Cynthia's Interests

This is my last post on blogger

2006-03-18T08:03:00.000-06:00

I've had so many problems with blogger within the last year that I think it is best that I move to another service. It pains me to change, but the interruption happens quite often and it is frustrating. I’ve also had other people tell me they can’t access my blog. I decided on Saturday morning that enough is enough when I was trying to publish a post that I had just written and couldn't, nor did I have access to my blog again. So, I moved to a new location...

http://cdaniels225.blogsome.com/

The things people say...

2006-03-17T16:20:00.000-06:00

Here is a very offensive editorial by Adele Ferguson. She thinks God used slavery to help blacks and we should be thankful that we are here in the U.S. She's also baffled why so many of her black brothers and sisters support the Democrats since she thinks they are responsible for our conditions. Wouldn't it have been easier for her to ask why we support the Democrats? It appears enough people complained about the article that it was pulled from circulation. However, not before it was copied, pasted, and emailed to several people/groups.

Maybe this woman is ignorant of history and doesn't know the conditions our ancestors endured aboard those slave ships. Men, women, and children were crammed into every available nook and cranny. They were denied adequate room, food, or breathing space. The stench was appalling. The atmosphere was so inhumane that many died before they ever set foot on shores of this promised land (some reports say the number that died were in the hundreds of million). And now someone callously say, "we should be thankful" because we were provided with clothes and a roof over her head. Very interesting indeed...

Local Stuff...

2006-03-17T09:48:00.000-06:00

Kudos to Roland S. Martin since he was the first person to bring the Neil Steinberg saga to our attention. Today Steinberg apologized about his insensitive remarks concerning Stroger. I don't think the apology will be enough because some prominent black ministers are still angry about the whole ordeal and they may be calling for a boycott of the Sun-Times and possibly the Tribune. I heard this morning that the Tribune called the hospital where Stroger is being treated to get them to release their records. Apparently some people still don't believe Stroger is sick and want to verify his condition.

Excerpt from Steingberg's Column:

When I wrote Wednesday about Cook County Board President John Stroger, it was a mistake to focus purely on the political, and ignore the personal, the reality of a sick man going to the hospital. I'm sorry for that.

Can you believe that the former President, Bill Clinton, is endorsing John Stroger for President of the Cook County Board? He said if I were a Cook County resident, I would vote on Stroger. Stroger is an honest man. Here is a link to some of his accomplishments brought to you by the History Makers.

Cook County Board President

2006-03-15T23:27:00.000-06:00

It is clear to the casual observer that Forest Claypool and his supporters are making this campaign (President of Cook County) about race.

Claypool is primarily appealing to the white community and to black conservatives that have a general disdain for the Democratic Party (period), while Stroger is trying to appeal to the sensibilities of all people. However, the reality is quite different. The signs for Claypool are in predominantly white communities, while the signs for Stroger are predominantly in the black community. Clearly, this suggests that Claypool has successfully divided at least the white and black votes.

It is unfortunate that the current board president, John Stroger, suffered a stroke recently. However, his campaign is still in full force. It's interesting to note that some people like this Chicago Sun Times Columnist, who incidentally is well known as a wife beater made light of Stroger's illness by saying he is trying to get sympathy votes.

Many black people are asking this idiot to apologize to Stroger. But he is adamant about his disdain for Stroger and feels he has nothing to apologize for. Anyway, Steinberg is a good example of the kind of person (Jew or otherwise) Farrakhan was talking about. This incident shows that black people need to pay closer attention to how others are treating them. The Black-Jewish relationship is being strained not by Farrakhan, but people like Steinberg.

A man with many talents...

2006-03-14T17:58:00.000-06:00

This story is cute. At an annual roast, Obama takes potshots at Cheney and sings about his encounter with Sen. John McCain.

My favorite part: At the beginning of his remarks, Obama said, "the truth is, I'm terrified to be here,” "Not because you're such a tough audience, but because they're serving drinks and I'm standing about 30 yards from the vice president."

Cheney will never live this down...

Political Vandalism - Local Politics

2006-03-12T23:04:00.000-06:00

Saturday was spent campaigning for Emanuel "Chris" Welch. I walked door-to-door giving out literature and talking to people about Welch. I asked property owners if I could place signs in their yards. I went to several apartment buildings and called a few mangers to see if I could display Welch's signs. One particular manager told me I could do whatever I liked. Naturally, I thanked him profusely. I strategically placed three signs on the property to get maximum exposure. Since I had already experienced Welch's sign being systematically removed, I decided I would retrace my steps. Wouldn't you know, after one hour, someone had already removed all the signs?

We rode around the neighborhood on Sunday to assess areas that we didn't personally cover and ran across a house that had several Welch’s signs torn in half. We took pictures. As we were taking the pictures, a red SUV came flying down the street and a man jumped out yelling what are you doing and identified himself as the property owner. We told him we are taking pictures of the Welch's signs that had been torn since we were wondering what had happened to the signs that had been removed in other areas. While we were talking, he told us that he works for Ike Caruthers, the alderman of the 29th ward, and all of a sudden, these Welch signs were appearing in the neighborhood and every time one is put up someone calls me. He went on to say - my phone is on 24 hours a day, so I know when his signs appear in this neighborhood. He said you can't put signs in people's yard without their permission. I told him every sign that is in people's yard, I personally asked the owners of the property for their permission. I said furthermore, I called a building manager on a certain property and the manager said you can add anything you want. I went back an hour later and someone had removed the signs. Therefore, we are taking pictures of this pile of signs that have been torn in half. By the time we finished talking to this man, his attitude had changed. He said - Welch's opponent is responsible for removing those signs (confirmed our suspicions). But, the real question is - why were they torn and left in this man's front yard? It appears ol' boy got caught with his pants down. We felt like those torn signs were a gift from the Gods.

These people are playing dirty...

Political Toilet Paper...

2006-03-12T16:21:00.000-06:00

Curtesy of Proviso Probe:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has attacked Harold Ford, Jr., the presumed Democratic nominee in Tennessee, as liking to live the good life on a website called, "Fancy Ford". The following questions were raised: What is the purpose of this advertisement? Who is the target audience? What is the message the GOP is hoping to sell? Is the attack racist? How so?

The attack on Ford (TN) may be racist, but what the GOP is saying is valid and I’m not surprise he is being attacked. I haven’t looked at the voting records lately of Ford, but I suspect, he must have deviated from supporting the Republicans on key issues or his services are no longer required. Ford is one of six members of the CBC that have deviated from their long-standing consensus. The rest are: Artur Davis (AL), David Scott (GA), who went to Congress as part of a white Republican Deal, Sanford Bishop (GA), Albert Wynn (MD), and William Jefferson (LA). All but Jefferson are members of the Democratic Leadership Council and/or the Blue Dog Coalition, vehicles for corporate funding and intrigue in the Democratic Party. According to Techpolitics, Ford ranked second in campaign contributions among Black House members ($1,344,398) right behind Charles Rangel ($1,446,027). Although Ford's voting record in the past was not as bad as Scott (GA), he must be deviating from the role the Republicans have for him to play in order for them to be attacking him in this manner. The amount of money he has received is old news. This should serve as a warning to all those who are willing to be bought, when your usefulness has ended, you will be discarded like soiled toilet paper.

Watch out - Artur Davis (AL), David Scott (GA), Sanford Bishop (GA), Albert Wynn (MD), William Jefferson (LA) - your turn is coming...

Aiding, abetting, harboring, encouraging illegals is a felony

2006-03-09T23:11:00.000-06:00

This can cost you five years for each offense. This jail time is for anyone who gives any type of aid to illegal immigrants. This is a helluva bill...

Federal Immigration and Nationality Act Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)

Is the population prediction accurate?

2006-03-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

Faheem asked an interesting question in his post "Future wars will be about European survival": Is Islam or Muslims the biggest threat to white supremacy or the biggest threat to the next form of world oppression that will replace white supremacy?

“In 2020, there will be one billion "fighting-age" men (ages 15-29) world-wide; only 65 million will be Europeans. At the same time, the Muslim world will have 300 million males, often with limited opportunities at home.”

I said: The Arabs are facing a serious problem too. They simply inbreed too much. They are encountering all types of serious mutations/birth defects. The more you inbreed, the weaker your offspring will be. Unless they stop, this will be their undoing. At some point, this will take a huge toll on viable offsprings in their society.

Marriages between relatives are widespread in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where a government study has found that 56.8% of all marriages are between first and second cousins or more distant relatives.

Unfortunately, Africa also has this problem and the consequences are just as devastating. So, when one looks at these population estimates, we must consider other variables that include any negative social behavior that are being practiced by these societies. I simply think, at the current rate of inbreeding that is occurring in the Arab and some of the African countries, they (particularly the Arabs) will not be a threat to anyone. They are going to marrying themselves into oblivion.

Future wars will be about European survival...

2006-03-08T17:33:00.000-06:00

This is an interesting article that was found on Black Perspective & Introspection it is a nice sequel to the one where I talked about some interesting predictions.

Excerpt:

For some people it is hard for them to fathom white folk carrying out an act or taking a particular position because it is about their survival more than it is about the issue itself. One such issue that comes to mind is abortion, most people are under the impression that white folk anti-abortion stances is about their religious beliefs because they cover their arguments and oppositional stances in religious dogma, but what white folk fear more than anything is global annihilation and or marginalization.

This could explain why South Dakota passed this ridiculous law stating that a woman can only get an abortion if it necessary to save her life. The most ridiculous part of this law is that it prevents a woman from getting an abortion if she has been raped - even if the child has been conceived because of incest.

Contributions to House Leadership and Committee Chairs

2006-03-08T12:32:00.000-06:00

This list of contributions by PACs to the House Leadership and Committee Chairs demonstrate that 1) we need money to buy Democracy and 2) it shows whose interests are being served by Congress.

Anti-Defamation League (ADL)

2006-03-08T07:49:00.000-06:00

Can you believe the ADL is calling for the disbandment of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes because Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad will not denounce Farrakhan’s two minute remarks out of a 2 hour speech about the wrong doings in the world (period) and those who use religion to cover up their evil behavior? If the Jews wanted to deal with fairness, they had the opportunity to do so when they were part of the commission, but -- because they had no intention to be righteous or fair, they walked away. What they really wanted was to be able to continue their manipulation and intimidation of people to get their way. Something is inherently wrong with how the Jews act towards others.

Previously, Rhelios made a comment on this thread, "it's just funny to me that a story like this pits the "chosen" people versus the dispossessed". When he made this comment, I was thinking, "if the Jews are chosen to do anything it is to show the world how not to act". What kind of God sanctions behavior that does not support fairness, righteousness, and truth? The real issue is not about who’s right, but about what is right. Farrakhan was talking about people who uses their religion to cover up their evil deeds. These people are good examples. He was not talking about the so-called "righteous Jews" or for that matter "the righteous period". Why don't these people go and tuck their tails between their legs and leave the rest of us alone.

