President Obama Should Choose A Different VP

I have said it before I will say it again: President Obama should switch out Biden, and I know who for; ELIZABETH WARREN. I know people will say this is against all political wisdom to switch Vice Presidents for the second term of a presidency, we love Joe, etc.; but Biden can go the State Department. Obama should switch for a couple of reasons; first, if he does not switch out Biden he may not inspire enough people to get involved in this election. I believe the republicans will not be able to resist the temptation of putting a Latino on the ticket, (or possibly a Latina) --just as they could not resist putting up a female in 2008—this will lead to instability of the Latino vote. Republicans have been quietly passing voter restriction laws to suppress the vote, organizations are feeling anxious about voter registration drives --the only way to fight back is with massive registration and high voter turn-out. 

Democrats need a way to galvanize the base and encourage self–registration. The President needs to make up for his potential Latino loss by securing another demographic, I think the current “war on women” by Republicans is helping but it may not be enough, Warren just might be--she should be properly vetted of course.

Don't Tread On Me-I'm Standing My Ground

I get extremely upset when I hear people saying we don’t know what happened or who started the fight in Sanford, Florida between Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. The facts are played out in the 911 tape; Zimmerman had no right to pursue Martin. A man with a violent past walking around with a gun followed and antagonized a 17 year old who had every right to be where he was and was not engaged in any illegal activity. I submit he followed Trayvon Martin because of his skin color. Now we have Zimmerman using the media playing into the stereotype that all black men have to be violent criminals.  Now he is saying that Trayvon sucker punched him in the nose (from behind). According to Mr. Zimmerman, Trayvon came out nowhere knocked him to the ground straddled him and started pounding his head into the ground. It is so much easier for “white America” to believe that a “black” teenager is more violent than the grown white man stalking him with a gun.

Why would Trayvon Martin confront Zimmerman? If you check out where Mr. Zimmerman reported seeing Trayvon Martin, by the main entrance or by the club-house, and where Trayvon Martin was shot (100 yards from his front door) it is clear Trayvon was heading home. Why is there a question as to whether Trayvon tried to defend himself against an armed man that was trailing him, isn’t that what George Zimmerman claimed he was doing, defending himself? Of course Trayvon Martin only had skittles and an Ice Tea—yet he didn’t use the ice tea as a weapon. Where is the evidence that Zimmerman ever tried to return to his vehicle? Yet we should believe that Trayvon deviated from his intended route. Where is the evidence that Trayvon Martin ever initiated contact with George Zimmerman other than Zimmerman’s words? Why wasn’t Zimmerman processed; he was taken to the station, photographed, interviewed and recorded. I say that Zimmerman knew the law and was looking for an excuse to test it. What does the autopsy tell us about the shooting? Trayvon Martin was in the morgue for three days, I’m sure a thorough autopsy was done. What position was Martin’s body in when he was shot? What position was it in when the police arrived?

Limbaugh Represents A Particular Kind

There is a kind out there, they are an attractive kind, and many like or love them. It’s the people who listen to Rush, with whom his ranting resonates. They are the Rush kind. Know who else was silent during Limbaugh’s lambasting of Miss Fluke; Sarah Palin had nothing to say about the assault on Miss Fluke. It’s FoxNews, Hannity, Beck, O’Reilly, Joe Scarborough, and Hasselbeck---the hate machine kind. They are fired up against President Obama, and are going to come out to vote against him--I trust they have their state IDs.

The primaries are about finding the “right” person who most resembles Rush, the person who is willing to call President Obama, a “colored uppity negro” or particular slavery slang to his face. It’s about being ignorant, spewing hate speech and religious indignation. The President was accurate in his description when he said they “cling to their guns and religion”, and they will use their guns like with Gabrielle Giffords.

Where some see the bible as a “how to book” for living righteously, I think others might see a how to for “white male supremacy”. It feels like the residue of “white only” drinking fountains pressed forward with their “American Agenda” and by American-I mean “white Christian male”-- a world where the business class rules, and where women are whores, who should wash the feet of men.

Rush is only saying what they believe. When Limbaugh is sitting in his studio saying something crazy, I watch out for the person who agrees with him. They may or may not use the “language” of Limbaugh but you know they understand what Rush is saying. 

