Providence Packers 2008 Season Begins

Hello All

Well, the 2008 Pop Warner season has begun and The Providence Packers Youth teams are representing. We had our round robin on August 23. The Pee-Wee team won 15-0 over the Cumberland Colts and the Midget team won 64-0 over the Cumberland Colts. August 31, 2008 was our first actual league game day and our Pee-Wee team lost to the Seekonk Jr. Warriors 15-0 but our Midget team beat the Coventry Rams 16-0. We would like to thank everyone who came out to support our kids Sunday and I hope the fan base grows exponentially as the season progresses. We are very proud of our kids in the way that they played on the field and behaved off of the field. I do intend to start blogging again soon but until then, come to our website so you can keep up with how our children are performing on the gridiron.

Big ups to our man in 2008, Barack Obama for history in the making. Everyone please go out and vote. Show this brother love not because he is a brother but because he is for real and has the answers to the question.

Also, big ups to my girl, Amber Campbell who went over to Beijing and represented in the 2008 Olympics. Although she did not bring home a medal, SHE NOW HOLDS A MAJOR RECORD FOR US WOMEN!!!! Great job Amber, we appreciate you holding us down.

Until the next time we meet.

Peace and Blessings

Dropping In

Hey world. I know I have been M.I.A this past month or so and I would like to apologize. A lot has been going on with The Providence Packers Youth Football program. We are finally getting the kids on the field of play. After 2 years of struggling, begging and fighting to get this program to a viable state, my partner (Wayne Blackmon) and I can finally take a moment to smell the roses. Our 2008 2nd Annual Golf Classic was a booming success. We would like to thank all of the participants who showed us love this year. We also want to mention a few people who were instrumental in our tournament success. Thank you to the following people for their help and support. Bear in mind these names are not in any particular order:

Earl Nichols, Tom Leasca, Prince Reid (Amtrak), Camille's Roman Garden, Chris Gasbarros Liquors, Joe Brooks (Essex), Jennifer Hendrick (Exeter Country Club), Pink Women (URI), B.O.N.D (URI), Meagan and a multitude of others. If I forgot to include your name, please charge that to my mind and not my heart as we appreciate each and every one of you.

To all of the golfers who attended, thank you very much for your support and we hope to see you again next year.

Before closing, I would just like to send out our condolences to the families and friends of two of our American icons. Mr. Bernie Mac and Mr. Issac Hayes. There will be a large void left in the world with the passing of these two great men. They were shining examples of the greatness that can be achieved with hard work and determination. I for one will miss them greatly.

Now that our kids will be taking the field, our work is just beginning. I intend to update and keep current our website so please visit from time to time and see what we are doing. I will try to keep more current with this page as time begins to permit but until then.

Peace and Blessings

Rick V

Just Popping In

Been real busy getting the youth football program in full swing. The 2008 season is upon us and there is so much to do. We anticipate 250 kids this year and hopefully, a trip to the Pop Warner Finals in Orlando Fla. so wish us luck. If you get the chance, visit us for stats and updates at our website:

http://www.freewebs.com/providencepackers/

We are a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization so please feel free to hit the Donations button to your left and make a tax deductable donation to the program. Everything we do is for the youth and we appreciate your support

Now on to something I am very proud to announce. Amber Campbell, the sister of a very good friend of mine (Brian Jones) http://cbi5thgear.blogspot.com/ has qualified and is a member of the 2008 Olympic Track and Field team. She throws the hammer and we are all proud of her. I know she has worked very hard and i am glad the hard work paid off. Please check out her blogpage for info and updates. We really need more positive role models like her in these trying times. You can find her at http://ambercampbellthrows.blogspot.com/. The lady is fierce so lens her your support.

Well, gotta go as there is work to be done. I have not forsaken you and I will be returning with more food for the brain and soul soon but right now, it is all about the kids.

Amber Campbell in 2008. We got you!!!

Peace and Blessing

Is George Bush Afraid of Water ?

Yo. Sorry I have been MIA. Youth football is starting to kick in and there is so much that needs to be done. The Providence Packers will be on the field in 2008. Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, come on and take a little ride with me.

I was watching the BET Awards show last night and a statement was made that really got me to think. We (U.S.) have been the victims of some major flooding all across the country. Back when New Orleans was devastated by the floods, I often heard my counterparts state that anyone who lives in a state that much below sea level was not to bright and they deserved whatever they got so I did a little research. Although New Orleans is 8 feet below sea level, Death valley California is 282 ft below sea level. There are 23 states at sea level leaving 27 states above sea level ranging from 1 ft, the Potomac river in Washington D.C. to 3.250 ft above being the Arkansas River. I guess we should all just leave the country if we were to follow the thought process of my counterparts. Even though it is appalling that even now, nothing much has been done to correct the situation in New Orleans, it is equally bad that there is nothing currently being done in Iowa, Missouri and other flood ravaged states. We are supposed to be the most powerful nation on the planet and we consistently ignore the plight of our fellow Americans while we spend trillions of dollars abroad trying to fix other nations problems. I am not saying that we should not help out other countries, I am just a firm believer that charity begins at home.

Thru this whole dilemma, I feel great being able to bring one thing to light. Brother Kanye West once made this statement on national TV at an awards show that based on President Bushes slow response to the plight in New Orleans, he did not give a damn about black people. Well, from what I see, he has not made much of an impact and his response time has been equally as slow now in the mid-western regions.

I have concluded that President Bush's issue is not that he doe not like or care about black people,

" He just doesn't care or give a damn about WET people".

I think this is evident by his dry sense of humor, his dry delivery of speeches, his dry hairdo. If these people were flooded in oil, George Will would be there with the quickness scraping them off with a squeegee.

What a difference a day makes. Keep your head up and your feet dry.

Peace and Blessings

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

OPEC sells oil for $136.00 a barrel.

OPEC nations buy Canadian and U.S. grain at $7.00 a bushel.

Solution: Sell grain for $136.00 a bushel.

Can't buy it? Tough! Eat your oil!

Peace and blessings

"Bo Knows Music" Why Did We Not Know A Legendary and Historical Icon Passed

It is with deep regret I would like to acknowledge the death of Tim Russert. Known as one of the news medias shining stars of the decade. Alright, that being said,

Why has my television, radio, newspaper been inundated with stories about this gentleman. OK, he reported the news and that is important but there are millions of people doing it. Some better, some worse but why did I not get bombarded with the news of the death of Luther Vandross, Gerald Levert, James Brown, people who changed the face of history as we know it. To go a little deeper, Bo Diddley. I am sure there were whispers in the media but it blew thru quickly like a March wind. This gentleman set a standard of music for generation after generation, black and white, they all took a little piece of Bo. They all stole what "Bo Knows". Well, even though the media did not feel it was important an issue to bombard us with, I do so buckle up the seat belts and let's take a ride and find out exactly what "Bo Knows".

Peace and Blessings

Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday June 2, 2008 after months of ill health. He was 79. Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.
Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.

The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview. "I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.

His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.
The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.

Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century."
Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."
Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away." The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."

Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself. "He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006. Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.

Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.

"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."

"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.
Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near Gainesville in north Florida.

"Seventy ain't nothing but a damn number," he told The Associated Press in 1999. "I'm writing and creating new stuff and putting together new different things. Trying to stay out there and roll with the punches. I ain't quit yet."
Diddley, like other artists of his generations, was paid a flat fee for his recordings and said he received no royalty payments on record sales. He also said he was never paid for many of his performances. "I am owed. I've never got paid," he said. "A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun."

