Bodies, Bodies Everywhere

It seems that women being brutally murdered by suitors is becoming the norm. Police have found this body and this body.
It's downright frightening and it seems to be open season on women.

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This Is Getting So Stupid

Sadly, stupid is the middle name of any number of lawful Americans.

In his speeches and often on the Internet, the part of Sen. Barack Obama's biography that gets the most attention is not his race but his connections to the Muslim world.

Since declaring his candidacy for president in February, Obama, a member of a congregation of the United Church of Christ in Chicago, has had to address assertions that he is a Muslim or that he had received training in Islam in Indonesia, where he lived from ages 6 to 10. While his father was an atheist and his mother did not practice religion, Obama's stepfather did occasionally attend services at a mosque there.

Despite his denials, rumors and e-mails circulating on the Internet continue to allege that Obama (D-Ill.) is a Muslim, a "Muslim plant" in a conspiracy against America, and that, if elected president, he would take the oath of office using a Koran, rather than a Bible, as did Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the only Muslim in Congress, when he was sworn in earlier this year.

Why would he even dignify this level of hate speech with a response? This kind of stuff makes my behind itch.

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Backtracking To When The War Began

We finally make the deal that the Sunnis offered us when we first invaded.

Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents joined a security pact with American forces Wednesday in what U.S. officers described as a critical step in plugging the remaining escape routes for extremists flushed from former strongholds.

The new alliance - called the single largest single volunteer mobilization since the war began - covers the "last gateway" for groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq seeking new havens in northern Iraq, U.S. military officials said.

U.S. commanders have tried to build a ring around insurgents who fled military offensives launched earlier this year in the western Anbar province and later into Baghdad and surrounding areas. In many places, the U.S.-led battles were given key help from tribal militias - mainly Sunnis - that had turned again al-Qaida and other groups.

Extremists have sought new footholds in northern areas once loyal to Saddam Hussein's Baath party as the U.S.-led gains have mounted across central regions. But their ability to strike near the capital remains.

So are we going to end up giving all power to the Sunnis the way ever other invader has done over the past 100 years?

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This Isn't New Or News

Well, this is interesting but not a new thing. I went to the Bahamas in 1982 just after college and remember seeing the island men hooked up with "old looking" white women who seemed to be paying their way. Now it seems that show has been taken to Kenya.

Emerging alongside this black market trade — and obvious in the bars and on the sand once the sun goes down — are thousands of elderly white women hoping for romantic, and legal, encounters with much younger Kenyan men.

They go dining at fine restaurants, then dancing, and back to expensive hotel rooms overlooking the coast.

“One type of sex tourist attracted the other,” said one manager at a shorefront bar on Mombasa’s Bamburi beach.

“Old white guys have always come for the younger girls and boys, preying on their poverty … But these old women followed … they never push the legal age limits, they seem happy just doing what is sneered at in their countries.”

Experts say some thrive on the social status and financial power that comes from taking much poorer, younger lovers.

“This is what is sold to tourists by tourism companies — a kind of return to a colonial past, where white women are served, serviced, and pampered by black minions,” said Nottinghan University’s Davidson.

Social status and financial power? Looking for a return to a colonial past? Black minons? Please! I went to see This Christmas over Thanksgiving break and actually thought I was in the wrong theater for a minute because I was surrounded, as in seriously out numbered, by pubescent little white teeny boppers girls. I wondered what was going on but then remembered that young performer Chis Brown was in the movie. Other friends (middle aged friends) say they had the same experience at other local theaters. That little boy doesn't stand a chance in America or anyplace in the Western world given that kind of fixation. He's not poor in any way and definitely won't be providing any service but entertaining a constant stream of groupies with knee pads.

I guess traveling to Kenya or the islands makes it more of an anonymous adventure but, unlike the old days, these young girls have no shame in being in brazen pursuit. I find it fascinating.

Why I Embrace Heathenism

It's this kind of foolish, irrational madness ... !

It probably seemed like the most innocent of ideas to the newly arrived teacher from England, still settling into life in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. She asked her class of six and seven-year-olds to dress up and name a teddy bear, and keep a diary of his outings. She hoped it would provide material for projects for the rest of the year. And it might have, except for the name the children chose for their bear: Muhammad.

