Barack & the History of Racism
March 25, 2008
By Nina May, www.RWNetwork.net
Barack didn’t mention in his mea culpa speech in Philadelphia that over 250,000 white Americans gave their lives to end slavery. He doesn’t mention that in 1854, abolitionists left the Democrat Party and founded the Republican Party created specifically for the purpose of ending slavery and giving equal rights to all those who had been in bondage.
He needs to read the history of this battle for equality and realize that the party he embraces today was the party that voted against the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, while the Republicans supported them unanimously. He needs to acknowledge that the two dozen civil rights bills that were passed by the Republicans were overturned by the Democrats when they regained control of the House, Senate and White House at the end of the 19th Century.
It was at this time that the Democratic Party instituted Jim Crow laws. It was not whites that did this against blacks, it was bigoted, racist Democrats who would choose to divide a nation rather than give freedom to those they considered inferior. Had blacks been voting equally in both political parties, there never would have been literacy tests, poll taxes or other restrictions to voting. But because all blacks at this time identified with the party of Lincoln and were actually the ones starting Republican parties in southern states, and running and getting elected as Republicans, the Democrats knew that to kill a black was killing a Republican.
The anger of segregation was tempered by an opportunity to succeed in a world where whites could not condemn or destroy. This is when amazing black colleges and universities blossomed and exploded with incredible talent and energy. This is when black businesses and industry flourished out of the necessity that segregation created. There were no hand wringing or angry sermons directed at white guilt and racial division. The sermons focused on what was good, what was virtuous, what was lovely. The peer pressure was to succeed, to get an education, to compete and grow, not sit around, whining, blaming whitey for your problems. If there is anger, it should be against big government solutions to big government problems that politicians like Barack and Hillary always claim is the only way to run a country.
Democrats have created this plantation of government handouts that suggest blacks are incapable of making responsible decisions separate from the government. They are not trusted with the same benefits of freedom that whites are and must be placated with the lie that all whites are racists and all blacks are the poor victims of that racism. It is a lie that needs to be exposed, destroyed and renounced, not fed and nurtured the way Rev. Wright continues to do.
Barack says, “I have asserted a firm conviction that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds,” yet he sits week after week listening to sermons that say just the opposite.
It is ironic that he challenges the listener by saying, “We can accept politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism,” when he belongs to the very party that has always done that, to the point where the new liberal plantation has erected philosophical barriers around all blacks, condemning those who dare to challenge the liberal status quo and escape this manipulation and intimidation. They are called Aunt Jamima, like Condi Rice, or house negroes like Colin Powell, or forced to endure high tech lynchings like Clarence Thomas. They have Oreo Cookies thrown at them like Michael Steele and are accused of acting white if they identify themselves as Republicans or conservatives.
That is “the racist spectacle we are not allowed to talk about.” When blacks have to whisper at polling booths that they are Republican, for fear of reprisal from their liberal neighbors, then Barack really doesn’t get the real conflict that is alive and well in this country, and why should he? He belongs to the party of the overseer of the philosophical plantation that intimidates and marginalizes blacks that dare support conservative values or Republican ideas.
So, if Barack knew his American black history, he would take his pastor aside and tell him about it and challenge him to be more Christ-like when he preaches. If he knew real American black history, he would not belong to the party of segregationists and bigots and would not have allowed himself to be sucked into that dark undertow of racial politics that has already robbed our nation of too many amazing blessings.
National Association of Mothers’ Centers National Conference
March 21, 2008
(Jericho, N.Y.) The National Association of Mothers’ Centers (NAMC) is set in gear to host their 24th National Conference “MOTHERS ‘08™- Thinking Beyond Ourselves & Beyond Today” at the Long Island Sheraton in Hauppauge, Long Island April 4-6. This exciting and unique conference will have a significant impact as it is organized to benefit mothers, parents and people interested in the well being of our families.
