Redeye's Sunday Afternoon Blog Stroll

I sure do miss the good old days when the Superbowl was about football and not advertising. I mean, really. All this talk about Tebow and the religious right is making me sick. But the hypocrisy of CBS is what really blows my mind. Remember when CBS refused to air Moveon.orgs anti war ad on the grounds they didn't air issue ads? That was the same year Janet Jacksons' wardrobe malfunctioned during the half time show. Speaking of the half time show, I sure do miss the good old days when the half time show was about marching bands. *Sigh*

Okay, I'll admit I'm still giddy over the Thrilla in Baltimore( President Obama at the gop retreat) and I promise not to post about it anymore after today. Not. Jack and Jill Politics. com commenter Craig Hickman breaks it on down (warning mature language) and so does the field negro.

Memo to the GOP: Most A-merry-cans- unlike moi-are looking for bi-partisanship. That face-off with O did not look like the republicans are looking for it as well. It looked like more of the same: Block; block; block; and oppose everything at every turn.

Notice how the MSM tells us President Obama is making budget cuts but they don't bother to tell us what those cuts are exactly? Well the White House has released the details. They look like sound economics to me, look them over and decide for yourself.

Here's a blast from the past for your reading pleasure and review. Sometimes you have to take a step backwards in order to move forward. This is what pResident George W. Bush said
about health care reform during his 2006 SOTU address.

Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility.

(APPLAUSE)

For all Americans -- for all Americans -- we must confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they need.

We will make wider use of electronic records and other health information technology to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors.

We will strengthen health savings accounts, making sure individuals and small-business employees can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big businesses now get.

(APPLAUSE)

We will do more to make this coverage portable, so workers can switch jobs without having to worry about losing their health insurance.

So what happened? Nada.

Remember how Cindy Sheehan was arrested before the SOTU for wearing a t-shirt?

This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congress persons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2245 Dead. How many more?

After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.

God Bless America.

Peace Out.

Redeye's Sunday Morning Roundup and Recap

Who says the stimulus isn't working in Alabama?

One of the problems President Barack Obama’s administration is having in convincing the nation — particularly the Republicans and those in the so-called Tea Party movement — that his economic policies are sound is that it is difficult to prove a negative.

Little know Alabama black history fact h/t Ashley Boyd, staff writer for the Tuscaloosa Times.

It's been 60 years since the death of Tuscaloosa's first — and Alabama's second — formally educated black architect, and only a few remember his name.

Baptist minister Allen Durough was first introduced to Wallace Rayfield after he cut his leg on one of Rayfield's old printing plates while cleaning out his barn in McCalla in 1993.

Durough, who had purchased the property from an antiques dealer, found several hundred of Rayfield's drawings, floor plans, business advertisements, portraits and graphic art pieces that were housed in the barn. He did some research and discovered Rayfield's range of accomplishments.

“Wallace Rayfield is arguably one of the most important architects in Alabama,” said Amber Baker, a University of Alabama graduate assistant who helped write the introduction to Durough's book “The Rayfield Architectural Legacy.”

In honor of Howard Zinn, who died this past week, please read Dissent as Democracy.

The indefatigable Zinn maintained a prolific activist and academic jab fueled by his political and social activism nurtured during The Civil Rights Movement. The esteemed historian and controversial rabble rouser's seminal work, "The People's History of the United States," endures as a popular and beloved history book giving voice to the often marginalized, oppressed and downtrodden members of our society conveniently edited out of the textbooks. Despite his advanced age, he was still touring, giving lectures, and showed no signs of stopping.

Nance Gregg has compiled and excellent week in review Just THIS about THAT.

My favorite;

While Obama continues to play chess, the GOP continues to demonstrate that tiddly-winks are beyond their skill set – and besides, nonny-nonny, they ain’t playing at all. And if there was any doubt about the matter, the American public was educated, in no uncertain terms, by the Smartest Guy in the Room (and surrounding environs, including the universe as we know it) on Wednesday night. Smirkless and heh-heh-less, President Smackdown was generous with handing out the rope – lest the Republicans not already have enough to hang themselves.

There's lots more good stuff!

Peace Out.

His name is Barack Obama and he is the President.

President Obama made me so proud yesterday. He reminded me of Michael Douglas in the scene from The American President when he walked into the White House Press Room and kicked some donkeys. Click and watch, I haven't figured out how to embed video yet, hint, hint.

