Sunday, October 13, 2024

October Surprise: Black Men Are Not Reliable Voters!

Vice President Kamala Harris said she will work hard for the Black vote. 

I will support Kamala Harris for president. I have my reasons for being disappointed with her. It involves her stance on Israel.

Former president Barack Obama let the cat out the bag and now Black MAGAland and Greenies are attacking him, Harris and Democrats for playing identity politics.

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” he said Thursday to Harris-Walz campaign volunteers and officials at a field office in Pittsburgh.

America’s first Black president touched a nerve among Democrats worried about Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of becoming the second.

Harris is counting on Black turnout in battleground states such as Pennsylvania in her tight race with Republican Donald Trump, who has focused on energizing men of all races and tried to make inroads with Black men in particular.

Obama’s comments belie that Black men still overwhelmingly back Harris. But her campaign and allies have worked hard trying to shore up support with this critical group of voters — and addressing questions about potential misogyny.

The Democratic Party's most reliable voters are Black women. They offer over 95% of the support for any Democratic presidential nominee. Black men used to be about 85% of the vote. Now its has declined to 74%.

Overall, Harris has 80% of the vote. It is not bad and I don't understand why the Democrats want to win over a bunch of bigots who identify as Black.

Black men who endorse the Foundational Black American (aka Tariq Nasheed) theory of true Blackness are no allies of mine. Those who claim to be American Descendants of Slaves are pushing the Black identity politics that denounces biracial or self hating Black people.

Obama touches the nerve. MAGAland gets outraged as usual.

Harris identifies as an African American woman. But MAGAland is questioning it. In other words, they have no serious issues to take Harris on.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on several major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas.

There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.

But Khalil Thompson, co-founder and executive director of Win With Black Men, said he agreed with what he saw as Obama’s larger point.

“I believe President Obama is speaking to a tangible, visceral understanding of what it means for all men to relate to women in America. Calling out misogyny is not wrong,” said Thompson, whose group raised more than $1.3 million for Harris from 20,000 Black men in the 24 hours after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race in July and made way for Harris.

Win With Black Men has organized weekly calls and events meant to bolster Harris’ standing with Black men. The flurry of activism has focused on combating misinformation in Black communities about Harris, as well as an emphasis on the policy priorities of Black men, which the group found are often centered on greater economic opportunities, safe communities, social justice policies and health care, particularly for the partners and children of Black men.

“We’re not a monolith,” Thompson said. “However, we are just like every other American in this country who wants a good paying job, that we can provide for our children and participate in their lives and the lives of our partner, that we can get them home safely, afford to go to the grocery store, save a little for retirement and have a vacation.”

Harris said she believes the votes of Black men must be earned, like with any group of voters.

Black men “are not in our back pocket,” she told a panel hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists in September.

Black support high but waning on Democrats and Republicans.

Harris recently sat down with the “All The Smoke” podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss her racial identity and policy issues of interest to Black men. On Tuesday, Harris will appear in Detroit for a live conversation with Charlamagne tha God, a prominent Black media personality.

The Harris campaign is conducting a number of outreach efforts to Black voters, including an tour of homecomings at historically Black colleges and universities, a number of radio and TV ads targeting Black voters in key states, and a get-out-the-vote operation engaging Black communities that complements the work of allied groups such as Win With Black Men.

It has also tapped high-profile surrogates, including politicians, business leaders, professional athletes and musical artists, to court Black men.

“Our Black men, we’ve got to get them out to vote,” said former NBA star Magic Johnson during a recent Harris rally in Flint, Michigan. “Kamala’s opponent promised a lot of things to the Black community that he did not deliver on. And we’ve got to make sure we help Black men understand that.”

The Trump campaign and its allies have held roundtables for Black men and conducted a bus tour through swing states that featured cookouts in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia. The campaign believes the former president’s appeals on issues such as the economy, immigration and traditional gender roles resonate with some Black men.

Trump has also sought to exploit Obama’s remarks, writing on social media Friday that Obama “admits a total lack of enthusiasm for Kamala, especially with Black Men.” On Saturday, the campaign’s Black Men for Trump advisory board released a statement condemning Obama’s remarks as “insulting.”

“It’s demeaning to suggest that we can’t evaluate a candidate’s track record — especially when Kamala Harris has done more harm than good to Black communities,” wrote the group in a letter that was co-signed by Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Wesley Hunt, R-Tex., as well as former state lawmakers and longtime Trump allies, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, whose prison sentence for corruption crimes was commuted by Trump during his administration’s final hours.

Trump earlier this year mused that the criminal charges against him in four separate indictments, one of which led to a conviction with another dismissed, made him more relatable to Black people.

MAGAland agitator Brock Easley took issue with Obama saying Black men not voting for Harris are misogynists.

“A lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” he told a Black conservative audience in South Carolina.

Trump’s support among Black, white, and Hispanic male voters worries senior Harris campaign officials as the election increasingly shapes up as divided along gender lines, with Harris stronger with women and Trump stronger with men.

