Domestic News
|
|
 It’s the biggest and most enduring social problem African Americans have yet to solve, and the one big issue the civil right’s movement failed to address other than to complain about its unfairness. (see video) The problem is the mainstream newsmedia and its inherent racial partiality. The irony is that gaining mainstream newsmedia coverage was vital to the strategy of the civil right’s movement, using marches and demonstrations to gain its attention.
Though aware of its power, black Americans were also aware that they couldn’t count on the mainstream newsmedia’s fairness, particularly when law enforcement and race was involved.
“One More River To Cross,” is the name of the video. As the title implies, there’s a journey to be completed by overcoming one remaining obstacle. The metaphor refers to the absence of an African American national newsmedia presence and representation. It’s based on the premise that there are three major forces of power in society, which are, money, politics, and the newsmedia.
The dramatic advancements African Americans have made economically and politically since the civil rights movement is in stark contrast to the lack of our advancement in the newsmedia arena. This is the one area where we, as a people, seem to have been caught in a time warp in consistently complaining about a biased mainstream newsmedia and yet pursuing no alternative.
In that we have made tremendous strides economically and politically and the absence of national newsmedia representation is the remaining problem, the obvious, common sense solution would be to establish our own national newsmedia, the one remaining major development yet to be accomplished. Thus the title “One More River to Cross.”
The purpose of this article and video is to show African Americans that the solution to this longstanding problem is right here. It’s to illustrate to those capable of financially supporting this effort that there is a real institutionalized racial bias engaged in by the police and press that allows injustice to occur even when the most powerful black man is involved.
This should make it clear that as a black person, no matter ones wealth, fame, or even power, we remain vulnerable to the whims of those forces as long as there is no apparatus in place to keep them honest and make them accountable. We show what real empowerment looks like and that we all have a stake in the launch of U.S.A. ThisWeek.
Worse than being in a gunfight and being the only one without a gun is not having a gun and not even realizing you’re in a gunfight. That’s the image that comes to mind when thinking of how oblivious and apathetic we seem to be to our vulnerability to forces in this society, which are indifferent if not downright hostile to our interests.
The video demonstrates in dramatic fashion U.S.A.ThisWeek’s ability and disposition as a news organization to dig up facts and report information that the mainstream newsmedia chose to ignore, dismiss, or minimize and in so doing forcing both the police and press to be accountable.
The observations and points we raise are meant to demonstrate the kinds of insights that will be presented on a regular basis once the U.S.A. ThisWeek news operation is launched.
The plan is for U.S.A. ThisWeek, Inc to launch a national news operation that includes a 24 hour cable-news network, a national weekly newsmagazine, and an up to the minute Internet component to compete with AOL, CNN, and the other up to the minute news websites.
With the election of a black President it may have appeared that we, African Americans, had become fully empowered in this society. Actually, that historic development exposed how vulnerable and defenseless we are as a people, in not having our own national newsmedia presence. Not long after the election we saw a bold display of the racial bias and total domination and control by the mainstream newsmedia in full effect. And guess what? Most Americans missed it.
With less than a year in office, law-enforcement’s racial injustice raised its ugly presence and showed that even the black president couldn’t successfully confront the traditional press and police partnership that allows racial injustice to prevail in America. Mainstream newsmedia’s coverage of that incident left the whole country unaware of how the president got a first class rim job courtesy of members of the forth estate.
This widely publicized incident involving race, law-enforcement and the first black president of the United States presented us with the perfect example to show how the police and press usher innocent black people into the criminal justice system.
In the video we show that contrary to the mainstream news media’s version of that story, it was a total fraud perpetrated on the American people by Sgt. James A. Crowley, the Cambridge police department, and most importantly with the complicity of the mainstream newsmedia.
We show how members of the fully integrated mainstream newsmedia, acted in concert in ignoring information/evidence that would have shown the President was not only justified in his “stupidly” assessment of the arrest of Professor Gates, it was also an illegal arrest.
There remain numerous forms of racial discrimination that persist in our society, however, police brutality, abuse, and misconduct, against minorities are undeniable realties in America. Yet it’s one of the more prevalent and elusive injustices to expose and prove, primarily because of the sanctity assigned to police reports as factual and accurate in these encounters by the one entity situated to impose accountability--the newsmedia.
There is the general presumption that the integration of police departments and newsrooms insures against racial abuse and misconduct by police and bias reporting by the newsmedia. That assumption fails to take into account a simple reality. In both professions it’s about individual career advancement versus being a rebel and crusading your way right out the door.
Despite his filing a false police report, Sgt. Crowley’s black coworkers spoke up on his behalf to include taking the additional step of denouncing the black president of the United States and the black governor of Massachusetts.
CNN trotted out two of their black reporters/anchors to interview the black cops and Professor Gates’ attorney, apparently attempting to give the appearance of their racial impartiality. Between the black cops and black reporters capitulating, it put in perspective why not all slaves welcomed the Union troops
The combination of the blue wall of silence and mainstream newsmedia complicity means there is an absence of accountability at the entry level of the criminal justice system, which incarcerates African Americans and particularly black males far more disproportionately to our population numbers.
In the video we show, an actual instance of this police officer, Sgt. James A. Crowley, taking advantage of the newsmedia free ride. In the now famous incident, Crowley filed a false police report that he presumably thought he would get away with, which he did up until the exposé’ contained in our video and this article.
