OBAMA GOT BIN LADEN not Bush

Just so that we will never forget:

“There were no terrorist attacks on the Bush watch…”

Just because…

Your request is being processed… Swim Club Accused Of Racism To File For Bankruptcy

This summer I blogged about this swim club in Pennsylvania that revoked the summer memberships of a summer camp that was mostly African American. After public humiliation, the swim club did reinstate the membership; but I don’t believe the day camp took their offer.

Since then it appears that a law suit has been filed and the swim club is now filing for bankruptcy. It’s good to know that in the age of the tea-bagger movement, hannity & glenn beck, and orly taitz; that enough people would be infuriated about the treatment of black and brown kids to the point where an organization has to shut it’s doors. They claim that they’ve been struggling for some time. I’ve been working on a documentary, that started in South Africa, about the economics of racism and this story just proves my premise. Racists are so evil that they would rather go out of business or see a country destroyed rather than doing what’s right. Racism is bad for business.

From the Huffington Post

PHILADELPHIA — A suburban swim club accused of discrimination last summer after revoking the memberships of mostly black and Hispanic children plans to declare bankruptcy, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Valley Swim Club president John Duesler sent an e-mail to club “friends and families” Friday saying the board of directors had voted to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week, The Philadelphia Daily News reported.

Duesler wrote in the e-mail that many would blame the bankruptcy on legal proceedings and negative media exposure, the newspaper said. But, he said, “the truth is that the club has struggled to stay out of the red for at least the last decade” and owes more than $100,000 in operational expenses and legal fees, the newspaper reported.

Duesler declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Members “are all tired and beaten down and just sickened by how our club has been improperly portrayed,” he said, according to the Daily News. “After speaking to many members, my sense is that mostly everyone wants to move on.”

click here to read the rest

TIME TO RECLAIM THE PRESS!

The first Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

I believe that the founding fathers included the press in the Constitution because they expected the press to be a watch dog of the government for the people. The Constitution was written by men who were trying to avoid an autocratic governmental system like the systems found in Europe at the time.
During the time the Constitution was being drafted, “the press” was not these mega corporations, controlling 35 or 65% and often as much as 75% of a given market, it was in most cases a one man shows. And often some guy with a printing press in his barn. It was the existence of these independent journalists that helped keep the larger papers honest. The same was true with the invention of radio, television and now the internet. It was the independent stations that could be counted on to have the least amount of tendentiousness and it is often blogs that call out the mainstream media outlets.

By the 1990s, with the help of the FCC’s lack of scruples, the industry was deregulated and large corporations were allowed to own the majority of media outlets in any given market. With the power of deep pockets behind them; the large conglomerates swallowed the independents. This can be seen in all areas, from theatrical distribution companies to radio to newspapers. However, what is most concerning and what threatens the health of this nation is not only that some markets only have one journalistic voice but also the redefining of what is considered journalism and news.

There was a time when news organizations were so concerned about their integrity that they had a separate Board of Directors from their sister entertainment arms. Today, it is hard to tell what is considered news and what is supposed to be entertainment. However, the Society of Professional Journalists have established a code of ethics to act as a guide. They read:

Journalists should:

• Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
• Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
• Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
• Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
• Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
• Never plagiarize.
• Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
• Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
• Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
• Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
• Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
• Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
• Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

These are the guidelines that journalists have placed on themselves. With these rules in mind let’s evaluate some of the organizations that call themselves “news”.

In the last 10 days the White House finally spoke up about the dishonest media outlet called Fox News. Several of the Administration’s spokespersons, including president Obama himself, have admonished that Fox News is not truly news and should not be treated as such by real news agencies. FINALLY, someone says what we have known for a long time. Not surprisingly other news agencies jumped to Fox’s defense explaining that their nighttime commentary is very different from their daytime news reporting. This discussion with Jake Tapper of ABC and White House Press Secretary is telling:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one -

(Crosstalk)

Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.

Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say -

Gibbs: ABC -

Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?

Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” — why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/20/jake-tapper-challenges-wh_n_327820.html)

Shame on Gibbs for not having the facts to back up “their opinion”. So, Press Secretary Gibbs, others have done your homework for you:
Fox News: A 24/7 Political Operation

The first ethics rule:
“Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.

