This is the speech I would write if I were President Obama's speechwriter

My Fellow Americans,

I come before you tonight to apologize to the victims of the Arizona Massacre for letting them down.. I not only let them down, I also let the people who voted for HOPE and CHANGE we can believe down. (Pause for applause)

You see, I mistakenly thought once I was elected I would be allowed to govern, however the republicans, led by Rush Limbaugh, wouldn't allow that because they wanted me to fail. I mistakenly believed they loved their country more than they hated the fact an African American Democrat was the President of the United States of America. I was wrong... again I apologize for not realizing this before more innocent blood was shed on American soil.

I've enabled and allowed my republican colleagues and the mainstream media to take my kindness for weakness. When I reached out to them and they cut off my arm I should have known there would be no compromise. Time after time I made concessions and offered an olive branch, each time I was rebuked or worse, made an offer I couldn't refuse.

My first mistake was not immediately authorizing Attorney General Eric Holder to restore honor and integrity to the justice department, because without justice there can be no peace.

I should have had Congressman Joe Wilson removed from the House Floor for calling me a liar on national and international TV.

I should have fought back against the Town Halls by holding my own Town Halls on the same day and the same time, and used the Bully pulpit more effectively.

I should have supported the public option instead of trying to appease the right wing, who doesn't like me, and will never like me, not because of the content of my character, but because of the color of my skin.

I should have never let the media force me to renounce, repudiate and reject my pastor and take his sermon out of context, like they are claiming the left is doing with Sarah Palins crosshairs tagets.(Wink)

I should have reinstated the Fairness Doctrine so the public airways couldn't be used to bombard the public with misinformation 24/7. There are two sides to every story and if the public only hears one side they will believe one side.

I should have called out the Birthers/Deathers for who and what they are, bigots who can't and won't accept the fact an African American man is the President of the United States of America.

I am tired of being bullied by the right wing bully's.

So, from this day forward, I say no more Mister Nice Guy, I'm going to be George W. Bush and Dick Cheney on steroids. I am going to fight the terrorist over HERE so we won't have to fight them over there. Speaker Bohner might as well get his giant crying towel handy. My Veto Pen is ready, willing and able to keep the gop from dismantling health care reform, DADT, or any other program that helps the middle class and the disenfranchised.

I have been so busy trying to keep my job I forgot to do my job.

My name is President Obama and I am the President of the United States of America.

Saturday Links I Like

The Scottsboro Boys and the Scott Sisters. It's not a minstrel show...It's about race and class in America.

A group of about 30 people gathered on Saturday afternoon in front of the Lyceum Theater to protest a matinee of the new Broadway musical “The Scottsboro Boys,” which retells the story of nine African-Americans between 12 and 19 who were falsely convicted of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. The show, written by the celebrated team of John Kander and Fred Ebb and directed by the Tony-winning director Susan Stroman, uses the minstrel tradition to tell the story of how racism infected the judicial system.

“The trials were treated as if the boys were in a minstrel show” because it was such a farce, she said of the production. “The actors actually deconstruct the device in front of the audience,” and in the end, rebel against it.

The Rude Pundit on censoring the N word out of Huck Finn. Warning....it's very Rude.

Watch out for some nasty dangerous white boys: John Boehner and Darrell Issa. Click here for the full article.

Public Employees are under attack because they are public employees.

"Look Over There!"

How do you get regular people to "look over there" with all of that going on? Simple: launch a big campaign to blame the librarians, firefighters and other public sector workers for the hard times. "Don't blame US," Wall Street says, "Look over there!" Blame the economy's victims for economic crimes. And, do you know what? This is a strategy that is proven to work every time.

The Daley Show

I felt nearly as sick earlier this week, when I started hearing the Daley as chief of staff rumors, as I did when Obama sealed his fate just before taking over the White House by announcing that Rahm Emanuel would be his first chief of staff. Emanuel has been an unmitigated disaster for Obama and, worse yet, for the Democratic Party, and I really hope Daley will improve things but, I don't expect any miracles-- unless one interprets "improve things" to mean that Obama will get more credit for the yeoman's work he's been doing for Wall Street, Corporate America and the permanent, albeit shrinking, ruling class at the expense of society.

Happy reading!

DADT is a Equal Rights Issue

The recent repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the discussion comparing it to the passage of the Civil Rights Act made me curious about the role played by people of African descent in our nations battle for freedom from British rule. During my research I was surprised, but pleased to learn of the importance and the influence of the nations Black communities before and after the Revolutionary War.

Prior to the Revolutionary War there were more than 5,000 Blacks living in the 13 original colonies. Most of them were slaves, however the larger cities (Boston, Philadelphia, New York) had thriving communities of free blacks.

Free blacks in the antebellum period--those years from the formation of the Union until the Civil War--were quite outspoken about the injustice of slavery. Their ability to express themselves, however, was determined by whether they lived in the North or the South. Free Southern blacks continued to live under the shadow of slavery, unable to travel or assemble as freely as those in the North. It was also more difficult for them to organize and sustain churches, schools, or fraternal orders such as the Masons.