But the debate over to what degree misogyny plays a role in some Black men not supporting Harris sidesteps a broader conversation on how Black men are engaged as full citizens in politics, argues Philip Agnew, founder of the grassroots political organization Black Men Build.

“To be a Black man in the United States is to be invisible and hypervisible at the same time, and neither one of those is a humanizing viewpoint,” Agnew said.

Agnew’s group traveled to 10 cities across the summer, hosting roundtables with Black men and making the case for civic engagement and a progressive politics. Agnew said many Black men throughout those conversations expressed exasperation toward politics, a sentiment shared by many Americans, in addition to a feeling that their political perspectives were often misunderstood or unappreciated.

“The Black men I know are incredibly concerned with the lives of our families and our communities,” Agnew said. “It’s because of an abundance of love for our sisters that we ask questions, not a lack of love.”

Finish It!

No parole for killer cop.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has denied Amber Guyger parole. The former Dallas Police officer convicted of murdering Botham Jean after wrongly entered his apartment was sentenced to 10 years for negligent homicide.

Guyger shows remorse but the parole board looked at the facts.

She did not check the floor she ended on because she was on the phone not paying attention.

She failed to render aid to Jean.

She mislead the investigators on why entered the apartment room.

She failed to disclose an improper relationship with a senior officer.

Her family tried to bury evidence of apparent bias.

Guyger was eligible for parole this month and thanks to social media and a fickle junk food media, the pressure was definitely on to keep her in the iron college.

She got off lucky. Had she been a Black man, a Hispanic man or a woman of color who isn't Asian American, she would have gotten LIFE.

On November 30, 2018, Guyger was indicted on murder charges by a Dallas County grand jury. On September 22, 2019, the day before the trial began, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot took part in an interview regarding the trial in spite of a gag order issued by Judge Tammy Kemp in January of that year. After questioning jurors, who reported that they had not seen the interview or other media coverage of the trial, Kemp denied the defense's motion for a mistrial, and sequestered the jury.

Manslaughter charges would have merely required proof of recklessness, while murder charges require proof that the defendant intended to kill. The prosecutors alleged criminal intent for two reasons: firstly, they said her arrival at the wrong apartment (on the wrong floor) was not caused by tiredness, but rather caused by the conversation she had immediately prior with her lover trying to arrange a meeting that night, and secondly that she did not follow standard police protocol of not entering a building with a potential burglar inside and instead calling for backup from the police station, which was only two blocks away.

We will not rest. Justice for Botham Jean.

On October 1, 2019, Guyger was found guilty of murder. The jury deliberated for six hours to reach the verdict of murder. The jurors also considered the lesser charge of manslaughter. She was the first Dallas police officer to be convicted of murder since the 1973 murder of Santos Rodriguez.

On October 2, 2019, Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the jury deliberated for an hour. During the sentencing hearing, Jean's mother Allison provided emotional testimony and some of Guyger's text messages and social media posts that were "racist and offensive" were shared. Jean's younger brother Brandt forgave and hugged Guyger during her sentencing. Jean's father Bertrum also stated that he forgave Guyger but had wanted a stiffer sentence. 

Guyger's legal bills were paid by the Dallas Police Association, a union which serves Dallas police officers.

On October 16, 2019, Guyger's attorneys filed a notice of appeal requesting a new trial. On August 7, 2020, Guyger's attorneys filed an appeal, alleging that insufficient evidence existed to convict her of murder. The appeal sought either an acquittal, or a reduction in charge to criminally negligent homicide with a new hearing for sentencing on the reduced charge. On August 5, 2021, the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas upheld Guyger's murder conviction, unanimously holding that the jury verdict was reasonable and Guyger's own testimony supported the murder charge. On November 17 of that year, the court withdrew its previous opinion, but again upheld her murder conviction using similar reasoning, stating that her defense that she had unknowingly entered the wrong apartment did not justify the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. Her appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal cases in the state, was denied.

Guyger is currently imprisoned in the Patrick O'Daniel Unit (formerly the Mountain View Unit). She was eligible for release in September 2024, after serving half her sentence, although her full sentence runs until September 2029. Guyger was denied parole in October 2024. She will be eligible for release again in 2026.

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Ta-Nehisi Coates May Have Change The Game!

Why isn't there any Palestinian voices in American media?

I want to be clear, Jill Stein will not stop the genocide. She and Butch Wade do not know how many legislators are in Congress. They have no policies on how to combat crime, economic poverty and how to build a coalition. 

There are no presidents, U.S. lawmakers or state legislators elected as a member of The Green Party.

The Green Party is devoted to defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. They want to deny her the presidency and open the door for another chaotic Trump term.

Former president Donald J. Trump and Republicans are trying to peel away Black men and Arab voters. They will push them to Stein or his camp.

Harris is struggling with Black men, Muslim and Arab American voters. 

I will talk about it.

