Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Senile Patrick Leahy

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O HAS NOMINATED CLOSET CASE AND CONSERVATIVE ELANA KAGAN TO THE SUPREME COURT TICKLING SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY WHO INSISTS THAT SHE "WILL BRING TO THE SUPREME COURT A DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE MISSING SINCE JUSTICE O'CONNOR RETIRED IN 2006." JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR IS NOW THE STANDARD FOR DEMOCRATS?

THE WOMAN WHO AWARDED THE PRESIDENCY TO GEORGE W. BUSH IS NOW THE MEASURE? THE REPUBLICAN LAW MAKER -- BEFORE SHE WENT TO THE COURT -- NOMINATED BY RONALD REAGAN IS NOW THE MEASURE?

FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

THE 70-YEAR-OLD SENATOR (WHO CAVED ON OPPOSING ILLEGAL WIRE TAPPING OF AMERICAN CITIZENS AND, IN FACT, ON EVERY STAND HE EVER HALF-TOOK IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE) TOLD NBC NIGHTLY NEWS YESTERDAY, "I WORRY WHEN YOU'RE IN A JUDICIAL MONASTARY." THESE REPORTERS WORRY ABOUT ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO USE TERMS LIKE "JUDICIAL MONASTRY."

APPARENTLY STILL ATTEMPTING TO FIND A WORKING AND VALID TALKING POINT, LEAHY BEGAN COMPARING HER TO MOSES AND SAYING REPUBLICANS WOULD OBJECT TO MOSES.

INDEED THEY WOULD. NON-AMERICANS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BECOME SUPREME COURT JUDGES, LEAHY. THAT'S BEFORE WE GET INTO RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS INCLUDING THOSE FROM SOME JEWS WHO WOULD DISPUTE THAT THIS MAN CLAIMING TO BE MOSES WAS IN FACT MOSES SINCE HIS DEATH IS CLEARLY DOCUMENTED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

LEAHY'S BRAIN, LIKE HIS STANDS, HAS GONE EXTREMELY SOFT.



FROM THE TCI WIRE:

"The irony is that al-Maliki himself spent two decades in Syria plotting the downfall of Saddam's regime but Syria had repeatedly refused to extradite him to Iraq despite a wave of bombing campaigns carried out by the Dawa Party in the 80s killing many Iraqi civilians," Jasam al-Azawi observed on the latest Inside Iraq (Al Jazeera). Jasam al-Azawi spoke with Thabet Salem (Syrian journalist) and Saad al-Muttalibi (advisor to Iraq's Ministry of National Dialogue).

Jasam al-Azawi: Saad al-Muttalibi, what is the evidence that Syria is really plotting to re-impose the Ba'athists back on Iraq? What is the evidence?

Saad al-Muttalibi: First of all I would like to make an objection on the introduction when you said that the Dawa Party was responsible for killing Iraqi civilians. That is unfounded, untrue and historically incorrect. Secondly, nobody's accusing the Syrian government. Actually, we have the highest regards for President Bashar al-Assad who proved to be a brother to the Iraqi nation and proved to be an ally for Iraq. So we have no issues with the Syrian government or the Syrian authorities. Actually, as I said, we hold them with the highest respect and regards. We do have -- This is a very complex picture where there is multiple international agendas interacting and crossing over each other within the wider Middle Eastern conflict. So it is very hard to separate one issue from another but if we manage to slightly pull out the Iraqi conflict -- if we can call it that -- from the Syrian point of view, we find that President Bashar al-Assad was very helpful and very gracious in calling for a reconciliation in Iraq and calling for a continuous dialogue, with his care and attention, that Iraq should include all its citizens or representatives of its citizens within the government. Now we no objection to that at all. As long as these political representatives work on a political agenda and not using violence. As you know, violence and terrorism is a destructive method and not a constructive one so it is important to differentiate between our help and support and cooperation with the Syrian government and from some quarters that back a-a-a-a violence organization that is causing Iraq a great deal of blood and casualities.

