Yes Master

You still cannot pay me to believe that something creepy isn't going on. I've never been a Tom Cruise fan. He is creepy.

"Katie Holmes raised eyebrows with her demure manner on the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. Upon arriving at the famed afterparty, Cruise urged his bride to pose for a photograph alone. 'Take a shot of her,' he told photographers. But according to an onlooker, the 28-year-old actress refused to take a picture without him. The actor then led Holmes around by the hand, pulling her back and forth while he mingled and she remained silent. Cruise, 44, greeted a few photographers but didn’t introduce his wife, who said nothing and stood next to her husband, waiting for him to finish his conversations. He later asked her again to pose for a picture alone, and she finally agreed. “She looks at him for direction,” the witness tells Us.

Us Weekly

Some might say she is just shy, but c'mon it sounds like he is controlling her. And whenever you see them walking together he is always guiding her as compared to her walking on her own free will? "

I Told Y'all

I don't know why folks were so hot to jump on the "look at Britney self-destruct" bandwagon. The child had two babies in short sucession. I said she was post-partum but I imagine that being married to a sleazy grease ball like K-Fed would sink most folks (save Shar Jackson who never married him) into depression.:

"Sources tell TMZ that it looks like Britney Spears real issues have little to do with substance abuse. She apparently is suffering from post-partum depression. Sources say the doctors there believe she is either fighting pp depression or bi-polar disorder. They believe she is using booze as a way to cope with her depression.

She is reportedly reading Brooke Shields’ book, “Down Came the Rain,” where Brooke talks about her famous battle with post-partum depression. Brit is on a 30-day program at Promises in Malibu, CA."

I hope they are helping her.

Talk About A Twist In Fate

This is just too bizarre! Al Sharpton's family was once owned by Strom Thurmond's family.

In a revelation that will stun the nation, the Rev. Al Sharpton, one of America's most powerful black leaders, has unearthed a shattering family secret - his ancestors were slaves owned by relatives of the late South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.

It is an ironic twist of fate that inexorably links one of the most vocal civil rights activists and an icon of Deep South segregation.

A team of some of the country's most trusted genealogists spent two weeks examining Sharpton's family background.

Sharpton learned the results of their work this week. Today, in the first part of a Daily News series, Sharpton talks about the emotional shock of learning how his family was so closely linked to a man who embodied everything he despises.

The Rev. Al Sharpton sat silently in the sanctity of his Manhattan radio studio as his family's roots were laid bare before him.

With each revelation, the feeling of disbelief grew. His lips drew thin and his face tightened as the findings, projected onto a beige wall, brought home the enormity of the moment.

Sharpton - one of America's most vocal and prominent civil rights campaigners, a man who has dedicated most of his grown life to furthering the cause of the black community - was stunned to learn how his history was bizarrely intertwined with a man with whom on the surface he had nothing in common - the late right-wing Sen. Strom Thurmond.

It is a history linked in the degradation and cruelty of the slave trade in the South - a history that Sharpton himself was totally unaware of until this week.

The journey into the past began after the Daily News gave him the opportunity to explore his family's history with the help of a team of experts from Ancestry.com - a company that has archived more than 5 billion documents around the world and has 55 million additional pieces of data dedicated to African-American ancestry.

In a series of numbing revelations, Sharpton learned how:

# His great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave in South Carolina.

# Coleman Sharpton, a woman and two children - believed by genealogists to be his wife and kids - were given as a gift to Julia Thurmond, and were forced to move to Florida.

# Julia Thurmond's grandfather is Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather.

# Once freed, Coleman Sharpton earned a living as an elderly wood hauler, and fathered a son, Coleman Jr., who would go on to be a minister - like his grandson, the Rev. Al.

The enormity of the political and social irony was not lost of Sharpton, as the epic story of his family was laid out before him.

"I have always wondered what was the background of my family," he said. "But nothing - nothing - could prepare me for this."

For the better part of two weeks, a team of genealogists - led by Megan Smolenyak, an ancestry scholar who has written four books and was the lead researcher for the PBS "Ancestors" series - unpeeled the layers of Sharpton's family tree.

They unearthed historic documents, including an 1861 slave contract that confirmed that Coleman Sharpton was indeed sent from Edgefield County, S.C., to Liberty County, Fla., where he would work until given his freedom at the end of the Civil War.

They found incontrovertible data that the woman who owned Sharpton's great-grandfather was related to Sen. Thurmond, a champion of segregation.

But they would break the news to Sharpton slowly and gently, letting him absorb each piece of information before proceeding with the next revelation.

Sharpton sat 2 feet from a projection screen, Smolenyak standing several feet behind, manipulating each new slide as her soft voice led the way through this country's ugly involvement with slavery.

She walked Sharpton through the slave contract, showing how Coleman Sharpton was sent from South Carolina to Florida by his white owner, Alexander Sharpton, to work for his four grandchildren. Coleman Sharpton took his surname from his white owner, a practice common among slaves.

Smolenyak explained how Alexander Sharpton's son Jefferson Sharpton, died broke in 1860, leaving his family in debt.

