With the opening of an artificial harbor in 1961, Tema developed from a small fishing village to Ghana's leading seaport and an industrial center. Most of the country's chief export, cacao, is shipped from Tema. The city has aluminum, refined petroleum, chemicals, food products, and building materials industries. The pictured home is in Sakumono, originally a small fishing village which has rapidly become an upscale suburb of Tema (itself a de facto suburb of the Greater Accra area), as Tema and Accra increasingly become twin cities. Freddy Adu, the soccer player who played with Major League Soccer (USA) but now plays in Europe, is originally from Tema.
I suppose this home (priced at US$99,995 in 2007) would be considered upper-middle-class or upper-class housing in Ghana. Tema is a city of 209,000 people located about 16 miles from the capital city of Accra, in southeastern Ghana.
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Suburbia, Ghanaian Style
The CIA Interrogations Investigation: Bookerista Perspectives
Kevin Jackson: "Cheney Gets Mean...Again!"
The conservative Republican blogger opines about former Vice President Dick Cheney's battle with Attorney General Eric Holder over the investigation of CIA torture allegations: "It’s Cheney versus Holder in what looks like a sequel to Cheney versus Obama, where Cheney put what my grandparents would describe as a “country butt whooping” on the Obama. Like in the Obama fight, Cheney came out of his corner and landed a Superman punch on Holder, stating the obvious:
“We had a track record now of eight years of defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from al Qaeda,” Cheney said. “The approach of the Obama administration should be to come to those people who were involved in that policy and say, ‘How did you do it? What were the keys to keeping this country safe over that period of time?’”
Booyah, Ba-by! Holder is down — eight, nine, ten. It’s a one-punch knockout!"
Mr. Jackson continues his commentary about the interrogations controversy: "Needless to say, Holder has indeed underestimated Cheney — just like his boss man Obama did. You would think that they know by now that Cheney has no heart condition when it comes to battling liberals. Cheney is to Guru, as Holder is to Grasshoppa. Here’s the wrap: As with all things ObamaNation, they have overestimated the public’s tolerance for idiots, believing they can sell the public on the idea of prosecuting patriots who are paid to protect America.'"
Kenneth Durden: "Will Obama Leave Holder Out To Twist In The Wind?"
Asks the libertarian-conservative blogger: "Even Senator Dianne Feinstein is coming out against Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to pursue investigations of CIA terrorist suspect interrogation tactics. Of course Feinstein's reasoning has little to to do with ensuring the CIA is free to do what's necessary to keep us safe. She'd just much rather grandstand on the issue and doesn't want Holder cutting in on her. Either way the decision is the same. Now that even other Dems are coming out against Holder's decision, how long will it be before President Obama dunks him? Obama has made sure to retain plausible denial with his 'I want to move forward' nonsense. Smart people will know that since this is one of Holder's first actions, there's no doubt he's following his boss's orders."
Anti-Sex School For Johns?
Jeffrey Miron, director of undergraduate studies at Harvard University's economics department and senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute (USA), gives the side-eye to one method to combat prostitution: "In a novel approach to punishing men who attempt to hire prostitutes, Nashville and other cities are sending first-time offenders to a one-day class where they learn from former prostitutes, health experts, psychologists and law enforcement officers about “the risks of hiring a prostitute.” This is a waste of time. Prostitution is 'the oldest profession' for a reason: sex is a biological imperative. A day of anti-sex school will have no effect on the demand for prostitution. The better approach is to legalize. Under legalization, the vast majority of men would patronize legal establishments. This would also allow quality control, since competition would encourage prostitution services to certify their employees as free from STDs and above the age of consent. Legalization would help the women who serve as prostitutes by reducing the violence they suffer from johns and pimps. In particular, legalization would mainly eliminate forced prostitution. The claim that prostitution encourages sexual assault does not pass the sniff test. Many countries, plus Nevada and Rhode Island, allow legal prostitution to varying degrees, but no evidence suggests they have a higher incidence of violence toward women."
Booker Rising response: I'm LOL at one line in CNN's piece: "Prostitution is based on the law of supply and demand. The thinking is: Women won't stop selling sex until men stop buying." Men have been buying sex since the dawn of time. Organizers of these "john schools" cannot seriously think that they're going to change a three-millennia+-old behavior?!
Health Care Reform: Two Conservative Perspectives
Herman Cain: "Shhhh! There's GOP Alternative To Obamacare"
The conservative Republican businessman writes: "The 'Empowering Patients First Act,' or H.R. 3400, was introduced by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and 27 co-sponsors on July 30, 2009, prior to the congressional recess. It was then referred to eight House committees. The head hijacker is Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As Rep. Price pointed out during a radio interview with me last week, the rules in the House assert that bills will remain in committees 'for a period to be subsequently determined by the speaker.' Thank you Nancy! The highly contentious 1,000-plus-page Democrat health-care proposal cleared the committees in a few days. The 63-page Republican alternative is stuck in committees, and it can't get out. Speaker Pelosi can simply keep it there while they continue to try to shove their proposal down the throats of the American people."
He continues his commentary about health care reform: "Here's what the Democrats don't want us to know. The Empowering Patients First Act, or H.R. 3400, would allow:
- Individuals to choose their health insurance (no mandates)
- Deductibility of health insurance premiums regardless of who pays
- Employers to provide flexible health-insurance options to employees
- Health insurance coverage for low-income families (300 percent of the federal poverty level)
- Health insurance for high-risk individuals (pre-existing conditions)
- Sale of health insurance across state lines
- Expansion of Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs
- Individual membership association health insurance plan
- Association Health Insurance Plans
- Medical liability limitations (Tort reform)
Alan Keyes: "Health Care — Funding The Revolt To Freedom"He continues his commentary: "This also opens the way to the creation of contributor pools based on associations and affiliations apart from work. Individuals could form such groups drawing from people in similar circumstances in their church, their service, fraternal or sorority groups, etc. Those who work for small and medium size businesses, for example, would take whatever level of contribution they receive from their employer and go in search of others being funded at a similar level. Once a large enough initial pool has gathered, the sponsoring organization would work out terms with an insurance fund provider, just as larger employers do now. Such groups would doubtless become a permanent feature of the system, identifying themselves with people at different income levels in order to appeal for their participation.".
Mr. Keyes zeroes in on the poor: "In this regard the first aim of public policy would be to encourage adoption of an approach to health insurance that restores the proper role of individual freedom and responsibility. One way to achieve this would be to exempt from Federal taxation in every respect those who adopted an approach consistent with this objective. This would include both the insurance funds themselves (both as to the individually owned accounts and the investments or other income generating activities related to the general funds) and the transactions involved in their use. This exemption could include allowing health insurance companies to emit tax-free financial securities (similar to tax-free municipal bonds) with the particular intention of raising capital for use in funding individual accounts for the 'hard cases'. Such bonds could then be marketed with particular attention to charity minded individuals. Instead of scoffing at the idea that needs should be met through charitable giving, this policy would aim to make charity a marketable commodity, that allows good intentions to feed upon themselves in order to nourish and increase the resources available to fulfill them."
Food & Famine In Africa: Two African Libertarian Perspectives
Franklin Cudjoe: "Re: Health Alert!: Will Parliament Succumb To US Pressure?"
Mr. Cudjoe responds to another person's op-ed on a Ghanaian news website about genetically modified foods. The libertarian head of IMANI: Center for Policy & Education (Ghana) argues that centralized state rule, marked by corruption and sustained by foreign aid dictates, is what keeps many Africans poor and hungry: "While I admit the subject of GM is very touchy, at least, so it has been made by anti-development activists, it is important to go further and investigate whether any known fatalities have resulted from the consumption of genetically modified products. It is very instructive to know that the one thing that could give us drought-resistant and highly productive seeds is biotechnology. Experience shows that genetically modified (GM) crops could increase yields by 25% and cost less than Green Revolution techniques. But GM produce faces bans from rich countries, especially the EU, using unscientific 'biosafety' protocols under the guise of environmental protection. This kind of hysteria made Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe reject famine aid because U.S. or South African maize could not be certified GM-free."