Jasam al-Azawi: Well before I go to Thabet Salem, let me go back to the first thing that you objected to and this is not the bone of contention of this program, the evidence for the Dawa Party engaging in bombing campaigns has been amply established not only in Iraq but also in Kuwait. If you remember the very reason for the start of the Iraq-Iran War was an attempt by a member of the Dawa Party to kill Tariq Aziz -- at that time the Foreign Minister and that was simply because they were linked to Iran. But that is not our subject for the time being, Saad al-Muttalibi. Perhaps we can have another episode one day about the terrorist activities of the Dawa Party. We'll go to it later on.

Saad al-Muttalibi: These are all allege -- these are all alleged.

Jasam al-Azawi: From your perspective it's alleged. From other point of view, it's clarified and documented. But then again, you're an advisor to the Prime Minister, you have to say that. Otherwise, perhaps, you might even lose your position. Thabet Salem, we listen to Saad al-Muttalibi articulating -- at length, if I may so -- basically we did not hear any point of evidence that Syria is plotting. He claimed that Syria is plotting to impose the Ba'ath back on Iraq again.

Thabet Salem: Well actually I can't obeject to what Mr. Muttalibi said from Baghdad. Actually, I didn't really understand if this is a view point, why you are here and is there any difference in views regarding this accusation. But we don't have to forget, regardless of what Mr. Muttalibi says, that the Iraqi prime minister -- this time we don't have to forget that the Iraqi prime minister accused Syria, more than once at least, of being terrorist and that it has carried out criminal acts inside Iraq which resulted in the deaths of many Iraqis. I think that until now that this is the basic argument of Mr. Malaiki -- but this hides really something else. The other thing is that he's not happy that there are Iraqis who are opposed to his regime and the American occupation of Iraq in Syria. This it the vital thing, I think, this is the essence, the very essence, of the issue. Just to make it clear, until now the Iraqi accusations have reached no result and they have failed in presenting any document or any evidence or clue even that Syria has really contributed or helped any criminal element in doing these acts in Iraq. This is first. Second, I just want to make it clear that Syria cannot say "no" to any Arab political refugee who comes to Damascus. This is one of the rules --

Jasam al-Azawi: We shall come to that point, later on, Thabet. Let's give Saad al-Muttalibi another chance to see whether he can come up with the evidence that Syria is plotting to reimpose the Ba'athists on Iraq again.



In the United States, the woman once called "the female Paul Robeson" has died. She long surpassed that moniker and stood in no one's shadow. Singer, actress and activist Lena Horne passed away at the age of 92 (Washington Post multi-media link). At wowOwow, photographer Harry Benson remembers her. Margena A. Christian (Ebony) reflects on Lena's life and meaning (and link is text and video). NPR's Mark Memmott notes Lena's passing and compiles multiple audio of NPR's past coverage of her. Avoid Crapapedia. I'm borrowing liberally from a piece we did at Third in April 2009 (word-for-word with some editing out and a tiny bit of wrap around to make the below flow).

Crapapedia can't get her family correct. (Two relatives of Lena Horne's maternal grandfather would pass for White, one an actress, the other a singer.) They can't get the pressure on her correct either. (Early on, while trying to establish herself in the New York theater, she was advised to pass for Latino by agent Harold Gumm and producer George White -- Horne refused).

Most significantly, they leave out Horne's signing with MGM. Horne didn't want to make movies and was quite happy in New York City. So happy she was turning down an offer from the Trocadero in Los Angeles when the NAACP's Walter White explained to her that not only could this lead to a break in films for Horne, it could lead to a huge advanced for African-Americans. She took the town when she opened at the Trocadero. After MGM offered a contract, Horne went to speak with Walter White. They discussed the roles African-Americans were relegated to -- servants and native caricatures. It was for this reason that Horne refused to play demeaning roles and had that written into her contract. In her autobiography, Lena, Horne explained of the roles offered to African-Americans at the time, "They were mainly extras and it was not difficult to strip down to a loincloth and run around Tarzan's jungle or put on a bandanna and play one of the slaves in Gone with the Wind."

Crapapedia leaves out that and they also tell you that Lena Horne never starred in a film while under contract to MGM. Apparently they missed Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather (the first was for MGM, the second was made by Fox with MGM loaning Horne out for the film).


