Booker Rising

1/17 PHOTOS OF THE DAY: First Black Conservative Summit Held At The Georgia State Capitol

2012-01-27T20:58:00.000-06:00

According to CascadePatch, more than 50 folks attended the summit yesterday at the Georgia state capitol. Janita Poe took these photos:

Some of the panelists and guests included, from left: Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart; event co-coordinator and 5th District director of the Georgia Federation of Republican Women Lelia Mack-Hagood; Georgia 8th Congressional District Republican Party Chair Vivian Childs; Dr. Tim Johnson, chairman and founder of The Frederick Douglass Foundation; the session moderator Peri Similien vice president of The Conservative Alliance; the Honorable Justice Harold Melton; and Gregory Wilborn, a member of The Conservative Alliance of Georgia.

Audience members listen as a participant asks a question.

Star Parker: "Obama's Vision Puts America Last"

2012-01-27T20:00:00.016-06:00

The conservative Republican pundit in Washington, D.C. wasn't feeling the liberal Democratic president's recent State Of The Union speech: "The theme that President Barack Obama gave to his State of the Union address was 'An America Built to Last.' But his vision would be better described as 'An America Built to Be Last.' As the president asked us to be patient and keep drinking the same Kool-Aid he's been serving up for three years, The New York Times reported that the Federal Reserve's latest assessment of our economy is that '...a full recovery is years away.'"

She continues: "What Americans must come to terms with now is what we choose to believe this country is about, why in the past it seemed to work so well and why today things are falling apart. According to the president, everything will be OK if we allow him and his government to continue to build and consolidate power over our lives. He gave more reasons to grow government but barely gave lip service to what is tearing our nation apart today and dragging it down. The major factors driving us into insolvency -- the spending on entitlement programs Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and covering the interest on our nation's debt, which is now surpassing the size of our entire economy -- got attention in two sentences in an hour-plus-long speech."

More commentary from Ms. Parker about the president: "The unraveling of our social fabric doesn't seem to bother our president a whit. You would think our nation's leader would be concerned that, today, four of every 10 of our babies are born to unwed mothers. He called on 'every state to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.' Rather than addressing the issues of broken families and why poor kids don't care about learning, Obama thinks he'll solve this problem by turning our failing public schools into prisons."

Zora! Festival Focuses On Zora Neale Hurston's Legacy

2012-01-27T18:00:00.012-06:00

Zora Neale Hurston

From the Orlando Sentinel (Florida), about the three-day festival in honor of the late libertarian Republican anthropologist and author: "On a typical day, Kennedy Boulevard in Eatonville is a busy thoroughfare, jammed with cars, trucks and buses. But on Friday, hundreds of kids filled the boulevard, which was closed for the first day of the ZORA! street festival. It was Education Day at the festival honoring the life and legacy of Zora Neale Hurston, who grew up in Eatonville and later wrote 'Their Eyes Were Watching God.' The 23rd annual event continues from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 to 5 Sunday with exhibits, art and music for all ages."

More: "Joyce Davis of Sanford, who has attended the festival for several years, said she was thrilled to see so many students at the event to learn about Hurston and the history of Eatonville. One of the best parts of the annual event is 'just seeing these high school kids getting educated in Zora,' she said. Although some teens stuck to the main thoroughfare to admire the goods set out by dozens of vendors, others took an interest in some of the festival's arts and historical programming."

Interracial Political Ad Sparks Controversy In South Africa

2012-01-27T16:30:00.000-06:00

The Democratic Alliance, a moderate-liberal opposition party, is in hot water with some whites and blacks after the party's student wing put out this ad. From The Washington Post (hat tip: theGrio.com): "It’s been nearly 20 years since apartheid in South Africa ended, but one political poster depicting an interracial couple has caused a furor throughout the country. The poster, which depicts a white man and a black woman in a presumably nude embrace was created by the student wing of the Democratic Alliance party’s student wing. The tagline reads: 'In OUR future, you wouldn’t look twice.'"

The article continues: "While many have been supportive of its message, some have taken issue with the poster’s supposed promotion of sex. Others have traded racist remarks on the Democratic Alliance Youth’s Facebook page, with one commenter posting a photo of an all-white, blonde family with the remark 'Now that’s how it should be!' People who do not support the poster have also made parody versions of the image that some might consider to be more offensive."

More: "Some black South Africans have objected to the fact that the man is white and the woman is black, because it implies a certain dominance among traditional cultures. 'Who is the head of a house? Yes, a man, and the man makes the choices and the women listens,' wrote one commenter on the Facebook page. 'So to some it has been offensive that the man is white and the woman is black, because it places the black nation under the head of the house, so to speak.'"

Fitch Cuts Italy, Spain, Other Euro Zone Ratings

2012-01-27T16:00:00.012-06:00

From Reuters: "Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain on Friday, indicating there was a 1-in-2 chance of further cuts in the next two years. In a statement, the ratings agency said the affected countries were vulnerable in the near-term to monetary and financial shocks. 'Consequently, these sovereigns do not, in Fitch's view, accrue the full benefits of the euro's reserve currency status,' it said."

The article continues about the ratings cut: "Fitch cut Italy's rating to A-minus from A-plus; Spain to A from AA-minus; Belgium to AA from AA-plus; Slovenia to A from AA-minus and Cyprus to BBB-minus from BBB, leaving the small island nation just one notch above junk status. Ireland's rating of BBB-plus was affirmed. All of the ratings were given negative outlooks."

More: "Two weeks ago, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of nine euro zone countries, stripping France and Austria of their coveted triple-A status but not EU paymaster Germany, and pushing struggling Portugal into junk territory."

Is Newt Gingrich A Closet Birther?

2012-01-27T15:30:00.002-06:00

Asks James Manning, a conservative Republican preacher in Harlem, about the conservative Republican presidential candidate:

Clarence Thomas Honored At College Of The Holy Cross

2012-01-27T15:30:00.001-06:00

Justice Thomas received his B.A. in English literature from the school in 1971. From the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts) about the U.S. Supreme Court justice and conservative Republican: "Yesterday, Justice Thomas was in Worcester to accept an honorary law degree at a rare convocation during the first week of the college's spring semester."

More: "Justice Thomas praised and thanked Rev. [John E.] Brooks, whose work recruiting and nurturing Justice Thomas and his classmates, the college's first relatively large group of black students, is the subject of a recently released book. The justice owes 'a very particular debt of gratitude to Father Brooks,' he said, referring to the man beside the podium. 'I know that I am the better for you having lived...You saw each of us as a person, not a project.'"

Nigerian Film Industry Entices Hollywood Stars

2012-01-27T15:15:00.000-06:00

Stacking that naira: Kimberly Elise

Good! It'll (1) dramatically improving the acting quality seen in Nigerian films (my hair stylist is Nigerian, so I've seen more than my share of Nollywood flicks); and most importantly, (2) black folks are building up our own entertainment juggernaut. From theGrio.com: "Indeed, it was in 2009 that Nigeria's pulsating film industry, Nollywood, officially overtook Hollywood as the second largest film producer in the world, according to a survey conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Bollywood, the Mumbai-based movie industry, retains first position."

The article continues: "In 2011 alone around 2,000 movies were made in Nigeria. That is a staggering 40 films churned out each week. Nollywood films, unlike Hollywood blockbusters, are produced on a shoestring budget, with an average production taking just 10 days and costing between $10,000 and $15,000. Some estimates put the value of the industry at $250 million. Plus, the films are increasingly popular in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and more recently in North America. In the States, viewers can now watch Nollywood and other West African movies on the TV channel, Afrotainment."

Which Hollywood stars are increasing heading over to Africa?: "It is this growing global market that has encouraged A-list Hollywood actors to start associating with Nollywood. Nigerian director, Jeta Amata's latest movie, Black Gold (2011), set in the Niger Delta, for instance, parades a high number of Tinseltown actors, including the likes of Vivica A. Fox, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tom Sizemore and Michael Madsen. Black-American Hollywood actress, Kimberly Elise, has also caught the African bug. Last year she was cast in Ties That Binds (2011), a film by acclaimed Ghanaian film director Leila Djansi, which went on to scoop up numerous awards on the continent."

More about the Nigerian film industry: "Despite the growing popularity of Nollywood cinema, the high production values of Nigerian filmmakers such as Jeta Amata are an exception. The industry has been criticized for 'unrefined storylines' and putting quantity ahead of quality. This is exactly what UK journalist Charles Aniagolu is on a mission to change. The former CNN and BBC presenter/reporter has just wrapped up the shooting of his first Nollywood movie, Streets of Calabar, which he says will raise the bar of filmmaking in Nigeria."

Rep. Allen West To Black Voters: "Give The GOP A Chance"

2012-01-27T14:03:00.000-06:00

The conservative Republican Congressman speaks with NPR host Michel Martin about what black voters in his home state of Florida are looking for in this Tuesday's presidential primary, and what he's doing to attract more African-Americans to vote Republican.

You can listen to the audio link here.

Angela McGlowan Slams Liberal Rhetoric: "That’s What Liberals Do — They Do Race-Baiting And Class Warfare"

2012-01-27T13:55:00.010-06:00

The conservative Republican commentator appeared today on "Fox And Friends" and had some words for U.S. President Barack Obama and other liberals:

Brewer Vs. Obama: Bookerista Perspectives

2012-01-27T13:45:00.001-06:00

Tyrone: "MSNBC, Cut The Nonsense"

Asserts the conservative Republican blogger in Maryland: "As always with MSNBC, it's all race, all the time, 24/7. The other day Barack Obama landed in Arizona, and Governor Jane Brewer was there to meet him. They exchanged greetings-and then had a momentary exchange on the immigration issue and what Jane wrote about Obama in her book which Obama took exception to. Nobody in their right mind would have thought much of a governor and a president of two opposing political parties having a momentary exchange on an issue. The media blew it up to be more then what it really was of course, because it was Obama who was involved. However, one has to look at the equation involved through the eyes of progressives in the media. White Female Republican Governor + Black Male Democratic President = Another opportunity to make a non issue into a racial one by the racial antagonists over at MSNBC."

He continues his commentary about the controversy: "How can race relations in this country ever improve when progressives keep using race in order to stir up the pot in regards to political issues? The problem with race rests in the lap of people such as Melissa-Harris Perry. People like her branded Governor Brewer as a racist simply, because she tried to protect her state from being overrun by illegal aliens. I will repeat what I have always said about MSNBC. They barely have any viewers for a reason, and America is better off because of it."

Duane Brayboy: "As Thin As A Single Picture"

The conservative blogger in Georgia writes: "Some folks like Melissa Harris-Perry saw something a lot deeper in just 1/8 of a second of time. Perry is the same woman who said 'When birthers accuse President Obama of not having a 'real' birth certificate, they’re telling him to 'go back to Africa.' So for her, anything short of asking Obama for the privilege to kiss his behind is racist."

Mr. Brayboy continues his commentary: "So it makes complete sense as to why the Brewer incident became the unpardonable sin to Obama fanboys. Even when it comes to how he is to be addressed. At all times you are to use the word 'President' in front of Obama’s name. If you do not, you are disrespecting him. Never mind the fact that every other president in the past was and is still addressed oftentimes by their last name. But I get it. Obama is the first Black president we have ever had in this nation and we want to make sure that he gets all the pomp every other president before him received. I get it. I understand it. But 'equal' treatment as a president does include dissension (and in most cases when the cameras are not present, very bitter dissension). It goes hand in hand with the office. We here in the peanut gallery are left with stills, video clips and sound bites to draw sweeping conclusions about these little gods. Brewer’s mistake was being caught in 1/8 of a second demonstrating her dissension."

Eat, Pray, Love And Be Black, But Don't Be A Republican

2012-01-27T13:35:00.015-06:00

Crystal Wright, a conservative Republican blogger in Washington, D.C., comments on the misogynistic and foul comments by Cedric The Entertainer and other liberals towards her, after a recent appearance on Black Entertainment Television: "Since I began my blog, most of the hateful email and tweets I receive come from black liberals. I find this ironic since the Democrat[ic] [P]arty touts itself as the party of tolerance and as DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz recently said it is 'the natural home to minorities.' Some tolerance!"

She continues her commentary: "To give you a taste of the kind vulgar, distasteful and racist comments I receive, I thought I would share with you some unsavory tweets hurled at me while I joined BET’s Ed Gordon Tuesday night as the only black Republican woman providing analysis of President Obama’s State of the Union Speech. Cedric the Entertainer, as he refers to himself, didn’t like my commentary that Obama’s speech was more Obama blaming Bush, Republicans and everything under the sun for his failed policies. So, he tweeted the following:

A series of more vulgar tweets were made by his followers.

More: "In America, no matter what your race, you have the freedom to believe in any religion or support any political party you choose. What’s really pathetic about these racist attacks is instead of responding with a counter viewpoint, people like Cedric and others respond with ignorance."

Constructive Feedback Criticizes Black Republican Tactics

2012-01-27T13:25:00.000-06:00

The conservative blogger in Georgia takes issue with the Conservative Black Forum, an event which Rep. Allen West recently organized on Capitol Hill: "My agreement with the principles of what I heard among these 'Black Conservatives' was overshadowed by my disagreement with their tactical execution of their agenda. I return to my question: 'WHY does 'Black Conservatism' need to be projected through the Republican Party and by extension - the 'American Political Domain' ?' Ironically they argue that 'Black Republicans' should go into the Black community and plead their case, convincing other Blacks that 'Republican Values' are 'Black Values'. NOT!!!!!" [The] one thing that I kept shouting in my head as I was jogging on the treadmill as they were talking about 'How Black People Vote' was 'Black People Don't Vote Against The Democrats To Show Their Discontent - THEY MOVE AWAY FROM 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ZONES'!!!!'."

He continues his commentary about the Conservative Black Forum: "The problem that I have with 'Republicans who are Black' is that they ultimately wish their PARTY to succeed. They see the full engagement of the 'American Negro' into 'American Political Domain' as the framework for our development as an intractable fact. In this way they are little different than the 'Democrat who is Black', the 'Occupiers Of All Black Community Leadership Positions' at present."

Constructive Feedback argues that organic development should be the black Republicans' focus: "The job of the defenders of this ['social justice' system - which fails to produce sufficient 'Organic Competencies Among Black people' is to point out that there are other ~~White~~ people in the mud along with us. Despite the endless 'Black people need to.................' discussions they understand that as long as this system is present as an option the masses will not be compelled to change for its own good. No different than the debate over petroleum fuel consumption due to its availability."

Ad Agency Sues Herman Cain Over Book Photo Cover

2012-01-27T13:15:00.005-06:00

From PaidContent.org, about the conservative Republican businessman and former presidential candidate: "A new lawsuit claims a former Republican presidential candidate used a photo without permission for the cover of his biography, This is Herman Cain!"

The article continues about the dispute: "The agency says it never gave the necessary permission but that the book was published anyways. Adventure Advertising is asking for profits from the sale of the book and an order allowing it to seize remaining copies from publisher Simon & Schuster (NYSE: CBS) which is also listed as a defendant. The book hit #4 on the New York Times (NYSE: NYT) bestseller list last fall."

South Africa: IFP Condemns Xenophobic Attacks

2012-01-27T13:00:00.013-06:00

The center-right, Zulu-nationalist party speaks out. From Pana: "South Africa's Inkatha Freedom Party on Friday condemned this week’s attacks on foreign nationals who had their businesses petrol-bombed in Tokoza, Gauteng. 'The latest xenophobic attacks are disgraceful and lamentable. As a nation, we have an obligation to assist refugees who flee their countries fearing for their own safety. And we have an obligation to ensure that we uphold the values and principles of South Africa's Constitution and human rights culture at all times,' said IFP MP Petros Sithole."

The article continues about the IFP's position: "Sithole said the latest incident was a warning to government that the people of South Africa are no longer willing to tolerate government's failures. 'People are growing increasingly desperate due to the high levels of poverty and unemployment. This latest incident has again drawn attention to the fact that government's strategic fight against poverty is failing. Furthermore, government must urgently address the abuse of our asylum seeker system and South Africa's porous borders. It is the failure of the State to exercise sound policies, especially in the field of immigration control, which has become a serious threat to the future of our young democracy. Unless government takes responsibility for these failures, levels of discontent and xenophobic attacks will increase,' Sithole said."