In the early 1950s, Diddley said, disc jockeys called his type of music, "Jungle Music." It was Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with inventing the term "rock 'n' roll."
Diddley said Freed was talking about him, when he introduced him, saying, "Here is a man with an original sound, who is going to rock and roll you right out of your seat."
Diddley won attention from a new generation in 1989 when he took part in the "Bo Knows" ad campaign for Nike, built around football and baseball star Bo Jackson. Commenting on Jackson's guitar skills, Diddley turned to the camera and said, "He don't know Diddley."
"I never could figure out what it had to do with shoes, but it worked," Diddley said. "I got into a lot of new front rooms on the tube."

Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Miss., Diddley was later adopted by his mother's cousin and took on the name Ellis McDaniel, which his wife always called him.
When he was 5, his family moved to Chicago, where he learned the violin at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He learned guitar at 10 and entertained passers-by on street corners.
By his early teens, Diddley was playing Chicago's Maxwell Street.

"I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world. There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had," he said.

"It Takes A Village To Raise A Child"

It is no surprise that for “social decline” to exist there must be a level of prenatal buffoon development in every community. Every leader that has dared to unset this agenda in the last 40 years has either been assassinated or financially defanged. It is no mystery to the end result of this agenda when you look at the effects of low black birth rates to high black incarcerations and social impotence.

Almost forty years ago this was a no issue. Consider that the black community’s drug problem began the instance black soldiers were denied drug treatment returning from Vietnam that was readily available to their white counterparts. Heroin and later Crack cocaine became the epidemic of the black community after Vietnam had long been over with. This single event help create the effects that linger until today with our young folks.

At the end of the year when you or I file for our tax return, we will never be asked per a question for a tax break, “Have you helped any one get off dope”. It is not in the drug industry, law enforcement, or social pandering organization’s best interest for “Us the People” to help ourselves and each other.

The penal system has become a big money business and we as a people seem to be investing more of our time and value in that than into the stock market, banking etc. There needs to be a major revamp in our government system yes but we also need to take responsibility for our own actions and say enough is enough. You and I know every person incarcerated will tell you they are honest and did not do it and I am sure there are those in there with whom that story rings true, but I venture to say that is a small minority.

We have to adjust our thinking and the teaching of our young. We need to get to them at an early age and instill some of the old morals and values we were taught growing up.

“I come from a single parent household” was never an excuse back then because your whole neighborhood was your parent. If you did something wrong down the street, you might get scolded or slapped several times before you arrived home and then mom or dad was waiting to finish the job.

The old saying “It takes a whole village to raise a child” rings so true and we need that now more than ever, so hey, slap a child ( just kidding) but if you see a youth doing something that could affect him or herself in a negative way, take the time and try to sit and explain that they have other options.

Let’s be the village and raise our children. I know I am trying, will you help me out. I would love to have you along.

Peace, Love and Blessings

NAACP Elects A New President

Today is FYI day. No social or political commentary. Just the facts. Hope you are as excited about this as I was. Until we meet again

Peace and blessings

The NAACP chose 35-year-old activist and former news executive Ben Jealous as its president Saturday, making him the youngest leader in the 99-year history of the nation's largest civil rights organization.

The 64-member board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People met for eight hours before selecting Jealous in the early morning. He was formally introduced Saturday afternoon and will take over as president in September.

"I'm excited," Jealous told The Associated Press. "I think that it's a real affirmation that this organization is willing to invest in the future, to invest in the ideas and the leadership of the generation that is currently raising black children in this country."
Though he is not a politician, minister or civil rights icon, Jealous provides the organization with a young but connected chief familiar with black leadership and social justice issues.
He takes the helm as the NAACP's 17th president just months before the organization's centennial anniversary and as the group looks to boost its coffers.

"There are a small number of groups to whom all black people in this country owe a debt of gratitude, and the NAACP is one of them," Jealous said. "There is work that is undone. ... The need continues and our children continue to be at great risk in this country."
Jealous succeeds Bruce Gordon, who resigned abruptly in March 2007. Gordon left after 19 months, citing clashes with board members over management style and the NAACP's mission as his reasons for leaving. Dennis Courtland Hayes had been serving as interim president and chief executive officer.

Jealous was born in Pacific Grove, Calif., and educated at Columbia University and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
He began his professional life in 1991 with the NAACP, where he worked as a community organizer with the Legal Defense Fund working on issues of health care access in Harlem. His family boasts five generations of NAACP membership.
During the mid 1990s, Jealous was managing editor of the Jackson Advocate, Mississippi's oldest black newspaper.

From 1999 to 2002, Jealous led the country's largest group of black community newspapers as executive director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Jealous left the Publishers Association for Amnesty International to direct its U.S. Human Rights Program, for which he successfully lobbied for federal legislation against prison rape, public disapproval of racial profiling after Sept. 11, and exposure of widespread sentencing of children to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Since 2005, Jealous has served as president of the Rosenberg Foundation, a private institution that supports civil and human rights advocacy. His experiences caught the attention of the NAACP's search committee, and Jealous said mentors encouraged him to take the job.
"Like all black people in this country, I am deeply grateful for what the NAACP has accomplished in the 20th century, and I want to make sure it's as strong and as powerful in the 21st century," he said. "If I thought that I could help rebuild, if I thought that I could help bring in more funds and give direction to the national staff and increase morale, I needed to take it very seriously, and that's what I've done."

The NAACP was founded in 1909 by an interracial coalition that battled segregation and lynching and helped win some of the nation's biggest civil rights victories. But in the wake of racial advances, the organization has struggled financially.
Despite his own successes, Jealous said that blacks in America still have a hard row to hoe, and that the gains of recent decades have created a false sense of progress.

"Those of us who are 45 and younger were told, 'The struggle has been won. Go out and flourish. Don't worry about the movement,'" he said.

Among his plans for the group are strengthening its online presence to connect with activists, mobilize public opinion and build a database for tracking racial discrimination and hate crimes; ensuring high voter turnout among blacks in the November election; pushing an aggressive civil rights agenda, regardless of the makeup of the Congress or White House; and retooling the national office to make it more effective at helping local branches affect change in their communities.
He said he does not see expect to have the challenges with NAACP leadership of which his predecessor complained.
"I was raised in the civil rights movement," Jealous said. "I don't see anything special here that would be a challenge that I haven't confronted and dealt effectively with before. These are my people."

What Jealous lacks in oratorical appeal, he makes up for as an administrator — skills he honed during his tenure with the Publishers Association, said the Rev. Joseph Lowery. And his foundation experience could help with fundraising — especially as the NAACP looks to raise $100 million in conjunction with its 100th anniversary in February.

"Ben would be a good administrator and a thorough and detailed kind of executive," Lowery said. "He would meticulously follow through on details."
Lowery said Jealous' Publishers Association experience also gave him an edge with national black leadership and maturity — not that Lowery thinks his age is an issue.

"That's not young," Lowery said when told Jealous was 35, pointing out that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was 26 when he led the Montgomery bus boycott. "I wouldn't say he's too young. He's an emotionally and intellectually mature fellow."
Jealous said having the energy of a 35-year-old will be an asset to the organization.
"It means having somebody who is impatient and outraged that race is still a factor in our society," he said.

He added that he can attract 25- to 50-year-olds — the missing demographic among most chapters — back to the organization. And he said he is eager to work with other groups to push his agenda.

