12/31 News: 2009 In America

Poll: Americans Largely Agree 2009 Was A Bad Year

For all their differences, Americans largely agree on two things: 2009 was a lousy year for the nation, and 2010 is likely to be better. Nearly three-fourths of Americans think 2009 was a bad year for the country, which was rocked by job losses, home foreclosures and economic sickness. Forty-two percent rated it “very bad,” according to the latest AP-GfK poll. That's worse than in 2006, the last time a similar poll was taken. The survey that year found that 58 percent of Americans felt the nation had suffered a bad year, and 39 percent considered it a good year. Fewer than half as many people, 16 percent, said their family had a “very good year” in 2009 as said that in 2006.

Even though most said it was a bad year for the country, three in five Americans said their own family had a good year in 2009, while about two in five called it a bad year. Some 72 percent of Americans said they’re optimistic about what 2010 will bring for the country. Even more, four in five, are optimistic about what the year will bring for their families. Curiously, however, nearly two-thirds think their family finances will worsen or stay about the same next year.

Partisan differences too: only 10 percent of Republicans said 2009 was a good year, compared to about one-third of Democrats and independents. A whopping 87 percent of Democrats are optimistic about what 2010 will bring for the country, compared with 53 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of independents. People’s views of their personal circumstances divide along partisan lines, too. Only one in five Republicans think their family’s finances will improve in 2010. Nearly half of Democrats and 40 percent of independents hold that view.

Jobless Claims Fall To Lowest Level Since 2008

The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, a possible sign the job market is healing as the economy slowly recovers. New jobless claims have dropped steadily since September, raising hopes that the economy may soon begin creating jobs and the unemployment rate could decline. Analysts cautioned that the weekly data could be artificially low due to seasonal factors, such as the Christmas holiday and recent snowstorms.

Dow Finishes 2009 With Nearly 19% Gain

A late burst of selling left stocks with a hefty loss today at the end of what was otherwise a banner year, highlighted by the biggest annual percentage gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in six years. The blue-chip measure ended 2009 with an 18.8% gain, though it is still down 26.4% from its all-time record set in October 2007.

Gregory Kane: "A Black President Is Nice, Not Necessary"

The conservative Republican commentator in Baltimore, Md. opines that more doctors, engineers, mathematicians and scientists in black America is far more valuable than having a black occupant in the White House: "Dr. Freeman Hrabowski couldn’t disagree with me more. He shook his head vigorously, indicating a negative response. 'Oh, no,' he said. 'No, no, no, no, no.' Gee, was it something I said? Indeed, it was. Christmas came a little early this year for the black man with a Polish last name. (Long story short: white Alabama slave owner of Polish ancestry with last name of Hrabowski; slaves take master’s name.) Hrabowski is the president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, not to be confused with its distinctly inferior cousin, the University of Maryland College Park, which is located some 40 miles south in Prince George’s County. For 17 years, Hrabowski has led UMBC. He is one of the few African-American presidents of a predominantly white university, but Hrabowski’s achievement far exceeds that. Time magazine recognized as much, and in November, its editors touted Hrabowski as one of the top 10 university or college presidents in the country. Of course, Time magazine editors didn’t tell anybody in these parts anything we didn’t already know. I’ve been saying for at least the past several years that UMBC, not UMCP, is Maryland’s flagship public university. The editors of Time magazine seem to agree, and Hrabowski’s achievements at UMBC prove it."

Mr. Kane continues his commentary: "During our interview, Hrabowski would pace his office, pointing to photos of black UMBC alumni of whom he was especially proud. There was the young sister, now a physician, who received a patent for an alternate use of Viagra (other than the more famous one). There’s the brother, a former UMBC star basketball player and math major, who now works for Constellation Energy, with his quote that Hrabowski simply adores: 'I’ve always loved math and making money.' That’s not a quote typically heard from a black student. But UMBC’s black students break the mold. There are as many black male students on its campus as black females; black students have the highest graduation rate of any group on campus, and Hrabowski said it’s not unusual to visit a hard-science class and discover that a black student has the highest score on an exam. As Hrabowski was recounting all this, that’s when I dropped my bomb on him: 'I think your being named one of the top 10 university presidents in the country, and the reason for it, is far more significant for black Americans than Obama’s being inaugurated as president of the United States.'"

More: "Hrabowski disagreed, as I suspect will most of Obama’s adoring devotees among black Americans. But I’ll stick to my position: black folks need more doctors, engineers, mathematicians and scientists. We don’t need a black president. He’s nice to have; we just don’t need the guy. Now, before some readers – you know who you are – go off on one of your 'there goes Kane being an Uncle Tom again' rants, let me point out that I have some interesting company. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been saying the same thing for decades. Of course, we never listen to him when he says it. If he’s dissing Jews, we’re all ears. If he’s talking about Uncle Toms or evil white folks, we can’t get enough of it. If he’s running down that Willie Lynch nonsense, we sit in rapt attention, clinging to every false, misleading word. But let him say that more black folks need to focus on math and science, and we tune him out faster than Tiger Woods rushing to date the nearest white woman. Math? Science? Engineering? Aren’t those things for white folks and Asians? Hrabowski and a superb group of black students at UMBC are proving those things most certainly are not. Here’s a tip of my hat to a brother who’s determined to make math, science and engineering black things."

Listen To (Part Of) Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel

Somebody has put up part of the audiobook version of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's best-selling 2007 memoir Infidel on YouTube. You can listen to Part I here, and from there access the other seven parts (hat tip: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Blog.

Infidel is the English translation of the Dutch book Mijn Vrijheid ("My Freedom"), which was released in late 2006. The libertarian feminist's biography of her journey from Somali-born jihadist-loving Muslim to Dutch parliamentarian and atheist critic of Islam was a best-seller in several countries, and has been translated into 33 languages. Canada's largest book retailer recently ranked Infidel as one of the Top 10 biographies of the decade.

The Underwear Bomber: Bookerista Views

Star Parker: "Replace Janet Napolitano"

The conservative Republican commentator argues that President Barack Obama has fired two GM CEOs for failure and the the same standard for performance should be demanded of someone responsible for America’s security and American lives: "Last March, our newly installed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explained, in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, her vision for fighting what was formerly known as terrorism. By calling these now 'man caused disasters', she explained, we’d 'move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.' 'Our policies will be guided by authoritative information. We also have assets at our disposal now that we did not have prior to 9/11. For example, we are much better able to keep track of travelers coming into the U.S. than we were before. The third thing is to work with our international partners and allies to make sure that we are getting information and sharing information in an appropriate and real-time fashion.' Yikes. Putting Ms. Napolitano in charge of a department of 200,000 people and a $50 billion budget with a stated mission to 'lead the unified national effort to secure the country and preserve our freedoms' was a 'man caused disaster.'  And it is one that President Obama should fix – pronto."

Politik Ditto: "Obama Administration Received Warnings About Attempted Terrorist Attack"

The conservative Democratic blogger in New York City writes: "Now you know that if a "systematic failure" like this had occurred during the Bush years, the leftist media would take turns frying the GOP, and rightfully so. Of course, it's now coming out that the Bush Administration may have released two for Guantanamo Bay detainees that had something to do with the attempted Christmas Day bomb attack the other day and yet, Barry's still talking about closing Gitmo. This comes after Barry took 3 days to speak publicly on Abdulmutallab (while on vacation no less) and Janet Napolitano's pathetic 'the system worked' response. Again, when you elect liberals to the highest offices in the land, don't be surprised at the consequences."