Lloyd Marcus: "Heads Up, America: It's Time To Take Our Kids Back From Liberals Who Are Polluting Their Minds"

2012-01-27T12:15:00.019-06:00

Asserts the conservative Republican entertainer and Tea Party activist, who doesn't like much of what's on television these days: "Something that has bugged me for years is the way '60s-generation movie and TV producers think it is 'far out' (cool) for kids to speak disrespectfully to their parents. Call me old-fashioned, but I flip the channel whenever I see a kid smart-mouthing his parent and getting away with it. I simply cannot stomach it. This '60s-generation liberal mindset of parents being buddies with their children, relating to them as equals, affording them a right to privacy, and other nonsense is a part of the problem. There is great value and compassion in teaching children to respect their elders. Children who grow up never having learned to respect anyone have difficulty in personal relationships and in maintaining a job."

He continues his commentary: "Prayer was removed from public schools in 1962. We can all agree that our kids are far better off today because of that decision. Right? In my six tours across America with the Tea Party Express, I have met numerous families who home-school their children. The difference between public-school and home-schooled children is dramatic. Home-schooled children are poised, happy, respectful, and simply better-educated."

More commentary from Mr. Marcus: "Here's the bottom line of my ranting. The far-left thinking of self-absorbed '60s radicals who control much of the government and media continues to have a devastating effect on our children. Public schools are breeding grounds for immoral, unpatriotic, 'if it is oral, it ain't sex' future liberal Democrat voters, ignorant of the Constitution and our history. Patriots, it is time to take back our children. We must stay diligent in our efforts to reclaim control of our kids' education, defeat self-serving teachers' unions, and stop the feds from confiscating our children from home-schools for government reprogramming. Sixties radicals have been aggressively determined to subjugate every kid in America to mind-numbing liberal indoctrination. Our kids will be taught to worship the icon of liberalism's most successful achievement: our almighty ruler, 'Barack Hussein Obama, mmm, mmm, mmm.'"

Rejoice Ngwenya: "The Carbon Tax War In South Africa Ain't A Worthy Cause. The ANC Should Think About South Africa's Poor & Unemployed, Before Leftist Environmentalists""

2012-01-27T11:34:00.000-06:00

The Zimbabwean libertarian activist writes: "I am not sure to what extent RSA [the Republic of South Africa] has ratified and domesticated the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, but one would need to question why, if carbon tax is as good for pollution control as it is for ‘sharing wealth’, why G20 club mates USA, Russia and China resist it so much. Therein lies its fallacy. Politicians have reason to worry, especially the ANC [African National Congress], facing possible elections in 2012, have to justify why the Alexander poor have to vote for the party in the face of such poverty. Once the excitement of COP17 abated in 2011, Jacob Zuma would not want to go to the elective conference in Mangaung, December 2012 with stinky fiscal baggage in his boot!"

He continues his commentary: "I also insist the causes RSA generally identifies with, if not outright self-defeating, are shamelessly hypocritical. In a bid to preserve Chinese billion dollar investments, Jacob Zuma violated the ANC code of freedom of movement by refusing the Dalai Lama a visa to Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu’s birthday. China imposes ‘fiscal death penalty’ on countries that infringe its paranoid ‘one China policy’. Thus it may not occur to Mr. Zuma whether or not imposing carbon tax during ‘election year’ is prudent until he comes face-to-face with political reality. The so-called benefits of carbon tax - oversight of the tax by the existing revenue authority; fewer players involved and therefore lower cost; simpler structure; lower administrative burden; minimized anti-pollution lobbies – pale in significance compared to pre-electoral vilification."

More: "Juggling sustainability, politics, job creation and price competitive interests is something South African authorities will have to lose sleep on. The prospects of exports being banned because of non carbon compliance may seem real, but as long as other G20 members do not seem fazed, Mr. Zuma can relax. Southern Africa is a major enabler of South Africa’s industrialization. I do not foresee a scenario where these ‘poor’ neighbours can use carbon-content carbon emission as a basis for trade! Duane Newman may argue that the ‘investor-driven carbon disclosure project’ will be the ‘in thing’ a future trade relations, but for the citizens of Alexander, any law that does not bring food to the table is a preserve of excitable CO17 environmentalists."

Open Thread Friday

2012-01-27T07:00:00.004-06:00

What's on your mind?

Ghanaian Center-Rightists: "Ghanaian President John Atta Mills' Cabinet Rehuffle Is Meaningless. He's A Huge Failure"

2012-01-27T06:45:00.001-06:00

"Sir John"opposes the center-left prez

From GhanaWeb: "General Secretary of the [center-right] New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, affectionately called Sir John, has described President John Evans Atta Mills as a gargantuan failure who himself needs to be reshuffled. To him, Wednesday’s ministerial reshuffle by President Mills is simply a ‘merry go round’ exercise of just adding and subtracting names."

The article continues: "Speaking in an interview on Okay FM, the NPP Chief Scribe said he does not see anything new with this latest reshuffle, adding that President Mills is simply trying hard to impress Ghanaians that he is busy at the Castle working. '...the ministers who have been changed are not going to add anything new to the [center-left] NDC government. It’s the same old thing that has been renamed...it does not have any importance...President Mills is a gargantuan failure and no amount of reshuffle he does will change anything. He is just adding and subtracting names...he himself needs to be removed from the seat of government...” Sir John said."

Abu Jinapor: "the NDC is collapsing"

More about the Ghanaian center-right's criticism of President Mills' administration: "Speaking on the same issue as a panelist on PeaceFM’s 'Kokrokoo' programme, Abu Jinapor, a Special Aide to the NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, said the recent reshuffle can best be described as ‘a final kick of the dying horse’. According to him, the NDC government is on the verge of collapse and this latest ‘musical chairs’ of a reshuffle will not help advance the course of the ruling party. 'The names are old wine in new wine bottles…The reshuffle will not in any way help the NDC win the (2012) election...' Abu Jinapor said.

SIDE-EYE POST OF THE DAY: Chris Christie: "The Civil Rights Movement Could've Been Settled Through Referendum"

2012-01-27T06:38:00.002-06:00

Yes, New Jersey's conservative Republican governor gets the side-eye for making this asinine comment, as if black civil rights and the gay rights movement are comparable. One is generally genetic, and the other trait is arguably at least somewhat rooted in behavioral choice. Um, black folks were fighting for enforcement of pre-existing constitutional law (more specifically, the 14th and 15th Amendments): "In a comment related to his call for a voter referendum on the proposal to legalize gay marriage in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday, 'People would have been happy to have referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.' The governor, who on Tuesday called for a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot that would ask voters to decide if the state should legalize same-sex marriage, also said he will veto the Democratic legislation to allow it when the proposal reaches his desk."

The article continues about Governor Christie's comments: "The comment that the civil rights movement of the 1960s could have been settled through a national or southern states voter referendum stunned Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex), who became the first African-American woman to head the lower house in 2010. 'Gov. Christie better sit down with some of New Jersey’s great teachers for a history lesson, because his puzzling comment shows a complete misunderstanding about the civil rights movement,' Oliver said. 'It’s impossible to ever conceive that a referendum on civil rights in the South would have been successful and brought justice to minorities. It’s unfathomable to even suggest a referendum would have been the better course."

1/26 BOOKERISTA PROFILE: Ken Wyatt, Australia

2012-01-26T22:38:00.003-06:00

Today is Australia Day, which celebrates the arrival of the first British convicts in Sydney in 1788. To celebrate the folks who were already there, Booker Rising highlights an Aussie bookerista of Aborigine origin. Elected in 2010, MP Wyatt is the first self-identified Aborigine elected to Australia's House of Representatives. A member of the center-right Liberal Party (think classical liberalism here), The 59-year-old represents the swing-vote Hasluck division in Western Australia.

MP Wyatt is of Aborigine, East Indian, English and Irish descent, but both of his parents are of Aborigine descent. His mother was one of the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their parents, in the white-controlled government's attempt to "assimilate" Aborigines into Australia's Westernized culture.

Prior to joining Parliament, MP Wyatt directed the Western Australia Office of Aboriginal Health and was the Director of Aboriginal Education for the Western Australia Department of Education. After his historic victory, MP Wyatt received hate mail from some white conservatives who said that they would've never voted for him had they known that he was black. He was called "Uncle Tom Wyatt" by some liberals (sound familiar?).

National honors that MP Wyatt has received include the Order of Australia for services to Aboriginal health and the Centenary Medal for his contributions to his country.

Project 21 Responds To Obama's SOTU Address

2012-01-26T20:19:00.000-06:00

From the U.S. black conservative group's news release, which was emailed to Booker Rising:

Black conservatives affiliated with the Project 21 leadership network are unimpressed with President Barack Obama’s progress during his three years in office. They say Obama’s State of the Union address was long on rhetoric and short in presenting a strategy to fix the stagnant American economy that has not improved under his leadership.

“President Obama’s State of the Union address was no more than a reminder of the failures of his presidency. When given an opportunity to create an economy ‘built to last’ – by taking on Washington’s culture of fiscal irresponsibility, reining in an excessively regulatory administration and enacting true entitlement reform – he repeatedly pushed an agenda geared to push more debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren,” said Project 21 Spokesman Coby W. Dillard. “Instead of presenting true solutions to Congress, he repeatedly bypasses them with executive orders and recess appointments, seeking to give this behavior legitimacy by calling it ‘action.’ While speaking of a ‘renewal of American values’ before Congress, his actions trample on the very rights and freedoms that are the foundation of this great nation.”

President Obama’s speech to Congress was dominated by class warfare language and rallying cries against wealthier Americans of the sort championed by Occupy Wall Street protesters. For example, Obama gave the stark contrast: “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”

“For nearly every eloquent thought our President expressed, there are contradictions and hypocrisies in his actions and leadership preventing the fruition of a stated desire for jobs, a strong economy and energy efficiency. When President Obama says we should all play by the same rules, for instance, does he include the millions of Americans on food stamps and welfare who are reaping benefits of bad decisions?” asked Project 21 Spokeswoman Lisa Fritsch. “The bottom line and sad truth is that Obama’s speech was another big government bonanza. For all his reminiscing over the building of the Hoover Dam and Americans’ hard work ethic, his speech was rooted in what government is doing for us now that we apparently can no longer be expected to do for ourselves. It’s a real shame to see that he still seems to have no idea about the American way.”

While much of the President’s speech was dedicated to criticizing his political opponents in Congress for their alleged inaction, the day of this particular presidential address coincidentally falls on the 1,000th day since the Senate (whose majority is of the President’s party) passed a formal budget.

“This year’s ‘State of Confusion’ speech proved to be too little and too late for the economy,” said Project 21 Spokeswoman Cherylyn Harley LeBon. “Last year, Obama called for a bipartisan fiscal commission and said ‘This can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem.’ Never mind a gimmick – his budget all but ignored the recommendations of his own bipartisan debt commission. In just three years, President Obama has racked up more job-killing debt than was created between the presidencies of George Washington and George H.W. Bush. His rhetoric offered no change.”

As President Obama touted his green jobs agenda, it was reported that 1.7 million jobs have been lost since his inauguration. Yet this is an America Obama sees as “built to last.”

“Ironically, Obama’s war on fossil fuels is a war against hard-working Americans because high energy prices have a disproportional impact on middle and lower-income households,” said Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli. “The President’s refusal to allow construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, costing approximately 20,000 jobs, is proof that he is putting his radical ideology before the welfare of American families. Obama’s hostility toward coal is a huge barrier for companies to build domestic manufacturing plants. Coal provides about 45 percent of our electricity, and the regulations coming from the Obama Administration EPA are imposing significant costs on utilities, which will be passed to consumers and businesses. High electricity prices will force companies to build manufacturing facilities overseas.”

“All Americans want a country where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded. That country, however, is not President Obama’s to give. Government cannot give what God has already provided. The failure of President Obama to realize that equal opportunity is not synonymous with equal results is probably the greatest marker of his failed administration,” added Project 21′s Coby Dillard. “If the President believes that the sustainability of our nation begins with ‘responsibility from everyone,’ he and his administration should lead by example.”

Sophia A. Nelson: "Black Women Admire Michelle Obama"

2012-01-26T20:00:00.000-06:00

The moderate commentator spoke with MSNBC's Thomas Roberts about the ways in which different generations of black American women view U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama:

DEROY MURDOCK COMMENTARY: Photo IDs Can Protect Elections, Let Dead Rest

2012-01-26T19:53:00.000-06:00

Asserts the libertarian Republican commentator: "The easiest way to disenfranchise the dead [since people have used dead voters' information to vote] is to require every voter to show photo ID. Those who lack identification should get it for free. Reasonable accommodations can be made for the infirm."

He continues his commentary: "Let's not hear liberals' scratched record about how mandating a photo ID for voters is step one on the road to lynching. If true, then demanding a photo ID at America's airports would make the TSA equivalent to the KKK. Liberals' oft-cited claim that blacks are too befuddled to possess or acquire photo ID is pure racial profiling. Just how lame do they think black Americans really are? ID cards would help cleanse America's increasingly soiled voting system. Photo IDs also would allow dead people to rest in peace rather than rush to the polls every Election Day."

Cory Booker To N.J. Governor: "No Public Vote On Gay Rights"

2012-01-26T19:49:00.014-06:00

From the Associated Press, about the moderate-liberal mayor of Newark, New Jersey: "Two of New Jersey's most influential black leaders blasted Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday for proposing gay marriage be put to a popular vote in November, but the Republican governor insisted he's offering a reasonable compromise amid his personal opposition to same-sex nuptials. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Cory Booker said in separate forums that civil rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and don't belong on the ballot."

The article continues: "Booker said baseball great Jackie Robinson would not have had the opportunity to break the sport's color barrier had the matter been put to a vote, and the mayor himself would not have had the opportunity, years later, to be elected to lead New Jersey's largest city."

More: "Booker said during a news conference in Newark: 'Dear God, we should not be putting civil rights issues to a popular vote, to be subject to the sentiments, the passions of the day. No minority should have their rights subject to the passions and the sentiments of the majority. This is the fundamental bedrock of what our nation stands for.'"

I'm Back!

2012-01-26T19:45:00.000-06:00

This month has been crazy, so I've been unable to post as I'd like to do. I'm back though....

Juan Williams: "Don't Blame The Media Because The Republicans Have A Mediocre Field Of Presidential Candidates"

2012-01-26T19:42:00.014-06:00

From Mediaite, about the moderate-liberal commentator: "In a segment asking whether media coverage of the GOP election is biased, Fox & Friends showed a clip of Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, expressing the need for an alternative to Newt Gingrich because of 'desperation' among the Republican elite. Panelist Andrea Tantaros, a regular on The Five, felt that the 'mainstream media' definitely has an agenda when it comes to GOP candidates..."

It continues: "Juan Williams agreed that the (mainstream) media characterized tension between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton differently, but pointed out a notable distinction: 'You didn’t have a majority of Democrats saying ‘Gee, we wish someone would enter this contest like a magical man or woman on a carpet and come and rescue us all,' but 'most Republicans feel that way because it’s such a mediocre field.' And it isn’t just the mainstream (aka left-leaning) media, he argued. Conservative publications are also echoing Mitchell’s narrative. The fact is, he continued, that Republicans aren’t rallying around Romney, and they have questions about Gingrich. That’s what’s going on right now, he said, rather than some sort of 'grand conspiracy' among branches of the MSM."

THOMAS SOWELL OP-ED: Is Anybody Serious?

2012-01-26T19:40:00.010-06:00

Asks the conservative economist in California about the Republican presidential race: "The Republican candidates' circular firing squad now seems to be using machine guns. Whoever the eventual 'last man standing' turns out to be, he may not be standing very tall or very steadily on his feet -- and he may be a pushover for Barack Obama in the general election, thanks to fellow Republicans. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican or an independent, this is a very serious and historically crucial time for the United States of America. What Mitt Romney did or did not do when he was with Bain Capital, or what Newt Gingrich did or did not say to his ex-wife, are things that should be left for the tabloids. With the economy still faltering and Iran on its way to getting nuclear bombs, surely we can get serious about the issues facing this nation. Or can we?"