"This is the century when white people will become a minority in this country," he said. "What that means is right now, we need to have a clear picture of where we're headed and work together diligently with Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and progessive white groups as if our collective future depends on it. I'm committed to that."

It's a tall order that isn't likely to happen overnight, but Jealous — whose resume doesn't reflect a record of longevity — said he's ready to settle in for the long haul. He has spent much of his life in California but has roots in Baltimore, where the NAACP is based. His mother was born in Baltimore, and his parents met while teaching at a junior high school in the city.

"As a black child growing up in this country, there was no higher ambition possible than to lead the NAACP," he said. "No one should be concerned about me going anywhere too soon."

Why Do We Do Each Other Like We Do

Please excuse me today but I am going to get a little long winded. There are some things that went on between the Democrats this election that I need to speak on. There are also some things I feel should be brought to light about how our people never miss an opportunity to undermine each other in our quest to make a difference. Some may disagree with my take and I respect that but since this is my blog, I have to (how does it go) KEEP IT REAL!!! SO LET'S GO. TAKE A RIDE WITH ME.

Hillary Clinton will declare her strong support for Barack Obama's White House bid and rally supporters around him, she said in a letter on Thursday, ending her grueling 16-month nominating fight that badly split the Democratic Party. However, she could have won the democratic nomination, but she made the crucial mistake by thinking the old Black control politics would carry the Black vote for her. In other words, instead of going to the Black voters herself, she relied on a bunch of Black lackeys to speak for her. And, it didn’t work… now she’s running around using the same lackeys trying to blackmail Obama for the Vice President spot.

There were a number of prominent Blacks running around flunking for Hillary: most prominent was the ‘Gang of Three:’ Bob Johnson, Rep. Tubbs Jones and Rep. Charley Rangel. Somehow, she thought they had control of the Black vote, but in the end, they did her in! Especially, Bob Johnson who is supposed to be the founder of BET. He has not founded anything… what the brother did was use his contacts with white racists in Congress to get a cable license from the FCC to start a cable station for Blacks. This was when cable TV was first started. There were a million Blacks standing in line to get the first Black cable license from the FCC. Johnson, broke and hungry at the time, didn’t even have the $2500 to buy the cable license from the FCC… he had to borrow the money from family and friends. But, when he got the cable license from the FCC, all he had to do then was take it to the bank, and the rest is history… afterwards, he trashed the one opportunity that Blacks had to be empowered over cable TV. In fact, he got his cable license from the FCC at the same time Ted Turner got the one for CNN. Look at CNN today… and look where BET is now! Bet started out doing good by us but after the man trashed BET with them rap videos and their negative stereotypes, he sold the station back to whites to buy a basketball team. Go figure?

We all remember the statements he made over race in the democratic primaries this year. When Bob Johnson introduced Hillary Clinton at a town hall meeting at Columbia University, he made remarks that undermined Obama. These remarks were made before a group of predominantly Black voters. He took a shot at Obama, by saying: "As an African American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in Black issues, when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood that I won't say what he was doing but he said it in his book... When they have been involved, to say that these two people would denigrate the accomplishment of civil rights marchers, men and women who were hosed, beaten and bled, and some died... To say and to expect us now all of a sudden to say we are attacking a Black man.

That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me or a guy that says I want to be a reasonable, likeable Sidney Poitier 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.'

And I'm thinking to myself, this isn’t a movie, Sidney."

Afterwards, Hillary largely stuck to her stump and took questions from the audience, none of which were about race.

The Obama campaign later produced this statement from former South Carolina Rep. "I.S." Leevy Johnson: “its offensive that Senator Clinton literally stood by and said nothing as another one of her campaign’s top supporters launched a personal, divisive attack on Barack Obama,” said Johnson. “For someone who decries the politics of personal destruction, she should’ve immediately denounced these attacks on the spot.”The Clinton campaign then produced this comment from Johnson: “My comments today were referring to Barack Obama's time spent as a community organizer, and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect.

When Hillary Clinton was in her twenties she worked to provide protections for abused and battered children and helped ensure that children with disabilities could attend public school. That results oriented leadership — even as a young person — is the reason I am supporting Hillary Clinton.”The other gang member, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, on the "Sound of Ideas" show on WCPN defended her endorsement of Hillary Clinton as based strictly on qualifications. She said that in politics, your word is all that you have, and that she will not deviate from her 2006 decision to support Clinton. "If I were to change my position just because the wind has changed," she said, "What would people think of that?"Tubbs Jones acknowledged that Obama has said that his campaign is not about race, but pointed out that for many of his followers it is very much about electing an African American. She bristled at Obama's invocation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in speeches, pointing out that Dr. King's message was to judge people not on the color of their skin.After Tubbs Jones remarked that Obama is an "excellent candidate," she was asked if she thought that the two of them (Clinton and Obama) could run together. "Absolutely they could," she replied, "They could definitely run together."

Discussing Clinton's performance in a debate, Tubbs Jones said that it reflected "frustration" on her part that the media has failed to draw out the distinctions between the candidates.Rep. Tubbs Jones also discusses her determination to stick with Hillary Clinton in an essay published today on TheRoot.com, an interesting new online magazine focusing on Black perspectives. “In late 2006, I made the choice to support Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, long before Sen. Barack Obama or even Hillary herself had declared their candidacies” Jones said.

Hopefully, a Black will challenge Jones for her seat in Congress.

“When I made the decision to contest the counting of the electoral votes from Ohio following the 2004 election, a move that was highly criticized by the Republican Party and even by some in the Democratic Party, Hillary stood with me and joined me in introducing groundbreaking election reform legislation,” Jones said.
She went on to state that she watched Senator Obama defy the odds, running a stellar campaign. His success fills me with pride, and I celebrate his candidacy. Yet, I choose to stick with the candidate that I feel is best suited for the job of president, Hillary Clinton. I made that commitment to Hillary to support her through thick and thin, not to be a fair-weather friend only to leave her when the going gets tough.“After 26 years in public office, I would hope that my constituents would respect my judgment and my choice to support Hillary Rodham Clinton, just as I respect their decision to support the candidate of their choice.”

Another of the ‘Gang of Three,’ Rep. Charley Rangel, an old time Hillary supporter, has now come out today in support of Obama. He switched at the last minute.News MSNBC seems to be showing money flowing toward Obama more than Hillary now. That is a change.Charley Rangel might in retrospect in now that the tealeaves of how the election has turned out, but he had some dirty things to say about Obama in the past.

Whichever person wins, I will be voting against the Republicans in November.

Maybe Obama can unite the Democratic Party better than Hillary can. If that is so, then nominate him.If Obama wins, will he pick Edwards as his running mate? Was Edwards counting on a VP anyway? It's heating up out there. So much for burying the race hatchet.

Despite an attempt to put the race genie back in the bottle after a week-long tit for tat between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton over comments she made regarding the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Clinton supporter, and Harlem Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel, who happens to be the highest ranking African American in Congress, has stepped all in the spat, even though Obama and Clinton seemed to pull back from their squabble.

On NY-1's 'Inside City Hall,' Rangel called Sen. Barack Obama "absolutely stupid" for going after Clinton for her seemingly insensitive remarks about Dr. King and Pres. Lyndon Johnson and the passage of the Civil Rights Act.Rangel told NY-1 reporter Dominic Carter:"How race got into this thing is because Obama said 'race.' But there is nothing that Hillary Clinton has said that baffles me.