Freedom was the principal motivation for the African Americans in the Revolutionary War.

The American Revolution was not only presented as a fight for liberty for white colonists. Some African Americans saw the Revolution as a fight for liberty, but their own liberty and freedom from slavery. Others responded to the Dunmore's Proclamation, and fought for their freedom as Black Loyalists. Benjamin Quarles believed that the role of the African American in the American Revolution can be understood by "realizing that loyalty was not to a place or a person, but to a principle".[1] Regardless of where the loyalties of the African American lay, they made a contribution that was often disregarded, to the birth of the United States. During the American Revolutionary War, African Americans served both the Continental Army and the British Army. It is estimated that 5,000 African Americans served as soldiers for the Continental army,[2], while more than 20,000 fought for the British cause.[3]

After the initial battle General George Washington and Congress forbid men of color from participating in the fight for liberty.

Revolutionary leaders began to be fearful of using African Americans in the armed forces. They were afraid that slaves who were armed would up rise against them. Slave owners became concerned that military service would eventually free their slaves.

In May 1775, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, stopped the enlistment of slaves in the armies of the colony. This action was adopted by the Continental Congress when they took over the Patriot Army. George Washington in July 1775 issued an order to recruiters, ordering them not to enroll "any deserter from the Ministerial army, nor any stroller, negro or vagabond".[11]

This order did not apply to blacks already serving in the army. In September 1775, the southern delegates moved that Washington should discharge all blacks, free or slaves. The northern delegates were aware of how brave the African Americans had been in the Massachusetts battles and opposed the notion. The blacks that were already in the army were then allowed to finish out their enlistments.

In October 1775, Washington announced that all blacks, both free and slave would be "rejected altogether." In November he said that "Neither Negroes, boys unable to bear arms, nor old men unfit to endure the fatigues of the campaign, are to be enlisted."[12] Most African Americans were integrated into existing military units, but some segregated units were formed, such as the Bucks of America.

The British realized they needed every man, regardless of color to fight and recruited black soldiers with the promise of freedom.

Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia was determined to maintain British rule in the southern colonies. On November 7, 1775, he issued a proclamation that he would free black and white bondsmen who came to fight with the British. By December 1775 the British army had 300 slaves wearing a military uniform. Sewn on the breast of the uniform was the inscription "Liberty to Slaves". These slaves were designated as "Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment."

This struck fear in the American's and made them change their tune and rescind the ban on African Americans serving in the military if they wanted to chase the British from American shores.

The African American Patriot who gave loyal service to the Continental Army found that the postwar military held no rewards for them. State legislatures like Connecticut and Massachusetts in 1784 and 1785 banned all blacks, free or slave, from military service. Southern states banned all slaves but some states allowed free men to serve in their militias. In 1792, the United States Congress formally excluded the African American from military service, allowing only "free able-bodied white male citizens" to serve.[20]

Many slaves who fought did receive their freedom, but many others did not after their owners reneged on their promise to free them for service in the military.

There are some who say being gay is not the same as being black when it comes to military service, but I say it comes down our LBGT sisters and brothers having the equal right to serve our country. I am glad DADT is a relic of the past. It was as stoopid as not letting African Americans serve openly in the military during the Revolutionary War. We are all Americans, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.

If you want to know more about African Americans and the founding of our country here are some references;

The American Revolution, Lighting Freedom's Flame

"How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of Negroes?" Samuel Johnson, the great English writer and dictionary maker, posed this question in 1775. He was among the first, but certainly not the last, to contrast the noble aims of the American Revolution with the presence of 450,000 enslaved African Americans in the 13 colonies. Slavery was practiced in every colony in 1775, but it was crucial to the economy and social structure from the Chesapeake region south to Georgia. Slave labor produced the great export crops of the South-tobacco, rice, indigo, and naval stores. Bringing slaves from Africa and the West Indies had made settlement of the New World possible and highly profitable. Who could predict what breaking away from the British Empire might mean for black people in America?

African Americans and the military

The United States military is full of examples of the sacrifice made by African Americans. I find it amazing and absurd that the likes of someone like Sarah Palin questions if African-Americans are loyal citizens. Since the arrival of the first slave ship African-Americans were some of the first to give the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and America.

The first such example is that of Crispus Atticus, the first casualty was in the Revolutionary war. During the war against the British, King George III offered enslaved blacks their freedom if they renounce the United States and fight for the crown. The majority fought on the side of Gen. Washington and the United States.

There has been no war fought by or within the United States in which African-Americans did not participate, including the Revolutionary war, the Spanish-American war, the world wars, civil war, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (we are the only group that can make that claim!). Now you tell me, how could anyone question the patriotism of African-Americans?

While you're reading check out DownWithTyranny!

Knowlege is power!

