May 16, 2005

Newsweek update: Newsweek On Air cancelled in Boston, endangered elsewhere

Newsweek On Air, a weekly radio newshour (also available via podcast), has been cancelled by Boston affiliate WRKO on the heels of the revelation of their untrue story that claimed Guantanamo Bay interrogators flushed the Koran down a toilet in an attempt to secure cooperation from prisoners there.

Newsweek On Air senior editor and host David Alpern says that the program (broadcast Sundays in most markets) avoided the print publication's error, and in next week's show will examine what went wrong in the editorial process.

Other stations that carry Newsweek On Air include WNYC/New York, WTOP/Washington, KCBS/San Francisco, WSB/Atlanta and the Armed Forces Radio Network. No word about the show's status on any of those outlets presently.

UPDATE - 7:45P ET - Newsweek On Air's David Alpern insists that the WRKO cancellation was already in the works, and was not related to the current controversy

Newsweek has completely retracted the story, as opposed to "suggesting" that it "might be erroneous." Tapscott's criticizes Newsweek asking "Was Newsweek's Sin That The Koran Flushing Story Was Too Good Not to be True?"

Posted by: mhking at 12:01 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 224 words, total size 2 kb.

Vicente Fox update: Racist Fox won't apologize; Jackson & Sharpton joins upset voices

Mexican President Vicente Fox refused to apologize for racist statements he made late last week about black Americans -- when he said that illegal Mexicans in the US do work that blacks won't.

Officials at the US Embassy in Mexico City had raised the issue with Fox's government.

Fox's spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, said Mexican and foreign news media have misinterpreted the remark as a racial slur. He said the president was speaking in defense of Mexican migrants as they come under attack by the new U.S. immigration measures that include a wall along the U.S.-California border.
Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton both offered sharp criticism of Fox's statements today.
"His statement had the impact of being inciting and divisive," Jackson said Monday, noting that in many U.S. cities tensions are already high between blacks and Latinos because they compete for scarce jobs and often have children crowded into underfunded schools.

"President Fox should issue an unequivocal apology," Sharpton said, "explaining the offense only adds insult to injury."

"The words are offensive," the civil rights activist said. "The words he used confirm the stereotype that blacks are the lowest peons in the workforce of this country."

Sharpton said the comment was especially disturbing because Fox was educated in the United States, and "he is not unaware of the racial sensitivities here in the United States."

Fox's statement comes as he tries to influence American lawmakers who want to crack down on illegal immigration from Mexico.

Posted by: mhking at 11:25 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 289 words, total size 3 kb.

Newsweek fallout: Muslims don't believe apology, still upset

Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan are still upset with the United States on the heels of Newsweek's apology for their false contention two weeks ago that Guantanamo Bay interrogators flushed the Koran down a toilet.

The apology, released on the 'net yesterday and in print today, included an apology to those directly affected by violence caused by the erroneous report, as well as to US troops put in greater harm's way as a result of the false statement.

Muslims said they suspected that pressure from Washington was behind the magazine's climbdown, Reuters reported Monday.

"We will not be deceived by this," Islamic cleric Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman told Reuters in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.

"This is a decision by America to save itself. It comes because of American pressure. Even an ordinary illiterate peasant understands this and won't accept it."

At least 16 deaths and more than 100 injuries can be directly linked to the violence stemming from a reaction to the Newsweek report.

Other bloggers are looking for Sgt. Eric Saar, former Guantanamo Bay guard and co-author of a new "tell-all" book (Inside The Wire) on so-called abuses. It looks like Saar may be the source of the report that Newsweek relied on to support the false story.

Posted by: mhking at 04:16 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 243 words, total size 3 kb.

George Lucas didn't know what he was missing

Chinese actress Bai Ling (Red Corner, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) was yanked from Revenge of the Sith when she chose to appear nude in June's Playboy">Playboy.

Looks to me like ol' George didn't know a good thing when he saw it. (link not work-safe)

(Courtesy Simon World)

Posted by: mhking at 03:54 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 65 words, total size 2 kb.

May 15, 2005

Newsweek lied, people died --Turk 182

Newsweek printed a story two weeks ago about supposed desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay.

