Willie Herrington - Former Memphis Mayor Receives Notice Of Criminal Investigation As He Campaigns For Congress

Herenton Reveals Target Letter From The Obama Justice Department

Federal Grand Jury Still Investigating Former Mayor Herenton

About a week before Memphians went to the polls in the mayoral special election, former Mayor Willie Herenton got a letter from the U.S. Justice Department.

The so-called target letter officially acknowledges a months-long federal investigation into some of Herenton’s personal business deals while mayor, including his one-time ownership stake in the Downtown Greyhound bus station property.

And the letter tells the now-former city mayor he’s the target of a federal criminal probe surrounding the Greyhound property.

In response, Herenton sent a four-page letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric Holder earlier this week.

Atlanta Public Schools - Is A 'Special Olympics' Medal The Same As An 'Olympic' Medal?

AJC: Atlanta board member's award is the city's third this year for urban school leadership

Let me start off by saying that I have respect for Dr Beverly Hall. As head of the Atlanta School District she announced a general policy direction which said that the system would "work for what they have inside of the system instead of focusing on what the systems outside of her domain have". In short - no longer would they obfuscation on their shortcomings by focusing on what the ubiquitous "suburban school system has and they don't". This is a wise strategy especially since Atlanta spends more money per pupil than some of those other top performing school systems.

The qualification "urban school system", to me at least, appears to be a qualifier just as 'Special Olympics' is to 'Olympics'. Yes they won and award but it was awarded due to the "special circumstances" upon which the award winner was dealing with.

I am sure that some of you reading this will argue that the size of these school systems give them a disadvantage and special challenges when compared to a smaller system. I can only partially accept this as a claim.

In my recent analysis of the city of Chicago, for example, while there is clear dysfunction in their school systems - there is also great unwillingness to even thinking about splitting up the city into smaller political domains IF SIZE is the key determining factor on the outcomes. The people in power don't want to give up power even if these smaller systems translate into efficiency. On a side note I have noticed that some of the same people who opposed large corporate or banking entities are in direct support for massive government entities in the name of efficiency and standardized policies.

As noted below - the City of Atlanta schools have made dramatic improvements over their previous state. I will take nothing away from them on this accomplishment. At the same time this is a testament about the previous unacceptable state of the system in the past. Unfortunately the current position is still far behind its more competitive neighbors. There has also been a mass exodus of poor families from Atlanta as the public housing establishments are torn down to be rebuilt as mixed income facilities.

A more wholesale improvement in the public school performance in Atlanta and other "urban" districts will come when the COMMUNITY is tapped to draw upon all of its resources to achieve "directed outcomes". The parents, the teachers, the churches, the administrators, the students - AND the rest of the adults in the community.

For too long the Black community has demanded that the greater society PROVE to us that THEY value us EQUALLY.
It is now time for the Black community to assemble the HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE by which WE express our own valuation, in support of the delivery of equal results to the society.

Atlanta city school officials celebrated another national honor Friday after longtime school board member Emmett D. Johnson won the Council of the Great City Schools' highest award for urban education leadership.

It's the third urban leadership award won by city school leaders this year.

The council is a coalition of the nation's largest urban school systems. Johnson was one of 10 finalists for the award, which is named for Richard R. Green, a former schools chancellor of New York City and superintendent of Minneapolis city schools. The award includes a $10,000 college scholarship that Johnson can present to a local high school senior.

Johnson, a 12-year member, was on the board in 1999 when it hired Superintendent Beverly Hall. At the time, Hall was Atlanta's fifth superintendent in almost 10 years and the system was considered among the state's worst.

It is now cited nationally as a turn-around model, with double-digit test score and graduation rate gains, tangible corporate support and ground-breaking initiatives that include an overhaul of the system's high schools. System officials on Friday said Johnson has played a key role in strengthening the board's relationship with its superintendent.

Hall, too, earned honors this year when the American Association of School Administrators named her the nation's top superintendent. The board as a whole this year also won the highest leadership award given by the National School Board Association's Council of Urban Boards of Education.

Roland Martin: The Most Impactful Policies On Your Daily Life Transpires At The Local Level

Commentary: Local elections matter too!

I agree with the view expressed by Roland Martin. Despite the fact that more attention is often paid to national politics - most of the critical issues in your life transpire at the local level.

My criticism of Mr Martin, a noted Democratic cheerleader and defender of the "Black Establishment" is that he is not willing to make the "next logical step" with his reference.

Since he admits that "Local Politics Matter Most" why doesn't he make note that in the places where Black people are most highly concentrated we have sculpted these areas to the representation of our liking.

In as much as we now have favorable people in power representing our interests......why is it that he and others continue to fight the fight against the external adversary with a different ideology? In as much as he has "moved away and allowed Black folks to promote the people of our own choosing" - there is also a need for us all to make note of this fact in the process of insuring that whats is popular in our community is actually effective in our community.

This linkage will not be heard from the mouths of Roland Martin nor any other Black Progressive operative. They have constructed a favorable political establishment within our community. They have little interest in seeing the rank and file within this same community rising up and asking questions.

Former Xcape Singer-Kandi Burruss Resides In Conservative Faytteville GA Instead Of "Da Hood"

AJC: 'Real Housewife' Kandi Burruss opens home and heart

Kandi Burruss: I was raised in East Point, on the south side of town," shares Kandi. "Fayetteville is an affluent area that I always knew about and it's not far from where I grew up. I always wanted to have a house in a nice neighborhood; there are a lot of well-to-do African-American people here; it's a mixed community." The main house has four bedrooms, three baths and 2 1/2-baths; the guest house has two bedrooms and two baths.

The reason for this post is two fold.
First I have had a "man crush" on Ms Burruss for years and thus hope that I bump into her in the local grocery store now that I know that she lives in the general vicinity as I do.

My second reason is that her residency gives me the opportunity to deflect the "hateration" that I receive about my choice of residency as a "Black Conservative". Where as I am living in a Republican dominated county and city because I make the claim that the local policies are in line with my views.......what do the "haters" say about Ms Burruss and several other Black entertainment stars who also live in the county?

• Have they "sold out"?
• Should they be living in "the 'REAL' Black Community"?
• Why is it that my values as they relate to the Black community placed under scrutiny yet when fellow "Black Flight Progressives" seek out a home and come to the same conclusion as I did - they are not attacked as such?

Finally - How does one rationalize the image put out by the Black Establishment about how conservatives work against the Best Interests of Black people YET an increasingly visible amount of Black people feel comfortable enough that they will not sustain a racial attack in these conservative communities that they move in? At the same time, too frequently they are exiting a community that is more "progressive" where they feel that their permanent interests of safety or education or the retention of their property values are threatened?

This proves, yet again, that a major reconciliation and realignment between the "ideological biases" of Black people and our choices when given an opportunity absent fear of the racial assault.

I have concluded that the "Racism Chasing" that is abundant among our people are done so to retain the present political order more than one could prove that a physical assault by racism is a larger threat than the risks that we face from a street pirate.

ATL Mayors Race: Black People Hate Republicans More Than We Hate Crime And Incompetent Governance

ATL Mayors Race: Black People Hate Republicans More Than We Hate Crime And Incompetent Governance


I knew that the Atlanta Mayor's race would have a dramatic finish that draws upon the biases of people, having them to put aside their sensibilities. I have to admit that I had previously misjudged this once sleepy campaign as a dud. I knew that a "final week surprise" was coming. I had failed to appreciate the mode of attack.

This post is not about the Atlanta Mayor's race though. If you want a blow by blow account - go to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

AJC Link: Mary Norwood's Secret Republican Past

AJC Link: Norwood's Competitors Paint her as a Republican

Instead this is yet another entry in my "longitudinal study" of Black people and how the "American Political Domain" is allowed to coopt our "Cultural Consciousness Domain" and our community is exploited because of the rampant ideological bigotry contained within.