Now Gillian Gibbons, 54, is spending her second night in a Sudanese prison, accused of insulting Islam's Prophet. She faces a public lashing or up to six months in prison if found guilty on charges of blasphemy. And Unity High School — one of a number of exclusive British-run schools in the Sudanese capital — has been closed as staff fear reprisals from Islamic extremists. Robert Boulos, the school's director, said the incident had been blown out of all proportion, but added that the school would remain closed until January to let ill feelings blow over.

"This was a completely innocent mistake," he said in an office decorated with sepia photographs dating back to the school's colonial heyday. "Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

Police raided the school, where Gibbons also lives, on Sunday.

"We tried to reason with them but we felt they were coming under strong pressure from Islamic courts," said Boulus. "There were men with big beards asking where she was and saying they wanted to kill her."

A similar angry crowd had gathered by the time she arrived at the Khartoum police station where she is being held.

Unity, founded early in the last century, is one of several British schools run along Christian lines in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. Its high brick walls shut out the dust of everyday Sudanese life, transporting the visitor into the shady courtyard of an Oxbridge college or English private school. Many of its pupils come from well-to-do Sudanese families keen for their children to get the best education that money can buy. But Sudan is ruled by religious conservatives. Sharia law was introduced in 1991; alcohol is banned and women must wear head scarves.

Doesn't the Sudan have enough problems without adding this to the international scandal plate? This is just plain stupid!

Senseless

This is positively senseless and I don't want to talk about it!

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died a day after he was shot and wounded in his Miami home, Taylor's former attorney Richard Sharpstein said Tuesday.

Sean Taylor never regained consciousness after being taken to a hospital, says his ex-attorney.

Sharpstein told CNN that the football player was shot Monday during an attempted robbery and died later at a hospital.

"The blood loss was too much. He didn't make it," Sharpstein told CNN. "He did supposedly squeeze a nurse's hand. I wasn't there," said Sharpstein. "But obviously that was either some kind of response or muscle reaction and not any sign for the better."

He never regained consciousness after the shooting, Sharpstein said. "It's a senseless, tragic death that was so unnecessary, another example of the incessant violence in -- not only our community but our country -- now."

Something Is Amiss in Mississippi

Why on earth would Trent Lott up and resign just a year into his new term? Something smells fishy about this ...

Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott announced Monday he will leave a 35-year career in Congress in which he epitomized the Republicans' political takeover of the South after the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Lott said he wanted to leave on a "positive note. He was first elected to Congress on the coattails of Richard Nixon's re-election landslide in 1972 - with 72 percent of the vote in Mississippi.

His decision to retire by year's end occurred five years after he was bounced as the leader of his party in the Senate over remarks praising a Senate colleague that were interpreted as endorsing segregation.

Lott rebounded a year ago, winning re-election to a fourth term in the Senate and narrowly defeating Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander for the party's No. 2 post lining up and counting votes as GOP whip behind Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

He can't leave on a positive note when his term is up? Something isn't right, I tell ya! I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

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The Point Was To Inhale

Some people are up in arms about Obama's honestly but I think it is a riot ... and I agree!

Earlier this week in New Hampshire Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke candidly about his past experimentation with drugs and alcohol in high school, and on Saturday—after a question on medicinal marijuana—Obama was prodded a bit further and asked whether or not he had ever inhaled.

"I did," the senator from Illinois said to light applause. "It's not something I'm proud of. It was a mistake as a young man."

The question was a reference to a line made famous by former President Bill Clinton who, while admitting to trying marijuana, said he did not inhale.

"I never understood that line," Obama continued. "The point was to inhale. That was the point."

On the campaign trail on Saturday, GOP White House hopeful Mitt Romney said Obama's earlier comments set a bad example for young people.

"I agree with the sentiment that nobody's perfect and most of us, if not all of us, in our youthful years have engaged in various indiscretions we wouldn't want to have paraded in the front of a newspaper," the former Massachusetts governor said in New Hampshire. "On the other hand if we're running for president, I think it's important for us not to go into details about the weaknesses and our own failings as young people for the concern that we open kids thinking that it's ok for them."

