Glitter 1/12 -Mariah carey

Turkish Anchor Reports On Obama In Blackface (VIDEO)

Turkish Anchor Reports On Obama In Blackface (VIDEO): "A Turkish news anchor wore dark face paint while he reported on President Obama's trip to the country."

Welcome to Turkey and Spirit of Ancestry

Afrosphere

Hat tip to Runoko Rashidi and TheBlackList

ISTANBUL - The black population of Turkey has a message for U.S. President Barack Obama.

Mustafa Olpak, author, activist and president of the Africans’ Culture and Solidarity Foundation in Izmir and other foundation members crave a meeting with Obama Ğ even for just a few minutes. But with Obama’s schedule and the foundation’s lack of funds for the trip, the group realizes it will not happen. Still, Olpak told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review they were excited about the visit. “The spirits of his African ancestors, who were enslaved and excluded from the white man’s world, are with Obama,” he said.

Black people were not being bought and sold only in Europe and America, but in the Ottoman Empire, too. The island of Crete in the Aegean Sea was the most important center for the slave trade. Olpak comes from a family whose members were sold as slaves on this island. Although the family chose to remain silent on the matter, Opak has broken the silence with his recent book “Kölekıyısı-Kenya’dan Istanbul’a” (Slave Shore Ğ from Kenya to Istanbul). The book, out on Punto Publishing, features photographs and documents. There was also an exhibit at the EU center in Ankara, which opened with the book’s release.

The exhibit, titled “The Blacks of Turkey,” will be reopened in Ankara on the occasion of Obama’s visit with additional photographs from Opak’s family album added. “Maybe Obama cannot visit the foundation to meet us but he should see the exhibit at least,” said Olpak.

AP Says It's Going To Sue Aggregators

Techdirt

Given some of the Associated Press's recent actions, this won't come as a surprise, but the AP has now announced that it will start suing any news aggregator that doesn't share its profits with the AP:

"We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under misguided legal theories."

I'm a bit curious what those "misguided theories" are... because copyright law and rules concerning fair use seem pretty clear, and search engines aggregating info and sending people to your site has been ruled fair use before. So, perhaps the AP chairman is talking about some other "misguided" legal theory? Another AP person claims: "This is not about defining fair use. There's a bigger economic issue at stake here that we're trying to tackle." But she neglects to say what that is, other than our old business model sucks, and we've got no freaking clue how to adapt to the changing market place, so this is the best we've got...

Whenua Fenua Enua Vanua: G20 Meltdown Solidarity

Whenua Fenua Enua Vanua: G20 Meltdown Solidarity: "Wednesday April 1st

12-12.30 pm

British Consulate
Melbourne
90 Collins Street


'People are in an incendiary mood,' says Bone. '1 April will see the biggest ructions on the street since the poll-tax riots and possibly even the Gordon riots of 1780. I don't think politicians realise quite how angry we are. In the past six months, this country has been turned upside-down. A deep recession has been created by a few greedy bankers and as a result, thousands have lost their homes and jobs. A dam of resentment has built up and 1 April is when all these pissed-off people march on the City to take what's theirs. Capitalism itself is on the ropes.'



http://www.g-20meltdown.org/
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/03/425026.html"

Attorney Chiquita Tate Murdered

Slain attorney Chiquita Tate was such a believer in the legal system that she had a tattoo of Lady Justice on her back, college friend T. J. Crawford recalled.

Chiquita Tate was in the midde of a high-profile murder trial when she was stabbed to death in her law office.

"She just had an attachment to justice and doing what's right by people. She was always very serious about that," said Crawford, a teacher and community organizer in Chicago, Illinois.
But Tate, described by colleagues as a tenacious defense attorney who fought for her clients, could not save herself.
Family members and friends in Chicago; Atlanta, Georgia, and Tate's adopted home -- tiny Baker, Louisiana -- are reeling from the grisly details of Tate's slaying, and police say it was at the hands of her husband, Greg Harris. They had been married about 14½ months.
Harris, 37, is in custody, accused of stabbing Tate to death. He is charged with second-degree murder and the illegal use of a dangerous weapon. A judge last week set his bond at $500,000.
In a phone interview with CNN, Harris' attorney, Lewis Unglesby, said police have the wrong man.

