The Black Informant

Time will ultimately tell

Black lawmakers consider bids for Congress as independents
By The Associated Press | The Natchez Democrat

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Three black state lawmakers say they are weighing whether to run for three U.S. House seats this fall as independents, a move that could splinter Democratic support in the races.

Sen. Don Cravins Jr., Sen. Lydia Jackson and Rep. Michael Jackson say the state and national Democratic parties have failed to recruit and support black candidates to run for federal and statewide offices. They said there’s disparity between how the party treats black and white candidates.

“For many, many years, the African-American community has been very supportive of Democrats, and many of us feel that has not been reciprocated,” said Cravins, D-Opelousas.

Louisiana has only one black member of Congress: U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who represents a majority black district.

All seven of Louisiana’s U.S. House seats come up for election in November.

Cravins said he is considering a run as an independent for the 7th U.S. Congressional District that is held by U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-Lafayette.

Though he said the Democratic Party supports him as a state senator in a majority black district, Cravins said he worries that financial and organizational help would evaporate once he ventures into a congressional district that is majority white.

“When an African-American candidate runs in a majority white district, race is always an issue,” said Cravins.

Cravins’ father — Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins Sr. — ran for Congress in 2004 and lost, and at the time, Cravins Sr. criticized members of the Democratic Party for not providing enough support for his candidacy. (more…)

The part of the story that will get lost in the noise

“Ramsey said that the latest incident occurred after a team of narcotics officers with the 25th Police District in North Philadelphia witnessed a triple shooting during a drug surveillance at 4th and Ansberry streets. The officers were hoping to arrest drug suspects and question them about the slaying of Andrew Coach on Sunday, Ramsey said.”

“Police watched as four men got out of a gold Mercury Grand Marquis and walked to the corner. One of them then fired upon three other men standing on the corner. The man who fired took off running and his three companions got back in the Grand Marquis and drove off, with police in pursuit, Ramsey said.”

[…]

“The three shooting victims are recovering from their gunshot wounds, police said.”

[…]

“Dyches, Hopkins and Hall have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, weapons possession and criminal conspiracy. Bail was set at $300,000 for Hall and $1 million for Hopkins.” (more…)

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If the cops stepped over the line in how they handled this arrest, then may they get what is coming to them. In the meantime, I not about to throw all my anger towards the cops when these boys just finished trying to add to the growing body count of young Black men in that city.

HIGHER learning

I knew San Diego State was a party school, but this is crazy!

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96 Students, Others Arrested in Massive Drug Raid at San Diego State University
foxnews.com

SAN DIEGO — Ninety-six students, local gang members and others were arrested Tuesday in a massive drug raid at San Diego State University.

Drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamines were confiscated in the sting, which came as the result of a months-long undercover operation, according to officials with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Click here to see photos

Many of the students arrested were members of the Theta Chi and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities. One of the gang members taken into custody allegedly has ties to Mexican drug cartels.

The DEA said a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent out a mass text message to his “faithful customers” stating that he and his “associates” would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas over one weekend.

In addition to large quantities of narcotics, money and weapons were also seized from sellers and buyers in the bust.

Authorities confiscated two kilograms of cocaine, about 350 ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamines and illicit prescription drugs, as well as several guns and at least $60,000 in cash. (more…)

University administrator gets suspended for not buying into the “Gay is the same as being Black” line

University suspends staffer over view of homosexuality
African-American condemned for stating in local paper being ‘gay’ not the same as being handicapped or black
wnd.com

The University of Toledo suspended an administrator for stating in a guest column in a local newspaper that choosing homosexual behavior is not the same as being black or handicapped.

Associate Vice President of Human Resources Crystal Dixon wrote in response to a newspaper editor’s column criticizing a lack of equality for homosexuals that, “I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ‘civil rights victims.’ Here’s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman.’”

Her piece in the Toledo Free Press quickly got her a suspension from officials at the University of Toledo, who condemned her beliefs, according to a report in the newspaper.

