Kenya Demanding Cows And Goats From HRC

Only three mere years after one Kenyan government official offered Former President Bill Clinton 40 goats and 20 cows for Chelsea's hand in marriage (and saying that Mrs. Clinton acted like an African woman for standing by her man), Kenya now wants to fine Hillary because of that stupid picture being circulated of Barack Obama wearing traditional Somali clothes. I don't think her campaign had a hand in that. That is classic right-wing, nut job behavior. But they now want her to pay in cows and goats.

Kenyan elders may impose a fine on U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, payable in livestock, after a photo of her rival Barack Obama in robes dragged their people into the race for the White House.

The picture, which appeared on a U.S. Web site, showed the Illinois senator in a white headdress and traditional Somali attire during a 2006 visit to Wajir in Kenya's remote northeast.

Obama has battled a whispering campaign by fringe elements who wrongly say he is Muslim and his aides accused Clinton's campaign of "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering" after the photograph was published.

Wajir elders resolved to file an official complaint with the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, dropping earlier plans to hold a protest after Friday prayers.

They said they would also convene a traditional Somali court to investigate the matter. It can impose fines that are payable in cattle, goats or camels.

"We will go ahead with this case whether Senator Clinton or Democratic party leaders turn up or not," said Mohamed Ibrahim, a member of the clan that hosted Obama during his trip. "But this whole thing can be avoided if only an apology is made."

The late father of the Democratic frontrunner was from western Kenya.

Many in the east African country support Obama the way the Irish idolised U.S. President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s -- as one of their own who succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

... Just more folks caught up in the frenzy over Barack Obama. I'm not sure they know how silly they look making such an antiquated, backwards request. Obama needs to get "his people."

The Greening Of The Hood

I saw this woman on the front of Yoga+ magazine and decided to grab a copy. The story is interesting enough to share ...

Forthright and passionate, wry and eloquent, Majora Carter has the stage at the 2006 TED conference, an annual by-invitation-only “big ideas” gathering of thinkers and doers. (Stewart Brand, Richard Branson, and Bill Clinton have all given TED talks.) Al Gore, also a speaker that year, is in the audience, sitting up front. Carter’s topic is environmental justice: “For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, it goes like this: No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other. Unfortunately, race and class are extremely reliable indicators of where one might find the good stuff, like parks and trees, and the bad stuff, like power plants and waste facilities.... Economic degradation begets environmental degradation which begets social degradation.”

Carter, 41, is leading a turnaround for one such low-income community—the South Bronx, where she grew up—which has long been famous for its crime and decay, but also for being the place where New York City does its dirty work: It is the dumping ground for 25 percent of New York City’s waste, the site of four power plants, a sewage sludge plant, and a food distribution center that brings thousands of trucks through the area daily. Carter’s mission: “environmental justice through innovative, economically sustainable projects.”

You can read the entire article here ...

Matt Drudge: Worst Person In The World

What have I gained by knowing Prince Harry was on the battleground in Afghanistan? What has Matt Drudge gained by leaking this story other than showing what an ass he is?

Prince Harry is being pulled out of Afghanistan after news of his deployment to the region was leaked in the media, British news organizations report.

Harry has been secretly serving on the front line in Helmand since December, Britain's Ministry of Defence said Thursday.

The ministry would not immediately say if Harry was to be sent home but the BBC and other news organizations, quoting military sources on Friday, are confirming that he will.

Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, who is head of the British Army, said in a statement Thursday that Harry "has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his Battlegroup.

The prince's planned deployment had previously been disclosed to reporters, but there was a pool agreement between the British government and news organization not to report the story to reduce safety risks.

If I Could Bike It To Work

I have to drive 30+ miles each way on two highways to get back and forth to work each day. Most certainly that is not my worst commute. I had double the mileage a few years ago and I thought gas prices were high then. Three weeks ago, I paid $2.99 for discounted gas Costco. A week later I paid $3.15 for cutrate gas at Safeway (yes, a few of them have gas). The other night, I paid $3.19 at Costco again. When I have to fill up for next week's trek, I wonder how much it will be?

Gasoline prices, which for months lagged behind the big run-up in the price of oil, are suddenly rising quickly, with some experts saying they could approach $4 a gallon by spring. Diesel is hitting new records daily, and oil settled at a record high of $100.88 a barrel on Tuesday.

The increases could not come at a worse time for the economy. With growth slowing, energy increases that were once easily absorbed by consumers are now more likely to act as a drag on household budgets, leaving people with less money to spend elsewhere. These costs could worsen the nation's economic woes, piling a fresh energy shock on top of the turmoil in credit and housing.

He's Got Soul And He's Super Bad?

Gurl please! (... rolling my eyes)

President George W. Bush has rhythm, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured reporters on Friday after watching her boss join African dancers during his five-nation tour of the continent this week.

"I just want to report that the president did a fair amount of dancing when he was in Africa and demonstrated that he can stay on the beat," said Rice, an accomplished musician who loves to dance herself.

"You look skeptical, but I was there? I can certify," Rice added when reporters chuckled at her observations and asked to see a video of the president dancing.

Rice accompanied Bush and first lady Laura Bush on their African trip, where they visited Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Liberia and Benin. They returned to Washington on Thursday.

I Can't Watch

Why doesn't anyone seem alarmed by this?

Turkish ground troops crossed into northern Iraq in their hunt for Kurdish PKK rebels, the military said, describing the start of a campaign one report said could last 15 days.

The White House said the United States had been informed in advance of Turkey's offensive and called on Ankara to limit the operation to "precise targeting" of the PKK rebels who have been using northern Iraq as a base to stage attacks in Turkey.

Iraq's government urged Turkey to respect its sovereignty and avoid any military action which would threaten security and stability.

"We do not expect these operations will expand because they are against the Iraqi and Turkish desire to have good relations," spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters in Baghdad.