The story insisted that military interrogators at the prison there desecrated the Muslim holy book, with one supposedly flushing a copy of the Koran down a toilet. Islamic clerics demanded apologies from the United States, riots broke out in parts of the Middle East, and at one count, more than 16 were killed in Afghanistan alone. Clerics promised to call for an Islamic holy war against the United States if the interrogators were not turned over to them.

The only catch is that the Newsweek story is not true.

Although other major news organizations had aired charges of Qur'an desecration based only on the testimony of detainees, we believed our story was newsworthy because a U.S. official said government investigators turned up this evidence. So we published the item. After several days, newspapers in Pakistan and Afghan-istan began running accounts of our story. At that point, as Evan Thomas, Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai report this week, the riots started and spread across the country, fanned by extremists and unhappiness over the economy.

Last Friday, a top Pentagon spokesman told us that a review of the probe cited in our story showed that it was never meant to look into charges of Qur'an desecration. The spokesman also said the Pentagon had investigated other desecration charges by detainees and found them "not credible." Our original source later said he couldn't be certain about reading of the alleged Qur'an incident in the report we cited, and said it might have been in other investigative documents or drafts.

Translation? Newsweek lied. And in their haste to either get the story in print, they didn't follow up.

So now, a dozen and a half Afghanis are dead, and scores are injured.

Is Newsweek objective here, or are they playing with their own agenda. I'll let you be the judge of that.

Posted by: mhking at 06:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 355 words, total size 3 kb.

Survivor 11 location revealed

Our of deference to West Coast folk, I won't reveal the winner of Survivor Palau, which came tonight live from the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City (and will be broadcast in several hours out west).

But the next edition of Survivor, contrary to rumors of Madagascar, the Yukon and Peru, will be in the jungles of Guatemala, and embrace the Mayan culture: Survivor The Maya Empire premieres this fall on CBS.

UPDATE - Mon 9:15A ET - 41 year-old FDNY firefighter Tom Westman claimed his $1 million prize on CBS' The Early Show this morning, after winning the final tribal council last night in New York.

(More Survivor coverage from Wizbang & others)

Posted by: mhking at 06:04 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 122 words, total size 1 kb.

May 14, 2005

Vicente Fox: Mexicans do jobs "not even blacks will do"

Mexican President Vicente Fox tossed a not-so-veiled insult at black Americans yesterday when he insisted that the US should admit illegal immigrants because they do jobs that "not even blacks will do."

"There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States," he said in a speech broadcast in part on local radio and reported on newspaper web sites.

Fox said recent, tougher measures against immigrants do not represent "the road we should be building between friends and partners."

Mexico has been seeking an accord with Washington for years to make it easier for millions of illegal Mexican immigrants to live and work in the United States. The country expects to repatriate this year more than 250,000 foreigners, mostly Central Americans headed for the U.S. border.

Fox would do better by trying to better economic conditions in his own country as opposed to making it easier for people to slip across the US border to live and work here illegally.

If people have skills and a desire to enter this country to work, then they should apply for a visa and come here legally. But Fox prefers the illegal route - less hassle and headache for him; plus he doesn't have to pay for things like health care and education for those people. We're saddled with it.

Posted by: mhking at 11:25 AM | Comments (25) | Add Comment
Post contains 254 words, total size 2 kb.

May 13, 2005

Senator Robert "KKK" Byrd's senility comes out on Senate floor

I got a chance to watch this exchange (MP3) on the Senate floor yesterday (Thursday) on C-Span2.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) were going back and forth over the Constitutional or Nuclear option regarding an up-or-down vote on judicial nominees, when the so-called dean of the Senate, Senator Robert "Sheets" Byrd (Shakey 'N Senile-WV) stepped up and began a rambling story of the Bible, and American history and God knows what else until Frist & Reid left Byrd talking to himself on the floor.

"Didn't you also say as the other part of that statement to the president of the United States, being critical of the potential legacy I might have to leave in order to stand up for fairness and principle, didn't you also say you would give all of these nominees up-or-down votes?" asked Frist.

"I don't remember what I said," Byrd replied, "a few or all or three or four, I don't remember."

Former KKK Grand Kleagle Byrd is 87 years old. And he sounds like it. He sounds like he gets his meat loaf, mashed potatoes & corn through a straw. Or at least he should be.