It's not something that I am proud or ashamed of. Doing dumb or ill-advised things in youth is part of growing up. Neither Barack nor I ruined our lives by taking a hit or two from a joint. The only thing "kids" need to understand is that when you are impaired - via drugs, alcohol or anything else - your judgment may become cloudy and you may do some other things you may regret - sometimes things that have long lasting or permanent consequences. I don't have children but do have younger relatives. I presume that they will do the same kinds of things that I did. No amount of preaching will change that - particularly when they don't see any ill effects in the adults around them. Teach responsibility and accountability and that is about all you can do.

If they really need convincing that excessive drug use can be detrimental, have them view footage of our current President and watch him try to construct complete and coherent sentences.

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This Sickens Me

I think we are going to have hell to pay for what this war of aggression and choice has done to so many young lives ...

Hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq have committed suicide since the war began in 2003, though this subject is kept quiet by the military. As E&P has documented in recent months, the deaths are announced as "noncombat" with the only details that they are "under investigation." But local newspapers often find out the true cause from surviving family or friends, and occasionally from nearby military bases.

Some 130 are now officially listed as suicides in Iraq but dozens more being probed, and then there are the suicides in Afghanistan, and hundreds or thousands more back in the U.S., as CBS News recently revealed. Now there is probably one more.

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In Complete Denial

Bush truly has lost all touch with reality. There is nothing close to democracy going on in Pakistan.

President Bush yesterday offered his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who believes in democracy."

Bush spoke nearly three weeks after Musharraf declared emergency rule, sacked members of the Supreme Court and began a roundup of journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. Musharraf's government yesterday released about 3,000 political prisoners, although 2,000 remain in custody, according to the Interior Ministry.

You're So Dumb ...

So, in this survey, apparently the consensus is that people of color hate the "you're so articulate" "compliement" the most.

Ever had someone tell you "You're so articulate" or "You don't seem Mexican" or "You don't think like a woman?" and think they were giving you a compliment? After yesterday's very popular Ask the White Guy, we asked our readers what "compliment" they find most offensive and guess which won, hands down?

That's right—"You're so articulate" is the big winner. But there were plenty of others as well. Read what everyone said.

I can't say I've heard that one in a while. Now it is subtle derivatives where I am asked where I am from or where my parents are from ... with some expecting that I am "West Indian" or "African" because, God forbid, a black person who is a product of the slave/jim crow system speak in complete and understandable sentences, be well read, have college educated parents and grandparents ... yada, yada ...

While I know that race is no indicator of intelligence, how would white folks (and Lord knows I know how to divvy them up by ethnicity and class) feel if I looked at them when they said something stupid and I remarked, "Wow, I can't believe how dumb you are!"

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More Great News From One Of Our Allies

The neo-cons are lying about Iraq suddenly becoming the land of freedom for women when they had more freedom under Saddam than most other Arab nations and now Iraqi women are worse off than women in lands where discrimination is on the books. Yet, one of our staunchest allies is doing mess like this!

According to the Arab News newspaper, the 19-year-old woman, who is from Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, was gang-raped 14 times in an attack in the eastern province a year-and-a-half ago.

Seven men from the majority Sunni community were found guilty of the rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from just under a year to five years.

But the victim was also punished for violating Saudi Arabia's laws on segregation that forbid unrelated men and women from associating with each other. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the car of a strange man.

On appeal, the Arab News reported that the punishment was not reduced but increased to 200 lashes and a six-month prison sentence.

The rapists also had their prison terms doubled. But the sentences are still low considering they could have faced the death penalty.

The Arab News quoted an official as saying the judges had decided to punish the girl for trying to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.

The victim's lawyer was suspended from the case, has had his licence to work confiscated, and faces a disciplinary session.

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Doh!

They call women "hos" in Australia?

Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.

"Leave Santa alone."

A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

Leave Santa alone!

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Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Gotta Be Startin' Somethin'

Gee! This is a novel concept. Start a controversy to sell albums.

