Ramblings' Journal

End of a career; end of an era

Iron Mike Tyson sat dazed, battered and bloodied on the canvas in Louisville last night after Brit Danny Williams laid him flat with a barrage of head shots that dropped the one-time "baddest man on the planet."

Tyson hit the ring for the first time in 17 months last night in an anticipated return to the sport. Tyson's out-of-ring troubles of late have been primarily financial, with his fortune gone in a spate of virtually throwing money away on his bad-boy activities. Recent stories claimed that Mike was living on the handouts of others, and that he needed this match to alleviate virtually millions in debt that he had accumulated.

Tyson came out for this fight at 233 pounds, the heaviest that he's been for a fight.

Tyson unloaded a battery of savage punches in the first round that rocked Williams and nearly took the British champion off his feet. But with each round following, Tyson's luster got duller and duller as Williams began to brawl toe-to-toe with Tyson.

Finally, at 2:51 in the fourth round, and after the unanswered barrage to Tyson's head, the former heavyweight champion staggered backward and went down hard. He sat in a daze as referee Dennis Alfred began to count. When Alfred got to five, he stopped a moment to get Williams to go to a neutral corner, but the extra time didn't help Tyson. Tyson began to try to stagger to his feet by the count of seven, but it was too late.

The fight, and arguably Tyson's career, was over.

The man only knows how to brawl. He cannot speak well. He has no other training, and thanks to both his own bad-boy activities and others who took advantage of him, Mike Tyson is broke.

Where does he go from here?

Rounding up the usual suspects on Ketchup Boy's speech

Outside the Beltway and Blogs for Bush have the best round-ups of John "Oompa Loompa" Kerry's speech last night from across the blogosphere.

I'll leave the list-making and punditry to them -- for now.

Flash thoughts on Ketchup Boy's speech

"I'm John Kerry.....reporting for duty..."

He keeps talking about Vietnam like he did something major there. Let's see. He went in, promptly got "injured," went back in, got "injured" again, and third time out he came home -- all inside of four months.

He quietly ignores his protests against his "band of brothers" when he came home.

He also ignored his Senate votes against all military spending. And I won't even mention his blowing off all the votes this year so he could campaign.

Finally, his hands-and-knees style begging of the Bush team not to go negative along with his promise to keep to the "high road" -- right after trashing the GOP and the President six ways to Sunday.

The mark of desperation, indeed.

Oh. And what the heck was that about "hair pollution" in Harlem?

Cartoon Network to pick up animated The Boondocks

From The Futon Critic:

THE BOONDOCKS (FOX) - Cartoon Network is reportedly finalizing a deal to pick up the failed FOX pilot presentation from Sony Pictures Television, based on the comic strip by Aaron McGruder of the same name. The animated series chronicles the clash of cultures that ensues when two youths from inner-city Chicago, Riley and Huey, move to the suburbs to live with their grandfather. McGruder and Reggie Hudlin are the executive producers of the project.

I don't hold out any hope that he'll stay away from controversy here though.

Bob Edwards leaving NPR for new digs at XM

Long-time Morning Edition host Bob Edwards, who was unceremoniously (and inexplicably) dumped as host of that show in April, is leaving National Public Radio for a new morning show deal at Washington-based satellite broadcaster XM. The Bob Edwards Show, will be flagship of a new channel for XM (XM Channel 133, premiering 9/1).

Though public radio stations are not sampled for Arbitron ratings, the 57 year-old Edwards was arguably the most listened-to host on morning radio across the nation. The nearly 25 year-old Morning Edition has had a long-time following with Edwards as it's original host.

Edwards was "promoted" to "Senior Correspondent" for NPR at the end of April, but he holds no grudge against his "former home." On the other hand, he's excited at the new opportunity.

"They want to give me a program, so I can continue to host and be heard every day instead of occasionally, as I would have been at NPR," Edwards said Tuesday while driving around Maine as part of a three-month book tour/public radio fundraising effort that ends this weekend.

"It's also new. It's like being at NPR when I joined NPR in 1974. It was less than three years old -- as old as XM is now. I get to be a pioneer again. How often does someone get that opportunity twice?"

The new show will anchor a new channel of public radio-style programming, some coming from XM, and some coming from other producers, like Public Radio International, American Public Media (an arm of Minnesota Public Radio) and WBUR in Boston.

Edwards is presently on a book tour promoting his recently published, Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism, on the history of the medium.

An XM radio unit that can go from home to car runs around $99; monthly service from XM is less than $10 per month.

Crazy Al bitter over 40 acres & a mule

Al Sharpton veered away from the "approved" version of his speech before the Democratic National Convention tonight, and according to an interveiw he gave to ABC News Now after his speech, Sharpton claimed that he was trying to respond to the challenge that President Bush made to black voters last week.

In last week's speech, President Bush asked if the Democratic Party took black votes for granted. Sharpton delivered a stinging rebuke to the GOP in general and the President in particular.

"Our vote is not for sale," Sharpton exclaimed.

Sharpton told ABC News Now, ABC News' digital cable and Internet service, he wanted Bush to know the Democratic Party "has actually earned" African-American votes.

"Mr. President, I heard you say you had questions for voters, particularly African-American voters. And you said the Democratic Party takes us for granted. You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass," he said.

"It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. We were promised 40 acres and a mule. We never got the 40 acres. … We didn't get the mule. So we decided we would ride this donkey as far as it would take us."

Hey, Al! I don't need, nor do I want your 40 acres!

Pakistani hostages murdered by AQ

From Sky News:

Militants have executed two Pakistani hostages they were holding in Iraq, says Al-Jazeera television.

The group, calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, announced it had kidnapped two Pakistanis working for US forces and had sentenced them to death because their country was discussing sending troops to Iraq.

In a new videotape sent to the station the men said they had carried out their threat, the station reported.

The newsreader said the video showed the corpses of the two men, however the station did not show the footage.

The kidnapped men were identified by Pakistan as engineer Raja Azad, 49, and driver Sajad Naeem, 29.

The group said it had released the Iraqi driver, Omar Khaled Selman, after it was clear he had been duped by the Pakistanis.

Those AQ goons need to die. Quickly.

Message to the US military: Faster, please.

DNC - Boston observations at half time

No, I'm not in Boston, but from out here in the hinterlands with the "unwashed masses," we are getting images and sounds from Beantown, and wondering whether or not we should turn the channel over to the new episode of Nip/Tuck or stay with this train wreck.

Syndicated KABC radio host Larry Elder scored an interview with comedian and Air America host Janeane Garofalo yesterday.

Though the interview was short, Garofalo pulled out her entire arsenal of verbal assaults (Conservatives are bigots, Ashcroft is violating the Constitution, et. al.). When she couldn't make headway with the "Sage of South Central," she pulled out her hole card: accusing Elder of being a Republican shill, and a black man who's lost his way, and not thinking with his own mind.

Leave it to the leftists to resort to personal insults when logic can't be overcome.

ABC News Now, the digital tv/cable/online channel that ABC is running their long-form news on is actually pretty good!

Yes, I have to stomach Peter Jennings' personal comments and biases, but other than that, the coverage has been pretty even-handed so far.

My only complaint? Hewlett-Packard has more ads than that damned Toys-R-Us ad that gets played at least 10 times per hour! I realize that HP is paying for ad space, but play some of HP's other frazzlin' ads, why don't ya!?

Fatass invites W to screening of F9/11 in Crawford

Michael "Flatulence Unleashed" Moore has invited President George W. Bush to a screening of his propaganda film Fahrenheit 9/11 in Crawford, TX, not far from the Bush Ranch.

Moore extended the invitation on his website.

If you graciously accept my invitation, I will also have the chance to thank you personally for being one of my Axis of Actors who star in the film (along with your Vice President and your Attorney General). And let's face it -- you've got the funniest lines in the film! We may even have an audience reading of "My Pet Goat" to celebrate "Fahrenheit 9/11" breaking through the $100 million mark at the box office.

Thank you for considering this invitation, and enjoy your vacation, for however long it may last.

Quiet as it's kept, I think the Prez ought to take him up on on it. The attention alone is probably worth five to seven points at the polls.

Teresa Heinz-Ketchup's speech yanked from alphabet networks

CBS, ABC & NBC, already down to one hour of Democratic National Convention coverage per night this week, have colletively decided to pull the plug on Teresa Heinz-Kerry's speech tonight.

Teresa is drawing what Democrats feel is undue attention to herself after her "shove it" crack to a Pittsburgh newspaper reporter this past weekend, and her statements about Ted Kennedy in a previously published book.

Ted Kennedy I don't trust either.

I think he's a perfect bastard.

She's under strict instructions to follow the script for the speech as it's written, and not to ad lib or extemporize. Let's see if she knows how to follow instructions.

Oompa Loompas were sighted at NASA this week...

"Mr. Kerry? I have Mr. Dukakis on the phone for you..."

IA First Lady slams blacks, Southerners as bad speakers

Ketchup Boy & Iowa's Intolerant Woman in January

A new flap is coming to light involving comments by Christie Vilsack that, while Democrats are falling all over themselves try to spin the statements in a different light, John Kerry must be sending up prayers of thanks that he didn't pick Governor Vilsack as his running mate.

The Boston Herald has uncovered a 1994 editorial by Ms. Vilsack that derides blacks and those people from the South as being "bad speakers."

``I am fascinated at the way some African-Americans speak to each other in an English I struggle to understand, then switch to standard English when the situation requires,'' Vilsack wrote in a 1994 column in the Mount Pleasant News, while her husband, Tom, was a state senator.

Vilsack wrote that southerners seem to have ``slurred speech,'' wrote that she'd rather learn Polish than try to speak like people from New Jersey, and wrote that a West Virginian waitress once offered her friend a ``side saddle'' instead of a ``side salad.''

The future Iowa first lady seemed to be promoting English as the nation's official language, an issue that tripped up her husband, Gov. Tom Vilsack, with many Democrats.

Vilsack's Aug. 24, 1994, column was particularly critical of dialects from other regions of the country. In addition to the knock on African-Americans, Vilsack knocked residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"Later, on the boardwalk, I heard mothers calling to their children, `I'll meet yoose here after the movie,' '' she wrote. "The only way I can speak like residents of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania is to let my jaw drop an inch and talk with my lips in an 'O' like a fish. I'd rather learn to speak Polish.''

Two years later, in a column about her trip to the Olympics in Atlanta, Vilsack said she had "language problems.''

"When I ask for directions, I can't understand the slurred speech of southern Americans, who are so polite and eager to please,'' Vilsack said.

This could become problematic for the Democrats, as Ms. Vilsack is set to speak before the convention in prime time tomorrow night.

