The Saga Of The Clayton County School Board - What Did The Voters See In This Man?

AJC Article: Norreese Haynes has lived with man in Marietta instead of at Morrow address he listed, investigation finds.

Clayton County school board member Norreese Haynes has not lived in the county for at least two years, according to his Marietta landlord and police records.

Haynes has lived at the Autumn View Apartments in Marietta with another man for approximately two years, the apartment manager told Clayton County police Feb. 21.

In addition, a woman who lives at the Morrow address that Haynes listed as his legal residency told police the board member rented a room but has never lived there.

State law says board members must reside in the county they serve.

Haynes did not return phone messages left on his two cellphones and at his office Thursday. His attorney, Adrian Patrick, also did not return a phone call.

According to a Feb. 27 Clayton County police report, Haynes "may have never lived within his represented district."

A few months ago a "white conservative" newspaper opinion writer took some heat by noting that in many urban areas elected officials go from working $30,000 per year jobs to having to manage multi-million dollar budgets simply by getting voted into office as a representative of their district. He made the case that they lack the qualifications to make such "executive decisions" and the outcomes of their presence too often shows up in the results that are obtained.

I can only guess that after reading the news of Norreese Haynes, board member of the Clayton County School Board that this opinion writer feels a bit exonerated from the lashing that he took by the people who assumed that his comments were racist rather than true.

I did not hear the campaign stump speeches of Norreese Hayes. I can only guess that the district that he represents is the "poorer part" of Clayton County. I can only guess that he made impassioned speeches regarding how his constituents are getting the short end of the stick and that he will come in as a strong advocate on their behalf FIGHTING for (yes I must say it) their "Best Interests". This is standard fare among impoverished areas. The angrier the candidate, the more qualified he is to represent the district for they are angry as well and he is best qualified to channel their passion to the others.

Once again - I am going to make a bold prediction: the noted Black female and hard left opinion writer - Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution might be forced to do her Sunday column on the events in Clayton county (assuming that this article is big news around town. I am on the road right now and thus I have missed out on the local sentiment). I can assure you that Ms. Tucker is going to make this an INDIVIDUAL EXCEPTION rather than any particular attribute of the Democratic Party or liberal leadership and definitively not 'urban politics' as usual.

I can imagine Ms. Tucker sympathizing that the reason why Mr. Haynes was a roaming apartment dweller rather than a stable homeowner in Clayton county is because SOCIETY didn't use to allow people who look like Mr. Haynes to walk the pathway toward being fixtures in a stable community. She might conclude that the reason why Mr. Haynes was managing a lower middle class personal budget rather than a multi-million dollar corporate budget prior to coming to the board is because SOCIETY never allowed people who look like Mr. Haynes such an opportunity. I know for sure that the news of Mr. Haynes shacking up with his gay lover in another metro area city rather than having residency in Clayton will be no barrier to Ms. Tucker - this is in line with her "tolerance" ethos. In fact the fact that this was even mentioned is an example of bigotry against homosexuals. And the recent arrest of Mr. Haynes on a domestic violence charge? Come on now - any Black person living in Atlanta for the past 20 years knows about how the boys in blue in Cobb county "do". This is no reflection upon Mr. Haynes.

Once again Cynthia Tucker and so many others who are verbose in fighting their ideological war against "conservatives" will have little or nothing to say regarding this growing chaos in Clayton County and how THE CHILDREN there are being affected by it. The defense of their IDEOLOGY and THEIR FAVORED PARTY and indeed the growing BLACK POWER STRUCTURE is far more important for them to send a torpedo that way.

The Black Community Is Dominated By Leftist Actor-Vists Rather Than Advocates For Our Proven Best Interests

Here is a self discription of a new found Black Leftist blogger that I have found on the web. In the last few days I have read several blogs and then clicked through on the personal bloggs of people who's comments were particuarlly interesting to me. This particular blogger "Christian Progressive Liberal" described him or herself as such:

[quote]THE CHRISTIAN PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES
I'm a concerned patriot who's tired of the attacks on the Constitution, aided and abetted by pseudo-Democrats. While I started out in Oakland, California, where I grew up, and my political activist's journey began, it has taken me to the Nation's Capitol, where I'm still involved in defending the rights of the poor and working-class American. And that starts with Getting Rid of the Democratic Leadership Council and faux-Democrats out of public office, where they do nothing but cater to corporate interests and try to act like Republicans, which further hurts the working-class and the poor.[/quote]

Let us distill the essential elements of his (I will assume that CPL is a male for writing ease) self depiction.

From what I know he

* Lives in Washington DC
* He is an activist for the poor and working class
* He hates Conservatives - be they Democrats or Republicans
* He is a Democrat and is working to expunge the Conservatives from his party
* He sees his party as being the de facto liberal party and thus the Conservatives are the exception to his party
* He is yet another "Down with Corporations, Power To The People" rhetoritician

Now let's apply some world reality to the matter.

Christian Progressive Liberal, a resident of the ultra-liberal city of Washington DC seems to be unaware that the city that he lives in is dominated by an executive branch and a legislature that is monopoly dominated by Democrats. There is currently only ONE Republican on the Washington DC city council. The rest are all Democrats minus one Independent. Let us PRETEND that 10% of the Democrats are in fact "Conservative Democrats". If this is the case and we remove them from his favor - the FACT remains that the SUPER MAJORITY of DC city council members are LIBERAL DEMOCRATS and thus are ideological friends of CPL.

He is what I struggle with though regarding Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive Fundamentalist Racism Chasers and their economic outlook. As you see CPL makes his attack on "CORPORATE INTERESTS" as the key problem for the poor in his city. (Well them and the Conservatives and Republicans that is). He after all is an advocate for the interests of the poor and working class you know. What I don't get is how CPL's bondage to ideology has him to analyze the situation in Washington DC and then make the case that it is the CORPORATIONS that are the cause of all of the ailments that the District is suffering with. The crime, unemployment and academic performance problems have been shifted from the backs of the CITY MANAGERS which are normally in the form of elected officials, community leaders, religious leaders and yes, some portions of the business community as well. In CPL's world, however the source of the problems in the city of Washington DC are the forces that have in truth largely departed from the boundaries of the inner city. CPL's logic is akin to blaming global corporations for the barren conditions of the country of Chad. The culprit is blamed in absentia.

For these reasons I believe that it is clear that CPL is blinded by his IDEOLOGY. The key concept that he seemingly fails to understand is the concept of a MARKETPLACE! A sustained marketplace is maintained when the two or more parties involved in commerical exchange, each with something to trade to the other party(ies) come together to conduct such a transaction. Anyone who is honest would note that the least of the problems that the city of Washington DC has is the threat from "corporate interests". If anything it could be said that the LACK of corporate activity, especially ones that are controlled by residents of the District that can provide substantial employment to the citizens of the city seems to me to be the bigger problem than the claim that the city is being over run by "corporate interests".

When I was developing the label "Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser" I crafted this label as a FUNCTIONAL description of certain Black people based on their thoughts and behavior rather than attempting to be slanderous against them. In this case the "Progressive-Fundamentalist" element is most appropriate. I use the word "fundamentalist" because I interpret a fundamentalist to be a person who is so bound by his particular ideology that no real world facts that tend to speak to the countrary would be enough to sway his opinions though they appear right before his eyes.

Worse yet the PREPONDERANCE of evidence as it is replicated throughout this country in other cities that share the same basic elements of Washington DC both in the economic policies and philosphies of its leadership and the outcomes of the people who CPL is destined to advocate on behalf of.

With all of this as the basis of my argument I am lead to conclude that what Christian Progressive Liberal is engaged in is NOT a movement that has a particular destination that will one day lead to absolute benefit of the Black community AS PROVEN ON THE GROUND but instead he is engaged in an IDEOLOGICAL EXERCISE who's goal is OPPOSITION rather than PRODUCTION for the masses of people in Washington DC.

When it it time to hold a "grass roots" level of activism that CPL represents, having become the virtual PREVAILING IDEOLOGY of a given city, ACCOUNTABLE for the results that are expressed within this same city? Can anyone argue that DC is operated today by enmies of CPL's cause?

In truth the grass roots activism that CPL expresses cannot be translated into an actual governing coalition over a city or any other authority. They have by its very nature an OPPOSITION MOVEMENT. They oppose the SYSTEM even when the system is made of their ideological contemporaries who have adapted just enough to realistically operate the controls of power. An individual might be against police brutality and abuse of power. No one would argue, however, that a civilized city could ever do without a law enforcement entity who's ultimate job is to keep the peace and to go into dangerous situations when civilians are running outward, the other way. As an abstract theorist CPL and other ideological opposition fundamentalists never have to be "the law enforcement", dealing with people who are bent on walking outside of the law, instead they can be the DEFENDERS of these people who file a grievance once the law enforcement officers who are doing their job step out of line. Despite the fact that such police authorities have executed 1,000 engagements with hostile actors it will be that 1 situation in which the situation got out of hand that CPL and other actor-vists will key in upon. Might they have a point to be outraged - YES......police are human and have fallibility. Are they correct when the filter of COMPREHENSIVENESS and CONTEXT are applied? Most often - HELL NO!!! Not only are they most often not able to detail a realistic alternative track - they sit back and cherry pick against those who are putting their own lives at risk, having to deal with situations that civilians get to run from.

