SUPPORT SARAH KREAGER AND TAKE BACK THE MTA!!

It's high time that Baltimore City government heard from white folks that we're sick of the lousy job they do. Black middle schoolers are allowed to rampage through the MTA system and terrorize white people and not a squeak from them about a hate crime. Yet, if the situation were reversed, Sharpton and Jackson (Jesse and Michael both, God help us) would descend on our filthy crime-ridden town.

Tell them enough is enough!!

I'm still trying to organize this, something which I've never done, so bear with me:

UPDATE: 2007Dec29
The hearing was moved up to today, Dec 29, 2007, with no advance public notice of which I am aware. I'd have attended had I known. The Baltimore Sun reports that the Baltimore's Attorney's office is refusing to file hate crime charges, instead asking for a trial delay. The trial date is now January 31, 2008. In January 4, 2008, there will be a hearing on the disposition of home detention of the children who put Kreager in the hospital. I plan to be at both the hearing and the trial. I hope as many other protesters as possible will as well.

Something has to give in this city, and this looks like an excellent place to start.

Let's show up, pack the courtroom, and fill up Calvert street to ensure that people of all ethnicities are allowed to safely use public transportation!

Stay tuned!

California, Ohio Find Big Probs with E-Voting Machines

Techdirt: Ohio Finds All E-Voting Machines In The State Had Serious Flaws:
"Earlier this year, California found all sorts of problems with e-voting machines used in the state. Now, Ohio, home to some of the more controversial stories surrounding presidential elections, has also found serious flaws in every e-voting machine used in the state. It's the usual stuff that has been pointed out for years: it was easy to pick locks on the machines, introduce fake votes, and load up dangerous unauthorized software onto the machines. Not much new there -- just another confirmation. What's much more interesting is the reaction of the firms involved."

Taxes - Already it begins

Repeal sought for computer tax -- baltimoresun.com

Unlike most other parts of the tax package, the computer services tax got little public vetting. Support for the proposal only coalesced in the final hours of the legislative session, effectively giving the industry no chance to object.

"I feel like I got into a ring and got smacked around without any warning, without any chance of a hearing, any chance of a discussion -- just boom, here it is," said Larry Letow, who owns Convergence Technology Consulting, a 30-person systems integration company in Glen Burnie.

The result of the rush to enact the tax will be a levy that is impossible to enforce, opponents say. John Nyland, IBM's senior executive in Maryland, said much will depend on whether the tax will apply to Maryland consumers buying services from companies in neighboring states or vice versa.

"If Maryland consumers have to pay the tax to in-state companies but not when they hire out-of-state companies to do that work, it puts the Maryland tech companies at a disadvantage," Nyland said.

Julie Coons, chief executive officer of the Tech Council of Maryland, said Connecticut's computer services tax has been fraught with disputes over its enforcement. She said two other states, Pennsylvania and Florida, approved similar taxes but quickly repealed them in the face of administrative difficulties.

Quote Details: Oscar Levant:

Quote Details: Oscar Levant:
"The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too. Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)"

PC World - Business Center: Are the Government's PCs Antiques?

PC World - Business Center: Are the Government's PCs Antiques?:

"Young IT workers in the U.S. government believe technology is obsolete by the time it is rolled out and are concerned that they can't get the experience they need because some functions are outsourced, according to a focus-group report released Monday.

A group of technology interns at the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) also said cost-cutting in the U.S. government limits their ability to innovate, and they raised concerns that the more veteran IT workforce isn't oriented toward information sharing, according to the report, released by Telework Exchange, an Alexandria, Virginia, group that promotes telecommuting among government workers.

"

Aren't You Glad the Democrats raised your Taxes?

State OKs $1.35 million to restore Arundel ice rink -- baltimoresun.com

More MD Fascism

Casey Foundation Fights Md. Over Land Seized for Highway - washingtonpost.com:
"The bigger issue: The foundation, its attorney said, doesn't want to sell and thinks the state has no right to the property.

Bethesda lawyer Robert Park said the foundation wants to keep the property along Schaeffer Road, west of the South Germantown Recreational Park, as one of its many real estate investments. The state's powers of eminent domain, which allow it to seize private land for public use, he said, don't extend to taking property to mitigate a highway's environmental harm.

"They don't want to sell the property," Park said of Betty B. Casey and other trustees. "The state doesn't have the right to take this property."

The Maryland Political Backroom - Why I Despise Them

O'Malley Increases Influence With Wins on Taxes and Slots - washingtonpost.com:

Less clear, as O'Malley (D) and bleary-eyed legislators celebrated at a bill-signing ceremony yesterday, were the wider political ramifications of pushing through $1.4 billion a year in tax increases during a frantic three-week session called to solve the state's chronic budget problems.