"Greg Harris by all accounts ... is innocent. I don't know anybody that thinks he did it, except the police," Uglesby said. "There's nothing in his background. He has cooperated completely with the police; he's signed everything they've asked him to sign. He's let them search his house, his car."
Tate, 34, had started her own law firm in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was doing well, family and acquaintances said.

"She was up and coming," said Cpl. L'Jean McKneely, a police spokesman in Baton Rouge.
Tate was representing a defendant in a high-profile murder trial when, police say, she became a homicide victim herself. Her body was found inside her law office on February 20. Tate was stabbed 38 times, according to a police warrant for Harris' arrest obtained by CNN.
While questioning Harris about Tate's death, police discovered an outstanding warrant for him in connection with a battery-domestic violence case. It stemmed from a December 22, 2007, incident at the couple's home.

Harris was accused of using "force and violence" against Tate, according to Baker City Court records. The court said Harris entered a not guilty plea on March 6, 2008, but did not appear for a May 8 pretrial conference. A warrant was issued for his arrest for contempt of court.

Police Shooting in Pasadena - NAM

NAM

Black residents in Pasadena are furious with the Pasadena Police Department after the shooting death of Leroy Barnes, 38. Adena Cole, a friend of Barnes' family, is fearful for members of her community.

Barnes was riding in the backseat of a car driven by Ameka Edwards at 4:20 p.m. on February 19 when they were pulled over by the police. It is unclear exactly what led to the fatal shooting of Barnes because the Pasadena Police Department has put a hold on the autopsy results, written and taped reports, recorded interviews regarding the shooting and surveillance videos from the officers squad car.

The first report from the Pasadena Police Department was that Barnes stepped out of the car and fired upon the officers. But a report the next day from the police department said that Barnes did not step out of the car and that he did not fire a shot.

Barnes does have a criminal record, and there was a gun in the car, but according to Cole, he did not have the gun in his possession at the time of the shooting. She claims that when the car was pulled over Edwards told Barnes to put the gun into her purse because she is a security officer and has a license to carry a gun.

Aunt Linda Walker, R.I.P.

Today, my beautiful Aunt Linda passed away from this world. She was only 59 years old. She's remembered as a loving aunt.

May Aunt Linda be a peace and may God watch over her family.

Natasha Richardson, R.I.P.

Natasha Richardson 1963-2009

Award-winning actress Natasha Richardson, a member of Britain's Redgrave acting dynasty, died on Wednesday at age 45 after a suffering a severe brain injury in a skiing accident in Canada earlier this week.

Rest in peace, Natasha.

Tajah Monique Hilliard is missing!

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division describes Tajah Monique Hilliard as a black female, standing 5 feet 3 inches and weighing 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Hilliard, however, was said to be wearing green contacts at the time she went missing.

Read more and ses Tajah's picture here: http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

Domestic Violence in the Black Community, real talk

I am sure by now that many if not of you have heard of the Chris Brown Rihhana incident by now. Chris Brown was dead wrong and as bad as this whole thing was it has opened up the door for us to talk about the 500 pound goriilaa in the African American Community, Domestic violence. On this weeks show host George Cook discusses:

* The lack of male role models contributing to this problem.

*Black men have to step up and start protecting our women.

*The conflicting messgaes some boys get from some black women about hitting girls.

* Yes, girls hit too and do start fights with men.

*From a male perspective he wonders like many men do why more women don't just leave the situation and pleads for women to do so.

Listen to the show here: http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/LTHWEEKLY.html

Keianna Nicole Grenz is missing

16 year old Keianna Nicole Grenz of Desoto Texas has been missing since 03/03/09. Learn more about her case by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

NZAID changes will harm women in developing countries

Scoop: NZAID changes will harm women in dvlping countries

Wednesday, 11 March 2009, 9:21 am
Press Release: United Nations Development Fund for Women

NATIONAL COMMITTEE
NEW ZEALAND

“UNIFEM is becoming increasingly concerned about the messages that are coming through from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We oppose the move from the NZAID goal of poverty elimination to economic development. This move would be actively harmful to women in developing countries”, said Rae Julian from the National Committee of UNIFEM New Zealand in response to the announced reviews of NZAID.

The Minister has initiated a review of NZAID, with the possibility of reintegrating it within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite requests from a number of non-governmental organisations, there is no provision to receive submissions from the public to this exercise. The review includes a reconsideration of NZAID’s core policy of poverty elimination.