This is the Change and Hope I voted for. I don't know what took POTUS so long but better late than never. President Obama entered the Loins den and gave them a mauling. Now he needs to maul the Senate republicans, the mainstream media, the DINO's and the blue dogs so the country can move forward and not be griped by partisan sniping and political cowardice. This is our country. The land of the free and the home of the brave. Remember? What do you want to bet the house republicans hate they invited President Obama to their annual retreat.


Part of the reason we are in this mess is because the majority of Americans don't know what they don't know. The media has done such a good job of spinning and distorting the truth and suppressing and ignoring dissent voters vote against their self interest because they uninformed and misinformed, especially voters in the Southern States of the Union. For example, here in the reddest of the red states the 11 percent Alabama unemployment rate for December is the highest in 26 years. I can't understand why or how the majority republican Alabama Congressional delegation willfully obstruct President Obamas' agenda when we need all the help we can get and then some.

Speaking of freedom, bravery and courage if you don't read anything else in this post, please read The Don Seigelman Travesty and now the Neocons corrupted the justice system. President Obama promised to restore honor, integrity and dignity to America. He can start by restoring honor,dignity and integrity to our justice system. No justice. No peace. Know justice. Know peace.

If a governor can be indicted on false charges, convicted, and sent to prison for years, then how safe are you?

This is exactly what happened in Alabama, and it has repercussions throughout society. We have to say “in our opinion” because these guys were good at their pseudo-Nazi tactics and Seigelman did do what they said. But was it criminal? When you own the jurors and you can get away with all kinds of things that cannot be proved unless you can break through the “omerta,” the wall of silence (that many remember from the old Alabama civil rights, KKK days) you can make someone a criminal for J-walking.

Peace Out.

President Obama in the Lions Den

In case you've been away from your TeeVee set today, President Obama went to the Lions Den today and confronted not Lions, but Lion cubs. Let this be a lesson to the cowardly dems. The only way to deal with bullies is to confront them.

Enjoy!

State of the Union After Party!

To the dismay of the right wing and the talking teevee pundit heads, President Obama knocked it out of the ball park last night with his State of the Union address last night. He opened up a big ole can of whup a$$ on EVERYBODY from the cowardly dems to the Supreme 5. He kicked butt and took names. Now that's what I'm talking about! Accomplished.

SOTU Afterparty rundown;
Ta-Nehisi Coats says she just remembered Chris Matthews was white. This is what Matthews said about Obama;

I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It's interesting; he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. He's gone a long way to become a leader of this country and past so much history in just a year or two. I mean it's something we don't even think about. I was watching and I said, wait a minute, he's an African-American guy in front of a bunch of other white people and there he is, president of the United States, and we've completely forgotten that tonight -- completely forgotten it. I think it was in the scope of the discussion, it was so broad ranging, so in tune with so many problems and aspects and aspects of American life. That you don't think in terms of the old tribalism and the old ethnicity. It was astounding in that regard, a very subtle fact. It's so hard to even talk about it. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it, but I am.

Crooks and Liars has an excellent run down of the republicans sitting on their thumbs during the SOTU. To paraquote my girl Rep. Maxine Waters(D CA), "Let them reveal themselves. Let them define themselves for who they really are." *Snicker*

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito must not have gotten the be nice memo. But I guess it's hard to be nice when someone is racking you over the coals. :)
Alito's reaction was a sharp break from the unwritten rule of Supreme Court etiquette at presidential addresses to Congress. Justices rarely applaud even the most uncontroversial of presidential remarks. None of the other justices in attendance tonight, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy, the author of the campaign finance opinion, showed any visible reaction while seated in the court's usual front row seats at the annual event.

That Obama is a bad mother shut your mouth. He told the dems to buck up, extended an olive branch to republicans (good luck with that) and opened a can on the Supreme Five and praised his wife in one smooth swoope. Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree don't have anything on him!

On a serious note, Howard Zinn died yesterday. In honor of
his memory agitate and organize. And remember, "dissent is the highest form of patriotism"

Why Does Everybody Hate Obama?

Poor President Obama, he thought when he was inaugurated as the first African American President of the United States America was ready to move forward and break the chains of the past. He thought hope had won over fear. He thought we would all join hands and sing in the words of that great Negro Spiritual "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we're free at last". Not.

Now I'm not saying President Obama didn't bring some of this on himself. He pi$$ed off LBTS's with Rick Warren. He pi$$ed off the anti war crowd with the Afghanistan surge. He hasn't closed Gitmo as promised. He won't investigate Bush and company. He hasn't restored honor and integrity to the justice department. He won't directly address the sorry state of race relations. Don't ask don't tell is still in effect. Mortage forclosures are still on the rise. We have massive job loss. The banks got a bail out but not main street. Health care reform is in limbo. This is not the change we hoped we voted for in November 2008.

