Congressman Wexler to File Resolution Censuring President Bush for Commuting Libby's Prison Sentence

I agree with Congressman Wexler, It was an unconscionable abuse of authority - Yes, but it was legal!



Here is what Congressman Wexler wants to do:

(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) has drafted and will file a Congressional resolution censuring President George W. Bush for his egregious and politically motivated commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence. The censure resolution, which is attached below, will be formally introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday July 10, 2007 when Congress reconvenes from the 4th of July recess. More HERE

Race or Color Aurosal?

Do you agree with Dr. Helan Enoch Page, Associate Professor, Anthropology Department, UMass, when she wrote - Racism is an ideological, structural and historic stratification process by which the population of European descent, through its individual and institutional distress patterns, intentionally has been able to sustain, to its own best advantage, the dynamic mechanics of upward or downward mobility (of fluid status assignment) to the general disadvantage of the population designated as non-white (on a global scale), using skin color, gender, class, ethnicity or nonwestern nationality as the main indexical criteria used for enforcing differential resource allocation decisions that contribute to decisive changes in relative racial standing in ways most favoring the populations designated as 'white.'

Dr. Helan Enoch Page
Associate Professor
Anthropology Department
UMASS-Amherst
Distributed at the American Anthropological Association in 1993.


If you agree with Dr. Page, then my question to you is, do you believe that African American born an raised in America can be racist? Is there a race fallacy? Is there anything really called Extreme Color Aurosal or is it just white privilege un-pure and not simple?

Check out:
The Definition of Racism
Written by: Dr. Helan Enoch Page

Racism is a global system of material and symbolic resource distribution management more comprehensively defined, in accordance with each of the following principles:

Principle I. Racism is an ideological, structural and historic stratification process by which the population of European descent, through its individual and institutional distress patterns, intentionally has been able to sustain, to its own best advantage, the dynamic mechanics of upward or downward mobility (of fluid status assignment) to the general disadvantage of the population designated as non-white (on a global scale), using skin color, gender, class, ethnicity or nonwestern nationality as the main indexical criteria used for enforcing differential resource allocation decisions that contribute to decisive changes in relative racial standing in ways most favoring the populations designated as 'white.'

Principle II. The aim of this peculiar post-1492 stratification process has been to aggregate an upwardly mobile and putatively 'white' racial group that is stratified internally and that strives to validate its own ascendancy using a shifting range of 'white' cultural practices which are defined as 'white' not on any presumed biological basis, but on the basis of "ideological whiteness"--a field of racial discourse and representation.

Principle III. The conceptual content of this historic and politically-charged discursive field is sustained by racial agents who in many ways articulate and justify the suppression of "ideological blackness" (and every form of non-whiteness this may entail) which may be accomplished by many formal and informal means of institutional domination, routinized interpersonal interactions, cultural imperialism, or by any other racialized means of information control.

Principle IV. As a generative principle of racism, "ideological whiteness" refers to a dual behavioral process entailing enactments of identify formation and resource access legitimation, both of which were practices once overtly recognized as aspects of "white supremacy," but which now may be more subtly and covertly reproduced as an observable and routine set of implicitly prescriptive, but explicitly disavowed white supremacist beliefs and practices to which all who identify as 'white' (or who behave as 'whitened') are expected to adhere--especially white males--if they wish to maintain their own racial standing as members of these two privileged 'white' groups and assert their negotiable right to privileged resource access.

Princple V. Collectively, the 'white' and/or 'whitened' members of this racially privileged global population tend to bolster their shared political intent to impose patterns of restricted resource access on racially subordinant populations, and aim to preserve their presumably non-negotiable right to prescribe, and even dictate, lessor resource access rights for certain upwardly mobile members of the 'non-white' population whose internalized racism, reliable complicity, and carefully scrutinized willingness to cooperate with racial dominates is always required and rewarded.

---

[This is an updated and extended 1999 version of a detailed definition of racism developed by Dr. Helan Enoch Page (Associate Professor, Anthropology Department, UMASS-Amherst) and distributed at the American Anthropological Association in 1993. This short manuscript has been cited in several publications including books, dissertations and will be cited soon in a forthcoming book by Pem Buck (1999 or 2000), called: "Work Your Fingers to the Bone: An Anthropological History of Whiteness and the Elite in Kentucky": Temple University Press. Anyone is free to use this definition as long as Dr. Page is credited for its development and for its influence on any analyses or practical program stemming from its use].

