24
Oct
Dr. Kamau Kambon recently spoke at Howard University and had this to say:
And then finally I want to say that we need one idea, and we’re not thinking about a solution to the problem. We’re thinking about all these other things, but we’re not dealing with a solution to the problem. And we have to start to think about a solution to the problem so that these young brothers and sisters who are here now, who are 15, 16 or 17, are not here 25 years later talking about these same problems
Now how do I know that the white people know that we are going to come up with a solution to the problem? I know it because they have retina scans, they have what they call racial profiling, DNA banks, and they€™re monitoring our people to try to prevent the one person from coming up with the one idea. And the one idea is, how we are going to exterminate white people because that in my estimation is the only conclusion I have come to. We have to exterminate white people off the face of the planet to solve this problem. Now I don€™t care whether you clap or not, but I€™m saying to you that we need to solve this problem because they are going to kill us. And I will leave on that. So we just have to just set up our own system and stop playing and get very serious and not be diverted from coming up with a solution to the problem and the problem on the planet is white people.
Last month it was the bizarre outburst by Kanye West. Not long before that it was a hate filled rant by Sister Souljah. Heck, even the Black Panthers are supposedly getting back together.
What’s the deal here? Exactly what IS the problem all these people are calling for violence to resolve? According to Kambon, it’s retina scanning. According to Kanye west, it’s because hurricanes hit where black people live. According to the Black Panthers, it’s because, get this:
We also recognized that we live in a country which has become one of the most repressive governments in the world; repressive in communities all over the world. We did not expect such a repressive government to stand idly by while the Black Panther Party went forward to the goal of serving the people. We expected repression.
That makes no sense to me either. They’re advertising their views for all the world, read their "repressive government", and no one cares. They are not being repressed in any way. Hurricances strike white people just as equally as black people. Retina scans don’t care if you’re black or white. White people that call for the extermination of black people are ostracized by white people. But, for inexplicable reasons, black people that call for the extermination of white people are given podiums to speak on, media outlets to spread their views, and, even more inexplicably to me, some white people will agree with them ( read Eminem. ) What part of Martin Luther King’s vision did they miss? How do they explain people like Condi Rice and Colin Powell? How do they explain the fact that the reason people like Sister Souljah can spend all her time preaching hate is because she made so much money selling music?
Here’s my take on things in 2005. Things aren’t any worse for black people in today’s society than white people. Sure, white people have the leg up because some of their families have family inheritances to pass on to their kids. But, that doesn’t prevent one single black person from succeeding if they choose to do so. The problem of the black community is not white people repressing them, it’s the Dr. Kambon’s, Kanye West’s, and Sister Souljah’s telling their people that they can not succeed because they are repressed. Those that are not motivated to succeed under the terms of our society will use them as their scapegoat and ignore the Bill Cosby’s, Oprah Winfreys, Condi Rice’s, Colin Powell’s, Tiger Woods’, and numerous other black people that have succeeded.
At this time in our society, I challenge Dr. Kambon to give me one concrete example of how black people are repressed by our government. I have already given him the leg up in that I have cited numerous people who have already proven him wrong. I will also challenge Dr. Kambon, Kanye West, and Sister Souljah to do their society some good and motivate people who look up to them to be the best they can be instead of blaming others for not succeeding, or even trying to. Life is never going to hand anyone everything they want just for being born. That is not evidence that you’ve been repressed. Trust me on this people, if you are the best you can be, no one will ever be able to repress you in the USA. That’s the message young black kids need to be hearing. Not one that represses them.
The word is out that Ben Bernanke is set to replace Alan Greenspan in January. So far, the only thing I’ve seen to any detail on Ben Bernanke is from redstate.org:
Ben Bernanke was an unsurprising choice by the President. Let’s take a look at the man who will replace The Economist. Mr. Bernanke is distinguished as a well regarded Professor at a top university (Princeton), a former Federal Reserve Governor, and most recently as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors for President George W. Bush……
Finally, it should be noted that Mr. Bernanke is eminently qualified for the position. This is a man who has worked in a myriad of high level academic and public policy positions, including as a Governor at the Federal Reserve Board. This is an appointment that should be confirmed easily and bipartisanly.
