This Week in Blackness: 'George W. Bush Doesn't Care About Earthlings'

Somehow I've managed to miss the fact that Elon James White is still putting out his This Week in Blackness videos. In fact, when I saw the topic for this week's episode I thought perhaps I had messed up and gotten the dates wrong. After all, this week the big political news was the beat-down given to the Democratic Party in the mid-term elections ... what was Elon doing with his emphasis on the forgotten George W. Bush?

You be the judge!





Do you plan to read George W. Bush book when it comes out?

Open Letter to Republican Tea Party Members

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, but now you get mad?

• You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.


• You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.


• You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.


• You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.


• You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.


• You didn't get mad when we spent $1 trillion on said illegal war.


• You didn't get mad when over $10 billion dollars (in hard cash) just “disappeared" in Iraq.


• You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.


• You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.


• You didn't get mad when they didn't catch Bin Laden.


• You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed hospital.


• You didn't get mad when they let a major US city drown.


• You didn't get mad when they gave a $1.6 trillion in tax breaks to the rich.


• You didn’t get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage -- which cost more than 20% more for the same services that Medicare provides.


• You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.

No, but you did get mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans... oh hell no!

Wordless Wednesday: Long Live the Queen

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: Bush & Iraqi Shoes

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

Am I Not Human? Child Soldiers

We support the 'Am I Not Human?' blogging campaign that lights up the 27th of each month. I encourage all villagers to find a way to support this effort to shine a light on human rights abuses taking place all over the world.

My submission this month was inspired by a television show. I watched the season premiere of "24" a few days ago. I was struck by the use of children as soldiers for the rebels in this show. In fact, the rebels were actually kidnapping children from homes, soccer fields and schools.
The fantasy of television is born from the reality of our world.

It turns out that child soldiers are fighting in at least 17 countries including Angola, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Lebanon, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda.

Boys and girls alike are forced into combat, exploited for their labor, and subjected to unspeakable violence. A UN treaty prohibits the participation of children under the age of 18 in hostilities. But too often, it is not enforced.

Physically vulnerable and easily intimidated, children typically make obedient soldiers. Many are abducted or recruited by force, and often compelled to follow orders under threat of death. Others join armed groups out of desperation. As society breaks down during conflict, leaving children no access to school, driving them from their homes, or separating them from family members, many children perceive armed groups as their best chance for survival. Others seek escape from poverty or join military forces to avenge family members who have been killed.

I rarely compliment President Bush ... but, I'm proud to know that he signed a new law last month that calls for the arrest and prosecution of leaders of military forces and armed groups who have recruited child soldiers.

I encourage all villagers to visit the Red Hand Day website. The folks on that website want us to urge the United Nations to take stronger action to end the use of child soldiers.

The aim of the Red Hand Day campaign is to gather one million “red hands” — the symbol of the global campaign against the use of child soldiers — and present them to UN officials in New York on February 12, 2009, the anniversary of the day the treaty banning the use of child soldiers took effect.

Participating in the campaign is easy:

1. Use red paint to make a handprint on a sheet of paper, and add a personal message about your desire to end the use of child soldiers; organize others at your school or in your community to do the same;


2. Upload photos or videos of your event to www.redhandday.org;


3. Send your red hands by February 2009 to Human Rights Watch, 350 5th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10118

Will you join this effort? What are your thoughts about using children as soldiers?

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: 'W Reaches Out to Sasha'

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

The Old Man and the Marine

One sunny day in January 2009 an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, "Okay", and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"

The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it." The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

Early Exit Poll Results -- Babies for Obama!

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: 'W'

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawnby cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

Has George Bush Done Anything Right as President?

Villagers, can you name anything right done by President George W. Bush? He is definitely the worst US president in my lifetime ... and he may be one of the worst in our nation's history. However, I'm reminded that even a stopped clock is right twice a day. So, I'm trying to figure out if there is anything that George W. Bush has done in the past 8 years for which we, as Americans, can be proud.

The only thing that I can come up with is the efforts on the behalf of the Bush Administration in support of dealing with the HIV/AIDS problem ... primarily in Africa.

