Listening to NPR (you will never catch Nicki Minaj pumping in my whip), and heard a fascinating comment comparing "absolute personal freedom" (short of murder) vs. "mutual respect for human dignity" as the highest moral virtue. I have to say, hearing it put that way had me leaning toward "mutual respect." Absolutes are tricky, people. We tolerate a lot of shenanigans under the belief that nothi ng is more important than a person's right to express himself. Not so much... We are a global society and have to live together on this planet. This abhorrent video was akin to yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Combine that with Reince Romney's despicable exploitation and you have turned up the flame even more. Thought experiment: How many mosques would have been defamed had Iran sponsored a movie featuring Jesus as a child molester? It took a lot less for Southern extremists to kill four little girls in an Alabama church. #justsayin'

As always, there are critics to anything President Obama does, but I think a key element is underappreciated in examining his speech to the NAACP. There is a monumental difference in a Black President making these remarks. A BLACK PRESIDENT... The simple act of his ascension to this office sweeps away generations of cobwebs around the tired bromides of "being all you can be" and "working hard can take you wherever you desire!" Sure there was some boilerplate tough love pulpit talk, but only THIS President could deliver it and speak it to power. He was raised by a single mother (and her parents)... how many of our children can resonate with that? He came from modest surroundings...check. Experimented with drugs/petty crime as an escape... check. Stumbled through his early college years... check. Attended an Ivy league school where he got his act together... wait a minute! You mean after being abandoned by your father, struggling to make ends meet, trying weed...

Obama Bows on Settling Detainees Different Gitmo issues are being conflated by the mainstream media/blogosphere here (WashPo's inartfully worded headline didn't help). That article almost exclusively deals with the couple dozen Uighurs (who were exonerated early on and treated much better than the vast majority of long term detainees). Certain high-profile figures (like Boumedienne) DON'T WANT to settle here. They want to go back home. The "issue" that Obama is "caving" on is allowing detainees that BushCo tortured and illegally held but now is RELEASING to settle in the US. The issue that was consuming most of the oxygen in this debate concerned the people WHO WERE NOT BEING RELEASED and still awaited incarceration or trial. I have NO PROBLEM with transferring the actual bad guys to our Supermax facilities (Montana has a brand new EMPTY prison and could take a bunch of them). However, I think the wrongly imprisoned need to go back to their home ...

This is not a movie review per se. Rather it is an analysis of the key differences between the comic and film with commentary on the positives and negatives of the transition. In the immediate aftermath, I was mostly pleased. Upon reflection, the inevitable issues arise. First the good... Haley as Rorschach... Amazing. Crudup as Manhattan... Outstanding (the facial animation was MUCH better than anticipated). Morgan as Comedian... inspired (though his age make-up became distracting on the big screen). Wilson as Nite Owl... strong, though still a bit too fit to capture Dreiberg's middle aged "waist" land. Gugino was fine in her small role and Ackerman was frankly better than I expected. Matthew Goode still stands out as a grossly miscast, but on balance the lead performances were quite good. I was also impressed with how the story flow "felt" like the comic book. The note perfect passages were the Comedian's funeral (where the characters reflect on the...

I'm less enthused by the early release of a "Tales of the Black Freighter" disc mere weeks after the movie's launch. "Freighter" as a stand alone doesn't work for me (anymore than any cheesy pirate story would work for me as a separate story). However, the story has a number of specific SPOILERY tasks in the Watchmen storyline. The protagonist's POV monologue ratchets the tension in the story. The growing dread mirrors the advancing Soviet conflict that accelerates after Doc's departure. The comic underpins the relationship between the newspaper stand owner and the young, Black reader (for a dramatic Issue 12 payoff). It introduces the reader to the writing style of the author that Veidt used to program the mental squid bomb images. Freighter's twist amplifies the tough choice that Rorschach, Dreiberg, Doc and Veidt face in Issue 12. And the protagonist's increasingly twisted, albeit internally "justified" actions mirror Veidt...

Earning my geek chic bonafides here with a few Watchmen comments. If you know nothing and want to enjoy the movie completely "fresh," stop reading... First, I have been stoking the fires of the forthcoming movie release with the Warner "motion comics," currently available on iTunes and coming soon as a stand alone disc. The most compelling aspect of the motion comics is that Gibbons' artwork is used. The frontpiece and endpiece quotes are also included (which will likely not survive the movie adaptation). Another excellent choice is the inclusion of the speech bubbles. Moore's text has delightful little nuances that can only be appreciated in the READING of the text. For the most part, the voice over exactly matches, but there are some VERY minor exclusions that must have been trimmed for timing. There simply is no other way to experience the visual "harmonies" employed in the comic book in a live action movie. Zach Snyder is passionate, but he...

