August 28th

    On August 28, 1963, nearly 47 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I analyzed the speech this year in an AP english class and was truly inspired at not only his rhetoric, but at his determination and will to stand for something that a majority of the country didn't agree with. Check the entire speech here. Today, conservative right-wing psycho Glenn Beck decided to host a "Restoring Honor Rally," at the Lincoln Memorial today, August 28, 2010. Guests like Sarah Palin made short speeches, but a majority of the rally was preaching of "Christian values." "It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with God. Everything [with] turning our face back to the values and the principles that made us great.", Glenn Beck. The rally was sponsored by FOX News and consisted of mainly Tea Party members. I guess the purpose was to honor those who died for our country but it seemed more like a right-wing tactic to promote their twisted views. A twitter tweeted it best, "Glenn Beck & Sarah Palin hosting a "restoring honor" rally is like Paris Hilton & Lindsey Lohan hosting a "healthy lifestyles" seminar. Very true.

     Also, Reverend Al Sharpton had a similar march at Washington's Dunbar High School. "Just because you got the spot doesn't mean you're standing up for the dream," he commented, regarding Beck's rally. His march was called "Reclaiming the Dream" and aimed to commemerate King's speech. "They want to disgrace this day and we're not giving them this day. This is our day and we ain't giving it away," Sharpton claimed. Although, Glenn Beck said the date of his rally was purely coincidental. Either way, it is not a 'black day' or a 'white day'! It's our country's day; and a day to celebrate great Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln. While the rallys, marches, and theatrics are entertaining, they merely break our country apart even further. Let's just focus on moving forward, leaving the two sided political fights behind us like yesterday's paper.
And since this post went over, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL JACKSON<3

Hmm..

     I know i'm late on this but rumors are surrounding singer, Wycef Jean, and his possible run for Presidency of his hometown country of Haiti. Jean was born in Haiti and probably the most visible contributor to the Haiti relief fund. He was also a tremendous supporter of his country years before the 2009 earthquake. Jean also established the Yele Haiti Foundation in 2005. He has until August 7th to announce his candidacy! I think he would make a great President if he can truely commit all his time and energy. Although, it is clear that Haiti has remained a high priority throughout his life. Elections are Novemeber 28th. Wishing him the best.      
      Shirley Sherrod, as mentioned in a previous post, still remains a headline topic. Just recently she decided to file suit against conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Speaking Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention she exclaimed, "I have not recieved an apology from Breitbart and no longer want one." She also announced that she would be suing him for the video he posted of her on his blog, where he portrayed her as racist towards Whites. Will she win in court? What is the precedent she is basing the suit on? There are countless questions swarming her decision. I personally think she has every right to sue him, and hope she wins. However the biggest question may be whether it was his freedom of speech to post the video in any form, edited or not. He is a "journalist" after all. Her stance is that he published the video with "actual malice" and targeted her specifically; leading to her ultimately being fired from her job. I do not believe her lawsuit is specifically attempting to dismiss the First Amendement, as Breitbart is using to his defense. We'll see what happens within the upcoming weeks.

      (Sorry I haven't posted lately I've been in DC, and no wifi >:[ )

Shirley Sherrod

     Racism not only remains am ugly stamp stuck on our nation's history but it will continue to be evident despite any or all progress made. My last blog post as well is this one will hopefully illuminate the ignorance and hatred that still lives throughout our society. Shirley Sherrod was an official working with the U.S Department of Agriculture. Sherrod made a speech at an NAACP meeting ( Mar27) and when her words were twisted into a reverse racism claim, she was forced to resign; uncovering the dangers of the media, FOX news, and ignorant bloggers. Her father was killed by a white man when she was a child, and some of the comments in her speech regarded not helping a White farmer as much as she could have; although she was discussing a dilemma faced 24 years ago. Later in the speech she goes on to explain that she eventually did help the White farmer, and came to acknowledge that she wanted to help all people in need, regardless of race. Right wing blogger, Andrew Breitbart released an edited video of her speech, leaving out the whole second half where she explained how she brought the White farmer back on his feet. He then posted this video on his blog describing Sherrod and the Obama Whitehouse as supporting reverse racism and having only the interest of Black America. Before long, the video began to appear on FOX news what seemed to be on repeat.  The release of this video and lack of investigation led to her being fired from the USDA and the NAACP publicly critizing her on behalf of these "racist remarks." But, as usual, the truth emerged and the full length, un-edited version appeared. Within the last couple days, the apologies began flowing in. Tom Vilsac, the Sec. of Agriculture offered her a higher position in the USDA and the NAACP President Banjamin Jealous explains "Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans." President Obama goes on to say, “He jumped the gun, partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles,” in response to Sherrod's forced resignation. This entire story goes on to portray the media take-over and lack of investigation in today's politics. I believe the NAACP and the USDA were both entirely wrong in garnishing her reputation for believing a video a RIGHT wing blogger and FOX news put out. This story also goes on to show how conservatives are dying to blame race for everything wrong in America. Although racism will continue to remain evident, it is up to the younger generation to be more tolerant of eachother and embrace diversity as the only source to improving society as we know it.

