'Unit's' military expert has fighting words for Bush
By David Kronke, TV Critic
Eric Haney, a retired command sergeant major of the U.S. Army, was a founding member of Delta Force, the military's elite covert counter-terrorist unit. He culled his experiences for "Inside Delta Force" (Delta; $14), a memoir rich with harrowing stories, though in an interview, Haney declines with a shrug to estimate the number of times he was almost killed. (Perhaps the most high-profile incident that almost claimed his life was the 1980 failed rescue of the hostages in Iran.) Today, he's doing nothing nearly as dangerous: He serves as an executive producer and technical adviser for "The Unit," CBS' new hit drama based on his book, developed by playwright David Mamet. Even up against "American Idol," "The Unit" shows muscle, drawing 18 million viewers in its first two airings.
Since he has devoted his life to protecting his country in some of the world's most dangerous hot spots, you might assume Haney is sympathetic to the Bush administration's current plight in Iraq (the laudatory cover blurb on his book comes from none other than Fox's News' Bill O'Reilly). But he's also someone with close ties to the Pentagon, so he's privy to information denied the rest of us.
We recently spoke to Haney, an amiable, soft-spoken Southern gentleman, on the set of "The Unit."
Q: What's your assessment of the war in Iraq?
A: Utter debacle. But it had to be from the very first. The reasons were wrong. The reasons of this administration for taking this nation to war were not what they stated. (Army Gen.) Tommy Franks was brow-beaten and ... pursued warfare that he knew strategically was wrong in the long term. That's why he retired immediately afterward. His own staff could tell him what was going to happen afterward.
We have fomented civil war in Iraq. We have probably fomented internecine war in the Muslim world between the Shias and the Sunnis, and I think Bush may well have started the third world war, all for their own personal policies.
Q: What is the cost to our country?
A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. ... And I say "we," because the American public went along with this. They voted for a second Bush administration out of fear, so fear is what they're going to have from now on.
Our military is completely consumed, so were there a real threat - thankfully, there is no real threat to the U.S. in the world, but were there one, we couldn't confront it. Right now, that may not be a bad thing, because that keeps Bush from trying something with Iran or with Venezuela.
The harm that has been done is irreparable. There are more than 2,000 American kids that have been killed. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have been killed ñ which no one in the U.S. really cares about those people, do they? I never hear anybody lament that fact. It has been a horror, and this administration has worked overtime to divert the American public's attention from it. Their lies are coming home to roost now, and it's gonna fall apart. But somebody's gonna have to clear up the aftermath and the harm that it's done just to what America stands for. It may be two or three generations in repairing.
Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney ...
A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It's about vengeance, it's about revenge, or it's about cover-up. You don't gain intelligence that way. Everyone in the world knows that. It's worse than small-minded, and look what it does.
I've argued this on Bill O'Reilly and other Fox News shows. I ask, who would you want to pay to be a torturer? Do you want someone that the American public pays to torture? He's an employee of yours. It's worse than ridiculous. It's criminal; it's utterly criminal. This administration has been masters of diverting attention away from real issues and debating the silly. Debating what constitutes torture: Mistreatment of helpless people in your power is torture, period. And (I'm saying this as) a man who has been involved in the most pointed of our activities. I know it, and all of my mates know it. You don't do it. It's an act of cowardice. I hear apologists for torture say, "Well, they do it to us." Which is a ludicrous argument. ... The Saddam Husseins of the world are not our teachers. Christ almighty, we wrote a Constitution saying what's legal and what we believed in. Now we're going to throw it away.
Q: As someone who repeatedly put your life on the line, did some of the most hair-raising things to protect your country, and to see your country behave this way, that must be ...
A: It's pretty galling. But ultimately I believe in the good and the decency of the American people, and they're starting to see what's happening and the lies that have been told. We're seeing this current house of cards start to flutter away. The American people come around. They always do.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Retired Supreme Court Justice warns of Dictatorship
Retired Supreme Court Justice hits attacks on courts and warns of dictatorship
RAW STORYPublished: March 10, 2006
Supreme Court justices keep many opinions private but Sandra Day O’Connor no longer faces that obligation. Yesterday, the retired justice criticized Republicans who criticized the courts. She said they challenge the independence of judges and the freedoms of all Americans. O’Connor’s speech at Georgetown University was not available for broadcast but NPR’s legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg was there.
Nina Totenberg: In an unusually forceful and forthright speech, O’Connor said that attacks on the judiciary by some Republican leaders pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedoms. O’Connor began by conceding that courts do have the power to make presidents or the Congress or governors, as she put it “really, really angry.” But, she continued, if we don’t make them mad some of the time we probably aren’t doing our jobs as judges, and our effectiveness, she said, is premised on the notion that we won’t be subject to retaliation for our judicial acts. The nation’s founders wrote repeatedly, she said, that without an independent judiciary to protect individual rights from the other branches of government those rights and privileges would amount to nothing. But, said O’Connor, as the founding fathers knew statutes and constitutions don’t protect judicial independence, people do.
RAW STORYPublished: March 10, 2006
Supreme Court justices keep many opinions private but Sandra Day O’Connor no longer faces that obligation. Yesterday, the retired justice criticized Republicans who criticized the courts. She said they challenge the independence of judges and the freedoms of all Americans. O’Connor’s speech at Georgetown University was not available for broadcast but NPR’s legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg was there.
Nina Totenberg: In an unusually forceful and forthright speech, O’Connor said that attacks on the judiciary by some Republican leaders pose a direct threat to our constitutional freedoms. O’Connor began by conceding that courts do have the power to make presidents or the Congress or governors, as she put it “really, really angry.” But, she continued, if we don’t make them mad some of the time we probably aren’t doing our jobs as judges, and our effectiveness, she said, is premised on the notion that we won’t be subject to retaliation for our judicial acts. The nation’s founders wrote repeatedly, she said, that without an independent judiciary to protect individual rights from the other branches of government those rights and privileges would amount to nothing. But, said O’Connor, as the founding fathers knew statutes and constitutions don’t protect judicial independence, people do.
POLITICAL: Iraq is Bleeding
"The Country Is Bleeding"
by georgia10
Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 08:39:01 PM PDT
It was less than a week ago that U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad stated that "the country is bleeding," though he insisted that the violence was not yet a civil war. Recent developments in Iraq reveal the country isn't just bleeding--it's hemorrhaging, and unfortunately, it appears there is little doubt that Iraq is suffering from an all-out civil war.
Politically, the process of forming a unity government has stalled. After meeting for just a half hour last week, the Iraqi leaders have failed to make substantial progress towards forming a government. While Bush and Rice make excuses about how difficult the process of forming a government can be, Democrats are calling on the administration to show some leadership and tell the Iraqis to either get their act together or lose our support.
On the security front, what is occuring in Iraq is nothing short of "sectarian cleansing," as one Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament put it. The New York Times reports "security is deteriorating by the hour." Thirty beheaded Iraqis were found today. Bodies are being found by the dozens and car bombs continue to explode. The leading Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr narrowly escaped getting killed in a mortar attack on his camp. American forces clashed with members of his militia today in/near a mosque (reports differ), killing 17 or 20 "insurgents." The police claim 22 bystanders died and al-Sadr's aides claim 18 innocent men were killed (after allegedly being tied up and shot). More on this story from the New York Times here. As the confusion and chaos escalates, Shiite politicians are accusing the U.S. of a "massacre." The incident, according to one source, has "injured the whole political process."
American forces also found a secret prison where prisoners were secretly held and apparently tortured by the Iraqi Interior Ministry. They arrested 40 policemen in the raid. An Iraqi police major was also arrested for heading up a death squad. The militias are out of control. Ambassador Khalilzad stated that "[m]ore Iraqis are dying today from the militia violence than from the terrorists."
The country is bleeding. In the heart of Baghdad, Shiite and Sunni militias are already fighting for control over districts, with scores of Iraqis killed as a result:
"The fighting will only stop when a new balance of power has emerged," Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff of Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish leader, said. "Sunni and Shia will each take control of their own area." He said sectarian cleansing had already begun.
Many Iraqi leaders now believe that civil war is inevitable but it will be confined, at least at first, to the capital and surrounding provinces where the population is mixed. "The real battle will be the battle for Baghdad where the Shia have increasing control," said one senior official who did not want his name published. "The army will disintegrate in the first moments of the war because the soldiers are loyal to the Shia, Sunni or Kurdish communities and not to the government." He expected the Americans to stay largely on the sidelines.
The American plan, according to Donald Rumsfeld, is indeed to stay on the sidelines as the Iraqi Army we trained disintegrates and the Iraqi people we promised to protect from terror see terror firsthand in their streets and in their homes. As reports stream out from Iraq, it appears that what we feared and hoped to never see is finally occurring: a complete breakdown in order, and an all-out civil war in Iraq. At last word, the Iraqi leaders are debating on having the entire Parliament chose Iraqi's new Prime Minister, in the hopes that the sooner a government is formed, the sooner the infighting in their country stops. Can a stabilized political process stop the chaos before it reaches a tipping point? Is the country already there? Can the bleeding, for the sake of Iraqis and our troops in harm's way, finally be stopped?
by georgia10
Sun Mar 26, 2006 at 08:39:01 PM PDT
It was less than a week ago that U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad stated that "the country is bleeding," though he insisted that the violence was not yet a civil war. Recent developments in Iraq reveal the country isn't just bleeding--it's hemorrhaging, and unfortunately, it appears there is little doubt that Iraq is suffering from an all-out civil war.
Politically, the process of forming a unity government has stalled. After meeting for just a half hour last week, the Iraqi leaders have failed to make substantial progress towards forming a government. While Bush and Rice make excuses about how difficult the process of forming a government can be, Democrats are calling on the administration to show some leadership and tell the Iraqis to either get their act together or lose our support.
On the security front, what is occuring in Iraq is nothing short of "sectarian cleansing," as one Kurdish member of the Iraqi Parliament put it. The New York Times reports "security is deteriorating by the hour." Thirty beheaded Iraqis were found today. Bodies are being found by the dozens and car bombs continue to explode. The leading Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr narrowly escaped getting killed in a mortar attack on his camp. American forces clashed with members of his militia today in/near a mosque (reports differ), killing 17 or 20 "insurgents." The police claim 22 bystanders died and al-Sadr's aides claim 18 innocent men were killed (after allegedly being tied up and shot). More on this story from the New York Times here. As the confusion and chaos escalates, Shiite politicians are accusing the U.S. of a "massacre." The incident, according to one source, has "injured the whole political process."
American forces also found a secret prison where prisoners were secretly held and apparently tortured by the Iraqi Interior Ministry. They arrested 40 policemen in the raid. An Iraqi police major was also arrested for heading up a death squad. The militias are out of control. Ambassador Khalilzad stated that "[m]ore Iraqis are dying today from the militia violence than from the terrorists."