Even Father Michael Pflager of Chicago’s Saint Sabina church knows unreasonable behavior when he sees it. He said the same thing I did "good riddance". If this is how the Jews will act, then it is better that they are not on this council.

The Jews are going against anyone who has an opposing view of their desires and in some cases, they are willing to kill (Palestinians) or destroy the careers (Cynthia McKinney and Gus Savage) of those who get in their way. And now they have threatened the Governor of Illinois. They said we will remember you.

The world is a dangerous place with unreasonable people at the helm...

The Jackson saga continues...

2006-03-07T23:04:00.000-06:00

Onblast Media has an interesting update of the Jermaine Jackson interview on Larry King show and it appears Jermaine forgot what he said on his show because he said something totally different to shop a deal for a book he was writing about the Jackson family. He said some very unfavorable things about his little brother Mike. This whole thing is sick and twisted.

A caller asked Jermaine the following question:

How would you define Michael's sexual orientation - asexual, bisexual, transsexual, or homosexual?

Inquiring minds would like to know...

Why aren't there any white men on the list?

2006-03-07T00:49:00.000-06:00

A Dossier of "The World’s Marked Men"

Who decides who is evil and should die? This is a rhetorical question of course...

Patriot Act...

2006-03-06T23:49:00.000-06:00

The approval of this Act demonstrates that whatever is happening in the White House, both the Democrats and Republicans are working as one unit. This is the first step for the U.S. becoming a police state.

USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act - Vote Passed (89-10, 1 Not Voting). The Senate approved the conference report permanently reauthorizing 14 of the 16 provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act.

This is how my senators voted and they are both Democrats which proves my point:

Richard Durbin voted YES
Barack Obama voted YES

Sordid details of one family is being disclosed...

2006-03-06T12:33:00.000-06:00

According to a post from Onblast Media, the Jackson clan suspects that Michael is guilty of child molestation and they opted to protect him. Now, if this is true, the entire Jackson clan should be jailed and the keys thrown away ....

They also suspected that their father was molesting the young Mike. This whole affair is so unfortunate and so twisted.

A taste of reality

2006-03-06T09:14:00.000-06:00

Michael Fauntroy regularly appears on the Cliff Kelly show on Mondays at the 9:00 hour. He said the Christian right is now complaining to the White House about the war in Iraq because too many of their sons are either coming home dead or wounded. Isn’t this a bit hypocritical to only care about the war because your children are dying? I guess life is only important to these people if it personally affects them. Well, well - what happened to standing up for what is right?

If enough people believed the way I do on this subject - none of our soldiers would have died in an unjust and immoral war and this complaining now by the Southern Christian right would be unnecessary.

The Left is Nuts

2006-03-04T11:55:00.000-06:00

Interesting post...

No degrees of separation between the Right and the Whites

2006-03-04T11:42:00.000-06:00

This is an excellent post from Rahelio. Don't you just love the title!!!

Excerpt:

With all the fuzzy pro-minority recruitment marketing coming from the new and unimproved Republican National Committee you might get the idea that "compassionate" conservatism is actually rooting itself in the GOP.

You'd be wrong.

It doesn't take stealthy research to connect the dots between the neocon mainstream leading the Republican government monopoly, and the racist white supremacist groups that continue to morph into new forms for survival. Continue reading...

Jewish-Black Conflict in Illinois Government

2006-03-02T22:20:00.000-06:00

Trouble in Paradise

The Governor of Illinois appointment an African American, Claudette Marie Johnson, to the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. Claudette is also known as Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, a minister of protocol for the Nation of Islam. Can you believe several Jewish lawmakers are trying to force her to repudiate statements made by Minister Farrakhan over the weekend that were critical of Jews, gays and lesbians?

Fortunately, the lawmaker’s push drew an angry reaction from members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (LBC), who came to her defense. Senator Donne Trotter (D-Chicago) had this to say: the demands from the Jewish and gay lawyers were hypocritical. "I'm certain there are Catholics on that commission and no one has asked Catholics to repudiate the pope or the cardinal for them closing their eyes to the pedophiles that have been shifted around this country."

The Jews have a lot of nerves. Do they think they own us? They should be ashamed of themselves, but I know they feel too self-important for shame.

I just heard two Jewish lawyers resigned from the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. Is this silly are what? Good riddance. If this is the type of judgment these men display, we don't need them on this commission anyway. Talking about being unreasonable. How is this woman responsible for Farrakhan's statements?

The Black & White of America...

2006-03-02T08:13:00.000-06:00

I will start by saying anyone who thinks America is the land of the free should ask themselves, free for whom?

This morning on the Cliff Kelly show Rev. Patricia Walkins said that black men are incarcerated 57 times more than white men for the same offense. She said white men are being diverted for those offenses, mainly drug use, and black men are being jailed. In the U.S., for most counties, Meth is the number one drug problem and laws have been implemented to circumvent this problem. The interesting thing about this is that blacks are not known for using meth and there are more whites using drugs, and yet, the drug policies are being enforced in a way that more blacks are incarcerated than whites for these alleged non-violent crimes.

In Illinois, there is a program set up for those who have been caught with drugs and have no prior record. These people are eligible to participate in a short program that allows them to go to what is called drug school. Upon completion of this four-day course, their record is expunged. The interesting thing is that the State's Attorney Office chooses the participants, and only 25% of those participants are black.

Now can someone honestly tell me that everyone is living in a free and open society in the U.S.? Can someone honestly tell me that we are not being unfairly victimized? Doesn't this show that the King's dream has become our worst nightmare? The real question is - when will this madness end?

What is wrong with African Americans?

2006-03-01T18:31:00.000-06:00

Every black person I know says that they were raised to respect the elderly, so I have to wonder what has happened to make some of us in this day and age show this type of open hostility to one of our own who is at least 80 years olds. I don't understand this kind of disrespect. And, this is coming from a so-called Christian who consistently preaches that the moral values of America are declining. I just think that there is something inherently wrong with this. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but is this insanity or what, you decide....

State of Black America...

2006-03-01T17:32:00.000-06:00

In January, I wrote a post about a campaign of misinformation that was in response to someone who I thought was a liberal Democrat who turned moderate Democrat who is now spewing out Republican talking points. Some statistics were given and the conclusion was this: we are not doing so bad although X number of black men are in jail, there are more college age black men in college than in jail. I was so disappointed with that post I could have screamed. The reality is far different. Michael Fauntroy wrote an interesting piece that demonstrates that African Americans are in a crisis. Michael thinks everyone even if they have blurry vision will be able to see this crisis. Contrary to what he thinks, there are many black people with blurry vision, especially black Republicans and some moderate Democrats.

Excerpt:

According to the Children’s Defense Fund, a Black public school student is suspended every four seconds, corporally punished every 34 seconds, and drops out of high school every 50 seconds. A Black child is arrested every minute. A Black child is born into poverty every two minutes. A Black child is born without health insurance every five minutes. Add to that Justice Department statistics that show that nearly a third of Black men in their 20s have criminal records and 8% of all Black men between the ages of 25 and 29 are behind bars. Anyone with even blurry vision can see the storm that is engulfing Black America.

My worst fears have been confirmed...

2006-02-28T18:05:00.000-06:00

Octavia Butler died on Saturday (Feb. 25th), according to her long time friend Steven Barnes. This is my birthday. I am heart broken.

Steven is married to Tananarive Due, another one of my favorite writers. This is a nice tribute to Octavia Butler.

I feel so fortunate to have met her. A few years back, I heard she was coming to Chicago for a book signing. I brought 10 books of hers that I had previously read and stood in line and had her autograph every single one for me. I could tell she didn't mind because she smiled. Can you believe, I somehow missed a book and was planning on getting it autographed when I saw her again...

In October 2005, I went to The 15th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Writers Conference at Chicago State University because they were honoring the great Octavia Butler.

Everyone could tell I loved Octavia Butler from my questions. I even tried several times, to gently nudge her to write a sequel to her Xenogenesis series. She said no with a smile and added, I will leave that for you to do. I responsed and said, my imagination is not as good as yours.

Xenogenesis series/Lilith's Brood

Dawn (1987)
Adulthood Rites (1988)
Imago (1989

The three volumes of this series are also collected into two omnibus editions, Xenogenesis (out of print) and Lilith's Brood. I'm so glad I have the Xenogenesis series (autographed).

I also tried to get her to reconcile Lauren with her daughter (Larkin) in the Parable series. She said no with a smile.

Parable series

Parable of the Sower (1993)
Parable of the Talents (1998)
Parable of the Trickster (Unwritten work)

Finally I said, when you killed Doro from your Patternist Series, although he was a soul sucking vampire, I was disappointed, and missed him. So I asked, is it possible that you could give your stories a Hollywood ending? She said oh no, no, no, and she smiled. I said well, you can't blame a girl for trying...

Another giant among us is gone. She will be missed...

All that you touch

You Change.

All that you Change

Changes you.

The only lasting truth

Is Change.

God ls Change.

-Earthseed: The Books of the Living

(from Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower)

Quote extracted from Tanarive Due's tribute to Octavia Butler

The rich gets richer, and the poor is still displaced...

2006-02-27T20:03:00.000-06:00

I'm not shocked they are reporting this, but I have my doubts about the Katrina victims being helped in any kind of significant capacity. Especially with reports coming out of New Orleans that they (Contractors) are hiring illegal Mexicans and then dismissing them without pay after the work is completed (after the major contractors has called immigration on those same Mexicans). So - I will continue to believe the reports I get directly from New Orleans. And they simply state the majority of the Katrina money has gone to those who need it least. There's more to this story...

Two-thirds of the $3.27 billion raised by private nonprofit organizations and tracked by The Post went to help evacuees and other Katrina victims with immediate needs -- cash, food and temporary shelter, medical care, tarps for damaged homes and school supplies for displaced children.

This HIV = AIDS = Death Hypothesis is imploding...

2006-02-27T12:37:00.000-06:00

I think it is very difficult for some blacks and whites to believe (especially those with Conservative leanings) that this society (white) can be so diabolical as to invent a disease that does not exists and that same invented disease can some how disproportionately affect the black world (Africans & African Americans alike) and not the white world. Therefore, to reconcile this in their minds, many would rather just ignore any evidence that contradicts their reconciliation. It simply makes people feel good to think no one can be this diabolical to invent an alleged plague that science can't prove exist in the first place and then treat those whom they deem should be infected with said plague with very toxic drugs that are known to be so toxic that they will kill anyone who takes those drugs for that fictitious disease. You have that whole Hegelian concept at play here; if the lie is big enough, people will believe that lie and then the proposed solution to the said disease only benefits those who created the alleged problem in the first place.

Harper's Magazine wrote an excellent article about the misconduct of certain AIDS researchers and how they have dismissed the overwhelming scientific evidence about HIV/AIDS.

March 2006 article "Out of Control: AIDS and the Corruption of Medical Science" (PDF).

A true tragedy - my favorite author dies...

2006-02-27T12:26:00.000-06:00

Sci-fi author Octavia Butler dies after fall

Octavia E. Butler, considered the first black woman to gain national prominence as a science fiction writer, has died, a close friend said Sunday. She was 58.