Tea Party Racism

     There has been A LOT of buzz lately surrounding the NAACP, racism, and the Tea Party. The 'Tea Party' is a fairly new term so I'll define that first. The Tea Party is a socio-political movement that aims to protest several economic Federal bills including health care and taxes. TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already and also refers to the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The Tea Party is a "Grass-Roots Movement" and a mainly conservative party. It has several groups, one being the Tea Party Express. The racism claims began last week after the NAACP wrote a resolution that asked, "all people of good will to repudiate the racism of the Tea Parties, and to stand in opposition to its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era"; along with exclaiming several heads of the Tea Party as portraying racist elements. These claims drove Mark Williams, leader of the Tea Party Express to write an extremely outlandish and bigoted blog entry. The entry was in the form of a letter to Abraham Lincoln accusing the NAACP as racist and reffered to blacks as "colored". A little after the blog entry, he removed it saying, "It's time to move on." The same day Mark Williams and the Tea Party Express were "expelled" from the Tea Party Federation. It's not like he was being paid or in an actual position so I'm not exactly sure how he was expelled...but alright. Mark Williams along with other Tea Party spokesmen have since made various talk show appearances to rebute the claims of racism. However, if the Tea Party promotes children holding signs that compare Obama to Hitler, I do feel the Party as a whole is racist. Although i'd rather not make generalitzations about the entire movement, they have not done a good job of convincing me otherwise. Also, it is never okay to call the NAACP as "making money off of race," as seen in the video below. The debate between who is really racist will continue to be heated and shows no end especially with November elections ahead.

Argentina!

     Today, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. There was a 16 hour debate prior to the vote, which resulted in 33 for and 27 against. The law declares that, "marriage provides for the same requisites and effects independent of whether the contracting parties are of the same or different sex." As most know, Latin American countries tend to follow the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does not support gay marriage so naturallly there will be opposition to such a bill. "They want to convert this city into the gay capital of the world," said a teacher, Morales of San Luis province. No, they just believe in equal marriage rights for all their citizens and improving the diversity of their country. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is currently traveling but will make sure to sign the bill into law immediately when she returns.The Catholic Church along with 60,000 protesters marched along Congress this week to rally against the bill. However, Argentina is paving the way for other Latino countries and hopefully the United States as well. "What defines us is our humanity, and what runs against humanity is intolerance," said Sen. Norma Morandini. "Argentina, from today forward, is a more just country for all families" added Maria Rachid, President of the Argentine Federation of LGBT. I follow the Catholic religion but do support gay rights. Not everything in the bible is to be meant literally, and I believe in equality for all. So, power to the people!

Picture Credit: Juan Mabromata, AFP/Getty Images / July 14, 2010

Strategy Against HIV/AIDS

     Today, President Obama announced a new strategy for combating HIV/AIDS along with optimistic views on its effects. "The strategy sets a goal of reducing new infections by 25 percent over the next five years; getting treatment for 85 percent of patients within three months of their diagnosis; and increasing education about the virus, even in communities with low rates of infection" (Associated Press). The strategy finally comes after years of discussion and requires cooperation from the federal gov. down to the smallest parts of society. Thirty million dollars of the health care overhaul passed just this year will be allocated towards implementation of the new plan. Obama has made combating HIV/AIDS a priority as well as focusing public attention towards the growing epidemic.
The three primary goals of the strategy:
•Reducing the number of new infections;
•Increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV;
•Reducing HIV-related health disparities.