"How it plays politically is still up in the air," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery). "Will people recognize it as hard choices that had to be made or as government run amok? But by any measure, the governor did an incredible job pulling it together. He was buttonholing people. He was schmoozing people. I don't know if he was threatening people. At points, it was ugly, but it was certainly an impressive effort overall."

By the time they adjourned shortly after 2:30 a.m. yesterday, lawmakers had raised the state's sales, corporate income, tobacco and vehicle titling taxes. And they had overhauled the personal income tax system, which will result in high-end earners paying more.

The legislature also embraced O'Malley's proposal to hold a referendum on legalizing 15,000 slot machines, a truce on an issue that had poisoned the relationship of the legislature's two Democratic presiding officers and had ended in stalemates when Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) was governor.

Lawmakers voted to ... expand access to government-subsidized health care and to raise an additional $400 million a year for transportation priorities.

[Lawmakers said] little was explicitly promised in exchange for legislators' votes. Rather, they said, O'Malley and other administration officials would outline what programs and projects would be possible with new revenue from slots and tax increases as well as the consequences of budget cuts as an alternative. Lawmakers said they were also left with the general impression that administration officials would remember who helped them.

In some cases, inducements were offered. The Prince George's County delegation secured the promise of state funding for its hospital system.

More Spending Rather than Cutting: Another Reason Why YOU should vote them all OUT!

They were supposed to be working on the budget, but the black caucus (racist by any measure, because by its definition white lawmakers aren't allowed in) managed to get public funding for their political fundraiser. I think that's illegal.

What a a mess; vote them all OUT!

House OKs slots companion bill in early morning -- baltimoresun.com:
"Tension and frustration built throughout the day as a series of delays -- including a break for the Legislative Black Caucus to attend a long-planned fundraiser -- pushed debate off for hours."

Universal Health Care: Hand Out, or Hand Up?

I was thinking about last night night's Democratic debate, and the Democratic candidates in general, and Hillary Clinton in particular, and her views on health care. She's been after some form of universal health care since forever, and if anyone recalls 1993, they will remember her closed-door sessions where even physicians were not allowed in.

Considering the impact universal health care will have on the economy as a whole, I have decided that this is not only a bad idea for the country, but a policy that will keep people enslaved to poverty forever. Here's why:

Universal health care is an idea based on compassion. Not that Clinton is compassionate, she's not; this kind of talk is simply her stock and trade to accomplish her ambitions. But to think that everyone living in an advanced industrialized country should have free access to the health care system irrespective of their wealth is a noble idea.

On the other side is what we have today: that one works for their health care; that, through their employment, they have health insurance as a benefit of their employment.

Note that, under Federal law, no one can be turned away from health care. Presenting one's self to an emergency room with any form of injury or sickness will result in being seen by a doctor. If you've ever spent any time in ERs, as I have, you'll quickly see that many people in urban areas use emergency rooms as their primary care facilities. I recall one individual who took up the doctor's time with a pain in his knee which had persisted for over a year. He was treated, gratis, under Federal law.

Anecdotes aside, in consideration of what is in the best interests of the economy, and the people as a whole, which is better, supplying your own health insurance, or letting the government give you their version of it?

We have many people who persist to live in poverty, for one reason or another, either lack of ambition, or infirmity, or laziness; pick a reason, there are many. Under Clinton's plan, all these will receive health care gratis, paid for by those who work (while we all pay for our own health care to boot). Remember, health insurance through one's employment is seldom 100% free; one must pay something.

Should universal health care become official policy, what is the impetus for one to get employment, or get a better job, or rise within the social ranks?

There are many other things that come with having the kind of employment that give one health insurance. Personal satisfaction and the good mental health associated with it is one, but in economic terms one will see an immediate emergence from poverty, with (hopefully) no need to use drugs nor commit crimes that support them, nor any of the other negative things associated with poverty. Oh, and did I mention that tax revenue will increase, as well, because these folks are now paying income tax? That should interest the Democrats to no end.

I think it's easy to see that the negative impacts of poverty, and indeed poverty itself, is supported through universal health care, simply because the requirement to work for one's own good is removed.

Consider also the concept of opportunity. There's no question that poverty is a persistent problem; what to do about it? It's not government's job to hand things out to people, but it is certainly good economic policy to see that a playing field rich with opportunity exists. These opportunities translate into wealth for all concerned, including health care for the worker, and an expansion of the health care industry itself, creating new opportunities within that field as well. It's a snowballing effect.