I would challenge anybody to belittle the contribution that Dr. King has made to the world, to our country, to civil rights, and the Voting Rights Act. But for him to suggest that Dr. King could have signed that act is absolutely stupid. It's absolutely dumb to infer that Dr. King, alone, passed the legislation and signed it into law."For good measure, Rangel also mentioned Obama's youthful drug indiscretion.I guess that is one way of doing damage control. However, if there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, it’s that Blacks are not controlled by the old Black establishment, but have minds of their own.Clinton will publicly back Obama on Saturday and pledge to work for party unity in the general-election race against Republican John McCain.

"On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy," the New York senator and former first lady said in a letter to her backers released early on Thursday morning.
"I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he was the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise."Clinton confirmed she would hold an event in Washington on Saturday to thank everyone who had backed her campaign. The event was originally planned for Friday but the day was switched to allow more supporters to attend.

"This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans," she said in the letter."I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise."

Please understand I defend your right to your own opinion and I hope you respect my right to mine, heck, I just call it as i see it. Put your minds to work. This is history in the making so do your part no matter who you choose to vote for.

Peace and Blessings

What's Up With Us

We always hear about war and tragedy off in some faraway land in the media. We always hear about the suffering, hunger and plight of the third world countries. I really feel for those people and loath anyone suffering in this day and age, but let us not forget, we are at war right now and here in our own communities and our youth are the casualties and our neighborhoods are the collateral damage. We have to take back our streets and rescue our children.

We have the highest number of homeless people in the history of this country. Drug abuse is at an all time high. The economy is falling more by the day, sorry did I say falling, I should have said failing. We are on our way to becoming that third world country unless we do something about it now.

It is always being said that Senator Obama does not have the experience to run this country. Well, what about all of the experienced people who have made it what it is today. If this is what experience begets, I think I will try my luck with inexperience. I have to believe that Barack Obama has a vision for change and that with our support, it will improve our lives and get us back on track. As far as I can tell, he cannot possibly do any worse. We seem to have no way to go but up.

I was raised to believe that if you are not part of the solution, then you must be part of the problem. We all need to be part of the solution by doing whatever we can to insure this brother gets his shot. He has his work cut out for him but are we not a people who are used to taking the scraps or what little is given to us and making it something beautiful. Give us the scrap pieces of the pig and we make chitterlings, ribs, chopped BBQ, we have a cookout. Give us a few gourds and some sticks and we make beautiful music, we give a concert. Historically, we have been the innovators and they have been the duplicators. This is not to say we should look at this problem as a black/white thing but I was just saying I wanted to point out that we are a resilient, educated people and this country needs to recognize and get behind this brother. He who is without sin may cast the first stone, but it is my guess there will not be any stones thrown.

I just hope for the sake of future generations that this country can get over the petty issues it has with race and we can restore ourselves as the super power we once were with one change, we all live together in peace as equals and The rest of the world likes us !!!

Imagine that.

Peace and Blessings

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

I am going to put on my reporters cap today because we are all part of history in the making. The first black candidate nominated by a major political party is here and we should all be proud. This should show our young people that with hard work and determination, anything, yes anything is possible. I remember how all black parents tell their children that if they really want it and are willing to do the work, they could someday become president. It always sounded a little cliche' but alas, I guess I was wrong and they were right so come on kids, don't let it end here. Senator Obama has opened the door so let's bum rush it and keep this going at all levels of politics. Now, I will go into reporter mode and give you the news.

Peace and Be Blessed

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois claimed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, NBC News projected based on its tally of convention delegates.
By doing so, he shattered a barrier more than two centuries old to become the first black candidate ever nominated by a major political party for the nation’s highest office.

“After 54 hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end,” Obama told cheering supporters in a victory celebration in St. Paul, Minn., at the site of the convention that will nominate his Republican opponent in the fall, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
“Tonight, I can stand here before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for the president of the United States of America.”

Obama, 46, of Illinois, hailed his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, for having “made history in this campaign, not just because she is a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.”
“Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton,” Obama said.
But after splitting the last two primaries of the election campaign with Obama, Clinton refused to give him the unalloyed victory he sought.

In a speech to supporters in New York, Clinton said it had been “an honor to contest these primaries with him” and declared that she was “committed to uniting our party so we move forward stronger and more ready than ever to take back the White House this November.”

But she emphasized that she had won more votes in primaries and caucuses than Obama, and she pointedly said she would “be making no decisions tonight.” Instead, she said she would consult with party leaders in the next few days to determine her next step. Aides said that was a strategic decision to preserve her leverage to negotiate over policy disagreements and the possibility that she would join Obama’s ticket as the vice presidential nominee.

In AIPAC Speech, McCain Hits Obama on Iran, Iraq

Senator John McCain of Arizona used a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby, to lambaste Senator Barack Obama on two fronts: he charged that Mr. Obama’s calls for diplomacy with Iran were misguided and insufficient, and that his proposal to begin withdrawing United States troops from Iraq would lead to chaos in the region and endanger Israel.

In remarks that Senator McCain planned to deliver in a cavernous room here at the Washington convention center, he dwelled on the threat that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose – and criticized the positions of Mr. Obama, his likely Democratic rival.

“The Iranians have spent years working toward a nuclear program,’’ Mr. McCain was to say, according to excerpts from the speech provided by his campaign. “And the idea that they now seek nuclear weapons because we refuse to engage in presidential-level talks is a serious misreading of history,’’ he added, noting that previous overtures by the Clinton administration had failed.

“Even so, we hear talk of a meeting with the Iranian leadership offered up as if it were some sudden inspiration, a bold new idea that somehow nobody has ever thought of before,’’ he said in the advance text of his speech, which was provided by his campaign.
“Yet it’s hard to see what such a summit with President Ahmadinejad would actually gain, except an earful of anti-Semitic rants, and a worldwide audience for a man who denies one Holocaust and talks before frenzied crowds about starting another. Such a spectacle would harm Iranian moderates and dissidents, as the radicals and hardliners strengthen their position and suddenly acquire the appearance of respectability.”

Mr. McCain was returning to a familiar line of attack on Mr. Obama – who has made a point of saying that he would use diplomacy even with countries that disagree with the United States — for his statement during a debate last summer that he would be willing to meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea without preconditions.
The Obama campaign countered swiftly. “John McCain stubbornly insists on continuing a dangerous and failed foreign policy that has clearly made the United States and Israel less secure,’’ Hari Sevugan, a campaign spokesman said.

“Here are the results of the policies that John McCain has supported, and would continue. During the Bush Administration, Iran has dramatically expanded its nuclear program, going from zero centrifuges to more than 3000 centrifuges,’’ he said. “During the Bush Administration, Iran has expanded its influence throughout a vitally important region, plying Hamas and Hezbollah with money and arms. During the Bush Administration, Hamas took over Gaza. Most importantly, the war in Iraq that John McCain supported and promises to continue indefinitely has done more to dramatically strengthen and embolden Iran than anything in a generation.’’

Mr. Obama and his campaign have stressed that while the Democrat would depart from the Bush administration’s policy of refusing to meet with certain nations that fail to meet preconditions, he would not necessarily engage in presidential-level talks with them.
Mr. McCain – who has taken a hard-line stance on Iran, and who joked early in the campaign by suggesting renaming the Beach Boys song “Barbara Ann’’ as “Bomb Iran” – referred in his speech here to creating “real-world pressures’’ on Iran.

