We're Back

President Obama addressed a crowd in Detroit Yesterday. I don't have to tell you how glad I was to hear him say these things.

Me And The Damn Oscars!

I would have posted this yesterday...but I felt as though I had to write about the war on women..... But I want to take the time to say congratulations to the beautiful Octavia Spencer for her best supporting actress win at the Oscars...

I call them the Oscars now...but there was a time when I hated the Oscars and reffered to them as the "Damn Oscars" for years...Let me explain...When I was born in 1958...Only one African-American had ever won an Oscar...

That would be Hattie McDaniel for "Gone With the Wind."..She too played a maid and she won in 1939, a good 19 or 20 years before I was born.  I read about her and how despite winning that Oscar, she wasn't allowed to go to the Oscar party ,because the club IN LOS ANGELAS no doubt...didn't serve Black people.  Well I was furious.....

I was a baby when Sidney Poitier won the Best Actor award for "Lillies in the Field." I wasn't even aware that he had won the award until I was a grown man.... But what I do remember is that Diana Ross was nominated for "Lady Sings the Blues " in 1972, Dianne Carroll was nominated for "Claudine" in 1973 and I think Cicely Tyson was nominated for Sounder  around that time and none of them won...and from that time on...I hated the Oscars and wouldn't watch them...They were "The Damn Oscars " to me.....

Although I did watch them in 1974 when that guy ran across the stage naked while David Niven was presenting an award...Classic non-scripted TV moment....

I was 25 years old the next time an African American won the Oscar...That would be Louis Gossett Jr. for an Officer and a Gentleman...and I leaped for joy when he won and declared that by the time the next Black person won..I'd probably be in a nursing home and wouldn't be aware of it anyway...

It's so nice to be wrong...Within a few years...Denzel Washington, Whoopie Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jamie Fox, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington again!!!, Jennifer Hudson, Monique, Forrest Whitaker and Herman Cain (For pretending to be a presidential candidate...Great acting.)all won Oscars...

Okay...I was kidding about Herman Cain....but I was just happy that during my lifetime...Oscar finally got it right and became simply the Oscars again..and not "The Damn Oscars" anymore!

Back Up Off a Woman's Uterus!

What is with these Republicans , Conservatives ,Tea Party candidates and what not and their sudden interest in birth control, women's right to choose, abortion and other issues of this sort?

My first answer is the most obvious...It's a diversionary tactic...At a time when we should be focusing on the economy...They really don't have an answer to those problems...So what do they do?  What they always do..They bring up a talking point that has nothing to do with the problem at hand... One year it was Affirmative Action...Another year it was illegal immigration...Then they bring out Gay marriage, their favorite...and now Abortion and reproductive rights!!

Why is this still an issue? Isn't Abortion already legal??  Why does this always come up? Why has it continuously come up ever so often?  And why are the only people discussing this are men over 50?  Hmmmmmm!

With the GOP Presidential primary candidates, this current reproductive rights flap started with Planned Parenthood, took a turn to a woman’s right to choose and now has gone full circle with their unanimous opposition to contraception whether its through the candidates goofy statements or the stand up comedy of their ancient surrogates, one of whom advises women to keep their legs together by pressing an aspirin between their knees. WOW! No doubt about it. It’s the boy’s War On Women.

So ladies, gear up for a 1950’s redux…18 years of chasing 10 kids around the house while Big Daddy flees the scene for the comfort of his workplace or the strip club like they do on the TV show "Mad Men"

Just so there is no misunderstanding here. Pregnancy is a hard row to hoe, but women are of such courage and love, that, in the end, it’s all more than worth it for a beautiful baby girl or baby boy. But should the life-altering circumstance of pregnancy be a constant in the life of a woman who may not want 10 kids; who may only want two children, or maybe none?

Here’s a wonderful solution that wise pundits have offered up for decades to educate men about the dynamics of women’s reproductive choices. Let the man have the baby. Then revisit all of the idiocy they so steadfastly defend. Yeah...I'm sure that if Rick Santorrum delivered ONE child...He'd think again about his idiotic statements of recent.

