Jena Lyrics, John Mellencamp

Big Hat Tip: John Mellencamp and Electronic Village

As reported by the blog Electronic Village the Lyrics of John Mellencamp are angering Jena Mayor More Than Nooses Ever Did

Mellencamp's song opens, "An all-white jury hides the executioner's face; See how we are, me and you?"

As he sings, images of Jena, the high school and the tree are followed by video from the 1960s, including civil rights marchers, police beatings, and President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King speaking. Still images include one of a protest sign reading, "God demands segregation," a stylized drawing of people in Ku Klux Klan robes and an older image of a black man in shackles, begging.

The mayor of Jena is pissed off about the song and video. The mayor wrote, "The town of Jena has for months been mischaracterized in the media and portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied." Read More HERE

"Jena"
Written by John Mellencamp

An all white jury hides the executioner's face
See how we are, me and you?
Everyone here needs to know their place
Let's keep this blackbird hidden in the flue

Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Take your nooses down

So what becomes of boys that cannot think straight
Particularly those with paper bag skin
Yes sir, no sir we'll wipe that smile right off your face
We've got our rules here and you must fit in

Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Take your nooses down

Some day some way sanity will prevail
But who knows when that day might come
A shot in the dark, well it just might find its way
To the hearts of those that hold the keys to kingdom come

Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Oh oh oh Jena
Take those nooses down

Oh oh hey Jena
Oh oh Jena
Oh oh Jena
Take your nooses down

Take those nooses all down

(c) 2007 John Mellencamp

On this weeks Bloggers' Roundtable: Did Edwards Go Too Far?

NPR's News & Notes

News & Notes, October 3, 2007 · On this week's bloggers' Round Table, the panel took up white residents of Logan, W. Va., apologizing to black residents for the torture of a black woman; comments from presidential candidate John Edwards about the future of black men; and talk of a dress code at Morehouse College.

Joining in on the discussion was political consultant Jehmu Greene, humorist Leon Scott, and education analyst Casey Lartigue.

Great program!

Political Update from the VoteMaster

News from the Votemaster

More bad news for the GOP. Six-term senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) has announced that he will not run for a seventh term in 2008. This brings to five the number of open Senate seats--all currently occupied by Republicans. Domenici was deeply involved in the U.S. attorney scandal and has a progressive brain disease that can affect judgment and behavior and he apparently decided that enough is enough.

Domenici's decision completely shuffles the deck in New Mexico, a swing state in presidential elections. Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), who was reelected in 2006 by fewer than 1000 votes has already announced she is running for Domenici's seat. The person she defeated, former state attorney general, Patricia Madrid, has also indicated interest, as has the Democratic Lt. Governor, Diane Denish and Rep. Tom Udall, cousin of the Democratic Senate candidate in Colorado, Mark Udall.

The 800-pound gorilla in this picture is the immensely popular, but term-limited governor, Bill Richardson. Richardson dominates state politics and was just reelected governor by the largest margin in state history. Richardson is currrently running for President, but is stuck in the second tier with little movement. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards simultaneously collapse, so the speculation is that Richardson is running for Vice President. He might be an asset on the ticket with Clinton, since he is a middle-aged white male with Latino heritage (his mother was born in Mexico) and is hugely popular in a swing state. On the other hand, Clinton has a raft of potential choices for Veep, such as retired four-star general Wesley Clark (who is from Arkansas, a state in which the Democrats control the governor's mansion, both Senate seats, three of the four House seats, and both houses of the state legislature--hardly unfriendly territory).

No doubt the senior senator from NY, Chuck Schumer (who is also chairman of the DSCC) and the junior senator from NY (Hillary Clinton) are going to be powwowing all day. Schumer's message will surely be: Tell Richardson he is not going to be your Veep choice and encourage him to run for the Senate seat. In other words, give up your futile quest for the presidency and take the Senate seat that is yours for the asking, especially since you can't run for governor again. Schumer's main argument to Clinton will be: Do you want a fillibuster-proof Senate or not?

In other key Senate news, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) lost his appeal to withdraw his guilty plea on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge but has announced that he will nevertheless serve out his term but not run for reelection. Virtually every Republican has condemned him and threatened to have the Senate ethics committee investigate him. The trouble with this strategy is that the chair of the ethics committee is Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), probably the most liberal and partisan member of the Senate. She could decide to investigate Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) for his visits to prostitutes over the years (a crime in two jurisdictions) as well. The Republicans do not need two senators in the news all the time for sex scandals.

In addition to the open seats in New Mexico and Idaho, three other Republican senators are retiring, which will lead to fierce battles in all three states. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) is leaving, and there will be a bloody primary between moderate Rep. Tom Davis and conservative former governor Jim Gilmore. The winner is likely to be defeated in a landslide by the Democrat, former governor Mark Warner.

The open Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) will also feature a nasty Republican primary, between attorney general Jon Bruning and former goveror Mike Johanns. If former governor and former two-term senator Bob Kerrey enters the race as the Democratic candidate, as expected, this will be the hottest Senate race in the country.