Mr. Sowell continues his commentary: "'The politics of personal destruction' -- as Bill Clinton called it, and as he himself practiced it -- is not the way to solve the nation's problems. It has already poisoned the well of political discourse this season and claimed Herman Cain as its first victim, on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations by women with checkered pasts of their own. Whether Herman Cain was good, bad or indifferent as a candidate, and whether his chances of winning the Republican nomination were substantial or non-existent is not the issue. Nor is this the issue as regards Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney or any other candidate."

More: "Poisoning the well of political discourse may be one of the reasons why we see such unsatisfactory sets of candidates for political office in both parties, not only this year but in previous election years as well. Many able and decent people are understandably reluctant to subject themselves and their families to a mud-slinging contest or to media 'gotcha' questions. The creeping acceptance of such practices is hardly a justification, but is itself part of the degeneration of our times. The time is long overdue to get serious."

Sanford Bishop Co-Founds Congressional Chicken Caucus

2012-01-26T19:35:00.000-06:00

From Agri-Pulse, about the moderate-liberal Democratic Congressman and member of the Congressional Black Caucus: "Congressmen Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) announced that they have co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus. The Chicken Caucus will educate members of Congress and their staffs on the concerns and benefits of the U.S. chicken industry."

There are currently eight people in the Congressional Chicken Caucus, from both major political parties: "U.S. chicken companies directly employ over 300,000 workers, producing products worth a wholesale value of over $45 billion dollars annually with major operations in more than 30 states. Further, there are more than 40 vertically integrated companies that contract with about 25,000 family farmers to produce market-ready broilers, hatching eggs and pullets."

LARRY ELDER OP-ED: Newt Declares War On Media

2012-01-26T19:00:00.002-06:00

The libertarian Republican pundit in California opines that it's about time that someone declared war on the anti-GOP media bias and double standard that gives Democratic candidates a built-in 8- to 10-point advantage: "Gingrich bites back. Hard. Thus, he addresses the question of his messy personal life while hitting the CNN moderator for bringing this up as the first question. Gingrich knows he lacks the Reaganesque 'aw, shucks' persona. Reagan used his sunny disposition to counter the media's attempt to portray him as a dangerous nutcase whose finger should never go near the nuclear button -- not unlike how many try to portray Gingrich. Gingrich will call out the media for ignoring the bombshell that Obama's mother did not fight with her insurer over her medical bills, as Obama movingly and repeatedly told Americans in making his case for ObamaCare. Gingrich will question why the major media behaved so indifferently for so long about matters like Obama's 20-year association with a racist, anti-Semitic pastor."

He adds: "Gingrich will ask why the press yawns when the Obama administration stops using expressions like 'shovel ready,' 'save or create' millions of jobs and 'stimulus.' Gingrich will remind Americans about Obama's promise to end the influence of 'lobbyists.' By any normal understanding of the term, the White House remains a lobby-rich environment where Obama officials insist on lobbyist meetings off-premises. This means there is no White House log, allowing the administration to brag about an alleged decrease in lobbying. Gingrich will point out the hypocrisy of being called a 'lobbyist' though he never registered as one. Yet the media fail to apply this flexible definition of 'lobbyist' when it comes to the Obama administration. Gingrich will ask why the media remain so incurious about Obama's grades at prep school, Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law -- even as Obama admitted, in his first book, that he wasn't much of a student."

More: "Gingrich will point out the lack of left-wing outrage over our involvement in Libya. As a senator, Obama insisted that the President needed congressional approval to send troops into harm's way -- unless the country was under imminent threat. Yet for the joint bombing of Libya, a mission the Obama administration called 'humanitarian,' Obama sought no congressional approval. Gingrich will stand up against explicit or implied charges of racism. He scored by not backing down from Fox's Juan Williams, who accused him of racial callousness for saying poor urban children lack working role models, and for calling Obama a 'food stamp president.' Gingrich stood his ground and engaged in a needed, if uncomfortable, national discussion about the damage done to the family by the welfare state. This resonates with voters who are tired of being accused of racism for questioning whether the welfare state now hurts the very people it purports to help."

1/20 SONG OF THE DAY: Etta James, "At Last"

2012-01-20T23:32:00.000-06:00

As you've probably heard, the R&B legend passed away this morning at the age of 73.

Open Thread Thursday

2012-01-19T23:06:00.005-06:00

Busy day, so will post tomorrow. Que pasa?

1/18 OLD-SCHOOL SONG OF THE DAY: The Spinners, "It's A Shame" (1970)

2012-01-18T18:52:00.000-06:00

Ward Connerly Faces Allegations Of Financial Misdeeds

2012-01-18T18:00:00.038-06:00

Ward Connerly

From The New York Times, about the libertarian-conservative Republican and prominent anti-affirmative action foe: "Ward Connerly, the black businessman who has been the face of the movement to end affirmative action for nearly two decades, is facing accusations from a prominent former ally that he has mismanaged — and exploited for his own benefit — donations to that cause made by fellow conservatives. Moreover, a group Mr. Connerly founded to advance government policies that are race and gender neutral, the Sacramento-based American Civil Rights Institute, is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and by the attorney general of California, according to documents and interviews."

This long article continues outlining the controversy: "Mr. Connerly has faced accusations of profiteering before, as supporters of affirmative action highlighted his salary in an effort to discredit his cause. But this time, the allegations are more detailed and come from another significant movement figure: Jennifer Gratz, the named plaintiff in a landmark 2003 Supreme Court case that struck down a race-based admissions policy at the University of Michigan. After she won that case, Mr. Connerly hired Ms. Gratz to conduct research and run campaigns supporting anti-affirmative action ballot initiatives. She resigned last September and, through her lawyer, sent the group’s board a five-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times."

More about the allegations against Mr. Connerly: "Interviewed by phone and e-mail, Mr. Connerly, 72, acknowledged that his group had had financial difficulties, but said its board had not responded to the letter because '90 percent' of it was false. He portrayed Ms. Gratz as a 'disgruntled former employee' trying to 'besmirch me personally' because she wanted to replace him."

Jennifer Gratz

What are the actual allegations? "Ms. Gratz’s letter alleges a series of financial irregularities, starting with Mr. Connerly’s pay. Late last summer, the institute belatedly filed disclosure forms for tax years ending in June 2008, 2009, and 2010. (The I.R.S. that summer had revoked the tax-exempt status of its related advocacy group for failing to file such forms.) They showed that his annual pay was between $1.2 million and $1.5 million each year — more than half its revenue. Because charitable donations are tax deductible, according to I.R.S. rules no employee may get excessive compensation. Two other nonprofit groups opposing affirmative action, the Center for Equal Opportunity and the Center for Individual Rights, pay their leaders about $144,000 and $250,000, respectively. Mr. Connerly said that 'every penny which I receive is directly related to our mission,' and that he used some of his salary to pay others for research and legal work. He also said the group had reduced his pay to $850,000."

And more: "Ms. Gratz’s letter contends that the group has been 'in financial crisis since March 2010' in part because of Mr. Connerly’s salary and legal fees related to the tax investigations, and has 'ceased almost entirely' doing projects furthering its mission since June 2011. Her letter also says the group has had trouble making payroll and 'knowingly' under-reported what it paid employees on payroll tax forms — 'irregularities' that 'partly result from disruptions in revenue' but that 'also appear to be designed to facilitate Mr. Connerly’s high salary.'"

Ms. Gratz ain't done just yet twisting the knife: "Ms. Gratz’s letter said five of the group’s eight employees 'are family members' or have 'personal or nonprofessional relationships with Mr. Connerly,' and raised questions about its 'contracts for services and leases.'"

Mr. Connerly's response to the additional allegations: "Mr. Connerly said hiring people he knew was appropriate, given his group’s 'controversial' mission. He also said he had instructed the employee [who needed a building lease] to find new offices because they needed more room, and he approved the arrangement she had made. Despite his salary, Mr. Connerly acknowledged that he had had financial difficulties; public records show that in 2010 and 2011, several hundred thousand dollars in liens for unpaid taxes were leveled against him. He said he was working on paying what he owed. In addition, a disclosure form filed with the IRS says the institute discovered last year that Mr. Connerly had submitted 'unsubstantiated' business expenses from his credit card and cellphone bills. He had paid back $10,000 as of September, but still owed about $24,000."

1/17 VIDEO OF THE DAY: J.C. Watts: "Super PAC Is Clouding The 2012 U.S. Presidential Election"

2012-01-17T19:44:00.000-06:00

Hat tip to The Remnant Voice for this video featuring the conservative Republican and former Congressman commenting about the presidential election:

New Beyoncé CD Promo Criticized For Alleged Skin Lightening

2012-01-17T19:26:00.003-06:00

The white-ification of Beyonce continues

Y'all may recall that this is hardly the first time that Beyonce has had this controversy. From MSNBC: "Did Beyoncé opt for a lighter shade on her newest album promo ad? The new mom is being heavily criticized for what appears to be artificially lightened skin on the cover of her album '4.' The scantily-clad singer is shown posing in a sexy bodysuit, resting on a leopard skin sofa, with her face a noticeably lighter color than the bottom half of her body. Critics are concerned the ad is reminiscent of the pop star’s 2008 controversy, in which L’Oreal was accused of altering her skin tone in Feria hair color advertisements."

Beyonce's actual appearance

A Bookerista Responds: Walaa Idris: "Did Beyoncé Catch The MJ Disease?"

Asks Walaa Idris, a British conservative blogger about the flak that the liberal singer is getting for the pale-skinned photo on her new CD cover: "Saw Beyoncé['s] latest promotional poster and had to do a double take, because the person on the poster looked nothing like the Beyoncé we know and love. For a nanosecond, I considered it might be me, maybe my prescription needed changing. Joking aside, I took a long look at the very beautiful photo of the stunning woman and wondered if it’s the industry, success or both?"

She continues her commentary about Beyonce changing complexion in promos: "Remember Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall Album [c]over? Years later when his mega platinum album Thriller came out, the Michael on the cover wasn’t the same one we saw growing up. Back then [P]hotoshopping wasn’t what it is today, but still we saw what an obsession with changing more than hair colour and style looked like by the time Invincible came out. Is Mrs. Carter going down the same route and if so…why!?"

U.S. Obesity Epidemic Shows No Hint Of Retreating

2012-01-17T19:15:00.016-06:00

From the Associated Press: "America's obesity epidemic is proving to be as stubborn as those maddening love handles, and it shows no sign of reversing course. More than one-third of adults and almost 17 percent of children were obese in 2009-2010, echoing results since 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. 'It's good that we didn't see increases. On the other hand, we didn't see any decreases in any group,' said CDC researcher Cynthia Ogden. In 2009-2010, more than 78 million adults and almost 13 million children aged 2-19 were obese, the CDC researchers reported."

More: "The latest reports -- one on children and the other on adults -- focused on obesity, meaning a body-mass index of at least 30. But the numbers of adults and children who were overweight, with a BMI of between 25 and 29, also remained high. Overall, 33 percent of adults were overweight but not obese, versus about 15 percent of children and teens. Rates of overweight or obese adults and children were generally higher in blacks and Hispanics than in whites."

Graphic Designer Under Fire For MLK Strip Club Flyer

2012-01-17T19:05:00.001-06:00

Ratchetness: King Day flyer

This ratchetness deserves the national scorn that it's getting. From NBC Miami (hat tip: http://www.theGrio.com): "When Martin Luther King Jr. said he had a dream, this likely wasn't what he meant. A flyer promoting a Miami strip club's 'I Have a Dream Bash' featuring MLK holding wads of cash next to scantily-clad women has its creator taking plenty of flack. Miami Beach graphic designer Jeffrey Darnell Paul says he didn't realize the flyer, made for The Office strip club at [address], would generate the controversy it has. 'I wasn't trying to disrespect anybody...it wasn't on my mind that it would escalate to something like this,' Paul told NBC Miami Monday. 'It was just supposed to be a promotional thing, it wasn't about disgracing Martin Luther King, it wasn't about that.'"

The article continues about the controversy: "Paul said the bash, which was supposed to begin at 8 p.m. Sunday and end at 6 a.m. Monday on MLK Day, was canceled after he realized the flyer was inappropriate. He said by then, the flyer was making the rounds on the Internet and he was getting lots of negative feedback. 'I got plenty of phone calls, plenty of phone calls...people calling from Chicago, Ohio, California,' Paul said. 'If I could've, I would have taken it back ahead of time. What was I thinking? Promotion,' Paul told NBC Miami."

The strip club is seeking to distance itself from this hot mess: "The strip club's management sought to distance themselves from the promotional effort on Monday, however. 'This is the first time seeing it. This is the owner's first time seeing it,' The Office manager Jermaine Robinson said. 'So we don’t condone this. This is Martin Luther King. We respect what he did. Today is the day for us to honor him.' Robinson said the flyer is 'definitely disrespectful, to be honest with you.'"

1/16 KING HOLIDAY VIDEO OF THE DAY: "I Have A Dream" & "Pride" Mashup

2012-01-16T12:24:00.001-06:00

In honor of today's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in America — which is a federal holiday — I highlight this video. My favorite orator of the 20th century, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), is paired up with a song about him from U2, one of 20th century's greatest rock bands. "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" is my favorite song by U2.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS OP-ED: Facing Our Problems

2012-01-16T12:15:00.019-06:00

The conservative Republican commentator in D.C. argues that there is a solution to Black America's high out-of-wedlock birth and single parenting rates, high crime rate, and high unemployment rate: "I have a solution to many of these problems: God, the family, community, and education that balances creativity with discipline. As President Reagan said in his A Time for Choosing speech:'“If government planning and welfare had the answer — and they’ve had almost 30 years of it [now they’ve had about 70 years] — shouldn’t we expect government to read the score to us once in a while? Shouldn’t they be telling us about the decline each year in the number of people needing help? The reduction in the need for public housing?'"

He continues his commentary: "According to Pat Fagan of Family Research Council, 'on every outcome' the children who flourish most often are churchgoers with two parents, and those who fail most often are from a broken home and do not go to church. Furthermore, he notes, young black men with married parents go to jail at the same rate as white men with married parents — there is no racial gap — and young black men without married parents go to jail at the same rate as white men without married parents. 'The reason for the education gap is not income,' he says. 'It’s marriage and parents.' The same is the case for crime and drugs."

More: "We need to see real progress; We want to see people rise above these statistics. The old answers of government planning and welfare are not good enough. We deserve real solutions. The failures of safety nets do not justify more and more safety nets."

Stanley Crouch on Political Frivolities

2012-01-16T12:00:00.011-06:00

The moderate-liberal columnist in New York City writes: "Some political types, for example, are more concerned with how [presidential candidate Mitt] Romney treated his family dog on a long-ago family vacation — they drove with the dog tied to the top of the car. Maybe they think that if they can show him to be indifferent to the treatment of man’s best friend, voters will give him the Michael Vick treatment."

He continues his commentary: "On the other side, those who have seen Michelle Obama remake herself into a cooler and calmer woman since she paraded her firebrand charisma during the months prior to the presidential election of 2008 find her problem seems to be no more than another ethnic tempest in a tea pot. Kantor’s book provides gossip about how Obama supposedly got into screaming matches with Robert Gibbs, the President’s chief spokesman at the time, and how she and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel (who has since become the mayor of Chicago) could not get along. Supposedly, she compared living in the White House to hell. For some people, this confirms their worst suspicions about her."

More commentary from Mr. Crouch: "How much did Romney pay for his haircut? Where does the First Lady buy her clothes? These are the kinds of questions some in the media claim are important in America today. But we have risen from the muck before, and we can rise from it again. Already, the GOP presidential nomination has seen plenty of hot air dispelled and plenty of jokers, like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and (soon enough) the doomed Rick Perry, shown the door. The truth takes a long time to arrive, but arrive it does."

Ghana: Nana Akufo-Addo Set To Pick Mahamudu Bawumia As His Running Mate

2012-01-16T11:45:00.033-06:00

Akufo-Addo/Bawumia: ticket to 2012 success?