I don't know how they do things up in Alaska, but when your future (still waiting for a wedding date) in-law and mother of your high school drop-out, jobless, "shooting sh#t", grandbabyddady has been arrested on charges of Oxycontin trafficking, you don't get to cry foul that Caroline Kennedy is catching a break because of CLASS WARFARE. You caught hell because you were a ridiculously unqualified, cravenly calculated, Hail Mary pass serial liar who was aiming to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency of a 70+-year old cancer survivor. Kennedy is looking to fill out the term of a Senator. No equivalency AT ALL. UPDATE! Please enjoy this video . She's certifiable. Wait for 6:20 for a surprise insight into Palin as an OBAMA running mate.

Feathers will undoubtedly be ruffled, but here goes... Marriage is an ancient institution that has had many forms and definitions. The passion displayed here and elsewhere is indicative of the psychological and spiritual yearning that loving couples wish to share in matrimony. However, in those myriad definitions of monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, arranged marriages, yadda yadda yadda, I have yet to see a single spiritual text that endorses SAME-GENDER marriage. 98%-99% of the world population believes in some form of spirituality. Marriage is exulted in most of those faiths. It's an extraordinary uphill battle to expect that folks will turn off their "faith" because marriage has been co-opted to include a whole host of civil advantages. And it's because of those advantages that this whole debate is more complicated. To me, the civil bit is ALREADY separate from the actual marriage. When my wife and I married, the minister lost our paperwork, so we weren't re...

My 9-month-old son, Kole. I'm pretty sure he's the cutest Obama baby on the planet I ordered this onesie right after Obama's Super Tuesday blowout. It's sized at 12-18 months, so I wasn't sure it would fit by Election Day... Good thing he takes after his Dad. Tomorrow, he will accompany me as I cast my vote. The historical significance has been pressing on me as we move closer to THE DAY. Both my grandfathers passed on before I was born, but their great grandson will witness the election of a Black man to the Presidency of the United States. A few years ago, I bought a tee shirt for my older son, Tommy. I was in an airport, headed home and wanted to grab a souvenir. The shirt, then much too large for him to wear, read "Future President of the United States." As I pondered the purchase, I recall thinking, "One day, this message might be true for my son." After Obama clinched the nomination, Tommy wore that shirt for the first time. He had...

A spirited discussion about Tavis Smiley's haterism prompted this question.. Can any Black people dislike Obama's policies, Obama himself, or his actions and NOT be a "hater"? Sure. I've just never seen a thoughful critique that holds up against the alternate choice of the erratic, deeply partisan and ridiculously managed McCain campaign. Let's be clear. McCain's abandonment of his principles has left him a torture survivor who voted AGAINST the anti-torture bill . McCain is a veteran who couldn't bring himself to vote on the GI Bill DESPITE his persistent use of his service and the current Iraq soldiers as campaign props. McCain claims Obama lacks "executive experience" (pot, meet kettle) and shores up that argument by adding a mayor of a town that's smaller than some of Obama's phone banks. Palin's next gig was Governor, but she's spent so much of her time commuting between home and office (while accepting per diems) a...

Excellent production values. Very savvy to pick stories from his battlegrounds. White, Black, Latino, veterans, elderly, factory workers... national security, health care problems, education (with a nod to at risk and special needs kids). He hit the right notes for all his constituencies. For people who hadn't really been paying attention and claimed "they don't know him," it was a very clear statement of his positions (albeit a rehash of stump stuff). The only quibble I had was the odd choice of pushing the $200,000 individual income limit for the tax break as opposed to the $250,000 family limit. It's families that are hurting, not single folks making $175,000. Overall, an extremely well done piece. P.S. McCain's sour grapes are EPIC FAIL. Griping about Obama's half-hearted expression of support for public financing is not a winner in the last week of a campaign. P.P.S. Bonus points for Palin out-gaffing Biden with her quote about leading the G...

Y'all know the story by now. White, female McCain phonebanker, Ashley Todd, leaves Texas to venture North to support her candidate. After a stint in New York, she ends up in Pittsburgh until Thursday, when she lost her effing mind and became Susan Smith Part Deux . The McCain campaign can hardly be blamed for this girl's actions. However, they need to be questioned on their response. Within hours of the incendiary allegations, two things happened. McCain and Palin called Ashley Todd. A press flack from McCain's Pennsylvania operation started pushing the story and adding salacious details. Consider what was at stake here. In a campaign environment already marked with strained racial tensions, Todd's story was potenitally explosive. It would have made a lot more sense to issue a generic statement (like Obama's campaign did). Instead, McCain and Palin lent legitimacy to the allegations (at least for a few hours) by calling her. They vetted Todd's story abou...

Our law starts with the U. S. Constitution . Then state constitutions . Then regular old laws (traffic laws, statutes, etc.). By constitutional definition, a law cannot be passed (by legislature or electoral consent) that stands in conflict with a state Constitution (and by extension, the Federal Constitution). Even McCain stands against a Federal Constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage Prop 22 was found to be in violation of the Equal Protections clause of the California Constitution . That decision is PRECISELY in the definition of the role of the judiciary. That's kinda the point of CO-EQUAL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT . Prop 8 is an attempt at adjusting the state Constitution to make an end run around the "unconstitutionality" of the language of Prop 22. But, here's the deal... The will of the people DOES NOT TRUMP THE RIGHTS OF THE FEW. That's at the core of our Constitution . People keep talking about the judges overthrowing the will of the p...