She fell and struck her head on the cobbled walkway outside her home, said Leslie Howle, a longtime friend and employee at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle.

Some things are predictable

2006-02-23T22:46:00.000-06:00

What is happening in the Muslim world is a good example of why I don't talk about my beliefs openly. Once others know what you believe, you become vulnerable to their vices. Therefore, if you learn your opponent’s religious beliefs, you will understand how they think and you will be able to manipulate their thoughts and actions because they now become predictable. It is a well-known fact that people can't think outside the confines of their religions. Surely, your God should be greater than any shrine or image on this earth. So, why all the turmoil?

These current attacks could be from anyone who stands to gain from the civil unrest in Iraq. The way the Muslim world is reacting lately - it is like taking candy from a baby (too easy). It is interesting to note, you didn't have this happening before the U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein. Some people it appears need to be controlled and ruled with an iron fist. Well, Well, I guess we can all conclude that the U.S. has successfully destabilized that region.

A bomb attack on an important Shia shrine has prompted Jalal Talabani, Iraq’s President, to plead with his countrymen not to allow the country to slide into civil war. “We are facing a major conspiracy that is targeting Iraq’s unity,” Mr Talabani said...

Illinois Primary Elections on March 21st...

2006-02-23T11:57:00.000-06:00

I heard my Congressman, Danny Davis endorse various people for the up-coming Illinois elections and one of those people were Representative Karen Yarbrough. I was a little disappointed with Danny Davis, because he should know that Karen Yarbrough is serving the interests of real estate businesses. Karen is running against one of my close relatives, Chris Welch. Naturally I want Chris to win, not only because we are related, he really is a honest and forthright person that will represent the interests of those he was elected to serve if he is elected as the Representative of the 7th District. He's has done some wonderful things as the president for the School District 209. He is responsible for building a magnet high school (Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy) so that the students who are excelling in school will have a place that is conducive for their continued development. I'm happy to see that the Chicago Tribune endorsed him over Yarbrough. Yay!!! Hopefully, he will win...

Here is what the Chicago Trib said about the 7th District in general:

The 7th District (West Side, west suburbs): Dante might mistake Proviso Township politics for one of the nine circles of hell. With all the accusatory to and fro in this race, it's hard to pinpoint the lesser sinner.

I had already learned that Karen is notoriously known for running a spear campaign against her opponents. Chris said he was going to stay away from this type of campaigning since he thinks it is counterproductive.

What the Trib said about Yarrough:

Democratic Rep. Karen Yarbrough has the smarts and experience to be a thoughtful, independent legislator, but she consistently fails to inspire. She's far more facile, for instance, at identifying line items for which she would increase spending than areas that need trims.

And, finally what the Trib said about Welch:

Emanuel "Chris" Welch, an attorney and Proviso District 209 School Board president, understands education-funding issues and offers his own district as one ripe for consolidation to save on costs. Welch, from Hillside, has clever ideas for informing new parents of college savings and early childhood education programs. He is endorsed in the hopes that he'll rise above all the local political squabbles.

Black Gold...

2006-02-22T16:13:00.000-06:00

Bullfrog has an excellent post on black goal (oil that is) that is worth its weight in gold. We've always been taught that oil is a product of fossil fuel and there is a limited supply and this supply peaked in the 1970's and by the year 2050, the world will completely run out of cheap oil (the peak oil theory). According to Bullfrog's research, there is a new theory and it is called the "Abiotic Theory of Oil Formation", which contradicts the original "fossil fuel" theory. More importantly, this not so new theory (known since the 1950's) states that oil may not be a limited resource and may not be organic in origin. I find this whole theory very fascinating. I will revisit this story when I learn more...

A legend among men...

2006-02-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

Today is the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. He was one of our finest. It is unfortunate that he is not talked about as much as MLK. He is the epitome of what I consider greatness. I respect him more than any other person that ever lived.

Young Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, Omaha, Nebraska.
This young Malcolm looks exactly like someone I dated in high school.

Malcolm was assasinated at Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965. He had just taken the stage when he was shot. Malcolm X was 39 years old.

This society has the blood of many of our courageous leaders on their hands. According to Democracy Now, there are three missing chapters from the autobiographies of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley and Spike Lee. In those missing chapters, the New York Police, the FBI, and possibly the CIA were involved in Malcolm X's assassination. However, this is something that we always suspected.

Why is it that good and progressive black people are killed by this society in the prime of their life? We have been going through changes with this society for a long time.

Two of my favorite quotes:

1. You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.

2. Concerning nonviolence: It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.

Israeli Cabinet OKs Economic Sanctions

2006-02-20T15:23:00.000-06:00

This is the danger of depending on the West. If things don't go their way, they will take unreasonable actions against you to force you back in line. They must always have an unfair advantage over their opponent. How is this right especially since the Hamas government was democratically elected? I guess democracy is just a word used only when it is convenient. Where is the righteous indignation of the Christian right on these types of issues? Oh wait, silly me - this doesn't count, we all know that the morality of the West doesn't extend to others.

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved a halt in monthly transfers of tens of millions of dollars to the Palestinians, in the first response to Hamas taking control of the Palestinian parliament.

Interesting predictions

2006-02-20T15:00:00.000-06:00

Some are predicting that the world will run out of cheap oil by 2050. Others are predicting that the world's population will increase by 2.6 Billon over the next 45 years, with all the growth occurring in less developed regions. Interestingly, with all of this growth, one report estimates that Europe's population is expected to decrease by 70 million by 2050, while another report estimates the decline may be as high as 90 million.

Some thoughts:

If the population is expected to grow in developing countries, how can these countries especially Africa be ravaged by HIV/AIDS. Shouldn't we see a decrease in the population? Why is the West trying to control the population growth of developing nations when they are using at most 20% of the world's natural resources? Maybe this energy would be best spent on trying to find ways to circumvent the inevitable decline in their population.

It's interesting to note that currently there are five additional ways to get pregnant using scientific technology (listed below) besides the traditional way (engaging in the horizontal polka). When these techniques are used, I wonder if the child inherits the infertility problems of the parents. If this is the case, this could explain in part the decline. The decline in Europe's population demonstrates that science is not a cure all. However, I do wonder what other factors (hidden) are driving the decline.

1. AID (artificial insemination with donor sperm)
2. AIH (artificial insemination with husband’s sperm)
3. ICS (Iintracytoplasmic sperm injection)
4. IU (Iintrauterine insemination)
5. IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)

The Effects of Racism in America...

2006-02-20T14:31:00.000-06:00

This morning on the Cliff Kelly show, a mother and her attorney tells how her 14-year-old son was killed in a boot camp in Dade County (FL). The child was arrested and charged for grand theft auto for joy riding in his grandmother's car even though he wasn't driving the car and the grandmother refusal to press charges. The officers that brought the child home after an accident told the family, even if you don't press charges, we will. From what I understand, this is a common practice in Florida that is being used to unfairly criminalize black youths. I suspect this is another way along with teaching our children to be criminals in the fourth grade that will assure that the following prediction come true (1 in 3 black males born in 2001 will go to jail in their life time).

Anyway, the courts put this child on probation and he was later charged by police for violating his probation by going to a high school. He was then sent to boot camp under the pretense of keeping him from going down the wrong path. The officers brutalized and killed him within the first two hours that he was there. Fortunately, someone got this on tape because the coroner said he died as a result from internal bleeding that was caused not because of the brutalization by the officers, but because he had the sickle cell trait. Ironically, this is not considered a disease, and yet, the coroner's report said this was the cause of the child's death.

I tell you, living in America is toxic to the survival of African Americans. If we are to survive in this environment, we must stop this type of barbaric and inhuman onslaught on our youth. This is more of that relative morality the U.S. is infamously known for.

Feudalism Repackaged...

2006-02-17T11:11:00.000-06:00

Although the statement below is a page out of the medieval European feudal system, it sure sounds like the platform of Christian theology if you change a few words. Just look at Samuel I, Chapter 7. This is consistent throughout the Christian text, obeying your Lord and if he tells you to kill, you must kill. In addition, this means anyone who holds a different worldview from you. Does this sound familiar? What about the Axis of Evil campaign by the Bush Administration? It's also interesting to note that modern day England has named its parliament after their old medieval feudal society (The House of Lords & Commons). Who are we worshipping, a man or a God when we say "My Lord"?

I'm always taken aback by people that actually believe America's moral values are declining. Everybody always neglect to mention a specific time when the Christian values were high or even on the incline. Courtesy of Church Secretary - this book appears to deal with the non-existent moral values of the Church. "Over a period of almost two millennia, the Christian Church has oppressed and brutalized millions of individuals in an attempt to control and contain spirituality". So I ask again, what period were these Christian values on the inclined, and don't you have to have an apex (when was it, I certainly missed this event) before a decline.

The noble men (Medieval Europe)

In order to obtain the land, a vassal had to pay homage to his lord. To do this, a man went down on his knees before the lord without a weapon, placed his hands between his lord's hands and promised to be his man, to serve him and fight for him. The lord then granted the man a fief. A fief was usually a piece of land, although sometimes it was a right, such as the right to fish in a stream or the right to collect a toll on a certain road. Lords commanded a small army made up of vassals who owed him military service for their fiefs. When he made a law, he used this army to enforce it.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott - A Force in American History...

2006-02-16T08:17:00.000-06:00

Cross posted at American Hot Sausage

Last night I went to the Chicago Defender with the music director of the documentary “Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender” and discovered some interesting news. Robert Sengstacke Abbott can be considered the father of modern day black America. He was responsible for a major shift in America's culture. He influenced a geographical change in the African American community that was considered The Great Migration, a mass movement of black people relocating from the rural South to the urban North. The only other migration that can remotely compare to this is the force migration of blacks from New Orleans because of Katrina. Can you believe when blacks were migrating to Chicago, the founder of the Chicago Tribune (McCormick) tried to prevent blacks from settling in Chicago and offered to pay the fares of any black person that wanted to return back to the Jim Crow South.

Interestingly, Abbott was recognized by FDR for single handedly getting him elected because the black vote was considered the swing vote during his second term. Ultimately, this led to the monumental switch of blacks voting strictly Republican to us voting strictly Democratic. Ironically, we never even benefited from the New Deal started by FDR, which incidentally contributed to the persistence of two Americas. The following site gives a brief history of the switch and it explains why most blacks still vote Democratic today. It’s all about economics or class. As long as the Republican Party is the Party of the haves and have more, black people will continue to collectively vote for the Democratic Party, i.e., voting on the lesser of two evils.

Finally, I think Chicago can be considered the Capitol of progressive American thought. The number of successful actors, artists, politicians, media personalities that comes from Chicago is astounding.

This Morning on the Cliff Kelly Show

2006-02-15T07:23:00.000-06:00

Quote of the year:

Dick Gregory said a white passenger who sat next to him on an airplane turned to him and said, if God doesn't do something about America soon, he is going to have to apologize for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah.