NZAID was reviewed twice since its inception in 2002, by the OECD and by Dr Marilyn Waring, a former politician from the Minister’s party. Both reviews were very positive about the work of the agency, praising its semi-autonomous status and its focus on poverty elimination.

UNIFEM’s main concern is the possible effect of any changes on the women in developing countries who have benefitted from NZAID’s policies on both poverty and gender. Women in those countries are likely to be the poorest. If they survive the possibility of death in childbirth, they are then threatened by preventable diseases or violence. Many raise children alone with no financial support.

We support the economic development focus – if the development is targeted to benefit those in greatest need, and the poor are part of the necessary planning. Economic development should ensure that all of the people, including women, can be at a level where they can participate. This implies access to basic education and good health services as a starting point – rather than as an outcome of the process. It requires good governance processes at all levels, peace building and conflict prevention. Fair trade and private sector development are also components to increase income generation for all.

Aid must not become a tool of foreign policy, a carrot used to persuade developing countries to support New Zealand’s political agenda or a stick to punish those whose policies we do not like. There are other ways to ensure that effective aid gets past corrupt governments to where it is needed, especially through working with civil society organisations in those countries. NZAID funding support for governance programmes from the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific has been stopped by the Minister. These programmes, often led by women, have been invaluable in a number of Pacific countries.

“We add our voice to those asking to have input to the review of NZAID. Empowerment of women through aid is too important to be sacrificed to political whims”, concluded Rae Julian.

ENDS

The Latin Americanist: Latino assaulters in possible hate crime

The Latin Americanist: Latino assaulters in possible hate crime

1600 show up to help little girl with Leukemia

In NY 1600 people showed up in the hopes that their bone marrow would be a match for little Jasmina Anema.

Jasmina has Leukemia and needs the bone marrow to survive.
Read this heart warming story here:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

The Grim Sleeper- 11 Black Victims, No Suspect

Go to The Grim Sleeper Killer.com

How long will it take for police to investigate the serial murders of 11+ Black women? Tell me? Is it going to take 10 more years as in the South Side Slayer serial murder? I want to know. Here's an article at BlackVoices on the Grim Sleeper murder:

"'The Grim Sleeper': A Dozen Black Victims, Two Decades, No Suspect
Posted Mar 4th 2009 9:00AM by Denver LouisFiled under: BlackSpin, Crime and Courts, News
The LAPD is staking it's claim as the most inept police department in the country. In nearly two decades, 11 or more people have been murdered by the same man, with the police department nearly powerless to stop it. Recently, an emergency call from 1987 was released in hopes of getting a lead on L.A.'s most notorious serial killer, dubbed the "grim sleeper" for the significant time lapse in between his killings. The killer has been at large since 1985, despite a $500,000 reward and samples of his DNA on file. As far as the police know, all of his victims have been black. So what's taking so long? ...

The biggest lead the police have is a call from a man who says he saw a body being thrown out of a van. Unfortunately, the caller couldn't identify the driver and declined to identify himself.According to the Associated Press...

Six victims were found with the killer's DNA on them but a search of prisoner databases came up blank. Detectives went on to ask the California Department of Justice to run a DNA search that sought possible matches to the killer's relatives.''

Can the police and the community connect the dots sooner on the murders and diligently find the suspect? Had they done their jobs, some of those women would have been alive.

The Grim Sleeper Killer

Thank you, Ann, for finding more details of the Grim Sleeper Killer. The media and society in general place far less value to Black life. There's a pattern in LAPD which never give priority to solving murders of Black women in LA. Nor do the public give a thought about the murders. What's worse is that some Blacks don't give a thought to the murdered women, shrugged them off as "prostitutes" when many aren't. They are decent everyday people with lives of their own. It's time to end this neglect.

Little girl fighting Leukemia needs help

Jasmina was diagnosed with NK cell Leukemia on Jan. 20.

Jasmina Anema turns 6 years old Wednesday, and the birthday party planned for her - with a fashion show, cake and an appearance by singer Kelly Rowland - is a dream come true.
But the celebration could be Jasmina's last.

The bubbly Greenwich Village kindergartner is suffering from a rare and especially fatal form of leukemia that doctors fear will take her life within two months unless she receives a bone-marrow transplant.