US HIV/AIDS Facts:

• Black men and women account for 46% of people living with HIV, though they represent just 13% of the population.
• An estimated 20% of people infected with HIV do not know it.
• There is a new HIV infection every 9 1/2 minutes in the U.S.
• AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is caused by HIV.
• An estimated 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year.
• There are approximately 1.2 million Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS.
• There is still no cure.

For more information on the strategy check WhiteHouse.gov/ONAP or Aids.gov.

Grizzly Bears

I am not sure how many people "like" Sarah Palin on Facebook, but this video was recently released on her  FB page. The caption reads, "Enjoy the video and please support commonsense conservative candidates who will work with you and for you to take back our country!" The video was created by her political action committee, Sarah PAC and is titled, "Mama Grizzlies". What is the purpose? She is not endorsing any candidates nor does the video solicit contributions (like a typical PAC commercial would do). The theme is to 'empower young women' or 'inspire people to join to movement' but I feel the video is just a sly move hinting towards a run in 2012. This slow-motion montage is no different than the other over-played campaign commercials we see every election year. She is not presenting anything we didn't know about her; merely unsubstantial Palin rhetoric. Packed with allusions, images, and metaphor, she does a clever job at displaying her 'feminism'. One blogger, Michael Stone said it best, "Palin's feminism is no feminism at all. Palin's faux feminism represents an attempt to turn back the clock on women's rights and to send American families back to the dark ages." I disagree with everything Sarah Palin stands for and this video is just comedic, as it is whenever she opens her mouth. Miachel Stone adds "In the end intelligent women voters will choose progress over Palin. A vain glorious sentimental video full of silly self promotion will not fool American women." Exactly!! This was enough Palin I can handle. Also, last week her daughter Bristol made a special appearance on the ABC Family hit show, 'The Secret Life of the American Teenage'. Ironic that Bristol Palin had a baby as a teen while her mom strictly campaigns for abstinence and pro-life. Hmm....

U.S v ARIZONA

Finally!! Today, President Obama allowed the Justice Department to officially challenge Arizona's "legal racial profiling" immigration law. The effort to block this enforcement will take place on July 29th. Most politicians would agree that Arizona should not create their own immigration law; rather leave the laws and policies regarding the issue to the federal government. "Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a written statement. This puts the conflict of state's rights on full blast and will only further divide the country. "In our constitutional system, the federal government has pre-eminent authority to regulate immigration matters," the lawsuit says. I feel the Governement should definitly take this action. There is no reason for the Govenor of Arizona to enforce this law. It makes people wonder what his motives are, ie) scaring people from coming to Arizona (Mexicans, other Hispanics). He is attempting to  intimidate Hispanics from coming over the border, and by doing so he is taking matters into his own hands when it is a federal issue! I hope this lawsuit will only propel the Obama Whitehouse into taking action on proposing a national immigration law ASAP.

Independence Day

What country did the United States win independence from? Believe it or not, many teens and even adults could not tell you. Britain! The U.S was part of Britain. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and signed by the Continental Congress; thus leaving the 13 U.S colonies free from British rule. Back then the population was said to be 4 million; today, 309 million. Out of that 309 million, 32.5 mil are foreign born citizens (me), and more than 1 in 3 of these citizens became naturalized. A couple days ago Sienne College in Loudonville, NY, released their rankings of the best and worst U.S Presidents. Leading the list was F. Roosevelt followed by T. Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson. Clinton holds 13th place, with Obama making a debut at 15. No surprise, George W. Bush lands in the 39th position. As much as I love and honor our country, I used to be the most anti-patriot person in the world. While Bush was President, I was ashamed and embarassed to be part of a country that had totally opposite values and an agenda I felt was extremely destructive. I did not even want the flag or (red,white,&blue) anywhere near me. I did not want in any way to support the United States. However, after viewing the Obama campaign up-close and personal and experiencing true independence, I could never be more proud of my country. Presidents come and go, but the history and struggle our Founding Fathers overcame to guarantee our freedom, lasts forever. I had to realize that one President does not define our nation's values. The legacy of the United States and it being one of the only countries that guarantees all its citizens freedom is something to celebrate. Even if you do not support our current President, be proud of the progress our country has made. Happy 4th of July!!