Racism a definition

Racism

Do you agree with the defintion of racism outlined (below) by Dr. Helan Enoch Page?
Is Racism is an ideological, structural and historic stratification process to keep people of color down? Is racism just another word for white privilege?
or just Affirmative Action for Whites? does any of this contradict the APA Position Statement on Color Arousal? If you agree with the defintion of racism created by Dr. Helan Enoch Page, then I have another question for you. Can African American (Black born and rasised in America) be racist?


Definition of Racism
Written by: Dr. Helan Enoch Page

Racism is a global system of material and symbolic resource distribution management more comprehensively defined, in accordance with each of the following principles:

Principle I. Racism is an ideological, structural and historic stratification process by which the population of European descent, through its individual and institutional distress patterns, intentionally has been able to sustain, to its own best advantage, the dynamic mechanics of upward or downward mobility (of fluid status assignment) to the general disadvantage of the population designated as non-white (on a global scale), using skin color, gender, class, ethnicity or nonwestern nationality as the main indexical criteria used for enforcing differential resource allocation decisions that contribute to decisive changes in relative racial standing in ways most favoring the populations designated as 'white.'

Principle II. The aim of this peculiar post-1492 stratification process has been to aggregate an upwardly mobile and putatively 'white' racial group that is stratified internally and that strives to validate its own ascendancy using a shifting range of 'white' cultural practices which are defined as 'white' not on any presumed biological basis, but on the basis of "ideological whiteness"--a field of racial discourse and representation.

Principle III. The conceptual content of this historic and politically-charged discursive field is sustained by racial agents who in many ways articulate and justify the suppression of "ideological blackness" (and every form of non-whiteness this may entail) which may be accomplished by many formal and informal means of institutional domination, routinized interpersonal interactions, cultural imperialism, or by any other racialized means of information control.

Principle IV. As a generative principle of racism, "ideological whiteness" refers to a dual behavioral process entailing enactments of identify formation and resource access legitimation, both of which were practices once overtly recognized as aspects of "white supremacy," but which now may be more subtly and covertly reproduced as an observable and routine set of implicitly prescriptive, but explicitly disavowed white supremacist beliefs and practices to which all who identify as 'white' (or who behave as 'whitened') are expected to adhere--especially white males--if they wish to maintain their own racial standing as members of these two privileged 'white' groups and assert their negotiable right to privileged resource access.

Princple V. Collectively, the 'white' and/or 'whitened' members of this racially privileged global population tend to bolster their shared political intent to impose patterns of restricted resource access on racially subordinant populations, and aim to preserve their presumably non-negotiable right to prescribe, and even dictate, lessor resource access rights for certain upwardly mobile members of the 'non-white' population whose internalized racism, reliable complicity, and carefully scrutinized willingness to cooperate with racial dominates is always required and rewarded.

---

[This is an updated and extended 1999 version of a detailed definition of racism developed by Dr. Helan Enoch Page (Associate Professor, Anthropology Department, UMASS-Amherst) and distributed at the American Anthropological Association in 1993. This short manuscript has been cited in several publications including books, dissertations and will be cited soon in a forthcoming book by Pem Buck (1999 or 2000), called: "Work Your Fingers to the Bone: An Anthropological History of Whiteness and the Elite in Kentucky": Temple University Press. Anyone is free to use this definition as long as Dr. Page is credited for its development and for its influence on any analyses or practical program stemming from its use].

Source: euro american.org

Defend America

"Your service is needed. We need for people to volunteer to defend America."

George W. Bush, July 4, 2007

Olbermann Comment on Libby Pardon "Bush Should Resign"

Negative, Violent Music has to go!

Every Penny Counts

The publisher of African American Opinion has taken a stand against demeaning and violent music. He says he is taking a stand against gangster and other forms of negative rap music. Inspired by a recent post by fellow AfroSphere Blogger, Gem at What About Our Daughters and her report on the efforts of faith based leader, Dr. Michael Pfleger in Chicago.

The publisher of African American Opinion decided to reach out to the larger community to say enough is enough. He plans to place 5 strategic billboards like the ones in Chicago into 5 urban areas of America, including Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Detroit, Baltimore , and Los Angeles.