The newspaper said a spokesman for the college confirmed Dixon had been placed on paid leave but declined further comment. A WND request for comment elicited no response from the office of the president, Lloyd Jacobs.

The situation developed when Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller wrote a column boasting of his support for the “gay” community.

“I have been tangentially immersed in the gay culture for so long, it’s a natural and common aspect of life. Three decades of loving these friends and family and sharing their successes in managing careers and raising families has jaded me to the hatred and prejudice many people had against the gay community. … As a middle-aged, overweight white guy with graying facial hair, I am America’s ruling demographic, so the gay rights struggle is something I experience secondhand, like my black friends’ struggles and my wheelchair-bound friends’ struggles,” he wrote.

>>>>Now here is what she wrote in response—

“I respectfully submit a different perspective for Miller and Toledo Free Press readers to consider. … First, human beings, regardless of their choices in life, are of ultimate value to God and should be viewed the same by others. At the same time, one’s personal choices lead to outcomes either positive or negative,” she said.

“As a black woman who happens to be an alumnus of the University of Toledo’s Graduate School, an employee and business owner, I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ‘civil rights victims.’ Here’s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman. I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few.

“Economic data is irrefutable: The normative statistics for a homosexual in the USA include a Bachelor’s degree: For gay men, the median household income is $83,000/yr. (Gay singles $62,000; gay couples living together $130,000), almost 80% above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, per census data. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000/yr. (Lesbian singles $52,000; Lesbian couples living together $96,000); 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000/yr. Compare that to the median income of the non-college educated Black male of $30,539. The data speaks for itself,” she said. (more…)

Should could have added some more data to the mix to underscore her main point. The biggest difference here is that by choosing a lifestyle that oftentimes does not involve children Gays are at a much better economic advantage that Blacks. So this comparison to the struggles of Black folks is just bogus.

Although I have written about such comparions many times on this site, here is a post I did back in ‘06 that talk a little bit about trend.

Black history is everybody’s history…to use

Someone had some sense

Oprah Winfrey was uncomfortable with Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermons, Newsweek says
Talk-show host left church, didn’t want to offend her audience, associates say

By Mike Dorning | Tribune reporter

Associates of Oprah Winfrey tell Newsweek that she stopped attending the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.’s Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago during the 1990s in part because of the tone of his sermons.

According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright’s more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America’s favorite daytime talk-show host.

“Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost,” said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey’s personal sentiments. “She’s always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn’t be smart. She’s been around black churches all her life, so Rev. Wright’s anger-filled message didn’t surprise her. But it just wasn’t what she was looking for in a church.” (more…)

Yeah, bail them out

Living here in ground zero of the sour real estate market (Inland Empire), I can tell you that stories like the following are very common.

Owners trash, strip their foreclosed homes
Fixtures, cabinets, tubs, sinks, even stairways face wrath of dispossessed
By Jerry Kronenberg

Jack O’Leary has seen foreclosed homes where ex-owners put paint on the carpets, anti-bank graffiti on the walls or took everything but the kitchen sink - then stole that, too.

“I’ve gone into houses where the light fixtures are gone, the toilets are gone, the kitchen is gone. And when I say ‘gone,’ we’re talking stripped down to the bare walls,” said O’Leary, a Brockton Re/Max real estate agent who specializes in foreclosed homes.

With a growing number of Massachusetts homes falling into foreclosure, real estate agents say more and more ex-owners and tenants are vandalizing properties on their way out the door.

People rip up walls, kick in doors or take bathroom fixtures or copper wiring - sometimes to sell, other times just to get back at lenders.

Broker John Agostinelli just put a Watertown condo on the market where someone removed all doors, kitchen cabinets, appliances, gas fireplaces - even the light switches.

“This property has the most damage we have seen of approximately 30 properties we’re (currently) listing,” said Agostinelli, who’s selling the place “as is,” knocking down the price some $90,000.

O’Leary has reduced an Easton split-level ranch’s cost by about $200,000 because someone ripped out appliances, sinks, toilets and more. (more…)
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For sale: Local homes left in shambles
By Sam Spatter and Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW

[…]

Watkins and Truong found one of the worst properties they’ve encountered on Yukon-Ruffsdale Road in Ruffsdale, Westmoreland County, a four-bedroom house.