He continues his commentary: "Niger is little-blessed by nature, but it has also spent its postcolonial era trying various forms of failed government, with Marxism reigning longest. A quarter of the population -- 2.5 million people -- faces starvation. Yet more temperate southern and eastern African countries are on the edge of famine, too, with 10 million affected in southern Africa alone. Again, we find the same economic profile: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho all lack economic freedom and property rights; all have economies mismanaged by the state; all depend on aid. All these countries have a history of utopian schemes that failed to produce everlasting manna. State farms, marketing boards, land redistribution, price controls and huge regional tariffs left few incentives or opportunities for subsistence farmers to expand. Despite torrents of aid, these cruel social experiments could not turn sands verdant or prevent the granaries of southern and eastern Africa from rotting. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi believes that allowing Ethiopians to own their land would make them sell out to multinationals. He seems to have overlooked a basic market principle: It demands a willing seller and a willing buyer at an agreed price. If that price is worth selling for, the farmer might have some money to reinvest elsewhere; if that price is worth buying for, the purchaser must have plans to make the land profitable. If there is no sale, owners might have an incentive to invest in their own land and future, having, at last, the collateral of the land on which to get a loan. After decades of socialism, Ethiopia's agricultural sector -- the mainstay of the economy -- is less productive per capita than 20 years ago when Band Aid tried to defeat famine. Although 60% of the country is arable, only 10% has been cultivated. Ethiopia is entirely dependent on donations; but instead of grasping reality, Mr. Zenawi, a member of Tony Blair's 'Commission for Africa,' is forcing resettlement on 2.2 million people."
James Shikwati: "Africa's Famine: Case Of Drought Or Malware?"
The libertarian head of the Inter-Region Economic Network (Kenya) argues that when one talks about famine in Africa, one must evaluate the hostile and intrusive programs operating on the foreign aid front which undermine traditional African foods and keep Africans as beggars: "Over 50 years of food aid targeting Africa and the resultant increased famine episodes point at a possibility of a food 'malware' – a malicious system that changes people’s dietary habits in favor for imported foods. The same malware has penetrated agricultural schools that prepare graduates to promote the new foods as opposed to upgrading local varieties. The worst bit is on the political leadership – their minds have been corrupted so much with the quest for kickbacks to such an extent that they do not invest in local solutions. Foreign solutions come loaded with a possibility of a quick '10%;' and in the absence of a working 'anti-virus' it logs its intentions on to the African nations’ operating system forcing the continent to be perpetual beggars."
More: "To reduce famine incidents on the continent, Africans must develop a system of detecting the 'malicious background operating system' from donors that has not only denied them a chance to promote their local cuisines but has also exposed their land up for grabbing. It is time we invested in our indigenous crops, turned our rural populations into celebrated food suppliers through incentives and invested in technology to free our continent from perennial famine. Contrary to common beliefs, money is not the solution to Africa’s famine problem; food aid is not the solution either … getting rid of the 'malware' is!"
HARRY JACKSON JR. OP-ED: Defending Marriage In Troubled Times
The conservative commentator argues for the maintenance of the Defense Of Marriage Act, a U.S. federal law designating marriage as between one man and one woman and which doesn't require one state to acknowledge gay marriages done in another state: "Against the backdrop of record unemployment rates, recessionary trends in an out-of-control economy, and a raging healthcare debate; it’s hard to understand why DOMA is on the president’s radar screen. The administration seems to be unaware that radical gay marriage proponents have nowhere else to go - Independents and Republicans are not going to embrace the marriage redefinition issue. Advancing the agenda of gay marriage is only urgent if the President is watching the meteoric decline of his approval ratings. Even if it’s about popularity, he might find other issues to address, which involve less risk and affect tens of millions."
He continues his commentary: "All of that being said, what are the consequences of repealing DOMA? First of all, in the absence of DOMA, traditional marriage advocates will have no legal mechanism to easily bring the marriage issue to the ballot. While marriage amendments and other measures, which have made gay marriage unlawful in over 30 states, would remain on the books, these measures would be harder to establish and maintain. Therefore, biblical marriage advocates will lose one of their most powerful strategic weapons, while gay marriage advocates would still be free to influence legislatures and runaway courts. Secondly, if DOMA were repealed there would be litigation regarding the Full Faith and Credit issue around same-sex marriage. Although there are very strong arguments that the Full Faith and Credit clause of the United State’s Constitution does not force states to recognize the marriage licenses of other states, the average citizen does not understand this aspect of the law. There would certainly be a series of major legal battles in many states. Further, the traditional marriage movement has had very little success when elitist judges make their rulings in a sociological vacuum."
More commentary from Mr. Jackson Jr.: "Americans should be interested in stabilizing both the economy and family foundations. We should also let the administration and our congressmen know that taking DOMA apart will simultaneously destroy their political fortunes. The 2010 elections need to be a severe time of reckoning, realignment, and re-adjustment. If our representatives do not defend DOMA now, we will defend marriage by our vote."
Booker Rising response: It is not the government's business if non-related, consenting adults wish to marry as one man and one woman, two men or two women, one man and two women, one women and one men, and so forth. A far more useful marriage defense would be to spend time tackling America's high divorce rate.
Sarah Palin Gets 1,070+ Invitations
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin this week will begin accepting and rejecting the more than 1,070 invitations she has received for paid speeches and political appearances since she resigned from office. Twenty speakers’ bureaus made offers to represent her. The conservative Republican politico has signed with Washington Speakers Bureau, which represents former U.S. President George and former U.S. First Lady Laura Bush to journalists Bob Woodward and Katie Couric to political and economic figures such as Alan Greenspan, Colin Powell and Rudy Giuliani.
More than 950 requests for speeches have poured in for Palin, and over 120 candidates for office have asked her to appear, including folks running for Senate, House and state Legislature, aides said. Ms. Palin will be doing both paid speeches, which are expected to go for six figures apiece, and unpaid speeches for political and charitable causes, including Christian organizations, groups that support families with special-needs children and military families.
She’s about 85% finished with her book, due out this spring from HarperCollins. Then she’ll begin looking through the inch-and-a-half thick file her lawyer, Robert Barnett, has built of offers for network and cable pundit gigs, documentaries and business opportunities.
Bookeristas respond: Tyrone Davis Jr., a conservative Republican in Clearwater, Fla.: "For a woman who people say is 'dumb', she is getting a lot of attention...and being paid for it too."
Clifton B., a conservative blogger, writes: "As much as the left would love to have us believe that Sarah Palin is irrelevant, especially after stepping down early, the proof says otherwise. I hope Sarah makes a truckload of money on speaking fees (rumored to be six figures per speech) just like Bill Clinton does. She and her family have more than earned it. I further hope that while at the CLSA Investors forum [in Hong Kong, her first reported speech], Palin uses the opportunity to skewer the Obama administration for its ridiculous spend your way out of bankruptcy economic policy. That foolish policy certainly hasn’t received nearly enough attention."
Abortion: Pro-Life Vs. Pro-Choice Republican Perspectives
Star Parker: "A Time For Truth On Abortion"
The conservative Republican commentator, who has stated that she had four abortions in two years in her past, opines: "Currently 35 states have laws that require either parental consent or notification in order for a teenage girl to receive an abortion. Alaska passed one in 1997. However, after ten years on the books, in 2007 the Alaska Supreme Court, arguing that sharing this information with parents violated the privacy of their teenage daughters, found the law unconstitutional. So now a 13 year old can get an abortion without the knowledge of her parents. A large percentage of these abortions are paid for with state Medicaid funds, but no one seems to think that parents' privacy is being violated using their tax funds to pay for these. Research shows the remedial benefits of parental involvement when a pregnant teenager considers abortion. And research shows the profound psychological damage caused by teenage abortion. But, perhaps we should be wondering who we are today that we need to gather data to address an issue as intuitively obvious as whether a teenage girl may abort her child without her parents knowing. Of course there are exceptional considerations, like abusive parents. But the Alaska initiative deals with this, as did a similar initiative in California, which was defeated last November. No, this is not about being reasonable. It is about ideology. And what we have are opposing worldviews that cannot be reconciled. It's about choosing one or the other. One view is secular, materialistic, and sees only individuals and the rights they claim. The other view is about truths that precede individuals, and social realities of which individuals are a part, like family."