I imagine that there is some other things that he has done for which America can be proud. Perhaps you can help me. What has George W. Bush done right as our president in your opinion?

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Presidency

President Bush will seek to comfort victims of his presidency as they try to make sense of the destruction he has caused.

President Bush: Please LEAD On Darfur

We now have less than two months until the Beijing Olympic Games begin on August 8.

I urge all villagers to write a letter to President Bush asking him to lead on Darfur. The UN Security Council has just returned from its trip to Africa, where it visited the Darfur region.

During June, as President of the Security Council, the United States is in a unique position to exert its influence to ensure that the peacekeepers and civilian police authorized almost a year ago by the UN are deployed immediately.

Write to President Bush now and tell him how crucial his leadership is in urging China and other Security Council members to deploy the peacekeeping force to Darfur.

This Week in Presidential Politics

Villagers, have you been watching the ebb and flow of presidential politics this week. Team Clinton had a wonderful night on Tuesday in West Virginia with a 40% whomping. The white working class folks that Pat Buchanan and Hillary Clinton have fallen in love with over the past couple of months came out in droves to support her on Tuesday night. Hillary showed up on a couple of morning shows the next day ... and that was about the last anyone heard of Team Clinton.

The next evening we saw the political universe begin to shift in favor of Barack Obama. Widely-televised endorsement from John Edwards, in which he proclaimed that 'President Barack Obama' would convert the 'two Americas', poor and wealthy ... into one America again. Edwards was rockin' and rollin' on that night. I imagine he was wistful about what could have been if Kerry had won in 2004 or if he had done better in Iowa in 2008.

The major steelworkers' union ... who previously endorsed Edwards ... declared their support for Obama. A major woman's group that advocates on behalf of the pro-Choice movement hurled their endorsement of Obama directly in the face of Hillary Clinton. The steady stream of super-delegates continue to flow towards Obama. He has 1,900 delegates (magic number: 2025) at the time of this writing. Very few superdelegates are coming out for Hillary Clinton.

Yesterday, President George W. Bush stepped all over John McCain's big 'vision' speech when he called out Obama as an 'appeaser' similiar in scope to those that appeased Adolph Hitler. Villagers, one of the rules in your public life should be that you never compare any human being to either Adolph Hitler. There is simply no upside to make that comparison. Bush showed that he will stoop as low as necessary to help his little buddy, McCain.

Obama was joined by every elected Democrat official in denouncing Bush for dissin' Obama while giving a speech on foriegn soil. That ain't cricket. Of course, republicans feel it is OK to bash Obama's family here in America ... like the Tennessee republicans are doing with Michelle Obama ... but, no internal political campaign battles should take place overseas. McCain didn't see it that way ... McCain co-signed Bush. That is what little buddies do!

Obama then slapped down Bush-McCain for their words and activity over the past couple of days. His slap-down was fun to watch. It appears that Obama is ready to debate foriegn policy with McCain right away. Bush-McCain are so wrong on so many levels.

One outcome for the week is that Hillary Clinton became more Huckabee-like ... in other words, she became irrelevant in this presidential campaign. She needs to quickly decide what she plans to do for her future ... cuz I see no way that she gets on an Obama ticket as vice president. I also don't see Obama supporting her over the African American governor of New York when that job comes up for election again. So, I think that Hillary needs to get her Senate office cleaned out ... that is likely to be her glass ceiling job for the remainder of her professional life.

Villagers ... that is my observation about this week in presidential politics. What say u?

Take the Bush-McCain Challenge Quiz

I just took the Bush-McCain Challenge -- an online quiz to see if you can tell the difference between George W. Bush and John McCain. Click here to see if you can do better than I did!



Did you take the test? The more that we learn about McCain ... the more that we realize that the Democratic nominee (Obama or Clinton) has a wonderful chance to win the November election. Wouldn't you agree?

John McCain = 4 More Years of Bush

It's the fifth anniversary of Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech. We should remember that John McCain once noted, "no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more" than he has.