And as for her trip to our great Southern Empire down here in 1996? Asking directions here is easy: They all begin with "You start out on Peachtree St...."

New 24-hour ABC News, with even more bias for you!

Twice before, ABC tried to pull off an "all news" television channel, the first time was the aborted "Satellite News Channels" concept that would have been prime competition for the the fledgeling CNN had they been able to pull it off back in the early 80s. The "All World News Now, All The Time" format (lovingly called "FRED" by insiders) was another concept they toyed with in the mid 90s until NBC & Fox beat them to the punch (by launching MSNBC & Fox News Channel respectively).

Now ABC is finally stepping out by using multiple platforms to launch ABC News Now (Or as I've dubbed it, ANN). The new channel started this morning and will carry gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Democratic National Convention (hosted by Peter Jennings, Terry Moran & Mark Halpern), and 24 hour-a-day news and documentary programming from now until the November elections.

The channel is available in several formats: via digital cable on some cable systems, via one of the secondary digital signals on a number of ABC's HDTV affiliates, via Real Networks' SuperPass Service ($9.95/month), via your cellphone if you have Sprint/PCS' MobiTV service, or for free from your desktop if you have high-speed internet service via AOL, Comcast.net, SBC/Yahoo or BellSouth (I've got access via the latter).

ABC has promised to keep the 24/7 signal up through Election Day in November, but undoubtedly, if there is a reasonable viewing audience, the signal may stay beyond that.

Already today, PJ has been on, interviewing other reporters from ABC, and from print and online media, all of which are touting this as a breakthrough in the type of coverage available.

Black churchgoer to Kerry: "Sit down, you phony!"

John Kerry continued to court the black vote as he made a stop in a Columbus, OH church today.

While Kerry continued to tout his message of sharing a "common future, hopes and dreams," Bishop Timothy Clarke of the nondenominational First Church of God refused to endorse Kerry or President Bush in the race for the White House. Clarke only encouraged the more than 2,000, mostly black parishioners to register and vote.

When Kerry was introduced, one parishioner wasn't impressed.

Kerry's introduction drew a protest from one member who stood and shouted, "Sit down ... you big phony," before he was hustled out clutching a Bible.

"It is written, what does it mean my brother if you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead," he said, a subtle slap at Bush without mentioning the president's name.

Star Wars Episode III title revealed!

The title was revealed to a packed audience Saturday afternoon at the San Diego Comicon.

starwars.com is pleased to announce that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith is the full title of the next Star Wars film, scheduled for release on May 19, 2005.

The Sith are masters of the dark side of the Force and the sworn enemies of the Jedi. They were all but exterminated by the Jedi a thousand years ago, but the evil order continued in secrecy. They operated quietly, behind the scenes, acting in pairs - a Master and an Apprentice - patiently biding their time before they could take over the galaxy. In Episode III, they'll finally exact their revenge on the Jedi.

Weekly Conservative Brotherhood roundup

• LaShawn Barber has finally moved her always insightful blog off of BlogSplat! While that is an effort in and of itself (having made the move myself, I can say with confidence that it gets better, LaShawn!), she hasn't reduced her level of blogging insight.

  She has a revealing conversation about geneology and personal roots on both her new and old sites (and I've finally moved my comments from her old site to the new one). There's some fascinating roots for many of the conversation's participants.

• Michael Bowen talks about a physical exchange between noted New York Post columnist Stanley Crouch and visceral and mean-spirited reviewer Dale Peck. OK, Crouch bitch-slapped Peck after the latter said that Crouch's Don't the Moon Look Lonesome: A Novel in Blues and Swing is such "a terrible novel, badly conceived, badly executed and put forward in bad faith," that it's amazing the guy shows up on Charlie Rose.


• Ambra Nykol has the penultinmate part of her fascinating series of essays, Why I Am Not A Republican, where she boils the answer down to a single sentence: "Because Republicans are boring." She promises that the final part of that series is forthcoming.


• Juliette Ochieng and Prometheus 6 engaged in a verbal "meeting of the minds" this week both on her blog, and over on P6's, spawned in part by Juliette's Throwing Away The Crutches piece, where she addresses one of the inevitable questions put to conservative blacks in conversations far and wide: "What have Republicans/conservatives done for black Americans?"

  The conversation (most of which is on P6's site), is far more even-handed than many I've been involved in on the subject, and is given far more context than most discussions of the type by the historical viewpoint that P6 brings to the table.

• Samantha Pierce looks to be on vacation this week, but her posts from last week include a rant on the loss of decent discourse between bloggers, with many conversations sliding into shouting matches and flame wars.


• Shay Riley talks about a story that has slipped by underneath the radar. Dr. Condoleezza Rice's friend and associate Jendayi Frazer has been confirmed as the new United States Ambassador to South Africa.

  After running into so many people who insist that Dr. Rice does nothing for other blacks, I end up with the last laugh, as Dr. Rice has worked quietly behind the scenes to pull one of her associates up alongside her. Unfortunately the "soul patrol" will superficially see Ms. Frazer as yet another "black conservative" who has "forgotten her roots."

• Darmon Thornton talks about the 15-foot effigy of George W. Bush that ice cream magnate Ben Cohen is dragging around the country behind his car. The figure has the President in a would-be flight suit, and flames shooting out of the rear end. Cohen claims that Bush has lied about everything since he's been in office.

  Darmon's right. Someone does have too much time on his hands. I'll stick with Breyer's, Edy's, and Mayfield ice cream, thank you very much.

• Avery Tooley discusses name calling, especially those names hurled back and forth among black liberals and conservatives.

  I don't know about you, though - it's a bit difficult to imagine Thomas Sowell playing the dozens, but, as Avery reminds me, though he's well-reasoned and logical in public, behind closed doors, he might come back better'n all of us.

• Scott Wickham starts ticking off the "reasons" that blacks in general have for hating George W. Bush. After scouring a book he was referred to by a black liberal, (The I Hate Republicans Reader: Why the GOP is Totally Wrong About Everything by Clint Willis) he could only find four. That's right, four. I'm sure there are more reasons...aren't there?

President Bush at the Urban League

President George Bush spoke at the Urban League's national convention this morning in Detroit. He was welcomed more warmly by that organizations' attendees than the NAACP's chairman and attendees would have last week.

In his speech, the President emphasized black entrepreneurship and working toward a true two-party system within black America working to solve the ongoing problems that exist in the black community.

Does the Democrat party take African American voters for granted? (Applause.) It's a fair question. I know plenty of politicians assume they have your vote. But do they earn it and do they deserve it? (Applause.) Is it a good thing for the African American community to be represented mainly by one political party? That's a legitimate question. (Applause.) How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete? (Applause.) Have the traditional solutions of the Democrat party truly served the African American community?

Does blocking the faith-based initiative help neighborhoods where the only social service provider could be a church? Does the status quo in education really, really help the children of this country? (Applause.)

Does class warfare -- has class warfare or higher taxes ever created decent jobs in the inner city? Are you satisfied with the same answers on crime, excuses for drugs and blindness to the problem of the family? (Applause.)

Conservatives in general, nor President Bush in particular claims to have all the solutions, but isn't it worth the time, effort and energy to discuss the possibilities and consider the alternatives?

Sadly, too many members of the "soul patrol" would prefer to vilify conservatives as the bad guys and paint them with the same sort of broad brush that so many racists have done to blacks for so many years. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, many of those "soul patrol" members don't know what compassion is. They would prefer to do wrong, just as they were wronged. They prefer to create a nefarious enemy where there is none. And they prefer to ignore and slap away the hand offered in friendship.

Doing even more radio

I'm scheduled to be on Rick Roberts' show on KFMB/San Diego later on this morning at 12N Eastern/9A Pacific for about an hour.

You can listen online by going to 760KFMB.com.

Of course, the subject is still the Project 21 press release from earlier this week that denounces Ted Rall's racist scrawlings against Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Follow-up on P21 vs. Ted Rall

I've appeared on a number of radio talk-shows discussing the Project 21 press release from earlier this week. The release condemns an early July political cartoon by Ted Rall, a cartoonist syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate.

A letter went out from Project 21, with my signature on it on Monday of this week, asking that they reconsider Rall's standing with them, in light of his cartoon, which depicted National Security Director Condoleezza Rice being referred to as a "house n-----."

Also on Monday, letters were sent to the NAACP, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the PUSH/Rainbow Coalition, asking that they take a look at the case, especially in light of their participation in going after commentator Rush Limbaugh last fall, after comments that disparaged Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. After all, they have stated that they would be interested in righting wrongs where they exist in terms of black individuals.

Richard Prince, with the Maynard Insitute for Journalism Education, went to Universal Press directly and asked for some sort of comment on our press release, and presumably our letter (to which we have yet to receive a reply).

Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for Universal Press Syndicate, said Rall was carried by about 50 newspapers, and is also picked up on Web sites. She said she had received no complaints about the strip.

In response to a query from Journal-isms, Lee Salem, editor and vice president, Universal Press Syndicate, issued this statement:

"When we distribute opinionists -- writers or cartoonists -- to op/ed pages, it is with the knowledge that editors of those pages edit by selection. Most newspapers print only a few releases of any one cartoonist’s or writer’s work because of space constraints, subject matter, viewpoint expressed, or other editorial considerations. We know that every client will not like every cartoon or column we distribute, but we do not prejudge the editorial diversity for subscribers that range from strongly conservative to strongly liberal. We assume the editors who buy the features we distribute know what works in their market and what [doesn't].

"The criticism of Ted Rall's depiction of Ms. Rice obscures the fact that it is part of a larger, hyperbolic context. In the cartoon, Rall is clearly imagining unlikely scenarios that might befall a number of key people in President Bush's administration. That he exaggerates both the language and the events is a time-honored tool of satirists. Anyone who takes it literally is missing the point."

Ted Rall says that Dr. Rice is a second class citizen because she is a black woman who dares to be conservative. And by your passive and limp-wristed acceptance of Rall's cartoon, you have planted your seal of approval on it.

This week, I've been told things from "get a thicker skin," to "she deserves it because she is a 'house n-----'," to "you don't have the right to ask anyone to support this because you are conservative," and "black conservatives are second class citizens; their opinions don't count."

On WAOK radio in Atlanta this afternoon, I was verbally excoriated for three hours for having the unmitigated gall and audacity to dare to even suggest that this was an "issue worth discussing." One caller suggested that I needed my head examined, while another said that because I was "stupid enough" to support conservatives and Republicans that I couldn't "survive in the 'real' world" as opposed to the "fantasy world" that he insisted I live in.