The rapper told MTV News that he would indeed be naming his new album after the N-word. And he denied earlier reports that the album's title would be spelled "N---a," considered in some circles a less inflammatory epithet. He said the disc is due out December 11.

"(People) shouldn't trip off the (album's) title; the songs are crazier than the title," he said in an interview posted on MTV's Web site.

But some have been outraged by the rapper's choice.

"The title using the 'N' word is morally offensive and socially distasteful. Nas has the right to degrade and denigrate in the name of free speech, but there is no honor in it," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a news release. "Radio and television stations have no obligation to play it and self-respecting people have no obligation to buy it. I wish he would use his talents to lift up and inspire, not degrade."

There were reports that his label, Def Jam, had scuttled the title idea. But Nas told MTV that he has had no opposition from the label, and said his intent in naming the album the N-word was to take the sting out of it.

"We're taking power from the word," he added. "No disrespect to none of them who were part of the civil rights movement, but some ... in the streets don't know who (civil rights activist) Medgar Evers was ... they know who Nas is," the rapper said, referring to the Mississippi civil rights leader fatally shot in the 1960s outside his home in Jackson.

"And to my older people who don't know who Nas is and who don't know what a street disciple is, stay outta this (expletive) conversation. We'll talk to you when we're ready. Right now, we're on a whole new movement. We're taking power from that word."

A representative for Def Jam did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment from The Associated Press sent after business hours.

Can they please stop calling Jesse for quotes? There was no "honor" in being a married man who had a child with another woman so he needs to shut up! As for the album name? This move is so transparent it doesn't even merit acknowledgment. But, I guess, it will give yet another old white dude (who would otherwise be complaining that he doesn't understand what rappers are saying) an excuse to use the word they've been using their whole life.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!

I guess $168 million is relative in Michael Jordan's world but DAY-UM!!!

Michael Jordan is setting a record with his divorce as he prepares to pay his former wife an unprecedented settlement of more than $168 million.

Last December, when Jordan, 44, and his wife Juanita, 48, split up, the athlete balked at signing the settlement. Insiders claim that negotiations have added $41 million to the final deal.

The final severance package for Juanita Jordan, which includes the couple’s seven-acre estate in Chicago and custody of their three children, is expected to be agreed before the first anniversary of their last row – which was said to be about money.

Juanita put up with a lot of Michael's cheating, gambling and arrogant behavior over the years and she's definitely got more patience than I because I probably wouldn't have held out long enough in the marriage to be able to leverage this amount. Sheesh! The things people do for love ... and money!

More Non-Democratic Antics From Our Dictator Ally In Pakistan

Stifling public protests is a great way to encourage the "war on terror!"

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest for the second time in a week to prevent her staging a march on Tuesday to protest emergency rule, police said. A close aide to the former prime minister said she would try to lead the 185-mile procession anyway.

The showdown intensified the political crisis engulfing Pakistan and further clouded the prospect of a pro-U.S. alliance against rising Islamic extremism forming between Bhutto and President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto's aide, Sen. Safdar Abbasi, said the seven-day detention order was not binding because neither Bhutto nor one of her representatives had been served with the document.

"We will go ahead with the march," he told The Associated Press.

Quit Yer Bitchin'

50 Cent finally took a crying break from bitching about Oprah not having him on her show so now Nelly has a beef with Essence Magazine.

You look at Essence magazine, and they wouldn’t put a rapper on the cover…They wouldn’t put Nelly on the cover of Essence. Why? I don’t know. Would I like to do it? Of course I would. Why not?

You wouldn’t put me on the cover because of the ‘Tip Drill’ video … that’s probably your main focus,” he added. “But yet still, you put Halle Berry on the cover. She’s had a 15-minute sex scene with some white guy in front of a couch … I mean you can’t tell me that ‘Tip Drill’ was worse than watching that sex scene between Billy Bob (Thornton) and Halle Berry. You can’t tell me that. That was longer than four or five minutes. You feel what I’m sayin’?