Physiologically though, it will never be possible for a male to deliver a baby, but in the alternative, let’s gauge how much pain a women goes through in a delivery and develop a procedure to replicate that pain for men. Maybe modern medicine could duplicate the birth experience for men with the passing of a kidney stone in combination with threading a pencil through the urethra. Now, we’re getting somewhere. And let’s do it every year or so for 7 or 8 years or more. For a really authentic male reality show, add 9 months of nausea and other annoying, painful and sometimes life-threatening side effects such as hemorrhaging and preeclampsia, plus excessive weight gain in some cases. Even after the baby is born and taken home there remains the possibility of postpartum depression and problems reversing that weight gain.

That’s what Republican Presidential Primary candidate, Rick Santorum wants women to do. Not just his wife, but all women. Because Rick of course knows best and his faith informs all of his secular reproductive decisions no matter that 99% of women have used contraceptives at some point in their lives.

Apparently, depending on his mood, Mitt Romney agrees with Rick Santorum on reproductive issues. On other occasions he shows a glimmer of common sense and respect for women.

We already know that Newt Gingrich sees women solely as objects d’sex so he has nothing to offer on the subject.Nothing. As for  Batshit crazyRon Paul, you may add his hatred of the federal government to death and taxes as the only things certain in life. Ron Paul would hand all contraception decisions over to the states, overriding the definitive 1965 Supreme Court ruling on the issue, Griswold v. Connecticut. The court ruled the state’s ban on contraceptives to be an unconstitutional infringement on the right to marital privacy. In large measure the same right of privacy that locks Roe v. Wade into place, along with a half-dozen other constitutional guarantees.

I can’t imagine how four men (over 50) can be so highly educated and experienced in life and still be so insensitive to the issues of true importance to women. I would counsel political caution. Simply put, there are more of them (women) than there are of you GUYS  (men). The latest census counted 157 million ladies as compared to 153 million men in the United States.

There are also a higher percentage of women in college; 55% of students are women. Individual women are giving birth to about a third fewer babies than 35 years ago, the rate declining from 3.1 to 1.9. What should be most worrisome to politicians of all stripes is the fact that in the last presidential election, more women voted (66%) than men (62%).

So the numbers for the eventual Republican presidential nominee are getting increasingly unfriendlier. Minorities won’t vote Republican. Those poor people who manage to escape Republican attempts to keep them from the polls won’t vote Republican; Independents and the middle-class are likely to give President Obama the edge and now with the emerging Republican War on Women, the group that really matters is running, not walking, to the Obama side of the equation.

Wise choice. Like I said...With these clowns running for office...President Obama might not even have to campaign...

So Republicans....Back up off a woman's uterus!

Keith's Music Spotlight

Here is another purveyor of true R&B or Soul Music.  The singer Tank...So glad he and Jaheim and  Anthony Hamilton are keeping the true tradition of good soulful singing going strong!

Saturday 7 -(7 Pearls of Wisdom)

1. Make peace with your past so it doesn’t spoil your present.

2. What others think of you is none of your business.

3. Time heals almost everything, give the time, some time.

4. No one is a reason of your happiness except yourself.

5. Don’t compare your life with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

6. Stop thinking too much, it’s alright not to know all the answers.

7. Smile, you don't own all the problems in the world !

Peace!

Weekend Humor

Once upon a time there lived a king.
The king had a beautiful daughter, The PRINCESS..


But there was a problem. Everything the princess touched would melt.
No matter what;

Metal,
Wood,
Stone,
Anything she touched would melt.

Because of this, men were afraid of her. Nobody would dare marry her.

The king despaired. What could he do to help his daughter?

He consulted his wizards and magicians. One wizard told the king,
''If your daughter touches one thing that does not melt in her hands,
she will be cured.''

The king was overjoyed and came up with a plan.