They found debris throughout, such as wood piled on the floor, plaster ripped from walls with large holes and some of the wiring pulled loose.

“Most often we find properties have been trashed or have nonworking appliances, clothing, broken and damaged furniture or garbage on the premises,” Watkins said. “That’s not always the case since some houses are spotless, but the vast majority have these items left in them.”

Broken windows are boarded up, and where the plumbing has been removed, it is not replaced, Watkins said. His work includes cutting the grass, trimming shrubs and trees, and providing yard maintenance. If he finds a workable appliance left in the house, he removes it, and often offers it free to a needy person. Discarded clothes are usually donated to the Salvation Army. (more…)

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Trashed Foreclosed Homes
kold.com
Karla Ronquillo

A new trend is being seen more and more among foreclosed homes. Homeowners are taking out their anger by trashing the home before moving out. Realtors are seeing everything from piled trash in the yard, missing cabinets, to gutted appliances.

It is too costly for banks to fix the damage, so they end up losing money by selling the home “as is”. But when homes are damaged, the property is much more difficult to sell.

Foreclosed homes are usually a bargain for house hunters. In cases of damaged homes, the cost of cleaning, fixing and replacing is up to the buyer.

Some lenders are offering “Cash For Keys” to people who are losing their homes. (more…)

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Loan crisis pushes owners to trash homes
By RAY WEISS
Staff Writer

With its English, country-like elegance, the brick house on a hill in Ormond Beach would fit on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens.

But behind the walls is a vacated interior that lacks the most basic essentials, including appliances and toilets. They are gone like the owners who once lived there, a casualty of foreclosure.

“We see people who vacuum and clean when they leave. And then we get other houses that are trashed, stripped,” said Frank Cardarelli, a Port Orange real estate broker who has specialized in foreclosures for 25 years. “Anything that’s built or attached is part of the mortgage, and banks can go after them.”

But broke is broke.

Cardarelli, who works for RE/MAX All Pro Realty, said he has seen air conditioning units, hot water heaters, sinks, closet doors, even heating vents ripped out and taken when owners left their homes, no longer able to pay mortgages.

“It goes from mild to severe. Some people take everything. It’s incredible,” he said. “But there’s not much value for what they’re taking, like a used ceiling fan or rusted water heater.”

Larry Silvia of Ormond Beach said he’s paying the price of living next door to an empty, foreclosed house. High weeds bordering the houses have brought unexpected visitors. (more…)
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Before someone tries to go there, NO I am not suggesting that this is representative of all homeowners who had to go through foreclosure. This is just a friendly reminder of who is included in that proposed wide net of government benevolence.

I hate I missed this one

Just when I thought I was going to have some time to watch the 60 Minutes report on inmates who had been wrongly accused and freed on DNA evidence, I got caught in a 2 hour conversation with a neighbor—missing the program altogether.

DNA Helps Free Inmate After 27 Years
60 Minutes: James Woodard Owes His Freedom To Project Started By Dallas County D.A.

(CBS) There’s been some bitter soul searching going on in Dallas County, as one man after another is being released from prison after being convicted, years ago, of crimes they did not commit. As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, it happened again just last week with the release of a man who had been proclaiming his innocence, behind bars, for 27 years.

So far, 17 men have been cleared in Dallas - that’s more than most states. All were put on trial by prosecutors who worked for the legendary District Attorney Henry Wade. Wade was Dallas’ top prosecutor for more than 30 years. He never lost a case he handled personally. But it turns out the record of Wade’s office was too good to be true. And now, a new Dallas district attorney is focusing on the Wade legacy - it’s a search for innocent men waiting to be exonerated.

James Woodard went away in 1981, convicted in the murder of his girlfriend who had been raped and strangled. He was prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Henry Wade. For nearly 30 years, he never gave up writing letters, and filing motions. But no one was willing to grant him a hearing-until now.