But to a politician, nothing sounds as good as, "here you go, here's something for free."

We just never seem to learn that "free" ain't free.

They're still spending!

House panel votes on budget cuts -- baltimoresun.com: "...The House also has put off voting on a health care bill that appears to have strong support. The $600 million plan, which could reach the full House floor on Tuesday, would expand Medicaid eligibility to reduce the number of uninsured people in Maryland -- up to 800,000 by some counts. The measure also includes about $20 million a year in subsidies for small businesses that aren't currently offering insurance to their employees.

So let me get this - in a time when we're 1.7 BILLION in the hole, the sitting Legislature is going to spend $600 MILLION - or 35% of that deficit - to insure people now not insured? Wrong time to do that, guys. It's nice to know that, without asking any constituents, elected reps have decided to increase the state sales tax by 20%, when they could have reduced the deficit by 35% in one felled swoop by voting against this plan.

"...The House already has voted for the revenue part of the budget deficit plan. House members worked into Sunday morning to approve a tax plan that would raise about $1.4 billion. About $1 billion was approved to pay for the deficit and roughly $450 million was set aside for transportation projects."

So they decided to increase taxes by $1.4 BILLION to pay for the deficit, while at the same time increasing spending by 35% of the very deficit that the special session is supposed to control. And forgetting to ask the constituents as well. How about some legislation control?

How Democratic, how Maryland!

Who's looking out for you?

I just saw the latest news concerning the debacle that is the Maryland Special Session 2007. Here are excerpts from the article, reprinted without permission, with comments below each interesting point:

From Saturday's Sun

Lawmakers craft competing tax plans

House, Senate divided on individual, corporate levies

By Laura Smitherman and Andrew A. Green

Sun Reporters

9:54 PM EST, November 9, 2007

...Nine Democrats joined all 14 Senate Republicans in voting against the plan. Critics decried the tax proposals and called for more spending cuts. They said the tax measures would be a burden on lower-income and middle-class families, and would drastically affect spending habits, inhibit business and even discourage people from living in the state.

The next time you think only Democrats have the bests interests of the working people at heart, remember this.

"It's clear that every Marylander is going to pay more, significantly more," said Sen. David R. Brinkley, the minority leader from Frederick County.

"Sen. Bobby A. Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat who voted against the tax bill, said many elements did not seem well thought-out. "To throw things against the wall and see if they stick is not the way to do this," he said.

"But the Democratic-controlled chamber voted to limit debate, ending any hopes for a lengthy filibuster, and the legislature appears headed toward compromise on a package that raises taxes, curtails some spending and boosts health care programs and transportation projects.

"...A late addition to the bill was the so-called "snowbird" provision. It would define a Maryland resident as someone who lives in the state for more than three months, instead of six months under current law, and subject them to the state income tax.

Do you realize that this subjects these people to the income tax of two states - say, Florida and Maryland? That's just not fair. And I'm not sure it's Constitutional, either.

Supporters say that it would ensure that residents who spend most of the year outside of Maryland in lower-tax locales, mostly in the Sun Belt, carry their share of the tax burden. They contend it could raise as much as $60 million. Opponents, however, say the bill unfairly targets retirees, including some on fixed incomes, and would prompt residents to abandon Maryland entirely.

Once again, the Republicans have it right.

"The House and Senate also are at odds over proposed changes to corporate taxes.

"A House committee endorsed increasing the corporate income tax to 8.75 percent, and the House included in its legislation a corporate tax law change known as "combined reporting" aimed at preventing big companies from hiding profits out of state.

"Business leaders quickly criticized the corporate tax measures. A study commissioned by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and other groups found that increasing the corporate income tax to 8 percent and implementing combined reporting would cost more jobs than any other tax changes the legislature is considering. Business groups point out that Virginia's rate is 6 percent and North Carolina's is 6.9 percent.

"Karen Syrylo, a tax consultant for the chamber, said combining the two -- and increasing the corporate tax rate to 8.75 percent -- would be "very, very, bad." She added: "Underline 'very.'"

"It's a huge detriment," Syrylo said. "Our biggest competitors are Virginia and North Carolina."

See my previous post on how this is a bad thing for the working people of Maryland, and why it will increase crime.

"But Sean Dobson, the director of Progressive Maryland, said the House is moving in the right direction. "The corporate income tax has not nearly kept pace with robust corporate profits, so it seems to us the corporate community can do more to help us get out of this deficit," he said."

The thing that politicians never seem to get is that it's a percentage! That means that as the profits increase, so do the taxes - percentage, remember? Maryland democrats simply won't be happy until they get it all. But they'll end up with none; their stupidity will drive these businesses to other states.

