that it wants to be helpful in addressing those issues, they will be resolved very quickly." (Complete transcript of his statement.)

At a 4 p.m. Sunday press conference with Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the mayor said "nobody knows at this point if there will be" a strike, but that the public should go to sleep tonight "assuming there is a strike. And when they wake up in the morning they might be pleasantly surprise."

The governor said he would ignore calls on him to get directly involved. "I have not been and will never be involved in labor negotiations...There's no person on a white horse with a bag of money who is going to resolve" the issues involved in the negotiations.

Earlier in the day, Transport Workers Union Local 100 secretary-treasurer Ed Watt said there had been some progress in negotiations. "We have made a little progress, however we are still far apart on economic issues... and issues related to safety as well as mistreatment of our members."

City's Strike Watch Hotline -- 212 or 718 - CALL-DOT (225-5368)

New York Times Complete Coverage

New York Post Complete Coverage

How to get around in the event of a strike:

what the city says

what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says

Contract news and negotiations from the Transport Workers Union.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The Issues

Negotiators for the city's subway and bus workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are in round-the-clock talks to attempt to avert a strike by the nation's largest mass transit system. Questions and answers about the major issues:

Q: Who is negotiating?

A: The Transport Workers Union, which represents 34,000 city subway and bus workers, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the transit system.

Q: What does the union want?

A: The union is seeking 6 percent raises for each of three years, better health benefits and changes in the way the MTA disciplines its employees. It also wants the MTA to ensure better safety procedures for employees; two subway workers were killed in two days last month.

Q: What has the MTA offered?

A: The MTA, which is facing projected deficits and has proposed fare increases, has offered no raises for the first year of the contract and possible raises the second and third year if the union agrees to productivity increases. It has offered to spend $60 million more on health coverage over the next year and relax its disciplinary procedures. During the third year of the contract, the MTA wants workers to contribute 2.3 percent more of their income to a pension fund. [more]

Blogging Hiatus

I will be taking the weekend off to partake in some Holiday and family related activities. Blogging will resume on Monday. - The Management

(Photo credit David Horsey)

President and Mrs Bush Speak to Barbara Walters

Comprehensive interview airing on "20/20"
December 13, 10PM ET on ABC

“War is my last option, not my first option,” President George W. Bush tells Barbara Walters about the possibility of invading Iraq during an exclusive year-end interview for ABC News’ “20/20.” The President also addresses concerns over the ballistic missiles recently discovered on a ship from North Korea. “I view this as an opportunity for the United States to work not only closely with of course South Korea and Japan to make sure that the Korean Peninsula was nuclear weapons free, but also it’s a unique moment for us to work with the Chinese and to forge a different relationship to solve a common problem, as well as work with the Russians.”

Via Drudge Report

Froogle

Google also has a new section called Froogle. This allows you to find information on just about any product out. Find information like price, features and safety and read reviews made by others.

(Via Chris Ruzin)

Lott Digs Deeper

An excerpt from Trent Lott's phone conversation with Larry King last night

The CNN transcript.

LOTT: Having said that, you know, I see -- I was 7 years old when, you know, Strom first ran for president. I don't really remember anything about the campaign.

KING: But you don't think he'd of been a better president, say, than Harry Truman who defeated him that year?

LOTT: You know, I'd have to go back and look at the election of that year. Harry Truman obviously did a lot of great things for our country, and, you know, I was trying to remember who the Republican nominee was...

KING: Dewey. Tom Dewey.

LOTT: Yes, it was Dewey. I don't -- you know, I couldn't tell you one thing about what Dewey's policies were at the time. I remember the headline, you know, that Dewey wins.

KING: Yes, Dewey defeats...

LOTT: Yes, Harry Truman won. But, you know, one of the things that people don't even, you know, remember is that his running mate was a guy named Fielding Wright from my state.

Has Lott developed amnesia all of a sudden? or is he just politically unfit? Earl Ofari Hutchinson offers a perspective in this article from 3 years ago.

Bush on Lott

Breaking News.

CNN reports

President Bush says recent controversial comments by incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott "do not reflect the spirit of our country." [more]

Supreme Court Watch

As I pointed out a few days ago The Supreme Court began hearing arguments Wednesday on whether burning a cross is constitutionally protected expression or an overt threat that states can ban.