Smolenyak said Alexander Sharpton, a wealthy slave owner, wanted to help out his son's widow.

"The document we found was known as an indenture," Smolenyak said. "It shows that Jefferson Sharpton died in debt and he had no will. His father [Alexander Sharpton] steps in to help the family."

The original copy of the indenture, which sits in the Liberty County Courthouse in Florida, reads:

"Describes negro to wit, Coleman, age 25 years, Biddy (female) age 22 years old, Harrison aged about 4 years and Bachus aged about 8 years," it states.

"Together with the future increase of the said female slave."

Sharpton stared at the image, carefully reading each word to himself.

"You know for real that you are three generations away from slavery," Sharpton would later remark.

Smolenyak said the indenture awarded Coleman and three others to the grandchildren - but placed them in the temporary custody of another relative in Florida, who was to put Coleman and the others to work to pay off the deceased son's debts.

"He [Alexander Sharpton] says okay, I'm going to give these four slaves to these four grandchildren," Smolenyak told the Reverend.

"I'm interested in those four [white] kids because they are essentially inheriting your great-grandfather, right?" Smolenyak said.

Sharpton nodded in silence.

Smolenyak then told Sharpton how she delved into the family tree of the mother of the four children.

"Their mother was a Thurmond," Smolenyak said. "Julia Ann Thurmond."

"Was what?" Sharpton asked.

"A Thurmond," Smolenyak replied. "Jefferson Sharpton's wife was a Thurmond."

After an uncomfortable pause, the genealogist continued.

"These children, who were the last owners of Coleman, were related to Strom Thurmond through their mother," she said.

Sharpton's face tightened, and the room fell silent as he digested the news.

"Strom Thurmond's family owned my family," Sharpton said aloud in disbelief.

Sharpton's cheeks slowly relaxed, as he gradually took in the evidence laid out before him.

"Julia Thurmond Sharpton's grandfather and Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather, William Thurmond, are the same man," Smolenyak explained. "Julia Thurmond Sharpton is Strom Thurmond's first cousin twice removed."

"It's chilling," Sharpton said. "It's amazing."

The genealogists gave Sharpton more time to absorb the significance of what he had just heard.

"The family that owned my great-grandfather was related to Strom Thurmond's family?" Sharpton said. "Now that's amazing.

"I had no idea about the interlocking past," his face flush with discovery. "I don't know if you know how crazy this is going to be when it gets out.

"It's going to be crazy."

Then he couldn't resist acknowledging the political irony of the two disparate men being joined at the genealogical hip.

"Maybe, I'm the revenge of Coleman," Sharpton joked.

"They [Thurmonds] are just recovering from his black child, now they are about to get the bomb dropped on them," he roared.

The child that Sharpton was referring to is Essie Mae Washington Williams, now 82. After Thurmond's death in 2003, it was disclosed that he had fathered her when he was 22, and her mother, a black maid for the Thurmond family, was 16.

After contemplating the Thurmond revelation, the genealogists got back to business.

Smolenyak told Sharpton of a 1900 census record that indicated the 65-year-old Coleman Sharpton, by then emancipated, earned a living as a wood hauler.

He had a son whom he named Coleman Sharpton Jr., who worked as a turpentine dipper and eventually worked as a Florida grocery-store owner during the Depression. Coleman Sharpton Jr. also was a minister - something the Rev. Al never knew about his grandfather.

As the presentation wound to a close, Sharpton's oldest child, Dominique, 20, unexpectedly walked in.

"Hey, come here!" he beckoned. "This is my daughter," he told the genealogists.

Then as his daughter approached, Sharpton grabbed her by the arm and said, "I want to shock you."

He walked her over to an oversized chart displayed on an easel in the center of the room, pointing enthusiastically at the names of their ancestors.

"They did an ancestry chart that's going to be in the Daily News," he said. "This is me. It goes to my father and my grandfather."

He would then do what the genealogists had done in two hours, taking his daughter on a quick tour of their roots.

"This is my great-grandfather, and he was owned by Strom Thurmond's relatives," he said.

Her response was similar to her father's an hour before.

"What?" she said. "I don't even know what to say."

Sharpton was asked by The News about the significance of being able to discover his family tree.

"It tells you who you are. Where you come from. Where your bloodline is," Sharpton said. "When you know directly your great-grandfather was a slave - owned by the Thurmonds. Your grandfather was a turpentine worker. It kind of like makes you feel, you can't waste your life."

"You have opportunities that they didn't have," he added. "It gives you a sense of obligation."

Wooooooooow!

How can this be?:

"More than 40 percent of women in India have not heard of AIDS, according to a government survey that has alarmed activists.

India has 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations, which is the world's highest caseload. But the prevalence rate, in the country of 1.1 billion people, is much lower than in most of Africa.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the most extensive study on health and nutrition in India, said in its latest report only 57 percent of women have heard of AIDS."

Pardon My French

But why can't hoes sit down?:

Frenchie Davis was booted from Idol's Season 2 after producers discovered she had worked for a porn website. The revelation came after the Smoking Gun reported that Davis posed topless for a website to earn college tuition money.