Kenneth Durden: "The Next Successful Terrorist Attack And Being American"

The libertarian-conservative blogger opines: "The next successful terrorist attack on America should result in a pivotal change among the American people and a change in our government's policies. No I don't expect and certainly don't want a police state. I don't want Americans to live in perpetual fear. I would hope that all Americans would appreciate the wonderful country we have and unique opportunity given to us by God, to be American. The Muslims among us must learn to behave as the father of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab behaved. They must reject and expose the radical murderers in their midst. If they do not I fear they will see just how 'evil' Americans can be. Americans are different from Europeans. We are fighters. Some of us are mindless and spineless but not all of us. We will only be pushed so far. There are even some among us who will behave brutally, indiscriminately. No one wants to see that, but I can see it happening."

He continues: "Our government must refocus on its core responsibilities and stop trying to run ever[y] aspect of our lives. That means aggressively pursuing terrorists and not foolishly playing games with dictators and Islamofascist states around the world. We have to be the country that is the true example of freedom on this planet. The government must return to the limited format that made America the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world. That means a complete rejection of progressive policies. Leaders must reject the desire to seize and maintain power by treating the people like children, even if some people wish to behave that way."

News: Africa

Drug-Resistant HIV Emerging In Southern Africa

The drugs that once worked so well are starting not to work. And now the resistance is showing up in sub-Saharan Africa, home to two-thirds of the world’s 33 million HIV cases. Ten years ago, between 1 percent and 5 percent of HIV patients worldwide had drug resistant strains. Now, between 5 percent and 30 percent of new patients are already resistant to the drugs. In Europe, it’s 10 percent; in the U.S., 15 percent.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where the drugs only started arriving a few years ago, resistance is partly the unforeseen consequence of good intentions. There are not enough drugs to go around, so clinics run out and patients can’t do full courses. The inferior meds available in Africa poison other patients. Misprescriptions are common and monitoring is scarce. In sub-Saharan Africa, resistance rates have quietly climbed to around 5 percent in the past few years, and that’s a substantial undercount. The HIV drugs used in Africa are very unforgiving, unlike the newer pills used in the West. Miss a dose here or take a pill late, and the virus quickly wins control.

Uganda: Religious Leaders To Stage National March Against Gays

On January 19, religious leaders will hold a national demonstration against supporters of homosexuality in Uganda. Proposed legislation punishes individuals who fail to report homosexuals to the authorities, and gays could face life in prison or the death penalty. Addressing journalists in Kampala yesterday, Pastor David Kiganda, the leader of Born Again Christians in Uganda, said: "We are here to protect the integrity and morals of our country so we cannot allow conditions from foreign countries to compromise our culture." Pastor Kiganda's remarks come hardly a fortnight after Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa said the government doesn't support the promotion of homosexuality. Many countries have opposed the proposed bill. Minister Kutesa stated: "In Uganda homosexuality is a taboo and can't be allowed."

LARRY ELDER COMMENTARY: Unrest in Iran: The Vindication Of George W. Bush

The libertarian-conservative Republican commentator in California argues that Saddam Hussein's fall and the formation of a fledging democracy in Iraq encouraged and emboldened regime-threatening dissent in Iran: "The Iraq War-achieved-zero crowd begrudged Bush nothing even after the democratic Cedar Revolution in Lebanon. Never mind that Walid Jumblatt, a Lebanese Druze Muslim leader, said: 'It's strange for me to say it, but this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq. I was cynical about Iraq. But when I saw the Iraqi people voting (in 2005), 8 million of them, it was the start of a new Arab world.' As to Iran, The New York Times quoted a pundit-blogger who, when protests began this past summer, wrote, '(N)o Iranian...has mentioned Iraq as an inspiration for the demonstrations, nor has any leader of their opposition cited their Iraqi neighbors as a model or a source of guidance.' None? Meet Mohsen Kadivar. In May 2004, Time magazine profiled this Iranian intellectual in a flattering article called 'The Critical Cleric -- Reclaiming Islam for a New World.' Newsweek called him a global leader 'to watch in 2005.' His criticism of the Iranian regime landed him in jail. He now teaches at Duke University, and PBS's Charlie Rose interviewed him in July. What does this cleric says about Iraq's possible influence on his native country? In February 2005, he said: 'I think the Iraqis can make what we wanted to create but were unsuccessful: a real Islamic Republic. By that I mean a republic with Islamic values, democracy with Islamic values...(where) the clergy has no special rights. If they have a good government with Islamic democracy and without any special or divine rights for the clergy, the Iranian government won't be able to justify its situation to the Iranian citizens.'"

Mr. Elder continues his commentary about Iran: "Meet Mashallah Shamsolvaezin. In 2000, this Iranian journalist received an International Press Freedom Award but could not attend the formal dinner honoring him. Shamsolvaezin was then sitting in a Tehran prison for the crime of 'insulting Islamic values.' The authorities shut down several publications that he edited. Just days ago, he and several other journalists were arrested in Iran. What did he say about Iraq's possible influence on Iran? 'The Shi'as in Iraq have accepted the notion of having a secular government, and they are slowly moving toward the democratization of their country -- free elections, democratic institutions, a free press. All of this in and of itself will have an impact on the situation in Iran.' Meet Mohsen Sazegara. This Revolutionary Guard co-founder and former Islamic Republic supporter became a critic. He attempted to run for president of Iran, but authorities denied his application. He spent three months in jail for opposing the regime. He now lives in the United States and faces more prison time should he return to his country. What did he say about Iraq's possible influence on Iran? 'I personally hope that Iraq's (transition to democracy) will be completed successfully so that it can also help our nation. For sure, neighbors with democratic governments are much better for us than dictators such as Saddam Hussein or backward groups such as the Taliban....Our young generation in particular has shown...that it has a strong desire for democracy, human rights and civil society, and a strong desire to join the international (community). And when democratic changes take place in our neighboring and brother country Iraq, with its many ties to us, it encourages our youth, and emboldens our young people to ask for change in our current constitution.'"

More: "The Iraq War and fledging democracy continue to pay dividends. It helped convince Libya's strongman to surrender his WMD. It helped inspire a democratic movement in Lebanon. And it may, just may, help to bring down an Islamofascist government that is the leading exporter of terrorism -- before it gets a nuclear bomb. Just as the 'neo-cons' had hoped."

News: The Middle East

CIA Probes Afghan Base Security After Bomber Kills 7

The CIA vowed today to avenge the deaths of seven officers in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan and to investigate security breaches that allowed the second deadliest attack in agency history (hat tip: Drudge Report). The Taliban claimed the attacker was a sympathizer from the Afghan army who detonated a vest of explosives at a meeting with CIA workers on Wednesday. An Afghan was also killed and six CIA employees were wounded. In a letter to CIA employees, U.S. President Barack Obama mourned the deaths of those he said "served in the shadows." The death toll was the CIA's highest since eight employees were killed in a bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983. The chief of the CIA base was among the dead.

Iran: Regime Wages A Quiet War On 'Star Students'

Behind the drama unfolding in the streets of Iran, the regime is quietly clamping down on some of the nation's best students by derailing their academic and professional careers. On Wednesday, pro-government militia attacked and beat students at a school in northeastern Iran. Since last Sunday's massive protests nationwide, dozens of university students have been arrested as part of an aggressive policy against what are known as Iran's "star students" (hat tip: Black & Right). In most places, being a star means ranking top of the class, but in Iran it means your name appears on a list of students considered a threat by the intelligence ministry. It also means a partial or complete ban from education. The term comes from the fact that some students have learned of their status by seeing stars printed next to their names on test results.

More than 1,000 graduate students have been blocked from higher education since the practice began in 2006. Star treatment is reserved for graduate students, although undergrads also face suspension for political activity. Several hundred undergrads have been suspended for as many as four semesters, according to student activists and human-rights groups in Iran. Under Iran's higher-education law, students are dismissed from school if they miss four terms.

