6/30 VIDEO: Last Year's Tragedy, "How To Kill A Daredevil"

In closing out Black Music Month, TheRoot.com has a gallery of 37 black rock acts from around the world that folks can check out. One band who is not singled out, but does get an honorable mention in TheRoot.com's list is Last Year's Tragedy, a rock band out of Nairobi, Kenya. I knew that Kenya has rockers (I had already heard of the band Murfy's Flaw), but I didn't know they were rocking hard. Watching Kenyan headbangers in action is interesting enough:



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McDonald v. Chicago: Clarence Thomas's Finest Hour?

While U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas concurred with the majority in the landmark 5-4 ruling, he wrote an opinion arguing that there was a constitutionally stronger way to argue that the 2nd Amendment is fully applicable to states than the 14th Amendment's due process clause: He writes in his concurring opinion: "But I cannot agree that it is enforceable against the States through a [due process] clause that speaks only to 'process.' Instead, the right to keep and bear arms is a privilege of American citizenship that applies to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause." Justice Thomas argues that gun rights come as a privilege of American citizenship.

The Wall Street Journal argues that Justice Clarence Thomas's originalist argument is his finest hour: "Understanding why requires us to back up just a bit. In the McDonald case, the justices were asked by the plaintiffs to strike down Chicago’s gun-control ordinance as a violation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution. In order to do so, the justices would have to make two maneuvers. Of course, they’d have to rule that the ordinance runs afoul of the Second Amendment’s prescription that 'the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.' But they’d also have to rule that the Second Amendment restricts not just Congress’s ability to make laws controlling the use of guns, but that of state governments as well. Remember, the Bill of Rights, as originally constructed, only applies to the federal government. In order to extend the Second Amendment to laws passed by states or cities, the court was faced with a choice of two clauses embedded in the 14th Amendment. It could 'incorporate' the Second Amendment to the states through the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause. Or, pursuant to the 14th Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause, it could deem 'the right to bear arms' one of the 'Privileges' or 'Immunities' that the states are forbidden from taking away. So you’ve never heard of the Privileges or Immunities Clause? We’re not surprised. The clause was largely neutered in a set of cases decided in 1873."

The paper continues: "Those arguing for resuscitation of the Privilege or Immunities Clause [because they believe that the due process clause is insufficient in arguing against state intervention on gun rights] pinned their hopes on Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas, both known for their 'originalist' approach to constitutional interpretation. But Justice Scalia on Monday opted, along with Justices Alito and Kennedy and Chief Justice Roberts, to use the Due Process Clause. As [New York Times reporter Adam] Liptak noted, Justice Scalia, in a concurrence, 'acknowledged misgivings about using the due process clause to apply Bill of Rights protections to the states' but went along with it 'since straightforward application of settled doctrine suffices to decide it.’ But in a separate concurrence, Justice Thomas boldly went where no justice has gone before: to the arms of the Privileges or Immunities Clause."

Even liberals - well, black liberals - are praising Justice Thomas in this case. Rev. Al Sharpton - who favors gun control - says that it was "stunning" that 90% of the callers to his radio show (ahem, black folks) support the ruling. Hot Air, a conservative website, writes: "Speaking of self-defense, and in light of the good reverend’s surprise that his audience might feel this way, for your companion reading I want you to dive into the history lesson tucked away in Clarence Thomas’s concurrence in Monday’s gun-rights decision. Scroll down to page 41 of his opinion (page 107 of 214 in the total PDF document) and go from there. Remember, this was a case about whether the Fourteenth Amendment, which was passed after the Civil War to protect the rights of blacks against racist state governments, guarantees the right to bear arms to an American citizen when the local authorities try to take it away. Thomas’s answer: How could it not, when grabbing guns from slaves and freed slaves was one of the chief means used by states to keep blacks powerless? So striking was Thomas’s argument on this point that WaPo columnist Courtland Milloy — who was last seen threatening to punch tea partiers in the face — wrote a near love letter to him in today’s edition."

Speaking of liberal commentator Courtland Milloy, here's his support for Justice Thomas's "scorcher of an opinion that reads like a mix of black history lesson and Black Panther Party manifesto": "Thomas, the only black justice, sided with the court's conservative majority in a 5 to 4 vote to give Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old black man from Chicago, the right to buy a handgun. In his lawsuit to repeal Chicago's restrictive handgun law, McDonald said he needed a gun to protect himself -- not from a white mob but from young black 'gangbangers' who were terrorizing his suburban Chicago neighborhood [Booker Rising note: Mr. McDonald lives within the city limits]. Thomas agreed with McDonald, concluding that owning a gun is a fundamental part of a package of hard-won rights guaranteed to black people under the 14th Amendment. And just because some hooligans in Chicago or D.C. misuse firearms is no reason to give it up."

More from Mr. Milloy: about Justice Thomas's decision "From Frederick Douglass, Thomas writes: 'The black man has never had the right either to keep or bear arms,' and that, until he does, 'the work of the Abolitionists was not finished.' Because of his conservative take on affirmative action and prisoners' rights, he has been cast as an uncouth African American who didn't understand black history, a dupe for arch conservative Justice Antonin Scalia and a man who couldn't think for himself. What Thomas has created, however, is a legal defense of the Second Amendment so thoroughly original and starkly race-based that none of the white justices would even acknowledge it, as if it were some blank sheet crafted by an invisible man. That ought to be a clue enough for black people that this document is at least worth a look. You may not agree with his conclusion, but there'll be no mistake about where he's coming from."

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Ron Christie: "Spy Case Won't Hurt Ties?"

The conservative Republican and former policy advisor to the Bush administration, isn't pleased with the Obama administration's reaction to the recently uncovered Russian spy case: "Putting all of the press intrigue and interest aside, I can't help but wonder what in the world is going on in the White House and the State Department, given their reaction to the situation in the press. According to Phillip Gordon, assistant secretary of State for European Affairs: 'We're moving toward a trusting relationship.We're beyond the Cold War...I think our relations absolutely demonstrate that. But as I say, I don't think anyone was hugely shocked to know that some vestiges of old attempts to use intelligence are still there.'"

He continues his commentary: "Where to start? If the United States is moving toward a 'trusting relationship' with Russia, apparently our comrades in Russia missed that memo. Such a reaction only days after President Obama treated Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to a hamburger while visiting the United States is nothing short of unsettling. What our president should have done is treated the president of Russia to a little tip: We've just arrested your spies, Dmitry. Don't think of messing with us again lest we have to hit the 'restart' button once again. I'm sure Medvedev laughed at Obama all the way to California as he traveled to pick up his iPhone 4 courtesy of Steve Jobs. Do you think for a second this is how Ronald Reagan would have reacted to his Russian counterpart under similar circumstances?"

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News: Bookeristas Running For Political Office

California: Orly Taitz Continues Jihad Against Damon Dunn

From Orange County News: "Irvine real-estate guy Damon Dunn [pictured far left] beat Laguna Niguel dentist/birther lawyer Orly Taitz [pictured left] by a margin of roughly three-to-one in this month's primary election to determine the Republican candidate for Secretary of State. But though the election is finished, Taitz has persisted in insisting that Dunn is as ineligible for office as she thinks Barack Obama to be. She has taking her beef with Dunn to an Orange County courtroom."

