Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Very Touching Video of Latoyia Figueroa

To all of my cyberfriends and concerned citizens,

Here's a very touching tribute to Latoyia at YouTube:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=E8fTZpg0Yac

Watch it, then weep!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Brawl Over Islam on Facebook - New York Times

Brawl Over Islam on Facebook - New York Times: "The social networking site Facebook from afar can look a lot like college, with cliques and the familiar range of personalities. In another imitation of college life, the Facebook campus is wrestling with the contentious issue of speech codes. The latest concern centers on a group with a crude title denouncing Islam that had more than 750 members at last count. While the group takes pains to say it has nothing against Muslims, who “can be and usually are peaceful and respectful,” it asserts at the start: “The Quran contains many lies and threats. Islam is false, no god exists, and someone should say that loud and clear.” In the month or so since the group was created, the reaction has been building across Facebook. As of the weekend, more than 58,000 Facebook members had joined a group that said that unless the anti-Islam group was removed, “we r quitting Facebook.” Facebook declined to comment on Friday on the subject of hate speech or on what steps had been taken."

Friday, September 07, 2007

Jena Six in national spotlight « Vox ex Machina

Jena Six in national spotlight « Vox ex Machina: "Over the past couple of days, a few important things have happened re: the Jena Six. Most importantly, due to pressure, Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. threw out Mychal Bell’s conspiracy conviction, leaving him with only an aggravated second-degree battery conviction, which carries up to 15 years. Not great, but much better than the 100 years he originally faced with the conspiracy and attempted murder charges, and even the 22 he faced before the conspiracy conviction was dropped."

David Horowitz, Racist



YouTube - David Horowitz, Racist: "FOX News bigotry: It's not just for Sean Hannity any more."

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Transracial Adoptees, Permanent Homes, Forever Families, and Their Home They Are Forced to Leave « The Blog and the Bullet

Transracial Adoptees, Permanent Homes, Forever Families, and Their Home They Are Forced to Leave « The Blog and the Bullet: "Sume blogs about the intracacies of what is really home and family while being a transracial adoptee: In the case of domestic adoption, can more be done to keep families in tact? What roles do racism and class play in creating and perpetuating environments that feed children into system? Have we as a society become too reliant upon adoption as a solution because of lack of a better one? And let us not forget that adoption is an industry regardless of it’s mutually beneficial appearance. As an industry, adoption has created as many or more problems as it has presumably solved. On one hand, it gives children to parents who want them, but on another, it feeds and sustains a voracious baby market. As potential adoptive parents seek cheaper, quicker ways to acquire children those only too willing to provide that without much thought to ethics will appear. Adoption as an industry will do what’s necessary to stay alive."

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Evangelist plans to be anti-violence advocate | ajc.com

Evangelist plans to be anti-violence advocate | ajc.com: "The tough-talking pastor, who has survived a divorce, a nervous breakdown and life on welfare, broke her silence two weeks after her second husband, Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, allegedly beat, stomped and choked her in a hotel parking lot. Bynum appeared Tuesday night as a special guest on TBN's 'Praise The Lord' program, a Christian talk show featuring ministers, gospel artists and other newsmakers. On the show, Bynum said she had no bitterness toward her husband. She would not say anything negative about Weeks. 'Nobody could give me enough money,' she said. 'As long as he's my husband I won't break that covenant.' Also on the show, she said the church would help people by preaching more about personal experiences such as her own. While interviews other guests, an emotional Bynum said, 'I came here tonight to declare that I can bear it, I can bear it, I can bear it.'"

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Fatima : I Do Not Support the Troops

Fatima A few weeks ago I watched Oprah stage her input into the plight of the American soldier in Iraq and Afghansitan. She assembled the families of returning troops in her studio without them knowing that the actual soldiers were there too. Classic set-up emotionalism so typical of Oprah, and American television in general.

Somewhere in between watching emotional scenes of reunions, children hanging onto fathers and mothers who have been away, and loving embraces between loved ones, I felt a certain resentment.

My resentment was first directed at Oprah. I thought "damn why is she making a nationalistic statement about troops and their families?"

Well I knew the answer almost immediately. It sells. And Oprah is a salesperson first. She is playing to the glossed-over majority mindset in America that mostly excuses the troops from their vicious role. The "I Support our Troops" and their families so bring them home from that war 'over there' mentality is profitable in these terms.

The troops in this sense are not held responsible for their actions. They are rather seen as victims of what is now an unpopular war. If there is brutality to be recognized, well then the excuse is that they are merely carrying out orders.

It is here that my greater sense of resentment was directed. I could barely watch the service men and women embrace their families without thinking about the mass terror and murders their voluntary service has enabled.

Brown, Black, and white troops. Poor and patriotic. I needed to be careful about throwing all these into one bucket of resentment. But I found myself not caring anyway. Who speaks for the suffering of Iraqi's and Afghans? The senseless murder of innocents. The rape and prostitution forced on a people in the name of democracy.

Well not Oprah, of course. Not one word was spoken, not one tear was shed, for the millions who cannot reunite with their families or loved ones on Oprah's stage.

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