The next day, he held a competition. Any man that could bring his daughter
an object that would not melt would marry her and inherit the king's wealth...

THREE YOUNG PRINCES TOOK UP THE CHALLENGE.

The first brought a sword of the finest steel.

But alas, when the princess touched it, it melted.
The prince went away sadly ..

The second prince brought diamonds.

He thought diamonds are the hardest substance in the world and would not melt. But alas, once the princess touched them, they melted.

He too was sent away disappointed.

The third prince approached. He told the princess,
''Put your hand in my pocket and feel what is in there baby.''

The princess did as she was told, though she turned red .

"Oh My Goddd!" she gasped!


She felt something hard. She held it in her hand!!!!!
And it did not melt!!!

The king was overjoyed. Everybody in the kingdom was overjoyed.

And the third prince married the princess and they both lived happily ever after.

Question: What was in the prince's pants?

WHAT DID YOU THINK I WAS TALKING ABOUT?

Not The Girl Scouts?

Once Again...I can not make this stuff up....The idiot of the week award goes to Bob Morris, an Indiana state lawmaker who decided not to support a proposal to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the girl scouts because he believes they are a "radicalized organization that supports homosexuality and abortion". SMFH, who is electing these idiots into office?

The Girl Scouts??? REALLY??? The Girl Scouts??? Are you serious man??? Is this guy trying to top Rick Santorrum as the biggest dunderhead of the year??? Oh my God...The only people worse than people like Santorrum and Morris are the people who keep electing these people...but now I've repeated myself...

The nerve of this guy...attacking the Girl Scouts...as good as their cookies are? Have you had the thin mints?

Awww Come On Stop it!

It seems like the right wing nut faction will stop at nothing to insure that President Obama only has one term. Oh well, this is not the first time dirty tricks have been used to steal an election...Remember Election 2000, Florida?????

In Minnesota..more high jinks were in action just last week-The liberal group TakeAction Minnesota has charged a conservative organization with using racist imagery to promote a proposed voter-ID law.

The site, WeWantVoterID.com, was created by the conservative group Minnesota Majority. It shows an African-American man dressed in prison garb and a man dressed in a mariachi costume standing alongside fictional characters. All of the characters are lined up waiting to vote, and the online banner reads, "Voter Fraud: Watch How Easy It Is to Cheat in Minnesota's Elections..


On the Website- Raw Story, they reported: These images are racial profiling of voters at its ugliest, designed to drive fear and racial division throughout Minnesota in order to help pass a photo ID amendment at the legislature and on the fall ballot,” Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota. “They’re wrong and they should be removed from public view immediately.”

Minneosta State Rep. Rena Moran (D) also condemned the image at the press conference.

Republicans across the country have pushed for stricter voting regulations, such as voter ID laws, to protect against alleged voter fraud. More than 30 states have changed voter laws since 2008, including requiring voter identification cards, eliminating same-day registration on voting day, prohibiting ex-felons from ballot access, restricting early voting and requiring proof of citizenship.

How many people can actually prove their citizenship at any given moment? I can't...I don't carry my birth certficate around with me..and I doubt that many other people do either.This is crazy...beyond crazy.

Democrats and others argue that voter ID laws are unnecessary due to a lack of evidence of any organized voter fraud scheme. They say it unfairly targets low-income, elderly, disabled, and minority voters, who are less likely to have a photo ID. Those groups also tend to support Democrats over Republicans.

“The people of Minnesota are wise to these old smear tactics,” Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the fact that their arguments against Voter ID lack any merit when they resort to mud slinging with the old race card. Ad hominem attacks are a sure sign of losing an argument.”


This is a classic case of right wing conservative crazies using fear-based politics and racial stereotypes to win at the polls. Big Ups and Kudos for the members of TakeAction Minnesota for calling these fools on their antics.

We have got to stay vigilant and abreast of these activities...It's bad enough that not enough people vote...but these folks on the right want to take away the rights of those who do vote!!!  This has got to stop...It's morally wrong, it's un-American and it's illegal!