His blog has now partnered with ChipIn.com to raise funds to place the billboards in those cities. All funds raised will go directly to the advertising effort. He is urging other bloggers to place one of the widgets on there website or blog (hat tip Angry Independent) to assist in the effort. The African American Opinion blog publisher says, "If all goes as expected, we plan to make it a national effort to have billboards in every urban area throughout America urging our youth to boycott rappers who degrade our young girls and women, excite violence and disgrace our communities."It's time to "Do the WRITE thing."

Rev. Micheal Pfleger a respected Chicago faith leader has stepped to the plate, African American bloggers should take a look at what he is doing. To obtain a widget to place on your blog or website, just go to the ChipIn.com widget on African American Opinion blog and click copy. Then copy and paste the information onto your sidebar.

You can contact African American Opinion publisher via email at: AAPublisher@gmail.com for more information regarding when the billboards will be up and what locations.

Dont forget to visit the ChipIn website at: africanamericanopinion.chipin.comMake a contribution. Every penny counts.


Do you think Rap Music is all popped out? Are the declining Rap Music sales pointing to a disaster for music industry? Should we really care about the music industry?

Advertisers Flee Website Promoting Latest BET Show, “ Hot Ghetto Mess”

Another Hat Tip to Gem at, What About Our Daughters? Her blog, What About Our Daughters? asked advertisers to remove advertising form BET’s “ Hot Ghetto Mess” promotional page,. Less than twenty-four hours later, BET was forced to remove prominent banner ads which had flashed advertising for State Farm, The Home Depot, Yum Brand’s KFC, Target, AT&T, and Daimler Chrysler. Both State Farm and The Home Depot said that BET had erred by placing their company’s ads on the “ Hot Ghetto Mess” site without their knowledge or permission.

Read more at What About Our Daughters

America’s Apartheid Schools - Racial Resegregation

Martin Luther King’s dream has now been deferred.

The ghost of the old George Wallace

2007 America’s Dread Scott decision against black children

The extreme (supreme) courts colorblind ruling can’t see the truth. Clearly the Extreme (supreme) court is involved in color-arousal or what is termed by many as institutional Racism. Yes the Extreme Courts segregationist approach to matters of race has taken us backwards after 50 years.

African American Blogger, Francis Holland is furious about the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning Brown v. Board of Education. He is now determined to propose an alternative to separate and utterly inferior white supremacist apartheid schooling for Black children.Francis writes, “Considering that even before this decision half of all Black children were leaving school before completing the twelfth grade, effectively boycotting the white supremacist apartheid schools, I predict and support and encourage that the result of this week’s decision will be that Blacks will immediately begin an organized boycott of all of America’s white supremacist public apartheid schools.” Read his blog post:

Blacks to Boycott America’s Public Schools

by Francis Holland

see USA Today chart

Whereas the US Supreme Court, in its decision in Parents Involved In Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 et al has overruled and eviscerated its previous decision in Brown v. Board of Education that nominally ended America’s “separate but equal” apartheid doctrine under which Black children were routinely educated separately and unequally, and

Whereas even before this most recent decision, Harvard University researchers and others determined that, “After greatly increasing desegregation of public schools a generation ago, the United States public education system is now steadily consolidating a trend toward racial resegregation . . .” New National Study Finds Increasing School Segregation

More HERE


OK, Now that the Extreme Court has decided to send us back over 50 years. What should black folks do?

Reverse Racism in Mississippi?

Federal Judges, Politics, and Racism

There appears to be an attack on black folks by Federal judges. Not only has the Extreme Court told black folks your black children cannot sit next to our white children now a Federal judge in Mississippi has charged a Mississippi Democratic Party organization with illegally suppressing white residents’ votes. This is what a federal judge ruled Friday, This is the first case in American history filed by the U.S. Department of Justice Department alleging that whites were subjected to voting discrimination based on their race.

Wapo reports U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee ruled that Ike Brown, chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Noxubee County, violated the Voting Rights Act by issuing different procedures for collecting and counting absentee ballots from white and black voters. The executive committee, also found liable in the case, is responsible for administering Democratic primaries in the county. Ike Brown, Chairman of the Demorcatric Executive Committee of Noxubee County is having none if this, he says:

“preposterous” that the Justice Department would claim that blacks, who faced 135 years of discrimination by whites in the state, are now oppressing whites.

What do you think about these court decisions? Are we under attack? Are we moving backwards?

New Orleans from Black to White

View of New Orleans - How to Destroy an African-American City

Hat Tip thefreeslave

Blogger, The free slave has a great post on the AfroSpear blog regarding Bill Quigley's , Urban
removal post. for those of you who have not been on AfroSpear blog your missing a great opportunity to learn about what is going on with bloggers of African descent.