She continues: A century and a half ago, a fundamental conflict in values in our nation came to a head. In one view, black African slaves were not human, so the question of slavery was about political, not moral, reality. The other view saw the slaves as human and slavery as a moral outrage. The conflict fomented at the nation's grass roots until it exploded in the national arena. The parental involvement ballot initiative in Alaska is about Americans again grappling at our grass roots with crucial basic questions that divide us that must be resolved. Are we a people that see the unborn, family, and individuals as all part of the fundamental fabric of life? Or are we a materialistic, secular nation of individuals making political claims on each other?"
Afrocity: "Are You There God? It's Me, Afrocity: Being A Pro-Choice Republican Without Illusions"
Drawing from her adolescence, the moderate-conservative Republican blogger opines about how she became pro-choice: "When the adult movies began at 1am [after her drunk uncle went to sleep, leaving cable TV on the air], did Afrocity turn off the TV set? Not on your life. I stayed and watched. Curiosity killed the young PUMA cat. At 13 years of age, I was perceptive enough to determine that these movies were created by men for men. In many films, the women were initially raped but later appear as if they actually enjoyed the attack. Others engaged in lesbian behavior yet there were no representations of men sleeping with men while women watched for pleasure and enjoyment. Then there were the insatiable nymphomaniacs. The woman who can’t seem to get enough. Through my delicate pre-teen lens I was the the willing voyeur, watching these forbidden movies which embodied masculine principals of patriarchy and submission. Women were not in a position of power in most of the films, save for several films featuring porn star Marilyn Chambers. Even so, it seemed that Marilyn thought she was in complete control although I am not sure if walking home with a limp is considered power no matter how much you enjoyed it. Abortion and rape figured prominently in several films I watched but here again, it was the male who determined whether or not the woman would be 'allowed' to end the life of her unborn child. It was 'her fault' that she got pregnant and she would need 'his money' to fix it."
She continues her commentary: "To solidify this argument, one film featured a woman who was a naughty housewife. She was of course a nymphomaniac that her husband, while charming could not satiate. She attends a blindfolded only orgy and has sex with a kosher dill pickle, three women and several men. Later when she discovers that her sexual escapade has rendered her pregnant, she cannot afford the abortion with her monthly allowance from dear sweet protective hubby. To make matters worse hubby was wounded in Vietnam and cannot father a child. As the movie progresses, the feminine antagonist is screwed both literally and figuratively. Her power karma dwindles as she has to prostitute herself for money in order to pay for the abortion. At the sobering conclusion of the film, our wing clipped heroine is robbed of her abortion kitty by her final customer. But all is not lost. A member of the dominant gender, an abortionist enters her life and gives her an abortion in return for a sexual encounter. The erosion of this female character’s strength was what remained with me the most. It was not the gratuitous penis shots, or kinky sex (though that was a pretty big cumber pickle), what stayed with me was her total lack of control. Roe v. Wade gave us the right to choose but this pornographic film stripped that right away by placing the financing of the abortion, back in the hands of the patriarchy. Perhaps this was the day I became pro-choice but I also became pro-women’s empowerment. Pregnancy is exclusively female along with menstruation. Women should have the right to control what happens to their bodies. I will never change that opinion despite being a Republican."
She responds to Ms. Parker's op-ed: "Yes, I am pro-choice and Republican but even I have my limits. Whether in the name of privacy or under the guise of women’s rights, I do not believe that it is fair for pro-choice advocates to exclude parental consent when it comes to a 13 year old girl, not a woman but a girl, having an abortion. A 13 year [old's] parents should be involved in that decision or at the very least be aware that their child is sexually active. My decision to be pro-choice is based upon a woman’s right to privacy.
Stanley Crouch: "Until Smart Equals Sexy, U.S. Kids Will Lag On SAT Scores"
Asserts the moderate columnist for the New York Daily News: "The recent results of the SAT tests given last year show that Asian students, apparently regardless of family income levels, are doing the best of all students. They are better than whites, who are closest to them in performance. Asians are pulling away from other minorities and are furthest ahead of black students. The ongoing explanation is that Asian families, no matter where they are on the economic scale, have such a high value for academic skills. Privileged or not, they are able to communicate the importance of study and high-quality performance to such an extent that their children remain ahead of all other ethnic groups. For too many years, serious observers have taken the position that Americans allow TV to become the favored baby-sitter and one of the biggest family influences on the children of the house."
More commentary from Mr. Crouch: "Hollywood would not and should not completely submit to directives from Washington or anywhere else. Freedom of speech and creative freedom are essential to our democracy. But those who make our films and our television shows would do well to consider the implications of another body of characterization that might greatly change some things out here. It is hard to imagine a negative impact being had on our young people if they were to become accustomed to seeing highly intelligent and hardworking protagonists across the professions. That would not only be refreshing and influential, but it would be much, much closer to the way things actually work in the world and always have."
SOPHIA NELSON COMMENTARY: The Irony Of Ted Kennedy: A Different Perspective
The moderate Republican pundit, on the late liberal Democratic politician: "Yet, Senator Ted Kennedy's death reminds me of something I have come to know well in my 40 years on this earth: that pain is a great teacher. It can do one of two things to us -- and only two: it will either make us hard, bitter, and rob us of our joy, of our ability to be present; or, if we handle it with grace and purpose, we grow stronger, wiser, and richer than before. Ted Kennedy was a man who was born a son of privilege. He was the epitome of a spoiled, wealthy, rich, marginal white male who could count on his father or brothers to fix things for him when he fouled up. For example, Ted cheated at Harvard (and was later allowed to re-enroll), drank too much, womanized, and then at 30 years of age was handed his brother's Senate seat in 1963 (he was only 28 when Kennedy became president in 1961 -- so it was held for him by a placeholder until he reached 30) and he literally got away with (at the very least) manslaughter when he left Mary Jo Kopechne to drown off of the Bay when he plunged his mother's car into the pond. Ted's foibles did not end there -- fast forward to the 1980s and reports of wild drinking and womanizing (that drove his first wife Joan to alcoholism) -- then the topper of them all: the rape trial of his nephew William Kennedy Smith in Palm Beach, Florida. Yet, through it all this was a man of great compassion and empathy for the less fortunate, the disenfranchised and the forgotten among us. Say what you will about Ted Kennedy, he was a very effective legislator and his action over the course of 47 years changed the lives of African Americans, women, the poor, and sick."
She continues her commentary: "One has to ponder how this could be so? I'll tell you how: the man experienced the most tragic of circumstances and loss of his life starting at an early age. His oldest brother Joe, Jr. killed in WWII when he was a boy. His sister Kathleen killed when he was a teenager. His brother Jack shot down when he was 31, and his brother Bobby when he was but 36. As an adult, he dealt with two of his children being stricken with cancer (his oldest son lost his leg at the age of 12), he had a wife who was an alcoholic (which he felt largely responsible for), his youngest son Patrick battled with depression, alcoholism and drugs. Most of us would have developed some kind of psychosis or behavior problem if we had so much on our backs. Many of us do with so much less to bear. Most of us would have crumbled. He could not. My point is this: Senator Edward M. Kennedy was the last person on earth anyone would have ever expected to be so selfless, and caring of his fellow human beings."