Question: Within The Black Community - Being Seen By Which Line Up Of Individuals Is More Detrimental To Your Credibility And Integrity?


Within The Black Community blog: The Democratic Party, Civil Rights, Hip Hop And The Criminal Element - The Questionable Alliance



In the first picture we have Democratic Senatorial Candidate Jim Martin in the December 2008 campaign. Martin was able to force Sen Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) into a runoff because of the heavy increase in Black voters who came to the poll in support of Barack Obama having also voted for the Democrat selection for Senator. Jim Martin knew that the December runoff would not have Obama on the ticket and thus he was not going to get the Black vote back out UNLESS he pulled out all of the guns that could appeal to Black folks.

SO WHAT DID HE DO?
He invited a:

• A man who used to Deal Drugs in the Black community and who now raps with the purpose of glorifying the game
• A convicted felon who now sits in jail
• Another potty mouthed rapper with several hit songs calling Black women out of their names who is attempting to become a political king pin

The politician, preacher and present Sheriff of Dekalb County pictured in the background had no fear that being photographed with this crew would damage their standing with BLACK FOLKS.

In the second picture we see Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood attempting to be soiled by 3 people who she likely has never met:

• conservative radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh - hated by Progressive Blacks
  
• former President Bush - hated by Progressive Blacks
  
• former governor Sarah Palin - hated by Progressive Blacks
  

The inference is that Black people HATE REPUBLICANS MORE THAN WE HATE CRIME INCOMPETENCE AND IGNORANCE in the City of Atlanta.

THE BOLDNESS OF THE BLACK POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT!!!!!

The reason why I maintain my "What Is Making Black People Cry On The News Today?" video series is because I realize the power that the Black Establishment has over the sentiments of Black people.

Come election day too many Black people are able to remain focused. They open their front door and then the iron bars that protect their house while they are at work, walk past the problem schools and anemic business district, careful to look out for the thugs who might intimidate them as they walk to the voting precinct on election day.

With laser-like focus too many of our people are able to block out the painful truth of the RESULTS that have been obtained from their past decisions and VOTE to "Try Harder".

It is increasingly clear to me that these are acts of desperation and the belief that there are no other macro-level options beyond saying the course.

For the Democratic Party operatives ("the Democrats who are Black") it shows that they have achieved mastery over my people.

Think of the most popular theatrical epics and the powerful theme of how the rookie, after being guided by the master has obtained the force:

• "Star Wars" - the 'Jedi Knight' has learned how to control the force
• "Karate Kid" - after months of doing tasks that seemingly had little to do with the ultimate goal of building up the lad's fighting skills - the rookie was shown to have obtained mastery - winning the sparing match

The Democratic Party in America in relation to the Black Community has achieved such mastery. Sadly we now see that;
The Black Establishment has allowed the external forces of the Democratic Party to convince our people that it is far more important to stay UNIFIED behind an entity that ultimately does not have interests in building up a Strong and Organic Black Community rather than to make note of how, despite their present power the basic attainment of our "Permanent Interests" have yet to be achieved.

Carter G Woodson told about how such conditioning affords a person to be placed at the front of the bus but his habits will cause him to make a dash to the back of the bus where he figures is his home.

Likewise the Black voter is reliable enough that "Issue Ads" are not important. Only "Get Out The Vote" drives are necessary. Once the curtain on the voting booth is closed - the Black will always do what he has been consciously trained to do.

"So Are You Calling Black People Stupid"?

(Note: My frequent debates with others and their molestation of my views have forced me to 'ask myself the questions' that they ask after reading my work.)

I am NOT calling Black people stupid.
I AM making the case that too many Black people have put their PERMANENT INTERESTS as a "ONE OFF" to having the Democratic Party which they favor being put into power.

It is clear that these same people have no compulsion to make the statement "I have now put enough favorable people into POWER that I should be seeing improvement in my condition for me to justify my continued action".

Sadly this does not happen. This depends too much on "Self Reporting". In as much as the Black Establishment has fused in with the Democratic Party - you should not expect that those who PURPORT to have our best interests in mind are going to functionally call out THEIR OWN SELVES, making note of their shortfalls.

The structural flaw is that the rank and file of the BLACK COMMUNITY has allowed the Black Establishment, which is an overlay group that has been given the authority to represent our cause, to operate in an unregulated manner. The linkage between support and expected outcomes has been severed. Instead our community is pleased by the "portraits that hang on the wall" of the Black establishment figures. THESE ABUNDANT PICTURES serve as proof of our racial progress.

Instead we must change the proof back to tangible measures of improvement amongst the "rank and file".

Today they no longer have to hide the tactics that they use to prove that you love the Democrats more than you love your own interests.

Immobilized Reactions To Internal Intra-Racial Attacks: The Key Flaw Of "Racism Chasing"

Video From Bay Area Channel 5


As I thought about what I was going to type on the subject of the 15 year old in Richmond California I came to a dramatic conclusion:

On the subject of the community outrage and calls for "No Justice. No Peace" - EITHER one of two points:

• These angry protests are an effective means of prompting the law enforcement authorities to "do something" and are a show of strength and unity among the people, telling the external attacker that "We will not be disrespected as such"
• The selectivity of such responses, reserved for "interracial" or "inter-ideological" adversaries are not central to the pursuit of actual justice

I have been (purportedly) "called to the carpet" recently about my disposition as it relates to the Black community by various blog commentators on various forums. It appears that "I hate Black people and think that we/they are stupid".

In truth I am doing what those who fester where there is disorder loath the most - ATTEMPT TO APPLY A MODEL TO THE PRESENT ODER OF OPERATIONS and map this out with respect to an alternative model that would likely yield better results because it is in line with our Permanent Interests as a people. (In this case both as a racial group and a group of people living inside of a self-governed district - be it a community or a city or a state or a nation).

It is so easy to sit back and watch as the daily stream of "outrageous actions" take place and then, upon making note of who's the victim and who is the assailant - the reactionary forces that are easily riled up by inter-group assaults or those who are embarrassed by intra-group assaults respond accordingly. I seriously wonder if some of the main operatives realize how predictable they are?

The problem resides with the leadership. Those who stand on stage with a mic in their hands know the power of manipulating people's grievances about the present and hopes about the future. Thus you will see these operatives fanning the flames when there are "inter-group" assaults or they are making irrational defenses when it comes to "inter-group" assaults in which "their team member" is the assailant. Likewise they are strangely silent on "intra-group" assaults. You may hear them when it comes to reaching outside of their community, demanding resources so that the assailants are provided with help as now they are discarded by society.

Decades ago Malcolm X wisely noted that the Black community was the ball that was being used in a game between White Liberals and White Conservatives. I would like to update this vision of the world as back then Blacks were sufficiently suppressed enough to not have a prevailing final say in our own destiny.

Today the "game dun changed". Today not only is the Black community full participants in the game, there is a new "matrix effect" as the Hispanic is added to the mix. We as Blacks partner with the Hispanic on some issues (against the White power structure) and we are adversaries on others.

Despite this fact it is also true that today, more than any other period in time before - More Black and Hispanic people live in communities that are governed by people who are favorable to them. Thus, more than before, we bear a direct responsibility for the policies "in" and the results "out" of our communities.

The political operative is loathed to be held accountable for what happens in his domain. His main job is to shift the blame to others and to get the crowd to follow. These political operatives must be kept in check by some management structure that keeps everyone focused on the "permanent interests".

Race & ATL Mayor's Race: "White-Americans In The USA May Be Losing Their Clout & Influence w/ Obama As President"

"White-Americans In The USA May Be Losing Their Clout And Influence with Barack Obama, a Black Man, As President"


Just imagine if someone printed the above title in a newspaper?
Do you think that we would not see protests in front of the offices of this paper?

