Clinton to dedicate life to redistributing world's wealth
He started by taking the gifts that the rich people gave to the White House, he is just holding them until a later time. How much of his book deal did he give away? Did he accept payment for this speech?
It is always easier to spend other people's money, to make yourself feel good.

How Enron was created
Why is Congress even involved in these issues? "The four regional Bell telephone companies, capping a two-year lobbying and advertising blitz, won a House vote Wednesday in their battle to offer unregulated high-speed Internet services nationwide...According to the Center for Responsible Politics, the four Bell companies have contributed at total of $19.4 million to House and Senate candidates since 1999. Opponents such as AT&T, Sprint and Worldcom have contributed a total of $12.6 million to candidates over the same period."
This is an example of why companies spend millions to support politicians. The problem is not deregulation, the problem is that there is regulations already in place that limit a businesses' ability to compete in the marketplace. The companies have to pay the politicians to allow them to compete in the market place. The politicians in return pass laws that favor some companies, not the consumer. When the effect on the marketplace is not real deregulation, which would be more competition and lower prices, the consumer blames the deregulation laws. Then the whole cycle begins again. The only loser is the consumer.

Holla Back
Movable Type: How hard or easy is it to install and use?

Poll: Muslims have low opinion of US
Like we really care. These backward illiterate nations have a low opinion of America. Stop asking for our help, and stop taking our money since we are so evil. Kuwait even has the nerve to say bad things about the US. How about we allow Saddam to take over Kuwait, in return for freeing the Iraqi people?

Insight on the News Things like this and the Enron "investigation" are why people do not like politicians. They need to get a real job.

The 2002 Grammy Awards
Congrats to Alicia Keys for winning five awards:
Song of the Year: "Fallin", New Artist, R&B Album,
Female R&B Vocal Performance, R&B Song: "Fallin"
She is one of the few young performers with real talent.

Here are some others that mattered to me:
Male R&B Vocal Performance: "U Remind Me," Usher.
Rap Album: "Stankonia," OutKast.
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Survivor," Destiny's Child.
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Ms. Jackson," OutKast.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," Eve Featuring Gwen Stefani
Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: "The Experience," Yolanda Adams

Remains Of Child Found In East County What a sick twisted SOB.

Holla Back
Just want to throw an idea out here to blogdom, and get some feedback.
There are so many new blogs being added daily, and most bloggers are already too busy to keep up with their favorites. I was thinking of a blog-a-thon (yes, its corny, but all the good blog names are taken.)
I have not really worked out the details. But here are the basics for now:
One day during the week I will look at only blogs that I have not looked at before. I will actually read them, and note the interesting ones.
This is where its gets fuzzy. Others can participate by doing the same thing. Then e-mail me when you find a blog that you feel others should read.
I was also thinking of like a viral/relay type group thing. (what?)
For example. Each person commits to reading 5-10 new blogs during the week. Here is the catch. If you find a blog that is worth being looked at, then you e-mail the blogmaster. Once a blogmaster has been "hit", they then have to do the same thing.
I am not sure about the details, like if a blog has already been hit, then maybe it can't be hit again.
Let me know if this sounds completely insane, or any suggestions.

A Pro American Rally!"Under a hot morning sun, nearly 2,000 residents turned out - grandmothers, students, government employees, the unemployed. They sang and prayed, waving Philippine and American flags and placards. It was the largest rally here in many years"
Lets see how often this item gets run on the news channels. It is a NY Times article, so anything is possible.

Michael Kelly nails Carter.
In the opinion of the man who presided over 400-plus days of "America Held Hostage," George W. Bush's description of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil" was "overly simplistic and counterproductive." Added the man who was once attacked by a rabbit, "I think it will take years before we can repair the damage done by that statement."

Illinois awaits Jackson tax form
The Rev. Jesse Jackson's premier tax-exempt organization has not filed a state tax return for 2000 and is in danger of losing its legal authority to raise money, an official with the Illinois attorney general's office said.

Fox News is on a roll.For the second month in a row they have beaten CNN and MSNBC. FNC was the No. 1 rated news network in both total-day and prime-time.

Gore returns to S. Florida, political arena
Gore is raising the money for his own political action committee, which he recently formed. The losing Democratic candidate for president in 2000 said he doesn't yet know if he will run again in 2004. He has formed a PAC, is raising money and taking a higher media profile. He is going to run again.

