Why did we end up like this? The revolutionary war was a end result of individuals who had been pushed to their breaking point with regulations and ever growing taxes. Sound familiar? This began with the Boston tea-party in which the tea was dumped into the harbor. Citizens then as currently do not like to have the money from their work taken from them and then spent on things they don’t believe in. It was that way then and it is that way right now. You can not change human nature. People are endowed with rights by the creator and one of those rights is liberty. The founding fathers had no idea that the totalitarianism of King George would ever be able to rot America ever again. They carefully wrote our constitution to prevent it from happening.

What they didn’t comprehend is that the country would shift away from the grace of God to a humanist philosophy of elites deciding what is best for the masses. As excellent as the constitution was, no document is any good if the leaders sworn to defend it simply overlook it. That is what has occurred. Every year little by little, we lose more of our freedoms. Each year more new laws and rules are forced on us that can imprison us should they be enforced. The undermining of our free market system began after world war II when soviet spies were given positions in our government. Read a great book by Ann Coulter called Treason for an in depth history of how that occurred.

Which brings us to today and the proliferation of the tax day Tea Party April 15 events everywhere. These are not the kooks and extremists that the evening news would have you believe. No these are actually the traditional average Americans who know what freedom and liberty are, and see it slipping away. They are not from any one party. They include members from at the very least 5 parties from all walks of life, race and religions. When a community hospital closes it’s doors because some law requires them to treat for free non citizens, that isn’t racist, that is a legitimate hardship to individuals. When it is taught in schools that abortion is a choice yet wearing a seat belt is not a choice, there is something not right. When legislation is going through capitol hill that something a person says can land that person in jail under the classification of hate speech, then something is wrong.

Massachusetts is known as the most socialist sympathetic state as a whole in America. It is nicknamed Taxachusetts. Since the current government with super majorities in both houses can do whatever it wants in theory, this makes millions of people edgy. When it was learned that this government was going to bankrupt the nation with socialized health care, in which each voter would be required to buy no matter how poverty-stricken, the rebellion of the tea-parts even reached into Taxachusetts. Scott Brown, a liberal republican promised to halt the hated health care takeover and he won the election by a sizable margin.

Yes, John Yoo. He is the man who justifies torture. During his 2001 to 2003 tenure in the Office of Legal Counsel as an assistant deputy attorney general, Yoo worked under Jay Bybee in the U.S. Department of Justice. It has bee widely reported Yoo was the author or co-author of the so-called torture memos. These memos provided the Bush White House with the legal advice, read that justification, to use enhanced interrogation techniques.

In one memo John Yoo says:

“The victim must experience intense pain or suffering of the kind that is equivalent to the pain that would be associated with serious physical injury, so severe that death, organ failure, or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body function will likely result.”

We agree with Colbert and a legion of other right thinking individuals including  Spanish National Court Judge Baltasar Garzon who is spearheading an investigation of  what is now known as “The Bush Six”. They are William J. Haynes II, then general counsel to the Department of Defense;  Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense for policy, John Yoo, Jay Bybee,   David Addington, the chief of staff under former Vice President Dick Cheney and our favorite,  former Attorney General Alberto “The Torturer” Gonzales. Sadly Dick Cheney former Vice President is not included.

Although these six could possibly face criminal charges in Spain
for enabling torture at Guantanamo and elsewher, (we suggest “The Bush Six” take Madrid off the European itinerary); we are not in favor of seeing them imprisoned or tried.  We look forward to see them publicly humiliated, shamed and disgraced for their part in the devastation and disruption of lives around the world.

than Michelle Obama’s sleeveless style or Mrs. Obama alleged breach of protocol by touching a British royal; a touch which was reciprocal, since the Queen initiated the touchy-feely expression

In fact we think the current flap is to distract from something far more reprehensible. No, it’s not racism; though some observers can not stomach the idea of a black touching a member of the royal family in a way that displays affection and caring.

We found this video explanation from The Daily Show’s resident expert on all things British, John Oliver, who tells us the real reason to never touch a British royal

We have had much discussion about the disparity of treatment of two industries.  The chief executives in both the banking and the auto industries have made major mistakes in handling the money. Poor decisions abound.

We offer our explanation of the reason for the different treatment of the two major businesses.

Americans can understand what the auto industry produces. CARS. Americans understand the car manufacturers have provided employment for several generations of citizens to become middle class and to improve their way of life. Immigrant families, minorities and women have prospered from employment in the auto industry and its associated industries. Auto manufacturing is the backbone of American industry.

On the other hand with financial institutions, the banking industry, few people really understand what the banking industry produces. It’s  too complicated to try to understand. That is why it is easier to just give them the money and not try to monitor what they do with it; because if we monitor their activities we would have little comprehension of what bankers are doing with our tax dollars and we would not be able to know when they are doing something wrong or foolish.

Besides, in the era of Obama, the rules of engagement have changed from the BushCo era where banks could do as they wish and no one questioned their activities.

Under the Obama administration banks must be accountable. They must open their records to government scrutiny if they wish to retain the bail out dollars. It is for this reason many banks, among them Bank of America, Citi-Group or Citi-Corp or whatever name they are going by these days; along with several other familiar smaller banking companies, are returning the money they received last fall.

We suspect the bankers have held the money just  long enough to have invested and gotten a small return on the funds they received from taxpayers.  Bankers often know where to get a good return on their investment. The profit part they will keep for themselves. Think of it as a short term loan with no interest paid to the government.

The long and the short of it is this: We know the auto manufacturers produce cars and pay union wages. There are many among us, rightly or wrongly, who blame unions for the condition of the American economy. Everyone who has ever owned an American made vehicle can tell of an unpleasant experience with a car dealership during the purchase or service to the car, truck, SUV, wagon or van  .

Even though we know about excessive fees accessed by the banks on our accounts and transactions, none of us can accurately say what banks do. Can you say what product banks produce?

The banks have never been forced to tell us where they invest the money we give them or the results of those investments. We dare say there are millions of dollars in speculative, risky transactions made by U.S. banks that have been unsuccessful. As consumers we are not asking about them because we do not, for the most part know such transactions exist. We do not have a clue about them, and the banking officials are not telling us about them.

It’s kind of like when the spouse who’s been cheated on finds out they’ve been the sap. That is why President Obama can tell bankers: “My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”

It’s traditional to let the banks have their way. In Roman times the emperor went to extraordinary lengths to save the banks; but that is the difference.

While General Motors is the largest corporation in the world, $20 million was spent to send its CEO packing while sparing the institution from extinction. A more than adequate amount of money has been given to the banks to save those financial institutions. Save the banks. Ditch the bankers.

“To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health by preventing food borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from
intentional contamination, and for other purposes.”

H. R. 875 proposed February 4, 2009 to be enacted by the United States House of Representatives and the Senate.

Read the proposed “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ here.

This seemingly innocuous proposed bill, also known as the  “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″, has started a firestorm of controversy among many American citizens who are proponents of organic gardening.

The federal legislative bodies are in a rush to get this bill passed. It is has the support by major chemical companies such as ADM, Monsanto and about thirty other companies with a vested interest in making sure the nation continues to use the petroleum based fertilizers and growth chemicals already in use. Chemicals that have over a period of years have contributed to the erosion of the public health.
There is grave concern should this bill be approved, with its requirement  organic farms to use specific fertilizers and harmful insect sprays as dictated by the newly formed agency to “make sure there is no danger to the public food supply”, more harm than good will be done to the population.

Do you recall how tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, mushrooms and any number of varieties of produce grown using petrochemicals–fertilizers and pesticides, have been recalled or banned because of contamination most often from the run off of contaminated water coming into contact with our least expensive food supply.

Even back yard gardens, which are making a resurgence due to the down economy, in which  food is grown for family/personal use only, and not for sale will be affected. If this bill is passed no longer will so-called clean  heirloom seeds be available. The only seeds available to the general public and big farm business will be Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now manifest unexpected diseases in humans.

And as if the contaminated water supply of many urban and rural areas isn’t enough to make the public cry out and demand purification standards be increased; (Prozac, birth control  drugs and other prescription medications have been found in the water supply of major cities; natural water supplies in rural areas have been contaminated by industries such as oil and coal mining.) there is a suspicion this proposed legislation, the “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ is part of a greater nefarious plan to control the people. As one writer stated  “putting chemicals in foods is a huge business and a tactic to use in order to keep a population chemically subdued. It is a way to drug a population so those in power have an easier path to do what they want. The chemicals break down the will of the people and their health.”

Any time the federal government is in a rush to pass a law there is cause to investigate to find out why the rush to pass a new law.

Remember the rush to pass the financial bailouts bills for the banking and automotive industry where the banks got a pass, the auto companies got a lemon and the consumers got more federal debt? Or how about the telecommunications legislation of recent years; you know the ones where the major telephone companies that helped spy on citizens private communications will not be nor can they be held accountable in a court of law for the breach of our constitutional right to privacy.

Read the proposed “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009″ here.

Contact your U.S. Congressional legislator or your U.S. Senator

Tell them you want food grown without chemicals and pesticides. Tell them their jobs depend on properly representing the public interest and not the interests fo the lobby group with the most cash and perks.

]]> http://youthinkwhat.com/us-congress-proposes-food-safety-admin-to-protect-the-public-health.html/feed 0 http://youthinkwhat.com/bank-of-america-more-bad-news-part-2.html http://youthinkwhat.com/bank-of-america-more-bad-news-part-2.html#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:27:53 +0000 admin http://youthinkwhat.com/?p=906 Will the utter reckless spending never end at Bank Of America? Reports of excess spending of the taxpayer bailout money at Super Bowl XLIII has been explained as being part of Bank Of America’s growth strategy.

Really? Would that be growth at the expense of the shareholders and depositors?

Bank Of America is reportedly in negotiations with the New York Yankees for sponsorship of Yankee Stadium.

According to ABC News Bank Of America spent $10 million to sponsor the 850,000 square foot event at Super Bowl XLIII known as the NFL Experience.

Sports related sponsorships combined with the current free checking campaign are the ways  to lure unsuspecting consumers into the BOA vortex of financial terrorism.

Heed this warning Sam and Sue sports fan: Party today with BOA,  you’ll be paying excessive fees, and in other ways unbeknown to you, ripped off for your hard earned dollars at the altar of Bank Of America tomorrow.

If you wish to apply public pressure to Kenneth Lewis and his thuggish associates for the thoughtless decisions they are making about how they spend our money send an email from here

http://www.bankofamerica.com/state.cgi?section=contact&update=&cookiecheck=yes&lob=general

Send Bank Of America a message.  We are sure the bank that cares would love to hear what you think.

In previous articles we have spoken of the security lapses at the web site for Bank of America customers. We’ve found another writer has noticed what we’ve noted and written about Bank Of America and its “illusion of security” for its web sites and accounts.

Bank of America Email Policies Invite Fraud

One good way to fight bank email phishing is to send all your official bank email from servers whose forward confirmed reverse DNS resolves back to their domain name. For example, Wells Fargo Bank does it right. Everything that comes from Wells Fargo is sent by a host named *.wellsfargo.com. So if it matches that, it’s good and if it doesn’t — it’s spam. Same is true for PayPal, but not Bank of America. I have an email from them that is real, but the host name it came from is tr202154.cv47.net. So as a spam filtering operation how am I supposed to know that cv47.net is really Bank of America? Why can’t they send email from *.bankofamerica.com servers like secure banks do?

But – I guess it doesn’t matter because they are getting bailout money so they can afford to subsidize the Russian mafia and make it up in higher credit card fees to honest people. But it’s clear to me that their IT department doesn’t give a f**k about fraud or security or they would at least take some minimal precautions to help people avoid getting ripped off.

emphasis added by YTW

If you follow our suggestion to close your accounts at Bank Of America–we’re talking close those credit card accounts, mortgages, auto loans, refinanced mortgages, home equity lines of credit, savings, money market and checking accounts non-interest bearing and interest bearing accounts, their casual attitude about Internet security will no longer be an issue for you. Coincidentally Bank Of America, like most financial institutions, offers for the convenience of the consumer, for a  monthly fee, an identity theft protection/prevention program. Identity theft has spawned a huge money making opportunity for companies to provide protection to consumers of their identity.