Mind you, he continues to rail on -- pocket version of the Constitution in hand -- against the Constitutional option, claiming that this would limit speech, and that changing the rules would "go against tradition."

Uh... Senator... Last I checked, you yourself changed the rules of the Senate in the past to suit your own agenda in the past.

Perhaps you should consider taking up residence at a senior citizens community.

(Courtesy RadioBlogger & Hugh Hewitt; more coverage from Barking Moonbat, PowerLine & others)

Posted by: mhking at 07:30 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 300 words, total size 2 kb.

Judges now packing heat

After the Fulton County Courthouse shootings in Atlanta back in early March, more judges in Georgia are carrying weapons.

The sheriff of one county said since then officers have given guns to eight Superior and State Court judges. Police said some judges have also asked for some firearms training.

State law allows judges to carry guns in court. And one judge said while a few of his colleagues have always carried weapons, more are now bringing their own guns to work.

One judge said he likes having his gun with him because it gives him "a great deal of confidence" that he'll complete the day.

After all, as Dredd likes to say, the Judge IS "The Law."

Posted by: mhking at 06:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 123 words, total size 1 kb.

Nuclear option on the horizon

Sounds like that backbone replacement operation on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has taken hold, and he's ready to rip.

The Majority Leader will continue to discuss an appropriate resolution of the need for fair up or down votes with the Minority Leader. If they can not find a way for the Senate to decide on fair up or down votes on judicial nominations, the Majority Leader will seek a ruling from the Presiding Officer regarding the appropriate length of time for debate on such nominees. After the ruling, he will ensure that every Senator has the opportunity to decide whether to restore the 214-year practice of fair up or down votes on judicial nominees; or, to enshrine a new veto by filibuster that both denies all Senators the opportunity to advise and consent and fundamentally disturbs the separation of powers between the branches.

There will be a full and vigorous Senate floor debate that is too important for parliamentary tactics to speed it up or slow it down until all members who wish have had their say. All members are encouraged to ensure that rhetoric in this debate follows the rules, and best traditions, of the Senate.

It is time for 100 Senators to decide the issue of fair up or down votes for judicial nominees after over two years of unprecedented obstructionism.

All hands on deck! Red Alert! Shields Up!

Last word is that we should look for the fireworks to begin Monday or Tuesday.

Posted by: mhking at 06:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 257 words, total size 2 kb.

Splash damage will get you every time

A CIA Predator drone has killed Al Qaeda operative Haitham al-Yemeni in the remote northwestern portion of Afghanistan.

"The debate was over whether to hit him individually or wait until he was part of a bigger group," NBC analyst Roger Cressey reported. There was no clarification if the actual strike was against just al-Yemeni or targeted a gathering of suspected militants.

Information leading to the hit is thought to be connected to the recent capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, described as al-Qaida's No. 3, in northwest Pakistan on May 2.

The CIA will neither confirm nor deny the operation -- NBC News is quoting well-placed Defense Department sources. Sounds like they may be on the trail of other bad guys in that neck of the woods.

Good hunting.

(More coverage from The Jawa Report & others)

Posted by: mhking at 05:57 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 148 words, total size 1 kb.

May 12, 2005

Dyson attacks Cosby on Today while interviewer Roker does nothing

After pointing out rabid moonbat Michael Eric Dyson's rampage on personal responsibility by black America in general, and on Bill Cosby's message of personal accountability in particular in the form of Dyson's new book "Is Bill Cosby Right," I've received a number of e-mails, some just plain calling me stupid, others telling me that I don't know what it means to be black, and yet others telling me that I'm going to hell for selling out my birthright. There were precious few who agreed with me, even in part.

Larry Elder agrees with me, and pointed out how it was open season on Cosby during a recent interview on NBC's Today where Dyson railed on in his foaming-at-the-mouth fashion, unchecked by interviewer Al Roker (yes, they got the weatherman to do the interview instead of the show's anchors; no offense to Roker, but Al's forte is usually much lighter fare).

Al Roker: "Do you think there's any validity in some of the things he said?"

Michael Eric Dyson: "Oh sure . . . there's validity always. Tim[othy] McVeigh had a point. The state is over-reaching. But the way you do it, dropping bombs and castigating of human beings, that's terrible. . . . Let's hold the larger society accountable for creating the conditions that lead to some of the downfalls of the poor people." Roker said nothing.