Jonah on The Corner
Goldberg hits the nail on the head. He exposes the baseless rhetoric used by Tavis Smiley.
Smiley discussed how previous wars--namely the Civil War, WWII, Vietnam--had also been turning points and "defining moments" for America. Then he asked rhetorically, and I’m paraphrasing, "but what did these wars do to improve the situation for Blacks in America? To foster greater awareness in our community and in the larger society?" Tavis’s answer: "Not much." Call me crazy, but the Civil War seems to have been a big step forward for black folks (WWII and Vietnam were big deals for black America too, by the way).

Why Blacks Support Vouchers
"A 1999 survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research group, found that 68 percent of blacks favor vouchers. A similar poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan think tank, showed that the percentage of blacks supporting school vouchers rose to 60 percent in 1999 from 48 percent in 1996...Amazingly, almost three-fifths of black politicians rate their local public schools as excellent or good, while by nearly the same percentage other black adults rate their public schools as poor to fair. (Most politicians do not send their children to public schools.)...Our support for vouchers is essentially a critique of politicians' ineffectiveness... For a limited number of children, they may make a crucial difference. That possibility is enough for black parents to take a chance."

For the Industry, Less to Celebrate at the Grammys
"Music sales are plummeting. Performers are rebelling against the business tactics of the five major recording companies. About the only issue many executives and artists agree on, in fact, is that the industry's music simply is not as good as it used to be...the plunge in music sales appears to be accelerating. In dollar terms, sales were $13.7 billion in 2001, down 4.7 percent from a year earlier. The top 10 albums sold 60 million copies in the United States in 2000, according to the association; last year, that number fell to 40 million."
Greed. No Talent.
That sums up what is wrong with the music industry. They assume their customer is stupid. It does not take a genius to realize that if they can buy a blank CD for .20, then a music CD is not worth $16-$18. The CD single, a rarity to even get released, is selling for $4-$5. Most music has the same sound, the same producers and songwriters. I love music, but rarely buy a CD. It just is not worth the price. I have downloaded some mp3 songs, mostly to see if I want the CD. The problem is not the CD, the problem is the price and lack of distribution channels. The artists need to take control of their works, and use these new digital distribution channels. People assumed that shareware would destroy the software industry, but it helped the industry. Video and DVD rentals helped the sales of those products. The music industry is operating on a very outdated business model. I do not see why any CD should cost more than $10. The record companies need to offer mp3 songs for free. These would be the equivalent of promo CD's. This would also allow people to develop a relationship with the record label and the artist. The consumer would get legal, high quality versions of their favorite songs. This could be very effective, especially in distributing remixes of songs.
Ken Layne, on Fox Views, does a good job grilling the industry. He gives a real world example of why the music industry is out of touch with its customers:
"Before my wedding last year, my bride and I didn't have time to collect and compile special music for the DJ. Three couples - all in their thirties, all law-abiding professionals - quickly assembled all the music we needed, from Web file-sharing services. Sure, we had the records at home. But it was easier for our pals to just grab the stuff off the Net. And now we've got the soundtrack to our wedding party on four CDs. Arrest us!"

Sharpton's on point by Michael Eric Dyson
"On a panel broadcast by C-SPAN from Philadelphia's 5,000-seat Sharon Baptist Church, the Rev. Al Sharpton showed why he would be a serious candidate for the presidency of the United States."
Dyson looses credibility with every word he writes. Al Sharpton is not a credible candidate for President. It is disgusting; to pretend that Sharpton is the best black America has to offer. What has he done? What are his accomplishments, other than learning how to get in front of a camera?
"On the other hand, we are asked to be silent in detailing the denial of the rights and privileges that citizens should be able to assume. In fact, we are deemed un-American if we dare tell the truth about the infractions we endure."
I was on the phone with a friend of mine, who is not a conservative, while watching the C-SPAN broadcast. We were both disappointed because there were no solutions offered. They just kept screaming about how bad the government is treating them. The amazing thing, my friend and I noted, is that everybody on the panel was probably earning at least a six-figure income. Nobody saw the irony in claiming to be victims while living under the freedom of this country. These people were wealthy, in positions of leadership, on a public cable network, having their opinions against the government aired.

