Detroit Monster
Pamela Hilliard Owens
Golly. That was close wasn't it? There he was, Ranger Rick, stepping into the El Presidente Coral, all granite-jawed and Texas cool, one hand on the trigger of Buck, the name of his pearl-handled six-shooter, the other caressing a bible. And the bible was caressing him back! What was a Mittens to do? There he was, like a well-groomed deer frozen forever in the headlights, trying to decide which direction to leap towards salvation. Which policy should he abandon? Which Brand New Mittens suit should he wear? What to do? What to do? What chance did Bambi have against Ranger Rick? Mittens. Stranded at the Crossroads of Life. But then, just as the crowds were all prepared to cheer the blessed arrival of He Who Shall Deliver Us From the Interminable Boredom That Is Mittens, a problem arose. The first hint of this problem came when, just before he was about to deliver a major speech, Ranger Rick heard Buck frantically whispering to him. Can't this wait? asked Ranger Rick. Buck fired off a round in angry protest and Ranger Rick quickly excused himself from the podium to be counseled by his most trusted advisor. When Ranger Rick returned to the stage, crowds screaming and yelling in gleeful anticipation to receive their blessing from The One, his assistant noticed a slight green tinge around Ranger Rick's gills. "What's the problem, boss?" he asked. "Buck's empty," said Ranger Rick. "Huh?" "Dammit, I said BUCK'S EMPTY! THERE AIN'T NOTHIN' IN THE CHAMBER! WHAT KINDA ROOTIN' TOOTIN' TEXAS COWBOY SHOOTS BLANKS?" "Well maybe it's not as bad as..." "BOY DON'T YOU HEAR GOOD? MY HARD COLD STEEL DONE GONE LIMP. My cold hard stell done gone limp..." Well the crowd went so quiet you could have heard a cotton ball landing on a cotton floor. No, no, nooooooooooo! And Mittens? Well he just smiled and smiled...
The Black Liberal Boomer Blog
Mittens YES!
Elizabeth Warren Speaks. All you need to do is listen.
This is why Elizabeth Warren is da bomb. I don't need to write one more word. Just listen.
Cornel West and Ralph Nader, the new Toxic Twins
This shouldn't take long. By now you may have seen the stories about how Professor Cornel West and consumer advocate Ralph Nader have decided to join forces to mount a possible Democratic presidential primary challenge to President Obama. Both are essentially recognized as professional dissidents who have proclaimed themselves as the keepers of the progressive flame. In other words, ain't nobody else righteous and correct 'cept them. Together they exude an aura of moral purity so powerful it is known to singe the very skin of all nearby bystanders who are not sufficiently progressive (for further clarification on what is and/or is not considered sufficiently progressive, please address your comments to either one of the Twins). Anyway, fresh off his poverty bus tour with Tavis Smiley where Smiley and West rode around the country pointing at areas of poverty and saying "Look. There it is. Somebody tell Obama," West now has apparently found himself another twin and is now effectively stepping up his game and bigfooting his way into the political arena. Nader, of course, has traveled this way before more than once. Together Nader and West hope to draw attention to the fact (well... not actually fact) that Obama has been ignoring black folks and other constituencies and issues in dire need of his attention throughout his presidency. The Twins have no illusion of actually gaining any traction in the primary, but the warmth and adulation of the spotlight is expected to make it worth their while. Especially for Nader who has been...damn... where the hell has Nader been? Well, can't say as I know where the man's been, but I can pass along a few things he's been saying about Obama (courtesy ofAngry Black Lady): “There’s only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He’s half African-American. Whether that will make any difference, I don’t know. I haven’t heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What’s keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn’t want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We’ll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards.” ...and then... “He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician. He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he’s coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it’s corporate or whether it’s simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up. So given the certainty that the twins don't have even the whiff of a shot at victory in the primary, and given the likelihood that the odd couple pairing of an aging - and once-upon-a-time greatly respected - consumer rights advocate and a pissed off black intellectual aren't going to be attracting much more attention other than the occasional curious media attraction generated by most freak shows, one does have to wonder what the point of this game really is. Oh. Right. The betterment of America.
