AverageBro.com

34,000 More Troops To Afghanistan.

2009-11-24T10:26:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty busy trying to clear the deck for the holiday break today, but I'd be remiss to not toss this breaking news out there for discussion.

The White House braced for a tough sell of President Barack Obama's long-awaited decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of new U.S. forces to the stalemated war in Afghanistan, even as the president met Monday with top advisers for the last major discussion before an announcement "within days."

Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 U.S. forces to the 8-year-old conflict. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama's last large war council meeting earlier this month, when he tasked military planners with rearranging the timing and makeup of some of the deployments.

The president has said with increasing frequency in recent days that a big piece of the rethinking of options that he ordered had to do with building an exit strategy into the announcement -- in other words, revising the options presented to him to clarify when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government and under what conditions.

As White House press secretary Robert Gibbs put it to reporters on Monday, it's "not just how we get people there, but what's the strategy for getting them out."

There's plenty more detail to the story, so I'd suggest everyone go have a look before discussing.

Question: What should Obama do about Afghanistan? What exactly constitutes "a win"?

Obama's Afghanistan Decision: 34,000 More Troops And An Exit Strategy, Reports Say [AP]

Mama, I'm In The Paper. Again. Yeah, Really. Again.

2009-11-24T07:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, two quotes in a one week span. Thanks, Washington Post.

Now if I could just convince them to bring back The Sunday Source...

AB.com in Washington Post Express Blog Log [Print Edition PDF - p.40]

AB.com in Washington Post Express Blog Log [HTML]

Should We Ban Constructive Feedback From AB.com?!?

2009-11-24T00:54:00.002-05:00

AB.com is an equal opportunity soapbox. I don't restrict comments here, and allow folks to post anonymously because I want as many opinions added to the flow as possible. But one thing that I will not tolerate is trolls who hijack the message boards for their own self-serving purposes, who write 20 page dissertations to hear themselves think, and who constantly berate other commenters in an uncouth fashion. In the 2 1/2 years of this blog's existence, I've only had to give a couple of folks their walking papers. And I'm feeling like I might need to do it again.

A few weeks ago, the blog was ~~raided~~ discovered by a person named Constructive Feedback. I honestly don't know this dude's hustle, but apparently he's the resident bully/contrarian at a handful of other blogs. Why he chose mine as the latest to invade is beyond me, but I've noticed a sharp change in the overall tone of the boards of late since he arrived, and I do not like it. I've generally tried to just ignore him, but he still managed to reel others in, get them riled up, and generally undo the civility that I've been very deliberate in establishing in AverageNation™. I've had quite a few of you reach out to me offline noting how he's changed the overall tone here, and I don't take your input lightly.

That said, I figure I'll put this up to a vote. Some of you may find his banter amusing, and if so, I'd like to hear what you think.

Question: Should Constructive Feedback be banned from AverageNation™?!?

Separated At Birth?!? - UPS Dude & John Redcorn.

2009-11-24T00:11:00.000-05:00

That annoying guy with the mullet on those UPS commercials always reminded me of someone, but I couldn't place it till the other day. Now tell me that guy doesn't look like token Native American John Redcorn from Fox's now defunct King Of The Hill.

Question: Is it just me, or do they look alike?

Aaron Hall's Dog Rehab?!?

2009-11-23T00:37:00.000-05:00

[Editor's Note: I'm already in holiday mode, so after "The Problem With..." Week expect a light week here at AB.com. Today, my main man RiPPa explores that really, really sad Aaron Hall video. Show our guest some love, as usual.]

It seems like my man Charlie Wilson from the super group The Gap Band never gets old. Every time I'm in the ride cruising to the grown folks radio station, it's like I always hear something new from the brother. Yep, and I'm talking quality music too, and not just some bullshit record either. I'm talking grown folks music. Charlie has come a long way and beating his drug addiction, as well as being able to be relevant in the music industry as he is today, is a testament in itself to talent and will power.

I always thought my man Aaron Hall from the group Guy back in the late 80s sounded a lot like Charlie Wilson. Matter of fact, if it wasn't for the Teddy Riley ad-lib "Yep Yep," every 20 seconds on a track, you probably would have thought it was The Gap Band with a spash of Hip Hop. When Guy covered The Gap Band's classic "Yearning For Your Love" it didn't help either.Thinking back now, I'm sure even Charlie Wilson was proud of that cover.; I thought it was well done.