The other open Senate seat is in Colorado, where Sen. Wayne Allard is retiring. He promised he would serve only two terms and kept his promise. The players there are former representative Bob Schaffer and current representative Mark Udall.

There are at least three other states where Republican incumbents are in trouble. In New Hampshire, three-term Democratic former governor Jeanne Shaheen is leading Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) by 15 to 20% in all the polls. In Oregon, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) is facing a stiff challenge from speaker of the state house, Jeff Merkley. Finally, in Minnesota, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary. In 2006, the Democratic candidate for the Senate won by 20%.

All in all, the only one of these seats in which a Republican is favored is Idaho. The rest lean Democratic or are tossups. However, the Louisiana Senate seat occupied by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) will be hotly contested. It is probably the only Democratic seat the GOP might be able to capture. More HERE

The White Republican Party

Secessionist Convention

Not only are teachers in northern states like NJ Public Schools Teaching 6th Graders the merits of US Slavery, now we learn that there is a two-day Secessionist Convention that started yesterday in Chattanooga. Yes, a century after Civil War, there is a growing secession movement in the south and north. check out this report from Bill Poovey at Associated Press:

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (AP) — In an unlikely marriage of desire to secede from the United States, two advocacy groups from opposite political traditions — New England and the South — are sitting down to talk.

Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the Middlebury Institute wants liberal states such as Vermont to be able to secede peacefully.

That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that refuses to give up on Southern independence.

"We believe that an independent South, or Hawaii, Alaska, or Vermont, would be better able to serve the interest of everybody, regardless of race or ethnicity,'' said Michael Hill of Killen, Alabama, president of the League of the South.

Separated by hundreds of miles (kilometers) and divergent political philosophies, the Middlebury Institute and the League of the South are hosting a two-day Secessionist Convention starting Wednesday in Chattanooga.

They expect to attract supporters from California, Alaska and Hawaii, inviting anyone who wants to dissolve the union so states can save themselves from an overbearing federal government.

If allowed to go their own way, New Englanders "probably would allow abortion and have gun control,'' Hill said, while Southerners "would probably crack down on illegal immigration harder than it is being now.''

The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit secession, but few people think it is politically viable. The U.S. Civil War — one of the key defining events in American history — was largely fought on the issue, with 11 southern slave states breaking away from the rest of the country under the banner of the Confederate States of America. The North's Union army eventually defeated the South, ending the war in 1865. Read More HERE

Lt. General: Likely to be in Iraq for "three to five more years."

Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said U.S. troops are likely to be in Iraq for "three to five more years." (Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP)

Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top U.S. commander for day-to-day operations in Iraq, told editors and reporters at The Washington Post yesterday that he expects a U.S. troop presence will be required in the country for a minimum of "at least three to five more years" and will involve 25,000 to 50,000 troops, depending on security conditions. more HERE

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If 11 percent of your customers thought you were doing a lousy job, wouldn’t that lead you to do some serious soul searching?

The latest Zogby survey shows the 11 percent approval rating of Congress is another record-book low. But Congress appears oblivious to it all.

Tough Political Questions

Question 1: If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already,
three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis; would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before scrolling down to the
answer of this one........

Question 2: It is time to elect a new world leader, and your vote counts.
Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:

Candidate A: Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B: He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.

Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital affairs.

Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.












Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt

Candidate B is Winston Churchill

Candidate C is Adolph Hitler

And by the way: Answer to the abortion question …..if you said yes, you just killed Beethoven..

Pretty interesting isn't it. Makes a person think, before judging someone.

Remember amateurs built the ark - Professionals built the Titanic.

Megan Williams UPDATE

The Megan Williams Case

Hat Tip: Grace N

Category: Civil Rights

Region: United States of America

Target: America

Description/History:

According to prosecutors, a 20 year old mentally ill, African-American woman, by the name of Megan Williams, was allegedly kidnapped and held captive in a trailer in Logan County, West Virginia for over a week. There the police discovered Megan Williams with black eyes, stab wounds and missing hair.

Williams' told the police her captors forced her to consume dog and rat feces, drink her own urine as well as drink from a toilet. Criminal complaints also state that her captors told her she was being tormented for being black and called her "nigger" while assaulting her.

Her alleged captors are all white. They have been named as 49-year-old Frankie Brewster, her son, Bobby R. Brewster, 24, Karen Burton, 46, her daughter Alisha Burton, 23, George A. Messer, 27 and 20-year-old Danny J. Combs.

Sign the Megan Williams Case - Online Petition

too dab eth teahchrs in NJ colud tno techa sthi

Can you raed tihs? Olny srmat poelpe can. tbu nto eth teahchrs at ttah scoolh ni NJ.


I cdnuolt blveiee taht
I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal
pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers
in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat
ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you
can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn
mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a
wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was
ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

Myabe ot a araicts taechre or shcolo smyeste ?

American Schools Teaching the good things about US Slavery

A NJ Public School Teaching 6th Graders the merits of US Slavery.