On WVON radio in Chicago this morning, similar feelings were expressed, with one caller going as far as to say that Rall must have meant it as a "state of mind" and that as a result it was OK.

Now to their credit, some callers from both stations understood and agreed with me; even going against their political ideologies. I insisted that this was a case that transcended politics, and that it was a matter of simple "right" and "wrong." That no one, politically correct or otherwise, deserved to be talked about in such vile terms. And that if a more "politically correct" individual were spoken of in such terms, that the subsequent uproar in the mainstream media and otherwise would certainly dwarf my efforts here; and that Rall's severed head stuck on a pike in the middle of Times Square would be the only thing to satisfy the Salmon Rushdie-esque fervor of those who would call for his head.

Political correctness has run amok, and this is the part of the result: that there are two "classes" of blacks in America -- those who follow the public edicts of the Jackson-Sharpton cabal with lemming-like zeal, and enjoy the "spoils" of their so-called bounty, no matter whether rightly or wrongly; and the conservative blacks who march to the beat of a different drummer, and are publicly excoriated and privately shunned because of it.

As I emphasized on radio shows across the nation all week long when being interviewed in relation to this issue, the left can walk boldly this week, because it is not one of their own who was wronged. But next week is a different time, and that next time, one of theirs may be the one who is in need. Do I dare to help one who refuses to help me?

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice? Uh....no. No thank you.

Moonbat science dept.: CBCF says whites to blame for "global warming"

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) has a new study out that suggests that whites are responsible for "global warming."

The study, conducted by Oakland-based Redefining Progress, says that America's black population will be "unduly burdoned" by health effects of global warming; that blacks are "less responsible" for contributing to global warming than whites; and that governmental policies geared toward alleviating global warming can create large health and fiscal benefits for blacks, depending on how they are implemented.

"We are long past the point where global warming is considered a myth," said U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chairman of the CBCF. "We are seeing its effects all around us."

"Time and again, the world's leading atmospheric scientists have warned us about the devastating impact of climate change," said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas. "We now have irrefutable proof of its impact on our economy, our way of life, our health and our children."

The study alleges responsibility for the problem does not lie primarily with blacks, stating, "African-American households emit 20 percent less carbon dioxide than white households. Historically, this difference was even higher."

So, as always, the jury is out on global warming.

But leave it to the CBCF to shoehorn the old newspaper headline joke in with their voodoo science: "World Ending, Minorities Affected Most."

Cynthia "Jihad Cindy" McKinney's bodyguards shoves a reporter

Notorious moonbat and former congresscritter Cynthia McKinney won the Democratic primary in Georgia's 4th District this week. Her win in the predominantly Democratic district all but assures her return to the US House of Representatives in the general election in November.

At the victory celebration Tuesday night, Jihad Cindy's bodyguards shoved a reporter for local radio station WSB toward the exit with a snarl. WSB host Neal Boortz takes the story from there...

On Tuesday night Ms. McKinney had a little celebration for supporters. The media was there to chronicle and report on the event .... including a reporter for our flagship radio station, Atlanta's News-Talk 750 WSB. When Cynthia's bodyguards noticed the female WSB radio reporter in their midst they swung into action. They approached our reporter and physically shoved her toward the exit with the words "Get your WSB ass out of here."

Our reporter is still waiting for an apology from Cynthia McKinney, but ... she isn't holding her breath.

Bonnie Raitt joins the "Bash Bush" bandwagon

Country singer Bonnie Raitt, on the tail end of a concert swing through Europe, took time out of her concert to take a crack at President George Bush. She received a loud ovation from the audience at the Stockholm Music Festival this week.

"We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" Raitt crowed Tuesday night before she launched into the opening licks of "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)," a cover that was featured on her 1979 album "The Glow."

Raitt's comments resulted in a round of applause and even whistles from among the estimated 3,000 concertgoers at the Swedish capital's annual jazz event held on the banks of the downtown Skeppsholmen island.

Swedes are skeptical of Bush and the Scandinavian country refused to support his efforts in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The nine-time Grammy award winner is no stranger to political activism. Her Web site urges fans to learn more about preserving the environment and she was a founding member of MUSE, or Musicians United for Safe Energy.

Moonbats still demanding UN monitoring of US elections

US Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) is requesting that Secretary of State Colin Powell officially request the United Nations monitor the November general elections in the US, and particularly the Florida election.

13 Democratic Congressmen, led by members of the Congressional Black (Democratic) Caucus, requested UN intervention previously, and were turned down by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"As legislators, we should guarantee the American people that our country will not experience another nightmare like the 2000 presidential elections," the members of Congress said in their letter to Annan.

The U.N. immediately responded that such a request could not be accepted unless if came from the U.S. government. Otherwise, a spokesman said, it could be considered "intervention in a country’s sovereignty."

In her letter to Powell, Johnson expressed grave concerns regarding electoral system reforms that were not undertaken after the 2000 election.

Recalling the contentious Florida vote count in 2000, the lawmakers urged the U.N. to "ensure free and fair elections in America."

"As lawmakers, we must assure the people of America that our nation will not experience the nightmare of the 2000 presidential election," Johnson said in the letter. "This is the first step in making sure that history does not repeat itself."

Florida election officials have already announced that the foreign officials are not to be allowed access to polling places, and would have to remain at a distance of more than 50 feet from polling places.

Other than Johnson & Brown, signing moonbats of the initial UN letter include Julia Carson of Indiana, Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns, Joseph Crowley and Carolyn B. Maloney, all of New York, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Corrine Brown of Florida, Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, Danny K. Davis of Illinois, and Michael M. Honda and Barbara Lee of California -- all Democrats.

UPI: "Nuclear arms reportedly found in Iraq"

UPI has a story this morning that indicates that nuclear weapons may have been found in Iraq.

Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday.

The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"The three missiles were discovered by chance when the Iraqi security forces captured former Baath party official Khoder al-Douri who revealed during interrogation the location of the missiles saying they carried nuclear heads," the sources said.

They pointed out that the missiles were actually discovered in the trenches lying under six meters of concrete and designed in a way to unable sophisticated sensors from discovering nuclear radiation.

UPDATE: The Iraqi Interior Ministry calls the earlier report of possible nukes found in Iraq "stupid."

Iraq's Interior Ministry dismissed as "stupid" a report in a local newspaper on Wednesday that said three nuclear missiles had been found near the town of Tikrit.

A senior U.S. military official told reporters he had no information on the report in the newspaper al-Sabah. He said officials were checking the report.

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

Saudis find Paul Johnson's severed head in freezer

Saudi security forces, during a raid on on the house of Saudi Arabia's Al Qaeda leader, found Paul Johnson's severed head stored in a freezer, according to Saudi authorities today.

Authorities said the head was found as Saudi security forces raided the home of Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi. Two militants were killed and three were wounded in the sweep, but it was not clear if al-Aoofi was among them.

In a statement, broadcast on Saudi al-Ekhbariya television monitored in Cairo, the Interior Ministry said the head was found in a freezer in the apartment. The statement said the rest of the body was not found.

Johnson had been kidnapped outside his apartment in Saudi Arabia. AQ terrorists demanded that American forces leave Iraq, in exchange for Johnson's life. After their demands weren't met, the terrorists brutally murdered Johnson.

That's OK, there's better ice cream out there

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, is traveling the highways and byways of America, with a 12 foot tall effegy of President George W. Bush, complete with flames shooting out of the back end, in tow.

Ben Cohen says it's an acceptable way to point out what he calls the president's lies. "In a polite society, you don't go up to a person and look at them in the face and say, 'You're a liar,"' Cohen said in a telephone interview before arriving in Spokane, the next stop on the Pants on Fire Tour.

"We think it's a lot more dignified and there's a lot more decorum to say, 'Excuse me sir, your pants are getting a little warm, don't you think?"' Cohen said.

The "PantsOnFire-Mobile" is a trailer pulled behind a car. The Bush character wears a flight suit with the words "Mission Accomplished" emblazoned on the back, a reference to the president's declaration aboard the deck of an aircraft carrier that major hostilities had ended in Iraq. An electronic ticker on the front displays what Cohen says are Bush's lies.

The head is a rotating cylinder with various Bush facial expressions.

I'll stick with other brands of ice cream, thank you very much.

Michael Moore whines about Rondstadt firing and gets it wrong -- again.

Michael "Get Outta The Way! He's Gonna Eat The Whole Raw Bar!" Moore is upset over the action taken by Aladdin Casino president Bill Timmons this week.

After headliner Linda Rondstadt tried to dedicate a song to Moore and his propaganda movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, patrons booed the singer. Timmons had Rondstadt not only escorted offstage, but completely out of the hotel, and told not to return.

Anyway, Fatass, bitching like the PMS sufferer he is, sent a complaint letter to Timmons.

"What country do you live in? Last time I checked, Las Vegas is still in the United States. And in the United States, we have something called 'The First Amendment.' This constitutional right gives everyone here the right to say whatever they want to say. All Americans hold this right as sacred. Many of our young people put on a uniform and risk their lives to defend it. My film is all about asking the questions that should have been asked before those brave soldiers were sent into harms way," he [Moore] wrote.

"For you to throw Linda Ronstadt off the premises because she dared to say a few words in support of me and my film, is simply stupid and Un-American. Frankly, I have never heard of such a thing happening. I read that you wouldn't even let her go back up to her room at your hotel! Are you crazy? For crying out loud, it was a song DEDICATION! To 'Desperado!' Every American loves that song! Sure, some people didn't like the dedication, and that's their right. But neither they nor you have the right to remove her from your building when all she did was exercise her AMERICAN right to speak her mind."

She was hired to sing, not pontificate!

My advice to Linda Rondstadt: Shaddap and sing! You wanna preach, go pay for your own damn pulpit!

Cincinnati news story follow-up

The Raegan Butler story from earlier today now has another chapter added to it.

As I mentioned in the original piece, the actual "mark-leaving" piece that went out was yanked by the AP. But WLWT's President & General Manager, Richard Dyer, has provided an apology to viewers as well as to Ms. Butler.

On Monday, July 19, language was added to a news story on channelcincinnati.com that was offensive and hurtful toward one of our staff members and was an egregious violation of the standards of this news organization. As soon as the posting was discovered it was immediately removed from channelcincinnati.com and a company-wide effort was mounted to remove all references to the story from Web search engines.

This posting was the result of one individual's actions and that individual has been terminated.

We regret the trouble this has caused for the individual named and our entire staff and we apologize to viewers of channelcincinnati.com.

Don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain

The New York Times has weighed in on the Annie Jacobsen piece from WomensWallStreet.com, and their predictably skeptical.