Another public service announcement from the Maverick of all Bloggers!

The Cold 6000

It's Tuesday....I hope you've enjoyed my weekend humor and my music spotlights....It's time to talk serious again...Did you hear that 6000 African Americans have sued the state of Iowa for job descrimination?  Hell,I didn't know that 6000 African-Americans lived in the sate of Iowa...I'm serious!


In a case closely watched by civil rights activists, an Iowa judge will soon decide whether to grant thousands of black employees and job applicants monetary damages for hiring practices used by Iowa state government that they say have disadvantaged them.

Experts say the case is the largest class-action lawsuit of its kind against an entire state government's civil service system, and tests a legal theory that social science and statistics alone can prove widespread discrimination.

The plaintiffs — up to 6,000 African-Americans passed over for state jobs and promotions dating back to 2003 — do not say they faced overt racism or discriminatory hiring tests in Iowa, a state that is 91 percent white. Instead, their lawyers argue that managers subconsciously favored whites across state government, leaving blacks at a disadvantage in decisions over who got interviewed, hired and promoted.

Judge Robert Blink's decision, expected in coming weeks, could award damages and mandate changes in state personnel policies or dismiss a case that represents a growing front of discrimination litigation.

"Whenever there is a case like this that goes to trial, it's of interest to all of us," said Jocelyn Larkin, executive director of the Impact Fund, a Berkeley, Calif.-based nonprofit that supports employment discrimination lawsuits and has followed the case.

Similar cases against local governments have failed because proving broad bias is extraordinarily difficult, with a myriad of possible factors to explain disparities, said David Friedland, a California human resources consultant who is an expert on discrimination in hiring. Success in Iowa could encourage similar lawsuits elsewhere, he said.

University of Washington psychology professor Anthony Greenwald, an expert on implicit bias who testified on behalf of the plaintiffs, said the decision will be important nationally because similar cases against corporations have usually been dismissed or settled before trial.

Scholars and employment lawyers have shown a growing interest in implicit bias in the last several years, after Greenwald and other scientists developed the Implicit Association Test to test racial stereotypes. Their research found an inherent preference for whites over blacks — in up to 80 percent of test-takers and among many people who do not consider themselves racist.

The theory hit a legal obstacle last year when the U.S. Supreme Court disqualified a class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart's pay and promotion practices for women. The court found the class was too broad and failed to challenge a specific hiring practice as discriminatory.

Lawyers defending the state have cited that decision in asking Blink to dismiss the case. But the high court's decision did not specifically reject the theory of implicit bias, and dissenting Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that such claims can be allowed.

Class attorney Thomas Newkirk said the science and other evidence that shows disadvantaged groups such as blacks face employment discrimination in subtle ways "is becoming overwhelming."

"Clearly, the problem is not in Iowa alone, but we believe Iowa is the exactly the right place to ask society to take control of this important issue fairly for all races, and to seek a better future for all as a result," said Newkirk, who was recently honored by the Des Moines chapter of the NAACP for his work on the case.


During a monthlong trial last fall, experts called by the plaintiffs' lawyers testified that blacks are hired at lower rates than whites with similar qualifications and receive less favorable evaluations and lower starting salaries. An employment consultant hired by the administration of Gov. Tom Vilsack, who served from 1999 to 2007, warned of hiring disparities between whites and minorities in a report issued after he left office. Larkin called that report a strong "and pretty unusual piece of evidence" proving the state was aware of problems.

Vilsack's successor, Democratic Gov. Chet Culver, responded by issuing an executive order requiring agencies to improve the diversity of the workforce. State officials called that evidence of progress, but class lawyers argued it turned out to be ineffective because rules meant to prevent bias still were not followed.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstrad said last fall his administration had ensured agencies were following uniform rules to stop any abuse — but a top state employment official testified days later he'd seen no substantive changes to hiring practices in years. Blacks represented 2.9 percent of the state's population in 2010 and 2.4 percent of the state workforce.