The traditional accommodation to law enforcement by the mainstream newsmedia and its adverse impact on the lives of black people versus the perception left with most Americans cannot be overstated. It has created a naïve general public that believes in the unquestioned accuracy and sanctity of police reports in these matters. And guess what, black people are just as gullible in believing in the veracity of these reports as any other group.
It’s worth noting here that the disturbing revelation in the widely publicized video showing the little black girls selecting the white dolls as good and the black dolls as bad is matched in this video as we show grown-up black anchors on CNN, black reporters and spokes people appearing on cable news shows, just as naively taking positions as self deprecating to themselves as the little black girls’ self-denouncements. It shows that a variation of the Stockholm syndrome is not limited to black children and is reflected in the behavior and comments of a number of African American adults struggling to accommodate the status quo.
Lying on police reports when minorities are involved appears to be so ingrained in cop culture that even the involvement of the black President of the United States did not discourage Sgt. Crowley or the Cambridge police department from persisting in the practice to include conducting an illegal arrest.
With the help of a hostile, biased, newsmedia toward the president’s criticism of the police department’s “stupid arrest”, a total misconception was created. Sgt. Crowley was portrayed and perceived as an aggrieved, maligned, police officer simply doing his duty.
This newsmedia assisted farce culminated in Crowley being able to parley his false police report and illegal arrest into an invitation to the White House. Thus with the help of the mainstream newsmedia this man made a fool of the whole country and defiled its highest office.
The video will show that after inadvertently breaking the story of Sgt. Crowley’s apparent dishonesty, Anderson Cooper and CNN omitted any mention of that startling incriminating revelation in their subsequent news stories of the incident. But before we throw Anderson Cooper under the bus, let’s make sure there’s room under there for the rest of the newsmedia.
After that shocking revelation, not one newsmedia entity, print, electronic, or multimedia, individual reporter, commentator, or organization chose to follow up on that bombshell exposed on CNN, and FOX, which all the other news shows and organizations undoubtedly witnessed. It was tantamount to a news blackout.
There are news people and commentators with more notable images and reputations of journalistic integrity than Anderson Cooper who apparently had no problem ignoring Sgt. Crowley’s lies and did as little or as much as any hardcore racist would have done. Forget about the Obama haters who congregate on FOX, they can stay there.
But what about Chris Mathews with the shaky leg, Keith Olbermann and his nightly sermonettes, Rachel Maddow gay rights crusader, David Gergen .the Walter Cronkite of CNN, Arianna Huffington with her millions, what does she have to fear. These were all Barack Obama supporters. The question is, is this tribal or institutional? Take your pick. In the mean time the black president takes the hit and the lying cop prevails.
The saying that “God bless a child who’s got his own,” has never been more graphically illustrated than the performance or lack of it of these Obama supporters. It shows that we need to get our own rather than being dependent on others to look out for our interest, particularly when certain forces are in play.
Let’s elaborate here, so that what took place is fully appreciated. The black president spoke up on an incident involving law enforcement that reeked of racial overtones. It was immediately denounced by the newsmedia as his first racially oriented misstep since taking office. Race and racism was the focus of the controversy. “Is Sgt. Crowley a racist or not?” “He couldn’t be a racist, he gave mouth to mouth resuscitation to Reggie Lewis the black Boston Celtic basketball player.” “He conducts the racial sensitivity training program at the Police Academy.”
The news media finally got the racial incident for which they had been waiting to test the black president and they were milking this incident for all of its racial sensationalism. It was mouth watering. They were literally salivating and loving it. It involved the hot- button issue of race and law enforcement, a white cop, a prominent black Harvard professor, and the black President.
News coverage was wall-to-wall, twenty-four-seven. News agencies were covering each other less they miss something. And then something big surfaced. CNN’s Anderson Cooper inadvertently exposed a major discrepancy in the hero-cop’s story. Normal journalistic practices suggest a feeding frenzy would ensue with the newsmedia jumping all over this breaking-news level revelation. Didn’t happen.
As disturbing as it may be to face this inconvenient truth, newsrooms across America made a conscious decision not to pursue a story that would prove Sgt. Crowley was a liar and the black president was right. The revelations in this video were hiding in plain sight.
As African Americans, the depth of our apathy, naiveté or ignorance, on the subject of establishing our own newsmedia is revealed in the following anecdote.
A civil rights activist and associate, with whom I had shared this U.S.A. ThisWeek concept, gave a speech last year to the annual NABJ National Association of Black Journalist convention. My friend proudly sent me a copy of his speech in which he spoke on the history of black journalism.
It was surprising but also informative, that in the course of his speech this fellow did not see fit to mention the concept of us having our own national newsmedia to, of all people, this collection of black journalist. To make certain his omission wasn’t an oversight, I asked him why he hadn’t mentioned the U.S.A. ThisWeek, concept. His response was that he thought “community organizing” was a more effective way toward empowering us as a people.
Wow! Maybe the solution to this whole thing is not so obvious. It was this kind of reasoning that gave impetus to our deciding to produce the video and write this article emphasizing points in the video in an attempt to make our message crystal clear.
Community organizing has its merits but it means we are right back where we started-- organizing people to march and demonstrate to, gain newsmedia attention for some issue, thus remaining dependent on an entity that does not prioritize our interests.