• Statutory Rape – INACCURATE (a lie)
• Veteran Death Panels – INACCURATE (a lie)
• Sotomayor is a reversed racist, DISTORITION (a lie)
• 9/12 Tea Parties – DISTORITION (a lie)
  • actually organized by Fox News and then staged with applause signs and the works
• Czar mania – DISTORITION (a lie)

The litmus test for accuracy at Fox News must be akin to the test to see who will play short stop in a 1st grade kickball game…nonexistent.  On Sunday, November 1st Fox reported that Dede Scozzafava, GOP candidate for NY’s 23d District, endorsed the teabaggers choice Matt Hoffman, once she suspended her campaign.  The truth is, as everyone knows,  she endorsed the Democratic candidate Bill Owens, who went on to win the Congressional seat for that district. The fact of the matter is that their ‘news shows’ often echo their commentary shows with distortions, mistruths, and outright lies. What’s worse is that CNN and to a lesser degree MSNBC, NBC, ABC and CBS continue the misinformation distribution. This is not my opinion this is fact and thank God for youtube and organizations like: Media Matters, Brave New Films, Fox Watch and others.
FOX Attacks! Obama – Part 2

And because the true art and nature of journalism seems to be a dying art form the rest of the mainstream media has once again picked up the latest Fox News talking point – “the White House has declared war on Fox News”.
Fox News’ War on the White House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDR47EKTrCQ

October 29, 2009: For Fox Sake! – Jon Stewart

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-29-2009/for-fox-sake-

It is interesting that the right-wing of America has decided that they’re no longer interested in the freedom of the press nor a government for and by the people. Their actions say they are only interested in power. They realize to retain power you have to control the message and the only way to control the message is to control the media. Lessening the amount of media outlets enhances their ability to control the press; hence deregulation. I’m not sure when this began but I noticed the signs during the Reagan administration; the mantra during those times was “the liberal media”. As a progressive, the media has NEVER been liberal. It might have been center to center-right as opposed to far right; but NEVER liberal. With this campaign, to paint the right-wing as the victims, came the founding of FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). One quick perusal of their website and it is obvious that they are not at all about advocating fairness and accuracy in journalism; they’re interested in forwarding the right-wing agenda. However, I never hear the press calling them an “extreme right-wing group” as they often refer to Media Matters and the Daily Kos as an “extreme left-wing or extreme liberal group”. This rhetoric from the likes of Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and the rest of the spokesman for the right-wing, is almost laughable except too many Americans get all of their news from these men whose commentary fuels racism, anti-patriotism and to a few…violence.

Net neutrality is now under attack. For those who don’t know what net neutrality is, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia;

Network neutrality (also net neutrality, Internet neutrality) is a principle proposed for residential broadband networks and potentially for all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on content, sites, or platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and on the modes of communication allowed, as well as one where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.[1][2][3]
The principle states that if a given user pays for a certain level of internet access, and another user pays for a given level of access, that the two users should be able to connect to each other at that given rate of access

Basically, what this means is that corporations cannot pay the people who control the pipelines (Comcast, Cox, Time Warner et al) to give them preferential treatment. Corporate greed and the need for some groups to control the media lets us know that left to their own devices, corporations would pay the pipeline controllers to allow their content to be accessed faster and more easily than other content. So Joe Blogger would not be able to have his content accessed as easily as say, Fox News. This is part of the fight, this is what we must stop.
Mac vs PC: McOld Prefers his abacus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNehRSWmvJM

John, “I’m computer illiterate” McCain has introduced a new bill:

“Today I’m pleased to introduce the Internet Freedom Act of 2009 that will keep the Internet free from government control and regulation,” McCain said. “It will allow for continued innovation that will in turn create more high-paying jobs for the millions of Americans who are out of work or seeking new employment. Keeping businesses free from oppressive regulations is the best stimulus for the current economy.”

Don’t you love how congress chooses the names for bills that are the opposite of what the bill is meant to do/be? The Internet Freedom Act allows as much freedom as the Patriot Act. For a guy who is quoted as saying:
When asked if he went online himself, the Arizona senator responded: “They go on for me. I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/johnmccain/2403704/John-McCain-technology-illiterate-doesnt-email-or-use-internet.html
It seems to me that anything that he introduces regarding the internet should be laughed off the Senate floor. However, knowing how our congress works, unless we intercede this might actually become law.

I believe that we need to start another revolution! A take back the media revolution, we need to urge our congress to re-enact the rules and regulations surrounding news organizations, anti-monopoly laws for media outlets, and of course keeping net neutrality. We can fight indefinitely for health care reform, regulation of the financial industry, prosecuting those who allowed torture, etc.  But unless we have a news industry that is, dedicated to the tenants of the Professional Society of Journalists, with a strong and healthy independent media industry we will find ourselves in this position again. We need the media to help us shed light on the racketeering that has infected “Wall Street” and is now threatening our system of governance.