She refused to do an MGM-backed Broadway play because it was flat-out racist. As a result, MGM started screwing her over by refusing to let her do night club work. Joan Crawford advised her to get a bigger agency and she went with MCA. They did the bare minimum. That's in terms of getting 'permission' for her to work in nightclubs and in terms of 'representing' her. They were more than happy to take her money. But MCA was a highly racist agency and Lena would find, in town after town, that while a White star or White personality far less famous than her, raising far less money than she did, would be greeted immediately by MCA, receive congratulatory telegrams on opening night, MCA would mosey on over to see her when they damn well felt like it, maybe three, maybe five days after she opened. The telegram would arrive on the second or third night. They were racists, they were damn racists. Even for the time. They were also cowards. And of course Jules Stein ran MCA.Lena Horne's Civil Rights work including raising the profile of African-Americans in film and in clubs, ending segregation in New York City clubs as well as clubs outside of NYC. It includes joining James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Jerome Smith, Rip Torn, Dr. Kenneth Clark, Lorraine Hansberry and Dr. Brewton Berry for a meeting with then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to discuss the segregation and violence in Birmingham (the violence included police sicking dogs on the marchers and fire fighters turning the hoses on the marchers on May 3rd, which followed the April arrest of MLK and other assaults on peaceful protests). Her activism found her traveling to Jackson, Mississippi to speak and sing at an NAACP rally -- which is where she met Medgar Evers for the first time. Horne was booked on NBC's Today Show June 13, 1963 to talk about the Civil Rights movement and learned, shortly after arriving at the studio, that Medgar Evers had been assassinated the night before. Horne would manage to compose herself and go on live TV to discuss Evers life and legacy. She participated in the August 28, 1963 March on Washington. She would do a Carnegie Hall benefit for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. At that performance she would debut two new songs. "Silent Spring" was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg about the September 15, 1963 Birmingham 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in which four young girls -- Carol Denise McNair, Cynthia Diane Wesley, Carole Rosamond Robertson and Addie Mae Collins -- were murdered. The second song was "Now!" which is a Civil Rights anthem and was a hit song. Like "Kumbaya" its role in the Civil Rights movement seems to be forgotten by many today. Adolph Green and Betty Comden wrote the lyrics and Lena sang it full out, brimming with passion. That wasn't unique to this one song but, as Lena knew, it wasn't a song some expected from her. Especially those who didn't grasp that she always took the big steps that pulled everyone along with her.


If those historical gentlemen came back today --
Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln --
And Walter Cronkite put them on channel 2
To find out what they were thinking,
I'm sure they'd say,
"Thanks for quoting us so much
but we don't want to take a bow,
enough with the quoting put those words into action
and we mean action
Now!"
Now is the moment,
Now is the moment,
Come on,
We've put it off long enough.

Now!
No more waiting,
No hesitating,
Now!
Now!
Come on
Let's get some of that stuff!

It's there for you and me.
For every he and she.
Just want to do what's right
Constitutionally.

I went and took a look
In my old history book.
It's there in black and white
For all to see.

Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!

Everyone should love his brother,
People all should love each other,
Just don't take it lieteral, mister
No one wants to grab your sister

Now is the time!
Now is the time!

Now is the moment,
Now is the moment,
Come on,
We put it off long enough.

Now no more waiting,
No hesistating
Now!
Now!
Come on,
Lets get some of that stuff.

It's there for you and me
For every he and she
Just want to do what's right
Constitutionally.

I went and took a look
In my old history book.
It's there in black and whiteFor all to see.

Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!

Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!

The message of this song's not subtle.
No discussion.
No rebuttal.
We want more
Than just a promise.
Say goodbye
To Uncle Thomas.
Call me naive,
Still I believe
We're created free and equal now!

Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!
Now!

Everyone should love his brother.
People all should love each other.
Since they say we all got rhythm
Come on, let's share rhythm with them.

Now is the time!
Now is the time!
The time is now!

RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot"
"At least 69 dead as Iraq slammed with violence"
"Peter White: 'End the wars for oil . . . bring our troops home!'"
Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "To Clarify Any Confusion"
"And the war drags on . . ."
"10 Iraqis reported dead today"
"Burial, deployment"


Truest statement of the week
Truest statement of the week II
A note to our readers
Editorial: Some lives matter less
TV: FlashBackward
Iraq roundtable
The spin machines
Discovering music
Four Books To Avoid
Workers World calls for an end to the violence
Highlights

"THIS JUST IN! ROCK & MAMIE IN D.C.!"
"I see "lavender"!"

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