I loved the group Guy, and I kinda wished they would have stayed around a lot longer than hey did. If not just for people like me who did the Roger Rabbit when "Groove Me" came on, but for Aaron Hall. Have you seen what that brother is up to these days? Yeah, I know you probably caught him on the BET Awards this year during the old school segment like I did. Yeah, I know, dude couldn't even breathe, while he danced and sang. Uh-huh, I thought he was gonna fall out on the stage. It's obvious that he hasn't been singing much lately, just take a look at what he's up to now.

Um, I'm sorry, but did this Negro say he is able to speak to dogs in foreign languages? No seriously, is this Negro that gifted? Yeah I know, this looked like a joke to you as it did me, right? You too huh, I know, I kept waiting for Dave Chappelle to walk into the show at some point in time. But allegedly this is serious, and I'm not sure if this is his pitch to get his own reality show, but this is not where I expected to see Aaron Hall.

Dog rehab? I'm sorry, but I don't know if I would want some guy dressed in a suit looking like Jim Carey in the movie mask coming into my home to teach my dog that pissin' on the carpet is bad. Call me racist but I don't think white folks would be comfortable with a guy in a pimp costume all up in their home? Yeah Aaron, I understand you don't have a use for those 80s suits anymore, but damn, did you really have to be the doggie super-nanny n' shit?

I don't know what the rest of the guys from the group Guy are up to these days. But surely they can come together and talk this brother out of this crap. Yeah I know the image of Black men and dogs are kinda f*cked up right now thanks to Mike Vick so this might be a good idea. But damn, couldn't they get DMX a show like this instead of this guy? Not only does DMX love dogs, but he actually barks and growls on his record.

Aaron Hall?

I guess now we know who was the "dumb b*tch" he was talking about when they sang "Piece Of My Love." Oh well, it could be worse I suppose. He could be singing songs about gettin' little girls pregnant like R. Kelly is doing these days. Aaron Hall needs some money y'all, and I think we should start a telethon for the brother. Or at least have somebody adopt him for Christmas or something.

Please, don't let him embarrass himself this way.

Question: What's up with Aaron Hall? Is this real?

AARON HALL'S DOG REHAB [website]

More from RiPPa

Palin Goes Roguer. Gets Booed.

2009-11-23T00:04:00.000-05:00

Sarah Palin had a book signing somewhere in "real America", and had the nerve to roll out of these "real Americans" without fulfilling her contractual obligation. Lucky for her, these folks weren't exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Sure, it's okay to pack heat for a townhall meeting, but a chance to meet Miss Sarah up close and personal? Leave the AK in the F-150, hon'.

Funny, but this guy now says he'll no longer support Palin, just cause she had better things to do than sit in a cruddy Walmart parking lot and sign his book. Poor fella. If that's enough to get him off the Palin train, then damn, she ain't got much of a platform. Huckabee, FTW!!!

Man, this coulda gotten real ugly. Folks, I hate to break it to you, but Miss Sarah don't love you. She loves your $24.95.

I'm sure she'll find some way to blame this stiffarm on "the liberal New York media".

The Stupid Virus.

2009-11-22T00:45:00.000-05:00

Bangs Gets Clowned On The All Out Show.

2009-11-21T00:22:00.001-05:00

Man, this is precisely why I have Sirius XM. The All Out Show is the drivetime show on Shade45, and it's also the show I stole the concept for Black, White, or Other from. Sadly, Bangs seems to have no idea that the joke is on him.

Just in case you missed the setup for the joke...

The Problem With... President Obama's Stimulus Package.

2009-11-20T00:16:00.001-05:00

[Editor's Note: Yep, it was bound to happen.]

When President Obama announced plans for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka: the stimulus package), I was in agreement. By taking a huge amount of gubb'ment money and using it for the purpose of rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, making investments in the future, and extending unemployment and healthcare benefits to those less fortunate, the Act would both save and create jobs, as well as provide a Band-Aid to possibly lessen the financial devastation of those out of work.

As details of the plan rolled out, I was less enthused. The original amount for providing infrastructure upgrades (aka: creating jobs) was far less than originally intended, since the Democrats on the Hill caved in and let the GOP load it up with pointless tax breaks. Ditto for the amount allocated for pre-K programs, also sharply reduced in the name of bipartisanship.

In the end, although a whopping 2/3 of the money allocated for the act ended up being for tax breaks and entitlements which don't create jobs even in the best scenario, I was still down. The remaining $275B would be spent to keep Americans working or put them back to work. Or so I thought.

Nearly a year later, unemployment has soared to 10.2%, with no reversal in sight. Much of the money that should be creating jobs has yet to be rewarded, tied up in the bureaucratic soup of DC politricks. I guess you could see this as a good thing: nobody wants taxpayer money (or more charges on our ChinaOne MasterCard™) to be blown on stuff that doesn't save or create jobs. Going over grant and contract applications with a fine toothed comb is essential to limiting fraud.