The piece skews toward the Nothing Happened camp and concludes with a quote from Federal Air Marshal spokesman Dave Adams saying: "They gave their little performance in the casino and two days later they flew out on a JetBlue flight from Long Beach to New York."

MJ to be father of quads? Just damn...

Reports this afternoon say that Michael Jackson is going to be the father of quadruplets.

Pop star Michael Jackson, facing a trial on child molestation charges, is about to become a father to four more children -- quadruplets -- by way of a surrogate mother, Us Weekly magazine reported on Tuesday.

Citing unnamed sources close to the self-proclaimed "King of Pop," the magazine said Jackson recently spent time with the pregnant mother-to-be in Florida, where he stayed in a $4,000-a-night luxury hotel suite in Miami Beach.

Jackson, 45, already has three children -- Prince Michael I and daughter Paris Michael by his former wife, Debbie Rowe, and Prince Michael II, the child he notoriously dangled from the balcony of a Berlin hotel in November 2002.

T-Steel on the CBC/Nader dustup

S-Train's partner-en-blog T-Steel weighs in on the Congressional Black Caucus "meeting" with Ralph Nader a few weeks back, where they read him the riot act and basically cussed the man out for getting in the way of their plans to get rid of President Bush.

when you organize to harrass a third party candidate into not running, your using the same tactics that were used against us by some sick white folks back in the day. We don't owe the Democratic Party (or any party for that matter) so much that we have to become an attack dog for them. And CBC, you want to claim the moral high ground on racism and discrimination yet invite Nader to a "dozens party"? You are an 100% fool for doing that CBC. And once again, you minimalize and marginalize yourselves. I pray that when my children grow up, black organizations like yours are GONE and new, progressive, and RELEVANT black organizations take your place.

And CBC, the plantation always has room for 100% fools. Why don't all of you check-in?

And that's what happens when you let your hatred blind you (as the CBC's has) to what's really important.

Be careful who you piss off, they'll get you in the end

Raegan Butler of WLWT-TV/DT Cincinnati was the target of an editor's ire this week in a piece that went out on the AP wire. The story, an otherwise average story about the identification of a dead body, was "run-of-the-mill" until you got to the final paragraph.

Investigators are not sure if Powell died where her body was found or if she was killed elsewhere, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's most-overrated, obnoxious, annoying, stick-like, ho-bag, sperm-receptacle staff member Raegan Butler reported.

Are those documents in your pants, or are you happy to see me?

Former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger is now under investigation for swiping documents out of the National Archives. The documents in question related to the investigation of the 9/11 Commission.

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket and pants, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

"I deeply regret the sloppiness involved, but I had no intention of withholding documents from the commission, and to the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced," Berger said in a statement to the AP.

Project 21 Condemns Cartoonist for Racist Strip

I'm quoted prominently in a new release from Project 21; the release goes after Ted Rall's strip that refers to Condoleezza Rice as a derrogatory racial slur.

At the same time, the silence over this from the "Soul Patrol" is deafening.

Because of the racially-insensitive content of a recent cartoon, members of the African-American leadership network Project 21 are asking Universal Press Syndicate to cease the distribution of comics drawn by Ted Rall. Project 21 also is challenging several other civil rights-oriented groups to join in the demand.

A July 1 comic by Rall suggests "appropriate punishments for deposed Bushists" that parodies alleged treatment of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison. The panel featuring Bush Administration national security advisor Condoleezza Rice has her saying "I was Bush's beard! His house nigga. His" She is interrupted by a character wearing a shirt reading "You're not white, stupid" who says, "Now hand over your hair straightener."

"Is it OK for Ted Rall to use such vile language because he's using it against a black conservative?" asks Project 21 member Michael King. "I'm beside myself with anger over this comic."

Project 21 is asking Universal Press Syndicate, the distributor of Rall's comics, to immediately terminate their relationship with him. Project 21 is also asking the NAACP, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to make similar demands based on their past involvement in pressuring ESPN to fire radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh in 2003.

Last year, in his capacity as a football commentator for ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown," Limbaugh criticized the performance of Philadelphia Eagle's quarterback Donovan McNabb, saying, "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." Afterwards, NAACP president and CEO Kweisi Mfume called Limbaugh's comments "bigoted and arrogant" and called for his removal. The NABJ demanded ESPN "separate itself" from Limbaugh. Rainbow/PUSH Coalition president Jesse Jackson called the remarks "not accurate andinsulting." Limbaugh later resigned.

"From radical poet Amiri Baraka to singer Harry Belafonte and now cartoonist Ted Rall, too many people feel they have free rein to insult the dignity of Condoleezza Rice and have no problem injecting race into that abuse," adds King. "It's time for the civil rights establishment to stop allowing this assault on an accomplished black woman or they put their credibility at risk."

So what's the difference?

What makes it right here and wrong at any other point?

If I get no reply -- or worse yet, a negative reply from the NAACP, Rainbow/PUSH and the NABJ, then, at least as far as I'm concerned, they will have shown their true agenda to the world: that if one is black and conservative, that we are to be treated as blacks were treated at the beginning of last century. That we are lower than human. And that it is OK to treat us in such a fashion.

I, for one, won't take it lying down. Will you?

Paul Johnson Jr. beheading video released on web

Three days after US forces suspended searches for his body, the murder by decapitation video of Paul Johnson, Jr. was released on the internet on a web site associated with Al Qaeda and other terrorists.

Images of an American hostage being decapitated surfaced Saturday on an Internet site known for carrying the statements of Islamic militants.

The gruesome videotape appeared three days after U.S. authorities announced the search for the body of Paul M. Johnson Jr. had been called off.

Still photographs of Johnson's beheading had been posted June 19 on some of the same militant Islamic forums that on Saturday provided links to the newly released video footage.

Johnson, a 49-year-old engineer for U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin, was kidnapped June 12.

The video, which ran almost two minutes and included images of tanks and destroyed homes apparently in Iraq, carried the title "The Voice of Jihad: Get the infidels out of the Arabian Peninsula."

Voice of Jihad is the name of a periodical issued on the Internet twice monthly by the al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia, which claimed Johnson's killing.

Americans are a patient lot. But there is a limit to that patience that is rapidly approaching.

"Thou shalt smite George W. Bush..."

Bubba the Love Sponge running for county sheriff in FL

Five months ago, Bubba "The Love Sponge" Clem was a morning radio host for Clear Channel Radio in Tampa, and syndicated to several other cities. Today, he's planning on running for Sheriff of Pinellas County, FL.

"For over a decade I've been the voice of the people," Clem said during a news conference Friday at the DoubleTree Hotel Tampa Westshore. "Now, I want to give the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office back to the people."

This will be the second time Clem, 38, has campaigned for the office. He was not an official candidate in 2000, but this time, because he paid the $8,584.86 filing fee, he will be on the ballot as the lone Democrat.

Clem will await the winner of the GOP primary between Chief Deputy Jim Coats and Tim Glassburner, a retired Ohio sheriff's deputy.

A registered Republican until he registered with the Democratic party 60 days ago, Bubba says he's "fed up with Republicans."

As opposed to his more famous radio name, the ballot will read "Bubba Clem," his real name.

Black voters in GA starting to look at GOP courtesy of Herman Cain

Black voters across the state of Georgia are starting to look at the Republican Party, as a result of the candidacy of Herman Cain for the US Senate seat being vacated by Zell Miller.

Cain, owner of the Godfather's Pizza chain, has been running for the Senate on the Republican side of the ticket against current US Congressmen Mac Collins and Johnny Isakson, with the primary coming up this coming Tuesday.

A caller to Rush Limbaugh yesterday emphasized this swing to the right by some black voters.

RUSH: Now, look, I've been doing this show for 16 years, and every day -- well, not every day, but every week in these 16 years -- there will be an event happen that has made us think, "You know, the tide may be turning. There may be a shift going on, black votes going to Republican candidates," and it really hasn't happened. There's a percentage of 10-to-12% of the black population, which is middle and upper class, which has broken away from the traditional prescriptions of the civil rights coalition, the NAALCP, but the percentage isn't really growing. You're just hearing from different people in it. Now, I'm not trying to be negative about it. I think it's gonna happen at some point, because, like everybody else on the left, they're old. Their playbook is dying out. They haven't put any new plays or pages in it, and at some point, you know, being a membership of the Democratic Party power party table is not going to be that big a deal. I don't know how soon that's going to be, but the NAALCP is more firmly partisan than they have ever been.

CALLER: That's all they are.

RUSH: And to the extent that they're able to go out and marshal the traditional 88-to-90% of the black vote for the Democrat candidate, they still have that power.

CALLER: Well, the message that Herman is giving in black churches is asking them, you know, "Are you against abortion?" and they raise their hands, and "Are you for lower taxes?" and they raise their hands. He says, "Congratulations, you're all conservative Republicans," and when we get that message out that our core values are akin to their core values, and we get the real truth past the media, I think that turn will come and I hope it's now.

As I said on a local Atlanta radio station this week, we are the same people standing next to them in line at the supermarket or the bank, sitting next to them in church and at the local PTA meetings.

And we know that black America wants the same things as the rest of America wants: safe streets, good schools, low taxes and a place to get a decent steak once in awhile.

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night...Aw, damn!

Cover image of October's Green Lantern: Rebirth #1

But when you think all is right in the world, someone comes along and takes a whiz in the punch.

According to Moriarty at AintItCool, Jack Black will be playing Green Lantern in a "zany comedy version a la THE MASK."

As I understand it, DC Comics tried desperately to dodge this bullet, but ultimately, they don’t have the right to veto something if Warner Bros. really wants to make it happen. This is the problem with the way DC’s deal with their corporate overlords is structured. Their hands are tied. As much as they are aware of the problem with this approach to the material, they just have to sit back and watch it happen along with fans of the character and the rich mythology that has been established over the long run of the various GREEN LANTERN titles.

I like Jack Black. I really do. I’m dying to see what he does in KING KONG because I trust the director and the rest of the creative team, and I have a feeling they’ll find the right way to harness his energy. But this GREEN LANTERN gives me gas right away. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Maybe they’ll find a way to make it funny without totally trashing everything that’s ever made the title great. And maybe this’ll be exactly as godawful as it sounds. Either way, this one just passed from “rumor” to “confirmed news,” so brace yourselves, comic fans. It’s coming...

Just damn.

MoveOn.org to sue Fox over term "Fair & Balanced"

Liberal political action group MoveOn.org is planning a Monday morning news conference in New York City, where they plan to file suit against Fox and Fox News Channel. The suit will claim that Fox is misleading the public by using the term "fair and balanced" to describe it's network coverage.