Well, Antonella Barba took the porno image to another level. Rumor is her ex-boyfriend (who she dumped right before going to Hollywood) sent a mass-email of her pics to all the members of their catholic university lax team." Click HERE to see the pictures.

Seriously though! Why does everyone have to pose?

Israel Making A Fake Case Too?

Even if Syria is building up troops, so what? Why are Israel and America the only countries in the world who are allowed to protect themselves?

Syria denied a published report that it is building up its troops along the Israeli border.

Israeli Radio reported that Syrian Parliament member Mohammed Habash told Al Arabiya television that the country has not changed its troops along the border, denying a report from the Haaretz news service.

'Syria is fully prepared for any situation (that may develop),' Habash also said on Al Arabiya. He said that should 'Israel decide to do something stupid, it would pay a heavy price.'

Asked about reports that Iran is funding Syria's military, Habash said on Al Arabiya, 'Cooperation between Damascus and Tehran is no secret, as both are being faced with a direct threat,' Haaratz reported.

Haartez said that Syria has been beefing up its military in Syria and that appears to have moved troops closer to the Israeli border on the Golan Heights.

That Would Be Me

A single slob and the only good thing I could see out of getting married at this point would be finding someone who liked to clean up!

A new study has found that single women do less housework than women who live with a romantic partner, the BBC reports. Helene Couprie of Toulouse University examined data from the British Household Panel Survey on more than 2,000 working people and found that coupled, cohabitating women spent five more hours per week on housework than single women (15 hours versus 10). On the other hand, single men spent two more hours per week on housework than cohabitating men (seven hours compared to five).

The disparity between single and cohabitating women's cleaning habits could be explained by any number of things. Women might feel more pressure to play domestic diva when they're living with their significant other. But, I'd also love to see an analysis of single women who live alone versus single women who live with a (platonic) roommate. Having a witness of any kind to your slothfulness can be an incredibly motivating factor; it could be that women are just more prone to that pressure.

Couprie says gender-fixed household roles are tough to shake; kids typically grow up to emulate the roles exhibited by their parents. Changing those roles is a matter of "social evolution," she says. Which is exactly what I will tell the next person who casts a disapproving eye upon the precarious pile of dishes in my sink. That black mold isn't a sign of my laziness, but my higher evolutionary standing! (Not to mention, mold can be an excellent litmus test for potential mates.)

Great Rant!

We need more like it!

To Rape With Impunity

I'm always afraid that someone is going to take down the Baghdad Burning blog because the author gives a more than sobering look at the state of her country. Below is her entire post.

It takes a lot to get the energy and resolution to blog lately. I guess it’s mainly because just thinking about the state of Iraq leaves me drained and depressed. But I had to write tonight.

As I write this, Oprah is on Channel 4 (one of the MBC channels we get on Nilesat), showing Americans how to get out of debt. Her guest speaker is telling a studio full of American women who seem to have over-shopped that they could probably do with fewer designer products. As they talk about increasing incomes and fortunes, Sabrine Al-Janabi, a young Iraqi woman, is on Al Jazeera telling how Iraqi security forces abducted her from her home and raped her. You can only see her eyes, her voice is hoarse and it keeps breaking as she speaks. In the end she tells the reporter that she can’t talk about it anymore and she covers her eyes with shame.

She might just be the bravest Iraqi woman ever. Everyone knows American forces and Iraqi security forces are raping women (and men), but this is possibly the first woman who publicly comes out and tells about it using her actual name. Hearing her tell her story physically makes my heart ache. Some people will call her a liar. Others (including pro-war Iraqis) will call her a prostitute- shame on you in advance.

I wonder what excuse they used when they took her. It’s most likely she’s one of the thousands of people they round up under the general headline of ‘terrorist suspect’. She might have been one of those subtitles you read on CNN or BBC or Arabiya, “13 insurgents captured by Iraqi security forces.” The men who raped her are those same security forces Bush and Condi are so proud of- you know- the ones the Americans trained. It’s a chapter right out of the book that documents American occupation in Iraq: the chapter that will tell the story of 14-year-old Abeer who was raped, killed and burned with her little sister and parents.

They abducted her from her house in an area in southern Baghdad called Hai Al Amil. No- it wasn’t a gang. It was Iraqi peace keeping or security forces- the ones trained by Americans? You know them. She was brutally gang-raped and is now telling the story. Half her face is covered for security reasons or reasons of privacy. I translated what she said below.


“I told him, ‘I don’t have anything [I did not do anything].’ He said, 'You don’t have anything?’ One of them threw me on the ground and my head hit the tiles. He did what he did- I mean he raped me. The second one came and raped me. The third one also raped me. [Pause- sobbing] I begged them and cried, and one of them covered my mouth. [Unclear, crying] Another one of them came and said, 'Are you finished? We also want our turn.' So they answered, ‘No, an American committee came.’ They took me to the judge.


Anchorwoman: Sabrine Al Janabi said that one of the security forces videotaped/photographed her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the rape. Another officer raped her after she saw the investigative judge.