"The Senate would extend the sales tax to computer services and arcade games, while dropping a proposal to add landscaping services. The House would extend the sales tax to auto repair and to parking garages, while doubling the hotel tax."

The inner harbor has already lost considerable convention business to high room rates. This exacerbates the problem. What are they doing down there?

"...We seem to be so concerned about, as the governor calls them, the working poor, and it seems to me they're going to be the people who are going to own cars that are 10 or 12 years old and break down more often," said Del. D. Page Elmore, an Eastern Shore Republican. "This will be a tax on the working poor."

And again, the opposition has it right. Who's more compassionate?

"...But Republicans said the bill was a hollow gesture because the governor is not required to follow the spending guidelines. "We're pretending that we're making significant cuts in the budget to set up the tax increases," said Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican.

"On Thursday, the Senate approved a plan to hold a referendum in November 2008 on whether to allow up to 15,000 slot machines at five locations around the state, which now also goes to the House for consideration."

Can we hold a referendum on whether or not they all - especially the Governor - keep their jobs?

Please have a look at the original article and decide for yourself.

UPDATED: How Maryland Legislators are Increasing Crime, or Why our Lawmakers are IDIOTS!

As we speak, Maryland lawmakers are locked in debate over not whether to, but which and how much to raise various taxes on all people in MD. This comes with the backdrop of an energy cost increase of 50% several months ago, with the balance of a 72% increase on the way. And another bump in that rate was approved just this week. Gasoline is up by approximately 50% in the last 3 or so years, with more increases on the way; $4.00 per gallon by January is not out of the question (check gasoline prices at AAA and trends). Natural gas is expected to cost homeowners an additional 25% this year. Housing prices continue to spiral downward, so the option of selling one's house to "downsize" is not an option. Many people will be lucky to escape foreclosure as it is (article2). Tax revenues are down, as are all economic indicators for the health of the state's economy. Retail sales are way off. Clearly, all Marylanders, especially those at the bottom of the income scale, are feeling the squeeze.

The MD Legislature is currently aiming its sights at the Democrats' most beloved target, the Evil Corporations. How naive. These companies are the engine that provide the power for an energetic economy. That Democrats in Maryland don't understand this is very telling of their rank ignorance of basic principles of economics. So let me lay it all out:

One of two things, or maybe both, will come of the Democratic Legislature's actions:

Corporations operating in Maryland will be forced to raise their prices to offset the new taxes (you didn't think they'd simply absorb them, did you?). This in turn will cause fewer of their items or services to be sold, because those goods are then less price-competitive. Marylanders, also, can less afford them, because they are paying higher taxes and fees across the board as directed by the new taxes coming from this special session. The decrease in business will cause these businesses to need fewer of the widgets they make, which will mean they require fewer workers, who must then be laid off or fired. Unemployed people don't pay taxes, so this in turn will result in less taxes paid to the government; in fact, more money will be paid out from the government in the form of unemployment, welfare and tax credits. And the budget deficit that the taxes were supposed to fix will only get deeper, but with it will go the depth and breadth of the poverty of Marylanders.

Alternatively, corporations will move to other locales with a more favorable tax structure. They will close their doors, fire Maryland workers, and move on to more prosperous (shall we say, "greener?") fields. The ultimate results of which are outlined above.

Now consider this: we discuss incessantly that the major causes of crime are poverty and lack of opportunity. So if there are fewer jobs and higher costs of living, how are people going to survive? It's easy: they'll be forced to steal, or rob, or sell drugs, or do other sorts of crimes just to get by.

Do you think this is far-fetched? It's happened before. Quoted from a study on crime and poverty in Antebellum Boston (Morse. African Americans In Antebellum Boston. :

• Crimes such as theft, robbery, assault, and murder should merit some attention in matters of linking poverty and crime. These crimes are potentially fueled by the lack of goods and the need to obtain those goods. Theft and robbery are directly related to poverty for obvious reasons. Assault and murder can only be linked when there is an intention to rob.

Read this article on how those in poverty use crime as a risk-coping strategy. And, there's other thought that crime causes poverty, making it all a vicious circle.

In short, civilization decreases as a factor of opportunity and hope, plain and simple. Too bad Americans don't do revolutions, like the Russians in 1917. One of those in Annapolis would be interesting...

We live in a time when our economy as a whole is perched in a very precarious position. Governor Oaf'Malley and the rest of the Maryland Legislature who follow him have a very good opportunity to push our local economy well into a recession, if not a flat-out depression. At the least, we can expect crime numbers to go up across the board. We can also expect many families' lives to be ruined by these retarded tax-and-spend policies by the Oaf"Malley Administration.