The European Union repeated its call for Turkey, which is seeking EU membership, to avoid "disproportionate" action.

Turkish television said troops, backed by warplanes and Cobra attack helicopters, had moved 25km inside Iraq.

Turkish TV said 3,000 to 10,000 soldiers had entered Iraq, but several Iraqi officials and a senior military official with US-led coalition forces in Baghdad tried to play down the operation, saying only a few hundred troops were involved.

Sore Losers!

Oh boo hoo! You donate to a campaign because you want the candidate to win. It doesn't guarantee a win. Someone has to lose and, despite the number of strategists, it doesn't appear that it is going to work out for her. You can't cry because you bet on the wrong horse.

“We didn’t raise all of this money to keep paying consultants who have pursued basically the wrong strategy for a year now,” said a prominent New York donor.

If they were worried about their investment, they should have contacted her campaign office and let her know about it. Whining now looks stupid!

Yet Another Hot Spot

Is there a spot in the world where we aren't in the center of the flame?

Angry Serbs broke into the U.S. Embassy and set fire to an office Thursday night as rioters rampaged through Belgrade's streets, putting an exclamation point of violence to a day of mass protest against Western support for an independent Kosovo.

At least 150,000 people rallied in Belgrade, waving Serbian flags and signs proclaiming "Stop USA terror," to denounce the bid by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority to create their own state out of what Serbs consider the ancient heartland of their culture.

Protesters burned American flags and the mob that attacked the embassy tore down the U.S. flag there. Crowds also ransacked a McDonald's, looted stores and fought with police in front of other diplomatic compounds in a display of the resentment seething in Serbia over the secession of what has been its southernmost province.

No Explanation Necessary

Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell pretty much nails it on why she was right the first time!

[...]
Michelle, as sisters say, "keeps it real." She doesn't try to dress up the facts, but usually speaks from the heart, without notes, before large as well as small gatherings.

So when she says: "[F]or the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country, or 'really' proud of my country," as she apparently said in a separate speech also delivered Monday night, many of us get it.

We know she is expressing genuine excitement over where this country is heading.

And we also understand the nuances of race in this campaign.

Michelle Obama may have gone to Princeton and Harvard, and she may have worked at a prestigious law firm, but she isn't blind to the plight of people who didn't have the same opportunities.

She is a black woman in America. There must have been days when she wasn't proud of how minorities were being treated in this country.

After all, who is proud that while we are one of the most diverse countries in the world, many of us still struggle with intolerance?

Who is proud that America has dealt with its poverty and underclass by concentrating it in pockets of urban areas?

Who is proud that so many black and poor children in this country are still stuck in inferior schools, and that too many children end up headed for prison?

Who is proud that slavery and Jim Crow are a part of our legacy, and that people had to die as martyrs before we turned away from those evil institutions?

Still, these are not the things that Michelle or Barack Obama talk about on the campaign trail. They both know these are the truths that could be easily twisted to paint Obama as "the black candidate." That political game hasn't changed.

[...]

Hostile To Knowledge

I caught quite a bit of this on NPR yesterday and have to go back to listen to the full program. They discussed the rise of anti-intellectualism that I've been witnessing for at least a couple of decades. Listen if you get a chance.

Anti-Intellectualism in the U.S. -- Not only are Americans ignorant about topics like geography and history, argues author Susan Jacoby, our cluelessness doesn't even concern us. Is the U.S. hostile to knowledge? We take up that question with a panel including Susan Jacoby, former reporter for The Washington Post and author of "The Age of American Unreason"; and Lynne Munson, author, cultural critic and former deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Munson is launching a new organization next week concerned with liberal arts and science education at the K-12 level.

They also touched on the issue of anti-rationalism which is discussed in this article as well:

"Dumbness, to paraphrase the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been steadily defined downward for several decades, by a combination of heretofore irresistible forces. These include the triumph of video culture over print culture (and by video, I mean every form of digital media, as well as older electronic ones); a disjunction between Americans' rising level of formal education and their shaky grasp of basic geography, science and history; and the fusion of anti-intellectualism with anti-rationalism ... not lack of knowledge per se but arrogance about that lack of knowledge."

It's the arrogance of those I would call stupid that frustrates me to no end and their mistaken belief that opinions and facts are interchangeable. A few months after 9/11 I was at a conference and there was a Sikh vendor who I've seen at many of our conferences since the late 80's. He wears a turban. I've purchased items from he and his wife before. One of my sorority sisters was bragging about how she gave him a dirty, "how dare you be here?" look. I cocked my head at her and told her that he wasn't an Arab or a Muslim. He was East Indian. She smirked that she "couldn't tell the difference" and I had to nearly snatch out my own tongue out to keep from yelling "THEN WHY ARE YOU TREATING HIM LIKE THAT!?" But I knew her response would be dismissive to me as though I was the one in the wrong. I know who to keep it light and superficial with which, unfortunately, seems to be an ever growing list.

He's Telling Her Not To Hold Her Breath

I like Matthew McConaughey but I can't see a bundle of joy tying him down.

There will be no wedding bells for soon-to-be parents Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves, to the disappointment of the 24-year-old Brazilian supermodel.

38-year-old McConaughey, who is thrilled with his impending fatherhood, is perfectly content maintaining the status quo of the relationship, according to reports.

“Matthew is getting used to the idea that he’s going to be a father. He says that’s enough to deal with right now. He has no plans to walk down the aisle with Camila now - or ever.”

Camila, her mother and Matthew’s mother are said to be disappointed in Matthew’s disinterest in marriage.

“Camila comes from a very strict Catholic background. And Matthew’s family is very traditional too. Everyone, apart from Matthew, feels a wedding is in order.”

