DarkStar Spouts Off

Tim Wise: New Orleans vs. Iowa

Tim Wise

A Flood of Bigotry

In hard-hit Linn County Iowa, 2400 households receive cash public assistance, out of 85,000 total households, meaning that 2.8 percent of all households in the County receive cash welfare. In New Orleans, prior to Katrina, and contrary to popular belief, only 2.6 percent of households received cash welfare (4600 households out of 180,000). So in truth, a slightly higher percentage of Linn Countians were on the dole than New Orleanians. In Black Hawk County (also hard hit by the recent deluge), 2.5 percent of all households receive cash assistance: again, suggesting no real difference between the mostly white and rural folks there, and the mostly black and urban folks in Orleans Parish at the time of Katrina.

And it should be noted, the average amount of welfare received in the Iowa counties was higher than that for recipients in New Orleans. So whereas the average annual amount of cash assistance received in New Orleans prior to Katrina was only $2800, in Linn County it's $3200 and in Black Hawk County, the average amount received is over $4600. Bottom line: those supposedly harder-working, more self-reliant white folks in the heartland are just as likely to receive public assistance as black folks in New Orleans, and when they do, they actually get more than the latter in raw dollar terms.

As with cash, food stamp participation is roughly the same in the hard hit Iowa counties as in New Orleans before Katrina. In 2004, about 11 percent of New Orleans households received food stamps, as did 8 percent of Linn County households and 10 percent of Black Hawk County households in 2006.

In addition to traditional government assistance, let it also be remembered that Iowans are quite dependent on another form of public handout: agricultural subsidies. Indeed, Iowa - that place of hard working, self-reliant folks who are now being contrasted with the supposedly government-dependent laggards in New Orleans - receives the second highest amount of agricultural crop subsidies of any state in the country, according to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group. From 1995-2006, Iowa farmers raked in $16 billion in subsidies, with 7 in 10 farmers in the state receiving some form of subsidy from the federal government. Even those small family farmers at the bottom of the subsidy pile, who receive far less than the large corporate giants who take a disproportionate amount of the loot, still received a little more than $2000 per household: not much less than the amount received in cash welfare by those in New Orleans, prior to Katrina, who received such assistance.

To put the amounts received from government in perspective, in Black Hawk County, farmers get about $15 million in crop subsidies, while in Linn County the annual take is about $17 million. In New Orleans, prior to Katrina, residents there were receiving about $13 million per year in cash assistance under the program for dependent children and their mothers. So putting aside the cash welfare received by Iowans, which as noted above was actually more, per household, than that received by New Orleanians, crop subsidies indicate that Iowans were and are more government dependent than the residents of New Orleans, no matter what the racist and classist perceptions of the general public may be.

More at the link provided.

Free Moment For Quick Brain Pellets

Supreme Court 2nd Amendment Ruling - I like the ruling, especially them striking down the requirement for trigger locks. I think trigger locks on guns in a home with children make sense and I think keeping guns loaded with kids around is foolish. But don't mandate, as does Maryland, that if the gun doesn't have integrated trigger locks, they can't be sold. The next stage of the fight will be to define what are "good gun regulations."

And I still wonder how Black people can be against gun ownership when many Blacks live in neighborhoods where police response is DOCUMENTED to be slower than in other areas.

Mugabe - Gangsta. Straight. Gangsta.

Bush Tax Cuts - Why should I be for the repeal, or should I say, supportive of letting the tax cuts sunset when, as the head of a family which a child, the tax cuts get to "allow" me to keep more of my money?

Mortgage Issues - I say again, let the people who got mortgage loans they couldn't afford in the long run, sink or swim. The current relief plans being discussed bail out the companies who made the loans based on bad business decisions, and puts the bad debt on the backs of U.S. taxpayers. There is no incentive to force change on the people getting the loans nor those making the loans. If big daddy government is going to bail out these businesses, what is going to stop them from doing it again? (Isn't that the same rationale used against welfare?)

Corn - From Cobb's post, I responded with this:

There is a documentary about 2 people who farm 1 acre of corn and follow the corn path through the markets that is eye opening. Everything stated here and more.