More: "As we've addressed in the past, Taitz's accusations against Dunn center around the fact that he registered more than 10 years ago as a Democrat in Florida. California election law says that you can't run in a party primary if you were a member of another party within a year of filing. She also alleges in her complaint that Dunn falsified the signatures of supporters and willfully omitted information about his past registration on official documents. But Dunn's Florida registration expired in 2005, and Dunn's lawyers argue that even if it didn't, Dunn would be fine because of the way the law treats out-of-state parties."

Georgia: Sanford Bishop Jr. To Republican Challengers: "Bring It On!"

During nearly two decades in office, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) has faced few challengers. The moderate-liberal Democrat is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for what would be his tenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. But three Republican candidates will try to appeal to conservative and frustrated voters across the district, hoping to gain one more Republican seat in Congress.

The self-proclaimed "peanut politician" says he expects how Republicans will try to try to challenge him this fall - on his vote for the health care overhaul. Rep. Bishop says he thinks the legislation is a "win-win" and says it helps both people with and without health care coverage. According to his office, about 77,000 people in the 2nd District do not have health insurance. He admits many of his constituents opposed the health care bill. Rep. Bishop says if re-elected, jobs and the economy will top his agenda. He says he'll also make fixing education a top priority and to do so, he believes states need to do their part to fund public education.

South Carolina: Tim Scott: Making History By Running Away From It

Newsweek writes about South Carolina State Rep. Tim Scott's all-but-guaranteed bid to become the first black Republican in the U.S. Congress from the South since Reconstruction: "Scott presents himself as a fairly typical aspiring Republican congressman, and on paper that is what he is: he grew up in the state, he opened a small business, and he serves in the state legislature. He is staunchly conservative on every issue: hawkish on national security, committed to keeping out illegal immigrants at all costs, and in favor of repealing health-care reform, cutting taxes, and defending 'traditional marriage' by keeping the institution off limits to gays and lesbians. He even embraces the frame of states' rights for issues such as labor law and health care; some Southern Democrats and liberal historians have argued that the reemergence of states' rights as a rallying cry on the right suggests a continuity between today's conservatives and past opponents of civil rights."

More: "But Scott prefers not to ruminate on the historic nature of his candidacy, nor to see political issues in a racially tinged light. 'I'm looking to the future more than the past,' he says. 'States' rights to me is empowerment of every state in the Union. Health care is a state issue.' Likewise, Scott sees his success as no greater change than 'the evolution of an issue-centric electorate.' 'Voters are more interested in your issues than in any other characteristic,' he says. Merle Black, a political scientist who studies the South at Emory University, agrees that local voters simply treated Scott like they would any well-established local politico. 'Scott has a lot of experience in the district and a strong base of support in the Charleston portion,' notes Black. 'Scott polled extremely well among white conservatives throughout the district. Those folks like African-American candidates who are conservative.' Nonetheless, the ability of South Carolina's white Republicans to get behind a black candidate, even a conservative one, may strike some political observers as remarkable, particularly because South Carolina is arguably the most unlikely of all Southern states to host such a racial breakthrough."

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Constructive Feedback: "In The Past, Klan Forces Denied Blacks Their 2nd Amendment Rights. Today......."

The conservative blogger in metro Atlanta, Ga. writes about black liberal leaders' reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling affirming that the 2nd Amendment also applies to states and localities. The lead plaintiff in McDonald v. City Of Chicago was an elderly black man who wants to protect himself and his property after multiple break-ins: "Jesse Jackson Sr, Bobby Rush, Others Denounce Supreme Court Ruling Just the other day one of my many blog adversaries said 'What makes the White Conservatives happy often makes Black people miserable'. In this case I stand as a Black man and a gun owner and say - 'What makes the Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser' unhappy when it comes to the protections of the Second Amendment rights guaranteed to all Americans....makes me quite happy and proud. I just wonder why they are not called 'Suppressors of Constitutional Rights'? The sad part about it all is that Jackson, nor Rush nor the 4 Leftists on the Supreme Court give a damn about the travails faced by one Otis McDonald who resides in the Morgan Park section of Chicago."

Constructive Feedback continues his commentary: "After years of placation in which he was told 'Let the police handle it. This is their job' - Mr McDonald took things into his own hands and had the audacity to leverage his Second Amendment rights. To the distress of the Progressive establishment in and around Chicago. These 2nd Amendment Suppressors point to the gun violence in Chicago as their defense of the ban. They fail to note that this violent bloodshed is taking place WITH the ban in place. In summary they focus upon the regulation of the gun but have thus far been ineffective in regulating the KILLERS."

More: "As a Black man who owns 3 guns and has never killed anyone I can safely testify that my community is not threatened by my ownership of guns. Instead the fact that I am a responsible gun owner accentuate the level of security for my neighbors and their property. Any outside offender seeking to threaten our community had better think twice. This just like in the days of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner. The 2nd Amendment Oppressors in Chicago and elsewhere are now staring in the face of decades of failed 'human resource governance policies'.   For so long they have been working to 'provide for' the dysfunctional masses that they failed to shape the consciousness of them. There is not one genetic difference between me and a Street Pirate who[se] very presence threatens Brother McDonald and others who have the misfortune of being in close proximity to him in Morgan Park. If we were serious about solving the murder and terror problem rained down upon us by the Street Pirates we would begin to look at the process of metamorphosis by which this would be 'pillar of his community' that should have taken a leadership role within is now the number one agent of terror in his community. The one that proves to be rather expensive in his management and regulation."

Final thoughts: "At some point, Black community, the theories of Jackson, Rush and others NEED TO BE PUT ON TRIAL along with the violent actions of these Street Pirates. If our quest is to mitigate the violence then most certainly we need to inspect how the terminal failure will allowed these young males to receive this consciousness was allowed.  Then we can figure out 'Who[se] ass to kick'. It takes interest in finding this out to have these actions precipitate."

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3 Quarters Of A BILLION DOLLARS

DarkStar, a moderate-conservative Republican blogger in Maryland, discusses Tiger Woods' divorce settlement with estranged wife Elin: "Tiger has to pay his ex, $750 million dollars! There's no number of women, when combined, whose 'garden of Eden' is worth THAT much money."

Booker Rising response: That's called hush money! Elin Woods must have some serious dirt on Tiger Woods (unusual habits, STDs, drug use/performance-enhancing drug use, other illegal activities, foul stuff that he's said about somebody, he "experimented" with men, etc.), for him to forking over that much of his fortune after only five years of marriage. Since Jack "Where Da White Women At?' Johnson, the downfall of many (partially) black male athletes have engineered their own downfall via alcohol, drugs, and/or white women (often with their wealth fleeing Black America in the process). That’s what Tiger's azz gets for marrying a golddigger, and then cheating on her with 17+ mistresses. From nanny to an almost-billionaire. Pretty good jumpoff strategy on Elin's part.