Write your representatives and let them know it’s time to Reclaim the Press

THE PUBLIC OPTION IS DEAD

Here’s a list, from my buddies at the Daily Kos, of the folks who declared on TV and in print that the public option is dead:

 

Brad Blakeman:

The “public option” is dead, but birth has been given to the “co-op” by Senator Kent Conrad.

Cesar Conda:

The public option has flat-lined. As for the legislative outlook for health reform, the Senate will approve a bill without the public option. The current House version includes the public option, but I’m not so sure the Blue Dogs will want to walk the plank and vote on a provision that won’t become law.

Thomas J. Whalen:

The public option appears deader than the pennant chances of the Kansas City Royals. Nonprofit cooperatives will now take center stage in the health care debate and from the White House’s perspective, this may not be such a bad thing.

Sen. Kent Conrad:

In the Senate, the cooperative plan is the only one that has the prospect of getting 60 votes.

Conrad again:

“The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option. There never have been,” he said. “So to continue to chase that rabbit I think is just a wasted effort.”

One more Conrad, just because I don’t like the guy:

“It is very clear that in the United States Senate, the public option does not have the votes,” he said. “If we have to get to 60 votes, you cannot get there with public option. That’s why I was asked to come up with an alternative.”

Jane Hamsher:

Of course he’s not going to include a public option — as DC’s beltway class well knows, it’s been gone for a long time.

…

Rahm and the Baucus Caucus dealt the public option away months ago in order to keep stakeholders at the negotiating tables, and from filling the coffers of Republicans in 2010.

Newt Gingrich:

“I think the president has a real opportunity to fundamentally change the tone of his administration,” Gingrich tells NRO. But, he says, “I think it takes deeper change than simply yes or no on the public option. Frankly, if he does come out against a public option — given what the Left and the ACLU have said — it would be a very significant moment, and we should not understate how significant that would be.”

to read the rest click here:  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/26/797441/-List-of-Pundits-who-Declared-the-P.O.-Dead-(more-added)

 

President Obama’s Interview on Al-Arabiya Arab TV Network

INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY HISHAM MELHEM, AL ARABIYA

Map Room

5:46 P.M. EST

Q Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity, we really appreciate it.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.

Q Sir, you just met with your personal envoy to theMiddle East, Senator Mitchell. Obviously, his first task is to consolidate the cease-fire. But beyond that you’ve been saying that you want to pursue actively and aggressively peacemaking between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Tell us a little bit about how do you see your personal role, because, you know, if the President of the United States is not involved, nothing happens — as the history of peacemaking shows. Will you be proposing ideas, pitching proposals, parameters, as one of your predecessors did? Or just urging the parties to come up with their own resolutions, as your immediate predecessor did?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think the most important thing is for the United States to get engaged right away. And George Mitchell is somebody of enormous stature. He is one of the few people who have international experience brokering peace deals.

And so what I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues — and we don’t always know all the factors that are involved. So let’s listen. He’s going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response.

Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what’s best for them. They’re going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it’s time to return to the negotiating table.

And it’s going to be difficult, it’s going to take time. I don’t want to prejudge many of these issues, and I want to make sure that expectations are not raised so that we think that this is going to be resolved in a few months. But if we start the steady progress on these issues, I’m absolutely confident that the United States — working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab states in the region — I’m absolutely certain that we can make significant progress.

Q You’ve been saying essentially that we should not look at these issues — like the Palestinian-Israeli track and separation from the border region — you’ve been talking about a kind of holistic approach to the region. Are we expecting a different paradigm in the sense that in the past one of the critiques — at least from the Arab side, the Muslim side — is that everything the Americans always tested with the Israelis, if it works. Now there is an Arab peace plan, there is a regional aspect to it. And you’ve indicated that. Would there be any shift, a paradigm shift?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, here’s what I think is important. Look at the proposal that was put forth by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia –

Q Right.

THE PRESIDENT: I might not agree with every aspect of the proposal, but it took great courage –

Q Absolutely.

THE PRESIDENT: — to put forward something that is as significant as that. I think that there are ideas across the region of how we might pursue peace.