The NY Times has an excellent article on the matter with an An Intense debate by Justice Thomas on the issue.

What's in a name?

Evidently plenty if you are looking for a job, according to this NY Times story (Reg. required)

To test whether employers discriminate against black job applicants, Marianne Bertrand of the University of Chicago and Sendhil Mullainathan of M.I.T. conducted an unusual experiment. They selected 1,300 help-wanted ads from newspapers in Boston and Chicago and submitted multiple résumés from phantom job seekers. The researchers randomly assigned the first names on the résumés, choosing from one set that is particularly common among blacks and from another that is common among whites. [more]

Seems that Tyrone and Tamika didn't do as well as Brad and Kristen even when their resumes revealed identical experience and qualifications.

NYC Murder Rate at All Time Low

The city's murder rate continues to plummet and is expected to reach lows not seen in more than four decades, NYPD statistics show.

There have been 536 murders so far this year, down from 612 during the same period last year - a 12.4% reduction. Crime experts predict the city will have fewer than 600 homicides this year for the first time in 42 years.

Last year, there were 649 murders. In 1990, a staggering 2,262 people were slain.

Those were the bad old days.

What Bill Clinton Knows

In a speech last week to the Democratic Leadership Council, Bill Clinton asserted that one difference between his party and the GOP is that "they have a destruction machine, we don't."

Where are we now? Well the Republicans have what they want--the White House and the Congress -- so presumably, they'll finally have to stop playing the blame game and take some responsibility, and the American people can determine whether they agree with what they wish to do. Meanwhile, we have a heavy responsibility to cooperate in uniting this country on security issues and also to come up with better ideas across the board. We don't have to be more liberal but we do have to be more relevant in a progressive way. We have to have a clear and strong national security stand. We have to compare the results of their efforts and ours. And we have to be tough and disciplined. We cannot wilt in the face of higher negative ratings for our leaders. They have a destruction machine, we don't."

I'm not quite sure what he meant by "destruction machine", but why does the name Trent Lott ring a bell.

The Jobless Recovery

Got the economic jitters?

Insecure about your job?

Let Mark Fiore put things in perspective for you as only he can.

Lott-more dirt

More dirt is being dug up on Trent Lott, as should be expected. This one points to a comment Lott made in 1998 regarding gay people.

"You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol...or sex addiction...or kleptomaniacs."

Foot-in-the-mouth comments like these should serve as a reminder of the hipocrisy that exists in some corners.

And as for Rep. JC Watts of Oklahoma who came to Lott's defense ... I'm not surprised.

Lott: Similar comment in 1980

Reports the washington Post in this story

Twenty-two years ago, Trent Lott, then a House member from Mississippi, told a home state political gathering that if the country had elected segregationist candidate Strom Thurmond to the presidency "30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today." The phrasing is very similar to incoming Senate Majority Leader Lott's controversial remarks at a 100th birthday party for Thurmond last week.

The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reported Lott's earlier comments in a Nov. 3, 1980, report about a rally for the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in downtown Jackson at which Thurmond was the keynote speaker.

Fool me once, shame on ... Shame on ... uh, heck, I forgot the quote ... Maybe Dubya remembers.

Bush-Lott White house

Oliver Willis Asks ... Do you have confidence in the Bush-Lott White House? A question that is resonating throughout the blogosphere.

I think that some Republicans have fought to shed the stigma of being the "Racist Party." Now Lott comes along and sets the party back 20 years. Call it stupidity, Freudian slip, whatever, Lott has certainly earned the dishonor and revilement he has brought upon himself. Now is the time for the Senate to vote him out as Majority Leader.

Confidence in a Bush-Lott White House? No.

Black Lawmakers: Lott Apology Not Enough

"These are the kinds of words that tear this nation apart," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was elected chairman of the 39-member Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday."It sends a chilling message to all people," ... "We are going to do something about it."

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, outgoing head of the Black Caucus, said she called Lott on Monday and he apologized to her, saying he was caught up in the moment and did not realize his remarks would be interpreted as they were. Asked if that was sufficient, Johnson said, "We're not finished in this caucus."