Don't get me wrong - Activists and Advocates are important at raising awareness. We also need a share of muckraking journalists who work to shake things up a bit. However when such a movement begins to aggitate for the sake of aggitation while their fundamental principles so abstracted from the realities of the situation so that their ends will never be reached - they indeed need to be held accountable and their viewpoint never allowed to remain as the prevailing sentiments of the community for these rationales have FAILED the community.

The key question remains - are within a movement that has a certain END or are you an iconoclast?

The Saga Of The Clayton County Schools - TheMug Shots

Sandra Scott - District 9
Norreese Haynes - District 8
David Ashe - District 7
Eddie White - District 6
Rev. W. Rod Johnson - District 5
Ericka Davis - District 4
Yolanda Everett - District 3
Lois Baines-Hunter - District 2
A. Michelle Strong - District 1




Here is the line up of officials that run the public schools of Clayton County Georgia. Due to the "foolishness" that continues on this long troubled school board the county schools are at risk of losing its accreditation later this year.

I posted their pictures as a means of driving home the overriding theme of this blog - thus far there has been little correlation between the growth in the BQPFRC political machine and the advancement of the BEST INTERESTS of the Black community.

Once again i state - years ago as Clayton County Georgia became majority Black one of the school board members had a campaign sign that stated "Now That We Are In Control Things Are Going To Change". The pictures listed show that INDEED the school board "looks like us" and things did indeed CHANGE. My challenge to all objective minded Black people is to tell me that THINGS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER? I am not talking about "for the better" of the elected Black Democratic officials who now are in POWER. I am asking if Clayton County and the Black students and their parents specifically are in better shape today than they were prior to this power grab? WHAT EXACTLY did the Black community purchase in acquiring this representation for its schools.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that all of the board members are DEMOCRATS. Sorry Black folks - there is no Republican threat to fight against to mobilize the Black community - YOU HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE LONG WANTED - Democratic Domination of your county.

The frustrating part about this saga is that the biased talking heads of the Atlanta Journal Constitution - Cynthia Tucker in particular have not labeled this as a failure of Liberal Democrats that now dominate the county. This is cast in purely individualist terms where certain incompetent individuals (4 people on the board who can't get along) are making it bad for everyone. Had these been Conservatives - Ms. Tucker would have cast the conflict in that light. The Democratic party nor liberalism will be painted in a bad light as a result of this board's actions.

The "Mirror On The Mirror On America"

Here is a testimonial from the blog "Mirror On America". I was written by a person who is a frequent debate adversary named Rikyrah. I like Rikyrah. She is clear about what she believes and doesn't use many of the tactics that her ideological contemporaries use to muffle debate challenge of their postions. This post has some valuable contents that need to be redirected or refuted. I have chosen to do this on my blog as a means of maintaining "editorial control" and not have my words deleted. Rikyrah's comments mirror those of several people in our community.

Here are the original comments from the blog Mirror On America:
Tavis Smiley, SOTBU, and Barack Obama - some final thoughts

Tavis Smiley, SOTBU, and Barack Obama - some final thoughts

I got around to watching the SOTBU.

I've grown tired of Tavis in the past few months because of his repeated condescending commentaries on Tom Joyner insulting Black folk about their support of Barack Obama.

Unlike a lot of Black folk, I've been supporting Obama from early on.

Just recently became an Obamaholic, but I supported him with my money, time, effort, and feet months ago.

I'm tired of Tavis insulting Black folks, intimating that they can't read and choose for themsleves who they want to support.

Quite honestly, he continued that same line of bull at the SOTBU, where he was constantly condescending and questioning the ' emotionalism' of the Black Community's support of Obama.

This is a seminal event in Black American political activism. Here is evidence of a fracture between the "Black Progressive" forces that has dominant media control and has thus far been a bridge between the Black Establishment and the Black Progressive Activist. Tavis and the Tom Joyner Morning show went to Jena LA, they have lobbied for every single Democratic national candidate in the past 4 presidential elections. He was a "player"....until he made the error of scrutinizing Barack Obama.

There is definitely an intramural fight going on among the ranks of Black Democrats. The first major fight see in my life time. AS A BLACK INDEPENDENT - I STILL SEE ALL DEMOCRATS FIGHTING!!
If a third party was to come in to "help out their boys" by throwing sucker punches from behind - HE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME IDENTIFYING THE ENEMY - they are ALL WEARING THE SAME BLUE JERSEYS so it will be hard to figure out which of them to hit.

THEY ALL label themselves PROGRESSIVES!
THEY ALL have the same anti-Corporate Rhetoric!
THEY ALL have similar populist, quasi-socialist economic policies

WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING ABOUT?

Indeed this is the "Black General Election" going on right now and things are getting ugly. Come convention time and the election - it is almost impossible to think of a situation where THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE BLACK VOTE will tuck in their bitterness and VOTE FOR WHOM EVER IS THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE.

For me - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are a part of the SAME MACHINE that now dominates Black American politics without being checked on their power in any way.

And, isn't it interesting that Tavis sounds like a milder version of the mocking Billary that has shown up this weekend, insulting Obama AND his supporters. Interesting indeed.
My question, if I had been at the SOTBU, would have been..
I'll have to doubt the RATIONAL thought process of folks supporting someone, Hillary, who the polls have told us, a YEAR OUT
HALF THE COUNTRY HAVE SAID THEY WILL NEVER EVER VOTE FOR HER.
Now, explain to me the RATIONAL thought process behind supporting someone with THOSE kinds of negatives.

This is the frustrating part for me as a Black man and critic of the Bill Clinton presidential administration. Right now the same people who lauded over Bill Clinton for years. The very same people who said nothing when he was said to be the "first Black president" are now critical of this man, his antics, his overt racism that has been shown.

Let me ask them a question - HAS BILL CLINTON CHANGED? Or have your eyes been opened?

Worse yet - let us take this time to dig a bit deeper. Where as you talk about all of the economic benefit bestowed upon the Black community during Clinton's term and how bad things are now for Blacks under Bush......was that benefit ORGANIC to the Black community at that time or was it a Wall Street/Silicon Valley triggered uptick that flooded the Black community with benefit? The key question is what did the Black community AND Bill Clinton have to do with the benefits that on received and the other is credited for? Would you even be able to detail the key drivers that made that moment so that you could one day in the future recraft such a condition again in your community. Based on listening to people's perspectives on the matter for years the answer is not just "NO" it is "Hell NO!"

Let us be clear - "Welcome to the club of scrutiny of Bill Clinton". I am glad that you found a greater force than Clinton that made what you already know inside COME OUT OF YOU. If only you could continue focusing on the best interests of the Black community rather than on your political party loyalties.

(Please note - my use of "You" is a reference to BLACK AMERICA in general, not to Rikyrah. In my view the words of Rikyrah is nothing more than the channeled views of many in Black America channeled through her blog entry.)

Folks have to make up their damn minds about Obama.

You've got those who perpetrate that him voting record is akin to Sam Brownback...which is why we can't vote for him.

Then, there are those who say he is ' too liberal'...and, to be honest, I never thought LIBERAL could be used as a bad word IN BLACK CIRCLES.

This is the crown jewel statement of the entire blog post.
It is my view that the reason why the dominant ideology of LIBERALISM is not a "bad word" in the Black community is because THE BLACK COMMUNITY does not see ITS OWN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE as the key to its own locomotion!

To say it another way - this sentence captures what I have been saying for a long time - a large segment of the Black community does not place prime correlation between THE ACTIONS/THOUGHTS/BEHAVIORS/NORMS that are allowed WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY with our ultimate standing as a race in this competitive space called America. Thus the prevalent "LIBERALISM" that is within the Black community where EXPRESSED FREEDOM trumps all other attempts at suppressing people with an array of RULES put forth by THE SYSTEM.

This liberal orientation is shown in apartment complexes and housing projects as community activists work against the MANAGEMENT to eliminate rules that suppress INDIVIDUAL rights for the complex for the sake of the environment that is created for all. This liberalism is shown in our schools as an active band of parents and activists seek to eliminate academic standards or tough "Coach Carter" type behavioral policies that are placed upon their children.