I've stopped drinking soda because of the movie. That movie did it. I don't each much beef anyway. But all of the food allergies people are developing is really starting to become an issue to look at for me.

Dirty Jobs - Dirty Jobs is one of the best shows on television. Cable television really is challenging, and many times surpassing, traditional broadcast shows. Mike Rowe is off but has to be one of the best overall in shape persons on television.

Politics and the Presidential Race - I'm going to do a series of posts about political things/ideas/theories that interest me and how they will affect how I vote and who I vote against, more so than who I vote for. I'll end it by stating who will not get my vote and who will, by default, get my vote. I think it's going to be interesting.

Blogger's Round Table -- I return on Monday.

Passing Gas, I

I hate to be the one who farts in a crowed, hot, and poorly vented room, but has anyone else noticed how hard Obama is flip flopping? He and McCain are acting like live fish on land.

"Too Black"

For years there has been, for lack of a better word, debate within the Black community concerning "what it means to be Black" or if a person is "Black enough." That concept, "Black enough," has been rightly criticized by some within the Black community. But why is the idea of whites thinking a Black person is "too Black" not something that should be criticized?

This opinion article, "Color Test Where Whites Draw The Line", I think, puts it all out there. I've heard this said and written about before, and on conservative talk radio, I've heard the comment defended. I think it's a comment that can't be honestly defended.

How black is too black?

Millions of African-Americans celebrated Barack Obama’s historic victory, seeing in it a reflection — sudden and shocking — of their own expanded horizons. But whether Mr. Obama captures the White House in November will depend on how he is seen by white Americans. Indeed, some people argue that one of the reasons Mr. Obama was able to defeat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was that a large number of white voters saw him as “postracial.”

In other words, Mr. Obama was black, but not too black.

But where is the line? Does it change over time? And if it is definable, then how black can Mr. Obama be before he alienates white voters? Or, to pose the question more cynically, how black do the Republicans have to make him to win?

If the last quoted paragraph, the paragraph emphasized, does not make it plain, I don't know what does. This is also something I pointed out here when Michael Steele said, if he faced Mfume in the general election, he would use Mfume's association with the NAACP to say to white voters Steele speaks for all people not some people.

Check this out:

Mr. Buchanan said Mr. Obama’s monolithic support among blacks was likely to stoke such white animosity.

“There’s a sense among some folks that if African-Americans are voting 90 percent for ‘one of us;’ then you’re going to vote for ‘one of us,’ ” he said. When Norm Kagan, a white 62-year-old supporter of Mrs. Clinton’s, was asked in St. Paul, Minn., if white voters in the state would support a black man, he immediately raised the specter of crime, as if the mere mention of blacks brought it to mind. “We’ve all had our problems,” he said. “Every now and then someone gets mugged or robbed. The most economically challenged — which are mostly black — are most often the criminals and not to be trusted.”

Isn't it interesting that conservatives, who claim to be for the individual and say they judge the individual on individual merits, regularly bring up certain group statistics about Blacks to castigate the entire race? Do those same people mention that most Blacks are not involved in crime?

Individuality?

A Note On Race And Political Parties

This is a note to all about race and political parties.

It is true:

• The Democratic party was the party that supported slavery.
• A founding principal of the Republican party was abolition of slavery.
• The Democratic party was the party that fought to maintain white supremacy after Reconstruction.
• Many southern Democrats fought civil rights legislation.
• Republicans were vital to the passing of civil rights legislation.
• Democrats were vital to the passing of civil rights legislation.
• At one time the majority of Blacks were Republicans.

However, all of that is in the past forms of the Democratic and Republican parties. That is not the present makeup of both parties. I'm not saying the Republican party would support slavery today, however, the Southern Strategy, as Michael Steele has stated, was real and it was wrong. Today, I contend the Republican party, largely, actively avoids going after the Black vote. This is not the Republican party of years gone by. Nor is the segregationist roots of the Democratic party the Democratic party of today.

Today, the Democratic party is Barack Obama's party. By winning the Democratic presidential nomination, he is the effective leader of the party.

My fellow Republicans, no matter what, at this point, it cannot be said the Democratic party is the party of racists. They have shed that past, Sen. Robert Bryd not withstanding.

Burning Down The House!!!!