ERIK RUSH OP-ED: No Greater Evil

The conservative Republican asserts that communism is back in America and currently occupies the White House: "The dream of global communism did not die with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall or The People's Republic of China adopting aspects of capitalism. As we now know, American communists have been quietly working, though in earnest, since the Bolsheviks gained power in Russia, toward a similar revolution in the United States. Despite a popular swing toward the right in America during the 1980s and mid 1990s, those factions have been in high gear since the civil-rights movement. As of now, they are operating in the open; all that remains, truly, is for them to lay claim to the brand 'communist.' Whether the individual far-left zealot in America is stupid, deluded or evil, the end game shall play out in the same manner: It will result in a society in which an unproductive, mediocre, larcenous few squeeze everyone else for their profit and pleasure."

He continues his commentary: "It is amusing – in a decidedly grim vein – to hear government and media mouthpieces attempt to defray accusations of socialistic and communistic elements within this White House's policies. Health-care reform legislation springs to mind, of course. Aside from the criminally intrusive ('criminally' meaning in a constitutional sense) nature of the current proposed legislation, it is an incontestably transparent payoff to Democrat political dependents and cronies. Then, there is the admitted affinity for Marxism on the part of Obama and certain of his acolytes (by way of validating this charge). When I hear President Obama complain about 'fat-cat bankers' and the harm they've done to our economy vis-à-vis the economic implosion that became manifest in fall 2008, for example, once again I experience that grim amusement. I am amused (as well as appalled and incensed) because Obama knows that it was socialist oligarchs such as Sens. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, and communists such as himself and Wade Rathke who poured sugar into America's economic gas tank."

More: "There was a time in America when being perceived as a communist was akin to being perceived as a child molester. It was once generally understood that, other than the power and glory communism brought to those in power, it held no redeeming qualities whatever. Yet, it remained possible for those middling, unimaginative fools who romanticized communism in their youth to coalesce that coveted power here. If you believe that we are all God's children (which I do), then there is nothing evil nor dishonorable in being a marginal or mediocre individual. In capitalistic nations, in fact, marginal, mediocre people often do quite well. If you want to know what far-left doctrine – communism in particular – really amounts to, this is it: A malevolent contrivance by which the marginal and mediocre enslave majority populations. This is the way it has always been, from Lenin on down to Obama. The scale and depth of human suffering this Congress and this administration is poised to initiate will, if these people are not stopped, earn them a spot among history's worst villains. I do not advocate extreme measures. However, if Americans who have recently become aware of how deeply imperiled we are, and those who shortly will be, do not dedicate themselves to utterly disenfranchising the political left over the next five to 10 years, they will, in a very short time, become impossible to extricate without the expenditure of force, blood and lives. Mark my words."

SHELBY STEELE COMMENTARY: Obama And Our Post-Modern Race Problem

The conservative commentator updates his "bound man" thesis about President Barack Obama: "America's primary race problem today is our new 'sophistication' around racial matters. Political correctness is a compendium of sophistications in which we join ourselves to obvious falsehoods ('diversity') and refuse to see obvious realities (the irrelevance of diversity to minority development). I would argue further that Barack Obama's election to the presidency of the United States was essentially an American sophistication, a national exercise in seeing what was not there and a refusal to see what was there — all to escape the stigma not of stupidity but of racism."

He continues: "Our new race problem — the sophistication of seeing what isn't there rather than what is — has surprised us with a president who hides his lack of economic understanding behind a drama of scale. Hundreds of billions moving into trillions. Dramatic, history-making numbers. But where is the economic logic behind a stimulus package that doesn't fully click in for a number of years? How is every stimulus dollar spent actually going to stimulate? Why bailouts to institutions that only hoard the money? How is vast government spending simultaneously a kind of prudence that will not "add to the deficit?" How can such spending not trigger smothering levels of taxation? Mr. Obama's economic thinking (or lack thereof) adds up to a kind of rudderless cowboyism combined with wishful thinking. You would think that in the two solid years of daily campaigning leading up to his election this nakedness would have been seen. On the foreign front he has been given much credit for his new policy on the Afghan war, and especially for the 'rational' and 'earnest' way he went about arriving at the decision to surge 30,000 new troops into battle. But here also were three months of presidential equivocation for all the world to see, only to end up essentially where he started out."

More from Mr. Steele: "Mr. Obama's ascendancy to the presidency could not have been more different [than Ronald Reagan about who he was, what he believed, and where he wanted to lead the nation]. There seems to have been very little individuation, no real argument with conventional wisdom, and no willingness to jeopardize popularity for principle. To the contrary, he has come forward in American politics by emptying himself of strong convictions, by rejecting principled stands as 'ideological,' and by promising to deliver us from the 'tired' culture-war debates of the past. He aspires to be 'post-ideological,' 'post-racial' and 'post-partisan,' which is to say that he defines himself by a series of 'nots' — thus implying that being nothing is better than being something. He tries to make a politics out of emptiness itself. But then Mr. Obama always knew that his greatest appeal was not as a leader but as a cultural symbol. He always wore the bargainer's mask — winning the loyalty and gratitude of whites by flattering them with his racial trust: I will presume that you are not a racist if you will not hold my race against me. Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and yes, Tiger Woods have all been superb bargainers, eliciting almost reverential support among whites for all that they were not — not angry or militant, not political, not using their moral authority as blacks to exact a wage from white guilt."

Final thoughts: "But this mask comes at a high price. When blacks become humanly visible, when their true beliefs are known, their mask shatters and their symbiotic bond with whites is broken. Think of Tiger Woods, now so humanly visible. Or think of Bill Cosby, who in recent years has challenged the politically correct view and let the world know what he truly thinks about the responsibility of blacks in their own uplift. It doesn't matter that Mr. Woods lost his bargainer's charm through self-destructive behavior and that Mr. Cosby lost his through a courageous determination to individuate — to take public responsibility for his true convictions. The appeal of both men — as objects of white identification — was diminished as their human reality emerged. Many whites still love Mr. Cosby, but they worry now that expressing their affection openly may identify them with his ideas, thus putting them at risk of being seen as racist. Tiger Woods, of course, is now so tragically human as to have, as the Bible put it, 'no name in the street.' A greater problem for our nation today is that we have a president whose benign — and therefore desirable — blackness exempted him from the political individuation process that makes for strong, clear-headed leaders. He has not had to gamble his popularity on his principles, and it is impossible to know one's true beliefs without this. In the future he may stumble now and then into a right action, but there is no hard-earned center to the man out of which he might truly lead. And yes, white America conditioned Barack Obama to emptiness — valued him all along for his 'articulate and clean' blackness, so flattering to American innocence. He is a president come to us out of our national insecurities."

Casey Lartigue In South Korea: "Stuff I've Learned/Observed/Experienced As A Foreigner"

The American educational consultant and libertarian is back working in Seoul, South Korea again after returning to Washington, D.C. for a spell, and gives more of his impressions: "If there's a line forming, then stand it. You won't regret it even if you don't want to be in the line. You never know when an entire elementary school of kids may show up. A colleague of mine who didn't take my advice dallied about for a few minutes. Suddenly, a million Korean kids showed up. He got back in line, but far enough that I needed binoculars to see him. Thankfully, the lines in Korea go quickly, so he ate about 15 minutes after I did....

I saw one of the directors at my job wearing a mask over his nose and mouth. Does he know something I don't know?...

As a foreigner in Korea, I often must trust the Koreans around me. My colleagues helped me set up my bank account. I was standing there, with my documents out in the open for anyone, along with my allegedly secret password that seemed to be available for public information. People show up at my apartment saying they need to take me somewhere. I do ask them questions about who they are just to confirm that I'm not being shipped off to China. I should blog more often just so someone will notice if I have gone missing....