He called for the United Nations to impose tougher political and economic sanctions, and saying that if it fails to do so that the United States should lead “like-minded countries” in imposing their own sanctions, including some sanctions that he said would “impose a heavy cost on the regime’s leaders, including the denial of visas and freezing of assets.’’ And he spoke of spearheading a worldwide divestment campaign, modeled on the one that helped pressure South Africa to end apartheid.

And Mr. McCain reiterated his call for applying sanctions to “restrict Iran’s ability to import refined petroleum products, on which it is highly dependent.’’
He also criticized Mr. Obama for opposing an amendment he had supported that called for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization responsible for killing American troops in Iraq. “Over three quarters of the Senate supported this obvious step, but not Senator Obama,’’ he said.

And he argued that Mr. Obama’s calls for withdrawing troops from Iraq could endanger Israel. “You would never know from listening to those who are still caught up in angry arguments over yesterday’s options, but our troops in Iraq have made hard-won progress under General Petraeus’ new strategy,’’ he said. “And Iraqi political leaders have moved ahead slowly and insufficiently, but forward nonetheless. Sectarian violence declined dramatically, Sunnis in Anbar province and throughout Iraq are cooperating in the fight against al Qaeda, and Shia extremist militias no longer control Basra the Maliki government and its forces are in charge. Al Qaeda terrorists are on the run, and our troops are going to make sure they never come back.’’
“It’s worth recalling that America’s progress in Iraq is the direct result of the new strategy that Senator Obama opposed,’’ he said. “It was the strategy he predicted would fail, when he voted cut off funds for our forces in Iraq. He now says he intends to withdraw combat troops from Iraq one to two brigades per month until they are all removed. He will do so regardless of the conditions in Iraq, regardless of the consequences for our national security, regardless of Israel’s security, and in disregard of the best advice of our commanders on the ground.’’

“This course would surely result in a catastrophe,’’ he said. “If our troops are ordered to make a forced retreat, we risk all-out civil war, genocide, and a failed state in the heart of the Middle East. Al Qaeda terrorists would rejoice in the defeat of the United States. Allowing a potential terrorist sanctuary would profoundly affect the security of the United States, Israel, and our other friends, and would invite further intervention from Iraq’s neighbors, including an emboldened Iran.

We must not let this happen

So You Need A Job

With another year of college graduates dumping out into the job market, I thought it necessary to speak on this subject matter. I know they all need employment and I thought a few tips might help. Reports on the uncertainty of the current economy are dominating the headlines, and it's easy to allow those stories to weigh on you, especially if you are in the middle of drawn-out a job search. Instead of feeling helpless, remember that in any economy, companies need good people. And by fine-tuning your job-search strategy, you may be able to land a position that seems out of reach. Consider these job-search traps and ways to avoid them:

You put all your eggs in one basket.
If you're like most job seekers, you probably heavily rely on the Internet to help you in your job search. While the Web can come in handy – as a way to research potential employers, determine which companies are hiring and locate positions specific to your area, for example – it should be just one of the many tools you employ. Also consider scanning trade and business publications, networking with professional contacts and registering with a staffing firm to broaden your search.

You don't make finding a job a full-time job.
Sending out a handful of résumés a week is a lot like tossing a single bottle into the ocean and hoping someone responds to the message you left inside. To find a job, you must cast a wide net. It's a numbers game, and the more inquiries you make, résumés you submit and employment interviews you go on, the better your chances of success. Of course, these activities all require a significant input of time and effort, so set aside at least a few hours each day to focus solely on your job search.

You're less than perfect.
Believe it or not, even one typo or grammatical goof in any of your application materials could be keeping you from finding a new position. With dozens or even hundreds of candidates to evaluate, a hiring manager won't think twice about passing on the applicant who has five years of "word professing" experience. In fact, according to a survey by our company, 47 percent of executives polled said a single typo on a résumé could eliminate a candidate from consideration for a job opening.
Ask another person to review your application materials before you submit them. Taking 10 extra minutes to make sure everything is error-free can save you from spinning your wheels by sending out a flawed résumé.

You don't follow up.
One easy way to stand out from the crowd of applicants: Follow up with the hiring manager after submitting your résumé. According to a survey by our company, 86 percent of executives said job seekers should contact a hiring manager within two weeks of sending a résumé and cover letter. Yet few candidates do. Often a brief phone call or e-mail reasserting your interest in the position and strong qualifications is enough to cause a potential employer to revisit your résumé.

You fix too many 'problems.
'The average job seeker who has been on the hunt for a while usually responds to periods of little success by taking a cold, hard look at his or her résumé, cover letter, sources of leads and interview techniques. That's the wrong approach. Evaluating all aspects of your job search and revamping each one is like taking 10 medications for a minor head cold: It's a lot of extra effort and could cause more harm than good.

A better approach is to diagnose your specific job-search ill and focus on strengthening just that one part. Say you've gone on several interviews, but you still haven't received any offers. The problem likely exists solely with your interview skills – after all, your résumé and cover letter are drawing heavy interest from employers. Making significant changes to your application materials could cause other companies to overlook you. Instead, reviewing questions you've been asked by hiring managers thus far and practicing your responses with a friend could be all you need to land the next job.

You don't network.
The simple truth is that networking is the most effective way to find a new job. A referral from someone you know is likely to land you an interview with a prospective employer or, at the very least, move your résumé to the top of the consideration pile. Even if your contacts are unaware of any immediate openings, they may be able to introduce you to others who do have job leads.The best part about networking: It's easier to do than you think. Talk to friends, family members, former co-workers and supervisors, professionals you meet at industry events – even your doctor and dentist – about your job search. And, as more professionals are finding out, online networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can open up even more potential avenues for referrals.

You haven't registered with a staffing firm.
Registering with a staffing firm can dramatically increase the size of your network. The professionals who work for these companies have contacts throughout their industries and often know of job openings that are not being actively promoted. In addition, the staffing professional you partner with can handle much of the job-hunting legwork for you by distributing your resume, setting up employment interviews and keeping an eye out for promising opportunities.
Even during periods of economic uncertainty, there are jobs to be had, especially for candidates who have the right skills and qualifications. After all, companies are always looking for talented employees. By avoiding the above job-hunting traps, you'll be better able to demonstrate your value to potential employers and strengthen your chances of finding the job you want.

Peace and Blessings

How Can You Like Getting Old

Today, I will share with you a thought that was sent to me and so describes the way life should be looked at. I hope you find this as entertaining as I did for it surely speaks volumes of truth so sit back, read and enjoy.

Peace and Blessings !

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.

I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 :00 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.

I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

FRIENDS FOREVER!

I Wonder What's Happening to Black People in [Insert the Name of a U.S. State]

It really is annoying to know that Whites totally dominate the news media. Nowadays, I wait for little opinion pieces that sum up the events in America (from a Black perspective) as reported or narrated by Gil Noble every Sunday or by a guy who does 10 second commentaries on Kathy Hughes' cable channel, TV One. It just saddens and angers me that these are, basically, the only real television/cable opportunities we have where we get to hear about world news from our P.O.V.

I recently read (in a myspace bulletin) that Black conservative, J.C. Watts is planning to launch a 24/7 "Black" news station. My concern is, considering who's launching it; it may be more of a White news station (with Black faces). I think, given the racially bias way the White news media has handled the Clinton-Obama primary, White mainstream media has lost even greater respect and trust in the Black community. This "Black" news station (proposed by conservative J.C. Watts) may be a way for the biased White media to continue racial bias in reporting but now through a "Black" news station. I don't know... I guess we'll have to wait and see with that one.