Everyone wants to get all devout after the fact. If they were that devout, she wouldn't have committed the act which got her pregnant. I'm not sure why this woman wants to marry Matthew anyway. She has to know she's just the flavor of the day.

No Legs

Unless they come up with some pictures, videos, emails or text messages, people need to let this one go.

Republican presidential front-runner John McCain on Thursday dismissed as "untrue" a New York Times report suggesting he had a close and possibly romantic relationship with a female lobbyist nine years ago in conflict with his high ethical stances.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed in the article. It's not true," the four-term Arizona senator told a news conference with his wife Cindy by his side.

"At no time have I ever done anything that would betray the public trust or make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest and would favor any one or any organization," McCain said.

I'm over these scandals so unless children or undocumented sex slaves are involved, I don't want to hear about them anymore. The New York Times better pony up more info or they are going to look like a cheesy tabloid.

I Know We Can Dig Deeper Than This

I guess if Cindy McCain can come out of the woodwork to tell us how proud she is to be an American, I can make a comment too. I think Michelle Obama's words were taken out of context and blown out of proportion. I'm actually surprised by some of the people buying into the notion of her alleged lack of patriotism.

I had to hear it for myself, because I couldn't believe that a political spouse (1) with such a privileged background would spout such nonsense; and (2) be stupid enough to publicly make such a statement. I heard Mrs. Obama's comments for myself, and it wasn't good. Mrs. Obama, who is vying to be First Lady of the world's superpower, has never been proud to be an American until now?! Such a statement only reinforces the opinion that liberal Democrats lack patriotism, and aren't proud to be Americans but instead try to disparage the country at every turn. Mrs. Obama definitely could have and should have instead made a statement talking about America's growth and how her husband's candidacy unites Americans. The statements instead enabled Sen. John McCain and Cindy McCain to take the political high ground in their response to the comments, and make Mrs. Obama - and by extension Sen. Obama's campaign - look anti-American. This was also potentially a gift to Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. This doesn't help when Sen. Obama's campaign is already being charged by some conservatives as being "undercover anti-American."

Unlike other folks who are railing against Mrs. Obama right now, I don't dislike her. While a liberal Democrat, she strikes me as a good wife, intelligent, and the like. I get that Mrs. Obama is not going to approach the United States like a voluntary immigrant or the descendant of voluntary immigrants would do. Mrs. Obama, I and others are the descendants of involuntary immigrants - people from Africa who were enslaved and brought to the U.S. I concur that America has done foul things. However, unlike most liberals like Mrs. Obama, my moderate-conservative self acknowledges that so have just about every other country. I compare the United States to other countries - i.e., the real world - not to utopia. There is no other country on the planet where black folks have more opportunity, freedom, and live as well as in America.

While Michelle Obama hardly grew up in a Chicago housing project, being from a working class family hardly gave her a life of privilege but it gave her a chance. Her family background is more humble than Condoleeza Rice's who had two college educated parents - something most white Americans still cannot boast today. Yet, compared to George Bush's upbringing, Condi's beginnings are modest and humble. Michelle Obama received a great opportunity and she ran with it. I am sure she truly appreciates, relishes and is fully aware of how lucky she was/is.

I don't think her comment was stupid. Most Americans aren't running around wrapped in a flag. Life gives most of us too much to do and, aside from those in military service, don't have the time or inkling to even think about being proud or not being proud. Perhaps proud wasn't the right word. Perhaps that even after dating, marrying and having children with Barack Obama she is feeling what, apparently, millions of Americans are feeling and that is "inspired" for the first time. I expect thinking people to be able to dissect and dig a little deeper on issues like this. I thought only people who still worship the man who won't pronounce nuclear properly and who probably still can't find Iraq on a map would take her words there. I didn't hear her say that she hated or was ashamed of being American. I'm positive she knows what role America has played in her successes.

I may get a little misty during the Olympics when I see the diversity of the athletes representing us while most other countries have a pretty homogeneous look. But, other than that, I'm not thinking about flags, whether I am proud or even whether I hate the United States of America. With a job, husband and two children, I'm not sure whether Michelle Obama has had time to really contemplate it either.

On this, I think folks need to keep it moving. It's a non issue.

Don't Start None

Won't be none. I don't think Cindy McCain needs to start none.

Cindy McCain inserted herself into the flap over Michelle Obama's supposedly anti-American comments, telling supporters in Wisconsin, "I'm proud of my country, I don't know about you, if you heard those words earlier." Left-wing blog Daily Kos returned fire with a detailed history of Cindy McCain's problems with Percocet.

Not Doable Or Desireable

I just don't like the idea.

Obama and the presidential candidate. Clinton as vice. Doable?

Even Hillary's foes say she is a brilliant woman and that they respect her. In her day, there really wasn't the window of opportunity for a bright woman with lots of ideas and an activist spirit. So, she married a driven man (who probably wasn't good enough for her) and helped him become President of the United States. While I think Bill Clinton is just as smart and definitely more charismatic, he nearly lost everything they'd worked for over a piece of ass. I submit that after the Lewinsky incident, Hillary said "it's my turn!" and I think she deserved to say that because I think she was a primary reason why Bill, who had much humbler beginnings that she did, was able to become "leader of the free world." None of those women he was cheating with would have taken him beyond the Sheriff's office in Arkansas.

So, no, if the Obama frenzy takes him all of the way, I don't think that she should ride shotgun again. I love Obama to death and his talent is taking him places he really deserves to be. But, if Hillary can't eek this one out, I think she is an excellent Senator who can bring great change at that level. No ticket with Hillary being second in command should work for her. She's been there, done that. As Erikah Badu says, she'll have to see that office "next lifetime."

It Definitely Crossed My Mind

There is a part of me that believes that Bill really doesn't want to share the spotlight or risk her becoming President and doing a better job than he did.