With 2008 being an election year, the NAMC MOTHERS ‘08 conference focus on advocacy is aimed at encouraging women to raise their voices about the issues that concern them. The conference will feature an historic gathering of representatives from national mothers’ support and advocacy organizations from around the country that will lay the groundwork for important future collaborations. Attendees will also gain down to earth advice on things they can do right now from our keynote speaker, Ellen Bravo, activist and author of Taking On The Big Boys who will share her analysis of how even the busiest among us can work for change.
Access to workshops on parenting, work/life topics, women’s concerns and advocacy, powerful nationally recognized speakers and experts as well as representatives from mothers advocacy organizations from around the country will give those attending the tools needed to be effective advocates for themselves, their families and their loved ones. We all have what it takes to be advocates. We show it every time we think beyond ourselves and beyond today.
Also included in the conference are:
• A peek into the heart and soul of Mothers’ Centers plus hands on information for Mothers’ Center leaders and members
• Tools for individual empowerment including parenting & work/life workshops
• Time to refuel and re-energize with both fun & relaxing activities
• Yoga
• Networking opportunities
• And an evening of fun and entertainment Saturday night!
Everyone who is concerned about mothers, parenting, advocacy and personal growth will benefit from this conference.
The NAMC is the leading organization that recognizes the challenges, realities and importance of mothering and other caregiving work, offering educational and support programs in local centers, in libraries and in the workplace, offering an annual Work/Life Conference as well as doing advocacy in the fields of postpartum depression, early care and education, work/life balance and the economic impact of being a care giver.
For Registration or more information contact us at 516-939-6667 x 107, vivianar@motherscenter.org or visit our website at www.motherscenter.org
Telcom Industry Gave 50% More to Members of the House Who Voted “NO” to Amend (FISA)
March 21, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) /PR/ - MAPLight.org’s research department reveals that the telecom industry gave, on average, $10,660 to members of the House of Representatives who voted “no” as opposed to $7,085 to those who voted “yes” on the House amendment (to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3773), to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA).
The amendment, which passed on March 14, rejects retroactive immunity for phone carriers who helped the National Security Agency carryout their wiretapping program without proper warrants. It does, however, give federal courts special authority to decide whether lawsuits against the phone companies should proceed. According to the Washington Post, “about 40 lawsuits have accused AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and Sprint Nextel Corp. of violating the privacy rights of law-abiding Americans swept up in the electronic surveillance of phone calls and email. Damages could total in the billions of dollars.”
“Like many issues in Congress, money closely correlates with votes,” said Daniel Newman, Executive Director of MAPLight.org. “This finding raises the question… What is the link between the thousands of dollars in Telecom PAC contributions and members of Congress who voted to give Telecom companies immunity?”
213 members of the House voted Yes (all Democrats), 197 voted No (185 Republicans and 12 Democrats), 20 Not Voting (13 Republicans and 7 Democrats) and 1 present (Democrat). The amendment imposes tougher restrictions on National Security Agency eavesdropping than the Senate version, and states that court approval would be required for wiretapping procedures to take place prior to action. It also enhances oversight over the Administration’s surveillance activities. For more on HR 3773 visit, Whip Pack.
“Our findings are based on the aggregation of contribution data from the Center for Responsive Politics and voting data from THOMAS via GovTrack.us,” said Sean Tanner, MAPLight.org’s Research Manager. “We looked at PAC donations associated with three major players in the Telcom industry–Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint–from January 2005 through September 2007 to determine our results.”
MAPLight.org reveals how contributions correlate with legislation so that citizens have key information needed to draw their own conclusions about how campaign contributions affect policy. Campaign contributions are only one factor affecting legislator behavior. The correlations we highlight between industry and union giving and legislative outcomes do not show that one caused the other, and we do not make this claim. We do make the claim, however, that campaign contributions bias our legislative system. Simply put, candidates who take positions contrary to industry interests are unlikely to receive industry funds and thus have fewer resources for their election campaigns than those whose votes favor industry interests.