The country is bleeding. In the heart of Baghdad, Shiite and Sunni militias are already fighting for control over districts, with scores of Iraqis killed as a result:
"The fighting will only stop when a new balance of power has emerged," Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff of Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish leader, said. "Sunni and Shia will each take control of their own area." He said sectarian cleansing had already begun.
Many Iraqi leaders now believe that civil war is inevitable but it will be confined, at least at first, to the capital and surrounding provinces where the population is mixed. "The real battle will be the battle for Baghdad where the Shia have increasing control," said one senior official who did not want his name published. "The army will disintegrate in the first moments of the war because the soldiers are loyal to the Shia, Sunni or Kurdish communities and not to the government." He expected the Americans to stay largely on the sidelines.
The American plan, according to Donald Rumsfeld, is indeed to stay on the sidelines as the Iraqi Army we trained disintegrates and the Iraqi people we promised to protect from terror see terror firsthand in their streets and in their homes. As reports stream out from Iraq, it appears that what we feared and hoped to never see is finally occurring: a complete breakdown in order, and an all-out civil war in Iraq. At last word, the Iraqi leaders are debating on having the entire Parliament chose Iraqi's new Prime Minister, in the hopes that the sooner a government is formed, the sooner the infighting in their country stops. Can a stabilized political process stop the chaos before it reaches a tipping point? Is the country already there? Can the bleeding, for the sake of Iraqis and our troops in harm's way, finally be stopped?
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Another Top Bush White House Aide Indicted. This one arrested for Theft !
Former White House Aide Is Arrested on Theft Charges
By JOHN FILES and ROBERT PEAR, The New York Times
WASHINGTON, (March 11) - A former top White House aide was arrested on Thursday in the Maryland suburbs on charges that he stole merchandise from a number of retailers, the police in Montgomery County, Md., said Friday.
The former aide, Claude A. Allen, 45, was President Bush's top domestic policy adviser until resigning last month. Known as a rising conservative star, he previously served as deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, and in 2003 the White House announced its intention to nominate him to a seat on the federal appeals court based in Richmond, Va. Democrats raised questions about the nomination, and it never came to a vote.
The police said Mr. Allen was seen on Jan. 2 leaving a department store in Gaithersburg, Md., with merchandise for which he had not paid. He was apprehended by a store employee and issued a misdemeanor citation for theft, said Lt. Eric Burnett, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Police Department.
A statement issued on Friday by the police said store employees saw Mr. Allen fill a shopping bag with merchandise and put additional items into a shopping cart. He then sought, and received, a refund for some of the items and left the store without paying for others.
The Police Department said that as a result of an investigation it opened after the initial incident in January, it found that Mr. Allen had received refunds of more than $5,000 last year at stores like Target and Hecht's. Mr. Allen was arrested on Thursday and charged in connection with a series of allegedly fraudulent returns. The police said he was charged with a theft scheme over $500 and theft over $500.
The President's Reaction
"When I heard the story last night, I was shocked, and my first reaction was one of disappointment, deep disappointment - if it's true - that we were not fully informed," Bush said Saturday morning. "Shortly thereafter, I felt really sad for the Allen family." "If the allegations are true, Claude Allen did not tell my chief of staff and legal counsel the truth, and that's deeply disappointing," the president said at the White House following an event on Iraq. "If the allegations are true, something went wrong in Claude Allen's life, and that is really sad."
Source: AP
"He would buy items, take them out to his car and return to the store with the receipt," the police said in the statement. "He would select the same items he had just purchased and then return them for a refund."
Mr. Allen was released on his own recognizance, the police said.
Mr. Allen's lawyer, Mallon Snyder, said: "We deny that Claude Allen took anything from a Target store or any other department store. We would welcome an opportunity to meet with Target store personnel to explain the confusion. Once they have an opportunity to examine the record, these charges will be dropped."
Mr. Snyder said that Mr. Allen had returned merchandise to the Target store on several occasions, but that "there was no impropriety."
Mr. Allen was the secretary of health and human resources for the State of Virginia when he was chosen by Mr. Bush in 2001 for the No. 2 job at the federal Health and Human Services Department. Last year, he was named as top domestic policy adviser in the White House.
Mr. Allen went to the White House after his nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit stalled in the Senate. The nomination never came to a vote, in part because some Democrats raised questions about comments he had made in 1984, while working for Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina. He had been quoted as saying that Mr. Helms's opponent that year was vulnerable because his campaign could be "linked with the queers." He later apologized and said he had not intended his words to be a slur against gay men and lesbians.
The White House announced on Feb. 9 that Mr. Allen was resigning as Mr. Bush's domestic policy adviser.
Asked about the charge against Mr. Allen, Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said, "If it is true, no one would be more shocked and more outraged than the president."
Mr. McClellan said Mr. Allen reported the initial incident to Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, on Jan. 2, the day it occurred. But, he said, Mr. Card did not inform the president until early February because Mr. Allen had said the incident resulted from a misunderstanding.
More From the Times
· Employers Criticize Shift in Unionizing Method to Cards From Elections
· For Muslim Who Says Violence Destroys Islam, Violent Threats
· After Katrina, Artists Find a New Colony
· A Mosque Is Lost, and Interfaith Bonds Are Found
· Gentrification Changing Face of New Atlanta
Mr. McClellan gave this chronology: On Jan. 3, Mr. Allen discussed the incident with Harriet E. Miers, the White House counsel, and told her that he had been returning merchandise and there was confusion with his credit cards because he had moved many times. He assured Ms. Miers that the matter would be cleared up.
Mr. McClellan said the White House gave Mr. Allen "the benefit of the doubt" because he had gone through extensive background checks before his judicial nomination.
Within a few days of the incident, Mr. McClellan said, Mr. Allen told Mr. Card and Ms. Miers that he was thinking of leaving the White House to spend time with his family. But Mr. Allen decided to stay for a while because he was working on domestic initiatives for the State of the Union address, which Mr. Bush delivered on Jan. 31.
William A. Pierce, a former spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said he was "stunned, absolutely stunned" to hear of the arrest.
"I think a great deal of Claude," Mr. Pierce said. "He served ably as deputy secretary. He was, in effect, the chief operating officer of the department. He made sure that the machinery of the agency worked well. Many regulations came through him."
A neighbor reached by phone on Friday night said that Mr. Allen belonged to the Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., and moved into the neighborhood along with several other members of the church. County records show that Mr. Allen bought his home in October 2005 for $958,300, along with his wife, Jannese.
David Sanger contributed reporting for this article.
By JOHN FILES and ROBERT PEAR, The New York Times
WASHINGTON, (March 11) - A former top White House aide was arrested on Thursday in the Maryland suburbs on charges that he stole merchandise from a number of retailers, the police in Montgomery County, Md., said Friday.
The former aide, Claude A. Allen, 45, was President Bush's top domestic policy adviser until resigning last month. Known as a rising conservative star, he previously served as deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, and in 2003 the White House announced its intention to nominate him to a seat on the federal appeals court based in Richmond, Va. Democrats raised questions about the nomination, and it never came to a vote.
The police said Mr. Allen was seen on Jan. 2 leaving a department store in Gaithersburg, Md., with merchandise for which he had not paid. He was apprehended by a store employee and issued a misdemeanor citation for theft, said Lt. Eric Burnett, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Police Department.
A statement issued on Friday by the police said store employees saw Mr. Allen fill a shopping bag with merchandise and put additional items into a shopping cart. He then sought, and received, a refund for some of the items and left the store without paying for others.
The Police Department said that as a result of an investigation it opened after the initial incident in January, it found that Mr. Allen had received refunds of more than $5,000 last year at stores like Target and Hecht's. Mr. Allen was arrested on Thursday and charged in connection with a series of allegedly fraudulent returns. The police said he was charged with a theft scheme over $500 and theft over $500.
The President's Reaction
"When I heard the story last night, I was shocked, and my first reaction was one of disappointment, deep disappointment - if it's true - that we were not fully informed," Bush said Saturday morning. "Shortly thereafter, I felt really sad for the Allen family." "If the allegations are true, Claude Allen did not tell my chief of staff and legal counsel the truth, and that's deeply disappointing," the president said at the White House following an event on Iraq. "If the allegations are true, something went wrong in Claude Allen's life, and that is really sad."
Source: AP
"He would buy items, take them out to his car and return to the store with the receipt," the police said in the statement. "He would select the same items he had just purchased and then return them for a refund."
Mr. Allen was released on his own recognizance, the police said.
Mr. Allen's lawyer, Mallon Snyder, said: "We deny that Claude Allen took anything from a Target store or any other department store. We would welcome an opportunity to meet with Target store personnel to explain the confusion. Once they have an opportunity to examine the record, these charges will be dropped."
Mr. Snyder said that Mr. Allen had returned merchandise to the Target store on several occasions, but that "there was no impropriety."
Mr. Allen was the secretary of health and human resources for the State of Virginia when he was chosen by Mr. Bush in 2001 for the No. 2 job at the federal Health and Human Services Department. Last year, he was named as top domestic policy adviser in the White House.
Mr. Allen went to the White House after his nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit stalled in the Senate. The nomination never came to a vote, in part because some Democrats raised questions about comments he had made in 1984, while working for Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina. He had been quoted as saying that Mr. Helms's opponent that year was vulnerable because his campaign could be "linked with the queers." He later apologized and said he had not intended his words to be a slur against gay men and lesbians.
The White House announced on Feb. 9 that Mr. Allen was resigning as Mr. Bush's domestic policy adviser.
Asked about the charge against Mr. Allen, Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said, "If it is true, no one would be more shocked and more outraged than the president."
Mr. McClellan said Mr. Allen reported the initial incident to Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, on Jan. 2, the day it occurred. But, he said, Mr. Card did not inform the president until early February because Mr. Allen had said the incident resulted from a misunderstanding.
More From the Times
· Employers Criticize Shift in Unionizing Method to Cards From Elections
· For Muslim Who Says Violence Destroys Islam, Violent Threats
· After Katrina, Artists Find a New Colony
· A Mosque Is Lost, and Interfaith Bonds Are Found
· Gentrification Changing Face of New Atlanta
Mr. McClellan gave this chronology: On Jan. 3, Mr. Allen discussed the incident with Harriet E. Miers, the White House counsel, and told her that he had been returning merchandise and there was confusion with his credit cards because he had moved many times. He assured Ms. Miers that the matter would be cleared up.
Mr. McClellan said the White House gave Mr. Allen "the benefit of the doubt" because he had gone through extensive background checks before his judicial nomination.
Within a few days of the incident, Mr. McClellan said, Mr. Allen told Mr. Card and Ms. Miers that he was thinking of leaving the White House to spend time with his family. But Mr. Allen decided to stay for a while because he was working on domestic initiatives for the State of the Union address, which Mr. Bush delivered on Jan. 31.