Apparently, the announcement will officially be made tomorrow. Longtime Booker Rising readers may recall that this center-right ticket lost the 2008 Ghanaian presidential election by less than 1 percent of the vote. Some background: Mr. Akufo-Addo is the Christian grandnephew of the late J.B. Danquah (one of Ghana's "Big Six" pro-independence pushers and one of the founding father's of Ghanaian conservatism), while Mr. Bawumia is an Oxford-trained economist and Muslim. From Joy Online (Ghana): "Barring any last minute change in plan, the opposition NPP will give economist, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia a second chance to partner flag-bearer Nana Akufo-Addo for the 2012 elections. A search team empanelled six months ago to assist the flag-bearer to choose a running mate has short-listed two persons for the top job – Dr. Bawumia and Ambrose Derry. Joy News has learnt that Nana Akufo-Addo has chosen Dr. Bawumia ahead of three others said to be in the running for the veep slot. The National Executive Council of the party is scheduled to meet tomorrow to consider his choice."

The article continues: "Meanwhile, some party stalwarts are pushing for deputy Minority Leader, Ambrose Derry but Joy News’ sources say, the flag-bearer is determined to maintain his 2008 running mate....But Nana Akufo-Addo is convinced that Dr. Bawumia, formerly deputy governor of the bank of Ghana has the wherewithal to support him in the realization of his vision of a massive economic and industrial transformation of the country in which job creation would form a critical cornerstone. According to Joy News sources, since Bawumia had been marketed already, it is only fair to give him a second chance. However, those opposed to the choice of Bawumia argue that he somewhat fled to Zimbabwe to take up an appointment [with the African Development Bank] when he should have remained at home to support the party."

Ghana's Center-Right Responds

Kwaku Addo Jr. writes in the readers' comments: "This is a perfect move by the great Kukurudus. We hope and pray that the victory will be ours. Go Go Go high. Nana."

Ustaz Ali writes: "Hurray, Nana Addo has done the right and is the first step to victory 2012. I have always said that with Nana's experience, there would be no mistake in the choice he was going to make. Nana, we thank you very much.May God bless you, NPP and Ghana. Your party has always respected [M]uslims. We thank u very much.We know those who love us really and those who love us through propaganda. May Allah bless Nana and Bawumia for 2012."

Frank writes: " l think Bawumia is best fit for this position and must be supported, the NPP has already won this year's election considering how [incumbent center-left administration] Mills and Mahama are mismanaging the economy of our dear nation, Congrats Mahamadu Bawumia."

Lurita Doan: "Obama Has Failed Black Americans"

2012-01-16T11:07:00.006-06:00

The conservative Republican commentator asserts that no modern U.S. president has served Black America as poorly as President Barack Obama: "During his term as President, Obama has produced a woeful record of poorly conceived policies combined with equal parts of failing to lead. Obama has made a mockery of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of race relations. Reverend King urged advancement based on 'content of character' rather than 'color of our skin'. Americans, and especially blacks, once had hoped that Obama's historic rise to the Presidency would signal a new rebirth of effort and interest in the 'content of our character' but that hope is now lost. Obama is uninterested in the 'content of character' issue. What a pity, for there is nothing more urgent. Consider that today, despite the fact that Obama has run up impossible debts with borrowed money to spend on pet projects, the unemployment rate for Black Americans is stuck at nearly twice the national average at approximately 16 percent, rates not seen since the Great Depression."

More: "Obama has never been a man of ideas. Even the title of his autobiography (The Audacity of Hope) was first coined by Rev, Jeremiah Wright in a sermon. Americans can see that Obama doesn't believe in free enterprise, and he doesn't believe in American exceptionalism. Obama is the 'wooden ventriloquist' of the Democrat Party apparatchik, interested only in herding Black Americans, like sheep, to the polls, certain that despite his destructive policies, Black Americans, somehow, will vote for him again. And so, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s bold vision for Black Americans, a vision of hope, a vision of equality and occupying an equal place in the execution of the American Dream must await a new generation of Black leaders because one thing is clear, Obama ain't it."

Nigeria's Fuel Subsidy Crisis: Bookerista Perspectives

2012-01-16T10:32:00.002-06:00

As Booker Rising has highlighted for the past two weeks thanks to Nigerian libertarian blogger J.J. Omojuwa, the Nigerian people have taken to the streets against the government's decision to remove the fuel subsidy. Bookeristas on two continents weigh in on the issue:

USA: Constructive Feedback: "The Violent Nigerian Protests Over Fuel Prices Is Due To The Failure Of Centralized Planning"

Asserts the conservative blogger in Georgia: "Since most of the press only does 'transactional reporting' and/or when they do analysis they are blinded by their own agenda, we did not see the story on Nigeria painted as a fatal flaw of central planned economies. Not only did corrupt politicians misappropriate hundreds of billions of dollars over the last several decades, the citizen victims of their policies understood that their violent protests in rejection of government policies could force the government to reverse course. If you think that a 'corporate economy' where distributed private entities have too much control and need to be reigned in by the central government then you should look at Nigeria as the other extreme. When 'the economy' becomes a matter of politics in the hands of the central government then all economic growth gets caught up in the swamp that is the national capital and the greedy politicians that understand their power."

Kenya: The African Executive: "Remove The Subsidy, But Refine The Oil In Nigeria"

The African Executive, a Kenyan-based free marketeer website, pens an op-ed: "As an oil producing country, Nigerians do not expect subsidized oil but rather cheap oil through activating oil refineries to supply domestic demand. The current low costs of petroleum products could actually have been 100% lower if Nigeria was refining the crude domestically. The argument that savings made from removing oil subsidy will assist in financing other essential infrastructural demands fails to address aspects of inefficiency on how oil revenues are managed and what measures have been put in place to curb revenue mismanagement at all government levels. Why should ordinary Nigerians be made to pay for the gross ineptitude, and grave incompetence of their government?"

Today's Event

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-06:00

2:00pm MT, USA: John Hope Bryant: Speaks About Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Denver

The centrist founder of Operation HOPE, a Los Angeles-based financial literacy organization, is the keynote speaker for a MLK event. From the Denver Post: "MLK program 'Painting the Seed, Growing the Seed,' will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Evie Dennis Campus Building, 1 West Commons, 4800 Teluride St., Denver. The keynote speaker will be John Hope Bryant. Music selections: First Lady of Denver Mary Hancock (Mary Louise Lee); solo selection, Sia Chandler."

Kenneth Meshoe: "Three 24-Hour Pornography Channels In South Africa? Ah, Hecky Naw!"

2012-01-16T09:15:00.018-06:00

From Capital FM News (Kenya), about the South African conservative parliamentarian: "A South African court on Monday barred a pay-television service from launching the country’s first around-the-clock pornography channels without the nod from the broadcasting regulator. The High Court in Johannesburg stopped TopTV from putting to air three, 24-hour porn channels, planned to launch Friday, for subscribers until the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has ruled on the controversial move."

More: "The planned channels – Adult XXX, Playboy Europe and Private Spice – have met opposition from religious parties and the state’s Film and Publication Board. 'We have high rates of rape in South Africa. Young children who are involved in such acts always point to pornography as their source. The launch of the channel will add fuel to a fire that is already burning,' African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe was quoted as saying in the Sowetan newspaper."

1/15 Quote Of The Day

2012-01-15T22:45:00.001-06:00

“One of the great glories of democracy is the right to protest for right…if you will protest courageously and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations the historians will pause and say, ‘There lived a great people – a black people – who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.’ That is our challenge and our overwhelming responsibility.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968), during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955

Elba & Spencer Win Golden Globe Awards

2012-01-15T21:47:00.016-06:00

Idris Elba and Octavia Spencer for the win! From the Associated Press: "Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer won acting honors at a Golden Globes show Sunday that was spreading Hollywood's love around among a broad range of films and TV shows."

The article continues about tonight's ceremony: "The supporting-acting Globes went to Plummer as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in the father-son drama 'Beginners' and Spencer as a brassy housekeeper joining other black maids to share stories about life with their white employers in the 1960s Deep South tale 'The Help.' 'With regard to domestics in this country, now and then, I think Dr. King said it best: 'All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.' And I thank you for recognizing that with our film,' Spencer said."

More: "Among television winners were Britain's Kate Winslet as best actress in a miniseries or movie in 'Mildred Pierce' and Idris Elba as best actor in a miniseries or movie in 'Luther,' Laura Dern as comedy or musical actress in 'Enlightened,' Kelsey Grammer as dramatic actor in 'Boss,' 'Homeland' for drama series and British series 'Downton Abbey' for miniseries or movie."

Jon Huntsman To Withdraw From U.S. Presidential Race

2012-01-15T21:09:00.014-06:00

The moderate Republican presidential candidate is throwing in the towel. From USA Today: "Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman will drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination today, a campaign adviser confirmed Sunday night. The decision comes the same day Huntsman received the endorsement of The State, the Columbia, S.C., newspaper, and nearly a week after finishing third in the New Hampshire primary, where he had focused his campaign. The campaign adviser spoke on condition of anonymity because Huntsman plans to make the official announcement. Huntsman appears to have received little if any boost from New Hampshire, still placing at the bottom of most national and South Carolina polls in the low single digits. Matt David, a spokesman for Huntsman, told the New York Times that Huntsman will endorse former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney."

More: "Huntsman, 51, formally entered the presidential race in June, well after many of his Republican rivals such as Romney who had already formed campaign organizations and fundraising networks. He served as President Obama's first ambassador to China, but resigned effective in late April. His stint in the Obama administration was viewed skeptically by some Republican voters, but Huntsman defended it as service to the country."

1/14 VIDEO OF THE DAY: "Red Tails" Trailer

2012-01-14T14:28:00.005-06:00

The movie officially hits theaters on January 20. Produced by George Lucas, the movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ne-Yo (!), and Method Man (!) as Tuskegee Airmen. John Ridley and Aaron McGruder are the screenwriters. Terence Blanchard produced the movie's score.

For my non-American readers, the Tuskegee Airmen were a groundbreaking group of black American military pilots who were highly effective in battling the Nazis during World War II. The U.S. military was racially segregated at the time, and white folks believed that black folks were "incapable" of being pilots LMAO. These fine gentlemen were trained at Tuskegee University, the school that this blog's namesake built up back in the day (although the Airmen came long after his death):

Aspiring First Black Republican Congresswoman: "Don't Put Me In A Box Because Of My Race And Gender"

2012-01-14T13:32:00.002-06:00

The Daily Caller highlights Mayor Mia Love, a first-generation Haitian-American who is running for Congress: "If Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love wins her bid for Congress, she will be the first black Republican congresswoman in history. But don’t try to put her in that box. Love is running in Utah’s newly created 4th Congressional District. She will face a primary field including state Reps. Stephen Sandstrom and Carl Wimmer on June 26. If she wins, she’ll face Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, who remains incredibly popular, in November."

The article continues about Mayor Love: "The historical significance that her election would hold is not lost on Love, but she is adamant that she doesn’t want her race or gender to play any role in the contest. That said, she believes standing out in the sea of 435 congressmen would be a useful tool for the conservative cause she champions. 'Utah won’t vote for me because I’m going to stand out, they’ll vote for me because of my policies,' Love said in an interview with The Daily Caller. 'I have worked where the rubber meets the road on the most local levels for almost a decade,' she said. 'I have cut spending before, my policies — my fiscal policies — I’ve put them into practice in Saratoga Springs, and have made them work.'"

More: "If she does receive significant media attention, Love hopes to use the opportunity to express a conservative message that has too few African American champions. 'Any time I’m in front of that camera....I’m going to champion those conservative causes. I’m going to let people out there know that we exist, and that....there are conservative black Americans everywhere that believe in fiscal discipline, limited government and personal responsibility,' she said."

Cory Booker: "If You Want to Honor Dr. King, Do Something"

2012-01-14T13:25:00.018-06:00

From Black Entertainment Television, about the moderate Democratic mayor's statement: "For 29 years, the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been recognized as a national holiday, and although many appreciate the day off from school or work, others say service is how the 'free' time should be spent. 'If you really want to honor Dr. King, don’t talk about him, don’t quote his speeches, engage in answering his call to service,' Newark New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker tells BET.com."

The article continues about Mayor Booker's comments: "Quoting Dr. King -- who said change will not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but that it must be carried on the backs of people willing to work for it, struggle for it and sacrifice for it -- the 42-year-old mayor believes that not everyone wants that responsibility, and that needs to change. 'We’re not [successful as a nation] yet because still there are too many people who believe this democracy is a spectator sport,' he said. 'That they can sit on the sidelines and give color commentary about what’s going on, as opposed to realizing that we all must be in the game — making a sacrifice, being there for others.'"

The Tebow Effect

2012-01-14T13:18:00.003-06:00

Hoping that Tim Tebow's team wins tonight

Lloyd Marcus, a conservative Republican activist in Florida, opines about NFL quarterback Tim Tebow: "Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow is an unapologetic, outspoken born-again Christian. No politically correct, careful not to offend anyone, skirting around the issue of his faith for Tebow. When interviewed after winning a game, Tebow says, 'First, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Numerous pro athletes are Christians. None have been so innocently bold about expressing their faith as Tebow. It is as if when Tebow entered the national stage, he never got the memo sent by the left stating that God is banned from the public square, and anyone who dares speak of God will be branded a religious nutcase. Tebow simply loves Jesus and sees no reason to hide it. Thus, the left hopes that Tebow fails as a quarterback and a role model."

He continues: "Oh, I just got a thought. Wouldn't the mainstream media be celebrating and rallying around Tebow if he proclaimed that he was in love with and planned to marry a fellow teammate? Imagine the major TV network bidding war for the rights to broadcast the wedding nationwide. Meanwhile, the left has deemed Tebow proclaiming his love for Jesus offensive. A blogger called Tebow the most polarizing figure in America. Several TV shows promote homosexuality. Another TV show promotes Islam. And yet, Tebow mentioning Jesus is considered polarizing."

More: "Tebow is not polarizing/dividing people. Tebow is bringing people together. Remarkably, Tebow fans are all races, ranging in ages from eight to eighty. Folks, I am telling you. There is something uniquely special about this fine young man, Tim Tebow. Cultural rot is eating away at our country like a terminal cancer. Our boys aspire to look and act like thugs. Women are dressing themselves and their daughters without modesty. Unintentionally and, I believe, unknown to him, Tebow appears to be leading a movement toward a miracle cure: returning Christian values and principles from many years of exile. More and more pro athletes and politicians are boldly speaking about their faith on national TV. We are witnessing the birth of The Tebow Effect."

NADRA ENZI OP-ED: Brothers & Badges Together

2012-01-14T12:35:00.001-06:00

The moderate-conservative Republican blogger and anti-violence advocate in Louisiana writes: "Inner city America should have long ago hosted a different kind of civil rights march: brothers and badges dialoguing and then patrolling to reduce crime and quality of life issues. This absence has two main reasons: racism and apathy. Bias in city halls and chiefs offices [e]nsure such teamups will be rare. White officials still can't quite see us as concerned citizens who'd take to the streets to uphold law and order like Caucasian peers. The other charge of racism comes from Black men who feel ALL police are racist and ANY attempt to unite with them assists White supremacy. Brothers with this perspective can't get around seeing law enforcement as THE enemy - period!"

Mr. Enzi continues his commentary: "Apathy afflicts officer and citizen alike when it comes to inner city crime. Beaten down by entrenched negativism both feel there's no hope in these zip codes....and thus no reason to try improving conditions. They shrug their shoulders; hunker down and navigate a human wasteland growing worse by daily."

More: "Brothers & Badges was a thought experiment I did to rid the Black male/police dynamic of burdensome historic baggage. Approaching it anew means the following: Seeing high crime and no rapport as opportunities to unite the two critical elements, Black males and police, needed to solve the problem. Brothers & Badges means at long last Black boys and men delete seeing ourselves as outcasts and decide to stride forth as Americans petitioning local government to join us as we secure neighborhoods; businesses; worship sites and other threatened infrastructure. Bringing brothers and badges together denies thugs current cultural safe harbor in the Hood. Whom can we blame for not fighting to unite against America's greatest domestic public safety threat taking place in our families and social networks? This is a civil rights march that should have happened generations ago."

