Sunday, August 31, 2008

THE DAILY SHOW AT THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

Considering the speeches can be boring and main stream media can be tiring and at times annoying, check out the Daily Show with Jon Stewart broadcasting from the Republican Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.




Peter Kramer/AP File




After a full day of listening to the main stream media talking heads, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show Team will offer that much needed and unique perspective on the convention that will have you rolling on the floor, laughing out loud.

The Daily Show brought some great and much needed laughs to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and to the Democrats Convention in Denver, CO last week. Stewart had no problem lecturing reporters on coverage and regurgitated campaign spin when it came to the main stream media’s political coverage.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/25/jon-stewart-lectures-reporters-on-coverage/

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the most trusted man in television, and his Daily Show Team shows from the Republican Convention will begin on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Check your local listings for The Comedy Channel, Daily Show times in your area.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I Have a Dream

45 Years Ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream…” speech in Washington, D.C. http://www.mlkonline.net/sounds.html. (Excerpts of the speech follow courtesy of the Martin Luther King Foundation)

I Have a Dream - Address at March on Washington

August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

Watch the Full 16-min video of Martin Luther King's famous I Have a Dream Speech

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [Applause]

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. will be happy to know that this day has finally happened. Tonight the Democratic Party will hear the acceptance speech of the first African American candidate nominated for President of the United States. King’s dream has been realized and the check is being cashed.

Congratulations Barack Obama!!

Monday, August 25, 2008

DON'T FORGET TO LAUGH


Considering the speeches can be boring and the main stream media can be tiring, check out The Daily Show with John Stewart broadcasting from the Democratic Convention in Denver, CO.

After a full day of listening to the main stream media talking heads, John Stewart and the Daily Show will offer that much needed and unique perspective on the convention that will have you rolling on the floor, laughing out loud.

Check your local listings for The Comedy Channel, Daily Show times in your area. The Daily Show brought some great and much needed laughs to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

ALL ABOUT HILLARY!!!!

Is it just selective hearing or is this week becoming all about Hillary Clinton. All day today, I attempted to listen to the pontifications, guess work, tea leaf reading, I know what he thinks…ramblings of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and FOX news. Each time I removed my head from learning about site maps, and html, everyone was talking about Hillary Clinton. Forgive me, but didn’t Hillary Clinton LOSE the Democratic Primary?

Why are Hillary’s feelings, wishes, voice of concern to the media? Maybe it is true, Hillary Clinton will destroy your reputation in the media if you suggest negativity or not mention her at all. Is this a bit too critical?

CNN broadcasting from Denver, Colorado, where the 2008 Democratic Convention will begin on Monday, fell all over themselves giving Hillary’s name air time today, as did MSNBC, and let’s not forget the talking heads at FOX news. The coverage very much reminded me of what happened on the night and days following Senator Barack Obama becoming the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party; a majority of air time was focused on Hillary Clinton, not Senator Obama.



Most American women would love to have a strong, competent, successful, intelligent, thoughtful, passionate, female leader as a candidate for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton does not possess all of the qualities necessary for the position, or she would be the person accepting the nomination on Thursday night. The American people will first hear from Bill Clinton probably speaking about the race Hillary made in her bid for the nomination on Wednesday; on Tuesday we are going to be forced to listen Hillary pontificate and praise the almighty “I”.

Maybe the speeches presented by the Clintons will be very much their form of pageantry in passing the torch and stepping aside from their accomplishments much similar to the way the China passed the Olympic Flag and Torch to England at the close of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

I have always been a glass half filled kind of girl!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

CAMPAIGN MEDIA BIAS

22 August 2008

Last night and again tonight, Keith Olbermann covered the story of John McCain being questioned about how many homes he and Mrs. McCain owned. Senator McCain’s response was that he would have to have an aid get back to the questioner with the answer as Senator McCain was not sure how many homes they owned.


Of course the Main Stream Media had a field day with this answer and Senator Obama immediately fired off a new campaign ad highlighting his opponent’s response. This obviously caught the McCain campaign a little off guard and they responded with three new campaign ads attacking Senator Obama.

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/08/21/obama-slams-mccain-for-being-out-of-touch/

Thus far, the entire incident was comical and amusing to me. But all of this was completely within the realm of typical campaign attacks. However, later in the evening, I happened to catch Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes Show just when Sean Hannity began discussing the GOP Talking Points of the evening. First the comments regarding Senator Obama’s million dollar mansion which (2) has some extraneous connection to Rezko (see http://www.newsweek.com/id/154782 ) but somehow the conversation then switches to (3) Barrack Obama’s poverty stricken half brother in Africa. Additionally, Sean Hannity then proceeded to mock this man situation by announcing that he would send him a check for $1,000.00 since Senator Obama obviously was not taking care of this half brother. Privately, I think to myself… “Pretty low even for Hannity”. Everyone is aware that Barack Obama’s father did not have an active hand in raising Barack, and it wasn’t until he was an adult that he met any of his siblings in Africa. Then I changed the channel to the Olympics.

But first thing this morning, CNN had this little tidbit ( http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/22/bts.obama.brother/index.html ). Most of the morning this was important news, however one sided it was. I don’t recall anyone discussing any of John McCain’s siblings or any of the not so scrupulous family skeletons from Cindy’s family.

I was listening to “The Randi Rhodes Show” (http://www.novamradio.com/live/ ) this afternoon; I was unaware of any skeletons in either of their families. Randi played a clip from this link (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93708729 ), from a National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast and investigation. It was here; today that I learned for the first time that Cindy McCain has siblings. I had constantly heard from Cindy McCain’s own mouth that she was an ONLY child. I still have not heard any of this in the main stream media, have you?