William A. Pierce, a former spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said he was "stunned, absolutely stunned" to hear of the arrest.
"I think a great deal of Claude," Mr. Pierce said. "He served ably as deputy secretary. He was, in effect, the chief operating officer of the department. He made sure that the machinery of the agency worked well. Many regulations came through him."
A neighbor reached by phone on Friday night said that Mr. Allen belonged to the Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., and moved into the neighborhood along with several other members of the church. County records show that Mr. Allen bought his home in October 2005 for $958,300, along with his wife, Jannese.
David Sanger contributed reporting for this article.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Brad and Angelina....The Ring of Truth
Brad and Angelina -- The Ring of Truth
Photos of famous couple sporting same band
By TMZ.COM STAFF
(Mar. 6, 8:00PM ET) -- Hollywood gossip blogs have been burning up the Internet recently (including Celebrityblog, Skyshowbiz and Filmfodder), speculating that Brad and Angelina have secretly tied the knot. One report has it that Angelina was spotted wearing a band on her ring finger. Another report claims that both are wearing rings but on the right hand. A number of blogs limit the sighting to Angelina wearing a band.
X17
Angelina, Brad and family in Paris
VideoBrangelina in Tokyo
Photo galleryAngelina JolieBrad PittBrad and Angelina
Celeb spotlightAngelina Jolie Brad Pitt
You be the judge!Speak out on the TMZ message boards
TMZ did some digging and turned up several interesting pictures. Angelina was photographed Saturday (March 4) in Paris with a gold band on her right thumb.
X17TEXT -->
Now take a look at the matching band on Brad's right middle finger.
Could this be the unconventional couple's way of unconventionally telegraphing their marriage? You be the judge.
Related link:Juliette, Gwen, Jen and Jolie
Photos of famous couple sporting same band
By TMZ.COM STAFF
(Mar. 6, 8:00PM ET) -- Hollywood gossip blogs have been burning up the Internet recently (including Celebrityblog, Skyshowbiz and Filmfodder), speculating that Brad and Angelina have secretly tied the knot. One report has it that Angelina was spotted wearing a band on her ring finger. Another report claims that both are wearing rings but on the right hand. A number of blogs limit the sighting to Angelina wearing a band.
X17
Angelina, Brad and family in Paris
VideoBrangelina in Tokyo
Photo galleryAngelina JolieBrad PittBrad and Angelina
Celeb spotlightAngelina Jolie Brad Pitt
You be the judge!Speak out on the TMZ message boards
TMZ did some digging and turned up several interesting pictures. Angelina was photographed Saturday (March 4) in Paris with a gold band on her right thumb.
X17TEXT -->
Now take a look at the matching band on Brad's right middle finger.
Could this be the unconventional couple's way of unconventionally telegraphing their marriage? You be the judge.
Related link:Juliette, Gwen, Jen and Jolie
From Greg 'Peace Song' Jones...Why I Wrote the Anthem for World Peace!
Why I Wrote The Anthem for World Peace SongFrom Greg JonesGOD BLESS THE WORLDWhile You Bless AmericaThe special CD release by Greg Jones considered the new anthem for world peace is entitled God Bless the World-While You Bless America. Already available on over 125 music sites worldwide, this special peace anthem is garnering accolades worldwide. Below, Greg explains the motivation behind his powerful musical message for world peace.
"Yesterday, I was interviewed by a very nice reporter from the Euclid (Ohio) Sun Newspaper who is doing a story on the release of my Peace Song CD GOD BLESS THE WORLD-While You Bless America. His story will likely include how this special anthem has been garnering accolades worldwide and how it's already available on over 125 music sites worldwide and hasn't even hit national radio yet. He'll probably mention how thankful I am for all of the support worldwide and how happy I am for the incredible snowball affect. But he asked me a question that I really did not give the true, full answer to. He asked, 'what led me to write the world peace song?' Simple question right? But after we departed, I thought back a bit and realized that the answer I had given... that I just want 'to see the war end and our troops safe at home' was not a full answer. The fact is, when 9/11 occured, I found it to be one of the most horrific events of modern day history. I could not believe that anyone could do something like the terrorists did, to absolute strangers. At that exact time, my daughter and wonderful son-in-law, who I proudly must add is serving our country in the Air Force, had just arrived at their new assignment which had them based and living in London, England. When the planes hit the Twin Towers all I kept wondering, in absolute panic was, are my daughter and son-in-law ok? I was going nuts! Because phone lines were so jammed up, I attempted calling them over repeatedly but it was 2 weeks before I heard anything from my daughter, and wow...was I thankful to hear that they were OK. During this 2 week period I, (as we all were) had been going through such a roller coaster of emotions. Anger, fear, desire to learn everything I could overnight about the whole thing. Who is this Bin Laden? How did they know he did it so quickly? What the heck is going on? Man! My head was spinning. I was glued to the news channels. In the meantime, I was also witnessing and experiencing the greatest show of American patriotism and togetherness that I had ever seen. EVERYWHERE you looked you saw the American flag blazed with pride. Stories were on the news about how flag companies couldn't manufacture flags fast enough. It was incredible! You also saw, everywhere you looked big, pretty red, white and blue banners stretched everywhere stating 'God Bless America !'. I remember the pride I felt for my country as I would see street after street literally lined with Old Glory and these banners...day after day. I would ride around and in my travels just look at all of the flags, even counting how many were on various streets. I would see the banners and get this feeling of pride and say to myself, yea! God Bless America!.... God Bless America ! .......(and the it started to hit me).......God Bless America??........ (It hit me harder) God Bless AMERICA??? WAIT A MINUTE!!!! What about my daughter and son-in-law IN LONDON!! God Bless America ??? We need God to bless the whole world !!! By now I found myself actually getting a bit upset. I'm thinking and thinking. My mind takes it even a step deeper. Now I'm analyzing this wonderfully patriotic historic phrase. God Bless America? Are we asking God to bless just America? Can't be. Who do we think WE are. Do we really think that God created people all over the world, but he only desires to bless us! Are we nuts? So, THAT bugged me and bugged me as I found myself praying for God to bless us and keep us safe here in America, while at the same time I had to pray that God would bless and protect my loved ones in London. So one day, while sitting on the edge of my bed watching the news, I grabbed my guitar and it just came to me. The chorus to what is now considered the New Anthem for World Peace. God Bless THE WORLD-While You Bless America. And now, the more I pay attention to what's going on in this world, not just Iraq...but the 300 children killed in Russia...the starvation in the Sudan...the Tsunami...the attacks in London...Katrina...thing after thing...I realize just how important my musical message really is. The fact is, there is no way that WE can be blessed if we don't have the desire to see the entire world be blessed. That's why I sing it with every grain in my body... GOD BLESS THE (whole) WORLD!!! (Not JUST America) p.s. Thanks Jeff. You got me thinkin' ! Greg Jones Peace!"
Visit: http://www.godblesstheworldonline.com/ for special offers. Free listen, lyrics, buy CD, download, Free 'Operation PeaceTone' Ringtone, God Bless the World FunGear and more! ********************************************************* contact: orvillerecords@aol.com
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Greg peace song Jones' Conservative 'Talking Points' to beware of ! Add Yours
Our world and country has gotten to the point where people are actually deeply afraid to speak out. It is an incredibly sad period in American history. But, I, a simply, plain, peace loving man, must state....I am not afraid to spread the message. I refuse to succumb to the fears that are being established by the current conditions of our 'democracy'. We MUST SPEAK OUT! And it is our right as Americans! The conservative party has, for the past 5 years, exemplified mastery in relations to directing the minds of the American people in the direction they have wanted to guide us in. It has been interesting to watch the strategic manipulation of the party for the purpose of steering our minds in the direction of their choice. They regularly accomplish this through a simple procedure, probably masterfully under the guidance and direction of the 'talking point' king of the administration Carl Rove. To put it plainly, the Conservatives are the 'kings' of the talking points. From this point on, we will begin to list the 'talking points' of the conservatives so that listeners and viewers will become more aware of statements being used by the administration and conservative media for tactical purposes. It's almost like mental, strategic, con. We ask that everyone who notices ANY talking point statements, please list those statements for all to see. It's our duty, those of us who catch the bull, to help inform others to beware of the the bull.... talking points. Don't get sucked in. Now, let's get the bull.... 'talking points' list started:The administration likes to tell us the following talking points 1) We're fighting over there so they won't fight over here 2) The world is now a safer place since Saddam Hussein has been arrested (Yea right, I feel so much safer......oh by the way.....where's Bin laden, remember him?) 3) They are against us because of our freedom 4) Democracy and the right to vote will create harmony (Hmmmmm.....guess it depends on who they vote for. What if they vite for Hamas?....big problem and WRONG!) 5) Mission Accomplished....That's almost embarrassing....!) 6) Iran is now a threat with weapons of mass destruction......(Uhhhhh, excuse me.....is this based on the same 'Intelligence' that led us to invade Iraq?) Please add to the list and/or check back periodically for additions to the BS Conservative talking points list! Staying informed of the tactics is a form of power! DON"T BE CONTROLLED!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Was Cheney Drunk...or What? (Share your thoughts).
Well, as you have already heard, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot his millionaire lawyer friend in the face and chest at approximately 5:oopm this past Saturday while hunting on a private ranch in Texas. We're very pleased to hear that the victim, Mr. Whittington is pulling through, although a number of the over 150 buckshots that struck Whittington have reportedly entered his heart, causing further complications. Many people can not figure out how Mr. Cheney could shoot a person just 30 yards away; a shot that would have had to have been at ground level, when usually one would shoot into the air to shoot a flying bird. After the incident, for some unexplained reason, Cheney chose to just go completely silent on the whole story. He didn't contact the President. He didn't release a statement. His secret service people wouldn't even allow local investigators the opportunity to question Cheney when they arrived at the ranch. Republicans want to say that Cheney is just a private man. That he had other things on his mind rather than notifying the press....or even the Pres. for that matter. That's possible.But beginning on the Monday after the incident, speculation began to grow that Cheney was possibly drunk while hunting, thus the terrible judgement, thus the lack of desire to be interviewed until the following day. One of the first commentators to mention the 'drunk theory' was Ron Reagan Jr. son of late President Reagan. His view was basically that Cheney wanted to wait until the next morning to be questioned by authorities because he was too drunk Saturday evening. Now, other commentators such as Lawrence O'Donnell and many others are drawing to the same conclusion prompting the 'were you drunk' question to be raised in an interview today with Britt Hume of Fox News. Cheney did admit to drinking 'one beer' earlier that day. So, there we have it. We know, as per Cheney, that drinking was involved. We know for a fact that Cheney had 'at least' one drink. That leads us to the real question. WAS CHENEY DRUNK? What do you think? Share your views. From: Greg Jones Singer/Songwriter of New Anthem for World Peace entiled God Bless the World-Not JUST America which is garnering accolades worldwide. Jones has launched 'Operation FREE Peacetone' where everyone can have the chorus of the Peace Anthem as a ringtone for FREE! visit:www.godblesstheworldonline.com
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Share your thoughts...What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. say about the world today?