Congratulations, Mr. Bernanke.
redstate.org was one of the first to bemoan the choice of Harriet Miers. They seem more than happy with Bernanke. That’s a good sign. If you want to feel Bernanke out yourself, here’s some of his thoughts on the current state of the economy.
Some bytes:
Yet, in the face of all these shocks, together with new challenges such as the recent sharp rise in energy prices, the American economy has rebounded strongly. Policy actions taken by the President and the Congress were important in helping to get the economy back on track. Notably, beginning with the President€™s 2001 tax cuts, multiple rounds of tax relief increased disposable income for all taxpayers, supporting consumer confidence and spending while increasing incentives for work and entrepreneurship. Additional tax legislation passed in 2002 and 2003 provided incentives for businesses to expand their capital investments and reduced the cost of capital by lowering tax rates on dividends and capital gains.
Together with appropriate monetary policies, these policy actions helped spur economic growth in both the short-run and the long-run. Today the U.S. economy is in the midst of a strong and sustainable economic expansion. Over the past four quarters real GDP has grown at a 3.6 percent rate, and over the past eight quarters real growth has been at a 4.1 percent annual rate. Prior to Katrina, the near-term forecasts of both CEA and private-sector economists had called for continued solid growth. The destruction wrought by Katrina and Rita may reduce growth somewhat in the short run, but the longer-term growth trajectory remains in place.
Sounds like he’s going to support Bush’s economic policies. Regardless of the rhetoric, it’s obvious they have worked.
Finally, high energy prices notwithstanding, inflation remains well-controlled. Core inflation (as measured by the consumer price index excluding volatile food and energy prices) has averaged 2.1 percent over the past twelve months, and recent readings continue to be low. The favorable inflation environment is widely expected to persist. For example, expected inflation over the next ten years as inferred from inflation-indexed Treasury bonds stands at about 2.5 percent per year, down from earlier this year.
My main criticism of Greenspan has been his almost knee jerk reaction to inflation pressures. Although usually appropriate, they were often ill-timed in the face of other events. From the sounds of the previous quote, Bernanke feels inflation is not quite the all-important issue Greenspan did. We don’t need to raise the fed rate any more. My fear is Greenspan is doing now what he did in the late 90′s:
Things were looking too good to be true, and a lot of people knew it. When the bubble started to burst, Greenspan started hiking the fed rates. That turned the burst bubble into a flat-out recession. In the face of the recession, he lowered rates dramatically. What I want to see is someone who will look at the entire picture, not just the indices, and anticipate what extinuating events will do to the economy and how the fed should react in light of those events. In the article linked above, Bernanke goes into great detail the impact of Katrina and how it might affect the economy. I would think when considering fed rates, he’ll have Katrina or whatever might happen in the future, in mind.
From what I’ve read so far, I am very impressed with Bernanke. Bush might have nailed this one. Volokh seems fairly comfortable as well, pointing out the markets are up on the news. Two out of three ain’t bad.
22
Oct
A lot has been made of Tom Delay asking Judge Perkins to recuse himself from the trial. People opposed to this are already pointing out that the next judge up the ladder is Republican and has donated to the Republican Party.
The difference folks is obvious to me. The issue was Moveon, NOT Democrats. Moveon had attacked Delay directly by printing material proclaiming Delay’s guilt. The judge contributed to Moveon WHILE they were proclaiming Delay’s guilt. IF the next judge can show more evidence of impartiality IN DIRECT REGARDS TO DELAY than not, then they should be able to hear it.
All judges will be of some party. That’s never been an issue.
More blogs on Moveon.org, Tom Delay, Judge Perkins, Ronnie Earle.
20
Oct
Two things seem to be consistant in the last week or so. The Today Show makes the news out of screwing up. And, I’m citing Politicalteen once again. Here’s their beef:
Look close.
Need I say more?