Or so I thought.

In recent weeks, stories have trickled out about how initial stimulus money has been spent, and how it's been attributed to jobs created on the gubb'ment watchdog site Recovery.org. And my friends, the early returns are not pretty. In fact, they're pretty infuriating, as you'll find if you read a compilation of reports that the local fishwrap, the Washington Examiner just culled together. Here's merely a smattering of what the report mentioned.

More than ten percent of the jobs the Obama administration has claimed were "created or saved" by the $787 billion stimulus package are doubtful or imaginary, according to reports compiled from eleven major newspapers and the Associated Press.

Based only on our analysis of stimulus media coverage in the last two weeks, The Examiner has documented exaggerated stimulus claims. The report, which will be updated as new revelations appear, currently reflects an exaggeration by the Obama administration of about 75,000 jobs, out of the 640,000 jobs supposedly "created or saved."

This reflects reports from The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, the Sacramento Bee, The New York Times, USA Today, the Las Vegas Sun, the Detroit Free Press, the New York Post, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It remains a work in progress because relatively few newspapers have scrutinized stimulus spending so far.

The Obama administration has claimed that the $787 billion economic stimulus package "saved or created" some 650,000 jobs. But almost as soon as the White House trotted out this figure, news organizations found huge exaggerations in the reported data. Many of the jobs reportedly created do not exist or cannot be accounted for.

The Southwest Georgia Community Action Council claimed to have saved 935 jobs with the $1.3 million it received, even though only 508 people work there. In fact, the group used most of its grant to give raises and now says it created 9.35 jobs.

“The Bergen County Community Action Program in Hackensack, N.J., noted the nearly $213,000 it received went to cover raises for existing staff only, but it also reported saving 85 jobs.”

The Child Care Association of Brevard County reported creating 129 jobs with $98,669 in stimulus money. In fact, “the cash was used to give her 129 employees a 3.9 percent cost-of-living raise.”

Koring Group in Toledo, Ohio reported hiring 52 people, but it turns out that they double-counted jobs that “only lasted about two months.” The FCC estimates that “actual job count is closer to five.”

The Mid-Willamette Valley (Oregon) Community Action Agency reported 205 jobs created or saved with $397,761. The money was actually used for pay raises.

A Kentucky shoe-store owner claimed he created nine jobs on an $889.60 contract. In fact, he supplied nine pairs of shoes to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Stetson University in DeLand, Fla claimed to have created or saved 483 jobs with a grant of only $193,469.

Officials at East Central Technical College in Douglas, Ga. “said they now know they shouldn't have claimed 280 stimulus jobs linked to more than $200,000 to buy trucks and trailers for commercial driving instruction...The 280 were not jobs, but the number of students who would benefit...”

In DC, $3,500 purchase of paint was credited with saving or creating a job.

The California State University system received $268.5 million in stimulus funds and claimed that the money allowed them to save over 26,000 jobs or half its workforce. But when pressed, the California State University system admitted they weren't really going to lay off half their workforce, and that in fact few or none of these jobs would have been lost without the stimulus. "This is not really a real number of people," a CSU spokesman said. "It's like a budget number."

Of the 34,500 jobs allegedly saved or created by the stimulus in Washington State, 24,000 belong to state teachers already under contract to finish out the school year, whose jobs were never in jeopardy. Rather, stimulus money was shuffled to them and their money went to offset budget cuts elsewhere.

In Arlington, VA $100,000 in stimulus money is being used to start a wine bar.

Two child care centers in central Colorado claimed to have created 292 jobs with $650,000 in grant money. In fact, the money went to pay raises.

The local Head Start program in Greenfield, Mass. claimed 90 new jobs, but actually created no new jobs, and used its $245,000 grant to give pay raises.

The company Teletech claimed to have created 4,300 jobs from a $28.4 million contract, but in fact 3,000 of the jobs lasted only a month.

Bridgewater State (CT) College claimed to have created 160 jobs with a $77,000 grant. The college acknowledged the mistake, and said no new jobs were created.

Before anyone goes off on a tangent about this being some rightwing conspiracy, a majority of these accounts were reported by The Associated Press, which is about as close to a non biased news agency as you'll find. If you think this is all BS, just go read the report and google the stories themselves. Nothing's being made up here.