Sabrine continuing:
“One of them, he said… I told him, ‘Please- by your father and mother- let me go.’ He said, ‘No, no- by my mother’s soul I’ll let you go- but on one condition, you give me one single thing.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘[I want] to rape you.’ I told him, ‘No- I can’t.’ So he took me to a room with a weapon… It had a weapon, a Klashnikov, a small bed [Unclear], he sat me on it. So [the officer came] and told him, ‘Leave her to me.’ I swore to him on the Quran, I told him, ‘By the light of the Prophet I don’t do such things…’ He said, ‘You don’t do such things?’ I said, ‘Yes’.

[Crying] He picked up a black hose, like a pipe. He hit me on the thigh. [Crying] I told him, ‘What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you rape me? But I can’t… I’m not one of those ***** [Prostitutes] I don’t do such things.’ So he said to me, ‘We take what we want and what we don’t want we kill. That’s that.’ [Sobbing] I can’t anymore… please, I can’t finish.”


I look at this woman and I can’t feel anything but rage. What did we gain? I know that looking at her, foreigners will never be able to relate. They’ll feel pity and maybe some anger, but she’s one of us. She’s not a girl in jeans and a t-shirt so there will only be a vague sort of sympathy. Poor third-world countries- that is what their womenfolk tolerate. Just know that we never had to tolerate this before. There was a time when Iraqis were safe in the streets. That time is long gone. We consoled ourselves after the war with the fact that we at least had a modicum of safety in our homes. Homes are sacred, aren’t they? That is gone too.


She’s just one of tens, possibly hundreds, of Iraqi women who are violated in their own homes and in Iraqi prisons. She looks like cousins I have. She looks like friends. She looks like a neighbor I sometimes used to pause to gossip with in the street. Every Iraqi who looks at her will see a cousin, a friend, a sister, a mother, an aunt…

Humanitarian organizations are warning that three Iraqi women are to be executed next month. The women are Wassan Talib, Zainab Fadhil and Liqa Omar Muhammad. They are being accused of 'terrorism', i.e. having ties to the Iraqi resistance. It could mean they are relatives of people suspected of being in the resistance. Or it could mean they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of them gave birth in the prison. I wonder what kind of torture they've endured. Let no one say Iraqi women didn't get at least SOME equality under the American occupation- we are now equally as likely to get executed.

And yet, as the situation continues to deteriorate both for Iraqis inside and outside of Iraq, and for Americans inside Iraq, Americans in America are still debating on the state of the war and occupation- are they winning or losing? Is it better or worse.

Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse. It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile.

To make things worse, al Maliki blames the victim.

Send Jenna And Barbara Instead!

This is unbelievable! We are so desperate for soldiers in Iraq that we are sending the husband of a woman who lost both of her legs in the war. Her husband, a man who hasn't been deployed in 19 years, is going some place where he may meet the same fate or worse. How is this possible that they would do this to a couple and their families? How can they do this?

The husband of Tammy Duckworth is being deployed to Iraq, where his wife lost her legs in a helicopter crash before making a bid for Congress.

Brian Bowlsbey, 39, a longtime Illinois Guardsman, has not been sent there previously.

[..]"It's not something that we're really eager to do, but it's part of the job and we've trained for it for 19 years," he said yesterday, noting that he long ago fulfilled his requirement of four years of service as an officer. "If you believe in the United States you stay in and you keep doing it and you accept the risk."

Duckworth[..] is currently director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

[..]"I knew, sooner or later, there just aren't that many (eligible) people and I knew I'm one of the only ones who haven't been and some of the Guard have been twice," he said. "It's going to be difficult and we've done some planning, although I want to emphasize, everyone has these life issues, everyone that deploys has them."

The party of family values has no qualms about ruining families.

It's Time Folks

When my alma mater changed the team's name from The Warriors to The Golden Eagles several years ago, I realized that I'd never thought about the fact that it was, in some way, mocking Native Americans. But that is because I'm not Native American and, aside from the "little bit of Indian" that most black people claim, I didn't really know any either. I didn't think of actual people when I saw the mascot, I thought of characters and that, in effect, de-humanizes a group of people.

With the recent outrage over white college kids having parties where they dress up like illegal aliens, pimps and hoes, and most recently as Aunt Jemima with a gun for MLK day (then appearing totally clueless as to why it would be offensive to their fellow students) I guess it is time that everyone begin to dismantle programs that, albeit steeped in tradition, turn people into characters and, even though people think they are in some way praising them, are mocking their heritage. After 81 years, The University of Illinois will retire their Native American Mascot.

The University of Illinois will retire its 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek, following the last men's home basketball game of the season on Wednesday.

The NCAA in 2005 deemed the buckskin-clad Illiniwek an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting postseason events.

American Indian groups and others complained for years that the mascot, used since 1926, is demeaning. Supporters of the mascot say it honors the contributions of American Indians to Illinois.