Among those who joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff was Charles Zanders, of Urbandale, who was passed over for an interview for a position with the Iowa Communications Network in 2008 despite having worked 29 years in the telecommunications industry.

"I was very angry at that time and felt like I'd been stepped on," Zanders, 60, said.

In a brief submitted in December, plaintiffs' lawyers sought lost wages of about $67 million minus what they earned in the meantime. But in court documents, Newkirk said it was even more important that Blink order changes in the way state officials train managers, screen candidates and track disparities in hiring.

Lawyers working for Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, argued that the plaintiffs failed to show bias across state government.

"The record simply does not support Plaintiffs' charge that some monolithic, immutable force of bias infected the decisions made by every department, at every step, for every job, for every year of the class period," they wrote in a final brief last month.

You have to remember after reading all of this, that this is the same state where Rick Santorum said in a speech that he did not care about enriching Black peoples lives with the "money of other people"...Those other people being white of course.  While he didn't actually say that..He didn't have to...It was implied..Wink, Wink...and he won the primary as we now see...

So in the same sense...I'm not saying that this is overt racism...I'm merely implying that it is...wink...wink!

5 ScientificTruths About Love

Thought I would start the week off with something light...and I couldn't write anything lighter or breezier than this...(Slow News Day,plus I know that everybody else will be talking about Whitney's funeral or the meaning of life or something on that note...which is cool...but you know me..always have to be a little different and in this case...extra.

1.Love is a drug- Brain scans of those in love look quite a bit like those of an addict after he gets his fix. Love and drug addiction share many similarities. But when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Only love has the power to change our focus, our attention, our habits and our behavior in the same ways as cocaine. Why wouldn't they utilize the same parts of our brain?

2.Your Hormones really aren't in control- No, for real, despite what you might think...Hormones make, as one researcher put it, "suggestions," when it comes to love and sex. But, ultimately, our brains have the power to override those suggestions and leave us the power to choose what we do.But of course....We don't and if you want to use that excuse...you can...Just don't tell anyone you read otherwise in this blog...lol

3.Love is actually all in your mind...Huh? Any doubts there?? Helen Fisher, a researcher says that there are three systems for love in the brain: one for sex, one for romantic love and one for attachment. She says that these systems work together but can just as easily work against one another, resulting in all the triumphs and defeats we talk about when we talk about love.

4.Your Body Odor is actually what might attract your partner to you! - Before you laugh or click to some other blog in revulsion...Hear me out...According to several studies..(No, I don't do em!)women rate body odor smells as more attractive when they come from a man who is optimally suited, based on this genetic background, to give her the healthiest offspring..Yeah,I know ..that sounds crazy doesn't it? It still isn't an excuse not to bath on a regular basis and change your underwear.

5. Give your partner what He/She needs- A No brainer...They say you can't always get what you want, but research shows that the happiest couples stay that way by giving their partners what they need. Charles Snowdon, a primate researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, noticed there was quite a bit of variation in primate couples - -- some who were "loved up on each other" and others who seemed to barely tolerate one another. The "loved up" couples had higher amounts of a chemical called oxytocin (often called the cuddle chemical) than the others.

Keith's Music Spotlight

I'm really digging this song...It's definitely at the top of my playlist!

Keith's Music Spotlight

So nice to see that these two young ladies have grown and matured and are still singing...

Weekend Humor

Mr. Smith wanted to become a teacher in the worst way, but the only job he could find was as an instructor at an all female college teaching sex education. His wife was a very jealous woman so Mr. Smith decided he would tell his wife that he would be teaching sailing at this college so that she would not get angry.

He was very happy and for months all was well. As fate would have it, one day in the grocery store check out lane, Mrs. Smith overheard a group of girls standing in line behind her talking about college and their instructor Mr. Smith.

The girls went on and on about how great this Mr. Smith was at teaching their class. The cashier handed Mrs. Smith her change and said, "Have a great day Mrs. Smith, and thank you, again."