Again - the Black Liberal looks at the situation as "all of the liberties that he has opened up for Black people along the way".
Once he is ruler of the roost has little concept of the POLICIES that are needed to be reenacted in order to PRODUCE RESULTS that he longs for. Thus the ABSTRACTION affords the continued assumption that LIBERALISM is appropriate for all seasons. The aggregate environment that they manage once their are all alone in a community is not the one that ultimately defines the conditions for Black people in its entirety. It is their efforts to LIBERALIZE the overriding controlling authority (the state, the feds) that do this. Much of their policies stem from this assumption.

Then, there are those who bitch and whine about him not 'talking about Black issues'.

Just exactly what the hell is a Black issue?

Wow! For the last several presidential elections we have seen Black people entering the fray in the Democratic Primary because they were going to force the panel of candidates to focus on "Black Issues" that would not otherwise be talked about. When Condi Rice and Colin Powell were appointed to the Bush Administration during the first term they were dismissed because few "Black Issues" reside at the international level.

The truth of the matter is that "Black Issues" are controlled by the operatives with the power to self-define them.

I'll give you one that I believe IS a Black issue - retroactivity with regards to those hideous drug sentences....relates to criminal justice, and ' just-us', and the feeding of young Black men and now women to the Prison Industrial Complex.

This comment is the first one that I'll direct specifically at Rikyrah rather than in general terms: In reading the statement above it appears that she is more focused on THE LAW being in alignment with the "Black Consensus" than she is in having INDIVIDUAL BLACK PEOPLE OPERATING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BLACK BEST INTERESTS.

There is no getting around these fundamental facts

1) There is no property of Crack that specifically attracts Black people to this drug that destroys so many of our communities and the people with

2) The presence of imbalanced sentencing between crystal and powder DOES NOT direct BLACK PEOPLE IN GENERAL into a predestined fate. IT IS THEIR CHOICE to associate with the Crack game that ensares them.

3) The Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser focused his efforts on supposedly "equalizing" the crystal/powder sentencing from an administration perspective than they are in WORKING THROUGH THE BLACK COMMUNITY to rid our community from this scourge that has destroyed so many lives through the CHOICES of the CONSUMERS of Crack and those who DISTRIBUTE IT to them for PROFIT.

#3 is a vital tie in to what I was speaking of previously regarding "liberalism". You see when an occasion prevents itself where the BLACK COMMUNITY could resolve a critical problem (the high number of Black people who are incarcerated and the time they spend away from their young children and the loss in wages earned while locked up).....they will GO TO THE SYSTEM and work to CHANGE THE SYSTEM!!!, dumbing down the threshholds and setting the stage for an epidemic of individuals WITHIN THE COMMUNITY who do not have the commitment to the very BLACK INTERESTS that Rikyrah is talking about. Instead the liberal works to change the system and its punitive policies with the "benefits" raining down upon Black people - without asking BLACK PEOPLE TO CHANGE. Do you believe that the Black community will be "drug free" (or at least at a reduced rate of drug usage) based on these LIBERAL policies?
The liberal will "expand the police tape" and make the high crack usage in the community as a result of POLICY/ECONOMIC and racism related issues THAT ARE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF CONTROL OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. Once again the Black community is placed on the chase against the EXTERNAL FORCE that shapes it rather than choosing to MANAGE OURSELVES ORGANICALLY BY CONTROLLING OUR PEOPLE, leading us to more directed outcomes as a result.

THIS IS A FAILURE OF 'LIBERALISM'

Well, guess what? Hillary's already told you that she intends to get elected on the back of sending ANOTHER generation of young Black men and women to the Prison Industrial complex - she's AGAINST retroactivity, which puts her to the right of Scalia, and ON PAR WITH UNCLE CLARENCE.

What drug law does Clarence Thomas have responsibility for creating? NOT A SINGLE ONE.

Once again notice how "the Black Best Interests" is expressed in ADVOCATING AGAINST THE SYSTEM OF LAWS TO KEEP BLACK FOLKS FROM BEING LOCKED UP WITH LONG PRISON SENTENCES instead of working WITH BLACK PEOPLE to keep them AWAY FROM DRUGS and thus AWAY FROM THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.

The same M.O. - CHANGE THE SYSTEM and have BENEFIT RAIN DOWN UPON BLACK FOLKS without requiring BLACK FOLKS TO CHANGE to receive the benefit.

She's ready to get elected on the backs of young Black men and women and tell me again why MY support of Obama is ' emotional'.

No comment to make on this one.

Obama is more progressive. Obama is the only chance of ridding ourselves of the Imperial Presidency. If Obama implements HALF of his transparency in government policies, it will transform how government is scene by the average citizen.

Here is a CLASSICAL PARADOX shown by the OBAMA SUPPORTERS.
Where as George W. Bush is the "imperial president" having concentrated POWER into the Executive Branch......PRESIDENT OBAMA, UPON HIS ELECTION TO THE WHITE HOUSE, is going to LEAD TO CHANGE FROM STATUS QUO
through his position?!?!?!

Did I miss something here folks?
This ONE MAN being elected is going to lead to a REVOLUTION?
He is going to DECENTRALIZE POWER out of the seat of the PRESIDENT but he is ALSO going to lead the way to POSITIVE, PROGRESSIVE CHANGE????

Does this make sense to anyone? (Again I am back to general commentary about sentiments that are popularly heard and not commenting specifically about Rikyrah).

Don't the CHANGES that Obama has talked about in his SPEECHES (words that don't match his legislative record)require an IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY to get it done? Was Franklin D. Roosevelt an IMPERIAL PRESIDENT or was he a DECENTRALIZED POWER?

I thus have to conclude that the problem IS NOT "the Imperial Presidency", the problem is that they want AN IMPERIAL PRESIDENT THAT THEY AGREE WITH WITH THE POLICIES THAT THEY SUPPORT!

Obama was against this war.

Not only did she vote FOR the war, she refuses to apologize for her actions that have cost 4,000 lives, mutli-thousand permanent casualties, nearly 1 TRILLION DOLLARS that could have been used elsewhere.

4,000 American lives have indeed been lost by this policy decision by Bush. Upwards of $650 billion dollars have been spent in conducting this "Oil Foreign Policy" operation indeed. There is no arguing with this.

My challenge to Rikyrah and others is "What was the situation at hand in Iraq BEFORE BUSH?" Wasn't Iraq the focus of 9 years of military action? Didn't the United Nations' SANCTIONS lead to the early death of far more PEOPLE than 4,000? This is why the "Oil For Food" program was initiated. It was a stop gap measure to relieve the suffering upon the Iraqi innocent people by allowing their oil to be sold in exchange for food and health care supplies and services.

The infamous WMDs were the central justification for the continuance of these DEADLY SANCTIONS - throughout the Clinton Administration. The key difference is that Bush chose to OPERATE ON THE ASSUMPTION while Clinton went through the United Nations - the International Law organization if you allow some to tell it - to hold the victim under the "water board". The array of anti-war people were SILENT during this period in our history.

She refuses to apologize for her vote, and would have had us in IRAN.

Hillary Clinton's irrational Iraq policy is only trumped by the viewpoint of Barack Obama on the issue. Please note that in the naive infancy of his campaign he was "Against his war from the begging". This was the extent of his foreign policy dialogue.

Unfortunately when Mr. Obama TALKS he opens up the great doubt that remains about his foreign policy leadership. You see while Mr. Obama was against Iraq he was FOR the invasion of Afghanistan. We needed to go after those who attacked us and those who supported them. Mr. Obama was also for INVADING PAKISTAN if it was necessary to kill or capture Obama Bin Laden.

So let us understand this. With Obama's policy in place we would have found OSAMA BIN LADEN by now. As Michael Moore told us - the US Military who "outsourced" the hunt for Osama to the Pakistanis' would have found NEW COMPETENCES under Obama's leadership and would have KILLED Osama Bin Laden.

In the wake of Osama's death, here is where it gets interesting folks - the #2 man Al Zhawihri would be in power. I have posted extensively about Al Zhawihri's comments stating that "We will fight the Infidel where ever he goes on our territory - be it Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Somalia". THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS!!! The man doesn't GIVE A DAMN about INTERNATIONAL LAW! In "Obama Foreign Policy" Al Queda will make note that the Infidel - THAT'D BE US" did not VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW and not having PERMISSION from the United Nations to invade Iraq - would have limited our operation to AFGHANISTAN - who attacked us. BUT WE WOULD HAVE INVADED Pakistan WITHOUT PERMISSION because this is where Osama Bin Laden is. (Are you following this folks?)