President Obama is NOT moving to the Center

Despite the latest right wing Talking TeeVee Pundit Head chatter, President Obama has not abandoned his "base" and decided to govern from the center. That's just the C-Y-A spin they are trying to put on the shellacking President Obama (D), Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D), and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) laid on them. They never saw it coming. *snicker* I repeat...Liberals don't hate President Obama.

Do Liberals hate the Obama Compromise, where the super rich get a tax cut for two years, unemployment is extended for one year and the 99's get nothing? Hell yes we do! As well we should.

The bill, H.R.4853, is estimated to cost $858 billion, and is entirely financed by increasing the federal deficit. In addition to the income tax extension and the unemployment insurance, the bill includes a one-year reduction in social security taxes, a two-year reduction of the estate tax (35% with the first $5 million fully exempt), a smattering of tax cuts designed to help middle-class families, and about $55 billion in pork for special interests.

Serioulsy, what's so wrong with being "far left"? Think about it,, what has the "far left" ever been wrong about? Were we wrong about the Iraq war? When has the "far left" ever been on the wrong side of social issues? Was the far left wrong about the Civil Rights Act? President Obama is being urged by some to govern from the center. The center of what? My daddy says the only thing down the center of the road is a yellow line. The President can't govern from center

Black Agenda Report editor and columnist Jared A. Bell says it's the Professional Left versus the Left of Us.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was partially right when earlier this year he dismissed the “professional left.” There is indeed a professional left, those whose entire careers and claims to fame are based on permanent liberal challenges to power and who arrogantly dismiss as immature, and worse dangerous, those who would push leftward beyond those limits. “Don’t go too far,” they tell us, “vote for us or THEY will get elected and then we’re in real trouble!” But that’s because liberals aren’t in real trouble. They don’t really believe that. If they did really believe that corporations were leading the planet to doom or that the fascists they are protecting us from are just outside the gates would they really only respond by a few rallies and a vote for a Democrat? Then maybe they are as “f&*king stupid” as Rahm Emanuel said they are.

Way, way under the mainstream media radar the biggest prison strike since Attica went unnoticed in the MSM in favor of a "missing popular dancer in Las Vegas".

In the spirit of Attica, nearly 40 years later, prisoners at six prisons in Georgia organized a non-violent labor strike to demand better conditions for themselves. Specifically the inmates demanded a living wage for their work, educational opportunities, decent health care, an end to cruel and unusual punishment, decent living conditions, nutritional meals, opportunities for self-improvement (rehabilitation), access to their families and just parole decisions.

Perhaps even more remarkable than the strike, in which inmates shared information via text messaging on phones bought from prison guards, is that the strike went virtually unnoticed by mainstream American media. That so many chose to ignore what has been called the largest strike of its nature in American history, speak volumes to how Americans continue to think of the American Prison System or what scholars and activists have more commonly referred to as the "Prison Industrial Complex." The inmates themselves have another word for their reality: "Slavery."

So, if prison inmate can rise up in protest of their conditions what's wrong with us so called free folks? IMHO, until President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder make good on their promise to restore integrity to the Justice Department,there will be no peace on this earth.

The Department’s public integrity section is under new leadership—the most highly qualified it has seen in recent decades. It has seized the right moment for an internal reassessment of the approach to prosecuting public corruption. That should entail recognizing that dedication to fair process must take a center seat even if some scoundrels get off the hook as a result. This reassessment must include some introspection about mistakes and abuses of the past as well, because the most serious misjudgments in the public integrity arena relate to active cases in which the Justice Department is defending utterly indefensible positions. In the end, the Justice Department will also have to learn to operate in the harsh sunlight of public attention, disclosing its mistakes and striving to correct them. This is the essential path back to public trust after years spent straying in the wilderness.

As long as elected officials pander to what Ministry of Truth describes as the perfect gop voter there will be no peace on this earth, they are not in the center, they are far right, and us far lefty's are nothing like them.

You can basically break Republican voters into 4 subgroups, and they are Cruel, Hateful, Wildly Misinformed, and Constantly Scared S#@tless. The perfect storm of Republican ideology on the MooseMeter of "WTF are they talking about" is all 4 at once.

The four steps of creating the perfect GOP voter:

1. Find some way to wildly misinform people
2. Play up to their hate (Try calling your opponents Hitler)
3. Play to their cruelty in persecuting the object of their hatred
4. Do your best to scare the living s&*t out of your captive, misinformed viewers about the IMMINENT DANGER of terrorist attacks, socialists, communists, race based cruelty, anti immigrant furor or the Next Big Government Takeover that is going to destroy America.

Our President is not walking the center line down the center of the road just because the gop put a horse head in his bed. They got their tax cut for the rich, at the expense of the country, but that's OK, because it exposes the gop for what it really stands for, Greed Over People. President Obama takes the far left position on DADT, the Dream Act, Equal pay for equal work and access to health care reform. His job approval rating among us far left liberals is just fine.