Swiss Right fights UN 'threat' to neutrality I hope they keep their neutrality.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac faulted over minority lending
Private mortgage companies are doing a better job getting minorities home financing, than the government backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
"FM Watch said its analysis of HUD data showed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac still fell short of the private market in financing for black home buyers in 97 out of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. In New York, funding for blacks made up 9.2 percent of the companies' financing but 11 percent of private mortgage funding, the group said...The mortgage companies lagged the private market in financing loans to Hispanics in 87 out of the largest 100 U.S. cities, FM Watch said. In Los Angeles, 19.1 percent of loans funded by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac went to Hispanics, while 22.2 percent of private market loans reached that group."

The Ethical Philosphy Survey
I finally took the test. Here are the results:
1. Rand (100%)
2. Nietzsche (76%)
3. Hume (70%)
4. Sartre (70%)
5. Hobbes (64%)
6. Stoics (60%)
7. Cynics (58%)
8. Aristotle (52%)
9. Mill (50%)
10. Epicureans (43%)
11. Plato (43%)
12. Bentham (43%)
13. Augustine (43%)
14. Kant (41%)
15. Spinoza (41%)
16. Aquinas (40%)
17. Prescriptivism (31%)
18. Noddings (27%)
19. Ockham (22%)

US HIV cases 'on the rise'
Nearly a million people in the United States are HIV-positive and a quarter of them are unaware they have the virus, a report by the Centers for Disease Control suggests.

Blair angers Germans by backing Iraq strikes
Giving warning of a rift in Europe over the war on terrorism, Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister, also appeared to have Mr Blair in mind when he spoke of the need for European Union partners to stick to the same policy.
"Only when Europe has a common foreign and security policy, as we have a single market and single currency, will we be taken seriously," he said. EU nations would be as powerful as America only if they were united.
This guy is living in the land of make believe.

What Happened to Chandra Levy?
Dominick Dunne puts forth an interesting theory about her dissapearance.

Greenspan to affirm recession's end
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan gives his semi-annual state of the economy report to Congress Wednesday morning. When he speaks, markets around the world listen. His message this week will largely affirm the chorus of analysts who uniformly agree that the recession is over and a recovery is starting, if not already well under way.

Settlers use pigskin to foil the martyrs

Bad Move by Bush
While we were all sleeping last week, President Bush lifted the export restrictions on microprocessor speeds for computers for countries like China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel -- basically, most of the countries security experts say regularly engage in cyber-espionage on the US. This is a bit like giving a gun to a burglar who you know has been casing your house. I also wonder how this fits into the war on terrorism?

Where does your state rank in education?

Jayson Williams manslaughter documents

Why the Muslims Misjudged Us
The latest from Victor Davis Hanson, what else needs to be said?

War on Terror: How Britain Ended Slavery Unilaterally
I was looking up more info on slavery in Brazil, when I came across this nugget. Unilateral use of military force was used by the British Empire to end slavery. I saw some parallels with our war on terrorism.
Confronted with the continuation of the slave trade some 20 years after it should have been abolished under the 1826 treaty, Britain acted unilaterally. Slaving had already been declared piracy, giving British ships the right to hoard and seize suspected vessels on the high seas. In 1850, British warships entered Brazilian ports and seized and burned a number of ships that were suspected of engaging in the transport of slaves. During these operations the British were fired upon from Brazilian forts. It is difficult to imagine a less ambiguous violation of the norm of non-intervention. These pressures were effective. Confronted with British naval power and the antipathy of other advanced states, Brazil passed and enforced legislation to end the slave trade. One Brazilian leader, speaking to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies in 1850, recognized that Brazil was the only country actively resisting the anti-slave regime. He stated that:
"With the whole of the civilized world now opposed to the slave trade, and with a powerful nation like Britain intent on ending it once and for all, can we resist the torrent? I think not."
Brazil was the most important defector from this system, failing to enforce its own treaty obligations. Britain used naval power - including entry into Brazilian territorial waters and the destruction of Brazilian ships - to compel Brazil to change its policies. Britain's commitment to ending international commerce in human beings triumphed over non-intervention.

U.S. drops pledge on nukes
The Bush administration is no longer standing by a 24-year-old U.S. pledge not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, a senior administration official said yesterday.
Our enemies do not understand who they are dealing with.

The Airborne Laser Home Page
The Airborne Laser (ABL) weapon system will operate at altitudes above the clouds where it can acquire and track missiles in boost flight, and then accurately point and fire the laser with such energy that the missile is destroyed before it can do any harm.