The most frustrating part about the Obama Foreign Policy is that it is nearly 100% THEORETICAL. As George Bush and the Pentagon found out the hard way - THE ENEMY are THINKING MEN!!! They don't follow a Hollywood script per the rants of the latest Anti-Bush film. Instead they make note of our actions and our nation's political mood and they ADAPT!! Sorry to tell you - Al Queda does not like Obama any more than they like Bush.

Once they race-baited Obama, it wasn't even about Obama anymore.

It was about ANY future Black politician with political aspirations higher than a safe, gerrymandered Congressional seat.

If she is allowed to racebait her way into the nomination, then this will be the future blueprint as to how to take out ANY Black politician, which is why I will NEVER vote for her. I will NEVER be complicit in setting into cement the ceiling for future Black politicians.

Wow! I thought that the Clintons were FRIENDS OF BLACK AMERICA?
Do you all recall in that post-Clinton presidency speech where he was talking to a Black crowd? He bit his lip and he said something to the effect of "I was always there for you all, representing your interests against some people who wanted to not do right by you". You have books by Dwayne Wickham of USA Today and a stack of other adorning columns from Derrick Z. Jackson, Cynthia Tucker, Robert Herbert, Eugine Robinson and many, many other Black journalists that promoted Clinton's BENEFIT to Black people. We will need a stack of paper for the retractions of their previous editorial love to be taken away.

Tavis is SUSPECT, because, he didn't just fall off a turnip truck. Stevie Wonder could see the race-baiting being done on Obama, and he didn't say JACK about it.
A LOT of the ' usual suspects' are SUSPECT because of their silence.
If a Republican had done to Barack Obama what the Clintons did, the ' usual suspects' would have been up in arms.
As it is, they were doing Marcel Marceau impersonations.

Now you see the impact of BIAS within the Black community. Welcome to the club. The failed policy of "Lesser Of Two Evils" and brother Malcolm X's warning about the "Fox standing among us with a snarl that looks like a smile". YOU ALL GOT BIT and you were surprised!

I fully expect the GOP to go after Obama with race-baiting full throttle.

But, here's the rub...

The GOP has never pretended to be THE FRIEND of the Black community.

Interesting. Where as many Republican dominated communities on the local level have the viewpoint of "We have MOVED AWAY from the cities that YOU ALL now dominate! You run YOUR new city the way that you want to - JUST let us run ours the way we want to!" this is called the "lack of inclusion and diversity" today as I listen to a radio host that I am thinking about who rails against 'non-inclusive Republicans'.

All the while these Republican suburbs are used as the constant reference for
*Quality Schools of which inner city students are being denied
*First Rate retail stores that have fresh veggies and large, modern movie theaters
*Safe Streets that have abundant police coverage
*The location of corporate jobs that need public transportation to allow outsiders to commute to more easily (This was one of Tavis Smiley's Covenant entries)

So get this - REPUBLICANS are "no friends of Black people" but often BLACK PEOPLE want to INTEGRATE into their schools because the schools where Blacks live are substandard. (Not my view - a common view as deduced through their activism). They demand that these stores come to their communities. In summary - though Republicans are no friends to Black people - as you so frequently hear - Black people seek to be around them to consume the environment that they have crafted, exiting their own communities in the process.

And, the Clintons did..but, when push came to shove, and this Uppity Negro began to beat them...
They pulled out Lee Atwater's manual and used it without abandon.
And, anyone who stands with that race-baiter AFTER she's done that to Obama is SUSPECT, A TOOL, AND NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

No mention of the race baiting NAACP Voter Education Fund commercial using the memory of James Byrd in the 2000 election though when it comes to race baiting?

If the shoe fits, then Tavis should wear it, no matter how many Black Covenant books he writes.

Funny how when I made note of how Tavis' Covenant book was flawed when I compared it to my Home Owners Covenance my views were the subject of debate. Where as Tavis' document was more of a position paper on the policies that BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD SUPPORT.......my Home Owners Association detailed what I NEED TO DO in order to be a neighbor in good standing. The perspectives could not have been more different.

Again welcome to the club. I have scrutinized both the "Tom Joyner Morning Show" clique and the Clintons for the longest of time only to be ostracized for my lack of racial loyalties.

Crack Is A "Black Drug" Here We Go Again

File this under "Kneegrows say the darnedest things on video tape". This time the award goes to US Representative Shelia Jackson Lee. It seems that she was attempting to make amends to the Pro-Obama crowd at this year's "Tavis And Friends" annual gathering. This Hillary Clinton supporter later made the case that 'CRACK IS A BLACK DRUG'.

She argued this point because upwards of 65% of the people arrested for crack possession are Black. Using this logic - Space Exploration is a "White venture" since upwards of 95% of scientists and astronauts in NASA are WHITE.

I only wish that these Black brothers and sisters of mine STOP assuming Black Inferiority as a pretext of driving home a policy initiative that they support. There is NO PROPERTY OF CRACK that uniquely operates on the MELANIN in our skin that distinguishes Black people from other people. Why aren't melanated people from India who have migrated to America similarly prone to be Crack Heads or Crack Dealers?

As I have mentioned several times before on this blog the Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser that is behind this assumed inferiority movement seeks to address the crack problem on the LAW ENFORCEMENT SIDE of the issue by reducing the penalties rather than addressing it on the CONSUMER side of the issue where people are educated NOT TO associate with this destructive chemical.

I wonder if they would support INCREASING the sentences on powdered cocaine as a means of achieving equality in sentencing?

Please explain why THEY as Black people have not become CRACK ADDICTS OR DEALERS as a result of Crack being a "Black Drug".

We don't need NEW LEADERS - we need NEW MESSAGES put forth within our people's consciousness and from this will come THE LEADERSHIP THAT IS NEEDED TODAY.

Crime Ridden Cities Turn To Technology To Assist With Crime Fighting

Justice Talking: Innovations in Policing

As murder rates increase in a number of large cities, police are implementing a host of new measures aimed at reducing crime: cameras in high-crime areas, automatic scanners that run ID checks on every automobile that passes by a police cruiser, stop-and-frisk policies and door-to-door “consent” searches for weapons. This edition of Justice Talking will ask whether the new technologies and methods are effective and fair. Do they unfairly discriminate against poor African-American families? Are the policies violating the rights to privacy and free association or are they reasonable measures that protect communities' right to live free of violence?

For me personally - after about 6 years of listening to how we are losing "all these rights" to Bush's "War On Terrorism" the news that Philadelphia will spend $8 Million to lace the city with surveillance cameras seems to be quite muted. Once again it seems that the ACTOR-VIST community focuses more on WHO is implementing policies rather than what policies are being implemented.

Where is the ACLU on this one?

Why is it that Philadelphia, an 80% Democratic City is not able to express the "brotherly love" that it is known for but instead must put up a network of cameras to be "thy brother's keeper"?

Mr. Obama - NAFTA Or "Illegal Immigration"? Which Has Displaced More Black Workers?

Its that time again - The political left is beating up on NAFTA and trade policies as the reason for the decline in employment where they dominate politically - namely the Rust Belt region of the nation. I have previously commented on the negative impact of local policy that has contributed in driving "consumers of labor" out of these market places. Bottom line - as with any CONSUMER - when you raise the total costs that he experiences in the market place - he will move to another "market" where he can get a more favorable deal. (The Tax War Between The States)

Beyond the issue about labor policy I am more puzzled regarding Barack Obama's bifurcated stances on NAFTA versus Illegal Immigration. Actually there is nothing to be surprised about - NAFTA is an agreement between nations and thus CORPORATE ENTITIES ultimately. Mr. Obama has no problem attacking "corporate interests". This rings loudly among his left wing base.

When it comes to illegal immigration he does make his case but, yet again, he talks about the CORPORATIONS who are "attracting" people who are desperate to live for another day to this nation and then 'exploit them' with low wages. Once again his left wing followers who are intoxicated with notions of "CHANGE" never seem to do a deep inspection of the rationality of this position. Beyond the corporate scape goat that is likely to appease them are some serious painful facts on the real world harm to the employment condition for Black people in particular. These people are crossing the border to work mostly unskilled, low paying jobs. Unfortunately Black people are the disproportionate face that had been working these jobs. Mr. Obama's rhetoric and redirection over toward the classical corporate adversary will largely do NOTHING to restore the base of employment for Black Americans.

Maybe Mr. Obama as president will take a page out of Jimmy Carter's book and throw money at many "make work" jobs in the inner cities that ultimately prove to be of little benefit as they extend the day of reckoning of the key facts that few people wish to talk about - the SKILLS that the people in the inner cities have to market in pursuit of a better job. No jobs program or quick expansion of government career centers are going to fix something that has become inter-generational and entrenched inside of a culture.