GPS machines in Korea warn drivers when they have gone several kilometers over the speed limit in an area with speed cameras. The damn sound can get so loud that you slow down just to shut it up. In comparison, radar detectors in America are almost always illegal. I guess the point here is really to get people to stop speeding, not to collect money for the city."

Casey also wonders why Booker Rising's readers overlooked him for the Bookerista Of The Year honor, when he's blogging from two continents: "I noticed that Booker Rising's readers have named Thomas Sowell the site's Bookerista of the Year. Well-deserved, to be sure. I just held snap elections. I have been named Person of the Year of my blog. That has happened every year I've had this thing. Even when I forgot to hold elections I retroactively held elections and won. Reasons my award means more: 1) Sowell would never show up at a Booker Rising conference to accept the award. 2) Because I've blogged regularly from both Korea and America, that means I've been Person of the Year on two different continents."

12/30 International News

U.S. Lauds Haiti Ahead Of 206th Independence Anniversary

The Obama administration is lauding Haiti as it gets ready to mark its 206th anniversary of independence on January 1. "This is an occasion to honor the history and heritage of Haiti and to remember the heroes who founded the first independent black republic, not just the icons such as Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Alexandre Petion, but also the countless men and women who stood up for their right to live as free people and gave a legacy of freedom for future generations," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a statement yesterday. "Their accomplishment changed the face of our world, and their story continues to be an inspiration today."

The State Department also saluted the contributions that Haitian-Americans have made to American culture and prosperity and insisted, "our two nations are bound by strong bonds of friendship and family, united both by our shared history and our common hopes for the future."

The statement comes as Haitians continue to lobby the White House to no avail for temporary protected status for illegal Haitian immigrants living in the U.S.

European Commision Warns: Eight Countries Charging Off A Sovereign Debt Cliff In 2010

The European Commission warns that the finances of half of the Eurozone's sixteen economies are at risk of becoming 'unsustainable', essentially bankrupt (hat tip: The Eclectic Negro). Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Greece are all teetering on the brink. While relatively better off European nations would prefer not to bail out their flailing neighbors, the problem with the euro currency union is that their fates are ultimately all tied together via the euro, even if politically they believe themselves to be separate countries. Thus an old criticism of the euro system is appearing more relevant than ever.

The Underwear Bomber: Bookerista Perspectives

A Somali man was arrested last month in Somalia after trying to board a Djibouti and Dubai-bound flight using the Underwear Bomber's MO (don't get me started on how African Union peacekeeping troops were able to stop this jihadist cold, while U.S. officials were inept about the Nigerian jihadist....despite being warned by his own father). Meanwhile, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is calling for profiling techniques. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and other prominent conservatives are slamming the Obama administration's response to the Underwear Bomber. Of course, the black center-right has something to say about the thwarted terrorist act. It ranges from concern about lost civil liberties due to new security procedures, to concern that the Obama White House is soft on terrorism, to concern that the U.S. is not listening in jihadists' desire for the U.S. to stay out of their countries:

William Grigg: "The Old 'False-Flag Trick'?"

The libertarian blogger opposes proposed security procedures, on civil liberties grounds: "In an utterly predictable response to an unsuccessful attempt by a would-be Jihadist to emasculate himself in mid-air by detonating a small explosive charge (a very small one, of course), the Regime is moving, slowly but inexorably, in the direction of requiring airline passengers to strip nude. There is plentiful evidence to suggest that the same Regime acted as an accomplice -- most likely a passive one -- in that same failed bombing attempt. Call it a delayed-action nude bomb: One Nigerian nutcase conceals a firecracker in his wedding tackle, and before long everybody will have to strip nude in order to fly. Granted, the nudity would be 'virtual,' temporary, and limited in its exposure. Passengers would be violated one at a time by the same thoughtful people who have made a career out of rifling through other people's dirty underwear."

He continues his commentary: "Government is the only human enterprise that profits from failure. Once that principle is understood, many otherwise inexplicable choices made by ruling elites and their servants can be made intelligible. For instance, we can begin to understand the perverse persistence governments display in courting preventable catastrophes, and then capitalizing on such incidents to enhance their powers to do exactly the same things that resulted in disaster. In this case, in addition to requiring the helotry to undergo unconscionable personal violations before flying, the Regime is exploiting the incident aboard Northwest Flight 253 to escalate the ongoing military assault on Yemen, thereby increasing the human misery that helps propel international terrorism. And so it is that the Regime -- which has squandered trillions of debased dollars in the name of 'fighting terrorism' (hundreds of billions to build a domestic garrison state, and even greater sums to conduct wars of aggression overseas) -- will continue to do exactly the same thing following an episode that demonstrates, beyond serious dispute, that the 'war on terror' has done exactly nothing to make Americans safer."

More commentary from Mr. Griggs about the Underwear Bomber: "While it's not clear that the flight was in mortal danger, it is clear that the plot failed because a detonator failed to ignite, and a group of passengers shed the shackles of government-imposed docility to subdue the terrorist suspect. The attempt to massacre the passengers of Flight 253 was stopped without the Regime's help -- and in spite of what has to be considered, at very best, the Regime's criminal negligence. Owing to what must have been an anguished report from his father, Umar Abdulmutallab was known to the CIA and the State Department as a potential terrorist. Umar Mutallab the elder, a banking official from Nigeria, met personally with CIA officials to express concerns that his son -- who had gone to Yemen for the supposed purpose of studying Arabic -- was falling into the company of suspected terrorists. U.S. officials took this valuable intelligence and promptly buried Abdulmutallab's name in an official database. Yet it was not placed on the official 'no-fly list'; apparently, that status is reserved for people who make themselves troublesome to the Executive Branch without actually posing a threat to innocent people."

Juliette Ochieng: "Terror Follies"

The conservative Republican blogger in Los Angeles, whose father is Kenyan, writes: "Larry Johnson says that the Obama Administration is trying to defame and defang the CIA. Again.

It is not the job or mission of a CIA field office to comb through intelligence reports and do analysis or piece together puzzles. They are first and foremost information gatherers. The Bush Administration and the Congress removed the CIA from the job of “piecing” together disparate pieces of information. That job was passed to NCTC [the National Counter Terrorism Center], which is under the control of the Director of National Intelligence [DNI], Admiral Dennis Blair. Even more basic, the Panty Bomber bought a one-way ticket with cash. It’s not the CIA’s responsibility to monitor that either. And doesn't the DNI have a direct line to the president?

More: "Boarding at a Mogadishu airport, a Somalian tried to blow up himself and an aircraft airliner last month. Hey black African men! Haven’t you figured out yet that Arab Muslims are afraid of you and want you dead?  I guess that the castration of millions of black male slaves in the last 500 years were not enough of a clue. Stop helping them....The intentional destruction of the capitalist system by the Obama Administration and its ho-hum attitude about the renewed Jihad are two sides of the same coin. And, no, I'm still not afraid."

Robert A. George: "Dammit, Janet!"

The moderate-conservative Republican journalist and blogger in New York City, on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: "So, more than eight years later [after the 9/11 attacks], U.S. intelligence hasn't figure out how to identify likely suspects in terror attacks -- even when they've figured out their nationality and where the plot is originating from? Forget about racial or ethnic profiling, what's wrong with 'foreign national profiling'? Once there is credible information that Al Qaeda is training 'Nigerians,' why not put additional attention on Nigerians traveling into the United States (zeroing in one guy without luggage might also be a good idea)? Anyway, clearly there's 'systemic failure.' We're into another administration and the permanent bureaucracy seems about as dysfunctional as ever. CIA? NSA? FBI? Is anyone talking to each other?"