60 Minutes was there last year when Woodard gave the DNA sample that would determine his true guilt or innocence. Since 2001, there has been a series of men in Dallas County who have walked from prison into freedom. (more…)

Oh, The Irony on May Day

“A PROCLAMATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”

WHEREAS it is fitting that the people of this Nation should remember with pride and vigilantly guard the great heritage of liberty, justice and equality under law which our forefathers bequeathed to us; and

WHEREAS it is our moral and civic obligation as free men and as Americans to preserve and strengthen that great heritage; and

WHEREAS the principle of guaranteed fundamental rights of individuals under the law is the heart and sinew of our Nation, and distinguishes our governmental system from the type of government that rules by might alone; and

WHEREAS our government has served as an inspiration and a beacon light for oppressed peoples of the World seeking freedom, justice and equality of the individual under law; and

WHEREAS universal application of the principles of the rule of law in the settlement of international disputes would greatly enhance the cause of a just and enduring peace; and

WHEREAS a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law would afford us an opportunity better to understand and appreciate the manifold virtues of such a government and to focus the attention of the World upon them;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Thursday, May 1, 1958 as Law Day - USA. I urge the people of the United States to observe the designated day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and I especially urge the legal profession, the press, and the radio, television and motion picture industries to promote and to participate in the observance of that date.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this Third Day of February in the Year of our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the One Hundred and Eighty-second.

(Signed) DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER By the President

JOHN FOSTER DULLES Secretary of State

The White House
February 3, 1958

Zero

320 complaints of racial profiling and not one had merit, LAPD says
The report to the city Police Commission is greeted with skepticism. ‘This is not a racist department,’ Chief Bratton says in defending the report.

By Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Los Angeles Police Department officials announced Tuesday that they investigated more than 300 complaints of racial profiling against officers last year and found that none had merit — a conclusion that left members of the department’s oversight commission incredulous.

It is at least the sixth consecutive year that all allegations of racial profiling against LAPD officers have been dismissed, according to department documents reviewed by The Times.

In 2007, the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Group closed 320 investigations into allegations that officers stopped, questioned or otherwise confronted someone solely because of the person’s race. Nearly 80% of the time — 252 of the cases — the claims were dismissed outright as “unfounded,” according to an annual complaint report presented Tuesday to the civilian Police Commission. In the remaining cases, there was either insufficient evidence to reach a conclusion or no misconduct was uncovered.

“A big, fat zero,” said a visibly flummoxed Commissioner John Mack, who is African American and the former president of the Los Angeles Urban League. “In my mind, there is no such thing as a perfect institution . . . I find it baffling that we have these zeros.”

His disbelief, echoed by other commissioners, drew a quick response from Police Chief William J. Bratton. Unsolicited, he told the commission he would have his staff conduct a survey of other large, urban police departments, as well as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, to back up his belief that the findings in the LAPD are similar elsewhere.

[…]

In 2006, the city contracted with an outside consulting group to look into the issue. The study found that Latino and African American motorists in most areas of Los Angeles are significantly more likely than whites to be asked to leave their vehicles and submit to searches when stopped by police. The firm concluded, however, that its analysis of the data was too broad to determine whether the disparities were a sign of racial profiling. (more…)

Probably a good way to measure outrage

I wonder if the system is set up to recognize repeat callers?
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P&G Weighs Pulling Ads From MTV, BET
Packaged=Goods Giant Soliciting Advice From Consumers Via Toll-Free Number
By Linda Haugsted — Multichannel News

The packaged-goods company is taking calls at an 800 number. Once dialed, callers are advised they have two choice regarding advertising on the two cable networks: press one if they want P&G to make changes in its advertising, or press two to indicate support for continued advertising on the networks. Input will be forwarded to the proper P&G executives, the recording indicates.

P&G is being criticized by Enough is Enough, an advocacy group partnering with the Parents Television Council, which released a report on April 10 asserting that shows on the network are “bombarding” youth with music videos larded with sex, violence and profanity. PTC singles out BET’s Rap City and 106 & Park, and MTV’s Sucker Free for its toughest criticism. The group, in its study, alleges these music video shows depict sex, violence or other profane images on average every 38 seconds.

