Thursday, December 12, 2002
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 nightThe 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.
Supreme Court WatchAs 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.
Wednesday, December 11, 2002
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 storyTwenty-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)
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
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.
Monday, December 09, 2002
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.
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 LawFour 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.
Sunday, December 08, 2002
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 commitThe 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 100th 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 storyOsama 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