Who is Whining Now Phil Gramm?

Former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, a top adviser to John McCain, resigned from McCain’s presidential campaign after he was criticized recently for saying, "We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in ‘decline’ despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy."

How the mighty have fallen!

Gramm was a presidential candidate a few election cycles ago. He was the key economic advisor to McCain. Of course, the guy is still an executive with UBS Investment Bank, so he won't be missing any meals.

The odd thing is that Gramm was simply repeating much of what McCain has been saying about the economy over the past few weeks. Check out the following video to see what I mean:



Doesn't it sound like Phil Gramm, John McCain and George Bush all think that high gas prices, high food prices, low stock market prices, increasing unemployement and other economic problems that we are experiencing are simply 'psychological'? Do they truly think that the problems are all in our heads?

Anyhow, I'm glad that Phil Gramm is now out of politics. Next we need to get George Bush and John McCain into the retirement home as well! What say u?

Sunday Inspirations: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela turned 90 this weekend. He is one of the most remarkable people in the history of the world. He retired from public life back in 2004, however continues working to make poverty history.

Anyhow, we have talked about Mandela before. I remain inspired by his example and thought he would make a good subject for my weekly Sunday Inspiration meme.

It appears that Janus was inspired as well:



I encourage all villagers to sign Mandela's birthday card!

Justice For Darfur, Sudan President Bashir Accused of Genocide

There is so much going on in the world today. It is difficult to keep up. Did you see that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) accused Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and requested his indictment. I was glad to see someone being held accountable for the atrocities taking place in Darfur.

The prosecutor's request for an indictment sent shockwaves throughout the world. The Sudanese government stated that the ICC prosecutor's request for indictment on genocide charges was a "declaration of war". The UN responded by pulling non-essential staff from the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission.

The ICC's prosecutor's request for the indictment of Bashir is a major development in the international process seeking accountability for the horrific crimes in Darfur. Of course, the process is more difficult for the ICC because Bashir doesn't recognize their authority ... a position that is in harmony with George Bush.

Is it too much to hope that Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, would lead UN Security Council efforts to enforce the arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Sudanese government minister, Ahmad Harun, and Janjawid militia leader, Ali Kushayb? Both men were charged with war crimes similar to those brought against Bashir and continue to remain at large.

This past April, Amnesty International ramped up efforts to achieve accountability by co-founding the global “Justice for Darfur” coalition. The coalition has sent tens of thousands of messages to world leaders, asking them to pressure Sudan to hand over suspected war criminals to the ICC for prosecution.

We need these world leaders, including Secretary Condie Rice, to get more peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur to protect the citizens from a government accused of systematic genecide.

What say u?

Al Gore's Challenge

Al Gore made a visionary call for action, "Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years."

I encourage all villagers to view his speech for yourself:



I've never been a great fan of Al Gore. However, when you're right ... you're right. Al Gore is right when he points out that our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of high gas prices, economic downturn and the war in Iraq. America borrows money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet.

We need a new paradigm. We need to take control of our own economic and environmental future. What say u about Gore's challenge?

Send Karl Rove to Jail

It is time for all chickens to come home to roost. It is time for Karl Rove to pay a price for his cynical and criminal arrogance. Villagers, we have a unique opportunity right now to send Karl Rove to jail, but only if we take immediate action.

Drumbeats from Robert Greenwald encourage us to pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee, make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration.

Take a moment to check out this video that explains the issues surrounding Rove's failure to testify before Congress, and why Rove should be held in contempt and sent to jail:

Finally, I encourage all villagers to sign the petition asking the House Judiciary Committee to hold Rove in contempt.

What say u?

Old School Friday: Randy Crawford

This week the theme for Old School Friday meme is 'Break Up Songs'. Do any of y'all remember Randy Crawford? She was a remarkable talent back in the early 1980s. The first song is technically in support of the week's theme. The second song is one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy them both!


'One Day I'll Fly Away'


'Street Life'

Still No Respect from Dog the Bounty Hunter Sponsors

A&E Network is actually one of my favorite locations on television. There are a number of syndicated shows and original programming from that network that I enjoy watching. So, I am very disappointed at the decision of the network to bring back a self-proclaimed racist, Duane 'Dog' Chapman back on the air. Last month I joined many others in a Day of Blogging for Media Respect to protest this decision. A&E Network did not budge on their decision to bring back Chapman's show.

The next step is simple. Identify the A&E Network advertisers who support this show. We will alert the broader public about those Dog-sponsors. After all, sponsoring Duane Chapman's show is a sign that these companies have little or no respect for their African American customers. Duane Chapman should not be able to profit for his racially-motivated vitriol and hatred [see video].

You can read the press release from the Afrosphere Action Coalition here.