Oh Please George Clooney - I Am Not Impressed

If George Clooney wants to impress me he should bring attention to the poor neighborhoods in America and the injustice that is happening there on a daily basis...he doesn’t have to go all the way to Sudan to find children being abused by an unjust political and social system. 

Traveling to the Sudan is just a vacation for Clooney, getting arrested in Washington DC at the Sudanese Consulate is just publicity for his next movie. Why doesn’t he tour the streets of Harlem or the Bronx, New Orleans or Chicago, Los Angeles, West Virginia or Mississippi and bring attention to the lack of services, educational and cultural institutions, or hardware store and fresh food markets. Why doesn’t Clooney get arrested while walking these streets, I would be much more impressed.

Zimmerman Is Exercising His "White Privilege"

The media seems to be giving Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt, why? Because he is white. For someone who was supposed to be getting the crap beat out of him, Zimmerman seems to be walking with a purpose and does not look defeated in the video of him at police station. How do we know that Zimmerman didn't fall and hit his head, there is no proof that Treyvon ever hit Zimmerman we only have the killers word for it. Even though Treyvon is 17 years old and dead because he made the mistake of crossing Zimmerman's path he is still being portrayed as the aggressor, simply because he is "black".

What a complete DOUBLE STANDARD--It doesn't matter if Zimmerman has injuries, he FOLLOWED Treyon and initiated the fight--we have Treyvon's girlfriends account of what happened--we know Zimmerman never retreated he continued to STALK Treyvon--Treyvon had a right to defend himself--Zimmerman killed Treyvon for defending himself-TREYVON WAS STANDING HIS GROUND-Zimmerman SHOULD BE IN JAIL. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DELAY IS. I DON'T CARE IF ZIMMERMAN HAD A BROKEN JAW, NECK, ARM, LEG, --- HE STARTED IT, AND TREYVON IS DEAD--ZIMMERMAN NEEDS TO TELL HIS STORY TO A JURY!

Online There Are No Lines

It seems that online shopping is up and more and more people are making their purchases online.  I used to think I would never do that; I would never put my personal banking and credit information online.  I tried to resist as long as I could but going to stores made me more open to shopping online.  People shop online because they won't be hassled by sales people; like how they are always following you around the store or trying to get you to buy things you don't need by making small talk.  I particularly dislike shopping during the Christmas season—stores are usually crowded and sales people are trying to make their yearly quota on your holiday spirit.  I find when I go into a store I often walk out with things that were not on my list.  When online, my shopping stays focused on what I need and not the crap I think I need, and when I am done I just check out.  NO LINES!  I have less buyer’s remorse when I shop online.  Also if they give free shipping it’s almost the same as going to the store, the only downside, you have to wait a day or two or even a week to get your product—oh well.  Now I know some would say going to the stores keep people working, but couldn’t those people just be shifted to shipping clerks instead of check-out clerks?  I was in a store the other day and asked a clerk where was the hair products—they didn’t know, online I can just type “hair products” and I have a bunch of stores to choose or I can go to a particular store and do the same search and find the hair products.  It took me almost ten minutes to find the hair products because after he asked someone and they informed him where it was, he came back and told me “aisle five”—well the aisles were double aisles, so when you were standing in aisle four you were also standing in aisle fourteen and aisle five was tucked away around a solid wall in the store---online I would have found aisle five in three seconds, and I would have customer reviews—you don’t get customer reviews when you go to the store.  I have to admit I am still reluctant to buy clothing online, I guess it goes back to the old catalog days when if you ordered something, upon arrival it wasn’t anything like how it “looked” in the catalog.  There is something about touching the fabric of the clothing or trying on the shoes you are going to wear.  I think online shopping provides a certain level of control that is not available when you go into the store. 

Occupy Must Transform To Impact 2012 Election

OCCUPY MOVEMENT should change its name to the “99% MOVEMENT”. “The 99% Movement” sounds more inclusive; it broadens the pool of potential participants and makes it easier for those who are not comfortable with protest to join. “OCCUPY” has come to represent “showdown with police” and the message of the 99% is lost due to all the negative coverage of those trying to sleep in parks. This turns off a great deal of people who would like to get involved but don’t want the clash with the police. The sleeping over in parks should end. The “99% Movement” can conduct a huge VOTER INFORMATION CAMPAIGN to occupy the polls and vote on Election Day. Since many groups are feeling apprehensive about conducting voter registration drives the “99% Movement” can be a way for progressive organizations to come together under one umbrella and have “voter information drives” all over the country just handing out registration applications encouraging self-registration and helping people get the required identification to vote on election day. Not saying this will answer the question as to why Americans won't vote but just an idea.