Illinois still will be able to use the name Illini because it's short for Illinois and the school can use the term Fighting Illini, because it's considered a reference to the team's competitive spirit, school officials said. It is unclear if the school will get a new mascot.

"This is an extremely emotional day for people on both sides of the issue, but the decision announced today ends a two-decade-long struggle surrounding Chief Illiniwek on this campus," said athletic director Ron Guenther.

"Personally, as an alumnus and former athlete, I am disappointed. However, as an administrator, I understand the decision that had to be made."

I had a co-worker who got bent out of shape when I told him my school had changed mascots. He saw no issue with someone jumping around the floor imitating images of Indians they'd seen on television programs written and produced by white people. He didn't attend Notre Dame but I am assuming that he wouldn't have had a problem with their "Fighting Irish" mascot because it is based on the mythical leprechaun (not an Irish man who likes to get drunk and fight). I know some people are disappointed by UofI's decision because will seem to wipe away their memories and their school heritage. The sense of entitlement to be entertained and cheered up by their Indian Chief reminds me of ante-bellum southerners enjoying their darkies dancing in the yard while they sipped their cool drinks from the porch. There are still so many remnants of this kind of thing but, thankfully, some of it is fading off into the twilight where it belongs. (Now if these white kids would stop taking us 10 steps back by dressing up like "minorities").

Do We Think They Are Stupid?

We must! They've been warning Iraq about a surge and new offensives for weeks. Do ya think that insurgents, al Qaeda, militia groups, anybody with a lot of guns is going to sit around and wait for forces to come knock on their doors? The only thing I am afraid of is that American troops are going to get some of what Israeli soldiers go when they crossed over into Lebanon last summer. They are definitely monitoring what we are doing and I'm just praying that there is not a hellacious ambush.

U.S. and Iraqi forces sweeping through Baghdad met little resistance on Friday in an offensive that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told President Bush had been a "brilliant success" so far.

Maliki is under pressure to ease sectarian violence threatening to plunge Iraq into all-out civil war and he renewed a pledge to Bush during a video conference that troops would hunt down militants regardless of their sect.

Brigadier Qassim Moussawi, a spokesman for the Iraqi general overseeing the offensive, said the number of violent deaths reported in the capital had fallen from 40-50 a day to 10.

The commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad confirmed violence had declined but warned of tough days ahead. He said "bloodthirsty" militants were lying low, trying to get a measure of the thousands of troops sweeping across the city.

The U.S. military said it had no indication the al Qaeda leader in Iraq had been wounded or killed after Iraqi Interior Ministry sources said Abu Ayyub al-Masri had been wounded in clashes with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad.

The talks between Maliki and Bush were the first reported between the two since Operation Imposing Law got under way.

"The plan has achieved brilliant success in its early days and the government will deal firmly with any outlaw group, regardless of their affiliation," a statement from the prime minister's office quoted Maliki as telling Bush.

Maliki, a Shi'ite, has frustrated his U.S. backers with his reluctance to confront the Mehdi Army, a Shi'ite militia that Washington calls the greatest threat in Iraq.

Major-General Joseph Fil Jr, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, told Pentagon reporters the dip in violence was likely to be temporary while gunmen halted attacks to assess the situation. He said attacks by the Mehdi Army had declined.

"They are watching us carefully," Fil said.

"There is an air of suspense throughout the city, expectation if you will, and we believe there's no question about it -- many of these extremists are lying low and watching to see what it is we do and how we do it," Fil said.

"We do not believe that that is going to continue. We do expect there are going to be some very rough, difficult days ahead. This enemy, they understand lethality and they have a thirst for blood like I have never seen anywhere before."

I still find it ironic that we invaded another country and are surprised that people are fighting back and, given the history of the country, fighting each other. This crackdown is going to work for all of a minute and then we'll be back to where we started from - again!

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Million More Refugees

We couldn't handle Katrina "refugees" properly (and still haven't). You know we have no clue how to handle this:

Unrelenting violence and insecurity in Iraq could cause as many as 1 million Iraqis to flee their homes this year, the world's migration body said Friday.

"The numbers of people that are being displaced are increasing every day," said Jemini Pandaya, spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration. "The security situation is not improving. It's not changing."

Pandaya said the organization's estimate was made "on the assumption that security conditions will continue much as they are."

The possibility of neighboring countries, such as Syria, closing their borders would mean even more of the displaced would only be able to get as far as other parts of Iraq.

On Thursday, the U.N. refugee agency appealed to the European Union to do more to protect refugees fleeing Iraq, saying the war was the cause of the biggest displacement of people in the Middle East in recent history.

This is such a mess ... just such, such a mess.

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I Hate Bigoted People

Good! Tim Hardaway is banned from the All-Star Games this weekend. When I heard the clip on news the other morning, all I could say was "huh?" He says he's sorry now but everyone knows he meant every single word. I hear a lot of people defending his right to free speech and to express his opinion. In America, that is absolutely the case but so is accepting the repercussions of saying exactly how you feel. He is free to hate whomever he wants and the NBA has the right to invite and/or dis-invite whomever they want. Now he can stay his sorry ass home.