At a press conference that will begin at the Warwick Hotel and conclude with the delivery of legal papers to FOX News’ NYC studio this Monday, representatives from MoveOn.org and others will unveil their next step in the campaign to hold FOX News accountable.

Two major legal actions challenging the network’s use of the tagline “Fair and Balanced” will be announced. Chellie Pingree, President of Common Cause will lead the news conference.

"Terror In The Sky" -- something doesn't sound right...

Anne Jacobsen's story, "Terror In The Sky" from WomensWallStreet.com and FrontPageMagazine.com is being scrutinized pretty heavily across the blogosphere today.

The gist of the story is that Anne, her husband and son recently flew cross-country from Detroit to Los Angeles on Northwest Airlines. 14 men of Middle Eastern origin boarded that flight as well. A series of bizarre events occured on the flight, including the "congregating" of the men in the rear of the plane, musical instrument cases and a non-descript McDonald's bag that went missing.

Supposedly, the pilot was aware of these activities; supposedly there were multiple sky marshalls on the flight.

The flight flew unimpeded to Los Angeles.

The men were supposedly detained by federal authorities, and everyone else rather quickly and suspiciously "dummied up."

The story smells. I'm not going to go as far as to say that it is completely trumped up, but I have to ask whether author Jacobsen took some literary license with at least portions of the story. After all, that sort of embelishment would certainly draw more attention to an air security system that is obviously lacking across the board.

Many other folks are watching this story today; Michelle Malkin is head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in covering it.

UPDATE: I'm still cynically skeptical, but Michelle has done some additional sleuthing (and thank you, Michelle, for your dilligence! If my I'm wrong in my skepticism, your work may well save lives!).

I asked Jacobsen if she talked with other passengers. She said no. I also asked if she had heard from other passengers from her flight in response to her story. She said she hasn't. If anyone else out there was on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles Flight on June 29, 2004, departing at 12:28 p.m., we'd love to hear from you.

Right on? Yeah. Right on pandering.

I can hear the kissing noises from here.

Did the Martians flush after they were done?

Evidence of life on Mars? Yep -- at least it looks like it.

The BBC is reporting that ammonia may have been found in trace amounts on the Martian surface; some scientists are postulating that this could be a sign of urine from some sort of alien life form, be it microbial or otherwise.

Researchers say its spectral signature has been tentatively detected by sensors on board the European Space Agency's orbiting Mars Express craft.

Ammonia survives for only a short time in the Martian atmosphere so it must be getting constantly replenished.

There are two possible sources: either active volcanoes, none of which have been found yet on Mars, or microbes.

US Congresscritter censured after calling 2000 election a "coup d'état"

US Representative Corrine Brown (D-FL) got her hand smacked by her fellow Congressmen yesterday after referring to the 2000 election fiasco as a "coup d'état" on the floor of the House.

The verbal battle began after Congressman Steve Buyer (R-IN) proposed a measure which would bar any US official from requesting United Nations observers come monitor the US general election in November. The suggestion of UN inspectors has been made by Brown and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. They argue that "disenfranchised" citizens were not able to vote in 2000, and are "afraid" that those same "disenfranchised" citizens might not be able to vote again in 2004.

"I come from Florida, where you and others participated in what I call the United States coup d'état. We need to make sure it doesn't happen again," Brown said. "Over and over again after the election when you stole the election, you came back here and said, 'Get over it.' No, we're not going to get over it. And we want verification from the world."

The presiding officer at the time, Mac Thornberry (D-TX), ruled that Brown's statements violated one of the standing rules of the House.

"Members should not accuse other members of committing a crime such as, quote, stealing, end quote, an election," Thornberry said.

As a part of that censure, Brown was not permitted to speak any more during the day's session.

Two CSI stars axed

George Eads and Jorja Fox have been axed from CBS' high-rated CSI, according to Daily Variety's Thursday edition. This comes on the heels of CSI picking up multiple Emmy award nominations earlier today.

The firings came after both Eads and Fox reportedly made it known to their bosses that, in the tradition of employees everywhere, they'd like to make more money.

Eads expressed his desire for a bigger paycheck by skipping the first day of shooting Thursday for CSI's fifth season, Variety said.

Fox, who did show up for work, drew the wrath of CBS execs for failing to, as Variety put it, "reply to a letter asking her if she had any plans to not show up for work."

In both cases, CBS invoked breach of contract. Eads and Fox each had two years left on their TV standard seven-year contracts.

Not pausing for a moment at their chalk outlines, Variety said the network has already begun searching for Eads' and Fox's replacements.

IL Congressman Bobby Rush arrested for protest at Sudan's Embassy

US Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) was arrested during a protest today at the Sudanese Embassy. Rush and others were led away to a Secret Service van after blocking the embassy entrance.

Rush was booked on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, Secret Service spokeswoman Ann Roman said. Earlier this week, Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) was arrested in a similar protest.

Protesters have charged the Sudan with genocidal operations against its own people.

Embassy spokesman Abdelbagi Kabeir said Thursday it was difficult to understand the motive behind the campaign against the Sudanese government that some members of Congress are waging.

"There is no genocide," he said. "There is improvement."

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the Darfur region of western Sudan in the past year-and-a-half, and an estimated one million people have been driven from their homes.

"People are dying because they can't get the humanitarian relief they need right now," Rush said, blaming the problem on the Sudanese government practicing genocide on the basis of ethnic and religious grounds.

"All we need is 2,000 troops and we can stop this," Rush insisted.

"Hulk Go Blog! Hulk Go Blog Now!"

Did you know that The Hulk is blogging?

Hulk not allowed at library anymore.

Hulk just wanted to help library woman keep place quiet!

Bush to speak at Urban League convention

President George W. Bush will be speaking at the National Urban League's convention in Detroit next week. The Urban League, headed by former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial, has been much more receptive to President Bush and individuals from his administration than the more widely known (and more antagonistic) NAACP, who has been holding their annual convention this week in Philadelphia.

"The president welcomes differing views - constructive dialogue about differences. Ways we can work together on shared priorities is an important part of our national discourse. But the current (NAACP) leadership, through their repeated partisan comments and hostile rhetoric, have shown that they are not interested in a constructive dialogue," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

President Bush spoke to the Urban League in 2003 (after being slammed by the NAACP leadership then as well) telling the mostly black audience that his economic policies were a path to "greater opportunity and hope" for black Americans.

Contrary to waht the partisan leadership of the NAACP would tell you, the NAACP is not the final word on thought, word and deed in black America

Paige blasts NAACP over comments

Rod Paige, the present Secretary of Education, and a black son of Mississippi, condemned comments by the NAACP leadership about conservatives in general, and black conservatives in particular this week.

"You do not own, and you are not the arbiters of, African-American authenticity," said Paige, who rose from segregated Mississippi to become President Bush's education chief.

Paige took aim at two NAACP leaders, chairman Julian Bond and president Kweisi Mfume, for what he called "hateful and untruthful rhetoric about Republicans and President Bush." At the convention, NAACP officials have described some black organizations as mouthpieces of white conservatives and have said Bush's education law disproportionately hurts minorities.

Of course, the alphabet networks will conveniently ignore that, won't they?

Wouldn't it be nice to apologize?

Project 21 is challenging members of the Congressional Black Caucus to apologize to Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader.

Nader was verbally excoriated in a late June meeting with the CBC, where the Caucus tried to get Nader to drop his White House bid, lest he split the vote and help George W. Bush return to the Oval Office.

On June 22, the CBC met with Nader to try to persuade him to abandon his presidential campaign, with the stated expectation that Nader's absence from the race would increase the possibility of President George W. Bush being defeated in the November election. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), a CBC member, calls the upcoming election "a life or death matter." According to witnesses outside of the closed-door meeting held in the basement of the Capitol, the discussion was punctuated with shouting and many CBC members stormed out of the room when it was over. Nader was reportedly rattled by the exchange.

Nader has since accused Representative Watt of using a "obscene, racist epithet" toward him during the meeting. In a letter to CBC Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Nader charged that Watt said: "You're just another arrogant white man - telling us what we can do - it's all about your ego - another f--king arrogant white man." Nader told Cummings: "I expect that you and others in your caucus will exert your moral persuasion and request an apology from Congressman Watt."

But I'm only expecting to hear the sounds of silence in that regard. After all, anything is fair as long as it gets rid of President Bush, in their minds.

MARTA hair...

This hat is from Indonesian fashion designer Didi Budiardjo. Budiardjo exhibited it during Hong Kong Fashion Week this week.

Never seen a hat like this one before. But I have seen hair that was done up this way. We call 'em "MARTA hairdo's" -- you've gotta take MARTA, 'cause you're hair is too high to drive or sit in a car...

Iron Mike to IL GOP: "Thanks, but no thanks."

Mike Ditka said tonight that he was not going to run for the open US Senate seat in Illinois. He announced the decision this evening outside the Chicago restaurant which bears his name.

"I don't know how I'd do on the Senate floor if I got in a confrontation with someone I didn't appreciate or maybe didn't appreciate me," he said.

He said he thought about running, but then said to himself "get your head on straight and think about it."

Just imagine the shouting match that Da Coach would engage in on the floor of the Senate.

It sounds like Mike made a decent decision.

On the other hand, that also means that Democratic Barak Obama is a virtual shoe-in for the seat.

IL Senate candidate Barack Obama to give keynote at DNC

Barack Obama, Democratic US Senate candidate from Illinois, will give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, July 27, according to information released today.

Obama will talk about the future of America that a Democratic administration would provide, along with the need to make jobs, families and communities top priorities in the lives of Americans.

"Barack is an optimistic voice for America and a leader who knows that together we can build an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world," Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said in a statement.

Da Coach to become Da Candidate?

According to The Drudge Report, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka would be announcing this morning that he will run for the US Senate, vying to replace scandal-ridden Jack Ryan on the Republican ballot.

Ryan stepped down from campaigning after a sex scandal involving he and his wife, television actress Jeri Ryan, came to light last month.

The Illinois Leader is reporting that Iron Mike stormed out of a early meeting with GOP officials this morning. It's unclear whether he was angry, or just bolted out for some "fresh air."

There are indications that Ditka may have been upset by media leaks to sources like The Drudge Report.

Welcome to Illinois politics, Mike.

Malkin: "We will pay a grisly price...for capitulation"

And while I'm reading Michelle's blog this morning, let me note that her new column is up, The mollycoddling milksops of Manila.

She, like many of us, is disappointed in the leadership of the Philippines, including Philippine president Gloria Macagapal-Arroyo, who has folded and gotten soggy like cheap toilet paper in the face of the threat to kidnapped Philippine-national Angelo de la Cruz. de la Cruz was kidnapped last week while shipping fuel for an American company from Saudi Arabia to Baghdad.