Are Democrats Finally Getting It?

I think the Democrats are finally getting it, they are learning how to fight the Republican propaganda machine and the credit goes to Howard Dean and Barack Obama. I used to say the media didn’t give Howard Dean a chance, but the truth is Dean had a chance—he had primary night in Iowa, and even though he did not win he had the moment. The time to speak to the people and get them engaged in the movement, he had the attention of the country. Howard Dean didn’t understand third was okay if you offered something the people could grasp (just ask Hillary, John McCain or Santorum). Instead what we heard was the wild yelp--and the words that followed did not measure up to the moment so that scream became the representation of Dean’s campaign--Dean was just too emotional for the time. I think political junkies will agree that his true impact on the party is at the DNC, and the implementation of the 50 state strategy. Dean knew in order to expand the party Democrats had to stop ceding votes in the middle and southern states. 

Barack Obama understood the math. The impact is that everyone is now talking about the delegate math and even though it was there all along no one dared give us such a lesson. Obama did that, he trusted that we would understand and stick with him till the math played out, and we did.

Bill Cosby and The Blacks

I agree with everything Bill Cosby said but did he also call out the people peddling the "$500 sneakers". Also I would like to see people like Bill Cosby, Cornel West do more than just talk and ridicule where are the Bill Cosby Academy, why isn’t he putting together coalitions to provide the services he knows the communities lack. The problem I have is that while these people know these things are happening in the community, they have done nothing to counter it. As he pointed out the parents lack the knowledge to teach their children better.  I have seen this for myself, however. I would tell parents the same thing when they complained about school uniforms or buying supplies for their child yet the kid is wearing a $200 coat and $150 pair of sneakers, $80 hair styles, $100 jeans. My child throughout her entire school experience has never worn anything that cost more than $50--even her prom dress.  They wouldn’t spend the money to teach their children to swim, or send them to sleep/summer camp.  Many kids know the lyrics to the trashy songs on the radio but not how to read it if they saw it on paper, all this is true--but it is also true that the people who continue to make money off the community has shown no commitment when it comes to investing in the community. Why did Oprah build a school in Africa but none here in America--did Bill call her out on that?  Why did Magic Johnson build a movie theatre in Harlem and not a community center? Where are the modern day Booker T, or Malcolm or even the old Black Panther. Why is it that today’s successful black only try to find ways to make more money but not ways to educate and help lift up blacks the way other cultures do. I am all for calling everyone out....not just the poor and ignorant.

FORWARD

Anyone who thinks Barack Obama really wanted Specter to win, doesn't know Obama. Obama is a master politician, this is a victory for the Democrats and the white house. Specter is out-Sestak is viable, Blanche is being taught a lesson--and the White House is learning that it is okay to go ahead and take bold steps. To those who want to "take the country back"--we, the people want to move forward not back!

KISS MY SOUVENIR

Don’t you LOVE when you are going on vacation and someone says “bring me back something”?   Here is what I think when someone says that to me—you selfish MotherF*%#@R!   Being the person I am I do not want to just bring you back a keychain or a fridge magnet, and would you really appreciate that?  I doubt you are looking for the next shot glass for your extensive and might I add “that’s so 90s” collection.  So what you are asking is that I take time that cost me a vacation day, airline ticket, and/or hotel reservations, time I am supposed to be RELAXING to look for the perfect gift that symbolizes “my” vacation--just for you.  Well I have the answer for that, “how much are you looking to spend?”  That will be the price of the souvenir and a contingency fee for my time; contingency is based upon the total cost of my trip minus the time I spend searching for your trinket at which point I will not be VACATIONING but operating as your personal fucking shopper.  I only take cash and I expect payment in advance!  In other words--take your own vacation, and buy your own crap!