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East African Community's Common Market Starts Tomorrow: Bookerista Perspectives

Starting July 1, East Africa will have a common market that allows free trade and movement across borders. The bloc has an estimated population of 126.2 million and a gross domestic product of at least US$60 billion. The bloc aims to have a monetary union in 2012 and to eventually transform into a political federation. African bookeristas weigh in on the move:

The African Executive: "East Africans Unite"

The libertarian website in Kenya writes: "The people of East Africa should not squander the rare opportunity to be once more unified as they were before colonial boundaries divided them. They should  creatively position themselves to tap into the region’s massive opportunities. Five EAC Partner States namely; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda committed in November 2009 to a Common Market when the EAC Heads of State signed the Common Market Protocol and ratified it earlier this year. July 1 2010 marks the beginning of the noble and long awaited process of East Africa’s Common Market stage of integration. This will see free movement of labour, goods, services, capital and the right of establishment."

It continues: "East Africans should not however think that things will change overnight. More needs to be done by individual citizens and respective governments to actualise the Common Market Protocol. Partner states should speedily explain the process of implementation of EAC Common Market to their citizens; highlight existing opportunities and educate them on how to tap into the market for mutual benefit. They ought to steadfastly amend relevant policies and laws to facilitate operationalisation of the Protocol; establish requisite structures for implementing the free movement of labour, goods, services, capital and the right of establishment; and stick to the adopted detailed annexure for purposes of implementing the Common Market Protocol."

James Shikwati: "Challenges For One East Africa Common Market"

The libertarian head of the Inter-Region Economic Network (Kenya) writes: "Varying tax regimes in one market may also complicate the operational costs of businesses that are keen to tap into the larger market. It will be costly for industries to seek to relocate their bases because of taxation regimes. Variation in tax policies also touches on Article 34 on prohibited subsidies. Although focused only on resources from government, prohibition of subsidies may also include favorable taxation regimes to distort competition in the market. If one member state taxes lower, it undercuts those who tax highly! It is important therefore that member states prioritize a calendar of implementing a harmonized tax policy for the region."

He continues his commentary: "On matters of governance, the signals emanating from Rwanda whose political leadership exhibits high levels of intolerance to opposition may not augur well for the common market. Rwanda's traumatic past calls for urgent attention to help nurture it into a culture of positive pluralism. A stable political environment will attract both indigenous and foreign investors to the region's common market. Kenyans must seize the moment presented by the ongoing referendum to enact a new constitutional dispensation and give leadership to the region. Member countries must harmonize their national policies with the regional policy framework to avoid wastage, duplicity and conflict. A slow approach to harmonization of critical policies will only breed corruption and slow economic growth. We must strengthen productivity in the region so as not to turn East Africans into consumers of exports from outside the trade bloc."

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Harold Ford on The Democratic Party & Capitalism

"What threatens our party right now is an attitude that business is bad," Harold Ford Jr. told an overflow crowd in New York City last night. "It's wrong, it's un-American and frankly I think it's un-little-D democratic." The New York Observer writes: "The timing seemed slightly odd — more three months had passed since he abandoned his Senate bid, and it was still two months before the release of his new book, More Davids than Goliaths — but the invitation had been discussed back when he was still a potential candidate, and was just now coming to fruition. (The event was hosted by Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century — DL21C — not to be confused with the Democratic Leadership Council — DLC — which Mr. Ford chairs.)"

The short-term problem, the moderate-liberal Democrat said during his speech, was a lack of jobs. And the long-term problem was that Democrats might be perceived as anti-business. "Sometimes Democrats act as if cutting taxes is a bad thing. We are a capitalistic society. People are moved by the idea of doing better," he said.

That appeared to include Mr. Ford himself, who — in response to a question about why he chose to work for Merrill Lynch — said he didn't come to New York looking for a job in the financial world, but found himself "fascinated" by capital markets. "I thought it was not only an opportunity to learn, but also an opportunity to make a living," he said. "I didn't go into it to make a difference in that sense. I'm often tickled when I hear people say, 'I chose politics. I could have gone and made a lot of money, but I chose not to.' As if making a lot of money —  and I don't make a lot of money — but it's not evil." (Mr. Ford's salary was, according to a February report in The Times, more than $2 million.) "I chair a group called the DLC, I teach at NYU and I hope to make differences that way," he said.

The Observer continues: "Mr. Ford's policy prescriptions were unabashedly market-driven. He spoke in support of charter schools, criticized the leadership of some teacher unions, said public employee contracts would have to be renegotiated and said President Obama should have passed an energy bill — with all the new jobs it could create — before he tackled health care. 'I hope sincerely that over the coming months as we get past these elections that the president and Democrats will surround themselves and be willing to listen more to CEOs and businesspeople and others who've created jobs,' he said."

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James Cleverly: "Increasing Britain's Prison Numbers Is A Sign Of Failure, Not Success"

Asserts the London city councilman and Conservative Party member, who focuses on youth development issues: "A person in a prison cell is like a car driver in an A&E bed, it means something has gone wrong earlier in the process. All that money spent on driver training, road signals and signage, crash barriers and air-bags all wasted because there he is lying all bandage up in traction. If I said I wanted to see more people in bandages in A&E and that I'd be happy to see them come back again over and over you'd think I was mad. You would ask me what all the money spent on preventing road accidents had achieved, you'd ask why I wasn't spending a bit more time, effort and money preventing people ending up in very expensive hospital beds after hurting themselves and others. So why do we not ask the same about prisons?"

He continues his commentary: "Prison is unbelievably expensive, the cost of putting a teenager into Feltham for one month would pay for a year's worth of fees at a minor public school. An when nearly 80% re-offend within two years you have to ask if this really is a model we want to expand. Wouldn't it be better to have fewer people committing crime? Wouldn't it be better heading upstream and sorting these people out while they are still a nuisance rather tha[n] a fully fledged criminal? Wouldn't it be better to make sure the people who are banged up at the moment don't re-offend when they get out?"

More commentary from Mr. Cleverly, about Britain's prison system: "[British Justice Secretary] Ken Clarke today outlined a different vision for the prison system and I have a lot of sympathy for his position. Prisons are an important part of the solution but they are not the whole solution, yes prisons work but they only work at being prisons. Engines work but without wheels, a gearbox, bodywork etc. you don't have a car. And just in case you think that this is all a bunch of nice words that will never work have a look at this, it is working already."

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CHANDA CHISALA OP-ED: Soccer & Political Referees

The Zambian libertarian journalist writes: "The ongoing Soccer World Cup in South Africa has drawn a lot of attention to the match referees, some of them for their astonishingly poor decisions. A good referee is someone who just fairly and predictably punishes physical offences in the game. And such a good referee is a good analogy for what every government of the world is supposed to be. A government is not supposed to be ruling a country in an unpredictable way. They are supposed to limit their punishment of offences only to initiations of physical force and its derivatives, not to any kind of offence they just dream up, in the name of 'the public good.' If they are allowed the discretion of just effecting punishment wherever they feel there is an offence to the public, they will create an unpredictable environment."