More: "My point is this: Senator Edward M. Kennedy was the last person on earth anyone would have ever expected to be so selfless, and caring of his fellow human beings. His legacy was written long before he was born -- son of a wealthy Irish businessman, turned ambassador, brother of a president, brother of an attorney general. Yet, he endured and he was effective as a leader and statesman because he understood pain and loss. As we remember this lion of the Senate and have now laid him to his rest, allow me to borrow the final words he recited at his brother Bobby's funeral in 1968: We pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the world."
Booker Rising response: I wonder what percentage of his own money / estate (as opposed to supporting digging into other folks' pockets via government taxation) Sen. Kennedy left to charity and/or to Ms. Kopechne's heirs. I mean, since he was so "selfless" and all. That would provide a snapshot of his true nature. Sen. Kennedy's "White Man's Burden" notion of white superiority - i.e., the "blacks can't survive on their own except for white intervention, because blacks can't compete as equals" ethic that permeated virtually everything in his legislative career - did quite a bit of harm to Black America, and is not much different than the fire-breathing rants of Stormfront. It was simply expressed through a different avenue, with less upfront language.
Why Is Civil Rights Hero T.R.M. Howard Still Ignored?
Ask David T. Beito and Linda Royster Beito, the authors of Black Maverick: T.R.M. Howard's Fight for Civil Rights and Economic Power: "Before his quest for justice in the 1955 Emmett Till murder, Howard had led successful boycotts for equal rights and massive rallies in rural Mississippi. Medgar Evers, who went on to become a celebrated civil rights activist and martyr, got his introduction to both business and activism when Howard hired him as a salesman for the Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company, one of Howard's many business ventures. Howard encouraged Evers to get involved with Regional Council of Negro Leadership, a civil rights group Howard had founded in 1951. (Howard would go on to play a similar mentoring role to the young Fannie Lou Hamer.) Till's murder moved Howard to even greater efforts. Vowing 'hell to pay in Mississippi,' Howard gave over his home as a 'command center' for black journalists and witnesses including Mamie Till-Mobley (Emmett’s mother). Moving to the center of the investigation, he doggedly pushed the theory that more people had been involved in the crime than the two white half brothers, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant. Sadly, as Howard had predicted in September 1955, the all-white jury ignored the overwhelming evidence and acquitted Milam and Bryant. Howard remarked bitterly that a white man was less likely to suffer a penalty for such a crime than for 'killing deer out of season.' But the acquittal was just the beginning of T.R.M. Howard's fight. In the months after the trial he gave speeches across the country to crowds of thousands, demanding a federal investigation. Mississippi’s white press, which had once lauded Howard’s self-help activities, was outraged. The Jackson Daily News castigated Howard as 'Public Enemy No. 1.' So scathing was Howard’s criticism of the FBI’s failure to protect blacks that J. Edgar Hoover took the rare step of denouncing Howard in an open letter."
More commentary from Professors Beito about Mr. Howard: "Why isn't this larger-than-life figure better known? Howard, a classically American 'man on the make,' is hard to pigeonhole. His secular orientation and pro-business ideas made him an anomaly in a civil rights movement dominated by church leaders and left-liberal activists. Politically, his activities offer something to please and offend everybody: A staunch Republican and friend of President Dwight Eisenhower, Howard was also a committed feminist whose clinics offered safe abortions in the period before Roe v. Wade. But those who knew T.R.M. Howard (who died in 1976, at age 68) still speak about his energy, charisma and commitment. 'The man was dynamic,' recalled Mamie Till-Mobley. 'I just thought he was the greatest in the world.'"
Honore Dismisses Talk Of Senate Run
Somewhere, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is breathing a sigh of relief...for now. The general who led military relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina is denying a report that he may challenge Sen. David Vitter in 2010, calling it "speculation and rumors". Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, now a CNN emergency preparedness analyst, said he is moving back to his home state of Louisiana. But "No one's talking to me about running for Senate," Mr. Honore said.
"That is a serious rumor that's got started that's created a lot of buzz," said Mr. Honore, who left the Army in 2008. But he said he has never declared a party affiliation, and any talk of a Senate run is "all about speculation and rumors."
A Louisiana political Web site reported late last week that he was "seriously considering" a Republican primary challenge to Sen. Vitter, a first-term Congressman who was ensnared in a D.C. sex scandal in 2007. Mr. Honore said he had received more than 100 e-mails in response to that report, but no news outlet asked him whether it was true before CNN contacted him yesterday. "That ought to scare the hell out of people in this country," said Mr. Honore, who once called a reporter "stuck on stupid" during a nationally televised news conference.
Mr. Honore said he plans to continue working as a disaster preparedness consultant, raise money for the Red Cross and teach once he returns to his home state. But he said he also will keep a "close watch" on efforts to rebuild the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast "as a private citizen." "As of this time, I'm not running for any political office," he said.
Booker Rising response: Well, he didn't say no or never. With the excitement over a bid to become the first black U.S. Senator from the South since Reconstruction, perhaps he should seriously consider it. Sen. Vitter is vulnerable. Sen. Mary Landrieu has the touch of Mother Africa in her and is a moderate Democrat, leave her alone LOL.
8/30 Quote Of The Day
"Certain politicians perpetuate the myth that 'big government' is a natural extension of African culture. It is claimed that with its historical affinity to communities, clans, tribes, chiefs and kings, there has to be one “big chief government” controlling all resources for the benefit of all African people. The idea that individual rights must be eliminated in the interests of greater community rights or 'good of the nation' was deliberately planted by those seeking to dominate smaller or weaker elements. African people are no different to other societies. Asians and Europeans also once had chiefs, kings, and the like. They grew out of them as far as 'government' is concerned and so must Africa. Cultural factors are certainly no reason to perpetuate 'big government control'. There is a fundamental belief in Africa that 'the land' belongs to all the people. It belongs to Africans, particularly black Africans or 'sons of the soil' and therefore should be a national asset. This belief has led to the nationalisation of land (and other assets - sometimes by violent means) thus expanding government intervention in the economy. The best way to use land is to have those with capital and know-how acquire it and use it efficiently and productively. More and more people today are living and working in the cities, and economies of scale in farming demand that large quantities of food be produced by fewer commercial farmers employing capital intensive means. The 'victim' or 'blame mentality' so prevalent in Africa has quickly degenerated into inferiority complexes, destroying Africans’ ability to seek solutions for themselves. If someone else is to blame for Africa’s problems, why should Africans do anything about it themselves? Political leaders perpetuate this myth to divert attention from their poor performance. We must not underestimate the damage that top leaders have caused to the psyche of our African people when they continually blame the past for their current problems. It gives the impression that our current state is occasioned by 'someone' else and therefore we cannot do anything for ourselves until the 'accused' fixes the problem." — Ayanda Khumalo, deputy director of the libertarian Free Market Foundation of Southern Africa (South Africa)
Bookeristas Discuss Rep. Diane Watson
Two black conservatives weigh in on the liberal California Democrat's controversial praise of the totalitarian-communist Castro regime - yes, the country that has run out of toilet paper - as well as her claim that any criticism of U.S. President Barack Obama equals racism:
Duane Brayboy: "The Ignorant Class"
The conservative blogger opines: "On the vast political map of any nation, you will always find a group of individuals the political class can always depend upon to keep them in power. I call this group of individuals 'The Ignorant Class'. It’s people like Rep. Diane Watson of California who will never be questioned or even challenged by the ignorant class.
“And lemme tell ya, before you say “Oh, it’s a commu–”, you need to go down there and see what Fidel Castro put in place. And I want you to know, now, you can think whatever you want to about Fidel Castro, but he was one of the brightest leaders I have ever met. [APPLAUSE]
And you know, the Cuban revolution that kicked out the wealthy, Che Guevara did that, and then, after they took over, they went out among the population to find someone who could lead this new nation, and they found…well, just leave it there (laughs), an attorney by the name of Fidel Castro…”
As I have said before, the Congressional Black Caucus has spent the past eight years telling the nation and the rest of the world that the US government could not be trusted to take care of its poor. Yet at the same time, they COMPLETELY trust the assessments of a dictator – especially as it relates to the conditions of both the poor and Blacks in that country (Cuba)."