President Obama extended his hand to his enemies and drew back a nub. Rush Limbaugh said he wanted President Obama to fail. Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina said health care reform was President Obama Waterloo. Chris Matthews said he was going to do everything in his power to help President Obama be successful and was told by Joe Scarborough that wasn't his job.

Then came the birthers, and the deathers and finally they just joined forces and became the Tea Party movement.

As if that wasn't enough, President Obama has to fight with his own damn party! Between the DINO's (democrats in name only) and the blue dogs (democrats in name only) he's under assault on the right and on the left.

Then he has to deal with the republican controlled Supreme Court that says corporations should are people with rights. I always knew gop stood for Greed Over People.

Jill Tubman lays the blame at the feet of the democratic party. Talia Whyte agrees and says the real conversation is not about what Republicans are doing, but what the Democrats are not doing. Specifically, there is an urgency to discuss why we in the black community continue to allow white Democrats that take us for granted.

Does everyone hate President Obama, do do they hate what and who he stands for? Is he not being allowed to govern because of the color of his skin or the content of his character? Is this about good old fashioned American racism?

I say yes. It's about not wanting that guy to succeed. Because if he succeeds it will open the door for future Barack Obamas and whites can no longer say blacks are incapable of governing.

So, now that we know, what can we do about it? How can we help President Obama help us? I say we take a page out of the gop play book and organize. I say we take a page out of the tea baggers play book and take it to the streets. We can fight back in the media by not suppressing progressive voice, it's time to put the big dogs on TeeVee. I say don't get mad, get even.

What say you?

You can't lose what you never had.

The Talking TeeVee Pundit Heads and the right-wing republicans teabaggers claim the election results in Massachusetts mean President moved too far to the left and he lost the so-called independents. Poppycock! President Obama never had the support of so-called independents and will never have the support of so-called independents. So-called Independents didn't vote for President Obama. They will never vote for President Obama. President can't lose what he never had and never will have.

What President lost and is losing is the people that bought him to the dance. you know, African Americans, women, anti-war, LBGT, Hispanics, Native Americans, labor and liberals/progressives, aka the hard left. You know why? Because he hasn't done a darn thing for them. David Lindorff calls it the 2010 double whammy and the incredible shrinking Obama.

There are some that argue President Obama shouldn't be criticized because he's doing the best he can considering the circumstances and people like me should stop weeping and wailing and give him more time to fix things. I'm not one of those people Living a Black Fantasy, I'm living in the real world. Candidate Obama asked for and received my support because he told us why we can't wait, we have to be the change we have been waiting for, and to have hope, not fear. Remember? I don't know what happened on the road to the White House, but we can't wait for health care reform. We can't wait for jobs. We can't wait for quality public schools. We need to act with the swift urgency of NOW.

republicans are a resurgent group. They are sore losers and they play to win. President Obama tried the bipartisan, nice guy route and see where that got him? As the young people say, POTUS better recognize who he's dealing with and deal with them accordingly. Stop signaling and start acting!

What would Ted do?

No doubt Senator Ted Kennedy is rolling in his grave -- but if you listen very closely -- he isn't sighing -- he is saying "sign it."

Dred Scott, Bush v. Gore and now this

Vincent Bugliosi called them the Felonious Five after the 5-4 Bush v. Gore ruling. I call them the Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. Five. The 5-4 decision to grant corporations citizenship rights is right up there with the Dred Scott decision and the Bush v. Gore decision. Both were wrong and had lasting negative impacts on our country.

Dr. Boyce Watkins says the Supreme Court has sold out the American people and the 5-4 decision saying corporations had the same rights as human beings are the teabaggers worst nightmare come to life since they're always hollering about taking their country back. I wonder if they are going to try and take their country back from the corporations?

The Supreme Court has weakened the knees of politicians who are already manipulated heavily by corporate America. No elected official in his or her right mind is going to support any initiative that votes against corporate interests. America just took a double dose of Capitalism 101, and as a professor of finance, I seriously wonder if our nation understands how unfettered capitalism will ultimately destroy a society.

And we thought republicans didn't want any of them there "activist" judges making up laws and stuff.

