Love it..Love it ..Love It...Jennifer Hudson's New Album
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Self-Help Website: BlackFatherhood.com
BlackFatherhood.com is an interactive web resource featuring, news, information, and links for black fathers and their families. The website has an In The News section; A Father's Voice, which features clips by black fathers speaking on various topics, a forum for black fathers, and featured articles. Also check out TheRoot.com and there 7 Ways to be a Black Father
BLACK ROCK MUSIC SERIES: Fefe Dobson, Canada
HT-BookerRising Yes, Felicia Dobson is still in the music business. Folks may remember her five years ago as an 18-year-old pop-punk rocker who - along with compatriot Avril Lavigne - challenged the bubblegum-pop-rock of Hilary Duff and company.
While her debut CD, Fefe Dobson, went platinum in her native Canada, the half-black rocker "only" sold 304,000 copies of her debut CD in the United States. We haven't heard much from her because Island Records dropped her in 2006, right before her sophomore CD Sunday Love. Why? Presumably because neither single released from the CD, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" or "This Is My Life", made the U.S. charts.
Fefe presses on though. Check out her MySpace page. She writes about her major-label experience: "Fefe came off the road after two years of devoted touring and growing up and started to work on her 2006 sophomore follow up, Sunday Love. The record company set her up to write with everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Tim Armstrong to Courtney Love to Joan Jett. Sounds like the recipe for success but as hindsight on the music business has taught us all about best laid marketing plans, the record never saw the light of day. An album that unleashed Fefe’s emotions about success at a young age, controlling the males that had dominated her life, growing up and speaking up, it wasn’t the fluffy fizzy marshmallow chic pop that the label was looking to sell."
Since dropped from Island Records, Fefe has written songs for other artists, including "Start All Over" for Miley Cyrus' multi-platinum Hanna Montana 2 CD. She is finishing her third (or is it second, since the second one still hasn't been released?) CD.
Bookerising's Responce-I'm digging "Watch Me Move", a hard rock ditty that she officially released last month but was "leaked" a few months ago. Great song! It's been featured on a few TV series, and is the theme song for comedian Margaret Cho's sitcom. I see that there are people who believe that Rihanna's handlers over at Def Jam are shamelessly yanking Fefe's style.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sudhir Venkatesh on "Gang Leader for a Day"
~Author Sudhir Venkatesh reads an excerpt from his book, "Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets."
Sudhir Venkatesh became Gang Leader for a Day. First introduced in Freakonomics, here is the full story of Sudhir Venkatesh, the sociology grad student who infiltrated one of Chicago's most notorious gangs, studying a crack-dealing gang from the insider. Subtitled A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets, Venkatesh's book describes how he managed to gain entree into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment.
Initially looking for people within a notorious housing project to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty, Venkatesh never imagined that as a result of that graduate assignment he would befriend a gang leader and spend the better part of a decade inside the projects under JT's protection, documenting what he saw there. His report is a brazen, page-turning, and fundamentally honest view into the morally ambiguous, highly intricate, often corrupt struggle to survive in what is tantamount to an urban war zone. And it's also the story of a complicated friendship between Sudhir and JT - two young and ambitious men a universe apart - Cody's Books
Sudhir Venkatesh's research is rooted in ethnographic investigation of urban neighborhoods in the United States (New York, Chicago) and Paris, France. His most recent book, Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor (Harvard University Press, 2006), an ethnographic study of illegal economies in Chicago, received the C. Wright Mills Award (2007) and a Best Book Award from Slate.com (2006). His first book, American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (2000), explored the social organization, moral universe, and history of a Chicago housing development, The Robert Taylor Homes.
His forthcoming book, Gang Leader for a Day, is a reported memoir (Penguin Press, 2008). He is also the co-editor of Youth, Globalization and the Law (Stanford University Press 2006) and Director of the Youth and Globalization Collaborative Research Network at the Social Science Research Council. He is currently completing a long-term project on sex work in New York and Chicago with the economist Steven Levitt.
Sudhir Venkatesh became Gang Leader for a Day. First introduced in Freakonomics, here is the full story of Sudhir Venkatesh, the sociology grad student who infiltrated one of Chicago's most notorious gangs, studying a crack-dealing gang from the insider. Subtitled A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets, Venkatesh's book describes how he managed to gain entree into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment.
Initially looking for people within a notorious housing project to take a multiple-choice survey on urban poverty, Venkatesh never imagined that as a result of that graduate assignment he would befriend a gang leader and spend the better part of a decade inside the projects under JT's protection, documenting what he saw there. His report is a brazen, page-turning, and fundamentally honest view into the morally ambiguous, highly intricate, often corrupt struggle to survive in what is tantamount to an urban war zone. And it's also the story of a complicated friendship between Sudhir and JT - two young and ambitious men a universe apart - Cody's Books
Sudhir Venkatesh's research is rooted in ethnographic investigation of urban neighborhoods in the United States (New York, Chicago) and Paris, France. His most recent book, Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor (Harvard University Press, 2006), an ethnographic study of illegal economies in Chicago, received the C. Wright Mills Award (2007) and a Best Book Award from Slate.com (2006). His first book, American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (2000), explored the social organization, moral universe, and history of a Chicago housing development, The Robert Taylor Homes.
His forthcoming book, Gang Leader for a Day, is a reported memoir (Penguin Press, 2008). He is also the co-editor of Youth, Globalization and the Law (Stanford University Press 2006) and Director of the Youth and Globalization Collaborative Research Network at the Social Science Research Council. He is currently completing a long-term project on sex work in New York and Chicago with the economist Steven Levitt.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Congress Outlines a Bailout Plan: Everyone will be Watching
~Congress has created a broad outline of a rescue plan to prevent economic devastation after a historical surge of bad mortgage debits collapsed several financial institutions.
By Tiffany Shorter
Progress has finally arrived after over ten days of petty politics. Taxpayers, Wall Street and world stakeholders are keen to know the details.Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says there is an outline agreement but the particular conditions remain to be articulated. A vote is planned in the House of Representatives Monday. Congress wants to assure American taxpayers and foreign investors that the US economy can recover from this set back. Announcing the plan today is a good way to start the opening of the markets tomorrow. Main Street, the coined term that the media uses to describe ordinary taxpayers, have complained that they don’t want their tax dollars going to help the wealthy on Wall Street.
Washington has failed to emphasize that without this bailout, many institutions cannot borrow the funding needed to cover operation costs. Such expenses put workers’ salaries are at risk. Main Street may not get a paycheck with the credit markets frozen due to the lack of government intervention at this time. Wall Street’s woes also affect the world markets. They worry about the demoralizing effect if a plan is not executed soon.
Europe and Asia saw falling stocks prices Friday partly due to the surprising collapse of Washington Mutual, the largest US savings and loan group. If countries lose faith in the US, they may pull their investments and refuse to lend to America. Emerging markets such as China could decide to invest inward, in their domestic economy, which would be more bad news for all Americans. The deal, a two-year plan, proposes that the government spend $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-related debts from banks. To fund the bailout the treasury must borrow from the money markets by issuing more government debt. This deal gives the treasury secretary authority to monitor the execution of the deal, but critics want greater oversight and reporting.