Mr. Chisala continues his commentary about political oversight: "Human beings are not designed to live in unpredictable environments. Nature is not that way. We can study anything in nature and be able to adapt it to our lives or to control it appropriately and intelligently. But polit[i]cians are able to create an environment that is impossible to live with because they have free will, because they are not bound to any predictable forces of nature. This is why the best and most successful human societies are those that have entrenched the rule of law in their culture through strong institutions that provide checks and balances against the whims of politicians. To give them unchecked power to punish any player if they just feel this is 'in the public interest' (as Mr. Obama wanted to do against BP) would be equivalent to allowing a soccer referee to just send off one player from the field – perhaps because he feels that the team is too strong compared to their opponents. The game of soccer would not work because it would be anti-human. No president should decide what is offensive and punishable, only the law should. And it is only those who have been physically injured by someone that should have the right to appeal to the law for justice, not those who just feel offended."

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Cord Jefferson: "Why Obama Should Tax Weaves"

Drawing inspiration from recent photos showing Naomi Campbell's hair loss (pictured) due to weave-wearing over decades, the liberal writer opines: "Tomorrow begins the federal tax on tanning, the 10-percent toll Obama’s health care bill thrust upon people who wanted to continue risking their health for perceived beauty. Is it time to similarly tax weaves? If your answer is no, because female baldness doesn’t impact health insurance costs the way skin cancer does, consider that there is now a cadre of women lobbying — at least on the Internet — for health insurance providers to pay for wigs for balding women. Some insurance already pays for wigs for cancer patients enduring chemotherapy, but these women want free wigs for all women suffering hair loss, as well as money for therapy to treat the 'devastating effect hair loss has on a woman’s self image.' And while it’s not suggested that women take anti-balding medications like Avodart, some are, and some Avodart users claim their insurance is covering the pills."

Mr. Jefferson continues his commentary about weaves: "Indeed, assuming that wigs and therapy for 30 million will cost more than $10 per patient, we can guess that female baldness might actually cost more than treating skin cancer — $291 million in 2004. Knowing this, let’s tax weaves. Besides helping to offset the costs associated with female baldness, in this economy, the tariff might also cause some women to question the decision to ruin their scalps in the first place. Perhaps some of the money saved could even go toward things like social welfare programs designed to help young black girls stop fetishizing straight blonde hair in the first place. It’s going to be hard to combat Beyonce’s influence, but we can try."

Booker Rising response: Where's the "____ is a regressive tax that will disproportionately affect blacks, the poor, blah blah blah" rhetoric? If you wanna see a revolt among American black women - who comprise a significant majority of black voters, who so vigorously support President Obama - then call for this intrusive tax. This would lead to droves of black tea party activists LOL. By the way, I also disagree on taxing tanning salons. People should reap the full repercussions of their life choices, and it isn't government's business to tell people - and disproportionately women, regarding tanning salons and weaves - how to look. Of course, I oppose Nanny State health care legislation in the first place....

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Elena Kagan's Confirmation Hearings: Bookerista Views, Pt. 2

Armstrong Williams: "SCOTUS Nominations Shouldn't Be Pro Forma Exercise"

The conservative Republican pundit in Washington, D.C. writes: "What bothers me about these proceedings is how the press and Washington’s pundit class are seemingly annoyed that Republicans are asking tough and sometimes pressing questions. As one Washington Post columnist described the scenario yesterday on a radio show, this is a fait accompli. The Republicans don’t have the votes to block Kagan’s nomination, his argument went, and they never will. The inference there is clear: Why don’t Republicans stop their belly-aching and just toss in the towel? Look the other way while the left exerts its will. This will all be over in a few days, and we can get back to other things."

He continues: "What flawed logic. Would Chuck Schumer lay down and play dead if President McCain were choosing his nominee to the court? Did he roll over when Justices Alito and Roberts were nominated? Hardly. No one expected him and his colleagues to merely see the political writing on the wall and let this pass without asking tough questions. So why should anyone expect anything different now? There are serious, precedent-changing decisions that could come before the court in the next five to 10 years. For Republicans to weigh in with their concerns about Kagan’s record and her sense of jurisprudence is only right and proper. To expect and do anything less is to diminish the awesome responsibility of the Senate’s constitutional prerogatives to 'advise and consent' no matter which party holds the chairman’s gavel."

Kevin Jackson: "Kagan: Feminist Trailblazer"

The conservative Republican blogger in St. Louis, Mo. opines : "The radical feminazis at the National Organization for Women (NOW) proudly boast that they 'will listen carefully to her answers to determine if she will be a strong guardian of the rights of women.' Even if NOW manages to stay awake long enough to make this determination, their definition of the 'rights of women' refers only to the rights of women to change their gender, marry other women, and murder their unborn babies...oh I almost forgot, they want to close that $0.07 per hour wage gap that is so plaguing working women of America. Not even a century after women were granted the right to vote, the right to FREEDOM has fallen off the radar. NOW and the women who support them need to drop the lighters and bras, and pick up a history book to find out what true feminism is really about, and perhaps learn about women like Harriet Tubman. If Kagan is to be revered a strong guardian of the rights of women, then Harriet Tubman should have her picture on her own currency, perhaps the $500 bill."

Michael Steele: "Vacuity And Farce"

The moderate-conservative head of the Republican National Committee, writes about Elena Kagan: "Does she still think that Justices’ 'own experience and values [are] the most important data' in deciding a case?  Does she still support the view that it is 'not necessarily wrong or invalid' to 'to mold and steer the law in order to promote certain ethical values and achieve certain social ends?' If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes,' then she and the American people are miles apart on legal issues."

He continues his commentary: "The American people deserve a Justice who will stand up for the rule of law, not one who will legislate from the bench. Unfortunately, Kagan’s record as a liberal Democrat shows that she will be the latter. Her views are well outside the mainstream - she is unsympathetic to gun rights, worked hard to defend partial-birth abortion, saw no problem with cloning embryos or assisted suicide, banned military recruiters from campus while she was dean of Harvard Law, and wanted to extend habeas corpus to foreign terrorists held in Gitmo. It is no wonder that only 35% of Americans support her confirmation. But once again, President Obama is ignoring the will of the people, who say they want a more conservative justice whose rulings will originate with the Constitution, not with the liberal dogma of the Democrat Party."

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SHAMARA RILEY COMMENTARY: Five Of The Biggest Charter School Myths Debunked

I have an op-ed over at theGrio.com defending charter schools. I discuss five myths surrounding charter schools: (1) that they take money away from traditional public schools; (2) charter schools take the best/most affluent students and the most motivated parents away from traditional public schools; (3) that charter school pupils fare no better than students at traditional public schools; (4) that they don't meet the same accountability standards as traditional public schools; and (5) that charter schools reinforce racial segregation.

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Ghana's Center-Right Party Is Broke After 18 Months In Opposition

The New Patriotic Party is broke after just 18 months in opposition, making it extremely difficult for the National Executive Committee to manage its affairs, Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations today established. The investigations revealed that Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, the party's new national chairman, had to mortgage his house in order to raise the needed funds to pay the salaries of workers and provide logistics to run the administration and to organize the National Delegates Congress - which will elect the party's presidential candidate for 2012 - scheduled for August 7.