It's Obvious

It's obvious that the leaders of Trinity church don't give a damn about the ramifications of their politics. And, I suppose, that is how it really should be for a church.

Wait. That doesn't make sense. When I've heard pastors speak about faith and politics, they've always said that a person's faith should guide their world view which, in turn, impacts their political beliefs. So, then I have to say that a church, or rather the church leaders, should give a damn about the ramifications of their politics.

So, are the leaders of Trinity trying to undermine Obama or are they saying, "This is what we believe and if it hurts him, so be it!"

Even though I have to admit that I think the current outrage is overblown considering that many talking heads have said that Hillary felt entitled to the Democrat nomination and that the upstart Black man, Obama, has upset her world.

Obama-tics

The DNC decided to give the delegates from Florida and Michigan half of their vote. From a quick viewing of the meeting, I saw that it was quite rambunctious.

WASHINGTON — To jeers and boos that showcased deep party divisions, Democratic party officials approved a deal Saturday to seat delegates from the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries with half a vote each, dealing a blow to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The deal, reached behind closed doors and voted on publicly in a raucous meeting of the Democratic National Committee’s rules panel, would give Mrs. Clinton a net gain of 24 delegates over Senator Barack Obama — but fell far short of her hopes of winning the full votes of both delegations.

The decision left Mrs. Clinton lagging behind Mr. Obama in delegates in the final weekend of campaigning before the last of the nominating contests — Puerto Rico on Sunday and Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday — are held.

Under the compromise, Mrs. Clinton, who won the Michigan and Florida contests that were held in defiance of party rules, picked up 19 delegates in Florida and 5 delegates in Michigan.

The deep wounds among Democratic partisans — and the unification challenges awaiting the party — were laid bare when the committee voted on Saturday evening. Supporters of Mrs. Clinton jeered the decision, loudly booing and hissing the members of the group as their faces were shown on a large screen in the room.

One woman, wearing a blue “Team Hillary” shirt, shoved a man in a suit and tie wearing a small Obama button on his lapel. Another woman in a white Clinton shirt hung her head in her hands.

“That was a crime!” a man shouted. “McCain in ’08! McCain in ’08!” a woman yelled from the back of the room. “No-bama! No-bama!”

The question is, will Clinton supporters fall in line like the Republicans seem to be falling in line behind McCain, or will the Clinton supporters support McCain, or write in Hillary?

And then the news came that Obama quit his church.

Senator Barack Obama is ending his membership at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, a congregation he has belonged to for about two decades and one that had become a lightning rod in his Democratic presidential bid.

Mr. Obama informed his campaign advisers of his decision today, according to people familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the candidate. Mr. Obama is scheduled to explain his decision tonight in South Dakota.

Sorry, Barry, but it's too late for this.

On Dropped Ten Cent Coins

This isn't really ready to go out, but I'm putting it out because I have no idea how busy I will continue to be.

The media circus over McClellan's book is interesting. My most serious comment about this is, did the president and his administration lie about the real reason for going to war in Iraq? If the "misled" the public as McClellan alleges, how do you sleep at night knowing men and women are dying under false pretenses?

As I have written before, I think the Bush administration has done a poor job of explaining to the American people why we are fighting. There have been numerous reasons given as well as direct conflicts in statements given by Bush and Cheney.

Liberal Press

Isn't it interesting that McClellan is saying the "liberal press" went along with the call for war? I find it interesting because "the left" has said newspapers like The Washington Post beat the drums for war while "the right" has said newspapers like The Washington Post were anti-war.

Isn't it interesting that McClellan is saying the "liberal press" didn't do enough to investigate statements made by the Bush administration? Going by those comments, that means the "liberal press" essentially was pro war. Meanwhile, the Bush administration and it's "right media" surrogates went to war against the "liberal press" to keep Americans supporting the war.

Conservative Media

A long time conservative host who has an afternoon show on WBAL, Ron Smith, has said his opposition to the war, even when he provided other conservatives who questioned the war, cost him listeners. Yesterday, he said his ratings indicate he lost 30% of his listeners. He thanked the radio station for keeping him around. I wondered why the radio station started advertising his show so heavily in other media sources.