The free slave writes; The Black Commentator columnist Bill Quigley is a law professor and director of the law clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University New Orleans. This article appeared first in The Black Commentator.

Step One. Delay. If there is one word that sums up the way to destroy an African American city after a disaster, that word is delay. If you are in doubt about any of the following steps—just remember to delay and you will probably be doing the right thing.

Step Two. When a disaster is coming, do not arrange a public evacuation. Rely only on individual resources. People with cars and money for hotels will leave. The elderly, the disabled and the poor will not be able to leave. Most of those without cars—25 percent of households of New Orleans, overwhelmingly African Americans—will not be able to leave. Most of the working poor, overwhelmingly African American, will not be able to leave. Many will then permanently accuse the victims who were left behind of creating their own human disaster because of their own poor planning. It is critical to start by having people blame the victims for their own problems.

Step Three. When the disaster hits, make certain the national response is overseen by someone who has no experience at all handling anything on a large scale, particularly disasters. In fact, you can even inject some humor into the response—have the disaster coordinator be someone whose last job was the head of a dancing horse association.

Step Four. Make sure that the president and national leaders remain aloof and only slightly concerned. This sends an important message to the rest of the country.

Step Five. Make certain the local, state, and national governments do not respond in a coordinated, effective way. This will create more chaos on the ground.

Step Six. Do not bring in food or water or communications right away.

This will make everyone left behind more frantic and create incredible scenes for the media.

More HERE

Law is king, Not George W. Bush

I enjoyed reading the post of these 3 bloggers who address the hypocrisy of America and George Bush in 3 different, yet connected ways. dnA at Jack and Jill Politics points out Scooter's is Lucky He Isn't Black. dnA writes; "In order to understand the sheer hypocrisy of George Bush's decision to commute Scooter Libby's sentence so that he serves not one moment of jail time, one must understand the vast amount of people whom George W. Bush sent to their deaths as governor of Texas."

Blogger, Dr Scott's Pulp Culture reviews how George Bush commutes Scooter Libby's sentence so that he serves not one moment of jail time. Here's Skippy to remind us that while the traitorous "Scooter" Libby won't spend a hour in jail, a guy who sold pot has been sentenced to 55 years in jail:

Thirty-two months ago, a young marijuana dealer from Salt Lake City named Weldon Angelos was sentenced to 55 years in prison after a paid informant testified that during three drug transactions Angelos wore a gun on an ankle holster.

While no evidence was ever presented regarding the gun, the mere allegation had been enough to turn what would otherwise have been a relatively minor state case into a big-deal federal prosecution. The reason? Under a well-meaning but poorly written provision of the federal code 924(c), if a drug dealer has a gun during the deal serious mandatory penalties kick in. It's a good law when applied to a drug kingpin armed to the hilt with automatic weapons. It's a lousy and expensive law when applied to a low-end street dealer dabbling in a few thousand dollars of marijuana. After all, in a country with over 250m privately owned guns, it's not as if drug dealers have a monopoly on showing up to work armed. More HERE

Blogger Brent Budowsky wonders if, on hislast day will Bush pardon himself and Cheney.
He writes;

"Congress should call the leading constitutional authorities in the nation, and devise a series of subpoenas to directly call the president and the vice president to testify on matters that could involve violations of law. This would lead to a historic test case that would decide, once and for all, whether Thomas Paine was right when he stated that in monarchies the king is law, but in America, the law is king." More HERE


These 3 bloggers are all on point. Brent Budowsky has some great ideas regarding next steps. One has to wonder if the Congressional Black FOX Caucus or any of the presidential candidates are willing to commit to the next steps. Any thoughts about this continued American disgrace?

CNN YouTube Debates

On July 23rd, CNN will host the latest installment of the democratic presidential debates in Charleston, South Carolina. As a promotional campaign, CNN in conjunction with YouTube will be accepting questions for the candidates in the form of 30-second video clips, from which the CNN political team will choose the most creative and compelling videos to present to the candidates.

--

This summer and fall, YouTube, CNN and a few engaged and engaging citizens will make political history by having the presidential candidates answer questions submitted via YouTube videos.

The first debate will feature the Democratic candidates on July 23rd in Charleston, South Carolina. Submit your question for the Democrats between June 14 and July 22 (the earlier the better). The CNN political team will choose the most creative and compelling videos, and if yours is one of them, you may get the chance to fly to Charleston to watch the debate live and offer your reactions afterward on YouTube's political video blog, Citizentube.