The various sources, who spoke to GNA on different occasions on condition of anonymity, said their problem has been compounded by the enlargement of the Electoral College from about 2,400 delegates, who participated in the December 2007 Congress, to about 100,000 delegates for the upcoming Congress. The prosponents of the reforms never anticipated the extra financial burden and other operational challenges, a national executive member observed. The party's records made available to GNA indicate that during the December 2007 Congress, it raised about GH¢ 425,000 [US$295,000] from nomination fees of the 17 presidential aspirants, but had managed to raise only GH¢ 125,000 [US$87,000] from the five aspirants this time around. The executive member said even though the huge number of aspirants in 2007 was a problem, it improved the Party's financial resources and enabled the organization of the December 2007 Congress.

When contacted, party chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey said “no comment”.

Booker Rising response: Well, this is no surprise. Just last month, Booker Rising highlighted thet the new NPP chairman (who has only been in office a few months) inherited a debt of nearly US$1 million. The NPP better get if finances in order pronto. It cannot argue that the ruling National Democratic Congress has run Ghana's economy into the ground and thus folks should vote NPP, when it can't even handle its own finances.

Discuss "Ghana's Center-Right Party Is Broke After 18 Months In Opposition" here.

WALTER E. WILLIAMS OP-ED: Where Best To Be Poor

The libertarian economics professor argues that what has historically been defined as poverty, nationally or internationally, no longer exists in the U.S.: "According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the 2009 poverty guideline was $22,000 for an urban four-person family. In 2009, having income less than that, 15 percent or 40 million Americans were classified as poor, but there's something unique about those 'poor' people not seen anywhere else in the world. Robert Rector, researcher at the Heritage Foundation, presents data collected from several government sources in a report titled 'How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the 'Plague' of Poverty in America' (8/27/2007): -- Forty-three percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage and a porch or patio. -- Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning. -- Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded; two-thirds have more than two rooms per person. -- The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.) -- Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars. -- Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions. -- Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception. -- Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a more than a third have an automatic dishwasher."

He continues his commentary: "What's defined as poverty is misleading in another way. Official poverty measures count just family's cash income. It ignores additional sources of support such as the earned-income tax credit, which is a cash rebate to low-income workers; it ignores Medicaid, housing allowances, food stamps and other federal and local government subsidies to the poor. According to a report by American Enterprise Institute scholar Nicholas Eberstadt, titled 'Poor Statistics,' 'In 2006, according to the annual Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, reported purchases by the poorest fifth of American households were more than twice as high as reported incomes.' That additional money might represent earnings from unreported employment, illegal activities and unreported financial assistance. A proper measure of well-being is what a person consumes rather than his income. A huge gap has emerged between income and consumption at lower income levels."

More commentary from Professor Williams about poverty in America: "Material poverty can be measured relatively or absolutely. An absolute measure would consist of some minimum quantity of goods and services deemed adequate for a baseline level of survival. Achieving that level means that poverty has been eliminated. However, if poverty is defined as, say, the lowest one-fifth of the income distribution, it is impossible to eliminate poverty. Everyone's income could double, triple and quadruple, but there will always be the lowest one-fifth. Yesterday's material poverty is all but gone. In all too many cases, it has been replaced by a more debilitating kind of poverty -- behavioral poverty or poverty of the spirit. This kind of poverty refers to conduct and values that prevent the development of healthy families, work ethic and self-sufficiency. The absence of these values virtually guarantees pathological lifestyles that include: drug and alcohol addiction, crime, violence, incarceration, illegitimacy, single-parent households, dependency and erosion of work ethic. Poverty of the spirit is a direct result of the perverse incentives created by some of our efforts to address material poverty."

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Africa's Potential Beckoning

James Shikwati, the libertarian head of the Inter-Region Economic Network (Kenya), discusses Africa's agricultural productivity: "The future of agricultural productivity in Africa is both bright and controversial. Ethiopia is reported to be offering an acre of land just for $1 (yes, one US dollar) for a 100 year lease (June 26; The Hindu Business Line). In a separate report by McKinsey's Economic Research arm, agricultural productivity on the continent is set to increase from the current $280 billion to $880 billion by 2030 (25 June, Reuters). Africa’s combined GDP is projected to hit over 2.6 trillion dollars in the next 10 years."

He continues his commentary: "The one–dollar-per-acre deal reminds me of a question that was put to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia during the recent World Economic Forum held in Dar es Salaam. An Ethiopian participant sought to know why his government was leasing out thousands of acres to foreigners. The Premier, in a very calm voice, replied that his government was simply leasing out idle land! Idle land in Africa? Not a far fetched reply if you consider reports to the effect that Sub Sahara Africa has an estimated 395 million hectares of unused farmland (20 June, Next). Why are over 265 million Africans suffering malnutrition and 30% of the continent's population faced with starvation? Who is responsible? Is it the so called international community, African governments or the African person?"

More: "Africa's potential is growing as countries engage in strategic partnerships with foreign investors. As more positive news about the continent filter through to investors and businesses, individuals on the continent will get an opportunity to unlock their talents. The talk about idle land on the continent must get all people involved in the agricultural sector to rethink their strategies. A one-dollar-per-acre deal for 100 years lease could be a pointer to a government in desperate need of high productivity among its farming community."

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Pharaoh Obama?

Alan Keyes, a conservative activist and America's Independent Party member, says yes: "In line with Obama’s Marxist background, his policies force people into greater than ever dependence on the government for jobs, business capital and income. The result is a nation in which the economically independent middle class disappears and an ever larger number of people are subjected to the patronage power of the controlling political clique. The notion of equality before the law disappears as new regulations ( like the DISCLOSE act’s infamous attack on freedom of speech) are written so as to selectively exempt groups that curry or serve the political favor of the party dictators."

He continues: "Some people lose their livelihoods at home. Others lose their lives overseas. All of us lose our precious liberty. None are of much account to Obama and his faction so long as they gain or consolidate greater power. Though some silly pundits of right and left continue to refer to these power grubbers as 'progressives', their willingness to exploit and squander the lives and well being of the people more nearly resembles the self-obsessed ruthlessness of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, who flogged and squandered the lives of their people to build huge monuments to their absolute power. Thus the budding dictators of our day are not just politically regressive. They mean to enforce the regression of humanity itself, back to the time before even a glimmer appeared of the insight that accords unalienable worth to the life of each and every human being, whatever their status of power. Some Americans are willing to abandon that insight because they believe they will be among the favored few. Others join the gaggle of passion driven and manipulated slaves that has tragically crowded the pages of human history in every era. But many, perhaps enough to form a governing majority, angrily reject the offer of despotism. However they still lack the rallying points of leadership needed effectively to focus their anger upon a political result."

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Where's The Misery Index?