Who We Are:
MAPLight.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides unprecedented government transparency, shining a light on our broken system of money-dominated politics. We track all campaign contributions given to members of Congress, and how every member of Congress votes on every bill, revealing connections between money and politics never before possible to see. Our concise graphs show correlations between money and votes, and timelines of contributions and votes, showing specifics about when legislators received large donations before and after a vote.
Our Research Data:
MAPLight.org’s research department uses Web 2.0 data mashup technology to combine three data sets: campaign contribution data from the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org), special interest support and opposition for each bill in Congress (MAPLight.org research team), and legislative voting records and bill information (THOMAS/GovTrack.us).
About MAPLight.org:
MAPLight.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Berkeley, California. Its search engine at MAPLight.org illuminates the connection between Money And Politics (MAP) via an unprecedented database of campaign contributions and legislative outcomes. Data sources include: GovTrack.us; Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org); Federal Election Commission (FEC); and National Institute on Money in State Politics. Support and opposition data is obtained through testimony at public hearings, proprietary news databases and public statements on the Web sites of trade associations and other groups. To learn more visit www.MAPLight.org.
Winners of “The Biggest Loser” Declare March 20th as “National Recommitment Day” for all New Yorkers
March 19, 2008
(New York, N.Y.) “The Biggest Loser” champions are partnering with FindingDulcinea to announce “National Recommitment Day” to your resolutions, which will be recognized on the first day of Spring, March 20th, 2008.
Research by FindingDulcinea (www.FindingDulcinea.com) reveals that year after year, more than 2/3 of Americans abandon their New Year’s resolutions by springtime, and more than 80% fail to fulfill their resolutions by year’s end. With that in mind, Finding Dulcinea is asking Americans to recommit to their New Year’s Resolutions – now.
“People who struggle to reach their goals think they are alone,” says Bill Germanakos, who lost 164 pounds, or 49% of his body weight, to win the title of “Biggest Loser” in the 2007 season of NBC’s hit reality show, “but the reality is that most people struggle to make their goals happen.”
“The hardest part of any self-improvement plan is overcoming the inevitable stumbles along the way,” said Jim Germanakos, twin brother of Bill, who lost half of his initial body weight on “The Biggest Loser,” capturing the prize for biggest weight lost among those who had been voted off the show. “The key to success is not to give up just because you’ve had a bad week,” Jim continued, “most people, when they fail to keep their resolutions, say ‘wait till next year.’ But there are still nine months left in 2008. So get started on them, again, today!”
As part of the promotion, Bill and Jim are unveiling their Top 9 Tips for Recommitting to Your Resolutions:
1. Make your resolution an integral part of your life. If your resolution is to lose weight or get fit, make going to the gym as important as going to your job each day. Chasing your goals cannot be something you do only when the rest of your life
allows.
2. Be realistic. If you set your goals too high, you are setting yourself up for failure. Set reasonable goals that you know you can achieve, but still require a bit of hard work and determination.
3. Set short-term goals along the way. In order to achieve a successful resolution, it may be easier if you segment it into smaller, short-term goals. If you want to save $6,000 over the course of the year, commit to saving $500 per month.
4. Have a detailed plan. Just saying that you want to do something doesn’t mean it will happen. Lay the groundwork to success by detailing out exactly how you will reach your goals.. Will you join a gym and go 3 times a week? Will you have money directly deposited into your savings account each paycheck? Will you cut your smoking by a pack per month for 5 months? The process of planning out the details will help you identify obstacles ahead of time.
5. Reward yourself. When you reach a short-term or long-term goal, allow yourself a little indulgence. But make sure your reward is not counterintuitive to your end goal. If you are trying to save money, don’t blow your savings on the reward. If you are trying to lose weight, don’t buy yourself an ice cream cake to celebrate. Opt for something you want that helps you with your goals. For example, buy a pair of new running shoes if you goal is to run the marathon. Setting the reward ahead of time may give you incentive along your path to success.
6. Ask for support. Share your resolution with your friends and family, and let them know that you need their support. Having people around you that encourage you and keep you from slipping up may make all the difference!