Bookeristas Ain't Feeling Mitt Romney Being Crowned As The Inevitable Republican Presidential Nominee

2012-01-14T12:00:00.006-06:00

Crystal Wright: "Mitt Romney's 'Inevitability Factor'"

The conservative Republican blogger in the D.C. metro area opines: "Nothing is 'inevitable in life,' how long we’re going to live or who is going to capture the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. The media and so called Republican establishment’s incessant castigation of conservative voters who dare not support Romney as 'Anyone but Romney' is insulting and only serves to intensify these conservatives' dislike and distrust of Romney more. Since when are Republicans obligated to anoint Mitt Romney with the GOP presidential nomination? Conservative voters don’t owe Mitt Romney anything. Last time I looked, we live in a democracy where the people decide and vote for whom they believe is the best candidate. This notion perpetuated and peddled by the Republican elite, whoever they may be, that conservatives must get behind Romney because he’s the GOP’s most compelling candidate in the field is laughable. If Romney is great as a candidate why over the past eight months hasn’t he been able to electrify the conservative electorate and tie up this nomination?"

She argues that conservatives don't trust him or his policy positions: "When it comes to Romney many Republicans are dubious of his convictions. Not only has he moved to the left on issues like abortion, guns and Romneycare, but he’s robotic and voters never seem to get a sense of his true beliefs and he’s void of passion. How can you engender confidence in your candidacy if voters’ question how you would govern? And Senator John McCain’s endorsement of Romney is like a bad omen. You can hear the 'anyone but Romney' crowd chanting 'from one loser to another.'"

Apostle Claver: "It Ain't Time To Fall In Line Just Yet!"

Asserts the conservative GOP activist in Texas, about the moderate-conservative GOP presidential candidate: "With a consistent 75% of GOP primary voters rejecting the idea of Romney becoming the nominee, Romney’s path to victory depends solely on his ability to use his abundant financial advantage to simply outlast the other contenders. He is being rejected! Therefore, what those of us that want a true conservative have to be on guard against is Romney’s strategy of surviving the inevitable attrition. We have to understand that the inevitable attrition can actually play to our advantage."

Mr. Claver continues his commentary about the GOP race: "The field will eventually narrow to three competitors: Romney, Paul, and the true conservative candidate. Romney will be there because of his hard cash, period. Paul will be there because of his zealous supporters and his ability to maintain a respectable revenue stream from them that will keep his campaign alive even until the national convention. The relevant question will be who will be the conservative candidate. Now here’s Romney’s path to victory....He prevails only if the true conservative candidate – for some unforeseen reason – can’t endure and Romney faces only Ron Paul."

1/13 Quote Of The Day

2012-01-13T16:29:00.000-06:00

"Have you ever heard a leftist say: 'That's why people don't like Islamists...'? This would be in light of bombings, beheadings, beatings of women and children, burning of bodies, on and on and on. Intellectual training wheels note: Islamists are not the same as Muslims. Also note: I would oppose a government run by the Christian church or any other religion. If an American does or says something stupid, the left is quick to say: 'That's why they hate us.' It never seems to go any other way. No one else is held accountable, only evil Americans. Is this self-hatred or just stupidity?" — Kenneth Durden, libertarian-conservative blogger

West On The Marines Incident: "Shut Your Mouth, War Is Hell"

2012-01-13T16:17:00.003-06:00

From The Weekly Standard, about the conservative Republican Congressman and former lieutenant colonel: "Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a former Army lieutenant colonel, sends THE WEEKLY STANDARD an email commenting on the Marines' video, and has given us permission to publish it. 'I have sat back and assessed the incident with the video of our Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. I do not recall any self-righteous indignation when our Delta snipers Shugart and Gordon had their bodies dragged through Mogadishu. Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah. All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?"

Rep. West continues his commentary about the controversy: "The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter. As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.'"

Project 21 Discusses MLK

2012-01-13T16:10:00.001-06:00

From the U.S. black conservative group's news release, which was emailed to Booker Rising:

As the nation prepares to observe the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in conjunction with the national holiday in his honor, black conservatives affiliated with the Project 21 leadership network are speaking out about how Dr. King's words and actions relate to today.

"In 1967, Dr. King declared that we must 'undergo a radical revolution of values.' Today, as America collapses under great division and debt, we need to embrace that call to national action," said Project 21 spokesman Jerome Hudson. "Dr. King fought for a moral identity to parallel the promise of equal opportunity declared in our founding documents. I'm sure he would be heartbroken to see the erosion of the family and faith in our nation today. He would declare that we must repair our shattered values system, that men be fathers to their children and husbands to their wives. Indeed, Dr. King's way forward would be that we stop bankrupting our children's future and return to the values of family and faith that made America great."

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the greatest Americans in our history. Instead of complaining, he acted. Instead of asking someone else to hand him something, he mobilized the spirit of a nation and made society respond," said Project 21 spokeswoman Shelby Emmett. "Dr. King reflected the power of 'We the People' to ensure a more perfect union for all Americans. The concept of judging one by their character rather than the color of their skin is as near and dear to our hearts as the slogan 'Give me liberty or give me death.'"

Emmett added: "While we observe Dr. King's special day on Monday, let's also take a moment to reflect on ourselves, our future and our nation. What do 'We the People' demand? What can 'We the People' do as a community to improve ourselves instead of just pointing fingers and demand that someone give it to us? Are our policies based on the content of one's character or are they still based in the pigment of one's skin? Today's civil rights 'leaders' love quoting Dr. King, but it seem that -- at least for politics' sake -- they really don't want them to come to fruition."

"I think that promoting equality of opportunity would make Dr. King the most proud of us as a people right now. Unfortunately, there are too many of us -- and so many of them being the ones claiming King's mantle -- who cling to a victim mentality and dwell upon what they don't have instead of what opportunities that are available to them," said Project 21 fellow Deneen Borelli. "In particular, former Obama advisor Van Jones is rallying militant elements such as the Occupy Wall Street protesters with claims that Dr. King was the 'original Occupier' and that we need to prepare to engage in a 'turbulent' 2012. But the divisiveness and lawlessness of Zuccotti Park and Occupy campsites across the nation seem to be about as far away from Dr. King's promised land as one can get."

Project 21 spokesman Stacy Swimp said: "I'm worried about the commercialization of Dr. King's day, and of turning the man into a myth. He was real, and he was not complacent. Dr. King was a man who implored us to resist. Today, that sort of resistance is squandered in the hunt for the last vestiges of discriminatory policies of the past. I believe that Dr. King would instead want us to work against self-imposed limitations that we now put on ourselves, force upon others and teach to our children. We have to resist the excuses, the blame games and anything that keeps us from being responsible and accountable for our daily choices."

Why Is Jon Huntsman Losing?

2012-01-13T15:05:00.028-06:00

Jon Huntsman

Asks Dennis Sanders, a moderate Republican blogger in Minnesota. He agrees with Ross Douthat's assessment of the moderate Republican presidential candidate: "Huntsman’s campaign was always destined to be hobbled by the two years he spent as President Obama’s ambassador to China. But he compounded the handicap by introducing himself to the Republican electorate with a series of symbolic jabs at the party’s base.

He picked high-profile fights on two hot-button issues — evolution and global warming — that were completely irrelevant to his candidacy’s rationale. He let his campaign manager define his candidacy as a fight to save the Republican Party from a 'bunch of cranks.' And he embraced his identity as the media’s favorite Republican by letting the liberal journalist Jacob Weisberg write a fawning profile for Vogue.

This was political malpractice at its worst. Voters don’t necessarily need to like a candidate to vote for him, but they need to think that he likes them. Imagine a contender for the Democratic nomination introducing himself to liberal voters by attacking Planned Parenthood, distancing himself from 'left-wing nutjobs' and giving a series of interviews on Fox News, and you have the flavor of how Huntsman’s opening act was perceived on the right. The substance mattered less than the symbolism, which screamed: I want your vote, but I don’t particularly care to be associated with your stupidities.

Mr. Sanders responds to Mr. Douthat's assessment: "There was a time in my life I would have been upset at such a statement. I would have totally disagreed with the analysis. Now? Not so much. The thing is, if you’re going to run as a Republican, you have to respect the base of the party. No one should expect to get very far in the GOP selection process if you call those who you’re going to vote for cranks. Douthat is correct that people don’t need to like a candidate, but they need to know that the candidate likes them. While people on either side of Mitt Romney see him as a flip-flopper who tries to please the base, the fact of the matter is if he wanted to be considered a candidate he was going to have to tailor his views to the GOP electorate. Of course, if moderates were more involved on the party level, then candidates like Romney wouldn’t have to give up their views on gay rights and abortion in order to be considered in the GOP."

Jesse Lee Peterson: "OWS & MLK? No Way!"

2012-01-13T14:20:00.012-06:00

From Christian Newswire, about the conservative Republican activist's comments: "Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action and The South Central L.A. Tea Party (SCLA TP) is blasting a coalition of liberal black pastors who have teamed up with organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement for a series of protests labeled 'Occupy The Dream.' The first major action is scheduled for Monday, January 16 during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Occupy The Dream leaders have put forth the following demands: 1.) Absolute funding of Federal Pell Grants (which, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid); 2.) A moratorium on foreclosures and reparations from banks for 'predatory lending' practices; 3.) Lastly, $100 Billion from Wall Street for job training and placement."

The article continues: "'Occupy The Dream is a scam that seeks to rob American taxpayers and exploit Dr. King's good name,' said Rev. Peterson. 'The black ministers taking part in these protests are shameless problem profiteers who have nothing in common with M.L.K. and are clueless about the spiritual aspect of King's struggle for equality,' added Rev. Peterson."

More: "Occupy The Dream organizers have called on their supporters to leave crutches and other prosthetic devices at the various Federal Reserve offices around the country to show how financial institutions are crippling residents and the economy. Leaders of the scheduled protests include Rev. Ben Chavis, the former head of the NAACP; Rev. Jamal Bryant, of Baltimore's empowerment Temple Church; and rap mogul Russell Simmons. Rev. Peterson said, 'Occupy The Dream is a political tool of the Democratic Party organized to motivate entitlement minded blacks to show up to vote for Obama. It's time for the Democrat Party [sic] and their godless surrogates, i.e.: liberal black pastors, labor union leaders, and OWS organizers to stop trying to co-opt Dr. King's legacy.'"

Tebow The Magnificent

2012-01-13T13:00:00.021-06:00

Tim Tebow

J.B. White, a moderate-conservative Republican in Florida, writes about NFL quarterback Tim Tebow: "Numerous Noles [at Florida State University] insisted the man was nothing more than a fullback destined to be a bust at Quarterback (don't laugh, they were dead serious). Then, after his freshman season superlatives helped lead the [University of Florida] Gators to a national title, these same Noles insisted Tebow would be a bust as a starting QB in college football. Above that, however, they insisted once the Noles were able to get after him for a full game -- our boy Tebow wouldn't make it through the game. The Result? Tebow threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two in a 45–12 rout of the mustard-and-ketchup Noles. Tim would go on to never lose to the Noles in his college career."

He adds: "Now, we all know what he's doing in the NFL. In the face of the most outrageous and disrespectful ridicule I've ever seen an elite athlete subjected to in my life. But he's still standing tall. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, he achieved the impossible. A co-worker, and big Nole fan, assured me that the Steelers were going to destroy Tim the Magnificent. I said no hell they wouldn't. Trust me, you have no idea how incredibly satisfied I've been this week. The dream will likely come to a crashing halt this Saturday against the Patriots, but I've never been so proud of an athlete."

More commentary from Mr. White, about Mr. Tebow: "Yeah, some of you might be sick of him but 'Tebow the Magnificent' continues to roll right on down the road, ever deeper into the American consciousness. And there isn't a more deserving guy in America."

Constructive Feedback To Black Republicans: "Your Approach Sucks. The American Political Domain Is The Enemy Of Organic Black Community Development""

2012-01-13T11:08:00.001-06:00

Asserts the conservative blogger in Georgia: "The 'Republican who is Black' is clueless. Most of them are unable to move beyond a TRANSACTIONAL view of events and make note that the BIGOTS who look to them to 'DEFEND THEIR PARTY'S 'RACISM'' have no intention what so ever to account for the 'Negro's Pots Of Gold' that the Democratic Party has collected. WHAT GOOD IS RACISM CHASING when the greatest assaults upon the 'Negro' today are done WITHOUT saying the word 'Ninja' upon the execution of the attacks against our Permanent Interests? When their party is able to get the Negro to look past the assaults and INVEST MORE into the scheme - the OBVIOUS counter is to stop allowing them to 'KEEP YOU ON TRIAL' and force them to TURN AROUND INTO THE BLACK CROWD that they are leading and ITEMIZE TO THEM THE ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT that has been bestowed upon them. (Note: I got the White cops to stop killing us IS NOT ORGANIC. You now have STREET PIRATES more proficient than the White Cop at a 7 to 1 ratio). This is why the AMERICAN POLITICAL DOMAIN is the enemy of ORGANIC BLACK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. It makes everyone not think straight."

Open Thread Friday

2012-01-13T10:58:00.000-06:00

You know the drill: keep it clean, keep it civil, but otherwise discuss what you'd like. Otherwise, don't expect to be as content as this baby....

Parliamentary Candidate: "The Center-Right Will Solve Ghana's Developmental Inertia"

2012-01-13T09:11:00.011-06:00

From VibeGhana.com: "The [center-right] New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) democratic-[classical] liberalism, a well-knit political philosophy, is the prescription for healing Ghana’s current developmental inertia. Mr Ernest Gaewu, Legal Practitioner and NPP’s parliamentary candidate for the Ho-West made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Ho on Wednesday. He said policies fashioned within the context of the NPP’s Liberal Democratic philosophy are what could bring all Ghanaians along to tackle under-development, unemployment, institutional malfunctioning and low incomes among others."

The article continues about the New Patriotic Party: "Mr Gaewu said Ghana’s rapid economic growth was linked to its ability to dismantle the barriers inhibiting the emergence of a virile private sector. He said a government of the NPP would raise the educational standards of the people through its proposed fee-free secondary education as a means of providing the corps of human resources to propel economic development. He said free secondary education would provide the country with quality human capital, easier to channel into guilds of self-employed people to ameliorate the current situation of a largely skill-deficient labour force. Mr Gaewu said the NPP had demonstrated that it had the capacity to respond better to the social needs of the people as demonstrated in the health insurance scheme, free maternal care, stipends for the poorest of the poor and youth employment. He said the Party’s liberal democratic leanings were its trump-card for harnessing creative talents of the people into productive units for development."

1/12 Quote Of The Day

2012-01-12T23:20:00.000-06:00

"As long as there’s any industry that makes money and garners publicity on portraying blacks as put-upon victims who cannot function in a free society without government largesse, there will be concerted efforts to keep race front and center. That’s not to say people can’t or shouldn’t notice differences and exercise their freedom of association and avoid or interact with certain others based on skin color or subculture. In other words, people don’t necessarily have to be colorblind in their private lives, and I have no interest in trying to persuade them otherwise. Free country! But government policy must be colorblind. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive." — conservative blogger La Shawn Barber, on affirmative action in America

COBY DILLARD OP-ED: A Republican Challenge

2012-01-12T20:57:00.003-06:00

The conservative Republican blogger and Tea Party activist in Virginia opines about Black America and the GOP: "Last week, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said that he would welcome an invitation to attend an NAACP convention, and that he would use the opportunity to explain 'why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.' Expectedly, his statement was immediately held up as another racist Republican rant, and was criticized by NAACP president Ben Jealous as being 'divisive.' But is Gingrich making a larger point, beyond the number of black Americans on food stamps and other forms of public assistance? Is he trying to say that our community needs to do more than just politically settle, accepting what leaders and groups tell us at face value?"

He continues his commentary: "The facts surrounding Gingrich’s statement show the fallacies of it. More white Americans receive public assistance than any other racial group in the country; this is to be expected, as white Americans make up a majority of the nation’s population. In fiscal year 2009, black families comprised 33 percent of the participants in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (the 'food stamps' of Gingrich’s statement), while white families comprised 31 percent and Hispanic families comprised 28 percent. However, when these statistics are viewed through the percentages of America’s racial makeup – 75 percent white, 13 percent African American, and 15 percent Hispanic or Latino – there’s no doubt that minorities receive public assistance disproportionate to their numbers in the country."