Clinton was on the trail a HECKUVA lot longer than Palin and always looked professional (albeit without Palin's MILFy assets). Notwithstanding the media's disaffection with pantsuits, I can't recall that much time was spent discussing her attire. The meme that females in the political spotlight are held to a higher fashion standard rings hollow in an election cycle where Clinton dominated headlines for the better part of a year. In fact, the biggest fashion splash before Palin's $150,000 debacle was Michelle Obama's $130 frock from her appearance on "The View." When Barack Obama is pictured with holes in his shoes, the idea that Palin is "down to Earth" in $150,000 of Neiman's and Saks is simply ridiculous. Anybody with a brain would have taken her to an Ann Taylor outlet and gotten the job done for a tenth of the price.

Beyond the newsworthiness of the cross party endorsement, Gen. Powell offers a particularly compelling and lucid argument for Senator Barack Obama. Far more than any other endorsement this cycle, his passion, intelligence and reason shine through as genuine and rational. He cuts through political posturing and spin and deals explicitly with indisputable FACTS. He was able to succinctly obliterate the standard GOP positions and talking points in clear language. He offered sincere critiques about his disappointment in McCain's campaign tactics. His example of the fallen Muslim soldier's patriotism was amazing and heartfelt. If McCain had been brave enough to nominate him, things might be VERY different in this race. Powell's political reputation may have been dimmed by his Bush administration experiences, but his intellectual and analytical gifts are clearly extraordinary. These last few days scarcely seem real. I am stunningly proud to be an American. Thank you, Gener...

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan for linking to http://tinyurl.com/colberg . Simply awesome takedown of Alaska's "Attorney General" Talis Colberg. After reading this gripping account, Palin will be lucky to escape impeachment, much less survive the election season. It is an honest-to-Blog SCANDAL that McCain is attempting to foist this patently corrupt, intellectually incurious, duplicitous, savage animal murderer onto the rest of the country. BONUS POINTS! Just for giggles, there's an equally awesome comment from the article above regarding the rest of Palin's appointments. Look for AAPA...

Bear Stearns bailout ... Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. .. Lehman bankruptcy ... Merrill Lynch sold for 2/3 previous market value... AIG looking for handout ... Greenspan FREAKING OUT ... McCain's economic advisor admitting tax increases ARE NECESSARY ... What's the chance we'll see McCain touting the fundamental strength of the economy this week? Bonus points awarded if Hannity apologizes to THE ACTUAL ECONOMIST he blasted last week .

I'm not stressing any Post-GOP polls until AFTER Palin faces the unvarnished press corps. Her ENTIRE narrative (except for Trig) is built on gross distortions and outright lies. Troopergate... Bridge to Nowhere... More earmarks per capita than ANY OTHER STATE... eBay plane farce... Wasilla lobbyists... Book banning... Per diem scandal... Ted Stevens 527 chair... Husband REGISTERED member of secessionist party... She can read a script... WHOOPDEE-EFFIN-DOO! When she comes out of the cocoon and has to face REAL journalists asking real questions, we'll see how long the Palin Fever lasts. Meanwhile, it's encouraging to see that some Dem 527s are going to get to cut their teeth on this self-described, lipstick-sporting pit bull. I can't wait...

Palin's most sincere sounding attack was the "Scranton-San Francisco" bit. On its face, it was a withering critique. However, it is particularly hypocritical given her about face on the Ketchikan bridge. According to Reuters (emphasis mine)... "in 2006, Palin said she was insulted by the term "bridge to nowhere, " according to Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, a Democrat, and Mike Elerding, a Republican who was Palin's campaign coordinator in the southeast Alaska city. "People are learning that she pandered to us by saying, I'm for this' ... and then when she found it was politically advantageous for her nationally, abruptly she starts using the very term that she said was insulting, " Weinstein said." If that isn't "saying one thing in Ketchikan and another in St. Paul ," I don't know what is. What's worse? These are HER CONSTITUENTS that she used for political fodder. This fact, combined with the recent ...

In the midst of the Bristol Palin saga, the McCain/Palin families posed for a People magazine shoot. There was one noticeable family member missing, the McCain's adopted daughter, Bridget. Maybe she simply wasn't available on the day of the shoot. She's only 17 and teenagers have lots of things to do. Add to that, her sister, Meghan (age 23) is the only child actively on the campaign trail. Of course, Palin's kids (minus the adult, Track) were all in place for the magazine spread. Then there's the issue of her adoption. The McCain's have backtracked on the long offered assertion that Mother Theresa's personally entreated Cindy to adopt Bridget. Bridget's presence invites undesired questions on an issue the "Straight Talker" would best like kept under wraps. Perhaps her absence is attributable to the fact that McCain has hired Tucker Askew , the same smear artist that used Bridget's Bangladeshi heritage against the "Maverick"...