Honestly, with their gaff on the canoe, I’m with Politicalteen. Someone in graphics got a good chuckle out of this.
20
Oct
Donald Rumsfeld is giving the President his daily briefing, and concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in an accident"
"Oh No", the President exclaims. "That’s terrible".
His staff sit there, stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President slumps, head in hands. Finally the President looks up and asks…
"How many is a Brazillion?"
20
Oct
Man, Able Danger is just NOT getting the headlines it should. This is getting good. Yesterday, Paul Weldon once again went off on people about Able Danger. As he should.
When Louis Freeh lambasted the Clinton Administration, I knew things were getting ready to get dicey. Unfortunately I don’t stay glued to tv, so I missed it. Here’s how I see things. The problem right now is the CIA/DIA was let pretty much off the hook by the 911 Commission. They put the biggest load of blame on the FBI. When Louis attacked the Clinton Administration, one line IMO set things in motion:
"I think we’re very interested in what the 9-11 Commission didn’t do with respect to Able Danger."
That line wouldn’t have been so important if it weren’t for the fact that bloggers are asking that very question all over the country. In fact, a few of them, like Michelle Malkin, are pretty popular, and haven’t dropped the ball. So, I’m sure the good people of the 911 Commission heard echoes when Freeh stated what a LARGE NUMBER of people have been stating for a long time.
Since Freeh’s tv appearance on October 9, 2005, the 911 Commission has returned to life on October 19, 2005, in the form of this statement:
The members of the Sept. 11 commission will sharply criticize the Bush administration and Congress this week in a new, privately financed report expected to single out the F.B.I. as having failed to act on many of the panel’s recommendations to protect the nation from terrorist attack, members of the bipartisan panel and its staff said.
A privately funded 911 Commission? Let’s look, shall we?
Who’s in charge of this "privately funded report"? The "911 Public Discourse Project" is:
Board of Directors
Thomas H. Kean
Lee H. Hamilton
Richard Ben-Veniste
Fred F. Fielding
Jamie S. Gorelick
Slade Gorton
Bob Kerrey
John F. Lehman
Timothy J. Roemer
James R. Thompson
Gorelick, where have I heard THAT name before? OK, let’s moveon(.org), the listed contributors are some pretty heavyweight organizations that defy any question of doubt. Except one. "The America Prepared Campaign" struck me as odd in that I’d never heard of it. It is apparently the brainchild of Steven Brill
The 911 Commission was bogus from the get-go by allowing Jamie Gorelick to be on it. Now, it’s obviously bought and paid for by the same people that have "criticized the Bush Administation" from the day he took office. The absolute parody of what the 911 Commission is would make a good movie in itself. We could call it "Fahrenheit 911 Commission: Shot Down in Flames". They are criticizing the FBI for ignoring information that could have saved us from 911 in the first place. They are criticizing Bush for ignoring information they are giving to the administration on how to prevent another attack. All of that based on ignoring information from Able Danger that not only do they refuse to listen to, but apparently are more than happy to sit by and allow the DIA and CIA to ruin the person outing Able Danger in the first place.
And, who used to be a prominent figure with the CIA and DIA both?
Jamie Gorelick, of course.
She worked closely with Sandy Bergler too.
Louis Freeh’s plugging his book, My FBI
More blogs on Able Danger, Jamie Gorelick, Rep. Curt Weldon, America Prepared Campaign, Steven Brill, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, CIA, DIA, Louis Freeh.
Here’s the headline from Reuters:
The so-called "capias" was a "purely procedural event" but would require DeLay to turn himself into authorities to be fingerprinted and photographed, Travis County Grand Jury Clerk Linda Estrada said.
Methinks Reuters has taken a side in this fight.
17
Oct
Now, I’m one of those people rooting for Condi to run. Either on her own, or as a partner with Jessica Simpson. However, I know how politics works. Condi may, she may not. Hillary may, she may not ( I’m betting may). Jessica may run, she may not ( it’s hers for the taking ). I’m not going to write a book about it for sure. Although some have:
Yeah, it’s THE Dick Morris of Clinton fame. He’s not really had anything nice to say for a long time. The cover of the book sort of gives me the impression he still doesn’t.