Scarves And Flags

OK, I'm late to this party, but I have to comment about the scarf, Michelle Malkin, and sensitivity. First, I'm going to provide the first money quote:

So it was with some dismay that I learned last week that Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman Rachael Ray, the ubiquitous TV hostess, posed for one of the company's ads in what appeared to be a black-and-white keffiyeh.

The emphasis is mine. Then she follows up with:

The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not so ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons.

She launches an attack on Dunkin Doughnuts, based on what appeared to be a black-and-white keffiyeh!

She later writes:

It's refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists. Too many of them bend over backward in the direction of anti-American political correctness. Naturally, liberal commentators on the Internet are now up in arms over Dunkin' Donuts' decision to yank the ad and mock anyone who expresses concern over the keffiyeh's symbolism.

Oh, THAT ONE is going to come back to bite her. But before I go there, I have to say that this scarf design, and I'm calling it a scarf, has been worn by older women in my family for years. Now we recognize clothing that fanatics who want to kill people and blow things up wear and the clothing is off limits? What about pants? I'm in a wedding this summer and the men are going to wear tuxedos with bow ties. So, are bow ties off limits because of the Nation of Islam? Are bald heads off limits because of skin heads?

Here is the flag part of things.

When Blacks have complained the Confederate Flag represents TERRORISM of Blacks and it shouldn't be displayed, where was Michelle Malkin? From what I can see, she has been mostly quiet on the issue.

Well, in going after the Black Family Reunion, Malkin wrote:

But why is it racist when white Southerners gather to celebrate their history and tradition, and not when black Northerners gather for the same purpose? Why is it promoting "bigotry," as The Washington Post editorialized, when South Carolinians rally around a Confederate flag, but promoting "diversity" when black activists in the nation's capital rally around a multicultural flag?

She mentioned nothing of the terrorism which occurred when the Confederate flag was flying, did she?

Spouting Off On: Operation Chaos And Race

I registered as a Republican, previously being non-aligned, because I wanted to vote against Rudy Ghouliani.
Early primary races were in states where people could vote in the primary based on what they declared themselves to be on primary day. Some Republican pundits complained their options were being decided by liberal Republicans and Democrats and they are likely right. So, when Rush Limbaugh started Operation Chaos, I thought it was interesting it had not been done in an "organized" way before. Basically, he formalized what people were doing on an individual level.

The media has been ignoring the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of Operation Chaos. I tend to think it has been effective and as such, it's throwing off the statistics concerning whites who vote or do not vote for Obama. If Republicans, mostly white, are voting in the Democratic primaries, and they are voting for Clinton, and they are being polled, then how good are the polls?

The mainstream media is willfully blind and race baiting all over the place. The conservative media loves this because it weakens the Democrats and allows them to say the real racists are the Democrats not the Republicans. And if they help the mainstream media poison the racial atmosphere, who cares?

Of course, I think all this is doing is really exposing what the true feelings on SOME aspects of race are.

Wednesday Political Brain Pellets

Wednesday political brain pellets:

• I wrote about this a few days ago:
  

  And Ferraro, a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter who sparked a brouhaha earlier this year over whether she made a racially dismissive remark about Barack Obama, apparently is no longer a reliable Democratic vote.

  Ferraro, in the NYT story, terms Obama "terribly sexist." And, as a result, she says she may not be able to cast her ballot for him if, as anticipated, he gains the Democratic presidential nod.

  I wrote then that I thought she did this with Clinton's blessing. I think the audio of this interview of Clinton supports my thought.
• Now, Clinton drops this bomb:
  

  But while Obama trekked through central Florida, Clinton was 200 miles to the south, at the epicenter of the bitter recount battle that ended the 2000 election, summoning memories of the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision as she argued for full representation for delegate slates from Florida and Michigan at the Democratic convention.
  
  Florida voters "learned the hard way what happens when your votes aren't counted and the candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner," she told a crowd in Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, a key site in the recount fight between Al Gore and George Bush that ended with a Supreme Court decision halting the recount.