No one better understands both the subtle politics of race and the acute sensitivities of Democratic primary voters than Bill Clinton.

Why, then, did the politically dexterous former president raise the issue of race during the South Carolina primary in a manner offensive to many blacks and whites, putting his wife's presidential bid into a potentially fatal downward spiral? And why did he incite the animus of countless voters by appearing to angrily and cavalierly dismiss Obama's anti-war credentials?

The question of motivation, always a minefield, will very likely go unanswered -- but consider this possibility:

Bill Clinton either does not want his wife to become president, or he is deeply ambivalent about the prospect of Hillary taking over the Oval Office where he once held court.

Also, my old passion for astrology piqued my curiosity about this theory too. Bill is a Leo, he fits the classic profile:

• Strongest virtues of the Leo zodiac sign: leadership capability, self-confidence, generosity, creativity
  
• Deepest need of the Leo zodiac sign: elation, the need to shine
  
• Weaknesses of the Leo zodiac sign: arrogance, vanity

Maybe subconsciously he can't stand the thought ...

(All of that ego gave me pause for Obama too. He and Bill are both Leos).

Girls Still Not Allowed

I was on the fence for a long time when trying to decide how to cast my vote in the Democratic Primary. I really like Barack and what he represents and I really like and respect Hillary and all of her accomplishments and struggles (namely that man she supported all of these years only to have him humiliate her as no first lady has been humiliated before). As I stated in a post a few weeks ago, when those jerks showed up at a Clinton rally with signs saying "Iron My Shirts" it triggered my decision to cast my vote towards changing an America where sexism is still very prevalent (even internalized and perpetuated by women themselves). I knew that if there had been signs in an Obama crowd which directed him to shine shoes, the outrage would have been fever pitch. As I said, I will support and campaign for the eventual winner - which more and more looks like Obama. But, I want people to take a look at themselves and the way sexism and misogyny have run so rampant
in this race.

There are four common themes in media coverage of Clinton's candidacy:

First, Clinton is criticized using a gender-based grading system. The media evaluate how she looks, dresses, talks, laughs and even claps. She is held to double standards familiar to working women. A man demonstrates toughness and strength; a woman who behaves similarly is called icy and rigid. His behavior shows compassion and warmth, but her similar behavior shows too much emotion and maybe weakness. He knows how to work the system; she is manipulative. He shows a mastery of the subject; she is nit-picky. He thinks through all the options before charting a course; she is calculating. Familiar?

Second, our society still has not come to terms with ambition in women -- it is suspect. Clinton is frequently charged with doing or saying anything to win. But I think it has an extra sharp anti-woman overtone as it is used against Hillary. In other words, everything Clinton does to win the election -- strategizing, organizing, confronting, comparing and contrasting -- is interpreted as calculating, fake or just plain evil. But when a man campaigns hard, refusing to cede an inch, they call it . . . running for office!

Third, Clinton is presumed to be where she is today because of her husband, Bill. The fact that Clinton has a famous former president for a husband is used to discredit her own achievements and to imply that maybe she couldn't have made it on her own. I’m trying to remember if any of these commentators implied that George W. Bush shouldn't be taken seriously as a candidate because his father had been president. Or that people shouldn't vote for a certain male candidate because he clearly got a leg up from his powerful family's money, legacy? Or say from the advantages bestowed by his wife's fortune? Who's to say that if Hillary had taken the fast-track first, instead of Bill, she wouldn't have risen to the top before him?

Finally, when all else fails, belittle the voters. Women voters are irrational and biased, and voting only on the basis of gender, the press are happy to intimate (at least about the women who are voting for Hillary), and they not so subtly imply that all voters are stupid and shallow. When the pundits try to mind-read the general public to guess why they cast their ballots one way or another, they often conclude that voters make decisions based on the same superficial traits that fascinates the talking-heads themselves -- like who seems "comfortable in their own skin" or who strikes them as annoyingly nerdy.

One more thing: Hillary Clinton, and women in general, aren't the only ones subject to gender-based assessments. Barack Obama and John Edwards have also been degraded when the media detect in them "feminine" characteristics or behaviors (like paying attention to your appearance) that supposedly are unbecoming in men. That's right, both women and men can be poked with the "girls are icky" stick.

We've got a lot of "isms" left to battle in this country and throughout out the world. I was just hoping to start with the one that impacts half of the country's population rather than 12%.

Also, here is a link to an Op-Ed that Gloria Steinem wrote a few weeks ago. She made some good points.

The Aussies Are Owt!

They are set to leave Iraq.

Australia's top military commander said on Wednesday the job of the country's combat soldiers in southern Iraq was done, bolstering a government decision to bring them home mid-year.

Ahead of weekend talks in Canberra with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the planned withdrawal of 550 soldiers, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said Iraqi forces had not needed Australian backup for two years now.

"The situation on the ground in Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar (provinces), the Iraqis are taking care of business," Houston told a hearing before Australia's upper house Senate.

"The conditions on the ground have been established whereby we can leave them to it and, because we have influenced their training, we are very confident in their ability to handle the circumstances in those two provinces. The job is done."

Australia, a close U.S. ally, has around 1,000 troops in and around Iraq, and was an original member of the U.S.-led coalition which invaded the country in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.

Give This Dick A Cookie!

... and a big pat on the back too for not wanting to lynch Michelle Obama without just cause.

In a discussion of recent comments made by Michelle Obama, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who stated that, according to "a friend who had knowledge of her," Obama " 'is a very angry,' her word was 'militant woman.' " O'Reilly later stated: "I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

This is what I'm getting ready for if Obama wins ... not that the same nasty attack dogs wouldn't be just as, if not more, brutal to Hillary Clinton but my head is starting to hurt already.

The Uncola Obama Is Well On His Way

Yeah ... It's going to be an uphill battle for Miss Hillary.

Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton must win 57 percent of the remaining primary and caucus delegates to erase Barack Obama's lead, a daunting task requiring landslide-sized victories by a struggling presidential candidate.

Obama's victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday — his ninth and 10th in a row — left him with 1,178 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses in The Associated Press' count. Clinton has 1,024.

Another 1,025 remain to be awarded, most of them in contests in 14 states, Guam and Puerto Rico. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.

Further complicating Clinton's challenge, Obama appears particularly well-positioned to win at least one of the remaining states with ease. Mississippi, with a primary on March 11, fits a pattern of Southern states with large black populations that he has won handily, including South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

On another note, again, why is it okay for this article to point out that Obama is positioned to win another state with large black populations but when Bill Clinton stated the obvious, he was accused of injecting race? Black folks are coming out in droves to vote for Obama because they like him AND because he is black.

Now Here's A Step In The Right Direction

Reject the crazies!

Fed up with violence and economic hardship, voters in the deeply conservative northwest have thrown out the Islamist parties that ruled this province for five years — a clear sign that Pakistanis are rejecting religious extremism in a region where al-Qaida and the Taliban have sought refuge.

Instead, voters in turbulent North West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan, gave their support to secular parties that promised to pave the streets, create jobs and bring peace through dialogue and economic incentives to the extremists.

That may conflict with U.S. pressure to step up the fight against armed militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

"They didn't do anything for the people," Bokhari Shah, 65, said of the religious parties. "They have done nothing to help the people, and we are afraid to even come out from our homes because of all these bomb blasts.

Why Would He Need To Build Bases In Africa ...

When we have the largest base in the world in Iraq?

In Ghana on Wednesday, President Bush dispelled worries that the United States wants to build a military base in Africa. Ghana was the fourth stop on his five-country tour of Africa.

At a joint press conference with the Ghanian president, John Kufuor, Bush also announced plans for more aid to fight malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country.

Dog Is Back

and I don't care!

"Dog the Bounty Hunter" will return to A&E after it was yanked when Dog Chapman's little racist recording was leaked. TMZ reports that A&E has confirmed that production is starting right away in Hawaii. Camera crews and make-up artist have already been hired. Make-up artists?! They must be the laziest make-up people in the business, because Dog and Beth still look like shit.

I wonder if his son got rid of the girl who sparked his tirade?

Uhhhhhhhhhh!

Ain't It Kinda Late?!!!

Speaking on soil once stained with the blood of Rwanda's genocide, President Bush called Tuesday on all nations to step up efforts to end "once and for all" the ethnic slaughter still continuing in Sudan's western Darfur region.

The president said the U.S. is using sanctions, pressure and money to help resolve the Darfur crisis that Bush calls a genocide. But the president, frustrated at the lack of willingness of some other countries to do the same, sought to give his campaign for their increased involvement added weight by making pointed remarks on it from the Rwandan capital.

The Rwanda people know the horrors of genocide," Bush said after meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. "My message to other nations is: 'Join with the president and help us get this problem solved once and for all.' And we will help."

But He's Not Dead Yet

Fidel Castro is officially stepping down.

Ailing revolutionary icon Fidel Castro permanently gave up the Cuban presidency on Tuesday, ending five decades of ironclad rule of the island marked by his brash defiance of the United States.

In a message published by the online version of the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma, the 81-year-old Castro said he would not seek the presidency again when it is decided later this week.

"I neither will aspire to nor will I accept -- I repeat -- I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the Council of State and commander-in-chief," Castro wrote, almost 19 months after undergoing intestinal surgery and handing power temporarily to his brother Raul Castro.

"It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total commitment that I am not in physical condition to offer," he said.

Castro did not say who he thought should be his successor as president, though most analysts believe Raul Castro, 76, is the obvious choice.

But the elder Castro's reference to a "middle generation" suggests that younger leaders such as Vice President Carlos Lage, 56, should not be ruled out.

It's time for this fake conflict with Cuba to end. We are allowing Communist China to sell us poisonous toys and food but we want to keep this tiny nation under our boot? The double standard is ridiculous and it's that kind of duplicity that keeps us at odds and at war with malcontents in places like the Middle East.

Do You See A Mammy?

Yes, my horns were out last week and everybody/everything was getting on my nerves. I could not even believe that I got into a brief Internet scuffle over this!

Arizona" has a flavor known as "Southern Style Sweet Tea" but if you look closely on the front of the can there is a picture of a
Plantation!

Yes I said a Plantation, with a white couple on the porch and a black woman dressed like Aunt Jamama walking away from the house. When did Slavery become marketable?

Stop buying any drinks from this company! Stand up and let your voice be heard & overload their lines. 1-800-832-3775!

The most I see is "Little Red Riding Hood." Some folks are offended by the image of the plantation. It's not like those huge estates don't still exist. I asked some of the folks who jumped on the "I see a mammy" bandwagon if they were offended by weddings where people "jump the broom" - 'cause best believe that if I got married I would not be adding that "slave tradition" to my ceremony.

There are times when I can be more militant than most. This is not one of those times.

There ain't no damned mammy on this product!

Musharraf On His Way Out?

So, one of our "strongest" alliances is with a man who won his position via a military coup why?

Pakistan's opposition parties have won parliamentary elections, threatening President Pervez Musharraf's rule eight years after he seized power in a military coup, unofficial returns showed Tuesday.

The party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was in the lead in Monday's parliamentary vote, with ex-premier Nawaz Sharif - who was toppled in Musharraf's 1999 coup and has emerged as his fiercest critic - running a close second.

The private Geo TV network said the two parties had so far won 139 seats, more than half of the 272-seat National Assembly.

The pro-Musharraf ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, was trailing a distant third with 33 seats, the network said.