Republicans, who claimed to be isolated from earlier talks, are satisfied with the condition of insurance program for mortgage-backed securities. Democrats won a measure of limiting executive salaries for companies that want financial assistance. Pelosi's office said the new agreement would immediately issue $250 billion, and another $100 billion would be spent under the discretion of President Bush.The remaining $350 billion is on hold until Congress reviews and approves of conditions of its release. More details are in development. What is known is that Congress must vote for this bill by Monday- Tuesday the latest. We should all hope it is a sufficient start to prevent a further downturn and restore confidence in the US economy.
~Tiffany Shorter-is a blogger on Hip-Hop Republicans and active international affairs activist. Before joining Hip-Hop Republicans, she was a member of Republicans Abroad Belgium responsible for coordinating outreach events and political discussions. She has come to New York after living in aboard in Belgium where she earned a Master's degree in International Law from the Brussels School of International Studies.
-UPDATE...BAILOUT FAILED TO PASS
By Tiffany Shorter
Progress has finally arrived after over ten days of petty politics. Taxpayers, Wall Street and world stakeholders are keen to know the details.Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says there is an outline agreement but the particular conditions remain to be articulated. A vote is planned in the House of Representatives Monday. Congress wants to assure American taxpayers and foreign investors that the US economy can recover from this set back. Announcing the plan today is a good way to start the opening of the markets tomorrow. Main Street, the coined term that the media uses to describe ordinary taxpayers, have complained that they don’t want their tax dollars going to help the wealthy on Wall Street.
Washington has failed to emphasize that without this bailout, many institutions cannot borrow the funding needed to cover operation costs. Such expenses put workers’ salaries are at risk. Main Street may not get a paycheck with the credit markets frozen due to the lack of government intervention at this time. Wall Street’s woes also affect the world markets. They worry about the demoralizing effect if a plan is not executed soon.
Europe and Asia saw falling stocks prices Friday partly due to the surprising collapse of Washington Mutual, the largest US savings and loan group. If countries lose faith in the US, they may pull their investments and refuse to lend to America. Emerging markets such as China could decide to invest inward, in their domestic economy, which would be more bad news for all Americans. The deal, a two-year plan, proposes that the government spend $700 billion to purchase bad mortgage-related debts from banks. To fund the bailout the treasury must borrow from the money markets by issuing more government debt. This deal gives the treasury secretary authority to monitor the execution of the deal, but critics want greater oversight and reporting.
Republicans, who claimed to be isolated from earlier talks, are satisfied with the condition of insurance program for mortgage-backed securities. Democrats won a measure of limiting executive salaries for companies that want financial assistance. Pelosi's office said the new agreement would immediately issue $250 billion, and another $100 billion would be spent under the discretion of President Bush.The remaining $350 billion is on hold until Congress reviews and approves of conditions of its release. More details are in development. What is known is that Congress must vote for this bill by Monday- Tuesday the latest. We should all hope it is a sufficient start to prevent a further downturn and restore confidence in the US economy.
~Tiffany Shorter-is a blogger on Hip-Hop Republicans and active international affairs activist. Before joining Hip-Hop Republicans, she was a member of Republicans Abroad Belgium responsible for coordinating outreach events and political discussions. She has come to New York after living in aboard in Belgium where she earned a Master's degree in International Law from the Brussels School of International Studies.
-UPDATE...BAILOUT FAILED TO PASS
~HipHopRepublican would like to congratulate Lenny McAllister's new position at AOL Black Voices. By Lenny McAllister
When Obama noted the $300 billion in tax cuts proposed by McCain, McCain effectively responded by illustrating that Obama - in the midst of this economic crisis - is proposing tax increases on those that help create jobs and, more importantly, is proposing $800 billion in new spending with his proposed budget... (i)t's hard to cut taxes for 95% of Americans and introduce $800 billion in new spending, especially when a $700 billion bailout is currently on the table..."
Political commentator Lenny McAllister comments on the first presidential debate with his first contribution to AOL Black Voices. McAllister is slated to provide the Republican viewpoint on the events surrounding the final month of the presidential campaign.
McAllister will be featured as one of the two featured writers for the "Black Spin" segment of the online magazine. The AOL article is currently available online at http://www.blackvoices.com/
"Just because a person has 20/20 vision does not mean that both of their eyes see things the same way. Sometimes, things become clear because two contrasting views bring about a sharper focus. In much the same way, we saw a contrast in vision between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain during the first presidential debate...a night of contrasts."
McAllister will discuss the contrasts on display during the first presidential debate during his comments on the Fox Charlotte morning show "Fox News Rising" this Monday morning. He can be seen during the 6:10 AM and 7:20 AM segments during Fox News Rising (hosted by Anna Kooiman and Mark Mathis.)
~Lenny McAllister is an African-American Republican Political Commentator for AOL Black Voices. Mr. McAllister is a Davidson College alumnus and currently resides in North Carolina.
Quote of the Day
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
~John Stuart Mill
~John Stuart Mill
The Myth of ‘the Southern Strategy’
In their book “The End of Southern Exceptionalism,” Richard Johnston of the University of Pennsylvania and Byron Shafer of the University of Wisconsin argue that the shift in the South from Democratic to Republican was overwhelmingly a question not of race but of economic growth..”-New York Times
The transformation of Southern politics after World War II changed the political life not just of this distinctive region, but of the entire nation. Until now, the critical shift in Southern political allegiance from Democratic to Republican has been explained, by scholars and journalists, as a white backlash to the civil rights revolution.
In this myth-shattering book, Byron Shafer and Richard Johnston refute that view, one stretching all the way back to V. O. Key in his classic book Southern Politics. The true story is instead one of dramatic class reversal, beginning in the 1950s and pulling everything else in its wake. Where once the poor voted Republican and the rich Democrat, that pattern reversed, as economic development became the engine of Republican gains. Racial desegregation, never far from the heart of the story, often applied the brakes to these gains rather than fueling them.A book that is bound to shake up the study of Southern politics, this will also become required reading for pundits and political strategists, for all those who argue over what it takes to carry the South.
Do Your Damn Job!
By StarI was sitting this morning trying to relate this subject to a story. You know write some fairy tale scenerio that would cause you to relate the gravity of the situation at hand. But instead I decided to go straight out because this is not the time to be playing around.
As you know, I am against the Bail Out. I don’t think rewarding companies with a clean slate is the way to impose reform of any sector of our Country. But I am not in a position to make decisions and it seems the bill will pass; whether I agree or not.
So that makes you take a look at the people that are in power. Our Elected Officials. Now I’m not one to question Bernanke on financial policy. But I do think the Fed has a more important job than meddling in the Private Market. With a dollar already hitting lows, that’s where his focus should be.
Nor could I question Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on his knowledge of world finance. But as a citizen I do have the right to question handing him a blank check. Especially with all the bureaucracy that occurs in the United States. How much would actually make it to the banks instead of the men that got us into the position at hand?
The President of the United States George Bush gives a speech; trying to explain the need for this bail out. I watched the speech. I wasn’t impressed but I can understand the pressure on the President. With all the head money men in the country clamoring for a solution; the desire for action must be strong. He has to do some thing.
Every member of Congress. Not just those who don’t have a national campaign to run. Every Member of Congress should be doing their jobs.
When John McCain annouced he would be suspending his campaign to go to Washington, of course I thought Political ploy. But when Barack Obama came out and said that he had people there to handle the situation for him, it hit me. Who are you working for?