He continues his commentary: "Points that will never be raised by the ignorant class.
#You will always hear about Mumia Abu-Jamal from the Black left in this country. But when it comes to island paradise they continue to praise, you will never hear about Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, Jorge Luis Garcma Pirez, or these individuals who are listed as political prisoners in Cuba. You will NEVER hear the likes of Danny Glover, the CBC, etc. saying a thing about these people. The narrative they stick to is quite simple: America is evil and should be blamed for everything.
#While Watson is praising Cuba for kicking out the wealthy, apparently Castro’s wealth does not count. Apparently the wealthy individuals and businesses who Watson solicits to help her stay in office (people like Verna B Dauterive, who contributed $25 million to USC last year, the late Johnnie L Cochran Jr., Dreamworks, Berry Gordy, etc. [full list]) do not count, either.
#Amongst all the regular defections of folks from that country coming here to the United States (a.k.a. “The Great Satan”), in 2007 it was reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that hundreds of medical workers from Cuba had defected to the US. Also…
“…the mortality rate of children in Cuba from 1 to 4 years is 34% HIGHER than the U.S. (11.8 versus 8.8 per 1000). Also, the maternal mortality rate in Cuba is almost FOUR TIMES that of the U.S. rate (33 versus 8.4 per 1000).” (Association of American Physicians and Surgeons)
Babalublog.com is a blog ran by Cubans. They have been giving the 411 on Cuban health care for years.
#CUBA’S REPRESSIVE MACHINERY: Human Rights Forty Years After the Revolution (Human Rights Watch).
#Another simple question the ignorant class will not ask: 'Just how many Americans are swimming to Cuba?'
But no matter how many times you bring up these points, people like Watson, the CBC and those who uplift Cuba as heaven on earth will NEVER address these points head on. Instead, they will find a way to blame the West for Cuba’s treatment of those who are not in lock step with its government. The shameful thing about it is that they are willing to look over the plight of their own people [in Cuba] to score one against the West. As for their supporters, we are right in the middle of the 'information age' and they STILL give themselves to willing ignorance. Keep the platform simple and emotional and you will have a support base for life."
Ron Bolling: "Judged By The Content Of My Character"The conservative blogger in Atlanta, Ga. writes: "It has been 46 years since Dr. King uttered those words to America. It was a historic and momentous occasion that still reverberates throughout the world. Yet as much as we (Blacks) have worked to be judged by our character and not our skin tone we are constantly being held back by our very own people. Congresswoman Diane Watson made the following comment during a town hall discussion over health care reform in this country; 'They are spreading fear and they are trying to see that the first president that looks like me, fail.' These are some very damning words when you think about how long we have tried to distance ourselves from being looked at from a 'skin tone' perspective but from a 'character of works' perspective. Never mind that she went on to praise Fidel Castro and the Cuban government's health system. If Cubans are so happy with Fidel then why do they risk their lives and the lives of their children to set sail for the U.S.? But I digress. I wrote my thoughts before the election about what I felt would occur should Obama get elected and many of those thoughts are being played out daily. The biggest being that any opposition to this president would be met with the big trump card of RACE. Since when did it become racism to disagree with the disastrous and ruinous financial policies of a sitting president. How would it have looked if white people would have screamed reverse racism after Kanye West made his 'George Bush don't like Black people' remark. Sounds silly doesn't it. Then so does Ms. Watson's comments about a 'president that looks like me.'"
International News Tidbits
With Bold Stand, Japan Opposition Wins A Landslide
Japan’s voters today cast out the center-right Liberal Democratic Party for only the second time in post-World War II history, handing a landslide victory to a party that campaigned on a promise to reverse a generation-long economic decline and to redefine Japan’s relationship with America. Many Japanese saw the vote as the final blow to the island nation’s postwar order, which has been slowly unraveling since the economy collapsed in the early 1990s. In the powerful lower house, the center-left opposition Democratic Party of Japan won 308 of the 480 seats, a 175% increase that gives them control of the chamber. The incumbents took just 119 seats, about a third of their previous total. The remaining seats were won by smaller parties. Yukio Hatoyama, the party leader and presumptive new prime minister who is expected to form a government within three weeks, has spoken of the end of American-dominated globalization and of its desire to shift Japan’s focus toward Asia. His party’s campaign manifesto calls for an “equal partnership” with the United States and a “reconsidering” of the 50,000-strong American military presence.
Late President's Son Favored In Gabon Election
After more than four decades under the unchallenged rule of one of Africa’s last “Big Men,” El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, citizens in Gabon today voted for a new president in an atmosphere of tension and anticipation. The late Mr. Bongo’s son, Ali Ben Bongo, was the heavy favorite, as the inheritor of all the wealth and political machinery accumulated by his father over decades in control of this small central African nation, one of the continent’s top oil producers. Ali Ben Bongo’s image is everywhere, though he had competition from more than a dozen candidates. His opponents all promised to turn the page on a system that has left Mr. Bongo’s family and friends immensely wealthy, with luxury cars, expensive real estate in France and cash, and much of the rest of the country living in squalid shacks on dirt roads. Election results are expected sometime this week, although officials have not said precisely when. Critics charge vote fixing for Ali Ben Bongo.
Big Government Theocracy
Freedom Democrats, a blog for libertarian Democrats, opines about Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell's Master's thesis from the 1980s, where the conservative Republican described working women and feminists as "detrimental" to the family and said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators". He also included a 15-point action plan that the GOP should follow to protect American families, which critics charge has been the foundation of his legislative work: "In Virginia, the Republican has been running as a 'moderate' focused on economic issues. That he is a social conservative should come as no surprise. He's just trying to avoid the issue. With the partisan enthusiasm gap almost any Republican would be doing well in Virginia right now. So where's the story? What fascinates me isn't that McDonnell is a social conservative but that his approach to politics is founded on this new pro-government style of social conservatism. The Huckabee-like approach that social conservatism is more than just limiting government from passing libertine laws and finding new rights and freedoms. But that government actually should promote social engineering to create the type of traditional family structure favored by social conservatives."
More: "That was part of the foundation for Bush's compassionate conservatism. Along with the politics of needing to tone down the anti-government rhetoric from the Gingrich Congress. McDonnell may be benefiting from the fire of the Tea Party movement out there, but it's hard to peg him as an anti-government libertarian. Yet it's also hard to peg the Tea Party movement as anti-government libertarians when you look at how quickly they descend into xenophobic rage against Barack Obama, immigrants, and that fearful 'Other.' Maybe this is the future of the Republican Party: big government theocracy that wraps itself in the Constitution and the flag."
Dambisa Moyo: "Oi, Tudo Bem, Bookeristas? Yeah, I'm Defending Africa For Africans In Brazil"
Gilberto Gil and our girl Bibi on the same bill? That's an interesting combination. The Zambian-born conservative economist was the highlight of the Back 2 Black festival, which ended today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to forcefully defend Africa for Africans in a panel discussion with Mr. Gil (Grammy-award winning musician and former Brazilian Minister of Culture) and diplomat Alberto da Costa e Silva, a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (article in Portuguese).
Dr. Moyo, the author of Dead Aid, a best-selling book in the United States and Canada which critiques the foreign aid industry, set the tone before the conference. I don't think a European has a better point of view than mine, an African," she said. "In 50 years, Africa has received US$1 trillion in aid. During this period, poverty, corruption and inflation soared as economic growth weakened," Dr. Moyo argued, who also criticized foreign interference in African affairs. "There aren't African leaders speaking for Africa, but [Western] celebrities," she added.
Mr. Gil voiced a similar view to Ms. Moyo. "The humanitarian aid in the Nordic countries and China, for example, offer built hands. These countries take their own labor force and their mode of production to Africa. In addition, aid fosters corruption," said the singer, who made his first appearance at the Back 2 Black event last Friday.