Enough is Enough was formed last September to fight images on television that objectify women as sex objects, promote stereotypes of minorities as thugs and drug dealers and depict other negative images. The group has also criticized Procter & Gamble, labeling the corporation as hypocritical for promoting a marketing effort called “My Black is Beautiful,” which affirms the inner and outer beauty of African American women while it advertises on the targeted music video shows. (source)

After a while, comments like this become too predictable

Sharpton Raps Obama
By CHUCK BENNETT and KAVITA MOKHA
NYPost.com

Barack Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict - infuriating the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused the presidential candidate of trying to “grandstand in front of white people,” sources told The Post.

During what a source described as a “heated” phone call yesterday, Sharpton told Obama he was disappointed with the Illinois senator’s words on Friday, when Obama said “resorting to violence to express displeasure” was “completely unacceptable and counterproductive.”

“[Obama] issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown,” said a source. “How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?”

The source said Sharpton had hoped Obama would “side with the Bell family” and not use it as an “opportunity to grandstand in front of white people.”

An Obama spokesman described the conversation as a chance to “hear [Sharpton’s] views and to get his perspective.” (more…)

Memorable quote (week ending 4/26/08)

“When something is taken like a sound bite for a political purpose and put constantly over and over again, looped in the face of the public, that’s not a failure to communicate,” Wright said in an appearance with Bill Moyers. “Those who are doing that are communicating exactly what they want to do, which is to paint me as some sort of fanatic or as the learned journalist from the New York Times called me, a ‘wackadoodle.’ “ (Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Obama’s controversial former longtime pastor, in his recent appearance on PBS’ Bill Moyers) [link]

>Truth is a two-way street for those who wish to travel it. - Me.

Cosby Teams Up With The Judge

Cosby, Tucker join Fulton judge in message to black youths
CHRISTIAN BOONE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

(Image: AJC.com)

When Fulton Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington got mad, an icon listened.

On Thursday, Bill Cosby headlined a “fireside chat” with Arrington and Atlanta-born comic Chris Tucker at Benjamin E. Mays High School. The packed auditorium held mostly at-risk high school students and their parents — the people Cosby is trying to reach with his message of tough love for the African-American community.

“I’m blunt, and I’m going to stay blunt,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd. Cosby’s approach has its critics, but he’s unbowed.

Barack Obama says “Yes, we can.” Cosby’s message: “Yes we should.”

“The man from Nigeria comes here, he’s here two months, and what does he do?” he asked. “He goes to community college. He’s learning a second language while he drives the cab. What are our children doing? Practicing a first language that only they can understand.”

Arrington has become a recent convert to Cosby’s unflinching gospel of personal responsibility. The judge’s tipping point came earlier this month after he surveyed yet another round of mostly African-American perpetrators awaiting sentencing.

“I was tired of being sick and tired,” he said.

He responded by asking the white people in attendance to leave so he could speak frankly to the 50 or so young, black defendants. Arrington said he was following his grandmother’s admonition not to air the community’s dirty laundry in front of whites, but apologized soon after for a “bad judgment call.”

He’s since reconsidered, as reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, Arrington said. Cosby was among those cheering.

“This man cleared the courthouse because he was embarrassed,” the television trailblazer said. “The problem we have is apathy.”

He contacted Arrington, telling the judge he wanted to come to Atlanta “to help you in your fight to turn these young people around.” (more…)

The Political Funnies

Some things I found over the net this morning

Back in 2007-

The May 13 This Week opened with a pre-taped interview of Obama conducted by Stephanopoulos. The relevant portion of the roundtable panel, with Cokie Roberts and George Will in addition to Donaldson and Stephanopoulos, in which Donaldson referred back to the interview:

Sam Donaldson: “You raised something, let’s just put on the table: He’s an African-American. Is the country ready? Well, I think it is. And he said he thinks it is. He said he thinks he’ll lose some votes because of that, and so the question is what does the word ’some’ mean? In critical elections, not just in the South, it may mean something.”