The Ghost Of Lincoln In Obama's Presidency

All the gun talk has brought one thing to mind, The Presidents safety.  Call me an Obamabot, whatever you like, but Barack Hussein Obama our 44th President is a brilliant man who is trying to do Good.  I don’t want anything to happen to him.  Lincoln is his role model for the presidency and I think I know why.  Lincoln preserved the 

Union despite the civil war; he had to deal with an internal military conflict.  Lincoln "freed" slaves and Obama's presidency is a result of that action, Lincoln might not have wanted to free the slaves but he knew he had to do it in order to keep the country together. I am sure Obama has had to do some things and make some compromises he may not have wanted to.  Let’s not fool ourselves the elements that wanted to continue the oppression of slavery are still out there, we call them racists and they expect the president to preserve institutionalized discrimination.  That is what Obama knew he would have to confront—those people; tea baggers, right wing nuts, and the people who pull their strings!  Also, Lincoln was assassinated and I think the President knows it’s a real possibility he is a “black” man leading a “white” nation.  Gun purchases have skyrocketed since his election, and nuts are already showing up to his events with weapons, (the media just brushed that off).  Tensions have heightened in the country; I almost feel like we’re in a civil war.  Now The President wants to try and curb gun ownership, I hope the Secret Service is going to triple security around the entire First Family and the Vice Presidents Family.

I Think We Need Term Limits

I agree with the Tea Party on one thing, some people in congress have been there too long, entrenched there. I’m glad they are leaving or gone, Dodd, Arlen Specter, Lieberman, Snowe, -- good riddance. I want more to leave: Rangel, Boehner, McConnell, Ron Paul, Bill Young, Conyers, McCain, etc. I hope we have a complete turn over in the next few election cycles. 

I don’t want Joe Biden to run in four years and hope he just ends his career at Vice Pres, if he and the president are re-elected. Joe has been in Washington DC since he was 29 and in four years he would have been there 45 years, he is a relic. I would go so far as saying that Obama should move Biden to the State Department, and take this opportunity to choose a different VP. I know many would say that replacing him would symbolize weakness, I disagree, I think if anyone can do it and get away with it--Obama can.

Americans might have elected Bill Clinton for a third time, but they couldn’t, he could have been president during 911. If there was the possibility of eight more years of George W. Bush during the 2004 election would he have won? We have another president that is young enough to serve a third term and cannot. The presidential term feels too short. I don’t think the founding fathers wanted anything limited or they would have written it in the original articles, but I don’t think they would mind. We are not coming of age, we have a documented past and it does appear if you are in DC too long, you might not be able to help becoming part of the gridlock. Thank goodness the founding fathers left a constitution that can be modified.

Israel Does Not Have The Right To Strike Iran

I understand the fear the Israeli live with, because as an African born in Jamaica and living in America, I live among what used to be the enemy. The so called white race, and even though "whites" continue to have all the advantages in American society and hence the world, I try to have faith that they are not going to thrust Africans or people of color back into bondage. And so I try my best to be the example of how I want to be portrayed. Of course Israel has a right to exist and be a secure place, but there comes a time when we must compromise and we have to trust each other. I believe the source of the animosity is the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians; we have to be honest with ourselves about that. If we solve that problem, we may have peace. I think Israel should allow President Obama to negotiate with the Palestinians and Arab states on their behalf and Israel should go back to the pre-67 borders and Israel should never try to expand beyond those borders.  Jerusalem is another issue, it can be split in half but if the Israelis don’t agree with that it should go to the Palestinians, they are the ones being imposed upon. In return the security of Israel is guaranteed and there will be no aggression against the Israeli people, to do so would bring the full wrath of the US. This should happen immediately---the US/UN will man the border for a period of time allowing both countries to organize themselves without interference. I think no one is seeing the others side, neither Palestine or Israel existed pre-1948, and now they both want to exist--there must be compromise.  The threat of preemptive war must be off the table--in order to achieve peace for we must be examples of peace. With all the years of Israel bombing and killing and assassinating-(the eye for eye theory) has it brought peace. Now Israel is saying the only way to achieve peace is annihilation of the other side, isn’t that what Hitler was saying. I don't believe in that, I believe we can co-exist peacefully even among those who may have done wrong in the past, we must--I do it every day.

My Opinion On Breitbart

I didnt know Breitbart on a personal level, I can only go by his public works, and it was horrendous. I think it is crazy that when people die we disregard what they did on earth and say "I feel bad for his family, so sad he died". Did we feel bad when Osama Bin Laden was killed? He had a family, but his works was so destructive it made his death a celebratory event. That's how I feel about Breitbart. I would think that when I die my deeds is what I will be judged by, not by the fact that I am dead-we all die.   It's what we do when we are alive that matters, it's what you do when you are alive that determines how I feel about your death.