It’s been sixty years since the initial success of the civil rights movement. However, there has been no interruption in the effort of civil rights leaders and activist to come up with ways to move us forward as a people. Interestingly, what we consider to be a common sense solution has yet to be thought of, considered, or proposed. This speaks to the uniqueness and rarity of this U.S.A.ThisWeek opportunity.
Quoting a Website devoted to black philanthropy; “From education to health, African Americans pump billions into charities and causes, fueling their clout and mission to change the world.” That means there’s no shortage of money to implement this most significant development to advance us toward unprecedented empowerment. Certainly no concept is more suited to change the world than one that finally provides black people with a national voice.
It’s important to note, that despite the obvious social and political appeal, this is also an excellent business opportunity, which means once launched it becomes self-sustaining. Once launched U.S.A.ThisWeek will be recognized as the definitive national voice representing 40 million people and a one trillion dollar annual spending market, which is no longer without national newsmedia representation, clearly a concept whose time has come.
To reach the publisher--James T.A. Babington-Johnson-- email address is
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Subject: One More River
|
|
|
The Terrorist Question America refuses to Answer |
 |
 |
 |
|
  The nation let out a collective sigh of relief that we had dodged yet another terrorist bullet with the apprehension and detainment of the Nigerian underwear bomber. His was the latest in a series of thwarted attempts by those recruited by Al Qaeda to wreak havoc on the homeland. The reports of recently discovered homegrown terrorist suggest the recruiting base is expanding to include our own countrymen.
The popular perception promoted by the Bush administration is that the terrorist threat is based on a Bin Laden generated hate for “who we are” as a people. “They hate our freedom.” They hate our way of Life.” This has to be one of the more ridiculous motives assigned to an enemy as their reasons for launching an attack in the history of the world.
It says they’re attacking us not to take our wealth or land. They aren’t angry or offended with us for anything we’re doing to them, or to anyone to whom they relate. Nope, they just hate us for who we are.
Traditionally, nations go to war for tangible reasons such as wealth, power, to gain land, to aid others, to retain land, politics, and freedom. However, with the attack on the World Trade Center, known as 911, this new and never before heard of motive was introduced, not by the terrorist, but by people who came to the forefront to explain “Why they hate us.
Basically this “hate our freedom and way of life” explanation was a well-timed con job sold to naïve Americans appealing to our vanity of being the “greatest nation in the world.” The con job started right after 911 when Americans, shocked at the attack, became open to examining the source of the hate that compelled Arab Muslims to commit suicide, by flying into buildings to destroy Americans.
To stifle any developing groundswell of interest in reexamining our Middle-Eastern policy supporting the Israeli government as having a causal connection to this recently discovered Arab/Muslim hate, a public relations effort was swiftly and aggressively launched. Netanyahu, Israeli Ambassador Alan Pincus, Publisher Mort Zuckerman and other supporters of Israel’s land grab policy were appearing on American television selling the self-serving diversionary argument supported by cover stories in Time, Newsweek, and Zuckermans’ U.S. News and World Report, raising and answering the question “Why Do they Hate Us.” And the “They hate us for who we are, they hate our freedom” mantra was born.
The disinformation campaign worked like the proverbial charm. George Bush one of the most ill informed politicians on international affairs was in the White House at the time and a perfect dupe for the ridiculous “they hate our freedom,” bull. He immediately began parroting the Sharon liberating line . The combination of that perspective becoming the official administrative policy and the same group selling the idea that the terrorist that attacked us are the same as the Palestinians terrorist resisting Israeli occupation, allowed Sharon, with our blessings and support, to unleash an unprecedented attack on the Palestinians and the Arafat PLO government.
If one recalls, the post 911 Israeli aggression on Ramallah compelled the Saudi King to fly to Crawford Texas bringing photo albums documenting the wanton destruction that Sharon’s troops had inflicted in Gaza and the West Bank. Tanks rolled through the narrow streets knocking over buildings, American made F-16s and helicopter gunships rained down fiery destruction. The Prince told Bush that the Israelis were about to “take us all over the cliff.” His point was that what Israel was doing was exacerbating the very issue that was at the crux of the Arab Muslim hate.
On Sunday November 24th, 2002 Osama bin Laden’s letter to the American people was reported in the Observer Worldview. And sure enough, the isssue that those supporting Israeli occupation had steadfastly attempted to keep Americans in the dark was the first order of business in Bin Laden’s letter.
Some American writers have published articles under the title 'On what basis are we fighting?' These articles have generated a number of responses, some of which adhered to the truth and were based on Islamic Law, and others which have not. Here we wanted to outline the truth - as an explanation and warning - hoping for Allah's reward, seeking success and support from Him.
While seeking Allah's help, we form our reply based on two questions directed at the Americans:
(Q1) Why are we fighting and opposing you?
Q2)What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?
As for the first question: Why are we fighting and opposing you? The answer is very simple:
(1) Because you attacked us and continue to attack us.
a) You attacked us in Palestine:
(i) Palestine, which has sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years. The British handed over Palestine, with your help and your support, to the Jews, who have occupied it for more than 50 years; years overflowing with oppression, tyranny, crimes, killing, expulsion, destruction and devastation. The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. The creation of Israel is a crime which must be erased. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its*price, and pay for it heavily.