"This is a Democratic Party issue," Rep. Maxine Waters said. "It is not enough to simply defend or to explain these kinds of statements and then at election time talk about why black Americans should turn out in large numbers."

Kwesi Mfume, president of the NAACP, said Lott should resign from his leadership post "to make way for another member of the Republican Party whose moral compass is pointed toward improving race relations and not dredging up this nation's poor, polarizing performance of the past."

Congress' only black Republican, retiring Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, came to Lott's defense, saying he did not consider the comments racially motivated. "We should not trivialize the issue of race for political gain," he said.

(Via Yahoo News)

Defying The Odds

Miami herald has this story.

It's been a remarkable life journey for Vilius Vilsaint.

At 75, he fathered his 20th child. At 103 he left his native Haiti and resettled in South Florida. And now at 107, the twice-widowed, retired vegetable farmer -- a man who has 185 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren -- dreams of remarrying

He was born on Aug. 13, 1895, when Grover Cleveland held the White House, and Florvil Hyppolite the Haitian presidential palace. As proof of his age, Vilsaint holds a Haitian passport. To get one, he had to produce his birth certificate, said Haitian officials in the United States and Haiti.

Vilsaint credits his longevity and vitality on a herbal bush tea he drank periodically, to his strong belief in God, and to good genes.

Rumours have it ...

What are those mysterious blasts and rumblings that the Washington Post says are emanating from Dick Cheney's official residence?

The blasts, which last three to five seconds apiece, have been going off two or three times a day -- as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. -- for nearly two months, residents say. But neighbors have received so little information from government officials about the top-secret project that speculation is running wild.

The leading theory: A security bunker is being built for Vice President Cheney. The second most-popular guess: The government is digging tunnels to spy on nearby embassies. In third place: A helicopter hangar is under construction.

My advice: MYOB ...Remember what happened to this guy last week? ... Get the point? Good.

Iraq's WMD

So, um ... How did Iraq get its weapons of mass destruction in the first place? ... Well, Neil Mackay and Felicity Arbuthnot offer some eye opening and thought provoking thoughts on the matter.

This is also worth the read.

Jingle Beagles

Supply your own caption if you'd like, but I will understand if you prefer not to incriminate yourself. For the G-rated, surfwatch approved version, click here and redeem yourself.

Supreme Court Watch

Court To Rule on VA Cross Burning Law

Four years after a 1998 incident, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday on whether burning a cross is constitutionally protected expression or an overt threat that states can ban. The justices' ruling, expected next year, could affect laws in about a dozen other states.

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 last year that the state's 50-year-old law against cross burning violated the right to free speech. Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.

The Virginia Supreme Court relied heavily on a U.S. Supreme Court decision 10 years ago striking down a St. Paul, Minn., ordinance that outlawed cross-burning if it was aimed at others "on the basis of race, color, creed or gender."

That ordinance violated the First Amendment's free-speech protection because it sought to ban only certain viewpoints, the high court said. [more]

I will reserve comment for a later date, but rest assured that I'll be watching this one very closely.

Lott Apologizes

Senate GOP leader apologizes for remark

"A poor choice of words conveyed to some the impression that I embrace the digarded policies of the past," Lott, a Mississippi Republican, said in a statement Monday. "Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."

Uh, Right.

How do you achieve success?

Kenneth Chenault, CEO of American expresss offers some excellent ideas (Via Black Enterperise.com)

Among my favorites:

Personal integrity - Dedicate yourself to a core set of values. Without them, you will never be able to find personal fulfillment

Execution -- performance -- is the bottom line measure for everything we attempt to do. To be successful, our EQ, or execution quotient, must equal our IQ.

Remain open to life’s possibilities but wherever you are, whatever challenges or opportunities you face, know who you are. Approach your career and conduct your business in a way that makes it clear that you do. This seems like a simple concept. But I've seen many people too often lose sight of it, and suffer as a result.

There are uncertainties about what's going to happen in your personal relationships and in your family that is both thrilling and scary. It doesn't matter how successful you've been or how much money you've made, there are things that can happen, such as illness and death. I think recognizing how precious the family experience is, and that it can be taken away at any time, helps to keep me grounded.