Gov't Report Seeks Truth for LaVena Johnson's Family

Drumbeats from Philip Barron tell us that the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee issued a report titled, 'Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes'. The main subjects of the report are Patrick Tillman (former NFL football player killed by friendly fire) and Jessica Lynch (captured POW). LaVena's case is mentioned in Section IX: Other Cases Brought to the Committee's Attention:

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"The Committee’s majority staff was also contacted by the family and friends of Private First Class LaVena Johnson, a weapons supply manager from Florissant, Missouri, who died, family members say, in a suspicious non-combat incident near Balad, Iraq, on July 19, 2005. According to news reports, the Army ruled the death a suicide, and a medical examiner concurred with this finding. But Private Johnson’s family believes Army investigators ignored physical evidence inconsistent with a finding of suicide. They also believe that the Army has additional information about the circumstances of Private Johnson’s death that it has not shared with the family.

While the names of these soldiers are not as well-known as Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch, their sacrifices were just as great and their families are just as deserving of the truth."

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Now is the time for all villagers to urge further Congressional action.

You do so by contacting both of your US Senators and your member in the House of Respresentatives. You ask them for renewed and transparent investigations into the LaVena Johnson death.

5-Day Suspension for Darryl Turner's Taser-Killing Cop

We reported to you earlier that the Charlotte District Attorney refused to press charges against Officer Jerry Dawson for his deadly use of a taser gun on 17-year old Darryl Turner. Turner died after being tased for 37 seconds with 50,000 volts of electricity.

The Charlotte Police Department issued their ruling on the shooting today. While Dawson will keep his job, authorities say the prolonged use of the Taser was not justified and the officer will have to get additional training to use the Taser guns. He has also been suspended for five days.

Punishment for killing a 17-year old boy in Charlotte NC is getting a week's vacation. Does it seem right to you?

Time for Some Campaignin'

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Wordless Wednesday: King of the Jungle

Justice for LaVena Johnson * We Must Contact Congress!

The 3-year anniversary of LaVena Johnson's murder occurs this week. LaVena was only 19-years old when she died in Iraq on July 19, 2005. The Army first ruled her cause of death as self-inflicted, non-combat wounds that were not from a suicide.

That first ruling made sense as the bullet wound to her head did not match her M-16 and was on the wrong side of her head for someone that was right handed. Her additional injuries included a broken nose, a busted lip that covered two loose teeth and acid burns to her genital region (perhaps to cover-up DNA evidence from a rape?).

A few days later the Army changed the official cause of death to 'suicide'. You can see the full story here.

Danielle Vyas launched a new petition, Justice for LaVena Johnson is addressed to both houses of Congress and President Bush. The count is up to 607 with a goal of 1,000 signatures.

Villagers, I encourage you to do more than just sign the online petition. The only people that can make this right are the members of Congress. What About Our Daughters blog provides some excellent advice that I share with you: You and I need to reach out to both of our U.S. Senators and our House of Representatives member:

1. Go to the website of all three congressional representative
   
2. Click on constituent services and have them open a case for you.
   
3. Fill out a privacy release form giving permission for your congressional representative to make inquiries on your behalf.

Villagers, make the inquiry to all three of your elected congressional representatives! When you make your official request for assistance, you should give some background of the LaVena Johnson story.

Tell them that you are concerned about LaVena. You may also want to ask about allegations that a disproportionate number of servicewomen who are raped and subsequently murdered are being classified as having committed suicide. If these allegations are true, you want to know. If these allegations are false, you want to know. If they don't know whether the allegations are true or false, you want to know why they don't know.

I pledge to contact each of my three congressional represenatives (Sherrod Brown, George Voinovich and Jean Schmidt)!

Will you join me in making this pledge to support LaVena Johnson and her family?

Arte y Pico Award

A Slant Truth, Hagar's Daughters and Regina's Family Seasons presented 'The Arte y Pico Award' to the Electronic Village. It humbles me to know that this blog is seen in such a positive light by such powerful sisters as Regina and Hagar's Daughters!
Regina noted that our blog "...is definitely doing great things in and for the community."

Hagar's Daughter wrote, "Villager blends the seriousness of the day with inspirational stories, political cartoons, and musical interludes on Old School Friday."

We will do our best on the Electronic Village to continue uplifting the African American community with our blog commentary over the coming weeks and months.

Rules of the Arte y Pico Award:

• You have to pick 5 blogs that deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language
• Each awardee has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
• Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
• Each award winner should provide a link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

Here are five (5) blogs that I think show Creativity, Fabulous Design, Interesting Material or Contribute to the blogging community:

1. Black Women Vote - Let me warn you! This blog is not for the faint of heart. SheCodes comes hard and she comes correct in her strategic approach to Sister power. Her weekly podcasts and her ability to play chess while most of us are playing checkers is something that is quite remarkable. Her blog should be on the RSS-feed for any female villager!
2. Blogging While Brown Conference - This blog is contributing in a major way to the blogging community. Visit this blog created by Gina McCauley to learn more about the first international conference for bloggers of color. I will be there! I hope you can make it on July 25-27, 2008 in Atlanta, GA.
3. MartyBLOGS - Martin Lindsey is the creator of this blog. Marty is one of the first bloggers that I met when I came into the afrosphere. I have watched him evolve his blog over the past year so that it reflects his 'actionist' world view. He summarizes his blogging style as follows: "Handle business, take care of things, then move on."
4. Now That's What I'm Talking About - Theo Johnson operates this blog. Theo is another blogger that I met when I first entered the blogging game. Not only does he have an interesting blog, Theo is also a regular podcaster. It is for those reasons that I encourage villagers to check out this creative blog and blogger!
5. Roots of Humanity - This is a blog that strives to uplift the quantity and quality of information flowing to the blogging community about human rights abuses around the world, especially in Darfur and Tibet. Danielle Vyas, Eddie Griffin and Purple Zoe provide the creative energy behind this blog..