Here we are eight years later and, an exchange that took place on the Ed Show on MSNBC is typical of the prevailing mindset that has taken hold despite Bin Laden’s letter.
“But in fact, we have really got to look at what is fueling the fury out there.” said Laura Flanders thoughtfully, host of “GRITv on (Dish Network), author/writer and guest commentator on cable news talk shows. She was one of two guest on The ED Show Thursday 1-7- 10 Her counterpart Susan Molinari former congresswoman now making appearances on talk shows and reportedly contemplating running for the Senate and contesting U.S. democratic first term Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, countered with “I think there is always going to be people out there who hate us for who we are and the freedom we enjoy. And I think we need to do our best to keep those people out of the United States.”
Molinari expressed the kind of ego satisfying, we are the greatest, chest thumping thinking “they hate us for who we are,” that has blinded and prevented far too many Americans from taking an honest realistic assessment of the cause and effect reason for the ongoing terrorist threat.
A similar exchange took place at the press conference held in the Whitehouse earlier that day. Janet Napolitano, and Counter Terrorism Adviser John Brennan, were chaperoned in the press conference by press secretary Robert Gibbs. During the questions and answer session, award winning, world renown reporter, Helen Thomas, after repeatedly raising her hand for acknowledgement was finally recognized and. The following Q and A ensued:
GIBBS: Helen.
HELEN: Was there an outside contractor used for security in Amsterdam? And also, what is really lacking always for us is you don't give the motivation of why they want to do us harm.
GIBBS: Why don't you take the first part, and then, John, you can address the second.
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO: The screening at Schiphol Airport was done by Dutch authorities. And they did the screening that was described to you earlier this afternoon. The hand luggage was screened, the passport was checked, he went through a magnetometer. But it was done by Dutch authorities.
HELEN: And what is the motivation? We never hear what you find out on why.
MR. BRENNAN: Al Qaeda is an organization that is dedicated to murder and wanton slaughter of innocents. What they have done over the past decade and a half, two decades, is to attract individuals like Mr. Abdulmutallab and use them for these types of attacks. He was motivated by a sense of religious sort of drive. Unfortunately, al Qaeda has perverted Islam, and has corrupted the concept of Islam, so that he's able to attract these individuals. But al Qaeda has the agenda of destruction and death.
HELEN: And you're saying it's because of religion?
MR. BRENNAN: I'm saying it's because of an al Qaeda organization that uses the banner of religion in a very perverse and corrupt way.
HELEN Why?
MR. BRENNAN: I think this is a -- this is a long issue, but al Qaeda is just determined to carry out attacks here against the homeland.
HELEN: But you haven't explained why.
At that point a reporter sitting next to Helen raised his hand, was reconized and the Q and A moved on from Helen’s most important question, which goes to the heart of the matter.
The point Helen was trying to force those people on the podium to explain the logic of their premise. It seems to defy credulity that some guys over in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the world are hating us because of the freedoms we embrace enough to fly into buildings versus some circumstances in their neighborhood where they can see visceral connections which they attribute to American activity or policies.
Nevertheless, the “they hate us for who we are” remains the raison de guerre as far as too many American politicians and pundits are concerned.
If the most powerful nation in the world has an Achilles’ heel, a built in vulnerability, an inherent weakness, it would be in not recognizing a policy that is hands down the poster child for the recruiting their enemies. Ignoring those who see us as being behind one of the worlds longest running injustices by one nation against a people, which is Israel’s inhumane actions against the Palestinians is suicidal.
In an article entitled “Are you Ready To Face The Facts About Israel” James Craig
writes about a Rev. Are, a Presbyterian pastor who used to tell his Atlanta, Georgia, congregation: "I am a Zionist." Like most Americans, Rev. Are was uninformed and misinformed about the facts on the ground pertaining to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Paul Craig Roberts wrote the Kemp-Roth bill and was assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was associate editor of the Wall Street Journal.
Around 1990 Rev. Are credits the Christian Canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem and author Marc Ellis, co-editor of the book, Beyond Occupation for opening his eyes to the injustices
Craig writes, Realizing that his ignorance of the situation on the ground had made him complicit in great crimes, Rev. Are wrote a book hoping to save others from his mistake and perhaps in part to make amends, Israeli Peace/Palestinian Justice, published in Canada in 1994.
These are a few of the atrocities and Israeli war crimes that Rev Are. recounts.
In 1949 the United Nations counted 711,000 Palestinian refugees.
In 2005 the United Nations Relief and Works Agency estimated 4.25 million Palestinians and their descendants were refugees from their homeland. The Israeli policy of evicting non-Jews has continued for six decades. On June 19, 2008, the Laity Committee in the Holy Land reported in Window Into Palestine that the Israeli Ministry of Interior is taking away the residency rights of Jerusalem Christians who have been reclassified as "visitors in their own city."
On December 10, 2007, MK Ephraim Sneh boasted in the Jerusalem Post that Israel had achieved "a true Zionist victory" over the UN partition plan "which sought to establish two nations in the land of Israel." The partition plan had assigned Israel 56 percent of Palestine, leaving the inhabitants with only 44 percent. But Israel had altered this over time. Sneh proudly declared: "When we complete the permanent agreement, we will hold 78 percent of the land while the Palestinians will control 22 percent."