You’ll be saving a bundle because you won’t be paying excessive fees to a company that does not deserve them a  does not give a care about its customers or its employees. Remember last December 2008 when Bank Of America’s CEO Kenneth Lewis announced plans for cutting 30,000 to 35,000 jobs over the next three years, about one third of Bank Of America’s work force as it assumes control of its Merrill Lynch acquisition? With fewer people to pay, and many more of them being paid low wages, we predict Bank Of America will increase fees, while collecting more of our hard earned tax dollar bailout to reward incompetent executives,  including Lewis.

The video has high quality production values, great seasonal music plus Barney gets an assist from his humans, who just happen to be the members of the immediate Bush family.

This video also features some very physically fit special guests.
This production reminds us of the tee vee holiday specials we grew up watching each year.

Take a look. Have some eggnog to dull the pain and to help kick-start your laughs as you watch. It must be comedy. They couldn’t possibly be serious.

Fast forward to today…Presidential Campaign 2008… Lost in the caboose is good old John McCain. He wasn’t good enough in 2000, what makes anyone think he is good enough now? This train is going backwards on the Bridge To Nowhere  real fast. Perhaps they knew they were going to lose and thought why not sacrifice John McCain again? Or perhaps it is a test to determine how stupid is too stupid. Ladies and gentlemen, lacking the intelligence or common sense of Forest Gump, John McCain. but remember even Forest did not become president though he did become rich like McCain.

Now voters the Bush-whack was bad enough for a disaster movie,  we sure don’t want to get train-wrecked in 2008 by the psychopathically insincere Peter Lorre smile of the John McCain Double Talk Slow Motion Stage Coach Train Wreck: Episode on the Precipice of Disaster. All Aboard! Trust me McCain as the conductor taking you down the tracks where  his pals have already blown the rails out out.

But don’t worry, little Annie Oakley can skin a Russian and start a war with a moose so there is absolutely no danger if the engineer should fall asleep or drop dead at the wheel now that the dead man break switch has been safely removed. Full Petroleum ahead. There is no doubt we’re in danger of going straight off the tracks with Nailin’ Pailin’ on board. Them Russkie ships sailing are into our hemisphere. Our missiles in Poland can blow out Moscow’s lights. Happy Birthday.

This is the perfect set up for the new guy.

If only the financial collapse had come about one hundred eighteen days later.  It would have been the sublime set up for Blame the new guy.

Somehow they are trying to do that anyway. Even though he “has no experience and according to the GOP has done absolutely nothing” nevertheless he is also to blame for everything that has gone wrong with the banks and the economy.  Barack Obama he’s that one, didn’t you know .

The story of how two Canadian comics made a phone call to La Palin  wherein she gushed as she spoke to a man with a fake French accent as he was introducing himself as French president Nicholas Sarkozy is just one more example of how a woman who came from the wooded frozen tundra of Alaska is not ready for prime time politics.Canadian politicians get prank calls from comedians all the time.

As you will hear in the recording of the phone call neither Republican number two candidate Palin nor her crew, er, staff know anything about politics even though they are deeply involved in the finals days of a national campaign. Any alert staffer would know that Sarkozy calling Palin would be a remote possibility because the man has endorse Senator Barack Obama the Democrat candidate.

Gosh darn Sarah can you hire someone to effectively professionally screen your calls? Sounds like in the final days of the campaign you’ve been abandoned by the Bush team. Even they would not be such gullible rubes.

There were several indications throughout the call that this was not a genuine call from a foreign dignitary. The most telling was the fake Sarkozy’s comment about “the documentary Nailin’ Palin”, a reference to the Hustle Larry Flint production of a porno spoof about Palin.

Maybe she was having trouble understanding him. As you listen to the call you may agree. He does talk funny and he is hard to understand.

For the sake of the Canadians we hope McCain and Palin are not elected.

Crist was asked by CNN Correspondent Sean Callebs if he thought Palin would be able to attract the undecided voters in the state thus helping McCain to secure Florida’s 27 electoral votes. “I think we both know the answer to that,” he said. “But there’s no question she fired up the base.”

Even though McCain did not select the governor to be his running mate, Crist is still planning to be wed in December to his fiance Carole Rome. When the deal is actually sealed, between Rome and Florida’s most eligible bachelor, we will send a news alert to all our readers. You’ll find the details here.

As the week progressed others chimed in with tepid support of Palin. Not the least of them being Joe Lieberman, former Democrat turned Independent turned Republican lap dog turned “I-ll-side-with- whoever-provides-the-best-opportunity-however-the-wind-is-blowing-at-the-moment” also known as an opportunist.  Lieberman, former Democrat vice presidential candidate in the campaign for the White House  during 2000 responded this way when questioned by a Connecticut newspaper about Palin’s readiness to become president if necessary on Day One:

“Thank God, she’s not gonna have to be president from day one, because McCain’s going to be alive and well.”

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a formidable McCain opponent during the Republican primaries, said, when pressed to comment on whether or not Sarah Palin is ready to be president should the situation arise, “Well, that — that’s something which I — I believe the American people will, uh, assess individually and say, uh, yeah, she’s got the kind of executive experience that you’d hope to find from a person who’s been a governor and a mayor.” Romney also noted “…executive experience was something I’d pushed pretty hard when I was running.” Basically the so-called vice presidential bridesmaid was caught off guard as he stuttered, stammered and was obviously less than enthusiastic in his “endorsement” of Palin.

Other GOP members nationwide, those not on the veep short list, have been far more harsh, as in unable to hide their disapproval, in their critique of McCain’s selection of Palin; while still other traditional Republicans are distressed by the way McCain’s campaign has been run.
In just a few more days we’ll know if their concern is justified .

We could have given you money to save your home or business, but instead we’re giving you, our vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin’s used jacket…estimated retail value five thousand dollars.

Now you Miss Old Lady, all you needed was about  one or two thousand dollars to stay in your home. We’re not going to give you that. We’re gooing to give you Sarah Palin’s previously worn shoes…they’re Jimmy Choo’s don’tcha know! Estimated retail value five hundred dollars. They may not fit but at least when you get evicted no one can say you were left out in the cold shoeless and barefooted.

Attention younger ladies…haven’t had any food for several weeks? We have a special today just for you. Sarah Palin’s bra and panties. They may not fit, but just  imagine all the men you can meet when you tell them you’re wearing Sarah Palin’s bra and panties. Maybe they’ll even feed you.

Hey kids, can’t afford schoolbooks, pencils, pens, backpacks, the bus, or lunch ? What you need is Sarah Palin’s daughter’s Louis Vuitton purse. The seven year old loves the balance of the handbag as she frolics across the airport tarmac. The retail price range for this designer bag begins at  $790 and may top off around $1,020 to $1,480.

We agreed with Blanche Africa Reilly Dark when she said: “I’ll bet that bag wasn’t purchased from some Manhattan street vendor, knock-off warehouse or flea market!”

As you may recall Allen and Brown have waged a battle against the Crown, as the prosecution is known in Canada, for more than one year.

Law enforcement, police brutality is out of control and it seems it’s not just an American aberration….it’s happening worldwide.

The purpose of the march is to remind the AG he is expected to be accountable to the people. He is expected to protect and defend against hate crimes. The march will also send the message the national black community will no longer stand for the obvious message of disrespect that is sent when nooses are hung for the purpose of intimidation.

Cases such as Genarlow Wilson’s and Mychal Bell and the Jena 6 are indicative of justice system that is determined to be excessively punitive, unreasonably and unequal.

Pay attention Attorney General Michael Mukasey. The people demand you be responsible for enforcing the laws and ensuring their is balance in our justice system.

As a result of the quest for vengeance the courts with our citizen blessing seek to punish excessively anyone who breaks the law.

Daily we read of law enforcement officers, security guards gone wild, enforcing those who are caught committing the most trivial of infractions. Often those who are arrested and jailed are the people who have little or no access to proper legal representation at trial.

That is why it is our responsibility as citizens to become educated about the laws in our areas. That is why we must educate our children as to the consequences of their actions, youthful indiscretions included, so that we can save our youth.

Remember the children are our most precious resource. Without the children we have no future. We must do all we can to save our young people. We think it is in the best interest of our future as a nation to provide financial support for the work of organizations like the Baisden Foundation-Unequal Justice Fund to provide competent attorneys to represent those who are the recipients of American injustice. Enough is indeed enough!

Vesla Mae Weaver, a political scientist, has put forth her a logical deduction. In her recently completed dissertation Weaver examines policy history, public opinion and media. Weaver suggests understanding the role these entities have played and continue to play in the alteration of the American justice system will also make clear how race has been an important part of U.S. social policy. She postulates there is a strong connection between the movement for civil rights and the development of punitive criminal justice

This is the reason why we have changed over to being less forgiving toward those who violate any of “the rules”. Our current policy for imprisonment keeps alive the the longstanding racist American tradition of sublimating social meanings that have always been associated with being black. Race is one component in explaining why the U.S. numbers for persons confined to penal institutions is so exceptional among democratic industrial nations.

The turn toward being a more punitive society represents a political response to the success of the civil rights movement. Weaver calls the process “frontlash”. Those who are in opposition of the revolutionary changes brought about because of the civil rights movement have sought to regain and in many cases have succeeded in regaining the dominance by bringing to the public more frequently a new issue.

It makes sense that instead of poring energy and resources into fighting a battle that clearly had already been lost segregationists such as the late Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, the former Republican Senate majority leader Trent Lott, even President Reagan and G.H.W. Bush, chose to move attention to a asocial issue that concerns everyone irrespective of race. It’s an allegedly race neutral matter. The best example of the effectiveness of this new strategy is the presidential campaign of the late George Wallace, former governor of Alabama, staunch segregationist whose war on crime campaign gained support in the Midwest sectors of the U.S.. In fact crime has become a staple platform for presidential candidates ever since.

Though Weaver’s argument is speculative there is astrong correlation between the general public attitude on the subject of race and welfare. Both have in the past 30 years become linked. In the American mind race is associated with welfare as is race associated with crime.

Despite the fact drug use has declined along with other crime statistics antidrug campaigns with the attendant restrictive laws and arrests have increased with blacks more than 5 times as likely to be arrested and jailed.

Young whites use drugs more frequently than young blacks. But our society has elected to criminalize underclass teens to save middle-class teens from the so-called threat of a drug epidemic. The price of street drugs has declined as the number of arrests have increased.

Continued next post

However, as we write this article, in this moment, we know there are many thousands of families having the same or similar reality as they battle the justice system to secure the release of their youthful loved one who have been wrongfully imprisoned. Whether you are black, white, young, old, male, female, rich or poor everyone is affected by our society’s determination to be vindictive for even minor breaches of the law, any law or rule. Some portions of the population are impinged upon more than others.

During the past weekend a fund raiser event was held in Atlanta sponsored by the Baisden Foundation in conjunction with the National Bar Association. As you may know the Baisden Foundation is the result of the efforts made by radio personality and tv talk show host Michael Baisden who helped to organize the successful March on Jena Louisiana in support of the Jena 6.

It has been reported the crime rate peaked more than 10 years ago in the United States. It’s been declining since, but as the crime statistics reflected a decrease the statistics for incarceration has steadily increased in significant direct proportion to our fears about a very real social problem . Our prison system here has become an unweldy behemoth with no sign of diminishing in size or activity.

A report from 2005 by the International Centre for Prison Studies in London tell us the United States houses 25 percent of the whole world’s inmates. The rate for incarceration is 714 per 100,000 residents. That’s about 40 percent greater than the rate for nations such as Belarus, Bermuda and Russia.

The American incarceration rate is 6.2 time more than Canada, 7.8 times more than France and 12.3 times more than Japan. In fact, and this may be old news to some, the correction sector employs more Americans than the combined workforce of three of the largest corporate employers in the nation. More than GM, Ford and Wal-Mart!

We’re spending more every year on law enforcement and corrections throughout all positions of government–municipal, county, state, and federal. We’re currently spending 4 times what was spent 25 years ago.. 200 BILLION DOLLARS annually.

But you say “We’re a free country”. Since the ascension of George Walker Bush to the position of leader of the free world, no one has ever seen an allegedly free nation with so many of its citizens being denied their basic rights. It has been reported that in June of 2006, 5 years into Bush’s presidency, our 5000 jails held 2.25 million people. One third of the prison population in state prisons have been convicted violent crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery and such. The other two-thirds have mainly been convicted of non-violent crimes such as property and drug offenses. The majority of these inmates come from the most disadvantaged segments of our society. Generally they are uneducated having less than 11 years of formal schooling. They are usually black or other minorities.