As I said earlier on, anytime you send this sort of money out the door, the possibility for fraud and waste is pretty much a given. People will game the system. But it's the gubb'ment's job to make sure that those who receive the money are on the up and up, and are being truthful about the money being spent and the jobs saved and/or created. There is simply no excuse for this sort of numeric trickery by states, counties, and cities wasting money to such a degree. Some reports on Recovery.gov have stimulus money going to Congressional districts that don't even exist. I should also note that the money being burned is spread evenly across the electoral map, so this ain't a partisan issue. Everyone's gaming the system, and it's a damn shame.

There are plenty of fingers to point here. The folks in DC needed to better scrutinize the grants and contracts they awarded. The state/local authorities needed to be more truthful. Recovery.gov shouldn't have reported job claims without substantiation. A gauge of true "jobs saved" is curiously absent.

But ultimately, the real culprit here is Obama himself. Sh*t rolls upstream, and ultimately the buck stops with the guy who introduced the idea in the first place. I suspect Republicans are being eerily silent on all this waste because their hands are also in the cookie jar, but the handful of Governors who refused stimulus funds last Spring are suddenly looking like geniuses, even if in each case they were overruled by their state's legislatures.

This is a textbook example of a great concept with piss-poor execution. And let the record reflect that I still support the President overall, but given the exaggerated job claims, the lack of accountability, and the billions in blown money that could have been better allocated (or simply not allocated at all), I have no choice but to label the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 an Epic (and very Expensive) Fail.

Question: What do you think about this report? Did you originally support the stimulus package? What could have been done to ensure greater accountability and less fraud? How does the country reverse this freefall of lost jobs?

75,343 Bogus jobs 'created or saved' by the Stimulus [Washington Examiner]

Stimulus saves jobs in nonexistent districts [Washington Examiner]

Stimulus Funding For A Wine Bar? [WUSA9]

StimulusWatch.org

Recovery.Gov

The Problem With... Hollywood's White Guilt.

2009-11-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back, I reviewed the Vince Vaughn movie Couples Retreat, and at the time, I decried the inclusion of two token stereotypical black characters as completely unnecessary.

Although I'm happy to see Big Worm and this young lady working, they added nothing to the movie, and it was so obvious that they were merely there to equalize the cast and expand the potential box office appeal. I don't like this sorta thing, and really, really wish this sort of diversity for the sake of diversity in Hollyweird would just die.

Looks like I got my wish. Sorta.

Universal is facing a potential PR disaster for its decision to digitally remove the names and images of the only black couple in 'Couples Retreat' on the film's UK movie poster.

According to England's The Daily Mail, a Universal spokesman said the updated ad was released "to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognizable in international markets."

But some are calling foul on the complete removal of actors Kali Hawk and Faizon Love from the film's poster. "I think this was an ill-conceived move," Mediawatch-UK director Vivienne Pattison told the Mail. "We celebrate diversity in Britain and we could have coped with seeing the same poster used in America."

In the U.S. version, all eight principal stars, including Hawk and Love, are seen standing knee-deep in water with their names displayed above. For the UK version, a different backdrop is shown with only the six (white) actors and actresses on display.

"Any discrepancy between the posters is cause for alarm because it makes racist assumptions about target markets," says Ann Simonton, founder of the non-profit organization Media Watch. "But this is a somewhat common response to how advertisers target audiences. So much of advertising depends on our ignorance and it's important for the consumer to remain ignorant. When they eliminate diversity, it maintains this false view of our world. It's sickening to think about what the industry's motives are, but it's important that they be called on it."

Daily Mail film critic Jason Solomons weighed in over the weekend, noting, "We don't cater much for the black cinema-going audience in this country, which is a great shame, so it seems strange that when there are black stars in a major feature film, this fact isn't promoted. And, in terms of business decisions, this seems a pretty counter-productive one."

For its part, Universal has acknowledged the omission, saying it regretted offending anyone and is abandoning plans to use the revised poster in other countries.

It "regretted offending anyone, huh"? How about they simply don't put the Negroes in the movie in the first place next time?

Question: Is Universal pictures racist for removing the two black actors from the movie poster, or merely givin' the people what they want?

'Couples Retreat' Poster Causes Controversy in the UK [MovieFone]

The Problem With... Black Conservatives.

2009-11-19T00:50:00.003-05:00

[Editor's Note: Some of ya'll wrote in and told me you wanted me off that sports tip and back on my bullsh*t, so I'm back on my bullsh*t. Bear witness to the realist sh*t I ever wrote. Shots fired.]

I make no bones about my political affiliations. I'm a proud liberal who is no longer a registered member of the Democratic Party, partially because of my disdain with how the party as a whole handled the daily underhanded racial assaults on Barack Obama during last year's push for the Democratic nomination. But I'm also unaffiliated because I don't by any means vote in lockstep with Democrats. I have, and will continue to vote for Republicans on the local level.