7. Find a resolution buddy. Find a friend who has the same resolution as you so you have someone to lean on and share tips with. Having a buddy who shares the same goals, and obstacles, may provide a nice support system, as well as a means of
kicking you back into gear when you need it most. Bill and Jim had a great advantage over the other contestants on The Biggest Loser once the competition became about succeeding at home – they had each other.
8. Visualize success. Picture yourself on the treadmill, running at 7.0 mph and not even breaking a sweat! Picture yourself buying that new home! Visualization can be a very powerful tool. Some experts suggest that the process of seeing yourself
successfully achieving your goals can actually get you there faster!
9. Don’t let yourself feel defeated. Whether this is your first, third, or tenth attempt at achieving this year’s resolution, don’t let yourself get down. It is natural for us to stumble along the way when working towards a goal. Just pick
yourself back up, dust yourself off, and tell yourself that this time you’re going to do it (because you’ve done Tips 1 through 8 this time!)
For more on recommitting to your New Year’s Resolutions, visit http://www.findingdulcinea.com/Resolutions.html
For more on Bill and Jim, visit www.weightlosstwins.com
H2M to Participate in Long Island Fund for Women & Girls Event
March 19, 2008
(Melville, NY) – H2M, a multi-disciplined Engineering & Architectural service firm and Equal Opportunity Employer, will be participating in a special event for the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls on March 27th, entitled Smart Careers for Girls. Natalie Wolfram, a project engineer at H2M will be one of the speakers at the event which will discuss non-traditional jobs/career choices for Long Island’s future generation of working women. This program is developed to encourage middle and high school girls to consider careers in math, science, technology and engineering.
It will be held at Farmingdale High School and will be one of 3 Long Island Host sites. They expect about 80-90 girls, grades 8 and 9 to attend from 3-4 different neighboring schools on Thursday March 27th. The event will include a breakfast followed by a panel of 3 to 4 women in Science, Engineering, Math and Technology fields, sharing their experiences and education. The purpose is to have girls make a connection to careers that they might not otherwise consider; especially at the 8/9th grade level when some of the girls begin to think it isn’t hot to be smart in math or science anymore.
“H2M is committed to employing women and minorities in the workplace. I think it is wonderful that organizations like Long Island Work Coalition exist to address encouraging middle school girls to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology and we are pleased to be part of it,” said Liz Uzzo, Director of Human Resources at H2M.”
Mrs. Natalie Wolfram a resident of Roslyn, NY, graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2003 with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering specializing in structural engineering. She is also LEED Accredited.
For further information about H2M please call 631-756-8000 or visit the website at www.h2m.com. For more information about the LI Work Coalition please visit www.lifwg.org.
Founded in 1933, H2M has grown to be one of the most respected professional consulting firms in the Northeast, providing full-service engineering, architecture, environmental services, and laboratory analysis. H2M consists of Holzmacher, McLendon & Murrell, P.C., H2M Labs, Inc., H2M Associates, Inc., H2M Architects & Engineers, Inc.; and has offices in Melville, New York and Totowa, New Jersey.
Photo: Natalie Wolfram resident of Roslyn, NY, project engineer at H2M
Wall Street Differs On Monday Close
March 19, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) The collapse of Stern Bears Cos. which was widely considered as one of the top investment houses in the US bore heavily on Wall Street investors mind on Monday as evidenced by their hesitancy to conduct aggressive trading at the stock market.
Dow Jones industrials edged up a bit on Monday’s close as it gained 21.16 points or a 0.18 percent increase to finish with 11972.25 total points after it started the day losing by almost 200 points before staging a late rally to salvage a respectable advantage. Broader indexes Standard and Poor 500 fell 11.54 points for a 0.90 percent decline since previous day trading to end with 1,276.60 while NASDAQ composites was Monday’s biggest losers as it declined by 35.48 or 1.60 percent decrease to settle with 2,177.01.