What do you call the force that bans such a statement as thought up by WHITE FOLKS yet which does not bat an eyebrow if said in the context of a majority Black political entity such as Atlanta?


AJC Link: Race re-emerges in tight Atlanta mayoral election

The title of the AJC story above is a no brainer.
In Atlanta "RACE" is a major stumbling point in every election - even when there are two Black people running.

A few years ago when Democrat Marvin Arrington, a dark skinned Black man ran against mayor Maynard Jackson, a light skinned Black man who was also a Democrat - there was an angry series of exchanges about skin color. Maynard Jackson was accused of "passing".

It stands to reason that there is no need to have partisan elections in the City of Atlanta. In this Democratic dominated city in the South - the factions are not defined by party. There are Democratic factions and they will choose their own criteria by which to divide by. So frequently the choice is "race" or "class". Regardless there will be some divide.

The key fact underscoring all of this is that - The Party Machine itself, absent any threat of being deposed as a consequence of its own actions - lacks the response of fear to an outside threat that normally forces one to "ship up" lest they be tossed out. From this lack of competition comes the outrages that are front and center.

The Black Establishment in Atlanta now has achieved all that it has set out to achieve.

We now know that they were focused upon building up a "Democratic, Progressive stronghold" and that the residual effect of this was going to be that Black people prospered.

Clearly the first part of the preposition has been implemented per the actions of these operatives that have influence.

The second part of the plan, if it is to be successful - will require major action from the "rank and file" to remind those in power of what they were promised.

The absolutely worst thing that the Black community of Atlanta can do at this point is to WAIT to be "lead" by those who they put into power. Instead it is vital that they force the system to produce.

The portraits of our elected officials must be taken off of the walls as a sense of our racial pride. This produces the circular reference that we see today. Our people focus on getting "Black people elected" more than we focus upon our PERMANENT INTERESTS and then putting forth a management array regarding how to obtain these interests.

When the results fall short and the suffering lingers - those who have influence upon us and who SHOULD BE held accountable simply need to tap the well again. They make the case that the present sent of grievances are caused by someone else and that continued UNITY from the community is what is needed to destroy that next windmill that they are chasing.

CNN - "Black Men In The Age Of Obama" - "It Has Changed The Way We Are Looked At"

CNN Special - Black Men in the Age of President Obama


Some time in the future books, research papers and plays will be written about this mythical time that we are living in. Some future historian will look back at this time that we are living in "After Obama" and inspect how things have "changed".

While the normal presidential historians will do the standard research - there will be motivation by social researchers and African-American studies researchers to focus upon the Black Community.

I hope and pray that this blog and the daily headlines in the communities where we live are available for their research because the truth must be told.

The truth is "Obama is doing what a president can do."
This is separate and distinct from what is happening "Within The Black Community".

This piece about CNN and all of the other Obama "Magical Gravitational Pull By Induction" upon Black America is nothing more than the HOPES of Black America put into narrative form. There are far fewer defined processes regarding how all that is hoped to happen will happen than what can be justified by the anticipation. This first year in office has had a cooling effect among many.

Since this CNN show is focused upon Black men - the same sad truth that is present when Bishop T.D. Jakes holds his "MegaFest" in the Georgia Dome is also true in relation to the CNN special: The main people who we need to hear the "gospel of Obama" are tuned out and are into their own world.

The Black Political Establishment had the masses of Black people dutifully motivated leading up to the election and they followed through and cast their vote.

The street pirates who were motivated on November 4th are back to assaulting people.

The "pirates in training" who are housed in the same classrooms with other students that are willing to learn did not get motivated by seeing Barack Obama as had been predicted. They are still 'confiscating instruction time' from they students who otherwise value education.

Bottom line - While I really do appreciate the attention that CNN has bestowed upon Blacks and Latinos these "good news" stories are not all that is needed to affect change.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

I am of the opinion that: "We simply have too many professional managers within the Black community for many of the antics that take place upon our people by various operatives who seek to influence us to continuously draw upon our grievances and our hopes as they do".

It is my experience that there is a particular methodology that is necessary to get a group of people working in a coordinated fashion and accomplishing some sort of goals. The science is well defined. The process entails defining goals, telling the people of the goals and the tasks that they must perform daily to achieve these goals. Then there needs to be some mechanism for measuring the progress and then applying some tweaks in direction. Some transparent agent must make a macro-level assessment as to the question "Is the entire program effectively working or has the regime in power misdirected the masses from their stated goals?".

At present the powers that be which influence the Black community, in my opinion, have little interest in submitting themselves to such a structure and instruction. It is too clear that one fact is the case - In the presence of a dysfunctional management structure those who can make emotional laden appeals, drawing upon their present favorable views by the people typically win the bulk of the benefit for their own interests. It is incumbent upon the Black Community to wrest control from those who have their selfish interests in place and who have proven via time that they seek to empower the centralized system rather than the individual people.

Many of these people seek to place our community in the state of being "In Receipt Of Benefit" rather than being conscious of the importance of having the attainment of goals of the people being put upon the backs of the masses. We gain proficiency and order by mobilizing the human resources that we have at our disposal in support of these macro goals.


CNN Announcement

A year after the election of America’s first African American president, CNN delves into President Barack Obama’s impact on African American men in a week-long multi-platform partnership with ESSENCE Magazine. On air and online, CNN will feature discussions on family, education, and health care to gauge how and/or if President Obama has impacted this community since the November election, either by actions taken as the commander-in-chief or as a symbol of possibility. For their November issue, ESSENCE Magazine reached out to a few iconic men to share their reflections about how it feels to be Black and male during this moment, in the age of President Obama, when everything is possible, but nothing is guaranteed.

- In the CNN Newsroom, Don Lemon moderates a round table discussion airing on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 10 p.m. (ET) and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET). Conducted at historic Morehouse College, CNN education contributor Dr. Steve Perry, Bishop Eddie Long, author and entrepreneur Farrah Gray, Tyree Simmons (aka DJ Drama) and Morehouse senior Tyrone McGowan reveal their insights into what has changed, if anything, in their lives, families, workplaces and communities in the year since the 2008 presidential election. Follow Lemon leading up to the roundtable discussion for behind-the-scenes access on CNN.com through the Newsroom blog and other social media platforms.

- Tony Harris highlights his interview with radio host Steve Harvey, who wrote a first-person essay “When A Man Loves A Woman” for ESSENCE Magazine, airing on Friday, Nov. 6 starting in the 11 a.m. (ET) hour.

- HLN presents a week-long series of interviews beginning Nov. 2 during the 4 p.m. (ET) hour. Richelle Carey sits down with actor and author Hill Harper on relationships; Harvard University professor and author Dr. Alvin Poussaint on education; and Syracuse University professor Dr. Boyce Watkins on finance; to name just a handful of the featured interviews.

- On the new CNN.com, CNN, HLN and ESSENCE Magazine take an unprecedented look at President Obama’s impact on black men in America. President Obama has urged black men to take responsibility for their lives and families and he’s called on all Americans to volunteer to help restore their communities, located at http://www.cnn.com/obamaeffect. Has President Obama inspired Americans to take action? What are the challenges still facing black men in America? Audience members are encouraged to share their thoughts in the discussion through iReport, the network’s user-generated online news community.

Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Convicted Of Coruption

Birmingham News: Larry Langford: 'Calm inside' as verdicts halt career

TUSCALOOSA -- Larry Langford was found guilty Wednesday on all federal criminal counts against him, abruptly halting the 32-year career of a Jefferson County political fixture who had been Birmingham's mayor for just under two years.