One of the girls in line heard the cashier, and asked Mrs. Smith if she was related to the Mr. Smith that was teaching at the college. Mrs. Smith replied, "Yes, he is my husband."

Well that set off a torrent of accolades about how knowledgeable Mr. Smith was about the subject matter he was teaching, about how he got the whole class to discuss their fears about learning the subject. Well Mrs. Smith was taken back by what she heard from these girls and replied, "I don't know how you find him to be so gifted at teaching you this course. You know he only tried it twice in his life. The first time he tried it, he got sick, and the second time, his hat blew off and he just quit."

Have a Great Weekend Everybody!

Lowering Flags For Whitney!

Remember where you read this first, but for once I agree with New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie...Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday strongly defended his decision to have flags lowered to half-staff on Saturday for Whitney Houston, saying he rejects criticism that she "forfeited the good things that she did" because of her struggles with substance abuse.


"What I would say to everybody is there but for the grace of God go I," he said. The Republican governor said his office has been receiving emails and other messages disparaging Whitney Houston and attacking his decision to have flags flown at half-staff at state government buildings Saturday, the day of her funeral in the Newark church where she sang in the choir as a child.
Twitter was abuzz Wednesday with reaction to the decision by Christie, whose home is in Mendham, a wealthy town where Whitney Houston also had lived.

In online postings, there were two main arguments against the honor for the "I Will Always Love You" singer, who died over the weekend in California at age 48: One was that it should be reserved for members of the military, first responders and elected officials. The other was that it's wrong to honor a drug addict.( It's wrong to be a self righteous, holier than thou idiot also, to those who wrote in disparging Ms. Houston.)

Heather Clause, a Richmond, Va.-based blogger who writes about teen moms and was tweeting critical comments, said in a telephone interview that she was appalled by the planned flag-lowering.

"It's just such a bad example for people," she said.

Heather Clause, 23, said the decision was like saying if someone sings well, drug use doesn't matter and "you can still be an idol." At 23 Heather Clause has a lot to learn about life and even more to learn about redemption and forgiveness..

Rebecca Eppelmann, a newspaper copy editor in upstate New York, also tweeted her disgust at the Houston honor, then discussed her views.

"It should be for major events," she said. "It's horrible that she passed away. It's not something that should warrant this."

The governor said he was not saying that Houston, who was born in Newark and was raised in nearby East Orange, is a role model. Instead, he said, Houston deserves the honor because of her huge cultural impact and as "a daughter of New Jersey."

"I am disturbed by people who believe that because her ultimate demise — and we don't know what is the cause of her death yet — but because of her history of substance abuse that somehow she's forfeited the good things that she did in her life," said the governor during a briefing in northern New Jersey. "I just reject that on a human level."

The cause of Whitney Houston's death at a Beverly Hills hotel has not been determined, and the results of toxicology tests are pending. Investigators found several bottles of prescription medication in the hotel room where she died Saturday, but authorities said they weren't an unusually large number. (You should see the amount of prescription drugs on my night stand!)

Governor Christie said some people were being critical "without the facts," accusing him of treating Whitney Houston better than fallen soldiers.

The New Jersey Governor noted he has ordered flags flown at half-staff for all 31 fallen New Jersey soldiers and every fallen police officer during his time in office.

He also ordered flags lowered last year for Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

In Newark, residents were irritated to hear of criticism of the governor's decision to honor Whitney Houston, who acknowledged her drug abuse in interviews.

Resident Anna Simpson was out Wednesday at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston's funeral will be held, to pay her respects on her way home from her airport job.

"She never forgot where she came from,"Ms. Simpson said. "She was real. We would see her and be like, '`She's one of ours,'' and she always made us proud, no matter what happened."

After Whitney Houston became famous she continued to make regular trips to the public school she attended in East Orange and to which her family has directed donations be sent in lieu of flowers.

Anna Simpson said she admires Governor Christie for honoring Whitney Houston because "if it were Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi, nobody would bat an eye."