To say the population numbers are out of proportion is to make a gross understatement. Blacks are 13 percent of the national population. The ratio of black to white in the prisons is 8 to 1. Race is indeed a major component and one of several contributing factors for our society’s punitive turn about.

Continued next post….

This solemn holiday, originally known as Armistice Day, officially declared by President Woodrow Wilson one year after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the peace treaty which brought World War I to an end, was to be a day in which Americans would reflect “with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” The idea for the observance was to stop business affairs for two minutes beginning at 11 A.M. — the hour the treaty had been signed. Parades and public gatherings would also make the day distinctive.However, nearly ninety years after the first Veterans’ Day observances were held we find the day marked with special sales events for everything from furniture to clothing, Ipods and cars. There is no two minutes of silence as the wheels of commerce turn. Many employers do not even give the day as a company holiday. If it were not for the fact this year the date comes on Sunday a goodly amount of Americans would not have the day off.

We think it suits the times that the day designated to honor those who have sacrificed the most for the nation is almost regarded as just another day. Vets are among those who are disrespected daily.

Many veterans are homeless. The veterans of the current war return to find they can not receive the benefits promised to them, especially the vets who have been injured on behalf of the country.

Sadly, it has always been this way. The government believes those who fight our wars are expendable without compensation. Consider the bloody demonstrations staged by former soldiers in order to receive the promised rewards for serving the country. It is up to us as citizens to help the returning soldiers, their widows and their children.

Remember that fact today when you watch the inevitable hoopla at the various NFL games in honor of the day. Remember these facts as you listen to the politicians speak so eloquently of the courage of our fighting men and women who battle our country’s enemies real and perceived, domestic and foreign. Is that political speaker a genuine supporter of veterans and their right to compensation?

We believe a truly grateful nation will remember on today and the other 364 days as well. Make everyday Veterans’ Day

Just ask Star Jones of Court TV. Jones has had to take the time to clarify what seems to us a very simple matter of non-performance of a contractual agreement on the part of some pretty sleazy individuals.

According to Jones’ statement at her web site she was hired by a Detroit, Michigan charitable organization for overweight inner city females youths for a speaking engagement. These low income individuals under the tutelage of one Sharon DuMas-Pugh hired Jones to make an appearance at a luncheon, a news conference, and to provide a speech on empowerment at the bargain price of $25, 000 during SuperBowl Weekend in Detroit in February 2006.

After several months of waiting for fulfillment of the “purchaser’s” portion of the contract, and we must add Jones was quite gracious through her booking agency at the time the William Morris Agency, to extend to the group more time to collect the money they’d agreed to pay for her services. The group did not provide the five star hotel accommodation for Jones and her husband Al Reynolds and Jones-Reynolds personal assistant. No ground transportation was supplied, nor had the remaining fees to complete the contract been received when the former practicing attorney now celebrity boarded the flight to the speaking engagement.

We think there are some points to be made here and lessons to be learned.

Firstly, it seems to us from the materials made available by Jones on her web site no one ever clearly knew what type of organization was sponsoring this “Urban Solution/Full & Fabulous Inc’s Health and Beauty Expo”. We see no indication its
status as a charitable organization was ever disclosed to Jones-Reynolds or her representatives. We have no proof but we are almost certain the fee for the speaking engagement would have been reduced if this information has been disclosed from the start.

Secondly, everyone should know all the hustlers, shady dealers, shake-down artists, flimflam-types, con men and con women come out when they hear the National Football League is coming to a town near you. It’s an opportunity for 7 to 10 days of unbridled chicanery on the part of profiteering, predatory types in official capacity with the NFL, the host city and those who are itinerant swindlers.

Finally, and we believe the most important point, one becomes a target when one is a popular personality or celebrity.

It is unfortunate the youths were disappointed because of the greedy avaricious behavior of an allegedly responsible adult who has made an unsuccessful attempt to build her reputation while destroying Jones-Reynolds good name. We’re wonderin’ if this DuMas-Pugh person had been informed of the fact Jones-Reynolds is an experienced attorney, as well as being a former reporter and now a celebrated television personality.

To Ms Jones-Reynolds, we believe you were more than indulgent with this group, even without knowing their charitable organiztion status. We’re sure you’ve put in place a means by which you and your staff of representatives can determine, simply by asking and investigating, in the future any other requests for your services in this capacity with consideration being given to what other events are taking place during the date being requested.

We actually like and admire Ms Star “I’m-a-lawyer” Jones-Reynolds. We think she has handles very well the fact she is constantly being scrutinized by the public. It’s not easy dealing with the media remiss in it’s duties to report the facts objectively. By the way congratulations on the new program on Court TV.

Your name is Star, you’ve always been a star and now once again you know you’ve really achieved celebrity, you should pardon the expression, genuine Star status!

United States Marines– “the few, the proud” Best wishes to all USMC members for a happy birthday. Siempre Fi!

I’m Clark Dark here to continue with the facts our sources have discovered and revealed to us about Bank of America

Bank of America’s Extreme Insecure Banking Practices

Many of Bank of America’s extreme worst insecure banking practices are so obvious and traditional they go without notice. Consider

1) In this day and age of encryption Bank of America continues to print account numbers, routing numbers and names and address on checks, making this security information available to whomever wants to run to the local stationary store to buy or print checks to take money from your account. The info on your check should be digitalized and encrypted, that way no one, not even the merchant can copy it. Perhaps the only security should be your picture.

2) Likewise Bank of America has your credit card numbers, security numbers and date of expiry number clearly visible on all credit and ATM/debit cards. This is extremely dangerous and unnecessary in an age of encryption.

Everyone worries about Internet safety. Bank of America’s current practice allows anyone on or off the Internet with a merchant account, your name and address and your credit card imprint or credit card info or checking account information to make charges and take money out of your our account at any time.

3) Bank of America does not even use the security of library cards. Local library cards have bar coded information on them. No names, no identifying information comprehended by the human eye, just some lines that are read by a special device designed to read bar codes. Why can’t Bank of America, America’s leading banking institution at the very least do the same for our account information?
In 2006 the crime of identity theft was nearly 50 percent of the complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission.

One reason identity theft is increasing is that in the dubious efforts made to prevent identity theft banks, utility companies, and retailers are requiring customers to give more and more personal information. Every time a customer is required to give up their personal information they are trained to provide their information when requested. This in itself is a security leak.

Every time the customer gives up their information whether driver’s license, social security, check or credit card, they have given up the info to one more company or one more person and created one more opportunity for that information to be distributed. If the goal is security then this information should be given out very rarely. There would be less identity theft if you did not have to verify your identity, if your credit card and identity information was encrypted.

We think maybe Bank of America is complicit in its officials’ complacence about preventing this crime. We believe BOA executives are negligent by not using this very easy, very simple, DUH–why-didn’t-I-think-of-this-before solution to one aspect of the fastest growing crime in the nation. These are facts to make the consumer say, “Hmmmmmm….why aren’t they protecting my money?”

Breaking News:

Rumor has it, and if true, then we commend Ken Lewis for implementing what our sources tell us is a new program whereby Bank of America will refund excessive fees charged to past and current customers.

But we ask, “Yo! Ken, dude! When you gonna close the electronic front door of this bank? What? You say everything’s flowin’ into your side just fine. It’s all secure on the BOA side. Well Kenny, dude!…the money’s leakin’ out on the consumer side and if ya don’t find some way to fix this problem… it will soon be hemorrhaging out from the BOA side!”

Bank of America “The Bank That Cares” or “The Bank That Cares Less” ?
You decide.

I’m Clark Dark investigative reporter for YouThinkWhat.

Bank of America’s Security System Is One Way.

Have you noticed when you call the bank you must identify yourself at least ten thousand ways before you can verify any information about your money in your account? You are asked to provide your address, your account number, your date of birth as well as the last four digits, or even all the digits of your social security number or your business EIN plus the date and location of when you opened your account.

This is information someone impersonating you would love to have. Why are they asking all these questions? Doesn’t this train you to give out information when asked? How can you be sure who is on the other end of the line? How many times have you got banking information in the mail from Bank of America with new phone numbers, or called the number on your card and been redirected? Where’s the security in that?

If you are like me you never created a secret question in the first place so when they ask I just give them whatever answer comes to mind. It makes no difference. Likewise when they ask me where and when I opened my account it was so long ago I often end up giving the wrong answer. It doesn’t make a bit of difference.

But even if it did, this is not the security I want. I am not calling to take out money over the phone, I am only asking about my balance or a banking transaction. The banking security I want, is security that protects my money when someone tries to take money out of my account.
But….
Bank of America does not ask any questions of anyone taking money from your account.

Once someone has your account number, the bank’s routing number, and your name, in other words once you’ve written anyone a check, and they copied the info, Bank of America will permit money to be taken from your account even when it’s reported in advance the charge is fraudulent. Bank of America does not provide security for our money or any aspect of our accounts.

Likewise:
When you have used your Credit card/ATM Card once, they have all the information, your credit card number, your expiry date, and your security code to keep billing you monthly or whenever they please until you either cancel the card or close the account. You cannot stop them billing.

Bank of America makes it as impossible to stop someone billing or taking money from your account as it is impossible to stop someone from calling your number on the phone.

Bank of America Engages In Extreme Insecure Banking Practices Threatening Our Banking Security.

Bank of America does not provide customers security for their money
Bank of America only provides its customers the “illusion of security”.

This is the reason why customers must answer thousands of questions to find out about their balance or a certain transaction, to provide the illusion of security. Merchants taking money out of your account don’t have to answer a single question. Indeed having copied or recorded your check or credit card information they can make repeat charges or sell the info for profit.

See Part Two Clark’s Report Next Post “Bank of America the Bank That Cares Or The Bank That Cares Less??”

To those of you who agree with the headline of this article we have a few suggestions:

Let your young underage children go to work. That’s right your 7, 8, 9 year-old sons and daughters should be working in some sweatshop or in a field picking some kind of fruits or vegetables from sun up to dusk 7 days a week, with no time off for school.

If you agree with the statement, “All that marchin’ around is a waste of time” we’d like you to please go to work for slave wages, which is no wage at all and even fewer benefits.

Are you among those who say, “I don’t have time to support folks demonstrating and protesting or boycotting anything,” we would ask you to please tell the human resources person at your place of employment you’d like to give up your job and the benefits that come with it. Tell your boss you’ll be content to work for no money. We’d also suggest you return your college degree and certainly move to the back of the bus and make sure you take a seat there everyday. Please move out of your comfortable middle class or upper middle class neighborhood and move back to Appalachia, the Ozarks or the ghetto…Black or Jewish.

For every person who says they do not agree with exercising our freedom to congregate to demonstrate, express our dissatisfaction with the status quo we say you would not have any of the benefits you take for granted today if someone in the past had not had the gumption to organize a rally to protest against injustice, or the courage to demonstrate for what is right.

If you can not participate just support in spirit the efforts of others who do the marching and demonstrating so you and your progeny may enjoy the benefits derived from their heroic actions.

On October 17th 2007 it was Shut It Down. On November 2nd 2007 it was Consumer Black Out. We now suggest we pick up the baton from writer Garret Keizer of Harper’s Magazine, who suggests November 6th as a date for a strike, by organizing a General Strike on Black Friday, November 23rd 2007, the day after Thanksgiving.

This is an uber powerful idea from our leader Henry T. Gandolph, Site Administrator.

Henry is a very wise man. He has come up with a solution to the quandary of when a general strike would have the most impact, and we really like the idea.

Henry says, “For the most impact, Friday, November 23rd would be the best day for a general strike! If everyone boycotts the stores it will send the whole country into a panic. If sales people refuse to work, how will they even open the stores? The whole Christmas sales season is prognosticated upon the the day after Thanksgiving sales. If We The People just withhold our holiday shopping on that day, We The People would surely get the media attention and the attention of the whole country including our political dictators. ” (They may not be 100% dictators in the classical sense but they truly love to dictate what we will do.)

The staff members have added to the Friday November 23 idea of a general strike by suggesting everyone also stay home from work on the following Monday November 26th. No work, no school, no shopping. No television viewing, no gas purchases, no radio listening. Take the entire weekend to spend real quality time with our families and think about where this country is going. What do you think?

Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 22, 2007 is the start of the long holiday weekend. The day after is usually the biggest shopping day of the year. Retailers nationwide are looking to the Christmas gift-giving season to make up for deficiencies in sales from the previous months. Black Friday, as the day after Turkey Day is known is the day retail businesses use to gauge how much they stand to profit over the next few weeks leading up to December 25th.