The jury of nine women and three men found Langford guilty on all 60 bribery-related counts after less than two hours of deliberation in U.S. District Court in Tuscaloosa. The trial, which lasted eight days, was moved from Birmingham at Langford's request because of what he called adverse pretrial publicity.

Langford, who plans to appeal the verdict stemming from his conduct as president of the Jefferson County Commission, remains free awaiting sentencing. That is expected to occur within 120 days. Langford showed no reaction as a court clerk read a guilty verdict for each count.

"I am remarkably calm inside," Langford said outside the courtroom, minutes after the verdict was handed down. "If you are looking for someone with his head down and crying, you are not going to get it here."

It is a stunning reversal for the former award-winning television journalist, the driving force behind VisionLand amusement park and the former mayor of Fairfield. Langford faces decades in prison if sentenced to the maximum term available under Justice Department guidelines.

Langford's conviction triggers a change in the leadership of Birmingham. Under the Mayor-Council Act, City Council President Carole Smitherman immediately became interim mayor once the guilty verdict was read.

At trial, the heart of the government's case was the testimony of Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount and lobbyist Al LaPierre. Both pleaded guilty in the case and testified that Langford received bribes from them that amounted to $236,000 in money, clothes and jewelry.

In return, jurors heard, Langford ensured that Blount's investment bank, Blount Parrish & Co., was included in Jefferson County bond deals and interest-rate swaps that reaped the firm $7.1 million.

"I wanted to keep the mayor happy, help him avoid political scandal and make certain Blount Parrish was involved in as many bonds, swaps and other transactions as it possibly could," Blount testified.

Prosecutors were elated Wednesday.

"It is a sad day for the people of Jefferson County because there was found to be another corrupt politician," said Assistant U.S. Attorney George Martin, who led the prosecution. "But it is a good day for the people of Jefferson County because a jury has convicted another corrupt politician."

The graft, prosecutors said, included more than $100,000 in suits, shoes and shirts, and outright cash gifts in about the same amount. About $55,000 in clothes came from upscale Birmingham retailer Remon's, The Gentleman's Clothier, and tens of thousands more from luxury New York shops.

The New York purchases, jurors heard, happened courtesy of Blount during official trips he and Langford made there to meet with investment banks and other finance professionals involved in structuring and selling Jefferson County bonds and swaps.

The county's debt, including sewer, school and other bonds, rose by about $1 billion under Langford, and has now swelled to about $5 billion. The county is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy because of bonds and swaps sold to investors that raised money for repairing and expanding a dilapidated sewer system.


Easily won office
Langford, who didn't testify during the trial, was elected mayor of Birmingham in 2007. He won office in a field of 10 without a runoff, and vowed to see a central entertainment district and domed sports and convention center built within city limits.

He was indicted last year following a long-running federal investigation of the county's financial deals under his tenure.

The jury got the case about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, after closing arguments and the judge's instruction about how law related to the case should be applied. At 4:20 p.m., while the mayor was smoking cigarettes and chatting outside the courthouse, he and the lawyers in the case were told a verdict was ready.

After the verdict was read, the jury was sent out of the courtroom and Langford was told to approach the central podium to officially hear the verdict from U.S. District Judge Scott Coogler. Langford, dressed in one of his stylish dark business suits, walked to the microphone with neither hitch of stride nor hint of emotion.

After hearing the verdict, he returned to his seat. His wife, present throughout the trial, had briefly left the courtroom during the interval.

"Where's Melva?" Langford asked a supporter when he returned from the podium. "Go find her and make sure she is all right."

Outside the courthouse, Langford faced a sea of cameras and questioners with his wife standing next to him.

"He is not guilty," Melva Langford said. "Only in Alabama can a black man not get a fair trial. The Justice Department has been conspiring and working hard to get my husband."

The jury had to weigh testimony it heard about two versions of the same man. Government prosecutors told the jury Langford was a corrupt politician who conspired with Blount and LaPierre to take bribes for county business.

"This case is about a wheeling and dealing politician who violated the public trust for money, luxury clothing and jewelry," Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamarra Matthews Johnson said during closing arguments Wednesday.

Langford's attorneys said he was a dedicated public servant who tried to help residents by resisting higher sewer rates that were escalating along with the system's repair and debt-service costs. Though flawed by an uncontrollable attraction to fine clothes and jewelry, he was manipulated by Blount and LaPierre, Langford's lawyers said.

"Larry Langford came from Loveman Village," Glennon Threatt, one of Langford's two attorneys, said during closing arguments. "Perhaps something from his childhood led him to overvalue the collection of material objects."

Langford is the fifth former Jefferson County commissioner to face public corruption charges for illicit activities while in office. Chris McNair also has been convicted but has not yet been sent to prison, while Mary Buckelew pleaded guilty and Jeff Germany was convicted of using social service agencies to gain access to thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for personal gain. Gary White awaits retrial after his January 2008 conviction was overturned.

'A diverse jury'
Prosecutors scoffed at the notion the charges and Wednesday's verdict were racially or politically motivated, citing a jury made up of three blacks and nine whites. "Not true," Matthews Johnson said. "It was a diverse jury."

Martin, the lead prosecutor, said "the entire course of conduct" convicted Langford. "It was the clothes, the money, the repeated purchases" paid for by Blount, he said.

Earlier in the courtroom, after hearing the verdict from Coogler, Langford told the judge he had already surrendered his passport and would abide by travel and other restrictions that he had agreed to after his brief arrest in December 2008. He said he had no firearms, having gotten rid of a collection he once owned.

Langford, during a wide-ranging press conference outside the courthouse following the verdict, said: "At the end of the day, I shot my best shot, but the jury ruled the way that they did."

Luqman Ameen Abdullah Killed By FBI In Detroit Raid, Connected w/ Past Police Killer

Detroit mosque leader killed in FBI raid

Detroit -- The leader of a Detroit mosque who allegedly espoused violence and separatism was shot and killed Wednesday by the FBI in a gun battle at a Dearborn warehouse.

Luqman Ameen Abdullah, imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit, was being arrested on a raft of federal charges including conspiracy, receipt of stolen goods, and firearms offenses.

Charges were also filed against 11 of Abdullah's followers. Eight were in custody Wednesday night awaiting detention hearings today; three remained at large.

AJC Link: FBI: Former H. Rap Brown leads violent sect from prison

A Detroit imam shot and killed Wednesday in a gunfight with federal agents belonged to a Muslim separatist sect led by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, better known as 1960s militant H. Rap Brown, according to a federal complaint filed Wednesday.

Al-Amin is serving a life sentence at Supermax, a federal facility in Colorado known as the country's most secure. The prison also houses an al-Qaida terrorist and Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph. Al-Amin was convicted of killing a Fulton County sheriff's deputy in March 2000 and wounding his partner.

In the late 1960s Al-Amin served as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and justice minister of the Black Panther Party. The man famous for his proclamation that "violence is as American as cherry pie" insists he is wrongly targeted by police because of his past.

Luqman Ameen Abdullah, imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit, was killed Wednesday after he pulled a gun on federal agents arresting him on federal charges including conspiracy, receipt of stolen goods and firearms offenses.

Charges were also filed Wednesday against 11 of Abdullah's followers. In the federal complaint Abdullah, 53, is identified as a "highly placed leader" in "Ummah," the black Muslim group headed by Al-Amin. Ummah advocates creation of a separate state within the U.S. governed by Sharia law.

Al-Amin was once the imam of a West End mosque. Former followers later claimed that Al-Amin hid behind his religion, ruling the area through intimidation and violence.

South Carolina Snags Boeing 787 Assembly Line

$1 Billion New Plant: Boeing move could spread across state


Could it be that:

• Rachel Maddow
• Color of Change
• National Newspaper Publishers Association
• Opinion Writer Eugine Robinson
  

Have it all wrong about South Carolina?
Maybe they should focus upon Michigan and Ohio as "troubled states"?