Reborn in the USA :February 2002 O Magazine
Oprah's magazine has some very good stories about immigrants that came to America, and were able to experience freedom. It is a reminder of the freedoms that we are born with. Oprah: "What I know for sure is that we all need to cherish that gift-to revel in it rather than take it for granted. After the hundreds of stories I've heard of atrocities around the globe, I know that if you're a woman born in the United States, you're one of the luckiest women in the world. Take your good fortune and lift your life to its highest calling. Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility."
There is also an interview with Condaleeza Rice. The website has a video of the interview.
"In all my years of interviewing, I have never been prouder to spell my name w-o-m-a-n than after spending time with Condoleezza Rice." — Oprah

There is also the full text from the Statue of Liberty:
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

My 2 Cents:
I know I am a little late with this, but I do not read People magazine on a regular basis. I looked at the cover with the 31 widows and their newborn babies. The short stories about the now deceased fathers really hit me hard. The age of these men was mostly late 20's to mid 30's. This is my age group, these were my co-workers, my brother, my sister. This attack was personal, even if I did not know them personally.
The other thing that struck me about the cover, was the diversity. It was truly a reflection of America's diversity.

Blacks thriving economically
This is a very good article. It speaks with many middle class African-Americans, from different backgrounds. The common factor is their success. "But many in the black community are beginning to resent its conventional image as oppressed and economically disadvantaged...As consumers, blacks are one of the most targeted markets today. They spend $571 billion annually on consumer goods — $270 billion more than a decade ago."

Brandy Expecting Child In July

Carter Rips Bush on 'Axis' Label
Credibility. That is the word that came to mind when reading this. Carter has none in this area.

Reparations!
The subject of reparations for African-Americans will remain on the political landscape for a long time. People need to stop throwing rhetoric back and forth, and actually attempt to look at the issue.
The proof of a debt owed has never been established. The idea that slavery was extremely profitable has never been proven. It is the biggest flaw in the reparations argument. They just assume this to be a fact.
There is objective evidence that slavery had a negative economic impact, especially long term. The Caribbean Islands were full of slaves, and are still very poor countries. More slaves were taken to Brazil than the US. It becomes obvious that slavery is not the cause of America’s wealth. Brazil had more slaves, and kept slavery longer. According to the idea that slavery gives people an economic advantage, then Brazil should be an economic powerhouse. A person could also argue that America just used slavery to keep up, not get ahead.
The idea is also missed, that the slaves were treated as property by Africans. The Africans were PAID for the slaves. There has already been a transfer of money from one country to another. If they sold it cheaply, that is their fault.
The social programs in the sixties were specifically designed to have a disproportionate effect on helping blacks. Would you subtract for the money given to black colleges?
I am having a hard time seeing how it could be done in a moral and practical manner.
Who would get what?
Mixed people?
People on both sides want to make it a simple issue. It is not. The burden of proof is on the side of reparations supporters. If you are going to make a case, you will have to prove damages.

Students protest UCLA's invitation of Laura Bush to speak at commencement
Can we give China California for Taiwan?
"Despite being 3,000 miles away, Laura Bush fueled debate between administrators and students who objected to the possibility of having the first lady speak at this year's University of California-Los Angeles commencement ceremony. Students in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies met with Dean Aimee Dorr on Friday to demand that she rescind the invitation to Bush. Critics cited Bush's "shallow credentials" and complained they were not allowed to participate in the selection of their commencement speaker."

Oil Drips With Money for Alaska
"Who wants to drill for oil in the far north of Alaska? Alaskans do. And do they ever...Without new oil, goodness, Alaskans might be asked to pay taxes.
For a generation now, Alaskans have been living high off public lands and the royalties from free-flowing petroleum. Instead of having to pay state taxes, Alaskans get a juicy cash kickback every year from their government...For instance, you'll hear plenty about national energy independence in the debate over the Arctic refuge. But the real fight is Alaska's fight for money."
So what? The writer acts as if it is wrong for Alaskans to want to benefit from Alaska. It is their state; they should be able to decide how the land is used. This is the typical left wing slander. They try to insinuate that greed and money are at the heart of the issue. This desire for money somehow lessens a persons right to stake their claim. The writer fails to mention the very high cost of living in Alaska. The six months of darkness, and extremely cold weather.