Uh yeah. A sex scene in a movie that won her an Oscar (and I admit I refuse to watch Bill Bob Thornton do anything - particularly with a black woman) is somehow comparable to him making an entire living on songs about women's asses and other assets? I seem to recall Essence being part of the campaign to "take back the music." While "Drill Tip was the song of the day and the one highlighted as part of the campaign, his other songs and those of his peers fall into the same category of misogyny. I conclude he really is that slow and cannot grasp the difference. The very essence of Nelly is not Essence-worthy. Now, somebody tell him to go sit down! (I'm going to sit down too ... so I can grumble about these wanna be thugs who can't seem to stop whining like little piss ants when reputable people/establishments don't want to be associated with them). Then again, I should be ROTFL that he thinks he's on a par with Halle Berry! He must have consumed too much of that Pimp Juice mess he sells. The sense of entitlement and delusions of grandeur these dudes have boggles my mind.

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Wait A Minute! What?

Huh?!!! What year is this? I'm getting so confused. Lately I feel like I've been in a time machine. Why are white folks acting like they just found out water was wet? Why are they "slipping up" all over the place? Who says this kind of stuff anymore?

A state representative in a runoff election infuriated civil rights leaders after she ended a conversation with the mother of the NAACP's local president by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat."

State Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, D-Morgan City, acknowledged she made the remark during a Thursday night telephone conversation with Hazel Boykin to thank her for driving voters to the polls.

Buckwheat, a black child character in the "Little Rascals" comedies of the 1930s and '40s, is viewed as a racial stereotype demeaning to black people.

Hazel Boykin's son, Jerome, is the NAACP's president in Terrebonne Parish. She is well-known as a 1960s civil rights activist, helping to desegregate restaurants and the parish school system.

"I've never had no one talk to me that way and I considered it a racial slur," said Hazel Boykin. "I know the meaning of it, it's just like the N word."

The 75-year-old retiree said even when she was active in the civil rights movement in the racially charged atmosphere of the 1960s "I never got that kind of response."

On Monday, Jerome Boykin said he planned a news conference to ask voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.

"At this point, the NAACP is not concerned about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. If a Republican is elected because of her racist remarks, that's her responsibility," said Jerome Boykin.

Dartez did not immediately return a call Monday.

"I made an insensitive comment, and I regret my choice of words," Dartez said in a statement reported by The (Houma) Courier newspaper. "I have apologized to both Hazel and Jerome Boykin. The Boykin family has been a huge help in my campaign for re-election, and I did not mean to offend them."

But Hazel Boykin disagreed and said Dartez still has not personally apologized to her.

Again ... what?!?!

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Kanye's Mom Passes

This is sad news. Even though I'm no huge fan of Kanye or his music, mama's boys never take it well when mama dies -- particularly this suddenly.

Donda West, mother of Kanye West and former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department, has died, a spokesman for the rapper said. She was 58.

Donda West died Saturday night in Los Angeles, said the spokesman, who asked for anonymity because not all family members had been notified.

"The family respectfully asks for privacy during this time of grief," the spokesman said.

A cause of death has not been released.

Donda West was known for the strong bond she shared with her son, by whose side she was often seen at parties and award shows.

Kanye West, 30, often spoke of his close relationship with his mother, who raised him alone after her husband left when Kanye was 3.

She was the inspiration for the song, "Hey Mama," on Kanye West's 2005 album "Late Registration," in which he sings: "Hey Mama, I wanna scream so loud for you, cuz I'm so proud of you ... I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me."

Donda West frequently defended her son against critics who accused him of penning misogynistic lyrics and other purported transgressions.

"I support my baby," she said in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. "He is telling how he feels and he is speaking the truth as he sees it."

Keep Kanye and family in your prayers.

Michael, Michael, Michael ...

How I loved you when you were a little boy. You were such a man. Now, just like twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are ...


Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I still have the memories, though ... and old album jackets.

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It's War With China

This is the last straw! Curious George? How can you send us poisonous Curious George dolls?

About 175,000 Curious George Plush Dolls were recalled Thursday, becoming the latest popular toy made in China found to be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead.