  This is close to dropping the nuclear bomb, but not quite. For Democrats worried that Clinton, Inc. will do anything to win even if it destroys your party, here is your confirmation. Black Democrats who support Obama, you are about to get hosed.
• From what I can tell, the same conservative Republicans who were so vocal in opposition to John McCain are now lining up behind John McCain. If this holds out to be true, they lose all credibility in saying Blacks blindly vote for Democrats. The only way for you to save face is to vote for Barr, the Libertarian candidate. Yes, I find it amusing.
• Republicans joined Democrats in overriding the veto of the pork filled farm bill. Isn't this another reason to vote for Barr?
• Video below the fold

Hey Sweetie

Do you think this isn't endorsed by Clinton, Inc?

And Ferraro, a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter who sparked a brouhaha earlier this year over whether she made a racially dismissive remark about Barack Obama, apparently is no longer a reliable Democratic vote.

Ferraro, in the NYT story, terms Obama "terribly sexist." And, as a result, she says she may not be able to cast her ballot for him if, as anticipated, he gains the Democratic presidential nod.

This Was My Concern About Voting ID

This was my major concern about mandating voter identification, and that was the type of identification that would be required to prove who you are. The hospital that held my birth certificate burned down. It took about a year to get an official birth certificate for me. For years, I used my baptismal certificate as a substitute for my birth certificate. Now I have the certificate and a passport, which I plan on always keeping up to date. When my cousin tried to get her mother's, my great aunt's, birth certificate, there was confusion concerning her date of birth. My aunt wasn't sure and the census records had different dates of birth for her. (She was born in the south and our family tree researchers saw this first hand as well as different spellings of the same person's name).

The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.

The measure would allow far more rigorous demands than the voter ID requirement recently upheld by the Supreme Court, in which voters had to prove their identity with a government-issued card.

Sponsors of the amendment — which requires the approval of voters to go into effect, possibly in an August referendum — say it is part of an effort to prevent illegal immigrants from affecting the political process. Critics say the measure could lead to the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of legal residents who would find it difficult to prove their citizenship.

Voting experts say the Missouri amendment represents the next logical step for those who have supported stronger voter ID requirements and the next battleground in how elections are conducted. Similar measures requiring proof of citizenship are being considered in at least 19 state legislatures. Bills in Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina have strong support. But only in Missouri does the requirement have a chance of taking effect before the presidential election.

There should be a grandfather clause for this. I don't know what the range should be, but I bet most native born Americans couldn't prove their citizenship status.

Hat tip: P6

"Blacks Are Racists!"?

I know the title seems strange. "Blacks are racists!"? But I think after this post, you will understand why I titled it the way I did.

On local greater Baltimore area conservative radio talk shows, the talking heads are pointing out that Obama is getting 90% of the Black vote and "no one is discussing it." When that was being said I had to scratch my head in wonder how that could be when ALL of the media has been pointing this voting pattern out.

Now, the progression of mentioning this voting pattern is going to, "If whites voted like this, they would be called racists! So, Blacks are racists!" One national example is Rush Limbaugh. Here is a part of a comment Limbaugh made on May 8, 2008:

But has anybody noticed that Obama is getting 90% of the black vote?  And nobody thinks that's racist.  Nobody sees any problem. In fact, the Drive-Bys and the Democrats say, "Why, that's cool! Why, that's absolutely wonderful: 90% of the black vote voting for the black guy." If 90% of white people voted for the white candidate, we would never hear the end from these same people about how racist it is.  If 90% of the white vote in the Democrat primaries were going for Hillary, folks, we would have an even greater Uncivil War going on.  In the meantime, Mrs. Clinton went ahead and got in on this.  Last night, USA Today's Kathy Kiely interviewed Senator Clinton and asked this question.  "How does Hillary Clinton win the nomination?"

His comments, like the comments by others, are disingenuous. The comments are insipid. But I'm going to respond anyway.

When Al Sharpton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination and only won one majority Black voting district, were Black Democrat voters racist for voting against Sharpton and for the white candidates?

Egg Heads And N*****s

We cannot win with egg heads and African-Americans

[PAUL] BEGALA: We cannot win with egg heads.

Let me finish my point.

We cannot win with egg heads and African-Americans. OK, that is the
Dukakis Coalition, which carried ten states and gave us four years of
the first George Bush.

