August 10, 2009

The Long and Angry Road

I'm getting angrier and angrier, but after four years, my mouth has to remain muzzled -- I'm still part of the Fourth Estate.

But the only words I can use to describe how idiotic thing are gettingboth out in Flyover Country as well as here behind the pearly gates are two of my old favorites (and those of you who know and remember me knowwhat they are): "JUST DAMN."

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nancy Pelosi's tantrum in USAToday Monday morning was more proof of the same. She (and byextension the remainder of the liberal wing of America) simply doesn'tgive a damn what anyone thinks who does not agree with her. She won'tlisten to reason. She won't listen to an opposing view. She won'tlisten to rational discourse. She won't listen to logic. She won'tlisten to anyone with a mind to think for themselves.

She's simply writing off anyone who is not part of the liberal elite inthe halls of power. She's waited this long for her land-grab, and nowit's almost in her grubby little paws.

And as witnessed by the lack of response to the physical attack on the St. Louis blackconservative over the weekend by the union thug from theSEIU, along with other incidents, race is going to be injected whereverpossible, and those of us with permanent suntans who disagree with theWhite House will be vilified and demonized as sellouts, Uncle Toms andfar, far worse.

No worries. I still believe. The road may be a bit longer and harderthan we all originally thought (sounds like the trailer from "StargateUniverse" -- but I digress) -- We are going to haveto be tough.But we will get survive this. We're made of stronger stuff.

Michael

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February 05, 2009

25 Random Things...

A blog friend of mine (thanks, LaShawn!) had the bright idea of taking the Facebook meme and posting it to her blog. Given that I couldn't tag many of the folks I would have tagged before running out of space, I thought I'd do the same thing....

1. I love baseball caps from obscure places/sports teams, the more obscure and unique the better (though I've backed off of getting ahold of as many as I used to).

2. Though I'm a long-time big time geek and have lived in Atlanta almost 15 years, I've never been to Dragon Con (the annual megageekfest in Atlanta every year).

3. I put up a gruff front, but spoil my kids where and when I can.

4. I've gone toe-to-toe with Bill O'Reilly on his TV show -- and won the argument.

5. A hidden guilty pleasure: reading paranormal romance novels (not the trashy ones though -- okay, maybe Laurell K. Hamilton's trashy ones).

6. Attention span? What's that?

7. I'm allergic to the edible skins of fruit (apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, et.al.) -- which breaks my heart. I grew up eating apples and pears from the trees in my grandfather's yard.

8. For the past four years, I've spent the early part of the year doing taxes with H&R Block.

9. Was almost virginal with my language in high school -- with rarely a cross word; these days, I cuss like a drunken sailor.

10. I have a morbid, no clinically paranoid fear of dentists or anyone else coming near my mouth. When I needed oral surgery and a root canal last year, I had to be put out cold for them to even get near me. (they only did half my mouth then; I am already apprehensive about getting the other half done) Come to find out when I was 4, I had my tonsils out (I knew that part). There were complications afterward. In the emergency room, the doctor needed to get into my mouth RIGHT THEN -- so he had my mom to hold my head, my dad to hold my feet, and he dived in. I don't remember that, but apparently, that's the source of my phobia. Can't do anything about it after this many years, but at least now I know.

11. My wife (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) describes me sometimes as the "smartest dumb blonde" she's ever met...

12. I procrastinate incessantly.

13. My columns have shown up in something like 400 newspapers back when I was doing them.

14. I'm quoted in Michelle Malkin's controversial book "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild".

15. A 2003 column I wrote opposing reparations which has ties to a science fiction trueism has been widely quoted and is still cited in academic and political policy discussion circles today: "TANSTAAFL: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch".

16. I've written testimony for several Congressional subcommittees, most notably for the Senate's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

17. Despite walking away from active commentary in 2005, I'm still on Project 21's National Advisory Board. (Walking away was not as problematic as many might think. While I loved it, it didn't pay. Television work does. My kids have to eat. QED.)