A friend of mine said they wanted President Obama to act more like George W. Bush and just bull doze his agenda through. I said I wanted President Obama to act more like John Shaft (Richard Roundtree or Samuel L. Jackson). But in the end I believe he acts more like Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, what we've gote here is a failure to communicate directly to the American people with out the mainstream media distorting what we decide with all spin all the time, unfair and unbalanced, pandering to the typical gop voter.

President is NOT moving to the Center. There is NO Center.

"Ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies"

Don't ask, don't tell is dead and gone! Whoever came up with that cockamamie idea in the first place? Oh wait, I forgot, it was the great triangulator himself, former President Bill Clinton. :) Let this be a lesson to triangulaters, there is no right (pun intended) way to do the wrong thing. It was wrong to discriminate against LBGT Americans. Thank you, President Obama, for making a wrong, right (no pun). Your actions almost make me forget your capitulation, I mean compromise with the GOP where us non-whites are going to pay for tax cuts for the rich, your criticism and ignoring of us Professional Lefty's, and that you didn't fight for single-payer like you compromised of the tax cut for the rich, and the ACLU has a big problem with your targeted killing program. :) Lots of other good stuff at Black Agenda Report.

The Chamber of Commerce and the red republicans are going to hate this! President Obama is on a roll!

With no EFCA to give unions a level playing field, today Obama's Labor Dept. took a step that's sure to infuriate big employers like WalMart who hate unions and empowering their workers, and who prefer to treat workers as a disposable commodity.
All employers will have to post notices in their workplaces spelling out workers rights to organize a union.

If you want to know how a taxpayer with specific characteristics would do under the compromise plan and under the other proposals that lawmakers have considered, click on Citizens for Tax Justice for state by state figures on the compromise plan.

The South Shall Rise Again? Lord help us.

It's official: The 2010 Census numbers have been released, and the South's projected growth in population and political clout -- which Facing South has been writing about for over two years -- is now reality.

Here are some of the highlights from the Census data released today:

* 13 Southern states* accounted for nearly half -- 49 percent -- of the nation's growth since the 2000 Census. The big leader was Texas, which itself accounted for 15.7 percent of the 27.2 million people added to the nation's count over the last decade.
* Thanks to this ongoing shift of the U.S. population southward, these 13 Southern states now account for 34 percent of the U.S. population.

Can you say President Haley Barbor (R. Mississippi Burning)?

Yes, he made a racial gaffe, but it was only a gaffe because he said it publicly. We all know that what he thinks he says privately, like so many folks in the majority population, (present company excluded of course) is much worse.
Folks in the National media are already writing off this latest little verbal faux pas and they are saying that it should not have any effect on his 2012 run. (I don't know who I want to come out of the republi-clown primary more; Haley or Sarah.) Good luck with your run Haley, you will be just fine.

They are who we thought they were. This is probably why the MSM is attempting to whitewash (pun intended) this issue and send it on back up to the attic.

Haley Barbour is a RACIST. Plain and simple. No holds barred.

Oh, you can put him in a suit, but, I’ve been Black in America longer than 3 days.

He’s had no ‘ come to Jesus’ moment about growing up during American Apartheid and the evil that it was for the Black citizens of the South. Not one frigging moment of self-awareness.

None.Instead, we have these repeated attempts by him to whitewash – LITERALLY – the hell that was the South during that time, and Mississippi in particular.

What's that you say? The pro-Artur Davis Rattlesnakes are beginning to turn on each other? Oh, Nose! Was his vote against DADT the straw that broke the Donkey's back? Does this mean I can have my front page privileges back or at least my user name? I tried to tell y'all. Don't blame me, I supported Ron Sparks.

Davis is worse than a wolf in sheep's clothing. (0.00 / 0)
He is evil and just demonstrated it within the last two years or more. He could have helped other Democrats win but chose not to in 2008. He must be held accountable for what he has done. He has been a shining star here while I kept my mouth closed and tried to support him. The truth is like most politicians he was looking after his own self interests. His last vote demonstrates who he really is.

I have always felt that the issue was not what Artur could do to help anyone, but rather, what could be done to prevent him from harming others. He has no allegiance to Alabama. Nor did he have allegiance politically to any other Democrat. I dreaded him from the beginning, got on board since he promised to be another Obama, but he is just plain evil. I could not speak up before, however; I believe I can speak up now. He is as vicious as a fighting pit bull.

BTW AM this is a brazen lie

Checking his vote... (0.00 / 0)
That's actually what he did with his HCR vote. Pelosi and Obama were putting it to press early on WAY before the vote that they'd already given Davis a pass-- which is why I laugh at folks saying that his HCR vote was one against his party.

Davis voted on HCR precisely how Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama told him to.

And so is this

Davis didn't vote the way you wanted him to or the way that I wanted him to, but he voted like a black Alabama Democrat. Shocker. F@!k that guy for voting like a black Alabama Democrat.

And so is this

Show me the long list of black Alabama Democrats who have accomplished anything positive for the gay community. Ever.