The recent news that onetime Maryland Republican governor Bob Ehrlich is considering mounting a challenge to incumbent Democrat Martin O'Malley (the real like Tommy Carcetti from HBO's The Wire) means I'll be voting GOP come 2010. The guy is the best person for the job, and you should vote for the best person regardless of whether their name is followed by a D or an R. Living in a relatively moderate state with few of the racial shenanigas associated with the GOP nationally makes this a far more palatable thought.

That said, as disillusioned as I am with the Dems, it still puzzles, and in some ways fascinates me, to hear Black (or as they'd prefer to be called, "African-American") Conservatives explain why they ryde or die with a party that seems to insult their race at every turn. I honestly just don't get it. Sure, voting for the best guy for the job makes sense. But asserting that black folks voting for the Democrats 90% of the time is the cause of all that ails Negro communities just smacks of lazy, shortsighted plantation thinking.

Let's take a look at a recent case study of this strange phenomenon of Negro curiosity, compliments of Fox News Channel, and that noted bridger of racial divides, Mr. Glenn Beck.

Case #1 - The "I'm Conservative Because I Was Ostracized For My Beliefs As A Poor Child Growing Up In The Ghetto" Card Is Played.

Note to Charles Payne, and all Black Conservatives playing the "I was ostracized because I talked White" card: Negroes please! Your pass has been revoked.

The kids clowning you for carrying a briefcase to 3rd grade weren't "liberals", they were children. I seem to hear this whole "liberals don't value education and hard work" line of nonsense aped by Black Conservative after Black Conservative, as if to suggest that the black community's anti-intellectualism is a political thing, rather than symptomatic of an American problem, period. To me, I see this "Black folks won't accept me, so I'll become a Republican and show those broke Negroes a thing or two" rationale as being intellectually lazy and borderline elitist. It seems like a convenient way of announcing to White Conservatives "I'm not like the rest of those lazy Negroes although I grew up in the same neighborhood. I can speak good English and I'm non-threatening. Unclutch your purse, and please, pleeeasse let me date your daughter." Can we please leave childhood scars out of the equation? They are of no relevance to arguements about why the GOP is "better" for blacks, and just make you look like a sucker who's still mad cause Shaniqua passed you over for that football player when you asked her to the prom. Get over it, already.

Case #2 - The Democrats Haven't Done Anything To Help Black People? Well What's The GOP Done?

I also disagree with this assertion. The same party that says time and time again that the gubb'ment should be less involved in peoples lives says that Black folks would be better off if only they'd vote for Republicans? Really?

I hate the "Liberal policies make Negroes eternal victims who suck off Uncle Sam's teet" narrative more than any other Conservative talking point.[1] It seems to suggest that Black people can't do for self, think for self, or rationalize for self, but that the Grand Ole' Party can do all these things and magically rescue Black folks from themselves if only we'd quit voting for the Democrats year in and year out. But what does the GOP present as proof that they'd somehow do better, other than vague arguements for "free market capitalism". "Free market capitalism" isn't keeping Se'Quan off the corner. "Free market capitalism" isn't stopping Jamaal from shooting Ray Ray. "Free market capitalism" isn't stopping Keyshia from opening her legs. And neither is any other "policy" like ending abortions or pushing for marriage preservation that the GOP advocates. Black folks will be saved when Black folks decide we want to save ourselves. Neither political party has the power to do that, but at least the Dems aren't pretending to be paternalistic. And BTW, is it merely a coincidence that black poverty is still largely concentrated in the very Southeastern states where the GOP's base resides, and where Republicans also have a lock on elected positions? Just food for thought.

Case #3 - Black Republicans Just Aren't Generally Very Cool People.

With all due respect to my main main Adinasi (who is a fellow Nupe, and thus the coolest brother on the planet), Black Conservatives have a hard time attracting other Black folks to the party because they just aren't all that likable. The folks on this Glenn Beck special seem to be a room full of dicks who probably don't get much love in the cluuuubbb, or in the barbershop (notice all those weak tapers and shape-ups, these guys definitely go to SuperCuts, not AfrosCut), and cornball chicks whom most brothers wouldn't be bothered with.

If you think I'm kidding, how come 99% of the "Black Female Conservatives" you see on TV have traditionally white surnames? I'm not saying there's a connection here, but I'm not saying there isn't one either. Generally speaking, these folks still seem to be a wee bit ostracized socially as adults, which I wouldn't doubt has some bearing in their political affiliation. Even if Shaniqua don't love you, Michelle still thinks "you be Da' Man!"