18. I love gadgets -- like most guys -- but I didn't get a cell phone until a couple of years ago, and even then, only got a cheap pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile throwaway.

19. I've suffered from migraines since I was in grade school (something I don't wish on anybody).

20. I was 150 pounds soaking wet the day I got married (which surprises folks who know me now), and am pushing twice that now (which surprises folks who knew me then)...

21. For years, friends and family have suggested that I go on Jeopardy, but the very idea terrifies me.

22. Black coffee, no sugar, no cream -- the stronger the better...I refuse to pollute mine.

23. My family's been able to trace backward to show family ancestry in England, Wales, France, Spain, the old Mississippean Indian nation here in the US, and quite probably Morocco in northern Africa.

24. The very first car I bought was a '74 MGB convertible, back in '84. Spent all of $1,000 on it. Got it restored, and drove it until we moved home in '89. I still kick myself today for selling it.

25. Find I have to "go away" for awhile every now and then to recharge my mental batteries. Rachel calls it "going on walkabout." I'll disappear -- drive about as far as I can go while getting back in a day's time, though I've done it overnight a few times before. I don't do it as often as I used to though.

26. Smoked cigarettes in college, then graduated to cigars, then a pipe, before giving it up when Rachel was pregnant with Jasmine.

27. Was into yoga and fitness long ago...keep threatening to get back into it

28. Told the kids that if any of their friends showed up with their pants around their knees, that I'd greet 'em at the door with duck tape and a staple gun...

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August 28, 2008

In my lifetime...

"In my lifetime..."

My wife and I keep saying that as we look at Barack Obama accepting the Democratic nomination.

Regardless of our political affiliation, the gravity and magnitude of the night is fantastic.

Obama's speech tossed civility to the four winds, and jumped on John McCain with both feet, linking him solidly with George W. Bush and the myriad of problems that have come up during the latter portions of the Bush Administration. Despite all of the painting of McCain as the second coming of George W. Bush, John McCain is a separate man in and of his own making.

Thursday night's speech -- no, Thursday night's coming out party for Barack Obama --  was nothing short of incredible. The GOP must come out swinging for the fences next week -- and I'm looking forward to it.

And on that note, John McCain ran an ad Thursday that focused on the import of Obama's nomination and the fact that it was on the 45th anniversary of MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech.

"Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, congratulations. How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done." --John McCain.

That was a class move on McCain's part.

Now, despite the attack with both feet from Obama in his speech, let's see if we can finish this thing without the partisan vindictiveness that has characterized the nearly the past 20 years -- from both sides of the aisle. The infighting is getting old. Can we learn to disagree without being disagreeable?

As I've told a number of folks, I have reasons to like and not like both candidates. And though I am a conservative-libertarian by nature, I haven't made my decision yet. I'm not planning to make a decision until debate time.

The game is affot. May the best man win.

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June 05, 2008

Why is this an issue?



I'd be the last person to consider Barack Obama a black conservative. But all the whoopla over his bumping fists with his wife Tuesday night after clinching the Democratic nomination is beyond me.

That's just something that we do.

I do it with my wife; I do it with my friends. Hell, I thought it had entered the mainstream -- after all, contestants on "Deal Or No Deal" do it with host Howie Mandel.

But to hear and see all of the commentary today, you'd think he'd done something revolutionary or crazy.

I kind of thought there were some legitimate issues to talk about -- gas is still at $4 a gallon. The border still leaks like a sieve. The mortgage mess still has millions worried about the value of their homes. The Iraqis still won't step up and take control of their own country. Mahmoud "Leisure Suit Larry" Ahmadinijad still keeps rattling his sabre and threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Oh, and Osama "7-11 Clerk" Bin Laden is still hiding in the hills of Afghanistan/Pakistan (if he's still alive).

If this is what we're going to have to be subjected to from a press that has nothing better to talk about between now and November, it's gonna be a long summer indeed.

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Why Is This An Issue?





I'd be the last person to consider Barack Obama a black conservative. But all the whoopla over his bumping fists with his wife Tuesday night after clinching the Democratic nomination is beyond me.