The NBA has kicked Tim Hardaway to the curb in the wake of his recent anti-gay remarks during a radio interview.

This means the former Miami Heat guard’s scheduled appearances on behalf of the league during All-Star weekend have been cancelled.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement Thursday.

Hardaway’s All-Star ban comes after the retired player released a statement apologizing for his remarks during the interview on Miami’s Dan Le Betard Show on 790 The Ticket. When the former athlete was asked about the recent coming out of ex-NBA player John Amaechi, Hardaway responded:

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."

When show host Dan Le Batard told Hardaway those comments were "flatly homophobic" and "bigotry," the player continued: "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

In Hardaway’s apology issued Thursday by his agent, he said: "As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause. I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions.

"I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society," he said. "I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."

Too late dude! The people who hate bigots will not allow you to play in anymore reindeer games.

Will They Stop Please?

Why are they still trying to deny that Iraq is an utter and complete disaster? Why do they keep lying and spinning?

Surely, at this stage, the White House would be willing to admit that conditions in Iraq following the 2003 invasion haven't gone exactly according to plan? White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked about this today at the daily briefing, following the release of military documents from 2002 that revealed that the U.S. expected that by now a token American force of 5,000 would be able to keep things under control in Iraq -- and the occupation would require only a two or three month "stabilization" period.

"What went wrong?" the reporter reasonably asked.

Snow replied: "I'm not sure anything went wrong."

He elaborated: "At the beginning of the Civil War, people thought it would all be over at Manassas. It is very difficult -- no, Jessica, the fact is, a war is a big, complex thing. And what you're talking about is a 2002 assessment. We're now in the year 2007, and it is well-known by anybody who has studied any war that war plans immediately become moot upon the first contact with the enemy.

The Iraqi people are not our enemy. Saddam Hussein wasn't a credible enemy of the US. We invaded a sovereign nation and thousands upon thousands are being killed every day because of our actions. I wouldn't even call it a war. It is an invasion and occupation that has unleashed nothing but chaos and death. Every time they speak, I get disgusted.

So Much For The Case Against Iran

Image via marclamonthill.com

I listened to Bush's "yada yada, blah blah blah" press conference yesterday (well, as much of it as I could stomach) as he tried to place clear blame on Iran for the IEDs that having been going off in Iraq almost since we invaded four years ago. I'm not buying his BS because he is a liar and this looks like proof!

Yesterday on The Mike Malloy Show, guest hosts Ray Hanania and Aaron Freeman discovered something interesting about the Pentagon's reporting of Iran supplying mortars made in Iran that were blowing up our troops. The story is on line at Telegraph.uk.co.

Take a look at the picture below that was in the article showing the mortar the Iranians alledgedly supplied and see if you see anything strange:

The Iranian mortar has English letters and numerals. The 81mm size of the mortar is also consistant with the types manufactured by the U.S. for our artillery. The type used for Iranian artillery matches the old Soviet 82mm mortars. I suppose the Iranians are just trying to confuse us. (emphasis mine)

Remember the WW II slogan Kilroy was here? Can you imagine seeing an old Japanese torpedo in Pearl Harbor with that slogan in English painted on it? The Japanese might have claimed that the "Day of Infamy" was caused by friendly fire. So much for the case against Iran.

We have got to stop this man, who actually does want to declare all out war in the Middle East, before he kills more.

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Harry Is Giving Them Hell

I am loving this!

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this afternoon announced that the Senate would take a rare Saturday vote on whether to consider the House resolution, which is expected to pass that chamber Friday, with some Republican support.

If the Saturday vote succeeds, Reid said he may cancel the upcoming week-long recess, scrambling campaign plans for at least six presidential candidates.

The House resolution expresses support for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq, but objects to Bush's plan to increase combat forces by 21,500.

"We are determined to give our troops and the American people the debate they deserve," Reid said.

In particular, Democrats are calling the bluff of a group of Republican senators who oppose the escalation, but who joined with their GOP leadership to block the earlier Democratic-led resolution from coming to a vote, in an effort to force Democrats to allow a pro-administration measure to be offered.

When the House floated a much simpler text, Senate Democratic leaders quickly gravitated to it, believing Republicans would find it harder to block.

"On the one hand, they have their president and on the other hand, they have their constituencies," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). "They're diametrically opposed to one another. And now they can't duck it any more."

The GOP keeps saying the Democrats are weak but they are the ones who need to get a backbone and stand up to our tyrant of a President.

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Wow and Gee Whiz!

It's one thing to say that folks shouldn't be so obsessed with being politically correct. It's another thing to just unleash a hateful tirade just because you have a right to your own opinion.

One week after retired NBA player John Amaechi publically identified himself as gay, retired Heat guard Tim Hardaway said on a Miami radio show that he would not want to play with a gay man.

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said Wednesday, according to a transcript on the Miami Herald Web site. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Hardaway was a guest on the show and was asked at the end of the interview how he would handle having a gay teammate.