Mr. Dillard wonders if Black America will accept the GOP challenge to see through the rhetoric that blames African-American problems on external factors, and begin to look within to ensure that our interests are met: "Considering the reality of those numbers – and not focusing on the statement that prompts the consideration – should cause concern. Not just to us as individuals in our community, but to those who claim to 'lead' it as well. We should be calling to task those individuals and organizations who want to have status in our community, and asking them what specific actions they are taking to help reverse some of these numbers. That includes not only challenging ourselves, but organizations such as the Urban League and Congressional Black Caucus – and yes, the NAACP. It’s easy to do a press release or hold a convention to decry the Republican Party or the Tea Party movement for their lack of knowledge and appreciation of how national problems affect our communities – a legitimate complaint – but shouldn’t some of that same effort and enthusiasm (and yes, financing) go towards dealing with the problems we face in our communities every day?"

Back In The Saddle

2012-01-12T20:00:00.007-06:00

More craziness in my schedule, so I haven't been posting as I would like. Things are dying down though, so it should be more consistent....

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama: "Im Tired Of Being Stereotyped As An Angry Black Woman"

2012-01-12T19:45:00.009-06:00

From the Associated Press: "First lady Michelle Obama is challenging assertions she's forcefully imposed her will on White House aides, saying she's tired of people portraying her as 'some kind of angry black woman.' Mrs. Obama tells CBS News she hasn't read New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor's new book that characterizes her as a behind-the-scenes force in the Executive Mansion, whose strong views often draw her into conflict with President Barack Obama's top advisers. 'I never read these books,' she told CBS's Gayle King in an interview broadcast Wednesday. 'So I've just gotten in the habit of not reading other people's impressions of people.' In the book, Mrs. Obama is said to have occasionally bristled at some of the demands and constraints of life in the White House."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

JAPHETH OMOJUWA COMMENTARY: Nigeria's Fuel Issues: Free Market On Shackles

2012-01-12T19:00:00.000-06:00

The Nigerian libertarian blogger writes: "The questions Nigerians are asking their government is simple enough: if truly government is as broke as it claims, why does it insist on spending public funds like it is rich? This question is credible. Nigerian public officers are the highest earners in the world. Nigeria's Senate President earns $3.7 million in salaries and allowances every year. The other 459 members of the national assembly each cost tax payers $2.1 million per year. A Nigerian Governor spends as much as $1.5 billion per year on the pretense of 'security votes' despite security being a separate line item in the budget. The President and his Vice-President have a line in the 2012 budget saying 'welfare' that cost the people $4 million. The budget is littered with wastes like the ones stated here. These are the reasons Nigerians are insisting that the claims of a 207.7 per cent increase in the price of petrol is a question of taxes not of removing subsidy as there are claims yet to be denied by the government that even at N65 ($0.43) the government was already making as much as $0.17 on each litre of petrol sold. The commodity now sells for as much as $1.33 from $0.43."

More from Mr. Omojuwa: "There are agitations for a new spending regime. There are demands for a full deregulation of the petroleum sector as it is currently run by a monopoly called the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which is run by political rent seekers and their cronies. The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which if/when passed into law will allow for the full deregulation of the sector, remains stalled at the National Assembly over three years since it was raised at the House. The government says there is a cabal that sabotages its efforts at cleaning up the sector. The cabal remains because the government being a beneficiary of the underhanded scheming of the cabal has turned a blind eye to the crime and the criminals it admits exist."

Capital Offense: Romney And Bain

2012-01-12T18:30:00.025-06:00

Mitt Romney back in the day

Raynard Jackson, a moderate Republican political consultant in D.C, writes: "I am stunned by all the controversy surrounding presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital (the private investment company that he founded). What’s even more amazing is that the controversy was started by Republicans running against him for the presidential nomination. These Republican candidates have accused Romney of buying several businesses and then laying off or firing employees so he could reduce costs and then turn around and sell the businesses for a profit. Wow, imagine that — a businessman who wants to make a profit."

He continues his commentary: "Now, radical liberals like Al Sharpton and Larwrence [sic] O’Donnell, etc. are having a field-day with this issue. The first question you should ask radicals like them is, 'how many private sector jobs have you ever created?' I think we all know the answer to this question — none, zero, nada! Their arguments have absolutely no intellectual underpinning whatsoever. So, allow me to give these radicals a simple lesson in economics. Last year two friends of mine became engaged to be married and ultimately did get married. They both owned their own home. They couldn’t afford to keep both houses, two sets of furniture, etc. So, they decided to sell one of the homes and combined all the items from both houses and got rid of the duplicate or unnecessary furniture (to reduce costs). So, when companies like Romney’s decides [sic] to buy a company, in most cases they have determined that there are inefficiencies that need to be eradicated. Thus, tough, but necessary, decisions have to be made. Why are they necessary, you might ask?"

More commentary about the moderate-conservative Republican presidential candidate: "Romney has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and there is no need for him to justify his desire to make a profit in his deal-making. If anything, Romney’s experience at Bain Capital proves he is able to make tough decisions without allowing emotions to cloud his judgment. This is a great quality for any strong leader to possess. This controversy provides a sharp contrast in the fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats in how they view capitalism. Republicans believe that increasing shareholder value is the primary goal of business ownership. Democrats believe that increasing employee value (i.e. giving them a job) is the primary goal of business ownership. When you decide to become an employee, you necessarily also decide to put your future in the hands of your employer. There is never any security in anything that you don’t own."

Nadra Enzi on Disliking Cops

2012-01-12T18:15:00.008-06:00

The moderate-conservative Republican blogger in Louisiana writes: "I used to dislike cops. As a younger man simply walking while Black was cause enough to be stopped by officers. As I got older and my activist profile raised the stops... stopped (no pun intended). Harassment was pushed to the background as activities as anti-crime activist and security professional created more positive encounters. While still passionately opposed to racial profiling and brutality I nonetheless don't stereotype all officers as crooked or racist."

He continues his commentary: "Disliking cops for non-criminal brothers is a defense mechanism against unjust treatment. While Black male criminals have their rights violated some dislike may also be because cops catch them doing wrong. Thawing glacial relations between Black males and police seems harder than defrosting relations between the US and the former Soviet Union. Until each surrenders some antagonistic baggage the divide persists and the gulf is filled with missed opportunities to reduce crime and produce good citizens."

More: "I ask us to reconsider bad opinions on both sides because ultimately Black male and Black cops are on the same side. No amount of outside criminal justice and social science input will undo negatives we see up close and personally daily. Disliking cops wholesale becomes even more of a cop-out when considering the abuse Dr. King endured without once denouncing policing in all his speeches and writing. If he could resist the urge to dislike cops- what's our excuse?"

DEROY MURDOCK COMMENTARY: Economic Freedom Declines In U.S.

2012-01-12T18:04:00.002-06:00

The libertarian Republican commentator writes: "Good news! On economic freedom, America is in the global Top 10. Bad news: America is No. 10 -- one blond hair ahead of Denmark. According to the 18th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released Thursday by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong enjoys Earth's freest economy. It invariably has topped this list since 1995. No. 2 Singapore leads Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, Mauritius, and Ireland. Agnostic on political freedom, the Index evaluates fiscal discipline, taxes, regulations, monetary policy, rule of law, corruption and other measures of economic liberty. America has slid from No. 9 in 2011 to tenth place today. Indeed, this is the fourth consecutive year in which the U.S. fell a notch. Out of a perfect score of 100, America declined 1.5 points to 76.3. Denmark, No. 11, scored 76.2."

He continues his commentary: "U.S. tax-and-spend scores are appalling: Among 179 countries surveyed, America is No. 127 in government spending and No. 133 in fiscal freedom. The U.S. suffers an 'overall tax burden amounting to 24 percent of total domestic income,' the Index states. 'Government expenditures have grown to 42.2 percent of GDP, and the budget deficit is close to 10 percent of GDP. Total public debt is now larger than the size of the economy.' Meanwhile, U.S. business moans beneath the regulatory rubble. 'Over 70 new major regulations have been imposed since early 2009, with annual costs of more than $38 billion.' Another problem: 'Corruption is a growing concern as the cronyism and economic rent-seeking associated with the growth of government have undermined institutional integrity,' the Index says."

More: "No. 7 Chile has surpassed America, confirming the wisdom of its reforms, including its social security system's wildly popular and highly successful personal-account option. These were inspired by the ideas and disciples of the late, great economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman. Even No. 8 Mauritius is economically freer than America, the first time an African nation has left the U.S. behind. Thankfully, America's economy is not repressed, like the 10 least free countries: No. 170 Equatorial Guinea, followed by Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Venezuela, Eritrea, Libya, Cuba, Zimbabwe, and -- dead last -- No. 179 North Korea. Alas, America is sinking toward these economic dungeons, not climbing away from them."

Frank Bruno: "We'll Never See The Likes Of Ali Again"

2012-01-12T17:00:00.023-06:00

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali turns 70 years old on January 17. Frank Bruno, a bookerista and British former professional boxer, weighs in on the American great in The Daily Record (UK): "Frank Bruno became a world heavyweight champion in 1995 when he beat Oliver McCall in London to take the WBC title. But Bruno knew the world he ruled inside the ring was on a different planet from the one that was once inhabited by his all-time hero Muhammad Ali. That’s why Frank will put aside his beliefs that technology has contributed towards boxing’s decline in standards and sit glued to TV next week. ESPN Classic will screen a full day’s worth of programmes to commemorate Ali’s 70th birthday on Tuesday, as well as a separate show in his honour each night next week at 10 o’clock."

The article continues: "Bruno knows highlights of his inspiration’s career from memory but will watch out of a sense of duty to Ali’s brilliance. They have been ingrained in his mind from his earliest days in South London and Frank’s thoughts will immediately turn to the last time he met 'The Greatest' when the time comes to recognise this milestone. He said: 'Muhammad had crossed the borderline between good health and the Parkinson’s disease that was to afflict him when we first met. It was a sad moment for me as well as the chance to meet someone I’d idolised since childhood. It was refreshing and touching at the same time. What drew me to this man in my youth was the whole package. Here was a guy who was smart, good looking and able to talk in headlines so much the reporters who spoke to him ran out of ink in their pens. The biggest treasures I possess are the photographs of me and Ali together. He was my god, my inspiration and my hero.'"

More from Mr. Bruno, about Mr. Ali: "He said: 'Ali was about ring craft and skill. He was a unique psychologist in the ring as well and wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with his opponent if that was what was necessary to win. Today we have cage fighters and genuine craftsmen are few and far between. It’d be different if boxing could rediscover characters like Ali, Foreman, Frazier and Mike Tyson, but the young aren’t as tough now as they were in their day. They’re lazy and sit in front of TV or computer games. Ali and his contemporaries wanted to make the best of themselves and I suspect their day will never return. You would need to go into schools and conduct a survey to find out why that is the case but my suspicion is their need to get money and change their personal circumstances isn’t as powerful a drive as it was in Ali’s day.'"

Rep. Tim Scott: "The Tea Party Movement's Role Is Elusive In The GOP Presidential Primary Race"

2012-01-12T16:15:00.015-06:00

From Politico, about the conservative Republican Congressman: "Rep. Tim Scott’s resigned to the idea of having to settle for a GOP nominee who doesn’t reflect the full spectrum of tea party values. And he’s finding it hard to get too excited about any of them as he decides who to vote for — and who to endorse — ahead of his state’s primary, coming up on Jan. 21. 'The great challenge is that finding the one out of the ones that are running that represents everything you want is just an impossibility. It probably was at the beginning and it still remains an impossibility today,' the South Carolina congressman told POLITICO in the latest installment of the 'On the Line' audio series."

The article continues: "'There’s no question that the Tea Party candidate must be a very elusive person,' Scott said. And the fragmenting of support between multiple candidates wasn’t helping, he said. 'Whether we like it or not, Mitt Romney is the beneficiary of three candidates who are very strong and going after the Tea Party base with a concerted effort,' Scott said, adding that Gingrich, Santorum and Perry will 'without question, divide a part of the base and it will make Romney’s vote a little easier.' But if the primary does go to Romney, following his Iowa and New Hampshire wins: 'Game over,' Scott said. 'No question. It’s done.'"

Open Thread Saturday

2012-01-07T19:52:00.000-06:00

Que paso?

Open Thread Friday

2012-01-06T11:54:00.002-06:00

Busy day, so this will be the only post for today. What's on your mind?

1/5 Events Calendar

2012-01-05T17:57:00.000-06:00

7:40pm ET, USA: Angela McGlowan Appears On Fox Business Network

The political analyst and conservative Republican will appear tonight on Lou Dobbs' show on the FOX Business channel. I'm not sure what they'll be discussing, but I assume that it's about current news events.

9:45pm ET, USA: Angela McGlowan Appears On Fox News Channel

The political analyst and conservative Republican will appear tonight on "Hannity" on the Fox News Channel. I'm not sure what they'll be discussing, but I assume that it's about current news events.

10:00pm ET, USA: Deroy Murdock Appears On Fox Business Network

The syndicated columnist and libertarian Republican will appear tonight on the "Stossel Show" to discuss how blockbuster movies like ‘Jerry Maguire' broadcast the message of liberty, even when they don't intend to. The appearance is part of the show's "Champions Of Liberty" focus

Kenneth Meshoe On The ANC's Centenary Celebration: "I Ain't Down With The Ancestor Worship. Keep It Up, & Tragedy Will Befall South Africa Like Haiti""

2012-01-05T17:45:00.017-06:00

Kenneth Meshoe

Mr. Meshoe is a South African parliamentarian and head of the conservative African Christian Democratic Party. From The Citizen (South Africa): " The ANC’s adherence to ancestor worship and offering sacrifices to the spirits of the dead are some of the reasons why Reverend Kenneth Meshoe MP will snub this week’s centenary celebrations of the ruling party. Meshoe, leader of the small fundamentalist African Christian Democratic Party, has rebuked the ANC for 'dedicating South Africa to the ancestors and spirits of the dead, mostly dead ANC leaders'. He believes an evil omen will descend on the country following the ANC’s animal sacrifice rituals this week."

More: "Meshoe said yesterday he would boycott the ANC’s centenary celebrations in Mangaung, Free State, this weekend because of the party’s belief in ancestor worship and making offerings to 'dead spirits'. 'I do not believe in making sacrifices to ancestors and dead spirits. It will cause a disaster in South Africa. Look at Haiti, that country has been dedicated to the devil, which has brought untold suffering to its people,' he said. Meshoe was referring to the powerful earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, leaving 250.000 people dead and affecting millions more. The count[r]y is also known for its traditional devil worshipping."

Booker Rising response: Um, I'm not aware of Haitians supporting "devil worshipping".

Deroy Murdock: "Romney's Tax Hikes Should Worry Taxpayers"

2012-01-05T17:35:00.003-06:00

Asserts the libertarian Republican commentator, on taxes: "Hot on the heels of his eight-vote Iowa-caucus landslide, Willard Mitt Romney is crisscrossing New Hampshire before Tuesday's key primary. Romney is masquerading as a limited-government, free-market executive from next-door Massachusetts. From the Golden Gate to the Granite State, voters should greet Romney's impersonation with a quarry full of skepticism. In fact, Romney increased taxes by $309 million, mainly on corporations. These tax hikes, described by Romney apologists as 'loophole closures,' totaled $128 million in 2003, $95.5 in 2004, and $85 million in 2005. That final year, Romney proposed $170 million in higher business taxes, the Boston Globe reports. However, the Bay State's liberal, Democratic legislature balked and only approved an $85 million increase."

Mr. Murdock about the moderate-conservative Republican presidential candidate: "Romney also created or increased fees by $432 million. He was not dragooned into this by greedy Democratic lawmakers; Romney himself proposed these items. In 2003 alone, Romney concocted or boosted 88 fees. Romney charged more for marriage licenses (from $6 to $12), gun registrations (from $25 to $75), a used-car sales tax ($10 million), gasoline deliveries ($60 million), real-estate transfers ($175 million), and more. Particularly obnoxious was Romney's $10 fee per Certificate of Blindness. Romney also billed blind people $15 each for discount-travel ID cards. While Romney can take credit for a $275 million capital-gains tax rebate, property-tax relief for seniors, and a two-day, tax-free shopping holiday, he also must take responsibility for signing $740.5 million in higher taxes, plus that $85 million in business taxes that he requested and legislators rejected."

BOOKERISTA DEBATE: Is Rep. Ron Paul A Positive Influence On The Republican Party?