Roker then read three quotes from Cosby: "Those people are not Africans; they don't know a damn thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Shaliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail." Next, "All this child knows is 'gimme, gimme, gimme.' These people want to buy the friendship of a child . . . and the child couldn't care less. . . . These people are not parenting. They're buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won't . . . spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics." And finally, "You can't land a plane with 'why you ain't . . . ' You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth . . ."

Dyson: ". . . Black people have always been creative in naming their children. Africans name their kids after the days of the week, after conditions of their birth. Black people in 1930s gave their kids names after consumer products, Cremola, Listerine, Hershey Bar. So black naming has always been creative. I'm not worried about Shaniqua and Taliqua, I'm worried about Clarence and Condoleeza, who can hurt us in high places of power in America." Roker said nothing.

Dyson then accused Cosby of hypocrisy. After all, Cosby was a "pitchman" for "Jell-O Puddin' Pops. . . . He created artificial desire in people to spend beyond their means . . . "??!! Roker said nothing.

Huh!?

Dyson is so wrapped up in trying to attack black conservatives, that he goes after Bill Cosby for doing commercials for Jello? Mind you, in the midst of this entire exchange, Al Roker (whom I have a great deal of respect for in general) literally sits there and says nothing. My presumption -- rightly or wrongly -- is that Roker agrees with the mindless bilge that Dyson is spewing.

Near the end of the interview, Dyson tried to dress himself up as the "homeboy made good" who's trying to "protect" all the other "homeboys."

Dyson: So I'm speaking forth . . . on behalf of those people who are poor, because, after all, I was a teen father, lived on welfare until I was 21, then went to get a Ph.D. at Princeton, now I'm gonna have Afro-nesia [sic] and forget the people from which I've emerged? No, bro, I ain't the one." To which Roker "fired back" with this show stopper: "You know, you gotta come out of your shell."
And of course, thanks to the mindset of soul patrol charter members like Dyson, the only way one can help the black community is to blame the white man and not demand personal accountability -- and to trash anyone who says otherwise. The implication is that he is trying to help, and anyone else with an alternative view, including Cosby, is trying only to hurt black America.

Please. Spare me.

If you want to see more of Dyson's ad hominum attacks on Bill Cosby and black conservatives, you can tune into C-Span2/BookTV's AfterWords this Sunday (6P ET/PT & 9P ET/PT), where Dyson will wax poetic with author Debra Dickerson ("The End of Blackness").

And to reiterate my earlier headline, yes, I think Dyson has completely lost his damn mind. His view is irresponsible and potentially more damaging than anything anyone outside the black community could ever do, simply because he promotes a victimhood based on a second-class status as a people. We are not second-class people, and we need not accept that attitude or mindset, contrary to what Dyson is peddling.

Posted by: mhking at 05:33 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
Post contains 840 words, total size 6 kb.

May 11, 2005

Atlanta missing & murdered children case being reopened

The missing and murdered children case, which gripped metro Atlanta a generation ago is being reopened.

Five murders from the spree more than 20 years ago are being reopened by the DeKalb County Cold Case squad. DeKalb Police Chief Louis Graham announced the reopening of the case today, flanked by relatives of the children.

Wayne Williams was convicted in the murders of two young men, and tied peripherally to the cases of 20 others (the victims were all black, as is Williams) between 1979 and 1981.

Graham announced that five murders thought to have happened on DeKalb County soil and originally linked to convicted killer Wayne Williams will be reopened. He said that no tip was too small and every piece of evidence will be re-examined.

Graham, who worked on the original task force investigating the murders, said the cases have nagged him for years and he wants to bring justice to the family members of the victims.

"I have always felt their pain," Graham said. "You have to feel their pain and you try to do the best you can to help them."

Relatives of many of the remaining 20 victims felt that Williams was not the only person murdering youngsters during that timeframe, and expressed relief that these five cases were being reopened.
(Linking to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam)

Posted by: mhking at 12:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 234 words, total size 2 kb.