Pictures have come out on Al Jazeera with de la Cruz in an orange jumpsuit (as previous kidnappees have been seen). The images were accompanied, as in past cases, by a threat to behead him if the Philippines did not withdraw their forces.

The Filipino government is folding under the threat and vowing to remove their forces (only 51 strong) early.

Arroyo is not merely the protector of one man and one family. She is not only a parochial leader of one people. Arroyo proclaimed herself a front-line warrior in the battle against global terror. Last spring, she came to Washington, embraced President Bush, and heralded her tight relationship with the United States.

"(T)he Philippines is one of the first countries to join this war on terror," Arroyo said. "And the reason why we did it is that we in the Philippines know what it is to suffer from the hands of terrorism. We know the pain of terrorism. And we are with you in your leadership against terrorism, wherever it may be found."

We are with you. Remember those words.

Add the flag of the Philippines to the International Hall of Appeasers. Sign this pitiful nation up for a lifetime membership to the Axis of Weasels. And remind me never again to brag about the proud fighting spirit of my ancestors.

Gangsta compliant software?

Michelle Malkin has Microsoft's "newest product" showcased this morning; the "Ggangsta" edition of Microsoft Word (he said with a smirk on his face).

One wonders if it includes a slang-to-English dictionary.

Whoopi yanked from Slim-Fast web pages

After Whoopi Goldberg's profanity-laden routine comparing President Bush and Vice-President Cheney to male and female genetalia during the New York Democratic Rally for candidate John Kerry last week, quite a few people contacted Slim-Fast Corporation threatening to boycott them if they did not distance themselves from Goldberg and her comments.

Goldberg is one of Slim-Fast's primary spokespersons. Her face topped all of Slim-Fast's web pages. At least until this morning.

No black Dems to speak in prime time at the DNC

Kweisi Mfume, President of the NAACP indicated on MSNBC's Hardball last night, that he would feel "slighted" if no black speakers were to speak in prime time during the Democratic National Convention.

MATTHEWS: Do you think there should be a Democratic convention this summer, where in the primetime hours, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, when the networks are covering it, maybe even Tuesday night, when no one who‘s African-American gets up on the stage?

MFUME: Well, I hope that‘s not the case because if it does, then that would be a damning indictment of this party and would probably turn off a lot of voters. Again, on a close election, neither side can afford slippage. And if that is the case, then the Democratic Party will have to explain that‘s the case because where there are persons and individuals who clearly are qualified to address the convention and are not getting the opportunity, that would raise a significant question.

The agenda for the DNC has been released, and there are no black speakers scheduled for the prime-time hours. As a matter of fact, no black speakers are noted at all on the initial schedule.

But will the Mfume bitch about that as much as he has about the Administration or organizations like Project 21? I'm not holding my breath...

UPDATE: US Representative Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) has been added to the list on the first night of the convention to discuss "the plan to create new and better jobs at home and a stronger economy for the middle class."

Sounds like a token pat on the hand to keep the sheep happy if you ask me.

With the broadcast networks limiting themselves to an hour a night of coverage, Ms. Tubbs-Jones still won't make it onto the alphabet networks.

Gavel-to-gavel coverage will be on the cable news networks and PBS only.

I'm going back on the tube again (Well, not really)

I'm going to be on MSNBC's Scarborough Country tonight at 10P ET.

The topic? What else? The NAACP and their attack on conservatives, President Bush and black conservatives.

For a little background, in this morning's Washington Times, NAACP president Kweisi Mfume was quoted venomously attacking black conservatives.

"When the ultraconservative right-wing attacker has run out of attack strategy," Mr. Mfume said, "he goes and gets someone that looks like you and me to continue the attacks."

Paraphrasing a line from a 2002 speech by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, he said, "And like the ventriloquist's dummies, they sit there in the puppet master's voice, but we can see whose lips are moving, and we can hear his money talk."

In a speech punctuated by cheers from the audience, Mr. Mfume said: "They can't deal with the leaders we choose for ourselves, so they manufacture, promote and hire new ones."

Mr. Mfume named a list of conservative efforts, including school vouchers, saying that "they want to do away with many of our rights and much of the legacy of the NAACP. ... But those days are over and we aren't going back, so run your little right-wing media. Put a whisper here and an innuendo there. It won't work."

After all, we're supposed to be stupid, and they are supposed to know everything. But now, we're supposed to be "paid" mouthpieces?

If so, then I'm getting gypped. I haven't received a dime.

In any event, the time is 10 PM ET, the place is MSNBC's Scarborough Country.

See you there.

UPDATE: Well, scratch that -- I just got ANOTHER call from MSNBC.

Seems they double-booked me and Congress of Racial Equality head Roy Innis for tonight. And since Roy (whom I have yet to meet, but would love to) has the bigger name recognition as opposed to lil' ol' me, I got bumped.

Feh....

Filipino hostage update: "The Cave-In is still on"

Filipino civilian employee Angelo de la Cruz has been in the hands of AQ terrorists, who have threatened for the past week or so to behead him if his home nation did not withdraw their small (51 soldiers) force participating as part of the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq.

Frantically trying to obtain the release of a captive Filipino truck driver with the clock ticking down, the Philippines said Tuesday it would withdraw its tiny peacekeeping force from Iraq as soon as it can.

However, the statement, which followed all-night Cabinet consultations, was unclear as to whether Manila was advancing the pullout as demanded by the Iraqi militant kidnappers, or was sticking by its commitment to bring its 51-strong force home on Aug. 20 as planned.

The confusion may have been deliberate as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo seeks to maintain her staunch support of the U.S.-led war on terrorism while avoiding a possible domestic backlash if Angelo dela Cruz, a 46-year-old father of eight, is beheaded.

"The Philippine government, consistent with its commitment, will withdraw its Philippine humanitarian contingent forces in Iraq as soon as preparations for their return to the Philippines are completed," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said in a statement to a Filipino reporter in Baghdad.

Just damn.

The Stuff That Movies Are Made Of...

Just found out that Ving Rhames is going to play Kojak in a new television movie.

My eyebrows went up for a minute, but I like it. Rhames is one of the more underrated actors in Hollywood.

He's got Mission Impossible 3 with Tom Cruise ahead of him first, but who loves ya, baby?

While I'm at it, what makes Charlize Theron think she can play the lead in the live action version of Aeon Flux?

Laurence over at This Blog is Full of Crap has it right.

I mean, Mary-Kate Olsen just needs to lose another 10 pounds and she'll fit into the costume, right?

NAA(L)CP attacks Project 21 and other black conservatives

I wondered how long it would take before the NAACP began to go after black conservative organizations like Project 21.

NAACP president Kweisi Mfume did just that in a speech Monday at their national convention in Philadelphia.

Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, condemned the groups as a "collection of black hustlers" who have adopted a conservative agenda in return for "a few bucks a head."

"When the ultraconservative right-wing attacker has run out of attack strategy, he goes and gets someone that looks like you and me to continue the attack," Mfume said in his opening address to the NAACP's annual convention.

"They've financed a conservative coalition of make-believe black organizations, all of them hollow shells with more names on the letterhead than there are people in their membership," he said.

Paraphrasing a line from a 2002 speech by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, he said, "And like the ventriloquist's dummies, they sit there in the puppet master's voice, but we can see whose lips are moving, and we can hear his money talk."

In a speech punctuated by cheers from the audience, Mr. Mfume said: "They can't deal with the leaders we choose for ourselves, so they manufacture, promote and hire new ones."

After I stopped laughing, I jokingly implored him, "Pay ME! PLEASE pay me!"

No. I'm not paid to be a member of Project 21.

I wouldn't mind being paid to write columns, and I'm slowly working on getting that under my belt, but I'm not paid to be a member or Project 21. I gladly serve on the national advisory board, and happily speak on their behalf to the press.

I do this of my own volition, hard as that might be for some folks to believe.

David Almasi, director of Project 21, acknowledged there is "probably" an ideological divide between his group and the NAACP but said Project 21 is financially independent from political parties.

"We take no marching orders from anyone," he said.

"We have received money from people who are Republican, but not from the Republican Party," said Almasi. "But think about the idea that, at one point, Jesse Jackson was getting some of his travel paid for by the Democratic National Committee."

And the NAACP, of course, still claims to be "non-partisan."

Non-partisan my eye...

Senator Ditka? It could happen...

Illinois Republicans are working feverishly to draft former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka to replace Jack Ryan as the GOP nominee on the ballot for the US Senate seat up for grabs this fall.

Ryan withdrew his name from the ballot after a sexual scandal came to light involving Ryan and his television actress ex-wife, Jeri Ryan (from Star Trek: Voyager and Boston Public). However, as of this past weekend, Ryan had not officially removed his name from the ballot.

While on the other hand, Da Coach is said to be seriously considering entering the race. DraftDitka.com is pushing for more support across the state.

'Da Coach' was just on Fox News in the Morning from Chicago. He said that he is 'Thinking about Running' and that he is interested! We have come very far in the past week, but now we need to get the push over the top. We need more signatures on the Petition. We want to present them to him this week and we need your help.

Da Coach will do this if we push him!

Jihad Cindy is trying to get back on track

Daniel Pipes points out the "eclectic" list of contributors -- all with potentially (and nebulously) Islamist ties -- to the Congressional reelection campaign of noted moonbat Cynthia McKinney. McKinney was defeated two years ago by Democrat Denise Majette in the Democratic primary; Majette handily won the 2002 general election for the seat in Georgia's 4th Congressional district.

We all knew that Cynthia McKinney would be drawing on Arab and Muslim supporters in her bid to return to Congress, but a listing of contributors(with information up through June 28) reveals to what an extraordinary extent this is the case, as shown by the names of her backers.

Hani Y. Awadallah – president, Arab American Civic Organization, New Jersey.

Jesse Aweida – co-founder, American Task Force on Palestine.

Belal Dalati – a vice president of Arab-American Broadcasting Co. (Orange County Register, February 19, 2002) associated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Hasan Elkhatib –member, board of directors, American Islamic Educational Foundation (MetroWest Jewish News, October 10, 1996)

Yaser Elmenshawy - chairman, Islamic Council of New Jersey.

Rafeeq Jaber – president, Islamic Association for Palestine, a Hamas offshoot.

Oussama Jammal – president, Bridgeview Mosque.

Samer Khalaf – chairman, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee's Political Outreach Committee in New Jersey.

Faroque Khan – president, Islamic Center of Long Island, also connected to the American Muslim Alliance and Islamic Society of North America.

Mahmoud A Nimer - member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa (an Islamic school established by Sami al-Arian; al-Arian's indictment indicates the school was used as a base of support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad).