I also heard that there is such a thing called "The Curse of the Presidents". William Henry Harrison ordered the brutal murder of the Shawnee nation. He told the soldiers to kill the women and children when the men go hunting and when the men return kill them too (this is more of that relative morality meted out by the West). Before the Chieftan died, he put a curse on the Presidents of the U.S. for the next 200 years commencing with the 1st president elected in the zero year and thereafter. In other words, presidents elected on the zero year will have some type of mishap during their term. So far, something has happened to each President that was elected in those zero years. Interestingly, some have died, while others were wounded while holding office. The question is - will Bush complete his term without a mishap? Or is all of this a coincidence or just silly mombo jumbo? You decide.

U.S. and Israelis Are Said to Talk of Hamas Ouster

2006-02-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

This is why there is turmoil in the Middle East. It's the warped sense of values/morality of the U.S. and Israel that are creating the unrest. Then they turn around and accuse the Palestinians of being evil. What hypocrisy. This is all part of that relative truth that I’ve been discussing with Bullfrog. The West (U.S. & Israel) will demonize anything that is not in their best interest and seek to destroy it at all cost.

The United States and Israel are discussing ways to destabilize the Palestinian government so that newly elected Hamas officials will fail and elections will be called again, according to Israeli officials and Western diplomats.

State of the Dream

2006-02-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

This is a link to the state of Dr. King's Dream. Things haven't changed much over the years for Blacks, in fact, in many areas things have gotten worst. All of these years, people are looking to a dream that will never materialized. This King dream has really turned into our worst nightmare. Things are so bad, they are predicting that 1 out of 3 black males born in 2001 will go to prison in their lifetime. In 2001 - 13 states had more black men in jail than in college. This is appalling. One can only assume the numbers are worst in 2006. We are more unaware, ignorant, sick, self-destructive, mentally unbalanced, and monetarily disadvantage than we were when King was alive.

I'm convinced this King dream is going to be our undoing. At least when we were segregated, we were not in jail in these numbers and as a group, we operated more as a family unit. We had more unity and now we allowed all of these distractions to pull us apart and keep us separated from each other. We are completely vulnerable to the various vices of this society that uses a different moral standard to keep us in a perpetual state of disarry.

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

2006-02-12T17:12:00.000-06:00

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

What an unfortunate incident. I wonder if this is similar to the fact that some people may be too old for driving and their license to drive should be revoked, but in this case, their license to own a gun should be revoked.

Their Levees vs. Our Levees

2006-02-11T00:43:00.000-06:00

Here's how the British hold back the waters from flooding London:

And the Dutch solution to protecting an entire nation
that mostly rests below sea level:

The Italians are defending their city on the sea, Venice:
Giant platforms on hinges raise up to break the waves
when they get too high

And the richest, most powerful and technologically
advanced nation on earth...USA!!!!!!

After looking at these pictures of levees in other developed countries, you know something is seriously wrong in America. There’s no excuse for what happened in New Orleans. And now that it has happened, there's no excuse for not rebuilding the city exactly the way it was. If these countries can protect their cities that are below sea level, so can the U.S.

Relative Truth and evil

2006-02-10T16:05:00.000-06:00

Bullfrog has a nice discussion taking place on his blog about relative truth. Naturally, I think everything is relative (truth and evil). Society dictates to us what is moral and anything that goes against what society considered moral is deemed immoral. Therefore, morality is mutable. The views change from one time to another. At one point, people thought human sacrifices were fine, and now that act is considered barbaric. At one time, everybody was a pagan, and now, people in this country consider you doomed to hell if you don't believe in Christianity since this is the absolute truth. If you are in Muslims countries, you are doomed if you don't believe in Allah because Islam is the absolute truth. The question is - whose truth are you going to follow? This will dictate whose reality you will act out...

Teaching black kids how to commit burglary...

2006-02-09T08:53:00.000-06:00

Black people are fighting a losing battle in America. This society is hostile on many fronts.

Today I just heard on the Cliff Kelly Show that part of a lesson plan in the Baltimore, MD public school system was to teach black kids how to rob a house. The worksheet even had the nerves to include how to put on a mask so that you won't get caught. A 4th grade child said to his mother - I don't want to rob a house mommy. The mother became furious when she saw the assignment. Can you believe the worksheet was suppose to prepare the children in the Baltimore public school system for a standardize test that is coming up.

A female caller in Chicago said, this has also happened here and she went to the school and complained. The woman said her child never brought the paper home again and she monitored closely what they were teaching her child.

Some people wonder why we are in the predicament we are in and are quick to lay blame at our feet. We are constantly fighting an uphill battle. The question is - are we going to win?

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

2006-02-08T23:32:00.000-06:00

Last Friday (Feb. 3rd) I went to Transitions BookPlace and heard John Perkins speak. He is a really interesting person. I bought his book and got it autographed.

Here is a synopsis of his book. I think it is a must read...

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: John Perkins was one of many highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the world (Poor Countries) out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then take over their economies. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoff, extortion, sex, and murder.

As an economic hit man for an international consulting firm, he convinced developing countries to accept enormous loans and to funnel that money to U.S. corporations. The American government and international aid agencies then requested their "pound of flesh," including access to natural resources, military cooperation, and political support.

TAG: Economic Hitmen

Introducing my photo journal...

2006-02-08T13:05:00.000-06:00

I started a photo journal. I made my first post last night. We have a new grad student who took pictures of everyone to display outside of the lab. The funny thing about the photo, I think I look like my avatar.

Five weird things about me - Other than the obvious

2006-02-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

Came from Darni - Although she didn't tag anyone, I have a feeling that she wanted me and Mak to pick up where she left off.

1. My weirdness started when I was born. When I was born, my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and I was born with a veil over my head. Imagine growing up and everyone telling you that since you were born with this veil, you are going to see ghosts. They had me scared half to death. I have witnessed some interesting things.

2. When I was born, it took the doctors 8 minutes to get me to take my first breath. When I finally started breathing, all I did was let out a sigh.

3. My parents had eight children; all of them were suppose to be born in February. One of my sisters came two weeks early and one of my brothers came two weeks late.

4. It is interesting to note that my mother was told by her doctor that she should stop having kids when she had her 4th child. Since she wanted a large family, she ignored that advice. I am the 7th child, born on a day that adds up to 7 and was born in a year that is a multiple of 7. I'm eternally grateful to my dear mother.

5. When I was taking a chemistry class a white man told me that I scared him. When I asked why, he said I've answered him multiple times when he didn't ask a question. I told him this is not true, when did this happen? He said you just did it. I said no, I heard you ask me a question and I was just answering your question. This was week three. The following week, I had to finish the rest of the term without a lab partner.

Impotent African American Leaders

2006-02-07T13:12:00.000-06:00

African American leadership is impotent. They can't lobby to congress to get funds for New Orleans and the Mayor of New Orleans is now trying to seek aid from other nations.

Our black leadership should take a hint from the white leadership who refused to buy into the whole HIV/AIDS hoax in their communities. It is obvious why this misinformation is fed to the black community. This government knows that black people are ignorant of science. Here is an article that is highlighting the AIDS risk to black men and women. It states that heterosexual sex has now replaced drug use as the most common means of transmission of the virus to women. What bull!

Now, here are two links to scientific articles that shows that HIV can't be sexually transmitted here and here. I also attached a little synopsis of the truth behind the biggest hoax the world has seen. Only the aware black people are going to get through this. We are singing, dancing, laughing, partying, and praying our way into oblivion. Where is our leadership?

Where are Jesus & Allah when we need them? We are the prayingness and believingness people in the world and yet, so far during our time of need, these entities have been missing and yet the game is continuing to be ran on us. Check out this site to see what I mean. This man is peddling death to our community.

This type of ignorance makes my blood boil. And, just think - now they have linked this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to Black History month. Talking about adding insult to injury.

Wal-Mart black history program gives glimpse of Gullah/Geechee Nation

2006-02-07T11:35:00.000-06:00

As part of the celebration of Black History month, on February 2nd (Thursday), we were invited to play drum at a preview of a documentary that was held at The Field Museum of Natural History that gave a glimpse into the lives of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. These are the only African Americans that have retained most of their African heritage and language. It was really nice to meet someone (Queen Quet) who was elected as a Chieftess to speak on behalf of her people. She has a beautiful voice and we purchased two of her CDs. This is one of the places on my destination to visit (the many islands of the Gullah and Geechee people). It's interesting to note, that the Gullahs from what I understand speak a language that originated in Sierra Leon, and the Geechees speak a hodgepodge of native African tongue mixed in with English. Although I didn't understand anything that was said when Queen Quet spoke Gullah, however, when she switched to speaking Geechee, much of what she said was totally understandable since it sounded like many of the people in South Louisiana.

This is a must see documentary. I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart and I don't trust their motives, but I admire the fact that they thought enough of our people to fund the making of this documentary. I never knew that the Gullah/Geechee people were considered a separate nation within the U.S.

This is clear evidence that the term African American is an umbrella phrase used to describe a diverse nation of people.

Btw: I traced my mother's family back to Sierra Leon.

Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

2006-02-06T13:09:00.000-06:00

This article is old, but I was on my little sabbatical when it came out, but I think it is worth linking to anyway. I didn't need a study to tell me that those who vote Republican have racists tendencies even many of the black Conservatives who appear to have a disdained for anything that is black.

Last week I also heard that many white people became Republican after the OJ Simpson trial. If this is true, this further supports that racist Republican voting study.

Mayor Ray Nagin testifies before congress...

2006-02-06T12:44:00.000-06:00

I saw a nice video on Professor Kim's site. It is absolutely shameful how things were mismanaged in New Orleans after Katrina. It's really interesting to hear Nagin talking about how supplies and people were in New Orleans, but for some reason, the supplies nor the people were used in a timely manner to assist the residents of New Orleans that were stranded in the drowning city.

Good News - I'm so excited!!!

2006-02-06T11:41:00.000-06:00

This morning was my annual review and everything went well. My committee told me that I could start writing up my thesis. I have one set of experiments to complete, but it is good to know that I will have my PhD soon... Tonight, I will be going out to celebrate! Yea for me...

Why do blacks continue to support Democrats?

2006-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Original link is gone

POLITICS

By Adele Fergusen

One of these days before I die, I hope to see a shift in the attitudes of somany of my black brothers and sisters in this great country we share, fromperpetual victimhood, to pride in their achievements on the road from slaveto American citizen.Remember Ronald Reagan's story about the kid who had to shovel a huge pileof manure? He went about it with such joy he was asked why and said, "Withall that manure, there's got to be a pony in there somewhere."

"The pony hidden in slavery is the fact that it was the ticket to America for black people. I have long urged blacks to consider their presence here as the work of God, who wanted to bring them to this raw, new country and used slavery to achieve it. A harsh life, to be sure, but many immigrantssuffered hardships and indignations as indentured servants. Their descendants rose above it. You don't hear them bemoaning their forebears'life the way some blacks can't rise above the fact theirs were slaves.

Besides freedom, a job and a roof over their heads, they all sought respect.But even after all these years, too many have yet to realize that to getrespect, you have to give it.The treatment given President Bush at Coretta King's funeral was shameful.