Boeing Co. delivered a dream to South Carolina on Wednesday, saying it will open a second assembly line for its long-delayed 787 jetliner in North Charleston.


Quantcast

The news was viewed by elected officials and business leaders as an economic shot in the arm unsurpassed since BMW built its only North American manufacturing facility in the Upstate 15 years ago.

Don Schunk, research economist at Coastal Carolina University, said Boeing's announcement would have the same widespread economic impact on the state that BMW's did.

While Boeing didn't specify the amount of its economic investment, or the number of jobs that will be created, two state senators involved in talks with Boeing said the company will employ more than 3,000 in the first year with a capital investment of more than $1 billion.

BMW's payroll numbered 1,900 with an initial capital investment of $444 million when it began operations in Greer in 1994.

Boeing is expected to begin construction of its plant in the next month, legislators said, and hopes to begin producing jetliners in 2011.

The deal also marks a triumph for Gov. Mark Sanford, who has been under unceasing pressure to resign since he admitted to an extramarital affair in June and questions were raised about his travel practices.

“Boeing's decision to expand their presence in our state with an infusion of jobs and capital investment — the largest announcement in South Carolina history — represents not only enormously good news for our state's economy, but also a telling dividend from our state's continued efforts to better our business climate,” Sanford said.

“Just as the similarly monumental BMW investment catalyzed a now extensive automotive presence across South Carolina more than 15 years ago, we believe Boeing landing decisively in North Charleston will spur on an already growing aerospace hub in our state,” Sanford said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell of Charleston said the project would prove “transformational” for South Carolina, multiplying Boeing's jobs with eventual suppliers and the ripple effect on the economy.

ATL Mayor's Race: Why The Obama Justice Department Doesn't Like Non-Partisan Elections

Labeling Mary Norwood A Republican: Democratic party’s entry into ATL mayoral race drawing mixed reviews

The Lisa Borders campaign video above was by far the "funniest" commercial seen to date in the campaign. It was also the most audacious.

As a person who closely scrutinizes Atlanta elections and the forces at play within - it was clear to me why the lady said "We need a DEMOCRAT".

Normally in the closing moments of a metro-Atlanta election (ie: Fulton County board) where there is some divide - the "Black Establishment"/"Civil Rights Industrial Complex" lines up either John Lewis, Andy Young and/or the present (Black) mayor of Atlanta to run a commercial warning (Black) folks about the dangers of allowing the Republican (White) candidate to get into office.

This commercial was Lisa Borders' attempt to do what "works every time".

The city of Atlanta elections are officially non-partisan. There is an election and if the leading vote getter receives over 50% of the vote - they are the next mayor of Atlanta. Anything short of 50% triggers a run-off election with the second highest vote getter.


The key tool that the Black Democratic Establishment has to attack a person - making them into a "REPUBLICAN" is thwarted by this non-partisan system. By comparison - the last election of the State Representative for the 74th District which is in Clayton county pitted Emory Wilkerson - a Black Republican against Democrat Roberta Abdul-Salaam. Ms Abdul-Salaam know "Black folks" and knew how valuable her merely being a Democrat was to receiving their votes over the far better qualified Wilkerson. All of her campaign signs, billboards and web site pointed to the fact that she was "The Democrat" in the race. Mr Wilkerson, who knew that the highly Republican Fayette County portion of the 74th would not be enough to carry him over began to deemphasize his party affiliation in his campaign. No surprise - Ms Abdul-Salaam won the race.


THE IRONY OF THE COMMERCIAL

The key point that will not be brought out in the commercial is that ALREADY THE CITY OF ATLANTA IS TOTALLY CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS!!!!

How do the ladies logically claim frustration and fear about the PRESENT level of crime in Atlanta yet make the case that "We need a DEMOCRAT", never making note of how many they already have?

I have learned that I need to clarify myself based on the molestations of my intentions per my recent debates. SOME OF YOU just heard me say "Vote Republican!!!". I did no such thing.

I only asked that the lady in the commercial - as scripted by the Lisa Borders' campaign PROVE the linkage that she made that "Democrats = Safety For The Community".

If we use the metaphor of the choice between two pharmaceutical prescriptions - the Black community has been told that we should take the "Blue Pill" to insure our safety. We were told that the "Red pill would kill us. Stay away from it".

I am not asking anyone to "take the red pill".
I am ONLY asking that those physicians who told us that the "Blue pill would cure us" to PROVE THE PHARMACOLOGICAL RESULTS of the pill or STOP prescribing it lest they make it any more clear that their goal is to get us addicted to the drug rather than to cure us.

It is time for more organic cures to what ails us.

We already have high dosages of the blue pill for us to make note that it has not worked as prescribed.

Flood Victims In Georgia Face Delima Of Rebuilding Or Moving Elsewhere

When I see the consternation faced by these people in Georgia regarding the question of rebuilding I always think back to my visit to the "Lower 9th Ward" in New Orleans. Whereas these people in Georgia were outside of the "100 Year Flood Plain" and still got flooded - the people in the Lower 9th Ward started out in land that was below sea level and they still choose to continuously despite the flooding over the years.

If the people in Georgia are pondering the risk to their life and property due to flood risk - why isn't this same threat made to trump what we often hear debated about New Orleans? In N.O. those who are activists talk about 'The Right Of Return". They fear the political consequences of not bringing the loyal voters back to town. They diminish the key threat to these people's lives that such a strategy has proven to be.

31 Gun Shots - Name Of Black Man Who Was Shot 31 Times Released

Still - this outrage has not made national news.

Pirates Create Their Own Profile Per Their Daytime Theft In Bloomingdales

The same people who complain about being followed in the mall by security guards will have little to say about these pirates who contribute to the racial profile.

Environmental Racism Conference

Cracker Barrel Cracker - Civil Rights Activsts Show Up In Court Despite Being Out Of Sight On Black On Black Assaults

To Be Clear: I will support the right of any local activist to show up at any public gathering that they choose to. I don't have a problem with their active involvement in this case.

My key point is that BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED AND MURDERED all year long.......Why is it that they choose to only show up in court in THIS particular case?

It can't be their valuation of the BLACK Female victim. There is a long line of Black Victims who are greeted with a near empty court room as their attackers have a bond hearing.

Clearly the only reason why this court room in question was full is because the ASSAILANT IS MORE HIGHLY VALUED than the run of the mill (Black) assailant of a Black female or others who's hearing they don't bother to attend.


Recently on some other blogs I have been called a "Black Inferiorist" per my apparent focus upon "negative" elements of the Black community. In truth the people making this claim function just like the bigoted White community of 70 years ago in this nation. In the face of hearing news about the massive assault of Black people their goal of protecting the establishment which has allowed the conditions within which these assaults taken place they seek to protect the SYSTEM from shame. Thus they strike out against the people who brought the injustices to light, preferring that they talk about something else.

I am documenting the painful details about how the people who claim to be defending the Black community from attack are actually guilty of what they charge me with. By far our community is attacked by the forces who's fail to drive observers into the courtroom.

In the logic of some people - they argue that "all races assault themselves more than they are assaulted in interracial attacks". This means nothing in regards to the current issue at hands. This obfuscation attempt does not address the fact that despite being attacked more by Blacks than White - the Black victim is victimized in greater quantity, far beyond our proportional population representation.

Someone on a different blog called me an "Enabler of Racism" because I don't fight against RACISM. It is clear to me that the key RACISM that is exposing Black people to assault is the RACISM that has the force of "No Justice, No Peace" focusing on valuing the threat from White Assailants as greater than the more frequent attacks that stem from their own community.