Unfortunately as with the campaign pledge of "CHANGE" these proposals on jobs will be warmly accepted even after the fact because of their INTENTIONS rather than their COMPREHENSIVENESS at addressing the problem on a more permanent basis. Mr. Obama being true to his Ted Kennedy-esque endorsement will lean upon the GOVERNMENT while asking very little of the Black community within to do much of any CHANGE so that these attempts will stick across generational boundaries. The call for "we need more help" or "how can you expect me to find a job after just 4 short years of assistance" will be met with the inevitable extension. This language is heard today (as reported on this blog) by the people who are being forced to move out of what once was TEMPORARY HOUSING - now known as the HOUSING PROJECTS as they are turned into mixed income residences.

Now back to NAFTA versus Illegal Immigration. According to a wide array of studies - NAFTA has cost Americans 860,000 jobs since 1993. (This doesn't even include the Cato Institute which is cheering the net benefits of NAFTA. I am using numbers from the Economic Policy Institute - they support "pro-labor" policies.

Economic Policy Institute NAFTA findings



Please note - I have other points of research that point to a far less amount of job loss but I will stick to EPI's worst case scenario. (NAFTA Math says the impact is much less)

Now let's focus on the comparative impact of ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION on the American worker. First there is an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in this nation today according to the government. Some independent observers put this number at 25 million.

The National Bureau Of Economic Research has estimated that up to 40% of job loss among African Americans is due to illegal immigration.

Markel Hutchins Challenges John Lewis For The Georgia's 5th District

Television Report: Markel Hutchins Announces His Candidacy

IT IS ABOUT TIME!!!

John Lewis will be challenged for his seat in Congress by SOMEBODY!!! John Lewis can tell us more about the Civil Rights Movement than about the real needs TODAY in his own district. Though Markel Hutchins is an upstart - he surely would be a breath of fresh air for the 5th district and thus allow John Lewis to become a full time historian on the period of his life that I have heard him talk about nearly every time I have heard this man speak.

Sadly the man on "Georgia Gang" got the story correct. He said that the only thing likely to take John Lewis' seat is an "untimely death or voluntary retirement". It is really a shame when the Black community is being governed by such shoe-ins - that is UNLESS a left wing extremist can come in and paint them as a conservative - as was the case with Albert Wynn of Maryland.

The Saga Of Clayton County Schools - The Republican Governor Appoints An 'Overseer' To Help The Blacks Order Themselves

Four years ago when I saw the campaign signs scattered throughout Clayton County Georgia which celebrated the fact that the county's population had shifted to be majority Black approximately 2 years prior and that this would be the first election in which the new majority would express its political will - I never would have guessed that years later the current situation with the Clayton County Schools would be with is. To be clear - years ago the "good ole boys" that the new Black majority ran out of office were White Democrats who had long dominated the county's politics. Many of them simply moved further south to Henry, Spalding, Coweta or Fayette counties rather than fight what was a losing battle in their beloved Clayton County.

I remember two campaign signs in particular. One was from a school board candidate which said "We Run Things Now". A second one was from a state representative which said "Vote For Someone Who Has Your Best Interests In Mind". This was a take off from the long heard statement - "Vote for someone who LOOKS LIKE YOU and who has your best interests in mind". Let me be clear - all of Clayton County is not falling apart. There are still portions that have not missed a beat. There is a thriving retail community that has received a few bumps over the years but which has adapted. There are still many elected officials who are indeed working in the best interests of the community - rather than based on their egos.

I still must lament the news that I saw in today's paper. The Republican Governor of Georgia, Sonny Purdue appointed two individual to "oversee" (not my word - the news paper's word of choice) the efforts of the Clayton County School Board.

GOVERNOR STEPS INTO THE FIGHT: Clayton schools to get help
Accreditation can be saved with committee overseeing the efforts to meet goals, Perdue says

AJC Article: Clayton Schools To Get Help

AJC Article: Clayton Students Join Board Fight

I am most proud of the students for standing up and showing more maturity than the board has. Their futures are at stake while the elected board has done everything but what they were put in power to do.

I am most frustrated, however, by the usual talking heads that always have something to say when the situation fits their agenda. Where is AJC editor Cynthia Tucker on this one? YES her opinion article on Wednesday attacked the board for their incompetence - that was easy. Normally - Ms Tucker makes the point of detailing how one's IDEOLOGY (and to some extent party membership) is the root cause of the problems that harm their constituents. We are hearing none of this from Ms. Tucker in critiquing those of her own following. She put the finger on individuals, not their system of flawed thoughts and assumptions and practices as received from their ideological leanings.

Clayton County has enough "clearing out" of the adversarial factions for anyone who is honest to form a clear picture of where the problem resides. They have SOME individuals among the ruling machine who got in to office on the mission of their ego rather than for the purpose of serving their community. As the Black community transitions from its DEFENSIVE posture with regards to Civil Rights over to a MANAGERIAL posture because they are on their own - it i the BLACK COMMUNITY that must stand up and hold its ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE for their actions and the RESULTS that they obtain or fail to obtain. The obfuscation must STOP!!

The Black Community Is Dominated By Left Wing Ideologues - A Follow Up Inspection

Subtitle - Another "Actor-vist" joins the Legislature

First an interview on Democracy Now which celebrated her win. Now a round of applause by ACORN - a left wing, quasi-socialist and certainly anti-capitalistic organization. The Donna Edwards victory was not just a victory as decided by the people of the 4th district. This was a victory as part of an orchestrated attempt to ENFORCE a certain ideological line WITHIN the Black community.

If you'll notice - ACORN is against the "big box stores" that have lead to the redevelopment of MANY Black shopping districts that I have seen in urban areas with my own mind. What are they for? More government regulations. More government grants - straight from the wallets of tax payers into the pockets of other private citizens in the name of "social justice".

One must ask - WHAT TYPE OF ECONOMY WOULD WE HAVE IF PEOPLE LIKE ACORN HAD TOTAL CONTROL OF IT? Please file this blog entry under my continuing references to "WHAT IS THE COST OF THE PREVAILING ECONOMIC IDEOLOGY THAT TAKES OVER CERTAIN BLACK COMMUNITIES"? They seem to be bent on forcing ECONOMIC TRUTHS to bend in unnatural ways. Where exactly is their model community - clearly it is the various hosing projects and Section 8 towns that they advocate for. Do they represent the Black Middle Class and its interests though? PROVE IT!!! SHOW THE CITIES WHERE THIS IS THE CASE!!! I'll show you where it is not the case.

No doubt they would say "A Fair Economy".
My question to them is "WHAT is FAIR?", "Who determines FAIRNESS?" and "What happens if I choose to go out and work more strategically than the next guy and get MORE FAIRNESS than he has? Will I be allowed to keep my extra FAIRNESS and will he be made to MAINTAIN WHAT HIS EFFORTS BROUGHT FORTH TO HIM WITHOUT DIPPING INTO MY FAIRNESS?"

Of course we all know the answer to the last one.
In these type of economic schemes it is the "Fairness Regulator" who often lives in the biggest house for he is the centralized source of all power while the rest of the country DEFLATES into the point of anemic economic activity. This is the case within every nation that tries this scheme. The entrepreneurial spirit is confiscated away as the people so inclined to do so realize that it is just not worth the extra effort. This will be punished by the thievery of the state.

ACORN Celebrates Donna Edwards Congressional Win in Maryland

ACORN members celebrated a victory for working families Wednesday, Feb. 13, with the nomination of Donna Edwards as Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 4th District. Edwards has a background in community organizing and activism, having fought hard against big box developments. She is a strong supporter of many issues important to ACORN members, including increased access to health care, the Earned Income Tax Credit, education, and fighting the foreclosure crisis.

Edwards spoke in support of ACORN’s work after her nomination, saying “I want to thank my friends from ACORN….You told the truth about foreclosures and what is happening in our district and around the country to homeowners who are being forced from their homes by unscrupulous predatory lenders.”

Edwards beat incumbent Al Wynn 60 to 36 percent with 88 percent of precincts reporting.

The Saga And Shame Of Clayton County School District

AJC Article: Clayton schools' troubles frustrate community

"I'm mad about it," said Riverdale resident Karen Ransey Washington as she led her two children, Brittney, 14, and Chrystopher, 11, to church at Divine Faith Ministries. Both youngsters attend Clayton schools.

"I want to know: Who dropped the ball?" Washington said. "Our poor children, they have enough to deal with; now this."

This is frustrating for me and I don't even live in Clayton County. I live one county below. The political divide is stark. Fayette County Georgia is as much of a "Red County" as Clayton County Georgia is a "Blue County". I spend most of my community outreach efforts focused upon Clayton County than I do any other including where I live.