Manufactured by Marvel Toys, of New York, N.Y., the Curious George dolls contain excessive levels of lead in their surface paint, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Although no reports of illnesses connected to this product have been reported, lead is toxic if ingested by young children. Children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Can we get serious here? These toy companies are willing to risk the damage and death of American children in order to make a bigger buck? I have to draw the line at Curious George! It's time to invade!

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Seven Countries May Dump The Dollar

"Friends" like Saudi Arabia and foes like Iran are looking for currency other than the US dollar.

It’s no secret that the dollar is on a downward spiral. Its value is dropping, and the Fed isn’t doing a whole lot to change that. As a result, a number of countries are considering a shift away from the dollar to preserve their assets. These are seven of the countries currently considering a move from the dollar, and how they’ll have an effect on its value and the US economy.

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Dog Cry'nin On Larry King

So, I caught a bit of Larry King last night and saw Dog Chapman snotting and crying all over the place. I really wish these folks would quit while they are ahead. I heard the tape. His explanations don't match the context and the tone used in the recording. I have no idea where he was coming from. But, what we have is yet another "angry white male" lashing out at the perpetual path of least resistance - black folks.

Michael Richards was probably just frustrated. He'd had no major success or exposure since Seinfeld and was basically reduced to attempting stand-up at a comedy club with other "has been/never really made it big" folks like Sinbad and Paul Rodriguez. He probably felt he was too good to be stuck with them trying to make a buck. So he lashed out because he was in a job that he didn't feel matched his skill set. That's humiliating. I've been there.

I have no idea what Imus' issue was and he probably has no clue either. He was just used to opening his mouth and saying whatever the heck he wanted. Dog, more than the others, sounded like a full blown redneck racist. People will get over it and he'll get his job back - from somebody. His show probably didn't belong on A&E anyway. Maybe somebody else will pick it up.

"If I could kill myself and people would forgive me, I would do that," he said.

Chapman also specifically apologized to his son's girlfriend, Monique Shinnery. But Shinnery told the Enquirer that Chapman's attorney, not the TV star, called with an apology.

Chapman also said he is making a deal to be buried at a historic slave burial ground near George Washington's Mount Vernon home.

"I want to be buried right where they're at because I will never be forgiven as (long as) I'm alive," Chapman said.

Chapman appeared Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." He told King he had used the N-word not because of Shinnery's race, but to make a point with his son, who had served time for robbery.

"I referenced it, the only word I know, that would hurt his feelings or catch his attention very fast — never as a prejudicial or racial slur or anything like that," Chapman said.

Look, it is really not all that deep to me. My issue has always been the context that he used the word in and it wasn't in a "brotherly" way. For whatever reason, he felt he had the right to use it and say it in whatever way he wanted. He knew it was "wrong" or he wouldn't have told his son that people might take it the wrong if they heard him. Calling her a motherfuckin' nigger is not the same as saying "what up my nigga?" ... He said on Larry King that his family was Anglo-Saxon (I know WASPS of any means or circumstance aren't claiming him) and that none of his kids were married to Anglo-Saxons. So what, in particular, was the problem with this young, very pretty, very brown girl whose family pedigree was much better than his? I would be having a cow if my daughter brought home a recent ex-con (of any color) who'd served time for burglary. The young lady's mother is a retired naval officer. What in the world is she doing associating with folks like Dog and company in the first place? They all look scratchy and make me itch. You'd think he'd be happy that one of his sons was going for an upgrade. (He now claims that his son better marry her after all he put the family through over her).

Dog really needs to be concerned with his family issues. On Larry King one of his other sons, who'd sold him out to the Enquirer years ago too, was on there defending him. Dog's past and all of those random children by random women are going to prove to be the ruination of him and many of their actions may be the result of his irresponsible actions while they were growing up.