Both Senators had a chance to give up their Senate seat before campaigning began. They both choose to remain Senators. They both are still getting paid by the American People to do a job. This is the time to do your damn job or sign your paycheck back to the people of your state. They did not elect you to have Harry Reid tell you what’s best. Or Nancy Pelosi to let you know every thing is good. The People elected you to be on the Senate floor fighting for them.
If this is the Pearl Harbor of our Economy, then you are supposed to be using your big stick; not listening to second hand reports of the situation. Just imagine if Bush were in Saudi Arabia when this crisis hit and he told the American People, “I got people to handle that for me. I’m going to continue my business here and if I’m needed to sign a bill; I’ll catch a plane.”
The Democrats would lose their damn minds. He’s over there with his friends the Saudi’s instead of here taking care of the American People. Well, here’s a thought. Barack Obama, we have a President. You may not like him but that is irrelevant. We also have 100 U.S. Senators. You are one of them. And until you get enough votes to become President, you should act as such.
We are all mad at C.E.O.’s that didn’t do their job. They let other people deal with the mess, while they reaped the benefits. They allowed people to tell them every thing is O.K., so their bonuses were heavy. Well, we are in the middle of a economic crisis and that usually gives Democrats a boost. Donations for Barack Obama should be up during this time. And he doesn’t want to suspend his campaign because their are people keeping him a breast of the situation. He doesn’t want to deal with the mess but he doesn’t mind benefiting from it.
As long as he can sign his name on the bill, he can claim to have helped the situation. He doesn’t have to be the one that fights, he can just be the one that signed. Then he said he wouldn’t help the situation by bringing presidential politics into the debate in Congress. Suspend your campaign. Stop being a candidate for President and Just Be A U.S. Senator. Don’t bring politics into it. Just keep the American People at the center of your reason for being.
Or does this pose a problem for you? Is your desire to become President more important than the postion the people of Chicago gave you? If you do become President, can I count on Reid and Pelosi running your administration, while you give hope to the American People? Is the change you promise giving more power to the people around you, instead of your beliefs and ideals? Will you fight for the American People? Or will you fight for the image that is Barack Obama?
All I ask. Do your damn job. When you can break away to campaign, do so. If you still want to debate, ask for a change of subject. Why would you want to talk about Foreign Policy when every one is focusing on the economy? Or are you scared you would lose in foreign policy so you would love to have this debate over shadowed by the economy? Are you playing politics? Is this the time?
~Star is a young black Republican who is also contributor to HipHopRepublican.com you can read more of her stuff at http://whydidyousaythatgirl.com/
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Voting by Race: Is it Fair and does it Help?
By Tiffany Shorter
Black Republicans are extremely unpopular this election season since Barack Obama may be the first African American president. If he wins the White House, it would be a momentous occasion in American politics. Regardless of who becomes president in November, this campaign presents a troubling paradox. Some want to misrepresent the election as a black and white picture that all open-minded tolerate individuals will vote for Obama and the rich and white are behind John McCain.
Many African Americans say that every black voter should support Obama because he is black. White Democrats should vote for him despite that he is black.
At the same time, for centuries we have fought for equal treatment in this country. We want to be looked at, as Martin Luther King Jr. describes, by the “content of our character”.
However, black supporters of John McCain are attacked and labeled as race traitors and Uncle Toms. Is it only acceptable to ask society to be colorblind as long as it is in favor of liberal views?
I, along with other black conservatives, am proud that Obama is making history. All Americans should be pleased to see a live example that political leadership is open to all races and ethnic groups. Knowing that he is just like any other white presidential candidate, the American people are going to evaluate him similarly to his predecessors who have run for office.
Many blacks and whites are going to vote for Barack Obama because they agree with his policies. Race will be an insignificant factor. This is ethical voting, selecting a candidate mainly on his or her policy positions is the epitome of American democracy.
Judging Obama as I would any other candidate, his inexperience and left-wing ideology fails to get my vote.
How can any African American vote for McCain over Obama?
McCain is getting my vote for three reasons; he is a moderate conservative, he has an outstanding record of leadership and he knows foreign policy. As a moderate Republican, I appreciate that McCain knows how to work with Democrats to move legislation. He has a history of placing partisanship aside even when it cost him conservative votes. His support for the United Nations to intervene in Darfur, proves his compassion. I feel secure in knowing that he will create an exit strategy in Iraq that will avoid future national security risks.
Regarding crucial African American issues, I know that neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will make our issues a top priority. Whoever wins office; the black community must be self-reliant and be rigorous in advocating the issues that matter to us most, as we have always done throughout our history. It will be naïve and ridicule to contend that the skin color of the next president will definitely improve the black community without grassroots activism. Furthermore, many of our challenges cannot be simply resolved by government intervention.
Better family unity, education and commitment to self-empowerment, are key to our progress, but these actions are out of the government’s scope.
Some Black Democrats assert that a vote against Obama means betraying our race. Several blindly believe that a President Obama will significantly improve black communities across the nation.
If this is true, then the many black Democrats who are already in public office can be blamed for the problems in our neighborhoods. As one of Obama’s constituent in Illinois, I have yet to witness a sudden surge of blacks moving from the disadvantage areas of Chicago’s south and west sides to homes in the suburbs.
Can we fault our leaders for too few of us with college degrees and too many of our children being raised without fathers? Perhaps these politicians should be responsible for people having unprotected sex, and thus adding themselves to the increasing number of African Americans inflected with HIV?
As a black conservative, I overall support our leaders in the government and the community regardless of partisanship. However, I disagree on the methods and ideas that can best address certain problems.
I am confident that one day the Republican Party will nominate a black presidential candidate that I can vote for because I agree with his or her policies rather than just skin color. The GOP has generated some of the most commendable black leaders such as Martin Luther Kings Jr., Booker T. Washington, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts and Michael S. Steele. If black Democrats choose not to vote for a black Republican presidential candidate in the future, I will not question their loyalty and support for our community.
Tiffany Shorter is the Director of Communications for YPFP in New York. She works for the Hudson Institute. She moved to New York after graduate school at the University of Kent in Brussels, Belgium. Her focus is on the United Nations as a international security institution.
Black Republicans are extremely unpopular this election season since Barack Obama may be the first African American president. If he wins the White House, it would be a momentous occasion in American politics. Regardless of who becomes president in November, this campaign presents a troubling paradox. Some want to misrepresent the election as a black and white picture that all open-minded tolerate individuals will vote for Obama and the rich and white are behind John McCain.
Many African Americans say that every black voter should support Obama because he is black. White Democrats should vote for him despite that he is black.
At the same time, for centuries we have fought for equal treatment in this country. We want to be looked at, as Martin Luther King Jr. describes, by the “content of our character”.
However, black supporters of John McCain are attacked and labeled as race traitors and Uncle Toms. Is it only acceptable to ask society to be colorblind as long as it is in favor of liberal views?
I, along with other black conservatives, am proud that Obama is making history. All Americans should be pleased to see a live example that political leadership is open to all races and ethnic groups. Knowing that he is just like any other white presidential candidate, the American people are going to evaluate him similarly to his predecessors who have run for office.
Many blacks and whites are going to vote for Barack Obama because they agree with his policies. Race will be an insignificant factor. This is ethical voting, selecting a candidate mainly on his or her policy positions is the epitome of American democracy.