That's just something that we do.



I do it with my wife; I do it with my friends. Hell, I thought it had entered the mainstream -- after all, contestants on "Deal Or No Deal" do it with host Howie Mandel.



But to hear and see all of the commentary today, you'd think he'd done something revolutionary or crazy.



I kind of thought there were some legitimate issues to talk about -- gas is still at $4 a gallon. The border still leaks like a sieve. The mortgage mess still has millions worried about the value of their homes. The Iraqis still won't step up and take control of their own country. Mahmoud "Leisure Suit Larry" Ahmadinijad still keeps rattling his sabre and threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Oh, and Osama "7-11 Clerk" Bin Laden is still hiding in the hills of Afghanistan/Pakistan (if he's still alive).



If this is what we're going to have to be subjected to from a press that has nothing better to talk about between now and November, it's gonna be a long summer indeed.

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February 04, 2005

LA Times op-ed piece rips black conservative ministers

"Selling Their Birthright to the GOP" screams the headline from the Los Angeles Times.

The venerable newspaper then allows two Southern California ministers rip into black conservative Christian ministers who would dare to support the Bush Administration in a hit piece that goes beyond the pale. And why? Because they don't toe the proverbial line that liberals insist that blacks toe.

Seventy pastors apparently turned out for Tuesday's meeting, which was supposedly organized by conservative black ministers who had backed George W. Bush in November and who are seeking to promote what they say is a new agenda for the black community.

Are they doing it with programs that bring jobs, education and opportunity? Nooooooooooooo. They are doing it with a campaign against gay marriage. They are unveiling a "black contract with America on moral values." That's right, Newt Gingrich is back and he's black!

That the ideological descendants of the architects of Jim Crow would be setting up shop in inner cities to structure a solution to the problems of being black in America is beyond ludicrous.

The saddest part is that these ministers, who have inherited a legacy of respect, leadership and authority, would squander their profound birthright for a bowl of faith-based porridge. The underbelly of this Republican initiative is the promise of funding for church programs. That's a true sellout.

The black church has always stood with the oppressed and never the oppressor. It has not been in the forefront of the "pro-life" movement because it recognized that prohibiting abortions leads to the maiming and death of thousands of poor, often black, women. It has not been in the forefront of the movement against gay marriage because it doesn't adhere to the biblical literalism of many fundamentalist churches and looks more to the compassion of Jesus than to conservative legalism.

The authors of the LA Times hit piece insist that anyone who would follow the evangelical teachings of the Bible are short-sighted and stupid, as opposed to being scholarly followers of the Word of God. And the Times, in giving this an audience continues to follow it's long-standing agenda of providing voices to those who would put down more conservative viewpoints, no matter what kind of racial hatred might be stirred up -- even if it is racial hatred within the black community.

The authors, in feeding into that sort of hatred, apparently agree that there should only be one school of thought in black America - one that begs for handouts, as opposed to providing a moral compass.

But let me ask: Isn't there truly room for multiple schools of thought in black America? Isn't there room for those who find that gay marriage is offensive to their sensibilities in addition to those who might otherwise support gay marriage? Many of us on the conservative side of the aisle think that out of a diversity of opinion can come strength in the community. Apparently, the authors of this hit piece feel otherwise. And that's a sad state of affairs, indeed.

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Ossie Davis, R.I.P.

I've always had a soft spot for Ossie Davis' work. With his work and life partner, his wife Ruby Dee, they have always portrayed good, distinctive work and have done work that would touch your soul.

Ossie Davis died today in his hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called Retirement..

Ossie Davis' long career both in front of and behind the camera was exemplerary for a number of reasons, not the least of which is his long-standing relationship with Ruby Dee. When other show business relationships falter quickly, Davis and Dee's withstood the test of time. Indeed, he will be missed by many.

Ossie Davis was 87.

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February 02, 2005

SOTU Follow-up: Did Bush snub McKinney?

President Bush knocked it out of the ballpark tonight.

Others are doing some major-league live-blogging, so I'll leave the bulk of the commentary to them, but one thing did strike me.