Ayman Osman - member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa; employer of Hatem Fariz, arrested on terrorism charges and charged with being a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Talat Othman - former chairman of the Islamic Free Market Institute; secretary/treasurer of the American Task Force on Palestine.

Khalid Qazi – former president, American Muslim Council of western New York State.

Hareth Raddawi - member, board of directors, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, Chicago.

Allam Reheem - former member, board of directors, Islamic Academy of Florida, Tampa.

Talal Sunbulli – former chairman, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

James Zogby – president, Arab American Institute.

McKinney in the past has encouraged and pushed the agenda of the tin-foil wearing conspiracy theorists, while at the same time spending more time and effort on supporting people outside the United States than those in her own district.

I've started receiving nasty e-mails again from folks who have read my columns from a few years back that were very critical of McKinney. So she's pulling out all the stops to try to get back into Congress. And so are her supporters.

The Georgia primaries are a week from tomorrow (7/20); if there's a runoff, it'll come the first week of August. McKinney has a number of people that she's competing against in that Democratic primary.

Most political watchers are anticipating the runoff; if McKinney wins, most likely she would retake the seat in November, giving radical Islamists their own representative in the US Congress. One who simply does not have the interests of citizens of the United States at heart.

Bobby Brown posts bond on charge of smacking Whitney

Singer Bobby Brown was relased from the Fulton County jail in Atlanta last night, after posting $2,000 bond on a charge of hitting his wife, singer Whitney Houston in their Alpharetta home last fall.

A Fulton County judge found that enough evidence existed to bring Brown to trial, and ordered that Brown surrender himself by midnight last night. Brown showed up with less than four hours to spare.

His lawyer arrived with him, and stayed with him while he was fingerprinted and photographed. After posting his bond, Brown was released.

Julian Bond strikes out at Bush yet again in partisan NAACP keynote

NAACP head Julian Bond, in the Sunday night keynote speech of the group's annual convention in Philadelphia, lashed out once again at Republicans in general, and President Bush in particular.

"They preach racial neutrality and practice racial division," Bond said Sunday night in the 95th annual convention's keynote address. "They've tried to patch the leaky economy and every other domestic problem with duct tape and plastic sheets. They write a new constitution of Iraq and they ignore the Constitution here at home."

The organization has called Bush's refusal an insult to all black Americans (as if anyone stopped to ask me), and is at least partly responsible for the very public excoriation by liberal black elected and civil rights officials across the nation against the President.

First Nazis and now this?

Actor Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation) is slated to appear on at least three episodes of Star Trek Enterprise this fall as the grandfather of Data's creator, Dr. Noonien Soong.

The Enterprise episodes most likely will air during the November sweeps period.

Excuse me while I find a Louisville Slugger to take to Rick Berman and Brannon Braga's pointy little heads.

No offense to Spiner -- he's a great actor, and his portray of Data in Next Gen is quality work. But Berman and Braga are continuing to shove the Star Trek franchise down the toilet of inadequacy and oblivion.

Family, friends and the movie of a fatass

My wife's family reunion was this weekend - it was wonderful to see folks that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was the 75th annual reunion for my wife's family, and we hosted the gathering of about 170 people here in Atlanta.

One of my wife's cousins brought a bootlegged copy of Fatass' Fahrenheit 9/11 with him. We sat down in the den at my In-Laws' to watch, the disgust evident on my face as I settled down in the back of the room.

My sister-in-law, who is convinced that each and every white person on the face of the planet is out to get her, sat off to my right on the other side of my father-in-law, lapping every lie that spewed out of Fatass' mouth.

I began to doze about fifteen minutes in, and got up at some point awhile later when my own snoring woke me up.

She-who-must-obeyed found me about a half-hour later in one of the bedrooms where I had retired with a book off of the living room, where the kids all enjoyed Spongebob or Recess or some other cartoon -- it certainly sounded better as background noise than Michael Moore's constant lies and exoriations of the Bush Administration.

"I woke myself up snoring," I told her. "Plus my butt went to sleep."

She rolled her eyes. "Boring," she said.

"Yeah, and full of innuendo," I replied.

"Yeah! Just full of it! I don't blame you for getting up. I was a little bit more comfortable in the chair I was in -- I could sleep a little better," she said. "I don't understand how people could go see that crap."

"I do," I replied. "Back to that hatred thing again. Although, if I paid money to see that thing -- as if -- I'd be highly pissed."

The less my wife and I say about our conservatism to some of our family members, the better. Besides, I got the last laugh. A number of folks came up to me over the weekend and asked me about my television appearances on behalf of Project 21 for MSNBC and Fox News Channel.

If I get even one person to stop and think for a moment about what I am saying in my writings and in my television apparances, then I think I've done my job well. Given the e-mails and personal communications I receive on the positive side? I'm doing OK -- hate-mail notwithstanding.

Ketchup Boy didn't "have time" for terror briefing

When interviewed on CNN's Larry King Live last night, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry admitted that he did not have time for a briefing -- even though he did have time to appear at a New York fundraiser and show up on stage, guitar in hand.

Kerry made the startling comments on CNN's LARRY KING LIVE Thursday night.

KING: News of the day, Tom Ridge warned today about al Qaeda plans of a large-scale attack on the United States. Didn't increase the -- you see any politics in this? What's your reaction?

KERRY: Well, I haven't been briefed yet, Larry. They have offered to brief me. I just haven't had time.

And this man wants to be President?

UPDATE: When I grow up, I wanna be able to rip somebody a new one with the same style and finesse and sheer, unadulterated rapier wit of Jay G.

Conservative bloggers are persona non grata in Boston

Wizbang is reporting this morning that most (if not all) conservative bloggers who applied for credentials to the Democratic National Convention have had their applications turned down.

Is anybody really surprised?

The notion of allowing bloggers in is tenuous at best. (I know there are some who will make a big deal about it -- and I'll admit that I was among the first folks who actually posted to the electronic world at a political convention, most notably the '88 Democratic Convention back when I was on The Source).

The concept is not entirely new, Sherwin Levinson, Diane Worthington and Mike Greenly did it (also on The Source, they and CompuServe were the only game in town as far as what we now know as the Internet back then) in '84 at the San Francisco convention.

But everyone is making a big deal now because the National Committees are actively seeking bloggers to participate.

The DNC has posted a half-assed apology to those who didn't make the cut, but we all know the truth: They are only looking for a cheering section, no "visitors from the other team" allowed.

Big deal.

C-Span, PBS, FNC, MSNBC & CNN will be gavel-to-gavel. The alphabet networks are gonna showcase the "stars" of the convention with an hour each night.

The rest of us? We'll be online, jabbering away as usual. And we'll be able to get the real story, even though we won't be in Boston. The "Edison Carter future" of personal reporting is still coming. And the Democrats can't do a damn thing about it.

UPDATE: Here's a partial list of credentialed bloggers bound for Boston.

AQ threatens to behead Filipino; Philippines caves to threat

Terrorist thugs have appeared yet again on Al Jazeera in a familiar tableau: A hostage in an orange jumpsuit kneels before three masked gunmen. The threat? Same as always. Get out of Iraq, or this guy loses his head.

In the video broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, the group claimed to have already killed an Iraqi security guard who was accompanying the Filipino, the newscaster said. The statement gave no details of his capture.

Three armed and masked men stood behind the seated hostage, threatening to kill him if the Philippines doesn't pull out within three days. A banner on the wall behind them identified the captors as a previously unknown group, the Iraqi Islamic Army-Khaled bin al-Waleed Corps.

Thursday, the Philippines government suspended further deployment of Filipinos to Iraq. Philippines officials did not provide details but said the Cabinet would meet later in the day to discuss the situation.

Yeah. Right. She caved. Which means we'll see more of this kind of crap.

The strange case of Cpl. Hassoun

US Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun is at the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon according to US officials today.

Hassoun had been presumably in the hands of Al Qaeda-associated terrorists. However other information implies that the Hassoun case may be a part of an elaborate hoax.

Late Wednesday, FBI agents showed up at the Hassoun family home in West Jordan, Utah. And Pentagon officials tell NBC News that the Navy has now launched a criminal investigation into Hassoun's disappearance, and the possibility that his kidnapping may be part of an elaborate hoax.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Hassoun may have been AWOL prior to the alleged kidnapping.

Curiouser and curiouser this becomes. Something is defiitely rotten in Lebanon.

Bush declines NAACP invitation

One of the reasons that the Soul Patrol hates George W. Bush came to light today, when the President declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention in Philadelphia next week.

Candidate George W. Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP confab, but has turned down invitations from the group each year of his presidency.

And since Bush refuses to come and kiss Julian Bond's ring, Bond has continued to rail against Republicans in general and Bush in particular. Bond's excoriations of Republicans fly in the face of claims that the NAACP is a non-partisan group. Bond is President of the NAACP.

In June, Bond compared Republicans to terrorists.

"Their idea of equal rights is the American flag and the Confederate swastika flying side by side," Bond told a cheering audience. "They've written a new constitution for Iraq and ignore the Constitution here at home. They draw their most rabid supporters from the Taliban wing of American politics. Now they want to write bigotry back into the Constitution."

"We have a president who talks like a populist and governs for the privileged," Bond said. "We were promised compassionate conservatism; instead, we got crummy capitalism."

Oh. And Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry? He'll be speaking to the convention on their final day, next Thursday. If past history is any indication, Kerry will pander to the crowd and the attendees will lap it up.

Then, they claim to be non-partisan.

Perhaps the IRS should look into those claims. After all, if they are truly as partisan as they continue to appear, then they shouldn't enjoy an exemption from taxes.

Railing on Rall

From my comments on Michelle Malkin's comment section this morning:

I'm furious.

I'm beside myself.

I have to endure being called Uncle Tom and Oreo and other such things on an ongoing basis. I have to live with and through my family and friends being desirous of having my head examined for being conservative day in and day out. I have to listen to moonbats invade my blog and insist that I'm an "unwitting tool" of conservatives (after, since I'm black, I couldn't ever have an ORIGINAL thought of my own!).

Now I'm supposed to sit still while white trash idiots who draw worse than my two year-old insult not only my intelligence, but my race as well?

Notice the crickets coming from the Soul Patrol? They wouldn't dare attack one of their own.

I guess it's supposed to be OK, since Rall is calling a black conservative that vile name.

I get upset when I hear blacks use that term; I'm supposed to sit still when idiots like Rall use it? When did he get a pass to be offensive? And when did the Universal Press and the 140 newspapers that run Rall's excuse for a column get a pass to use the term?