I do think that it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what’s happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan. These things are interrelated. And what I’ve said, and I think Hillary Clinton has expressed this in her confirmation, is that if we are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world, that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.

Now, Israel is a strong ally of the United States. They will not stop being a strong ally of the United States. And I will continue to believe that Israel’s security is paramount. But I also believe that there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side.

And so what we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last several years. And I think if we do that, then there’s a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs.

Q I want to ask you about the broader Muslim world, but let me — one final thing about the Palestinian-Israeli theater. There are many Palestinians and Israelis who are very frustrated now with the current conditions and they are losing hope, they are disillusioned, and they believe that time is running out on the two-state solution because — mainly because of the settlement activities in Palestinian-occupied territories. Will it still be possible to see a Palestinian state — and you know the contours of it — within the first Obama administration?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it is possible for us to see a Palestinian state — I’m not going to put a time frame on it — that is contiguous, that allows freedom of movement for its people, that allows for trade with other countries, that allows the creation of businesses and commerce so that people have a better life.

And, look, I think anybody who has studied the region recognizes that the situation for the ordinary Palestinian in many cases has not improved. And the bottom line in all these talks and all these conversations is, is a child in the Palestinian Territories going to be better off? Do they have a future for themselves? And is the child in Israel going to feel confident about his or her safety and security? And if we can keep our focus on making their lives better and look forward, and not simply think about all the conflicts and tragedies of the past, then I think that we have an opportunity to make real progress.

But it is not going to be easy, and that’s why we’ve got George Mitchell going there. This is somebody with extraordinary patience as well as extraordinary skill, and that’s what’s going to be necessary.

Q Absolutely. Let me take a broader look at the whole region. You are planning to address the Muslim world in your first 100 days from a Muslim capital. And everybody is speculating about the capital. (Laughter.) If you have anything further, that would be great.

How concerned are you — because, let me tell you, honestly, when I see certain things about America — in some parts, I don’t want to exaggerate — there is a demonization of America.

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely.

Q It’s become like a new religion, and like a new religion it has new converts — like a new religion has its own high priests.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q It’s only a religious text.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q And in the last — since 9/11 and because of Iraq, that alienation is wider between the Americans and — and in generations past, the United States was held high. It was the only Western power with no colonial legacy.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

Q How concerned are you and — because people sense that you have a different political discourse. And I think, judging by (inaudible) and Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden and all these, you know — a chorus –

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I noticed this. They seem nervous.

Q They seem very nervous, exactly. Now, tell me why they should be more nervous?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that when you look at the rhetoric that they’ve been using against me before I even took office –

Q I know, I know.

THE PRESIDENT: — what that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt. There’s no actions that they’ve taken that say a child in the Muslim world is getting a better education because of them, or has better health care because of them.

In my inauguration speech, I spoke about: You will be judged on what you’ve built, not what you’ve destroyed. And what they’ve been doing is destroying things. And over time, I think the Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death and destruction.

Now, my job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.

Q The largest one.

THE PRESIDENT: The largest one, Indonesia. And so what I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I’ve come to understand is that regardless of your faith — and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers — regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams.

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there’s no reason why we can’t restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.

But ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration’s actions. And I think that what you will see over the next several years is that I’m not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what’s on a television station in the Arab world — but I think that what you’ll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I’m speaking to them, as well.

Q Tell me, time is running out, any decision on from where you will be visiting the Muslim world?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I’m not going to break the news right here.

Q Afghanistan?

THE PRESIDENT: But maybe next time. But it is something that is going to be important. I want people to recognize, though, that we are going to be making a series of initiatives. Sending George Mitchell to the Middle East is fulfilling my campaign promise that we’re not going to wait until the end of my administration to deal with Palestinian and Israeli peace, we’re going to start now. It may take a long time to do, but we’re going to do it now. We’re going to follow through on our commitment for me to address the Muslim world from a Muslim capital. We are going to follow through on many of my commitments to do a more effective job of reaching out, listening, as well as speaking to the Muslim world.

And you’re going to see me following through with dealing with a drawdown of troops in Iraq, so that Iraqis can start taking more responsibility. And finally, I think you’ve already seen a commitment, in terms of closing Guantanamo, and making clear that even as we are decisive in going after terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians, that we’re going to do so on our terms, and we’re going to do so respecting the rule of law that I think makes America great.