"Funny, too, but if you look close, you don't see much in the way of oil company lobbying to drill in the disputed coastal section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. To the disappointment of many Alaskans, the giant oil companies are preoccupied elsewhere--in Russia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in Central Asia."
This assertion, contradicts what all the other drilling opponents are saying. Big oil is not behind this, there are easier and cheaper places to drill. ANWR is not a national treasure it is a wasteland. This is not Yellowstone National Park. This is the federal government reaching too far into the domain of states.
True states rights will not be restored without a Constitutional Amendment.

British university students protest tuition fees
The greatness of mixing socialism and education. Maybe if their parents had lower taxes, they could afford $1500 a year for college.
The National Union of Students...claims Blair's government has betrayed students by ending means-tested living allowances in favor of loans and introducing fees of up to $1,500 a year for university courses.
The student union says students now graduate with an average debt of $14,300 and in college must survive on $40 a week after paying rent, meaning they would be better off claiming unemployment benefits.

Farmer testifies against Milosevic in war crimes trial
This trial is such a joke. It is a feel good procedure that will solve nothing. Does anyone really feel he has a chance of not being found guilty?

Order to double gas price?
"The price of California's gasoline will double at the pump if Gov. Gray Davis keeps his order to eliminate the environmentally troublesome MTBE additive by the end of this year, a consultant reported Tuesday."
OK, maybe we can just give California back to Mexico. I will take Bush and Cheney on energy over Davis, any day of the week.

Walmart.com ditches the OS in new PCs

Daniel Pearl has been confirmed dead.
This really makes me angry. It feels very personal.
God Bless his family.
God have mercy on his killers.

The recession may already be over. Key Economic Gauge Sees Strong Recovery "The U.S. economy might already be out of recession and its recovery could be much stronger than expected, a private research firm said on Thursday, as its economic forecasting gauge rose for the fourth consecutive month in January"

Insurance firms issued slave policies Various documents link modern companies to antebellum slavery.

The peaceful and democratic China
This article points out that Taiwan is the democratic China. "This China is the Republic of China on Taiwan. It is peaceful and democratic, respects human rights and wants good relations with everyone...is America's eighth-largest trading partner. Among the nations of the world, it ranks 21st in per capita gross national product. Freedom House puts it on par with Japan as the freest country in Asia."
The article ends with one of the best lines I have read: "If Beijing tries to swallow the other China on Bush's watch, it will choke."

Borking Judge Pickering
This is about the elite feeling they know more than the average person. The blacks that live with Pickering have nothing but good things to say about him.
"Judge Pickering, currently a federal district judge in nearby Hattiesburg, "was praised by black city officials for helping to set up after-school youth programs here, and for directing federal money to low-income areas when he was a state senator. Black business leaders say he was influential in persuading white-owned banks to lend money to black entrepreneurs, helping to strengthen the city's black middle class." Thaddeus Edmonson, a former local president of the NAACP who currently serves as president of Laurel's city council, said of Judge Pickering that "I can't believe the man they're describing in Washington is the same one I've known for years." Four of the five blacks on the seven-member city council want Judge Pickering elevated to the appeals court."

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a CBC member and Democrat, just responds with a typical slander for people that dont agree with her: She calls Judge Pickering's black supporters "Judases."

Even if you don't feel he should be appointed, this campaign of false smears is out of bounds. This country will never be able to have judges that actually think if we dont do something about the process. Both parties play these games, somebody needs to be bold enough to stop.

Ann Coulter proposes a lock box for the tax cut. Now thats a lock box I could support.

Bush's words have made the S. Koreans nervous
The Institute for Public Accuracy features two scholars:
"There is a great deal of consternation in South Korea because of Bush's bellicose language and how it has undercut President Kim Dae Jung's efforts to reconcile with North Korea. Bush is using language that North Korea has interpreted as a virtual declaration of war and has set back a peace process that seemed so promising in 2000, when the leaders of North and South Korea met for the first time. A year ago, the Clinton administration was close to an agreement that would have ended North Korea's ballistic missile program, but the Bush administration scuttled the talks. Many Koreans are convinced that Bush is so bent on building an anti-missile system he is willing to undermine the peace process in Korea."

"Many fear the dark cloud of war is again coming to Korea because of Bush's threats. Eighty percent of South Koreans are against the U.S. administration's stance on North Korea; it is putting obstacles in the way of cooperation and reconciliation between North and South."

Anybody bother telling these people that the two nations are at war? This is the type of thanks the US gets for protecting S.Korea.

The first African-American to ever win a gold medal at the Winter Games, the women's bobsled team also ended a 46 year drought for the US in Olympic bobsleding.