Let this be a lesson for voters. The President has the power and authority to appoint Supreme Court justices for life. We can thank Ronald Reagan (r.CA),George H. Walker(r.TX), and his son George W. Bush(r.TX) for this court and this ruling. Remember that when election times come around. You're not electing a President, you're electing a Supreme Court. For life.

Weeping and Wailing is in the eye of the beholder.

Interesting discussion on Left in Alabama last night regarding criticism of President Obama. There are some who feel expectations are too high and President Obama is doing the best he can considering the circumstance and all the weeping and wailing is unproductive and unfair.

I on the other hand argue, it's easy for us to sit behind our computer screens in our comfortable homes, send our students to quality public schools/colleges, take care of our elderly parents, take vacations, have 401k plans and access to quality, affordable health care to be patient. So far President Obamas' policies have benefited Wall Street but not Main Street like he promised.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich reminds us 47 million are with health insurance because they can't afford it. How many times have you seen Congressman Kuchinich on TeeVee talking about health care reform? As my late maternal grandmother used to say, "very few" because the weepers and the wailers are suppressed in favor of polls claiming a majority of Americans are in favor of halting the health care bill. Who did they poll? The media? republicans? Can you say Waterloo?

Progressive Congressional candidate Marcy Wingold says it's not time to back off and soften our approach and without progressive challengers we will continue to see more Massachusetts. I agree.

Silence helps the oppressors not the oppressed.

If I were President Obama

If I were President Obama and Harry Reid I'd pass a strong health care reform bill and let the republicans filibuster. Let them get up there and talk hour after hour about nothing while Americans suffer and die because they don't have health care. Let them talk day after day about nothing while the national debt increases and our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan. To para quote U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D. CA), let the republicans reveal themselves. Let them define themselves for who they really are. It's not like we don't already know who they are and what they stand for after 8 years in power.

The newest Senator from Massachusetts will certainly define himself as a hypocrite if he votes against health care for all Americans when the citizens in his state have access to quality affordable health care.

We (progressives) tried to warn President Obama he was losing the support of liberals ,progressive and independents. Did he listen to us?. Nope. He listened to the media instead allowing them to define and shape his agenda, his cabinet and his Presidency. He who controls the message controls the outcome.

If I were President Obama I would fire my present staff from the top down. This is job for the democratic wing of the democratic party. I wouldn't be like the previous CIC and continue to reward Brownies for doing a heck of a job. I'd also put the real democrats on TeeVee and tell the pretend democrats to go somewhere and STFU because they didn't get the job done.

If I were President Obama I would summons the republican leadership to the White House and ask them are you with me or against me? Do you care more about your party than you do your country? Do you want me to fail the American people? If the answer is yes to any question, I'd open the door and say see ya later and do what the American people elected me to do. F em.

If I were President Obama I would summons the conserva dems to the White House and ask them the same questions I asked the republicans. If they have the same answers they would get the same boot up their blue donkeys and out the door.

Psst President Obama! No more Mister nice guy. The republicans call nice guys Girlie Men, remember?

Post Mortem Massachusetts Links I Like

For the gop and media, obstrustionism is the new normal. Ain't that a dip? Don't cha wish they had obstructed George W-ar Bush and Dick Dead Eye Cheney like they are obstructing Barack Obama? Think about it.

Digby says dems lost due to political malpractice (I agree), Field Negro wants to know whose I idea it was to run Coakley (I want to know too). Ministry of Truth says this is war! Right On!

Despite the right wing/media spin, Brown didn't win because the majority of Americans are opposed to health care. If that was true, President Obama and his family wouldn't be occupying the White House today. So is Obama going to sleep through his remaining three years or is he going to wake the F*ck up?

Sometimes a loss is a victory.

Do you think loosing a filibuster proof majority in the Senate will be a wake up call to the democratic party? (We the people did our part and they squandered it).

Do you think they are going to continue doing the same old stuff hoping for a different result? (Losing in Virginia and New Jersey didn't tell them anything?)

Do you think they are going to grow a spine? (Never underestimate the power of fear and racism)

Do you think they are going to keep silencing progressive voices and criticism? (Put voices from the democratic wing of the democratic party on TeeVee and radio, bring out the big guns and stop taking a kitchen knife to the gunfight)

Do you think they are going to keep rewarding failure and continue to appoint and promote the Brownie's who managed and directed this heck of a job disaster? (We WON with Howard Dean, remember?)

Do you think they are going to continue to misunderestimate the power of the new and improved teabagger infused gop and their media enablers? (Enuff said)

Do you think they are going to continue to let the media and the pollsters spin the message and turn the winners into losers and the losers into winners? (Democrats WON in November, remember?)