That's gotta count for something. I guess.

Case #4 - All Blacks Are Socially Conservative. Not!

And for the 9912th time, could we please, please, please dead this nonsense that "The Black Community" is naturally more socially "Conservative", and thus more in lockstep with the GOP's policies? Alveda King, I'm not telling you to Go. Sit. Down. out of respect for the family name. But you are pushin' it, homegirl. You really are.

Really? If this were true, why do black folks have so many babies out of wedlock, so many abortions, and so many failed marriages? To be more factually correct, the paternalistic institution known as "The Black Church" is socially "Conservative", but you'd be hard pressed to find many ways in which this bleeds over into man-on-the-street black thought. I'd challenge any talking head that continues to spit this fallacy to put down the Bible and take an honest look around. Theory and reality are not the same.

Case #5 - Black Conservatives Seldom Take The Party To Task For It's Racist Nonsense.

Curiously absent from this entire one hour clusterf*ck is the fact that the GOP does a great job of continually offending potential Black voters. Not a week goes by without some GOP operative calling Michelle a monkey, suggesting that crime would go down if we'd just abort black babies, or referring to the President as a "boy". While the Democrats have their fair share of similar nonsense (reread the first paragraph of this post), at least there are some folks within the party (ie: James Clyburn) who know when to step in and say enough is enough. When the same happens on the GOP side, Negroes practically knock themselves over in a Rush to get on TV and apologize for the offender.

Strangely, this entire hour goes by and not a single one of these grinning, "I's just so happy to be on da' TeeVee" Negroes even bothers to take Beck to task for his "Obama is racist" comment. What sort of Ghetto Jedi Mind Trick this is, I have no idea. I do, however, know that until the GOP starts checkin' itself, it is not going to make any significant inroads with Black voters. Is it no surprise that when Conservative candidates (ie: Mike Huckabee in Arkansas) do get large numbers of black votes, they're usually guys who eschew theis sort of "Us vs Them" racial politricks? I'm just sayin', you can't both offend me and expect me to put you in power. That dog don't hunt.

I apologize in advance to any Black Conservative whom I might have offended with this screed. Well, okay, actually I don't apologize. I'd really, really, really be interested in knowing how you can stand idly by and watch (and in some ways pile on) when a party more or less disparages your community for political gain (ie: Tea Party protestors, The Reagan Era "Welfare Queen" stereotype, anything uttered by Rush Limbaugh), yet still defend this party as somehow being honest and genuine in its' pursuit of black votes. What exactly has the GOP done that's so greatly benefitted black voters? Where are the success stories? Kill all the rhetoric and Us vs Them hyperbole and give me concrete examples, not talking points.

Question: If you are a Black Conservative, or even know someone who plays one on TV, please explain to me how you can hold your nose and continually support a party that is so clearly disrespectful of the community from which you come? Please show me and point me to real life examples of where the GOP's policies have affected the black community for the better. Please steer clear of talking points like "school choice", "free market capitolism", "William Jefferson", and talking about what the Democrats aren't doing. Defend your party and it's platform without the hyperbole and senseless emotionalism.

[1] How then, do you explain away the plight of the millions of poor Southern Conservative whites also on welfare and other forms of public assistance? What's the GOP done to reward them for decades of guaranteed votes?

3 Play Thursday - HoodRat Anthems.

2009-11-19T00:07:00.003-05:00

3 Play Thursday again. Today: Random cRap Music salutes to Black Women.

cRap music isn't all about misogyny and putting black women down. Nope, sometimes cRappers Channel Their Inner Feminine Side and salute the fine character of those women they douse with Alize in VIP rooms nationwide. Here's just a few examples of what I like to refer to as HoodRat Anthems.

LL Cool J - "Around The Way Girl"

Cyber CapriSuns™ to the first person to name the head "Around The Way Girl", who happened to have her own TV show in the 90's. Speaking of cameos, I still have no idea why Bart Simpson makes a cameo in this video. This is the original HoodRat Anthem from LL's career climax, the classic album Mama Said Knock You Out. Man, it's sad that Marley Marl got hooked on drugs, and LL went Hollywood shortly thereafter. The music these guys could have made...

Ca$h Money Millionaires - "Project Chick"

I don't what's more hilarious: Lil' Wayne's pre-ghostwriters & syrup Fisher Price My First Flow, or the fact that this song has since become a staple of every HBCU Marching Band?

The LOX ft. Eve - "Ryde Or Die Chick"

Let's face it, there's nothing wrong about being a Ryde Or Die Chick. Every man wants a lady who's down for him, no matter what pops off. I thought long and hard about having this part of our wedding soundtrack, but my wife squashed that one quickly.