So if you've always wanted your voice to be heard, now's your chance -- grab a camera and get rolling.

Here is a link to CNN – YouTube Debates homepage, where you can submit your questions.

http://www.youtube.com/debates

Four Women Are Sentenced in Attack on Man in Village

Lesbian convicted for Self Defense

All-white jury convicts Black women

I learned about this unfortunate case on the The Free Slave blog. I had to research this case and found this additional information on the Four Women who were sentenced in attack on man in village - Hat Tip: The Free Slave.

The Free Slave says: This case is clearly political. ‘We can’t have women - of any color - believing they can mete out street justice to sexist, homophobic men - of whatever color.‘ These women were assaulted and battered by a black homophobic male - yet, they were convicted of the crime. Read about the incident HERE let me know what you think. Is it political?

Also Hat tip: Susie Day for her post, Killer Lesbians Mauled by Killer Court, Media Wolfpack

Four more Black girls just went bad. Young, 19 to 25; from Newark or surrounding neighborhoods; “troubled” families; having babies while in their teens – you’ve heard it all before. The reason you’re reading about this bunch is that they’re lesbians – “killer lesbians,” “a wolf pack of lesbians,” say the media. They’re not martyrs or heroes; they did something stupid that got them sentenced to prison. They stood up for themselves.

“Man Is Stabbed in Attack After Admiring a Stranger,” wrote the comparatively well-mannered New York Times last August 19th.

The Manhattan district attorney says Patreese Johnson, one of the four, was the stabber. He charged her with attempted murder, and Johnson, Renata Hill, Venice Brown, and Terrain Dandridge with felony assault and gang assault. The man assaulted was Dwayne Buckle, 29, who, seeing the “gang” on the corner of 6th Avenue and 4th Street in Manhattan’s West Village, singled out Johnson because she was “slightly pretty.” He claimed he said, “Hi, how are you doing?”

Johnson, Hill, Brown, Dandridge, and three other women — a “seething sapphic septet,” according to the New York Post — had just gotten off the train from Newark, looking for a little fun. Being young, they knew the odds of fun were better in the Village; being lesbians, they knew fun was not to be had in the streets of Newark, where, four years earlier, 15-year-old Sakia Gunn was knifed to death by men who thought she was cute — until she told them she was gay.

Although what happened between these women and Dwayne Buckle was caught on surveillance cameras, there isn’t one newspaper account that doesn’t, somehow, conflict with the others. Dwayne Buckle, a “filmmaker” or “sound mixer” or “dvd bootlegger” -– depending on your news source -– evidently said more than “Hi”. The women contend he pointed to Patreese Johnson’s crotch and said, “Let me get some of that.” When Johnson answered, “No thank you, I’m not interested,” he told Johnson that he could fuck her and her friends straight. More HERE

The New USA, The United States of Africa?

Finally, a conversation about African Unity. it appears that the worst President Ever, may be a uniter after all. He has caused many Africans and African Americans to discuss the serious possibility of working toward a United States of Africa. The BBC is covering the story closely, as is the United States. Here at home, in America, The AfroSpear is following developments closely.

Here is a recent post from by asabagna at The AfroSpear:

Beginning on Sunday 01 July 2007, the African Union is holding a 3-day summit in Accra, Ghana, where the primary issues of discussion will be the genocide in Darfur (notably absent is the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir) and African unity. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called for a United States of Africa, underscored by the warning that “Africa must unite or die.” This call, although noble and warranted, brings to my mind the words to a popular song: “to dream the impossible dream….”

Back in the day, as I was going through university and my revolutionary spirit was awakening, I looked upon Gaddafi as somewhat of a hero as he was utilizing his oil money to support revolutionary movements against capitalist imperialism and domination around the world. Back then he also called for a single African continental government, and separately, the unification of all Arab states into one nation. However, he became somewhat of a pariah with the world, and with me also I must admit, after his government was implicated in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. He has largely renounced his Pan-Arabian vision but once again is calling for the 53 member states of the African Union to embrace the idea of a single African government, a common foreign policy, a single currency and a 2 million strong armed forces. His rational is that it will allow Africa as a whole, to be in a better position to compete in the globalized economy and negotiate on an equal footing with a united Europe, U.S.A., Japan and China. AND he is right! More HERE