Rep. Hansen Clarke's plan to rescue Detroit
Prior to President Obama's presentation of his jobs plan for the nation, Rep. Hansen Clarke came up with his own piece of legislation designed specifically to help the City of Detroit get back on its feet. Clarke, who is currently serving his first term in office after his defeat of longtime Congresswoman Carolyn Cheek Kilpatrick, has long been recognized by those who know him and have worked with him as someone who cares deeply about the city of Detroit. Granted, he can be a bit quirky sometimes, but his commitment to his community is something no one would ever argue against, and this new legislation he plans on putting forward is proof of that. In a nutshell, what Hansen proposes is an extremely creative approach that would capture all of the federal taxes paid by Detroit residents and businesses during a five-year period and then re-invest those millions of dollars into the City of Detroit. During that 5-year timespan Detroit would not be able to collect local income taxes, but we would be getting an estimated $378 million per year for five years from the federal taxes, which would more than compensate for the loss. From MLive.com "It's not going to cost other taxpayers anything at all," Clarke explained. "It's a targeted investment right here in the city, and we need jobs right now." The Jobs Trust would be administered by the U.S. Treasury, and any spending would require approval from both the Detroit City Council and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Before hiring new police officers or teachers, the legislation mandates that the city eliminate all outstanding deficits within the municipal government and public school system, both of which are struggling under the weight of debt and interest payments. Detroit entered the fiscal year with a $155 million deficit and DPS' is north of $325 million. "We realize that the strongest incentive to attract business to Detroit and keep employers here is to have safe streets and good schools," Clarke said. "And then by lowering the cost of living we'll attract residents and businesses because the property taxes will be lower when the city doesn't have a debt to finance." Hansen has already had the chance to present his plan to the President, and based on what I've seen of the proposal it sounds like something I sincerely hope Obama can get behind. No doubt Obama's first major hurdle- and primary focus- must be on promoting his jobs plan for the entire nation, but hopefully Hansen's plan can somehow become an integral part of the jobs creation strategy. As the poorest big city in the nation, facing more economic challenges than just about anyone else, the rebuilding of Detroit could go a long way toward the rebuilding of this Southeaster Michigan region and this entire state. And a stronger Michigan has got to mean a stronger economy for the midwest as well as the rest of the country. As for those who might still argue that this plan still isn't black enough and doesn't specifically target the issues and concerns facing Black America, perhaps the fact that the nation's poorest big city in America is more than 85 percent black might help to alleviate those concerns.
September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary
I publish this post every year on September 11, to remind me to keep perspective and to celebrate the day with a love story. This year, in honor of Nick Ashford, I am adding the video of "Solid as a Rock", because that describes the relationship between my husband and me, even after after 25 years of love and friendship.
Our September 11th
September 11, 1998.That is our wedding anniversary. It was chosen totally by accident: after "being friends" for over ten years, we decided in August 1997, to "take our relationship to the next level". After several rounds of "telephone tag", we made a date on Thursday, September 11, 1997 to take "the big step"...Everything went well and in February 1998, we became engaged. We chose as our wedding date, Friday, September 11, 1998--only because that date was exactly one year from the day we decided to make our relationship permanent. Besides, our wedding was very small: 10 guests, the minister, and our favorite Patti LaBelle song on CD. Then came 2001--after experiencing the shock along with the rest of America, I was kinda "bummed" that the Attacks happened on our third wedding anniversary, until…on Thursday, September 13, 2001, I saw a gentleman on TV walking around and around the Pentagon looking totally despondent and lost. I found out from the TV commentary that September 11 2001 was his TWENTY-FIFTH wedding anniversary, and he had lost his wife in the Pentagon. They were going to have a celebration dinner that night after she came home from work...of course, she never did come home. I was never "bummed" again; and the picture of that lost and broken man will never leave me.
Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"
September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary
I publish this post every year on September 11, to remind me to keep perspective and to celebrate the day with a love story. This year, in honor of Nick Ashford, I am adding the video of "Solid as a Rock", because that describes the relationship between my husband and me, even after after 25 years of love and friendship.
Our September 11th
September 11, 1998.That is our wedding anniversary. It was chosen totally by accident: after "being friends" for over ten years, we decided in August 1997, to "take our relationship to the next level". After several rounds of "telephone tag", we made a date on Thursday, September 11, 1997 to take "the big step"...Everything went well and in February 1998, we became engaged. We chose as our wedding date, Friday, September 11, 1998--only because that date was exactly one year from the day we decided to make our relationship permanent. Besides, our wedding was very small: 10 guests, the minister, and our favorite Patti LaBelle song on CD. Then came 2001--after experiencing the shock along with the rest of America, I was kinda "bummed" that the Attacks happened on our third wedding anniversary, until…on Thursday, September 13, 2001, I saw a gentleman on TV walking around and around the Pentagon looking totally despondent and lost. I found out from the TV commentary that September 11 2001 was his TWENTY-FIFTH wedding anniversary, and he had lost his wife in the Pentagon. They were going to have a celebration dinner that night after she came home from work...of course, she never did come home. I was never "bummed" again; and the picture of that lost and broken man will never leave me.
Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"
September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary
[[posterous-content:pid___0]]
I publish this post every year on September 11, to remind me to keep perspective and to celebrate the day with a love story. This year, in honor of Nick Ashford, I am adding the video of "Solid as a Rock", because that describes the relationship between my husband and me, even after after 25 years of love and friendship.
Our September 11th
September 11, 1998.That is our wedding anniversary. It was chosen totally by accident: after "being friends" for over ten years, we decided in August 1997, to "take our relationship to the next level". After several rounds of "telephone tag", we made a date on Thursday, September 11, 1997 to take "the big step"...Everything went well and in February 1998, we became engaged. We chose as our wedding date, Friday, September 11, 1998--only because that date was exactly one year from the day we decided to make our relationship permanent. Besides, our wedding was very small: 10 guests, the minister, and our favorite Patti LaBelle song on CD. Then came 2001--after experiencing the shock along with the rest of America, I was kinda "bummed" that the Attacks happened on our third wedding anniversary, until…on Thursday, September 13, 2001, I saw a gentleman on TV walking around and around the Pentagon looking totally despondent and lost. I found out from the TV commentary that September 11 2001 was his TWENTY-FIFTH wedding anniversary, and he had lost his wife in the Pentagon. They were going to have a celebration dinner that night after she came home from work...of course, she never did come home. I was never "bummed" again; and the picture of that lost and broken man will never leave me.
Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"
September 11th: Our 13th Wedding Anniversary
[[posterous-content:pid___0]] I publish this post every year on September 11, to remind me to keep perspective and to celebrate the day with a love story. This year, in honor of Nick Ashford, I am adding the video of "Solid as a Rock", because that describes the relationship between my husband and me, even after after 25 years of love and friendship.
Our September 11th
September 11, 1998.That is our wedding anniversary. It was chosen totally by accident: after "being friends" for over ten years, we decided in August 1997, to "take our relationship to the next level". After several rounds of "telephone tag", we made a date on Thursday, September 11, 1997 to take "the big step"...Everything went well and in February 1998, we became engaged. We chose as our wedding date, Friday, September 11, 1998--only because that date was exactly one year from the day we decided to make our relationship permanent. Besides, our wedding was very small: 10 guests, the minister, and our favorite Patti LaBelle song on CD. Then came 2001--after experiencing the shock along with the rest of America, I was kinda "bummed" that the Attacks happened on our third wedding anniversary, until…on Thursday, September 13, 2001, I saw a gentleman on TV walking around and around the Pentagon looking totally despondent and lost. I found out from the TV commentary that September 11 2001 was his TWENTY-FIFTH wedding anniversary, and he had lost his wife in the Pentagon. They were going to have a celebration dinner that night after she came home from work...of course, she never did come home. I was never "bummed" again; and the picture of that lost and broken man will never leave me.