And these weren't poor, uneducated black people who "dissed" him. They were among the country's top-drawer blacks, there to bury black royalty. While Bush got the cold shoulder, former President Clinton was welcomed as if hestill held the office.

It mystifies me why the black population remains in thrall to the Democratic party. Black parents want a good education for their children yet they are consistently denied two opportunities that have proven enormously helpful in the few places where they are allowed because the D's oppose them. School vouchers and charter schools.

The teacher unions, among top contributors to the Democratic party, opposethem for fear of losing control of the public schools which continue to turnout kids who have to be slipped through graduation by finding alternativesto standard requirements for learning, and where black kids fall behindwhites. And what the teacher unions are against, the Democrats are against.

Many a school board member is a Democratic activist there to be on theground floor against vouchers and charter schools.In the few places where vouchers to attend private schools and innovativecharter schools are allowed, the unions file lawsuits claiming damage to thepublic schools by diverting the voucher money to poor families and limitingas much as possible the number of students who can attend the charters. Theywon one in Florida last month.

Sure, the ultimate solution is to jack up the performance of the public schools, but so long as the unions are running the show, that isn't going tohappen. The unions don't care if you're a good teacher, just that you're amember and pay your dues. It is nearly impossible to get rid of anincompetent teacher. Their interest is themselves, not the kids, and theiranswer to the poor performance of the schools is more money.

Black students regularly trail white students because they get the more inexperienced and less qualified teachers and are plagued by low expectations. Results of the use of vouchers and charter schools have beenoutstanding, yet the Democrats say no, so why do black parents support them?Why do they act the victim?

Blacks have no Cesar Chavez. Jesse Jackson isn't going to buck theDemocratic Party. Neither is the NAACP. Black parents should confrontDemocratic leaders at all levels and demand these tools of learning be madeavailable or expanded or don't count on our vote for your candidates. You'velet the unions keep your kids down too long already.(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, Wa., 98340.)

Blog break - preparining for a meeting...

2006-01-27T08:36:00.000-06:00

I will be back on Feb. 6. I am preparing for a very important meeting.

Cheating in schools...

2006-01-26T15:56:00.000-06:00

Emerging Phoenix has an interesting post where they are discussing the idea of legalizing cheating in schools.

Campaign of Misinformation

2006-01-26T07:54:00.000-06:00

James Manning wrote a post called a "Dialogue on Race Politics Stereotypes, Myths & Misinformation", that to me just fuelled the talking points of the Republicans, i.e., black Republicans. The title I thought was provocative and promising, yet, to me he gave some statistics that I thought were totally misleading and part of a misinformation campaign by Republicans, particularly Black Republicans. I made a few comments on the posts that were probably a little sensitive, but I deleted the comments after a person who appeared to be of mixed race said he was convinced that all black women like the thug-type black man. Whenever I’m on black Conservative sites, I make a point not to say too much that will offend them. Therefore, since this post had that flavor, I thought it would be best if I deleted my comments because they were offensive to some. I don't know how the conversation went after that, because I stopped following it, but I’m sure it was interesting.

Having said that, I'm linking to the post so that I can have easy access to the statistics. I think James was trying to show that black people are not these welfare lazy people, but instead are decent hard working people who are making strides in a racist society. Although the way he said it, I came away thinking he was being a mouth piece for the black Conservative movement. As a result, what he was really saying, “hey - black people are not systematically being discriminated against” just take a look at the statistics, we are not doing as bad as those evil and immoral liberals are saying and we don't need or want your handouts (this is my impression only, it may not reflect his true thoughts). In one of my comments before I deleted it, I told James these statistics are misleading. I was so disappointed I felt like crying at the stuff that was being said by black people against black people. My stomach started churning.

Anyway, today I heard that slightly > 24,500 people applied for ~ 325 jobs at Wal-Mart (a new store located one block from Chicago). It is interesting to note, that only 500 of the people didn't live in Chicago. From my understanding, the reason this came up is that the remaining people were primarily black who applied for those low wage jobs. From this alone, it shows that the statistics James referenced need to be checked, cross checked, and rechecked to determine their true validity. Clearly, if this many people are applying for minimum wage jobs, the situation in the black community is dire and this directly contradicts the progress we have made as a group based upon the statistics James used for his analysis. And, this is why Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics because statistics can be manipulated.

I did a cursory review of the statistics and the outcome is far worst than what James is reporting. I asked where he got his information from and true enough, he saw them on a moderate Conservative site. Therefore, I am convinced that these are black Republican talking points that are now being peddled on what I thought was a moderate liberal site.

The Bible & The Egyptian Book of the Dead

2006-01-25T06:37:00.000-06:00

Recently, C2A wrote a post entitled "Why God". What stood out to me most in the post were the following statements:

I’m always stunned by the great number of people who enjoy the chance to bear witness to their disbelief in God. Their strikes against God strengthen my faith because I don’t think people would expend energy to vocalize disbelief in something they truly didn’t believe had power.

Since I know that I stated emphatically that I didn't believe in the Christian God, I was 99.9999% sure she was talking to me and it almost sounded like she was expecting her God to strike me down. Fortunate for me, I'm 100% sure a loving God wouldn't behave in this unkind manner. So to ease her conscious, I said the following:

Some of us just don’t believe in the Christian God. This disturbs many black people. However, that doesn’t automatically mean that those who don’t believe in this Christian God don’t believe in some type of higher power. As for me, I live my life in such a way that what is best for me, always happen. I continued by saying - just so you know, if people thought a God had power, they wouldn’t dare speak against it. They would simply be too afraid. Furthermore, if there was one way to this God thing, the world would only have one religion.

One of the reasons I don't believe in the bible is that the so called "Ten Commandments" and this virgin birth are not unique to Christianity. The 10 Commandments were plagiarized from the 42 Negative Confessions or Declaration of Innocence that were recorded in The Egyptian Book of the Dead. This Declaration of Innocence is also called the Laws of the Goddess (Maat). And, the virgin birth was stolen from the story about Osiris and Isis and how Isis gave birth to their child, Horus after the death of Osiris. Why would an omnipotent and omniscient God be so unoriginal and uninspired to copy the moral codes and the virgin birth story of another civilization and pass it off as something he invented so that people can believe and be saved from eternal damnation? There is something fundamentally wrong with this type of deceit. This is pure unadulterated evil! I believe in researching everything before accepting anything as the so called "gospel" truth.

I do however like the idea that the three major world's religions are founded upon the principles of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess "Maat", which was around ~ 3500 years before the advent of Christianity. Maybe this is what is wrong with the world; people are worshipping a male God that has been bastardized. Finally, if I'm going to worship something, it certainly will not be a poor imitation of something that predates recorded time. When you know the truth, it is really hard to believe a LIE or the absurd!!!

Recap: In order for Christianity to exist, this God broke two commandments, thou shalt not steal and thou shalt not lie. Subsequently, if you look at all the bible atrocities, you will also see that this God is a murderer too. On that note, I've probably lost the rest of my readership. I'm not making any of this stuff up, if your faith is strong, check it out for yourself. The truth is there...

The Democratic Party needs to get some testicular fortitude!!!

2006-01-24T19:06:00.000-06:00

I bet they won't be able to muster up one testicle among the whole bunch, which makes me think they are apart of the whole plan.

Three reasons the Dems should fllibuster Alito.

Tag:Fillibuster Alito

The Average Black Person is Psychic

2006-01-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

I'm convinced that the average black person is psychic. If you stare at any black person for any amount of time in a crowed room, they will instantly turn to the person who is staring at them. If you do the same thing to the average white person, they will not notice you no matter how long you stare at them. You should try this and see what happens - you will be amazed. Some black people are more sensitive than others, but the results of this experiment are consistent across the board.

A Culture of Coruption...

2006-01-24T16:48:00.000-06:00

If you want to know the truth about American politics, this is a good article. I find comfort in the fact that not only is the politics of America affecting mainly black people, the way things are going, things will eventually affect all Americans irrespective of their party affiliation. Black people have a tendency to vote strictly for the Democrats, at least 90% of us anyway. As a result, the Democrats have consistently marginalized us. There have been more jailed built mainly to house black people, particularly black men under the Democratic rule than under the Republican rule. I don't think this has escaped black people. However, if you talk to many of us, we feel that both parties are two heads of the same dragon. What happens is that black people have historically voted on what they think is the lesser of the two evils. In order for us to gain any type of political clout, we must re-evaluate this strategy. It is not working for us as a group. Individually, there are many success stories.

Tag: The Real State of the Union

This government continues to push the envelope...

2006-01-23T23:37:00.000-06:00

The Bush Administration is planning on testing pesticides on humans. Just think - at least 51% of the people agrees with Bush's policies.

Tag: Democrats Denounce Bush Human Pesticide Testing Plan

Discussion about race and politics in America...

2006-01-23T07:41:00.000-06:00

James Manning has two candid and interesting conversations on race and politics in America here and here.

Is this going too far?

2006-01-21T23:56:00.000-06:00

When should we say that we've had enough? I don't know if I buy the reason by the government for requesting this information especially since I read that Bush is planning on criminalizing protesters under the Patriot Act as "disruptors"...

Fishing in Cyberspace

The Justice Department wants a federal judge to force Google to turn over millions of private Internet searches. Google is rightly fighting the demand, but the government says America Online, Yahoo and MSN, Microsoft's online service, have already complied with similar requests.

A few of us were asked to drum by some representatives of this Organization on January 31st to drown out Bush's "State of the Union Address". If this protest occurs, I guess all the participants can be criminalized. Very interesting indeed!!!

Tags: Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act, Fishing in Cyberspace

U.S. - The most peace loving nation???

2006-01-17T23:09:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of The Bulldog Manifesto:

Below is a chronology of conflicts that America has been engaged in since 1917. Can you believe America has been engaged in some type of conflict with others nearly every year? If anyone believes that America should go back to those old Christian values you should ask yourself when have these values ever really made the U.S. benevolent to others. We all know that we can go back much farther with the atrocities committed by the U.S. starting with the Native Americans. This is a masterpiece in terms of a history lesson on U.S. policy regarding wars and conflict...

Part I - 1917-1964
Part II - 1961 - 2003

I don't have continuous access to my blog ~85% of the time...

2006-01-17T22:35:00.000-06:00

It appears I may have to start another blog. For some reason, I don't have access to this blog most of the time. I thought the problem was due to technical difficulties at blogspot. I guess I can rule this out since I’m able to access other blogs on blogspot, so this suggests that blogspot is functioning properly. It has become so annoying that I feel it is not worth putting any more energy in trying to access this blog. I will definitely reinvent myself soon.

Synopsis - HIV is the biggest hoax the world has seen!!!

2006-01-14T00:47:00.000-06:00

Val asked me to write a little synopsis about the HIV/AIDS information that I have presented since the information was a bit unclear as to who ultimately ended up with HIV. So, the information presented below is my synopsis of what I've read about HIV in laymen's terms.