Apache - "Gangsta B*tch"

In the pre-censorship days of Negro Radio, this song played unedited, which still amazes me to this day. Seriously, I don't even think there was a radio edit for this one. They ain't even try and play with the words to make it "itch-bay", or none of that. Man, the early 90's, those were the days. Cyber CapriSuns™ to the first person to tell me who produced the beat for this classic mixshow staple. Double Cyber CapriSuns™ to the first person to tell me which Tri-State area Sizzler Apache (this was his only hit) is currently bussin' tables at.

Question: Got any other Hoodrat Anthems that I missed?

The Problem With... Sarah Heath Palin.

2009-11-18T00:23:00.004-05:00

Never let it be said that I'm not a man of my word. Back in July, I wrote what I titled "The Last Sarah Palin Post You'll Ever Read On AB.com", citing my exhaustion with the media's pointless love affair with the former Alaska Governor. Why keep talking about someone who isn't even relevant, much less newsworthy? I promised then that I wouldn't utter that woman's name a single time here until she did something of significance. Needless to say, I nearly made it 6 months without a mention.

Today, the ban ends, not so much because Palin has done anything of value, but simply because I can't take it no more. So, here's my 2 cents on the last 1/2 year of Palinism.

This Woman Is Smarter Than The Average Polar Bear. - For all the proclamations that Palin is an airhead who couldn't chew gum and walk simultaneously, she sure has proven to be far wiser than most of us initially tabbed her to be. Think about this, she quits a job halfway in, and some folks think she's a hero. She endorses a losing Conservative candidate, virtually ensuring passage of Obamacare, and some folks think she has political heft. She repeats an internet urban legend about "death panels", and some folks think she has the power to influence legislation. She gets caked up writing a book and making speeches, and some folks still think she's "just like them". Amazing.

The MSM Is Evil. Unless You Need Them To Help Sell Your Books. - In an even more amazing sleight of hand, Palin is using and manipulating the very same mainstream media that she so angrily accused of bias to help peddle her books and ensure that several generations of future Palins will never have to put in an honest day's work. As much as these "elitists" might hate her very essence, reality is, she's such a trainwreck waiting to happen that you can't ignore her. When she ended up on Oprah, I knew that cows had truly jumped the moon.

How then, can she still continue to repeat this "The MSM is against me" nonsense with a straight face? If the MSM was truly against her, they would have simply ignored this book, much like they ignored Joe The Plumber's ghostwritten book of populist nonsense. So enough of the victim narrative, please.

She Has No Chance At Becoming President. - C'mon, as much as folks salivate over the prospect of her facing Obama in 2012, you and I know this will never happen. And the Dems won't have anything to do with it, the bloodbath she'll experience at the hands of fellow GOP'ers will be nauseating (but of course I'll watch every debate). Do you really think folks like Newt Gingrich, Dick Chaney (yeah, he's running, you heard it first), Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee will just allow her to prance in off the street and accept the GOP nomination without a fight? Of course not. In their own ways, these guys have paid their dues, and a person who couldn't make it 2 years as Governor of Alaaaaskaaaa will get no pity from them. They are playing nice now, not wanting to alienate the "base" by attacking her, but once she throws her hat in, all that nice crap is out the window.

She Will Never Run For President. - Palin is smart enough to know she'd take a beating 20 levels more brutal than anything she accuses the MSM and the McCain campaign of hitting her with last Fall. Lets not forget, Obama/Biden barely broke a sweat. The GOP, and Palin-herself inflicted all the damage.

She Is Lying Her A$$ Off. Because She Can. - Seriously, how come everytime Sarah Palin goes to explain why something went wrong, she's pointing the finger at others? McCain. Schmidt. Wallace. Couric. The MSM. Her handlers. The Atlantic. Phony "ethics investigators". Jim Zorn. Reality is, a good percentage of the stuff she alleges has been rebutted repeatedly by multiple sources, which means she probably isn't on the up and up. Of course, she doesn't care about fact checkers, because she isn't running for President. Get Money!

I Will Be Reading Her Book. - I no longer have the AB Goes To The Library tag, simply because most of the stuff I read isn't very timely and wouldn't likely be of interest to ya'll. But I will be obtaining a copy of "Going Rogue", because I too enjoy ghostwritten trainwrecks, and also because I've already pre-purchased several hundred copies (think about it) so I almost feel obligated. I don't promise a review, however. I read "Goodnight Moon" to my kids each night, but you don't see a review of that here, do you?