Michelle, if there's any list you are spearheading, any sort of extra means you have at your disposal that I can add my name to, please allow me to do so.

I'm beyond and beside myself with anger over this thing!

A Møøse Once Bit My Sister...

David Hyde Pierce (top left), Tim Curry and Hank Azaria will be playing Sir Robin, King Arthur and Sir Lancelot (respectively) in Spamalot, the Broadway musical version of Monty Python & the Holy Grail when it hits the stage in December.

Casting has finally shown up for the December premiere of the musical in Chicago.

(David Hyde) Pierce, who was Dr. Niles Crane in the long-running U.S. sitcom "Frasier," will play Sir Robin. (Tim) Curry, known for his star turn in the cult film, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," will play King Arthur. (Hank) Azaria, best known as the voice of Moe the bartender on the animated series "The Simpsons," will portray Sir Lancelot.

The corresponding film roles were performed by Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and John Cleese of the British comedy troupe.

And as luck would have it, I'm going home for Christmas this year. I wonder if my brother can get me tickets...

Spamalot premieres in Chicago December 21, 2004, to January 16, 2005, before beginning Broadway previews on February 7.

Chris has a Homer Simpson moment...

What's $5 billion between friends? Even the best of us are mistaken once in awhile.

Then again, I couldn't imagine Aaron McGruder ever admitting when he was wrong. That's why Chris Muir is a far better cartoonist, and a far better man that McGruder ever could be.

Ted Rall scrawls racial slur against Condi Rice

Ted Rall is so damned brainless that it isn't funny.

But the worst part of it is that he'll get a pass, even from the NAAC(Liberal)P. Why? Because he's liberal, and he's railing against and about an "Aunt Jemima" who's "sold out her soul" to the "white devils."

God, this makes me so damn mad!

I'm posting the "cartoon" (and I use the term loosely -- my two year-old can draw better than Rall can) below the fold...

Saddam: PLACE BETS NOW!!!!

When will Saddam be ushered into the magic room to take the eternal celestial dirt-nap?

Place bets NOW!!!!!

Go! Go! Go!

Bet! Bet! Bet!

You must place your wager before "Betting Ends!"

(And yes, there will be prizes given...)

More football? That's a good thing.

"Hi, my name is Michael, and I'm a football addict."

"Hi, Michael..."

The National Football League and the Canadian Football League announced an extension of their joint working arrangement started in 1997. The extension ties the two leagues at the hip through at least 2006.

"The Canadian Football League is in a new and stronger position," CFL commissioner Tom Wright said in a statement. "We look forward to the continued development of our game in Canada with recent solid results as our foundation."

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed.

"We support the CFL and its unique role in Canada, and share its goal of strengthening the interest and support of football among Canadians," he said in a statement. "As partners we have worked successfully to strengthen the sport of football in Canada, and the NFL looks forward to working with the CFL to build on these programs."

The CFL will benefit from increased exposure in the US, with live games running on a non-exclusive basis on the NFL Network. CFL games already run on NESN, MSG, Empire and Fox Sports New York.

The Democratic ticket: Lurch & the Kid

Kidnapped Marine moved to "place of safety"

Al Jazeera is reporting that US Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has been moved to a "place of safety" by terrorists who held him hostage. The Al Qaeda-connected group that held him threatened last week to behead the Marine if US forces did not withdraw from Iraq.

Details are forthcoming.

This smells. Bad.

Coach K stays in collegiate waters

Mike Krzyzewski ended talks with the LA Lakers to take over the head coach's slot recently vacated by Phil Jackson.

There was much speculation over the past few days over Coach K, who has led Duke University to 3 NCAA basketball championships, and whether he would take the Tinseltown lure of coaching the Lakers.

Krzyzewski scheduled a 5 p.m. news conference at Duke's Durham campus, with president Richard Brodhead and athletics director Joe Alleva.

I missed it by a day, but the sentiment's the same

Sorry - I missed it by a day; 7AM church service, and lots of family stuff the rest of the day.

God Bless America.

Iraqi "militant group" denies murder of US Marine

On its own web site the Army of Ansar al-Sunna said that a claim announcing the beheading of Lebanese-born US Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun was false.

According to the sources this morning, the fate of Cpl. Hassoun has not been determined.

"The media have published, quoting the Lebanese foreign ministry, that the Ansar al-Sunna Army has killed the American hostage, from Lebanese origin, who was kidnapped in Iraq," the statement said.

"In order to maintain our credibility in all issues we declare that this statement that was attributed to us has no basis of truth," the statement said.

"We have an official Web site for publication, any statement that is not issued through our site, doesn't represent us," it said.

Predators claim to behead US Marine

Al Qaeda terrorists claim to have beheaded Lebanese-born US Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun.

The claim was made on a website in a statement attributed to the Ansar al-Sunna Army.

"We would like to inform you that the Marine of Lebanese descent has been killed, and you will soon see the movie with your own eyes," said the statement, signed in the name of the group's leader, Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud.

US Intelligence sources are attempting to ascertain any truth to the claim.

Hopefully, the powers that be will take the chains off of the Marines. I know that they are chomping at the bit to go and wipe out every last one of these bastards.

Deja vu?

Transcript of my appearance on Hannity & Colmes this week

Fox News Channel released the transcript of my appearance Tuesday night on Hannity & Colmes. No pictures though...

KING: The Democratic Party is not doing that, Alan. The Democratic Party is basically taking the black vote for granted. They're sitting back and saying, "Look, blacks hate George Bush, and they hate him so much that they'll vote for anybody, even the local dog catcher." And John Kerry is the dogcatcher at the moment.

Could Coach K be headed for LA?

ESPN is reporting this morning that Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski has been offered the LA Lakers' coaching spot recently vacated Phil Jackson.

57 year-old Krzyzewski will have the final word on the move, but it's hardly a done deal.

Coach K has written his own ticket at Duke, and is truly the big man on campus. Rumors have swirled around his moving to the NBA before, but those rumors have always been for naught.

Also mentioned with this rumor is that Krzyzewski would be the thing to keep Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. Currently, he's a free agent, and has most recently been talking with that "other" Los Angeles team, the Clippers.

And while Shaquille O'Neal has talked about leaving the Lakers, Coach K at the helm might give the big man reason to stick around as well.

The rumors continue to swirl, and until Krzyzewski makes a decision, they will continue to be so much dust in the wind.

Cos speaks out again and won't back down

Bill Cosby spoke out defiantly this week, reiterating his statements of a month ago when he incensed many attendees at a NAACP gala in Washington.

At a PUSH/Rainbow Coalition event in Chicago, Cosby chided those who criticized him for airing black America's "dirty laundry."

"Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other [racial slur] as they're walking up and down the street," Cosby said during an appearance at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund's annual conference.

"They think they're hip," the entertainer said. "They can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."

"For me there is a time ... when we have to turn the mirror around," he said. "Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in your hole you're sitting in."

"You've got to stop beating up your women because you can't find a job, because you didn't want to get an education and now you're (earning) minimum wage," Cosby said. "You should have thought more of yourself when you were in high school, when you had an opportunity."

"Bill is saying let's fight the right fight, let's level the playing field," Jackson said. "Drunk people can't do that. Illiterate people can't do that."

On behalf of all of us, 'You're welcome.'

The Iraq-America Freedom Alliance placed a full page ad in USA Today this morning, as a thank you to the United States for the sacrifices we have made to bring freedom to the streets and homes and lives of Iraq.

The sacrifices your sons and daughters made for our liberation will never be forgotten. Without those brave young men and women, this day might never have come.

Of course you won't hear about it in the mainstream media. It doesn't fit into their collective agenda of dragging down George W. Bush and his Administration. It doesn't fit into their agenda of belittling the fighting men and women who are working day in and day out to ensure that freedom, now planted, can take solid root.

But on behalf of the rest of us -- those of us who understand and believe in what our forces are doing there, I deliver a humble "You're welcome."

Trying to convince everyone?

Doin' the perp-walk

CourtTV watchers are gonna have a field day over the next 12 months or so...

US plans big show of force in Pacific

Operation Summer Pulse 04 is set commence within the next few weeks, with as many as seven different aircraft carriers and their associated battle groups coming within striking distance of China and Taiwan.

According to the Department of Defense, the exercise is a test of a new Fleet Response Plan aimed at enhancing the Navy's combat power and readiness in a time of crisis. The plan calls for the despatching of six 'forward deployed' or 'ready to surge' carrier groups to a trouble spot within 30 days, and an additional two within 90 days.

Of course exact plans are shrouded in mystery, but according to the Navy's website, the Carl Vinson, Abraham Lincoln, John C Stennis, and Kitty Hawk are all in the Pacific presently, the Harry S Truman and the Enterprise are in the Atlantic, while the George Washington is in the Persian Gulf.

Sources indicate that seven of the battle groups will assemble in the Pacific as a part of this exercise. Never before have that many battle groups been assembled in one place.

ONE aircraft carrier is sent to a trouble spot as a reminder of US presence. This was done several times in the past, when tension was high in the Taiwan Strait.

TWO carriers show serious concern, as was the case when China test-fired missiles over the strait in 1996.

THREE OR FOUR are sent in combat situations - as in the Gulf War in the early 1990s and the recent Iraqi war.

Sending SEVEN carriers in peace time to the same region is unprecedented. The US plan to do this after mid-July, in the Pacific Ocean near China, is a message to Beijing for its threat to use force to stop Taiwanese independence.

The Chinese government stands behind it's long-standing proclemation that Taiwan would not be permitted to officially declare it's independance.

Jesse Jackson to NASCAR: 'Negroes Can Drive Cars Fast'

Tuesday, Jesse Jackson put his foot in his mouth once again -- this time by saying that NASCAR should have more black drivers than it does because "negroes can drive cars fast."

The setting was a sports luncheon in Chicago, a part of the PUSH/Rainbow Coalition's 33rd annual conference this week.

"One thing I know, negroes can drive cars fast," Jackson said to laughter. "I mean, we go through red lights, even [drive] at night with our lights off. We can drive cars fast," he asserted from the podium.

George Pyne, NASCAR's vice president of marketing, made clear the relationship between NASCAR and Jackson.

"I would like to thank Reverend Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition for being positive catalysts for change. It is an honor to be here today."

Pyne was unequivocal in his defense of NASCAR's decision to support Jackson.

"I would point out that there are a number of Fortune 500 companies that support Rainbow/PUSH and every other major sport America supports, or a number of major sports entities, support Rainbow PUSH," Pyne said.

"We certainly would think that we would want to be in step with the other sports and corporations in America, and it's consistent with how we approach the business," he added.

My question? How much of that financing will find it's way into Jesse's pocket to help continue is racket...