"I don't agree with a lot of things that he does, but I admire him for that," she said. "Whoever don't agree, they will get over it."

I concur...Even Republicans can sometimes have a heart.

Bluntly Speaking ,This is Wrong!

The Radical right wing is at it again. Once again they are trying to take something President Obama proposed and turn it into something it is not and also to take us back to 1950's America.

The radically broad Blunt Amendment would roll back access to birth control. But that's not all. Coverage for maternity care, testing for HIV, mental health services, screening for cervical cancer — any or all of these services could be denied to people if this dangerous measure were to become the law of the land.

The Blunt Amendment is just the first of what is expected to be many similar attacks. We have to recognize these attacks for what they are — blatant attempts to redefine religious liberty as the ability to impose one's religious beliefs and convictions on other people.

Congress should stand up for women and reject right-wing efforts to use religion to discriminate and deny millions of women urgently needed access to birth control.

The Blunt Amendment would allow any employer--even someone who runs a manufacturing plant or restaurant--to refuse to cover any health care service it objects to, that would otherwise be required by health care reform. Same goes for an insurance company, which could refuse to include these services in the products it sells to its clients. This amendment would not just roll back access to birth control; it would also undermine one of the Affordable Care Act's most fundamental purposes: ensuring that all health insurance plans cover basic health services.

This amendment would let businesses use religion to discriminate and deny millions of women and families access to comprehensive health care.

Where is the Christian Left? They are always talking about the religious and Christian Right? Surely those like myself, who are Christians and who don't think this is right should stand up,make their voices heard and reject this! I'm more than just saying.

Another Brilliant Decision!

My Governor, Tom Corbett has proposed a budget in which several of the state's colleges and universities will have their budgets and funding cut...This means that they will have to raise tuition and it will be difficult for a lot of people , especially African American and Latino families to send their children to college.

It will be rough on Asians and Whites too....Everybody!   I guess Governor Corbet doesn't realize that education creates people that can be gainfully employed and that can pay taxes and that won't go to jail, because they'll be too busy working. Governor Corbet doesn't realize that these educated people , who will be working and paying taxes will decrease the welfare lines and who knows , might spawn someone who might actually do something innovative for the state...for the nation...

But he doesn't realize that!   He's brilliant isn't he?   He and fat boy  over in New Jersey....I didn't vote for him. I voted for his opponent...It's not on my hands...Did you vote?  If you didn't...Then this and other brilliant acts by this man and people like him...Is on YOUR hands!

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston - 
August 9th 1963-February 11,2012

Wow...Etta James, Don Corneilius and now Whitney!!! It pains me to have to write these things...It really does...We are just losing all of the great voices and icons of the music world.  In my own selfish way...maybe yours too...I somehow counted on people like Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Gerald Levert, Barry White ,Rick James, Teena Marie..et al always being around...to make great music and give my life some meaning.....But like me....They are just human and as I see...they all have an appointed time to come here and an appointed time to die.....Just as I do.

We all are guilty of laughing at a lot of Whitney's troubles during her last years.....The drug addiction, the train wreck of a marriage to singer Bobby Brown, the divorce, the reality show, et al.... But you know, beneath it all, I was rooting for Whitney....I wanted her to be great again and above the fray....I never thought that she didn't have time....

Perhaps that's the problem with all of us....We always think that we have time....We never realize how short that time may be.  Look at me....Just ramblimg here.....I am still shocked and in a state of unbeleif (is that a word?) that she's gone......... I leave you here with a beautiful song she sung once...Not a hit, just an album cut...that I choose to always remember her by.

Weekend Humor

Nuff Said!  You get it! 


Have a great weekend everybody!

Keith's Favorite Quotes

"If you're not careful...the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."- Malcolm X


Sound Familliar?????

Party Over?

Since I'm on the subject of the Tea Party..Seems like for them, the party may be over..and this from one of their own members....

The party that supposedly changed the tide of the 2010 congressional races is reportedly on its last legs, according to the Daily Beast.