Read the entire article here: http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Pamela Butler is missing

Pamela Butler of washington DC is missing. It is believed that she went missing on 02/12/09. Learn more about Pamela by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

Black Girl Beaten By Two Jailers

Where's Al or Jesse on this one? Black men aren't the only ones who are abused by police.

Betty Jean Susie Baucum

In Memorium: Betty Jean Baucum March 7, 1970- March 10, 1994.

A sweet virtuous young woman with a beautiful smile, Betty Jean Susie Baucum was going places. Her life was cut short when a serial killer took her life, leaving a beautiful adopted daughter and many relatives and friends.

May she rests in peace.

Victims of the Grim Sleeper Killer

Here are the victims of the Grim Sleeper Killer (LA NEWS):

• On August 10, 1985, Debra Jackson, 29, a cocktail waitress, left a friend’s home in Lynwood to take a bus back to her apartment in South-Central. Days later, her decomposing body was found in an alley near West Gage Avenue. She had been shot in the chest three times with a small caliber pistol.

• On August 12, 1986, Henrietta Wright, 35, was found dead in an alley south of 2514 West Vernon Avenue. Her mouth had been gagged with a cloth. She had been shot twice in the chest.

• Two days later, Thomas Steele, 36, was discovered dead in the middle of the intersection of 71st Street and Halldale Avenue, with a single gunshot wound in his head. The San Diego native had come up for the day to visit his sister.

• On January 10, 1987, Barbara Ware, 23, was found dead in an alley at 1356 East 56th Street, shot once in the chest. According to the autopsy report, neighbors saw a man remove Ware’s body from a vehicle and hide it in a heap of trash.

• On April 15, 1987, Bernita Sparks was shot in the chest, strangled and beaten. Originally listed as Jane Doe No. 25, she had told her mother that she was going to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes. She was found in a trash bin the next morning, covered with garbage, on the 9400 block of South Western Avenue.

• On October 31, 1987, Mary Lowe, 26, told her mother, Betty, she was going to a Halloween party. “I said she was crazy to go out in the rain like that,” recalls Betty. “She kept on walking.” Lowe was found the next morning, in an alley near bushes behind the 8900 block of Western Avenue. According to Betty Lowe, a neighbor saw Mary Lowe get in a car with a young black man driving a rust or orange Ford Pinto.

• On January 30, 1988, Lachrica Jefferson, 22, died from two gunshot wounds to the chest. She was found in an alley north of 2049 West 102nd Place in Lennox by L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies. A napkin placed over her face had the word “AIDS” written on it.

• On September 11, 1988, Alicia “Monique” Alexander, 18, asked her father if he wanted anything from a liquor store on 68th Street and Normandie Avenue, then she vanished. Her father, Porter Alexander, remembers, “I woke up and asked my wife where she was. She said she hadn’t come back. ... I never saw her again.” Alexander was found dead a few days later, in an alley around 43rd Place and Western Avenue. She had been shot once in the chest and sexually assaulted.

• Just before a 13-year gap in these related cases, in November of 1988, a young black man driving an orange Ford Pinto picked up a young black woman in South Los Angeles, shot her in the chest and raped her. She persuaded her attacker to allow her to escape, and she is the only known eyewitness survivor of the Grim Sleeper. She is not being named by L.A. Weekly.

• On December 21, 2001, Princess Berthomieux, 14, vanished, and was found March 19, 2002, strangled and beaten in an alley behind 8121 South Van Ness Boulevard in Inglewood.

• On July 11, 2003, Valerie McCorvey, 35, was found dead by a crossing guard in an alley west of Denker Avenue between 108th and 109th streets. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Police initially suspected her boyfriend, but he was ruled out when DNA found on her body matched DNA found on Berthomieux, killed in 2002, and Mary Lowe, killed in 1987.

• On January 1, 2007, Janecia Peters, 25, was found dead by a homeless man near 9500 Western Avenue. She’d been shot in the back and placed in a garbage bag. Her death barely registered with the local press, which even misreported it, calling it a stabbing.

Grim Sleeper Killer

WHY 20 YEARS? Why wait until now to find a serial killer that is stalking South L.A. Such callous disregard for human life. It's a repeat of the South Side Killer that stalked LA 25 years earlier.