Honestly, people can say what they want at home and in the company of friends. I say some WILD stuff myself. If I were famous, it would only be a minute before I became infamous because, surely, someone would take offense to something even if it was just my potty mouth. But there is no way that any member of my family would tell another family member not to bring anyone of any ethnic group (including Anglo-Saxons w/prison records) around because we are too out of control not to insult them. That's what got me - not so much the word itself. How can you tell your child not to date someone because you use racial slurs? Why not guard your tongue? That's why his explanation still escapes me. It makes no sense. He was using the word in a visceral way that I've never heard black people (even mad black people) use. So, of course he's a hot mess and begging for forgiveness and mercy. The histrionics aren't really merited. He's not the first and won't be the last to be caught red-handed necked. He's got a strong fan base of both whites and blacks (who may have been shocked but weren't surprised ... we learn the hard way not to be surprised) and people's TV habits mean more to them than the temporary sting of a racial slur. Like I said, if A&E decides he doesn't fit their programming, CMT or Spike will have a knock down, drag out fight to get him. As long as there is an audience, Dog will continue to be paid - and that's okay because it's the American way. He needs to calm down and stop all that "cry'nin!"

(As a side note, we know his pastor is black. I read that his hair dresser was too ... Lawd, that stylist needs to be shot!)

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How Much Lower Can The Bar Get?

This is getting downright laughable. Bill Maher once spoke of the low hanging fruit we were recruiting into the armed services. Now it seems as though we'll be picking the fruit from the ground and brushing it off.

Faced with higher recruiting goals, the Pentagon is quietly looking for ways to make it easier for people with minor criminal records to join the military, The Associated Press has learned.

The review, in its early stages, comes as the number of Army recruits needing waivers for bad behavior - such as trying drugs, stealing, carrying weapons on school grounds and fighting - rose from 15 percent in 2006 to 18 percent this year. And it reflects the services' growing use of criminal, health and other waivers to build their ranks.

Overall, about three in every 10 recruits must get a waiver, according to Pentagon statistics obtained by AP, and about two-thirds of those approved in recent years have been for criminal behavior. Some recruits must get more than one waiver to cover things ranging from any criminal record, to health problems such as asthma or flat feet, to low aptitude scores - and even for some tattoos.

The goal of the review is to make cumbersome waiver requirements consistent across the services - the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force - and reduce the number of petty crimes that now trigger the process. Still, some Army officers worry that disciplinary problems will grow as more soldiers with records, past drug use and behavior problems are brought in.

Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said the review is necessary. Now, he said, many recruits who were arrested as juveniles for what can be considered youthful indiscretions - minor fights or theft - are forced to get waivers even if they were never convicted of the crime.

I guess they have to take anybody desperate enough for an income to go.

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What's Benny Doing With All Of Those Pennies? What's Creflo Doing With All Of Those Dollars?

I remember once asking someone "what the heck is a Benny Hinn." Then I realized that he was yet another one of these televangelists who invade off channels at odd hours of the day and night. Seems the Senate is wondering what they are doing with all of that money. I recognize most of the names on this list and still find it hard to believe that so many people get sucked in by their side shows.

According to Grassley's office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.

The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar - also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.

A spokesperson for Joyce Meyer Ministries provided CBS News with an IRS letter to the ministry dated October 10, 2007, that stated: "We determined that you continue to qualify as an organization exempt from Federal income tax." The letter could not be independently verified in time for this story. The ministry also pointed to audited financial statements for the last three years that are posted on the organization's website.

In a statement, Benny Hinn's spokesperson, Ronn Torossian, said the ministry was in the process of determining the best course of action in response to the Senate investigation. "World Healing Center Church complies with the laws that govern church and non-profit organizations and will continue to do so," Torossian wrote.

In a statement to CBS News, Creflo Dollar called his ministry an "open book" and said he would comply with any "valid request" from Grassley. But he noted that the inquiry raised questions that could "affect the privacy of every community church in America."

The other three ministries did not respond to requests for comment from CBS News on Monday.

Because they have tax status as churches, the ministries do not have to file IRS 990 forms like other non-profit organizations - leaving much financial information largely behind closed doors.

I think I'm in the wrong line of work.

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The Ruination Of Christian Society In Iraq

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that American Evangelicals aren't nearly as concerned about ancient, devout Christians as they are about Jews in Israel. We have launched the destruction of hundreds and hundreds of years of Christian history in Iraq.

"Christians and Muslims have lived together here for 1,400 years," Cardinal Delly said in an interview. "We have much in common; in Iraq, the Christian house is next to the Muslim house."

