Jesse Jackson, Jr. On The Run!

Congressman Jesse Jackson (D-Illinois) resigns from Congress. He is caught up in a political scandal and its taking a toll on his sanity.

After easily winning election despite being about 70% away from his constituents, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Illinois) is resigning from Congress.

The son of Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson has been at the Mayo Clinic for depression and bipolar disorder. The embattled congressman sent his resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) this week. This likely Democrat but it could be a Republican pick up if they line up a candidate.

Jackson leaves a legacy behind. He also leaves behind a controversy.

His personal issues from his health, to reports of having an mistress have taken a toll on his sanity!

But is he just trying to distract the country?

He is currently under investigation for misuse of campaign fundraising. He also embroiled in the scandal that cost former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich his position. When Barack Obama, resigned from the senate to become the President Of the United States, Blagojevich was caught on tape telling people that he's willing to make a price for the seat. Jackson was hoping he could become the next Illinois senator. The FBI issued an arrest warrant for the governor. The governor resigned soon after.

President Barack Obama wanted the seat to go to Tammy Duckworth, Valarie Jerret or Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois). Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to seat. Burris is also under investigation for potential corruption. Burris chose not to seek reelection and in 2010, the seat went to Mark Kirk, a Republican congressman.

Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson, the father of embattled congressman

Blagojevich was sent to federal prison. The FBI is closing on Jackson. There could be charges for corruption against Jackson.

The current governor Pat Quinn (D-Illinois) will have to issue a special election for the seat shortly.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Jackson's political star was on the rise until allegations surfaced in late 2008 that his supporters offered to raise as much as $6 million for Blagojevich in return for the governor appointing him to the Senate seat vacated by the president-elect. Though Jackson was never charged in that case, a House ethics panel investigation into his actions was ultimately eclipsed by a federal criminal probe based in Washington, D.C., into alleged misuse of campaign dollars.

Jackson's resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was Jackson's first acknowledgment of the ongoing federal corruption investigation.

"I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators, and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone," Jackson said in the two-page letter. "None of us is immune from our share of shortcomings or human frailties, and I pray that I will be remembered for what I did right."

Jackson's Washington legal team, which recently added former federal prosecutor Dan Webb, a Chicago partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, indicated that while Jackson's political fate has been settled, there's more to come in a court of law.

"We hope to negotiate a fair resolution of the matter but the process could take several months," they said in the statement.

Despite admitting "my share of mistakes," Jackson said his deteriorating health — and treatment for bipolar depression — kept him from serving as a "full-time legislator" and was the reason for his resignation.

Jackson's decision to step down came little more than two weeks after his re-election to another two-year term despite a lack of campaigning. He disappeared from the public eye in June after taking a medical leave from the House for what aides had initially described as exhaustion.

Jackson formed a political tag-team with his wife, Ald. Sandi Jackson, 7th, who over the years has received hundreds of thousands of dollars as a paid political consultant to her husband. Despite her role on the City Council, the couple maintained an upscale home in Washington and sent their children to school there. Sandi Jackson has refused to discuss her husband's political future or the investigation into his campaign spending. She could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Jackson's resignation immediately launched a field of possible successors —to be nominated and elected in special elections early next year — that could involve more than a dozen Democratic contenders, some of them political has-beens and others up-and-comers representing a new generation of leadership.

Turkey Brawl!

Thanks to all our readers here at Journal de la Reyna.

I, LILVOKA am proud to be a contributor to her blog. I want to take a moment to thank those new and old who found us online. We appreciate all the readers and support.

Anyways, if you are a member of Google+ or Google friend connect, click on the link so you can be updated with the latest stories on this blog.

While we celebrate Thanksgiving and the official holiday shopping season, I want you to make sure to acknowledge of brave men and women who are fighting overseas. Besides Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas are important days for our U.S. military.

While we're here in the United States eating, working or even taking a moment to share a few users on YouTube and their Thanksgiving experiences.

Michelle Obama's Goal To Eliminating Food Deserts!

First Lady Michelle Obama

The First Lady of The United States has concerns with urban areas being targeted with food that makes people obese. First Lady Michelle Obama has made a goal to help curb obesity in the United States.

An ongoing battle this Thanksgiving week.

The White House details it through her 60 Let's Move GO! Movement.

Should I Laugh Or Cry?

Perennial loser Mitt Romney in La Jolla, California pumping his gas. No Secret Service, no crowds of people, no campaign staff, no more Paul Ryan, and of course no more coverage of him.