How that benefits anyone (other than the Governor being able to say, "I balanced the budget") will have to be explained to me.

Protesting the Maryland Sales Tax Increase with my Wallet

The dust hasn't settled on this yet, but I'm madder'n a wet hen over the mere thought of raising taxes in Maryland. Mostly, I'm angry because no one in the capital listened to the voters.

As a protest, I plan to make as few purchases in-state as possible. I will be doing all of my Christmas shopping online, and plan to buy anything else that I need online, outside of Maryland and with companies that do not charge MD tax. I hope others will do the same. Remember, MD is a small state, and trips to PA and DE are not all that long.

If you're making purchases for computers and electronics, I highly recommend Newegg.com. They offer excellent prices, and very fast processing and shipping. In some cases, I've had my purchase within 24 hours. And, they are reasonable about returns.

Let's see how they like that in Annapolis.

Vote them ALL OUT

To use a medical metaphor, when one has a deadly cancer, all of it must be cut out or it will return to infect more.

I am urging all Marylanders to vote out ALL incumbents in the next election, bar none. I, for one, am sick of them refusing to listen to us. We put them there. And if we leave even one incumbent behind, I fear he or she will poison the new crop with the same cancer that we have come to accept as government.

Considering the budget for state government, it's simple arithmetic: the more the Maryland state government gets, the more it will spend. I was discussing the matter with my state delegate yesterday, and he told me his interest was in efficiencies in government. That's a nice thought, but if that's so, how can government become more efficient if they are constantly rewarded with ever-higher funding, stemming from ever-increasing taxes? The way to force government to be efficient is to cut their funding, and then let's watch them do the same job with less money. You know, I'll bet we'll all be surprised at how well a job they do.

I am sick of politicians taking political credit for doing a "good" job when they take the people's money and spend it. You guys want credit for doing something good? Then take credit for doing as you were directed to do, in our representative government.

I believe that anyone with even a modicum of common sense can do a better job than these career politicians that we have now. Therefore, I will not vote for any incumbent. I want fresh blood down there in Annapolis. I hope you agree.

________________________________________________

Senate passes tax plan -- baltimoresun.com: "'It's clear that every Marylander is going to pay more, significantly more,' said Sen. David R. Brinkley, the minority leader from Frederick County.

Senate Republicans and some Democrats railed against the tax proposals and called for more spending cuts. But the Democratic-controlled chamber voted to limit debate, ending any hopes for a lengthy filibuster.

Under the Senate bill, the sales tax would rise from 5 percent to 6 percent, the tobacco tax would double to $2 per pack of cigarettes and the corporate income tax would increase from 7 percent to 8 percent. The chamber jettisoned O'Malley's proposed reduction of the state property tax, and largely rejected his proposals for making the personal income tax structure more progressive."

Hillary in Drag? by Thomas DiLorenzo

Read this awesome article on the motives and reasons behind the taxes of the Teflon Leprechaun, Governor Martin O'Malley. The article is written By Thomas DiLorenzo, Economics Professor at Loyola College in Maryland.

Hillary in Drag? by Thomas DiLorenzo:

"...But that was not nearly enough for the Teflon Leprechan, whose inaugural address was filled with 1930s-era class warfare talk about the undeserving rich in the state, the haves and have-nots, the evils of corporations, bla, bla, bla. And all of a sudden, out of the blue, the state bureaucracy announced that, lo and behold, they are 'projecting' a $1.7 billion budget deficit. 'Huh? Where did that come from?', was the initial response of almost everyone.

"It came from 'projected' massive spending increases on the black hole of government-run school monopolies, which is essentially a giant payoff to the teachers’ unions that were instrumental in getting O’Malley elected and has nothing to do with 'education' per se. Like all other states, the more Maryland spends on its rotten government schools, the worse they get in terms of student performance."

Why Baltimore is the Crime capital

Low turnout, no surprises expected in city elections - Topix: "Theodore R. McKeldin, elected in 1963, was the last Republican Baltimore voters sent to the mayor's office. The last Republican elected to the City Council was in 1939, the year the classic film The Wizard of Oz premiered."

So much crime, from so few

Concerning the "Jena 6," I heard someone say that "blacks are criminals." A very harsh thing to say. And untrue.

I'm not one of those who believes that anyone is inherently criminal. But I do believe that the civil rights movement and blacks' unrelenting connection to it has painted them into a corner. And it's all about exploitation.