As Israel continues to cause absolute chaos in the Middle East, the United States is slowly losing its patience with the regime.

UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has hinted the U.S. may finally force the regime to abide by international law. 

Trump allegedly spoke to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that he needs to get the job done and said that the longer this goes on, the better his chances for returning to the White House.

It is a clear violation of the Logan Act.

Trump only sees chaos as his path to victory. 

As explained earlier, the choices are more of the same or more of the chaos.

President Joe Biden was asked about Israel intentionally meddling in the 2024 election. He said "I don't know."

CBS News did not punish Tony Dokoupil after last week's interview with author/activist Ta-Nehisi Coates. However, it got the public aware of how Israel operates in American media. It forced CBS News to reiterate its editorial standards.

The controversy started last Monday when Dokoupil told the National Book Award winner that if you took his "name out of it, took away the awards and acclaim, took the cover off the book, the publishing house goes away," that the content of the book's third section discussing the author's trip to Palestine "would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist.”

There was a private phone call leaked to a pro-Zionist company.

Wendy McMahon, the head of CBS News, Adrienne Roark, who is in charge of news gathering at the network, began her remarks by saying covering a story like October 7 “requires empathy, respect, and a commitment to truth.” 

Jan Crawford, CBS Legal Chief and reporter was controversial too. She defended Dokoupil and called Coates a "fraud." 

In a viral segment promoting Coates book, Dokoupil took most the time from Gayle King and Nate Burleson when confronting Coates about his trip to the West Bank.

Immediately, Dokoupil looked at "The Message" as a book in the backpack of an extremist. He said that Coates was misinformed about Israel. He claimed that the apartheid ethnostate is being attacked from everyone. 

He continued, "I found myself wondering, why does Ta-Nehisi Coates ... leave out so much? Why leave out that Israel surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it?" and went through a list of events in regard to the Israel-Hamas war.

He asked Coates, "is it because you just don't believe that Israel in any condition has a right to exist?" Coates responded: "There is no shortage of that perspective in American media," before telling Dokoupil that he is "most concerned with those that don't have a voice, with those that don't have the ability to talk."

Coates continued: "I wrote a 260-page book. It is not a treatise on the entirety of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians." Coates and Dokoupil continued to disagree with the author comparing the treatment of Palestinians he met during his research for "The Message" to his ancestor's experiences in America's Jim Crow era.

Dokoupil has his ex-wife and his two children living in Israel. He is married to MSNBC host Katy Tur and has two children with her.

Coates was immediately confronted about how Israel is always the victim. The allegations of him being antisemitic because he doesn't look at Isrsel as the "Jewish state." 

The hypothetical question about why Palestinians cannot build their own government without Hamas.
  • “Why leave out that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it?” 
  • “Why leave out that Israel deals with terror groups that want to eliminate it?” 
  • “Why not detail anything of the first and second intifada. . . the cafe bombings, the bus bombings, the little kids blown to bits?”
Those questions were biased. 

October Surprise: Did Trump Soil His Pants?

Running out of gas. Trump in Detroit ironically bashes the city during a campaign rally.

There are rumors of former president Donald J. Trump wearing adult diapers.

Trump, a huge germophobe doesn't like using public restrooms or being in the vicinity of people sitting on the toilet.

I get it.

Not a fan of it too.

But when you got to go, you got to go.

Trump has allegedly soiled himself when he was at an economic forum in Detroit. By the way, Trump bashed the city while doing his usual grievances.

The doom and gloom, the "I alone can fix it" mantra or my personal favorite, "like no other before" when describing what he does.

Even former president Barack Obama hinted his successor wore an adult diaper like Depends.

Once again, it is perfectly fine for older Americans to wear adult diapers. Some Americans have a fetish for wearing diapers or role playing a spoiled brat in adult porn.

Jimmy Kimmel believes Trump farted and soiled into his adult diaper.

Trump has often responded to Kimmel on numerous posts through X and Truth Social.

Jimmy Kimmel used the Medias Touch fable as a reference to former president Donald J. Trump's constant gaslighting and grifting of Trump products made in China.

Now I am not going to lie, people fart openly or discreetly. Those who are openly will not care about it.

I used to work with an annoying co worker who was often doing it. She was elderly, senile and often regarded as an "old fart."

Older Americans cannot control their body movements as they age. It is common for this to happen. I mean we're going to either die gracefully or die early.

Trump is 78 years old. He is the oldest candidate running now that 81 year old, President Joe Biden is no longer running. Trump's weaknesses are his age, his constant lying, his failures of his one term, the need to be loved and the refusal to accept defeat. Most Americans do not want presidents that are older than 65.

Trump complained about his rival going on interviews after complaining about her not appearing on interviews. The Republicans already claim its her administration that is handling the many crises. Republicans are quietly giving up on Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59 turning 60 on Oct. 20 will be considered the younger candidate. The average age of a modern elected president is 55 years old.

The election is less than 30 days. 