...give back to help our community and to ease the way of those who will follow. I believe very strongly in the power of an individual to bring about change, but then I also believe in the influence of events. Sometimes you get the right timing, and match the individual with the event, and amazing things result.

Provoking thought

Ms. Toye over at Webtoye.com shares her thoughts on the direction of music today

For the most part, I have been thinking about the direction of music lately. I see where it's going, and I love it. Strangely enough, though, I see the whole scene bringing back Disco, and parts of the 70's and flashes of the 80's [i.e., Missy's current effort]. Now mind you, I hated the clothes in the 70's, but the music was SHARP! [wooo ... I am dating myself here]. But all this Neo-Soul blah blah and all that ... it's just your Mama's music in different clothing. Even Jahiem's voice is reminiscent of Teddy Pendergrass! And little by little, I see people associating and craving the style of that decade.

Now if we can only go back to some of the ideals and teachings of that decade .. you know, when being Black stood for something other than the diamonds people wear that African slaves die over. When Black was beautiful and it in itself was all the armor you needed. When civil fights begat Civil Rights, and people formulated and digested the Black aesthetic ... When Marvin and Bob, Aretha and Stevie, James and Donny reaffirmed that beauty over rhythm and verse.

Back in the 70's the music was "hard driving" but the lyrics were also sensitive and empowering. That's a hard combination to beat....Some hip-hop groups and many others have indeed picked up on this theme. It would be great to see a return to the ideals of the era, but the world has become so much more challenging and sophisticated that I highly doubt it, but your point is well taken.

While it is true that some segments are craving the style of that decade; I think that the direction may be somewhat affected by an industry (where many artists are being manipulated and) whose sole purpose is to make money and not necessarily to empower the people.

Kid Dynamite

Remember Jimmy Walker, or JJ, as he is well known from the tv series "Good Times"? Check out his website at DynomiteJJ.com and, apparently he is a writer/pundit as well, one of his articles is here

< jjvoice> Dyno-Mite < /jjvoice>

The Wronged Men

NY Newsday has this story about New Yorkers who spent years in prison for murders they did not commit

The typical wronged man was young, poor, black or Hispanic, had a minor criminal record and was convicted largely on the word of a single eyewitness, a Newsday examination has found. In most cases, the testimony was later recanted or discredited, with witnesses saying they had been high on crack, pressured by police or lying for money.

At least 13 men convicted in 11 city murder cases have had their convictions overturned since 1998, Newsday found. The "wrong men,” most of whom were fully exonerated, served a total of 162 years behind bars, from 5 to 21 years each.

Riding on the heels of the recent Jogger Case fiasco, this story is truly a sad commentary on the state of our judicial system.

Faux pas of the week: Trent Lott

"I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had of followed our lead we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

—Trent Lott at Strom Thurmond's 100^th birthday party, as reported Dec. 6 in ABC News' political Weblog, The Note. To watch a video of the festivities, click here.

"I want to tell you, ladies and gentleman, that there's not enough troops in the army to force the southern people to break down segregation and admit the Nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches."

—Strom Thurmond, then-governor South Carolina, in a speech from his 1948 "Dixiecrat" presidential campaign. To hear an audio clip, click here.


Lott is apparently proud of Thurmond's racist past, which I think even Thurmond has repudiated. The motivation behind Strom's 1948 presidential run was racism, so for Lott to put his foot in his mouth in such a fashion is absolutely repugnant. This is a good example of "backwards leadership" and a disgrace to all decent men and women.


In 1998 and 1999, Lott was criticized after disclosures that he had been a speaker at meetings of the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization formed to succeed the segregationist white Citizens' Councils of the 1960s. In a 1992 speech in Greenwood, Miss., Lott told CCC members:

"In this room I stand for the right principles and the right philosophy. Let's take it in the right direction, and our children will be the beneficiaries."

Asked to comment on Lott's remarks at the Thurmond celebration, Gordon Baum, CEO of the Council of Conservative Citizens, said, "God Bless Trent Lott."

Blond, blue-eyed Muslim terrorists?