During the conference, Dr. Moyo and Mr. Gil resumed their critical views on the role of foreign aid to Africa. Ms. Moyo was especially hard to talk about Africa's image in the world and how it affects Africans. "Since birth, Africans are told they will not succeed. How do we train engineers, doctors, when celebrities and politicians say that we will not get there? We must think of Africa in a more positive way. When Africans place trust in themselves, we have made progress, "said Dr. Moyo, in one of the many times that she was applauded by the audience.
Mr. Gil said that "to this day, Africa pays exorbitant costs in relation to colonization, unlike Latin America and Asia" and said the world "can not" globalize successfully without Africa.
To illustrate the interference of foreigners in African issues, Dr. Moyo asked the audience a question. "When Brazilians want answers about their problems, do they want to hear from President Lula or Bob Geldof?", a reference to the rock musician and Live Aid organizer whose goal is to increase foreign aid to Africa. "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we eradicate hunger in Africa? I'm not saying you can not, I'm saying that we chose not to do it," said Ms. Moyo. "Find another continent to feel pity over, because we will no longer tolerate it," she said, to more applause from the audience.
Cheney Vs. Obama On CIA Probe: Bookerista Perspectives
Kenneth Durden: "Cheney Blasts Obama Administration"
The libertarian-conservative blogger opines: "It was good to see former VP Dick Cheney come on out Fox News Sunday and lean into the Obama administration for investigating terrorist interrogation techniques (View transcript). One thing Cheney brought out, always left out by the extreme left wing and the White House, is that there have already been [J]ustice [D]epartment interrogations and disciplinary actions taken. Renewing these inquiries is pure political theater and just an Obama tactic to appease the vicious Bush haters and distract from his own chaotic failures to socialize America."
Politik Ditto: "Obama Caters To Vengeance-Seeking Liberals By Opening CIA Probe"
The conservative Democratic blogger discusses the Obama administration's preliminary investigation into whether some CIA operatives broke the law in their interrogations of suspected terrorists: "I know that former President Bush wants to remain respectful of Obama by keeping quiet, but when your successor caters to his terrorist-soothing, vengeance-seeking, Dick Cheney-hating base and makes a clearly partisan move like this, it's time to speak up. Consider too that most Americans are opposed to this leftwing treachery."
Politik Ditto zeroes in in Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the terrorist who went on to become "one of the U.S. government's key sources on Al Qaeda" after being waterboarded: "Khalid Mohammed was part of a group that masterminded the death of 4,000-plus innocent Americans on 9/11. Only the imbeciles on the Left, many of whom have long forgotten about that fateful day, would give a damn about his being waterboarded."
On Mr. Cheney's statement that he is not a fan of President Obama, Politik Ditto comments: "Hey Dick, most Americans are starting to feel the exact same way you do."
Booker Rising response: Ooh boy, former Vice President Dick Cheney cannot stand President Obama. He tightens the left side of his mouth (which indicates contempt) before Chris Wallace even finishes his question about Attorney General Eric Holder's investigation, and then a growl micro-expression (at :12 mark) flashes across his face. Him not being a fan of President Obama is an understatement. He can't even say Barry's name without a growl flashing across his face, or pursed lips (another body language marker of contempt). It would be easier for me to document when Dick does not have a growl or contemptuous expression on his face in these videos.
Race In America: Two Conservative Perspectives
Ron Miller: "'Governing While Black' Is A Lie"
Asserts the conservative Republican blogger in Maryland, who calls on U.S. President Barack Obama to tell his followers to quite tagging anyone who oppose him or his agenda as racist: "The one who held up the promise of transcending race now appears to be hiding behind it as the heat is turned up, and I’d like to think he’s more self-assured than to resort to the race card. Tossing out the epithet 'racist' over even the slightest disagreement does a disservice to those in our country who have legitimate claims due to discriminatory actions resulting from racism. Because of the left’s irresponsible overuse of the term, few take the claim seriously and the resulting inattention breeds indifference, and indifference leads to inaction when real racism rears its ugly head. In effect, their uninformed, unsubstantiated and unhindered accusations of racism, thrown hither and yon at whatever person or group annoys them, have diminished the gravity of the term to the point where it no longer has value, rendering it impotent in righting valid wrongs and advancing equal justice under the law."
He continues his commentary: "The color of Barack Obama’s skin doesn’t matter to regular folks, many of whom, like me, share his hue and his African ancestry. What matters to us is that America is rushing headlong toward a state of permanent dependence on foreign creditors due to our overwhelming debt and, rather than cutting back on spending, our government is spending at a record rate. This administration and its allies are proposing to increase the cumulative national debt by more than 81 percent in just ten years, something no previous occupant of the White House has ever done, and it takes our collective breath away. What matters to us is that government, which already takes 43 percent of every dollar we make, wants to take even more, and also wants to take our freedom to make choices for ourselves, even bad ones. When collectivism replaces liberty, the incentive to work and advance as far as our abilities will take us is dampened, commerce is stifled, charity dies, and we as a people become less inclined to care for one another because we are abdicating our personal responsibility for our fellow Americans to the soulless, clumsy bureaucracy of the federal government."
Parting thoughts: "Despite what his most strident defenders claim, this isn’t a case of 'governing while black' – it’s governing down the wrong path, regardless of his race. Those who call us racists for urging our fellow Americans to wake up and defend their liberty are simply bomb-throwing to squelch debate. If they truly believe this is about race, however, they are either ill-informed or projecting their own obsessions with race onto others. We regular folks have long since matured beyond playground insults and high school cliques. We welcome people of common sense and character, whatever their color. These are my people – diverse, conscientious, loving and devoted. These are not racists – they’re regular folks."
Adlyn Morrison: "McDonald's 'Black' Website Gets Roasted"
The conservative teen blogger (not pictured) in Chicago, Ill. writes about white conservative criticism of 365black.com, a McDonald’s website that celebrates African-Americans: "Yeah, and you wonder why blacks hate [R]epublicans? I'm actually starting to have a distaste for them.... From Daily Kos:
The comments below are just a selection of those available. Please note also that Fox Nation is a moderated web site that removes offensive content. These, obviously were not removed:
Navy(Retired): What do you expect, that’s all that works thereI can't believe that these people have the audacity to call themselves 'Christian conservatives.' There is nothing 'Christian' about this! This has nothing to do with the websites [sic] it all stems from jealousy. I'm getting real sick and tired of these fake conservatives, the GOP needs to reign them in unless they want to lose. WHAT BLACK PERSON WOULD VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS?!? But why can't the[re] be one McD's websites [sic] that encourages all teens to strive high?"
Annabell: Most of the time..they can’t even count the change. It’s sad too.
Lone Star: Next thing you know Ronald will have a doooo rag on and a large watch around his neck on a big gold blingy chain
Out of the Blue: can you get waffles and a 40 oz with a chicken sandwich now? You can get a nappy meal to.
Black Hair Still Tangled In Politics
Some question why African-American females straighten their hair, while others ask why the topic continues to be debated. Silky, straight hair has long been considered by many black women to be their crowning glory. So what if getting that look meant enduring the itchy burning that's a hallmark of many chemical straighteners. Or a pricey dependence on "creamy crack," as relaxers are sometimes jokingly called. Getting "good hair" often means transforming one's tightly coiled roots; but it is also more freighted than simply a choice about grooming. Straightening hair has been perceived as a way to be more acceptable to certain relatives, as well as by whites.
"If your hair is relaxed, white people are relaxed," the comedian Paul Mooney, sporting an Afro, says in the documentary "Good Hair," which won a jury prize at the Sundance film festival and comes out in October. "If your hair is nappy, they're not happy." The movie, made by comedian Chris Rock, explores the lengths black women go to to get long, straightened locks, from a $1,000 weave on a teacher's salary to schoolgirls having their hair chemically relaxed.