President Clinton — reached across to get a whole lot of
Republicans and Independents to come. I think Senator Obama and Senator
Clinton both have that capacity. They both have a unique ability –
well it’s not unique if they both have it. They both have a remarkable
ability to reach out to those working-class white folks and Latinos.
Senator Clinton has proven it; Barack has not yet, but he can. And I
certainly hope he is not shutting the door on expanding the party.

BROWN: OK. Let — egg heads and African-Americans? That’s the new
coalition?

[DONNA] BRAZILE: First of all, Paul, you didn’t hear me right. Maybe I
should come and cook you something because you’ve got a little hearing
problem.

I was one of the first Democrats who were going to the white
working-class neighborhoods, encouraging white Democrats not to forget
their roots. I have drank more beers with “Joe Six Pack,” “Jane Six
Pack” and everybody else than most white Democrats that you’re talking
about.

In terms of Hispanics, you know Paul, I know the math. I know
Colorado; I know Nevada; I know New Mexico. So that’s not the issue.
I’m saying that we need to not divide and polarize the Democratic Party
as if the Democratic Party will rely simply on white, blue collar male–
you insult every black blue collar Democrat by saying that.

So stop the divisions. Stop trying to split us into these groups,
Paul, because you and I know both know we have been in more campaigns.
We know how Democrats win and to simply suggest that Hillary’s coalition
is better than Obama’s, Obama’s is better than Hillary’s — no. We have
a big party, Paul.

BEGALA: That’s right.

BRAZILE: Just don’t divide me and tell me I cannot stand in
Hillary’s camp because I’m black, and I can’t stand in Obama’s camp
because I’m female. Because I’m both.

BEGALA: That’s — Donna –

BRAZILE: And I’m wealthy so I might go with McCain and sit with
Bill Bennett, Paul.

BENNETT: That’s funny.

BRAZILE: Don’t start with me, baby.

No further comment needed.

My Bad

Obama beat Clinton in N. Carolina. So far, I'm not seeing a call in Illinois.

I Have Another Question

On Sunday's 60 Minutes, they had a segment concerning men in Dallas County, Texas who were wrongfully convicted of crimes, with the prosecutors office actually withholding evidence of innocence of those who were on trial. The segment was moving and VERY disturbing.

But what is more disturbing is how all of the people who, rightly, shouted from the rooftops about Nifong trying to railroad the Duke lacrosse players, NONE OF THEM have said squat about this.

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

Again, why haven't they said a word? And why is it that when I was searching for comments about this, it seems to be the "left leaning" blogs commenting on it the most? At least, they are first in the Google results.

Should I even ask how many people were executed who were not guilty of the crime they committed?

Spouting Off On: "The Black Church"

The Black church isn't defined by Jeremiah Wright. No, the Black church is NOT Jeremiah Wright. That's what I want to say. I've been in many Black churches and I've never been in a church where a pastor has said the things that is being mostly looped and played as Wright's only pulpit statements.

Today I felt compelled to call into a radio show to strongly disagree with the guest who was saying Wright's comments are something that are regularly said from the pulpits of most Black churches across the country. NO! That's just not true. I was compelled to call in because I've heard enough false comments made about Black churches and I've had my fill of it.

I've written before that the idea that most Black churches have Democrats come into their churches and making comments from the pulpits on Sunday's close to elections isn't true. Yes, they do go into selected churches, but those churches are the overwhelming MINORITY of churches. From my experiences, I guess that politicians show up in less than 5% of Black churches. When I've challenged people, AND PUNDITS WITH A WRITTEN AUDIENCE to prove me wrong, I've always been met by silence. I ask them to find out how many Black churches are in a major city and then find out how many of those churches have politicians show up. But to date, no one has taken up that offer.

Wright saying that criticism of him is criticizing the Black church, SHOULD provoke the media to examine "what the Black church" is, but they won't do that because it destroys the model they rely on during the election cycle and the "demonstration" cycle. This goes for the mainstream and conservative media.

And, so far, I haven't heard the mainstream or conservative media mention why Sunday is the most segregated day in America. Rev. Fred Price addressed it and people like Jesse Lee Peterson went after him for speaking the truth. Why does the AME church exist? Why did the Southern Baptist Convention make a resolution on racial conciliation? And why does Bishop Harry Jackson and other preachers have to develop something called the reconciliation referendum?