2012-01-05T16:15:00.036-06:00

YES: Larry Elder: "The Importance Of Ron Paul"

The libertarian Republican commentator in Los Angeles metro opines: "Paul scares people who purport to embrace freedom but fear the responsibility that goes with it. Privatize Social Security? Serious change in Medicare? Call off the war on drugs? End government welfare? He actually believes in the Constitution, an amazing document that many Americans ignore, have not read or are apparently waiting for the movie version. Paul speaks passionately and persuasively about abolishing the departments of Education, Energy, Commerce, the Interior, and Housing and Urban Development. He wants to take a machete to the size of government when many Republicans insist on using a pocketknife."

More: "What about a Paul third party candidacy, since he is not seeking re-election to the House? He would likely siphon more votes from the GOP than from President Obama -- and do greater damage to the GOP nominee than Ralph Nader did to Al Gore in 2000. It is quite extraordinary what the rumpled, unpretentious 76-year-old OB/GYN has already achieved. Many Republicans now agree: If the GOP listened to Paul on domestic and economic issues, their 'brand' would look a lot better."

NO: Star Parker: "Ron Paul's Rise Demonstrates How Moral Relativism Has Infected Conservative Youth"

The conservative Republican commentator in California sees a trend on university campuses that may explain Rep. Paul's rise: "When I first started lecturing early in the 1990’s, leading heroes of Republican youth were Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley, Jr. Individual freedom, respect for constitutional limitations on government, and traditional values was the message. There was a sense of purpose. America as a 'shining city on a hill,' quoted so often by Reagan, taken from the Puritan pilgrim John Winthrop, captured the picture."

She adds: "Now, increasing numbers of my campus hosts ask that I not talk about 'values.' Leave out the stuff about marriage, family, and abortion, please, and just talk about the economy. The materialism and moral relativism that created our left wing culture is now infecting our youth on the right. Young Republicans may be pushing back on government, but too often now their motivation is like their left wing contemporaries. A sense of entitlement and an interest in claiming rights with little interest in corresponding personal responsibilities."

Genome Study Reveals Evidence Of Slavery-Related Natural Selection Among African-Americans

2012-01-05T15:47:00.003-06:00

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai are on the case. The researchers first segregated the non-African DNA among African-Americans, in order to zero in on the African genomes. From theGrio.com: "The main result of the study was that certain disease-causing variant genes were found to have become more common in African-Americans after their ancestors reached American shores -- possibly because they presented greater benefits, according to an article published by the team in Genome Research. Additionally, the researchers found that other gene variants have actually become less common over time in African-Americans."

The article continues: "For example, the gene for sickle cell hemoglobin -- which protects against malaria when a carrier has two copies of the gene -- has become less common in African-Americans than native Africans, possible because malaria was less of a threat on America's shores. Interestingly, the new gene variants that African-Americans acquired in America are connected with higher risks for hypertension, prostate cancer, sclerosis, and bladder cancer. The researchers assert in their paper that these disease-causing genes may have played an adaptive role for blacks in their new home country. 'Most of the genes associated with African-American ethnic diseases may have played an important role in African-Americans' adaptation to local environment, they stated in their paper. However, the authors have not been able to identify the specific benefits these genes may have conferred to the ancestors of modern blacks."

More: "Some experts believe the study misses the fact that the natural selection Shanghai scientists are accounting for may have occurred in other environments, such as the ships slaves traveled on -- before reaching American shores. For example, University of Southern California Professor and anthropologist Craig Stanford, who has studied human evolution for more than twenty years, believes the study misses this crucial point. 'It's long been thought that the slave ships bringing Africans to the new world were places of intense natural selection, since 90 percent of the slaves may have died on a trip,' Stanford told theGrio. 'Those who survived may have had genetic traits -- the ability to withstand starvation, lack of water, etc. -- that served them well on the ship but left their descendants with genetic problems that may have been associated with the genes that conferred protection on the ships.' It is acknowledged that researchers can analyze and trace the genomes of contemporary mixed populations, but some experts claim that it is difficult to prove that natural selection can take place within a period as short as 300 years through the means used in the study."

Booker Rising response: What I'd like to see is a study comparing African-Americans with Americo-Liberians and the Sierra Leone Creoles (the latter two populations possess African-American ancestry, but their ancestors returned to Africa in the 1790s-early 1900s) to fully test out this natural selection thesis. For instance, is the sickle cell gene now as common among Americo-Liberians and Sierra Leone Creoles as African populations, as "low" as that of African-Americans, or do they occupy the space between African-Americans and Africans?

Gregory Kane: "Santorum Is The Latest Clown In GOP Circus"

2012-01-05T15:14:00.001-06:00

Asserts the conservative Republican columnist in Baltimore: "Another moron. It looks to me like somebody's trying to channel his inner idiot. It looks to me like somebody doesn’t know his history. It looks to me like somebody needs to 'read a book, read a book, read a bleepin’-bleepin’ book.' And that somebody is named Rick Santorum. Just when I thought it was safe to watch the news again, just when I thought that the Republicans couldn’t possibly trot out yet another moron who wants to be president, along comes Santorum. Black folks have been talking about Santorum's goofy gaffe all week, and rightly so. We've been riding the man’s back like he’s a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred."

He continues his commentary about Mr. Santorum: "Here, according to news reports, is what Santorum had to say about the matter of welfare: 'I don’t want to make black people's lives better by giving them someone else’s money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn money.' Taking a candidate to task for talk like this is almost too easy. It's like shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. What alternate universe has Santorum been living in all his life? Ah, yes, that would be the lily-white one. The one where all white folks (the 'someone else's' in Santorum's comment) work and the one where all black folks are on welfare. Now, back in the universe we all live in – that would be the real one – we know this: welfare was started by white people, for white people. Black folks receiving welfare benefits is simply an unintended consequence."

More commentary from Mr. Kane: "Looking strictly at numbers, there are far more white people on welfare than black people. Now, proportionally, there are a greater percentage of black people on welfare than there are a percentage of white people on welfare. That's because, proportionally, there are more poor black people than poor white people. But that's by design. That's the result of black Americans, for years, being relegated to the most menial, low-paying jobs. It comes from years of black Americans being the last hired and first fired. In short, it's part of the legacy of white racism. Had Santorum bothered to read Kerner Commission report, he might have saved himself the embarrassment of cramming his foot down his throat."

Americans Make Up Half Of The World's Richest 1%

2012-01-05T14:59:00.002-06:00

Wealthy kids from Baldwin Hills, California

Kenneth Durden, a libertarian-conservative blogger, writes about a CNN Money report: "Now that suggests that the American system has provided greater opportunity for economic prosperity than any other nation. Contrary to leftist views, most of this American wealth was not inherited or controlled but earned."

More: "I am waiting to hear leftists rail and rant about how unfair it is that Americans have so much wealth. The leftist will ignore how other governments prevent people from prospering. They will still condemn 'evil capitalism.' Oh, make no mistake. The global warming industry is tied to this supposed global 'wealth disparity.'"

ARTUR DAVIS OP-ED: Romney, Santorum, & Electability

2012-01-05T14:50:00.016-06:00

The moderate Democrat and former Congressman opines about the Republican presidential campaign (hat tip: Mr. Ref): "Democrats don’t want Romney. But it is striking how much of the Romney fear factor is a reductionist, fairly lazy analysis based on the thinnest of factors. One element is the state of current polls, which generally put Romney a little ahead or a little behind Barack Obama, while no one else is close. However, early polls are gauzy, out-of-focus snapshots, and they illustrate mainly that the line of attack on Romney has largely been that he is insufficiently conservative, a charge that doesn’t exactly jar non-conservatives. Another basis for the fear is the notion that Romney has been vetted, has a largely error-free career, and has an executive polish that is not tarnished by votes in Washington. That’s all fair enough. The fact, however, is that Democrats have not had to strain to plan the race they would run against Romney. For four days in the week, they will paint him as a flip-flopper who has occupied both sides of a lot of ground; for three days, as an entitled tool of corporate interests who made millions doling out pink slips on behalf of a shadowy management firm."

Mr. Davis continues his commentary: "The case for Rick Santorum — and yes, at this juncture, that phrase still feels weird — is that he is a conviction conservative with immigrant, middle-class roots who empathizes with battered places Republicans normally don’t see. If you don’t yet buy it, watch his might-as-well-be-a-victory-speech in Iowa: It was simply the best Republican rhetoric in the last decade. The former senator powerfully articulated the case that too much entitlement weakens individual resolve; that the working and middle classes can be as endangered by unrestrained corporations as they are by big government; and that revitalizing shattered communities is a conservative enterprise too. He smartly acknowledged that neither party has exactly been preoccupied with the middle class, or the deteriorating relationship between work and reward. If it lacked the poetry and the elegant lilt of Obama’s A game, there was a clarity and directness to it that post-Reagan Republicans have struggled to find."

More: "Santorum may or may not be the right messenger, but I suspect his message [on Tuesday night] is the only one capable of beating Obama [because of its particular resonance with white working-class voters]. What Republicans have to decide is whether any aspect of that message can be delivered plausibly and compellingly by Romney, and whether Santorum can withstand the contempt and ridicule that is coming for the more provocative and confrontational side of his conservatism, the side that makes him, compared with Romney, an outright culture warrior. There are voters Republicans need who will not join Santorum in opposing abortion rights for a teenager who has just been raped. There are swing voters who are quite skeptical that the Constitution protects a right to same-sex marriage, but who would see no point in an uphill battle to amend the Constitution to take the matter out of the hands of individual states — which is precisely what Santorum proposes. More than anything, the potential for Santorum rests on whether his skill in describing our economic anxieties, and matching them with conservative, populist solutions, was a one-time wonder or a narrative he can use to soothe the qualms about his social views."

SIDE-EYE POST OF THE DAY: Man Stabbed For Not Knowing That Beyonce & Jay-Z Are Married

2012-01-05T14:46:00.008-06:00

From theGrio.com: "A Cleveland-area man was arrested after a New Year's Eve stabbing that resulted from an argument over whether singer Beyoncé was married to rapper Jay-Z. An arrest report shows that the incident happened a few hours before the new year. The Parma Police Department's Detective Marty Compton said Ronald Deaver, 31, and another man began arguing when the alleged victim said he didn't know that Beyoncé and Jay-Z were married. The 41-year-old victim, who has not yet been identified, was stabbed and taken to a local hospital soon after. He is currently listed in good condition. Deaver fled the scene but was arrested soon after and charged with felonious assault. Beyoncé married Jay-Z in New York on September 4, 2008 in a private ceremony. They are currently expecting their first child."

BOOKERISTA OF THE YEAR POST: Herman Cain To Launch 9-9-9 Bus Tour

2012-01-05T14:42:00.001-06:00

From Politico, about the conservative Republican businessman and former presidential candidate: "Herman Cain’s not a candidate anymore, but he’s launching a new bus tour anyway. The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO announced plans to tour the country to raise support for the '9-9-9' plan that was the star of his aborted presidential run, hoping to rally congressional sponsors for his plan to replace the federal Tax Code with a 9 percent corporate tax, 9 percent personal income tax and a 9 percent national sales tax."

The article continues: "The one-time Republican front-runner announced his 'Cain’s Solutions Revolution' during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday night. 'I started a new movement. The biggest comment I got when I ended my candidacy was to keep 9-9-9 alive. That’s what this is about, and I’m going to keep it alive with what I’m calling Cain’s Solutions Revolution,' Cain said. 'You have a bus,' Hannity interjected. 'Yes, sir. I have a bus with my picture on it,' Cain said, smiling, as Hannity displayed a photo of a vehicle that looked similar to the campaign bus he used on the trail until the day he pulled up in it at the early December rally in Atlanta when he ended his campaign. The Atlanta businessman said he plans to 'get commitments from members of Congress in 2012 before Election Day' and that the legislation is currently being drafted. Cain’s website to promote his new endeavor, CainConnections.com, is nearly identical to his presidential campaign website, which was still live until recently."

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko: "Has Ghanaian President John Atta Mills Lost Touch With Honesty?"

2012-01-05T14:00:00.000-06:00

The libertarian-conservative head of the Danquah Institute (Ghana) opines about Ghana's center-left president's recent trip to America: "First of all, you don’t go to the NYSE to meet investors. It is like going to the Makola Market and hoping to strike a deal with the head of Finatrade. His rice may be sold there but he is not there. You don’t meet Ghanaian investors at the Ghana Stock Exchange. Like the Accra bourse, the NYSE is staffed by traders, who buy and sell shares on the instruction of investors. Secondly, the President’s can’t-wait-must-go-now investment trip — so important to take place on the celebration of the birth of Christ — happened without any of his material ministers (trade, finance, energy, etc) in his entourage. What a competent leader we have in Mills. The presidential press corps was also excluded from the trip, reportedly. In spite of all the urgency, the President’s first official meeting, by the Castle’s own records, was five days after he arrived in New York."

Mr. Otchere-Darko argues that the president's real purpose of going to America was for medical attention: "Indeed, if put to the vote, it would be a first round victory for the number of Ghanaians who genuinely believe the President returned to New York for an emergency medical treatment. And, if he did, what would be so strange about that? Why has the Mills administration made such a top state secret about the President’s health when it is clear to all that all is not well? And, should all be expected to be well with any human being in his sixties when those of us a couple of decades younger are even routinely swallowing pills in the morning? The health status of the Head of State is a constitutional issue and Parliament can even compel the President, through an impeachment process, to be checked by independent medical experts if only a third of the chamber had good cause to believe that it was affecting his performance. The growing perception is that the President is refusing to be honest about the real state of his health. The danger here is that it throws a big brick through his human wall of integrity and a radiation of uncertainty over how the nation is being governed."

Chief Justice Defends His Peers On Recusal Policy

2012-01-05T13:38:00.002-06:00

Opponents say Thomas & Kagan should recuse themselves

From the National Journal: "In his annual report on the state of the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. defended his colleagues’ ability to hear arguments on President Obama’s health care law when it comes before the Supreme Court this spring, the New York Times reported."

More: "According to federal law, judges must remove themselves from hearing a case if their 'impartiality might be reasonably questioned' for reasons that include, but are not limited to, financial interest in or a previous opinion on the case. Critics have raised concerns that the involvement of [conservative Republican] Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Virginia, in groups opposed to the health care law, as well as [liberal Democratic] Justice Elena Kagan's experience as U.S. solicitor general, may make the two justices unfit to rule impartially on the case. Without mentioning them by name, Roberts wrote that he has 'complete confidence' in his colleagues’ ability to decide when they should sit out on a case, and defended the court’s ethical standards."

BOOKERISTA DEBATE: Can Romney Beat Obama?

2012-01-04T18:58:00.002-06:00

YES: Chidike Okeem: "Electability Matters"

The FOX News business analyst and conservative in New York writes: "I didn't hear a lot of pundits talking about nor did I see them write about the fact that Iowa matters this election year as the market is clamoring for a Republican that can give President Obama a real challenge. For all his weakness, that candidate is Mitt Romney. I'm not endorsing Romney, but I'm looking at the reality of the landscape facing the nation. In a sense this should be an election about family values and a nation that's lost its way, and on that note, Santorum ranks highest. But I've met Romney's sons, and he has an impressive family as well. I've been on the air with Rick Santorum many times, and we have a rapport. I'm proud of his surge, just not sure if it's too little too late."

He continues his commentary: "Then there is runaway debt and a runaway fed, and of course Paul owns that, but Romney is talking the talk. The fact is Romney has the understanding of the free markets, and he's talking tough about the Fed. Paul is a man of convictions, which is like the man with one eye in the land of the blind when it comes to our debt and reckless fiscal course. The things holding Paul back are deal breakings with wide swaths of society. I haven't read the newsletters, but think if anyone could survive Rev. Wright then decades-old newsletters could be a non-factor. Then there is the notion of running a state, and while no state has rocked like Texas, at least Romney can boast executive experience while Rick Perry just hasn't been able to rebound. In Rick Perry's case, that old adage about first impressions has proven to be all too true."

NO: Chidike Okeem: "A Mormon Will Beat America's 1st Black President? Y'all Are Delusional"

Asserts the Nigerian-British conservative in California, who supported Michele Bachmann's now-ended presidential campaign: "ROTFL at all the people thinking a Mormon is going to defeat the first black president of the United States! People make me laugh! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! As soon as Romney wins the nomination, Obama will start popping bottles of bubbly in celebration, while his campaign strategists start to compile all the VICIOUSLY RACIST parts of Mormon theology to use in ads. Get a clue, Republicans!"