World net Daily has this story

Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, with help from Iran, have recruited and trained brigades of blond, blue-eyed Bosnians and indoctrinated them for martyrdom, according to a report in Insight magazine.

''The next wave of terrorism could be carried out by people with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes.''

Benzino on Eminem

"Eminem gets to do songs that we would never get to do," he added. "Eminem gets to talk about his issues and his pain ... killing his mother, beating his girl, drugs. We have to rock the party in order to get spins and burn on the radio. We have to entertain more than expose our true issues. When black and Latino people try to give our pain on there we couldn't get burn. The machine doesn't want our pain to be out there."

...I just wanted to raise consciousness. It's not like I'm hating on Eminem, its just a situation that had to be brought up." [more]

It would seem that Benzino is "hating", judging by these Lyrics from one of his songs and the reports on this article from MTV News.

Calling Em a "2003 Vanilla Ice," Benzino's slow-tempo "Pull Your Skirt Up" goes after hip-hop's great white phenom with lyrics like: "Five shades darker, you'd be Canibus/ And no one would care about your complicated rhyme style/ ... What you know about pumpin' on the block 'til you freeze?/ What you know about cutting up rocks, duckin' [detectives]?/ What you know about facing a grand jury indictment?/ As far as I'm concerned, you're just industry excitement."

You think I could grab my crotch and put my ass in people's faces the way he does? No way. But as long as the color of his skin and his eyes fits what America wants, ... it's all right."

Via MTV News

A horse is a horse, of course

Haay Ray

A talking horse? I knew I should have stayed away from that bottle of Boone’s Farm Snow Creek Berry. That cheap wine will make you see things ....Uh, hey there Mr. Ed? Why the long face?

I'm Okay Ray, I'm just enjoying a nice day pasturing.

I see ... So who's your buddy in the background there, looks like he's been horsing around in the paint shed ... How very patriotic of him.

That's Mr Slew, He once was a very spirited horse, but over the years, he lost quite a few races and now that he started to flag, we just leave him to pasture alone.

When did this start to happen?

you mean the flagging?

no silly, when did you start talking?

Since you finished that bottle of Snow Creek Berry, Ray.

oh, wise guy horse huh?

Ray, a guy of your stature shouldn't be drinking that cheap stuff. I would recommend Creek Berry only to people whose taste buds have been surgically removed ... Tastes like heavily sugared anti-freeze colored and flavored with raspberries.

Actually, Mr. Ed, I'll have you know that I'm a class act ... I prefer a cold beer to a cheap glass of wine, NL baseball to AL baseball and Janet Jackson to Britney Spears. And, even if I'm going to indulge on a $3.99 bottle of wine, I usually go for the more obscure grape varietals or anything where the nutrition label on the bottle indicates that I received 6 percent of the recommended daily calcium allowance.

You are hallucinating Ray, ... Any wine under five bucks surely tastes like grape drink fermented under a radiator. Furthermore, they're usually produced in a variety of unholy fruit flavor combinations that all manage to resemble pure rubbing alcohol. Look, I will chat with you again when you're a little less hammered, ta ta..

Mr Ed, *hiccup* thanks for dropping by ... Have a great day at pasture and give my best regards to your buddy old glory.

Greatest Moment

Former heavyweight boxing champions Muhammad Ali, left, and Larry Holmes get together at a New York restaurant, Friday Dec. 6, 2002, as Ali presents "Muhammad Ali - The Greatest,"

a magazine of his choices for the ten greatest heavyweight bouts.

(AP Photo/Radcliffe Roye)

Imagine

Imagine a world where dreams meet reality. Where the childlike hopes and wonders that dwell within each of us do not always fade into cynicism over time. Imagine a world where happiness is not an ambition hoped to be achieved sometime in the distant future, but rather a familiar constant that is experienced daily. Imagine a world where the frequency of finding and keeping true love is more often than not. Where smiles and joy far outnumber tears and heartache. Imagine a world where all this and much more is possible. A world where anything is possible. Just imagine...

... that you didn't have to imagine.

Because you don't.

In reality, anything is possible. And the only way that dreams cannot meet reality, the only way that the plethora of hopes and possibilities that lie within your grasp die...

... is if you let them.