Miami weatherman-child molestor Kamal faults others for troubles

 

Former Miami TV weathercaster Bill Kamal, convicted earlier this year of child molestation after being nabbed in an FBI sting, gave a jailhosue interview to Miami television station WPLG-TV/DT, which is being aired this week. Kamal refused to accept blame for the arrest, and though he pled guilty to charges of child molestation, blamed others -- particularly an AOL chatroom called "Dads & Sons" -- for his troubles.

"(The Web site) was dads and sons, or sons and dads, and I said, 'Well this is an odd chatroom.' I mean if I were a child molester, if I were a sexual predator, how do you become one at 48 years old? As I was driving up (to Fort Pierce), I thought, 'Could this be a trap? Could this be that?'"
The interview is being carried in multiple parts on WPLG-TV and their web site (what do you expect? it is May sweeps after all).

Kamal, formerly with Miami's WSVN-TV and Washington's WUSA-TV, is serving a five-year sentence in the federal medical center in Deven, MA. His story has been all over the media: Veteran TV weatherman goes on the internet and chats up what he thinks is a fourteen year-old boy (though in part two of the interview series, Kamal insists that he thought the "teen" was an adult playing the part of a teenager, and that he didn't do anything wrong), and sets up a meeting in Ft. Pierce, FL. When he arrives, he is nabbed by an FBI team who has set Kamal up.

Is five years enough time for someone like that? Even if you do believe his story, you have to admit that he belongs in jail. But is that long enough? What about after he gets out? Stick a "lojack" on him the rest of his life? Chemically castrate him? How else do we protect our youngsters?

Time will tell.

(Kamal interview Part I / Part II / Part III / Part IV)

(More coverage from Wizbang, Hog On Ice & others)

Posted by: mhking at 11:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 350 words, total size 3 kb.

May 10, 2005

DC Comics unveils new logo

After 25 years, DC Comics has changed their logo as seen in the upper left corner of their comic books from the DC bullet logo (which itself is directly descended from the original circular Detective Comics logo) to a new stylized logo which retains circular elements of the older logo. The new logo was introduced in a memo from Publisher Paul Levitz.

we've decided this is the moment to do something we've debated for the last few years and introduce a new DC logo. The symbol that graces DC SPECIAL will be spinning onto the whole line in June, and as fast as we can, onto all our films, TV shows, video games, licensed products and the DC DIRECT line as well. Look for the launch of the film version on BATMAN BEGINS, and keep your eyes peeled to play art detective as you watch.

It seems like it was only a moment ago (could it really be over 25 years?) when legendary designer Milton Glaser's DC logo went up in the corner of our comics, just as my first LEGION story was being published. It went on the famed DOLLAR COMICS, DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, WATCHMEN and on to IDENTITY CRISIS, with literally thousands of issues between. It marked years in which we expanded the creative reach of comics, changed how talented people could be rewarded and recognized for their efforts in comics, and had some great times that we shared with our readers. I'm confident that when we look back on the era of this new DC symbol, lovingly created by designer Josh Beatman of Brainchild Studio under the care of our design wizards Richard Bruning and Georg Brewer, it'll have just as awesome a run.

The new logo will not only appear on the printed page, but also as an identifier on television and motion picture projects, as well as on their web site.

Posted by: mhking at 05:21 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 327 words, total size 2 kb.

Wilbanks enters treatment program

Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks has entered a "voluntary medical treatment program."

According to a statement from the family's church, "Ms. Wilbanks entered a highly regarded, inpatient treatment program on her own volition to address physical and mental issues which, she believes, played a major role in her 'running from herself' as she described in a public statement last week."

Wilbanks entered the program late Monday. The location of the program and suggested duration of treatment was not disclosed.

Is she truly seeking help, or is this something to clean up her image and get her out of the collective doghouse with folks in Gwinnett County?

Posted by: mhking at 07:15 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 111 words, total size 1 kb.

Nichols arraignment to be streamed on web

WXIA-TV/DT Atlanta will be streaming live video of the arraignment hearing of Fulton County Courthouse shooter Brian Nichols this afternoon from Atlanta.

Once a live link goes up, I'll link to it here.

UPDATE 1P - Here you go (WMP).

Posted by: mhking at 02:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 54 words, total size 1 kb.