Share your comments on the very provocative question; What would Dr. King say about the world today. Are we heading toward his dream as a world. What about world peace? Black achievement? Intergration? Prejudice? Poor people? Our government? Share your comments and views!
The life of Coretta Scott King-The Queen for a King passes on
Childhood
Coretta Scott King was born Coretta Scott on a farm in Heiberger, Perry County, Alabama to Obadiah and Bernice McMurry Scott. Though her family owned the land, it was often a hard life. All the children had to pick cotton during the Great Depression to help the family make ends meet.
Graduating from Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Alabama at the top of her class in 1945, Scott went to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. After graduation she attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she met Martin Luther King Jr.
Adult Life
The Kings were married on June 18, 1953 on the lawn of her parents' house; the ceremony was performed by King's father. After earning a degree in voice and violin at the New England Conservatory, she moved with her husband to Montgomery, Alabama in September 1954 after he was named pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The Kings had four children:
Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama)
Martin Luther King III (October 23, 1957, Montgomery, Alabama)
Dexter Scott King (January 30, 1961, Atlanta, Georgia)
Bernice Albertine King (March 28, 1963, Atlanta, Georgia)
All four children later followed in their parents' footsteps as civil rights activists.
Coretta Scott King received honorary degrees from many institutions including Princeton University and Bates College. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a noted African-American women's sorority.
Civil Rights Movement
Just two weeks after the birth of King's first child, Rosa Parks was arrested on a Montgomery bus, helping spark what would develop into the modern civil rights movement. King's husband soon emerged as a major leader of the movement. The struggles that followed included a narrow escape from death on January 30, 1956. King and her daughter were home when a bomb exploded at the family's residence; her husband was speaking at Rev. Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church at the time.
Freedom Concerts
King later put together a series of Freedom Concerts, which combined poetry, narration and music both to highlight the movement and to raise funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
In 1962, she served as a Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, she preceded her husband by two years in opposing the Vietnam War, addressing a 1965 anti-war rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, while also serving as a liaison to international peace and justice organizations.
Life after assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Day
Coretta Scott King, along with Rosalynn Carter, Andrew Young, Jimmy Carter, and other civil rights leaders during a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, January 14, 1979.
Over the years, she was active in preserving the memory of her husband and in political issues. After her husband was assassinated in 1968, she began attending a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark her husband's birth every January 15 and fought for years to make it a national holiday, a quest that was realized in 1986, when the first Martin Luther King Day was celebrated.
Coretta Scott King attended the state funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1973, as a very close friend of the former president, himself a contributor to civil rights. She was also present when President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing Martin Luther King Day.
Opposition to Apartheid
During the 1980s, King reaffirmed her long-standing opposition to apartheid, participating in a series of sit-in protests in Washington, D.C. that prompted nationwide demonstrations against South African racial policies.
In 1986, she traveled to South Africa and met with Winnie Mandela, while her husband Nelson Mandela was still a political prisoner on Robben Island. She declined invitations from Pik Botha and moderate Zulu chief Buthelezi (as per [[2]]). Upon her return to the United States, she urged Reagan to approve sanctions against South Africa.
Other Issues
King and President George W. Bush
She was present at the first inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001.
King was vocal in her opposition to capital punishment and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, thus drawing criticism from conservative groups. She was also an advocate of women's rights, lesbian and gay rights and AIDS/HIV prevention. Her support for gay and lesbian rights, including same-sex marriage, sometimes put her in conflict with some members of her family including her daughter Bernice and her niece Alveda King.
King called her adoption of a vegan diet in 1995 a blessing. Her son, Dexter, had been vegan since 1988, saying that an appreciation for animal rights is the "logical extension" of his father's philosophy of non-violence. Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor made similar connections between the civil rights movement and animal issues.
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award, a medal presented by the American Library Association, is awarded to African American writers and illustrators for outstanding and inspirational educational contributions in children's literature.
The King Center
Established in 1968 by King, The King Center is the official memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy and ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of a nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace. [3]
Mission
As the institutional guardian of Dr. King's legacy, the King Center, in collaboration with other organizations, focuses on the following areas:
The development and dissemination of programs that educate the world about Dr. King’s philosophy and methods of nonviolence, human relations, service to mankind, and related ideas;
Building a national and international network of organizations that, through sanctioned programs, promote, compliment, and help further the organization’s mission and objectives of building the Beloved Community that Dr. King envisioned
Functioning as the clearinghouse for non-profit organizations and government agencies which utilize Dr. King’s image and writings for programs and ensuring that the programs are historically and interpretively accurate;
Monitoring and reporting on the impact of Dr. King’s legacy on the world. [4]
Programs & Services
The King Center has a wide variety of programs and services in place to fulfill the organization's mission of building Dr. King's "Beloved Community." [5]
These programs and services include:
The Beloved Community Network
Nonviolence or Nonexistence Online Learning Program
Re-Ignite the Dream Campaign: Building the Beloved Community through Service
King and the Modern Civil Rights Museum Scholar and Historian Research Program
The King Papers Project
Education through Exploration Visitor Services Program
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Service Summit
Final days
On August 16, 2005, King was hospitalized after suffering a stroke and a mild heart attack. Initially, she was unable to speak or move her right side. She was released from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on September 22, 2005, after regaining some of her speech and continued physiotherapy at home. Because of complications from the stroke, she was apparently unable to make her wishes known regarding the ongoing debate as to whether of the King Center would continue to operate independently or be sold to the National Park Service [6]. On January 14, 2006, Mrs. King made her last public appearance in Atlanta at a dinner honoring her husband's memory.
[edit]
Death
Mrs. King died in the late evening of January 30, 2006 [7] at a rehabilitation center in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, where she was undergoing holistic therapy for her stroke and advanced stage ovarian cancer. The King family maintains that King died on the night of January 30, 2006, the very same day Mahatma Gandhi died. The main cause of death is believed to be respiratory failure.[8]
[edit]
Funeral
Over 14,000 people gathered for King's six-hour funeral at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia on February 7, 2006 where daughter Bernice King is an elder. The megachurch whose sanctuary seats 10,000, was better able to handle the expected massive crowds than Ebenezer Baptist Church where King had been a member since the early 1960s up to her death and which was the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral in 1968. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, their wives and numerous other political figures attended the service. In addition to the presidents, speakers included former FBI director William Sessions, chairwoman of the National Council of Negro Women Dorothy Height, poet Maya Angelou, Dr. Joseph Lowery, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin, Attallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, Bishop T.D. Jakes and former Ambassador Andrew Young. Music was provided by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and vocalists Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton, BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans. Bernice King delivered the final official eulogy with Dr. Robert Schuller providing the closing benediction.
Mrs. King will be buried in a temporary mausoleum on the grounds of the King Center until a permanent place next to her husband's remains can be built.[9] She had expressed to family members and others that she wanted her remains to lie next to her husband's at the King Center. However, the mausoleum there was only built for a single interment. [10]
[edit]
Tributes
President George W. Bush opened his State of the Union address the night of January 31 by paying tribute to her. On February 6, 2006, Bush issued a proclamation [11] flags to be flown at half staff throughout the day of King's interment, February 7.
King's body was returned to Atlanta, and carried through the streets on a horse-drawn carriage to the Georgia State Capitol as the crowd threw roses at the casket and a lone bagpiper played Amazing Grace; King became the first woman and black person to lie in state at the Capitol. (see [12]). King also layed at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (where her husband was pastor).
The beginning of Super Bowl XL was marked by a moment of silence in memory of King and Rosa Parks.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force issued a press release honoring the memory of the Late Mrs. King. "Mrs. King worked tirelessly after her husband's death in 1968 to carry on his legacy of social justice activism. She was a steadfast ally in the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, and was honored by the Task Force in 1997 for her support of the cause. In addition, Mrs. King was a featured speaker at the Task Force's Creating Change 2000, where she rallied hundreds of activists gathered for the country's largest LGBT rights organizing conference. In 2003, her son, Martin Luther King Jr. III, was personally responsible for inviting Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman to join Mrs. King to speak from the podium at the 40th anniversary of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington."
In 1997, upon receiving the Task Force's Honoring Our Allies award, Mrs. King told the crowd, "I accept this award as a reaffirmation of my commitment to carry forward the unfinished work of my husband, Martin Luther King Jr. My husband understood that all forms of discrimination and persecution were unjust and unacceptable for a great democracy. He believed that none of us could be free until all of us were free, that a person of conscience had no alternative but to defend the human rights of all people. I want to reaffirm my determination to secure the fullest protection of the law for all working people, regardless of their sexual orientation ... it is right, just and good for America."
Said Mandy Carter, executive director and a co-founder of the North Carolina-based group Southerners on New Ground, "I'll forever cherish the day that I and Matt Foreman, representing our lesbigaytrans community, got to stand shoulder to shoulder with her on August 23, 2003, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington," Carter continued. "The 1963 march was organized by Bayard Rustin, a black gay pacifist who was instrumental in introducing Dr. King to concepts of Ghandian nonviolence, the hallmark of the civil rights movement. Thank you so much Mrs. Coretta Scott King. You've left an amazing legacy." The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force mourns death of Coretta Scott King
[edit]
Senate Resolution 362
Upon the news of her death, moments of reflection, remembrance, and mourning began around the world. In the United States Senate, Bill Frist presented Senate Resolution 362 on behalf all U.S. Senators, with the afternoon hours filled with respectful tributes throughout the U. S. Capitol. The Senate Resolution 362 as it appears in The Congressional Record can be found here.
[edit]
House Resolution 655
On January 31, 2006 following a moment of silence in memoriam to the death of King, the United States House of Representatives presented House Resolution 655 in honor of Mrs. King's legacy. The remembrances that followed were both emotional and poignant. John Lewis (D-Georgia) stated:
I first met Mrs. King in 1957 when I was only 17. I was a student in Nashville, Tennessee. She was traveling around America, especially in cities of the South telling the story of the Montgomery movement through song. She was so beautiful, so inspiring, she would sing a little, and she would talk a little, and through her singing and talks she inspired an entire generation.
In an unusual action, the resolution included a grace period of five days in which further comments may be added to it. From: Greg Jones Singer/Songwriter of New Anthem for World Peace entitled God Bless The World-Not JUST America which is garnering accolades worldwide. Jones has recently launched 'Operation FREE Peacetone' where everyone can have the chorus of the Peace Anthem as a ringtone for FREE! visit:www.godblesstheworldonline.com
Coretta Scott King was born Coretta Scott on a farm in Heiberger, Perry County, Alabama to Obadiah and Bernice McMurry Scott. Though her family owned the land, it was often a hard life. All the children had to pick cotton during the Great Depression to help the family make ends meet.