Cokie Roberts: “Well sure. And it could be huge. But I think the fact that we’re having this conversation is just wonderful. I mean, the idea that we are at this point in 2007, if you had told us that 40 years ago when we were having all the civil rights debates that we would be talking very seriously about a black man being President of the United States in 2008, we would not have believed it.”

George Stephanopoulos: “Maybe I’m wrong, maybe I’m naive, but Sam I guess I think that anyone who’s not going to vote for Barack Obama because he is black isn’t going to vote [Roberts says at this instant “Democratic”] for a Democrat anyway. And I wonder if there are as many people who will vote for him-”

George Will: “More.”

Stephanopoulos: “That’s the question.”

Will: “The place where Barack Obama really helps is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, right outside Philadelphia.”

Stephanopoulos: “Exactly.”

Will: “Moderate, mainstream swing district where it makes people feel good.”

Donaldson: “You already made him the nominee.”

Stephanopoulos: “Not yet Sam.”

Donaldson: “But I’m talking about the race for the nomination. Now, many states have crossovers I understand, but the states in which you have to be a Democrat in order to vote in the Democratic primary, that’s where- [talked over.]” (source)

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Why Even Hardened Racists Will Vote for Barack Obama
In the Electoral Marketplace, He Had to Pass the Halle Berry Test (source)

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On McCain’s visit to New Orleans

McCain distances self from Bush in New Orleans
Dan Nowicki
The Arizona Republic

NEW ORLEANS - John McCain on Thursday directly confronted what many perceive as one of President Bush’s most monumental failures: the bungled federal government response to Hurricane Katrina.

In doing so, McCain, the not-yet-official Republican presidential nominee, hopes to convince Americans, especially Black, Hispanic and working-class White voters, that he doesn’t represent a continuation of the unpopular Bush administration.

“Never again will a disaster of this nature be handled in the terrible and disgraceful way that it was handled,” McCain said after taking a four-block walk to survey recovery efforts still under way in New Orleans’ devastated Lower 9th Ward. “Never again.”

[…]

After the walk, McCain heaped criticism on Bush, the sluggish federal bureaucracy and Congress, which earmarked money for often-trivial pet lawmaker priorities while ignoring critically needed infrastructure improvements. “Unqualified people” headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which became symbolic for government ineptitude after its much-criticized response to the storm’s catastrophic flooding, he said. They totally misread “the dimensions of the disaster,” McCain added.

“History will judge this president as they have earlier presidents, but it’s clear that this was an unacceptable scenario and one that would never happen again,” McCain said.

The senator also vowed to protect New Orleans from future Category 5 hurricanes, seeming to give little regard to costs.

>>And of course Democrats cranked up the wayback machine by bringing up a bunch of bills he voted against. Some of it is overreaching in their effort to label him a double-talker (which btw I do agree with the assertion), but this particular item, IMO is right on the money.

2006: McCain Voted Against Making FEMA an Independent Agency. McCain voted against the Clinton amendment (No. 4563) that would remove the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Department of Homeland Security and establish it as an independent, Cabinet-level agency. It would require the agency’s head to have significant expertise in the area of emergency preparedness and response. [H.R. 5441, S.V. 193, 7/11/06, failed 32-66]

This has been FEMA’s problem from jump–going all the way back to the Northridge earthquake back in 1994.

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Maya Angelo’s open letter in support of Hillary Clinton

Officers Acquitted In Sean Bell Trial

Reasonable doubt anchors Sean Bell ruling
BY ANTHONY DESTEFANO
newsday.com

The Queens judge who cleared the three detectives in the Sean Bell case found that the state’s case was riddled with problems and that the prosecutors had failed to defeat the cops’ claim that they fired in self-defense on Liverpool Street the night of Nov. 25, 2006.

It took Queens Supreme Court Juctice Arthur Cooperman less than 10 minutes to read his decision in which he acquitted detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper of all charges stemming from the 50-shot barrage that killed Bell and wounded two of his friends.

“The prosecution has not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that each defendant was not justified” in using deadly force, Cooperman said.