Attack Near Carver High School (ATL) Triggers Response From Community

"Murderous Autumn" In Metro Atlanta

Around town I have heard more people express concern over the potential loss by "Black folks" over the mayor's seat in Atlanta than comments mentioning the string of murders or violent assaults that has taken place over the past 5 days in Metro Atlanta.

Woman shot and killed in south DeKalb

AJC: Chinese food delivery woman shot in DeKalb

Sadly Politics have become an overlay in the lives of many Black people. The connection between promoting leaders into power and the question of the betterment of our lives has been severed. We have been tricked into playing in a 'team sport' but have forgotten why we stepped upon the playing field in the first place.

US Treasury Sells Record Level Of Debt At Weekly Auction

Prices for U.S. debt sink as the government starts a record $123 billion weekly offering with $7 billion in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities.

This week's offerings are the latest in a string of record debt sales the government has held this year to help fund its economic stimulus efforts and service a growing budget deficit.

While demand for U.S. debt has been relatively strong at recent auctions, many traders say the constant supply of new issues could eventually drive prices lower, potentially hindering the government's ability to finance its operations.

Sadly the average American is clueless as to what is going on.

In order for the Federal Government to keep spending money while it is in debt - it must sell an increasingly larger amount of US Treasuries to investors in order to sustain its operations.

The fact is that the government must pay INTEREST on all of its outstanding debt until it is paid off. This provides a healthy income stream to those who front the US Treasury with money.

These intrest payments have a "crowding out" effect. As more money is spent on INTEREST - less money is available in the budget for other expenditures.

If the US Treasury policy is to expand the Federal budget expenditures so that they can maintain their spending levels on other items while still paying for the INTEREST they create a circular effect - producing more debt to compensate for the interest payments.

If this was considered at a personal level - They are taking money from their credit card to pay the monthy payments of their credit card balance.

You need to ask yourself: Why would you become more dependent on this entity rather than developing more competencies of your own?

Ebony and Jet - Voice Of The Black Establishment

Johnson: Ebony, Jet are vital to black community


I say all of this as a long time subscriber of both Ebony and Jet who has not renewed his subscriptions over the past few years.

As my consciousness about the world around me has grown I began to see what Ebony, Jet, Essence and Black Enterprise are - THE VOICE OF THE BLACK ESTABLISHMENT.

Not that this is inherently wrong or evil. Instead the problem is that the Black Establishment is not inherently the "Black Community" nor does it represent the best interests of our community.

As journalistic platforms all of these magazines listed above (and the Black Press via newspapers and talking heads on television) have a duty to fight for the interests of the Black community. In as much as the Black establishment has more control than ever before over these vital institutions that Black America looks toward for support - THEY SHOULD BE SCRUTINIZED.

Instead these press vehicles have largely continued their original mission without noting the gross changes in condition. The entire Black press apparatus was formed more than 100 years ago. Originally the mainstream press in this nation had two modes with respect to Black people:

• Marginalize us as to fit their hateful stereotype
• Ignore stories of interest within our community

Understandably the Black press came on the scene to tell "our stories" because no one else would.

The Black press was there as each Black politician assumed power. Their rise to power was a "dawn of a new day in Black America". As these politicians took power over cities "CHANGE was going to come". "We've come a long way baby" as the frequent Virginia Slims back cover of the magazines used to say.

As I review what I had seen over the decades with more experienced eyes - I can think of few stories that featured prominent Black politicians in Ebony and Jet that ever critically scrutinized their results. Instead they were propaganda vehicles with many "feel good" stories. Now ask the same question about their coverage of Clarence Thomas or Condi Rice or anyone else who did not have a message in line with the "Black Establishment".

Today Johnson Publishing's finances are akin to the precarious economic situation that now confronts many of the cities who's new leadership was heralded yet never scrutinized sufficiently.

The irony of it all is that I saw the publisher of Ebony make a first time ever political endorsement (I should say "official endorsement" as they have indeed been doing so for decades) of Barack Obama for President.

At at time when, at least in print - the Black Establishment has reached its pinnacle in the American Political domain - with a member now residing in the White House - so many key institutional elements that has longed for this day now are listing near in the ocean - the low tide having grounded them.

They have indeed lost their purpose and their relevance in the lives of many Black American.

I cancelled all of my subscriptions to all of these magazines because it was so obvious to me what they were doing - PROPAGANDIZING and never questioning.

These publications can revitalize IF and only IF they realize that their previous mission if OVER. Black Elected Officials and Progressive Democrats no longer need an ADVOCATE in print to "help them" into POWER.

THEY NOW ARE IN POWER!!!

It is the BLACK COMMUNITY that needs help in the way of press agents fighting for our own interests and holding the actions of those who are in power accountable for addressing these interests.

In as much as the Black Press are on the same team as the Black Politician - this heightened level of consciousness regarding who they ultimately work for and the permanent interests that need to be addressed is not likely to be taken to heart.

The present circulation challenges provide each of these magazines a unique opportunity to remake themselves. Their loyal readers who are not as critical as I am are not purchasing the magazine in sufficient quantity.

Gadhafi: Let The Palestinians Develop Nuclear Weapons Because Israel Has Them

Gadhafi: Let the Palestinians develop nuclear weapons

I bet we will hear a massive outrage over this one from those seeking nuclear peace (/sarcasm)

I thought that Islam was against all weapons of mass destruction?
Why does Gadhafi seek to set up a conditional reference to what Israel has?

Has Israel ever threatened its neighbors with nukes?

Arab states, as well as the Palestinians, should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons as long as Israel retains its nuclear program, Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi said in a televised interview Sunday night.

"If the Israelis have the nuclear weapons and the nuclear capabilities, then it is the right of the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Saudis to have the same," the Libyan leader told the British Sky network.

Gadhafi also claimed that "even the Palestinians should have the same because their counterparts, or their opponents, have nuclear capabilities."

Referring to what he considered a "double standard" in the balance of powers in the Middle East, Gadhafi said that the only way to avoid a proliferation of nuclear arms in the region was to disarm Israel of its alleged nuclear program.

"If we don't want this situation, so we'll have to disarm the Israelis from their nuclear weapons and capabilities," Gadhafi told Sky.

Asked if he would advise Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to relinquish his nuclear arms, as his country did in 2003, the Libyan leader said that "Iran, up to now, hasn't said it is manufacturing a nuclear weapon: Iran says it is enriching uranium."

However, Gadhafi added, if "Iran were to manufacture nuclear weapons, nuclear arms, then all of us, including us, will be against them. But Iran has not said so."

Commenting on recently improving ties with the U.K., the Lybian leader said the two countries "have economic relations, investment relations, British companies, banks and, indeed, investments over there in England."

"Let me say that economic relations were good even during the time of Lockerbie between our two countries. They were never affected."

Further on in the interview Colonel Gaddafi also voiced his disapproval with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to U.S. President Obama earlier this month.

"It goes without saying he is an African and we are proud that we Africans, we on the African continent, Africa as a whole, presents someone who is an African to be President of the United States of America," he told Sky.

"But, as regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I do believe he deserves it, but to be given right now I think it is some sort of hypocrisy, sycophancy, and I think it is premature. It is not due yet."

One Day After A Black Man Was Shot 31 Times In Atlanta - Was This Shown On Your Local News?

I am just trying to establish a reference regarding how likely news of a heinous crime is spread nationally into other news markets.

Has your local news media talked about the Black man who was struck 31 times by automatic gun fire per the pirate attack in Southwest Atlanta?

Man Shoot 31 Times In Southwest Atlanta

Atlanta Mayor's Race: The Only Type Of "Split Black Votes" That The Black Establishment Is Content With

Political Scientist Professor Dr Ronald Walters has warned that "beyond all else - the Black vote cannot be allowed to split among different PARTIES, lest we lose our power as a voting bloc".