Let's see how George W. Bush f's us up in this turn of events.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm Sure It's Nervous Laughter

But I'm having the same kind of conniption fit I had during Hurricane Katrina when Wolf Blitzer made his "so poor .... so black" comment. What on earth is wrong with this man?

Yep, racism is dead. I love how for some public officials, it’s as if the Id takes over or the censor in their brains that determines what is or isn’t asshattery just completely malfunctions. In what recesses of his depraved mind did Utah Republican (surprise!) State Sen. Chris Buttars pull this winner:

Republican Sen. Chris Buttars’ comment came during a debate on SB48, aimed at equalizing school construction funds. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, called it “the ugly baby bill,” but, as Buttars stood to vote, went further. “This baby is black. It’s a dark, ugly thing,” he said.

Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said he perceived the statement as offensive and took the issue to Senate leaders. “I felt it needed to be addressed and needed to be addressed promptly,” he said. Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said he was surprised by the comment. “I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “I didn’t take it as a racist remark, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was inappropriate and a breach of decorum.”

I'm going to stop laughing now because I'm wheezing! Whew! These people!

Dude, This Isn't New Or News

So what's his point?

The governor of Pennsylvania, who is one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," Gov. Ed Rendell told the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday's paper.

To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers football star, by a margin of more than 60 percent to less than 40 percent.

"I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann been the identical candidate that he was — well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking — but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so," he said. "And that (attitude) exists. But on the other hand, that is counterbalanced by Obama's ability to bring new voters into the electoral pool."

Powered by ScribeFire.

Cokehead on Crackhouse

I'm gonna need Natalie Cole to zip it. This woman won many awards when she was high out of her mind. How dare she begrudge Amy Wino/Amy Crackhouse or whatever folks want to call her over her wins?

She says, "I think she has a great talent, but I don't agree with the Grammys giving her those nods. I think it sends the wrong message, that even in the midst of her stupor of drugs she can get nominated for all these awards.

It's a slap in the face to musicians and artists who work very hard that they turn around and give it to someone who really obviously doesn't have a grasp of what she has.

I've been in this business over 25 years and I sacrificed five years of my own life on drugs and almost lost my life because of it. So I take great offense to almost see someone getting glory out of being in the position that they're in - she needs to get her life together and embrace her craft."

Amy is going to have to find her way out of her problem - or not. I actually used my Itunes giftcard to download her album the other day and am actually impressed. The Grammys aren't awards for good behavior and, as one of my sorority sisters said: "Where was she when Whitney was dancing in a hotel gift shop with some sun glasses and smoking all her money up with Bobby? ..."

Lucy in the sky with diamonds needs to shut up!

That's Why They Call It A Hostile ...

takeover!

Microsoft's bid for Yahoo took on the air of inevitability Monday, even as the Sunnyvale search firm's board of directors officially rejected the offer.

That decision, first reported during the weekend, was widely viewed on Wall Street as an effort to get Microsoft to raise its $44.6 billion, or $31 a share, proposal - or at the very least give Yahoo time to look at other options. Yahoo's stock rose 2 percent in regular trading to close at $29.87, up 67 cents.

"It's good negotiating tactics to try to get a higher price from Microsoft," said Laura Martin of Soleil Securities Group. "But if they really reject the offer, they are going to have a litany of shareholder lawsuits. It's clear there are no other bidders for anything close to this price."

In the coming weeks, Microsoft will try to raise the pressure on Yahoo. It has indicated it is prepared for a nasty takeover battle that could include nominating its own slate to Yahoo's board of directors or making its offer directly to Yahoo's shareholders.

I'm still just stunned that this is happening! If Yahoo is going down ...

Neither Black Nor Jesus Either

This post is semi-related to my last post so I guess I'm just venting about "my peoples" today. Before there was Obama, there was Bill .. the last savior of the day. All of the hero worship bestowed upon him by some "coloreds" worked my nerves back then too. I had no quarrel with Bill then and have none with him now - despite his somewhat over the top support for his wife. But, as Nathan McCall says in his article on the new site "THEROOT.com", black folks took Toni Morrison's reference to Bill Clinton as the first black president to a "whole nuther level" ... one that, as far as I can see, is not much different that where some are taking their "love" for Barack Obama. Bill wasn't/isn't black and he definitely wasn't Jesus either!

Morrison could not possibly have foreseen that so many blacks would cling to her words as grist for an almost cult-like devotion to Bill. (Forget that Clinton's honorary blackness should have no bearing at all on this election. As someone said, "Hillary ain't Bill.")

What's most disturbing is that many blacks don't seem to notice or care. In Harlem, of all places, African Americans' televised fawning over the Clintons has at times looked like reruns from "Birth of a Nation," which portrayed "good" blacks as contented slaves.

It's undeniable that during his two terms in office, Clinton demonstrated relative compassion for black concerns. But it is also a fact that he slyly shifted the Democratic Party further to the right. And he did it by shoplifting favorite Republican racial ploys, such as assuring disgruntled whites that he'd dismantle welfare, or using black churches as symbolic props for family values speechifying.
[...]
To me all this black-Bill buffoonery offers yet another vital lesson about the state of the race: African Americans have been so deeply wounded, and for so long, that when a silver-tongued white man shows up and treats them halfway decent, they lose perspective.

If nothing else, Toni Morrison is a woman of conscience. So it came as no surprise recently when she publicly announced her support for Obama. Though she would likely never acknowledge as much, I suspect that in some small way Morrison is trying to counter the looniness that spiraled from an essay from which she is a decade removed.

Of course, it's not Morrison's fault that countless African Americans simply took this black Bill thing too far. She is certainly not the reason that so many showered the crafty Clintons with unconditional support without subjecting them to more thorough review.