More: "All that said, there is hardly anyway that Napolitano can be said to have the confidence of her boss, the president of the United States. The incident itself redounds to the efficience of an agency under Napolitano's oversight, the Transportation Security Agency. That's bad enough. In many other cultures, such an epic fail would have required a minister to submit his or her resignation on the spot. But then Napolitano goes on the air and says, 'The system worked'? Well, if by 'working,' she means an alert Dutch national sustained burns to his own hands in bringing down the guy trying to bring down the plane, yeah one could say things 'worked'! Sorry, that's game over. The public can't have confidence in its head of homeland security. And neither should the president. Say good night, Janet."

Elizabeth Wright: "Don't Listen To Those 'Psychos'"

The conservative blogger in New York City opines that jihadists like the Underwear Bomber are rational individuals: "Even when we're told pointblank why 'they hate us,' just don't pay any attention to them. When the latest would-be hijacker, who failed to bring down a Northwest airplane, says that he wanted to retaliate for the bombing of Yemen a couple of weeks ago, just ignore his claim, and don't listen to what he says are his motives. We know better. We know that they hate us because they are evil, wicked, godless people. They hate us for our 'freedoms.' They hate us because they don't have the love of our God in their hearts. They're simply vicious people who hate the Baby Jesus. So, what can you expect from them? There's no reason to listen to anything they have to say. Just keep bombing the crap out of one country after another. Just go kill the next eight children who get in the way. And when someone like Congressman Ron Paul reasons that the military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan are in their seventh and ninth years, and that Muslims want us out of their countries, well, just throw the 'anti-Semite' smear at him and dismiss his rational assertions. That's what grown-up, mature people do, isn't it?"

Clifton B.: "Dick Cheney: Obama 'Trying To Pretend We Are Not At War'"

The conservative blogger in New Jersey discusses the former Vice President's criticism of the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Underwear Bomber: "I think Cheney has touched on the key thing why Obama is getting fried for his response to the Underpants Bomber. It is Obama’s actions leading up to the Underpants Bomber that gives the perception that Obama is weak on terror. Many are trying to draw the comparison of how people reacted to Bush and the Shoe Bomber vs. Obama and the Underpants Bomber. Perception is the key. The Shoe Bomber incident happened shortly after 9-11. The Bush administration was still doing a gazillion things to get new security in place. Bush was still putting TSA together too. Even though it took Bush 6 days to speak to the American people about the Shoe Bomber, there was no crazy statements or missteps from Bush underlings prior to his speaking. America had a perception that things were under control and that everything humanly possible was being done to thwart terrorism."

He continues his commentary: "Compare and contrast Obama today. The Underpants Bomber comes on the heels of Ft. Hood, where there was great reluctance to even mention terrorism and Nidal Hassan in the same sentence. Furthermore, Obama has spent a year undoing many of the security measures that Bush put in place (attempting to close Gitmo, sending Uygers to paradise, investigating the CIA, etc). But most damaging for Obama was having to come out after Janet Napolitano made a complete fool of herself. To make matters worse, Obama allowed the image of himself being interrupted from his fancy Hawaiian vacation (Bush was vacationing quietly at Camp David) to take hold in the minds of Americans. If Obama wants to regain control of the situation, then he is going to have to take some bold steps to appear like he takes terrorism seriously. I would start by kicking Napolitano to the curb. The last thing you want is the impression that your administration is comprised of incompetent boobs. Next, halt the closing of Gitmo. Everyone knows there are tons of terrorists there from the new terror hot spot Yemen. Finally start briefing the public regularly as to what you are doing to get to the bottom of the situation. Inform the public what actions you are taking to make sure this never happens again."

Sandra Rose: "NY Daily News Tells Obama To 'Get A Grip'"

The conservative blogger in metro Atlanta, Ga. accuses President Obama of being an apologist for jihadists: "Take a good look at the picture [to the left]. It’s a picture of an indignant terrorist sympathizer who’s just been dragged off the golf course to read a prepared statement about a subject that he has no interest in — terrorism. As far as US president Barack Obama is concerned, there is no war on terror. He made sure of that when he struck those very words from his administration’s vernacular. Yesterday, Obama drew the ire of the NY Daily News and former VP Dick Cheney when he referred to Christmas Day terrorist bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as an 'isolated extremist' — despite the fact that al Qaeda supplied the bomb materials and instructions to Umar. Meaning Umar was not working alone as Obama so blindingly suggests."

More: "Obama has come under attack this week by the mainstream media for pretending we are not at war with terrorists. Why should Obama admit we are at war with terrorists when it’s obvious that he sympathizes with them? Are we forgetting that Obama called Americans 'arrogant' and referred to America as [one of] 'the largest Muslim country' in the world?"

Entertainment News

“Thriller” To Be Preserved In U.S. Film Registry

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, with that unforgettable graveyard dance, will rest among the nation’s treasures in the world’s largest archive of film, TV and sound recordings. The 1983 music video directed by John Landis, though still the subject of lawsuits over profits, was one of 25 films to be inducted today for preservation in the 2009 National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. It’s the first music video named to the registry.



Congress established the registry in 1989, which now totals 525 films. They are selected not as the “best” American films but instead for their enduring importance to U.S. culture. The library selects films that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant after reviewing hundreds of titles nominated by the public and consulting with the National Film Preservation Board.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Eyed For Tiger Woods Movie Role
 
Jerry Maguire star Cuba Gooding Jr., 41, is being pursued by several Hollywood producers to play philandering golfer Tiger Woods in a 2010 movie, the Daily Mail reported (hat tip: Black & Right). “It makes a great movie because people love the drama of seeing someone really successful fall from the top and then scramble to pick up the pieces of their life,” one producer told the UK newspaper. Mr. Woods, 34, has been in the international spotlight since a bizarre car crash in his own driveway the day after Thanksgiving set off allegations of more than a dozen extramarital affairs. His wife, former Swedish model Elin Nordegren, reportedly wants a divorce, sole custody of their two children and half of his estimated $600 million fortune.

DENA LEICHNITZ COMMENTARY: Why The Left Hates Country Music

The conservative Republican blogger in Los Angeles opines about America's liberals and country music: "The Liberal Left of this country is full of pretentious, egotistical and elitist individuals who believe that anything without their stamp of approval is not worth much. They continue to ridicule and mock traditional American values, the people who live in the Heartland and most of all, country music. Country music has always been the brunt of jokes by so called mainstream America. People like Gwen Thompkins, who did a report for NPR on the popularity of country music in Africa can’t help but mock anyone who listens to it. Even as she reporting on the immense popularity of country music in Kenya, most specifically, she couldn’t help but remark how most country singers are a bunch of racist rednecks. Those weren’t her exact words but they are gist of her feelings. So why all the hostility to country music especially as more and more Blacks are getting involved in it? We now have Charlie Pride, Cowboy Troy, Darius Rucker, and Rissi Palmer all making country music. And though Charlie hasn’t put out a new album in awhile he still travels the world singing his music. They are even thinking of doing a movie about his life. Even Nelly did a duet with Tim MacGraw [sic] and Beyonce has even done some country as well. With more Blacks making inroads to country, it seems counterproductive to keep labeling Nashville as racist. Besides that is not the real reason why the Left hates country anyway. After all, the Left is full of proud KKK type bigots. So what is it?

1) Country music is patriotic.

Those who sing and listen to country music are overwhelmingly proud of their country. Being patriotic doesn’t mean we are blind to America’s problems but instead we view America through a more forgiving lens. We know we have committed atrocities on our soil-abortion is still being done to the most vulnerable and innocent and needs to stop-even so we are willing to fight to improve conditions for all. To stop living in the past and start taking care of the present and the future. They hate country music because it speaks of real love, family, tradition, God. It speaks of everything people hold dear.