From the 1960s, an industry was built based on so-called "civil rights." The right to vote, the right to an education, the right to pursue your own life, yes, all of those things are well and good and entitled by God, and affirmed through the U.S. Constitution. But what emerged from the 1960s were people who found that they could make one hell of a good living riding the back of prejudice. Enter the NAACP, the ACLU, and others.

PROFESSIONALS
I'll save everyone a recap of the last 40 years. In the now of 2007, we see an attempt to return to the glory days of civil rights, this time with an exploitation of people and situations. A look at the Jena 6 flap is revealing.

The usual suspects of the civil righteous - Sharpton, Jackson, the NAACP, et.al. - have come out of the woodwork to flex their skin tone and get Mychal Bell released - regardless of what he has done. They're even applying pressure on the Louisiana governor to do so. In hearing their rhetoric, Bell has never done anything wrong, despite evidence that long before the Jena 6, Bell had been in trouble with the justice system (Bell was adjudicated in at least 3 violent crimes prior to the troubles at his high school, leading to his receiving harsher treatment than the rest).

I, for one, don't think for a moment that the aforementioned care a whit about Bell. They see him as a platform to further their "cause," which, by the way, is also their profession. Remember that.

With so much to gain personally, the questions to start asking concern the civil righteous' motives and intent.

INTENT VS RESULT
We can't know what's in someone's head as to intent. But what we can know are the results of actions: assuming Bell gets off from all charges (and considering the politics of the case, there's a good chance he will), he'll still be guilty of crimes, yet free from prosecution, free to commit more crimes.

Because blacks tend to self-segregate, Bell will in all likelihood return to this culture and be committing his crimes in that "'hood," against other blacks. Multiply this times any number of other people you care to, and we start to see why there's so much crime in black communities.

WORLDVIEW
Whites view another white's criminal actions as a very bad thing, and want to see that individual judged on his individual behavior, and punished accordingly. This is in concert with the overall message of the Bill of Rights - everything based on the individual. However, blacks seem to view another black's prosecution symbolically; that all blacks, including themselves, are being prosecuted for the actions of a single one. Of course, it's not the case, but this would explain why black juries tend to dismiss horrendous actions of other blacks in the face of walls of evidence. O.J. Simpson and blacks' hysterically joyous reactions to his freeing is a case in point.

SELF-INJURY
So there we have it: blacks want other blacks freed from the perceived racial injustice of the "white" justice system. However, they victimize themselves when these people return - unpunished, unreformed and unrepentant - to their lives in the black community, to the very places where these jurors live.

Blacks need a better distinction between "prosecution" and "persecution," lest they be taken advantage of by the prostitution of the likes of Sharpton, Jackson, and the NAACP.

Teen at center of 'Jena 6' case back in jail - USATODAY.com

Teen at center of 'Jena 6' case back in jail - USATODAY.com: "LaSalle Parish Judge J.P. Mauffrey sentenced Bell to a secure juvenile facility for 18 months for two prior cases said activist Al Sharpton, who had been working to release Bell. Bell, 17, was convicted earlier this year on a simple battery charge and for property damage in cases unrelated to the beating of the student.

"I call upon the Governor of Louisiana, who has the overseeing powers over the juvenile criminal justice system to meet with us to immediately intervene on this obviously biased decision by the same Judge," Sharpton said in a news release Thursday night."

Who else think that Bell should be released, but only under Sharpton's direct and personal supervision, meaning Bell has to reside in Sharpton's home with him?

More proof Bush is an idiot

FOXNews.com - Death Penalty Case Puts Bush and Texas at Odds Over Mexican's Fate - Local News |

The case of Jose Ernesto Medellin has become a confusing test of presidential power that the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears the case this week, ultimately will sort out.

The president wants to enforce a decision by the International Court of Justice that found the convictions of Medellin and 50 other Mexican-born prisoners violated their rights to legal help as outlined in the 1963 Vienna Convention.

That is the same court Bush has since said he plans to ignore if it makes similar decisions affecting state criminal laws.

"The president does not agree with the ICJ's interpretation of the Vienna Convention," the administration said in arguments filed with the court. This time, though, the U.S. agreed to abide by the international court's decision because ignoring it would harm American interests abroad, the government said.

Texas argues that neither the international court nor Bush has any say in Medellin's case.

Medellin was born in Mexico, but spent much of his childhood in the United States. He was 18 in June 1993, when he and other members of the Black and Whites gang in Houston encountered two teenage girls on a railroad trestle.The girls were gang-raped and strangled. Their bodies were found four days later.

Medellin was arrested a few days later. He was told he had a right to remain silent and have a lawyer present, but the police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate.

Medellin gave a written confession. He was convicted of murder in the course of a sexual assault, a capital offense in Texas. A judge sentenced him to death in October 1994.