NJ Public School Teaching 6th Graders the merits of US Slavery. Teachers instruct kids to write papers in support of slavery in America.



One 6th grade black student writes, "Slave labor is the way to go because slaves aren't paid, so all money is profit." He is one of six black students attending this white school. Check this out.

Parents Outraged Over School Assignment to Create Pro-Slavery Ad Campaign

What do you think about a school system that allows this to occur? Should the teachers be fired? Should the principal be fired? Should the head of the school system be fired?

Is enough, enough America?

We always knew that America is a love for slavery, does it still continue today?

READ MORE HERE

Jena 6, Political Activism, Internet Activism and the Afrospear

Jena remains in the news. Through the great efforts of students, community activist, and yes black bloggers like DallasSouthBlog.com

Now Ryan Grim of Politico not only covering the Jena issue, he is taking a look at the AfroSphere Bloggers Association and AfroSpear Black Blogger Shawn Williams of DallasSouthBlog.com. More HERE

Meanwhile, in Washington, DC WaPo reports, About 80 protesters chanting "No justice, no peace" gathered outside the Justice Department on Tuesday to demand that federal authorities aggressively investigate the racially charged "Jena 6" case.

"We're here today in solidarity with the Jena 6," shouted Howard University senior Eugene Puryear, the organizer of the event. "All charges should be dropped and the Jena Six should be free."

The event, sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition, comes four days after civil rights leaders met with top Justice Department officials to push for more action on behalf of the six black teens arrested for beating a white classmate in Jena, La. More HERE

Dego Olivares, 3, joins his father and others in a protest outside the U.S. Justice Department to demand all charges be dropped against the Jena six in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson) (Lawrence Jackson - AP) More HERE

Blackout And Brownout

Here is a great article from the folks at The Center for American Progress Action.org. At least there are a few organizations in America who are not scared to talk about the politics of race or as Internet black political and social activist Francis L. Holland Blog would say - the politics of Color Arousal.

Blackout And Brownout



Roughly one-third of the U.S. population -- 100 million people -- is composed of minorities, "reflecting the continuing evolution of an American national identity that transcends ethnic and religious boundaries." But as America moves toward greater diversity, many conservatives are resisting this change, advocating instead for religious and ethnic homogeneity. After top GOP presidential candidates skipped a minority-focused debate last week, the media asked if conservatives were "writing off many black voters." But snubbing the debate is just the tip of the iceberg, as many conservatives have been actively preaching intolerance for several years. While there are certainly conservatives who value religious and cultural diversity, a sizeable portion of the right wing has engaged in a shameful "pattern" of marginalizing Americans of different races, ethnicities, and religions. "No one should be elected president of this country in 2008 if they think that along the way they can ignore people of color," said talk show host Tavis Smiley. "If you want to be president of all America, you need to speak to all Americans."

'OUTRAGED' AND 'EMBARRASSED': Last week, Smiley moderated a Republican presidential forum, where candidates -- for the first time -- answered questions from "a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color." The event was mired in controversy, however, as the four Republican frontrunners -- former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson -- skipped the debate due to "scheduling conflicts." (Giuliani, for example, held a $2,300 per plate fundraiser with actress and model Bo Derek.) The conservatives are "trying to go through this entire primary process and never have to address voters of color and never queried journalists of color," Smiley said. Other candidates were upset by the poor showing. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said he was "embarrassed," and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) felt "outraged." The Washington Times opined that "some run-of-the mill fund-raiser" should not be "more important...than building up their relationships with black and Hispanic voters." Former congressman J.C. Watts called the move "stupid." President Bush appeared to condone the snub, saying general election candidates should reach out to people of color, while giving primary candidates a pass. This marks the third minority-focused debate that conservative front-runners have ditched, also missing a gay issues and Spanish-language debate. The Spanish-language forum was scrapped completely after only McCain agreed to participate. In fact, conservatives are being increasingly identified by Hispanics "with pushes to crack down on border enforcement and illegal immigrants already in this country." Presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), for example, has suggested mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. More HERE

I See Black People: Bill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly: I See Black People!

Bill O'Reilly

Giulio Marcocchi/Getty Images

So, by now I hope you're up to speed on Fox News talker Bill O'Reilly's rather disgusting foot-in-mouthism. If not, take my word for it — it was a backfisted compliment regarding so-called normal black behavior. Bill was seemingly stunned that people of color can comport themselves in a black-run restaurant.

That Bill's comments are ignorant is obvious. But how could someone who lives in the Metro NYC area, works in Manhattan and talks with agenda setters daily be so completely unaware of blacks in suits who are able to order iced tea without saying M-F?

It really boils down to basic Ralph Ellison: To Bill (and plenty of people like him), blacks who don't fit his narrow view of what a black should be are invisible to him. O'Reilly crosses paths with "normal" people of color by the dozens every day, but he lacks the ability to truly see them. It's only when he's completely swimming in another environment, when he is forced to become aware of those around him, that he realizes that there is "no difference" between the patrons at a Harlem eatery and those at a "normal" restaurant. More HERE

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