As he looks toward the present division of Black people in the Atlanta mayor's race among 3 major candidates - he is no doubt pleased. While indeed the Black vote is divided - it is none the less divided between 3 Democrats. (Note - the ATL elections are officially non-partisan. We all know that these candidates are all Democrats though)

Through it all none of the these current insiders will suffer any consequence of the present situation in the city.

Activists Protest Clayton County Transit Shutdown

These protests need to be put into their proper context.

These protesters are working class protesters. They are expressing concern that the loss of transit in Clayton County is a severing of the lifeline for working class people in the county to get to their jobs. Both the working class people and the protesters were celebrating the take over of the county by Democrats and Black leadership just a few years ago.

Let me pause right here and explain myself as to why I keep pointing out that ALL OF THESE PEOPLE involved in the process are DEMOCRATS. I am not doing this to provoke them to vote Republican. They are never going to anyway. The GOP = "White Supremacy" in the minds of most Black people. The operatives who control the messaging into the Black community benefit from this framing. They do so with the intent to benefit the Democrats. They have sold our community on the notion that with the Democratic Party - the Black community will prosper.

Today we have firm examples in Clayton County and so many other places that finally are controlled by the forces that the Black community have struggled to put into place to test the waters and bear out the long time claims of the benefit received by Black people.

Notice the man in the second video said "If this transit shutdown can happen in Clayton County then it could happen in Gwinnett County and Cobb County". Sorry - this is not so.

Cobb and Gwinnett have a far stronger economic base by which they base their funding upon. Even if their transit services cost far more than does CTran - they have a stronger general fund from which to draw from than does Clayton.

THE BATTLE OVER CLAYTON COUNTY

We need to go back in history about 10 years ago. The Atlanta activist community and their Black talk radio enablers focused upon the racial battle in Clayton County. Clayton had been run by White Democrats. To my knowledge it had never been a Republican county.

Various radio hosts, particularly on talk radio station WAOK keyed in upon Clayton County and the city of Riverdale. Their issues over time were:

• The White Police Chief of Riverdale having fired a Black Officer
• The Fight With the (mostly White) Clayton Chamber of Commerce and the new Black leadership over how the money from lobbying the state and feds is going to be spent in the county
• The fight over local voting districting in which the incumbent (White) Democrats attempted to retain power by dividing up the city of Riverdale where most of the Blacks live
• The claims that Riverdale is a "Speed trap to snag Black people"
• The continued fight against the justice system per the great number of Blacks in court

THEY NOW HAVE WON!!!!

These powers now have control over Clayton County. Most of the White folks have moved down to Henry or Clayton County. There has been a net decline in the average income of the county.

My major point is to prompt those who are otherwise blind to the notion to consider the CONSEQUENCES of their own policies. At present they don't see any downsides. All opposition is on the wrong side of the issue. They have the exclusive access to justice and fairness.

Many people who depend upon the transit to get to work will now have to find another way to get to work.
They are unlikely to change their voting patterns though. They will simply "Try Harder", putting a new set of progressives in place.

2 More Shootings In Southwest Atlanta - Fear Not I Am The One Who Is "Enabling Racism"

As I did my morning browse of the on-line newspaper with the local news playing in the background I see that 2 more shootings have occurred in Southwest Atlanta.
A young Black man was shot in the back during a home invasion and rushed to the hospital. Another Black man was shot 6 times at 2:30am at a gas station on "Martin Luther King Jr Dr" in Southwest Atlanta.




I AM A RACISM ENABLER Though!!!

As I engaged in debate with a guest blogger on RiPPa's blog I was accused of being a "racism enabler" because I had the audacity to say that "The bullets from KILLER STREET PIRATES" are just as deadly as those fired by White Klansmen from back in the day.

In my attempts to say that "BLACK PEOPLE ARE EQUAL TO WHITE PEOPLE" - both in our capabilities for good and our capability for evil - makes me a threat to those who operate with the orthodoxy of "Non-White White Supremacy". I also believe in "Black Inferiority" because I report on Black on Black crime and get this..........I have the audacity to blame those who are doing the killing.

UPDATE YOUR MODEL OF THE WORLD PEOPLE

The problem resides with the entrenched views that some people have. This person spent his formative years with the knowledge that "White Supremacy is the primary mode of death for Black people and thus this fight trumps all others".

As the murderous Street Pirates mount an assault upon Black lives, terrorizing home owners and gunning down other Street Pirates and launching stray bullets that kill others - this person who is entrenched in his thoughts are unwilling to let go of the original framing and expand his world view to one that better encapsulates what is going on in the real world.

As he is entrenched as such he keeps his long rifle pointed out of the window, sitting in his rocking chair, looking out for White folks who cross his lawn. He must decide if they are just cutting across his lawn on their way to some other destination or if their presence is a threat to enter into his premises.

All the while he is focused outside - the termite problem INSIDE his wood frame house will compromise the integrity of the framework of his house. All who are inside of the house that he doggedly protects from Racist Whites will die as their necks are snapped from the ceiling collapse.



Man Shot 3 Times In Southwest Atlanta

Two Men Shot In Southwest Atlanta On Sunday Night

Man Shot 31 TIMES!!!!! In SOUTHWEST Atlanta - The Area Which Is The "Crown Jewel" Of The Black Establishment

Police: Man shot with assault rifle on street

MY AGENDA:

I am not attempting to make a universal indictment of Southwest Atlanta in the commission of this crime. Likely 2 IGNORANT STREET PIRATES are the ONLY guilty party here. I grieve for the family of the murder victim.

My agenda is to point out the fact that the "Bloody Summer of 2009 in Atlanta" in which nearly every day a Black person was murdered some where in Metro Atlanta is turning into "Murderous Autumn 2009". The cold weather typically draws to a close the outside recreational and social activities. The additional benefit is that the points of contact between potential "pirate killers" are also reduced as they huddle inside.

I have previously pointed out how certain operatives (Mary Francis Berry) have attempted to make special note of "the Black man who got shot in the back" during the civil rights struggle as the metaphor of justice denied for Black people. As the sign that some in our community believed that "a Black man had no rights that a White man need respect" thus they spat upon us at every corner.

I truely believe with everything within me that some of you who are reading this latest attempt at consciousness as to what is going on TODAY will NEVER promote the murders happening TODAY to Black people with the murderous romp done by the various White Supremacist/Klan factions of the past. As logic has it - the Klan murders of the past are recorded in our history books. The heinous murders of the more recent past and present will NOT appear in any history books, this despite being no less deadly but more frequent in occurrence.

NON-WHITE WHITE SUPREMACY!! This is the only reason why the story of this (I assume) Black man who was shot on the streets of SouthWest Atlanta - 31 times by an assault rifle and an semi-automatic hand gun will not show up in any historical footage about the life and times of Black people in Black America.

Simply put - the KILLER has no particular value in the greater political and ideological agenda that is going on all around us. The White man who assaulted the Black woman several weeks ago has such value and thus he has a greater chance of showing up in some national report on the "Increase of Right Wing Racist Assaults Upon Black people" that might be compiled by some so called "civil rights group".

What community suffers more from the present bigotry and subjectivity as does our community?

Those who worry so about "Racial Profile" seem oblivious to the fact that when everyone in the metro area who hears that yet a murder has happened in "SouthWest Atlanta" can easily conclude from previous experience what the likely race of the victim and the assailant. This PROFILE has been earned by action, not rendered by bigotry.

Mine is an indictment upon the modern day "All White Jury" that is present within the Black community that directs the emphasis of the protests. They won't do anything tangible to undo the profile that has been earned.