How powerful it would be if everyone, all of us, black, white, Latino, Asian, male, female, young, old, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic, middle management, laborer, immigrant–legal and illegal, participated in a moratorium on consumerism for 2 days during one long holiday weekend to make the point We The People are extremely dissatisfied with our leadership in government on every level!

The people of Poland did it more than twenty years ago led by a man named Lech Walesa, an electrician by trade. Nine years later he became the leader of the nation.

To change this nation we can begin with just two days of not shopping. How hard can that be? Don’t work, don’t shop for two days, its kind of like a hunger strike against rampant irrational spending, consumerism, and war mongering. The war and the mismanaged economy need us to keep on spending to keep funding their activities. This is our chance to say “No”.

GENERAL STRIKE (Black) Friday, November 23rd 2007

You nearly succeeded in ruining a young life were it not for the compassion of the other jurists on the panel. Wilson spent more than 2 years in prison for ridiculousness. How could you possibly want him to spend even more time in jail, a promising young man who was on the brink of reaching his potential because he got a blow job?? Where’s your Christian compassion?

Granted it was his decision to participate in this act But you Judge have/had the power and the authority to extricate him from this disastrous situation. Is this how you render assistance to young people? This how you provide guidance by inflicting excessive punishment for youthful indiscretions?

It seems to us your official biography posted at the Georgia Supreme Court site is contradictory to your actions. Are you truly working in the interest of the proper development of youth? Do you truly value young people as our most precious resource as your resume would indicate from your vast experience in working with youth?

We find your behavior is an embarrassment to Christians everywhere. It’s probably one of the reasons why so many do not wish to emulate the example you present of a Christian. Melton you have proven yourself to be weak. You’re not strong in your faith or conviction to uphold what is good and right.

Heed well Judge Melton the words in the New Testament Ephesians 6:10-20. They are words divinely inspired and written by a prisoner the apostle Paul . These are dire times and we need you, and those who hold positions of authority and power to be strong, to be courageous. We need you to stand firm.

You’ve received the benefits of an education. You are part of the problem not part of the solution. You are willing to be another cog in the system that has become vindictive and self serving You are part of the spiritual wickedness, the dehumanization of institutions have been designed to help and preserve our citizens.

You are part of the Atlanta community. You are in a role of leadership. You’ve a responsibility to your family, community and to those who are subject to the life affecting decision which you adjudicate daily to do the right thing.

We hope you will recall your Sunday School lessons and act accordingly.

Ballentine believes a demonstration of this type is well overdue in light of the continuing disrespect, disenfranchisement and injustice perpetrated on American citizens of all races especially American blacks. It is estimated more than 700 billion dollars is spent annually by blacks on everything from low rider jeans to fashion jewelry, to cars and automotive accessories to the latest music to cosmetics including hair care products. The black dollar is a major component of the American economy.

Ballentine wants to send the message the black community is generally dissatisfied with recent events indicative of the injustices being perpetuated in the 21st Century against blacks in the United States. Recent incidents of noose hanings from Louisiana to Maryland; excessive sentencing of black youth both male and female from California to Maine of particular note the Genarlow Wilson matter a man who was released after spending more than 2 years in prison for consentual oral sex with a 15 year-old minor female when he was 17 along with the cases of the Jena 6, and many other who have been denied their rights according to the Constitution of the United States.

If you do not support the president’s plan for the ongoing war in Iraq, the possible incursion into Iran and other imperialistic foreign policy decisions made by the Bush administration, if you are unhappy about loss of jobs, high rates for health care and poorly administered school systems, then we believe this day off
from being a consumer is for you!

Ballentine hopes all Americans will demonstrate, by participating in this day of non-consumerism, to the leadership both Republican and Democrat that We the People want action in legislation and we want accountability from our leaders.

November 2, 2007 Consumer Black Out In America. We think it’s a good idea.

We have a few thought provoking questions in relation to this calamitous travesty of justice.

Firstly we’d like to know why the young female, age 15, was not charged along with Wilson for this infraction? We believe whenever possible young people should be informed about sexual activity taking the necessary precaution since there are so many things can happen to inexperienced young folk who “mess around” sexually. heck things can happen to experienced adults who are sexually active. We think given the circumstances our young people are daily engaging in a form of sexual activity that many of their parents, if they admit performing the act at all, once reserved for long term intimate relationships. Many of today’s teens are often participating in this behavior as regularly as dogs sniffing each other’s rear ends as a canine greeting.

The answer to our question can probably be found somewhere among the customs of protecting females, promoting males to more mature than they are and antiquated laws.

Our second question deals with Justice Harold Melton , a jurist appointed to the court by Governor Sonny Purdue in 2005. Melton states in his official Georgia Supreme Court biography following claims:

“…previously served as a Volunteer Leader of Young Life Ministries for 11 years, is currently a Board Member of Atlanta Youth Academies and the Director of Teen Ministry at Southwest Christian Fellowship Church.

A native of Washington, D.C., Justice Melton grew up in East Point and Marietta. He currently resides in Atlanta with his wife, Kimberly, and their three children.“

We are hard pressed to understand with his background and life experience and those stated claims of acquaintance with young people, in particular we’ve noted he has children of his own. It’s even difficult to believe he’s spent 11 years working with young people in church. We would like to know simply:

HOW COULD YOU Judge Melton POSSIBLY JOIN IN THE DISSENTING OPINION IN THIS LEGAL MATTER?

We understand you’re the new kid on the court. The man with the least tenure on the high court. We can not understand the purpose of your intent nor can we find any logical reason why you would be opposed to Genarlow Wilson’s release in part, as the dissenting opinion written by Justice George Carley states or in whole. In fact we’ll go so far as to say with credentials like yours the only way ti would be possible for you to join in an opposing view on this issue would be if Justices Hines and Carley went real old school on you by holding a big pump-action rifle to your head threatening to shoot you if you joined with the majority opinion. Even then we don;’t believe you should acquiesce to their demands. Here’s a thought: maybe you aligned yourself with them to help them save face. If you are the lone Negro among the dissenting members of the panel they look less cold hearted, less callous. You come out smelling like yesterday’s garbage because you were being compassionate in support of what is truly evil and wrong.

Hey ya Honah! We think it’s a good thing you’re appointed rather than elected. We think you’d probably have to steal the election in order to keep your job.

Wilson is the Atlanta man who has spent more than two years in prison for having oral sex relations with a consenting minor 15 year-old female at a party in 2005. At the time the incident took place he, himself, was 17, an honor student, football star and homecoming king at his school.

The majority opinion of the judicial panel decided upon Wilson’s release because his sentencing was excessive. In their opinion for the State of Georgia it was described as cruel and unusual punishment. At the time of his conviction Georgia law mandated the crime be punishable by 10 years in prison and registration as a sex offender. The law has since been changed by the legislature to something more reasonable. Those who come under Georgia law who are now found guilty of behaving in this manner face a punishment of no more than a year in prison and no sex offender registration.

The Georgia high court is led by the Honorable Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears who herself is a history fact in that she is the first female, the first black and the
youngest person to ever serve on the Georgia Supreme Court.

Wilson, whose case has received world wide attention and the involvement of national civil rights leaders and their respective organizations, experienced, not only the interruption of his promising academic and athletic career but a long legal battle administered by his attorney B.J. Bernstein.

Wilson plans to enroll in college to study sociology. At a news conference following his release yesterday he declared to his supporters :

“You will not be disappointed. I plan on succeeding in life.”

Sources report the leaked information about proposed changes at BOA reveal the new policy is the result of the nefarious deeds of a low level vice president in the Central Florida area. Seems this employee is persistent in doing anything to insure receiving the $1,860 bonus promised by Kenneth D. Lewis, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Bank of America to employees who hold the line on such exploitive fees.

We find the information from our contacts to be quite interesting. In light of the fact the bank makes so much more from its former predatory policies that the $1,860 bonus it’s willing to provide bank employees is really inadequate compensation. It seems to us the bonus cash pales by comparison to what Bank of America makes from excessive fees for NSF, credit card and mortgage fees.

According to our contacts in the banking business, Jolene Faucette of the BOA Banking Center at the Trails in Ormond Beach, Florida the low level vice president/manager, has so outraged and angered customers with her unparalleled ineptitude that James Tyler, the regional head guy for the south east consumer marketing group, was called in by Ken Lewis to confer with him in hopes of finding a solution to the “Faucette problem”. We hear what has resulted is a policy known among Faucette’s co-workers as the “Faucette Policy”.

The new policy, we are told, is expected to be implemented in time for the Christmas shopping season. It allows current and past customers who’ve had issues with BOA concerning excessive fees for NSF, mortgage delinquencies or credit card charges to go into their local bank branch and speak to the manager in order to receive a full refund of those erroneous charges. This includes, we’ve heard, mistakes made by the bank. We’ve been told the corporate heads want to make amends for all those dreaded “bank errors”.

Our contacts in the world of consumer finance say this is Lewis’ idea to win back former customers who have fallen prey to extremely fanatic bankers like this Faucette person. We’ve also been told it is an attempt to retain current customers who may be considering taking their business, moving their accounts, to other institutions. We hear customers are leaving like the passengers escaping the damaged Titanic.

We’ve also heard Faucette’s head may not be the only head that rolls as this new caring plan is put into effect.

We’ll keep you current with more information as this story continues to develop about the new caring image of Bank of America .

Now ain’t that somethin’!? This is just what one would expect of a bigoted Louisiana country bully. Walters was the big man on the Jena High School campus, BMOC, when last year he, a grown-A man, threatened approximately 60 to 90 black teens in an assembly at the school. (See Jena Louisiana A Look At The Numbers) .

We guess the reason Walters declined is he couldn’t get his best “Sunday-Go-To-Meetin’ suit dry cleaned and pressed in time to make an appearance in Washington, D.C.? Couldn’t get a flight out of Louisiana? A Greyhound? Maybe the wife, and the children wouldn’t be able to accompany him on this trip to the big city? Perhaps he was unable to slog through the bureacratic red tape in time to get approval for the trip?

Come on now Reed! When you were a student pouring over those law books while in law school you probably never dreamed of having this kind of fame, or notoriety-depending on your point of view. This was a fantastic opportunity and you turned it down!

It’s not everyday a mediocre guy like you becomes world famous almost overnight– give or take a few months, AND receives an invitation to go to the nation’s capital, appear at a congressional committee hearing and possibly make numerous television appearances, along with the obligatory C-span face time you’d receive. We’ve all seen how well you conduct yourself at a news conference. We’re very impressed that someone like you can get even 15 seconds of fame. It’s an embarrassment to know that someone like you is having more than 15 minutes exposure on the world stage. You represent the worst of our American legal minds and the judicial system. You’re counted among the best at abusing your power and authority

We don’t know who your public relations advisors are, but we suggest you fire them pronto! You’re gonna need some real professionals to help you get through this mess you and your cohorts started, Mr. Big Stuff Prosecuting Enabler!

Sources tell us customers need only visit their local banking center and speak to the manager to have their concerns addressed and receive an immediate refund.

Visit your local BOA Banking Center during regular business hours to discuss reparations with the manager.

We’ll be checking with our sources for more information about this revolutionary change in policy.

Bank of America, returning to its roots, as “The Bank that Cares.”

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Lynne Cheney who has been married to the vice president for more than 40 years stated it was “an amazing American story that one ancestor … could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths.”

The common ancestor was Mareen Devall, who the Chicago Sun-Times said was a 17th century immigrant from France.

The discovery was made by Mrs. Cheney while conducting research for her new book, “Blue Skies, No Fences,” about growing up in Wyoming. The commonancestor shared by Cheney and Obama is a woman Mareen Devall, whom the Chicago Sun-Times reports was an immigrant to this country from France during the 17th century.

We are wondering if this revelation will benefit Obama in his quest for the White House or if this news will cause Cheney to rethink his options and declare himself a candidate for the presidency.

Stay tuned folks this can only get more interesting.

Imagine being able to color the presidential candidate of your choice the color you like best. We draw the outline of each candidate and you fill in the color you like best.

See Hillary Clinton as black because she is married to the so called “first black president” or make her red or purple or blue. Now you no longer have to let color get in the way of your voting decision. Color the sometimes rude, and inappropriate Shillary the color of your choice.