Q President Bush framed the war on terror conceptually in a way that was very broad, “war on terror,” and used sometimes certain terminology that the many people — Islamic fascism. You’ve always framed it in a different way, specifically against one group called al Qaeda and their collaborators. And is this one way of –

THE PRESIDENT: I think that you’re making a very important point. And that is that the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations — whether Muslim or any other faith in the past — that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith’s name.

And so you will I think see our administration be very clear in distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda — that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it — and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop. We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down.

But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship.

Q Can I end with a question on Iran and Iraq then quickly?

THE PRESIDENT: It’s up to the team –

MR. GIBBS: You have 30 seconds. (Laughter.)

Q Will the United States ever live with a nuclear Iran? And if not, how far are you going in the direction of preventing it?

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I said during the campaign that it is very important for us to make sure that we are using all the tools of U.S. power, including diplomacy, in our relationship with Iran.

Now, the Iranian people are a great people, and Persian civilization is a great civilization. Iran has acted in ways that’s not conducive to peace and prosperity in the region: their threats against Israel; their pursuit of a nuclear weapon which could potentially set off an arms race in the region that would make everybody less safe; their support of terrorist organizations in the past — none of these things have been helpful.

But I do think that it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress. And we will over the next several months be laying out our general framework and approach. And as I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.

Q Shall we leave Iraq next interview, or just –

MR. GIBBS: Yes, let’s — we’re past, and I got to get him back to dinner with his wife.

Q Sir, I really appreciate it.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.

Q Thanks a lot.

THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate it.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

END 6:03 P.M. EST

ACORN and the left-wing liberal media

From October 6 through October 15, CNN ran at least 54 segments mentioning allegations that the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now [ACORN] submitted allegedly false or duplicate voter registration applications this year in a number of states, according to a Media Matters for America search* of the Nexis database. But only one of those segments mentioned both of the following two relevant points: 1) that the statutes of most of those states require third parties registering prospective voters to submit all registration forms they receive; and 2) that actual instances of illegal votes being cast as a result of registration fraud are extremely rare. Indeed, in an October 10 press release, ACORN noted that “in almost every state we are required to turn in ALL completed applications, even the ones we know to be problematic.” And in a 2007 report titled “The Truth About Voter Fraud,” New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice stated, “[W]e are aware of NO recent substantiated case in which registration fraud has resulted in fraudulent votes being cast.” Of the 54 CNN segments addressing the allegations against ACORN, two mentioned only the former of those two points, while one mentioned just the latter.

While the media have devoted great attention to charges of voter fraud, in past election cycles such charges have largely proven baseless. According to the Brennan Center:

There have been several documented and widely publicized instances in which registration forms have been fraudulently completed and submitted. But it is extraordinarily difficult to find reported cases in which individuals have submitted registration forms in someone else’s name in order to impersonate them at the polls. Furthermore, most reports of registration fraud do not actually claim that the fraud happens so that ineligible people can vote at the polls. Indeed, we are aware of no recent substantiated case in which registration fraud has resulted in fraudulent votes being cast.

Additionally, an October 16 ABCNews.com article reported that Sen. John McCain’s “voter fraud worries — about ACORN or anyone else — are unsupported by the facts, said experts on election fraud, who recall similar concerns being raised in several previous elections, despite a near-total absence of cases.” The article quoted David Becker, “a lawyer for the Bush administration until 2005, in the Justice Department’s voting rights section, which was part of the administration’s aggressive anti-vote-fraud effort,” who stated, “There’s no evidence that any of these invalid registrations lead to any invalid votes” and added: “The Justice Department really made prosecution of voter fraud of this sort a big priority in the first half of this decade, and they really didn’t come up with anything.”

Indeed, the U.S. Department of Justice crime statistics cast doubt on the existence of widespread voter fraud. According to a report by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division of prosecutions between October 2002 and September 2005, the Justice Department charged 95 people with “election fraud” and convicted 55. Among those, however, just 17 individuals were convicted for casting fraudulent ballots; cases against three other individuals were pending at the time of the report. Further, on April 12, 2007, The New York Times reported, “Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews.”

During a report on the October 12 edition of CNN Sunday Morning — the only CNN report to mention both of the above points — anchor Betty Nguyen aired a clip from ACORN chief organizer Bertha Lewis’s October 10 interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, in which Lewis said: “First of all, in every county when you register voters, you’ve got to turn in every single card no matter how weird or wacko it may appear, that’s the law.” Later in the segment, Nguyen asked Demos.org’s Steve Carbo, “I mean, are these numbers inflated here or is ACORN truly involved in voter fraud?” Carbo replied, “I think we need to be clear about what voter fraud is. The record shows that it’s exceedingly rare for individuals to show up on the polls on Election Day and pretend to be other people, to vote twice, to vote illegally.”

