This article appeared on the eurweb site today. In the midst of their in depth coverage of Li'l Kim and Supahead, they manage to sneak in some relevant social commentary. Here's my take... While I was a student at FAMU, Dick Gregory came to speak at one of our convocations. He was talking about civil rights and mentioned MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. In particular, he referred to the passage where King longed for a day when men would be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. Our problem, as he pointed out, is that too many of us would fail the character question regardless of race. The same is true for reparations. How many folks would do exactly as Chappelle suggested in his sketch? Unlike the author, I find Chappelle to be a particularly articulate voice on the topic of race in our country and know that we are not prepared to take advantage of opportunities that do occasionally come our way. Far worse than Chappelle...

Am I the only one who thinks that Judy Miller OWES the investigation her cooperation inasmuch as she may have abetted a federal crime? Notwithstanding her willingness to swallow the bitter draught of lies by an administration architect LEGENDARY for nefarious tactics, those lies have helped to weaken our entire country's standing on the world stage. Iraq is a mess that would still be simmering in a tightly-albeit tenuously-lidded pot had Miller et al said "No Thanks" to the hawkish Kool-Aid that barreled us into war on the fear of an immediate and dire threat of WMDs. Now, she wants to hide behind journalistic ethics? A source that peddles lies for the benefit of a corrupt administration is a far cry from a TRUE whistle-blower that lays their career (and perhaps life) on the line for the sake of informing the public. Maybe journalistic protections SHOULDN'T extend to lying bastards that attempt to work the system for their own benefit. Precedent has established t...

Salon is escalating the story of Karl "Darth Sidious" Rove now that it has been confirmed that he DID pass information leading to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. One can only wonder... How far can Bush carry the "loyal to the end" devotion that has marked his inexplicable rise to power? If Cheney is Count Dooku, the public face of the Empire's surge to power, then Rove is Palpatine, gently pulling the strings from behind the curtain to manipulate the most powerful man on the planet. Alas, now those curtains have been swept away and Rove stands exposed--via the Internets and that pesky email. The White House's unflappable front man McClellan is harumphing and backpedaling from his traditional shows of strength. Dubya's numbers are faltering; he's lost Social Security and appears headed for the fight of his life over the Supreme Court. And now he's poised to lose his consigliere... These are the moments that make life worth living!

The prosecution's contention is that AFTER the damaging Bashir special and AFTER the rebuttal video, Michael Jackson decides to turn on the heat and molest the accuser...WTF?!?!? Does anyone believe that Michael Jackson will be convicted of this crime? E Online's daily deliberator should have the defense feeling pretty good right about now. After weeks of nearly even (and sometimes heavy guilty votes) Mijac is pulling consistent "Not Guilty" votes in the high 80s. The mother is a joke, the accuser is a foul-mouthed opportunist, three of the prosecution's smoking gun alleged victims OUT RIGHT DENIED wrong-doing. Certainly, Jackson has an unsettling penchant for interacting with young boys, but this is not the case to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt. ANY parent that would let their child interact with any ANY adult for unsupervised "sleepovers" is derelict in their duty. I certainly would never let that happen, ESPECIALLY after the allegations fi...

Salon.com Arts & Entertainment | Jackson recovering, leaves hospital : "Michael Jackson was recovering from flu symptoms and was in good spirits after a short hospital stay that prompted another delay in his child molestation trial, a doctor said." Arguably one of the most bizarre sentences in recent memory... I am at a loss on the whole MJ issue. I had wanted to side with the angels and offer benefit of the doubt because of his extraordinary weirdness; but when the Crown Prince of "celebrity" kooks, Corey Feldman, rolls on you, the writing is on the wall (or "Off the Wall" as the case may be). And then there's the British Geraldo Rivera, Martin Bashir. Gingerly stepping across an ominous slate grey tableau in a curiously ill-matched ensemble, Bashir promises startling revelations into Michael's secret world. The second of his exposes on the Pop icon, Secret World promises to focus almost exclusively on the molesation allegations that ...