In the meantime, I hope this station expands shows that do more news coverage. Nowadays, I don't even watch the major White news channels because of the racial bias and the wording of topics/events. There was a time when Black people had a nightly news show on B.E.T. But as the Black owner began to give up control of that cable station (just before selling it to non-Blacks), that news show was phased out.

As things grow more hostile toward Blacks in this country (blatant media bias, police brutality that seems to be condoned by the legal system, nooses found in places Black people congregate and/or work, etc.), how will we communicate to each other about what is happening? You know there's a saying that when you are in a war with a people, the first objective is to get rid of their ability to communicate with one another. Looking at the Black community, I suppose this tactic is also employed when stepping up the oppression of a people who are not even militarily equipped to defend themselves, let alone engage in a 'war' with the aggressor.

I just know that there are more people with cable/broadcast TV and radios in their homes than there are with regular internet access. And with this lack of Black-owned TV stations and news shows, plus a growing White corporate effort to get rid of community operated channels like MNN in New York, there is no way for many Black people to really know what is happening to Black people in California or in Kentucky like Whites can use the news media to keep up to date on what is happening to Whites in Washington or in Texas. And even when you can access the internet, you have to weed through numerous White perspectives (many of them racist and mocking Blacks) to get to valid, credible news items reported from a Black perspective.

Amazing and disturbing. You decide.

Peace and Blessings

Does God Exist

Today is Sunday so I would just like to share with you a little story I heard.
I hope you enjoy it.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go
out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?

If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.
I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he
didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with
long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the
barber shop again and he said to the barber:

"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they
did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed
beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist!
That's what happens when people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer.

"That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
That's what happens when people do not go to
Him and don't look to Him for help.

That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS !!!!!!!

Never Forget

It’s been my long standing tradition, obligation and duty as we approach this Memorial Day, to share my thoughts of this coming weekend. I do this in honor of every
Veteran who has proudly and honorably worn the uniform.

As we head into the long weekend, for many - Memorial Day now stands as only the “Official Start” of summer. Sadly I fear many have forgotten the true meaning behind this Holiday because all they think about is getting to their cookout, sporting event, beach house or some other destination.

I ask all who this message reaches, to remember those who have given their lives for this country and for the freedoms we continue to enjoy.

I ask you to remember those who have been seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and now recover from those wounds in hospitals around the globe.

I ask you to buy a new flag, display that flag at your home and teach your little ones (and not so little ones) what this symbol of a free nation really means? Teach them to appreciate and respect our flag.

Enjoy the company of your friends in peace, for when you open your beer or soda or flip burgers with your friends and family, keep in mind there are men and women in uniform today – serving around the world – that are protecting you, so you can enjoy your long weekend. This world has changed dramatically since 2001 and it’s because of what they do – that allows you to still enjoy these freedoms.

Put the politics aside - it doesn’t matter what your point of view is regarding the War. What matters is that you remember those who have fallen and those who are serving today in the sands, mountains, oceans and skies around the world.

There are people around this world who hate us for the freedoms we have. Yet those same people and governments will be the first to look to these United States to provide food, water, clothing and other support when there is a disaster. And who responds?? Those kids in uniform and they perform magnificently with courage, compassion and sense of duty.

Honor our men and women in uniform past and present, by being part of or attend a Memorial Day Observance in your town on Monday – May 26th.

Tell those who served in WWII – you appreciate their service to this country and remember all those who have served with the “Greatest Generation”.

Thank those Korean War Vet’s - the Vietnam Vets – those who served in Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Kosovo, where ever and when ever they were called to serve.

Thank and appreciate the service of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Understand - What you enjoy today was earned and continues to be earned every day by those who serve and those at home who support them.

Remember – Appreciate - Support

To the Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsman, Soldiers and Airman all around the world – I salute you for your service. I’m proud to be an American and we are proud that you are one of us.

History In The Making

Today's blog is going to take a slightly different turn. I took it verbatim from MSN news as I felt it was important to mark a historical milestone with factual information as opposed to my read on this subject matter so read and enjoy:

Barack Obama was poised to reach a major milestone Tuesday in the Kentucky and Oregon primaries — a majority of the elected delegates offered in the Democratic presidential contest — even as Hillary Clinton soldiered on despite her dwindling hopes.

Clinton was vowing to continue the fight through the last primaries in early June as polls opened across Kentucky, a state she was expected to win by a wide margin. Obama was favored in Oregon, where supporters delivered the largest crowd of his campaign on Sunday in Portland.
Regardless of who prevails in those states, Obama was assured that he would be able to claim the largest share of elected delegates who could be won in the long slog of votes since January.
The Illinois senator's campaign is touting the milestone as a big step toward ending the epic nomination battle with Clinton. Superdelegate sway having a majority of delegates elected in state primaries and caucuses could help Obama's case with undecided superdelegates — the party insiders who are not tied to primary or caucus results — to pick up the pace of their endorsements. Superdelegate support is crucial because neither candidate will have enough delegates from the remaining primaries to clinch the nomination without them.

Including superdelegates, Obama had 1,916 delegates to Clinton's 1,721 going into Tuesday's primaries in which 103 delegates are at stake in the two states.
NBC's national delegate count, including superdelegates, currently stands at 1,723.5 for Clinton and 1,905.5 for Obama.

[There are differences in how news organizations count delegates, how they award superdelegates, how they account for states that have held caucuses but have not yet chosen their delegates, and how they project the apportionment of delegates within Congressional districts where the vote was close. The Associated Press and NBC News conduct separate delegate counts.]

By early Wednesday, Obama could be just 50 to 75 delegates short of the total 2,026 needed to nominate a candidate at the party's national convention in Denver in late August.

McCain targeting Obama: Republican John McCain has already been targeting Obama in his campaign speeches as his likely opponent in the November election. On Monday the longtime Arizona senator accused Obama of inexperience and reckless judgment for saying Iran does not pose the same serious threat to the United States as the Soviet Union did in its day.
Obama has been increasingly presenting himself as the nominee as he looks ahead to the battleground swing states in the general election. On Tuesday night, he planned to hold a rally in Iowa, where he won the leadoff caucuses in early January.

Since Iowa, Obama has won 1,610.5 pledged delegates — leaving him just 17 short of a majority of the 3,253 pledged delegates up for grabs. He is sure to cover the gap in Tuesday's primaries because the delegates are allocated proportionately.
(NBC's pledged delegate count currently stands at 1,602 for Obama.)

Of the nearly 800 superdelegates, about a quarter of them have not declared support for either candidate. On Monday, Obama picked up six more superdelegates. Clinton added none.
Clinton has mounting campaign debts, but she vowed there was "no way that this is going to end anytime soon" as she campaigned Monday in Kentucky.

The New York senator soldiered on through event after event, ending her night Monday in Louisville before a crowd of several hundred, her voice raspy.
"There are a lot of people who wanted to end this election before you had a chance to vote," she said, husband and former President Bill Clinton at her side. "I'm ready to go to bat for you if you'll come out and vote for me."
Some of Clinton's female supporters urged Clinton in a full-page ad in The New York Times not to give up.
"We want Hillary to stay in this race until every vote is cast, every vote is counted, and we know that our voices are heard," said the Tuesday ad, paid for by the Women Count political action committee.