The Iowa Caucus: Bookerista Reaction

2012-01-04T18:45:00.003-06:00

As folks know, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucus by only eight votes. Bookeristas from around the world weigh in on last night's results:

France: Neoafricain: "Sur La Route De La Maison Blanche"

The French conservative blogger discusses the GOP road to the White House (original op-ed in French): "By winning victory by the slimmest of margins, Mitt Romney was perfectly placed in a favorable position. His stature as a statesman, his image as a moderate-conservative, his government experience, his professional success in the private sector, and its ability to unite Americans of all political stripes to achieve results are his main assets. But the most decisive one is certainly the belief shared by more and more people that he is the best Republican candidate who is able to beat Obama."

The article continues: "The choice of the future Republican candidate is up to Americans. We are mere observers. But American voters should know that they have a huge responsibility. In the presidential regime which governs the United States, the choice of America's future president is crucial. Of course, as a neoconservative and a more devout Christian, I don't think that Mitt Romney is the perfect choice. But that's where the political maturity is important."

Britain: Walaa Idris: "The Real Winner Of The Iowa Caucus Isn't Mitt Romney"

The Conservative Party activist in London writes: "I am very happy with the result, even though it was a virtual tie; Romney made it to first place and he deserves it. He is what America and the world needs right now, my hope is US voters, in particular Republicans can see that. However, he is not the true winner of the Iowa Caucus!"

More: "Rick Santorum was a real shocker and the star of the night. He came from nowhere and barely lost by 8 votes. Well-done to him but he is not the winner either. The real winner of the Iowa Caucus is the good people of the Hawkeye State. Iowans won by sending a big and important message from the American Heartland, that no amount of money, airtime, or fancy [a]ds will beat feet on the street and pressing flesh with folks on the ground, congratulations to Iowa and take note politicians!"

USA: Kenneth Durden: "The Iowa Caucus Thins The GOP Herd"

The libertarian-conservative blogger opines: "Big news out of Iowa. Rick Perry will pack it up and go back to Texas. Okay, that's more of an inference than an outright statement. Perry says he will head back to Texas [to] assess his campaign. Bachmann sounded as though she is just about to pack it in. She should. The Iowa Caucus went down to the wire in a race between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum should enjoy his Iowa showing because I don't think he will go much farther. For one thing, Santorum is far too in love with himself. In his rambling and uninspired speech, he proved that he does not know when to shut up."

Harris Becomes USA's 1st Openly Gay Black Republican Mayor

2012-01-04T17:51:00.001-06:00

In Chatham, N.J. From the Daily Record: "Bruce Harris was sworn in as mayor of the borough on Tuesday, becoming the first openly gay, black, Republican mayor in the country. 'I have felt it is my duty to serve the community,' Harris said. 'I think that public service is interesting, and finding ways to meet the challenges facing a small community like Chatham Borough is personally rewarding.' The Victory Fund, an organization that works to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said Harris is the first mayor of his kind in the country. Yet Harris, an attorney and 30-year resident of the borough, says he did not enter politics to break barriers."

More: "Harris served the borough for 13 years on various boards and commissions. He also served two terms as a council member, working with mayors Dick Plambeck and Nelson Vaughan, whom he defeated in the November election. 'Bruce ran a really smart campaign and he is well-established in Chatham,' said Leanna Brown, a former state senator and a resident of Chatham for 50 years. 'I think his election shows the breadth and depth of the Republican Party.'"

Rep. Allen West: "Romney Would Probably Govern America Differently Than He Led Massachusetts"

2012-01-04T17:30:00.000-06:00

The Sun-Sentinel (Florida) interviews the conservative Republican Congressman. Excerpts:

On the Iowa caucuses: "What you have seen coming out of Iowa with the top three that finished is a broad spectrum across the Republican Party. You have a person that is center to center-left, you have someone that is center to the right and you have a libertarian,' he said. That refers to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who finished first, second and third. 'Now the question is how can they continue to play their message out with the other primaries,' he said. West expects a the field to continue to narrow. 'Based upon his performance in New Hampshire, you’ll probably see maybe former Governor [Jon] Huntsman drop out.'"

On the role that Florida will play in primary season: "'I really believe that Florida’s going to play a very important role because Florida’s a very diverse state. It’s a very large state. It’s a swing state. And I think it would be really indicative of the way forward as far as this Republican primary.' Who has the advantage coming into Florida [which holds its primary on Jan. 31]? 'Well, I mean I think that you have to look at the fact that already Governor Romney has a pretty established ground game down here. And that goes back to the fact that he did run in 2008 and so you build upon that. Rick Santorum will have to try to pick that game up as you go through New Hampshire, South Carolina. And Ron Paul is once again, he still has a pretty good ground game. It is already established here from 2008 so we’ll see what happens.'"

On referring to Mr. Romney as center-left: "'Let’s be very honest. He did govern a blue state in Massachusetts, so I think that how he presented himself as a New England Republican is probably different from what a person would see as a Republican or definitely a conservative when you come down into the Bible Belt the southeast and maybe even the Midwest.'"

On whether he thinks that Mitt Romney is a flip flopper: "No. Look I’m not into name calling, all that kind of stuff. The guy, he governed a certain way in Massachusetts. And I think that everyone believes in redemption. So you can come back and recreate yourself and how he would govern the United States of America would probably be a lot different.'"

Canadian Appellate Court: "'Murder' Posters Targeting Toronto Center-Right Councillor Were Cries For Help, Not Threats"

2012-01-04T17:00:00.009-06:00

From the National Post (Canada): "Livingston Jeffers should not have been found guilty of counseling for murder and mischief for creating signs with the word 'murder' and a photo of local councillor Michael Thompson because there was no proof of any intention for harm, according to a 3-0 decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal."

The article continues: "The panel found that 50 posters that were attached to road signs, hydro poles and parking meters, were misinterpreted as threats when they were really cries for help from a desperate and distraught man. He had been given a suspended sentence and placed under three years probation. Mr. Jeffers, now 60, made numerous posters in 2007 after he, his wife and four children lost their townhouse condominium in east Toronto after failing to make mortgage payments. Half of the posters accused a bank employee and their condominium board of fraud. The other half contained a headshot of Mr. Thompson, who is black, with Mr. Jeffers’ name and phone number and the words: 'Murder Help. Councilor Thompson. Help Black. We Black.'"

More information about the case: "At trial, the judge found that although Mr. Jeffers openly admitted to liking Mr. Thompson, who had helped him in instances in the past, he was still guilty of calling for the politician’s death. But the appeal court ruled that the judge had erred by not considering Mr. Jeffers’ poor literacy skills and usage of Caribbean slang in the posters. Mr. Jeffers, who came to Canada in 1974 from the island of Monstserrat, told the court that the term 'murder' is often used as a synonym to the word 'help' in West Indies culture."

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Steps Aside

2012-01-04T16:15:00.012-06:00

Adrienne Ross, a conservative Republican blogger in New York, writes: "Congresswoman Michele Bachmann ended her campaign for the GOP presidential nomination today. After last night's last place finish in the Iowa Caucuses, I expected as much. So when she spoke, after realizing her dismal finish, that she was still the person to defeat President Obama, I was at a loss for how she could miss what the rest of us see: It's been a valiant effort, but it's over. She won the Iowa Straw Poll, but that was it. Enthusiasm for her simply didn't remain, and neither did the finances to continue."

More: "Today, Congresswoman Bachmann admitted as much, and said she has no regrets. Though I simply wasn't sparked by her campaign, and though I didn't agree with every manner in which she conducted business, I've always respected her stand for fiscal and social conservatism. Her unashamed faith in Christ opened her up to the kind of criticism Christians always receive in this country now, unfortunately, but it's certainly refreshing to see her boldness regardless. As Governor Palin stated last night during her Fox participation in the Iowa Caucuses, Bachmann will continue to serve us well in the House of Representatives."

ANC: "Kenneth Meshoe's Boycott Of Our Centenary Celebrations Shows Religious Intolerance"

2012-01-04T15:30:00.016-06:00

Kenneth Meshoe

Mr. Meshoe is a South African parliamentarian and head of the conservative African Christian Democratic Party. The ANC has released a statement about his boycott of the ANC's upcoming centenary celebration: "It is unfortunate to learn that Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has decided not to honour such an august and historic event of the Centenary Celebrations of the African National Congress, an event which marks the remembrance of the Liberation of People of South Africa (both black and white) which includes his own emancipation."

The ANC's statement continues: "What the good Reverend is missing is the historic fact that from its inception, the ANC is a formation of many social forces including interfaith and ecumenical formations with different beliefs, cultures and theologies. The character and policy of the ANC includes recognition, respect, and tolerance of all such religions and faith-based formations including African religion on a fair and equal basis. To this end it is mischievous and misleading to suggest that the ANC is giving prominence to a particular faith over others, and what Reverend Meshoe must learn and understand is that the Centenary celebrations are not about worshipping ancestors. However, through the ceremonies and services which form part of the Centenary programme, the ANC will venerate the spirit of those who were part of its history. In accordance with African Theology principles which the ANC fully embraces and promotes, there is nothing wrong with the inclusion of African religious beliefs and practices."

Obama Blows Hole In Constitution: Hero Or Traitor?

2012-01-04T13:52:00.000-06:00

Asks Jim Collier, a moderate blogger in California: "The 'New and Improved' National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is now the law – so don’t drop the soap folks! Seriously, let me get this straight, Mr. Obama. As president, sworn to uphold the US Constitution, you sign a law, bearing your fingerprints, on the day of the year (12/24), at your choosing, when the citizens are most distracted, and then promise that you will never use the 'unconstitutional' parts to do what you surreptitiously demanded the right to do. Sounds like something Bush/Cheney would have pulled, right? Well, yes, they definitely pulled some three-quarter-Monty crap like this, but in this case it was you, Barack Obama, and this is definitely the full-Monty (buck-ass-naked)."

He continues his commentary: "The Huffington Post (here) cleverly apologizes for the President on this tearing down of citizen rights, as they make it seem like he was somehow forced (by bad people?) to sign the law against his will, which is not true at all. The Huffington [Post] ignores that Obama insisted that American citizens be included in the indefinite detention language, or he would veto the bill. So in reality, that which the Huff and the President said he was against, jailing Americans indefinitely without trial, he is absolutely for and directly responsible. Politics and the media doing the nasty out in the open! A-friggin-mazing!"

KEVIN JACKSON OP-ED: Good Riddance To 2011...

2012-01-04T13:47:00.001-06:00

The conservative Republican blogger in St. Louis opines about the Obama administration's policies: "In case you’re wondering how bad things were, my youngest son built a gingerbread house for Christmas and that was repossessed by the Fed and turned into Section 8 housing. The only statistics that are up during Obama’s first three years in office are Liberal corruption and Congressmen’s wealth, taxpayer desperation and suicides. How did we get this way, you ask? Obama and other Liberals were in charge. That’s all it took to have Utopia go to hell in a hand basket. Obama brought more nuts to DC than you’d find in a Porta-Potty at a peanut festival. The prospect of another year of Obama scares the crap out of me, much less four more after that. 2011 is year three of The Legacy of the Skinny Kenyan. America is in a mess only an Affirmative Action president could create. Massive debt, no jobs, lowered credit rating. The only thing left to do is put the presidential limousine up on blocks on the White House lawn."

He continues his commentary: "Under Barack Obama so far, America has revisited the ‘30s Great Depression, FDR’s ‘40s Raw Deal, LBJ’s ‘60s InGrate Society, and the Jimmy Carter’s ‘70s foreign policy embarrassments. Obama is truly a man for the ages…the Dark Ages. But enough about the light-skinned interloper from hither others yon. 2012 is the year we take charge."

More commentary from Mr. Jackson: "Though there was only one day separating 2011 from 2012, most of America was singing Happy Days are indeed here again the moment the ball dropped in 2012. Our exuberance was not because somebody spotted the ghost of Ronald Reagan, but because we know that we will finally get to undo what was done to us in 2008."

Harlem Faces A Historic Shift

2012-01-04T13:41:00.002-06:00

As the rise of Hispanic voters means the neighborhood could lose its black voice in Congress (hat tip: Constructive Feedback): "For seven decades, two African-American politicians — first Adam Clayton Powell Jr., then Charles Rangel — have represented Harlem in Congress, symbolizing the New York City neighborhood's status as the de facto capital of black America. Now, redistricting under way by the state legislature combined with a fast-rising Hispanic population are threatening to overturn that history. There are more Hispanics than blacks in Mr. Rangel's district, raising the prospect that Harlem's roughly 200,000 African-Americans will lose their dominant role in choosing the district's member of Congress. Similar issues are emerging in several areas around the country, including Southern California, where the growing Hispanic population poses a challenge to three black-held seats."

An ironic reason behind the change: "Sharpening the reversal of fortunes is the role of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Originally designed to end antiblack discrimination at the polls, the law now could help Hispanics gain control of the Harlem seat. That's because the law protects minority groups' ability to elect representatives of their choice. The 81-year-old Mr. Rangel has represented Harlem since 1971 and, thanks to the power of incumbency, is given a good shot of winning in 2012 even after he was censured by Congress for ethics violations. The redistricting is more likely to affect elections after Mr. Rangel retires."

More: "Privately, some current and former aides to black representatives say they fear the coming decade will, through redistricting and retirements, gradually decrease the number of African-Americans in Congress. Redistricting specialists say keeping Harlem part of a district where blacks have the edge would require awkward line-drawing, such as reaching far north into the Bronx or even outside New York City to pick up other black-majority areas along with some white neighborhoods."

A Bookerista Responds To The Article: "Why Are Black Folks Moving Out Of Harlem In The First Place?"

Constructive Feedback, a conservative blogger in Atlanta metro, writes: "For my own interests I care less about the 'race' of who the future representative of the district will be than I do in focusing on what did the past and present representative do to develop the COMPETENCIES of the people within? Why, if this is the case in this district, is 'the base' moving out of this and other 'hollowed grounds?'. If their past migrations into the area were done to leave oppression and get closer to 'opportunity' - are there similar forces involved in the migration patterns of today? The truth is that the 'Prevailing Black Political Discourse' is loathed to talk about these important points."

WALTER E. WILLIAMS OP-ED: I Love Greed

2012-01-04T10:56:00.002-06:00

Asserts the libertarian economics professor: "What human motivation gets the most wonderful things done? It's really a silly question, because the answer is so simple. It turns out that it's human greed that gets the most wonderful things done. When I say greed, I am not talking about fraud, theft, dishonesty, lobbying for special privileges from government or other forms of despicable behavior. I'm talking about people trying to get as much as they can for themselves."

He continues his commentary: "Free market capitalism is relatively new in human history. Prior to the rise of capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving one's fellow man. Capitalists seek to discover what people want and then produce it as efficiently as possible. Free market capitalism is ruthless in its profit and loss discipline. This explains much of the hostility toward free market capitalism; some of it is held by businessmen. Smith recognized this hostility when he said, 'People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.' He was hinting at government-backed crony capitalism, which has come to characterize much of today's businesses."

More commentary from Dr. Williams: "Free market capitalism has other enemies -- mostly among the intellectual elite and political tyrants. These are people who believe that they have superior wisdom to the masses and that God has ordained them to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Of course, they have what they consider to be good reasons for restricting liberty, but every tyrant who has ever lived has had what he considered good reason for restricting liberty. A tyrant's agenda calls for the attenuation or the elimination of the market and what is implied by it -- voluntary exchange. Tyrants do not trust that people acting voluntarily will do what the tyrant thinks they should do. They want to replace the market with economic planning and regulation. The Wall Street occupiers and their media and political allies are not against the principle of crony capitalism, bailouts and government special privileges and intervention. They share the same hostility to free market capitalism and peaceable voluntary exchange as tyrants. What they really want is congressional permission to share in the booty from looting their fellow man."

1/3 SONG OF THE DAY: Dar Williams, "Iowa (Traveling Ill)"

2012-01-03T21:30:00.001-06:00

The American folk singer zeroes in on the Hawkeye State....which folks from around the world are doing today due to the Iowa caucuses.