The election disappointment has had me Blog-free for awhile, but since the holidays are coming, here's a really delicious recipe for egg nog. Considering the liquor content, this is a designated driver recipe. As with any "uncooked" egg recipe, there are some risks, but if you follow the directions and keep the nog chilled, you should be fine. Hell, Rocky ate raw eggs every day and still beat the crap out of Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang AND Ivan Drago. 2 cups sugar (save ¼ cup for egg whites) 1 quart bourbon 1 quart milk 1 pint whipping cream 1 dozen eggs (separated) 12 oz. dark rum 1 quart Half and Half Fresh grated nutmeg Beat egg yolks, sugar and nutmeg until sugar grains have been dissolved (you can't feel them) Gradually beat in rum and bourbon (the liquor "cooks" the eggs) Add milk and half and half Beat egg whites with ¼ cup sugar until stiff and peaks form Chill bowl and beaters before whipping cream Whip cream until it peaks Into egg a...

You know, I was depressed for most of the Post-Election Wednesday. Rehnquist's diagnosis grew more dire. Kerry conceded awfully early in the news cycle. France and Germany rolled over and hinted that they were ready to play ball with the newly-vindicated Dubya. Republican hacks and Freepers alike were sharing the "We Won" luv... You know what saved me? America's Next Top Model. Insipid (yet strangely satisfying) reality television. Dubya is a simple-minded bastard being puppeted by some of the most despicable partisans in the history of our nation, but my sweetly zaftig SISTUH Tocarra made it through the fire one more time. Meanwhile, Tyra's hypnotic allure was a balm to sooth my Dubya-stained soul. Sure we lost Senate seats, but Obama's right, they don't have 60 votes. We will lose some Supremes, but Dubya can't elevate Scalia or Thomas to Chief. And one of his replacements will have to be a concession to the Dems. Besides, if things co...

That Nevada's Clark county would close the 5,000 vote deficit and deliver Nevada to Kerry... That late New Mexico precints would give me a reason to smile... and that the final 2% of precints in Ohio's Cuyhahoga and Hamilton counties would represent a surge that would close Kerry's 150,000 vote gap. This morning, tired and disheartened from the long night, I awoke to see all of those dreams dashed. Of course, Ohio's provisional ballots will be counted. Ohio's Secretary of State isn't the new Katherine Harris, he's the new Judge Ito. In O.J. Simpson's legendary trial, Ito was giddily happy to be thrust into an unexpeccted spotlight while evidence of bloodshed littered his courtroom. Relishing every opportunity for a sensational ruling, Ito quickly became emblematic of how the media transformed public servants into creatures consumed with TV-friendly hair cuts. Ken Blackwell is cut from the same cloth. Extolling the virtues and merits of a syste...

5:45 PST CNN.com Election 2004 Nader is SUCH a PRICK! Already he's siphoned more than 20,000 Florida votes. That's 38 times the number that decided the election last time. How can people vote for this jackass???? Miami-Dade and Broward show no results yet, so all is not lost, but I'm turning my attention to Ohio and Pennsylvania where Kerry is actually leading Bush.

I want to pose a question about the Florida "toss-up." In 2000, Bush carried his Brother's state by an official tally of only 537 votes. Of course, various recount and probable misvotes for Buchanan indicate a much larger margin of victory for Gore. But here's the rub... As the post-election furor died down, the disenfranchisement of thousands of Black voters was revealed. A similar scenario would likely have happened this time around, but the spotlight shone too brightly on Jeb and consequently, these folks will be able to cast ballots this year. What's more, they will be trucked to the polls by the bus and vanloads thanks to the efforts of rightly-disgusted Black voter corps and Democratic poll watchers. Since we KNOW the pollsters are under-representing Black voters, doesn't it seem reasonable to presume that Florida is actually MUCH more likely as a Kerry win by thousands of votes? Just something to ponder. Thanks for reading.