Judging Obama as I would any other candidate, his inexperience and left-wing ideology fails to get my vote.
How can any African American vote for McCain over Obama?
McCain is getting my vote for three reasons; he is a moderate conservative, he has an outstanding record of leadership and he knows foreign policy. As a moderate Republican, I appreciate that McCain knows how to work with Democrats to move legislation. He has a history of placing partisanship aside even when it cost him conservative votes. His support for the United Nations to intervene in Darfur, proves his compassion. I feel secure in knowing that he will create an exit strategy in Iraq that will avoid future national security risks.
Regarding crucial African American issues, I know that neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will make our issues a top priority. Whoever wins office; the black community must be self-reliant and be rigorous in advocating the issues that matter to us most, as we have always done throughout our history. It will be naïve and ridicule to contend that the skin color of the next president will definitely improve the black community without grassroots activism. Furthermore, many of our challenges cannot be simply resolved by government intervention.
Better family unity, education and commitment to self-empowerment, are key to our progress, but these actions are out of the government’s scope.
Some Black Democrats assert that a vote against Obama means betraying our race. Several blindly believe that a President Obama will significantly improve black communities across the nation.
If this is true, then the many black Democrats who are already in public office can be blamed for the problems in our neighborhoods. As one of Obama’s constituent in Illinois, I have yet to witness a sudden surge of blacks moving from the disadvantage areas of Chicago’s south and west sides to homes in the suburbs.
Can we fault our leaders for too few of us with college degrees and too many of our children being raised without fathers? Perhaps these politicians should be responsible for people having unprotected sex, and thus adding themselves to the increasing number of African Americans inflected with HIV?
As a black conservative, I overall support our leaders in the government and the community regardless of partisanship. However, I disagree on the methods and ideas that can best address certain problems.
I am confident that one day the Republican Party will nominate a black presidential candidate that I can vote for because I agree with his or her policies rather than just skin color. The GOP has generated some of the most commendable black leaders such as Martin Luther Kings Jr., Booker T. Washington, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts and Michael S. Steele. If black Democrats choose not to vote for a black Republican presidential candidate in the future, I will not question their loyalty and support for our community.
Tiffany Shorter is the Director of Communications for YPFP in New York. She works for the Hudson Institute. She moved to New York after graduate school at the University of Kent in Brussels, Belgium. Her focus is on the United Nations as a international security institution.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Professional Panhandling Plague
~We have all seen them on the streets begging for the change but the City Journal's latest edition exposes this under the radar movement and how it effects us all.
A new generation of shakedown artists hampers America’s urban revival.
By Steven Malanga
Charlie’s blunt approach to begging is in vogue across the country—and it actually works.Barbara Bradley, an editor with the Memphis Commercial Appeal, moved into the River City’s reviving downtown about a year and a half ago, loving its “energy and enthusiasm.” But a horde of invading panhandlers has cooled her enjoyment of city life.
Earlier this year, she recalled in a recent column, as she showed some visitors around the neighborhood, “a big panhandler blocked the entrance to our parking area and demanded his toll.” Now a nervous Bradley avoids certain downtown areas, locks her car when fueling up at local gas stations, and parks strategically, so that she can see beggars coming before getting out of her car. “When I hear someone call out ‘ma’am, ma’am’ anywhere in downtown or midtown, I run.”
To view the entire article
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_panhandling.html
A new generation of shakedown artists hampers America’s urban revival.
By Steven Malanga
Charlie’s blunt approach to begging is in vogue across the country—and it actually works.Barbara Bradley, an editor with the Memphis Commercial Appeal, moved into the River City’s reviving downtown about a year and a half ago, loving its “energy and enthusiasm.” But a horde of invading panhandlers has cooled her enjoyment of city life.
Earlier this year, she recalled in a recent column, as she showed some visitors around the neighborhood, “a big panhandler blocked the entrance to our parking area and demanded his toll.” Now a nervous Bradley avoids certain downtown areas, locks her car when fueling up at local gas stations, and parks strategically, so that she can see beggars coming before getting out of her car. “When I hear someone call out ‘ma’am, ma’am’ anywhere in downtown or midtown, I run.”
To view the entire article
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_panhandling.html
What Caused Our Economic Crisis?
A highly informative video that traced the cause of our current crisis that had its roots planted 12 years ago.
LARRY ELDER OP-ED: Is Capitalism On The Ropes?
Asks the libertarian Republican commentator: "An indictment of greed! A case for more government intervention! Worst financial crisis since the Great Depression! Failure of capitalism! This list includes the 'lessons' of the recent turmoil in the financial markets. Nonsense. Down with greed! Someone please produce the gun held to the temples of borrowers who put little or no money down, took out 'teaser' rates, and then pleaded ignorance or victimhood when the lender -- as stipulated in the contract -- jacked up the rate. Lenders and borrowers expected government/taxpayers to somehow, someway, step in and shield them from the consequences of their decisions. This creates 'moral hazard' -- behavior based upon the knowledge of protection from the bad consequences of reckless or irresponsible behavior. Decisions entail risk, whether personal or financial ones.
We need more regulation! We have it -- lots of it. Ever hear of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO)? This agency, which employs 200 people, exists for one thing and one thing only -- to 'oversee' Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the 'government-sponsored entities' that own or guarantee 40 percent of the nation's residential mortgages."He continues his commentary: "We are experiencing 'the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression'! Even if this were true, we aren't even close to that catastrophic event. At the Great Depression's nadir, 25 percent of adults were unemployed, including nearly 50 percent of urban black adults. Economist David Wheelock, of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, says that by the dawn of 1934, nearly half the urban homes with mortgages were in default, and 7.3 percent of housing structures had been foreclosed. Today 6.4 percent of mortgages are delinquent, 2.75 percent are in the foreclosure process, and 0.6 percent of all housing units are bank-owned.
But what about since the Great Depression? Take the recession of 1980-81. In 1980, inflation averaged 13.58 percent, unemployment increased from 6.3 to 8.5 percent, and the prime loan rate reached an astonishing 21.5 percent. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, today's delinquency rate is only a little higher than in 1985. And in 1999, the foreclosure rate set records. According to the FDIC, in the almost two-year period of 2007 and 2008, 15 banks failed. Similarly, during Clinton's last two years in office, 1999 and 2000, 15 banks also failed. In the recession-free years of 1988 and 1989, there were 1,004 bank failures. And since the Great Depression, the average number of yearly bank failures has been 94."Mr. Elder discusses the lack of capitalism in America: "This exposes the failure of capitalism! What do you say we actually try capitalism, where private actors reap rewards and assume the risk? 'Capitalism,' says Kenneth Minogue, professor emeritus at the London School of Economics, 'is what people do if you leave them alone.' People want 'hands off' until, that is, they want 'hands on.' People want homes, many preferring that option even when renting may be more prudent. Many want rent control to shield them from leasing at fair market rates.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama promises 'world-class' education -- with taxpayers paying for it. And the federal government, in dramatic contradiction with the limited-government intention of the Constitution, involves itself in health care, guaranteeing private-sector retirement accounts, disaster relief, welfare, unemployment compensation benefits, retirement benefits, etc. The Federal Reserve Bank, in effect, prints money to pay for things that voters demand -- but their taxes cannot cover. The proposed bailout of financial institutions enables the Fed to create hundreds of billions of dollars out of thin air. The cost is greater inflation -- a stealth tax on us all. Government, meanwhile, grows and grows."And more: "In 1930, before Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, taxpayers paid about 12 percent of their income to all three levels of government -- state, local and federal. Today we pay approximately 40 percent -- even more if you attach a value to unfunded mandates, such as those issued by agencies such as OSHA. So, yes, our recent financial turmoil does suggest failure -- a failure to truly practice capitalism and a failure to accept and believe in the value, appropriateness and morality of a limited government and maximum personal responsibility."