Cardinal Delly has a message honed from his many decades living in two worlds: that of Western Europe, where he studied, and that of the largely Muslim Middle East, which is his home.

"I am not happy when people ask, 'How is the situation for Christians?'" he said. "Those who kill don't kill only Christians. They kill Muslims as well — the situation is the same for both."

The Chaldean Church is an Eastern Rite church affiliated with the Roman Catholics but allowed to retain its customs and rites, even when they differ from the traditions of the Roman church. Most Chaldeans live in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, with scattered communities elsewhere in the Middle East. There are two Chaldean communities in the United States, one near Detroit and one near San Diego.

The Chaldeans are the most numerous of Iraq's Christians, although their numbers have plunged since the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Although there is no census, Christian priests estimate that fewer than 500,000 Chaldeans are left in the country, about one million fewer than when Saddam was in power, when the country had about 24 million people. Other Christian sects with small populations in Iraq include Assyrian Christians, Armenian Christians and Sabeans, an ancient sect.

A fluent speaker of Italian, French and his native Arabic as well as some English — he spoke in Italian in this interview — Cardinal Delly has spent his life thinking about the common ground between Muslims and Christians.

He indicates that he views his role in a broad sense as an Iraqi spiritual leader. But he also has spoken up on behalf of Iraq's Christians. During the summer, he and the Assyrian patriarch issued a call for help for Iraq's Christians after a Chaldean priest and three assistants were killed in Mosul.

Iraq's Christians have fared poorly since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, whose government treated them well, needing their support. They have been persecuted primarily by Sunni Arab extremists, who brand them apostates and in some areas have bombed their churches and burned their homes.

And because the Christian population is relatively well off, Christians also have been the targets of kidnappings. Many of those who lived in Baghdad and surrounding areas have moved back to northern Iraq, which was traditionally where most Christians lived. Many more have fled to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or — when they can manage it — Western Europe.

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Not Ready For Prime Time: Big Brother South Africa

I am a reality show junkie but actually took a pass on the most recent season of Big Brother after a couple of episodes. Since many bloggers posted updates from the live feeds, I just found the residents, this time around, more than I wanted to see. America is getting there but Big Brother Africa has taken it someplace where it definitely cannot go. Cultural norms aside, this is still disgusting and criminal!

The sight of a blind-drunk young woman being assaulted by a Big Brother housemate in what may be the most public rape ever has turned the stomachs of millions of television viewers.

The incident, broadcast live by a pay-TV conglomerate across Africa, has prompted denunciations from the continent's great and good. Viewers have flooded newspapers and internet message boards with emails expressing undiluted outrage.

Many of the emails contain photo clips from the programme that appear to show Richard Bezuidenhout (left), a 24-year-old film student from Tanzania, assaulting Ofunneka Molokwu, a 29-year-old medical assistant from Nigeria.

M-Net, which airs the show to a million-plus subscribers in South Africa, disputes the audience's version of events in the Big Brother house in Johannesburg, saying that if a "non-consensual physical relationship" began there, the producers - Endemol SA - would have intervened. "There is no indication that she was unconscious at the time," said Joseph Hundah, an executive at M-Net.

However, viewers of the incident, which took place on Saturday afternoon after an extended drinking bout which ended in copious vomiting and apparent blackout for Molokwu, remain adamant about what they saw: Bezuidenhout lay down next to the comatose young woman and penetrated her vagina with his fingers. He carried on despite the pleas of another female housemate for him stop. Under the law in South Africa - where, on average, a woman is sexually assaulted every 40 seconds - such an act constitutes rape.

Bezuidenhout, who is married, finally desisted and went off to sit by himself while drunkenly sniffing his fingers. At this point the producers of the show did intervene, sending paramedics into the house and cutting the live feed.

Bezuindehout, defending his sexual behaviour in a show that has featured copious nudity, recently told his housemates, "Well, this is Africa."

The contest is due to reach a climax on November 11. But the $100,000 on offer to the winner may prove chump change compared to the settlement sought by Ofunneka (right) and her lawyers once she escapes the Big Brother bubble and views footage of her very public humiliation.

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