Asks Kenneth Durden, a libertarian-conservative blogger, about the economic measure: "Google the term 'misery index' and see what you find. Go to the news section of Google, Yahoo and any other source and search for the term and you will find few, if any, stories on the sad condition facing the American people. I notice this because when George W. Bush was president, even before the recession began in 2008, CNN and other outlets ran daily stories of how people were suffering. One would have thought the US was Somalia."

He continues: "Now, you never see stories about people being homeless and hungry. They might mention the foreclosure rate, but you seldom see the kinds of 'heart strings' stories that ran every day just a few years ago. If a Republican were president, every other anchor on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc would be airing stories of people suffering. This kind of chicanery is why so many people say that there is bias in the majority of media outlets. This is why people are turning these people off and seeking alternatives."

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Rama Yade: "Side-Eye To The Folks Who Say That The French Team's Debacle At The World Cup Is Due To Race"

The drama continues France, one of the world's soccer superpowers, even after their first-round exit from the World Cup. As you may recall, French Secretary of State Rama Yade criticized them for the luxury accommodations during economic crisis, leading the team to snub doing a joint appearance with her at a South African town. After a star player was sent home because his foul-mouthed outburst at the coach at half-time during the match against Mexico (which France lost 2-0), the team - most of whose starters are black or Arab - went on a two-day strike. Their refusal to train led to the French Football Federation liaison officer Jean-Louis Valentin resigning on the spot in disgust. Then the French coach refused to shake the hand of South Africa's coach following South Africa's 2-1 victory over France. And oh, there's the team captain who refuses to sing the French national anthem.

In the post-World-Cup drama, there are French folks putting a racial spin on things. They are taking to French airwaves to refer to the team as "a gang of hooligans" and "arrogant thugs". Ms. Yade, a Senegalese-born moderate-conservative, responds on her blog (original commentary in French): "I know a young French team, mixed, multicultural, partly due to immigration. This French team has been exemplary in its behavior. It's the best of all time. This team is the French handball team, Olympic champion, world champion and European champion. In this team there, there is a Karabatic a Fernandez, a Abalo. Do we know? Is anyone ever worried? No. Never! Their victories are not those of multicultural France, but France's period!"

She continues her commentary: "To say that ethnic differences, religious differences, social differences, inevitably lead to failure, it is an insult to the idea that I play sports. In particular the idea that I do it for my country! Let me be clear: I reject this offensive ideology that constantly ethnicizes the reasons for the French soccer team's failure, and seeing it as a symptom of France's multicultural society. I reject this slamming of some of the [poor] players' suburbs, suburbs that I remind you that they have long left! We must stop the amalgam that challenges our nation's cohesion. Questioning the French self vis-à-vis the team has nothing to do with the players' origins or skin colors, as soccer and sports have always conjured figures that transcend cultural or ethnic affiliations. Kopa, Platini and Zidane reflected it."

More: "Players on the France soccer team haven't insulted us because they are from an immigrant background or have a particular skin color. It's because they are inadequately prepared and inadequately supervised, they lost all their bearings in the face too much pressure, malaise, and tensions that have disrupted the group. Therefore, what happened in South Africa should encourage us to seek to improve our training system, including strengthening the civic strand of the double training project, which is the foundation of professional sports and the French elite. A civic training that educates our players and allows them to realize that wearing a Les Bleus jersey requires certain responsibilities."

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6/29 Bookeristas In The News

Uganda: Lukyamuzi: "Where's My Money?" (Part II)

Ken Lukyamuzi, the Conservative Party president and former parliamentarian, has threatened to sue the Ugandan Parliament and the Attorney General if he is not paid his parliamentary emoluments within 14 days from Wednesday last week. The moderate-conservative politico said that it has been three months since the Supreme Court made a ruling awarding him sh43m [US$19,000] as his personal emoluments for wrongful dismissal from the Seventh Parliament. “It is perplexing to see that Parliament, one of the three arms of Government that enact the laws governing this country, does not want to obey its own laws, which the Judiciary, the third arm of Government, tries to implement,” Mr. Lukyamuzi said.

On March 31, the Ugandan Supreme Court ordered Parliament to pay Mr. Lukyamuzi for the period from the date he was unlawfully removed from his parliamentary seat, until the expiry of his tenure in the 7th Parliament. Mr. Lukyamuzi had been removed from Parliament on the recommendations of the then Inspector General of Government, Justice Faith Mwondha, on allegations that he failed to declare his wealth. 

USA: Lenny McAllister To Appear On Black Talk Radio

Princella Smith alerts everyone that Lenny McCallister will act as guest host on WVON-AM (black talk radio in Chicago) this week from 8p - 11p EST. Chicagoans can turn on their radios to hear the conservative Republican political commentator from North Carolina.. Everyone else can listen live on WVON's website. 

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Elena Kagan's Confirmation Hearings: Bookerista Views

Faye Anderson: "Elena Kagan And The Chair"

The moderate-liberal blogger writes: " The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Elena Kagan’s nomination to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is underway. Day One was dominated by opening statements and partisan bickering. Although it’s been more than two months since Kagan’s nomination was announced, 81 percent of Americans don’t know who she is, according to a C-SPAN survey."

She continues: "The National Bar Association and some civil rights groups want to know more about Kagan’s stances on civil rights, diversity and the disparate treatment of racial minorities. As far as I know, not one black woman has endorsed her nomination. Kagan’s black male supporters, including Harvard Law Prof. Charles Ogletree Jr., point to the faculty chair she assumed during her tenure as dean of Harvard Law School as evidence of her commitment to racial equality. For many African Americans, that’s pretty thin gruel on which to endorse a lifetime appointment to one of these chairs."

Bob Parks: "Kagan"

The conservative Republican blogger in Virginia is concerned about Elena Kagan possibly having stealth views: "Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor came off as a 2nd Amendment defender when she was being questioned during her confirmation hearings. She voted the other way when a gun rights case came to The Court. Can we now trust Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan?"

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Booker T. Washington's Great-Granddaughter To Lead Oakland Youth In History Journey That Traces His Footsteps

When U.S. President Obama was elected, he asked Americans to help restore the country. Sarah O'Neal Rush, the great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, has not forgotten her pledge to do just that. The Oakland, Calif. native is the founder and executive director of Booker T. Washington Empowerment Network. From July 30 through August 7, she will lead eight youth and three mentors on a Freedom Journey, a rite of passage, following the footsteps of her famous great-grandfather from slavery to freedom.

Ms. Rush states, "To break generational cycles of destruction among young people across America, we must tell them who they are, and where they come from. I know from personal experience that there is power in their history that will move them forward - from self-destruction to self-love, and empower them to respect their lives, their culture, education, and their community."

The Up from Freedom Project, a pilot program for youth ages 16 to 19 that meets weekly in East Oakland, connects the past to inspire the future.The Freedom Journey begins on the plantation in Virginia where Booker T. Washington was born a slave. From there, the participants will go to West Virginia where the conservative Republican educator worked in the coal mines as a boy after slavery ended. Then it's on to Hampton University, where he received his education. The group will also go to Washington, D.C., where he was the first black invited to dine in the White House (which caused a huge controversy at the time). While in D.C., they are scheduled to meet with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, and have lunch with Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-Calif.). A request has been made to meet President Obama. The last stop will be Tuskegee University in Alabama, the school Booker T. Washington oversaw for former slaves and their descendants. Each stop along the Freedom Journey is a national historic site.