2) Because it is simple.

Don’t equate simple with stupid. It most certainly is not. It is some of the most profound music around but it is its simplicity in lyric and form that make it accessible to everyone  and the Left does not like that.  Even Alan Jackson openly admits to being ” a singer of simple songs, I’m not a real political man.  I watch CNN but I don’t think I could tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran.” It is that kind of straightforward humility that people can relate to. And it is that kind of down home feeling of  just being an average Joe, no better nor worse than anyone else, that the Left absolutely despises.

3) It’s timeless. 

Britney Spears will not live on  in immortality but Loretta Lynn will. Coal Miner’s Daughter speaks more to our shared human experience than 'Oops I Did It Again.' Almost any Trace Adkins song reminds of  the fraility [sic] of family and how fast time does fly. Songs like 'You’re Gonna Miss This' or 'Then They Do' speak to us as we watch our children grow up and leave the nest. While Kanye West will one day be forgotten, Trace and his timeless message of loving your family will continue on.

4) Because it is real.

If you don’t stand a little prouder when listening to 'Riding with Private Malone' or 'Bumper Sticker on my SUV' you have no heart. If you don’t cry when hearing 'Christmas Shoes.' And Dolly’s new one 'Jesus and Gravity' really uplifts your spirit. http://cnettv.cnet.com/dolly-parton-better-get-livin/9742-1_53-50003376.html You don’t find that kind of music in the pop, rap or hip hop world. You find it in two places, country and soul. Both genres are the last bastion of authentic music and true talented artists. Yes, the Left hates anything that is good, uplifting, touches your spirit, which is why I will always be a fan of country music."

Booker Rising response: While country music stars & fans skew conservative, can it be said that liberals detest country music? The Dixie Chicks are liberal. The First Family has hosted several country music stars at the White House. Aren't Tim McGraw & Faith Hill liberal Democrats? I'm no leftist, but it's only been the past few years that I've even bothered to listen to country music (other than a song here and there). In my staunchly urbanized upbringing, I quickly dismissed country music as redneck central. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate the genre more. There is some good storytelling in country songs. Darius Rucker, Rissi Palmer, and Carrie Underwood are good, and I've added some other country artists' songs on my iPod. By the way, here is the audio link about country music's popularity in Kenya. Of course, country music has some African-American (and thus West African) roots.

News: The Democratic Party

Dems Move To Sack Superdelegates

Democrats are moving to eliminate from the party's national convention the superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders whose role in the presidential nominating process came under intense scrutiny in last year’s closely-contested primary. Those superdelegates provided, for a time, a lifeline to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton's flagging campaign, and the effective end of their independent role would be a major step toward reshaping the Democratic Party — and its internal politics — in President Barack Obama's image. While the elimination of superdelegates isn’t likely to have any impact in 2012, commission members say it will help democratize future presidential primaries.

The move follows an epic 2008 Democratic primary process in which all 50 states and the territories cast votes in a race that was effectively deadlocked between Obama and Clinton. For a time, there was grave worry among some in the party that the superdelegates, who were not bound by their states’ votes, could decide the nomination in favor of a candidate who received fewer elected delegates from primary voters and caucus-goers.

Anxious Democrats Divide Over Path Forward

Mounting anxiety about their prospects in next year’s elections is suddenly reviving a debate that has split the Democratic Party for a generation: Should it tack to the political middle to claim centrist swing voters or remain true to liberal principles to motivate the base and other change-hungry voters. With their poll numbers dipping, a handful of their senior House members retiring and one freshman abruptly changing parties, majority-party Democrats are once grappling with questions about the way forward. Chief among them: how to reconcile an ambitious policy agenda that party loyalists expect to see fulfilled at a time when concerns about government spending are on the rise.

William Daley, commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, brother of the Chicago mayor and long an influential voice for moderation in the party, went public last week with what is on the minds of other centrist Democrats in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. Sounding the alarm after the party-switch of Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama, Mr. Daley laid out a stark choice. “Either we plot a more moderate, centrist course or risk electoral disaster not just in the upcoming midterms but in many elections to come.”

A response came from longtime Democratic strategist and former top AFL-CIO official Steve Rosenthal, who without citing Daley by name, wrote an op-ed for Politico that such fretting amounted to what Obama campaign manager David Plouffe famously described as the “bed-wetting” of party elites at any real or perceived down moment during last year’s campaign. Mr. Rosenthal offered his own prescription for the party: “Stop overanalyzing 2009 losses in Virginia and New Jersey, where Democrats had two candidates with serious ‘issues.’ Stop talking about needing to move to the center to win back independent voters. Stop complaining that the Obama surge voters — those younger voters, African-Americans, Latinos and single women who came out in record numbers in '08 — didn't vote in '09 and won't vote again in 2010. Start legislating, start organizing and start mobilizing.”

Detroit On Film

Constructive Feedback, a conservative blogger in Atlanta, opines about the effect of liberal social policies on Detroit: "Note: While I agree with the general sentiment of the video - I do believe that the author is overgeneralizing. For example - there is no question about it that organized labor has driven up the cost of doing business in the Detroit and other 'Rust Belt' cities they were not alone in their conspiracy. The corporate capitalists deserve their share of the blame for making agreements that ultimately caused the collapse of the companies and the region. I don't make a wholesale rejection of 'Progressivism/Left-Viewpoints' (yes it is true as hard as it might be for some of you to believe). Instead it is important to analyse the CONTEXT by which it or any alternatives is applied.  In as much [sic] as it is clear that 'Progressivism is not ORGANIC' when this theory 'wins' and thus is the only game in town the results are very predictable. Progressivism needs some force to struggle AGAINST. Take that opposing force away and it will fall just as a man who seeks to push against the wind after a wall has been removed will fall on his face. Progressives fail to make note when they, by necessity, must switch from revolutionaries and rebels over to fielding a system by which their goals can be obtained inside of the 4 walls that they now control as the ESTABLISHMENT."

More about conservative website Pajamas Media's video: "Still the point must be made as is the case in the film. The most popular narrative for Detroit is that 'corporate greed' caused companies who were not about to pay a '[l]iving wage' to their employees to pull out and go overseas. While this did occur in some cases it does not adequately define what has happened in total. Many firms shut down after losing their solvency. Some moved to lower cost Southern states. It is true that the language which adequately depicts the fault that Progressive forces have played in the manner is undefined. After all they were working in the 'best interests' of the people for better pay. Right? The truth is that the best deal is not one that temporarily maximizes your advantage. Instead it is the deal that proves to be most enduring. The deal where your interests are addressed AND you are positioned for a more abundant future. Instead we see a Detroit that is reverting back to its natural wilderness state because the departure of man from its borders has removed the forces of productivity that once manicured the land."

Kenneth Durden on Cops

Federal Court Restricts Use Of Tasers By Police

The libertarian-conservative blogger disagrees with the ruling: "A ruling by a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge 'prohibits officers from deploying Tasers in a host of scenarios and largely limits their use to situations in which a person poses an obvious danger.' This will potentially lead to more police officers being injured or killed by out-of-control suspects.

Black NYPD Sergeant Arrested For VWB (Visiting While Black)

And the sargeant's girlfriend took photos. The libertarian-conservative blogger writes: "'What f------ apartment are you going to?' These are reportedly the words spoken to 19-year NYPD veteran Reginald Reynolds by two white officers. Reynolds was just bringing over Chinese takeaway to his girlfriend's apartment. This kind of thing seems to be a regular occurrence in NYC. Funny how people from New York always pretend there's only racism when they travel to other places, especially [S]outhern cities."