Three segments mentioned one, but not both points. Two segments mentioned that many states require ACORN to submit all registration forms it received. On the October 10 edition of Larry King Live, Lewis said, “First of all, in every county when you register voters, you’ve got to turn in every single card no matter how weird or wacko it may appear, that’s the law.” In a later segment on the same broadcast, after radio host Stephanie Miller called the allegations against ACORN “a non-story,” King asked her, “Because you have to bring whatever they fill out?” Miller replied, “Yes.”

One additional segment suggested that voter fraud is extremely rare. During a roundtable on the October 11 edition of CNN Newsroom, civil rights attorney Avery Friedman said, “Now in reality, when either Mr. or Ms. Turkey show up at the voting booth, today there is a built-in protective mechanism. So, although it sounds like a big deal, and I think some of the partisans are trying to paint it that, for those people who get minimum wage, who have quotas, those people are in trouble for doing these kinds of things. But the bottom line is that the system will work. I don’t think Jive Turkey will be voting this November.”

The following 50 CNN segments did not include either of the above relevant facts (all program times ET):

Date
Show
Anchors/Correspondents/Guests

10/15
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Host Lou Dobbs, correspondent Bill Tucker

10/15
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, correspondent Drew Griffin, Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf

10/15
CNN Newsroom 1 PM
Anchor Kyra Phillips, Griffin

10/15
CNN Newsroom 11 AM
Anchor Tony Harris, Griffin

10/15
CNN Newsroom 10 AM
Anchor Heidi Collins, correspondent Brian Todd

10/15
CNN Newsroom 9 AM
Collins, Griffin

10/15
American Morning 7 AM
Anchor Kiran Chetry, Griffin

10/15
American Morning 6 AM
Chetry

10/14
Anderson Cooper 360
Host Anderson Cooper, political analysts David Gergen, Roland Martin, Alex Castellanos

10/14
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, Tucker

10/14
Situation Room 6 PM
Host Wolf Blitzer, Todd

10/14
Situation Room 6 PM
Blitzer, Griffin

10/14
Situation Room 4 PM
Blitzer, correspondent Jessica Yellin

10/14
CNN Newsroom 3 PM
Anchor Rick Sanchez, presidential candidate Ralph Nader (I)

10/14
CNN Newsroom 3 PM
Sanchez, correspondent Joshua Levs

10/14
CNN Newsroom 2 PM
Phillips, WEWS reporter Duane Pohlman

10/14
CNN Newsroom 1 PM
Phillips, Levs

10/14
CNN Newsroom Noon
Harris, Pohlman

10/14
CNN Newsroom 11 AM
Harris, Griffin, Blitzer

10/14
CNN Newsroom 11 AM
Harris, Tucker, Levs

10/14
CNN Newsroom 10 AM
Collins, Pohlman

10/14
CNN Newsroom 9 AM
Collins, Tucker

10/14
American Morning 7 AM
Chetry, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (R)

10/13
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, Tucker

10/13
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs

10/13
Situation Room 5 PM
Blitzer, Griffin

10/13
CNN Newsroom 1 PM
Phillips, Griffin

10/12
The Next President: Battlegrounds
Host John King, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner

10/12
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, Griffin

10/12
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, Tucker

10/12
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis, Sheinkopf

10/12
CNN Sunday Morning 9 AM
Anchor Betty Nguyen, Griffin

10/11
The Next President: Battlegrounds
King, Brunner

10/11
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, Griffin

10/11
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, Tucker

10/11
Lou Dobbs This Week
Dobbs, Louis, Sheinkopf

10/10
Larry King Live
Host Larry King, Griffin

10/10
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, Tucker

10/10
CNN Newsroom 1 PM
Phillips, Griffin

10/10
CNN Newsroom Noon
Harris, Griffin

10/10
CNN Newsroom 9 AM
Nguyen, Griffin

10/10
American Morning 8 AM
Anchor John Roberts, Griffin

10/9
Anderson Cooper 360
Cooper, Griffin

10/9
Larry King Live
King, Democratic strategist Tanya Acker, Republican strategist Andrea Tantaros, Democratic strategist Paul Begala

10/9
CNN Election Center
Host Campbell Brown, Griffin

10/9
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, Griffin

10/9
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs, Tucker

10/9
Situation Room 5 PM
Roberts, Griffin

10/9
CNN Newsroom 3 PM
Sanchez, Griffin

10/7
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Dobbs

* Media Matters searched the Nexis database for CNN for “acorn” from October 6 through October 15

—M.G., J.K.F., & H.D.