As their supporters in the Kew Gardens courtroom gasped and cried in relief, the detectives were quickly ushered out of a back door, after having entered through the main public entrance earlier.

Though he praised the efforts of defense and prosecution attorneys, Cooperman didn’t disguise his feeling that the district attorney’s office didn’t marshal a convincing case in the nonjury trial.

“At times the testimony didn’t make sense,” said Cooperman, about the witnesses used by the Queens district attorney’s office to try and make the case. He also said that the proof wasn’t to be measured by any carelessness or incompetence, which prosecutors argued had been the way the cops acted, but rather by the standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
[…]

Cooperman said some witnesses had major credibility problems because they had given inconsistent statements on the witness stand, in the grand jury and in meetings with prosecutors, or had an interest in the outcome of the trial because of lawsuits. The latter was an apparent reference to Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, two friends of Bell who were wounded in the incident and were suing the NYPD.

But what Cooperman said swung him against the prosecution was the defense of justification — self-defense — which he said shifted the burden of proof to prosecutors in a way they couldn’t overcome.

The cops claimed that they suspected based on what Isnora and others witnessed outside the Kalua Cabaret, the scene of Bell’s bachelor party, that Guzman might have had a gun.

Although no gun was ever found, Guzman’s movements in Bell’s Nissan Altima led Isnora, who had been struck by the car as it attempted to drive away, to yell out “gun” and then commence firing 11 shots. That shooting sparked the firing by Oliver, who discharged 31 shots, and Cooper, who fired four times. Other cops who weren’t indicted fired the remainder of the 50 shots. (more…)

The pastor speaks

Just admit that it was a bad gamble

Pay special attention to the following quote that you will hear in the video:

“Why pay a $3,200 payment on a 1200-square-foot home? It makes no sense,” Stephanie Valdez adds.

“That’s what you agreed to do when you bought the house,” Kroft points out.

“Fine. If the value is going up. But we’re not going anywhere. The price or the value is going down. It makes no sense because we will never be able to refinance and get a lower payment. There’s no way,” Stephanie Valdez replies.

Here in the California market, folks were making a killing during the height of the market. Many (NOT ALL) of these folks knew they were taking a risk, but assumed that values would increase. As we can see today, it didn’t.

Interesting study on alcohol abuse

Blacks Have Much Lower Incidence of Alcohol Abuse than Whites
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today

BETHESDA, Md., April 22 — Blacks are 40% less likely than whites to develop alcohol abuse and Hispanics are half as likely as whites to develop generalized anxiety disorder.

These are among the few surprises in a major study of the incidence of such disorders, reported Bridget Grant, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and colleagues online today in Molecular Psychiatry.

The study showed that compared with whites, the odds ratio for blacks developing new cases of alcohol abuse in a year was 0.60 with a 95% confidence interval from 0.34 to 0.95. (more…)

Defining his “loyalty”

Congressman Explains His Allegiance To The Clintons

Eric L. Wesson

kccall.com

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II has been under a great deal of pressure lately concerning his decision to support Sen. Hillary Clinton over Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president and his decision to step down as senior pastor, after 35 years, of the St. James United Methodist church.
Rep. Cleaver went one-on-one with THE CALL to set the record straight.

ELW: Some community members are upset about your choice to support Sen. Clinton in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Some that I have listened to say that you have not stated a position other than they (the Clintons) are friends of yours. You were the first black mayor of Kansas City. Why not support the first black serious contender for president?

EC: “When I endorsed Sen. Clinton a year ago, there were people from across the state who came and endorsed Sen Clinton. African Americans from across the state sat with her and then endorsed her. That is easy to understand because, according to the polls, African Americans endorsed her by a margin of 70 percent.”

“When we made that endorsement very few African Americans really knew who Sen. Obama was. So it was not a big deal. He won the Iowa caucus and was victorious in South Carolina. African Americans began to leave Sen. Clinton and started endorsing Sen. Obama. I gave her my word and I did not say, ‘Well, now that there is a black man in the race with a legitimate chance to win, I am going to join the other side.’”