What is more frustrating to me is that I just got finished debating a blog challenger who made the case that "Black Conservatives" do not have the "BEST INTERESTS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY" in mind and that they are Black Faced performers. In that particular post I reminded the blogger that in 2008 it is the Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chaser that has dominant control over the Black political machine and that indeed HE IS THE ONE WHO IS FAILING to deliver for the Black community. The Black conservative has been largely pushed aside as our community chooses to go with the ideology that is more popular, the one that they are most comfortable with. The one that more closely aligns with THEIR OWN ideology.

Again I say POPULARITY DOES NOT EQUAL EFFECTIVENESS!!!

As I watched the news on Friday - I saw several Black high school students SOUND SO NEARLY LIKE ME. They felt betrayed by their school board. They are getting ACTIVE. They are going to start a RECALL DRIVE to get the school board that has FAILED THEM thrown out of office. They made me PROUD!!!

In the midst of fighting amongst each other for power and favors - they forgot the mission that they were popularly elected to do. At the end of it all - the STUDENTS are the one's who are suffering. Their college scholarships are threatened. The state funding for kindergarten is threatened. The transcripts from the district aren't worth the paper that they are printed on. NO BLACK REPUBLICAN DID THIS TO CLAYTON COUNTY!!!!!

I often challenge the BQPFRC about his soul. Is he seeking an increase in "Head Count" in the political arena OR is he seeking to move the Black community forward? These two goals are not synonymous as most people think. While the BQPFRC is out attacking the minority of though within our race it is clear that he is not taking care of business where he should. Why does it take for some of our institutions to hit rock bottom before we see the fire and begin MANAGING THEM more effectively? Instead we should be MANAGING them all along in order to moderate these governing bodies.

I am not gloating over the situation in Clayton. I know far too many parents who are deeply concerned about the situation there. A county that has a lot of things going for it still has some characters that have no business being in government. They jumped in for personal empowerment reasons that had little to do with serving the people of the county. Next time I get into an ideological debate with one of my friends - I figure they will not be so cocky as they point at the exceptions to the popular Black ideology but instead will realize that they need to keep control of the one that has actual power. It is hard to go from chasing windmills over to effective management - so I understand.

Clayton County GA Schools - We Told You "Things Would Be Different" Once WE Took Over.....At Least They Warned Us

AJC Article: Revoke Clayton schools' accreditation, agency says

On Friday, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave the 52,800-student district until Sept. 1 to overhaul the system. If not, the district will lose accreditation and students will no longer be eligible for HOPE scholarships and will find it harder to get into some universities. This year's graduating class would not be affected.

I am sure that some of you figure that I pick on Clayton County and other communities that have experienced a transition in government recently. I assure you that my intent is not to defile anyone. The goal of my focus is to question the SPIRIT behind the recent drive that lead to the take over of the particular political entity once the community shifted to "majority Black".

In my racial pride and my naivete I still hold out the assumption that the take over by these Black elected operatives is indeed for the "best interests" of the Black community. This would be in line with their campaign rhetoric to have someone in office who "looks like you and who represents your best interests". Call me "from Missouri" because I have yet to SEE that this is actually the case in far too many instances. Instead of "Black Best Interests" we have instead ego and arrogance that has stepped into office and tracked what they stepped in all over the carpet. I beg anyone to explain to me how the children in the Clayton County Schools are BENEFITING from the latest round of turmoil to hover over their school district. (The top of the news hour just cycled through and this was the #1 story on this Saturday morning news that is on television in the background).

Again - I don't blame the politicians. They are only going to do what they are ALLOWED to do. Ultimately it is the voting population that have put them into office who are to blame. A local journalist got attacked for noting that in too many cases people who had been working $35,000 per year jobs as 'individual contributors' only to be elected to the school board with a $120 MILLION budget. He made the case that these people are often NOT QUALIFIED to manage such a large budget and resources because of their backgrounds. AGAIN while these people might have what is POPULAR among the VOTERS and thus they are in office; in EFFECTIVE terms - these people have no experience and IF THEY ARE IN THE MAJORITY....surely the board will suffer.

What is the cost of the loss of accreditation? Scholarships for students would be nullified. Grades from these schools might not be admissible for college application. On the news a Black student just said "There is no point going to school if the diploma that you get doesn't mean anything".

One day the key goal of my actions will be driven - ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE BLACK COMMUNITY UPON THOSE THAT THEY PUT IN PLACE AND NOW WHO ARE FAILING THEM. To be clear - YES this is done against those who "drift RIGHTWARD" (Albert Wynn). It is now time to shift from evaluation of a politician's STICKINESS to what the community believes he should do over to his EFFECTIVENESS at delivering the results that are in line with the common goals.

The Black Community Is Dominated By Left Wing Ideologues - Case Study: The Loss Of US Rep Albert Wynn Of Maryland

During the flight back from a business trip I got a chance to read the latest edition of "Foreign Policy" magazine. There was an article that focused on the "anti-capitalist / anti-business / anti-free market" indoctrination that school students in France and Germany are exposed to and how the United States is so often the target of such attacks. Upon my completion of the article I had the opinion that if you crossed out "France and Germany" and substituted the words, thoughts and actions of the Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive-Fundamentalist Racism Chasers here in America that dominate Black political discourse there would be little difference between these two indoctrination operations.

As such upon driving home from the airport, listening to the radio I was none too surprised to hear that US Representative Albert Wynn of Maryland had lost his seat in the "Black general election" that was held in Maryland on Tuesday - also known as the Democratic Primary for the rest of the voters in Maryland. The radio reporter had commented that Wynn was punished for not being "left enough" and for supporting the Bush Administration too often. "George W. Bush" clearly a cuss word in the majority Black, solidly Democratic congressional district that was up for grabs.

I was most amazed that the victor in the battle, Donna Edwards campaigned with the message of "change". What I struggle with is the notion of "change" that she had promoted. "Change from what to what"? The net result is that this county has changed from one liberal Democrat over to a more extreme liberal Democrat.

In reading the goals as spoken by Rep Wynn I was reminded about the Foreign Policy magazine article that I had just read:

U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.), elected to Congress in 1992 as the nation's first representative of a majority-black suburban district, often argues that the best way to bring more constituents into the aspiring middle class is to promote small business and create jobs

It's why he hosts an annual job fair and another for local contractors who want business with the federal government. It's also why he says he voted in 2005 to repeal the estate tax and became a surprising advocate for casinos in Annapolis in 2003, thinking they would create more jobs than slot machines would.

From personal experience with Black politics it is clear to me that one man's economic opportunity in opening up the "Georgia Aquarium", for example, is another man's protest that the homeless people who frequent the area will be driven away as undesirables. The fact that the project would eventually lead to exponential job growth, a revitalization of the immediate area was of no consequence because, once again "the homeless" did not get any of these particular jobs and they are not presentable enough to sit in one of the new restaurants, bars or cafes that have popped up as a sign of life in this once underdeveloped area. Such as life when dealing with certain operatives.

For me as a Black man, attempting to understand the outright "voter nullification" that is going on across the nation among Black people who are resentful of the lack of development and opportunity in their own communities while coveting that which is going on in someone else's community - it is quite frustrating to me for certain people who are able to eschew the COSTS of the policies that they support and those which turn out to be quite poplar WITHIN the Black community. It is clearly the case that the COSTS of these policies is reflected in the ongoing grievances that many of these people face.

As the FP article states - there is a greater affinity for society/socialist based solutions to unemployment and needs among the "unfortunate". With their perverted logic the theory is that the corporations are the ones that created the poverty both while they were present in town - thus creating income imbalance and when they departed town - thus leaving the masses to strong alone. Either way you slice it - it is the corporation that did it both coming and going. It is the government program and regulations that are seen as the great fix to it all.

I am not surprised that Mr. Wynn's activities to produce jobs and employment in his district in Maryland was turned against him as a negative. This type of engagement is seen as "getting too comfortable with big business". In many Democratic or Black circles if you are not attacking businesses rather than complementing them - you are indeed out of tune with the masses.

In his 15 years in the House, Wynn's supporters say, he has been a vigorous voice for traditional Democratic causes, particularly raising the minimum wage, union protections for federal workers and proposals to expand health insurance for low-income children, vetoed by President Bush last year.

For reference - the above items represent Mr Wynn's "loyalty" to the Democratic party. These points are ordinarily good enough to rest upon.

But Wynn has also shown a willingness to step away from his party on some key issues, particularly, he has said, when driven by his philosophy on small and minority business, leading him to votes that have created an opening for challengers

Wynn's detractors say he votes too often with Republicans for a representative from an overwhelmingly Democratic district, which comprises portions of Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

This last point is CRITICAL to our discussion.
When a constituency has gone to indexing their judgments of their representative based on MEASURABLE PROPERTIES that are in line with their goals (ie: Has Educational Performance Increase, Is Crime Down, etc) over to "DID YOU VOTE IN LINE WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OR DID YOU VOTE WITH THE ENEMY".....you know that all is lost in this particular constituency. They have SOLD OUT and LOST THEIR SOUL. Gone is the independent judgment of "What are our collective goals and are we achieving them". Instead they have bought into the partisan jousting match and this has superseded their real best interests.