Vote.

More of the same or more of the chaos.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Hurricane Milton Leaves Destruction! Republicans Start The Blaming!

St. Petersburg, Florida. Days after Hurricane Milton.

If you listen to Fox, Sean "Softball" Hannity, Tucker Carlson, former president Donald J. Trump and Breitbart, you may end up losing your life to a natural disaster. 

The remnants of Hurricane Milton tore through Florida and I have a strong belief that the likelihood of fatalities is between 100 and 2,000. Thanks to former president Donald J. Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and MAGAland, those who chose to stay ended up causing their own fates.

The west coast of Florida is likely in ruins.

Siesta Kay, a suburb of Sarasota was the impact zone of Milton. The area of major damage spreads from Tampa-St. Petersburg to Fort Meyers. 

The hurricane was a category 3 and downgraded to a category 1 when it went through Central Florida and out through Cocoa Beach.

Hurricane Milton is a weakening tropical cyclone that made landfall in the U.S. state of Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the state's Big Bend region. The thirteenth named storm, ninth hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Milton formed from a long-tracked tropical disturbance which originated in the western Caribbean Sea and consolidated in the Bay of Campeche on October 5. The storm then underwent explosive intensification, and became a Category 5 hurricane on October 7 while still over the Gulf of Mexico. At peak intensity, the hurricane was the fifth-most intense in the Atlantic on record, and is the most powerful tropical cyclone worldwide in 2024. Milton weakened to Category 4 after an eyewall replacement cycle, then regained strength and became a Category 5 hurricane again. Increasing wind shear then caused the hurricane to weaken as it turned northeastwards towards Florida, eventually falling to Category 3 intensity before making landfall near Siesta Key during the evening on October 9.

An estimated six million Floridians were ordered to evacuate, marking one of the largest evacuation orders in state history since Hurricane Irma in 2017. The evacuation orders were primarily situated in Hillsborough and surrounding counties. Volusia and Marion counties also issued evacuation orders for homes at risk. United Airlines issued a travel advisory for five airports in the state. Throughout the Tampa Bay area, comfort stations and locations to do basic utilities that were opened due to Helene were closed due to Milton. In Longboat Key, officials stated that residents should evacuate from the town. In coordination with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Uber offered free rides to and from state shelters.

Biden shows calm while DeSantis shows his ass.

The National Hockey League cancelled the preseason finale for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which was initially postponed from Helene. All University of Central Florida sporting events scheduled for October 9 and 10 were cancelled as well. The South Florida Bulls football game against the Memphis Tigers was postponed from October 11 to October 12.

The National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers relocated to New Orleans ahead of their game against the New Orleans Saints on October 13.

Publix and Walmart altered store hours and closed several other of their locations in preparation for the storm and their locations among other stores faced shortages of items such as bottled water, alcohol, canned goods, and snacks due to panic buying. Gas station shortages occurred across the state, with 16.5% out by the afternoon of October 8, including 43% in the Tampa Bay area according to GasBuddy. Governor DeSantis said fuel replenishment efforts were underway and said that there was not a fuel shortage. The Florida Highway Patrol began escorting fuel tankers to help replenish gas stations ahead of landfall to aid in evacuation efforts. DeSantis also urged that people consider evacuating "tens of miles" instead of "hundreds of miles". The American Automobile Association advised Floridians to "take only what you need" and to avoid letting one's gas tank getting too low before looking for a place to fill up. Thirty-three Waffle House locations in Milton's projected path were closed, indicating a red level on the Waffle House Index.

President Joe Biden postponed a planned trip from October 10 to 15 to Angola and Germany in order to oversee preparations and the response and urged those living in areas at risk to evacuate, saying that it was a matter of life and death.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suffered a staffing shortage ahead of the storm, with only 9% of the agency's staff available. According to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the agency remained ready to respond, saying that "we can respond to multiple events at a single time". Over the previous five years at least 25% of staff remained available by October 7. This figure was lower than in 2017 when FEMA's staff availability dropped to 19% as FEMA staff responded to Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ended a briefing, accusing journalists of spreading misinformation related to disaster funding.

There were casualties involved as a result of evacuating: one fatality occurred after a car accident in Marion County southeast of Orange Lake, while three people were injured after the plane they were in crashed into Tampa Bay after its engine failed while taking off from Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg. In addition, two people died on eastbound Highway 82 while evacuating.

On an October 8 observation flight NOAA scientists spread the ashes of hurricane scientist Peter Dodge into the eye of the storm.

October Surprise: Deb Fischer Sweating!

Shaky ground for Deb Fischer.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) are up for reelection this year.

Fischer for a full term and Ricketts to finish out a full term.

The Drudge Report slashed a headline saying that Republicans will push more money into races like Fischer, Ricketts, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

While I place Nebraska, Florida and Texas in the Republican section, Ohio, Nevada and Pennsylvania will be held by the Democratic incumbents. The states of Arizona, Montana and Maryland are toss up.