Terri Sewell ran on it. We know how much you guys who are in love with the party establishment love her.

Matter of fact, I know that a lot of the folks here who jumped on the opportunity to dog Davis over this support Joe Reed and Larry Langford. And again I say that those two have a shameful record on gay rights, which is precisely why I called it out to begin with.

What I want to "carp on" is why you get to post factually incorrect information on the LiA with impunity? You post stuff then hid behind the cat's tail so it can't be challenged. That's real *ahem* progressive. I don't know if you're brave enough to read or respond to this, but you need to offer proof of your assertions that black Alabama Democrats haven't accomplished anything positive for the gay community ever, or that folks who dog Davis over this (DADT) supported Joe Reed (?) and Larry Langford's anti-gay bigotry.

Speaking of lies, kayman, this is a brazen lie too.

The actions of Reed Co. against Patricia Todd is proof that this exists because he admitted he didn't want a "white lesbian" representing District 54 and complicity of the rest on this.

DaleJackson, you don't even know when you are being discriminated against so what qualifies you to make this assertion?

A district that is majority black, should be liberal (this is the thesis in the post where Artur Davis is shamed). The fact is however blacks do not support homosexual rights.

Psst, bluebearcat! I'd be careful about speaking truth to the powerful and the privileged about Artur Davis at LiA, you might wake up one day and your user name be disabled. :)

Black Alabama Democrats never voted on DADT. I know plenty of them voted to include sexual orientation in the last hate crimes bill to come up in Alabama, which is a hell of a lot more than Artur Davis has ever done. Davis doesn't get to pretend like he's better than folks like Hank Sanders who have been working for progress since before he was born then turn around and blame the black community when he shows his true homophobe colors for all to see.

Why anyone would defend this guy at this point is beyond me. He voted against climate change legislation, for bank-friendly bankruptcy reform, for TARP, for health care - then against it while claiming he would vote for the Senate version - then against it again, against hate crimes protection for LGBTs, and now against DADT repeal. Even by Alabama standards, that's a remarkably shitty record. He has now said that he wants nothing more to do with Alabama (line up the lobbying contract!).

Redeye

Artur Davis voted against DADT, blame his constitutents and Joe Reed

I am continually shocked by those who continue to defend the indefensible actions of Alabama CD 7 and outgoing Congress Critter Artur Davis (DINO) but blaming the people who elected him to office and Joe Reed, who has dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of black/disenfranchised Alabama citizens is steeped in institutional racism and white privilege.

First of all... While it may or may not be an excuse, it's very possible that Davis was representing his district in his vote-- something he's been criticised for not doing in the past. Take a good look at Birmingham as Democratic as it might be and you tell me that it's a friendly place for our gay and lesbian friends. I can think of a few good arguments that might prove otherwise.

First of all...it's a horrible excuse because if Davis was concerned about representing the interest of his district he wouldn't have voted against the health care reform and hate crime bills. Birmingham is as friendly of place for our gay and lesbian friends as any other Sweet Home Alabama city/town/county. In case you've forgotten Birmingham used be called BOMBINGHAM because it wasn't a friendly place for black folks including Frank Phelps a black democrat.

We've proven that Democrats aren't the logical thinkers they love to claim they are. They're based in emotion, with no room for logical, complex thought as to strategy or asking for valid reasons as to why a thing might happen a certain way. We don't dissect a vote and consider that some things might be a little more complicated than one simple yes or no vote. We look at the "he voted against tax cuts" line rather than the "those tax cuts were also going to add a huge burden on the deficit" line.

Spoken like a true republican. Democrats aren't capable of logical thinkers, especially if they don't go along with the right wing spin. Democrats have to be told how to think and what to feel because they're democrats. Contrary to popular opinion, democrats, strike that, real democrats know the difference between right (pun intended) and WRONG. Real democrats base their thoughts on emotion. They care about their fellow human beings regardless of race, gender, religion or party. Real democrats aren't "in the middle", real democrats take sides. Strike that, they take the "right" side. Real democrats don't try and walk an imaginary line down the middle.

Here we have one of the few people who could bring so much good to Alabama politics, but his greatest sin is to piss off the party establishment. Yeah, sure he votes against the party line sometimes-- which by the way isn't so big a deal for others in the party-- but for the most part, he's a good guy and votes with the caucus. From where I'm standing, the only current Alabama Democrat who has any room to criticize Davis for his vote is Patricia Todd, as she's really been the only one with enough guts to really come out in favor of gay rights.

Uh, how the heck can you bring so much good to Alabama politics is you pi$$ of the party establishment? From where I stand any democrats, gay or not has the the right to criticize Artur Davis. Patricia Todd is not the only Alabama democrat with the guts to really come out in favor of gay rights. Patricia Todd had the guts to be openly gay and I commend her for her being who she. I wish other elected officials and candidates had her courage.

Speaking of Ms. Todd... Let's not forget what happens when you piss off Joe Reed.