How many other people are asking the questions I'm asking?

Old Guard vs. New School

This dust up between Wright and Obama is a dust up caused by politics, media, and the ongoing battle between the Black old guard and the Black new school.  (I was going to write old school vs. new school but I think old guard is appropriate because, in my opinion, the old guard is now guarding against the new school taking over).

Thew new school understood and understands that Black politicians cannot rely on just Black voters or just speak to Black voters. Even if their constituency is primarily Black, they know that they can't limit themselves to just Black people. "It's a new day" is the correct term to use and the new school realizes this. That doesn't stop the new school from recognizing racism when it is there, but the focus isn't on that because the main battles have been won. This is exactly what Obama was saying when he mentioned that Wright is the older generation who is viewing things from a different perspective because of what he, Wright, as experienced in his life time.

However, even if that were all that there is to it, this mess would still be a big as it is because this is politics and Obama had previously tied himself to Wright. That makes Wright's comments, out of context or not -- and I agree that many are out of context from what I've been able to hear -- fair game in the war of politics.

Let's be clear about this, Obama lied when he said he didn't know about the comments Wright made. Obama, himself, has backtracked on that so I think lie is the appropriate word to use. Obama tried to have it both ways, he needed to placate Blacks who think politics at this level is just about "being Black", you know, those who asked if Obama was "Black enough". He also needed to placate whites who may have wondered if he was just another "Black politician." His campaign is about showing that he's different and is about change. Remember, "change" was the hot campaign word for a moment. Well, change requires toning down the old guard rhetoric and talking about commonality.

But the old guard still has power and still is capable of flexing. Wright showed finesse when he was interviewed on Moyer's show. Then, he even had some white people wondering if the clips of Wright was fair. I think that's why O'Reily had a fit over the interview because Moyer showed something that wasn't being showed. But when Wright went to the press club, it was old school on display. It was joning on display. It was in your face "Black nationalistic politics" in your face. It was Black Liberation Theology right there in the open, delivered in the charismatic Black preacher style and those who have never seen it, can't deal with it.

Let me be blunt. The mainstream and conservative media wanted to see a contrite, soft speaking Black man, apologize but instead they got the "bad Negro" all up in the place! Actually, what was on display was a man who is sure about what he said, standing tall and defending what he said and what he believes.

Correlation Or Causation?

OK, is this an example of correlation or causation?

Okla. unemployment rate bucks national trend

Oklahoma's unemployment rate has bucked national trends and declined over the last year, but economists say the positive jobs figures have more to do with the booming energy industry than a new anti-illegal-immigration law that has led some Hispanic workers to leave the state.

Oklahoma's unemployment rate dropped more than 1 percent since March 2007, to 3.1 percent in March 2008, giving Oklahoma the fourth lowest rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

While some speculate the trend may be tied to a bill passed last year targeting illegal immigrants, economists say it's more a result of Oklahoma's bustling oil and gas industry, high commodity prices and the state's insulation from the national housing crisis.

"Oklahoma is enjoying a fairly prosperous time given the state of the national economy, with everything going on in the mortgage market and sub-prime area," said Steven Agee, an economics professor at Oklahoma City University. "We haven't experienced that big real estate bubble like other states ... so our housing market has not suffered by comparison."

Oklahoma's most robust job growth from March 2007 to March 2008 came in the sectors of educational and health services (6,800 jobs) and natural resources and mining (5,700), according to statistics from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

Here is a different view:

Unemployment rates are rising across the United States, except Oklahoma. That state is experiencing the most dramatic reduction in unemployment since 2007, an improvement many in Oklahoma attribute to the passage last year by the state legislature of a strong employment-focused immigration reform law.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported unemployment in Oklahoma had fallen to 3.1 percent in March, down from 4 percent in March last year, while unemployment nationwide was 5.1 percent, up from 4.4 percent in March last year.

"Oklahoma is no longer 'OK' for illegal aliens," said State Rep. Randy Terrill, who sponsored House Bill 1804 which passed by overwhelming majorities last year in both the House (84-14) and Senate (41-6) of the Oklahoma Legislature.