Dan Osborn is running against Fischer as an independent. He got the backing of Democrats but he refuses their endorsement. 

They are considering pouring money into his race. 

Osborn has done his level best to keep national Democrats at an arm’s length. He has vowed he would not caucus with either party, a break from the four independent lawmakers who are currently in the chamber and join Senate Democrats for organizing purposes. Osborn, who led a union strike in Omaha against Kellogg in 2021, has rejected links to national liberal figures like Bernie Sanders or Chuck Schumer, and neither is exactly trying to link Osborn’s fortunes to their individual brands.

“People are just thirsty for a change, on both sides of the aisle,” Osborn told The Washington Post. Fischer, meanwhile, has labeled her independent opponent a “Trojan horse” for Democrats.

Osborn is the president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G. Osborn led the strike at Kellogg's Omaha plant in 2021.

All this name calling and dehumanizing of an opponent. Fischer has no memorable accomplishments. Fischer is a Trump loyalist and opposer of Biden.

There are no notable things I can say about her other being the third woman elected to Nebraska. Most of the bill she introduced or cosponsored are culture wars.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME) are up for reelection and are considered safe Democrat/Independent. 

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) will retire. She has not endorsed Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kari Lake, Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald J. Trump. Arizona is toss up.

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) will retire. He has not endorsed Harris or Trump. His seat is likely going Republican with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice being the nominee.

Dan Osborn could pull an upset.

Osborn's political platform focuses on protecting small businesses, family farmers, and workers. He supports raising the national minimum wage and a lower tax rate on overtime work; guaranteeing access to abortion; facilitating union organizing; protecting gun rights; securing U.S. borders and exploring ways to legalize some undocumented workers; legalizing and taxing marijuana; and improved railroad safety. He supports a "libertarian approach" to hot-button issues and says that government should be kept out of private lives. He supports the right-to-repair of consumer goods such as cars and electronics. Osborn also supports moving the retirement age back to 65.

Asked about his prospects in the race by the New York Times, Osborn said: "I've gone up against a major American corporation. I stood up for what I thought was right, and I won." Of the major candidates in the 2024 United States presidential election he said (before Joe Biden withdrew): "I think they're both too old. I think they're both incompetent. There's a good chance I won't vote for president."

The race between Osborn and Fischer is unusually competitive for Nebraska, which traditionally is a safe Republican Senate seat, and potentially important in determining partisan control of the Senate. Osborn has raised more campaign funds, mostly small-dollar donations, than any independent candidate in Nebraska's history. In an August 2024 Split Research poll, Fischer held a narrow lead of 39% to 38% over Osborn, within the margin of error, while 23% of voters were undecided. The poll led the Nebraska Examiner to call the election a tight race. The last independent to win a Senate seat in Nebraska was George Norris in 1936.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Ethel Kennedy Passed Away!

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy passed away from a stroke.

Bobby got more bad news.

4 of his 11 children are backing Vice President Kamala Harris. 

He was caught cheating on wife Cheryl Hines with Olivia Nuzzi. 

He backs Donald J. Trump, a sexual predator, convicted felon and impeached twice former president.

He is being sued by former allies for abandoning his independent bid.

Now he will have to go to a funeral. 

Ethel Kennedy, the wife of then U.S. Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and mother of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has passed away. Robert was assassinated in 1968. Kennedy, Jr. unsuccessfully ran for president as an independent.

Kennedy was the sister-in-law of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and sixth child of George and Ann Skakel (née Brannack). Shortly after her husband's assassination in 1968, she founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, a non-profit charity working to reach his goal of a just and peaceful world. In 2014, Kennedy was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Ethel was smitten by a charming Bobby.

Ethel Skakel was born in Chicago, Illinois, to businessman George Skakel and his former secretary Ann Brannack. George was the founder of Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, now a division of SGLCarbon. Her parents were killed in a 1955 plane crash. She was the third of four Skakel daughters and the sixth-born of seven children. George was a Protestant of Dutch descent while Ann was a Roman Catholic of Irish ancestry. The children were raised Catholic, and Ethel was a devout Catholic who attended mass regularly throughout her life.

Ethel and her siblings were raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ethel attended the all-girls Greenwich Academy, and graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the Bronx in 1945. In September 1945, Ethel began her college education at Manhattanville College, where she was a classmate of her future sister-in-law Jean Kennedy. She received a bachelor's degree from Manhattanville in 1949.

Ethel first met Jean's brother Robert F. Kennedy during a ski trip to Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec in December 1945. During that trip, Robert began dating Ethel's older sister Patricia, but after that relationship ended, he began to date Ethel. She campaigned for Robert's older brother John F. Kennedy in John's 1946 campaign for Congress in Massachusetts' 11th congressional district, and she wrote her college thesis on his book Why England Slept.

While pregnant with her 11th child, Ethel got the news of Robert F. Kennedy's passing.

"It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy," former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, her grandson, announced Thursday. "She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week."