Would You Increase Your Dependency On This "Person" If This Were His Credit Report?

If the above readout of the future financial standing of the United States government were a person's Credit Report / Income Projection report would you:

* Increase your dependency on the resources provided to you by this person in the way of your Health Care? Your Food? Your Housing? Your Educational Financing?

* Would this projection be a warning sign to your family and your people that the future of your relationship with this person does not look bright and that you have between 25 and 75 years to prepare yourself for a future relationship with this peson that is radically different than the one you have right now. You could choose to stay with "him" but he is likely to leave you hanging with regard to your expectations of resources from him.

We all know that the Federal Charge card is greatly over extended. We are living off of "funny money" now more than ever. Add to it the loss of hard core manufacturing and production - despite the fact that the US is still the worlds largest economy and is the most valuable manufacturer as well - the increased global competition will no doubt put more strain on what is already a strained economy.

We can all talk about ideology and who is to blame for this eroded financial situation. Yes Bush just released a record $3.1 trillion budget and thus he and "Smaller Government" have never been friends. At the same time the proposed increased domestic spending by the Democrats do more than "keep the money at home rather than Iraq" - it does exactly what they condemned Bush for - runs up record deficits. While you might be appeased and say "well at least this money is being spent at home" - the fact remains - it is deficit spending and they also have proposed more spending than Bush has ever proposed. At the end of the day - the debt will have no "finger prints" on it regarding who used the charge card. It will seriously erode this nation's ability to function.

For me as an avid viewer of the financial markets and standing of this country though various sources - it is crazy stupid to believe that you have achieved short term victory in getting more benefits "redistributed" to you from the government while failing to make note of the need for INDEPENDENCE that you have just forsaken by putting your eggs into this basket that seemingly is tumbling down hill, ready for a long term crash. I don't think that your government health care is going to be able to fix you up after this one.

Black Community - Keep Your "Eyes On The Prize".....And Obama

Maybe its just me?
Having watched "Eyes On The Prize 2" this past Sunday on PBS maybe I just think differently from many of my Black brothers and sisters.

For me reverting back to the year 1968 at the sight of mayoral candidate Carl Stokes in Cleveland Ohio had somewhat of an eerie echo as to what is going on with the Barack Obama presidential campaign today. At the same time the clear progress that this nation has made was also readily apparent.

The key point that was the same between then and now is the thoughts, behaviors and assumptions of the Black community with respect to achieving this particular milestone with regards to race. The thought of having Mr. Stokes as the "first Black mayor" of a large American city was both a point of understandable racial pride but, more importantly an inflection point for change that was going to flood into the Black community. This great anticipation for the brighter future translated into having the same operational effort that was seen during the Civil Rights Movement - which was still going on at the time - being deployed in the political realm for the benefit of this well spoken Black man who was a Democrat.
Much of the preachers, church auxiliaries, community activists, student groups, and other social and political activst groups who pounded the streets for what was legitimately called "civil rights" for Black people for the purposes of getting this Black man elected into office.

I have spoken on many occasions about how the classical Civil Rights Movement took a wrong turn when it followed the plan that was vocalized by Bayard Ruskin in which the Black community was to have received benefit from having Black people elected as Democrats.

As I watched the "Eyes On The Prize" episode I could not help but utilize the benefit of hindsight to make the case that much of the hope that was displayed by the Black community was never attained in the city of Cleveland nor many other cities that had similar "First Black" hurdles that fell over the past 40 years. I am left to conclude that some people believed that their ultimate victory was in the election night victory that broke down the hurdle of "they said it couldn't be done" more than their possession of a plan to follow through and actually attain these said benefits for their communities. I am not saying that Carl Stokes or any other Black mayor following him is responsible for the current depressed state of the city of Cleveland and so many other cities in the Rust Belt of the North. What I CAN SAY definitively, however, is that there is no link between breaking barriers for the sake of "racial pride" versus the delivery of more permanent benefit and solutions to the Black community.

I also did not miss the statistic that was mentioned from 1968 - the city of Cleveland was 80% Democrat back in 1968 when the firestorm of controversy stood against Carl Stokes - with race being squarely underneath all aspects of the campaign.

All of this brings me to Black America 2008. Still today in the cities where Black Americans are most concentrated today there are a number of "80% Democratic Cities" throughout the spectrum - Baltimore, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Camden, Detroit and New Orleans to name just a few. The benefits promised to the Black community in exchange for our loyal support for the Democrats have yet to materialize for our communities. These same cities also represent a large portion of the Black Misery Index in America.

I am left to ask - What is the ultimate purpose of the Black Political Activism if it has translated so poorly to our community's benefit?

It comes as no surprise that the run up with the excitement of Barack Obama rings forth the ghosts of past in Cleveland. Ultimately the Black community must exhaust itself of the "First Black" elected official and instead go for DELIVERY OF ACTUAL BENEFIT to our community.

Worse yet: "We are RUNNING OUT OF 'FIRSTS' to hand our hats on as a people".

Milwaukee - 11 People Shot In 2 Hour Time Span - No Big Deal - You Know The Story

Article: Milwaukee - 11 people wounded in less than 2 hours

In a surge of gun violence on Milwaukee's north side early Saturday, 11 people were shot in what police said were three unrelated situations. All are expected to live.

The gunmen remained at large late Saturday.

In a fourth shooting, two groups of people fired on each other's houses, authorities said.

Fire Department medics and doctors at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa hustled to treat the injured, as all the shootings spanned less than two hours, beginning at 1:10 a.m.

Common Council President Willie L. Hines Jr. during a news conference Saturday afternoon vowed to work with police to "get the guns off the streets."

(No mention about getting the THUGS that are carrying the GUNS off the streets though)

Hines, who represents the 15th Aldermanic District, which is where the shootings occurred or is near them, said he'll meet with Police Chief Edward Flynn on Monday to discuss possible solutions and will review the licenses and police records of the bars where some of the shots were fired.

Does this seem like the strategy of city leaders who are SERIOUS about reducing the violent crime on the streets? You are going to look at the license of the BARS where the shooting took place? What about the PEOPLE doing the shooting that should be BEHIND BARS? (Oh - never mind - they all got away)

Bill Clinton - Meet Your Party-mate Woodrow Wilson

A few weeks ago former president Bill Clinton stated "the Democratic Party is the party of Civil Rights and the Party of Opportunity". I can agree with Mr. Clinton on the civil rights part - after a certain period of time that is.

Mr. Clinton's pronouncemnt, as expected went unchallenged. I expect a proponent of a given party to tell the world about all of the good stuff about his respective party. I also expect, in this case, for the Black journalists and opinion writers to say "No so fast Mr. President - you haven't told the complete story". So is the case here. Unfortunately most Black journalists are also either Democrats or they are Independents who favor Democrats. There was little chance that Mr. Clinton's words would be challenged.

Here is an interesting article on former President Woodrow Wilson. If you read the main-line history books you will see Wilson as a progressive and a triumphant character. Unfortunately for Black people at the time of his tenure the world "tyrant" would come to replace the word "triumphant". I had my eye on Wilson for several years having seen his documentrary and noted his racist antics.

Though many would like us to believe that the Democrats who become Dixiecrats all left to become Republicans (and thus THEIR party just loves Black folks) the truth of the matter is that Wilson was a progressive and a liberal on most other causes besides the cause of civil rights for Black folks. This truth cannot be allowed to be washed away as modern day Black folks seek to defend their party's honor

Article: Dixiecrats triumphant: the secret history of Woodrow Wilson

Wilson's historical reputation is that of a farsighted progressive. That role has been assigned to him by historians based on his battle for the League of Nations, and the opposition he faced from isolationist Republicans. Indeed, the adjective "Wilsonian," still in use, implies a positive if hopelessly idealistic vision for the extension of justice and democratic values throughout the world. Domestically, however, Wilson was a retrograde racist, one who attempted to engineer the diminution of both justice and democracy for American blacks--who were enjoying little of either to begin with. (In fact, Wilson reportedly struck a racial-equality clause from the League of Nations charter as well.)

What Wilson's election meant to the South was "home rule"--that is, license to pursue its racial practices without concern about federal interference. That is exactly what the 1948 Dixiecrats wanted. But Southern "home rule" was only the beginning of the administration's racial politics. Upon taking power in Washington, Wilson and the many other Southerners he brought into his cabinet set about changing the way the federal government handled its own race matters.