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Michael Bloomberg - Origins of the Economic Crisis
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg, L.P., discusses the origins of the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis.-----Mayor Michael Bloomberg addresses a Georgetown audience on the state of the American economic crisis, the steps that should be taken and the steps that have not yet been taken. He characterizes federal responses to date as being akin to "buying an alcoholic a drink."Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the Mayor of New York City. He was elected mayor in 2001, then reelected to a second term in 2005.Bloomberg graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1966. His 1997 autobiography was titled Bloomberg by Bloomberg.Bloomberg is the founder and former CEO of financial news and data company Bloomberg, L.P.
Todd Gaziano and Andrew Grossman, have an excellent new paper explaining why constitutional fidelity and prudent policy go hand in hand in fixing the credit crisis. For those of you who’ve read Heritage’s other work on this issue, you’ll want to have a look at this.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm2079.cfm
Quote Of The Day
"'Racial views steer some white Dem[s] away from Obama'...but I thought the racist Democrats all became Republicans during 'The age of Aquarius'. If Obama loses it will not be for black Republicans because there 'only five of us'...remember. So it would seem that it would be Democrats who turn out the lights on Obama's campaign. How strange that for years the left has told us that 'all the Dixiecrat[s]' became Republicans overnight...could this be the first proof that they never left???"
— Richard Ivory of Hip Hop Republican, a black Republican blog, on a recent AP-Yahoo! poll
— Richard Ivory of Hip Hop Republican, a black Republican blog, on a recent AP-Yahoo! poll
Jason Riley Assails Myths of Immigration
In a provocative new book, Jason Riley makes the case for welcoming more legal immigrants to the United States. Drawing on history, scholarly studies and first-hand reporting, Riley argues that today's newcomers are fueling America's prosperity and dynamism. He challenges the prevailing views on talk radio and cable TV that immigrants are overpopulating the country, stealing jobs, depressing wages, bankrupting social services, filling prisons, resisting assimilation and promoting big government.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
HipHopRepublican.com on NPR
Claudio Simpkins on the Roundtable: McCain's Post-Convention BounceListen Now [17 min 45 sec]
John McCain and Sarah Palin photographed on stage at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. News & Notes , September 8, 2008 · Following last week's Republican National Convention, many polls have Republican presidential nominee John McCain tied or ahead of Democratic rival Barack Obama.
On today's bloggers' roundtable, Farai Chideya guides a conversation about the latest election news, rising unemployment rates, and news of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's resignation.Joining in the conversation were Chris Rabb of Afro-Netizen, Shaun King of Shaun in the City, and Claudio Simpkins of Hip Hop Republican.
Mbeki’s Resignation: Lessons For African Leaders
The African Executive, a libertarian website based in Kenya, pens an editorial: "The outgoing South African President Thabo Mbeki [pictured] succumbed to pressure from the ruling party’s National Executive Committee to step down. Mbeki's willingness to give up the reins without a fight is not only a demonstration of putting national interest before personal gain but also a sign of his maturity as an African leader.His resignation highlights the political system in South Africa where institutions are independent and respected. African leaders must respect institutions without influencing their decisions. They ought to respect the voters since they are the givers of power. This is the only way democracy will flourish in the continent. Mbeki’s belief in homegrown solutions to African problems was demonstrated through his participation in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Burundi, the DRC and Liberia crises. African leaders should follow suit and moderate in crisis hit areas in the continent until amicable resolutions are reached."
Rev. Al Sharpton on Education Reform
Rev Al Sharption speaking at Newt Gingrich education forum at American Solutions event during the RNC Convention in Minneapolis, MN. He and Newt Gingrich is working together are working to bring education reform to our inner cities. This is an aswsome speech by Sharption he is trully at his best when he talks about issues we all can agree on!
McCain vs Obama- Apollo Theatre
Hey folks "its show time at the Apollo"...today the Apollo Theatre and David Webb from the Black Republican Forum have requested that readers of this blog come to Apollo Theatres to watch the debates. Just a note there will be no C.P. Lacey, aka "Sandman" to Republicans out if the building...just joking.Below is request to come if you live in NYC please come. I know there will that The Harlem Republican Club will be representing so you may want to contact therm before you go.
*Republican Club in Harlem*....Don't Let Me Find Out,
http://www.harlemrepublicanclub.com/
The Harlem Republican Club is the official Republican District Club for the 70th Assembly District, covering historic Central Harlem and parts of Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights, and Sugar Hill. The Harlem Republican Club was created in 2002 to create a permanent and visible Republican presence in the Harlem community.
From the APOLLO Studios to HipHopRepublican.com
Dear HipHopRepublican.com
We would greatly appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about our viewing party of the important, historic first Presidential Debate between Senators McCain and Obama at the historical, world famous Apollo Theater, with political analysis and on site voter registration, this Friday, September 26th at the Apollo, 253 W. 125th Street, New York, NY.
Tickets for this event are free, but required, and may be obtained from our box office.
Box Office Hours:
Weekdays (except Wed.): 10:00am – 6:00pm
Wednesday: 10:00am – 8:30pm.
Doors open at 7, event at 8.
Visit ApolloTheater.org for more information.
L. Adé Williams
Community Outreach Manager
Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc
253 W. 125th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10027-4408
Ade.Williams@ApolloTheater.org
THE EVENT MAY BE CANCELLED BECAUSE SO WATCH THE NEWS BEFORE COMING-McCain has suspended his campaign and possibluy the debate
*History of Republicans in Harlem*
According to the New York Beacon, in 2002 more than a dozen Harlem Republican leaders announced the revival of The Harlem Republican Club, a year-round, grassroots political headquarters that was first established in 1886 and operated until the late 1930's, according to the best available records. The new club will serve as the central gathering place for several uptown Republican clubs, which have worked independently of one another for several years. The announcement was made at a fundraising for the club hosted by Harlem civic leaders. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Emily Pataki, State Republican Chairman Sandy Treadwell and ...
Note: I am not sure what is the official Harlem GOP club there seems to be at least three all with there won
http://www.harlemrepublicanclub.com/
http://harlemgop.net/http://www.harlemrepublicanclub.org/1.html
Black Elephants -is a monthly cofee roundtable of young African American Republicans in Manhattan who meet in various areas throughout the city to discuss various urban topics. The meetings are low key and relaxed the group is not an organization but simply a gathering place of like minded folks with a diversity of opinions yet still black and still Republican
The Harlem Republican Club was created in 2002 to create a permanent and visible Republican presence in the Harlem community. The new club's members worked tirelessly that year to help reelect Governor George Pataki and look forward to carrying that energy forward for many other Republican campaigns in the future.
The Harlem Republican Club celebrates the history of Blacks and the Republican Party and its proud and storied past. Through very turbulent times, Republicans not only abolished slavery in America but established that Blacks have the right to vote. In fact, many Black Republicans held office and were influential in state legislatures.