If you're happy and you know it

Bomb Bomb Iraq: Sung to the tune of If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands:

If we cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.
If the markets hurt your Mama, bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are Saudi
And the bank takes back your Audi
And the TV shows are bawdy,
Bomb Iraq.

If the corporate scandals growin', bomb Iraq.
And your ties to them are showin', bomb Iraq.
If the smoking gun ain't smokin'
We don't care, and we're not jokin'
That Saddam will soon be croakin',
Bomb Iraq.

Even if we have no allies, bomb Iraq.
From the sand dunes to the valleys, bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections
Let's look tough for the elections
Close your mind and take directions,
Bomb Iraq.

While the globe is slowly warming, bomb Iraq.
Yay! the clouds of war are storming, bomb Iraq.
If the ozone hole is growing
Some things we prefer not knowing
(Though our ignorance is showing),
Bomb Iraq.

So here's one for dear old daddy, bomb Iraq,
From his favorite little laddy, bomb Iraq.
Saying no would look like treason
It's the Hussein hunting season
Even if we have no reason,
Bomb Iraq.

(Via Karen DeCoster.com Weblog)

Kissinger Uncensored

The Photos Henry Kissinger Doesn't Want You to See

And,

If you think that was priceless, take a look at Mark Fiore's latest on the elder statesman.

But on a more serious note, David Corn takes a closer look at Kissinger's past and opines on the ability of some to overlook the importance of integrity in public office.

One for the road

The NY Daily News reports that the New York state legislature, in an effort to ease the state’s money woes, is seriously considering a repeal of the blue laws that have kept liquor stores closed on Sunday and prevented grocery stores from selling wine . The extra fees and taxes raised by an added day of liquor sales would, of course, certainly help things out.

This is very good news if you're a lush, wino, drunk (or my homie Joe from around the way) — no more being forced to wait before you can buy that much-needed bottle of Boone’s Farm Snow Creek Berry.

Hey You

Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, dont help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight.


Hey you, out there on your own
Sitting naked by the phone
Would you touch me?
Hey you, with you ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out
Would you touch me?
Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart, I'm coming home.


But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.

Hey you, standing in the road
always doing what you're told,
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall.

Lyrics by Pink Floyd (The Wall album) -- Photo is Album cover to "Shine On" box set

Pink Floyd fan since 1986. The most significant part of the lyrics above, for me .... "Hey you, dont help them to bury the light, don't give in without a fight".

Central Park 5

As we've all heard, the matter is moving in the right direction. I will be saying more about this case in the near future. For now, I'm simply enjoying some good reads as others debate and comment on the various issues surrounding the case. Ronn has done a fine job keeping us updated during the past few months. Instapundit has an intelligent and fair discussion on the matter, and I also liked what Calpundit had to say:

DNA evidence backs up Matias Reyes' recent confession.

Further DNA evidence (from tests conducted last May) shows that hairs found on one of the suspects didn't come from the jogger.

The prosecutors themselves agree the case should be dismissed.

The original confessions were faulty in many details and were arrived at only after the police had taken the suspects to the scene of the crime.

The five teenagers who were convicted in this case have almost certainly committed other crimes. But they didn't commit this one and they deserve to be exonerated for it.

And Ann Coulter is an animal for suggesting otherwise.

Plans for African American Museum

Almost a century after an African-American memorial was first proposed for the U.S. capital, a grand vision for a museum encompassing black life in the United States is moving toward realization. Backed by $2 million in federal funds, a special commission appointed by Congress and President Bush started work this summer on a feasibility study for a national museum of African-American history and culture.

"I think it goes without saying that African-Americans have been the major backbone in building and developing America into the country that it is today," said Robert Wright, the chairman of the commission. "Unfortunately ... African-American history, like African-American life in America, was very suppressed. That needs to be told. I think that time has come."

He invoked religion for sexual acts

The Boston Globe has this story.

The documents are among the most remarkable in the 2,200 pages of once-secret church files released yesterday: allegations that a priest had initiated sexual acts with teenagers preparing to become nuns by encouraging them to believe they were making love to Jesus Christ himself.

the Rev. Robert V. Meffan [73] admitted it was true, and said he still believes his sexual relationships with teenage girls were ''beautiful, spiritual'' experiences intended to bring young people closer to God.