Cops Hunt for 'Grim Sleeper' Serial Killer
By THOMAS WATKINS

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 25) - They have a sample of his DNA, a description from a survivor and a $500,000 reward, but detectives investigating the city's most notorious serial killer have hit a wall.
On Wednesday, they released a recording of a 1987 emergency call in hopes of tracking down the man dubbed the "Grim Sleeper," who has killed at least 11 times in nearly a quarter century.
Skip over this content





"It's a long shot, that's for sure," said Detective Dennis Kilcoyne. "I am hoping a couple people call us. ... Maybe that will lead us to something."
Kilcoyne heads a squad of seven Los Angeles homicide detectives who for nearly two years have been assigned exclusively to the case. The killer most recently struck Jan. 1, 2007, and his first known victim was in 1985.
Police have pored over investigative files from all the killings and are now focusing on the January 1987 slaying of Barbara Ware, a 23-year-old with a history of prostitution who was found shot to death in a South Los Angeles alley.

A man saw a blue-and-white van dump her body. He called police with his account and gave the license plate number of the van. Within about an hour, police had tracked the van to its registered address at a church.

For more, click here

"The engine was still warm to the touch," Kilcoyne said.

Recession? Black women's hair a priority

Recession? What Recession?

It seems that while many black women are cutting back and saving more money the one place where they are drawing the line is when it comes to their hair.

One quote from the story seems to sum things up.

"Every woman wants to be beautiful no matter what color, but Black women have a special pride that includes taking care of their hair,"

Read the entire store here: http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog: The Old Mulatto Elite

Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog: The Old Mulatto Elite

Here he goes again with his race-baiting ways. This time taking aim at Eric Holder and his family.

Does Steve have anything else to do besides daily race-baiting? My wish is for him to find another hobby, maybe hunting or boxing instead. He needs plenty of therapy. Maybe rekindle his relationship with his family by doing things together such as camping, reading, or taking field trips to the museum together. His obsession with race is overkill.

Shawna's Memorial

memory of Shawna Hawk 1972-1993.

Shawna Denise Hawk was a beautiful young woman full of promise. Her promising life was cut short when she was murdered. A month after her death, a support group was founded and a year later, a serial killer turned himself in. He not only killed Shawna Hawk, but 10 other beautiful young promising Black women in Charlotte metro area. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997.

May Shawna rests in peace.

Mariah Roundtree is missing

Mariah Roundtree of Wakpala South Dakota is missing. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. She has brown hair and dark brown eyes and is Native American and African American. Learn more about this case and see Mariah's pitcture by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

BART shooting did not have to happen

The shooting death of Oscar Grant by BART Officer Johannes Mehserle could have been avoided. It turns out that Johannes Mehserle and others officers beat Kenneth Carrethers a black man just two months prior to Grant's death.

Kenneth Carrethers tried to file a complaint to no avail because the one officer who handles such complaints was on vacation up until the week after Grant's death.You have to wonder whether or not that report had been filed would Mehserle been in position to kill anyone. It seems that police brutality was the norm with BART Officers and what's worse no one at the top seemed to care. Watch video of Kenneth Carrethers tell his story by clicking the link:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Michelle Obama Is Beautiful!!

Michelle Obama Is Beautiful!!!!

CENSORED NEWS: AIM West protest in solidarity with Leonard Peltier

CENSORED NEWS: AIM West protest in solidarity with Leonard Peltier: "All My Relations, Companeros, Friends in Solidarity,
By Tony Gonzales
In view of what occured Tuesday to our friend, Sun Dance Brother, a GrandFather and Elder, Leonard Peltier, AIM-WEST calls on friends and allies to come out this Friday in San Francisco and demonstrate their solidarity and deep concern for Leonard's life, safety and security. Please to go www.aimwest.info for detailed location and time.Our allies are encouraged to hold rallies and demonstrations in cities across the country, and throughout the world, and register their concern as well, those who know the case of Leonard Peltier's imprisonment these last thirty-three years. This is a moment in time where we can take the opportunity to share with the outside world another example, and further expose the treatment and injustices committed against Indigenous peoples' held hostage by an oppressive government."

Obama's Inauguration Speech

Obama's Inauguration Speech

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.
Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

It's Official. Barack Obama Is Our 44th President

Well Done!