Graduating from Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Alabama at the top of her class in 1945, Scott went to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. After graduation she attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she met Martin Luther King Jr.
Adult Life
The Kings were married on June 18, 1953 on the lawn of her parents' house; the ceremony was performed by King's father. After earning a degree in voice and violin at the New England Conservatory, she moved with her husband to Montgomery, Alabama in September 1954 after he was named pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The Kings had four children:
Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama)
Martin Luther King III (October 23, 1957, Montgomery, Alabama)
Dexter Scott King (January 30, 1961, Atlanta, Georgia)
Bernice Albertine King (March 28, 1963, Atlanta, Georgia)
All four children later followed in their parents' footsteps as civil rights activists.
Coretta Scott King received honorary degrees from many institutions including Princeton University and Bates College. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a noted African-American women's sorority.
Civil Rights Movement
Just two weeks after the birth of King's first child, Rosa Parks was arrested on a Montgomery bus, helping spark what would develop into the modern civil rights movement. King's husband soon emerged as a major leader of the movement. The struggles that followed included a narrow escape from death on January 30, 1956. King and her daughter were home when a bomb exploded at the family's residence; her husband was speaking at Rev. Ralph Abernathy's First Baptist Church at the time.
Freedom Concerts
King later put together a series of Freedom Concerts, which combined poetry, narration and music both to highlight the movement and to raise funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
In 1962, she served as a Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, she preceded her husband by two years in opposing the Vietnam War, addressing a 1965 anti-war rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, while also serving as a liaison to international peace and justice organizations.
Life after assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Day
Coretta Scott King, along with Rosalynn Carter, Andrew Young, Jimmy Carter, and other civil rights leaders during a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, January 14, 1979.
Over the years, she was active in preserving the memory of her husband and in political issues. After her husband was assassinated in 1968, she began attending a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to mark her husband's birth every January 15 and fought for years to make it a national holiday, a quest that was realized in 1986, when the first Martin Luther King Day was celebrated.
Coretta Scott King attended the state funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1973, as a very close friend of the former president, himself a contributor to civil rights. She was also present when President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing Martin Luther King Day.
Opposition to Apartheid
During the 1980s, King reaffirmed her long-standing opposition to apartheid, participating in a series of sit-in protests in Washington, D.C. that prompted nationwide demonstrations against South African racial policies.
In 1986, she traveled to South Africa and met with Winnie Mandela, while her husband Nelson Mandela was still a political prisoner on Robben Island. She declined invitations from Pik Botha and moderate Zulu chief Buthelezi (as per [[2]]). Upon her return to the United States, she urged Reagan to approve sanctions against South Africa.
Other Issues
King and President George W. Bush
She was present at the first inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001.
King was vocal in her opposition to capital punishment and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, thus drawing criticism from conservative groups. She was also an advocate of women's rights, lesbian and gay rights and AIDS/HIV prevention. Her support for gay and lesbian rights, including same-sex marriage, sometimes put her in conflict with some members of her family including her daughter Bernice and her niece Alveda King.
King called her adoption of a vegan diet in 1995 a blessing. Her son, Dexter, had been vegan since 1988, saying that an appreciation for animal rights is the "logical extension" of his father's philosophy of non-violence. Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor made similar connections between the civil rights movement and animal issues.
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award, a medal presented by the American Library Association, is awarded to African American writers and illustrators for outstanding and inspirational educational contributions in children's literature.
The King Center
Established in 1968 by King, The King Center is the official memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy and ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of a nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace. [3]
Mission
As the institutional guardian of Dr. King's legacy, the King Center, in collaboration with other organizations, focuses on the following areas:
The development and dissemination of programs that educate the world about Dr. King’s philosophy and methods of nonviolence, human relations, service to mankind, and related ideas;
Building a national and international network of organizations that, through sanctioned programs, promote, compliment, and help further the organization’s mission and objectives of building the Beloved Community that Dr. King envisioned
Functioning as the clearinghouse for non-profit organizations and government agencies which utilize Dr. King’s image and writings for programs and ensuring that the programs are historically and interpretively accurate;
Monitoring and reporting on the impact of Dr. King’s legacy on the world. [4]
Programs & Services
The King Center has a wide variety of programs and services in place to fulfill the organization's mission of building Dr. King's "Beloved Community." [5]
These programs and services include:
The Beloved Community Network
Nonviolence or Nonexistence Online Learning Program
Re-Ignite the Dream Campaign: Building the Beloved Community through Service
King and the Modern Civil Rights Museum Scholar and Historian Research Program
The King Papers Project
Education through Exploration Visitor Services Program
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Service Summit
Final days
On August 16, 2005, King was hospitalized after suffering a stroke and a mild heart attack. Initially, she was unable to speak or move her right side. She was released from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on September 22, 2005, after regaining some of her speech and continued physiotherapy at home. Because of complications from the stroke, she was apparently unable to make her wishes known regarding the ongoing debate as to whether of the King Center would continue to operate independently or be sold to the National Park Service [6]. On January 14, 2006, Mrs. King made her last public appearance in Atlanta at a dinner honoring her husband's memory.
[edit]
Death
Mrs. King died in the late evening of January 30, 2006 [7] at a rehabilitation center in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, where she was undergoing holistic therapy for her stroke and advanced stage ovarian cancer. The King family maintains that King died on the night of January 30, 2006, the very same day Mahatma Gandhi died. The main cause of death is believed to be respiratory failure.[8]
[edit]
Funeral
Over 14,000 people gathered for King's six-hour funeral at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia on February 7, 2006 where daughter Bernice King is an elder. The megachurch whose sanctuary seats 10,000, was better able to handle the expected massive crowds than Ebenezer Baptist Church where King had been a member since the early 1960s up to her death and which was the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral in 1968. Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, their wives and numerous other political figures attended the service. In addition to the presidents, speakers included former FBI director William Sessions, chairwoman of the National Council of Negro Women Dorothy Height, poet Maya Angelou, Dr. Joseph Lowery, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin, Attallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, Bishop T.D. Jakes and former Ambassador Andrew Young. Music was provided by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and vocalists Stevie Wonder, Michael Bolton, BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans. Bernice King delivered the final official eulogy with Dr. Robert Schuller providing the closing benediction.
Mrs. King will be buried in a temporary mausoleum on the grounds of the King Center until a permanent place next to her husband's remains can be built.[9] She had expressed to family members and others that she wanted her remains to lie next to her husband's at the King Center. However, the mausoleum there was only built for a single interment. [10]
[edit]
Tributes
President George W. Bush opened his State of the Union address the night of January 31 by paying tribute to her. On February 6, 2006, Bush issued a proclamation [11] flags to be flown at half staff throughout the day of King's interment, February 7.
King's body was returned to Atlanta, and carried through the streets on a horse-drawn carriage to the Georgia State Capitol as the crowd threw roses at the casket and a lone bagpiper played Amazing Grace; King became the first woman and black person to lie in state at the Capitol. (see [12]). King also layed at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (where her husband was pastor).
The beginning of Super Bowl XL was marked by a moment of silence in memory of King and Rosa Parks.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force issued a press release honoring the memory of the Late Mrs. King. "Mrs. King worked tirelessly after her husband's death in 1968 to carry on his legacy of social justice activism. She was a steadfast ally in the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, and was honored by the Task Force in 1997 for her support of the cause. In addition, Mrs. King was a featured speaker at the Task Force's Creating Change 2000, where she rallied hundreds of activists gathered for the country's largest LGBT rights organizing conference. In 2003, her son, Martin Luther King Jr. III, was personally responsible for inviting Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman to join Mrs. King to speak from the podium at the 40th anniversary of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington."
In 1997, upon receiving the Task Force's Honoring Our Allies award, Mrs. King told the crowd, "I accept this award as a reaffirmation of my commitment to carry forward the unfinished work of my husband, Martin Luther King Jr. My husband understood that all forms of discrimination and persecution were unjust and unacceptable for a great democracy. He believed that none of us could be free until all of us were free, that a person of conscience had no alternative but to defend the human rights of all people. I want to reaffirm my determination to secure the fullest protection of the law for all working people, regardless of their sexual orientation ... it is right, just and good for America."
Said Mandy Carter, executive director and a co-founder of the North Carolina-based group Southerners on New Ground, "I'll forever cherish the day that I and Matt Foreman, representing our lesbigaytrans community, got to stand shoulder to shoulder with her on August 23, 2003, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington," Carter continued. "The 1963 march was organized by Bayard Rustin, a black gay pacifist who was instrumental in introducing Dr. King to concepts of Ghandian nonviolence, the hallmark of the civil rights movement. Thank you so much Mrs. Coretta Scott King. You've left an amazing legacy." The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force mourns death of Coretta Scott King
[edit]
Senate Resolution 362
Upon the news of her death, moments of reflection, remembrance, and mourning began around the world. In the United States Senate, Bill Frist presented Senate Resolution 362 on behalf all U.S. Senators, with the afternoon hours filled with respectful tributes throughout the U. S. Capitol. The Senate Resolution 362 as it appears in The Congressional Record can be found here.
[edit]
House Resolution 655
On January 31, 2006 following a moment of silence in memoriam to the death of King, the United States House of Representatives presented House Resolution 655 in honor of Mrs. King's legacy. The remembrances that followed were both emotional and poignant. John Lewis (D-Georgia) stated:
I first met Mrs. King in 1957 when I was only 17. I was a student in Nashville, Tennessee. She was traveling around America, especially in cities of the South telling the story of the Montgomery movement through song. She was so beautiful, so inspiring, she would sing a little, and she would talk a little, and through her singing and talks she inspired an entire generation.
In an unusual action, the resolution included a grace period of five days in which further comments may be added to it. From: Greg Jones Singer/Songwriter of New Anthem for World Peace entitled God Bless The World-Not JUST America which is garnering accolades worldwide. Jones has recently launched 'Operation FREE Peacetone' where everyone can have the chorus of the Peace Anthem as a ringtone for FREE! visit:www.godblesstheworldonline.com
Monday, January 02, 2006
Voting Rights Act 1965 Should be passed FOREVER! Not 25 Years!!!