Joe Reed didn't challenge Patrica Todds election on the basis of her sexual orientation. As a matter of fact Joe Reed didn't challenge Patrica Todds election at all. Stay tuned for an in dept/detailed debunking of this LIE. And let's not forget what happens when you pi$$ off the LiA establishment eeither.:)

I disagree with his vote. The problem is that there are so many others that I do agree with. If Dems are willing to overlook that, then you deserve what you get. Perhaps November wasn't a big enough message.

Dems aren't willing to overlook elected officials who pander to right at the expense of their base. The problem is Dems have overlooked and defended the indefensible for the sake of "winning" elections. If WE democrats continue to not hold elected officials accountable and stop going along to get along we will continue to get what we deserve. NOTHING.

Enough of blaming the victims for the actions of those who elected to represent us. They work for us. Remember? Artur Davis and his defenders are perfect illustrations for the difference between liberals and progressives/moderates Liberals don't give Artur Davis a pass just because of the color his skin. Liberals look at the content of his character, on this case the lack there of.

Redeye's Bad, Awful Week in Review

I'm glad last week is over because it was a bummer. First of all the House and Senate passed the Obama Compromise and Obama signed it into law. Wham! Bam! Thank you Mam! I still have figured what the big hurry was. Yes I can, it was because the gop infused, media enabled Tea Party won again. I have the same sense of foreboding I had when Bush told us he was sending our troops to war because Saddam had tons and tons of WMD and he was about to use them on us. And we know how that turned out.

The coffee tastes more than a little bitter this morning. It is no sweet tea to see your worst political predictions come true.

I have been railing for the past five and a half years about the need for a coalition to come together to fight the complete corporate takeover of the American political system. Many people got off the couch and fought for the election of Barack Obama in 2008. It was a great victory and there is no doubt he is a better president than George W. Bush and certainly better than anything we could have hoped for from John McCain or Sarah Palin.

But thanks in part to the tea party morons, that election looks like one step forward, two steps back. Give me the Coffee Party any day.

With dems like these who the heck needs the gop?

I know that for Obama's critics the secret is that "he lead" or that he "show leadership" or that he "knock some heads" or whatever, but I think the roll call on the Bernie Sanders amendment should tell you all you need to know about the Democrats' resolve to hike taxes on rich people. Evan Bayh doesn't even have to worry about getting reelected and he still sided with the fat cats. Apparently, Democrats from Colorado or south of the Mason-Dixon line are supposed to be for low taxes on the wealthy that are paid for by raiding the Social Security Trust Fund. I'm not saying that the president is beyond criticism on this, but we ought to take a look at our own caucus. Manchin, McCaskill, the Nelsons, Herb Kohl...these people are not on our side.

Were we progressives punk'd again?

As soon as Obama’s candidacy was pronounced “viable” by the high priests of corporate media he became a figure of historical significance, a walking, talking racial “breakthrough.” African Americans saw the possibility of a brand new day – and so did Obama, although his vision was much closer to that of those whites who have tired of – or, more likely, always resented – Black demands for redress of grievances, past and present. Anyone that listened to Obama’s actual words (rather than the voices in their own heads) would have quickly realized that he is ideologically opposed to all manifestations of independent Black politics, much less notions of Black self-determination.

Lynchings are alive and well in 2010. And they said Senator Hank Sanders robo calls were "race baiting"?

Never in a million years did I think I would live to see a black man become President of the Divided States of America. Nor did I think I would live to see Jim Crow and lynching revived under the leadership of a black President either, but well there are some folks in America that are longing for those nostalgic days.

I thought President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder said they were going to put an end to Scotter Libby justice?

Why were lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) willing to pursue political prosecutions against Don Siegelman, Paul Minor, and other Democrats during the George W. Bush years? Probably because they knew they could get away with it.

The only high point of this week was the repeal of DADT,which means our LBGT sisters and brothers can be who they are. The dems managed to block a filibuster, too bad they couldn't/wouldn't do it for the Obama compromise.

I am so thankful for the impending repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell; thankful to Harry Reid, thankful to Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown, Lisa Murkowski, George Voinovich, Mark Kirk for breaking with their party and supporting this law that will enshrine a new civil right for many of our brothers and sisters. Thankful to Rep. Patrick Murphy who introduced this bill in the House and was a tireless advocate for repeal.

I'm glad Rep.Patrick Murphy and all the others just didn't go along to get along and follow a rule they weren't fond of and fought for the things that ARE in the U.S. Constitution.

My point is that you have a great deal to add to the conversation. Use your posts, even if limited, to provoke serious discussion. If you wish to do a point - counterpoint routine, let me know and I will take the opposit side. Do not lessen your attributes by constanting carping about the rules. Sadly all of us must abide my rules we are not particularly fond of.