"The bottom line is illegal aliens will not come here if there are no jobs waiting for them," Terrill said. "They will not stay here if there is no government subsidy, and they certainly won't stay here if they know that if they ever encounter our state and local law enforcement officers, they will be physically detained until they are deported."

I don't know the answer, but I suspect causation. Remember what what happened after the ICE raids on the Swift meat processing plant. The company raised wages and put out employment ads. People lined up to put in an application to "do the work that Americans won't do."

Top House Democrat denounces Clinton campaign tactics

Top House Democrat denounces Clinton campaign tactics

WASHINGTON - “Scurrilous” and “disingenuous” were among the words a top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives used on Thursday to describe Hillary Clinton’s campaign tactics in her bid to defeat Barack Obama for their party’s presidential nomination.

House Democratic Whip James Clyburn, of South Carolina and the highest ranking black in Congress, also said he has heard speculation that Clinton is staying in the race only to try to derail Obama and pave the way for her to make another White House run in 2012.

“I heard something, the first time yesterday (in South Carolina), and I heard it on the (House) floor today, which is telling me there are African Americans who have reached the decision that the Clintons know that she can’t win this. But they’re hell-bound to make it impossible for Obama to win” in November, Clyburn told Reuters in an interview.

Deep.

Philly

I was in Philly this weekend and I got a chance to see a few of the Obama campaign ads as well as the Clinton campaign ads.

Obama's ads were "inspiring" and positive. Clinton's ads were really negative and low.

Straight up, she is setting the stage for further destruction of the Democratic party if she is not the nominee. She is seriously putting forth a script to destroy Obama and it will be used by the Republicans if he gets the nomination.

Obama's Room Mates

This is under the politics category, but it really doesn't fit there.

Michelle Obama's Roomie

She walked into the historic Nassau Inn that evening and delivered the news to her mother, Alice Brown. "I was horrified," recalled Brown, who had driven her daughter up from New Orleans. Brown stormed down to the campus housing office and demanded Donnelly be moved to another room.

The reason: One of her roommates was black.

"I told them we weren't used to living with black people — Catherine is from the South," Brown said. "They probably thought I was crazy."

Today both Donnelly, an Atlanta attorney, and Brown, a retired schoolteacher living in the North Carolina mountains, look back at that time with regret. Like many Americans, they've built new perceptions of race on top of a foundation cracked by prejudices past — and present. Yet they rarely speak of the subject.

Barack Obama's run for president changed that. When the Democratic senator from Illinois invited more dialogue on race last month, Donnelly and Brown, both lifetime Republicans, were ready.

But their willingness to talk isn't a response to the candidate born to a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya. It's more about Obama's wife, Michelle.

She's that roommate from a quarter century ago.

...

Other than confirming that Donnelly was her freshman roommate, Michelle Obama declined, through a campaign spokeswoman, to comment for this story. Her senior thesis, however, delved into the experience of black alumni at Princeton and provides some insight into her mind-set at the time.

In the introduction, Obama wrote that Princeton made her more aware of her "Blackness" than ever before. "No matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong," she wrote. "Regardless of the circumstances under which I interact with Whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be Black first and a student second."

Read the rest at the link provided.

Now, will this make it into the narrative about Michelle Obama's life a Princeton?

Comments R Me: Elite This

I commented at Cobb:

OK, and exactly why is he wrong?

You mean to tell me people in small towns who have lost companies, aren't a bit mad? Or those who see their towns change because of perceived illegal immigration, aren't they a bit mad?

Talking heads from the right consistently state "fly over salt of the earth people" are mad about certain things. So, what's the beef?

OH, it was a Democrat.

Never. Mind. Silly me. I'm still THINKING while other people are still knee jerking.

I commented at Cobb, again:

So, when folks in small town PA say PA is REALLY everything EXCEPT Philly and Pittsburg, that's not a put down?

How about when small town folks say city folks aren't real America?

Or when conservative talking snots say "real America" is "flyover country" not the left and right coasts?

At Booker Rising:

Name one person who proclaims themselves to be Born Again, who DOESN'T cling to religion.