In 2007, Congress will vote regarding the extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It is sad that here, in the year 2006, we still have to obtain our rights to vote through the maintained powers of others. What is even more disturbing is the fact that our current elected officials have stated that they will surely extend the Voting Act but what is appalling is that it will be extended for only the next 25 years. That means that in the year 2035 the right to vote unobstructedly will expire, again! That means that in the year 2035, we will have to go back to 'the authorities' in hopes that they will be kind enough to re-grant our rights. This is rediculous. Everyone should contact their Congressional Reps and Senators to let them know WE WANT OUR RIGHTS FOREVER!! Below is an article that gives a bit more info on the subject. -----Ballots in the Balance
Does the 1965 Voting Rights Act Still Matter?
by Richard M. Valelly
Author of The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement
Forty years ago—in a dramatic response to decades of African American struggle in the courts and the streets and to growing public concern over black disenfranchisement—a large bipartisan majority in Congress framed and passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. President Lyndon Johnson proudly signed it in a special Capitol Hill ceremony. These officials, much of the public, and key partners such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Congress on Racial Equality all intended a restoration of the Reconstruction Amendments, particularly the 14th and 15th Amendments. In that they succeeded. Since 1965 the federal protection afforded by the Voting Rights Act has immeasurably strengthened minority voting and representation. The Voting Rights Act is today widely recognized as perhaps the premier case of a national law that can institute broad and desirable political change.
But will the Voting Rights Act survive its next congressional review? Should it? These questions now animate a growing number of conferences and discussions at law schools and universities around the country. Opponents and supporters of the Voting Rights Act are now meeting and planning for the congressional review. Voting rights issues now flying below the public radar are certain to surface on the national agenda this year or next.
By August 2007 Congress must renew, amend, or drop the Voting Rights Act's temporary enforcement provisions. These measures include (1) federal review of proposed election changes in Southern and some non-Southern states and counties (a process technically known as "Section 5 preclearance"), (2) the federal election observer program, and (3) the requirement—added ten years after Congress first passed the law—that many non-Southern jurisdictions, including Arizona, California, and Texas, provide bilingual balloting materials and assistance.
Some legal experts argue that the most important temporary measure, Section 5 preclearance, cannot survive the upcoming congressional review. They believe that under the doctrine of separation of powers currently advocated by the Supreme Court's majority, Congress cannot enact a prospective prohibition on unconstitutional behavior. Instead, Congress can remedy discrimination or correct systematic public violations of civil rights only after discriminatory violations appear. Congress cannot, in other words, enact remedies for problems that do not yet exist or no longer exist. By implication, Section 5 preclearance would be allowed to die a decent death, with thanks for the forty years of work that made America a much more democratic country.
But is that work really finished? Once the deterrent effects of Section 5 preclearance vanish, will there be an erosion of hard-won African American and Latino voting rights? As my new book, The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement, shows, as a country we have been here before. The First Reconstruction, after the Civil War, was successful far longer than we think, but collapsed altogether in the 1890s, as black disenfranchisement spread throughout the South. A regression of that magnitude is unthinkable today. But we are hearing some echoes of it, ironically outside the Deep South. Given our history, we Americans must deliberate together about what we can and must do to avoid any backsliding on our fundamental freedoms.
During the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections black voters experienced— according to a stream of anecdotal evidence and several statistically sound studies—a wide range of difficulties in voting in the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio. These included unconscionably long voting lines because too few machines were provided, high levels of ballot spoilage, and challenges by private citizens and elections officials. Since 2000 there has been mounting anecdotal evidence of so-called ballot security programs targeted by the Republican Party on minority neighborhoods and localities—a great irony, given the party's proud history in securing black emancipation and voting rights.
Significantly, such attacks on black voting rights have surfaced in jurisdictions that are not subject to Section 5 preclearance. To put it another way, with the possible recent exception of still unproven election-day ballot security programs in the 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election, election-day shenanigans have all but disappeared in areas subject to Section 5 preclearance—yet they have sprouted up in uncovered jurisdictions when election contests have been uncertain and close.
Once Section 5's deterrent and compliance-inducing effects are removed in places that have been covered since 1965, will the new ballot security programs migrate from uncovered jurisdictions to previously covered jurisdictions? In 1990 Senator Jesse Helms launched a massive ballot security program, mailing tens of thousands of postcards to black North Carolinians falsely warning them of penalties for fraudulent voting. He did this in a very tight campaign in which he trailed a dynamic black Democrat, former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt. After the fact Helms was forced by the Department of Justice to stipulate that his program was impermissible under the Voting Rights Act. Once the Voting Rights Act's temporary enforcement provisions go, will the Justice Department have the resources to effectively police a rash of new ballot security programs in tight elections in the previously covered jurisdictions?
In addition, consider minority representation rights, which are secured in principle by a permanent feature of the Voting Rights Act: Section 2. Congress added Section 2 in 1982 after thirteen years of massive resistance by Southern governments to the prospect of black officeholders. Such resistance, in fact, continues in some jurisdictions today. Both before and after the 1982 amendment, Section 5 preclearance played a leading role in forcing Southern governments to drop election rules that blocked black office seekers. The obvious question is: if Section 5 preclearance expires, will we see a return of such discriminatory election rules in the South? Or in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of New York, where they were once used to deny electoral victory to aspiring Latino politicians?
No one knows the answers to these questions. But not knowing the answers hardly lessens their importance. The evidence of selective disenfranchisement of minorities in America is plentiful—and growing. Such selective disenfranchisement is rare in jurisdictions that are now covered by the Voting Rights Act. But after 2007 that may change. Congress must soberly weigh that possibility. Indeed, not only must Congress renew the Voting Rights Act's temporary provisions; it must also find ways to take its cue from the Voting Rights Act and curb the selective disenfranchisement that increasingly plagues too many elections all over this country. To see video Speech regarding Voting Rights Act by Congressman John Lewis, D-Ga. (former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) Click on Windows Media or Real Player
Does the 1965 Voting Rights Act Still Matter?
by Richard M. Valelly
Author of The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement
Forty years ago—in a dramatic response to decades of African American struggle in the courts and the streets and to growing public concern over black disenfranchisement—a large bipartisan majority in Congress framed and passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. President Lyndon Johnson proudly signed it in a special Capitol Hill ceremony. These officials, much of the public, and key partners such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Congress on Racial Equality all intended a restoration of the Reconstruction Amendments, particularly the 14th and 15th Amendments. In that they succeeded. Since 1965 the federal protection afforded by the Voting Rights Act has immeasurably strengthened minority voting and representation. The Voting Rights Act is today widely recognized as perhaps the premier case of a national law that can institute broad and desirable political change.
But will the Voting Rights Act survive its next congressional review? Should it? These questions now animate a growing number of conferences and discussions at law schools and universities around the country. Opponents and supporters of the Voting Rights Act are now meeting and planning for the congressional review. Voting rights issues now flying below the public radar are certain to surface on the national agenda this year or next.
By August 2007 Congress must renew, amend, or drop the Voting Rights Act's temporary enforcement provisions. These measures include (1) federal review of proposed election changes in Southern and some non-Southern states and counties (a process technically known as "Section 5 preclearance"), (2) the federal election observer program, and (3) the requirement—added ten years after Congress first passed the law—that many non-Southern jurisdictions, including Arizona, California, and Texas, provide bilingual balloting materials and assistance.
Some legal experts argue that the most important temporary measure, Section 5 preclearance, cannot survive the upcoming congressional review. They believe that under the doctrine of separation of powers currently advocated by the Supreme Court's majority, Congress cannot enact a prospective prohibition on unconstitutional behavior. Instead, Congress can remedy discrimination or correct systematic public violations of civil rights only after discriminatory violations appear. Congress cannot, in other words, enact remedies for problems that do not yet exist or no longer exist. By implication, Section 5 preclearance would be allowed to die a decent death, with thanks for the forty years of work that made America a much more democratic country.
But is that work really finished? Once the deterrent effects of Section 5 preclearance vanish, will there be an erosion of hard-won African American and Latino voting rights? As my new book, The Two Reconstructions: The Struggle for Black Enfranchisement, shows, as a country we have been here before. The First Reconstruction, after the Civil War, was successful far longer than we think, but collapsed altogether in the 1890s, as black disenfranchisement spread throughout the South. A regression of that magnitude is unthinkable today. But we are hearing some echoes of it, ironically outside the Deep South. Given our history, we Americans must deliberate together about what we can and must do to avoid any backsliding on our fundamental freedoms.
During the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections black voters experienced— according to a stream of anecdotal evidence and several statistically sound studies—a wide range of difficulties in voting in the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio. These included unconscionably long voting lines because too few machines were provided, high levels of ballot spoilage, and challenges by private citizens and elections officials. Since 2000 there has been mounting anecdotal evidence of so-called ballot security programs targeted by the Republican Party on minority neighborhoods and localities—a great irony, given the party's proud history in securing black emancipation and voting rights.
Significantly, such attacks on black voting rights have surfaced in jurisdictions that are not subject to Section 5 preclearance. To put it another way, with the possible recent exception of still unproven election-day ballot security programs in the 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election, election-day shenanigans have all but disappeared in areas subject to Section 5 preclearance—yet they have sprouted up in uncovered jurisdictions when election contests have been uncertain and close.
Once Section 5's deterrent and compliance-inducing effects are removed in places that have been covered since 1965, will the new ballot security programs migrate from uncovered jurisdictions to previously covered jurisdictions? In 1990 Senator Jesse Helms launched a massive ballot security program, mailing tens of thousands of postcards to black North Carolinians falsely warning them of penalties for fraudulent voting. He did this in a very tight campaign in which he trailed a dynamic black Democrat, former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt. After the fact Helms was forced by the Department of Justice to stipulate that his program was impermissible under the Voting Rights Act. Once the Voting Rights Act's temporary enforcement provisions go, will the Justice Department have the resources to effectively police a rash of new ballot security programs in tight elections in the previously covered jurisdictions?
In addition, consider minority representation rights, which are secured in principle by a permanent feature of the Voting Rights Act: Section 2. Congress added Section 2 in 1982 after thirteen years of massive resistance by Southern governments to the prospect of black officeholders. Such resistance, in fact, continues in some jurisdictions today. Both before and after the 1982 amendment, Section 5 preclearance played a leading role in forcing Southern governments to drop election rules that blocked black office seekers. The obvious question is: if Section 5 preclearance expires, will we see a return of such discriminatory election rules in the South? Or in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of New York, where they were once used to deny electoral victory to aspiring Latino politicians?