It looks likes meancat(s) have disabled my username so it looks like my limited comments have been revoked just like my front page privileges were in an attempt to put me in my place once and for all. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice anywhere. Kathy said it best;

I do have a problem with people who don’t just disagree with the concerns expressed here and elsewhere but go a step further to trivialize them. They’re “silly”, and we’re “miserable” for considering them. That’s the same kind of silencing technique that has been used from time immemorial to dismiss the legitimate complaints of the oppressed. I don’t know about you, but I’m mighty glad that Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King didn’t listen to the people who told them that they should worry about more important things than women’s suffrage or civil rights.

Psst! I've just begun carpping about the unfair rules,discrimination and the anti liberal bullying at Left in Alabama.

See ya next week!

DADT: Can you compare the fight for LBGT rights to the Civil Rights Movement?

This is the question posed by jackandjillpolitics blogger Jill Tubman in response to a post by Alvin McEwen who’s both black and gay bravely wades into these murky dangerous waters to offer some useful perspective as someone who walks in both communities. As someone who is black, but not gay I say yes. Anytime the government is in a position to deny you the right to do something just because they can it's wrong. Discrimination on any basis and on any level is wrong. I am going to post some of the most interesting comments, pro and con from the discussions for your consideration and review. I must say I am not surprised at the moral, self rightgous and downright bigoted tone of some of the points of view. But as my mother used to say, at least we know where they are coming from and how hard we have to fight to change things.

From Alvin via jackandjillpolitics.com via Pam’s House Blend (warning language)

To the lgbt community – Gay is NOT the new black. And don’t ever say some dumb shit like that ever again. It’s counterproductive and it keeps you from educating yourself on the nuances of the African-American struggle. Yes the struggle for lgbt equality is similar to the African-American civil rights movement, but that does not mean it excuses you from taking into account the different nuances between the two. And above all, stop making it sound so simplistic. Marching was only part of the story. Behind each march was a plan as to how said march would affect the movement as a whole, which proves that marching alone without a game plan will get you nowhere. And remember that you all don’t have to get along. Goodness knows those working in the African-American civil rights movement didn’t. But they learned to work together. Educate yourselves on how this was done.

To both communities – As an lgbt of color I have to say from the heart that BOTH of y’all are getting on my damn nerves. The irony is that lgbts and African-Americans are similar in terms of history. If you would stop fighting, you would learn this. Also don’t ignore the ignore the needs of lgbts of color in your community. Don’t assume to know who we are or what we want. Ask us. Lastly, as an lgbt of color, let me say that I will NOT make a choice between my racial heritage and my sexual identity. I embrace both. But when I feel that the lgbt community is wrong, I will say so. And that also goes for the black community.

I am not a commodity, I am person who is uncompromisingly black and unapologetically gay. Deal with it.

This commenter says there is no comparison;

I don't think that the Gay struggle should be compared to Black struggle, but probably not for reasons that you might think. I understand the attraction of wanting to use the Black struggle as an historic example of legal precedent standing for equality. As a lawyer, I get that. However, I don't think that's a smart strategy for Gay rights. There are still too many differences between (A) Race and (B) Human Sexuality that can be used to distinguish, and therefore defeat, the argument for Gay rights if you try to equate the two. So in other words, I don't think that the Gay struggle should be compared to the Black struggle because it doesn't need to be in order to be victorious. It has enough merit to stand on its own.

This one agrees with a caveat

To LGBTs, “Your blues ain't mine,” as the saying goes. African Americans have a 400-plus year history on this continent that so laden w/horrors and injustice that we as a people and the US as a nation are still living w/its unpackaged ramifications and ongoing assaults, even though progress has truly been made. That's no way near your experience. To say it's the same just makes would-be black allies feel disrespected and angry.

Just tell your story and fight for your rights, period. Some won't, but many in the black community will support your cause at the end of the day because you are in our families too. You're our sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, neighbors, and we can recognized injustice when we see it.

Because of our history African Americans recognize injustice when we see, hear or experience it, LBGT's blues may not be exactly like ours but they are blues just the same. And the same people treating black folks like second class citizens are the same folks treating our LBG sisters and brothers like second class citizens.

Has anyone thought to ask those who don't believe our LBGT sisters and brothers should have the equal right to fight and die for our country why they feel that way? republicans love all war war the time with other peoples straight kids. :)

Redeye's Week in Review

Congress failed to repeal DADT this week, but the ACLU will keep on fighting.

Congress' failure to repeal the shameful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is a devastating loss to the gay and lesbian service members who put their lives on the line for this country every day — and for Americans everywhere who believe in fairness and equality.

Rest assured that the ACLU will not give up on this fight. We are 100 percent committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and will do everything we can to bring about its demise.

Not only did the democrats magically grow a pair this week they are standing with *gasp* the Congressional Black Caucus! When you think about it, African Americans will suffer the most if unemployment insurance is not extended since unemployment among African Americans is at an all time high.

Unemployment for African Americans is projected to reach a 25-year high this year, according to a study released Thursday by an economic think tank, with the national rate soaring to 17.2 percent and the rates in five states exceeding 20 percent.

