Dear friends,
I just sat through the entire two hours of the first presidential debate. Frankly, I do not feel that McCain did anything other than repeat a "tactic" of showing his alleged experience by continuously using the childish debate strategy of insisting that Senator Obama did not "understand" what is happening as it relates to various affairs. However, he was lucky that Senator Obama did not have better skills in polemics, since McCain should have been pressed, first of all, about the $300 billion dollars in tax cuts that Senator Obama charged the former would provide for the wealthy. That let John McCain off the hook, in my opinion...
On foreign policy, particularly during the lengthy discussion over Iraq, Senator Obama could have easily blown McCain away had he mentioned the fact that it was the Bush administration's disbanding of the Iraqi Army that had been under Saddam that caused the growth of the insurgency; therefore, the "surge", as it were, that came later, at best, has only drawn cosmetic results. This is especially so, as Senator Obama, unfortunately, did not say, because the Iraqi people want the US out; yet, neither candidate mentioned that important point. This is precisely why I insist that Iraq has already become a colony of the US and will be "occupied", just as South Korea has been for the past 56 years, for a long time.
But this will bring the US military/industrial complex problems (colonizing Iraq), since Iran and Iraq are mending fences in a way that neither country has enjoyed, probably, since the US' puppet Shah was in power back beginning in the Fifties. The mainstream media keeps focusing on Iran trying to join the arms race with nuclear power, but neither candidate mentioned the fact that Iran is preparing to send a rocket into outer space, in the very near future. Iran is a developing world power about whom the greedy low-lifes that are being bailed out on Wall Street could care less. Talk about a new world order? NATO will not mean squat, when the Russians get through forming their alliances.
Oh, by the way, on Russia, both stunk! Russia is rebuilding as a dominant world power. They are already making ties with Venezuela (which is about to become what Cuba was to Russia until the late-Eighties). The Russians are blatantly creating ties with Latin American governments. The US is about to be surrounded with powers who will have Russian-made weapons and are not afraid of the US. Neither candidate mentioned that, and I do not believe that either knows much about that, much less the world.
Additionally, and, at least to me, more importantly, neither candidate, for all of the brave words about fighting terrorism, dared to bring up the fact that 19 Saudis flew into this country, killed thousands of people, wounded tens of thousands more, messed up the economy, while destroying billions of dollars worth of property and causing tens of thousands of small busnesses to close, yet, not one hair on the head of one Saudi has been touched. Why is that?
Finally, when Senator Obama made reference to improving education, McCain continued to mumble (and even tried to shed a tear or two, a couple of times at the end) about how much he loves the veterans, never acknowledging the American people, only trying to hoodwink Hillary Clinton's racist supporters. After the debate, the "pundits" came on with their usual useless analyses.
The American people are just being suckered, as usual. Still, we have a chance to start destroying "white" supremacy. That means that all children in this country will finally have a chance, one day, to be judged by their ability to contribute to the commonweal. Being judged by the content of one's character may sound cute and accomodating, but it will not build communities. I do not have to like my neighbor, nor does he or she have to like me; rather, at least to me, what is most important is: We respect each other's right to seek to be fully human, constantly progressing as living beings. John McCain, George Bush, and Sarah Palin just do not think that way. Dig? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
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Saturday, September 27, 2008
Smith on Future Consequences of the "Bailout"
Dear friends,The current "bailout" has much harsher consequences than what its proponents are admitting. On the link below, Elm Smith reminds us to consider that fact.
G. Djata Bumpus
Elmer Smith: Generations will be paying for Bush policies* Read full post
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Why won't the Fed let the market work?
Dear friends,
Money is everywhere. Yet, the Federal Reserve Bank acts as if the only money around belongs to the American taxpayers. Additionally, according to the logic of the Fed, when certain big companies are failing, it is our duty o save them. What is that all about? ...
AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the only big companies out there. They have no competition and we Americans, as a people, have zilch intellect, so we may as well buy our way out of this predicament - or our economy will collapse. Right?
No market forces play here. Therefore, with his apocalyptic insight,Bernanke, speaking to members of Congress with the urgency of a guy who must relieve himself in a few seconds, insists that that body must act now. The funny part about much of this is: It has not been that long, since he (Bernanke) was speaking in completely different terms about both the economy and the market. Why did he/we not see this coming? Is he the wrong man for the job or is the job (the Fed) just wrong for us?
Finally, there are other companies who will "pick up the slack", as it were, if others go down, because of bad investments and so forth. Besides, why should a centralized body pick and choose what companies get saved and which ones will not be rescued, on behalf of taxpayers, without an iota of our input? Let the "market" for big businesses decide and dictate the survival of such firms, just as the "market" does for either employment or self-employment for us.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=What+happened+on+Jekyll+island%2C+georgia+in+1912&page=1&qsrc=19&ab=5&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apfn.org%2Fapfn%2Freserve2.htm
Read full post
Money is everywhere. Yet, the Federal Reserve Bank acts as if the only money around belongs to the American taxpayers. Additionally, according to the logic of the Fed, when certain big companies are failing, it is our duty o save them. What is that all about? ...
AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the only big companies out there. They have no competition and we Americans, as a people, have zilch intellect, so we may as well buy our way out of this predicament - or our economy will collapse. Right?
No market forces play here. Therefore, with his apocalyptic insight,Bernanke, speaking to members of Congress with the urgency of a guy who must relieve himself in a few seconds, insists that that body must act now. The funny part about much of this is: It has not been that long, since he (Bernanke) was speaking in completely different terms about both the economy and the market. Why did he/we not see this coming? Is he the wrong man for the job or is the job (the Fed) just wrong for us?
Finally, there are other companies who will "pick up the slack", as it were, if others go down, because of bad investments and so forth. Besides, why should a centralized body pick and choose what companies get saved and which ones will not be rescued, on behalf of taxpayers, without an iota of our input? Let the "market" for big businesses decide and dictate the survival of such firms, just as the "market" does for either employment or self-employment for us.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=What+happened+on+Jekyll+island%2C+georgia+in+1912&page=1&qsrc=19&ab=5&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apfn.org%2Fapfn%2Freserve2.htm
Read full post
The National Review endorses Obama
Dear friends,
It is really no shock to me. As Elm Smith so eloquently pointed out in the previous post, it will be self-interest - not race, that propels Senator Obama to victory, as the statement/letter below makes so clear...
This endorsement holds particular significance, since the author is also the publisher of this conservative magazine. He represents a group who one would think has no use for a "liberal" like Senator Obama. It is not a long piece, but, at least to me, surprisingly thoughtful. Please check it out.
G. Djata Bumpus
***************************************************
My party has slipped its moorings. It's time for a true pragmatist to lead the country. Leading Off By Wick Allison, Editor In Chief
THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me.
In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I later became its publisher.
Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a recognition of the fallibility of man and of man's institutions. Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.
Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of "oughts." We ought to do this or that because it's the right thing to do, regardless of whether it works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling good rather than doing good.
But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative" credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask.
Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world "safe for democracy." It is John McCain who says America's job is to "defeat evil," a theological expansion of the nation's mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth.
This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse.
Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don't matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama's books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.
Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened. "Every great cause," Eric Hoffer wrote, "begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.
Read full post
It is really no shock to me. As Elm Smith so eloquently pointed out in the previous post, it will be self-interest - not race, that propels Senator Obama to victory, as the statement/letter below makes so clear...
This endorsement holds particular significance, since the author is also the publisher of this conservative magazine. He represents a group who one would think has no use for a "liberal" like Senator Obama. It is not a long piece, but, at least to me, surprisingly thoughtful. Please check it out.
G. Djata Bumpus
***************************************************
My party has slipped its moorings. It's time for a true pragmatist to lead the country. Leading Off By Wick Allison, Editor In Chief
THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me.
In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I later became its publisher.
Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a recognition of the fallibility of man and of man's institutions. Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.
Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of "oughts." We ought to do this or that because it's the right thing to do, regardless of whether it works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling good rather than doing good.
But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative" credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask.
Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world "safe for democracy." It is John McCain who says America's job is to "defeat evil," a theological expansion of the nation's mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth.
This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse.
Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don't matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama's books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.
Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened. "Every great cause," Eric Hoffer wrote, "begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.
Read full post
Humor and Wisdom from an honored Guest
Al Martinez is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times, author of a dozen books, an Emmy-nominated creator of prime time television shows, a travel writer, humorist and general hell-raiser. Try him. He's addictive...Dear friends,
I am both proud and honored to share the work of one of the many esteemed activists, artists, journalists, scholars, educators, and just plain concerned people who have been a part of this Internet journey, in some way, during the past year (some for many years) - first by e-mail, and now on this blog. Please enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
The McBush Interview
by Al Martinez
September 18, 2008
I had the privilege yesterday of interviewing U.S. Sen. Homer McBush who, as you know, is running for president of the United States with a campaign slogan of “Three Gs for Freedom.” McBush appeared before us at the Faux Network superstation KBS-America, accompanied by his new puppy Pali. This is a partial transcript of the interview:
Faux: Tell me, Senator, all of America is curious about the puppy you have suddenly brought to most of your campaign appearances. Pali, I believe you call her.
McBush: That’s pronounced Pay-lee.
Faux: I notice she’s wearing lipstick and earrings. Is there a reason for that?
McBush: A joke. She isn’t a pig (wink), but even a dog can wear lipstick and maybe earrings too. You get it?
Faux: I get it.
McBush: Now let me say that it’s a privilege being here at Faux BS as a war hero and maverick to counteract the falsehoods put forth by my opponent, Senator O-Bomb.
Faux: I believe you mean Senator Obama?
McBush (laughing): We have whimsical sense of humor. We call him O-Bomb as a play on his name meaning every once in awhile he drops an oratorical bomb, if you get my meaning. We have to duck. (More laughter)
Faux: As a Navy pilot and later captive war hero you must know a little something about dropping real bombs.
McBush: Only on the Godless soldiers in ‘Nam. Should’ve seen those little brown suckers scatter! Hoo-boy! (Abruptly serious) By the way, I want to apologize on behalf of certain members of my campaign staff for saying that the senator is a close friend of Osama bin Laden.
Faux: I don’t recall anyone ever having said that.
McBush (musing): Obama, Osama. Funny how close those names are.
Faux: That certainly doesn’t mean they were friends.
McBush: That’s the very reason I’m apologizing.
Faux: But if no one ever said…
McBush: Look at it this way, boy. Someone sure as heaven is going to say it, and that apology will already be in place. It will preempt the accusation. This is modern, electronic politics, boy. Call it E-truths.
Faux: I see. Well, I’d like to get back to the dog. I have a report from an excellent source that says Pali is illegitimate. Is that true?
McBush (angrily): Dastardly lies! I swear on my status as a God-given war hero and maverick that Pali was the legitimate offspring of a male corgi owned by a Pentecostal preacher and a bitch Doberman that was the constant companion of the pastor’s wife Tammy Sue. They were legally married and we have the papers to prove it.
Faux: The parent dogs were married?
McBush: In a holy ceremony attended by family, friends and owners in the pastor’s own church, the Conservative American Church of God and Angels in Flight of Nome, Alaska.
Faux: I notice that you keep Pali on a little pink leash. Does she bite?
McBush: That’s Pay-Lee, boy!
Faux: Of course.
McBush: She bites when she’s told to.
Faux: She’s an attractive puppy, that’s for sure, winking and blinking the way she does, but she seems exceptionally quiet today.
McBush: My daddy, the Admiral, while beating his noisy dog, used to say, ‘There’s a time to bark and a time to whine.’
Faux (teasingly): Do you also script her speeches? Like when to bark, growl, snarl, roll over or bite?
McBush: Something like that. More of a yap than a bark.
Faux: She’s actually scripted? I’ve never heard of a dog that…
McBush (interrupting): I’m not going to have my sweet puppy subjected to the cruel and ungodly questions of the liberal media without some form of preparation! Next question.
Faux: You mention God a good deal. Is he one of the “G”s in your campaign’s “Three Gs for Freedom?” The reason Pali is wearing a gold cross attached to her collar?
McBush: That is correct. It came to me in a dream while I was a captive war hero, and I swore that if I ever became a maverick candidate of any sort I would apply them: God, Guns and Glory.
Faux: I assume the chewable dog toy in the shape of a shotgun that she’s holding in her teeth is relative to the second “G”? For guns?
McBush: That’s right, boy. Guns ready to use on our doorstep if the A-rabs ever invade. And the third is for glory.
Faux: The glory of liberty and freedom?
McBush: Of war, boy. The glory of winning. The glory of the stars and stripes waving bravely over a battlefield of dead A-rabs. And may I add that I deny ever having referred to our friend O-Bomb by the A-word.
Faux: Again, sir, I don’t believe anyone has ever said you had referred to him as an Arab, or, as you put it, an A-rab. Are you apologizing again for something you have never been accused of? Isn’t that just another way of smearing an opponent without bearing the blame?
McBush: (He smiles, shrugs slightly, winks at the dog, says nothing.)
Faux: I see. Getting back to an earlier topic, there are some who say no one truly wins a war.
McBush: These are the same traitorous liberals in America who said, may God forgive me for repeating it, that the New York Giants would never win a Super Bowl and you and I know that they sure as hell did.
Faux: Your dog is growling.
McBush: Forgive me. I did not intend to defame the name of God, and on my honor as a war hero, maverick and Christian, I apologize for use of the ugly H-word. It upsets Pali.
Faux: We all know you’re a war hero, but how do you figure you’re a maverick? Many feel that you’re very much like our current leader, President Twig.
McBush: Not so. For one thing I’m taller than Twig and when I smile there are those who say my whole face lights up. He just grins. Nothing wrong with grinning, but there’s sure a big difference between us right there.
Faux: Other than that, doesn’t your program, as Twig’s, favor the oil companies’ desire to drill wherever they chose? Doesn’t that profit them more than us? And doesn’t it harm Earth’s ecological balance?
McBush: Ecological my behind! We didn’t even have that word until the hippies made it up. A couple holes in the ground won’t kick the planet out of orbit. And there’s nothing wrong with Americans making a little extra cash, boy, just because they already have some. But we’ve got to be fair about spreading the wealth, so I’m proposing an increase in the minimum wage by 7 and ½ cents!
Faux: An hour?
McBush: A day. Who in the hell do you think we are?
Pali growls again.
McBush: Gosh darn, there I go again, defaming God. Sorry, Pali.
Faux: It seems to me that by saying ‘hell’ you were more likely offending the devil than God. Is the devil a part of your campaign too?
McBush: (He smiles. The dog winks.)
Faux: Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Pali.
McBush: God bless America.
Pali: Woof.
http://almartinezeverythingelse.blogspot.com/
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Even polls are now showing that "race" is at the bottom of many "white" voters' choices in this country
Dear friends,
No surprise to African Americans, however, a recent poll shows that many European Americans (so-called whites) are "clinging" to their whiteness, this election season, especially the less-educated ones that Hillary Clinton energized...
The link below is to a piece by someone who we have heard from before - Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News. Corky, in my biased opinion, courageously, does what few other journalists, African American, European American, or otherwise, have had the courage to do. He has exposed the reality that all African Americans already know. That is, as our dear brother Cornell West has insisted, race "matters" in America. Moreover, while I can only speak for myself, I am sure that African Americans will not let "polls" or newspaper and magazine commentaries that suggest that we do not "matter", keep us from going to the voting machines anyway. Please check out Corky's piece.
Cheers!
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/22/2008-09-22_poll_barack_obama_could_lose_six_percent.html
Read full post
No surprise to African Americans, however, a recent poll shows that many European Americans (so-called whites) are "clinging" to their whiteness, this election season, especially the less-educated ones that Hillary Clinton energized...
The link below is to a piece by someone who we have heard from before - Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News. Corky, in my biased opinion, courageously, does what few other journalists, African American, European American, or otherwise, have had the courage to do. He has exposed the reality that all African Americans already know. That is, as our dear brother Cornell West has insisted, race "matters" in America. Moreover, while I can only speak for myself, I am sure that African Americans will not let "polls" or newspaper and magazine commentaries that suggest that we do not "matter", keep us from going to the voting machines anyway. Please check out Corky's piece.
Cheers!
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/22/2008-09-22_poll_barack_obama_could_lose_six_percent.html
Read full post
Sunday, September 21, 2008
WANTED: Young Black Males - and females
To be Teachers
Dear friends,
The info below was e-mailed to me very recently. I checked it out. It is real. Therefore, regardless of your age, gender or ethnicity, if you know any African American high schoolers, please pass this information on to him - or her. Cool? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************
Black Male Teachers
Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for 'FREE' ? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.
The 'Call Me MISTER' program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina 's lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.
The Call Me MISTER program combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with the individualized instructional programs offered by four historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College , Claflin University , Morris College and South Carolina State University. To provide even greater opportunity and access, students have the option of first attending one of our two-year partner colleges before transferring to one of the four-year institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. In addition, the project has limited enrollment in the middle school Master of Art in Teaching program. Please click on the participating schools on the menu to the left to learn more about these schools' programs.
* Anderson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/anderson.html> * Benedict College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/benedict.html> * Claflin University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/claflin.html> * Clemson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/clemson.html> * College of Charleston <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/coc.html> * Morris College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/morris.html> * South Carolina State University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/southcarolinastate.html> * Greenville Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/greenvilletech.html> * Midlands Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/midlands.html> * Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/orangeburgcalhountechhtml> * Tri-County Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tricountytech.html> * Trident Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tridenttech.html>
The project provides:
Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success. A cohort system for social and cultural support.
Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm> for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.
PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY, CHURCH MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO SPREAD THE WORD.
____________________________________________________________________________
Read full post
Dear friends,
The info below was e-mailed to me very recently. I checked it out. It is real. Therefore, regardless of your age, gender or ethnicity, if you know any African American high schoolers, please pass this information on to him - or her. Cool? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************
Black Male Teachers
Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for 'FREE' ? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.
The 'Call Me MISTER' program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina 's lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.
The Call Me MISTER program combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with the individualized instructional programs offered by four historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College , Claflin University , Morris College and South Carolina State University. To provide even greater opportunity and access, students have the option of first attending one of our two-year partner colleges before transferring to one of the four-year institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. In addition, the project has limited enrollment in the middle school Master of Art in Teaching program. Please click on the participating schools on the menu to the left to learn more about these schools' programs.
* Anderson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/anderson.html> * Benedict College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/benedict.html> * Claflin University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/claflin.html> * Clemson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/clemson.html> * College of Charleston <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/coc.html> * Morris College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/morris.html> * South Carolina State University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/southcarolinastate.html> * Greenville Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/greenvilletech.html> * Midlands Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/midlands.html> * Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/orangeburgcalhountechhtml> * Tri-County Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tricountytech.html> * Trident Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tridenttech.html>
The project provides:
Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success. A cohort system for social and cultural support.
Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm> for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.
PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY, CHURCH MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO SPREAD THE WORD.
____________________________________________________________________________
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Is greed - good?
Dear friends,
It is interesting how quickly ordinary people are placing some of the "blame" for the mortgage industry crisis on those who they accuse of being "irresponsble" (esp. Black) - home-buyers...
After all, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson acknowledges that many of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are needed from taxpayers are for loans to companies that were responsible for covering the investments of ordinary people (i.e., stockholders). Comsidering the logic that is used to berate the aforementioned home-buyers, does that mean that those who trusted companies and invested in them (bought shares), in order to make a quick buck, are "irresponsible" as well, since all of us must bail out those companies that made so many bad decisions?
Additionally, the issue of "greed" appears, during this whole debacle. I remember reading, some years ago, George Will, "the" chief spokesman and pundit for the right wing in this country, ask, "What's wrong with greed?" He wrote that question, at the beginning of an article that appeared in, I believe (it's been a long time, since I read it) the National Review. Shortly afterwards, Will, who at the time was a middle-aged, married man, was arrested (in Washington DC) for having had an illicit sexual affair with a minor (16 years-old girl). Therefore, in light of his, apparently, insatiable sexual appetite, my answer to George Will's above mentioned inquiry, which I e-mailed to him back in those days, about avarice is: That's what's wrong with greed, George.
In any case, below is a link to a delightfully thought-provoking piece, by Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News that helps us think more deeply about the players in this latest government scandal. Enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080919_Elmer_Smith__Why_won_t_the_government_that_backs_business_back_us_.html
Read full post
It is interesting how quickly ordinary people are placing some of the "blame" for the mortgage industry crisis on those who they accuse of being "irresponsble" (esp. Black) - home-buyers...
After all, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson acknowledges that many of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are needed from taxpayers are for loans to companies that were responsible for covering the investments of ordinary people (i.e., stockholders). Comsidering the logic that is used to berate the aforementioned home-buyers, does that mean that those who trusted companies and invested in them (bought shares), in order to make a quick buck, are "irresponsible" as well, since all of us must bail out those companies that made so many bad decisions?
Additionally, the issue of "greed" appears, during this whole debacle. I remember reading, some years ago, George Will, "the" chief spokesman and pundit for the right wing in this country, ask, "What's wrong with greed?" He wrote that question, at the beginning of an article that appeared in, I believe (it's been a long time, since I read it) the National Review. Shortly afterwards, Will, who at the time was a middle-aged, married man, was arrested (in Washington DC) for having had an illicit sexual affair with a minor (16 years-old girl). Therefore, in light of his, apparently, insatiable sexual appetite, my answer to George Will's above mentioned inquiry, which I e-mailed to him back in those days, about avarice is: That's what's wrong with greed, George.
In any case, below is a link to a delightfully thought-provoking piece, by Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News that helps us think more deeply about the players in this latest government scandal. Enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080919_Elmer_Smith__Why_won_t_the_government_that_backs_business_back_us_.html
Read full post
A high general standard of living is genuine "economic" development
Dear friends,
The recent failure of some of New York City's biggest financial institutions is already having a trickle-down effect on a number of other businesses and their employees, in that city...
The standard of living for thousands of New Yorkers will go down soon. Yet, ruthless, greedy managers who make far more money than they even need to enjoy life will either be saved by the government or just take their "loot" and run. Worse yet, whoever gets hurt is of no concern to them.
In any case, I saw the very short piece below, regarding a New York City cabbie who is experiencing harder times already. The government surely will not help him, in any way.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/09/17/2008-09-17_cabbies_gear_up_for_bad_times_-2.html
Read full post
The recent failure of some of New York City's biggest financial institutions is already having a trickle-down effect on a number of other businesses and their employees, in that city...
The standard of living for thousands of New Yorkers will go down soon. Yet, ruthless, greedy managers who make far more money than they even need to enjoy life will either be saved by the government or just take their "loot" and run. Worse yet, whoever gets hurt is of no concern to them.
In any case, I saw the very short piece below, regarding a New York City cabbie who is experiencing harder times already. The government surely will not help him, in any way.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/09/17/2008-09-17_cabbies_gear_up_for_bad_times_-2.html
Read full post
Foreclosing promise
Dear friends,
The short piece on the link below regards a brand new program in Philly that may spread across the nation. Who knows? It was written by Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I think that you will like it. I know that I did.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/annette_john-hall/20080919_Annette_John-Hall__A_step_against_foreclosures.html Read full post
The short piece on the link below regards a brand new program in Philly that may spread across the nation. Who knows? It was written by Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I think that you will like it. I know that I did.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/annette_john-hall/20080919_Annette_John-Hall__A_step_against_foreclosures.html Read full post
Lose your home, lose your vote?
Dera friends,
The information below was sent to me via e-mail. It is worth reading, so I decided to share it with you on this blog.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:19:11 -0700
Subject: Lose your home, lose your vote?
The Republican plan for struggling homeowners in Michigan? Take away their right to vote. Help us stop this, now.
Dear Kathleen, It's the ugliest attack on voting rights we've seen in recent history--if you live in Michigan and you're in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, Republicans will try to take away your right to vote.
1. McCain's response? Silence. Like Bush in 2000 and 2004, he's trying to keep a safe distance from these tactics, while benefiting from them. McCain could end this with a phone call. But he won't.
It's voter-suppression at its worst. They're taking advantage of folks falling on hard times and using it for political gain--kicking people while they're down. It's time to hold McCain publicly accountable for this strategy.
Will you join us in outing McCain for not denouncing these tactics and invite your friends and family to do the same? It just takes a moment:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
For years, Republicans have engaged in 'caging'--challenging the eligibility of voters on election day to suppress turnout and intimidate voters.
2. They'll often try to reject voters by claiming they don't live at the address where they're registered. This year, they've taken it to a new low--the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan said last week, 'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren't voting from those addresses.'
3. In other words, they'll target every voter whose house is on a foreclosure list, and challenge their voting rights on election day. But just because your name is on a list, it doesn't mean that you've lost your home or moved. In fact, many homeowners stay in their homes for months after the foreclosure process has begun, and some people are able to catch up on their payments and reverse the process.
4. So why are Republicans illegally targeting homeowners who've had a tough time under Bush's economy? Because they know they're likely to vote for Democrats, and for Obama for President. In Michigan, over 60% of sub-prime loans were made to African-Americans.
5. And in general, people who've been hit hard by the economy are less likely to vote for Republicans. This tactic won't just affect struggling homeowners--it will cause longer lines and delays at the polls for everyone that lives in a neighborhood with a high number of foreclosures. And that's the point. After making the plan public, Michigan Republicans are backtracking and claiming they were misquoted.
6. But everything indicates that these are exactly the kinds of tactics they'll use,
7. Aand they're just trying to squash an embarrassing story.
8. Similar tactics are being used across the country, but the McCain campaign simply sits in the background, quietly benefiting from voter suppression. The Obama campaign is fighting against this plan in the courts,9 but they need our help to expose these dishonorable tactics and make this a national story.
If enough of us step up and connect the dots, we'll give the press a reason to make the connection between McCain and what's happening in Michigan. And as we've seen in our other campaigns,10 when we stand together behind a clear message, the press covers it and moves our message forward.
Calling on McCain to publicly reject these tactics is just the first step in our campaign to shame the Republican Party for attacking the voting rights of struggling homeowners.
Please join us:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 17th, 2008
1. 'Lose your house, lose your vote,' Michigan Messenger, 9/10/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=1
2. 'Caging list,' Wikipedia http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=2
3. See reference 1.
4. 'Obama campaign files suit over 'voter-foreclosure' plans,' Michigan Messenger, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=4
5. See reference 1.
6. 'Flap over foreclosure challenges in Michigan grows,' Chicago Tribune, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=6
7. 'Former GOP operative explains why Republicans will use foreclosure lists to block voters,' Michigan Messenger, 9/15/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=7
8. 'Messenger rejects GOP plea for retraction,' Michigan Messenger, 9/12/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=8
9. See reference 4.
10. ColorOfChange.org campaign against Congressional Black Caucus debate on Fox News http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=10
11. 'D.N.C. Shuns Fox in Debate Schedule,' The Caucus (New York Times blog), 4/5/07 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=11
Read full post
The information below was sent to me via e-mail. It is worth reading, so I decided to share it with you on this blog.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:19:11 -0700
Subject: Lose your home, lose your vote?
The Republican plan for struggling homeowners in Michigan? Take away their right to vote. Help us stop this, now.
Dear Kathleen, It's the ugliest attack on voting rights we've seen in recent history--if you live in Michigan and you're in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, Republicans will try to take away your right to vote.
1. McCain's response? Silence. Like Bush in 2000 and 2004, he's trying to keep a safe distance from these tactics, while benefiting from them. McCain could end this with a phone call. But he won't.
It's voter-suppression at its worst. They're taking advantage of folks falling on hard times and using it for political gain--kicking people while they're down. It's time to hold McCain publicly accountable for this strategy.
Will you join us in outing McCain for not denouncing these tactics and invite your friends and family to do the same? It just takes a moment:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
For years, Republicans have engaged in 'caging'--challenging the eligibility of voters on election day to suppress turnout and intimidate voters.
2. They'll often try to reject voters by claiming they don't live at the address where they're registered. This year, they've taken it to a new low--the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan said last week, 'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren't voting from those addresses.'
3. In other words, they'll target every voter whose house is on a foreclosure list, and challenge their voting rights on election day. But just because your name is on a list, it doesn't mean that you've lost your home or moved. In fact, many homeowners stay in their homes for months after the foreclosure process has begun, and some people are able to catch up on their payments and reverse the process.
4. So why are Republicans illegally targeting homeowners who've had a tough time under Bush's economy? Because they know they're likely to vote for Democrats, and for Obama for President. In Michigan, over 60% of sub-prime loans were made to African-Americans.
5. And in general, people who've been hit hard by the economy are less likely to vote for Republicans. This tactic won't just affect struggling homeowners--it will cause longer lines and delays at the polls for everyone that lives in a neighborhood with a high number of foreclosures. And that's the point. After making the plan public, Michigan Republicans are backtracking and claiming they were misquoted.
6. But everything indicates that these are exactly the kinds of tactics they'll use,
7. Aand they're just trying to squash an embarrassing story.
8. Similar tactics are being used across the country, but the McCain campaign simply sits in the background, quietly benefiting from voter suppression. The Obama campaign is fighting against this plan in the courts,9 but they need our help to expose these dishonorable tactics and make this a national story.
If enough of us step up and connect the dots, we'll give the press a reason to make the connection between McCain and what's happening in Michigan. And as we've seen in our other campaigns,10 when we stand together behind a clear message, the press covers it and moves our message forward.
Calling on McCain to publicly reject these tactics is just the first step in our campaign to shame the Republican Party for attacking the voting rights of struggling homeowners.
Please join us:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 17th, 2008
1. 'Lose your house, lose your vote,' Michigan Messenger, 9/10/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=1
2. 'Caging list,' Wikipedia http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=2
3. See reference 1.
4. 'Obama campaign files suit over 'voter-foreclosure' plans,' Michigan Messenger, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=4
5. See reference 1.
6. 'Flap over foreclosure challenges in Michigan grows,' Chicago Tribune, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=6
7. 'Former GOP operative explains why Republicans will use foreclosure lists to block voters,' Michigan Messenger, 9/15/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=7
8. 'Messenger rejects GOP plea for retraction,' Michigan Messenger, 9/12/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=8
9. See reference 4.
10. ColorOfChange.org campaign against Congressional Black Caucus debate on Fox News http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=10
11. 'D.N.C. Shuns Fox in Debate Schedule,' The Caucus (New York Times blog), 4/5/07 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=11
Read full post
Video about Senator Obama - from his Canpaign
Dear friends,
The video on the link below is a chronology of Senator Obama's voyage to his/our current situation. It may or may not be very new info to you. Nonetheless, here it is.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid452323111 Read full post
The video on the link below is a chronology of Senator Obama's voyage to his/our current situation. It may or may not be very new info to you. Nonetheless, here it is.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid452323111 Read full post
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