In the face of cultural pressure, the thinking goes, conformists relax their hair, and rebels have the courage not to do so. In some corners, relaxing one's hair is even seen as wishing to be white. "For black women, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't," said Ingrid Banks, an associate professor of black studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "If you've got straight hair, you're pegged as selling out. If you don't straighten your hair, you're seen as not practicing appropriate grooming practices."
Anyone who thought such preconceptions were outdated would have been reminded otherwise by negative reactions to the president's 11-year-old daughter, Malia Obama, who wore her hair in twists while in Rome, Italy this summer. Commenters on the conservative blog Free Republic attacked her as unfit to represent America for stepping out unstraightened. Although legions of black women in America straighten their hair (including First Lady Michelle Obama), hair salons specializing in natural styles have proliferated, and more black women are working with their virgin hair. Many wear their twists, locks or teenie-weenie Afros (known as TWAs) with an attitude -- proud to have not given in to the pressure to straighten hair.
For some, the battle lines are drawn. But some people of color expressed a weariness with the debate. They asked, essentially: Why can't hair just be hair? Must an Afro peg a woman as the political heir to Angela Davis? Is a fashionista who replicates the First Lady's clean-cut bob really being untrue to herself? "I am who I am regardless of how I wear my hair," said Tywana Smith, an owner of Treasured Locks, a website devoted to upkeep for relaxed and natural hair. "I want my kids to be seen for who they are, not for how they wear their hair," she added. "Whether they walk down the street with twists or braids, they aren't making any other statement other than, 'Today I felt like twists.'"
Last year, sales of home relaxers totaled $45.6 million (excluding Wal-Mart), according to Mintel, a market research firm, a figure that has held steady in recent years. The "good hair" issue has almost always skewed toward women. Black men with highly textured hair have long had a convenient, socially acceptable option: a close trim. Many black women get into the habit of relaxing hair as girls -- when the choice is made by their mother or another relative -- so changing the status quo as an adult can be difficult.
Shayna Rudd, of Washington, D.C. wore a past-her-shoulders weave to have a better shot at the Miss America title. She said an adviser gave her two choices: Imitate Beyonce's long, luscious look or Jada Pinkett Smith's flowing mane. "I couldn't be who God wanted me to be," she said ruefully. "I didn't win. My spirit was crushed." Ms. Rudd, 24, has since sworn off relaxers and extensions. Instead, she occasionally presses her tight-curled hair and slicks it into a bun, which is what she did earlier this month when she won the title Miss Black USA. (She bested 28 other contestants, only three of whom wore their hair natural.) "Don't buy into anyone else's standard," Ms. Rudd said. "Set your own."
Booker Rising response: Let's keep it real here. Black women straighten their hair for two reasons: (1) to conform to white notions of beauty in order to get & maintain a job, and/or (2) to conform black men's Eurocentric / white notions of beauty in order to get & maintain a man. Any other talk is merely rationalization of this obvious fact: black women, as a group, hate their hair in its natural state, and get regular reinforcement by others (we're talking centuries here) to hate their hair in its natural state. Black women have the right to wear our hair as we wish, but let's not talk like we're doing what we do for any other reasons.
WEBSTER BROOKS COMMENTARY: When Iran Defies Obama's September Nuclear Ultimatum, What Happens Next?
Webster Brooks, senior fellow at the Center for New Politics and Policy (USA) and moderate, emailed this op-ed:
At the July G-8 Summit in Italy, President Obama delivered a clear ultimatum to Iran; bring your nuclear program into compliance with binding international treaties by September or face crippling sanctions. Defying United Nations Security Council non-proliferation protocols, Iran has refused to suspend its uranium enrichment activities. Iran has also rebuffed IAEA efforts to conduct full inspections of its nuclear sites while increasing its production and stockpiling of reactor grade enriched uranium. With its nuclear dossier scheduled for review at the September G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, President Obama is expected to back his ultimatum with decisive action to dissuade Iran from continuing its nuclear program or submit to more intrusive inspections. But the tough rhetoric, economic sanctions and military buildup that will be directed against Iran in the coming months will largely represent President Obama’s new “containment strategy” of Iran as a presumed nuclear power. Iran is on the brink of a "nuclear breakout" and there is little President Obama or anyone else can do to stop it.
In the days ahead, President Barack Obama’s response to contain Iran's aggressive nuclear agenda will unfold along two tracks; working with America’s allies to levy economic sanctions against Tehran on the one hand, and building up military deterrence against Iran in the Persian Gulf on the other. The Obama administration cannot avert a nuclear arms race in the volatile Middle East unless it deploys credible force in the region to assure its allies that potential Iranian aggression will be thwarted. At a July 23, conference in Thailand, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the United States of America may erect a "defense umbrella" over the Middle East if Tehran continues its nuclear program.
Given the high probability that Iran will master the nuclear fuel cycle in the next few years, it’s critical that President Obama delivers the toughest sanctions possible against Tehran starting at the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit. To allow Iran to flaunt non-proliferation treaties without a strong American response would further degrade U.S. power globally, as is the case now with President Obama’s tepid response to North Korea’s provocative actions. Although economic sanctions against Iran over the last three decades failed to topple the clerical establishment or force it off the nuclear path, they have seriously impacted Iran’s economic platform.
Economic sanctions will be a more potent weapon in President Obama’s arsenal. Lower oil prices have depleted Iran’s cash reserves and President Ahmadinejad’s mismanagement of the economy has exacerbated unemployment and inflationary pressures. Iran’s ruling establishment is also politically weaker in the aftermath of the post-election uprisings than at any time since the 1979 revolution. Spontaneous and organized outbreaks of protests against Supreme Leader Khamanei and President Ahmadinejad continue; each pregnant with the possibility of metastasizing into a larger conflagration. Tough economic sanctions in concert with efforts by opposition forces in Iran’s parliament seeking to derail Ahmadinejad’s economic agenda and force him from office could prove to be surprisingly effective. It should also be noted that the Obama administration has maintained George Bush’s 2007 “Presidential Finding” authorizing covert activities inside Iran to destabilize its government, including sabotaging key economic targets. Iran’s economy is rapidly taking on a new political dimension.
President Obama’s challenge is to work effectively with his European allies and other reliable nations to tighten the noose on Iran. Crafting diluted sanctions in an effort to win China and Russia's acceptance will be counterproductive, and could sidetrack Obama's efforts to unite countries behind the strongest sanctions possible. Measures to further restrict loans to Iran from financial institutions like the World Bank and targeting loans to Iran for its proposed natural gas pipeline project to India via Pakistan are under consideration. Targeted sanctions will also be directed at loans to Iran’s vital state dominated industries, particularly defense related sectors controlled by the Revolutionary Guard. For all these reasons, President Obama needs to manage and orchestrate the imposition of sanctions against Iran quickly with a minimum of squabbling amongst his allies and the U.S. Congress. It also means Obama must oppose calls to impose a gas embargo on Iran that would divide his international coalition between supporters and opponents. A gas embargo is considered an act of war. It also carries the additional risk of dramatically raising oil prices and igniting a new round of global recession.
Assembling a credible military deterrent in the Persian Gulf against a potential nuclear armed Iran will be a far more difficult enterprise for President Obama While not treating Iran as if it is already a nuclear power, the Obama administration’s must take tangible steps to demonstrate to its friends in Egypt, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council states (Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia) that they will be protected against Iranian imperial designs. As Secretary of State Clinton already suggested, new radar and missile defense systems and a naval fleet with nuclear weapons will need to be deployed in the Persian Gulf. Greater cooperation between the intelligence and security agencies of America's European and the Middle East allies will be essential to safeguard against Iran “leaking” nuclear technology and materials.