He'll spend his time wondering how many coupons he'll clip out! He doesn't have to worry about the daily briefings. He can make all the peanut butter and honey sandwiches in own his kitchen (of one of the four homes he owns). 

The only way he'll be in the White House is if President Barack Obama invites him. As far its goes, he's going to be a "regular guy"!  

The very bitter man who called the people support President Barack Obama, "victims" or "dependents of government". The people Mitt Romney claimed are receiving "gifts" support the president and not him!

Where the mighty have fallen!

It's just not the same when the cameras aren't rolling.

A hot mess be the perennial loser Willard Mitt Romney age 65.

Voice Of Elmo Resigns Amid Another Sex Scandal!

End of the road for Kevin Clash, the famed voice of Elmo.

This controversy is ongoing. We'll keep you informed over here at Journal de la Reyna. Also portions of this comes from E! News, TMZ and CBS New York.

Kevin Clash thought his troubles were over! I guess not!

The famed voice of preschool icon, Elmo has officially resigned from the Sesame Workshop after another accuser came forth with accusations that he had underage sex with Clash.

Clash was suspended from Sesame Workshop after he exchanged emails with the first accuser. The first accuser is now public and telling his story.

Before we continue, there's something we have to get out the way! The Drudge Report and many conservative outlets already found a reason to get upset. Of course, they're going to insert President Barack Obama into the fray. Despite this having nothing to do with him, the gay conservative agitator Matt Drudge will make it an "I told you so" moment! The reasons why!

President Barack Obama and supporters of public television hammered perennial loser Mitt Romney.

Romney wanted to cut the Corporation For Public Television which funds PBS and NPR.

Now with the Clash controversy, many Republicans and their conservative allies are throwing down their gauntlet of hate!

This controversy force him out of the closet.

Clash admits he's a Black gay man after the accuser known as Sheldon Stephens told Sesame Workshop about their relationship. The individual is now 24, and he claimed that Clash met him when he was 16 and they had sex soon after.

Sheldon Stephens, the first accuser's mugshot.

Clash denied this and took himself out of the public eye for a moment. When the accuser didn't provide enough information, the accusations were dismissed. Clash released a statement of relief.

That's until the next accuser came forth with accusations of Clash engaging in sex with him. This second accuser doomed the famed entertainer's career.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Sesame Workshop called the controversy surrounding Clash’s personal life “a distraction that none of us want” and that Clash “has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job.”

The company called Clash’s resignation “a sad day for Sesame Street.”

“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential,” the company said in a statement. “Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization.”

As the announcement was made, a lawsuit was being filed in federal court in New York charging Clash with sexual abuse of a second youth. The lawsuit alleges that Cecil Singleton, then 15 and now an adult, was persuaded by Clash to meet for sexual encounters.

The first reports on the incident with Singleton said it happened in 1993, but a corrected complaint said was actually 2003, according to a published report.

“Since I found out that there were other people or victims in a similar circumstance, I felt very guilty,” Singleton said at a news conference. “I felt really guilty because regardless of my maturity or my experience at 15, they were likely not the experiences of any normal 15-year-old.”

Last week, Sesame Workshop announced that Clash was taking a leave of absence from the popular kids’ show following allegations that he had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy.

Clash denied that charge, calling it “false and defamatory.”

That accuser, Sheldon Stephens, now 23, recanted his claims a day later and said through an attorney that his sexual relationship with Clash was adult and consensual.

Clash, 52, has been with “Sesame Street” since 1983.



Clash is not the first member of the “Sesame Street” troupe to puppeteer Elmo – Brian Muehl and the late Richard Hunt also had brief stints with the little red monster – but Clash is responsible for creating the character’s distinctive voice and personality.

On its own Web site, “Sesame Street” says “it wasn't until Clash started performing him in 1984 that the effervescent monster became the huge international sensation that he is today.”

Clash also performs Hoots the Owl, and has portrayed the characters Dr. Nobel Price and Baby Natasha.

Cecil Singleton, the second accuser, a transgender woman.

This is not the first time that a member of the “Sesame Street” cast has been hit with controversy. Back in 1980, Northern Calloway, the actor who played Hooper’s Store assistant and later owner David, was arrested amid a nervous breakdown in Nashville, after beating a woman with a metal iron and damaging two homes before being found by police in a state of psychosis wearing only a T-shirt.