Briefly, what the public is being told about HIV/AIDS is very different from what the scientific community says about HIV. Here is a very interesting article that talks about the media campaign about HIV.

According to the scientific community:

1. I will start by saying HIV has never been isolated in the laboratory. This is why no one has won the Nobel Prize for its discovery.

2. Having antibodies mean a person has immunity (period). This is not a measure to determine if someone has a disease.

3. The only way they can get this alleged HIV+ blood to do anything is incubate supposedly infected cells with cancer cells (leukemia), or various other stressors such as mitogens. This suggests that the proponents of HIV are basically looking at antibodies and proteins that are produced under stressful conditions that are created by those cancer cells and or mitogens. These proteins/antibodies have nothing to do with HIV.

4. Studies have shown that HIV is not sexually transmitted.

5. HIV has never been isolated in semen, breast milk, or any other bodily fluids.

6. HIV if it exists - it is not contagious.

7. People who do drugs get all types of opportunistic infection that weakens their immune system independent of HIV.

8. Studies performed on Australian prostitutes also demonstrated that HIV is not sexually transmitted.

9. It appears hemophiliac died from Factor 8 contamination and not as a result of HIV.

10. HIV drugs will give you AIDS. AZT is a DNA chain terminator and eventually your cells will die because they can't divide. Protease inhibitors prevent your body’s natural proteases from digesting proteins. The body must recycle on average 10^14 cells per day (~100 trillion per day). The proteases inhibitors prevents this from occurring, as a result, your body becomes very toxic and you will eventually have an autoimmune response as well as fungus growing on the free floating proteins in your body. This will destroy your immune system and you will die.

11. People in Africa are not being treated for diseases they’ve had for eons. These old diseases are now being called HIV.

12. Unlike all the other known diseases such as TB, malaria, etc., etc., different countries have different standards for what constitute a person being diagnosed as HIV+. This means that you can be diagnosed as HIV+ for instance in the U.S. but will not be positive in Canada or Australia. In fact, Australia is the hardest place to be diagnosed HIV+. This is a major flaw in the theory of HIV. How can you have a disease and be treated in one country for that said disease and if you move to another country, they will tell you that you are not sick at all and don't need treatment. It is interesting to note that Africa is one of the easiest places to be diagnosed as HIV+, followed closely by the U.S.

13. There are at least 64 factors that can cause a person to test positive for HIV when in fact they are not positive.

14. Black people have serious health issues that are being overshadowed by this fictitious HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have a high rate of diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, cancer, etc. that are killing us at an alarming rate.

15. The bottom line - people have been lied to about the existence and pathogenic nature of HIV.

16. I will finish by saying if you do a Google or yahoo search on HIV/AIDS, the information you will find is exactly what the CDC, NIH, WHO, and other governmental organizations want you to know about HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, if you do a pub med or use any other type of scientific search engine for information on HIV a different picture will emerge.

Prove Christ exists

2006-01-12T22:43:00.000-06:00

You really have to love Europeans. A Judge is ordering a priest to prove that Christ exists.

Excerpt: Signor Cascioli said that the Gospels themselves were full of inconsistencies and did not agree on the names of the 12 apostles. He said that he would withdraw his legal action if Father Righi came up with irrefutable proof of Christ’s existence by the end of the month.

James Manning had two interesting discussions about religion here and here. One of the things that came out is that religious beliefs shouldn't be forced on people because there are too many inconsistencies in the bible. After reading the article, the arguments put forth by Cascioli are some of the reasons I’m a non-believer. But I would never ask anyone to prove that Christ exists, maybe that is going a little too far.

Technorati: Prove Christ exists

This is sobering...

2006-01-11T17:30:00.000-06:00

I found this perusing the blog of the Underground Railroad.

The Rude Pundit has a series highlighting New Orleans 4 months after Katrina.

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

Cliff Kelly - Hostile Interview

2006-01-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

When we were told about being interviewed on the Cliff Kelly show, we called Cliff’s producer (Jerry Riles) and told him this wouldn’t be the old run of the mill interview about HIV/AIDS. We informed him that Cliff is not interested in hearing what we have to say because we had already given him information on this subject. Jerry said WVON talks about HIV/AIDS all the time and asked us to fax him some information about us and what we are going to talk about anyway. It became apparent during the interview, that this interview was the brainchild of Jerry Riles. Cliff became unsettled and hostile. His ace (Lloyd Kelly) in the hole called into the show and the interview immediately shifted to the standard HIV spiel. Lloyd is an HIV/AIDS activist in Chicago and has some type of foundation that is geared towards getting all black people in Chicago and I think Illinois to get tested for HIV. As I was trying to make a point about the proteins that are used to determine if someone is HIV +, Lloyd interrupted and said “let me explain to you how this test works”. He said the test is not looking at proteins Cliff; it is looking at antibodies against HIV. From that point onward, Cliff would not let us counter anything Lloyd had to say (right or wrong). He let Lloyd urge the WVON family to get tested and he ended the show by talking about the HIV/AIDS hypothesis and how Nelson Mandela's son died of HIV and how Nelson Mandela told Mbeki this and asked what are you doing because HIV exist. I was wondering when did Mandela go to school for science. At least Mbeki hosted a world HIV/AIDS conference and heard arguments from both camps before making his decision about rejecting or accepting the dogma that is being peddled by the West. Finally, Cliff thanked us for being on the show and hung up without giving us the courtesy to make any final comments like he generally offers to his guests.

The following Tuesday (January 2, 2006), Lloyd called into Cliff's show and told him about a new law that is going into effect that will be doing HIV/AIDS testing on the many black people that are in the jails in Illinois. You should have heard Lloyd and Cliff go on and on about how disappointed they were in those two for setting us back in this fight against HIV/AIDS in the black community. Lloyd even had the nerves to pat Cliff on the back (giving him a high five) for handling us in the interview. He said you really handled those two Cliff. I became slightly annoyed and called into Cliff's show and told him that Lloyd needs to learn about basic science. When Lloyd said let me explain about how the test works and said they are not looking at proteins, they are looking at antibodies to HIV, he should have known that antibodies are proteins. This is far too serious for us to be listening to someone who claims to be our resident expert and yet he doesn’t know anything about basic science, and more importantly, how this test works. This is reprehensible. No wonder as a community, we are being duped on many fronts, we are listening to too many ignorant and unscrupulous people who are willing to sell us down the river as long as they can get a piece of the pie. I guess we will always have those among us who are willing to delivery any type of message to us no matter how absurd as long as they are being paid for those said services and/or lies.

All in all, I should thank Cliff Kelly - because of his show, we had a packed house. One thing about black Chicagoans, many were already suspicious about this whole HIV/AIDS theory and the interview fueled that suspicion even further. The news is spreading like a wildfire. It is interesting to note that everyone we present the science behind HIV, believes the message. People were buzzing all around us at the Kwanzaa celebrations and the news is being passed on. I was happy to be informed that someone presented a video of the science behind HIV/AIDS at one of the events at the many Kwanzaa celebrations in town. We are presenting this information again soon to some prominent people in Chicago. The truth is being wall received.

Side note: Only one person came to Cliff’s defense. This is significant because more people generally tell Cliff when they agree with his position.

HIV is not sexually transmitted

2005-12-30T01:19:00.000-06:00

Someone came to my site using this link. This is interesting because I had every intention on finding the following article by Nancy Padian:

Padian NS et al. Heterosexual transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Northern California: Results from a ten-year study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1997;146(4):350-7 .

How convenient for me that someone would not only have a link to Nancy Padian's article, but have a link to other articles as well demonstrating that the scientific side of HIV/AIDS is at odds with the public side of HIV/AIDS.

A Busy & Productive Week (Kwanzaa)

2005-12-28T14:27:00.000-06:00

So far, this has been a great Kwanzaa.

I play African drums in an African American dance and drum group and we were asked to perform during a Kwanzaa segment on Channel 7 (ABC) to jump start the first day of Kwanzaa (Umoja), which means unity. There are three female drummers including me, three male drummers, three female dancers, and two male dancers in our group. We were all ecstatic about the free publicity on a national TV station.

Today is the third day of Kwanzaa (Ujima), which means collective work and responsibility. This morning, me and another person were interviewed for an entire hour on the Cliff Kelly Show about the science of HIV/AIDS. We tried to warn them that this is not the regular message that is being peddled in the black community about HIV/AIDS. I gave them some information on our position and they went forward with the interview. We were very excited to be interviewed by Cliff since he is a staunch supporter of the current HIV/AIDS hypothesis. It was a nice plug for our event tonight. We will be showing a video and talking about the science behind HIV and this phenomenon they call AIDS.

Friday is the fifth day of Kwanzaa (Nia), which means purpose. Our dance and drum troop will be performing at the Austin Town Hall for the Austin Black Business Association.

Sunday is the last day of Kwanzaa (Imani), which means faith. Three members (including me)from our dance and drum group will be performing at a private Kwanzaa celebration.

All in all, this Kwanzaa season has been great!

Pre-Kawanzaa Celebration

2005-12-20T22:06:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I attended two pre-Kwanzaa celebrations. Most of these celebrations people try to impart a message that is beneficial to the black community as a whole. One of the featured speakers was Dr. Francis Cress Welsing. Dr. Welsing is consistent. Her message is simple. She is famous for "The Cress Theory of Color Confrontation", which analyzes white supremacy. If you haven't heard her message it is interesting. Of note, Dr. Welsing said unless she finds out otherwise - HIV/AIDS is biological warfare. So after her talk a few of us talked to her about the science of HIV and gave her some information that she could make a more informed decision about HIV/AIDS.

I learned a new phrase at the Kwanzaa celebrations that took me by surprise, "eliminate the useless eaters". Apparently this is not new; many people are using it to describe an old phenomenon. Excerpt below:

Every time I turn around I will hear over the news, or read in the paper of the tremendous over population of our planet. This is very interesting, because if you took the entire population of the world (roughly seven billion people), and stood them side by side in the state of Texas, each person would have 1000 square feet! There are 261,914 square acres in Texas (that figures to seven trillion square feet). So there is enough room just in Texas for every person in this world to get a piece of land 32 ft. X 32 feet! And that's just Texas! There is no overpopulation problem! This planet just not big enough for the rich and the poor to live together, that's the real problem!

Apparently, there are many people who believe that the rich systematically deals with population control or should I say, they eliminate those they call useless eaters in various ways. Here is a site that gives a timeline dealing with what it calls population control. And wouldn't you know - HIV/AIDS made the list as a tool to accomplish this goal. One of the problems I have with HIV is the fact that it somehow have gained a measure of intelligence and now is selectively infecting blacks disproportionately than their white counterparts. This is a red flag.

Naturally, someone had to mention the Jews in this conspiracy and the person sited the following document: The Protocols of the learned elders of Zion. So far, everything I've read can't deny or confirm the legitimacy of this document.