22 homicides in a month brings 'chaos' - Examiner.com

22 homicides in a month brings 'chaos' - Examiner.com:
"“What we need is people’s outrage toward the violence in the city to be directed toward working with the police to put an end to it,” Clifford said. “This young man was shot in broad daylight along a busy street. There should be a line of people waiting to tell police what happened and what they saw.”"

And herein lies the problem: no outrage, except for the petty, juvenile silliness that took place in Jena, Louisiana. Especially telling, the young man shot in broad daylight was a student of Morgan State University, the same place where students mobilized and took a civil rights party train to Louisiana. They should have walked down to City Hall and protested the shootings. Stupid.

Filmmaker's excess political donations draw fine -- baltimoresun.com

Excess political donations draw fine -- baltimoresun.com: "Robinson used 20 corporations in which he is the sole stockholder to give $34,000 to Gov. Martin O'Malley's campaign, $58,000 to Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown's campaign and $33,000 to Peter Franchot's campaign for state comptroller. Robinson also contributed $4,000 in his name to Franchot's campaign."

On Congress

We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex--but Congress can.
- Cullen Hightower

Televised Debates

Here's a quote from comedian Gallagher that I thought was well-applied to televised political debates:

"Don't you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked 'Brightness,' but it doesn't work. "

How black liberals (subliminally) view America?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars? -- baltimoresun.com:

"Republican front-runners weren't the only things missing from the presidential debate stage. The American flag was AWOL, too.

"The backdrop to the "All-American Presidential Forum," brought to you by Tavis Smiley and PBS, was a map of the United States, superimposed with a checkerboard of multicultural faces.

"Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, one of the presidential hopefuls, asked debate organizers to get Old Glory up there, too, according to Chris Cavey, first vice chairman of the state GOP.

"Cavey was acting as an escort for another candidate, Tom Tancredo of Colorado, and heard Hunter's request over his earpiece about half an hour before the show began.

"Escorts were wired. I heard [in the earpiece], 'Congressman Hunter is requesting a flag on stage,'" Cavey said.

"Request denied.

"Forum organizers also did not return calls seeking comment.

"The buzz among some Republicans was that organizers thought the flag might "offend" some members of the audience."

Baltimore's voter turnout is lackluster at 28%

City's voter turnout is lackluster at 28% -- baltimoresun.com: "Though state officials had been predicting a paltry 30 percent of Baltimore's 331,987 registered voters would cast ballots in Tuesday's citywide primary, late in the day it seemed hitting even that would be a stretch.

"City election officials estimated that 82,921 ballots were cast at polling places Tuesday, representing about 28 percent of registered Republicans and Democrats."

And consider this: Maryland now offers convicted and released felons the opportunity to vote. There are about 50,000 ex-felons now re-enfranchised. [UPDATE: Sheila Dixon won the primary with fewer than 50,000 votes cast for her, total.]

Here's the part that should scare you: It's no stretch to see how they could not just influence an election, but actually put in place their own candidate, with such low numbers of the law-abiding turning out.

Larry Craig, we hardly knew ye.

I'm not sure what to think about Idaho Senator Larry Craig. The media certainly painted him as getting busted doing homo-trolling in an airport men's room. However, after hearing the post-arrest interview recorded by the policeman who nabbed Craig, I'm not so sure that's so.

During the interview, the cop very much minimalized the offense by saying something on the order of "pay the fine, and that's it." Because the only thing they could agree on was that their shoes touched under the stall divider, Craig characterized the event between the cop and he as "entrapment." It seems it may be so, if Craig is to be believed. If one man's foot touches another, is that playing footsie? Of course, maybe the rules change when the pants are down. But a reflection on context may be in order, and maybe because the cop was looking for something, he mischaracterized innocent events as something else.

That an interview was even conducted under such circumstances, and that the cop berated Craig, saying he was "disappointed," and "no wonder we're going down the tubes," has me scratching my head. This just ain't kosher.

Craig did his dumbness by admitting guilt. I mean, that might take the prize for Stupid Acts by Congressmen, and that's takes some doing. Then, when the news hit Washington, the sharks came on in a feeding frenzy.

The surprise were the Republicans. It's going to be a tough election year for them, so it's no wonder they were antsy. Still, their vociferousness in denouncing Craig was a little off-putting. Doth the ladies protest too much?

The hypocrisy is still stinging. All over American politics are scandals and closet-skeletons, so much so that were should be used to them by now. Just discussing homosexuality and Congress, the first recollection should be the Democrats gay PooBah, Barney Frank. Remember, he had a live-in boy-toy that was a hooker running a gay prostitution service from Frank's residence. But the Dems rallied around him; they had the etics probe, but Frank survided the reprimand. That was what, 2 decades ago? And Frank is still there.