Don’t let Barack Obama’s color get in your way, Color him white. Any black candidate who says things like we need to close our borders to insure no illegals enter the country and further militarize our borders is already white on the inside. Yo! Baracky baby if they can’t stop drugs, and illegal money, even counterfeit cash, from being smuggled across the boarders, building huge walls or requiring identification cards and levying fines ain’t gonna stop people from coming into this country. In case you didn’t notice there are thousands of miles of coastline.

Color Dennis Kucinich clear, because clearly he’s the candidate who speaks plainly about the issues that matter most to the American public, but for some reason they can’t see him. He might as well be the invisible man. In fact you don’t even have to color him at all because no one will even notice. It is so sad that the man that actually talks about issues is ignored because he doesn’t have movie star looks even though he’s intelligent and forthright. But intelligence and forthrightness are a liability in this election so color him ignored.

Color John Edwards with a broad brush. He’s got the looks, and the cash. He’s got the courage and foresight to speak honestly about what this country needs to get back on track, but he is also White. If this is getting in your way color him any color you want. Maybe he will have a chance to escape joining the invisible and the ignored.

On the pages designated for the Grand Old Party (GOP) color everyone confused. Rudy, a short fella looking for a tall balcony, really thinks he’s got a shot. Maybe he thinks this is craps or he wants another shot because he is drinking doubles. Anyway you look at it color him big city red neck gestapo. He can join Hillary in this, a swastika wouldn’t look out of place on him, but only on his underwear, we wouldn’t want it to get out in public.

Romney, McCain color them toasty brown or any other brown you like, personally I prefer the one that starts with S but remember even S when it gets old and dried up turns white. The only GOP we think has a chance is that Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, friend of Keith Richards. That’s right the same Keith Richards who fell out of a coconut tree on his head last year at plus 60 years old, making Father William look a piker, the same infamous or famous depending on your point of view Keith Richards of greatest rock’n'roll band of all time The Rolling Stones. If you are a famous or infamous rock star or rock star wanna be then the Arkansas Hucaebee is your man. Politics needs people with hard heads and friends with hard heads and cash, so you can color the governor green for cash or brown like a coconut.

Last but not least Color the White House somber gray. Because whomever wins the key to the front door of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will not only be living in a fishbowl mansion in an urban area they will also be closing the curtains. Because if you think the current government’s penchant for privacy and snooping will end with the next election you must be joking. The next president is sure to have the powers of Superman, able to see through buildings with his Xray vision, able to listen on all conversations. What was his color, why red white and blue. So color the White house red white and blue because after President Dumbya and his band of thugs gets done with the utter decimation of this country’s economy….that is the only color candidate that will succeed, the candidate who most prostrates himself before the public as the defender of America the red white and blue, and for this reason we must continue to incarcerate without warrant or habeas corpus, build walls along our borders and massivley militarize against non existent phantom external enemies when all the time the Chicken Little poison lives inside. With few exceptions we will be coloring our political candidates Yellow.

Garret Keizer, contributing editor for HARPER’s Magazine suggested we citizens organize to send a strong message, loud and clear to our government that what they’ve feared all along has become a reality. Why else would there be a Patriot Act?? but to protect the government from its own citizens. These laws were not imposed on the citizens of another country.

We The People are mad as hornets in a nest that’s been stirred up. We’re not gonna to take it anymore. Enough is enough! Finally! Americans are fed up with the lies.

We’re tired of President Dumbya’s reckless spending. Say isn’t this the guy who represents the party of “fiscal responsibility?” We’re sick and tired of leaders in the opposition party who look and sound just like their Republican counterparts… Shrillary, Barack, Nancy are following the precedent established by President Bill Clinton.

After so many years of Republican oppression the nation’s electorate was happy to put a Democrat in the White House. Bill was, as they say in marketing parlence, and you should pardon the expression, a lay down. It was easy for him to win

We are now faced with the same condition only more desparate because this current Bush is far worse than the last or the first depending on how you view the situation. Regardless, as they say on the street “Where there’s a Bush you’re gonna find some shade.” Or as I say fire.

Today, the presidency is being passed around as the most eloquent artist Mos Def has said, “…like a party joint”. We stand to get more of the same repackaged differently and even worse, what the grocery industry likes to call new and improved. That’s what we got with Bill Clinton, new and improved Democrat and it looks like we could gettin’ set up for part 2 of the Clinton administration, Worse. What is this “Dynasties”?

We say, before we go too far in this pre-election season /pre-primary campaigning activity, We The People need to make known to all the politicians, what our position is. After all WE Elect THE GOVERNMENT. WE need to act accordingly!

So whether you choose October 17th or November 6th or if you elect to protest in your own way on the same date every month… we encourage you to
DO SOMETHING!

Know that there is strength in numbers. Those Polish workers were able to unite. They changed a political system. We can do it too.

Sick of it all are you? Iraq, Afghanistan where our young men and womane are dying to fill the pockets of those who already have too much? New Orleans where established families have been displaced and insurance companies cry, “I’m sorry you were not covered for those damages.” Incredulous about Jena Louisiana and the fact the town seems caught in a time warp remeniscent of 1937 Dixie?

Do you feel helpless to affect change in policies? There is something You can do. Express your disapproval of the system. Get the attention of the powers that be. All of us. Black white, Latino, Asian, Native Americans, immigrants legal and illegal. Workers, middle management, blue collar, white collar, laborers, low level executives. ALL OF US! You do not need to go anywhere to participate you can do this from you hometown, or your place of work.

SHUT IT DOWN OCTOBER 17, 2007!

We are plagued with unjust sentencing of juveniles and adults regardless of ethnicity. Our elderly face declining healthcare services with exorbitant prices for treatment and necessary drugs. Corporations no longer are beholding to the people who make it possible for executives to make 500 or 600 times what the average working stiff earns annually. Our children are in need of health insurance coverage as well as a decent education in order to perform basic reading and math to get them through a lifetime. If you are dissatisfied with restrictive laws, police brutality and security guards gone rabid, with so called security to provide the illusion of homeland security….you need to SHUT IT DOWN OCTOBER 17, 2007!

As fate would have it, Keizer’s idea has taken hold in the blogesphere. Here is the message. STAY HOME. Don’t shop. Don’t attend school. Don’t watch television. Do not drive. Do not go to work. Plan to participate in a general strike just like the Polish people did in 1980. They changed their society. They stand as ashining stalwart example of what the people can do when they decide to do it…to get it done!

No human being has anymore power than any other human being, except such as may willingly be delegated to him. The real interest of democracy is to exalt, emancipate and recognize the divinity of the human spirit. The institutionalized doctrine of Divine election is fatalistic. It is the social crime of every form of privilege and personal inequality.

If you believe in justice for all then you need to

SHUT IT DOWN OCTOBER 17, 2007!

The always civic minded staff of YouThinkWhat is providing as a public service a breakdown of the real numbers involved in this case of excessive sentencing and abuse of judicial power.

Because many of us live in metropolitan areas so when we hear the figures 10 or 12 percent we think in terms of extremely large numbers. We relate those percentages to populations of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people living in a town or city.

As you may recall, the population of this town, steeped in racial controversy and known around the world as a throwback to America’s darkest hours in civil rights history, is only 3,000.

The latest U.S. census records the percentage ethnic break down as 12 percent black and the balance 88 percent white.

For our purposes we will use 10 percent to show how ridiculous are the authorities in the parish, led by the school board authorities, the overzealous district attorney and his partner in the miscarriage of justice from the bench the judge.

It has been reported there are nearly 600 students who attend the Jena High School. 10 percent of whom are black. That would be 60 black students at the school. Let us suppose of those 60 students one half are female. That would leave the remaining 30 students to be black males, 6 of whom have been banned from attending classes.

To recap when the students of Jena High attend assembly they segregate themselves-whites on one side of the hall and blacks on the other. Picture this.
540 whites on one side… 54 blacks on the opposite side.

Imagine what a classroom makeup might be. 30 students in the class. 10 percent are black. 27 whites congregated on one side of the room with 3 blacks on the other.

Now let’s consider the town itself. 3000 men women and children. 10 percent of whom are black. That would be 300 blacks. If some news reports are to be believed 6 adolescent black males have the entire town terrorized. Some reports indicate the Jena 6 have been actin’ up for several years. Since the oldest of the crew would be about 18 or 19 that would mean this small country town population 3000, overwhelming majority white has been intimidated by 6 young black males.

Numbers don’t lie. Wow! Black people sure are scary!

Mac Donald is one of those pundit suma cum idiots who is always citing statistics. They are presented in a manner that carries a tremendous persuasive power, but if you stop to think about it afterward, you realize no one has questioned her sources or the reliability of those sources.

We find this not so clever tactic to be annoying at best. It’s rhetoric that appeals directly to the feelings of her mass audience. It doesn’t even have to be logical to move the majority. It simply has to appear to be so, as long as it arouses the appropriate feeling of the masses who pay close attention to this fake intellectual.

In a recent article Mac Donald writes “Let’s assume the worst about Jena, Louisana and the charges of attempted murder brought against five black youths…that the district attorney’s indictments were motivated by rank racism and that the racial tensions in this town of 3,000 are exclusively the product of white animus against blacks. Does it follow that this latest object of frenzy on the media’s racism beat is emblematic of America’s judicial system or the state of race relations today?”

The answer to your question Ms Mac Donald is a resounding “YES!” The ghosts of de facto segregation, even Jim Crow policies are alive and thriving in 21st Century U.S.

As you so eloquently noted Ms Mac Donald, ” …the incident that seems to have led to the group assault on the white student–three students’ hanging of nooses from a school tree where white teen congregated–was a despicable provocation. If adults in Jena condoned such incendiary behavior, then these grown-up enablers truly are throwbacks to a vicious American past, and all citizens should revile them.”

Yes noose hanging in our opinion is as heinous a crime to blacks as swastika symbols to Jews. Yes the adults, both black and white have been enablers who allowed a tree to symbolize a place where only white could gather. It’s a matter that should have been resolved long before last year when the black male students were taunted, even bullied by a lone white student.

You say “the massive international attention to this tiny town would seem vastly disproportionate to the cause unless Jena stands for a more widespread problem.

In our opinion Ms Mac Donald Jena does indeed stand for a more widespread problem.

You say “But for institutional racisim the black prison population would be much smaller.” You are correct. When one considers the fact blacks are more likely to be arrested, more likely to be arrested with more frequency and charged more severely and receive more punishing sentences than whites the conclusion can only be as you stated if not for institutional racism the black prison population would be much, much smaller.

One major reason why blacks have the highest incarceration rate in the country is self fulfilling. If you are arrested more every statistic related to that action is bound to be higher.

The statistics stated in your opinion piece are likely wrong. “The vast preponderance of prisoners are in the pen for violence and property crime. ” You offer no substantiation for this claim. You offer no credible source for your statement of what is to be believed as statistical fact. Shame on you Ms Mac Donald.

“The real tragedy is the dysfunctional culture that holds back too many blacks.” Ms Mac Donald you need to be educated in the history or perhaps re-educated in the history of black Africans of slave ancestry in this country.

You need to know that since the time of Lincoln’s bold move to emancipate all slaves-that includes the endentured whites, blacks have always at every turn met with opposition to become part of the “melting pot” that is America. It begs the question is the problem of being assimilated the result of a phobia about color or one of slave ancestry? Makes you say, “Hmmmmm!”

Young girls sustaining injuries of broken wrists and arms. Young men accosted because they photograph these acts of brutality against defenseless young females. Then the young men find themselves the objects of the ire of some incontinent security guard…male or female, black or white young or old. The age, gender or race of the security officer is of no consequence because security is fully in charge.

Parents beware. You, too could be on the receiving end of Rent-A-Cop brutality. Consider the young mother travelling with her young baby who was forced to leave behind her baby’s container, a baby bottle of water, during the height of the homeland illusion of airport security boondoggle. Not only did she have to turn her child over to some brute security guard as she cleaned up the water they say she deliberately spilled, but when she cleaned it up it was never a good enough just to pass muster with these security goons gone wild.

When the mother of a young female who had been abused by a security mugger attempted to retreive her child from the school authorities she too was arrested and charged with assaulting a school official.

Like the neighbor’s idiot dog who wants to bite youy but has never had the opportunity to get close enough to grab on to that arm, leg or whatever appendage is closest, security personnel are now behaving just like that dog who has always wanted to bite you now given the chance to do so.