“The market has absolutely no idea what’s going on,” said Dan Alpert who is a managing director for Westwood Capital. “Some people have accused them of whistling past the graveyard — I don’t think they even know where the graveyard is.”
On Sunday, backed by the government- JP Morgan Chase & Cos. announced its buy-out agreement with struggling investment company Stern Bears to takeover operations from the company for a measly $2 a share, a stunning decline since a year ago when Stern Bears commanded over $160 per shares of stocks. Federal reserves Chairman Ben Bernanke facilitated the “bail-out” of Stern Bears as a means of expressing the US government’s support for the struggling credit and loans industry. Also, the feds announced slashing down of interest rates to loans granted by government to lending houses by a quarter of a point to 3.25 percent.
In a statement released on Monday, Preside George W. Bush acknowledged current economic struggles in the US in saying, “One thing is for certain, we’re in challenging times, But another thing is for certain: We’ve taken strong, decisive action.” The President also pledged support to the country’s top economic leaders such as Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke. “Our financial institutions are strong and our capital markets are functioning efficiently and effectively. They are showing the country and the world that the United States is on top of the situation. When need be, we’ll act decisively in a way that continues to bring order to financial markets,” Bush said.
Security Breach Rendered 4.2 Million Credit, Debit Cards
March 19, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) In one of the biggest credit card database breaches ever maneuvered in the US, unidentified cyber thieves where able to secure over 4.2 million credit and debit card account numbers from a national grocery chain’s account information database.
Hannaford Bros., formerly known as Shop ‘N’ Save which is an American supermarket chain that has its headquarters in Maine and operates with more than 150 outlets in New York and New England reported on Monday that over 4.2 million credit card numbers where stolen during card authorization process since December of last year. The company noted that they became aware of the situation only after Feb. 27 when another breach was detected by their system and immediately notified authorities afterwards. Currently, over 1,800 known cases of credit card fraud has been reported due to the incident.
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“We have taken aggressive steps to augment our network security capabilities,” Hannaford president and CEO Ronald C. Hodge said in a statement released Monday. “Hannaford doesn’t collect, know or keep any personally identifiable customer information from transactions.”
Hannaford Bros. also contacted the US secret service agency and urged their participation in the investigation. “The company did contact us, and we are investigating,” said agency spokesman Malcolm Wiley deferring to give further comment on their separate inquiry.
In a statement released last Monday, Hannaford bros. intimated that over 35 percent of the accounts stolen comes from leading credit card association Visa while the remaining percentage are portioned off by MasterCard , AMEX and JCB. MasterCard released a written statement last Monday which read. “Because this incident is the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation, we cannot disclose additional details regarding the incident or otherwise comment at this time.”
Industry experts criticize the delay in which local banks and credit card companies were notified of the breach. Bruce Spitzer, a spokesman for Massachusetts Bankers Association said, Visa and MasterCard have stipulated in their contracts with retailers that they will not divulge who the source is when a data breach occurs,” Spitzer said. “We’ve been engaged in a dialogue for a couple years now about changing this rule…. Without knowing who the retailer is that caused the breach, it’s hard for banks to conduct a good investigation on behalf of their consumers. And it’s a problem for consumers as well, because if they know which retailer is responsible, they can rule themselves out for being at risk if they don’t shop at that retailer.”
Knicks Lose To Indiana; Curry Gone For The Season
March 19, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) The New York Knicks lost another game on the road against a mediocre team the Indiana Pacers in blowout fashion with a final score of 110-98 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis IN.
Mike Dunleavy led the Pacers onslaught with 36 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots while Danny Granger provided firepower at the forward position in finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Dunleavy tied his career high in points for a single game for the fourth time this season scoring 36 points in three other occasions and winning all of them.
“It’s my lucky roulette number,” the resurgent Dunleavy said. “I don’t know what that means, I don’t know what to say about that. It’s better than a career high of six or something like that. It’s all motivated and pushed by the desire to make the postseason, These last 15 games, I’ll do anything in my power to get this team in the postseason.” He added.