Many expected the Tea Party to have a major role in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries. But surprisingly (only to their supporters,however few that may be.), the movement has played a minimal part in affecting the direction of these primaries, and Tea Party leader Chris Littleton believes the movement may have been taken off the respirator in the past few months.

"The Tea Party movement is dead. It's gone," says Chris Littleton, co-founder of the Ohio Liberty Council, a statewide coalition of Tea Party groups in Ohio. "I think largely the Tea Party is irrelevant in the primaries. They aren't passionate about any of the candidates, and if they are passionate, they're for Ron Paul." Crazy ass Ron Paul...This says a whole lot.

In a race that is turning out to be Mitt Romney's race to lose, the Tea Party seems to hold little sway, unable to rally around one candidate and with no central leadership figure. Affecting congressional races is one thing; affecting a presidential race is another matter altogether.

So once again in the words of Dandy Don Meredith -"Turn the lights out....The Party's over!

The Tea Party Still Doesn't Get it!

This ad aired during the superbowl...It's an ad for Republican Pete Hoekstra who is running for the State Senate in Michigan...Once again...The tea Party is employing race baiting as a tactic..

Pete Hoekstra's campaign aired an ad on Sunday depicting an Asian woman speaking in broken English, facetiously thanking Stabenow for encouraging federal spending.

"Thank you Michigan Sen. Debbie Spend-it-now. Debbie spends so much American money -- you borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak; ours get very good. We take your jobs," the woman says in the ad.

The backdrop is meant to evoke China. In a statement announcing the ad, Pete Hoekstra decried "Our reliance on foreign countries like China," a top buyer of American debt.

Pete Hoekstra, a former Republican congressman who unsuccessfully pursued his party's gubernatorial nomination in 2010, appears at the end of the ad to tout his own fiscal hawkishness. The ad additionally directs viewers to a website featuring a variety of generic Asian imagery in connection to Stabenow.

The website includes Chinese script -- "Xianzai Daibi Hua" -- that roughly translates into "Now Debbie Spend." Which would get by the average viewer, but is still there never the less to drive home it's message.

Pete Hoekstra's campaign paid $75,000 to air the ad in markets throughout Michigan during the Super Bowl, according to an Associated Press report on Sunday. It is his first ad in the Senate race.

The Michigan chapter of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote said in a statement that the ad "plays on harmful stereotypes of Asians speaking broken English and has stereotypical Chinese music playing in the background."

This ad even turned off and was condemned by some moderate Republicans as simply very dumb! Asian people vote too!

Now of course there are some people who will find this ad harmless and will say that we've become too pc and what not....They don't see how ads like this can inflame people and cause resentment of others based on a stereotype with very little bearence to truth...

The sad thing about this is..these ads work...They get the job done and as long as they do...They will continue to be used.

Congratulations New York Giants! 2012 Super Bowl Champions!

Oh and congrats to Madonna too!   She killed it on the halftime show....Lady Gaga,take notes..This is how it's done!

Weekend Humor

A very successful lawyer parked his brand new Lexus in front of the office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he got out, a truck came along, too close to the curb, and completely tore off the driver's door of the Lexus.

The counselor immediately grabbed his cell phone, dialed 911, and it wasn't more than 5 minutes before a policeman pulled up.

Before the cop had a chance to ask any questions, the lawyer started screaming hysterically.

His Lexus, which he had just picked up the day before, was now completely ruined and would never be the same, no matter how the body shop tried to make it new again.

After the lawyer finally wound down from his rant, the cop shook his head in disgust and disbelief.

"I can't believe how materialistic you lawyers are," he said. "You are so focused on your possessions that you neglect the most important things in life."

"How can you say such a thing?" asked the lawyer.

The cop replied, "My God man, don't you even realize that your left arm is missing? It got ripped off when the truck hit you!!!"

"My God!" screamed the lawyer.



"WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROLEX!!!!ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Have a great weekend folks!