Security personnel, just like real law enforcement officers, are attacking like rabid dogs anyone regardless of age, genderor race who makes a misstep. No matter how minor the infraction if Officer Rent-A-Cop catches you, you are assured you will be punished, punished severely.

We think it’s time to put a muzzle on these lunkheaded alleged security professionals.

Do not stop the public from exercising its right to freedom of movement or speech or assembly. It’s time to reign in these overzealous protectors.

According to New York Police Department psokesman Paul Browne the request was denied due to continuing construction at a fenced in area, the site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The U.S. State Department has also denied a visa be granted to the Iranian UN ambassador in Geneva Switzerland who would also be attending the General Assembly meeting. His visa request has been rejected because, as stated by a UN official, he was involved in the 1979 hostage incident; though exactly what role he played in that crisis is unknown.

Browne says the NYPD would oppose the visit of Ahmadinejad to the immdeiate area of WTC due to security considerations.

Ahmadinejad had applied for permission from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. Secret Service and the New York Police Department. both the Secret Service and the NYPD provide security foreign dignitaries heads of state.

Only the Port Authority which owns the property could grant permission for Ahmadinejad to enter the site. It was decided ina meeting of the Port Authority with the NYPD that no foreign heads of state would be authorized to go inside the property says Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.

Also weighing in on this matter is the United States ambassador to the UN Zalmy Khalilzad who said the U.S. will not support the Iraninas attempt to use the WTC as a photo opportunity. He stated if the Iranian government is serious in its concern about terror they can demonstrate their concernby taking “concrete actions”.

I still think J. Reed Walters and the judge in the Jena Six case should be removed not just from the proceedings, but from office as well for this gross miscarriage of justice. I think it’s time for federal intervention…and don’t send that whimp U.S. Attorney General Williams to investigate…he’s useless and ineffective.

You, J. Reed Walters may relish and revel in the inconvenience, the sorrow and the pain you are causing the families and the young teens of the Jena Six as you are dogged about “making Mychal Bell accountable for his actions”. What about the white teens who have broken the law in this matter that started with theso-callednoose hanging prank in the school yard? What kind of punishment will they be receiving?

Enjoy the notariety you are receiving from news reports around the world, but be assured of this one fact…you must be accountable. You will be accountable for your actions!

“Every dog has his day. Time wounds all heels”. You gatta serve somebody and you gotta pay for your iniquities.

The driver of the truck 18 year old Jeremiah Munsen has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor–because he was accompanied in the truck by a 16 year-old passenger. Munsen was also charged with driving while intoxicated, and inciting to riot.

Police found an unloaded rifle in the back of the truck along with a set of brass knuckles found in the cupholder on the dashboard.

According to police the passenger disclosed he and his family are members of theKlu Klux Klan, that he has a KKK tattoo on his chest. He admitted he tied the nooses–one made from an eletrical extension cord and provided the brass knuckles which belong to him.

Both driver and passenger are white.

Arresting police have recorded the incident as “Bias Motive: Racial Anti-Black”

Can’t read that notice of job termination? Unable to comprehend the Wal-Mart insurance benefits covering your life with no benefit to your survivors? You didn’t know the note on your door is an eviction notice? Did not know the reason those sparks are flying inside your new microwave oven is because you can’t read the instructions directing you not operate it with metal pans inside? Do you live in Alablama, Arkansa, Florida, Mississippi or Louisiana we have the Special
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I wonder. Where do you live? Apparently you do not live in Jena Louisiana. You say the case of the so-called Jena Six ” is not, nor has it ever been about race.”

Seems to me it’s about race. Jena Louisiana small town of nearly 3000 people most of whom are white and real bigoted including you. The rest of the town’s population is black people who’ve always known and lived with the oppressive conditions the world has now come to know exist in your jurisdiction.

You initially described the noose hanging incident as being a “prank”.
J. Reed Walters you have proven without doubt even a man of your stature has received a substandard education in Louisiana. The word “prank” is sometimes defined as being a malicious action for amusement. Mostly it means a playful trick. This term you use, to dismiss a symbolic threat of a school yard lynching, to minimize its harmful affect, is an inaccurate use of the word. It is in fact a vicious act of intimidation. Perhaps you would have been better to say something like, “Yes we will contain our budding Negro problem by using the law and their race against them. We’ll not resort to the tactics of our forefathers in getting them back to being docile second class citizens.”

During your news conference on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, you conveniently attempted to distance yourself from what you have stated in the beginning– the noose hanging incident was merely a prank. If you truly believe the noose hanging action is a minor insignificant act why not dismiss the charges against all of the black students? Why not give them the same treatment you have afforded the whites?

The remark you made when addressing the student assembly with law enforcement officers at your side, “with one stroke of my pen I can make your life disappear” was indeed a threat which you intended to act on. The comment was a threat intimidating to all students, but especially to the blacks because you J. Reed Walters are utterly intolerant of blacks who speak up to defend themselves whether they be teens or adults. By your behavior you have demonstrated you really see no difference in the age groups when it comes to blacks old or young, male or female blue collar or professional. You feel no need to give respect to those whom you consider to be law abiding citizens or those whom you believe are lawless individuals.

You have committed prosecutorial misdeeds. You have abused your power your authority given to you by the people of LA Salle Parish. For all those actions J. Reed Walters you must be removed from office, at the very least removed from the juvenile proceedings in order for Mychal Bell and the rest of the Jena Six to receive a fair trial. Change of venue is probably a good idea as well. Move the trial to Alexandria Louisiana. As the mayor of that town so eloquently said , “Alexandria is not Jena.”

I see in your future J. Reed Walters a lot of “splainin’ to do, Lucy”. I see you having to go before federal congressmen, the bar association, state legislators to report how you came to make the decisions you did to attempt to ruin the lives of six young black men. You will have to stand before whomever you must be accountable to for mishandling of what amounts to a school yard fight. You’ll have to explain why you chose to bring those six teens up on excessive charges with excessive bail; bail in amounts you knew very well their families could not meet.

Shame on you J. Reed Walters you made a really big mistake. I’m glad to say your efforts have been thwarted thus far. You must have been at the school when Justin Barker got himself into a fight. There must have been a stray blow that struck you in the head if you thought you could go after our children in this way. Did you think we, all of us of every color, religion, gender, age and lifestyle wouldn’t step up to protect our children? These children in Jena are symbolic of what is being done in every city of America to all of our young people. I pray your dastardly plan will continue to atrophy as your motives and actions are exposed worldwide.

You’ve inspired people of good will everywhere in the nation, those who support equal justice for all, to take a stand against rude, insulting racist government officials who mimic our president and his administration. You should know better.

Africa Blanche Reilly Dark

Contributing writer YouThinkWhat

The Love and Charity Mission located in Racine Wisconsin under the leadership of Mrs Louise Hunter, affectionately known as “Mother Hunter”, needs your donations.

Computers, office supplies, food, clothing, your time or your money will provide needed assistance to the less fortunate families who rely upon the Love and Charity Mission. The good servants who work to assure an adequate education, healthcare, shelter and nutrition for the people, especially the children who are homeless and benefit from the services offered by the mission need you to give your support however you can.

Right now they are in crisis with a utility bill from Wisconsin Energies of more than $35,000. Won’t you help them continue the worthwhile work they perform?

If you’re in the Racine area stop by the mission. Help serve dinner. Give a hand with homework assignments. Read a story to the children. If you can not give of your time send some money.

Send donations to:

Love and Charity Homeless Mission
1031 Douglas Avenue
Racine Wisconsin 53403
Or telephone: 262-634-7059 to offer your assistance to the helpers and those who benefit from the help given.

Just because the president says the economy is in good shape does not make it true. The trickle-down theory of modern economics is not working effectively. There’s a kink in the pipeline.

George Bush will never go down in history remembered as a great president who enhanced the American economy.

Louise Hunter and her staff will always be known for helping others.

Many young people today have previously expressed this opinion when it comes to matters of civil rights for all people.

They know that injustice and unequal treatment is wrong. They have a vague idea about the marches and seminal events of the past 40 or 50 years. Landmark legal cases such as Brown versus the Board of Education, the march on Selma, Alabama or the march on Washington, D.C. when the late Rev. Martin Luther King gave his historic oration on the check America had at that time, and to this day, failed to honor; these events are just something that happened before they were born.

As their parents we have tried to describe without much success the importance of the past. We have tried to explain how they would not be able to go to the mall or movie theater to enjoy public accommodation, have public education such as it is, or even vote if it had not been for those who were activists in the not so distant past. To us today’s youth aredismissive of those occasions; saying that happened a long, very long time ago and mean very little today.

Fortunately the decisions of a few dummies in Jena Louisiana, District Attorney J. Reed Walters and the LaSalle Parish Sachool Board among them, have inspired a new generation of activists. WE are grateful for thier stupidity.

MAny young people have been shocked out of their lethargy to become the new 21st Century activists, They have today taken a stand for what is right.

We commend you young men and women of all races. We say “Thank God!” We realize our young people are the most precious resource our nation has. We are thankful you have finally awakened to make your position known.

It is a well known saying “If you stand for nothing you will fall for anything”. We are glad and happy to know many of today’s young people, the demographic 18 to 35, men and women of all ethnic backgrounds, have taken the time to show support for the Jena Six.

Despite the efforts of the Bush administration– democracy and the right to speak in favor of what is right is alive and well in these United States of America. You have seized the opportunity to demonstrate to the government we will not accept abusive treatment of our own by a justice system operated by a government for and by the people.

Is Hillary reading a bookwritten, or at least dictated by George W. Bush on “How to Make Vague Inarticulate Poliltical Statements”? Does Senator Clinton mean this is moment wherein we can be taught how to be more bigoted in the tradition of the old Jim Crow south?

We think perhaps we should take this so called “teachable moment” to learn why we should be voting for the senator from Illinois. Barack Obama, he who has been called out by the old re-tread Jesse Jackson for “remarkably” having “transcended race”. Jackson also says, “….however the impact of Katrina and Jena makes America’s unresolved moral dilemma of race unavoidable.”

Jackson further stated if he were a presidential candidate he would be “all over Jena”. He said Jena is a “defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment.”

We’re very thankful you are not a candidate Jesse. Your time is better spent nurturing, parenting your young daughter.

Doggone Jesse give the young man a break. This is what Senator Obama said:

“Outrage over an injustice like the Jena 6 isn’t a matter of black and white. It’s a matter of right and wrong.”

We find no fault in what the man has said. Afterall his mother is a white woman, and everybody loves white women. Barack Obama is running for an office in which should he win he will be the public servant to all the people not just his black constituency.

As for Senator Clinton we’ve heard it said, “Hillary Clinton sucks.” We also heard she responded, “I don’t suck. Just ask Bill. I tried it once and I didn’t suck.” We know she wears the pants because Bill can’t seem to keep his on.

STand-up comic and actor Eddie Griffin was the headliner performer who came on stage and began his routine with a flurry of stataements that contained the dreaded N-word.

We suppose Griffin did not get the memo saying the N-word is banned, buried, retired and no longer acceptable in public when used by comic performers, rap artists or just regular folks.

At about ten minutes into his routine Graves pulled the plug, he turned off the mike, at which point Griffin left the stage but not without yelling a hearty “F***y’all!” before departing.

Graves shortly thereafter appeared onstage with cord and plug in one hand and working microphone in the otherexplaining Griffin’s act was cut short due to repeated use of the N-word.

In fact Earl Graves explained, “We at Black Enterprise will not allow our culture to
go backward. Black Enterprise stands for decency, black culture and dignity.”

Graves went on to say GRiffin, age 39, would be paid, despite his offensive performance.

Earl Graves is a prominent businessman whose annual event attracts representatives of the nation’s best known corporations.

We think Earl Graves did the right thing. We think Eddie needs to check himself, before he wrecks himself!

Fact is law enforcement and governments all over this nation have begun to go after John and Jane Citizens in the same way they would unjustly treat blacks, and other minoritiy persons.

So we say if you are of means and you are black, Asian, Native American, or hispanic you should apply today for the new honorary white person designation.

Different levels.. Dupont, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Rockefellar, Kennedy, Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates.

Some famous people of color who have this very special designation are:

Robert Johnson, Robert Johnson’s former wife Sheila Johnson is on the list, too along with Magic Johnson, some other minority billionaire athletes and entertainers and of course Oprah Winfrey…can you name others? We can’t because to attain this distinction you must have real assets totalling more than one billion USD. They are the only people of color and of note whom we know can meet the money criterior to have this title bestowed upon them for the price starting at 200million USD.