It was a close game for the first three quarters as the Pacers held a slim two point advantage 81-79 after the end of the third period. Danny Granger led a ferocious 14-5 run scoring nine points himself at the start of the fourth quarter which stretched Indiana’s lead to 98-89 and never looked back afterwards. “We came out, hit our shots and got the stops we needed,” Granger said. “Even when they responded, we responded back with two or three buckets. It was what we needed.”
Forward Zach Randolph led the Knicks with 21 points and 14 rebounds but he also committed 4 crucial turnovers, two of which came at the penultimate quarter which allowed the Pacers to create more breathing space between the two teams. Jamaal Crawford scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds while oft-injured forward Wilson Chandler came up big with 15 points and 8 rebounds for the Knicks.
Feds Poised To Make Another Cut On Interest Rates
March 19, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Top bigwigs at the Bureau of Federal Reserves headed by Chairman Ben Bernanke will convene today in a meeting to determine the course of action needed to guide the fledgling US economy in constant threat of recession.
On Monday, President George W. Bush requested the presence of top US economic officials including Bernanke, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, United States Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox and several members of congress’s monetary committee to discuss the current state of the US economy in which the President described earlier in an interview as “challenging times”.
“Now the issue is fighting the deeper recession,” said Brian Bethune who is an economist at Global Insight in New York. “It has kind of moved to another level. The fires are spreading,” He also criticized the way Federal reserves handled key economic issues such as the collapse of Stern Bears Cos. last week in which the feds scrambled in trying to infuse monetary aid to the struggling investment house company which was widely considered as one of the biggest in the world. “It all kind of sends a conflicting message — making people more nervous. Why is the Fed every week coming out with another major injection of liquidity or a bailout? What are they doing in Washington? Some talk is best left with your wife over a glass of wine in the evening,” Bethune said. “Talking publicly sometimes is not the way to go.”
Financial experts and top economist in the US believes that the Feds are primed to cut key interest rates further to an estimated full point deduction which would decrease current rate which stands at 3 percent to its lowest since October of 2004 to settle at 2 percent. Gradual slashing of interest rates has already been accommodated since September of last year in an effort to stimulate consumer spending thereby giving a boost to the US economy. On Monday, Bernanke and the Feds decreased emergency lending rate to banks and investment houses by a quarter-point to 3.25 percent. “These steps will provide financial institutions with greater assurance of access to funds,” Bernanke said.
Florida Mail-In Do Over For Democratic Party Primary Scratched
March 19, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Clearly frustrated by the lack of support shown by Florida’s Democratic Party congressional members, State Democrats decided to shut down its bid to do a mail-in voting for Florida’s Democratic Party primary which would have represented 210 national delegates.
Democratic Party chairwoman Karen L. Thurman provided a written statement to the Associated Press voicing out her party’s frustration on their failed attempt. “A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it’s simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the party were to pay for it,” Thurman said. “… This doesn’t mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee.”
Both Florida and Michigan were disqualified by the Democratic Party national committee for holding their respective primaries too early which violated Party bylaws thereby forfeiting any representation the state held to the Party’s national convention this summer. Democrats at Michigan were successful in its attempt to have a do-over election after Legislative leaders evaluated a new measure last Monday which could allow a privately funded, state-administered do-over primary on June 3.
Phil Singer a spokesman for Hilary Clinton’s camp expressed dismay on Florida’s decision. “Today’s announcement brings us no closer to counting the votes of the nearly 1.7 million people who voted in January. We hope the Obama campaign shares our belief that Florida’s voters must be counted and cannot be disenfranchised.”
Meanwhile , IL. Sen. Barrack Obama’s camp was optimistic that Florida Democrats and national Party leaders could reach an agreement on the current situation in the sunshine state. “We hope that all parties can agree on a fair seating of the Florida delegates so that Florida can participate in the Democratic Convention, and we look forward to working with the Florida Democratic Party and competing vigorously in the state so that Barack Obama can put Florida back into the Democratic column in November,” said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor.