''First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team,'' Hardaway answered. "And second of all, if he was on my team, I would really distance myself from him because I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room. But stuff like that is going on and there's a lot of other people I hear that are like that and still in the closet and don't want to come out of the closet, but you know I just leave that alone.''

Hardaway doesn't think he's alone in that view, either.

''Something has to give,'' he said. "And I think the majority of players would ask for him to be traded or they would want to be traded...If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that are upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate.''

He later apologized for the remarks during a telephone interview with FOX affiliate WSVN in Miami.

"Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."

Tim Hardaway probably doesn't have a clue how many gay men he is playing with or has played with. I hear it is not unusual in professional sports just as it is in any other profession. I don't know what got into him to send him off like that. Why is he so afraid and hateful? Hmmmmm ...

Who's The Stalker Now?

Okay, whether you believe OJ did it or not, he's forever painted as a psycho stalker. Why can't Fred Goldman sit down somewhere?

Fred Goldman will stop at nothing to get whatever money he can from O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his son, Ron Goldman, and her friend, Nicole Brown Simpson, yet found liable of the crimes in a 1997 civil trial that resulted in a $33.5 million judgment.

Goldman’s attorneys subpoenaed several Hollywood industry groups on Monday, seeking money Simpson was paid for TV appearances and work in such movies as "Naked Gun 33 and 1/3" and "The Towering Inferno." Goldman’s team believes Simpson diverted the residual payments to avoid paying any of the judgment.

"We're going to burrow to the center of the earth to find Simpson's assets," Goldman lawyer David Cook told Reuters. "These subpoenas today seek to uncover and unearth Simpson's catalog or portfolio of movie residuals."

The subpoenas demand records kept by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Producers Guild of America and the American Federation of Television Radio Artists (AFTRA), which Goldman's lawyers believe will show how much Simpson has been paid and where the money has gone.

Even though his son's life ended in the worst kind of way, IT IS OVER! OJ was acquitted. He has four children of his own whom, no matter what his father did or didn't do, deserve to inherit their father's estate. I understand that grief can be debilitating but Goldman is acting as crazy as OJ supposedly was and is coming off as nothing more than a greedy, money grubbing ass!

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And You'll Know They Are Christians By Their Love

I guess I kinda knew that trouble would follow when the John Edwards campaign tapped Amanda Marcotte and Shakespeare's Sister to blog and provide technical assistance. They make some pretty blunt and powerful statements on their blogs but leave it to some whacked out Catholics to exhibit the exact opposite of what Jesus taught:

Because I had the nerve to be critical of the Catholic church’s stance on birth control and abortion—nevermind their political opposition to distributing condoms to fight HIV, a stance that has helped usher thousands and possibly millions to their untimely deaths—I’ve gotten a number of letters from people who call themselves "Christians", as Bill Donohue also calls himself. Christians are people who are supposed to follow the behavior and teachings of Jesus Christ. I mention this, because it seems to me that therefore, when Christians are contemplating an action that is morally questionable, it appears they should consult the Bible before acting.

Luckily, I happen to have a Bible laying around this house, because even though I’m not a Christian, I was an English major, and it is important to Know Your Ancient Mythologies if you are reading poetry. And I flipped to this passage that seems to have solid advice on what to do if you’ve got some asshole dragging a woman in front of an angry crowd and yelling, “SINNER!”:

You have to see to believe some of the vile and vicious emails these folks will be sending them. With as many issues that I have with the Catholic Church, I've never met people like this who can spew venom then talk about God with a straight face.
Do they not understand who Jesus was? They couldn't possibly understand.

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I'm Just Tired

... of these ignorant folks! In case you didn't know, this is America and in America, white folks don't pick fruit or clean toilets. That's why we had slavery and that is why we now have virtually free labor coming across the border from Mexico.

Karl Rove was quoted telling a group of conservatives he supports President Bush’s immigration policies because “I don’t want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas.” ABC reports: “The White House does not deny that Rove made the remark but claims it has been taken out of context. … Rove was not insulting those people in those jobs, the White House explained, he was, according to Perino, saying that every parent wants their child to have a high-skilled, high-wage job.”

Somebody has to be a grunt. But, it has to stop being exclusively people of color. All black and brown people are asking for is equal opportunity for the good and bad. Those other folks think they are too good to do the bad.

Why Does Russia Hate America?

Well, we knew it was coming. Russia is speaking up.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday blamed U.S. policy for inciting other countries to seek nuclear weapons to defend themselves from an "almost uncontained use of military force" - a stinging attack that underscored growing tensions between Washington and Moscow.

"Unilateral, illegitimate actions have not solved a single problem, they have become a hotbed of further conflicts," Putin said at a security forum attracting senior officials from around the world.

"One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way."

The Bush administration said it was "surprised and disappointed" by Putin's remarks. "His accusations are wrong," said Gordon Johndroe, Bush's national security spokesman.

Unfortunately, his accusations aren't wrong. We've set the world on fire and have made unnecessary enemies in every corner of the globe.

Knock Me Over With A Feather

Arabs don't like Bush.

A new poll on Thursday underscored deep Arab unhappiness with the United States but said the negative image could be repaired if Washington brokered a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement.