Sneb could have added that the 22 percent is essentially a collection of unconnected ghettos cut off from one another and from roads, water, medical care, and jobs.
Rev. Are documents that the abuse of Palestinians' human rights is official Israeli policy. Killings, torture, and beatings are routine. On May 17, 1990, the Washington Post reported that Save the Children "documented indiscriminate beating, tear-gassing and shooting of children at home or just outside the house playing in the street, who were sitting in the classroom or going to the store for groceries."
On January 19, 1988, Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, later Prime Minister, announced the policy of "punitive beating" of Palestinians. The Israelis described the purpose of punitive beating: "Our task is to recreate a barrier and once again put the fear of death into the Arabs of the area."
According to Save the Children, beatings of children and women are common. Rev. Are, citing the report in the Washington Post, writes: "Save the Children concluded that one-third of beaten children were under ten years old, and one-fifth under the age of five. Nearly a third of the children beaten suffered broken bones."
On February 8, 1988, Newsweek magazine quoted an Israeli soldier: "We got orders to knock on every door, enter and take out all the males. The younger ones we lined up with their faces against the wall, and soldiers beat them with billy clubs. This was no private initiative, these were orders from our company commander.... After one soldier finished beating a detainee, another soldier called him 'you Nazi,' and the first man shot back: 'You bleeding heart.' When one soldier tried to stop another from beating an Arab for no reason, a fist fight broke out."
These were the old days before conscience was eliminated from the ranks of the Israeli military.
In the London Sunday Times, June 19, 1977, Ralph Schoenman, executive director of the Bertrand Russell Foundation, wrote: "Israeli interrogators routinely ill-treat and torture Arab prisoners. Prisoners are hooded or blindfolded and are hung by their wrists for long periods. Most are struck in the genitals or in other ways sexually abused. Most are sexually assaulted. Others are administered electric shock."
Amnesty International concluded that "there is no country in the world in which the use of official and sustained torture is as well established and documented as in the case of Israel."
Even the pro-Israeli Washington Post reported: "Upon arrest, a detainee undergoes a period of starvation, deprivation of sleep by organized methods and prolonged periods during which the prisoner is made to stand with his hands cuffed and raised, a filthy sack covering the head. Prisoners are dragged on the ground, beaten with objects, kicked, stripped and placed under ice-cold showers."
Sounds like Abu Gharib. There are news reports that Israeli torture experts participated in the torture of the detainees assembled by the American military as part of the Bush Regime's propaganda onslaught to convince Americans that Iraq was overflowing with al-Qaeda terrorists. On July 23, 2008, Antiwar.com posted an Iraqi news report that the Iraqi government had released a total of 109,087 Iraqis that the Americans had "detained." Obviously, these "terrorist detainees" had been used for the needs of Bush Regime propaganda. No one will ever know how many of them were abused by Israeli torturers imported by the CIA.
On the same day of Napolitano John Brennan Press conference, Chris Mathews on his Hardball show, ask Chuck Todd in his know it all meandering conversational style, “Chuck, Can he {Obama} hold this line that we’re going to remain a liberal society in terms of human rights, and trial by jury , and writ of habeas corpus and Miranda , and also not get really angry in a reactive way at the Islamic world generally that Israel has to take from time to time when it just gets hey the whole neighborhood hates us we’ve got to be reactive to that.”
Chuck Todd offers that the great challenge is that there are not enough Muslim leaders around the world who stand up and criticize Al-Queada publicly enough, saying that these guys in Yemen are thugs they are bastardizing Islam and this is not what it is. “And that I think has been this challenge. I think the president believes this in his heart I think 99 percent of the Muslims around the world believe this is not a violent religion an extremist religion.”
But there is so much fear in the middle-east among some leaders of some of these countries that they are going to be toppled by this extremist movement that they are afraid to speak out about it and that of course put the President in a box here with his own domestic critics. You see conservatives sitting here saying hey it doesn’t seem like the Muslim world wants to stop these guys.
The irony is that there is fear on both sides of the street. On this side, the intimidation and automatic attacks on those who raise questions regarding Israel’s offensive policy towards the Palestinians can be measured in how rare is the denouncement of Israel engaging in acts that are routinely denounced if engaged in by any other country.
It’s not AIPAC or the Evangelicals both of who extend their unconditional support to Israel that are the problem. Those groups have long since subordinated their allegiance to America’s national security to support whatever policy Israeli leaders pursue. They are doing what they believe in however self-destructive to America and short-sighted it might be. These groups have long since neglected to consider the harm that the Israeli policy is doing to how we are perceived in the world in our one sided support of Israel.
Actually, the people most responsible for our self-defeating policy are the Chuck Todds, and the Chris Mathews, and the thousands in the newsmedia, and the numerous politicians and pundits who, like the Muslims they criticize for being afraid to speak up against the terrorist, also dare not speak up against Israel. Even when Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu openly defies our President in seizing more Palestinian land and building settlements, our press and politicians don’t treat it as Israel against America they treat it as Obama against Netanyahu.
For Arab Muslim leaders to denounce those elements who claim to be championing the cause of the Palestinians would be foolhardy. There cause appears to be more just than supporting a country that is taking peoples land and engaging in numerous war crimes to pursue that mission and suppress resistance from those whose land is being seized.