Monitoring Iran’s potential delivery systems and enhanced interdiction measures under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) are integral to any new deterrance architecture and will require a costly long-term commitment. Given Israel’s lobbying efforts for airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear grid every effort must be made to avoid a miscalculation. The possibility of a “manufactured crisis” that provides justification for Israel to attack Iran cannot be discounted. It is assumed that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would only launch surgical airstrikes against Iranian nuclear targets with the approval of President Obama. That is a dangerous assumption. Such an attack might degrade Iran’s nuclear program and possibly set its timetable back a couple of years, but ultimately it would not eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. The political and military blowback across the Middle East that would result from an Israeli attack on Iran would put U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan at even greater risk and unleash a wave of anti-American sentiment that would redound to every corner of the Middle East.
Finally, beyond the two-track strategy of sanctions and deterrence to contain a “nuclear armed Iran,” there is another dangerous contingency the Obama administration must prepare for; Iran exploding a nuclear device without warning. Historically, France, North Korea, China, India, Pakistan and South Africa all detonated nuclear devices without warning after camouflaging their military nuclear programs behind claims of developing civil nuclear power. If and when Iran crosses the nuclear threshold, it will likely pursue a similar path. The Obama administration must be prepared with an appropriate response if a snap announcement is made that Iran has successfully tested a nuclear bomb.
Whether Iran seeks to “go nuclear” primarily to deter perceived American and Israeli attempts to foment regime change remains to be seen. Increasingly, international acceptance that a nuclear armed Iran will simply have to be tolerated is trending upward. And, many observers feel a nuclear armed Iran will not necessarily pose a threat to the general peace of the Middle East. Iran’s nuclear program continues to generate more questions than answers. What the world is waiting on now is a reply from President Obama at the G-20 Summit.
DOUGLAS WILDER COMMENTARY: What I Expect From Our Next Governor
The moderate Democrat and former governor of Virginia, on the state's upcoming election: "I make these observations here because we are on the verge of electing a governor. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states where gubernatorial races will take place this year. Both have incumbent Democratic governors -- but in both states the Republican candidates present formidable challenges to any Democratic repeat victories. In fact, surveys and recent polling suggest that Democrats are trailing, though it's too early to draw conclusions. Much is at stake for both the president, who carried both states handsomely, and Tim Kaine, the incumbent governor of Virginia, who also chose to become the national chairman of the Democratic Party. There is a lot of talk, here in Virginia, about who is being endorsed and by whom. I don't believe that any candidate for statewide office in Virginia can be elected solely by that candidate's party. There has to be crossover voting -- and Virginia voters are becoming more independent in their selections and less motivated by party affiliation than by the credentials and qualifications of the respective candidates. Now, back to the issue of money. Everyone knows these are tough times for our economy. Job losses, though decreasing to some extent, have dramatically affected our work force here in the commonwealth. Regarding the campaign for governor, the concerns that I hear from the people with whom I come into contact are:
- Who is best suited by temperament and training to govern in these tough times?
- Who has presented to the people realistic plans for education, transportation, health care, public safety, and social services?
- Who is going to be strong enough to stand up to those who seek to hold the commonwealth hostage by threatening to "retaliate" against the state for the state exercising its obligatory rights to protect its citizens from price gouging and fee manipulation for undue profits?
- Who has the vision for moving this state forward and inspiring confidence in the people of Virginia -- all of its people?
These are the things that cause me to come to the aid and assistance of those committed to these principles. Like the rest of Virginia voters, I look forward to having answers made available to us sooner rather than later, for they are already past due."
8/29 News Tidbits Of The Day
U.S. Marks Fourth Anniversary Of Hurricane Katrina
U.S. President Barack Obama used his weekly address today to mark the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the United State's Gulf Coast. The hurricane that struck in August 2005 was costliest, as well as one of the most deadliest, hurricanes to ever hit the United States. Over 1,000 lives were lost and over a million people were displaced, while the damage bill has been estimated at over US$100 billion. President Obama said his administration has focused on helping citizens finish the work of rebuilding their lives and communities, while taking steps to prevent similar catastrophes going forward. He said the government has freed up hundreds of millions of dollars of federal assistance that had not been distributed to allow stalled projects across the Gulf Coast to get underway, from building and improving schools; investing in public health and safety; and repairing broken roads, bridges and homes.
USA: Kennedy Carried To Arlington, Laid Beside Brothers
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was laid to rest alongside slain brothers former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Robert Kennedy on hallowed ground at Arlington National Cemetery this evening, celebrated for "the dream he kept alive" across the decades since their deaths. Crowds lined the streets of two cities on a day that marked the end of a political era — outside Mr. Kennedy's funeral in rainy Boston, and later in the day in D.C.. With flags over the Capitol flying at half-staff in his memory, his hearse stopped outside the U.S. Senate where he served for 47 years. A few miles away, Mr. Kennedy's freshly excavated gravesite was on a gently sloping Virginia hillside, flanked by a pair of maple trees. The youngest brother died Tuesday at 77, more than a year after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
USA: The Wide Open Gubernatorial Landscape
Vermont GOP Gov. Jim Douglas' decision not to seek a 5th two-year term in 2010 means more than half of the 39 governorships up for election in America this year and next will be open seat races. The result is that at least 40% of the governors in January 2011 will be new to the office -- and that's before any incumbents are defeated. Third-party candidates are poised to be key players in a number of upcoming governor's races. There are a handful of states -- including New Jersey in 2009, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts -- where candidates from outside the two major parties could either swing the election one way or another or flat out win.
Sophia Nelson: "What About Joan Kennedy: Doesn't She Deserve An Honorable Mention Too?"
Asks the moderate Republican pundit, about today's memorial service for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in Boston: "As I sat over the past 48hrs or so and watched the media coverage of the extraordinary life of Senator Edward M. Kennedy -- something struck me as being unfair: What about the former Mrs. Edward Kennedy -- Joan Bennett Kennedy? I don't mean any disrespect whatsoever toward the current Mrs. Ted Kennedy, but I was a bit put off today at the Memorial service in the Boston Church that no-one in their eulogy mentioned that Joan was there for the late Senator and her children through the 'worst of times'. The first wife usually is. The challenge for me in all of this is not that Vick[i] Reggie Kennedy did not deserve all of the kudos she got for 'saving Ted's life' --she does, but that the first wife, Joan Bennett (who was quietly present at the Memorial services today) deserves a litte R-E-S-P-E-C-T too. Let us not forget that like Ethel and Jackie before her, she was there through the 1st Senate campaign, the airplane crash that landed her husband bed-ridden (as she campaigned for him all through Massachusetts and helped him win an impressive victor[y]), the horrific death of JFK, the tragic death of RFK, the stroke of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., Chappaquid[d]ick, the womanizing, the drinking, the challenges to the health of their children, the 1980 campaign against Carter, and on and on. Joan is probably the most unfortunate of all the Kennedy wives, because at least Jackie and Ethel (for all they endured) are loved and revered in our political and social pop culture. The images of the two young grieving widows are indelibly etched in our American conscience forever. But what about Joan? Where does she fit into all of this?"
She continues her commentary: "I think she deserves an encore--she was loyal--she was faithful--she endured--she supported--she loved--she gave--she suffered--she wept--she was humiliated at times--broken at times--yet, through it all she gets little of the credit for being the woman in the 'arena' with the Lion of the Senate. In the final analysis--I admire Ted Kennedy's life story--for all of his flaws and weaknesses--failings--he understood well the concept of persever[a]nce and of 'moving forward' no matter what cards life may deal us. As for Joan, I just felt that someone today needed to say 'thank you' Joan for being the wind beneath Ted's wings for the first part of his life's journey. Thank you for your brave battle with alcoholism and for your love of your children. Lastly, thank you for having the class and grace to sit through a Memorial Service today in honor of your late husband--a service that had to be hard for you as you once loved this man and gave him three (3) children. It could not have been easy to listen to another woman get all of the praise and kudos--and be called 'the love of Ted's life' after you were so loyal and true. So I say thank you Joan Kennedy for all you did. May God grant you peace and joy in the twilight years of your life."