From Africa To America: Bookeristas on 2010

James Shikwati: "Let's Nurture Culture Of Leadership In Kenya"

The libertarian head of the Inter-Region Economic Network (Kenya) opines about his country: "The culture of each individual being a leader in his or her own right has evaporated. Individuals have surrendered leadership to the educated professionals, the working class and to politicians. In a country of over 40 million, a class of less than two million is expected to carry the burden of the whole country. The ongoing economic recession together with the aspirations of many to live in similar affluence to that in the West makes it difficult for people to carry their own economic weight. Surrendered leadership makes it easier for a society to specialise in blaming others for their woes. Kenya and by extension Africa must nurture a culture of responsibility and leadership at all levels. Thousands of NGOs have pitched their tents on the continent; the African person as if in a mummified state remains hypnotised. As 2010 knocks the door, each individual must seek to break out of the trance and claim leadership of their destiny. Where are we? Why should 2010 get us in the state we are in?"

Harry Jackson Jr.: "In Favor Of New Year's Resolutions"

The evangelical Christian minister in metro Washington, D.C., writes: "The nation has been most shocked by the clay feet of national heroes and those among the lists of the rich and famous. Unfortunately, indiscretions abound among the last and the least, as well. Alas, poor decisions are a part of the human condition. This is one of the reasons people make New Year's Resolutions. In fact the time of year that we use to formulate these concepts predates Christ by at least 200 years, when January was added to the Roman calendar. The development of the month of January is credited to Numa Pompilius, the second Roman king before it became a republic. Numa named the month after the mythic pagan god who was the lord of beginnings and endings and of gates and doors. Janus was depicted having two faces with one face looking back to what is behind and with one face looking toward what lies ahead. The Romans of Pompilius’ day believed that the month of January gave everyone an opportunity to look both backward and forward at the same time. This kind of reflection seems to be so natural at each year’s end. When Rome converted to Christianity the calendar and original concept of January was christened and given a Christian 'name.' The church led the way in establishing new spiritual rituals to celebrate the New Year. Current traditions include Christians prayerfully reflecting on repentance, reformation, and rethinking old problems before celebrating the New Year. Even our secular society has caught the idea of change and reconsideration at this time of year. The net result is that 40-45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year."

Mr. Jackson Jr. continues his commentary: "Among the top New Year’s resolutions are always ones about weight loss, exercise, and breaking bad habits. Researchers say that included in the most popular resolutions are issues like dealing better with money management/debt reduction. Unfortunately 25% of us abandon our resolutions after the first week. At the end of the first month nearly 35% have changed their minds, while nearly 55% give up on their goals after 6 months. Despite this attrition rate the reality is that those who make New Year’s resolutions are 10 times more likely to keep their commitments than those who make no plans or resolutions at all. So this year reflect! Celebrate the good things and then make a New Year’s resolution for personal development. It may just change your world!"

Obama Comes Under Fire — From The Mainstream Media!

Sandra Rose, a conservative blogger in Atlanta: "Surprise, surprise: U.S. president Barack Obama’s apology tour for Muslim terrorists is a complete failure. Who would have thought that all his bowing and scraping and apologizing for 'arrogant Americans' and promising to close Gitmo, and giving his first official interview as president to a Muslim news network, and calling America 'one of the largest Muslim countries in the world,' was all for naught? Now it seems the mainstream media has finally awakened from its deep sleep:

There has been a pattern developing with the Obama administration trying to minimise terrorist attacks. We saw it with Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, a Muslim convert who murdered a US Army recruit in Little Rock, Arkansas in June. We saw it with Major Nidal Malik Hassan, a Muslim with Palestinian roots who slaughtered 13 at Fort Hood, Texas last month. In both cases, there were Yemen connections. Obama began to take the same approach with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. We’ll see whether this incident shakes him out of that complacency. Whether it’s called the war on terror or not, it’s clear that the US is at war against al-Qaeda and radical Islamists. Read More…

Wow. I’ve been writing about that 'pattern' of Obama’s for months. But only the most astute among my readers picked up on what was occurring in Washington. During his highly successful campaign, Obama made all kinds of promises to Americans. But when he took office, he immediately reached out to — and began to curry the favor of — the Saudi Muslims who put him in office with all those illegal donations that will never be accounted for."

The registered nurse continues her commentary: "Obama’s efforts to overhaul the greatest health care system in the world is only an attempt to seal his legacy as the first American president to get it done. It matters not to Obama that the taxes to pay for his monstrous bill will come out of our paychecks and that Americans who have the least resources will suffer even more. If you think insurance companies balk at approving costs for expensive cancer treatments, wait until the government takes over health care. Trust me, the government will not be as generous as the insurance companies are now. Hopefully, none of you will be diagnosed with cancer or any other terminal illness in the coming years. Oh, and remember that Amnesty bill for immigrants that the Democrats were trying to push through Congress? You know, the one that will open the door to even more Yemen terrorists to walk freely across our borders? Well, good luck with that."

Kwanzaa: Bookerista Perspectives

Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1) continues to be a controversial holiday, even though very few black Americans (is it even 5%) even celebrate it. Anyway, bookeristas give pro and con views of Kwanzaa. I also add my opinion:

Attorneymom: "Kwanzaa Day 5: Nia (Purpose)

The conservative in Atlanta, Ga. celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa: "With the negative portrayal of American Blacks in all forms of media and entertainment, each of us should commit to restoring our greatness. From feminization of our young men to pimping of young women, the music industry has been the top tool used to destroy the minds and souls of our young people. It is time to stop the foolishness and hold the media giants accountable for their participation in the destruction of the young Black minds. 1 Timothy 6: 6-12

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Ripclawe: "Are You Celebrating Kwanzaa? No...No, I Am Not"

The conservative Republican blogger in Florida isn't down with Kwanzaa: "I find the concept of Kwanzaa to be irritating and patronizing to black people who feel the must have their own ritual to 'connect' with the motherland. Instead of following the [M]arxist ideals of a convicted felon because he tortured some women, someone actually go to Africa if you have the urge to connect and bring back a traditional African practice to be adapted and adopted here."

Shamara Riley: "Mixed Opinion"

I have mixed opinion about Kwanzaa. I’d argue that it’s based on culture - however garbled - not race. I don’t buy many conservatives’ claims that Kwanzaa is a racially divisive holiday, unless one is prepared to argue the same for St. Patrick’s Day (which is practically its own very-secular holiday here in Chicago). Critics charge that Kwanzaa sets up Christmas as a ‘white’ holiday, and thus isolates blacks from others. One of my aunts calls Kwanzaa a “devil’s” holiday, designed to undermine the gospel of Jesus Christ among blacks. Calling Kwanzaa an invented holiday - which it is - is meaningless, as invention is behind all holidays. And while Maulana Karenga's history of abusing women is highly problematic, I believe that events can transcend problematic founders (look at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia back in 1787). I don’t see the holiday as anti-Christian, but I'm not religious.

Many bookeristas have also taken Kwanzaa to task for promoting socialism, but I don't have a problem with the Kwanzaa principles per se: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). The ujima and ujamaa principles certainly sounds socialist, but any of the Kwanzaa principles can be interpreted to mean that through private means we should help others. I do think that these principles - if the focus is on private efforts, and not Big Government - have merit year-round in building black communities.

I don't have a problem with a black American-specific holiday, but my main issue with Kwanzaa concerns authenticity. Kwanzaa isn't rooted in black American culture and experience. While the official Kwanzaa website calls it a "celebration of family, community, and culture", why is the holiday a mishmash of East African cultures when the overwhelming majority of black Americans are of West African origin? Nor is it even a holiday that resides with Africans. Kwanzaa thus contributes to the stereotype that Africa is just one big blob, with few if any inter-country differences. This viewpoint is ironically a strange bedfellow of many white attitudes towards Africa, as if one can switch African cultures in and out at will. Black Americans should certainly learn more about Africa. However, Kwanzaa - with its misinformation about our African heritage - falls short of this goal.