Ashford and Simpson: "Solid as a Rock"
The kind of folks who laugh at executions...
First of all, yes I think President Obama did a hell of a job last night. There was no question that the President was going to have to 'go big' on this one and swing for the bleachers. This was not the time to tread the moderate path, nor was it the time to reprise his role as the only adult in the room. Being the only adult in the room doesn't much matter when everyone else has left the room, and the president's sagging poll numbers strongly suggest that something dramatic is needed to jump start his game. The jobs proposal Obama delivered on Thursday night was a big step in the right direction. Although it is highly unlikely - to say the least - that Republican legislators will bow down before the sheer weight of his wisdom and obediently pass Obama's jobs bill right away as he requested, it will nevertheless serve to steer the oncoming debate for 2012. Pretty much everyone agrees that jobs is the only major issue of significance right now confronting the nation, and since the Republicans have yet to present any coherent vision of how to tackle that issue, they now are confronted with the task of measuring up with a plan of their own. Simply shooting down the President's plan is not a winning strategy because, as Obama pointed out last night, the election is 14 months away and most Americans don't have the luxury to sit around and wait to see who wins before some action is taken to get them back to work. And do they really want to gamble away any and all options for improving the lives of thousands of Americans on the misguided hope that Obama is going to lose? Is that who they are? Well, if we are to judge by the response of the Wednesday night crowd who attended the Republican presidential debate, then the answer may well be, hell yes. For those who haven't seen the video, just take a listen to the reaction when Texas Gov. Rick Perry is confronted with the fact that he signed off on the execution of 234 individuals during his term in office. The audience spontaneously broke out into applause. Once the bloodthirsty crowd had calmed themselves, and a respectful quiet had returned to the Roman coliseum where the debate apparently took place, Perry was asked by reporter Brian Williams, who moderated the debate, if perhaps Perry ever felt guilty or lost any sleep at the prospect that maybe some of the folks he had allowed to be put to death were, in fact innocent. Perry's response: "No, sir. I've never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which -- when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that's required. "But in the state of Texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children, you kill a police officer, you're involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of Texas, and that is, you will be executed." This noble sentiment was, of course, followed up by more applause. And I have to admit, the way Perry answered the question made it seem almost unpatriotic not to applaud executions. I mean after all, who wouldn't want to execute a child-killer or a cop killer? Right? Right? But here's the thing; it's not that there isn't some justification for the death penalty in certain cases. There are without question folks among us whose best contribution to society would be to expelled from it. Not everybody can be rehabilitated, and life without parole isn't always enough. But the prospect of anyone being executed is not a reason to applaud, let alone the execution of 234 individuals. And the thought that Perry is unrepentant about the fact that he may have put an innocent person - or persons - to death is bad enough on its own. But the fact that such an unrepentant attitude is applauded by a roomful of voters is evidence of a severe sickness that is spreading. Those folks need help. Then again, if Perry manages to win the 2012 election, it's the rest of us who will need help. This is being cross-posted in Black Liberal Boomer
The Tale of Two Labor Day Rallies
On Labor Day 2011, the New Hampshire Tea Party held a rally and declared that the tea party movement was "not dead" and that they would ensure that the tea party won the 2012 election. What if you gave a rally and almost nobody showed up?
On Labor Day 2011, the various unions in Detroit held a rally and declared that the union movement was "not dead" and that they would lead the effort to ensure that President Obama wins the 2012 election. What if you gave a rally and over 12,000 people showed up?