But, I am willing to go so far as to say if Condi runs, she’ll be a load to deal with. Hillary IS running. I still haven’t heard if Jessica’s running or not, she hasn’t returned my email. Yet.
I’m quickly becoming a big fan of PoliticalTeen. As they point out, Condi doesn’t sound too committed right now. ( Yeah, I believe THAT! ) Look at that smile, she knows she just killed Dick Morris’ sales. The price of the book on Amazon has already dropped from $25 to $17. She can always come up with a reason to run later.
14
Oct
Michael Fumento has written an article I think is a MUST READ!
The quips are great:
- In the wake of Hurricane Katrina two sports were all the rage in New Orleans. One was the blame game, attributing all local and state incompetence to the feds. The other was inventing and spreading stories of murder and mayhem — killings, rapes, firing at rescuers, bodies stacked like cordwood.
- Editor & Publisher headlined an article, "Mortuary Director Tells Local Paper 40,000 Could Be Lost in Hurricane," while the French paper Liberation ran a detailed report on 1,200 people drowning in a single school.
- CNN claimed snipers were taking potshots at helicopters trying to evacuate patients from hospitals, while separately CNN host Paula Zahn breathlessly spoke of "reports" of "bands of rapists, going block to block."
- To be fair and balanced, we note that Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera claimed from the scene that "Yesterday the sun set on a scene of terror, chaos, confusion, anarchy, violence, rapes, murders, dead babies, dead people."
- Oprah Winfrey‘s special report from New Orleanswas wall-to-wall hysteria. Mayor Ray Nagin told her "They havepeople standing out there, havebeen in that frickin’ Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people."
- Police Chief Eddie Compass (since resigned) added that "little babies [are] getting raped."
- Winfrey herself, knowing how trusting (or gullible) her audience is, told them that in the Superdome "gangs banded together and had more ammunition, at times, than the police."
It just gets better and better. He sums up everything I’ve wanted to say perfectly.
14
Oct
From my buds at Independent Sources orginally from Overlawyered:
A $50 million lawsuit is being filed against Hoboken and its police department by the parents of a 16-year-old boy who drowned in the Hudson River shortly after escaping from Hoboken Police Headquarters. On Oct. 5, 2004 Vincent "Woody" McConnell Jr. was arrested on an outstanding warrant and on being taken in asked if he could use the public rest room at the station house. According to police, he then unscrewed the security grate on the small window in the rest room and escaped; with cops in pursuit, he climbed a railing, "escaped from an officer holding his arm and jumped into the water," which has dangerous currents at that point in the river.
This is just stupid. Now, it’s sad that The McConnells have no more Woody to love and provide for. But, it’s not the fault of the Hoboken Police that:
- They never taught Woody to swim very well apparently.
- They never taught Woody not to jump into rivers since he can’t swim all that well apparently.
- They never resolved the OUTSTANDING WARRANT that put Woody in peril in the first place.
- They never taught Woody that if he was arrested, to COOPERATE with the police.
I see no fault with the Hoboken Police Department here. I see an overzealous lawyer in Robert Bianchi convincing the McConnells that Woody’s death was not their fault.
News flash for Bianchi and the McConnells. This kid obviously was not raised right and didn’t have a whole lot of sense. That’s not something you can sue over. If it were, the McConnells would have been guilty a year ago.
Parents, if your kid gets arrested, RESOLVE IT. Teach your kid to respect cops and cooperate if they get in trouble. It goes a long way to getting OUT of trouble a LOT moreso than trying to escape. And above all, teach your kids to swim.
Idiots. Robert Bianchi should be fined for filing a frivolous lawsuit. The McConnells should be looked at closely by the state to make sure they aren’t raising any more kids.
And I hope, if this does make it to trial, the jury sees things the same way most of the blogosphere seems to. For some reasons juries tend to exhibit stupidity in the safety of numbers. Let’s hope this isn’t one of those cases.
Thanks for heads up IS!