So if you want to be an honorary white person in America and you desire to be treated as an equal with all of your sontitutional rights in tact, make application today. Be sure to bring along proof of your financial standing.

Bank of America is the largest American company (by market capitalization) that is not part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. On July 19, 2006, Bank of America reported second quarter 2006 net income of $5.48 billion, surpassing that of Citigroup for the first time.”

With it’s eye on the Chinese consumer banking market and the Mexican consumer market, because in a series of serious missteps the banking company has managed to anger, annoy and rip-off so many Americans it must needs find fertile ground in foreign markets; especially now since its nearest competitor in the industry, Citigroup, has backed off from the foreign markets.

This isn’t just talk from a few disgruntled former and current customers or former and current employees. The record will show during the past 4 years Bank of America executives have found themselves looking at the wrong end of lawsuits ranging from human resource issues involving the question of over time–such as who is exempt and who isn’t. They, BOA settled the case for some 22 million USD to learn the hard way that 6,000 personal assistants, who had been classified as administrative exempt upon further investigation revealed they fell within the non-exempt employee category and as such, they were all entitled to back pay of overdue overtime wages; to issues of discriminatory hiring and employment practices, to consumer lawsuits filed in the class action format because of infractions such as releasing private information to unauthorized entities.

Several things can be said about Bank of America. Like most members of the banking industry, since being under the leadership of one Kenneth Lewis, BOA has become more aggressive in getting that money. Are you wondering why it’s never a “bank error” when you catch a mistake on your account? Or why even when it is an error on the part of a BOA employee their mistake is vehemently denied and they’re so very arrogant about the fact they made the mistake–even when you have documentation provided by the bank to prove they did it?

It’s because Kenneth D. Lewis, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Bank of America Corporation, has offered an annual bonus of $1,860 to employees who hold the line on charges that are predatory, exploitive, and punitive. That’s right consumers Ken has offered a bounty to the bank employees, a pittance really, when one considers how much the bank makes from the profiteering that goes on. The revelation of this fact makes us wonder why certain organizations such as the NAACP endorse Bank of America as being minority consumer friendly, when in fact Bank of America has proved time and time again it is hostile and thuggish in its dealings with consumers of every race, age and gender.

That is why we say, “Bank of America is the bank of opportunity…to screw you over no matter who you are…in employment or banking transaction relations.”

If you are a breathing human who requires banking services and you currently deal with BOA you can be sure you’re gonna get the shaft…the scary part is they’re the leaders in the industry. Let us pray this is not the trend to be widely followed by other banking institutions.

We suggest you cancel your accounts with Bank of America as soon as possible

Bell is the only one charged as an adult in the case. Last Friday, September 14, 2007 the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles Louisiana ruled Bell’s June conviction as an adult be vacated, reversed and set aside. He was 16 at the time of the incident. Before the appeals court decision he faced more than 20 tyears in prison for what experts agree was tantamount to a school yard fight.

Everyone who supports equal justice is invited to participate and make a statement on Thursday, September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana because the abuse by the judicial system of our nation’s most precious resource, our children will not be tolerated.

Following the incident whereby nooses were hung from a tree on the school’s campus because the tree was believed to be the sole province of whites only and some black student had been seated under the tree there were a series of physical fighting incidents in the school.

The District Attorney was called into address a special assembly of all the students; with blacks seated on one side and whites on the other, J. Reed Walters, District Attorney for LaSalle Parish Louisiana took the opportunity to warn he could be their friend or their worst enemy. He reportedly lifted his fountain pen and said these words, “With one stroke of my pen, I can make your life disappear.“

He would have succeeded had it not been for the continued outrage of the parents of these young men. We think making teenage males, black males in particular, political prisoners by a prosecutor who does so just because he can is absolutely unacceptable.

We also commend the efforts of the radio talk show host Baisden and his associates Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Rickie Smiley, rap artists and the usual outspoken leaders in the black community for bringing this story to the majority of the nation’s attention. Glad to see you’ve all been aroused from your lethargy to organize to take action. Happy to know you’re taking a stand to say this tumor of racism must be excised.

Mostly we are thankful for the foreign press. The Chinese, the French and the British have been reporting this story for at least the last six months. Our so called “free” American press, has for the past six years and even more so in recent months, deliberately let another under reported an important news story go by the wayside. It was not to be so. Word of mouth is a very effective means of communication when all our modern technology fails.

What began with the radio talk show host Baisden as merely a statement of his personal support for the teens and their families has developed into a major demonstration of support planned for Thursday, September 20, 2007 in Jena Louisiana. This event is expected to be attended by members the black community, as well as supporters from all races, creeds, economic status, every industry, and lifestyle. People from all walks of life. People who stand for justice. People who believe in what is right. If you are unable to attend you are asked to wear black on that day as a symbolic indication of your support for the families and their children.

For more information, and there is plenty of information available from the blog sites, search your favorite search engine with the words, “Jena Six”, “Jena 6″ or “Jena, Louisiana” for more details as this important event continues to unfold.

Well J. Reed Walters, Mr. District Attoryney for LaSalle Parish Louisiana, because you were overzealous in your desire to “with one stroke ” of your pen make their lives disappear, you thrust your little back water country town onto the world stage. You have proved that education in Louisiana is substandard.

It’s not by coincidence you issued your statement just moments before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals judge handed down his ruling. We’re betingt you had a heads up so you could try to backpedal, but alas we fear you just too ding-dang late!

While you were quickly trying to save face with lies and denials in your statement issued on Friday afternoon, September 14, 2007 a judge in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the June conviction of Mychal Bell, one of the group of teenaged black students known as the “Jena Six” charged in connection with the December 4, 2006 alleged attack of white student Justin Barker, be vacated, reversed and set aside.

In his ruling the judge stated the trail judge made a mistake when he kept the case in adult court, since the defendant, Bell, was a juvenile when the offense occurred in 2006. This means the conviction against Bell has been tossed.

District Attorney Walters stated on Friday afternoon he had received notice from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals of the case being ordered to junvenile court. Walters says after he has thoroughly reviewed the decision he will ask the State Supreme Court of Louisiana to review the decision of the court of appeals.

We think Mr. Walters appealing this decision is a bad idea. If you are not careful you gonna make another mistake. You’ve already brought the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, ACLU and other legal organizations to your door questioning whether your actions constitute an abuse of power. We think they do.

We think you should resign from the case before the case is tried again in the juvenile court; you should either resign from the case or be removed from the office you hold because of extreme prejudice…and we do mean extreme racial prejudice.

You’ve used the race of these teens against them just because that’s the way it’s always been done in Jena, Louisiana.

Well, J. Reed Walters, you and all of your kind in Jena have put your foot in it so to speak. You’re really in the big time now.

There is nothing you can do to change what has been done. You’re getting your fifteen minutes plus. You’re in the big time now. The rally will take place on Thursday September 20th in your town, Jena Louisiana. Be there!

What’s the reason for not supplying adequate coverage to the injustice taking place in Jena Louisiana? As many of you know 6 young black men have been unfairly charged with violence from an incident arising from hooses hung from a tree in the school yard at the local high school.

The ensuing fights and other incidents meant to demean and intimidate the young men and their parents has culminated in a major protest demonstration scheduled for Thursday, September 20th 2007 in Jena, Louisiana by all people who stand for justice and what is right.

It is not fair those white teens who instigated the fights have not been punished. It is even more outrageous that the news of this travesty has received coverage by the foreign press in China, France and the United Kingdom.

America, where everyone is allegedly treated equally, is on the world stage for racial injustice because of the misdeeds of some severely bigoted city authorities including the La Salle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters.

But I digress. My point here is to address the fact much of the United States population knows nothing of what has happened to several black families in this mostly white small town of about 3000.

Why is it that the Jena 6 story is unknown to most of the nation? Why is it that the name of OJ Simpson, who is so 9/10 is all over the network news outlets? Why is it when I question my local television news outlets about this story I get excuses such as “We only cover stories of local interest.” I heard about the Duke LaCrosse story for about one year. I do not live in North Carolina. I do not live in Virginia where the story of Michael Vick has made national headlines. Yet I’ve heard more than I can stand of the details of his situation from, yes, my local news outlets.

Why can’t I get some real coverage of a story about a situation that could very easily have happened to any average American citizen’s child?

This story of injustice in Louisiana is not just about color. This story is about the decimation of our youth. The children are any nation’s most precious commodity.
The decision makers, news executives, producers, assignment editors even beat reporters all have a stake in insuring all of us are informed so we can better protect, guide and educate our children.

Gentlemen and ladies, you have a responsibility to report all the news. The viewing public is watching you. We know this is not the only story you’ve not reported. Does MCA ring a familiar bell? We want details, full details.

Forget about Paris, American Idol, Senator Larry Craig and others.

We look to you to provide news we can truly use.

Carefully read the words and consider the question:
Whom do you serve?

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock ‘n’ roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

One of the 6 young men charged, has been convicted for attempted murder. The weapon he used is a tennis shoe. He faces more than 20 years behind bars.

This is what the senator had to say:

“When nooses are being hung in high schools in the 21st century, it’s a tragedy. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation to heal our racial tensions. This isn’t just Jena’s problem; it’s America’s problem.”

“There are a number of signs that the system is not working in this case. It’s a problem when criminal charges are brought against some students for fighting, but not others. It’s a problem when a public defender doesn’t call any witnesses. And it’s a problem when a prosecutor decides to try teenagers as adults for a school fight, a charge that could leave them in jail for the majority of their lives. That is why I join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in calling on the judge to consider all the relevant factors and calling on the District Attorney to drop the excessive charges brought in this case. And I, along with other members of the CBC, will continue to monitor this case closely.”

“Going forward, we have to fix our criminal justice system. Whether it’s Jena 6 or Genarlow Wilson, it’s long past time for us to admit that we have more work to do to ensure that our criminal justice system is fair. We must ensure that both victims and defendants can receive equal justice under the law, regardless of race, wealth, or other circumstances.”

We wonder when or if any other candidates, Dems or Republican, will make a comment about this controversial and important current legal case taking place in Louisiana. Clinton?Paul? McCain? Romney?Edwards? We can not presume you are opposed to the excessive prosecution taking place in Louisiana. You must speak plainly to us about this matter. Tell us your position.
Governor Blanco where are you on this matter?In our opinion your silence makes you complicit in this terrible injustice.

President George Walker Bush, what say you?

In our opinion your silence is a signal to perpetuate this kind of offensive blatant racist behavior toward black and minority youth.

Democrat leaders are complicit in this tragedy because of their apparent complacent non-response in defending the rights of Americans with the change in the laws that have decimated the United States Constitution under the guise of protecting us from foreign enemies of the state.

We have aseen the enemy…and they is us!

One example of this fact is the alleged leader of this attack, Osama bin Laden is NOT included on the FBI’s notoriously famous Most Wanted List. Bin Laden is not now, nor has he ever been included on the list. The list known for bringing so many leading criminals to justice.

Certainly one would think a 6 foot 4 or 5 inch Arab man with a graying beard, weighing about 175 pounds could easy be found. He’s been on the run for the past 6 years. George Bush has moved from his vow to find bin Laden to “I don’t care about his whereabouts”, to telling the American public “We’re kickin’ ass” in Iraq, with no word on his success in finding the alleged mastermind of the worst devastation on American soil in modern history.

Maybe we should just go shopping. Let’s worry about the latest escapades of Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears or some recently outted allegedly homosexual Republican politician.

These activities should provide monumental consolation for a formerly free society now under near absolute police state control.

Even cutting down the “white tree” for fire wood did not dissuade the international media who first gave this story coverage–them ding-danged meddling foreigners from England, China and France again from pursuing this alleged schoolyard incident of no significance. This travesty and exercise in how to keep your blacks under control has been ongoing since the fall of 2006. As time progressed it became more and more difficult to keep the story under wraps.

Thank you Mr. Distict Attorney for making that classic threat directed toward the black students only at the high school assembly. What a stroke of genius to say a sneaker is a lethal weapon. And who is the person who made up the previous assault charges against defendant Mychal Bell so that he is ineligible for bond?? Brilliant, just brilliant. This trumped of false charge is so good the football coach was unaware this star player had broken the law. You’re really good. Football coaches know about every infraction by every single player. You folks are showing the world just how many roads a man must walk down before he can be called a man. The answer is no longer blowin’ in the wind Bob Dylan; its livin’ large in Jena, Louisiana.