Shame on you CNN. I’ve written previously that CNN was the only outlet, local or otherwise (not including Fox), that tried to tie Sen. Barack Obama to this ACORN scandal.

You need to know that this election is not like any previous election. We are awake now, we are watching and are sadly dismayed by what we see. This country has a long way to go to be that “Perfect Union”. Are you helping or hindering?
**Research done by Media Matters

Glenn Beck…just another racist

I’m going to do some research and find out who sponsors him on CNN and on the Radio. This guy is a nut job. He did a whole segment on the radio fantasizing about killing Michael Moore. (I just watched the video on youtube) Regardless of whether you agree with Moore’s point of view – who in the hell does this Beck person think he is – speaking of killing someone he dislikes!!! Below is one of his racist ranting about Obama. For those who don’t recognize racism when they see/hear/read it I’ve highlighted the parts in red.

I WANT ALL TO SEND LETTERS TO CNN and http://www.glennbeck.com/content/radio/ — his radio stations

(Copied from his website!)

“…GLENN: So Stu came in and said, how about that debate. And I said, Stu, look, last night I saw the guy that is going to be responsible for the destruction of America as we know it. I just wasn’t sure because there were times I thought he was black and other times I thought he was white. I don’t know which one it was! Barack Obama is a Marxist. Barack Obama is as dirty as you possibly can get. He’s from Chicago politics. This guy, he’s in bed with ACORN, they’re like quote/unquote family, the Jeremiah Wright thing. Make no mistake about it, make no mistake about it. America, we have been warned over and over and over again. This guy is going to take us to places we’ve never, ever been before. Bad, bad things coming our way…”

This Fox News-esque rhetoric that is being spewed by McCain and Palin is getting out of hand! Recently my colleague was doing voter registration outside of one of the local stores. And this man came up to her and stated, “We used to hang people who look like you”. She smiled and said to him, “yes I know that”. Needless to say she was shaken. 10 minutes later the manager came out and said that she could no longer do registrations in front of the store, even though she’s obtained permission the day before.

On another occasion an acquaintance was working out at one of the local gym and was wearing her Obama tee shirt. A woman came to her and said “you should be afraid to wear that”. When questioned why, the woman just repeated her phrase. THIS IS WHERE MCCAIN/PALIN HATE SPEECH IS TAKING US. WE CANNOT IGNORE IT, WE CANNOT COVER IT UP. WE MUST DEAL WITH IT HEAD ON AND CALL IT WHAT IT IS. AS DONNA BRAZILE SAID, “WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET ON THE BACK OF THE BUS ANYMORE”

The word nigga and the first African American President

Coon, Kaffir, Spook, Jigaboo, Jungle Bunny, Monkey, Munt, Nig Nog, Porch Monkey, Powder Burn, Sooty, Spade, Tea Pot, Thicklips, Alabama Blue Gums, Gaitor Bait, Ape, Crow, Darky, Gable, Jim Fish, and Nigger.

The list above only represents the words that are POPULARLY used to refer to those of African decent and indigenous Africans. It is always amusing to me and actually quite sad when I hear African Americans refer to other African Americans by the word Nigga. It is amusing because we have proven that the theories of Frantz Fanon are correct, in that the oppressed imitate the oppressor. It is sad because we have proven that the theories of Frantz Fanon are correct, in that the oppressed imitate the oppressor.

I’ve heard a million excuses and justifications for not only calling each other nigga, but for also referring to other females as bitch. However, I have not heard an argument that even boarders on rational or logical. Additionally, I’ve never met in African or African American that didn’t have a least a thread of self-hate. I’ve never met an African or African American that didn’t have at least a thread of desire to please and gain approval from those who call themselves white. Some of you right now are getting upset. You’re saying, “Well I don’t” or “I haven’t”. And my response will be, “not that you are aware of”. So when I say NO BODY, I’m including myself.