War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza's Offshore Gas Fields

War and Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza's Offshore Gas Fields: "The military invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli Forces bears a direct relation to the control and ownership of strategic offshore gas reserves.

This is a war of conquest. Discovered in 2000, there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline.

British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) owned by Lebanon's Sabbagh and Koury families, were granted oil and gas exploration rights in a 25 year agreement signed in November 1999 with the Palestinian Authority."

Barack Obama's open letter to his daughters

Check out President Elect Barack Obama's open letter to his daughters Malia and Sasha. He lets them know how much he loves them and what he wants for their future.

Click here to read letter: http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Oscar Grant, R.I.P.

Hat tip: Abagond.

The police was totally unjustified in Mr. Grant. The police in general need to be sensitive when it comes to policing people of color in their communities. They need to be more respectful as well. He was a good young man who was struggling to raise his child and go to school at the same time.

There is a pattern in police departments around the country to target Blacks, men and women, for no particular reason at all. Remember Eleanor Bumpurs, Amadou Diallo, Taniysha, Sean Bell, anyone? Let's remember them as well.

Rest in peace

Hip Hop's negative portrayal of black women

I have often defended Hip Hop as some have tried to blame it for every societal ill that befalls the United States. One thing I can not defend Hip Hop on is it's negative portrayal of women, especially black women.

Click the link below to listen to my interview with Towanna Freeman a women's empowerment speaker who often speaks on Hip Hops effect on our youth. We discuss the topic of Hip Hop's effect on our young girls and some "grown" women.

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/LTHWEEKLY.html

R.I.P. Nixzmary Brown

TODAY, JAN. 11th IS THE 3rd ANNIVERSARY OF NIXZMARY BROWN'S MURDER

This story of Nixzmary Brown is beautifully written by Dovesblood.


http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=405309140

Tragic Child Abuse Angels in Heaven

This video took me along time to get together, and get right! I also had to take several breaks from this as I became very emotional! All the children's names are listed in First Name Alphabetical Order!

Alijah James Mullis
October 29th 2007- January 29th 2008

Allison May Newman
May 24th 2004-September 22nd 2006

Alyssa Kay Logue
November 20th 2004- October 26th 2006

Breanna Marie Courtney Loveless
May 22nd 1995-February 22nd 1996

Brianna Lopez
February 14th 2002- July 19th 2002

Camryn Jakeb Wilson
January 1st 2008-March 25th 2008

Christopher Michael Barrios Jr.
January 2nd 2001-March 8th 2007

Christopher Wayne Allen Banard
August 19th 2003-April 28th 2008

Cohen Smith Legacy
March 29th 2008-May 11th 2008

James Patrick Bulger
March 16th 1990-February 13th 1993

Javon Thompson
2005-2006..Birthdate and Date of Death Is Unknown.

John Samuel Yates
December 15th 1995-June 20th 2001

JonBenet Ramsay
August 6th 1990-December 25th 1996

Katelynn Angel Sampson
October 24th 2000-August 3rd 2008

Katlin Joy Violette
October 16th 2002-January 12th 2007

Keenen Taylor
June 18th 2002-June 9th 2005

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs
December 28th 2002-October 11th 2005

Kyle Andrew Klein
October 15th 2003-December 15th 2006

Lattie McGee
December 29th 1982-August4th 1987

Elizabeth " Lisa " Launders or Steinberg
May 14th 1981-November 4th 1987
It is believed that the song " Dear Mr. Jesus" was written for Lisa.

London Marie Sherwood
September 4th 2007-December 4th 2007

Luke David Yates
February 15th 1999-June 20th 2001

Marcus Fiesel
June 24th 2003-August 3rd 2006

Margaret Elizabeth Schlosser
January 2004-November 2004

Mary Deborah Yates
November 30th 2000-June 20th 2001

McKenna Sharee Brown
December 1st 2004-September 14th 2006

Michael and Alexander Smith
Michael-October 10th 1991
Alexander-August 5th 1993
Both children were killed on October 25th 1994.