But Calloway, who was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, remained with the show for another nine years, until he was dismissed and his character was written out. He died in 1990.

Clash and Sheldon Stephens entered into a settlement in which Clash agreed to pay Stephens $125,000, but in return the agreement provides the following:

"Stephens agrees that immediately upon execution of this Agreement, his counsel, Andreozzi & Associates, P.C., shall release the [following] statement ... 'He [Stephens] wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.'"

 Kevin Clash's newest accuser, Cecil Singleton, held a press conference Tuesday afternoon in which he described in detail the nature of the sexual relationship he had with the puppeteer nine years ago when he was just 15 years old.

"[There was] groping, masturbation, and just a lot of intense kissing, touching, that kind of thing. Dry humping," he said. "But we did not have sex and it's imperative to note that. We did not have…sexual intercourse until years later when I was an adult."

Singleton added that he broke things off after two weeks.

"I just remember telling myself that he seemed to really like me and... let me spare him now because I know that I can't do this," noted the accuser. "If I had to make an educated guess and say if we had stayed together we more than likely would have had sex at that age."

Now we're starting to get a better idea of the "distraction" in Kevin Clash's personal life that prompted Elmo's right-hand man to tender his resignation from Sesame Street on Tuesday.

More than a week after a 24-year-old wannabe model recanted allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with the famed puppeteer when he was 16, a second man has now come forward claiming to have had a sexual encounter with Clash when he was a minor.

In a lawsuit filed against Clash in federal court in New York and obtained by E! News, Cecil Singleton, who's also 24, claims he met the 52-year-old children's entertainer on a gay phone chat line in 2003 when he was 15.

Per the complaint, Clash "was an unmarried adult male living a prominent public life centered around the entertainment of toddlers, while at the same time he was, in secret, preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests."

The court docs noted that Clash "persuaded, induced, coerced, or enticed Cecil Singleton to meet him," whereby the former "groomed [his accuser] to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money."

Elmo, one of America's most famous Muppet!

The complaint went on to add that as a result, Singleton suffered personal injuries, but while the sexual improprieties happened years ago, the plaintiff "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012."

Singleton's lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages.

The plaintiff's attorney, Jeff Herman, said: "According to our lawsuit, Kevin Clash preyed on vulnerable teenage boys, like Cecil Singleton, to satisfy his depraved sexual interests. By coming forward now, Cecil hopes to spare the lives of others like him and to begin his own healing process."

A lawyer for Clash could not be reached for comment.

But after resigning from Sesame Workshop for good on Tuesday following what he initially described as a leave of absence, the Being Elmo star told E! News in a statement: "Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately."

We Mourn!

R & B singer Billy Scott passed away.

On my hiatus from blogging on my own blog, Journal de la Reyna and YouTube, I seen a lot of famous celebrities die this year. Today we mourn the loss of Billy Scott. He was one of the golden voices of the 1960s. He is among famous Black celebrities we mourn this week. Of course, I didn't get an opportunity to send my condolences to two known celebrities who passed away this year.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post and Associated Press

Rhythm and blues singer Billy Scott has died in North Carolina at age 70.

Bill Kopald with the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame said Scott died from pancreatic and liver cancer Saturday at his home in Charlotte.

Born Peter Pendleton in Huntington, W. Va., he sang with various groups while in the Army. After he was discharged in 1964, he changed his name and with his wife, Barbara, in 1966 began recording as The Prophets. Their first gold record was 1968's "I Got the Fever." Other hits included "California" and "Seaside Love" as the Georgia Prophets.

The group recorded a number of hits in the 1970s in the beach music genre, a regional variant of R&B. Scott was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

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Yvette Wilson died this year.

Gone but not forgotten. Courtesy of The Dark Side of Fame


In June 2012, actress Yvette Wilson died after losing her battle with stage 4 cervical cancer, according to multiple reports. She was 48.

Wilson was best known for her role as Andell Wilkerson on UPN's "Moesha" and its spinoff "The Parkers," and also appeared in the movies "House Party 2," "House Party 3" and "Friday."

In January, one of Wilson's friends created a website to help raise money for the actress' medical bills.

"Yvette has experienced kidney failure, kidney transplants and cervical cancer, among other things," the site reads. "Her cancer has come back after an extended retreat, and doctors are saying it's very aggressive this time out."

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The man who brought Soul Train died this year. Don Cornelius died in February 2012.

Gone but not forgotten.