But Meffan said he put limits on the physical nature of the relationships. He touched the girls' breasts, for example, but stopped short of intercourse to protect his celibacy vow. ''I don't think that was destroyed,'' Meffan said, ''because I always felt that to destroy celibacy you really had to have intercourse.''

Reminds me of the Clinton defense .... "I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

Bush: I got the hook up.

Bush Restoring Cash Bonuses for Political Appointees

"The White House has decided that several thousand political appointees across the federal government will be eligible for cash bonuses, abandoning a Clinton-era prohibition that grew out of questionable practices in the first Bush administration."

The policy is causing rumblings of discontent from some career officials. They say the policy threatens to reward employees for political loyalty and could force career civil servants to compete against well-connected political appointees.

Why of course, a little greasing of the palm goes a long way.

Letter to Santa

William Repsher of the NY press says in this article

It’s that time of year again: ... New York Press has caught wind of a special letter, actually an audiotape, from Osama bin Laden sent to Santa via the Al Jazeera Network. Below please find the translated transcript:

Excerpt:

[Dear Santa]

If by some chance Allah decrees your soul to be true, I would like 200 virgins, an olive orchard, a five kilogram hunk of plutonium and the new Justin Timberlake CD. I have been nice this year. Any naughtiness was the result of American cultural and political imperialism for which I am simply repaying the favor on behalf of all Muslim people. Think of Rudolph and his shiny red nose, and all those who would make him an outcast for this. His red nose was the light that guided the way, as am I.

Your Teacher was right

Tom Tomorrow makes a point about what your teacher used to always tell you.

Don't go down without it

With America’s attentions focused on the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, the holiday season here at home, and the numerological revelation that Bush’s smallpox vaccination plan represents the Mark of the Beast, it’s easy to overlook the important inventions like this .

Around The Blogosphere

West Coast power blogger and inspiration to many (including yours truly) Tony Pierce says he's a big fan of Ray Garraud. I'm an even bigger fan of the Busblog, and I highly recommend Tony's upcoming book as a nice addition to your Christmas list.

Speaking of Christmas , have you you made your list and checked it twice? ... There's one list at Buzzmachine called The Blogger's Christmas Shopping Catalogue that you should take a look at. I've already placed my order for this .


John Hiler has started Cityblogs.com which I think is an excellent addition to the NYC blogging community, more details here.

Go Knicks!

The Knicks are 5-10 overall, but 4-3 with Sprewell back in the lineup after his suspension and rehabilitation for his injured hand.

The Knicks are starting to look more cohesive and potent. Allan Houston, Kurt Thomas and Latrell Sprewell all scored 20 or more points on Monday, as the Knicks crushed the Cavs 125-93 at home.

Houston led the offense with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, and Sprewell added 11 assists to his 20-point night. The knicks will go for another win tonight against Orlando.

Iran-Contra Reunion?

Scandals and convictions couldn't hold these men back from high-paying, influential positions in government and the media.

While we're still debating Poindexter's latest brain child ... Now this:

In the latest installment, The Washington Post reports that yet another member of the Iran-Contra gang returns to a prominent post in the Bush administration.

Iran-contra figure Elliott Abrams, who has served in the White House for more than a year, has been promoted to a key post among President Bush's national security aides.

Abrams was appointed to lead the National Security Council's office for Near East and North African affairs. The senior director job oversees Arab-Israeli relations and U.S. efforts to promote peace in the troubled region.

His appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation, was announced yesterday by Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.

Abrams pleaded guilty in 1991 to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress. Abrams received a Christmas Eve pardon from President George H.W. Bush in 1992.

(A Summary of what the Iran-Contra affair was all about is here)

It's all a big game and you're not going to win unless you know all the rules.

New Study Reveals . . . Cheating Makes Your Marriage Stronger

Dr. Lucielle Ostertag from the Italian Institute of Social Sciences conducted the controversial research.

"I started the analysis project to discover how damaging infidelity was to marriages," says Dr. Ostertag. "I was as surprised as everyone when the numbers proved that cheating on your spouse is actually good for your marriage."

I don't make the news, um, I just observe and report .