Because we rarely report this daily activity that is occurring in the middle-east does not make it any less offensive and infuriating to those who are being exposed to it around the world. The old head in the sand approach is doing nothing for America except preventing us from seeing the masticizing cancer that is producing increasing numbers of recruits responding to the call for justice. And that is the simple truth.
|
 “Some of you won’t like what I will do all of the time.” In that statement President Obama is proving to be right. The reports of this behind the scene workings of his health care initiative are troubling. And if these reports are true Obama is playing with electoral fire. His base is beginning to loose faith in the sincerity of his health care effort and that is not helped by the fact that he has engaged in some actions that appear on their face to be downright duplicitous.
Of particular question is the deal the Whitehouse cut with the Pharmaceutical industry. The White House acknowledged that drug manufacturers agreed to contribute $80 billion in product discounts over 10 years to reduce the cost of brand-name prescription drugs. In turn, Big Parma stands to get some 30 million new customers and White House help in holding at bay congressional demands for further concessions.
Hospitals, on the other hand, agreed to kick in $155 billion over 10 years toward lowering healthcare costs, the White House confirms. The Senate Finance Committee, a key panel drafting reform legislation, worked out most of the deal’s specifics; the White House agreed to an amount. In return, hospitals got some assurances that government will adequately reimburse them for services.
The question is, are these the 235 billion reasons the administration is not aggressively pursuing the public option or the expanding Medicare to cover those from 55 and up the defeat of both to which they seemed to have conceded rather easily?
Right now more and more of Obama’s supporters are questioning where the President really stands on healthcare reform saying in the words of Howard Dean “the bill before the Senate is not true reform.”
Howard Dean got out in front on criticizing the current Senate bill to the Whitehouse’s somewhat vociferous discomfort. Former Presidential candidate, ex Governor of Vermont, a medical Doctor and one of the stoutest proponents of healthcare reform, he issued a passionate but reasoned statement to the Washington Post yesterday 12-17-09. The statement began
If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these.
Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG.
Obama has always stated that a bill that has competition is the only way to keep the insurance companies honest. The current Senate bill does not have anything approaching competition for the insurance companies and their monopolistic exemption remains in tact.
One of the more interesting developments is the resistance of Senator Lieberman of Connecticut to anything in the legislation that compromises the leverage of the insurance companies, which are the biggest employers in the state of Connecticut. His most recent flip-flop rejecting his own earlier proposal to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 55 was a classic case of moving the goal post once it was an easy target.. Lieberman has come across as an insincere hypocrite. Appearing on the Imus show he came up with the curious concern that the president was trying to do two good things at once.
Interestingly, Joe has received no criticism from the Whitehouse versus harsh criticism directed at Howard Dean to the consternation of the liberal bloc of democrats.
In another development, on Thursday, the nation's largest union group led by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that it will not support the Democratic health-care bill unless "substantial changes" are made to the current Senate version.
Earlier in the day, Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern penned a letter to his fellow union members in which he called out President Barack Obama for abandoning his own principles of reform.
"President Obama must remember his own words from the campaign. His call of 'Yes We Can' was not just to us, not just to the millions of people who voted for him, but to himself. We all stood shoulder to shoulder with the President during his hard fought campaign. And, we will continue to stand with him but he must fight for the reform we all know is possible," Stern wrote.
President Obama is allowing a dangerous narrative to gain legs, which is that he is weak and incapable of strong-arming the situation. Or as Bill Press put it, “we need less Gandhi and more LBJ.” During both the run for the democratic nomination and the presidency Obama was constantly criticized for being to conciliatory and soft. In winning both the democratic and the presidency, he validated his approach at least for campaigning.
But now we’re talking governing and with a republican party unified in defeating his presidency he seems slow to recognize that these people are more concerned about winning and power versus the interest of the people. With few exceptions, the republicans have voted unanimously to oppose every piece of legislation the democrats have put before the Senate and the house.
If the weak narrative takes hold even Obama’s base may have second thoughts.
|
|
|
They’ve Got Tiger by the Tale. |
|
|
|
|
Breaking News! Tiger Woods had sexual encounters with women other than his wife. Infidelity is the only thing older than the world’s oldest profession. The sense of surprise and outrage by the press, pundits and politicians is a relative newcomer in the game of “gotcha” in terms of sexual exposures of celebrities In the past, high-government officials got a pass on their private sexual dalliances.
When President Franklin Roosevelt received his mistress at his place in Warm Springs, Georgia, not a whisper appeared in the press. When he died there in Warm Springs with “the other woman” at his side, the silence on the subject was maintained in the press. When Marilyn Monroe frolicked in the White House with President John Kennedy, the Washington Press Corps knew, but didn’t report. Suffice it to say, that such an era of civility, or respect for privacy, has since long gone. Ironically, you can’t get away with this kind of stuff in America anymore, unless you’re a nobody.
So as ordinary everyday dudes engage in their private anonymous philandering and those in the media announce their hypocritical disdain and disgust for such “unusual” behavior by the world’s number one golfer, here we go with an orgy of recrimination from the holier than thoughs. As for the biblical, “he without sins cast the first stone,” forget about it. The sense of shock and indignation that emanates from some quarters is more a comment on the critics than the criticized. As each announcement of a new Tiger lady emerges the media salivation becomes more palpable.