“I feel that such a decision would have been unethical, immoral. While some other people felt comfortable in doing that, I do not feel it would have been the right thing to do. The issue of loyalty is just one aspect of my personal relationship to Sen. Clinton.”

ELW: Help us understand the other factors outside of your personal relationship to Sen. Clinton which musters your loyalty and should muster the support of the community.

EC: “There is a core connection in the sense of community between Sen. Clinton and this community. When I made a request in a back room at the Mayflower hotel to get money for the future, President Bill Clinton told his Secretary of Transportation to make it happen. As a result we were able to get constructed, a project that had been on the drawing board since 1984. I proposed and was successful in getting the name changed to the Bruce R. Watkins drive. If it were not for the Clintons the project would still be begging for an opportunity to be constructed but for that
relationship. I am not the only person who drives Bruce R. Watkins drive. So when people think about the personal connection they don’t realize that they also have a personal relationship.”

[…]

“I hear people talking about the super delegates, but like most members of Congress they do not know what they do. Most members of Congress did not even know that they were super delegates before a few months ago. The most interesting part of this whole theory is the part where it appears that black people don’t like black people. We claim to but we don’t. The only people who are receiving attacks are African American elected officials.”

Sen. Kennedy and Sen. John Kerry represent the state of Massachusetts where Sen. Clinton won by 13 points. Yet, they are endorsing and supporting Sen. Obama. They are under no attack or assault. There are 25 white members of Congress whose districts voted for Sen. Clinton but they are endorsing and supporting Sen. Obama. They are under no attack. Two weeks after Sen. Clinton won New Mexico the governor endorsed Sen. Obama. He is under no attack or criticisms. People understand that is the way the system is. The only people who are getting attacked are black people. The Hispanic community did not attack the governor of New Mexico after he endorsed Sen. Obama.” (more…)

Translation: The whole thing was a big joke

ISG moves from consensus to conflict
By DANIEL LIBIT
politico.com

In December 2006, in an effort to build a national consensus on a “new way forward in Iraq,” the Iraq Study Group painted itself as a portrait of bipartisan chumminess, with all political hackery checked at the door.

Sixteen months later, seven of the 10 ISG members are backing presidential candidates with radically different views about how to proceed in Iraq.

Republicans James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger and Ed Meese are supporting Sen. John McCain, who argues that the United States should be sending more troops to Iraq. Democrats Vernon Jordan, Leon Panetta and William Perry have endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has vowed to start bringing U.S. troops home immediately. Earlier this month, Democrat Lee Hamilton endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, who vows to start bringing the troops home and to engage in “aggressive personal diplomacy” with Iran.

Consensus?

Panetta, who served as President Bill Clinton’s White House chief of staff, says Hillary Clinton and Obama are closely aligned with the Study Group’s recommendations. “The only one who is not, obviously, is John McCain,” he says.

Meese cries hogwash. McCain’s Iraq views are “by far” the closest to the ISG’s, says the former attorney general under President Ronald Reagan. “I think the principal, the primary, part of the report was we should go on to support the effort in Iraq and we should not cut and run or surrender,” he says. “John is the only one of those three that has taken that position.”

[…]

Moreover, in returning to the partisan fray, ISG members may be guilty of doing exactly what they said shouldn’t be done: cherry-picking some of their report’s recommendations and bending others to fit the political angles of the candidate they now support.

[…]

While Baker has endorsed McCain, he has tellingly avoided commenting publicly on the Arizona senator’s war stance, focusing more on the candidate’s character than on his policies. Through a spokesman at his Houston law office, Baker declined to speak for this story.

Baker’s co-chairman, Hamilton, says that when it comes to interpreting and applying the report in the context of the 2008 presidential race, “every member of the Iraq Study Group has to speak for themselves.

“I hold firm to the principal recommendations,” Hamilton says, adding that he doesn’t feel “constrained” by the consensus reached two years ago. “It doesn’t give me any heartburn,” he says.

Says Eagleburger: “What that means is he’s walked away from the report, too. We all have.” (source)