Gun Control

The Second Amendment of the Constitution protects a right to keep and bear arms. Just today, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that "the right to keep and bear arms" applies to cities and states; in turn reversing a Chicago law banning handguns. The decision was split along politicial lines; the Liberals voting against this decision while the Conservatives led by Samuel Alito voted for it. Two years ago in Washington D.C the SC protected an individual's right to carry guns for self-defense purposes. However, D.C is a federal city and not a state. The decision today clarifies that the 2nd Amendment extends nationwide. Debate about gun control has never been more inflamed. Critics from the Right exclaim, "It's about time the current rules catch back up to the historical rules as applied by our Founding Fathers," while the Left describes, "today’s conservatives argue that states have the right to discriminate against their citizens on the bias of race but states have no rights to restrict the control of guns." In my opinion, too many people that shouldn't have access to guns, possess guns. Guns kill people. Guns kill children. More guns does not equal less crime. So many American citizens need to return to a 9th grade civics class to understand that the Constitution does not GIVE you any rights. It merely lets you know what you're rights are; and in this case the 2nd Amendment allows the states to keep to keep a national guard (militia). I am deeply sadened that the Supreme Court has made this decision today.

States with the Five HIGHEST Per Capita Gun Death Rates
Louisiana--Rank: 1; Household Gun Ownership: 45.6 percent; Gun Death Rate: 19.58 per 100,000.
Alabama--Rank: 2; Household Gun Ownership: 57.2 percent; Gun Death Rate: 16.99 per 100,000.
Alaska--Rank: 3 (tie); Household Gun Ownership: 60.6 percent; Gun Death Rate: 16.38 per 100,000.
Mississippi--Rank: 3 (tie); Household Gun Ownership: 54.3 percent; Gun Death Rate: 16.38 per 100,000.
Nevada--Rank: 5; Household Gun Ownership: 31.5 percent; Gun Death Rate: 16.25 per 100,000.

States with the Five LOWEST Per Capita Gun Death Rates
Hawaii--Rank: 50; Household Gun Ownership: 9.7 percent; Gun Death Rate: 2.58 per 100,000.
Massachusetts--Rank: 49; Household Gun Ownership: 12.8 percent; Gun Death Rate: 3.28 per 100,000.
Rhode Island--Rank: 48; Household Gun Ownership: 13.3 percent; Gun Death Rate: 4.43 per 100,000.
Connecticut--Rank: 47; Household Gun Ownership: 16.2 percent; Gun Death Rate: 4.95 per 100,000.
New York--Rank: 46; Household Gun Ownership: 18.1 percent; Gun Death Rate: 5.20 per 100,000.

Detroit's Finest

     As I was searching CNN mobile I was not surprised when I came across an article about former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The court room is looking like his new favorite place. Just this Wednesday Kwame was indicted on 19 counts of federal fraud and tax charges-what a guy! According to U.S District Court spokesman Rod Hanson, the charges includes 10 counts of mail fraud, 3 counts of wire fraud, 5 counts of filing a false tax return and 1 count of tax evasion. To add to the number game: if convicted each fraud count would entail a max sentence of 20 years behind bars and a fine of $250,000. The others would carry a max of 5 years and a fine of the same amount. The charges are spurred after Kilpatrick used funds from his Kilpatrick Civic Fund towards private yoga lessons, golf lessons, and mayor campaign expenses. He claimed the money was for community services and voter registration information…Could have fooled me. Most Michiganders know he is currently serving 5 years in prison (14 months) for violating probation in a 2008 case; but now he might get some real jail time. Once I had put a Facebook status saying to “Keep Kwame in jail”, and several people from my school commented, “leave him alone,” or “he didn’t do anything wrong.” Really? I was a little surprised that my peers were so quick to come to his defense when he has so obviously stole from the people of the Detroit while showing little remorse. This just proves that people are poorly informed about issues, even concerning the capital city of our state. I think it’s time to for me to bring out a shirt I bought in Birmingham, which has Kwame’s face behind bars (earring included), and reads SAVE DETROIT. But shout out to Mayor Bing for taking on the challenge to restore our city to its former glory.