Mary Cheyney is a grown woman. She is an employee of her father's campaign. She is also a lesbian. Sort of a professional lesbian inasmuch as her pre-campaign job was improving Coors Gay market share. Thanks to the homophobic pandering of the (not-much-longer-God-willing) President, she can't be married. However, she DOES wear a "wedding" ring. As an out, professional, "married" lesbian, one imagines that she is not ashamed to be who she is. But somebody IS ashamed. The Cheney's are mad as hell and they're not gonna take it anymore. Dick, Lynne and Big Sis (BS) Liz have all made scathing remarks about Kerry's brief and, frankly innocuous, comment in response to a debate question about homosexuality. Dick is an angry Dad. Lynne says he's a bad man. Mary says... well, NOTHING. Hmm, how come we haven't heard from the "injured" party. At Paula Zahn's town hall meeting, BS Liz labeled the remark being offensive. ...

Kerry reinvigorated my belief in his candidacy last night. And Bush reawakened my fears that he is even a bigger idiot than I ever could have believed. Did no one remind him that a split screen means that folks can see him grimacing like a petulant child? Doesn't he remember how Gore was excoriated for his exasperated posturing in the 2000 debates? Kerry obviously had it figured out. Calmly taking notes while Bush rambled. Preparing to skewer Bush on his half-offered "broken-record" platitudes. Actually KEEPING UP with the dialog and thinking on his feet to craft credible, measured responses... It was a breath of freshness from Kerry that had me on the phone for hours after the debates with folks (and not al Qaeda folks either). When will someone call Bush on the fact that the authorization vote was about Saddam's imminent threat as outlined by the President's intel about the purchase of nuclear fuel? Disputing the yellowcake claim is all the reasonable doubt a...

"She's not the slut she's been made out to be..." Any time an attorney uses the word "slut" in a declaritive sentence about his client, eyebrows should arch. Hmmmm, couldn't he have finessed that sentence for the cameras just a little? Of course, it doesn't help that the client may, in fact, BE a suicidal, attention-grabbing, slut with a penchant for cocaine abuse. Talk about the trifecta! And now she's pregnant. PREGNANT, people! That a sexual abuse "victim" can find solace in the arms of another recovering cokehead is touching. And it doesn't NECESSARILY mean that she's been lying the whole time, but let's examine the scorecard. She claims that she has suffered additional abuse as a result of the court, yet again, revealing her name. OK, except that the court mistake didn't put the name out there in the first place. People from her community were e-blasting her within days of the charges. Then came the sto...

The results are in and Black folks have a new person at the top of their S**T list. But it's not who you think... It's Mark Burnett, creator of the Apprentice (and every other decent reality show out there.) "Why," you ask? Simply, from a pool of more than 1 million applicants-- across two seasons-- he managed to pick the two craziest Black women in the country to participate in this high profile game show... Omarosa and Stacie J. Let's backpedal. Omarosa probably slipped through the cracks because she interviews well. I can imagine her presentation of good-looking credentials, stylish flair and diva attitude that TV producers salivate over. BONUS! She worked at the White House. But by the end of her run on Apprentice 1, it was obvious that she was a two-faced, conniving liar that was willing to do or say anything to suit her purposes. I weep for her husband... Fast forward to Crazy J... First red flag, "Don't I recognize her from somewhere?...

A friend and I were talking about movies the other day and "The Five Heartbeats" entered the conversation. I allowed some of his passionate discourse before tossing in my two cents about the generally poor performances, mediocre script and lackluster direction. While, I don't consider myself a Robert Townsend hater (I enjoyed Hollywood Shuffle and own it on DVD), anyone with the execrable "Meteor Man" and "BAPS" on his resume has a lot to answer for. But then came to coup de grace... When I offered Angela Bassett's riveting portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love..." as an example of superior story-telling, he STILL preferred "The Five Heartbeats." WHAAAAAT?!? Two Oscar-nominated performances versus an over-long "movie of the week!" You've got to be kidding. In his defense, his affection for Heartbeats is rooted in his own experiences as a member of an male, R&B group. That none of his bandmate...