We reported on this matter in July of this year. We knew then it would not be until the beginning of the new 2007-2008 school year when this story would pick up momentum in the United States where similar incidents of blatant racism take place everyday all across the country; in the west, in the north, in the mid-west or the deep south there are similar incidents of outrageous discrimination, though none is as spiteful, and ridiculous with such serious consequences for the persons who are the objects of such vitriloic behavior as what has occurred in Jena, Louisiana. It’s a seasonal media thing here in the US. Depending on the time of year and who’s involved, and how much it “…. bleeds it leads” is the philosophy of most news rooms.

Thanks to you, the powers that be in Jena, Louisiana; the school board authorities, the parish sheriff, the local district attorney with the magic pen poised to destroy the lives of black children only, and Mr. Public Defender, aka the whimpy guy at the defense table, you have not only put your town, your region, your state , your governor, your president and our nation in the world spotlight to be ridiculed by nations considered to be lesser in terms of justice and freedom, but you have ignited a fire in a community that has for the last 40 years become apathetic and disinterested.

The black community has become so deeply entrenched in believing its own bad press it has failed to show the world we care about our children, each other and the level of respect we command internationally. Consider the rampant use of the disparaging N-word by blacks and everyone else to describe blacks. (We’ll discuss that topic another time.)

But thanks to you, the leaders, the decision makers, the movers and the shakers of Jena , Louisiana, the national community–people who abhor injustice regardless of their color , religion or ethnic background, has come alive and will be in your town on Thursday, September 20, 2007 to express in protest demonstrations to be heard and seen around the world that people, especially black people of African descent are demanding the respect they deserve.

Thank you. You’re an inspiration!

Nearly inimitably inarticulate as always, George W. Bush gives us his view on the Attorney General’s highly desired, to the point many believed it was too much to hope for but hoped for nonetheless, long overdue, totally unexpected resignation, which has been well received greeted with relief and a better late than never public response.

Talented? We suppose you could call being able to follow through on the execution of a mentaly deficient, as in retarded, man or putting to death a woman despite a plea for mercy from the Pope to spare her life .

Honorable? From the lips of a man who enjoyed torturing his fellow classmates at college, since he did not regularly attend class, but frequently participated in burning others with cigarettes and heated hangers used as makeshift branding irons, the former US Attorney General’s edict on torture, the Geneva Conventions that had long governed the treatment of prisoners did not apply to Al-Qaida or the war in Afghanistan, was an indication to him of “great honor”.

“…. Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.” so said the president. Impeded? Gonzo has done more to assist in the miscarriage of justice than anyother AG; in fact some legal professionals were beginning to think the name of the department was an Orwellian joke! Al “The Torturer” Gonzales should consider himself fortunate only his name was besmirched. Because of his “good work” many people have lost their families, their homes, their jobs and their lives. Good lookin’ out Gonzo!

Alberto Gonzales the first Hispanic United States Attorney General, may be gone from office his legacy of politicizing the Department of Justice will linger for many years to come. It is for this reason we say any and all investigations associated with Alberto Gonzales must go forth beyond his departure on September 17, 2007.

~New York Democrat Senator Charles Schumer

We only hope the Democrats in the congress will also do the right thing and impeach George Walker Bush and Dick Cheney. Rove is gone. Gonzales is toast. All that’s left are the head crooks Cheney and Bush.

Come on loyal opposition, give dirty rotten scoundrels the heave-ho! And do it pronto! Apply sufficient pressure for them both to leave office in disgrace just like their role model Richard Milhous Nixon.

Thank you son. As a female who has given birth to four children, 2 of each gender, who are all grown and successful, I would like to take this opportunity to express my opinion on two news items currently the topic of nearly everyone’s conversation; and when I say successful I mean my children are productive, gainfully employed, independent and most importantly they do not live with me.

My heart goes out to the mothers of the 6 young men in Jena, Louisiana unjustly charged in what amounts to a schoolyard fight. By the assessment of the local law enforcement authority Sheriff Carl Smith the media exploited an insignificant incident between teens. Yep, the media, the international media that is, has taken the events that occurred in that very bigoted tiny southern town in Central Louisiana and blown them all out of proportion. We are ever so grateful the American media outlets were slow to report this outrageous miscarriage of justice. Question: If this was an insignificant incident why was the so-called “white tree” cut down just days before the scheduled sentencing of one of the defendants late last month? As reported by NPR, “Jena High School had the big shade tree in the courtyard chopped into firewood.” I’m an old lady, and I’ve not heard of such spiteful defensive and offensive carryings on since I was a young girl growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina and later in Philadelphia. Is this really the 21st Century or am I caught in a time warp regressing to the period 60 or 70 years after the War Between the States? They call it the Jim Crow era.

Next on my list is Michael Vick. My heart goes out to his mother, too. I stand in support of you. Your son is a moral imbecile. It just proves once again having children is a crap shoot. George Herbert Walker Bush knows this better than anyone. If he were a bettin’ man I’m sure he’d have lost a bundle betting Jeb would have been president before Dumbya. Yes when you have children you’re never really sure what you’re gonna get. What with those generational curses and children inheriting features and behaviors from as far back as the previous third generation; they could exhibit characteristics of folks you’ve never heard mention of in the family history much less met face to face.

I wish to say in closing as a mother having and raising children, as is life, is very much “like a box of chocolates”. You never really know what you’re gonna get.

An announcement was made on Thursday of the intended resignation at the end of this month of US Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim. Kim, who was nominated by President George W. Bush in the spring of 2005 and confirmed by the US Senate in November of the same year, was instrumental in the re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act of 2006.

Attorney Kim, who began his career in the justice department as a trial attorney in the honors program more than 10 years ago, was also an integral part of the investigation and prosecution of unsolved murder cases of the Civil Rights Era.

Under Mr. Kim’s leadership the Civil Rights Division achieved record setting levels of enforcement in areas including filing more voting rights lawsuits in one year than had been filed in the previous 30 years.

Mr. Kim also proved to be an able advocate by supervising major initiatives in housing discrimination, religious liberties, persons with disabilities and prosecution of those involved in human trafficking.

In this era of Alberto “The Torturer” Gonzales we can understand why a man of apparent integrity, as Mr. Kim seemingly is, must resign after only 10 years in the department.

We wish Wan J. Kim much success in his future endeavors, and we thank you for your help in trying to keep the playing field level.

After less than 2 years on the job Gordon decided he and the organization’s 17 member executive committee had what we can best describe as “irreconcilable differences”.

To quote Gordon in an interview with Essence magazine: “It’s a lot easier to change the CEO than it is to change the executive committee. So I took the initiative and made a very difficult, and in some respects disappointing, but necessary decision.”

We agree with Gordon. After last year’s celebrated “Bell South is Wonderful and Target Sucks” awards, at the NAACP Annual National Convention in Washington, D.C. , we think Gordon should have resigned sooner than he did. It was disclosed by investigators on this blogsite BellSouth was offering Target gift cards to former BellSouth customers as an inducement to purchase BellSouth telecommunications services.

This incentive was being promoted before, after and during the big hoopla about the NAACP’s Coporate Race Relations Report Card last year. The grades being issued ranged from outstanding to failing. That’s right BellSouth, now the new AT&T, was given the equivalent of a scholastic honor society grade, while Target Stores languished with the poor performers.

We still question now, as we did last year, if this meeting of the two corporate entities is remedial for Target and ego bolstering for the new AT&T? Or is it just to show those black people have no real influence over their own money?

We imagine the conversation in the corporate boardrooms between Target and the new AT&T, formerly BellSouth, might have gone something like this:

“They have no real economic power to speak of. They’ve been repeatedly hoodwinked and bamboozled; that’s how they arrived on these shores. Plymouth Rock has landed on them once again and there’s nothing they can, want or will do about it. We’ve successfully rendered their so-called champion civil rights organization impotent. It has no teeth. It is powerless to do anything to retaliate because the membership doesn’t care; in fact the membership is dwindling. This is quite a coup. We managed to embarrass a former Verizon executive of color and hammer a pain in the ass civil rights activist group. It was a stroke of genius for BellSouth to promote Target while those silly sanctimonious black people attended their convention with approving national publicity for BellSouth being celebrated for its hiring practices and its compassion towards blacks in business. ”

As a result of last year’s NAACP celebration of American business institutions that are real good to black folk is that Bank of America find itself looking at the wrong end of another lawsuit. Bank of America, along with Wachovia Bank, now Wachovia World Bank, were rated as the best banks for black people to conduct their financial business, both personal and entrepreneurial.

Ooops! Seems some employees and former employees vehemently disagree with that assessment, as they have filed a class action law suit claiming discrimination in hiring and employment practices.

Bruce Gordon we support your decision to resign from an organization that pays lip service to being active in making changes for the betterment of the whole nation and specifically black people.

On the face of it people will probably see them as completely opposite; but the president, George Bush and the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick, aka “Ron Mexico” have many, many characteristics and behaviors in common.

Firstly, the most obvious trait is they are both American males and leaders in their areas of expertise. The fact one is black and the other white or one is young and the other is old, or one is a politician or the other an athlete is of no consequence here; these features are unimportant because this is after all the United States of America. When it comes to being American whether president, popular sports celebrity or regular working John or Jane Doe everyone is the same. Being American is all that matters or so we are told.

Besides every politician has some athletic ability in the way he dodges the truth; Bush is more adept at keeping the press from catching him in his missteps. It has been observed many athletes are skilled in the art of politics; Vick seems to be less talented than most.

Michael seemingly likes to torture living beings. Dubya likes to torture living beings. Mike Vick has a crew that assists him to achieve this end; Bush has a crew headed by Alberto “The Torturer” Gonzales who helps him successfully torture living beings.

For several years GWB has been surrounded by controversy; the same is true of Vick.

We understand the outrage associated with the charges against Vick. Vick gets hammered at every turn. The least infraction. The slightest controversy makes headlines.

Bush on the other hand makes Ronald Reagan the former Teflon President look like a super absorbent sponge. We do not understand the lack of formal charges against Bush nor the lack of righteous indignation toward him.

We wish the American electorate would get as worked up over a president who maims and kills little children, parents, young and old, Iraqi Afghanistani and American alike.

We can appreciate the fact abuse of any living being is a crime against nature. We do not understand how the American people can continue to support and justify the administration’s position against the freedom to choose to euthanize the infirm or abort an unwanted birth in the face of the death and destruction being served upon the fellow human inhabitants of the Middle East.

We wish the American public would be as outraged by the heartless behavior of this administration as it tortures, murders, and decimates the world for the sake of oil and total world domination.

Last weekend it was reported Gingrich appeared along with several reliable conservative types from the GOP at an occasion held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. It’s an event promoted as an “entry point into the conservative movement.” Featured guest speakers at theYoung America’s Foundation National Conservative Student Conference included the likes of Robert Novak, Michelle Malkin with weeklong proceedings concluding with a super-de-duper Friday Night Special– a speech given by G. Gordon Liddy.

Those who planned and coordinated the function with discussion groups and panel topics such as “Liberal Bias in School Textbooks,” and “Standing Up to the Left in Hostile Places” got a big surprise when the architect of the “Contract With America” stood up to speak.

After what has been described as a benign beginning with a story about his visit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with his grandchildren, Gingrich began to explain how he’d developed some insight into the worth of “not thinking like a Republican.”

From that auspicious, or should we say suspicious, starting point good old Newt went on to speak on topics his audience we are certain found to be totally unexpected

Here are some reported quotes from Newt’s speech:

When refering to the Detroit, Michigan school system statisics which show a young black male is more likely to go to prison than graduate from high school Gingrich said:

“How can we tolerate systems more likely to send young Americans to prison than college? Republicans have this maniacally dumb idea of red versus blue. They say Detroit is a blue place, so we’re not going to go there.”

He’s another pearl of wisdom from Newt. This one without doubt flies in the face of our exalted leader George W. Bush and all his little neo-con toadies:

“Republican political doctrine has been a failure. Look at New Orleans. How can you say that was a success? Look at Baghdad … We’ve been in charge for six years and I don’t think you can look around and say that was a great success. ”

Is there anyone in the White House listening to this guy? He’s the king of understatment!

All we can say is, after speaking like that in public Mr. Gingrich you should probably hire someone to start your car for you.