Michael Vallejo-Seiber
August 12th 2002-August 29th 2005

Neveah Ann Richardson
November 15th 2007-November 24th 2007

Ngatikaura Ngati
2002- January 31st 2006

Nixzmary Brown
July 18th 1998-January 11th 2006

Noah Jacob Yates
February 26th 1994-June 20th 2001

Paul Abraham Yates
September 13th 1997-June 20th 2001

Peter Connelly ( Otherwise known as Baby " P ")
March 1st 2006-August 3rd 2007

Riley Ann Sawyers
March 11th 2005-July 24th 2007

Ryan Aubrey Luke
December 28th 1992-March 5th 1995

Sirita J Sotelo
February 12th 2000-January 21st 2005

Skyla Brooks
June 15th 1998-March 21st 2000

Skylar Roininen
April 24th 2006-March 28th 2008

Summer Marie Phelps
July 6th 2002-March 10th 2007

Taegen Elise McKinney
November 11th 2005-April 15th 2007

Tesslynn O'Cull
June 8th 1994-June 14th 1997

Alexis Glover is missing!

Alexis Glover is a thirteen-year-old developmentally disabled teen who was last seen on 01/07/09 Wednesday afternoon at the Central Library on Mathis Avenue in Manassas, VA. Alexis also suffers from other medical issues.

Because of her condition Alexis may actually hide from police in the false belief that she is in trouble. Se needs to be found quickly as it is could and she needs her medication. Click the link below to see her picture and learn more:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

Why are so many black men in prison?

Why are so many of our black men in prison. Reasons range from lack of education to lack of fathers involved in a child's life. Over 70% of men who don't get a high school diploma wind up in prison. Learn more by clicking the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/LTHWEEKLY.html

White Man's Army is no place for US PT 3

White Man's Army is no place for US PT 2

http://www.lavenajohnson.com/

White Man's Army is no place for US PT 1

Is racism in America over?

Abagond
John McWhorter, in his Forbes.com article, “Racism In America Is Over” (December 30th 2008), says that the election of a black man as president proves that racism against blacks is no longer a big issue in America. I expect white people to say that sort of thing, yet McWhorter is black.

McWhorter is not saying that racism has gone away completely, that no white person will ever use the n-word again, say. America will continue to be imperfect. But a racism that allows a black man to become president can only be so bad - and, in practice, not bad enough to matter much. It certainly cannot be the main issue or even one of the main issues that affects black Americans. Those who truly want to help blacks should give their attention to other, more important things.

I agree that America has come a long way in the past 50 years and the election of Obama is a big step on that road, but that does not mean racism no longer matters.

Socialist Aotearoa: Palestine’s long torment

Palestine’s long torment

by Anindya Bhattacharyya

The Gaza Strip is effectively the world’s largest prison camp.

Zionist terror gangs drove its population from their homes during the creation of Israel in 1948.

That event – known in Arabic as the Nakba (catastrophe) – saw 750,000 Palestinians ethnically cleansed. They fled to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and to other countries.

Prior to this Britain controlled Palestine. The British imperialists had promised the land to both the native Palestinian population and to the Zionists, who had settled there over the previous 50 years.

Zionism was a Jewish nationalist movement that arose in Europe in the late 19th century as a response to the growth of anti-Semitism.

Zionism’s founder Theodor Herzl argued that anti-Semitism could never be defeated and that Jews should found a new “homeland”. Only a small minority of Jews backed this. Herzl and his supporters looked to the major powers for support.

In 1917 the British foreign secretary Lord Balfour gave official backing to their colonial ambitions. He hoped that a Zionist state in Palestine would serve the interests of British imperialism.

After the horror of the Holocaust, when Nazi Germany exterminated six million Jews, Zionism became a majority trend amongst Jews.Tragically, some Jews went from being the oppressed in Europe to becoming the oppressor in the Middle East.

Aotearoaa/New Zealand: Major Mobilisation for Justice in Palestine

Socialist Aotearoa: Major Mobilisation for Justice in Palestine- Auckland Sat Jan 10th


Global Peace and Justice Auckland and the Palestine Human Rights Campaign are planning a major mobilisation to protest the latest Israeli outrages against Palestinians living in the Gaza strip.

The protest will gather at 12 noon, Aotea Square, Auckland on Saturday 10th January.

We have received numerous calls asking what actions are planned for Aucklanders to register their outrage at Israel's actions. Saturday's mobilisation gives that opportunity.