The survey of 3,850 people in six Arab countries rated President George W. Bush as the most disliked world leader, while the United States and Israel were viewed as significantly greater threats than Iran.

Sixty-seven percent of the respondents said the United States could improve its image by brokering a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement.

A smaller number -- 33 percent -- said this image change could happen if Washington withdrew its troops from Iraq.

The results show the Arab-Israeli conflict "remains the central prism through which people are evaluating the United States," even when the international focus is on the Iraq war and nuclear crisis with Iran, said Shibley Telhami of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Major powers recently backed a U.S. push to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planning to travel to the region next week.

Based on face-to-face interviews conducted for the Saban Center by the Zogby International polling firm last November and December, attitudes were surveyed in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and United Arab Emirates.

Respondents were asked to identify which world leader outside of their own country they disliked most.

Bush was named by 38 percent, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by 11 percent, current Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by 7 percent and British Prime Minister Tony Blair by 3 percent.

And somebody needed to take a poll for this?

Anna Nicole Smith Dead!

I get a few seconds to blog today and this comes across the wire! OMG!

Reality TV star and former model Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead Thursday after being taken to a Florida hospital, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Smith, 39, collapsed at a south Florida hotel, according to news reports.

"I can confirm that she is deceased. It's as shocking to me as to you guys," Smith's attorney, Ronald Rale, told Reuters. "I don't know anything further. [Her lawyer and husband] Howard [K. Stern], obviously, is speechless and grieving."

TMZ.com had reported that Smith collapsed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood just after 2 p.m. ET.

According to reports, Smith was found unresponsive in her hotel room.

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Tiny Footprints In The Snow

Okay. I'm going back to my license to breed stance. This is positively unforgivable!

The father of a young girl who died of exposure had knocked her unconscious because he was angry, then took her outside in subfreezing temperatures and left her there, police said before the man's arraignment Thursday.

Nyia Miangel Page, who was about to turn 2, was found dead Sunday on a wooded knoll about a 10 minute walk from the family's home. Tiny footprints in the snow suggested she had gotten up and wandered around before she died, police said.

Her father, William Lorenzo Page, 23, of Braddock, was arrested on charges of criminal homicide, kidnapping, false reports and simple assault. He did not have an attorney in court Thursday morning, and was jailed without bond.

Page told police he woke up early Saturday and found the girl awake and playing near a mirror in the hallway, according to the criminal complaint. He said he got mad when the girl wouldn't go back to bed so he hit her so hard she hit her head and was unconscious, the complaint said.

Page then took her outside wrapped in a blanket and left her, police said.

Someone just told me she saw him on TV in an orange jumpsuit ... and grinning!

Viacom on Haterade

This makes no sense to me. There is almost nothing that airs on TV that doesn't pop up on You Tube within minutes/hours. I have watched more clips from various TV programs and it's made me more likely to visit the site. Why are making You Tube yank them down.

Viacom, the parent firm of cable networks MTV and Nickelodeon, has told popular video sharing site YouTube to remove 100,000 "unauthorised" clips.

YouTube and its parent Google failed to install tools to "filter" the unauthorised video clips, said Viacom.

The firm said after talks over several months YouTube seemed "unwilling to come to a fair market agreement" to let readers access Viacom content.

YouTube has said it will comply with Viacom's request.

'Passionate audience'

The firm said that it works with "all copyright holders to identify and promptly remove infringing content" as soon as it is officially notified.

But it added that it was "unfortunate" that Viacom would no longer be able to "benefit from YouTube's passionate audience which had helped promote many of Viacom's shows".

Well, boo hiss to them! They shouldn't be at war with You Tube, they should be thanking them for giving them another outlet for their programs.

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What Happened To Protect and Serve?

I'll bet these same officers would have the audacity to claim they were pro-life. This is reprehensible.

Two Kansas City police officers were suspended with pay Thursday as an investigation continued into their actions last year when they stopped a pregnant woman who later miscarried.

The suspension of officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell is indefinite, police spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart said.

At a news conference Thursday at police headquarters, Chief James Corwin said the officers' behavior is "inconsistent with the values and policies of this department and inconsistent with the training they received in the police academy." Corwin read from a written statement and declined to answer reporters' questions.

The Feb. 5, 2006, incident in which Spencer and Schnell stopped Sudanese native Sofia Salva for a fake temporary car tag was captured on videotape. Police released the tape Tuesday, days after Salva filed a wrongful death and personal injuries lawsuit against the department and the two officers.

In her suit, Salva, 32, claims the officers ignored her repeated pleas for medical attention. In the video of the stop, Salva tells police she is three months pregnant, bleeding and needs to go to the hospital.

The officers arrested Salva after learning she had outstanding city warrants for endangering children, trespassing, driving while suspended and other traffic violations. The endangering allegation stemmed from a 2002 incident in which Salva was accused of leaving her three children home alone while she went to the store.

Salva says jailers allowed her medical attention the morning after the stop and that she delivered a premature baby boy who died a minute after birth.