AJC Story:

Police are looking for two gunmen, one armed with an assault rifle, who killed a man in broad daylight Saturday in southwest Atlanta.

Atlanta police found the dead man near the intersection of Lisbon and Cahoon streets about noon. Police said the suspects pulled in behind the victim's car, shot him 31 times and fled.

An assault rifle is believed to have been used by one man while the other used a 9 mm handgun.

The victim’s name has not been released.

Police said Sunday morning that they have no suspects or motive in the killing.

Black Agenda Report Questions The Benefits To The Black Elected Leadership In Atlatna In Addressing Community Issues

The End of Black Politics As We Knew It: Will Atlanta's Next Mayor Be White? Should We Even Care?


Analysis:

Though Black Agenda Report (BAR) and I stand on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum I am forced to agree with their scrutiny about the benefit of the Black Elected Establishment in Atlanta. We do part company in the way of a corrective strategy though. They are inclined to push for more "government socialistic" policies. I would be more inclined to make use of an overlay "community/private based collective agenda" to achieve the same end. In their way Black people "vote" in a more effective way. In my suggestion the community is made clear on its "directed outcomes" and then are made to MANAGE the human resources within.

The percentages of poverty in Atlanta, while high, are misleading. Atlanta proper is now a city of solidly middle class Whites and relatively poor Blacks. The middle and upper class Blacks live in the immediate suburbs. Thus if the same stats were taken about 'Metro Atlanta' - the numbers would not look so different.

BASHING THEM LEFTWARE vs GOING BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

The key point of the report done by BAR is to draw out the "Corporate Black Elected Officials" as having failed to move the Black community forward and instead replace them with more hard left, revolutionary minded black establishment.

They have no intention of putting the "left wing/progressive" ethos on trial, measuring its value in a place where Black people make of the numerical majority of a place and thus need a SYSTEM that allows them to take more full advantage of the human, economic, academic resources contained within the district that they now control the political seats within. Instead they plan to walk forward without subjecting themselves to such scrutiny.

I agree that BAR and their sister site "Black Commentator.com" is good for criticizing the Black political establishment and even Obama. The fact is that the criticism is only to drive them more to the left. These two entities likely VOTED FOR and CHEERED when the Black Establishment entities won each and ever one of these elective offices.

For them - though these operatives were not "Ideologically Pure Progressives/Leftists" ......they were not CONSERVATIVE/REPUBLICANS - the common enemy of BAR and the Black Establishment. Does this prove that the notion "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is a flawed construct?

The key flaw of BAR's brand of Progressivism is that it fails to address the changing dynamics of a domain when their enemy MOVES AWAY FROM THEM. In as much as Progressivism is a perpetual struggle - it has not developed the infrastructure within the Black community to handle these changing conditions. This situation where the establishment is expected to deliver the means by which the standard of living within the district is made sufficient.


For some people - ME as a critic of the "Black Establishment" is somehow more contemptible than the criticism rained down from the BAR. After all THEY ARE PROGRESSIVE and I am a CONSERVATIVE.

Still - the INCUMBENCY in total control over the popular consciousness of Black America - ARE PROGRESSIVES. If a FELLOW PROGRESSIVE is as critical of this establishment - WHEN DOES PROGRESSIVISM ITSELF get subjected to scrutiny BY THE BLACK COMMUNITY?

The Black Community is not the Black Establishment.

Black Voter Apathy - The Way Black Folks Vote Against The Democrats

Here is a flurry of some excellent analysis on the subject of what has transpired in Kingston NC. The Obama Justice Department, per the powers granted to it in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, reached into the city and told them that they were not allowed to adopt "Non Partisan Elections" because it would be a violation of Black Voting Rights.

Someone needs to tell this to the officials in Atlanta and Milwaukee (and several others) who have a 'Non-Partisan' elections system.


Please read these articles from the perspective of a few suppositions that I would like to put forth:

• Trumping the proof that there is RACIST voter suppression going on en masse in 2009 by people who don't like Black people is the truth that the Democratic Party and the elements of the Black establishment that have fused our cause with them see the Black vote as a 'franchise vote' - send Black folks to the polling booth - have the party affiliation clearly delineated and WITHOUT ANY OTHER PIECES OF INFORMATION NECESSARY - THE BLACK VOTER WILL FAVOR THE DEMOCRAT. This makes the Democratic Party and the Black Establishment Happy
• The Democratic Party establishment knows that the one place in America where it does not risk a mass purge due to failure is the BLACK VOTING DISTRICT. Black people see failure of Republicans as a trigger to get rid of all Republicans. The failure of the Democrats is cause to get rid of that one Democrat and replace him with another (see Clayton County Georgia as incontrovertible proof of this). Thus instead of this being a protection of "Black Voting Rights" this is actually a protection upon the entrenched Democratic establishment.
• 
  

It should also be noted that the "CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS" disagreed with this decision. This was made by POLITICAL APPOINTEES.

The fact is that the same violations that were made by the Bush Administration, if not amplified by the media - will go unchallenged.

Abigale Thurnstrom: Understanding Black Voter Apathy


Hans A. von Spakovsky: The Politics Of (In)Justice

Justice concludes black voters need Democratic Party

Spike Lee vs Tyler Perry - On "Coonery" In Black Entertainment

Atlanta Mayoral Candidate Mary Norwood Is Not A Republican!!

If there is no other proof in the world about the rumor about Mary Norwood's political affiliation - this should settle it.

"Able" Mable Thomas is an off and on representatives of one of the poorest and crime ridden areas of the city of Atlanta. She is a liberal Democrat with socialistic and "racism chasing" tendencies.

While her official endorsement has not yet been rendered - there is no way that this woman would ever even think about endorsing a Republican.

Keep in mind that Atlanta municipal elections are officially non-partisan.
Recently, however, certain people who's real goal is to insure that the string of Black mayors for the city of Atlanta does not get broken with this next election have chosen to make Ms Norwood out to be a "White Republican".

They have pointed out that she has occasionally picked up a Republican primary ballot to vote. Georgia does not require party registration. Any person can request a party ballot at the polling center. If only this were the standard because over the past 15 years I have voted both Republican and Democrat - all depending on who was running. During the past 5 years as a committed independent I have not voted in the primary at all, allowing the parties to choose their own candidate as I voted in the general election. (The only exception was my support for Herman Cain as a senatorial candidate. This is because I believe him to be a quality person, not because he is a Republican).

These reports about Norwood being a Republican don't mention the more frequent Democratic ballots that she has taken. Nor do they seek out her endorsements in the state and national elections.

Bottom line - the question of Ms Norwood's political affiliation is ambiguous at best. She has a favorable view of Obama. She is asking people to focus on her record rather than her party. Isn't this the way it is supposed to be?

It is the partisan bigots who seek to tar her to a party.

Norwood: I Am The Barack Obama Of The Mayor's Race

Here We Have A Progressive Group Labeling Lisa Borders as a Republican

Political Insider
‘Able’ Mable Thomas ready to endorse Mary Norwood?

7:00 am October 23, 2009, by Jim Galloway

This is no-jolt Friday, but here’s a little something to get you started:

The Atlanta mayoral campaign of Councilwoman Mary Norwood has scheduled a 3 p.m. press conference for today, and there’s every chance that state Rep. “Able” Mable Thomas of southwest Atlanta will be there with her endorsement.

This is significant. Thomas is a grass-roots activist with an important GOTV network that, while small, could make a large difference in a low-turnout race.

Thomas challenged U.S. Rep. John Lewis in the 2008 Democratic primary – fallout from the congressman’s initial decision to support his friend Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest.

Lewis won handily, but Thomas pulled 6,839 votes out of Fulton County, about 17 percent. Assume that most of those votes were cast from within the city, south of I-20. And those could be votes that Norwood needs in 11 days.