May 09, 2005

Atlanta courthouse shooting suspect Nichols converts to Islam

According to broadcast reports this evening, Brian Nichols, the suspect in the Fulton County Courthouse shootings in Atlanta on March 11, has had a jailhouse conversion to Islam.

Nichols, who was indicted last Thursday on 54 charges, including four counts each of murder and felony murder, has requested -- and received -- permission to talk to a local Imam. Nichols will be allowed to pray in accordance to the tenants of Islam as well.

The indictment includes 18 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, 7 counts of kidnapping, and five counts of hijacking a motor vehicle.

As you'll remember, Nichols was being readied for a rape trial when he overpowered and severely injured his guard, entered the courtroom and shot to death Judge Rowland Barnes and the court stenographer. Nichols subsequently escaped the courthouse, killing a Fulton County Sherrif's deputy, and later killing a US Customs agent before his capture in Gwinnett County.

Fulton County DA Paul Howard has stated that he plans on requesting the death penalty in Nichols' case.

(Linking to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam)

Posted by: mhking at 02:45 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 194 words, total size 1 kb.

Terrorists in Iraq nab Japanese hostage

The so-called Army of Ansar al-Sunnah claims to have grabbed Japanese national Akihiko Saito. They claim he is "severely injured," and have released a photocopy of his passport.

Iraqi militants claimed today they took a Japanese security contractor hostage after ambushing a convoy of foreigners and Iraqi troops in western Iraq.

The Ansar al-Sunnah Army identified the Japanese hostage as Akihito Saito, 44, and posted a photocopy of his passport, including his picture, on the group’s official website. It said Saito was “severely injured” in the fight.

The report could not be independently confirmed. Junji Gomakudo, First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, said officials were trying to confirm a report of a kidnapped Japanese citizen but said they did not know if the claim was true.

The group posted other photo ID cards allegedly belonging to Saito, with one identifying him as a security manager of Hart GMSSCO, a British-based firm that provides security in Iraq. Another document seemed to be a weapons permit....

JapanÂ’s Kyodo News agency said Saito was employed by a security firm from Cyprus and may have been working as a security officer at a US facility.

If all goes according to the terrorists' regular script, they'll kill the hostage as soon as they get a chance. More details as they become available, and full coverage can be found at The Jawa Report.
(More coverage from Blogs of War, In The Bullpen & others)

Posted by: mhking at 10:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 249 words, total size 2 kb.

Q&A with the RNC's Tara Wall

New RNC Director of Outreach Commuications, Tara Wall, is the subject of a new Q&A over at New Leadership Blog this morning.

I think we should be proud of RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman’s aggressive, bold and comprehensive approach to reaching out to our community, by forming an African American Advisory Committee. In addition to his on-going series of “Conversations With The Community,” which has taken him to communities across the country, Chairman Mehlman has tapped the expertise of numerous African-American leaders with diverse backgrounds, talents and experiences (grassroots, business, faith, elected officials) – to act as a sounding board for the Party’s goals in reaching out, deepening and growing our Party, while increasing our share of the black vote. Quite frankly, I’m not familiar with the specific kind of criticism you’re referring too – but I can tell you that we as a people are not monolithic. Even within the GOP, the face of black Republicans come in many shapes, sizes and backgrounds. We should champion that. The Advisory Committee, which meets with the Chairman monthly, is continuing to grow as we add new faces every day. And I encourage you to stay tuned for what’s to come.
The Advisory Committee has come under fire from some, most notably, fellow Project 21 member Mychal Massie in his World Net Daily column in late March.

Outreach is a necessary and laudable goal with the Republican Party -- the GOP needs to show that black conservatives are not this ideological anomaly who has lost connection to black America. On the contrary, the GOP in general, and we, in particular, need to demonstrate to the "man on the street" in black America, that outside of politics, we are no different -- we are all looking for the same things. We want lower taxes, we want cheaper gas, safe streets, better schools, and are struggling with getting our yards just right, fertilizer notwithstanding.

I applaud the strides the GOP has taken thus far and encourage them to continue to move forward, and to add other voices to the fray.

Posted by: mhking at 02:23 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 355 words, total size 2 kb.

<< Page 16 of 64 >>
151kb generated in CPU 0.2417, elapsed 0.5848 seconds.
53 queries taking 0.5489 seconds, 205 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.