No one knows the answers to these questions. But not knowing the answers hardly lessens their importance. The evidence of selective disenfranchisement of minorities in America is plentiful—and growing. Such selective disenfranchisement is rare in jurisdictions that are now covered by the Voting Rights Act. But after 2007 that may change. Congress must soberly weigh that possibility. Indeed, not only must Congress renew the Voting Rights Act's temporary provisions; it must also find ways to take its cue from the Voting Rights Act and curb the selective disenfranchisement that increasingly plagues too many elections all over this country. To see video Speech regarding Voting Rights Act by Congressman John Lewis, D-Ga. (former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) Click on Windows Media or Real Player
Friday, December 30, 2005
Greg Jones' launches OPERATION FREE PeaceTone
Greg Jones, composer of what many consider to be the New Anthem for World Peace has announced the launch of 'Operation FREE PeaceTone', where his special peace song entitled GOD BLESS THE WORLD-NOT JUST AMERICA is now available as a cell phone ringtone for absolutely FREE ! Everyone, worldwide can now have the chorus of the special peace anthem sent directly to their cell phones to be used as ringtones absolutely FREE. 'We'd like to see at least 6 million cell phone owners with the peace anthem as their ringtone as a way to spread the musical message of Peace,' states Jones, the writer, composer, producer and performer of the new special peace CD which is garnering accolades worldwide. This free ringtone will be instantly sent to your cell phone for free, in real tone (which means sounds like the CD) and will ring the beautifully harmonic message 'God Bless the World, Not Just America, God Bless the whole wide world, so we can live in Peace...'. Operation PeaceTone is geared to catch on fast and we've offered the special Peace ringtone for free to make it easily accessible to everyone, worldwide, so that when their phones ring, they are simultaneously spreading the message of Peace,' Jones adds. We would like everyone to tell at least 6 friends about the free PeaceTone so that we can create a quick, worldwide snowball effect. 'There would be nothing more wonderful than if all phones worldwide were ringing the message of world peace', states Jones. A bit more info: "WOW'...'BEAUTIFUL'...' possibly the most important musical message of today'! These are a few of the responses regarding the hot new Maxi-Single CD recording entitled GOD BLESS THE WORLD-WHILE YOU BLESS AMERICA (aka... Not Just America) written, produced and performed by Cleveland, Ohio native GREG JONES. With a We are the World 'feel', this special release is a unique blend of adult contemporary, easy listening, soul and inspiration combined with a powerful message of peace and harmony. In fact, the special CD was recorded on the same mixing board which was owned by Kenny Rogers and used by Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and others for the 'We are the World' project. A section of the song's lyrics reads 'God bless the world...not just America...God Bless the whole wide world...so our kids can live in harmony...God bless the world'! "It is very important that our leaders realize the importance of desiring that our entire world be blessed, here in America, in the Sudan, Europe, Israel, Iraq...everywhere! If the world is not blessed, we're all in trouble", states Jones regarding his motivation for this powerful musical message. Jones recently signed an internet distribution deal with FineTunes (Germany) which will promote the special release for legal downloads on sites such as ITunes, MusicLoad, Sony Connect, NuFonix, EMusic, Beatport, OD2, MusicMatch, Napster and more. The anthem is now available on over 125 music sites worldwide! The Maxi-Single, released by ORVILLE RECORDS is garnering exciting response through top digital music websites in the U.S, Britain, Finland, Germany and recently entered the Australian Easy Listening Top 100 Music Charts at #8 with a bullet! Also, the anthem entered the UK Soft Rock Top 100 Music Charts at #7 and then climbed to #2!! Orville Records also recently inked a deal with two of the world's largest web distributors, MusicNet and AMG for additional web distribution through top music sites such as AOL MusicNet, Yahoo Launch, Virgin Digital, FYE Download, MSN Music, ClearChannel, Amazon, Target Music, and others. In addition, GOD BLESS THE WORLD is currently being 'spotlighted' on Vitaminics International in Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden. Jones has also been 'Artist of the Week' on the ever-popular,world reknown SonicGarden Music site for the past number of weeks ! Internet radio giant, Live365, the world's largest network of online radio stations, has signed on and is 'special featuring' GOD BLESS THE WORLD through close to 2000 web radio stations worldwide. Commercial radio is fast catching wind of this special release and is next in line while experts are declaring GOD BLESS THE WORLD-While You Bless America a future classic! With over 200 unreleased songs under his belt, songwriter Greg Jones explains his inspiration for this special recording. 'I would turn on the news each day and see how so many world leaders resort to war as a means of settling conflict, as if human life is expendable. It would make me sick. They always say that if you want to see a change you have to do something, whatever you can, even when you're just one person. I've always been inspired by the powerful messages of greats like John Lennon, Bono and Bob Dylan so I did what I could do. I wrote a song. I'm so very thankful for the response worldwide that the anthem is receiving. It's exciting how so many people have embraced the song and the message ... and now we are very excited about OPERATION PEACETONE. To get your FREE PeaceTone visit www.godblesstheworldonline.com. Please don't forget to tell at least 6 other people. We truly appreciate your help in spreading the musical message of Peace and the fact is....together, we WILL make a difference. To see more please do Google search...type-in 'greg jones god bless the world' (images also available through Google images) GREG JONES MUSIC*BMI*Orville Records*P.O. Box 43678*Cleveland, Ohio*44143*216-254-9339
Contact: Ken J. orvillerecords@aol.com x x -30- x x "The more seeds of Peace are planted...the greater the tree of life will grow" (Greg Jones)___________________________________________________
Friday, December 16, 2005
The NEW Orleans BLUES- Katrina Update
Three months ago, after chafing from criticism over his failure to even appear to respond to the suffering in New Orleans, George W. Bush finally made it to Jackson Square to deliver his promise that "this great city will rise again." Yet today the great city remains largely in darkness. Most citizens of New Orleans are outside its boundaries, many with no real prospect of returning. What's rising in New Orleans are divorce and suicide rates, toxic dumps, foreclosures and rage.
The rage was evident in early December just a half-dozen blocks from Jackson Square, in Congo Square, where African-Americans performed ancestral music in the early nineteenth century, heralding a new American culture. On a recent chilly Saturday, Congo Square was the meeting point for a crowd of about 500 demonstrators who gathered to march behind the Soul Rebels Brass Band to demand the return of New Orleanians to New Orleans.
By now it should be obvious that the drowning of the city was a man-made disaster. Multiple investigations, including those sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Science Foundation, conclude that the sea walls and levees were poorly designed, constructed and inspected. A not-too-subtle whispering campaign quickly suggested that the fault might lie with those gaudy New Orleanians who insist on rollicking below sea level, or with a state whose legacy of political shenanigans dates back to before "The Kingfish," Huey Long. The city and state have much to account for, including an evacuation plan that failed to protect their most vulnerable citizens. But the ongoing campaign against New Orleans obscures the simple truth that erecting barriers against floods is a federal responsibility. The Army Corps of Engineers failed its job. The Bush Administration now has the obligation to launch a massive effort to rebuild the city that the federal government destroyed.
Bush last visited the Gulf Coast on October 11. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the President, and many in Congress, would prefer to look the other way while New Orleans collapses. Over the past quarter-century, conservatives have waged their most effective war against "big government." This model was advanced by Ronald Reagan and endorsed by every President since. Now, when a federally coordinated solution is required, agencies from HUD to the EPA to FEMA are flummoxed. Bush faithfully followed the script by endorsing only limited solutions like the Gulf Opportunity Zone and Worker Recovery Accounts. In doing so, he advanced government as a stop-gap for what couldn't be handled by his private and faith-based "armies of compassion."
Stymied by this lack of leadership and by no national call for an ambitious regional rebuilding effort, Louisiana legislators, among them Democratic Representative William Jefferson and Republican Senator David Vitter, are now fretting aloud that demands for protection from the strongest hurricanes could actually work against the city's interests by raising hopes too high. That's pathetic. A half-day's drive through New Orleans--at least, through the 80 percent of it that still looks nearly exactly as it did three months ago--should reveal to anyone what happens when levees don't hold. You can start by reading the body count still scrawled in red marker on some homes. Yet there are those who dare to offer New Orleans protection on the cheap.
In October this magazine called for a coordinated "people's reconstruction" that would provide for a "democratically accountable, economically viable, socially just and environmentally sustainable plan for regional rebuilding." This effort must begin with the physical reclaiming of New Orleans--an ambitious, two-step process including a re-engineered levee system capable of withstanding a Category 5 hurricane and a fully funded restoration of the coast, using the Coast 2050 blueprint. A people's reconstruction would then address the multiple effects of urban poverty that opened like fresh wounds during those days immediately following the levee breaches. Long before Katrina entered the Gulf, far too many New Orleanians lived on dangerous streets, worked low-paying jobs in the service industry, were unable to insure their families and sent their children to bleak public schools long abandoned by the middle class. For these citizens, the desperation experienced in post-Katrina New Orleans is nothing new.
New Orleans could become the nation's classroom. A reinvigorated dialogue about urban America is newly possible--or at least it was three months ago, when images of suffering children on Louisiana bridges and highways played across the nation's TV screens. So far, the President has squandered this opportunity, just as he squandered the post-9/11 opportunity to realign the nation's energy policy. No wonder it's widely feared in New Orleans that the Katrina moment has passed.
If New Orleans is to reclaim its greatness, the scope of the solution must match the scope of the problem. Each inch of the 200 miles of levees that are supposed to keep the city dry is now suspect. The wetlands that buffer the region continue their relentless disappearing act. Bush's EPA has downplayed the effects of oil spills following the hurricane; there is no real plan to deal with the toxic refuse of the flood. The Administration does not acknowledge the science of global warming and the consequences of a warmer ocean. Many New Orleanians long to return to their homes, but it is an unsteady feeling to raise children and care for elderly parents in a city on the brink. Meanwhile, decisions about homes, neighborhoods, schools and jobs will be made in their absence and without their input.
It doesn't have to be this way. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the rhythms of Congo Square sprouted into jazz, which gave the world a soundtrack of improvisation and democracy. A hundred years later, another democratic revolution could begin in New Orleans--but its song is quickly playing out.
This article from The Nation
Michael Jackson Reported Converts to Muslim
Well, the King of Pop is soon to be a Muslim living in Bahrain. At least that's the story coming out of that small kingdom today.
American pop star Michael Jackson has officially announced that he has been following the five tenets of Islam and intends to convert to Islam, according to a report on the website of Arab-Israeli newspaper Panorama.
The report is based on information elicited from sources in Bahrain.According to the report, Jackson's announcement noted he is moving to Bahrain and has purchased some real-estate on an artificial island there. The singer said he decided to convert to Islam because he is convinced it is the closest religion to his personal beliefs.According to a phone recording released last week, among Jackson's "personal beliefs" is one that considers Jews to be "leeches."
According to that story,
Jackson is heard saying that "they're like leeches...I'm so tired of it. They start out the most popular person in the world, make a lot of money, big house, cars and everything. End up penniless. It is a conspiracy. The Jews do it on purpose."I suppose that fits in with most Muslim attitudes these days, at least in the Middle East.
The story of Jackson's conversion to Islam continues,
Jackson also noted he intends to soon move all his assets and his studio from the U.S. to Bahrain, and expressed his hope to be rid of various legal troubles and enjoy the kind of freedom he says he does not have in America.Considering that Jackson is supposed to be flat broke, how does he come up with enough money to buy and artificial island and house in Bahrain? And what assets does he have that are not already claimed by creditors?