"Along with a lifetime's work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly," the statement added, in part. "Please keep her in your hearts and prayers."

Ethel Kennedy was hospitalized on Oct. 8, when she suffered a stroke in her sleep, according to her family.

"Ethel Kennedy was an American icon – a matriarch of optimism and moral courage, an emblem of resilience and service," President Biden said in a statement Thursday. "Devoted to family and country, she had a spine of steel and a heart of gold that inspired millions of Americans, including me and Jill. We were blessed to call her a dear friend."

Biden's statement noted how Robert F. Kennedy was "one of my heroes," and touched on the lifetime of friendship he and his family shared with Ethel Kennedy.

"For over 50 years, Ethel traveled, marched, boycotted, and stood up for human rights around the world with her signature iron will and grace," Biden's statement declared. "May God bless Ethel Kennedy, a dear friend, and a great American."

Going to be interesting when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. comes to his mom's funeral with all the baggage he gotten himself into.

The mother of seven sons and four daughters – including one with whom she was pregnant when her husband was murdered – Ethel Kennedy, who never remarried, raised her children to live up to the Kennedy creed touted by her assassinated brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, that "to those who are given much, much will be required."

"For anyone to achieve something, he must have to show a little courage. You're only on this earth once. You must give it all you've got," she said following her husband's 1968 assassination.

When President Barack Obama presented Ethel Kennedy with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014, the nation's highest civilian honor, he said Kennedy's "love of family is matched only by her devotion to her nation."

"She's an emblem of enduring faith and enduring hope even in the face of unimaginable loss and unimaginable grief," Obama said during the White House ceremony. "And she has touched the lives of countless people around the world with her generosity and grace."

Kennedy was marked by a tireless dedication to public service, resilience, and tragedy.

Ethel Kennedy with then president George W. Bush.

Though she was born in Illinois, she and the rest of the Skakel family relocated to New England during her childhood years as her father's energy business boomed. Growing up on a Greenwich, Connecticut, estate, Ethel Skakel led a life of privilege.

That life took her to Purchase, New York's Manhattanville College, now Manhattanville University, where she became friends with a fellow student named Jean Kennedy, who introduced her to her brother, Bobby – Robert F. Kennedy – the man she married in 1950.

The couple moved to Washington, D.C. where Bobby Kennedy worked as a lawyer at the Justice Department, and where they soon welcomed a daughter, Kathleen, the first of their 11 children.

Her husband's career was thriving, and her brother-in-law, John Kennedy, had been elected to the U.S. Senate. But Ethel Kennedy soon faced tragedy. Both her parents were killed in 1955 when their private plane exploded in mid-air.

In the face of her grief, she immersed herself in her growing family. Then came the 1960s, and Ethel Kennedy found herself in the intimate circle of events that would be ingrained in American history.

Then vice president now current president Joe Biden with Ethel Kennedy.

In 1960, JFK, her brother-in-law was elected president, and he picked his brother, Robert Kennedy, to be attorney general. Then on Nov. 22, 1963, the Kennedy family and the nation were shattered by President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas.

But Robert Kennedy's desire for politics and public service was undimmed. While campaigning for president, Robert Kennedy said of his wife during his victory speech in the Indiana primary that she "has made such a major difference in this campaign and a major difference for me."

However, two months later, on June 5, 1968, an assassin's bullet ended Robert Kennedy's life as he delivered a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California primary. Ethel Kennedy, who witnessed her husband's murder, was left a widow at the age of 40 with 10 children and pregnant with the couple's 11th. She would never again marry.

Over the years, she fought against paroling her husband's assassin, writing to the California Parole Board in 2021, "Bobby believed we should work to 'tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of the world.'"

"He wanted to end the war in Vietnam and bring people together to build a better, stronger country. More than anything, he wanted to be a good father and a loving husband," she further wrote. "Our family and our country suffered unspeakable loss due to the inhumanity of one man. We believe in the gentleness that spared his life, but in taming his act of violence, he should not have the opportunity to terrorize again."

Following her husband's death, Ethel Kennedy became involved in social causes, including gun control, and started the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center to carry on her husband's work for justice and human rights.

Then president Barack Obama honors Ethel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But tragedy was never far off. In 1984, Ethel Kennedy's son, David, died of a drug overdose. In 1997, her son, Michael, was killed in a skiing accident. And in 2002, Ethel Kennedy sent a handwritten plea for leniency for her nephew, Michael Skakel, who was sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of a teenage girl in Greenwich almost 30 years earlier.

Despite her high profile, Ethel Kennedy had an intensely private side, refusing for years to grant interviews. But in 2008, she publicly supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The next year, President Obama delivered the eulogy for Ethel Kennedy's brother-in-law, Sen. Ted Kennedy.

In early 2012, Ethel Kennedy, at age 83, was the toast of the Sundance Film Festival, where family members gathered for the premiere of the documentary, "Ethel." The director who chronicled her life was her youngest daughter, Rory, the baby born six months after Robert Kennedy was killed.