Guilty or innocent, Craig's situation really doesn't matter. We The People will never know the truth, anyway, would have never known the truth, and at the end of the day, Craig wasn't shacked up with a gay pimp running a homo brothel at his crib.

I'm just trying to figure out which is worse, and why one is forced to resign, while the other is held in high regard.

Politicians really live in a different world than the rest of us.

John Edwards and SUVs: Do the Math

John Edwards and SUVs: Do the Math:

"The Detroit Free Press (and just about every other media outlet on planet Earth) reports that U.S. presidential hopeful John Edwards wants you to surrender your SUV. Speaking at a forum sponsored by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Mr. Edwards said if he was (emperor) president he would (order) ask Americans to (turn in) give up their gas-guzzling SUVs and 'drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.' Of course, the millionaire friend of the working class didn't address the exodus' impact on the United Auto Workers, or how he might dispose of all these abandoned vehicles.

On a related topic, Edwards defended his $6m energy-sucking 28,000-square-foot mansion by saying he's worked hard all his life and has always supported workers– especially those who built, clean and maintain his energy-sucking 28,000-square-foot mansion. (OK, I added that last part.) And all those people who worked hard to buy a gas-sucking SUV? Apparently, that's different."

Appropriate Endorsements

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House hopeful Hillary Clinton has raked in several high profile endorsements as she campaigns for president, but the latest may not be greeted with open arms.

Heidi Lynne Fleiss, the former 'Hollywood Madam' who was convicted on charges connected to her prostitution ring, is a big supporter of the New York Democrat's White House bid, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports."

President Ronald Reagan once said something relevant about this topic:

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."

How the Republicans let us down

I don't think either party is worth a damn, actually. They're both interested in power and position, and nothing more. Statesmanship is dead. However, the current miserable state of affairs is what we have, so we must live with it.

With that said, here in the US we have a two-party system which out of necessity must be oppositional. I'm not sure why people in the 18-35 year-old category get riled about this, especially those with edumacation. Opposition and contrast is the core of deconstruction, itself the core of postmodernism which they hold so dear. But young, so-called politically aware people complain mightily about gridlock in Congress. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, the only way that good ideas worthy of legislation should ever get out of that mess. In my view, the problems come when the two parties work together; then we don't stand a chance.

The Democrats are what they are, and will always be: the party of Wealth Redistribution. They claim to be for the common man, but no one ever seems dismayed by the hypocrisy that nearly every one of them in Congress is a career politician, has almost never held a real job, and yet they're mostly all millionaires. Last I checked, jobs in public service don't pay that well.

So the Democrats are as they have been since Moses. But the Republicans... Yes, they're millionaires all right, but they're the party of Wealth Reclamation; we expect them to be so. On the surface, this seems to be a clear contrast, but not so. I mean, what happens when a bunch of millionaires (on both sides of the aisle) get together? They talk about how they can make more millions. And so we have our political system.

The Repubs are different in so far as really coming from wealth, and unlike the Democrats make no bones about the silver spoons which fed every orifice. So, they're not as hypocritical as the Dems, and even try to find ways to make and keep more money. If others in the lower classes come along for the ride, that's fine by them.

The Dems, on the other hand, want the lower classes to remain so, because that's their power base. And when people start getting into upper tax brackets, their interests suddenly shift to - you guessed it - Wealth Reclamation.

So this good for Republicans, right? Wrong. They still fail us. Why? Because they play into the Dems game of trying to make a "pleasant" or "nice" candidate loved by all. In doing so, they fail to offer a viable oppositional candidate. They mean to, but the Repubs end up doing the same song and dance as the Democrats, shift their positions to suit the largest poll, verge on lying and sometimes flat out fib. All of which makes them look all the more disingenuous - like the Democrats. This rightfully confuses the masses, who themselves are, I'm sad to say, not politically astute.

People want, need and will vote for someone in whom they can have faith, whose performance gives us pride in our nation, and, simply, is honest; someone who will make hard choices but choices that are for the good of the US and its citizens. But every time, we get the same thing: a promise to break from the past, a promise of more and better things to come for everyone, things which are just not possible. These things are plastic-spoon-fed to us. And like suckers, we lap it up, or at least accept it, every time.

Either party could succeed handily, and maintain that success, all they have to do is stop playing games and treat The People like adults. We can handle it.

But that's how dumb they are. And we are.

More on this later... I need a clove cigarette...