The Brothers Judd Good Books and Recommended Readings
This is another website I meant to add to my links. Great site, with some of the best book reviews you can find. During Black History Month they are featuring a different black book each day on their website. Go check it out.

"Stupid White Men" is Michael Moore's new book.
Is it an autobiography?
This guy is the Jerry Springer version of Noam Chomsky.What am I doing wrong? If a complete idiot like him can make a living being stupid, why do I still have to work?

Are you ready to pay your UN taxes?
This is scary, because it seems so plausable.
"One of these days, if the United Nations' potentates have their way, I am going to receive a tax bill that will include a portion of my earnings allocated to the UN. Their taxation powers will have been imposed as a new layer on top of those paid to the United States.

The illegal alien Pander-lympics.
Michelle Malkin is calling both parties out for their irresponsible views on immigration.
"More spending equals less illegal immigration, right? Don't be fooled. While Washington creates the illusion of buying more and better homeland defense, public officials continue to sell out to ethnic special interests - namely, to liberal Hispanic lobbyists who are doing everything in their power to exempt illegal aliens from Mexico from immigration reform."

I love good speeches, and Bush being in S. Korea reminded me of a classic:
Ronald Reagan-Tear Down this Wall
Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate
West Berlin, Germany
June 12, 1987
This speech was delivered to the people of West Berlin, yet it was also audible on the East side of the Berlin wall.
Here are a few excerpts:
"Yet it is here in Berlin where the wall emerges most clearly; here, cutting across your city, where the news photo and the television screen have imprinted this brutal division of a continent upon the mind of the world. Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar."

" Yet I do not come here to lament. For I find in Berlin a message of hope, even in the shadow of this wall, a message of triumph. "

"In the 1950s, Khrushchev predicted: "We will bury you." But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind--too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor."

"There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

"...this gets to the root of the matter, to the most fundamental distinction of all between East and West. The totalitarian world produces backwardness because it does such violence to the spirit, thwarting the human impulse to create, to enjoy, to worship. The totalitarian world finds even symbols of love and of worship an affront."

" Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.
And I would like, before I close, to say one word. I have read, and I have been questioned since I've been here about certain demonstrations against my coming. And I would like to say just one thing, and to those who demonstrate so. I wonder if they have ever asked themselves that if they should have the kind of government they apparently seek, no one would ever be able to do what they're doing again.
Thank you and God bless you all."

Black Libertarian: The Story of Zora Neale Hurston
Lewrockwell.com had this interesting article about Zora Neale Hurston.
" Hurston and other writers of Harlem Renaissance completely rejected this vision as "the sobbing school of Negrohood." and accordingly wrote stories that celebrated black community and individualism."
" In 1950 she wrote an article for American Legion entitled "I saw the Negro Vote Peddled" complaining how leftist groups and labor unions consistently would try to see blacks as one homogeneous voting block. In 1951 she wrote another article for American Legion called "Why the Negro Won’t Buy Communism" where she attacked Communists who tried to make blacks as a new proletariat."
" Hurston thought that many blacks had been tricked into believing that anyone who was a liberal was a friend to the blacks"
"Hurston was criticized for not addressing racial issues, but she hardly ignored them. She criticized Jim Crow laws, and was well aware of the many racial problems that existed. However, she thought that these issues could be addressed by local communities and within the states, rather than through white northern liberals, the Federal government, and unconstitutional laws."

If You’re Tired of Jesse and Al, Get Involved
This Newsweek article asks where are the black leaders under the age of fifty?
"I won’t deny Jackson’s sizable ego, but he would have a hard time finding a nationally recognized African-American political activist under 50 to take his place. There are exceptions— human-rights advocate Martin Luther King III, litigator Constance Rice and Rep. J. C. Watts—but it would be difficult to name five more. By contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. was in his mid-20s when he organized the Montgomery bus boycott, and Julian Bond, Marian Wright Edelman and John Lewis have been activists since their college days."
There are many people working in their local communities. The problem is that the media likes to focus on one person that can create controversy. Al Sharpton is a creation of the liberal media, and its desire to keep the race issue stuck in the civil rights era. Younger blacks do not want to take anyone’s place; they want to forge their own place. Things have changed greatly since 1968, and people have different needs.
The media listens to boycott threats and accusations of racism, but not to the stories that portray a positive side. This is frustrating for me personally. I know people that are trying to be the next Jesse Jackson, and they get the attention. They only have to learn PR skills, not give real sacrifice or service.