"I am excited about the trip and watching my history come alive. I have never even been on an airplane before", says Rhyan, 18, who recently transitioned out of foster care. As a requirement of the project, Rhyan is reading Booker T. Washington's best-selling autobiography, Up from Slavery. "It's making me very anxious to get to Tuskegee," Rhyan said.

To learn more about the Up from Freedom Project, visit BTWEN's website.

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Growth In Government Employment

Tad DeHaven of the libertarian Cato Institute (USA) writes: "Federal employment declined during the 1990s, when we mainly had Clinton in the White House and Republican control of Congress. However, federal employment increased under the Bush administration and the Obama administration is pursuing further growth. As a Cato essay on overpaid federal employees shows, growth in federal employment will cost taxpayers billions of dollars."


He continues his commentary: "The Obama administration is concerned that the economic recovery will be jeopardized by revenue-strapped state and local governments cutting employees. Therefore, it’s advocating another federal bailout for the states to head off government job cuts. However, government jobs are supported with money taxed or borrowed out of the economy. Diverting more resources away from the private sector in order to sustain the public sector is a recipe for economic stagnation – not growth."

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Ghanaian Christian Conservative: "Kwame Nkrumah Was Neither God, Nor Redeemer, Nor Father Of Ghana!"

This is a first for Booker Rising: coming across the Ghanaian version of Pat Robertson. Enoch Immanuel Amanor Agbozo, the head of the Ghana Evangelical Society (Ghana) pens an editorial slamming the deification of Ghana's socialist first president. He argues that (1) God should come first; and (2) the late J.B. Danquah (another pro-independence leader who is the father of Ghanaian conservatism and democratic capitalism) are just as important as the late Mr. Nkrumah to Ghana's history: "Blessed be Ghana, the nation sought out, delivered, set free, redeemed, married and made holy unto God. Ghana has been established as nation and people of God for God’s praise and kingdom glory in Africa and the world. God the Creator is the God, Father and Redeemer of Ghana. There is and there can be no other God for Ghana beside Jehovah, the Creator, Father of Jesus Christ, Head of the Church."

Mr. Agbozo, who is a former economist, zeroes in on President John Atta Mills' center-left administration: "The Mills Administration has seen the re-emergence and upsurge of wickedness, irresponsible and negative exercise of state, government and political party power symptomatic of the Nkrumah-CPP and military eras. There has thus arisen the inevitable consequence of political disquiet, economic uncertainties and social malaise. The abuse of office and power, corruption and bad governance cannot but rise in such circumstances. Further, the Mills Administration is witnessing the resurrection and upsurge of negative political party rivalry of old and the putrefying wounds thereof. It is very sad from the Almighty God’s view point and that of the history of the country that the Mills Administration is also championing the re-visitation of the Dark and Evil Days of Nkrumah-God, Nkrumah-Father, Nkrumah-Redeemer, Nkrumah-Ghana which provoked Divine wrath and judgment in the first place and got the nation through much a travail and pain in foreign intrusion and civilian-military power tango, national reproach, dire economic and social consequences. The brain drain, the scattering of nationals on political and economic grounds all started in the Nkrumah-God, Nkrumah-Father, Nkrumah-Redeemer, Nkrumah-One Party State era. The negative effects and loss to the country is without doubt very enormous. Ghana cannot and must NOT TURN THE CLOCK BACK!!!"

More: "The Gold Coast colonial emancipation machine was SET IN PLACE and WAS IN MOTION BEFORE NKRUMAH was invited on board to serve on it. Now, quite apart from the fact that Nkrumah’s resignation from the UGCC and formation of the CPP was not a new and fresh start at colonial emancipation in the country, the rise of multi-party politics, electioneering campaigns and the negotiations with the colonial powers and all were an integral part of the emancipation movement. It served as a learning process and maturity in party politics, constitutional governance, public administration and self-rule dynamics. It goes without saying that the dominance of Nkrumah’s CPP was but part of the process of maturity in party politics, democratic governance and self-rule. The activities of the BIG SIX, the contribution of the UGCC-UP in party politics and the personal contributions of Paa Grant, Dr. J. B. Danquah and Obetsebi-Lamptey and others of the UGCC-UP fold and those of K. A. Gbedemah and Kojo Botsio of the CPP, and some of the chiefs of the country were all important factors in paving the way for Ghana’s lead in the race for independence in Africa south of the Sahara. We must observe here that Dr. Danquah’s 'death' in Nkrumah’s prison is a great sacrifice and part of the process towards the nation’s independence. It served as a table, a meal in the fight for freedom, justice and liberty. Danquah deserves as much honour as Nkrumah."

Final thoughts: "The attempt to sideline the BIG SIX [half of whose members are icons of Ghanaian conservatism] and raise and enthrone Kwame Nkrumah as God, Father and Redeemer of the nation is first not true to the fact and second and most important still an ABOMINATION TO GOD who intervened to deliver the country from the Nkrumah spirit-power and political party machine, as well as his atheistic-humanist-idolatorous captive system. Ghana is free forever from the Kwame Nkrumah spirit-power and captive machine. Nkrumah is dead. There is no resurrection for him. In any case, HE IS NOT and NEVER HAS BEEN, nor ever WILL BE GOD. Like all the other players, Kwame Nkrumah played his part, quite well at that, at both the positive and negative ends. We can draw lessons as a nation from it for the future and for the nations of Africa. Nevertheless, let us tell the entire story, get the records straight and draw due lessons from all. But for all spiritual, political and social purposes, Kwame Nkrumah is neither God nor father nor redeemer of Ghana. Let us celebrate God the Creator, not Kwame Nkrumah."

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Wimbledon: Venus Williams Suffers Stunning Loss

Noooooooo......Good grief: five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams today was ousted in the quarterfinals, losing 6-2, 6-3 to 82nd-ranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. The second-seeded Ms. Williams, who had reached the Wimbledon final in eight of the past 10 years, was undone by 29 unforced errors and five double faults in the biggest upset of the women's tournament.

Venus Williams never got on track against the 22-year-old Ms. Pironkova, who was the lowest-ranked player left in the women's draw and had never previously passed the second round in 18 previous Grand Slams. Ms. Pironkova also beat Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open in 2006, but few gave her a chance of replicating the feat on the grass at the All England Club, where Ms. Williams has dominated for a decade. Ms. Pironkova denied Ms. Williams her 200th career victory on grass and spoiled the prospect of a fifth Wimbledon final against Serena, who beat her older sister last year for her third Wimbledon title.

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Elena Kagan: Another Triumph Of WASP Values?