When I saw this NEGRO on TV tonight, stand up at a McCain rally and beg McLame to go after Obama with personal attacks, I knew we still have so far to go that I don’t know if we will ever reach the mountain top. For those of you who are trying to defend the “first black president” Bill Clinton, let me remind you of the primary and the words spoken by he and his wife. “Even Jesse Jackson won South Carolina”. Or “You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.” Or “Senator McCain has the experience to be Commander in Chief, and I certainly have the experience to be Commander in Chief and Barack Obama has a speech”.   Yet I am once again hearing African Americans referring to Bubba Clinton as the first black president! HUH?!?! What? You’re kidding right? Just because Bubba and Hill have done their Democratic Party duty (in hopes of not being ostracized from the party) we have forgotten their past sins? Sure, forgive them, that is Christian, but let us NEVER forget who is our friend and who is not; just as surely as Clarence Thomas nor Alan Keyes is our friend. Or any of the other Sambos parading around as affirmative action charity cases – validating, in the minds of racists, the ineptness of black men.

Which leads me back to my original point; calling each other nigga and bitch. Clarence Thomas and Alan Keyes represent the epitome of a person who is totally disconnected from self. And those of us who call our brothers and sisters nigga and bitch represent a milder form of disconnect from self. It is proof that we are in battle with our true spirit; which I refer to as the Holy Spirit. If we, as African Americans, really understood the awesomeness of who we are in the scheme of existence; then we would NEVER stoop to relegating our stature with derogatory terms created by those who seek to destroy what God has made.

Gen 1:27 reads: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

When God created man – he did not create white man. He did not create red or brown or yellow man. He created BLACK MAN and BLACK MAN ONLY. Everyone else then is a derivative of us and we are the only derivative of God – since we are the original man. WE are the ones created in God’s image and as such we need to step up and act like. Who would dare to call God a nigga? Who would dare to call Jesus, an African man, a nigga? And yet, when we call the man he has created a Nigga, who is made in his image, isn’t that exactly what we are doing? And then to call Clinton the first black president when he is not even part of the original people is also an insult! Clinton is a derivative.

This disconnect from self needs to be recognized and addressed. It is one of the reasons why there is a break down of the black family. We have chosen to forget who we are as we desperately seek the approval of those who mean to do us harm. We have chosen to disconnect – man from woman and woman from man – as we sprint towards the abyss of a white man’s world. WAKE UP! WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Or else we may find that it is too late. As Martin Luther King said: “…We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood-it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.” There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect.

Will you be one of those looking at a community that no longer exists, a community that is so lost it can’t find its way back and agonize over the fact that you could have helped steer the boat back to shore but you chose not to. You chose to not examine self and so you chose to remain forever lost.

“Time is not as long as it has been”

John McCain gaffes and preschool foreign policies

Yesterday, 5/27/08 McCain said: “Today, some people seem to think they’ve discovered a brand new cause, something no one before them ever thought of. Many believe all we need to do to end the nuclear programs of hostile governments is have our president talk with leaders in Pyongyang and Tehran, as if we haven’t tried talking to these governments repeatedly over the past two decades.”

However on the U.S. Department of State website it states: “For nearly a quarter century the United States and Iran have been without diplomatic relations” meaning that WE DON’T TALK TO THE IRANIANS. So what is McCain talking about and why are we listening? How did he become a presidential nominee when he has NO CLUE as to our diplomatic relationships around the globe. The above statement was no an answer to a press question, but it was PART OF HIS PREPARED SPEECH!!! What kind of team has he put together that can’t be more helpful than this?

Additionally on April 8, 2008 U.S. Assistant Secretary of State participated in talks with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (N. Korea) on their uranium enrichment program (nukes), their relations with their neighbors etc. (all this is on the US Dept of State website – why can’t his people find this info?) Now, the interesting part about the transcript is Asst Secy Hill kept saying he had to talk to Rice about it before any decisions could be made. So why didn’t they just send Rice?!? McCain would send Hill and there would be a back and forth for weeks maybe months. Obama would go himself or send his Secy of State and get things done on that day! There’s the difference between playing politics and solving problems.

OTHER RECENT MCCAIN GAFFES – taken from Huffington Post (though they should all be familiar to you by now)

So to review John McCain’s policy toward Iran:
1) He thinks that there is no difference between Sunni and Shia.
2) He thinks that Khumeni and Amajenadad are the same.
3) He thinks we’ve been talking to them for 20 years.
4) He thinks we should “bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.”

The sad part about the above, is that McCain is polling very close to Sen. Obama. What does that say about America?