The talk show people justifiably made it their topic of discussion. When the story broke it was the top seven Googled topics of the day and as late as December 5th” Elin moves out” was number 9 on Google.
Unlike the days of John Kennedy, the way it works nowadays is the higher the profile the more likely the ultimate discovery or the disclosure of the indiscretion. And Tiger Woods is at the top of the food chain. Multi-ethnic, recognized and idolized around the world as the greatest golfer ever, in this media driven age complete with 24 hour cable news channels, the internet, blogs, twitter, face book it was just a matter of time before Mr. Wood’s dalliances would be discovered.. The discovery of Tigers sexual trysts was like throwing a bucket of bite-size bloody fish in shark infested waters. And the media is gobbling it up. As Carlos Diaz host for the show Extra explained, we focus on what our viewers are interested in and the Tiger Woods story is being driven by audience interest.
Hearing the shrill outcry from some quarters, one can’t help from remembering other loud protestations outrage and later seeing that person become the subject of the same or even greater indignation. Senator Larry E. Craig, Republican of Idaho, who claimed it was all about his having a “wide stance” when he was arrested by an undercover police officer in a men’s bathroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The irony was that in his earlier criticism of President Bill Clinton, his denunciation of the President and his choice of words castigating the President on Meet the Press, there was a leering tone to comments.
“The Senate can Certainly bring about a Senate resolution and it’s a slap on the wrist it’s a, you’re a bad boy bill Clinton you’re a naughty boy. The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy a naughty boy. I’m going to speak out for the people in my state who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is even a nasty bad naughty boy.”
David Vitter Republican of Louisiana was implicated in a separate case in the Washington area when his phone number turned up in the records of an escort service that the authorities have described as a prostitution ring. Senator Vitter made a public apology for what he called “a very serious sin in my past,” and he was not charged with any crime. He also is running for re-election and is predicted to win. Maybe Tiger should relocate to Louisiana. where they may be more forgiving..
However, both Vitter and his wife had to eat humble pie after jumping on the impeach Clinton bandwagon. Vitter’s wife’s was famous for her quote with which she has yet to follow through on. In an interview in 2000, Wendy Vitter said she would be “a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary Clinton” if her husband ever cheated on her. In that interview, Wendy Vitter said, “If (David) does something like that, I’m walking away with one thing, and it’s not alimony, trust me.
There seems to be no restraint on the level of detail that otherwise mainstream news operations are reporting on Tiger Woods. The Huffington Post published pictures of the ladies that have come forward including several pictures of the Porn star Holly Sampson. And they quoted one of the girls complementing Tigers sexual prowess indicating that Tiger’s anatomy is in no way reversing the reputation of black men.. It appears the Tabloids are in competition with mainstream newsmedia publications to see who can come up with most detailed info.
Then there was the ongoing debate between the sex police and the sex addiction therapist. It’s been strongly suggested by these people that the 33 year old Tiger Woods who up until now has been considered obsessive about golf is actually addicted to the most basic human drive after food and drink. Serious discussions are being held on some talk shows on how Tiger can cure his sexual addiction.
If Tiger is a sex addict based on his being involved with ten to twelve ladies, where does that put Wilt Chamberlain with his 20,000. According to Wilt "that equals out to having sex with 1.2 women a day, every day since I was fifteen years old." That means that Wilt could run figure eights around Tiger with nineteen thousand nine hundred and eighty eight girls left to go. Maybe that will put Tigers paltry record into perspective.
There seemed to be a certain level of gleeful indulgence among some of Tigers critics. Upon further review hidden agendas were revealed. Mary Jo Eustace former wife of Dean McDermott who left her for Tori Spelling was understandably resentful of the worlds number one golfer and first professional sports billionaire being unfaithful to his Swedish former model, and nanny of professional golfer.
However, the one surprising critic who seemed to be harboring particular venom was Keith Olbermann. Regular MSNBC watchers were struck by how much time Olbermann devoted to the Tiger Woods story always with an over the top negative humor angle. His show became the outlet for the daily animated video release made in Taiwan which depicted what actually took place behind the walls of Tigers Mansion which had a reported sale price of $65 million when purchased by Tiger.
Keith Olbermann, a card carrying member of SAG, Screen actors Guild, explained to a viewer who asked why he was devoting so much time and criticism to Tiger Woods, that Tiger had shot a Buick commercial in Canada during the SAG strikes after he had publicly declared that he supported the strike and would not be shooting any commercial until the strike was settled. So apparently this was Keith’s petty payback.
David Letterman who got the critics all riled up about his twofer, which included possible infidelity and employer harassment did not let his own sexual scandal deter him from doing his stick on Tiger. He opened his Tiger Woods monologue by wishing that Tiger would stop calling him to ask for advice.
"Boy, it looks like that Tiger Woods is having some trouble, huh?" began Letterman, puffing his cheeks out. The funnyman - who knows about "transgressions" - joked that if Woods' situation had happened three months ago, he'd "have material for a year."
The fellow who found the incriminating evidence of Letterman’s ongoing sexual dalliance with an employee by reading his girlfriend’s diary, was almost forgotten in the rush to denounce letterman’s admitting he’s been getting down with a member of his staff.
Joe Halderman, the suspended CBS producer, who is charged with trying to blackmail David Letterman should have taken a page out of Gloria Allred’s book on how to legally blackmail or extort an individual. As opposed to contacting the prominent target on which you have the embarrassing goods simply let it be known you have the hot info and announce that you are about to hold a press conference and wait for the fish to bite with an offer to kill the press conference. Lisa Bloom says her mother hasn’t discussed with her what the deal was but she knows how her Mom operates and she would never cancel that press conference for less than a million.
In the meantime it seems the other girls are telling their stories for various amounts to tabloid outlets. Ashley Dupre better known as the Call girl who led to the resignation of New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, reportedly contacted the New York Post. And expressed disgust at the tell all nature of these Tiger women. In a text message to the Post “Here you have all these girls accepting gifts, money, trips from Tiger in exchange for sex—all the while knowing he is married. And now they all can't wait to tell their stories in exchange for even more money.” She concludes, “And I was the hooker? At least I kept my mouth shut.”As one commentator remarked “who would have thought that the call girl would turn out to be the one to look up to.”
Howard Bragmon public Relations Consultant appearing on CNN Larry King claims that in announcing his hiatus from golf to try and repair his family and personal situation Tiger is making the wrong move because its feeding the story and not making the story go away. Conversely a number of observers have said this is the right unselfish move in that Tiger is showing his priorities are in the right place, family first.
The safest bet seems to be the prediction of ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi who says that when Tiger returns the story will be captivating and compelling. Really? Considering that Tiger’s appearances on the tour generally generates three times the level of interest in television ratings as when he does not appear, compelling and captivating may be an understatement..
On the business side this is a major blow to the PGA Tour because when Tiger Woods is playing it’s a whole other game. Rich Lerner of the Golf Channel reports that when Tiger came back after knee surgery there were 200 reporters waiting for Tiger at the practice range. He predicts that when Tiger comes back this time the Thursday practice round in terms of media coverage will be unprecedented.
The most ridiculous speculation was that of the business editor of some magazine appearing on ESPN, who suggested Tiger may never come back. Ain’t no way Tiger is going to let this development derail his life long ambition to break Jack Nicklaus’ record.
|
|
“'we are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and allies. Mitt Romney quoted from a speech delivered by Obama in March to climb on the Cheney “dithering’ band wagon and launch an attack on the President’s careful examination and deliberative process in determining his Afghanistan strategy..
Romney was speaking before the Young America’s Foundation in Santa Barbara California, a very select and sympathetic audience , which describes itself as "the principal outreach organization of the Conservative Movement,” He accused the President of holding phony Town Hall meetings, saying they’re phony because the audience is hand picked. He apparently missed the irony of that statement as he spoke to his exclusive audience.
"The President has held his job for 10 months but does not yet have a strategy. What has he been doing that is more important than protecting the lives of the troops of which he is Commander-in-Chief? He has been campaigning- rallying at phony town meetings and making over 30 campaign stops for fellow Democrats. This President's inattention and dereliction remind me of those Northwest Airlines pilots who were so distracted from their jobs that they lost their way. But in this case, the consequences are far more severe." Romney has not been short on criticisms of Obama. In fact he has been on a constant second guessing campaign obviously trying to keep his profile active as a Presidential candidate in 2012. In March, Romney accused the president of neglecting the country's needs, while posing for magazine covers, and making appearances on late night television during an interview with CNN's Larry King.
"This is a president who is learning on the fly, he's never turned anything around before. He hasn't had the experience of leading a nation or a business or a state in trouble. And the first rule I can tell him is focus, focus, focus. " Focusing on becoming the GOP’s presidential candidate seems to be Romney’s objective. According to CNN Political Ticker, Since February, Romney has attended nine events for senatorial candidates, appeared at more than a dozen rallies or fundraisers for those running for governor this year or next, and spoken at almost two dozen meetings of Republican Party groups or conservative organizations. And he has finished a new book. The image that many have of Mitt Romney is that of an almost desperate candidate, who would say anything and do anything to try and win even if his statements are diametrically opposed to an earlier position he had held. Flip flopping, in his case, became an understatement. The "pro-choice" candidate for senator, and later governor, of Massachusetts became the "pro-life" candidate for president of the United States. At one point, during the last election cycle, Romney awkwardly worked “change” and “hope” into a speech that was transparently an attempt to incorporate those two effective Obama slogans into his campaign.
In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, Romney ranked third in Republicans' choice for a 2012 nominee, behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin; 36 percent had a favorable view of him, while 26 percent had a negative view and 37 percent weren't sure. Only time will tell if Romney can get enough people too take him serious enough for him to be the GOP Presidential selection.
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 27 |
|
Publisher's Statement
U.S.A. ThisWeek is a national weekly news magazine, the print version will soon be launched that will provide national weekly news-media representation for African Americans and fill a long standing news-media void. It’s our{mosimage} position that, until African Americans have a national voice that presents a perspective representing our interests and concerns on a weekly basis, we are relegated to less than full participation in the society. With the establishment of U.S.A ThisWeek, no longer will the area of news be dominated by the mainstream news media nor will the proliferation of traditional pundits, politicians and news readers have a monopoly on the opinions and perspectives being posited to the public.
In addition, with the new threat to our existence of international terrorism which places us all at risk, we can no longer remain quiescent and allow information that would address that threat to go unreported. Right now we’re in a Russian roulette posture based on the assessment of the current administration that “they only have to be right once; we have to be right all the time.”
|