While Rory Kennedy never knew her father, she got to know her mother better in the making of "Ethel."

"Her life has been truly remarkable," Rory Kennedy said. "In the highs and lows and even the day-to-day, she has lived intensely. You would be hard-pressed to find another like her."

Wednesday, October 09, 2024

$1 Billion!

Harris broke $1 billion.

The Harris-Walz Campaign has officially crossed into the $1 billion campaign.

President Joe Biden had $450 million when he dropped out and naturally Vice President Kamala Harris being his running mate was chosen to be the successor. 

Now Democrats and the donors are putting in the work to send Harris to the White House.

Her fundraising has surpassed the Trump-Vance Campaign by $375 million.

The figure includes money raised by the campaign committee itself and by a campaign-affiliated joint fundraising committee that also collects cash for the Democratic National Committee and state parties.

The staggering pace suggests Harris has been able to sustain enthusiasm among donors, large and small, as the campaign enters the stretch run before the Nov. 5 election. But it comes amid a historic onslaught of outside spending from super PACs and other groups that has the Harris campaign concerned — particularly about direct mail, in which Republicans have opened a steep advantage in recent months, and on the ground, with groups like Elon Musk's super PAC and others working to turn out voters for former president Donald J. Trump.

The former president has $603 million.

It's almost over.

Meanwhile, public polling shows a finely balanced contest, with little separating Harris and Trump in the key swing states that will ultimately decide the election — and a sliver of swing voters still waiting to decide based on something they see in the last four weeks.

Presidential campaigns tend to take in more money as an election nears, but a clip of roughly half a billion dollars a month is unheard of. Biden's campaign raised a little more than $1 billion for the entire 2020 election cycle, which included a competitive primary campaign, and affiliated outside groups chipped in another $580 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Harris has opened up a huge cash advantage over Trump, who had raised just $309 million for his campaign through the end of August.

Republican super PACs are helping fill in the gap, spending more than $80 million on TV ads across the country in September, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking service. The biggest GOP groups have reserved more than $100 million in ads for the final weeks.

And yet more money is pouring into online, mail and door-to-door campaigning.

Is Elon Musk Hinting The DOJ Is Looking Into His Predatory Behavior?

A meeting of dim minds.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on X, the controversial semi autistic sexual predator Elon Musk said if former president Donald J. Trump is defeated, he's fucked.

Is there a sign that Musk is on the feds radar for his numerous allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women and young girls?

Musk was in Butler, Pennsylvania with Trump doing the MAGAland jump and cheer. He was being a total buffoon on stage. Musk's behavior has always been a subject of discussion. He has numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

Most of the women who accuse the billionaire of sexual predatory behavior signed non-disclosure agreements to prevent themselves from speaking out.

Musk had paid out numerous women. He has father 14 children (two are disputed) with numerous women who worked with him or engage conversation with him.

Singer Lorde is mother to two of his children.

The feds should be on him like Sean "Puffy" Combs and Eric Adams. 

They should look into the acts of Rupert Murdoch, Bill O'Reilly, Richard Branson, Sean "Softball" Hannity, Jesse Watters, Ed Henry, James Rosen and Andrew Cuomo.

Robert Selah Out With The New York Jets! Was Race And Faith Involved?

Robert Selah is a Lebanese American football coach. The New York Jets lets him go without warning. Wondering if his support for Lebanon the reason?

Robert Selah is the first Muslim coach for the NFL.

Born to Lebanese immigrants in Dearborn, Michigan, Saleh is a 1997 graduate of Fordson High School He attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette from 1997 to 2001, where he earned a degree in finance and was a four-year starter for the Wildcats, earning all-conference honors as a tight end.

Saleh's brother David was in the South Tower during the September 11 attacks in New York City in 2001 and saw the fireball from the initial plane's impact on the North Tower from the building's 61st floor. After ignoring calls by the public intercom within the South Tower to return to their offices, he made it down to the 24th floor before the second plane hit, this time around 50 floors above in his tower. He safely made it to the lobby and was able to escape to safety. Saleh credits this in providing the spark for him to pursue his dreams of coaching football.

He was fired out the cannon and escorted from the franchise without a goodbye to his team including the controversial Aaron Rodgers. The New York Jets owner is a MAGAland Zionist who also is buddy buddy with Rodgers, Donald J. Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Johnson said he met with Rodgers on Monday night, just prior to the firing, but that Rodgers had no input in the decision made Tuesday morning, the owner told reporters on a conference call later in the day. Johnson also said no one had any input on the Saleh firing except for him.

Winners and losers of 2024.

Rodgers has not spoken out about Saleh's firing since it happened. Rodgers was originally scheduled to appear on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, but his appearance was pushed back to Wednesday. 

During a win against the New England Patriots in Week 3, Rodgers was seen rejecting a hug from Saleh. The coach told reporters after the game that the rejection was in response to staying focused on the game. 