'Desire to unify 'But former Sen. Tom Daschle, a key Obama adviser, said now is the time for Democrats to coalesce behind Obama in order to defeat McCain.
"We want to begin the process of bringing this party together, and I think that over the last few weeks we've seen indications at virtually all levels in both campaigns that there's a desire to do that," Daschle told CBS's "The Early Show."
"That doesn't mean we're going to do it tomorrow or the next day, but clearly there is a desire to unify."

Obama, seeking to become the first black U.S. president, won the endorsement of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-serving senator in history and a former member of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan and one-time opponent of civil rights legislation.

Nationally, Obama holds his largest lead yet over Clinton in the Gallup Poll, 55 percent to her 39 percent. The poll, released Monday, was conducted among 1,261 Democratic voters and has a 3 percentage point margin of error. Back in mid-January, Clinton held a 20 percentage point lead in the Gallup Poll.

Obama campaigned Monday in Montana, where voters will join those from South Dakota on June 3 in dropping the curtain on the 2008 primary and caucus season.
The Illinois senator rarely mentions Clinton now except to praise her "magnificent" campaign. Instead, Obama sought to exploit McCain's ties to lobbyists, drawing a contrast between the Arizona senator's reputation as a reformer and his relationship to special interests in his campaign.

McCain recently adopted conflict-of-interest guidelines that led to the departures of several campaign aides due to their links to lobbyists. While campaigning in Georgia, he dared Obama to follow his lead on the guidelines.

Although Obama does not take money from federal lobbyists and political action committees, he does accept cash from state lobbyists and corporate executives interested in issues before Congress. He has had unpaid advisers with federal lobbying clients, and some of his campaign officials were lobbyists before.

After Tuesday, only three primaries remain on the Democratic calendar. Puerto Rico, with 55 delegates, holds its primary on June 1; Montana, with 16 delegates, and South Dakota, with 15, vote two days later.

Double Standard - Maybe ?

What is it with the double standard of the world we all live in today. Why is it right for people to take potshots at our black political candidates and just be able to apologize it away but everything said by anyone vaguely connected to the same black candidate or someone he might have know in his life automatically becomes his thoughts, ideals and morals. Point of reference - Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Of all the speeches and sermons he has preached in his career, white America latches on to 5 minutes of pieced together statements and all of a sudden Barack Obama shares his philosophies and ideals. That is the biggest line of B.S. I have ever heard. Follow me here.

During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.

“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

Obama supports extending the assault weapons ban, limits on gun sales, and a national law against carrying concealed weapons, with exceptions for retired police and military personnel.

UPDATE, 8:28 PM: Huckabee released the following statement regarding his comments Friday, according to the New York Times website:

During my speech at the N.R.A., a loud noise backstage, that sounded like a chair falling, distracted the crowd and interrupted my speech. I made an off hand remark that was in no way intended to offend or disparage Sen. Obama. I apologize that my comments were offensive. That was never my intention.

Is that it? Is that all we get. Why is not the world crucifying John McCain for hanging out with this clown. Could we safely say that his statement is representative of the whole Republican Party or even further, the whole Anglo-Saxon race. How can they say Rev. Wright speaks for all of the blacks and at the same time, the whites do not have an all inclusive spokesman.

There is a serious double standard going on and it has to stop. We live in America so I do believe in free speech but I also believe the playing field should be level. I do not like what Huckabee said but I have to respect his right to say it. As for Rev Wright, I believe the same. I would not have said it at such a crucial time and might have gone underground for the time being but like I used to say about O.J Simpson, "If he is guilty of the crimes, He should be punished, I don't know why he would have done it, But I understand"

Peace And Blessings

Blame It On My Head And Not My Heart

I forgot to mention in my blog this morning - Thank You to my Ace B-Luv for the hearts and flowers on his blogspot. it is nice to be appreciated. I want all of my readers to go to the sites I will list and give them some love. B's sister amber is an olympic caliber track and field star who is pursuing a spot on the next olympic team. Let's go folks, show her some support and chck out her spot.

ambercampbellthrows.blogspot.com

cbi5thgear.blogspot.com

See you all on Monday

Peace and love

Blacks and Whites Differ As Investors - Sharply

I am going to do something a little different today. Instead of writing my opinion on this subject, I will state some facts based on my research. Hopefully, it will help somone out there reading this entry. Enjoy and God Bless:

Americans' decisions about how to invest their money are as different as black and white. So says a new survey of African-American and non-African-American investors released exclusively to MONEY; it was commissioned by Chicago-based Ariel Mutual Funds and conducted by pollster Roper Starch Worldwide. The most intriguing finding in this first-of-a-kind nationwide mail survey is this: Black investors are often less willing than whites to take the risks necessary to achieve high returns from their portfolios.

The highlights:

African Americans aim for higher returns than whites on average, but their investment choices fall short. Blacks said they seek an average 14.7% annual return, more than three points higher than the 11.2% anticipated by non-African Americans. But African Americans are less likely than whites to have investments like stocks and stock mutual funds that are most likely to achieve such returns. "African Americans are often inhibited from plunging into the stock market because many of our parents and grandparents were not involved in investing.

Women are much more likely to call the financial shots in black households. Women are the primary financial decisionmakers for 21% of African-American married couples, while wives play that role for just 10% of white couples. "Particularly in African-American families, middle-class status is maintained with both paychecks," says Brooke Stephens, author of Talking Dollars and Making Sense: A Wealth Building Guide for African Americans (McGraw-Hill, $14.95). "Women are more involved because we've had to work just as hard for it."

African Americans are more likely than whites to rely on financial advisers and less likely to listen to friends or family members. "Since many blacks are first- or second-generation investors at best, there is no pattern of behavior to follow, so they often feel more secure relying on professional help," says financial consultant Daron Fullwood in Greenbelt, Md., who has a large number of African-American clients. That may explain why a full 54% of blacks surveyed said that they would rely on a financial adviser or planner when making savings and investment decisions (vs. 46% of whites). By contrast, 31% are inclined to ask friends or family for money advice, compared with 39% of whites.

Based on the poll results, experts we've interviewed offer these three tips to help African Americans increase their wealth--their median net worth ($4,418) remains a mere fraction of whites' ($45,740)--and approach the high returns they anticipate:

Boost your ownership in stocks and stock funds. Start by investing through your employer's professionally managed 401(k) or 403(b) retirement savings plan. If you want to buy individual stocks, consider joining or starting a local investment club.
If you want to hire a financial planner, choose one who understands your needs and financial temperament. For referrals, call a trade group like the International Association for Financial Planning (800-945-4237) or the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (800-366-2732). Interview at least three certified financial planners, and be clear about your primary goal.

Even if ethical investing and seeking stocks with integrated management are important to you, don't lose sight of profit performance. According to the survey, blacks are twice as likely to favor socially responsible investments as whites. And 51% of blacks say the diversity of a company's management is very important when they invest; only 10% of whites feel this way. Socially conscious mutual funds tend to underperform their peers, though comparisons are difficult since many of these funds are new.

The top performer, Domini Social Equity Fund (800-762-6814), returned an admirable 17.95% a year on average over the past three years. But remember: If you're going for 14% returns, you're better off scrutinizing a company's earning potential and its strategic plan than, say, its diversity. A company's work force might be black, brown and white.

But the only color that pays is green.

What Is The Race Card ?