(An organising meeting for the mobilisation and to plan immediate steps in the campaign to boycott Israel will be held at 6pm on Tuesday 6th January at the Unite Union Office at 6A Western Springs Road, Auckland)

Meanwhile like most New Zealanders we find the government's failure to condemn the Israeli massacre an outrage. The utterances of Foreign Minister Murray McCully are obsequious and embarrassing. His fawning to the US position will be welcomed in Israel but will be condemned around the rest of the world. He is putting New Zealand well out of step with the United Nations.

United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto called the launching of the ground offensive in Gaza "a monstrosity" in an accurate reflection of international opinion. McCully on the other hand has yet to issue a single word of criticism.


Mike Treen – (09) 8452132 or 0295254744
John Minto – (09) 8463173(H) or (09) 8469496(W)
For the GPJA Committee

Janfrie Wakim – 09 5200201 or 027 629 1004
For the Palestine Human Rights Campaign

Radio New Zealand News : Stories : 2009 : 01 : 03 : Vatican not bound by Italian laws

Radio New Zealand News : Stories : 2009 : 01 : 03 : Vatican not bound by Italian laws: "Italian laws do not automatically apply in the Vatican, owing to a ruling signed by Pope Benedict XVI designed to give the Holy See more autonomy.

Jose Maria Serrano Ruiz, president of the Vatican commission on law revisions, explained in the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano that there are too many Italian laws, many of which are not in line with Catholic doctrine.

Under the new ruling, which went into effect with the New Year, Italian laws and ordinances must be specifically ratified by the Vatican to have the effect of law.

The change revises the 80-year-old practice, agreed to in 1929 by Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini, by which the Vatican automatically took over Italian laws affecting Rome and the surrounding region for areas where the Holy See did not have its own ordinances."

Israeli Steps up its Genocide Against the the Palestinian People

Radio New Zealand News : Stories : 2009 : 01 : 02 : Israeli sends tanks into Gaza Strip
Israeli tanks and infantry battled Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in a ground offensive launched after eight days of deadly air strikes failed to halt the Islamist group's rocket attacks on Israel.

Wearing night-vision goggles on their helmets and camouflage paint on their faces, Israeli soldiers entered the densely populated enclave on Saturday along with tank columns that swept in from four points as combat helicopters flew overhead.

In initial fighting, Israeli ground forces killed eight Gazans, five of them gunmen, bringing the Palestinian death toll since the start of an air campaign on 27 December to more than 450, medical officials said.

There was no official word of any Israeli casualties.

Israel said it called up 10,000 reservists and the military's chief spokesman estimated the operation in the Hamas-run territory could take "many long days".

The ‘Other’, Older Palestinian Coup D’etat

Aotearoa IMC: The ‘Other’, Older Palestinian Coup D’etat

PLO commitment to the Annapolis understandings was a milestone that vindicated Hamas fears and accusations that Abbas was leading and pursuing an older political coup d’etat to deprive the Islamic movement from its electoral victory
The ‘Other’, Older Palestinian Coup D’etat

By Nicola Nasser*

Failing to substantiate for the President of the autonomous Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, a credible “legal” basis to extend his term from the Basic Law, which is the constitutional terms of reference that govern the rotation of power and the renewal of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the PA, Abbas in his capacity as the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) convened the rubber stamping Fatah –dominated Central Council (CC) of the PLO in the West Bank city of Ramallah to elect him also President of the State of Palestine on November 23.

The move could have been the last “constitutional” resort to extend his term as PA president before it expires on January 9 next year in order to secure himself as the supreme “legitimate” authority on Palestinian decision –making in the context of the “make - or – break” bloody wrangling with the rival Hamas on the leadership of the Palestinian national movement.

The symbolic position secures his presidency for life in line with the “tradition” of his predecessor, but without any constitutional stipulation to support it as the PLO regulations lack even an official text of a presidential oath, an embarrassing fact that threw his senior aides into a whirlwind of frenzied last minute efforts to write down an oath for him to read out on November 23.

The position has been vacant since the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004. The PLO lawmakers in exile withheld the position from Abbas because they were demanding a separation between the PA presidency and the PLO chairmanship as a precautionary measure lest Israeli tanks bulldoze away the PA as they did in 2002 taking down with it the PLO, the internationally – recognized sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, which legitimized the creation of the “Palestinian National Authority” (PNA) in 1993 as a subsidiary reporting to the PLO.

Nixzmary Brown 1998-2006

This video is a tribute to Nixzmary Brown who died three years ago this month.

May she rests in peace.