Don Cornelius pulled $400 from his own pocket to launch the dance show on a local Chicago TV station in 1970. As host and executive producer of "Soul Train," he was soon at the throttle of a nationally syndicated television institution that was the first dance show to cater to the musical tastes of black teenagers and also helped bring black music, dance, fashion and style to mainstream America.

In the process of presenting the soul, funk and R&B of the day, the Afro-haired, dapper Cornelius became a TV icon, his sonorous baritone welcoming viewers to "the hippest trip in America."

Cornelius, 75, was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles Wednesday after a family member found him in his home in Encino with a gunshot wound to his head, according to law enforcement sources. The wound appeared to be self-inflicted, but the death was being investigated by police. Friends say he had been in poor health.

On Wednesday, those who knew Cornelius recalled his impact on American culture.

"Don was a visionary and giant in our business," producer and composer Quincy Jones said in a statement. "Before MTV there was 'Soul Train'; that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched."

Aretha Franklin said Cornelius "united the young adult community single-handedly and globally."

"With the inception of 'Soul Train,' a young, progressive brother set the pace and worldwide standard for young aspiring African American men and entrepreneurs in TV -- out of Chicago," Franklin, who appeared on the show, said in a statement. "He transcended barriers among young adults. They became one."

"Soul Train," which moved to Los Angeles and entered national syndication in 1971, featured other legendary artists, including James Brown, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and Barry White.

With its catchy introduction featuring an animated, psychedelic smoke-spewing locomotive, "Soul Train" became destination TV for teenagers across America in the '70s.

Magic Johnson was one of them. "Every Saturday morning I looked forward to watching 'Soul Train,' as did millions of other people," Johnson, chairman of Soul Train Holdings, said in a statement. " 'Soul Train' taught the world how to dance! Don's contribution to us all is immeasurable."

Beyond the music and the artists featured on "Soul Train," much of its popularity was attributed to the young dancers on the show.

Cornelius' teen dance party featured the talents of some of the best young dancers in the area, and one of the show's most popular features was the "Soul Train" line, with dancers going down the line and showing off their best moves.

Among those who went on to later fame are actress Rosie Perez, singer Jody Watley, rapper MC Hammer and Jeffrey Daniel, who taught Michael Jackson how to moonwalk.

In his 1996 book "Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythm of the One," Rickey Vincent called "Soul Train" the "most undiluted showcase of black sexuality in the country" and "a cultural mecca for the entire decade of the '70s."

That there was a need for such a show was obvious to Cornelius, who had launched his career in radio only a few years before the show's debut.

"It was a period when television was a very white medium, and that didn't make sense to me," he told Billboard magazine in 2005, the year he received the Trustees Award from the Recording Academy for lasting contributions to culture as the creator of "Soul Train."

"I wanted to bring more of our African American entertainment to not only the black [niche] viewers but to the crossover viewers as well," he said.

Robert Santelli, executive producer of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, told The Times on Wednesday that " 'Soul Train' was to soul music what 'American Bandstand' was to early rock 'n' roll, and Don Cornelius was like a black Dick Clark.

"He and his program almost single-handedly made sure that soul music had a presence on TV. For many years, it impacted black culture, black pop culture and black pop music. Few people came close to what he accomplished in those years."

Santelli added that "it also was an entry into black pop music for white kids. You could be living in Des Moines or in Montana and you could connect with what was happening in urban areas. It was an important portal for a lot of white kids who were very interested in black culture."

The show's "overall sense of blackness at this particular time was groundbreaking," Todd Boyd, a USC professor of critical studies, told The Times on Wednesday. Cornelius "effectively capitalized on the changes that took place in America socially and politically and culturally in the 1960s" in the next decade by giving national exposure to acts that previously were seen only in segregated settings.

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Etta James died this year in January 2012.

Etta James, the earthy blues and R&B singer whose anguished vocals convinced generations of listeners that she would rather go blind than see her love leave, then communicated her joy upon finding that love at last, died. She was 73.

She died at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside, said her sons, Donto and Sametto James. The cause was complications from leukemia, according to her personal physician.

James had been in failing health for years. Court records in the singer's probate case show she also suffered from dementia and kidney failure. Her two sons had battled their stepfather for control of her $1-million estate but in December agreed to allow him to remain as conservator.

James spent time in a detox facility for addiction to painkillers and over-the-counter medications, Donto told Reuters in 2010. And she had wrestled with complications since undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2002 to remedy a lifelong struggle with her weight.