In 1869, the first to enter the US Congress were members of the Republican Party, establishing a trend that was not broken until 1935 when the first Black Democrat was elected to Congress.
1856 - The first candidate for President of the newly-created Republican Party, John C. Freemont, runs with the slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men."
1860 - With the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party firmly establishes itself as a major political entity capable of holding the presidency for 60 of the next 100 years.
1862 - President Lincoln is the first US President to meet with a group of Black Leaders.
1863 - President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves.
1864 - The Republican Party makes the abolition of slavery a plank on its party's platform.
1865 - Eleven Democrats break with their party and defect to the Republican side to vote "yes" for the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, thereby outlawing slavery in America. Republicans in Congress also work to pass the Fourteenth Amendment in 1968 guaranteeing equal protection under the law and the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 specifically securing the right to vote for American Blacks.
1896 - The Republican Party becomes the first major party to favor the right to vote for women in America. Twenty-four years later, Congress passes the Nineteenth Amendment, thereby guaranteeing women the right to vote. Of the 36 State legislatures that voted to ratify the amendment, 26 were under Republican control.
1917 - The first woman is elected to the United States Congress - Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana.
Sen.McCain's Chief of Staff is Gay....So What?"
via BlogCabin.net
by Scott Tucker
The Gay Left bloggers are falling all over themselves trying to get people to pay attention to the fact that there is an openly gay person working for Sen. John McCain.
This is a newsflash?
Here’s the deal. Wacky Left bloggers are on a witch hunt and this time their target is John McCain’s chief-of-staff, Mark Buse. Blogger Mike Rogers, whose specialty is “outing” politicians and staffers he deems anti-gay (Republicans, of course), claims that he’s “outing” Buse as a gay man.
Joining in the charade is the Republican-hating and always dramatic Michelangelo Signorile, who posted the hysterical headline: “Hypocrisy Bombshell: Antigay John McCain has a Gay Chief of Staff.”
This headline is laughable. One, because there is no “bombshell.” Mark Buse has been openly gay for years and has acknowledged as much. So the notion that he has been “outed” is simply false. But secondly–and this is the bigger point–this political stunt by Mike Rogers just proves what Log Cabin has been saying for years. John McCain is an inclusive Republican who hires the best people, regardless of sexual orientation.
Also, can we please stop childishly lobbing the “homophobic” insult at Republicans who don’t agree with us on every issue? Rogers and his crowd keep saying McCain is “homophobic” or “anti-gay.” Words mean things. Calling John McCain homophobic doesn’t make it so. The truth is, Sen. John McCain is anything but homophobic. This is a man who has a record of hiring gay staff members–as evidenced by this recent “bombshell.”
Perhaps with a pivotal election just more than a month away, these “activists” and so-called advocates of gay equality should spend more time…well, actually fighting for gay equality.I thought these were the same people on the Left who have been preaching for years that sexual orientation should be irrelevant. But, no, that only applies if you’re a Democrat and agree with them on every gay rights issue. Otherwise, watch out. Your personal life is fair game and they’ll abandon their so-called “principles” of diversity and non-discrimination and use your personal life as a weapon against you.
How ugly.
by Scott Tucker
The Gay Left bloggers are falling all over themselves trying to get people to pay attention to the fact that there is an openly gay person working for Sen. John McCain.
This is a newsflash?
Here’s the deal. Wacky Left bloggers are on a witch hunt and this time their target is John McCain’s chief-of-staff, Mark Buse. Blogger Mike Rogers, whose specialty is “outing” politicians and staffers he deems anti-gay (Republicans, of course), claims that he’s “outing” Buse as a gay man.
Joining in the charade is the Republican-hating and always dramatic Michelangelo Signorile, who posted the hysterical headline: “Hypocrisy Bombshell: Antigay John McCain has a Gay Chief of Staff.”
This headline is laughable. One, because there is no “bombshell.” Mark Buse has been openly gay for years and has acknowledged as much. So the notion that he has been “outed” is simply false. But secondly–and this is the bigger point–this political stunt by Mike Rogers just proves what Log Cabin has been saying for years. John McCain is an inclusive Republican who hires the best people, regardless of sexual orientation.
Also, can we please stop childishly lobbing the “homophobic” insult at Republicans who don’t agree with us on every issue? Rogers and his crowd keep saying McCain is “homophobic” or “anti-gay.” Words mean things. Calling John McCain homophobic doesn’t make it so. The truth is, Sen. John McCain is anything but homophobic. This is a man who has a record of hiring gay staff members–as evidenced by this recent “bombshell.”
Perhaps with a pivotal election just more than a month away, these “activists” and so-called advocates of gay equality should spend more time…well, actually fighting for gay equality.I thought these were the same people on the Left who have been preaching for years that sexual orientation should be irrelevant. But, no, that only applies if you’re a Democrat and agree with them on every gay rights issue. Otherwise, watch out. Your personal life is fair game and they’ll abandon their so-called “principles” of diversity and non-discrimination and use your personal life as a weapon against you.
How ugly.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Matt Damon on Sarah Palin
"CBS News RAW": Actor Matt Damon criticizes Alaska governor Sarah Palin, citing her inexperience in national politics and comparing her candidacy to "a bad Disney movie....
BEST RESPONCE: I Matt Damon, I know politics, I want cookie now.........What a dumbass!!!!!However just to be fair Matt Damon does makes a compelling argument, but before we all make up my mind we should at least hear what Paris Hilton thinks
BEST RESPONCE: I Matt Damon, I know politics, I want cookie now.........What a dumbass!!!!!However just to be fair Matt Damon does makes a compelling argument, but before we all make up my mind we should at least hear what Paris Hilton thinks
Obama's Weekly Not Exactly's
OBAMA-My Family Has Strong Ties To African Liberation
NOT EXACTLY-Your cousin Raila Odinga created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya . It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia Muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get.
NOT EXACTLY-Your cousin Raila Odinga created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya . It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia Muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get.
Black Republican Remakes Song For Sarah Palin
Ya know what...before you "GOP HATER'S" go knocking this poor guy you have to admit the brotha knows how to sing... all politics aside...give the man a break!!!
From Bookerising -The Obama campaign has will.i.am of Black-Eyed Peas, the McCain campaign now has Lloyd Marcus of Deltona, Florida. Mr. Marcus is part of the Our Country Deserves Better tour, which is holding 35 rallies in key states and an accompanying television campaign in favor of the McCain-Palin ticket.Mr. Marcus has done a remake of Hall & Oates' 1976 hit, "Sara Smile".
His version, "Sarah Smile", changes the lyrics to tout vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin and is making the rounds in the center-right blogosphere:
~Also if you are a women and support Sarah Palin please sign the petition over at Women4Sarah
Obama & Fannie Mae
We all already know the government had to bail out Fannie Mae. But apparently Obama seems to think its a good idea to take advice from from former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. Raines of course was cooking the books at Fannie Mae. Obama has since denied that he has taken any advice from Franklin Raines now that Mccain is pointing it out in a new ad. The problem is there are several news reports in the Washington Post of him consulting Raines.
7/16/08: "In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae’s chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself. He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap, taken a corner office in Steve Case’s D.C. conglomeration of finance, entertainment and health-care companies and more recently, taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters."
8/28/08: "In the current crisis, their biggest backers have been Democrats such as Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (Mass.). Two members of Mr. Obama’s political circle, James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines, are former chief executives of Fannie Mae."
7/16/08: "In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae’s chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself. He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap, taken a corner office in Steve Case’s D.C. conglomeration of finance, entertainment and health-care companies and more recently, taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters."
8/28/08: "In the current crisis, their biggest backers have been Democrats such as Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (Mass.). Two members of Mr. Obama’s political circle, James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines, are former chief executives of Fannie Mae."
Thanks to Hot Air for pointing this out.Another problem for Obama is there is video of the former CEO of Fannie Mae calling Obama and Democrats family:
Also Obama received $126, 349 in contributions from Fannie Mae. SOURCEOn another note Penny Pritzker who helped run Superior Bank into the ground is Obamas campaign-finance chairwoman. SOURCEMore on this at World Net Daily
"Whatever You Like" is a song by hip-hop artist T.I., released as the first single from his sixth studio album, Paper Trail. It was released on July 16, 2008. This is T.I.'s second song with the name "Whatever You Like". The first was "Whatever U Like" by Nicole Scherzinger, which featured T.I. The single was released digitally on August 19, 2008."Whatever You Like" was produced by Jim Jonsin, the producer of Lil' Wayne's song "Lollipop". Both songs have similar elements including the lead synthesizers, drum pattern, and overall simplicity of the beat.
Post-Racial Politics? Not Quite.
By Claudio SimpkinsIn the Sunday, September 14th edition of the Washington Post, my Professor, Randall Kennedy, spoke to "The Big 'What If,'" outlining the potential fallout should Senator Barack Obama lose this race for the presidency.
Professor Kennedy speaks to Black anxiety regarding the seemingly all-but-inevitable conclusion that should Obama lose, it will be because of "a vague, sophisticated, low-key prejudice that is chameleonlike in its ability to adapt to new surroundings and to hide even from those firmly in its grip."
As an African-American supporting Senator John McCain this election cycle, I find it hard to believe that I am the unwitting victim of a subconscious racism that motivates my work against Senator Obama. In fact, like many young minority Republicans, I see Senator Obama as a role model. I will never look to question his accomplishments, his motivations, his patriotism or the historical significance of his run. But that does not keep many African-Americans from questioning my commitment to our community or the authenticity of my "Blackness" for differing with the good Senator on the issues. It would seem that this low-key prejudice and racism is present and active on both sides of the aisle.
All too often I am challenged by peers and by "friends" on how really committed I am to my community. There is generally an underlying and sneering disbelief and sarcasm evident in these conversations, as Blacks "on board" with Obama (even those that supported Hillary Clinton before Obama showed himself a viable candidate, and "Black enough") assume they have a monopoly on Blackness. Often times this criticism comes in the form of good-natured ribbing, but sometimes it is more insidious than that.
The sad part is that this byproduct of Black groupthink regarding national politics - the political homogeneity of Black America - only serves the purposes of racism by ostracizing independent-minded Blacks from the community and by seeking to silence their voices altogether. And this type of behavior is no respecter of persons, insofar as it targets even those who have proven their commitment to their communities.
I come from a broken home. I come from a drug-abusing household. I have been cold and homeless. I have parents with criminal records. I have attended public schools all my life, until Harvard Law. This is not an attempt to garner sympathy, but an attempt to provide the context needed to understand my commitment to those groups and organizations that helped me rise above circumstance.
Randall Kennedy does not engage in such behavior in his editorial. And from the classes I have taken with him, I can confidently say that Professor Kennedy would not question the "Blackness" of anyone. (See his recent book: "Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal" for an in-depth analysis of this phenomenon within the Black community).
However, if we're to interrogate the hidden remnants of a racist America still at work in this election cycle, perhaps we might benefit from taking up a hypothetical Professor Kennedy provides:
"I anticipate that most black Americans will believe that an Obama defeat will have stemmed in substantial part from a prejudice that robbed 40 million Americans of the chance to become president on the day they were born black. They will of course understand that race wasn't the only significant variable -- that party affiliation, ideological proclivities, strategic choices and dumb luck also mattered. But deep in their bones, they will believe -- and probably rightly -- that race was a key element, that had the racial shoe been on the other foot -- had John McCain been black and Obama white -- the result would have been different." (Emphasis added).
This complicated counterfactual may in fact resemble the opinions of Black America in the aftermath of an Obama loss, but does it stand up to reality and experience? We can look to only a handful of Black Republicans who have run for office in the most recent decades to test this theory.
Recent experience lends us the case of former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele. Steele ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 and lost to Democrat Ben Cardin. During his 2002 run for Lieutenant Governor, however, Steele was allegedly showered with Oreo cookies during a gubernatorial debate. Surely similar behavior aimed at Senator Obama would be ample evidence of the racism Professor Kennedy and others in the Black community finger as a likely culprit should Obama lose.
Experience also points to former U.S. Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts. Although Brooke was the first Black senator since Reconstruction and remains the only Black to be elected to a second term in the United States Senate, reports hold that white voters saw him as "too Black to be white" and Black voters labeled him "too white to be Black."
Point being, a Black John McCain probably would suffer from as much racism as Obama does. America has racial demons to exorcise in both parties and in all segments of the American polity.
Going on personal experience, I have little faith that America is ready to follow the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and judge Blacks not "by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." How many Blacks have evaluated both candidates on the policies and how many are supporting Obama simply because he is a Black man? How many use "Blackness" as a litmus test for candidates - both Democratic and Republican? Unfortunately, still too many.
Barack Obama has shattered many of the assumptions America holds regarding the Black race, our capacity to lead and to change, and our role within the nation and its government. However, until he or, better yet, we ourselves learn to let go of race and racial identity politics we will continue to suffer from the very same sinister force we have bumped up against for centuries. Racism is alive and well in America, white and Black, and the true test of this campaign is whether we can call it for what really is wherever it rears its ugly head.
~Claudio Simpkins is a third-year student at Harvard Law School and contributor to HipHopRepublican.com
Pictures from Harlem African American Parade
These are a few of the pictures I took from this weekends Harlem African American Parade.
UH UHHHHH!!! THIS SONG CAN NOT BE REAL ... HAS IT REALLY COME TO THIS???
Lord Pleeez Pleez tell me this is a joke..This video has set black folks back 300 years..what has become of hip hop artist that they are now doing songs about fried greasy chicken..
HipHopRepublican.com on NPR
Hey HipHopRepublican.com ..It’s me Marcus Skelton and its a recession so I needed a second job so it’s time to use my communications degree and get back on the radio. I’ve become a contributor on NPR’s Show Barbershop. Check out this weeks show .