The only thing I know for sure is that the information that is being peddled in the black community about HIV/AIDS doesn't make sense, which makes me a bit suspicious about a lot of things.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the privatization of prisons and the criminalization of black men I’m told is part of a process that addresses the problem of an obsolete work force, i.e. useless eaters. Since prisons have become privatized, they have started criminalizing young black teens at an alarming rate, while white teens are being treated in behavior institutions with drugs until they pass through their unruly period (puberty). It appears young black males are being prepared to be this perpetual supply of labor for these new profitable institutions, i.e. prisons. They are also turning Haiti into a penal colony.

There are three kinds of lies!

2005-12-15T14:11:00.000-06:00

Lies, damned lies, and statistics
Mark Twain

How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

Huff explains "how to look a phoney statistic in the eye and face it down; and no less important, how to recognize sound and usable data in [the] wilderness of fraud". Look for bias, he advises, conscious and unconscious; find out "who-says-so" (if an "O.K. name" is cited, make sure it stands behind the information, not merely beside it); ask how the authority knows; try to find out what's missing; check whether the raw figure justifies the conclusion drawn and, most straightforwardly of all, ask yourself if the "statistics make sense".

There's a lot of misinformation out here, therefore, it would be prudent for anyone to at least try and analyzed any information before they make a final decision to believe or reject that said information. I guess we should check, cross check, and re-check all information.

Conditioning...

2005-12-14T15:42:00.000-06:00

This article is proof that you can make anybody believe whatever you want them to believe if you bombard them long enough with your message. It doesn't matter if the message is positive, negative, lies, or truth, people will eventually believe the message if the message is told long enough.
A $300 million Pentagon psychological warfare operation includes plans for placing pro-American messages in foreign media outlets without disclosing the U.S. government as the source.
Tag: Psychological warfare

Smart & Thoughtful, Hmm!!!

2005-12-13T17:11:00.000-06:00

Your Blog Should Be Green

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff. You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas. However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

A United North America

2005-12-08T19:25:00.000-06:00

This article was written in June, but this is the first time I’ve seen this. This is interesting, a United North America that consists of the US, Canada, and Mexico. Should we even care?

Tags: New World Order Chieftans Openly Discuss Dismantling US Border and Bringing Us into the Pan-American Union, New World Order, Dismantling of USA

Questions to ponder...

2005-12-05T14:24:00.000-06:00

According to this article, there is a low prevalence of bisexual behavior (2 percent) among black men in the United States. The question then becomes how can the information from the CDC support their claims that Gay, bi men are increasing the risk of HIV/AIDS in the Black community's nearly tenfold?

Is it really feasible that 2% of the African American male population is having sex with 100% of the African American females? How will this work? Let say, there are ~17 million African American men in this country and ~19 million African American women. This would equate to 340,000 men having sex with 19 million women. Do you see how bizarre the statistics from the CDC are? If the data doesn't support the claim, shouldn't the claim be thrown out?

Bird Flu

2005-12-02T23:42:00.000-06:00

Today I found out they were discussing quarantining and/or isolating individuals that are affected with the bird flu at City Hall. Apparently, this is a serious issue since at the time the article was written (June 2005) approximately 8000 birds have already died on Bird Island Qinghai China and this number is expected to increase. This is significant because the data show that 4/5 of the birds around the world uses this island as a resting ground en route to other destinations.

The Attorney General, Lisa Madigan said at the meeting before anyone even think about quarantining or isolating people, she will investigate how this will affect peoples' civil liberties. This was an interesting statement coming from her since she was sponsoring SB1529 while she was State Senator. This bill would give "sweeping powers, without liability, to the Governor and appointed health officials in case of a public health emergency; the governor can act alone"...

Apparently, the US is trying to implement a Model Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA) .

If this legislation passes:

1. You will have a mandatory vaccination or you will be charged with a crime.
2.You will get a mandatory medical exam, or you will be charged with a crime.
3. Doctors will give the exam or you will be charged with a crime.
4.Your property can be seized if there is "reasonable cause to believe" that it may pose a public health hazard... it can be burned or destroyed and you will not have recourse or compensation.

I don’t know which I find more disturbing, the ideal of the government’s intervention in the case a bird flu pandemic occurs, or the treatment itself. First, how can you trust any government with sweeping powers. Second, the only treatment is Tamiflu. Even though the FDA says that Tamiflu is safe, it has been linked to 2 teen suicides and 64 cases of disorders in Japan. I find it hard to believe the FDA about the safety of Tamiflu when it is connected to a high-ranking official in the government.

Tags: Tamiflu, Bird Flu, Other articles on Bird Flu,

A Bad Habit

2005-12-02T15:39:00.000-06:00

I’m beginning to believe that I have a knack for pissing people off. I have this habit of saying whatever comes to my mind. It appears people don't like this. The latest incidence started with this post by Jamie, Stuck and Unfinished.

Basically she was saying that she was not well like because among other things in her own words: I am biracial, which equates to: long curly hair, light skin, straight nose (ok-in other words: as close to a pretty white girl while still being black without officially being white).

I immediately thought she was talking about how bad and mean dark skin girls were to her because she is so beautiful because she was half white/black.

My initial response was this:

I don't want to minimize the pain you felt in high school. I'm probably the only one here that is disturbed by your portrayal of this whole issue. What you have shared says a lot about how you think of yourself and the attitude you portrayed as well. This whole light skin, dark skin stuff is deeper than what anyone here was willing to go into. It's almost as if you're saying the darker skin people had the problem and the lighter skinned people are innocent victims. The very thing you’ve described here, I’ve had a light skin girl just recently from California do the same thing and I had to stop her. In doing so, she tried to turn the thing around on me. By now, everyone should know the attitudes that are in places like California, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charleston SC, and New Orleans, but this is a topic for another discussion.

From there, the conversation degenerated even more. She forcefully said among other things she was talking about other biracial people but, quickly added that innocent mixed (white/black) girls are being victimized by dark skin girls. One thing for sure, I've never seen this type of victimization. In fact, if you ask darker skin people, they will tell you that when lighter skin people come with their attitudes, they simply ignore them. So, this was the first time I've heard this "mean dark skin girl thing harassing innocent and nice half white/black girls". Lord have mercy on us all (shaking my head in disbelief). This whole color thing is for the birds...

There is a lesson in all of this; it is not good to say what’s on your mind no matter how absurd you think the statement is. People really don't care to hear what you have to say unless it is flattery. Maybe, people/things shouldn't be taken seriously at all and life is truly hilarious. I guess, the more mundane, the better.

Chris Welch for State Rep

2005-11-30T22:59:00.000-06:00

One of my relatives is running for Candidacy for the 7th District IL Representative. This is going to be an interesting race, as his opponent is known for her dirty campaign tricks. It's well known that some animosity exists between the candidates. A fundraiser is being held on December 14, 2005. All those in the Chicago area should think about coming.

Interesting post at Culture Kitchen

2005-11-29T19:45:00.000-06:00

Michele Malkin should thank the Civil Rights Movement for making it possible for a fascist like her to make it in the US...

Gulf Coast slaves

2005-11-28T23:18:00.000-06:00

This article is old, but this is the reason that Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act.

Halliburton and its subcontractors hired hundreds of undocumented Latino workers to clean up after Katrina -- only to mistreat them and throw them out without pay. I guess this is the American Corporate way, steal from the poor and give to the rich.

Technorati Tags: Gulf Coast slaves, Davis-Bacon Act, Halliburton, slave labor, steal from the poor and give to the rich...

Believers Concept of God Should Change

2005-11-21T23:08:00.000-06:00

Although I'm not a believer in any established religion, I totally agree with the statements below (with two minor changes).

The masculine pronoun must go... God is not a He. This is a construct that was invented.
An encouraging parent means believers will remain children - when will they become adults? We can't function in a society efficiently if we have infant minds and adult bodies, so it stands to reason that our spiritual development should mirror our physical development and when this doesn’t occur, we will be deficient physically, mentally, spiritually, and the effects will be manifested socially.

If they respect the results of modern science, and indeed the best of modern biblical research, "Religious Believers" must move away from the notion of a dictator God or a designer God, a Newtonian God who made the universe as a watch that ticks along regularly.

God should be seen more as an encouraging parent. God in his infinite freedom continuously creates a world that reflects that freedom at all levels of the evolutionary process to greater and greater complexity. He is not continually intervening, but rather allows, participates, loves.

Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory

Evolution is a religion? I didn't know!

2005-11-18T04:38:00.000-06:00

Recently James Manning, Rebecca, and a few other notable bloggers have been talking about ID. Although I realized early on that the discussion wasn’t going anywhere since it was clear that everyone was only interested in getting their point across without fully taking into account anybody else’s point. Not to get into too many details because the links are listed below for anyone who is interested in the discussion.

When it comes to Republican and moderates, I find that their views are not always based on reality, at least not my reality. Anyway, although James Manning is a Democrat apparently the discussions from the moderates interest him immensely. So, while visiting his site, I made an interesting, but disturbing discovery about some proponents of ID.

Did you know that some people (Moderates & Republicans) don’t know the difference between religion and evolution?

Did you know that some people believe liberals worship Darwinism?

Had I known this going into the debate, I would have avoided it like a plague. If anyone is interested in the discussions - James Manning talks about ID here, here, here and here. The conversation originated on Rebecca's blog because of the latest incidence in the Kansas school system. You can read all about it here, here, and here.

I walked away thinking I was so naïve not to know there were people who believed this. Surely, I thought, every adult in America should know the difference between religion and science. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

A realization I've had to face - in the form of a question

2005-11-14T07:29:00.000-06:00

What if everything you thought you knew about a subject was based on a lie?

Secret Prisons

2005-11-13T17:47:00.000-06:00

"The CIA is holding an unknown number of prisoners in secret detention centers abroad. In violation of the Geneva Conventions, it has refused to register those detainees with the International Red Cross or to allow visits by its inspectors. Its prisoners have 'disappeared,' like the victims of some dictatorships." -- The Washington Post.

Why did we bother to beat the Soviet Union if we were just going to become it? Shame. Shame. Shame. Molly Ivins

Science Fiction Writer, Octavia Butler

2005-11-13T17:26:00.000-06:00

To me, Octavia Butler is a Godess. She is by far one of the best Sci-Fi writers who ever lived.

The Washington Post has called Octavia Butler “one of the finest voices in fiction period. A master storyteller who casts an unflinching eye on racism, sexism, poverty and ignorance and lets the reader see the terror and beauty of human nature.” Octavia has described herself as an outsider, and "a pessimist, a feminist always, a Black, a quiet egoist, a former Baptist, and an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty, and drive."

Octavia Butler on Race, Global Warming, and Religion

Listen to Segment, Download Show mp3, Watch 128k stream, Watch 256k stream, Read Transcript

More Ohio Irregularities...

2005-11-10T12:53:00.000-06:00

I'm beginning to think voting is an exercise in futility for Americans.

Excerpt:

Four statewide referenda aimed at reforming Ohio's electoral process have been defeated in a manner that is (again) totally inconsistent with polling data, One statewide referendum, aimed at handing the corrupt Taft Administration a $2 billion windfall, has allegedly passed, again in a manner totally inconsistent with polling data, or even a rudimentary assessment of Ohio politics.

Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings

2005-11-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

Excerpt

As a legal noose appears to be tightening around the Bush/Cheney/Rove inner circle, a shocking government report (GAO) now confirms that electronic voting machines as deployed in 2004 were in fact perfectly engineered to allow a very small number of partisans with minimal computer skills and equipment to shift enough votes to put George W. Bush back in the White House.

Can you really be shocked by the GAO report when the investigation into the 2000 Presidential election showed that Bush/Cheney didn’t win the first time around? I guess this demonstrates in America that your vote isn't worth the ballot it is cast on.

Since the past two elections were stolen, everything that Bush & Cheney have done should be reversed. However, I'm sure the damage is so grave, it will take a long time for things to even out.

Hodgepodge

2005-10-30T11:34:00.000-06:00

I simply think Harriet Miers is a ruse.

The Patrick Fitzgerald investigations make me wonder who the Bush Regime pissed off. They are plucking off the Lieutenants and Generals surrounding the chiefs. It's as if someone said, you are not in charge, we are and you will feel our power through these investigations. Already, Scooter Libby and Tom DeLay both have been indicted, while Bill Frist is being investigated for insider trading.

Who will be next? What about Rove, the man they call Bush's brain?

What about the culpability of Bush? Excerpt from Truthout: Legally, there’s no significant difference between the fraud perpetrated by Enron CEO Ken Lay and the prewar intelligence fraud perpetrated by George W. Bush. Both involved persons in authority who used half-truths and recklessly false statements to manipulate people who trusted them. The difference is this - the presidential fraud is wider in scope and far graver in its consequences than the Enron fraud.

What about Cheney? I know there are rumors floating around about his resignation, but shouldn't he be indicted too and sentenced to jail?

While Americans are being preoccupied by the Bush Regime, we are still feeling the economic impact from Katrina, Rita, and now Wilma.

We are being gouged by the Big 5 oil companies. They made a $364 million profit, when gas prices peaked over the summer. Quarterly results from Exxon Mobil Corp., BP Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips, show a $32.8 billion in net income in the three months ending Sept. 30, according to Marketwatch. The industry's profits are now so bloated that they're becoming problematic. Big-oil behemoths are making out like bandits, while the average American family is getting killed by high gas prices, and soon-to-be record heating oil prices.

We are facing rising insurance (health, auto and homeowners) and other basic utilities costs, while the US is embroiled in the corruption from the White House.

Finally, lest not forget about the environmental impact of our actions. The government should take into consideration the impact on the environment of waste removal. Surely, the hidden life of garbage is having an adverse effect upon global warming. This year alone, there have been 23 named storms and the Republicans are having a hard time believing that there may be a connection between the frequency and the severity of hurricanes and global warming in spite of mounting evidence (National Geographic and Science) that hurricanes around the world are intensifying and perhaps being driven by global warming.

The corruption and abuses continue while we watch the circus...

What about the Chicago White Sox

2005-10-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

White Sox sweep World Series. The first World Series for the Sox since 1917. Go Sox!!!

Chicago has a serious class problem (Northside vs. Southside). The affluent whites on the Northside support mainly the Cubs while the less affluent whites on the Southside support both teams from what I understand. And, well blacks, they are just happy to be moving on up to the Southside.

Can you believe that Mayor Daley had to urge all residents of Chicago to support the White Sox because of this silly class war? He had to remind them that the White Sox is a Chicago team and everyone should support them and be happy for their success.

Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks Dies at 92

2005-10-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

A legend is gone.

Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern civil rights movement died today at 92.

White House Watch: Cheney resignation rumors fly

2005-10-18T19:03:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting development, "Condi as the new Veep"

Sparked by today's Washington Post story that suggests Vice President Cheney's office is involved in the Plame-CIA spy link investigation, government officials and advisers passed around rumors that the vice president might step aside and that President Bush would elevate Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise...

2005-10-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

I heard an interview with Farrakhan last Sunday on the Cliff Kelly show (WVAZ - V103) about how black ministers from the black mega churches were called to the White House and given a mandate to distance themselves from Farrakhan and the Million More Movement. I guess when you are taking money from the Christian Right, being controlled by them is expected of you. Interestingly, these same ministers were also given a mandate to concentrate their efforts on spreading Christianity to their African brothers and sisters on the continent to prevent 1) the spread of Islam and 2) to stop the Al-Qaeda movement. I guess one can conclude that Africans are going to be the next victims in this fictitious fight against terrorism and the spread of democracy.

At this time, I should mention that the Cliff Kelly show was cancelled on V103 after interviewing Farrakhan just like the Arsenio Hall show was cancelled after Arsenio had Farrakhan as a guest on his show. Do you think powerful people are against little ol' Farrakhan?

The biggest surprise is this - the Catholic Church finally admits what many of us knew - that everything in the bible is not the absolute truth of God. It's interesting to note that although the Catholic Church can no longer swear that the bible holds the "absolute truth" on all issues especially that creation story, which proponents of ID are trying to teach as an absolute truth in schools, the President of this good ol' US of A wants this type of nonsense to be used as a tool to subdue Africans. I can only guess that this whole religious thing is about control, on the one hand, you have the Arabs' dogma in the form of Islam, on the other hand, you have the Europeans' dogma in the form of Christianity vying for control of the African psyche. Either way, we as African people should be ashamed to be controlled by other people's stories/fables, especially in light of everything that has been done to us in the names of those religions. No wonder we are out of our friggin African minds!!!

All in all, I guess the leaders of the Catholic Church deserves a hat tip on this one. I wonder if the leaders of the Islamic faith will ever have the decency to face up to the lies in the Qur'an. Lies, lies, and more lies have always been told and will continue to be told to control unsuspecting victims.

The moral of this story is - if some of the stories in the bible are untrue, then one has to suspect everything else contained within its pages.

New Deal, Raw Deal - How Aid Became Affirmative Action for Whites

2005-10-02T15:44:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina's violent winds and waters tore away the shrouds that ordinarily mask the country's racial pattern of poverty and neglect. Understandably, most commentators have focused on the woeful federal response. Others, taking a longer view, yearn for a burst of activism patterned on the New Deal. But that nostalgia requires a heavy dose of historical amnesia. It also misses the chance to come to terms with how the federal government in the 1930s and 1940s contributed to the persistence of two Americas.

It was during the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman that such great progressive policies as Social Security, protective labor laws and the GI Bill were adopted. But with them came something else that was quite destructive for the nation: what I have called "Affirmative Action For Whites." During Jim Crow's last hurrah in the 1930s and 1940s, when southern members of Congress controlled the gateways to legislation, policy decisions dealing with welfare, work and war either excluded the vast majority of African Americans or treated them differently from others.

Between 1945 and 1955, the federal government transferred more than $100 billion to support retirement programs and fashion opportunities for job skills, education, homeownership and small-business formation. Together, these domestic programs dramatically reshaped the country's social structure by creating a modern, well-schooled, homeowning middle class. At no other time in American history had so much money and so many resources been targeted at the generation completing its education, entering the workforce and forming families.

But most blacks were left out of all this... Southern members of Congress used occupational exclusions and took advantage of American federalism to ensure that national policies would not disturb their region's racial order.

This is unsettling history, especially for those of us who keenly admire the New Deal and the Fair Deal. At the very moment a wide array of public policies were providing most white Americans with valuable tools to gain protection in their old age, good jobs, economic security, assets and middle-class status, black Americans were mainly left to fend for themselves. Link

The Evil Continues...

2005-09-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

Former Republican Education Secretary, Bill Bennett stated "[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down"

Other blogs discussing this ignorance:

Ous Ceesay
John Conyers

Link to Audio at MediaMatters.org
Bill Bennett's Morning in America Sponsors.
Contact Salem Radio Network.

A Break From Blogging

2005-09-12T18:02:00.000-05:00

If anyone cares, I'm in the last year of my Ph.D. program and I know I've been spending too much time blogging, therefore, I think it would be wise to stop until the beginning of 2006. I've learned a lot through this process, but I must prepare myself for the next phase of my life.

Political Test

2005-09-12T18:01:00.000-05:00

I’m not back yet, but I wanted to let the readers of my blog know my political leaning. The content of this blog reflects this political ideology. You have been warned.

You are a

Social Liberal
(73% permissive)

and an...

Economic Liberal
(10% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness.

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

EXPLOSIVE RESIDUE FOUND ON FAILED LEVEE DEBRIS!

2005-09-12T17:48:00.000-05:00

This isn't the first time I've heard this news and this would be the second time that the levees were deliberately broken to allow water to flood neighborhoods in the poor areas sparing those in the more affluent neighborhoods.

Ruptured New Orleans Levee had help failing
By: Hal Turner September 9, 2005 - 3:36 PM EDT
New Orleans, LA --

Divers inspecting the ruptured levee walls surrounding New Orleans found something that piqued their interest: Burn marks on underwater debris chunks from the broken levee wall ! One diver, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saw the burn marks and knew immediately what caused them. He secreted a small chunk of the cement inside his diving suit and later arranged for it to be sent to trusted military friends at a The U.S. Army Forensic Laboratory at Fort Gillem, Georgia for testing. According to well placed sources, a military forensic specialist determined the burn marks on the cement chunks did, in fact, come from high explosives. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity said "We found traces of boron-enhanced fluoronitramino explosives as well as PBXN-111.

This would indicate at least two separate types of explosive devices." The levee ruptures in New Orleans did not take place during Hurricane Katrina, but rather a day after the hurricane struck. Several residents of New Orleans and many Emergency Workers reported hearing what sounded like large, muffled explosions from the area of the levee, but those were initially discounted as gas explosions from homes with leaking gas lines.

If these allegations prove true, the ruptured levee which flooded New Orleans was a deliberate act of mass destruction perpetrated by someone with access to military-grade UNDERWATER high explosives. More details as they become available . .

FEMA is hindering aide from reaching survivors of Katrina

2005-09-12T07:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently, FEMA is hindering efforts in Baton Rouge to help the evacuees. FEMA told Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club not to open their doors until they give them the word. The Sheriff ordered the stores to open their doors and said if any FEMA representatives interfered they will be arrested and thrown in jail.

Under the direction of FEMA, truck drivers who are making $900 day to deliver aide to victims of Hurricane Katrina are driving in circles. After driving to one designation, FEMA would instruct them to go to another location without delivering any of the goods.

Police Trapped Thousands in New Orleans

2005-09-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

Rogers Cadenhead at the Workbench explains why people just didn't walk out of New Orleans instead of waiting to be rescued. The article also shed some light on why some people were found dead on the bridge trying to leave NOLA.

As the situation grew steadily worse in New Orleans last week, you might have wondered why people didn't just leave on foot. The Louisiana Superdome is less than two miles from a bridge that leads over the Mississippi River out of the city.

The answer: Any crowd that tried to do so was met by suburban police, some of whom fired guns to disperse the group and seized their water.

Around 500 people stuck in downtown New Orleans after the storm banded together for self-preservation, making sure the oldest and youngest among them were taken care of before looking after their own needs.

Full article