Another Cool State

My best friend Maria Elena is currently on a short vacation in Arizona. The first thing I asked her was if she brought her passport. I knew she was not going out of the country, but I know that now in Arizona it is legal to pull over “Hispanics”, or “Hispanic-looking” people, without question. She and I were born in Central American countries and became US citizens together at the age of 2. Although we have lived in the US for our whole lives, the Arizona government could potentially pull her over to ensure she is not an illegal alien. This controversial immigration law is set to go into effect in July. The law was signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in late April; and now a dozen other states are joining in on this type of legislation. A recently released ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 52% of voters said immigration enforcement should be under federal control while 46% said laws should be made and enforced by the states. I am a big supporter of big government and this is an example of why: racist states like Arizona should not be allowed to make laws that discriminate against Hispanics! Racial profiling should not be legal no matter the circumstance. Although there should be some federal laws regulating illegal immigration, this is not the way to go about it. Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum said in a statement Thursday that, “allowing states to create their own legislation would create chaos and confusion for both immigrants and law enforcement while not fixing the immigration problem at its core.” She also added, “State-based immigration proposals should be a wake-up call to Congress, they need to take the steering wheel, fix the immigration problem and finally pass comprehensive immigration reform.” I totally agree. The time is ticking and if this bill becomes law, it will cause “massive disruptions and set a dangerous precedent,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL). July and August will be critical months for this law and we are crossing our fingers it does not pass. Maria told me that before she leaves she’s making a sign that says, “WE’RE HERE TO STAY.” My kind of girl.

Politicians These Days

LOL! I would love to meet this young interviewist who was clearly not beating around the bush when asking Huppenthal some serious questions. I actually did some research on this video and found that the Huppenthal campaign explained that this video was a 'sham' and a 'Democratic tactic' used to portray Huppenthal in a negative nature. However, this claim was only released after the video appeared on the Rachel Maddow show on June 16th. Whether or not this video was edited, Huppenthal is obviously put on the spot and is not sure how to react to this teen. All to often politicans become scripted actors who forget how to answer questions the general public would ask. They also become twisted in lies and like to back-track on issues in order to save their ass (or a couples votes)-as seen in this video. This reminds me of when I attended a Detroit Economic Club meeting (AP Gov) and decided to be brave and ask the Big 4 a question of mine-This particular mtg was held at the Auto Show so there was extra publicity. I went up to the mic and directed my question to Republican Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson, "What do you plan to do in order to keep funding within our school district, so that we don't continue to lose teachers and other vital elements?" But, apparently my question was not directed at the right person because he answered that he is not responsible of funding and does not have any control over what happens.. Hm...I should have asked Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, "Do you plan on having jobs available for students who graduate from an in-state college?"-A more relevant question I'd like to know the answer to, considering I start applying to colleges in one month. Also, as I was leaving the Auto Show a reporter interviewed the four students from my school, and asked me if I planned on keeping business in Michigan and if I'd attend an in-state collge. I answered, "Yes, of course."

Yaht Clubbin'

       Supposedly this oil genius, BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, was recently seen at an extravagant yaht race off of  England's Isle of Wight.. This somehow sparked my memory to when The Big 3 CEOs flew to Washington with their private jets, claiming bankruptsy and asking for a $25 billion bailout.. At least they made it better when they finally drove from Detroit to DC with hybrids, of course. What makes this topic even funnier is when I heard the Texas(ew) republican, Joe Barton, apologize to BP for the "shakedown" the Obama Whitehouse pulled on the company.. WHAT? Although people are critizing Obama for the way he reacted, or didn't react to this diar situation, there is no reason in anyone's mind to apologize to BP. The Obama Whitehouse has every right to interrogate BP until questions are answers and problems are resolved. Not only does this make republicans looks like idiots (althought this isn't hard), but they make Americans look like brown nosers in order to please some rich investors. I don't understand why people do the things they do...  leaving thousands of animals dying while enjoying yourself on a yaht, or representing dilapidated Detroit with a private jet...we may never know.