In any case, it looks as though Neverland will be left behind for good.
I wonder if we have an extradition treaty with Bahrain?
I also wonder if child molestation is considered to be a crime there? Maybe Jackson will name his new home, "Pleasure Island."
Jackson has been a creative and talented entertainer. He is also, as I have stated before, a very troubled man. I cannot, in good faith, wish him well in the new path he appears to be taking. I would prefer to see him submit to the judgement of God, repent and be "born again" into a new and improved Jackson rather than to see him pick a religion because it "comes close" to agreeing with his own beliefs.
What about his hope that he will "enjoy the kind of freedom he says he does not have in America"? Well, when you have enough money, you can enjoy freedom without accountability in just about any corrupt, despotic country you care to choose.
It is only in nations that believe all individuals are to be held equally accountable under the law that a rich man or woman loses the freedom to do whatever they want.
If this is freedom for Michael Jackson, then perhaps it is better for all of us for him to live in Bahrain.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are We Losing The War In Iraq?
Following election day this past Tuesday, it is felt that Americans are deterring away from the Republican agenda and support of the Iraq War. Yesterday, terrorists attacked multiple areas of the Middle East ranging from three popular hotels in Jordan killing over 50 including people at a wedding party as well as massive bombings in a popular Iraqi restaurant killing 34. (happened to occur on 11/9 which is 9/11 in reverse.) Current polls show that President Bush's ratings have declined to 36%, the lowest since his presidency, while Cheney is listed at an incredbly low 19%. Experts are declaring that a variety of categories of dispair are growing among American people, and there is one question that is growing more day by day. ARE WE LOSING THE WAR IN IRAQ? What do you think? Share your thoughts views or ideas.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
POLITICS: A Message From Barbra Streisand
A Message from Barbra Steisand from her Official Site www.barbrastreisand.com Posted on October 26, 2005
If there was ever a time in history to impeach a President of the United States, it would be now. In my opinion, it is two years too late. We should have done this before the election to spare the country the misjudgment, the incompetence and the malfeasance of this administration. Let us remember that UN weapons inspectors asked for more time to search Iraq for WMDs. Two months into their search, the Director General of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, stated that he found no evidence that Iraq had revived its nuclear weapons program since its elimination in the 1990s. And Saddam Hussein had begun to comply with the administration's demands. Why would you invade a country if there was still a chance for peace? Shouldn't war be an absolute last resort? We went to war because we were misled. And we should be angry because of the 2,000 American soldiers and the 200 armed coalition forces that have died. We should be livid because of the 15,000 American soldiers that have been horribly maimed and wounded. We should be disgusted because of the 30,000 innocent Iraqi civilians that have been killed and the 20,000 that are wounded after administration officials claimed that the US was going to liberate the Iraqi people.
When does it stop? It stops with the indictment and impeachment of this corrupt, power-hungry, greedy group of incompetent leaders. How many more have to die before this happens?
Impeachment will be difficult. People must understand the power of Congress. When one party controls both the House and the Senate, they control the agenda. They control what hearings are held, what legislation gets voted on, whether subpoenas are issued and which investigations can take place. And they control whether impeachment proceedings can be brought.
We were clearly deceived by this administration and now we find ourselves fighting a war under false pretenses. There was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, despite Dick Cheney's many assertions. There were no WMD's and the CIA had intelligence which corroborated that evidence. There was no nuclear threat contrary to Condoleezza Rice's "smoking gun becoming a mushroom cloud" scare tactic. And there was no yellow cake purchased from Niger by Iraq as former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, along with our European allies, confirmed. All of these misconceptions and falsehoods were relentlessly stated. But this administration disregarded the facts because they wanted to wage this war, as we learned in the Downing Street memo.
This President will go down as the worst president in American history. His administration ignored and neglected the threats before 9/11. His team was not prepared to act and react before, during or after Hurricane Katrina. His policies have contributed to the hastening of global warming, an ever growing national debt, a rise in poverty and an increasing disparity between the rich and the poor. We are watching the middle-class disappear under Bush's leadership. He has taken our economy from the largest surplus in U.S. history to the largest deficit in U.S. history. And he has appointed several people to important positions that are unqualified and loyal to a dangerous fault.
With the recent controversy surrounding the potential indictments and charges of perjury against senior members of the Bush administration, some have made comparisons to the perjury charge that was brought against President Clinton. Perjury under any circumstance is wrong. However, in President Clinton’s situation, the matter was concerning an issue that only adversely affected himself and his family. But the potential charges filed against Bush’s closest advisors have put everybody’s families and the national security of the United States at risk.
Thank god the media and the American public are finally waking up and asking the tougher questions now. I keep hearing Harry Truman's famous statement ringing in my brain, "I wonder how many times you have to be hit on the head before you find out who's hitting you?"
If there was ever a time in history to impeach a President of the United States, it would be now. In my opinion, it is two years too late. We should have done this before the election to spare the country the misjudgment, the incompetence and the malfeasance of this administration. Let us remember that UN weapons inspectors asked for more time to search Iraq for WMDs. Two months into their search, the Director General of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, stated that he found no evidence that Iraq had revived its nuclear weapons program since its elimination in the 1990s. And Saddam Hussein had begun to comply with the administration's demands. Why would you invade a country if there was still a chance for peace? Shouldn't war be an absolute last resort? We went to war because we were misled. And we should be angry because of the 2,000 American soldiers and the 200 armed coalition forces that have died. We should be livid because of the 15,000 American soldiers that have been horribly maimed and wounded. We should be disgusted because of the 30,000 innocent Iraqi civilians that have been killed and the 20,000 that are wounded after administration officials claimed that the US was going to liberate the Iraqi people.
When does it stop? It stops with the indictment and impeachment of this corrupt, power-hungry, greedy group of incompetent leaders. How many more have to die before this happens?
Impeachment will be difficult. People must understand the power of Congress. When one party controls both the House and the Senate, they control the agenda. They control what hearings are held, what legislation gets voted on, whether subpoenas are issued and which investigations can take place. And they control whether impeachment proceedings can be brought.
We were clearly deceived by this administration and now we find ourselves fighting a war under false pretenses. There was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, despite Dick Cheney's many assertions. There were no WMD's and the CIA had intelligence which corroborated that evidence. There was no nuclear threat contrary to Condoleezza Rice's "smoking gun becoming a mushroom cloud" scare tactic. And there was no yellow cake purchased from Niger by Iraq as former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, along with our European allies, confirmed. All of these misconceptions and falsehoods were relentlessly stated. But this administration disregarded the facts because they wanted to wage this war, as we learned in the Downing Street memo.
This President will go down as the worst president in American history. His administration ignored and neglected the threats before 9/11. His team was not prepared to act and react before, during or after Hurricane Katrina. His policies have contributed to the hastening of global warming, an ever growing national debt, a rise in poverty and an increasing disparity between the rich and the poor. We are watching the middle-class disappear under Bush's leadership. He has taken our economy from the largest surplus in U.S. history to the largest deficit in U.S. history. And he has appointed several people to important positions that are unqualified and loyal to a dangerous fault.
With the recent controversy surrounding the potential indictments and charges of perjury against senior members of the Bush administration, some have made comparisons to the perjury charge that was brought against President Clinton. Perjury under any circumstance is wrong. However, in President Clinton’s situation, the matter was concerning an issue that only adversely affected himself and his family. But the potential charges filed against Bush’s closest advisors have put everybody’s families and the national security of the United States at risk.
Thank god the media and the American public are finally waking up and asking the tougher questions now. I keep hearing Harry Truman's famous statement ringing in my brain, "I wonder how many times you have to be hit on the head before you find out who's hitting you?"
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Scooter, Scooter, Scooter-Why Would You Lie? READ ENTIRE INDICTMENT! Know the Facts!
As the entire world knows by now top White House official Irv Lewis 'Scooter' Libby was indicted on five counts including perjury, obstruction of justice and false statements in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Despite all of the facts, many Conservative pundits have the gall to still try to put their spin on this sad and embarrassing occurrence. They want to give false information regarding the charges....they want to act as if Rove is absolutely in the clear...they want to concentrate on Joe Wilson, which is crazy....and at a time when secret intelligence (spying) is of vital importance for the security of our country, pundits want to minimize the impact of the 'outing' of a CIA Agent. Rush Limbaugh spent much of his radio show today talking about Bill Clinton! What the heck does Bill Clinton have to do with Scooter's charges? So, to make certain that everyone is informed as to the charges against Scooter we are posting Patrick Fitzgerald's website which spells out word for word the entire indictment against Scooter.
Please visit:www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc.
There, you will find the actual indictment that the judge and all reporters have received. Print copies. Share them with others. This is public information and it is important that the public is clear as to exactly what the facts are. Then, when you listen to the pundits you'll know how rediculous they sound.
Greg 'peace song' Jones
Greg Jones is the composer of the special Anthem for World Peace CD entitled GOD BLESS THE WORLD-While You Bless America which is garnering accolades worldwide. In remembrance of the 2000th fallen American soldier, Jones is offering the special peace CD as a FREE DOWNLOAD (limited time) so that everyone worldwide can share the musical message of Peace.
Visit:www.godblesstheworldonline.com for your FREE DOWNLOAD Today!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
MOVIES: 40 Year Old Virgin
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Directed byJudd ApatowWriting credits (WGA) Judd Apatow (written by) &Steve Carell (written by)
Genre: Comedy / Romance (more) Tagline: A Comedy about the moments that touch us in ways we've never been touched before. (more) Plot Outline: Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.
A funny, smoothed paced film that takes on a unique issue (40 year old virgin) and adds a bit of reality combined with funny stuff. His friends who want to help him solve his problem are very funny and the star himself is hilarious while making one feel for his plight. Other characters seem real and enhance the whole movie. Happy film for ages teen and up. Worth the time and money.
$$$ (Worth the money)
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Mr. and Mrs. Critic
Times: Cheney First Disclosed CIA Official's Name
The New York Times reported late Monday that Vice President Cheney has been directly linked to the so-called "Plamegate" scandal involving the disclosure of the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA officer.
The paper reported that Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby "first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003."
The paper sourced their story to "lawyers involved in the case."
The Times said that notes taken by Libby differ from his own testimony before the grand jury as to when he first learned of Plame's identity.
"The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson’s husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration’s handling of intelligence about Iraq’s nuclear program to justify the war."
Cheney apparently discovered details of Plame's CIA work after he questioned then CIA Director George J. Tenet about her husband, Ambassador Wilson.
But even if Libby or Cheney had disclosed Plame's identity as a CIA officer they may not have committed a crime.
"Disclosing a covert agent’s identity can be a crime, but only if the person who discloses it knows the agent’s undercover status," the Times said.
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