It's On!

Julian and Joaquin Castro are the power players in the Democratic Party. Julian is the mayor of San Antonio and thought to be a rumored 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidate. His brother Joaquin was elected to be a member of Congress.

Joaquin Castro, Tammy Baldwin, Ted Cruz, Kyrsten Sinema, Angus King and many others will join the United States Congress.

Castro, a Texas state representative won easily a U.S. House race and he'll take the seat of retiring Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas). His twin brother Julian, is the mayor San Antonio, Texas and is floated by some as a potential front runner for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Castro is one of the political voices the nation will be hearing from in the coming years. Joaquin being a resident of his brother's city will be a representative of his constituents.

Baldwin is a Democratic U.S. Congresswoman from Wisconsin. After a resurgence of embattled Governor Scott Walker, and former presidential nominee Mitt Romney picking Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), Republicans saw Wisconsin in play for the 2012 U.S. presidential elections. The state was expected to be a pick up for the Republicans. They've thought wrong! President Barack Obama carried the state easily and it helped Baldwin squeeze out a victory in the U.S. Senate race against the former Republican state governor and perennial candidate for president Tommy Thompson. Baldwin is the first openly gay person to be elected to office. Her victory rides the coattails of Elizabeth Warren, a consumer advocate who trounced Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) in a hotly contest race.

King is the former governor of Maine. Best known for his independence from the political parties, his victory came as no surprise. The Republican senator Olympia Snowe was a sure shot for victory. Her frustration with her Republican leaders led to her departure. She is one of the few pro-choice members of the Republican Party. She and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) are looked upon by President Barack Obama when it comes to tie breaking votes in a filibuster. The Republicans were hoping that they could win back the Senate on the basis of frustration with the president. The president hasn't put much influence in the senate races because of him being slightly toxic in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Montana. Maine was different. Some residents were not fond of the direction of Tea Party endorsed Republican governor Paul LePage and Maine doesn't tolerate partisanship. The Democrats weren't fond of their candidate so they've decided put their efforts into a spoiler. King easily beat out the Republican and Democrat in the Senate race. And while it's likely he'll have committee with the Democratic majority, he'll push forth his brand of independence from the political fray. He and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will be the only elected members who aren't politically affiliated with national party.

Arizona welcomes its first openly bisexual woman Kyrsten Sinema to the House of Representatives. The Democratic nominee beat out a tight race against a Republican Vernon Parker. Arizona and Florida are the hub of controversy in the wake of long waits for voting. The president in his victory acceptance speech promised he'll deal with voter intimidation.

Congressman Ron Barber (D-Arizona) may be able to squeak out a victory if the recount goes his way! He is a tough fight for a full term. Barber was also a victim of a tragedy. His boss Gabrielle Giffords resigned from Congress this year after a traumatic injury resulting from a shooting from Jarrod Lee Loughner. Loughner opened fire on her and others killing six and injuring 30. The shooter was sentenced to life in prison for the tragedy. He may face the death penalty for the killing of a federal judge. Barber was picked to succeed her.

Ted Cruz, the Tea Party endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate won easily in the race in Texas. The state of Texas is a Republican stronghold. But to senate-elect Cruz, he's stated: "Not so fast!" Texas is a minority-majority state. Over 55% of the state's population is minorities. So that means approximately 35% of the state's residents are non-White Hispanics (or purely Latino) citizens. Blacks are 10% of the state's population and 15% are of other races (Native American, Asian American or mixed). Whites make up only 45% of the state's population. It leaves it open for a Democratic takeover if the Republicans stop the war on minorities. The Republicans are still two feet in the manure over immigration reform. The Cuban-American was born in Canada, ran against Texas lieutenant governor David Dewhurst in the Republican senatorial primary.

Tammy Duckworth was elected to serve as a congressowman in the state of Illinois. She beat controversial politician congressman Joe Walsh (R-Illinois)

Tammy Duckworth beats incumbent Republican congressman Joe Walsh in a hotly contest race. Her victory comes after many years of delay from the obstructionist Republicans. The president wanted to appoint her as a member of  The perennial candidate for higher office achieved her goal of being a voice of the disabled veterans. Duckworth is the first Asian American elected in the state of Illinois. She served in the Iraq War in 2003 and was severely injured in an attack. Duckworth lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. She is the first female double amputee from the Iraq war. The explosion "almost completely destroyed her right arm, breaking it in three places and tearing tissue from the back side of it." Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal.