Disqus - Friends of SouthernGirl2

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:12:07 -0000

It appears that since Mr. Obama got the Democratic Nomination on lockdown, he thinks he can back track on everything he promised, just like the typical politico.

I don't want to hear about how he "has to do certain things' or "move to center" to get elected. Everytime a Democrat starts acting like a Republican and "moves to the center" it virtually guarantees another ReThug gets 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four more years.

We're good at quoting Harry Truman, but unlike Truman, the Democratic Party refuses to take the fight to them who's asking for it.

However, it isn't a bad idea to remind Obama that if he's going to sling the people who got him the nomination under the bus to pander to the corporate interests, he still has to dance with those who brought him...

Re: Keith Sees FISA Loophole for Criminal Prosecution

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:16:54 -0000

Why can't there be both civil and criminal prosecution for violation of the 4th Amendment?

What the telecos want is not to be punished for doing something the government ordered them to do. OTOH, the telecos could always refuse to do business with the Feds, but the Feds would have retaliated in some fashion. Some telecos are simply refusing to do business with the Feds, because the Feds not only placed them in liability, but stuck them with the check and haven't paid the bill.

Obama taught Constitutional Law, didn't he? Then he should know that the protection of the 4th Amendment is not a political football he can dodge. If he's going to uphold the Constitution (as stated in the POTUS oath of office), the least he can do is protect it before he takes office.

He may have denounced the DLC, but he's sure engaging in their strategies and that's giving me pain.

Re: That’s not the Way to Heal

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:19:04 -0000

LOL! Me,too!

But I hope the Big Dog goes back to taking his meds; he's going off and that's not a good look for an ex-POTUS.

Re: Production Values (UPDATED)

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:13:47 -0000

Jeez, Obama's getting it with both barrels.

However, the Black Republicans...well, that's an oxymoron if there ever was one.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:18:53 -0000

I'm not too upset about the Faith-Based expansion, either, as long as it demonstrates no discrimination in who gets faith-based money. Bush only created it to pay out his evangelical buddies before they realized he hoodwinked them. He had to throw them some scraps, as TD Jakes learned, the hard way.

Everything else I've said about Obama, I stand by. He's got MoveOn in a snit, and Kos just went public on denouncing him for the FISA stand and slinging Wesley Clark under the bus for defending him against McCain's sliming. He's beginning to sound like a DLC-puppet and why does he feel he needs to go that direction when he got the nomination without THEM?

I believe Obama's telling us EXACTLY what he's going to do if he gets the White House, but we have to mold his agenda before he gets there and let him know we will not let up on him once he's sworn in.

McCain IS NOT AN OPTION FOR ME, at any cost.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:24:16 -0000

McKinney's looking good to me, too. I simply cannot bring myself to vote for McCain, under any circumstances.

And Obama is giving me heartburn, especially with the flip-flop on FISA.

My colleagues at Black Agenda Report has been singing the "Obama-Ain't-What-He-Appears-To-Be" theme song since 2003. Maybe we need to start listening to the lyrics, so we won't keep singing "Obama done done Me Wrong" anthem once he gets the White House.

However, if Cynthia McKinney gets 2% of the National vote, it's enough to send a message to Obama, and one he won't like receiving, either.

Where's Bruce Dixon when I need him?

Re: That’s not the Way to Heal

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:33:18 -0000

Pleeease, no, he didn't think eating birthday cake with Nelson Mandela would honestly earn him back his Honorary Negro Card?!!

Who does he think we are, Stepin Fetchit?

Diana Ross was a DIVA.

Mariah Carey is a DIVA

Whitney Houston is a DIVA.

Bill Clinton....IS A DIVA. I have to admit that.

And he needs to get off the stage. Now, what was that I posted about whether Obama needs the Clintons or not?

I say NOT...especially since Hillary appears to not be able to control Wild Bill, and she doesn't really seem to enthused about controlling him, either. Plus, if Bill is going around saying "I support Obama, but I don't believe he can win" what the hell kind of support is THAT?

Re: That’s not the Way to Heal

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:52:23 -0000

Starting with "I support Obama, but I don't think he can win" comments.

Stop right there; Obama doesn't need that kind of help coming from Bill Clinton.

I stand by my comment that Obama doesn't need the Clintons; maybe Hillary in limited fashion, but certainly not BILL.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:01:42 -0000

Okay, Craig, then why he's flipping on FISA when he promised to filibuster it last Fall?

Why did he sling Wesley Clark under the bus for defending him against the sliming tactics of McCain.

While Kos' group goes whichever way he tells them to, MoveOn has had Obama's back for quite some time; longer than Kos, and it's not that they don't know criticism works both ways; it is what Obama is choosing to distance himself from - and he's distancing and criticising the very grass roots organizations that propelled him to that nomination, and raised a lot of money for him. You don't bite the hand that feeds you, and I'm feeling like Obama is going to go the way of Ned Lamont, when Lamont won that nomination away from Lieberman.

I agree that Obama isn't going to be everything to everyone, but he should stop trying to mold himself that way because it fuels inconsistency, and riles up the people who support him.

McCain is not an option for me...but Obama shouldn't be acting like now he has the nomination, he can start pandering to everyone else while throwing the people who have supported him out the window.

Re: That’s not the Way to Heal

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:42 -0000

I think if we went to the dictionary and looked up the word "petty", Bill Clinton's picture would be right next to it at this point.

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:37:00 -0000

I have long said that I didn't trust Andrea Mitchell to be objective; she's a ReThug operative, and she's married to the guy who lied about the American economy to appease his ReThug supporters.

Re: Top Ten Black Blogs for June 2008

CPL — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:41:08 -0000

I agree; how did LaShawn Barber make the cut - she's the Black version of Pat Buchanan...

Re: Tuesday Open Thread

CPL — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:50:43 -0000

Rikyrah, what do you think about the CBC members getting primary challengers because of their support for Hillary Clinton in the face of Obama winning their districts?

Right now, I'm thinking that only Charlie Rangel escapes a challenge because he got Harlem lined up behind her; but as for the rest, I think the Clinton issue opens the door for CBCMonitor's Report Card to give the challengers more ammunition.

Re: Obama’s Black..ergo, he’s got bad credit.

CPL — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:09:48 -0000

Even I think going after Obama's credit record is beyond the pale, considering that half of the CBC members who slung him under the bus, are on record with bouncing checks, bad credit and the whole nine yards.

Black = bad credit; but the McCains can skip out on paying property taxes for decades until a journalist outed them. GTHOH.

Re: For Mama

CPL — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:11:59 -0000

Rikyrah, you know I'm praying for you. I know what it's like to send your mother home to glory. ((((BIG HUG)))

Re: Introducing The Uncle Ruckus Award

CPL — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:13:34 -0000

You know the cuckoo has flown when D can't justify statements like this.

Re: Introducing The Uncle Ruckus Award

CPL — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:15:00 -0000

Shelby would like to forget he's a Black Man in America.

Stop right there. The only other guys that belong in the Negro Self-Hatred Club is Clarence Thomas and Ward Connerly.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:43:42 -0000

I guess I won't get flamed anymore, and maybe we can start having real constructive discussions regarding the presumptive Democratic Nominee. The time to reign his butt in is NOW; not after he gets the White House, because if we stay silent on this, he thinks he has a blank check as far as Black people are concerned. Everyone else is raising their voices, loud and clear. We are guilty of playing the race card if we are unwilling to call out our own people, and demand everyone else call out McCain and others for their BS.

This is not a "double standard". It is about Obama living up to his advertisement. If we want "change we can believe in", he needs to bring it and stop slinging cliches.

Glen Ford and Bruce Dixon have been lambasted as "haters", and you've flamed me and anyone else who tried to point out how important it is to hold Obama's feet to the fire, NOW, instead of "get him elected and hold him accountable then." I will repeat myself - if we don't demand Obama be accountable to us, his BASE, what makes you think he's going to remember our demands once he's in the White House?

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:48:13 -0000

I'm really beginning to believe Obama said what he needed to say to get Black people behind him. Now that he's accomplished that, he's basically saying it's okay to ignore our concerns, starting with promising to filibuster FISA and now backtracking on this issue. I don't like feeling like I've been used to get Obama what he wants, and now he can go arrogant, thinking we have no where else to go.

We always have options; limited though they may be, but nonetheless, we do have them, and we need to let Senator Obama know that the Black vote is not something to play fast and loose with. Not anymore.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:22:29 -0000

Craig, it's a race issue when it appears Obama gets a free pass, and anyone critiquing his positions gets flamed. As I have been flamed for pointing out discrepancies in his positions, and all I hear if I'm not being flamed is "wait until he's POTUS".

Well, when he becomes POTUS, and he does nothing to correct this FISA bill, what will all of you shouting dissenters down, have to say?

The Fact that a lot of Black people know little to nothing about FISA is a sad testament to the issue that the government does a whole lot of shyt to us and to our communities and we don't know how much we've been screwed over until it's too late. And it's usually by some mouthpiece that tells us we shouldn't ask questions because it's going to be alright.

COINTELPRO should give all of us pause, but because the messenger was Cynthia McKinney, it got ignored, but was actively used to build up the Prison Industrial Complex.

Why is it easier to ignore Obama's position changing, but forget how Bill Clinton did similar shyt during his eight years in the Oval Office and only now do we realize the damage his policies have caused?

Some things Obama might need to get a free pass on, but FISA isn't one of them, and thank God, my cell provider told the Government to go to hell when they came calling about spying on their customers. You might want to check and see if yours is one of them, because if they have been spying on you for the last couple of years, you can't sue them for invasion of privacy.

I fully understand the excitement of a brotha getting the White House; it's probably equal to when John Conyers and Charlie Rangel showed up on the Hill back in the 60s. Look at where the CBC has gone, and all because we wanted a Black Face in a High Place and didn't call them out when they started swinging corporate and against the interests of the communities they serve.

The race card has to do with it if it's seen that Obama gets a free pass and while McCain has a lot of shyt we can call him out on, we also shouldn't leave the door open to get hit with a racism charge ourselves. THAT is what I was saying.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:23:20 -0000

McCain's barely showing up in DC these days, but if Obama doesn't call him out on it in a debate, no one else won't notice and you can bet the MSM is going to ignore it.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:24:12 -0000

It is a dire issue if a person's right to privacy has been invaded and he has no legal recourse to correct it and get justice.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:32:06 -0000

"THERE IS NO 'BLACK AMERICA'".

Black people's issues are generally everyone's issues. FISA is everyone's issue, but I'm old enough to remember COINTELPRO. FISA-type legislation got that ball rolling, too, but hey, y'all paint me as being looney, anyway.

Read "The Spook Who Sat By the Door" if FISA isn't a big enough issue to worry you. Additionally, as Jill pointed out, Bush gets a "Get-out-of-Jail" card courtesy of Congres on this issue. FISA didn't need any overhaul - out of over 50,000 requests for wiretapping, that secret court only turned down requests five times in the thirty-year history of FISA. So, why was Bush afraid to go that route with FISA as it was already written?

The answer is that he didn't need to. Period. But, then again, Bush is the only POTUS I know that considers the Constitution toilet paper.

Obama taught Constitutional Law. There are times he may have to compromise, but this issue, after promising to filibuster the legislation, is not the time for that compromise.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:36:16 -0000

And once this atrocity has been enacted into law, it's not like President Obama can roll over to the Hill and ask the House or the Senate to write a bill to replace this one.

I would have liked for him to be on record in opposition; that would make an attempt to change this legislation much easier.

Re: FISA-Jacking – Obama Takes the Lead

CPL — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:38:01 -0000

Ms Martin:

My cell provider told the government to take a hike when they were asked to spy on its customers, and I'm glad I have them, now, because to some extent, my phone calls weren't eavesdropped on by the Spooks on the Hill.