"Part of the things that we’ve been talking about is to just get the defense a two-score lead," Saleh told reporters at the time. "And it was a two-score lead, so I guess he just wanted to see something on defense. He just reminded me that we got a two-score lead.

Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson company and co owner of the New York Jets with brother Chris, personally fired him without a full explanation.

Johnson who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 until 2021 has a history of racist, sexist and inflammatory thoughts. The Israeli regime reign on the Middle East has been an extremely controversial topic here.

He is one of the billionaires backing former president Donald J. Trump. 

Woody Johnson, co-owner of the New York Jets and former U.S. ambassador for the United Kingdom under Donald J. Trump. His one of the heirs of Johnson & Johnson.

After all, he worked under his administration. A longtime Republican Party donor, Johnson was a supporter of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and was appointed by Trump to the post of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Events during his tenure included Britain's exit from the EU and the relocation of the United States embassy in London. His brother Christopher took over Jets operations during his post.

In July 2020, the State Department investigated allegations made by some current and former staff members that accused Johnson of making inappropriate comments about issues concerning race, personal appearance, and Black History Month.

Johnson denied the allegations, asserting that the claims were inconsistent with his values and record. The State Department and the U.S. Embassy in London stood by Johnson, highlighting his professional conduct and dedication to U.S.-UK relations. While an Inspector General report on the matter was pending, Johnson maintained that he had always followed ethical guidelines and that the accusations did not reflect his long-standing principles.

After the investigation, the inspector general issued a report in August 2020 that said that Johnson "sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color" that could "create an offensive working environment" and violate EEO (antidiscrimination) laws.

The inspector general's office recommended that the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Office of Civil Rights (S/OCR) coordinate an investigation into Johnson's conduct. S/OCR did so, and found that allegations against Johnson were unsubstantiated.

Most of American media personalities, entertainers, any adult over 45, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are still backing that apartheid ethnostate.

Aaron Rodgers is loved by the right, hated by the left. NFL ranks him as one of the greatest quarterbacks in modern history. 

The Jets five weeks into its season had a 2-3 record. Still early in the season.

Saleh is still under contract for five years and will likely push for his contract to be fulfilled.

When the news hit the webs on Tuesday, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith read a text from a friend who is a comedian. He said that Woody Johnson is the "Donald Sterling without racism."

Free Palestine. Protect Lebanon. 

Stop funding Israel.

Biden will be the last U.S. president to support Israel. I will make it my mission to hold Biden and the 47th President of the United States accountable for this. 

I place Biden as 26 of 46 in good presidents. Trump will be 44 of 46. Trump is ahead of James Buchanan and William Henry Harrison.

His foreign policy, his age, his efforts to heal the country will be failures.

Tuesday, October 08, 2024

South Carolina Struggles From Hurricane Helene Disaster! Lindsey Graham Is In Israel!

While Hurricane Helene destroyed the South, Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal went to Israel to shake hands with Benjamin Netanyahu. Graham did a Ted Cruz. South Carolina had catastrophic damages.

To those who live in South Carolina, I have a question:

Where are your senators?

I swear even if you are doing a photo-op of cleaning up damages from Hurricane Helene, it would at least show projection and at least a commitment to the constituents who elected you.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and now Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are "Cruz-ing."

Instead of being in the states when there's a disaster, they're doing stupid shit.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who is facing a tough election did one of the most dumbest things in his political career. Besides running for president, Cruz went to Cancun, Mexico during a winter storm in Texas in 2021. It affected the political grid and left over 5 million without power and heat. He lives in Houston and many of his constituents froze to death. Cruz was actually shamed into coming back.

The picture of him at the George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport with the "deer in the headlights" while coming back from Mexico will be a part of history.

Yeah, let's give Israel more resources. South Carolina can do fine without it.

I swear Israel has a handler everywhere.

MAGAland and Greenies are shamelessly promoting the FEMA giving $750 only lie. The Trumpster Fires are claiming this is Kamala Harris Administration.

You guessed it: They already referring the vice president as the president.

Israel is still trying to justify killing over 100,000 people for the 1,200 settlers they've killed (via the Hannibal Directive) in their war with Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Iran. 

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former president Donald J. Trump, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Congress continues to support Israel despite the world turning on the country. 

Hurricane Milton will hit most of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis can't take his head out of his ass. He refusing calls from Harris and projecting. He still attacking Biden despite the president promising everything he can offer.

Milton is a Category 5 storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to hit Florida as a Category 3 or 4.

Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) were in Israel this week to do bipartisan talks with Benjamin Netanyahu.

That should rile up constituents. 

He gave it all away when he appeared for the umpteenth time on Sean "Softball" Hannity's shitshow. 

When the softball asked about the catastrophic damages in South Carolina, Graham pivoted to Israel. It was a shocking statement.

Damn shame that in 2026, he is up for reelection and if people have fickle memories, he could win another term to be insufferable.




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