President Bush appeared to have completely ignored "aisle-bird" Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin Foil-GA).

McKinney generally parks her ample butt along the center aisle hours prior to the State of the Union, or any other joint session of Congress where the President is slated to speak. She parks there in order to be certain to get her pearly whites on television while she shakes the President's hand.

Watching the President make his way down the aisle prior to the speech as well as back up the aisle afterward, I could see him stop to shake hands with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (Moonbat-TX), but it looked like he completely ignored McKinney's presence.

I guess her "smile in your face, then stab you in the back" routine finally got old. It's about time.

(Live bloggers include LaShawn Barber, PowerLine, VodkaPundit, GOPBloggers, OTB, Michelle Malkin & Captain Ed, among others)

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February 01, 2005

Crazy Al joining PETA to boycott KFC

Al Sharpton has made an eight-minute video for PETA, and is calling for a boycott of KFC restaurants in conjunction with the animal rights group.

Mr. Sharpton is joining forces with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to urge a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750 million chickens they process for KFC every year in the United States. The rap mogul Russell Simmons is also joining the Sharpton campaign.

"If we give our money to KFC, we're paying for a life of misery for some of God's most helpless creatures," says Mr. Sharpton in an eight-minute video that will be shown outside KFC's around the country.

The organization was eager to enlist Mr. Sharpton because KFC has many stores in largely black neighborhoods and in late 2003 KFC executives told investors they were making an increased effort to market to blacks.

I wonder just how much they're paying Crazy Al not to eat at KFC (and to try to get the rest of us not to eat there).

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Cynthia 'Jihad Cindy' McKinney plans to get aisle seat for State of the Union

US Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin-Foil Wearing Moonbat-GA) plans to park her silly grin along the center aisle of the House chamber hours before Wednesday night's State of the Union speech, as she has each year she's been in Congress.

This year she returns to the aisle after an absence of two years, thanks to her defeat by Denise Majette in 2002. Majette chose not to run for the 4th District seat, instead opting for a shot at the US Senate seat vacated by Zell Miller (Majette lost).

McKinney breaks her neck to get on that aisle so that she can be seen cheesing and kissing the President as he enters. Of course, that won't stop her from making idiotic statements, like the one in 2002 when she charged that President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.

When President Bush walks through the doors of the House chamber Wednesday night to deliver the State of the Union address, the congresswoman again plans to be standing in his path, ready to shake his hand and smile for the cameras.

"I don't know that it's anything that's going to change public policy, but it certainly does make the constituents feel good to know I'm there and they can see me participate," McKinney, D-Ga., said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

At past Bush speeches, the exchange has been relatively playful, but this will be McKinney's first State of the Union since her radio comments in 2002 that the administration profited by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and may have known ahead of time. Some interpreted the comments to indicate she thought Bush let the attacks happen so his friends could profit, but McKinney later insisted that wasn't the case.

She's an idiot. She's full of used food.

Doesn't look like anything's changed.

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P21: "Profiles of Empowerment"

A new Project 21 piece by Virgil Beato points out the successes of blacks today who do not wave the "Soul Patrol flag of whining" around like a badge of honor.

It points to successful blacks like Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Ann Marie Fudge, who is the president of ad firm Young & Rubicam, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, who helped the firm weather major losses of both life and property during 9/11, and former US Senate candidate and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain.

These modern-day heroes also share strong family values. While the American Enterprise Institute estimates close to 70 percent of black children are now born to single mothers, these people have enjoyed long marriages and raised or are raising their children in stable homes with both parents present.

These modern heroes also give back to their community. Cain, for example, an alumnus of the historically black Morehouse College, now serves on the school's board. Chenault serves on the board of CASA, a drug-use prevention group. Carson started the Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. to help Third-World schoolchildren stay academically competitive. Fudge is involved with the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the United Way.

Many high-profile black "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem to regard capitalism as unfair to African-Americans. People such as Cain, Carson, Chenault, and Fudge show the American Dream can work for anyone with enough faith and determination.