" We shielded them ( the younger generation) from the brutal details of slavery, lynching and Jim Crow, but we also failed to show them how political activism helped to end these atrocities."
Exactly! They have ended. This is the reason; people had no choice but to protest before. They could not get jobs, or buy the house they wanted and this led to the protests. This generation has grown up with a world of options. It is hard to make a person rebel against a system that allows them the freedom that America does. The actions speak louder than the victimology rhetoric.

" They will continue to focus on that one fleeting moment in Memphis on April 4, 1968, when King was assassinated, rather than the years of struggle against racism and oppression that made his life “worthy of the gods.”
It was a turning point. The enemy within is now greater than the enemy outside.

"Leadership shouldn’t be the lifetime responsibility of just a handful of men and women. Even the most revered activists will want to retire at some point. I hope that members of the younger generation will step forward even before that happens. Then Jesse and Al won’t have to carry the burden alone."
These older people will not get out of the way. How can anyone get any press when Jesse and Al are trying to outdo each other for attention? I wish one of these companies would challenge Jackson and Sharpton when they make boycott threats. They would learn that most people would not respond. The media also likes to promote the victimologists, because they create controversy. I have seen members of The New Black Panther Party on TV many times. Why? These people only have credibility in their own eyes, and when the cameras point at them. African-Americans are not looking to them for leadership. The white liberal establishment is looking at these people to carry their banner. They lose their socialist agenda if they lose their victims.

BlogSnob now has stats for their text ads.

Two Great Blogs that were left out of my links update:
the Kolkata Libertarian
USS Clueless
It will be corrected asap.

Axis of Evil
Have the critics of Bush's "axis of evil" comment looked at the countries in the WW2 Axis?
The main Axis powers were Japan, Germany and Italy.
The main allies were US, USSR, Britian, China.
How much in commom did these countries have?
The US and Britian had the most in common, and Germany and Italy had similar facist leaders. Look at the other countries, and the commonalities are hard to find.
A common enemy, that is what the Axis was built on.

Bush Names Advisory Panel on HBCUs
The advisory board will be comprised of 21 members of the HBCU’s sitting presidents, private foundation representatives, educational institutions, business and financial leaders.

Sharpton, in N.H., talks like a candidate
The Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday unofficially launched his presidential campaign, promising a candidacy that would move the Democratic Party back to its liberal roots
The best campaign news for a Bush, since Reno decided to run for Florida Gov.

Mohammed says try to understand bin Laden
The leader of the nation's largest Islamic organization says the actions of Osama bin Laden were criminal, but the world should try to understand his cause.
OK. We will turn his body over to science.

Finally updated my links and changed my Archives format

Blogger has been hard to get on all night. Then when I do get on, they say they will be down at 8:55PM .

Voluntary Taxes in VA
The Tax Me More idea is spreading!
Virginians who want to pay more taxes soon will be able to contribute as much as they want — and get their names posted on the Department of Taxation Web site, to boot.

British troops invade Spain...OOOPS wrong place!
I saw this on Fox News, but have not found a link to a story.
20 British soldiers landed on a beach in Spain, in full military gear. They were off course, and were suppose to be landing on Gibralter.

Skating Chief Proposes Replacing Judging Scale
Its too confusing to understand. Maybe they feel if no one understands how it works, then no one can abuse it.

Louis Farrakhan condemns U.S. war on terrorism
Is this really news? I was looking for a full transcript of the speech and could not find one. The Nation of Islam website does have a streaming video of the speech. I was not about to watch a 2 hour speech online. He just says what all the other anti-American, anti-Jewish people say. America-bad, Jews-bad, Arabs-victims,, yada-yada-yada.

"Punditwatch"
FoxNews.com has decided to recognize blogs. Will Vehrs of Punditwatch has made it to the big show.