For example, one Legacy of the post-Civil War Republican ascendancy was that Washington's large black populace had access to federal jobs and worked with whites in largely integrated circumstances. In some departments, white clerks worked under black supervision. Wilson's cabinet put an end to that, bringing Jim Crow to Washington.

Wilson allowed various officials to segregate the toilets, cafeterias, and work areas of their departments. One justification involved health: White government workers had to be protected from contagious diseases, especially venereal diseases, that racists imagined were being spread by blacks. Black federal supervisors, along with most black diplomats, were replaced by whites; numerous black federal officials in the South were removed from their posts; the local Washington police force and fire department stopped hiring blacks.

Wilson's own view was that federal segregation was an act of kindness. In historian Friedman's paraphrase, "Off by themselves with only a white supervisor, blacks would not be forced out of their jobs by energetic white employees."

Indeed, Wilson said as much to those appalled blacks who protested his actions. He told one unhappy black delegation that "segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen." When the startled journalist William Monroe Trotter objected, Wilson essentially threw him out of the White House. "Your manner offends me," Wilson told him.

Blacks all over the country complained angrily about the administration--Wilson had actually courted the black vote in the 1912 campaign, and they felt betrayed. The president was unmoved. "If the colored people made a mistake in voting for me;' he told The New York Times in 1914, "they ought to correct it."

The Last Time Black Folks Got Free Health Care!

Wow!
As always there seems to be one of us conspiring with our enemies to bring "the sheep to slaughter". And so it was with the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments.

It seems that the poor Black folks who could not otherwise afford heath care coverage where given:

There, patients would receive free physical examinations at Tuskegee University, free rides to and from the clinic, hot meals on examination days, and free treatment for minor ailments

There was a Black female who was a nurse during the study from day one who's job it was to ensare all Black males seeking medical help for their condition into the program:

Nurse Eunice Rivers was an African American nurse who trained at Tuskegee and was recruited from the John Andrew Hospital when the study began. Dr. Vonderlehr became a strong advocate for her role. As the study became a constant fixture within the PHS, Nurse Rivers became the chief continuity person and was the only staff person to work with the study for all 40 years of its existence. By the 1950s, Nurse Rivers had become pivotal to the study—her personal knowledge of all the subjects allowed the very long follow up to be maintained.

As we hear all of the proposals for free health care today - I wonder why the phrase that is heard so often otherwise is not being broadcasted:

"Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it"

John Conyers (Excuse My French)

And you wonder why "Detroit is so fucked up".
How does this man stay in office?
This is an interview that I listened to while doing my morning exercises.



As you listen to the viewpoints of John Conyers please consider the following point:

1) If YOU had wealth of any amount would you be motivated to live near John Conyers and his policies or would you get as far away from him as possible?

2) We get the fact that the health care problem is all about greedy insurance companies, drug companies and equipment manufacturers. What do you figure Mr. Conyers thinks about patients refusing to make use of the products and services that these firms make and instead using lower priced alternatives?

I will provide further edits to this entry after I review it once again.

"Progressive" Baptists Meet In Atlanta

AJC Article: Baptists hope unity turns into projects: Southern branch still absent

So Jimmy Carter has spearheaded a gathering of "Progressive" Baptists in Atlanta this past week. Their goal is to show their community that there is indeed more than just "conservative" evangelicals who trend Republican in the fabric of conscious Christians seeking change.

Among the group was a number of Black Baptists organizations. We don't even need to make the case that these groups trend strongly Democratic. Despite the fears of Al Sharpton and others who told certain Black conservative congregations that they had been "tricked" by the Republicans into voting on their hatred of homosexuals - the truth of the matter is - there is hardly any threat of a large faction of Black people of faith departing the Democratic party.

I want to talk about issues that we will not hear during this meeting. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that Jimmy Carter who a few years ago departed the "Southern Baptist" because of ideological differences that he had with them as the conservative voice grew louder among them - sought to put together this meeting as a means of counter balancing the "conservative threat" to the Christian message and as an attempt to "refocus" upon pressing needs for society. Thus instead of "war" as a means of defending the interests of this nation Carter and others hope to focus the convention on the "plight of the poor" and those who are in need in this nation. IT ALL SOUNDS GOOD.

No doubt the call will be for increased federal spending on the poor and for a recommitment among those calling themselves Christians toward this type of "helping". Again - it all sounds good. If you want to hear message regarding "What CHRISTIANS MUST DO to help the poor" you no doubt came to the right place.

BUT WAIT!!! What about CHRISTIANS who are poor? What messages of personal reform and self responsibility will be not just HEARD but put into practice? Is there any point in Mr. Carter's heart where a person professing himself to be a Christian but who lives far short of the mantel (you know - just has he would say the Conservatives have done) should be called out BY NAME for their actions and separated from - just as he departed? The bottom line is when it comes to the message of "Non-judgmental giving" the Progressive movement is strong. Let's face it - when it comes to the concept of "When a man comes to you hungry and dirty this is not the time to ask him why he failed to procure his own food and clean his own clothes". "FEED HIM!!" They will say. I have no problem with this in general terms.

Where I have a problem is with their inability to see the "Ground Hog Day" that they create with their policies. It appears to me that they are more content with the huddled masses being in RECEIPT OF all that they need in a civilized society to survive. The question of these same people being expected to PROVIDE and PROVISION all that they need for survival seemingly is not an important mandate to them. The "culture of dependency" that is created takes a subordinate position to the warm feeling that they get in their hearts that they are doing "God's Work" and thus have moved one step closer to their lord in the process.

But wait!! What did this same "Lord" expect of them - his creation as well? They seem to be less interested in these beings "reaching their full potential as God's creations" than they are in making sure that they live another day at the standard of living that society dictates.

Worse than this - let us talk about one of the many social/cultural issues that divide us - where a stance must be taken - where exactly where they register their views? Will it be with respect to strict biblical understanding OR will it be in line with some secular-humanitarian concept. For example several years ago "Progressive Christians" marched on Washington DC to express their support for Abortion Rights. Their cause was featured on the Bill Moyer's show - another noted "Progressive Christian". I will never forget the words of one young woman who was the daughter of a pastor - who no doubt was a Progressive. In justifying her support for abortion she said "God helps those through difficult decisions that they have to make in life". I fell on the floor upon hearing this. Where did she pull this one from? Thus in evaluating the "Godliness" of protecting God's creation in the womb of the woman and looking out for the "tough decision" that this woman is struggling though "God" is going to "coach her" to abort the gift of life that was placed in her stomach? This is the wishy washy crap that galls me.

Worse yet - if you expect to hear some SOCIETAL REFORMATION coming from this group in which young, unmarried people are prompted to engage in adultery is managed to a minimum as practically as possible - you can forget about it. They are all into "no fault insurance" - taking all comers without judgment than they are in placing limits upon their behavior from a cultural level so that these problems can be dealt with as EXCEPTIONS rather than frequent occurrences that require their standards to be "living" as they say.

Let's be clear - I would like to put aside the "abortion" issue because it receives too much attention in the debate between the ideologies within Christiandom. Let's expand the debate to societal outcomes in general. It is my opinion that many of these "Progressives Christians" or "Progressives" in general when they have a CAUSE and EFFECT situation staring them right in the face that is call upon them to focus on the CAUSE......they will opt not to do so because doing so will require them to focus upon the "victim" who is in question and have him TO CHANGE HIS WAYS/BEHAVIOR in order for different outcomes to be had. INSTEAD - they are more inclined to stand at the end of the slide and apply their Christian charity with the notion that "We must TAKE CALL COMERS AS THEY ARE" is a superior sentiment in God's eyes. For some reason MANAGING PEOPLE ON THE FRONT END, taking away certain options as you direct them toward a given end is in violation of some libertarian spirit that many of them have. Being "non-judgmental" seems to be important to them as a governing concept.

They will indeed say that "the government will have to eventually pay for AIDS treatment, the care of the drug addict, the unplanned pregnancy and the uneducated....why not provide for them on the front end?". To this I ask "WHY DO YOU STOP where you do ON THE FRONT END?". Why give them clean needles to shot their drugs, condoms to continue their sex, and 3 square meals a day BUT NOT HAVE THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF CHANGE accompanying your Christian charity? It is also true that in managing what is permissible in the society and the individual behavior (the local community providing the management) that you allow the people to make better decisions and/or not be put in the situation where "tough decisions must be made" in the first place. Having awareness that they have made the first bad decision and thus recovering from that is the best way to go. The Progressive seeks to catch them at the 3rd or 4th fork in the road.

At the end of the day - Jimmy Carter and the rest of the Progressive Christians (and indeed the more Conservative evangelicals as well) must all be held accountable for the society that they ultimately create. Where as it is the Christian belief that God charged man to govern the world that he created for us - it is also true that God asked up to govern the societies and the people there in.