I encourage all villagers to check out these creative blogs. Let me know what you think about my five selections. What say u?

We Need $2,500...

BDPA Foundation provides Jesse Bemley Scholarships to the top five teams at the national high school computer competition (HSCC) event held at the annual BDPA Technology Conference each year.

We want to provide the Bemley Scholarship to the 6th place team this year at the national competition in Atlanta, GA on August 6-9, 2008.

This is the challenge given to us by high school senior Monique Jones. Monique’s Charlotte HSCC team came in 6th place last year at the competition in Washington DC last year. She wrote, “In 2007, a new policy was opened. Instead of scholarship going to the top three high scoring chapters, they would be awarded to the top five. That year we came in 6th place, just 30 points short of scholarships for the whole team.”

Is it time to reward the 6th place team? That choice is yours to make. If we can raise $2,500 in this campaign … we will do so!

The next step is yours...

Obama New Yorker Cover

The Obama campaign issued the following statement: “The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama’s right wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.”

I recall that the editor of Golf Magazine was fired when he allowed a cover photo of a noose. I hope that the editor of The New Yorker and any other idiot that thought this cover was a good idea is fired as well.

What say u?

New AfroSpear Member: Daily Views, Pop Culture, Rants, and News

I am pleased to see that The AfroSpear added a new voice over the weekend. HumanityCritic is the owner of blog with the long name, 'Daily Views, Pop Culture, Rants, and News' (BBR #193). His blog claims to be "one that lesser blogs masturbate to."

On the personal tip, HumanityCritic says, "My mission in life is to save Hip Hop one throatchop to a Lil Wayne fan at a time, make sweet love to Rosario Dawson(thats if she digs chubby pre-ejaculators), continue to write Sade passionate "I promise that I won't joke your forehead" love letters, and to bitchslap any person who can't recognize that Rakim is the best rapper ever. But right now I have to deal with being a single 34 year old with no kids, living in Virginia Beach VA."

I must admit that I admire any brotha that is jonesin' for Rosario! Anyhow, I encourage all villagers to share some love with HumanityCritic as the newest member of The AfroSpear!

Bobby Kennedy Predicts Barack Obama

Robert F. Kennedy gave a speech to the Voice of America in May 1968 ... 40 years ago. Despite what was going on in the country, Bobby Kennedy noted that things are "moving so fast in race relations a Negro could be president in 40 years.

There's no question about it ... In the next 40 years a Negro can achieve the same position that my brother has." 'But we have tried to make progress and we are making progress. We are not going to accept the status quo.'

Someone needs to write a book on what America might have been like if Bobby Kennedy was elected president in 1968 instead of Richard Nixon. Can you name anything that you think would be different?

Spock.com, Incredible New People Search

I subscribed to Spock.com today.

What is Spock? Spock is a free people and information search engine. People can be searched by name or by a "tag" consisting of a personal piece of information (e.g. BDPA, graduate of UC Riverside, hazel eyes, likes Michelle Rodriquez, etc.). These tags can be created by the person, or by other Spock members. Opinions can be voiced about a person by voting for or against a tag (this includes pictures as well).

I did a search for my high school and learned that science fiction author Ray Bradbury is also an alumnus of Los Angeles High School. I never realized my connection to an author that wrote sci-fi books that are still on my bookshelf today.

Anyhow, Spock is not a social network, although they do have some messaging capabilities. Within a search result are links to a person's other locations on the web (e.g. homepage, Facebook, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, or blog).

I encourage villagers to visit Spock and search for your favorite blogger, actor/actress, athlete or a marketing consultant in your city. Spock is great when you want to see who has been arrested for arrested for drunk driving or Jamaican models!

Spock People Search

I think that it is becoming more and more difficult to remain off the grid (smile)! However, if you are interested in finding others with similiar interests .. then I encourage you to check out Spock.com.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

Sunday Inspirations: Psalm 112

Praise the Lord!

Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.

Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.

They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.

For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.

They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;
their horn is exalted in honour.

The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.

Video Satire on Beijing Olympics

The video is by award-winning cartoonist Mark Fiore. He introduces the world to the Olympic mascot Beijing wanted to keep a secret: "Gengen Genocide."

With less than 30 days left until the Olympics, the window of opportunity to pressure China is closing. But we still need China to use its influence with Sudan to stop the Darfur genocide.

I encourage villagers to join the Switch Over campaign.

We want to send a message to Olympic corporate sponsors; they have influence with China as host of the Games. Tell sponsors of these Genocide Games to use this influence and end their silence on Darfur.

We are not asking you to boycott the Olympics. With Switch Over, you ignore sponsors that ignore Darfur -- by pledging to change the channel during the Olympics when certain sponsors' commercials come on.

Villagers, what say u? Are you willing to participate in this effort of individual protest on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Darfur?