My 2 Cents:
The Pickering Nomination
The heart of the Pickering nomination comes down to if the past should be left in the past. If the consistent present actions of a person show that there has been a conversion of beliefs, then the past should be left buried. If a person continues to show that their present beliefs would create similar bad acts that were committed in the past, then it is very relevant.
This nomination has opened up the wound of the legacy of the Civil War and segregation. Sen. Byrd is a perfect example, a former Klansman that is now a Democratic Senator. The African-Americans that live in Pickering's community, and know him best, support him fully.
The biggest problem I have is with how the Republicans have handled the nomination. They have thrown it out to the wolves, with no preparation. I do not feel Bush should be using his political capital at this time on a judicial nomination. This brings the Bush administration down into the quagmire of domestic policy. It is an unneeded distraction.
Pickering should not be opposed for the false racial ghosts that have been thrown at him. Byron York has done a good job of exposing what really happened in the 1994 case that has caused so much trouble.
I question whether he was the most appropriate nominee at this time, but to disqualify based on a few incident from his college days is wrong. It is amazing how Clinton defenders, can so easily attack others with even broader and more slanderous accusations, that have even less evidence.
His nomination will not survive the Judicial Committee, even though there are no good reasons. The White House should have nominated a different person, which would be less distracting. This is politics, and sometimes it is about timing.

Stronger Nigeria, Israeli Ties
Sought

BTW: I have only seen one episode of "Sex in the City". I know this is a late response, but I am out of touch with culture.
I do listen to some Rap, lots of R&B, and I love "The Practice" and "Will & Grace"
I have recently discovered the great Louis Armstrong.

The Pickering Nomination
I have purposely waited to comment on the issue of Pickering's nomination. I wanted to step away from the immediate reactions, and come to a well thought out opinion. I will be posting that opinion later on today...
Just wanted to let everybody know I am not ignoring the issue.

Scientists may find space warps in 3 years
Scientists said they expect to discover so-called space warps -- hidden extra dimensions of existence other than space and time -- within the next three years by making energy apparently vanish into thin air.

"Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan"
There are, in fact, two Palestinian States in existence by any definition. One is called Israel, the other is called Jordan.
Without the Palestinians, Jordan is a State without a people. "
As a matter of law, Jordan/ Palestine has a "law of return" which applies to any Palestinian living on the west bank who is not a Jew. Many Palestinians on the west bank of the Jordan are presently Jordanian/Palestinian citizens. Before 1967, the portion of the west bank in dispute was controlled by Jordan and was considered at the time to be as intrinsic a part of Jordan as the east bank.
The more people learn about the "palestenian problem", the more they see the PLO is the problem.

Andrew G. Biggs on NRO - Social Security is already "Enron-ed."
Enron used the same "off balance sheet" accounting that Congress uses with the Social Security trust fund.

What if the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre were attacked by terrorists?
This is what Victor Davis Hanson asks in his hilarious parody. It is a must read.

Chinese official eyed in bugging of plane

America's laser of death cleared for take-off
AMERICA'S enemies will soon face a weapon, once confined to the Star Wars films, that can bring death at the speed of light.
The lasers will be placed on the next generation AC-130 planes.

European officials warn U.S. not to attack Iraq
Or else?
Mr. Aznar, who holds the European Union's rotating presidency, told Der Spiegel that the international coalition must not be allowed to split."But striking out at so-called rogue states believed to be dangerous is not the same as fighting terrorism." Mr. Aznar added: "We shall have to discuss the new vision of American foreign policy. We are experiencing a historic moment, in which Europeans and North Americans must redefine their alliance."

Senator says National Guard Troops Will Be Guarding Nation's Borders Soon
More than 1,500 troops could help with security at ports of entry, intelligence operations and cargo or vehicle inspections, among other tasks.
This being used as a temporary solution, they will be replaced with INS agents.

Daily on domestic problems plaguing world's sole superpower
This article in a Middle Eastern paper, argues that America has huge racial problems that are causing internal turmoil. I have always said that racial issues are what foreigners like to grab onto to create division. They usually ignore their own ethnic problems, which are much greater than any that America has. The reality in America, is that ethnic minorities are wealthier and more educated here than anywhere else in the world.

Lebanon’s Christians Seek Equality
"Council of Maronite Bishops, which called for equality for Lebanese Christians. The statement said, according to the Star, “that the nation’s economic and social crises would not be solved as long as certain people remain marginalized and prohibited from participating in political life.”
If they were in Camp X Ray, then the worlds liberal elite might actually care.

'T' IS FOR 'TERROR' ON NIKE T-SHIRTS
Sports giant Nike has been selling Michael Jordan jerseys printed on T-shirts made in Syria - a nation on the State Department's "terror list," The Post has learned.
The marketing gurus at Nike messed up on this one.

More Money for Spare Tires and Thirsty Soldiers
Most of the military budget increase does not go to weapons, but to the soldiers in the field.