The majority of people of African descent, living in America, do not have the luxury of compartmentalizing our collective experience here in America, beginning with forced immigration, enslavement, the Black Codes, Jim Crow, and after slavery, in modern times, the long list of inequalities and abuses that have been brought down upon our heads as a result of who we are and our past relationship to those in stewardship, of non African descent, in America, when we express our feelings, beliefs and concerns over our past and for our as yet to be known futures in America.

Many Americans find it difficult and it makes them uneasy to hear a perspective that does not reflect the experiences of their own. It's difficult to understand another's perspective if one can't hear the speaker because one doesn't like what the speaker is saying.

Race, in America, has remained a divisive force among many Americans, not because America's citizens of African descent speak of it; because the society has never reconciled itself to the reality that for centuries, those of African descent lived in a world so different, with many continuing to do so, it would seemingly require, literally, a physical transformation and, as that saying attributed to caretakers of the land before the establishment of European colonies here, the ability to 'walk in another's moccasins'.

Numerous studies and reports, regarding societal development along separate paths in the United States, including the report from the Kerner Commission, commissioned by President Lyndon B. Johnson, have been conducted over the past few decades that indicate all that has transpired in America, since its inception, has shaped the psyches and consciences of all in America, Black and White, resulting in divergent view points on many things due to our life experiences.

The African slave trade and the system of chattel slavery became major sources of wealth for Europe. Estimates of the number of Africans taken from the continent during the nearly five hundred year period, including the East Coast Slave Trade, carried on by the Arabs of the Middle East, reaches beyond 30 million, taking into account all the European nations involved in the transport of Africans.

As Europe emerged out of the times known as the Dark Ages and as it recovered from the loss of life during the plague that came to be known as the Black Death, the wealth generated from the transport of Africans and their enslavement allowed Europe to continue to rebuild, seeking new, previously unexplored territories outside of Europe.

All who partook of the wealth generated during the slave trade received a leg up, economically, at the expense of lowering an entire continent of people to the status of less than human for those purposes.

I hear and read, nearly on a nonstop basis, the admonition to just 'get over slavery'. Our lives here right now are representative of our ancestors somehow grabbing hold to their belief in a Creator and against so many odds, including choosing not to take their own lives out of heartbreak and despair, who lived to continue, despite their hardships and struggles, in spite of slavery, so that each generation reaped the benefit of the succeeding generations' struggles, propelling us forward until we've arrived here.

One of the silliest notions that exists, whenever anyone of African descent speaks of historical matters that occurred due to America's history and how it viewed race, is that the speaker is playing the 'race' card.

For most within the African American community, the 'race' card is not some trump card that helps you 'win' any discussion or debate. Virtually every time, whenever race is mentioned by an African American, nearly every discussion veers off course, with the speaker being called out for expressing a belief based on their life experience.

This is not a unique set of circumstances or occurrences to be spoken of in our community. Is speaking of these incidents somehow playing the 'race' card? I'm sure many would most likely say it is.

In reality, that imaginary 'race' card? It's more like the Old Maid card in the children's card game of that same name because, if you're an African American, when you get stuck with that card in your hand at the end of the game, you lose.

I Paid $3.94 A Gallon And Think I Am Pissed

Embrace the memory of the average $3.21 cents we paid for each gallon of regular unleaded gasoline purchased Memorial Holiday weekend in 2007. The chances are we'll pay a lot more this year and the years after that.

Abandon your conspiracy theories, your worries that global oil companies are gouging us at the pump. For the record, they are. It's the kind of profiteering that accompanies any crisis -- war and rumors of war, hurricanes, or other actual or imminent disasters.

What the oil companies are doing isn't moral. Nor is it illegal. But it is business.
Crises usually are profitable for people positioned to exploit them; and they usually are costly for those who aren't. When it comes to oil and the motor fuels it provides, we're in a crisis. We've been in a crisis for nearly 30 years now.
But the only times we've paid attention to it were during those rare, for us, seasons of gasoline shortages, such as the spot shortages that occurred in the United States in the early 1970s. What we now regard as high gasoline prices -- laughable in the rest of the developed world -- have also gotten our attention.
We're upset. Life is unfair. Someone has taken away our cheap gasoline. It just isn't right.

Damn those oil companies and their lackeys in the automotive industry, especially in Detroit, who busily are churning out gas-guzzling trucks when everybody knows that all we've ever wanted in the United States were fuel-sipping sedans such as the gas-electric Toyota Prius. Never mind that Toyota got the money for the Prius through highly profitable sales of models such as the Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Sequoia and FJ Cruiser sport-utility vehicles. Never mind that Toyota, hungry for the dollars that Detroit has been raking in on sales of big pickup trucks, is going after that particular cash pile with its new, super-powerful, quite fuel-thirsty Toyota Tundra CrewMax pickup truck.

Fie on those Detroit companies! They have no interest in producing fuel-efficient vehicles. Never mind that they've been doing exactly that for decades in other parts of the world where gasoline isn't dirt cheap. Never mind that they tried on numerous occasions to do the same thing in the bigger-is-always-better United States, much to their fiscal distress.

And on that point, never mind that any American who wanted a car that could get at least 30 miles per gallon could have done so, most certainly, in the last two decades. But year after year, according to U.S. automotive sales histories, those cars lingered at the very bottom of the market regardless of whether they came from Japan, the United States or Europe.

But I digress. I was writing about the crisis. It is this: Despite all of the happy talk you hear from lawmakers who have fooled themselves into believing that the next big exploitable oil reserve is bubbling just beneath the surface of our national will to pump it from the ground or the sea, despite profound media hand-wringing over the putative sins of the oil industry or their cronies in the car business, despite the inane congressional tendency to try to avert an energy crisis by making the car companies produce more fuel-efficient vehicles while asking consumers to do nothing except sit and wait for gasoline prices to come down, world oil production cannot match the trajectory of demand.

No magic turn of the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) oil wheel is going to alleviate that problem over the long term. No amount of U.S. military boots on the ground of someone else's oil-producing country is going to ultimately alter the inevitable outcome of rapid global consumption of a finite resource.

What is odd -- indeed what is scary -- is that there are so many Americans who don't get this, who don't believe it, who think that a quick fix is just around the corner. When you think about it, our mindset about oil is very much like that of a crack addict desperate for his or her next fix: "There must be some around here somewhere. I've got to have it. What must I do to get it? Whom must I kill? From whom must I steal?"

It's a useless pursuit.

We consume 20.8 million barrels of crude oil per day. But we daily produce only 5.2 million barrels of that amount within U.S. borders. We use 25 percent of the total oil and gasoline consumed in the world -- substantially more than any other country, including those that have no fuel economy rule. But we believe that fuel economy rules alone -- effectively shifting the burden of fuel conservation to the car companies while leaving the consumer side of the equation virtually untouched -- will solve our problem.

It's time to face up and fess up: We're high on cheap gasoline. Our current distemper is caused by the reality that in a world that loves the stuff as much as we do and that is beginning to use it with a profligacy that matches our own, we're going to have to pay much more to get it.

There is not an inexhaustible supply of oil. There is not now, nor has there ever been, and nor will there ever be an inexhaustible finite resource. Get over it. Let's start withdrawing now. Let's face, share, and manage the pain. Let's deal with our own greed either by using only what we need or paying more of the real price for using more than what is needed. Yeah, carbon and horsepower taxes, and congestion pricing to control the egregious fuel waste in urban rush-hour traffic jams.

When it comes to oil, it's not going to get much better than this.