This week's Barbershop guys — Jimi Izrael, Ruben Navarrette, Marcus Mabry and Marcus Skelton — chime in on the recent Wall Street Meltdown and how both presidential candidates are responding. Plus, a testy moment during R&B star R. Kelly's first interview since his acquittal on child pornography charges.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=94799536&m=94799526
This week's Barbershop guys — Jimi Izrael, Ruben Navarrette, Marcus Mabry and Marcus Skelton — chime in on the recent Wall Street Meltdown and how both presidential candidates are responding. Plus, a testy moment during R&B star R. Kelly's first interview since his acquittal on child pornography charges.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=94799536&m=94799526
Harlem "African American Day Parade Shoot Out"
Today this blog received a video from an anonymous source of what occurred during Saturdays African American Day Parade shoot out. The media totally ignored what had occurred I was there and saw allot of what happened..how on earth could the local media be so silent its really ashame. ..You are watching a live video of what the hell is happeing in our inner cities. If anyone has more video please send it to us
Monday, September 22, 2008
GOP Rep.Sherman Parker dies Dies at 37
It is with great sadness to inform the readers of HipHopRepublican.com of the passing of Sherman Parker from a brain aneurysm. In the last election cycle Sherman, a former Missouri GOP state delegate, unsuccessfully sought a U. S. House seat. He did not win though went on to become successful working in government relations and other entrepreneurial pursuits. Arrangements can be found on Sherman's web site Shermanparker.org and information about his death at mopns.com
Sherman's Bio
Republican Representative Sherman Parker represented St. Charles County (District 12) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to the House in November 2002 and was re-elected in 2004 with 73% of the vote. During the 92nd Missouri General Assembly, Representative Parker was elected Deputy Majority Whip and served as Vice-Chairman of the Financial Services Committee. He also served on the Education Committee, and the Small Business Committee.
During his first year as a legislator, Missouri’s community college chancellors and presidents, named Sherman their legislator of the year for his work and commitment to higher education. Sherman was also named Missouri Votes Conservation’s Rising Stars, due to his leadership on conservation issues. In 2002, Sherman was named by his peers as the Missouri’s Young Republican of the Year. In 2005, Cardinal Glennon Hospital awarded Sherman the "Defender of the Children" award. This year, Sherman was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the region's "Most Influential Minority Business Leaders. Sherman is presently a contributing columnist to the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper.
Prior to his legislative duties, Sherman served as the Chief Operating Officer for Omicron Development Corporation, was a member of the executive staff of UniGroup, Inc., an Account Comptroller for State Street Bank in Boston, Massachusetts, and served as a Special Assistant to three United States Senators.
Representative Parker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in North and South American history and political science from the University of Vermont. During his junior year in college, he attended the St. Louis University in Madrid, Spain.
During his first year as a legislator, Missouri’s community college chancellors and presidents, named Sherman their legislator of the year for his work and commitment to higher education. Sherman was also named Missouri Votes Conservation’s Rising Stars, due to his leadership on conservation issues. In 2002, Sherman was named by his peers as the Missouri’s Young Republican of the Year. In 2005, Cardinal Glennon Hospital awarded Sherman the "Defender of the Children" award. This year, Sherman was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the region's "Most Influential Minority Business Leaders. Sherman is presently a contributing columnist to the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper.
Prior to his legislative duties, Sherman served as the Chief Operating Officer for Omicron Development Corporation, was a member of the executive staff of UniGroup, Inc., an Account Comptroller for State Street Bank in Boston, Massachusetts, and served as a Special Assistant to three United States Senators.
Representative Parker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in North and South American history and political science from the University of Vermont. During his junior year in college, he attended the St. Louis University in Madrid, Spain.
Parker died suddenly as a result of a brain aneurysm at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
McCain and Regulation
From -The Square Deal
When people are talking about the presidential campaign and the current Wall Street meltdown, most of them have stated that McCain has always been for less regulation. The Obama campaign has also done the same thing: painting McCain as a doctinare free-marketeer.However, that is not the whole story. Yes, McCain tends to skew towards less regulation
(he is a Republican, after all) but the Washington Post notes that he does see a need for it. Continue Reading »
When people are talking about the presidential campaign and the current Wall Street meltdown, most of them have stated that McCain has always been for less regulation. The Obama campaign has also done the same thing: painting McCain as a doctinare free-marketeer.However, that is not the whole story. Yes, McCain tends to skew towards less regulation
(he is a Republican, after all) but the Washington Post notes that he does see a need for it. Continue Reading »
Sunday, September 21, 2008
"Harlem Shooting -Annual African American Day Parade"
By Richard IvorySo today was the start of Harlem's African American Parade here in New York City and I along with a few friends came out to join the festivities. The 39th Annual African American Day Parade.
THE 39th ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN DAY PARADE
(Largest Black Parade In America ) 111th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. To 142nd Street
GRAND MARSHALS
Governor David Paterson *David Dinkins * Rev. Al Sharpton *Dr. Adelaide Sanford Congressman Charles Rangel * Comptroller William Thompson* Lillian Roberts
The parade is an annual event that starts at 110th and runs to 142th street and according to NY 1 Governor Patterson will be marching in the parade ...The entire event started around 1pm and was amazing I will be providing pictures from the event tomorrow.Of course the event was fun and exciting but that was until the shootimg occured and folks started
*Harlem Shooting & The Media Black Out*
As I am typing, all of Harlem is in fear the time is around 9pm and there are shots all over the Harlem. On 127th near and St. Nicholas, a young light skinned black male in his 30's or early 40's was shot and possibly an officer. I am not sure how accurate the information is regarding the cop death is but I do know that there is no mention if this on NY media. Usually the media is quick on reporting this stuff but there is a dead silence where is NY1? caught the tell end of this criminal act and witnessed the guy laying on the street with blood flowing from his chest.
I actually stood within feet of the person who had just been shot. There were about nine cops surrounding the person trying to make sure he was okay until the ambulance came. A few of the neighbors from the local projects buildings wondered as did I why the ambulance was taking so long. A few lamented that the cops might get a little trigger happy because of what occurred. About 20 minutes into the police helping this guy into the ambulance more shots rang out. I guess out of a sense of "self preservation" I and others ran to protect ourselves as we watched cops run down to the street that the shots were being fired. Sitting there watching him I asked the cops if he world make it? I was told that while he was shot in the chest it was not his heart .I am being told from sources on the ground that this occurred last year and was the result of gang retaliation. I am also hearing that there may have been an officer shot but I am not being told.
~This is Richard folks reporting for HipHopRepublican.com from the a war zone in Harlem not Fallujah. I will be posting pictures tomorrow of the festival...for now this link has more .The Gothamist has a great article about the recent spike in shootings in Harlem.
Debunking Anti-Palin Smears
You can read an article in Newsweek (certainly not a Republican tool) debunking these smears at http://www.newsweek .com/id/157986. Here are some of the smears debunked:
1)Sarah Palin Cut Special Needs Education
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.
2) Sarah Palin Tried to Ban Books
She did not demand that books be banned from thehttp://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= WasillaWasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time (the list is actually one of all the books banned in the US for the past 100 years). The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
3)Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party
She was never a member of thehttp://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Alaskan+Independ ence+PartyAlaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
4)Palin never endorsed or supported Buchannan
Palin never supported http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Patrick+BuchananPat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesy" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
5)Palin never endorsed Creationsm
Palin has not pushed for teaching Creationsm http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
1)Sarah Palin Cut Special Needs Education
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.
2) Sarah Palin Tried to Ban Books
She did not demand that books be banned from thehttp://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= WasillaWasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time (the list is actually one of all the books banned in the US for the past 100 years). The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
3)Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party
She was never a member of thehttp://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Alaskan+Independ ence+PartyAlaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
4)Palin never endorsed or supported Buchannan
Palin never supported http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Patrick+BuchananPat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesy" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
5)Palin never endorsed Creationsm
Palin has not pushed for teaching Creationsm http://www.newsweek .com/related. aspx?subject= Creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)