From The Washington Post: Lynching's Legacy

Quote: "But for me, James Cameron, who died at 92 on Sunday, nearly 76 years after he survived a lynching attempt in Marion, Ind., symbolized something more. His story to me is a family tale, a family legend. Family shame."

I can understand anger at the memory of a lynching, but shame?  I don't get it. - Barry

No Excuses

52 Projects: Simple Things You Can Do Right Now To Jumpstart Your Writing Efforts:

Somebody at the whitehouse...

... was asleep at the wheel. Thank God!

UPDATE: Video can be found no Google here. Looks like the version on YOUTUBE has been taken down.

The Neo-Reverend Ike

"Although the New Birth congregation sponsors many valuable social service ministries I do not perceive that the congregation or its pastor have been on the front line of the struggle to transform conditions for the poorest of the poor in Atlanta or in the nation. Indeed, I think that it is fair to say that the Bishop represents a new style of pastoral leadership. I refer to it as the 'entrepreneurial ecclesial executive,' who embraces capitalism and prosperity while urging followers to be pious and hard working. By contrast, King called for fundamental changes in the way capitalism operated, and demanded that a just society protect the 'truly disadvantaged.'"

Note: The curator of this blog regularly waxes apoplectic over what he considers the less than desirable state of "Modern Black (Religious) Leadership" Fortunately Dr. Franklin takes a much more measured and scholarly approach... along with the high ground.

Oh, Is THAT All...

Kilpatrick, Patterson discuss region: "'Racism is the elephant in the room no one will talk about,' the council president said. 'You can't deal with it by talking about it all the time or being overly sensitive. Part of what people have to do is just be cool.'"

We're A Long Way From "Dancing On The Ceiling"

"National columnists - LEONARD PITTS JR.: That's entertainment? Now even pathetically crude are stars"

To view this article on the Detroit Free Press site, go to:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006603280330


Rather, I mean this sense that propriety is dead, that popular culture crosses lines now for no reason other than that lines are there. No point to prove, no cause to fight, no raison d'etre. Nihilism, narcissistic and pure.

Oh I See, It's Sort Of Like A GED

Spending Measure Not a Law, Suit Says: "...last month, Washington threw all that old-fashioned civics stuff into a tizzy, when President Bush signed into law a bill that actually never passed the House. Bill -- in this case, a major budget-cutting measure that will affect millions of Americans -- became a law because it was 'certified' by the leaders of the House and Senate."

Oh Really?

10 Year Old Plagarist | Reuters.com: "'It's a mini drama for her. She did not realize it had been written by someone else,' a member of the competition jury said Tuesday. 'It started as a school project and was followed by many events ... probably she just forgot.'"

Buck Owens Was The Man

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Country singer Owens dies at 76: "Country singer Buck Owens, who had a string of US hit records, has died at the age of 76."

I used to be a HUGE HEE HAW fan. "Where where are you tonight..."

I'm Guessing She's Been Called Worse

WOOPS

A radio personality at 550 KTRS was fired on the spot this morning after using the word “coon” on the air in a conversation about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue. Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go."

I BETTER GET MOVING

NAT TURNER - BY KYLE BAKER

Feingold's Censure Resolution

 An excerpt:

Whereas the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978

permits the Government to initiate wiretapping immediately

in emergencies as long as the Government obtains

approval from the court established under section 103 of

the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50

U.S.C. 1803) within 72 hours of initiating the wiretap;

You can't find time to acquire court approval 72 hours after the fact?  That's just lazy.

 

Full text here: http://factcheck.asc.upenn.edu/UploadedFiles/Censure%20Resolution_S398.pdf

 

- Barry

Loved The Book, Will Probably Catch The Movie

Peter David's Thoughts On V FOR VENDETTA

"However, I'm wondering if the film is going to get slammed because some will perceive it as glorifying, or at least justifying, terrorism. Will V, hiding away in his Shadow Gallery while planning his acts of destruction and murder, be liked to bin Laden entrenched in a bunker somewhere scheming to destroy hubs of industry? Will the producers of the film be accused of siding with terrorists and tacitly endorsing their activities? I'll be interested to see."

More Toys!

Fontifier lets you use your own handwriting for the text you write on your computer.
It turns a scanned sample of your handwriting into a handwriting font that you can use
in your word processor or graphics program, just like regular fonts such as Helvetica. http://www.fontifier.com/ref?1032

Re: Go Stagga Lee! Go Stagga Lee! - He Said Then I Said

David Roberts Wrote:
FYI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagger_Lee
But someone please explain the significance of Stagga? Isn't this just one drunk bruh shooting another?

Then I said:
Well yeah, so?  A similar statment could be said of Pat Garret and Billy The Kid: "One white guy who shot another one."  It's a folk tale. For me it's a part of my childhood. I've heard "The Legend of Stagger Lee" for as long as I can remember.  I've always considered it "just a folk tale", but it looks like there is some historical basis for it according to the wiki entry and the OGN. Always got a kick out of the song.  It always seemed sad and funny at the same time.  Lloyd Price's rendition always seemed so earnest for the subject matter - man shoots another man over a hat - it made me laugh.  But Billy's plea for his life had a haunting quality.  The story always resonated with me as I know similar incidents that happend to be true.

Note: BTW, Dave and I are old friends and compulsive beer drinkers, I mean, debaters.

Go Stagga Lee! Go Stagga Lee!

Image Comics and creators Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix have provided Newsarama with a 15 page preview of Stagger Lee, a 205 pg black and white OGN [Original Graphic Novel] due out in May.

Click here for a preview
 (http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/
StaggerLee/StaggerLeePre.htm )

My life is now complete - Barry

Another Nudge I'm Trying To Ignore

A FEW MINUTES WITH: The candle man: "You could work all your life in an office, behind a desk, finding comfort in your regular paycheck.

Or you could -- at age 50 -- quit everything and start making candles.

You could rent a commercial loft in the heart of Detroit and become a one-person production line, melting wax, pouring it into jars, adding scents and colors and wicks. Then you could name each candle after something in your city and write a little history to explain the name.

You could create a slick Web site and persuade a half-dozen Detroit stores to display your product.

And a year after you struck out on your own, you could find yourself feeling like Carl Allison: healthier and happier, even if a little lighter in the wallet."