William Weston, a sociology professor and moderate Democrat, writes about the possible ascension of: the Jewish lawyer to the U.S.Supreme Court  "Noah Feldman, a Harvard law professor, has a fine op-ed in the New York Times today about the Elena Kagan nomination to the Supreme Court. Others have noted that if, as expected, she is confirmed, the Court will have no Protestants for the first time ever. Feldman takes this as the jumping off point for an interesting and up-building claim:

Unlike almost every other dominant ethnic, racial or religious group in world history, white Protestants have ceded their socioeconomic power by hewing voluntarily to the values of merit and inclusion, values now shared broadly by Americans of different backgrounds. The decline of the Protestant elite is actually its greatest triumph.

E. Digby Baltzell, a great sociologist about whom I have written before, argued that every society needs a leadership class that assimilates talented individuals who rise from outside the old ruling class. This is hard for the top class to stick to, because it is easier and more comfortable to only promote their own. However, that way lies a caste society and increasing injustice to the talented but excluded. If, though, the leadership class can continue to include talented outsiders, it truly deserves the name of 'aristocracy' in the literal sense - the rule of the best.'"

More: "Baltzell goes beyond other theorists of aristocracy to see that even greater benefit comes to society if these new men (and now women) are included not just in the powerful public institutions, but also in the private world of the leadership class. The acid test of this private inclusion is if the rising individuals marry into the old top class families. If the aristocracies of individuals can solidify into a stable, but porous, network of families, then the leadership class can produce a true Establishment. Their children then are members of the top class by birth and (normally) shared breeding. I believe Elena Kagan will be a fine Supreme Court justice. I do regret, as a Baltzellian sociologist, that she will not have descendants who can complete the assimilation of this very talented woman into the American Establishment."

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Sen. Robert Byrd Dead At 92: Bookerista Reaction, Pt. 2

Bookeristas continue to opine about the recent death of the West Virginia Democrat, a former Ku Klux Klan recruiter who was the longest-serving U.S. Senator ever:

Magic Negro Watch: "Good Riddance, Robert Byrd"

The conservative Republican blogger in Kansas writes about the late Sen. Byrd (pictured): "Folks I got so f___g sick of watching news reports and having people news media types praise this pork barrel pimp jackass like he was some goddamn saint. If he wasn’t from such a hillbilly state where the people were so grateful for all of his pork hustling he could not get elected to dog catcher anywhere else."

Tyrone: "A Snapshot Of Liberal Hypocrisy: Robert Byrd Vs. Strom Thurmond"

The conservative blogger in Maryland writes : "I can't help not to laugh at the kid glove treatment Former Senator Robert Byrd received by Democrats and the media. Byrd once refer[r]ed to Dr. Martin Luther King as a '[N]egro troublemaker'. The media recently tried to destroy Rand Paul for daring to engage Rachael Madcow [sic] in a philosophical debate over the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It didn't take long for liberals to start making childish attack phrases again Rand like 'KKK Rand' and that Rand wanted to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act. When someone throws in their face the fact that the then longest serving Senator [Sen. Byrd] led a 14 hour filibuster against the 1964 Act, they can only say that he changed."

He continues: "Of course there is no defending it. The facts show that the only reason Robert Byrd left the West Virginia chapter of the Klu Klux Klan as a Kleag[le] was to run for the U.S House of Representatives in 1946. Byrd had some interesting things to say about blacks prior to his [C]ongressional run. In 1944, Byrd wrote a letter to Senator Theodore Bilbo Democratic of Mississippi stating 'I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds'. It amazes me to this day that the left crucified Trent Lott and he didn't even say anything [in praising the late Sen. Strom Thurmond] like what Byrd said."

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Michelle D. Bernard: "Why 'Feminism' Should Be Erased From The American Lexicon"

Asserts the conservative head of the Independent Women's Forum: "The best way to advance women — which should be the goal of all self-described feminists — is to educate women about the consequences of the personal decisions women make. Another goal should be to liberate the marketplace to offer more and better opportunities for women. Finally, a goal of all self-described feminists should be to promote equal opportunity for women and men so that none of us are ever denied what abolitionist and suffragist Sara Grimke referred to as our 'essential rights.' Certainly, in the United States, women's essential rights are secure. American women clearly face sexism on occasion (which society should seek to minimize and ultimately eliminate), but it's silly to claim that American women are 'oppressed.'"

She continues her commentary: "Look at education. Girls now do better than boys in school. More women than men go to university. Women are free to compete for any job and are increasingly leading companies as well as earning public office. It is foolish to compare the status of women here to women in the countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. I have worked with women living in these countries. They know the meaning of oppression. Attempts to position American women as a victim class marginalize us. Politicians and pundits often speak of 'women's issues,' but there is no reason for 'women's issues' to revolve solely around our breasts and ovaries. American women are first and foremost citizens. At the Independent Women's Forum, our mantra is that 'all issues are women's issues,' from nuclear nonproliferation to financial regulation, education reform, healthcare reform and terrorism."

More: "Call it free market feminism if you like, but women do not have to be liberals, Democrats, or socialists to be feminists. True feminists should be committed to taking charge of both their own lives and their nation's destiny. They need to shape the future rather than fight the past. Given the gains women have made and the country we live in today — and the counterproductive agenda embraced by the most vocal self-proclaimed 'feminists' of today, maybe it is time to simply retire the word from the American lexicon."

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MICKEY HEPNER COMMENTARY: Are We In The Midst of Another Depression?

Asks the University of Central Oklahoma economics professor and moderate Democrat. He responds to liberal economist Paul Krugman's argument that recent growth in the U.S. economy may be a temporary respite in the middle of a protracted economic downturn "Krugman is right that Republican efforts to reduce government spending would, if followed, further contract the economy, would push unemployment even higher and would lengthen the time it takes for the economy to recover. While one might not want to call this a 'depression', it would certainly feel like one."

He continues his commentary: "This is why Republican efforts to limit aid to state governments and kill the jobs bill in the Senate have been so maddening. We know what we need to do to help stave off a further downturn in the economy. Furthernmore, we know what we should do to help protect our children's education, health care and security. Yet, the Republican Party, using the rules of the U.S. Senate, is standing in the way. Why? The cynical answer is petty politics. After all, the Republican Party stands to gain politically the more the economy struggles. The most generous answer though, is a lack of understanding about economics."

More commentary from Professor Hepner: "Republicans['] concerns about the national debt are valid, and are shared by many Democrats. In fact, in the early years of this blog I wrote extensively about the dangers of a growing national debt. Of course, that was in the midst of a growing economy with one-half the number of unemployed persons we have today. Today, if we myopically focus on cutting the budget deficit we risk, as Krugman notes, further depressing the U.S. economy, stagnating income growth, and increasing unemployment. We should worry about the national debt...just not now. We should reign in government spending...just not in the midst of disastrous unemployment. We should try to protect our children from higher debt burdens...just not by cutting the government programs our children depend upon. This why earlier this year I proposed a plan that would provide $100 billion in additional aid to state governments (approximately $780 million would have gone to Oklahoma), extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and still balance the federal budget by 2018. Yes, my plan calls for some painful cuts in government spending in the coming years. But those painful spending cuts would come after we have preserved a stable, and growing economy. After all making our children poorer, less educated, and less healthy, is not the best way to build them a brighter future."

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