Blacks as well as Latinos were far behind whites in employment levels even when the economy was booming. But throughout the recession, the unemployment rate has grown much faster for African Americans and Latinos than for whites, according to the study by the Economic Policy Institute. Moreover, the unemployment gap between men and women has reached a record high -- with men far outpacing women in joblessness.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Reverend Al Sharpton speaks for me!

Over the course of the last several weeks, we have diligently watched as our President, Barack Obama, and the Democratic Party withstood filibustering and stonewalling from the right. Conducting hearings on the weekend, and doing everything they conceivably could to assist the poor and middle-class, their repeated attempts at compromise were met with fierce resistance and an utter disregard for the majority of this nation by the Republicans. And now, after holding the American people hostage as our President so rightfully pointed out, these self-aggrandizing politicians are sitting back and allowing Obama to be the scapegoat for all that ails us. It’s time we call them out.

Speaking of calling them out, they are who we thought they were.

Today, a right-wing organization called Judicial Watch hosted a panel discussion on the “current and upcoming fights over immigration enforcement” featuring Arizona state Sen. Russell Pearce (R). Pearce, the author of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, railed against the Obama administration for “siding with a foreign government” against the state of Arizona. However, looking on the bright side, Pearce joked that Obama may not want to come to Arizona as they will require him to show his papers:

Terri Sewell isn't the only newly elected Congress Critter hiring help this week.

Perhaps to the surprise of many Tea Party populists who helped elect them, the Washington Post reports, “Many incoming GOP lawmakers have hired registered lobbyists as senior aides. Several of the candidates won with strong support from the anti-establishment tea party movement.” These lobbyists are not public servants. They are experts at carving out special deals and tax giveaways to powerful corporations

What's that you say? Soon to be former Gooberner Rob Riley is using his so called ethics reform package for political payback against the evil, awful Alabama Education Association and to silence them there uppity teachers? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! NOT.

Despite the fact the NCAA and Auburn found Cam Newton's father Cecil Newton guilty of being a modern day slave trader selling his son to the highest bidder, banning him from attending games and awards ceremony's Cam Newton shows why he is a true winner and stands by his father. If there is any lesson for talented African American athletes maybe they shouldn't play for predominately white Universities and take their talents to a Historically Black Colleges and Universities where they don't have deep pocket athletic boosters. The same thing happened in the movie Blindside, talented black player must have been offered pay for play .

"I'm not sitting up here saying that we all are prefect. Everybody's made mistakes. I'm not sitting up here saying what he did or what he did was wrong. Who am I up here to say that what he did is true or not. But I know that if I can call Cecil Newton right now, he'll pick up the phone."

This week ends with me being talked down from my previous rage over the Obama compromise. I accept the fact he acted in the best interest of the American People, I don't accept the fact that it had to be this way. I still maintain he should have listened to his base instead of suppressing the base. I hope and pray now that the big republican fat cats have received their big tax cut they are going to start creating jobs in America and the banks are going to start loaning money again. I also hope that if they don't, the gop doesn't try to blame it on Obama.

The highlight of my week and the best Christmas present ever was the high honor and privilege of being named Blog I'm Feeling by the Field Negro. Welcome to my world and please don't just lurk, join the conversation!

Redeye's Week in Review

This is what freedom of speech looks like.

A Colorado artist says people may not like his latest work, but it's all about freedom of speech. Paul Snover says he was commissioned by a Grand Junction man to design the billboard at Melody Lane and I-70B.It depicts President Obama as a terrorist, homosexual, bandito and gangster.

Be sure and read the first comment.

What's that you say? Some are having a conniption about black bloggers? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you! Not.

The inherent audacity in White Privilege is hidden behind the facade of your holier-than-thou condescension toward Black media. Thanks for pulling aside the facade of “fair and balanced” media to show the ugly face of racism.

The Obama DoJ ask judge to set aside DADT. Bummer.

As the administration continues to wage war against the Professional Left -- except for when they're begging for our money and our votes -- Conservadems fighting to save their splotchy hides continue to distance themselves as fast as their stumpy legs will carry them and as far as their spidery arms will reach.

The rule of law is alive and well, just not here.

The World Justice Project on Thursday published a "Rule of Law Index," and there's no easy way to say this. Let me put it this way: as when rankings on education, infant mortality, work hours, lifespan, retirement security, health, environmental impact, incarceration rates, violence, concentration of wealth, and other measures of quality of life come out, it is time once again for we Americans to shout "We're Number One!" more loudly than ever. Because, of course, we're not.

The Tea Party does not exist

Recent developments demonstrate that the Tea Party is not the powerful national force that it’s been made out to be. The organization’s meager levels of participation (documented in my and Paul Street’s past research) has finally come back to haunt the Tea Party in the run-up to the midterm elections, as it has been unable to organize outside of scattered local electioneering, largely in favor of Republican interests. In short, the Tea Party does not exist – at least not in the form depicted in the mass media and in political commentary.

Happy reading.