Herein lies my issue with the fervor over Obama. There seems to be this grand expectation of something. What? I don't know because I am obviously not looking for the same thing or hoping for it either. The other day, one person on my listserv asked where Obama was during the whole Jena 6 drama. Some people were voicing their disappointment that he wasn't down there locking arms with folks over the "injustice" in that community - as though he is supposed to magically show up for every cause and/or crusade that involves blacks. After dozens of messages, that vessel in my head finally popped and I said something to the effect of "I hope y'all don't think he's going to be giving out his phone number to every black person who voted for him. He is running as an American for Americans and I can tell now that if he gets elected, y'all ain't going to have to take his black card back when he doesn't call the IRS for you when your refund check is late. He's going to throw it back in your faces ... "

Just as the Limbaughs and Hannitys (along with the Dobsons and Huckabees) of the world would keep me from joining the Republican Party, there are a whole lot of "Negroes" who are not making me very comfortable with the Democratic party either (I guess that is why I am still an Independent). Folks have turned on the Billary (though in some cases they wouldn't have had to wait for Obama to pop up to do so if they'd really been paying attention to some of his policies) and, before it's over, they may find out that not only isn't Obama Jesus, he probably isn't quite the "black" person they thought he'd be either!

Powered by ScribeFire.

When They Figure Out He's Not Jesus

Obama swept the weekend caucuses and primaries and is expected to sweep the Potomac primaries today. His folks are running a kick ass campaign and he deserves every single vote he gets because he has earned them. BUT, I too am a little weirded out by what I'll call the "rabid over-zealousness" of some of his supporters. In many of my circles, online or other wise, this man is all but being deified. The problem with that is that if he is a deity, all who oppose or disagree with him invariable become labeled the exact opposite. If you express support or even mild admiration for Hillary or, God forbid, a Republican candidate, you are self-hating, unaware and not displaying black unity. So, I leaning towards agreeing with this guy. Obama is a great candidate and, given the opportunity, would probably do a great job as president. But he is not God.

Inspiration is nice. But some folks seem to be getting out of hand.

It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of Chicago a Savior, who is Barack the Democrat."

Obama supporter Kathleen Geier writes that she's "getting increasingly weirded out by some of Obama's supporters. On listservs I'm on, some people who should know better – hard-bitten, not-so-young cynics, even – are gushing about Barack…

Describing various encounters with Obama supporters, she writes, "Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work."

Joe Klein, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech.

I have been watching so many people get so EXTRA and over the top regarding Barack Obama that now Hillary and Bill deemed evil demons. They believe nothing she says and find suspect everything she does. Her tears were fake. She's dishonest. She's lying about her experience. She was a Goldwater girl in 1964 ... It's just gotten stupid and irrational. Like the fringe element of the Republican Party, if Clinton wins, these folks say they are going to jump ship and vote for the other party ... and that will help whom?

I haven't supported or campaigned for anyone but I did vote for "the enemy." I will vigorously support the democratic candidate because in my eyes, we will have a historic candidate either way and I'd be glad to call either of them the POTUS. But, if Obama wins, I wonder what all of these "crazed" black folks (who are working my nerves to the quick with their daily worship services for him) will do when they realize that he is not Jesus.

Powered by ScribeFire.

I'll Believe It When I See It!

I like Donna Brazile a lot but I think she is full of hooey in this case. She is so entrenched in the DNC, I can't see her quitting her job over these "superdelegates" when she is one herself.

Democratic strategist Donna Brazile — who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign and is herself a superdelegate — says she will quit her position within the Democratic Party if her superdelegate colleagues decide the party's nomination.

"Let's wait for some of these other states to help sort this out," Brazile, a News & Notes contributor, told Farai Chideya.

As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to run neck-and-neck in amassing the total delegates needed to win the nomination, some have suggested that the party's superdelegates — comprising party activists and high-ranking officials — could make the deciding vote.

But Brazile says the superdelegate vote "should reflect the will of the people."

Powered by ScribeFire.

The Audacity Of Keeping Hope Alive

For the life of me, I cannot see how Bill Clinton's comments about Jesse Jackson winning South Carolina as some kind of injection of race or him being racist. His statements are true. Was it because so many whites have such negative images of Jesse (and many blacks have worn thin of him) that any comparison to the "bright and clean" Obama somehow taints him? As obnoxious and out dated as Jesse Jackson sometimes seems, he still did, in many ways, pave the way.

Obama's staying power can be credited to his victories in the Iowa caucuses and South Carolina primary — and to his impressive ability to capture the imagination of a broad cross section of Americans by defining himself as the candidate of change. His success has moved many pundits to say he's the first black with a "real shot" at winning the presidency.

Maybe. We'll have a better indication of that after the votes are counted in the 22 states holding Democratic contests today. But even if correct, such a judgment should not be allowed to erase from memory what Jackson achieved in his 1988 White House campaign — notwithstanding Bill Clinton's recent dismissive view of that effort.

That year — in the first Super Tuesday contest — Jackson won Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia, and he finished second just about everywhere else. He won 27% of the votes casts in the 21 contests — more than any other Democrat. In the eight Southern and border states that had open primaries, Jackson got more votes from Democrats than any of his competitors, The New York Times reported.

The day after Super Tuesday, only Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the eventual nominee, had more committed delegates than Jackson — whose count exceeded that of Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri and Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois.

Four years earlier, when Jackson made his first bid for his party's nomination, he was widely seen as a gadfly. But in 1988, his aspirations were treated more seriously. While winning about 92% of the black vote nationwide, he got the backing of 18% of white voters in Connecticut, 23% in Wisconsin and 25% in California. In the end, he received just 12% of the white vote nationally, but that was a big improvement over his 1984 total.

While these numbers fell short of the kind of support Jackson needed to become the Democrats' presidential nominee, his strong showing made the party — and the nation — seriously consider the possibility that a black candidate could pull off such a feat.