Condi In The News

Condoleezza Rice Makes "Most Admired Women" List By American Public

The former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State ranked #5 on this year's list among the American public, according to Gallup. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues her reign as "Most Admired Woman" but barely edges out former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin this year, 16% to 15%. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and First Lady Michelle Obama finished third and fourth. Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and American poet Maya Angelou -- all regulars on the list -- are joined by newcomers German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Elin Woods in the top 10.

Among Republicans, the moderate-conservative Republican politico ranks #4 (after Ms. Palin, Secretary Clinton, and Ms. Winfrey).

Note: I just wanted to highlight that four black women made the list this year. Meanwhile, how the hell did Tiger Woods's wife make this list? Side-eye to some of my compatriots....

Condi Rice Joins "Stealth" Carbon Startup

Ms. Rice has joined the board of directors of a startup that aims to manage emissions for corporations — a model that appears to bank on cap-and-trade legislation. Three SEC forms filed over the last two weeks show that Ms. Rice and former Senator and Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham have joined the board of C3, a startup founded by Thomas Siebel, former CEO of Siebel Systems which was bought by Siebel’s previous employer Oracle for $5.7 billion in 2005. The filings also reveal $26 million of investment.

VatorNews, a website focusing on emerging tech, writes: "On the company’s sparse website C3 describes itself as an 'Energy and Emissions Management' company. Add the high-profile politicians (who were undoubtedly talking it up at Copenhagen recently with other world leaders), the Wall Street securities expert, enterprise software pros and 'emissions management' and you get what looks like a technology company aiming to become the go-to monitor of emissions and a key component to a carbon credit exchange."

Back To The Old Commenting System

Yes, it's back to Haloscan for now. I must agree with reader BTX3's assessment when I first put up the Disqus system a couple of days ago: "Disqus sucks". The Disqus system had way too many bugs, and the customer service to resolve it is non-existent. Why is it so difficult for the three available, external commenting systems (Disqus, Intense Debate, Echo) to integrate a comments system into a customized Blogger template like they all claim that they can do?! With a comments meter on the homepage, as well as the individual blog post URLs?

For those of you wondering why I'm switching away from Haloscan.....I'm switching because last week I received a message on my Haloscan dashboard that Haloscan will be out of commission (as JS-Kit, which owns Echo, bought out Haloscan) by January 2....

12/29 Quote Of The Day

"Unfortunately, the bureaucrats in Washington just don’t get it. They continuously have said deficit spending would revive our economy, as would artificially low benchmark interest rates. They have ignored elementary economic principles, arguing most egregiously that increasing government’s role in health-care would decrease costs. When was the last time government involvement decreased overall costs? What they failed to say is that middle and working class Americans would pay considerably more now, as they will in the future. Where do Black Americans fit in this picture? As a group, blacks are overrepresented among the poor, and they are therefore disproportionately affected. As the Federal Reserve continues to keep interest rates low and the printing presses humming, those with political connections and power will be the first to receive the money. While the money inevitably spreads throughout the economy, there will be a subsequent aggregate rise in price levels. In the words of the late hip-hop icon Biggie Smalls, 'more money, more problems.' The cost of food, clothes, and consumer items will increase. Those receiving this new money last - as explained by the injection effect - will undoubtedly be the poor and working classes. The Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies, therefore, benefit certain businesses and the politically connected, while robbing Black Americans of their economic power....Wanting a healthy economy and populace are indeed noble intents. Accomplishing these goals, however, via inflationary policies, deficit spending, and increasing the role of government ignores the high costs involved and the plight of Black Americans. With black political power in America being realized through the election of President Barack Obama, the community’s focus has shifted to economic empowerment. This wish list of good intentions should remind us that 'all that glitters isn’t gold,' and if any group should be keenly aware of such when it comes to government policies (i.e. War on Poverty, War on Drugs, No Child Left Behind etc.), it’s Black Americans." — Orlando Watson, libertarian-conservative college student in Virginia

From Africa To America: Bookeristas' New Year's Resolutions For Black Folks

June Arunga: "Africa Must Move Forward"

The Kenyan-born libertarian telecom entrepreneur, who attended university in Britain and is now based in Ghana, writes: "Africa must move forward. Multiplying networks through which each can create wealth, & efficient formulae 4 compromises 2 rise above these 'soooo last century' feuds, are priorities in my humble opinion. It's time 2 paint a picture of the 'promised land' & the features that define the path there. Don't want my kids dealing with this shame of the international begging bowl! That['s] my [N]ew [Y]ear's resolution."

She continues: "Death to the factions, and long live reason and freedom for each person to engage in voluntary exchange for their own self interest. Off the pedestals that we all stand on in some collective...so we can each understand the 'other's' fears, Settle them and compromise for the sake of not sending more humans on this land mass called Africa to the grave with their talents, dreams and potential. I am tired of dancing around these issues."

More: "On the political level, we have to get everyone appreciating that creating regulatory and institutional environments that facilitate this kind of initiative for as many people as possible. The hope is that then, regardless of their backgrounds, people can make money in the private sector and not have to try to get into power to secure their economic lives. The grass root benefits from such an environment through better services and employment or even small enterprise. All this sounds like a fantasy even to me, but everyone working to keep our focus on that at all times, might get the tune playing in people's heads."

 Lenny McAllister: "Trails Of Tears Unless...Looking Back And Ahead #3"

The conservative Republican blogger in North Carolina opines that 2009 was historic with America's first black president. In 2010, rank-and-file black Americans must step up our game and be historic in building our communities: "All of the partisan fighting by President Obama has been met with a willingness by Democrats to overlook the plight of Black Americans concerning health care, education, and jobs. Even as the Congressional Black Caucus and others have slowly come around to criticize the administration's failures to specifically address these issues, the crime really comes from the group of Americans that bought into a politician's historic rise without capturing the momentum as a chance to be historic themselves. And that doesn't fall on any one politician - or president. It falls on us as African-Americans. If the record of 2009 shows us anything, it is this: we can ride history, we can watch history, but the ways that we have taken over the past 4 decades will not lead us to making any significant historical changes for everyday Americans without the efforts of those Americans in the history-making events around us. There are now Americans that can claim a Black city councilman, governor, and president, yet we continue to have African-American males going to jails at record and tragic numbers. We continue to see a waste of American talent as children succumb to substance abuse, school dropout rates, and premature death due to failure of leadership from adults and community leaders. The Obama Effect was supposed to be that 'silver bullet' that allowed Black America to take that next step towards true equality in this country. It was supposed to be that boost that allowed Black people to contribute at a higher level to close the achievement gap in school, the math and science gap in the world, and the economic gaps we endure as a nation in the global economy. So far, no[ne] of those things have happened as status quo Black America has engulfed the pride of January 20 with a persistence to take a broken approach and continuously apply it to a broken community."

More: "President Obama broke the mold as a candidate in order to create a new reality in American politics. It is sad that Black America hasn't taken a similar approach to break the mold of approaching urban blight issues from the past 40 years of Great Society politics and civics to create a new (and better) reality within American urban centers. Unless if Black America sidesteps its collective fear to approach the unknown, cast aside the stereotypes of the past, and resurrect the courage of past generations, we will continue to walk a 21st century trail of tears that is marked with premature death, unnecessary disease, and lack of education - all endured while watching the height of the Civil Rights Movement epitomized in the White House while the 2nd worst days of Black America play out elsewhere throughout the nation."