Is right here . It's insightful and intelligently addresses the fact that the evidence now points to the fact that Bryant is ACTUALLY innocent as opposed to likely to be found NOT GUILTY. It also raises the Catch 22 of Bryant's current situation. Since the case will most likely be dismissed, Bryant will not face jail time, but the civil case looms. All pundits are predicting that he will probably offer a settlement to the accuser in order to get on with his life. But what will that life offer him. A settlement (even one that includes restrictive language about denial of guilt) will open the door for the accuser's lawyers to crow about "justice" being served. But is justice served when a false accusation spurs a seven figure nuisance settlement? The accuser's father sent a letter condemning the judge's actions, but what about his daughter's actions? The prosecution has no expert witness to refute the defense position that the accuser has se...

Debra Dickerson's Slate article on racism sparked a predictably anxious debate in their Fray . Below, I have excerpted some highlights of the interactions I had with some folks in response to her piece. Subject: RE: Racist like??? From: roadwarrior Date: Aug 12 2004 2:39PM Yes there is damage done by holding ones ethnicity and heritage only in "high" regard. That implies that one is looking down on another's race with low regard. Also, if one is true to the facts, they should also have the strength to look at their heritage and find its weaknesses... don't only look at your heritage with high regard but also with low regard where appropriate. When everyone looks at their race with high regard, then the negativ aspect of racism rears its ugly head... just like the Arian race was supposed to be superior. The negative aspects of racism feed off of each individual's insecurity with themselves and their race. The individual's insecurity causes him ...

So the latest is that the accuser may forgo the criminal trial in favor of a civil suit. According to her lawyer, she is concerned that the court screw-ups will make it difficult for her to get a fair trial. But how about Kobe's fair trial? The medical records are sealed and can't be admitted into evidence, but this is a young woman who has attempted suicide twice. Does it prove that she can't be raped? No. Does it mean her mental state is in question? Yes. Evidence suggests that she had sex with another person AFTER her encounter with Bryant. Until her boyfriend offers a sample, one can only guess his identity. Does it prove that she wasn't raped? No. Does a sexual encounter mere hours after a rape fall outside the typical victim profile? Yes. In the 200-page document emailed to the press, the prosecutors expressed concern that these revelations might make it more difficult to prove their case. Well, of course it makes it more difficult. The question i...

In a flabbergasting revelation today, the Illinois GOP virtually assured that Illinois' vacant Senate seat would be occupied by a Black person. After an embarrasing stumble through wishful thinking (Mike Ditka), their choices have narrowed to Andrea Barthwell (a former deputy drug czar) and conservative talk show host Alan Keyes. Never mind that Keyes doesn't live in Illinois and hasn't even had the chance to meet with the GOP there. Apparently. his most compelling qualification is that he's Black. I can't decide what's more insulting to Illinois voters: that they would prop up a candidate from another state or that they feel voters might confuse the two candidates on the basis of their color. Keyes is a fringe player. In all of his runs for state and national office, he has been marginalized by conservative candidates whose message is less strident and more centrist. He is a talented speaker, but how many voters share his extreme views? How many can d...

In the post-Fahrenheit 9/11 cinematic world, it's easy to lose sight of some other great docs. About a month ago, I attended a screening of "The Hunting of the President." This wonderful effort chronicled the Mr. Toad's wild ride that was the Whitewater "investigation." Like Moore's films, it uses a mix of stock footage and music cues to comic effect. However, as narrated by Morgan Freeman, it carries more emotional heft, especially when focusing on Susan McDougal. After the screening, it occurred to me that despite the overwhelming evidence that Whitewater was a partisan witch hunt, fully 50% of Americans were convinced that Clinton actually did something nefarious. This in the face of being led into a war of convenience against a sovreign nation that posed no immediate threat to our country. The negative Clinton public opinion shaped Gore's decision to distance himself from the enormously popular (pre-Lewinsky) president and tipped some De...