After Super Tuesday, Newsweek magazine branded Jackson the candidate of change. "Jesse Jackson's campaign is about transformations," the magazine declared. A month later, The Village Voice said Jackson's candidacy "offers a way of looking at the world that acknowledges the possibility of substantive change."

Now Obama is the candidate of change.

Powered by ScribeFire.

It's McCain

Romney decided not to spend anymore of his own money and is stepping aside to let Mc Cain get the nod.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has suspended his campaign for the Republican party nomination for the US presidency.

Mr Romney spent millions of dollars of his own money on the campaign, but fell well behind front-runner John McCain after Super Tuesday's primaries.

Correspondents say his exit has in effect cleared the way for Senator McCain as Republican candidate.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Okay, This Is Just Nasty!

Filming his parents?!?!

An Indian doctor has been sentenced to life in jail for secretly filming his patients while they were naked and placing the footage on the internet.

The court in the city of Chennai (Madras) heard orthopaedic doctor L Prakash had placed nude footage of his women patients on paid websites.

He was also charged with having lured people to his property for sex.

Another three people, two of them medical staff, were sentenced to seven years each for their involvement.

They were found guilty of criminal intimidation and kidnapping or abduction for sex.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Hillary As A Rapper?

Naw! But she gave a shout out to her mom during last night's speech. Granted, though, it is pretty remarkable that a woman who was born without the right to vote (as was my grandmother) could watch her girl child running to be leader of the free world.

“I especially want to thank my mother, who was born before women could vote, and who is watching her daughter on this stage tonight.”

Since When Is A Tear, A River?

Good grief! This is causing all kinds of Hillary haters to go bonkers. Who doesn't shed a tear during a touching moment? It wasn't like she was heaving and having an "ugly" cry.

There's been another emotional moment for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail, again coming on the eve of an incredibly crucial day in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But, unlike the case in New Hampshire exactly four weeks ago, this latest incident was sparked by a simple trip down memory lane -- rather than a voter's question about the rigors of campaigning. So its effect likely will be nil, especially since -- again, unlike the New Hampshire moment -- it's not getting incessant play on cable television.

Clinton gave warning that today's event in New Haven, Conn., might get to her. The Times' Peter Nicholas was there, and he reports she cautioned that she felt "nostalgic" as she arrived for the gathering at the Yale Child Study Center. That was where, as the Associated Press reports, she first got involved in children's issues while a student at Yale Law School (where she also met husband Bill Clinton).

As the AP story goes on to relate, she was introduced by a longtime friend, Penn Rhodeen, who recalled ...

her showing up on his doorstep in purple bell-bottoms. As he aptly put it: "It was so 1972."

It was during Rhodeen's remarks that Clinton wiped a few tears from her eyes, which she took note of when it was her turn to speak: "I said I would not tear up. Already we're not exactly on that path."

Here's a clip (though her new misty-eyed moment is not captured).

With some folks, Hillary cannot win for losing. The same folks who think she's an ice queen are the same folks complianing that a potential president shouldn't be crying ... or, they think that she's planting people in the audience to say things to make her cry. The real kicker is that a lot of this venom is coming from women.

Tomorrow is almost here and by the end of the day we should know who the bulk of the country thinks should be the Democratic nominee. I'll support whoever wins but unless I change my mind in the booth, my vote is going to Hillary.

Powered by ScribeFire.

How Refreshing!

I guess it's nice to know that "white" folks spew ignorance and hate all over the world.

Lewis Hamilton told today of his torment after being subjected to racist abuse as he tested his new Formula One car in Spain.

Fans at Barcelona's Montmelo circuit shouted "black s***", "black whore" and "f****** blacks" whenever the British driver, 23, made a pit stop.

Several others mocked him by wearing black make-up and wigs.

Hamilton, a hate figure in Spain due to his bitter rivalry last season with former double world champion Fernando Alonso, said today: "The truth is I feel quite sad.

Aside from being rather racist and sad, isn't it a tad bit juvenile? Who has time to do things like this?

Powered by ScribeFire.

Didn't I Say This Would Get Good?

I'm not sure what Google can do to stop this hostile takeover attempt but it certainly will be exciting to watch them try.

Standing between a marriage of Microsoft and Yahoo may be the technology behemoth that has continually outsmarted them: Google.

In an unusually aggressive effort to prevent Microsoft from moving forward with its $44.6 billion hostile bid for Yahoo, Google emerged over the weekend with plans to play the role of spoiler.

Publicly, Google came out against the deal, contending in a statement that the pairing, proposed by Microsoft on Friday in the form of a hostile offer, would pose threats to competition that need to be examined by policy makers around the world.

Privately, Google, seeing the potential deal as a direct attack, went much further. Its chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, placed a call to Yahoo’s chief, Jerry Yang, offering the company’s help in fending off Microsoft, possibly in the form of a partnership between the companies, people briefed on the call said.

Oooooh Weeee!

Or should I say Yahooooooooo? This certainly woke me up this morning! I can't wait to see how this plays out!

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) (MSFT) has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) (YHOO) with an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion in its boldest bid yet to challenge Google Inc. (GOOG)'s dominance of the lucrative online search and advertising markets.

The surprise offer of $31 per share, made late Thursday and announced Friday, seizes on Yahoo's weakness while Microsoft tries to muscle up in a high-stakes battle with Google likely to define the technology landscape for years to come.

In a statement Friday, Yahoo said it will "carefully and promptly" study Microsoft's bid.

With its profits steadily sliding, Yahoo's stock slipped to a four-year low earlier this week and a new management team has been trying to steer a turnaround but sees more turbulence through 2008.

The announcement lifted Yahoo's share price by almost 50 percent in morning trading, while Google fell more than 8 percent, dragged down by a fourth-quarter earnings report that missed Wall Street expectations.

Powered by ScribeFire.