Kudos to MoveOn.org for creating this video.

Tell Bush to Sign the Second Chance Act

Last week, following an overwhelming vote in the House, the Senate unanimously passed the Second Chance Act, designed to allow states and local communities to help former offenders re-enter society and become productive members of their communities.

In the next few weeks, the Second Chance Act will land on President Bush's desk. I encourage all Villagers to urge the President to sign this much-needed legislation into law. The NAACP makes it easy to tell President Bush to sign the Second Chance Act.

Every day more than 1,700 men and women leave prison and re-enter their communities, many of them are untrained, face serious substance abuse or mental health issues, and are homeless. It is because of these circumstances that more that 2/3 are arrested for a felony or a serious misdemeanor again within 3 years.

Recidivism is costly to everyone, from crime victims and communities, to taxpayers. In the last twenty years, the cost of corrections has increased by almost 700%. Providing new opportunities is a good investment in our communities, as well as the men and women who served their time in prison.

The Second Chance Act, sponsored by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), provides federal assistance for states and communities to establish re-entry programs that focus on job training, housing, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Do you agree that this is good legislation that should be signed into law by President Bush?

George Bush Denounces Nooses and Lynching as Symbols of Hate

Hail to the Chief! Rarely have I been proud of George W. Bush. He may be one of the worst presidents in the history of our nation. However, I give him props today for the strong condemnation that he gave to those who bring nooses into the workplace or those that joke about lynching. President Bush noted that some Americans may be losing sight of the suffering that Blacks have endured across the nation as a result of nooses and lynching.

"The era of rampant lynching is a shameful chapter in American history," Bush said in an event marking Black history month. "The noose is not a symbol of prairie justice, but of gross injustice," the president said. "Displaying one is not a harmless prank, and lynching is not a word to be mentioned in jest."

As a civil society, Americans should agree that noose displays and lynching jokes are "deeply offensive," Bush said. "They are wrong. And they have no place in America today."

For decades, the noose was a symbolic part of a campaign of violence, fear and intimidation against Blacks, the president said. Sometimes, he added, it was orchestrated by the law enforcement officers charged with protecting them. Bush also said the noose was a tool for intimidation and killing that conveyed a sense of powerlessness to millions of Blacks throughout the country.

"Fathers were dragged from their homes in the dark of night before the eyes of their terrified children," he said. "Summary executions were held by torchlight in front of hateful crowds. In many cases, law enforcement officers responsible for protecting the victims were complicit in their deaths."

George Bush showed me today that he had the potential to be a compassionate conservative. I'm sorry that the type of insight and compassion that he showed in his remarks today have been absent over the past seven years of his presidency.

Today, the drumbeats are for President Bush. What say u?

Brattleboro vs. George Bush-Dick Cheney

Drumbeats from Latimer Williams informed us of a sleepy town in Vermont that is truly pissed off at George Bush and Dick Cheney. I imagine that Dennis Kucinich would have won the Brattleboro precint vote this year if his presidential campaign kept going long enough. Kucinich wants to impeach Dick Cheney while the good people of Brattleboro want Cheney and his boss, George Bush, indicted and arrested for war crimes, perjury or obstruction of justice if they ever step foot in Vermont.

Perhaps Kurt Daims is just mad that Vermont is the only state George Bush has not visited since he became president in 2001. Does Vermont have an airport?

Did You Watch State of the Union Speech?

"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." - Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution

There is actually a proud history of these annual messages that began with President George Washington in 1790. President Bush delivered his State of the Union address tonight. The President's annual address gives the President an opportunity to reflect on the past while presenting his hopes for the future to Congress, the American people and the world. One of the more interesting aspects of the evening is the roster of folks invited to sit with the First Lady in the upper balcony.

Bush talked for a little over 50 minutes and shared about a dozen or so initiatives on things such as the budget, compassion, economy, education, energy, free trade, health care, immigration, Iraq war and our veterans.

Here is full text of his speech given tonight. Did you watch it? If so, what did you find the most memorable point of the evening?

Wordless Wednesday: George Bush