But to the Jackson-Sharpton cabal, people like these are not worthy of acclaim, because they aren't on bended knee, whining about the state of black America. They have the "audacity" (I call it courage) to do something about it.

They are truly the leaders that black youth need to know about and seek to emulate.

The full P21 piece is available for your perusal below the fold...

more...

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January 31, 2005

NAACP refuses to cooperate with IRS request

The NAACP has formally notified the Internal Revenue Service that it will not be cooperating with an IRS investigation regarding activities that might cost the civil rights organization their tax exempt status. The NAACP insists that the timing of the investigation is politically motivated.

In a letter to the IRS dated this past Thursday, the NAACP attorneys said they would not hand over documents the IRS has requested, and countered with charges that the IRS had not followed proper procedure by launching their investigation prior to the filing of the organization's 2004 tax return.

The letter said the tax examiners aimed to influence the group's activities just before the November presidential election.

"We must conclude that the intention was to chill appropriate voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, whether conducted by the NAACP or by other organizations that are targeted by similar examinations in the program," they wrote.

The NAACP said the IRS challenged as improper campaign intervention a Bond speech this summer because it condemned the president's policies on education, the economy and the war in Iraq.

The IRS has indicated that they are looking at 60 different non-profit organizations and churches to determine if they had violated federal rules prohibiting them from political campaign activity.

Bond had made speeches (including a major speech before the NAACP's National Convention last summer) that implied an endorsement of Democratic candidates over the Bush Administration. Bond has also made speeches denouncing the President and the Administration.

I made the statement nearly two years ago on MSNBC that Bond's statements and speeches had opened the door, and that it could potentially be bad for the organization. I'll repeat that here and now -- Bond's foot-in-mouth disease is what brought this on, and may cause the downfall of the entire organization. Unfortunately, if that does happen, I'll look for Bond and the rest of the Soul Patrol to immediately cry racism and try to blame conservatives in general and the Bush Administration in particular for this series of events.

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May 31, 2004

Equality is just as much a black responsibility as a white one.

Dr. Carol Swain, law and political science professor at Vanderbilt University, is putting the big hurt on the black educational status quo, much as Bill Cosby did a couple of weeks ago.

Swain was a part of a panel that met in New York City shortly after the 50th Anniversary of the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, to talk about some of the obstacles facing students and schools in the urban landscape.

Swain identified affirmative action as currently practiced by universities -- lower admissions standards for blacks and Hispanics -- as part of the problem. These policies, she said, have "created a negative incentive structure for African-Americans who have either internalized societal messages about inferiority or have chosen an easier path of not exerting themselves too vigorously" since they don't have to meet higher standards.
A columnist for the Boston Globe later asked Swain in an e-mail exchange if she felt that she was being "used" by agenda-pushing conservatives -- not unlike so many liberals that feel that black conservatives do not have a mind of their own; that conservative blacks cannot come to conservative conclusions by themselves. Those same liberals, both black and white, use some of their most vindictive rhetoric against independent thinking black conservatives.
"Do liberal blacks worry about being tokens for the status quo?" she replied. "I doubt it. I call things the way I see them."
Indeed.

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May 19, 2004

For once, Cosby ain't so liberal...

Monday night, at Washington's Constitution Hall, Bill Cosby was part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Some of his comments, though, didn't sit well with members of the Soul Patrol.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal," he declared. "These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids -- $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.'...

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English," he exclaimed. "I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth!"

The Post's Hamil Harris reports that Cosby also turned his wrath to "the incarcerated," saying: "These are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake and then we run out and we are outraged, [saying] 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"

After Cosby's excoriation, NAACP head Kweisi Mfume came to the podium, accompanied by NAACP legal defense fund head Theodore Shaw and Howard University president H. Patrick Swygert. Their stony visages gave away their displeasure of Cosby's remarks.

Shaw told the crowd that most people on welfare are not African American, and many of the problems his organization has addressed in the black community were not self-inflicted. Figures. Taking responsibility is obviously not one of Shaw's strong suits.

All I can say is that it's about damn time that Cosby spoke up.

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