Do you think they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, or do they have an escape plan? (Is it time to get rid of the filibuster?)

If tonight's loss stikes fear in the belly of the democratic party then tonight's loss is a victory. If it's doesn't then we're all in trouble.

Are your Ducks taped?

Annoy the Media and the Pollsters, elect Martha Coaxly!

If you listen to the Talking TeeVee Pundit Heads and the MSM, the Massachuettes Senate race is over and Scott Brown won because his oppenent Martha Coaxley ran a terrible campaign and made a baseball gaffe. Why do we know more about Martha Coaxley's campaign and her baseball gaffe than we know about the issues? Because that's what they want us to know about. It's called dumbing down the electorate with dumb stuff so they'll forget about the real issues.

According to the TTPH's and the MSM this is a referendum on President Obams's socialist agenda and white Obama voters are feeling voters remorse. Let them tell it, the majority of Americans don't approve of the health care reform bill and the direction the country is going, Obama has lost independent(white) voters and blue collar (white) voters and a grassroots (teabaggers) black, I mean back lash against the democratic agenda. Blah, blah, blab blab. How do they know all of this? Because the polls and the polling pollsters who poll them told them.

The real poll's open at 7AM and close at 8 PM. Don't let the media decide who the winner will be. Let the people decide. It's of the people, by the people for the people, not of the media, by the media for the media.

Annoy the media, the pollsters, the teabaggers, the deathers, the birthers and the anti health care reformers. Elect Martha Coaxley.

Happy 81st Birthday Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the day when America "honors" Dr. King on his birthday, let us not forget the reason he's not here to celebrate what would be his 81st birthday is because he was murdered in Memphis, TN in support of striking sanitation workers (aka garbage men). Dr. King didn't live to see his 81st birthday because he had the audacity to fight for African Americans to have the right to vote. Dr. King was murdered because he believed in peace not war. Dr. King was murdered just like President Abraham Lincoln was murdered for freeing black folk from the bondage of slavery. Dr. King was murdered just like President John F. Kennedy and his brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy because they dared believe all men and women were created equal.

So as we "celebrate" the legacy of Dr. King today, let us also remember why he died and what he died for. Some of the same Americans who praise King today are some of the same Americans who bombed his house and called him Martin Luther Coon and other derogatory names. Some of the same Americans who praise Dr. King in death, hounded and harassed him in life. Some of the same Americans who praise Dr. King today will attend a Tea Party protest tomorrow. The same politicians who honor Dr. King today will vote against health care reform tomorrow. The same elected officials who celebrate the legacy of Dr. King will vote to send our sons and daughters to war.

Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech will be played over and over again on his birthday. I choose to honor his birthday by remembering the speech he gave on the eve of his death and these prophetic words; I'm happy,tonight I'm not worried about anything, Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Happy 81st birthday Dr. King. May you rest in the peace you were denied on earth.

Redeye's Random Thoughts

Haiti on my mind. Hate to say it, hate to think it, but the aftermath of the disaster in Haiti is beginning to remind me of the aftermath of Katrina. What's taking so long for real help to get to the people who are suffering and dying? I mean if the media can get there, why can't the army, navy, airforce, and marines, etc? Speaking of the media, they are already starting the natives are getting violent spin. Remember "that John Wayne dude" from Katrina? Maybe they need to get him off CNN and send him to Haiti.

Birmingham politricks as usual. Due to the conviction of former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford, a run-off election is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19th to determine who will take his place, culminating the end of an ugly, bitter, nasty, hard-fought campaign between candidates Patrick Cooper and William Bell. I don't know who is going to win, but I feel sorry for the residents of Birmingham if this is what they have to choose from.

The Alabama budget must be saved from Paul Hubbert and the AEA according to GOP senate hopefuls. That's their strategy? To run against Paul Hubbert? It's Paul Hubbert's fault there is a budget crisis? Who knew?

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday celebration in Scottsboro, AL. You read it right. The home of the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial will host a celebration in honor of Dr. King at the Scottsboro Boys Museum and cultural center.

Now isn't this special! Fifth District U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith (r. party switcher) is greeted with open arms by his new party. Speaking of the party switcher, I guess it depends on what the meaning of "I will return all democratic donations" IS.

Where are the police with tasers when we need them? I mean, really. Scott Brown supporters are some really nice people, aren't they? I really can't say enough nice things about them. :)