Levi Is An A-Hole. Period. - Guys like Levi Johnston make me glad that I only have sons. As much as folks want to blame Palin for stiff arming this moron, put yourself in her shoes. Sure, your daughter prolly should have kept it in her pants, but young girls make mistakes. Watching this d-bag carry on publicly and look for any way (including posing for something called "PlayGirl") to keep his name in the news just shows you what sorta character you're dealing with. I wouldn't want him around my grandchild either. At least Sarah and I can agree on that much.

Her Next Move?!? The Bank, Of Course. - In a display of just how media savvy and unintentionally brilliant this woman is, she surely won't announce any future plans other than "helping advance Conservative viewpoints" anytime soon. The more some morons think she will actually run (and could actually win) in 2012, the more she can command on the speaker's circuit, again making future generations of Palins richer and richer. I suspect that after the book tour winds down, she'll end up with a weekly ~~infomercial~~ show on Fox News that will be incredibly lousy (think "Huckabee"), but do amazing numbers just by virtue of the trainwreck potential alone. When the economy improves (and trust me, it will), she can pledge to sit out 2012 with a "focus on helping advance Conservative viewpoints", endorse an ultra-Conservative (and losing) candidate of her choice without any negative repercussions, and still whet the appetite of the many who think she'll run in 2016. Or 2020. Or 3023. Because some folks will never admit that she's got no shot, and never had one. And she'll just keep on cashing checks.

Get Money.

Question: Is Sarah Palin an undercover Rhodes scholar who is playing us all and laughing all the way to the bank, or is she as clueless as she seems, and only enabled by people even more cluelesser?!?

The Problem With... Idiots.

2009-11-18T00:08:00.002-05:00

How silly is it to keep hearing folks on cable TV, talk radio, and blogs question the intelligence of folks like President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder when it comes to matters of law and the Constitution? Not a day goes by that I don't hear some numbnut talking about how these two men don't understand what the Founding Fathers meant, and how these two guys are literally desecrating on the principles that this country stands for.

Any professional person of color (particularly Negroes) knows that it's like to have your hardearned credentials questioned from the minute you step in the door. It's one thing to question a person's decisions, but questioning their qualifications is yet another altogether. And I think that's where the distinction between criticism of Bush and Obama lies. Sure, it's a fine line, but I remember most of Bush's criticism tied to his iffy decisions. Not about his legitimacy (and I'm not talking about hanging chads) to even be sitting in the Oval Office in the first place. Again, there's a nuance here, and I hope you're following it. If not, sorry.

Which is why folks who question the intelligence of Obama and Holder on such complex issues as the Constitution come off as total imbeciles. Holder went to Columbia Law and served as both a Federal judge and Deputy Attorney General prior to his current gig. Obama went to Harvard Law and was a Constitutional Law Professor prior to becoming a politician. Despite whatever allegations of affirmative action you might want to sling in their direction, it's quite unlikely that being black wrote their dissertations for them. These are not idiots. They didn't go to DeVry, or Everest College, or one of those schools you see advertised during commercials on Judge Joe Brown.[1]

It is fair to say that these men have forgotten far more about the Constitution than numbnuts like Hannity, Beck, Palin, Rush, and a million TeaBaggers with 8th grade educations know about the Constitution, combined. So enough already.

I guess that twice as hard/half as far thing was true, huh?

Question: What do you think?

[1] No shots fired at DeVry, and Everest College grads, or Judge Joe, of course.

AB.com NewsBriefs.

2009-11-17T00:28:00.003-05:00

I'm busy today. Here's everything noteworthy, but too short for a post.

Valley Swim Club Drowns. - Remember last summer when that swim club outside Philly unceremoniously revoked the rights to dozens of black and brown kids upon realizing that, omigod, they had opened their gates to dozens of black and brown kids? Well, in the most ironic turn of events, Valley Swim Club is no longer able to stay afloat financially and is closing its doors. I bet that $1,900 check they returned is lookin' mighty good right now. You couldn't make this stuff up.

The Dow Is Streaking Towards 11,000. And That's Not Good. - I'm gonna just toss it out there: this economic rebound on Wall Street is going to blow up in our (and the President's) faces sooner or latest. Share prices and actual earnings are out of whack. Much of what we're seeing is little more than an artificial inflation that's the direct of the Fed's nonexistent interest rates and all the TARP money Bush and Obama threw out there. I'd much rather see the Dow at 11k than 6k, but anyone who thinks this is indicative of a much improved economy is ignoring recent history. I'm not saying we shouldn't be happy that our 401k's look better, but I think we should all prepare ourselves for a massive correction. This simply can't sustain itself. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I've seen this happen too many times to believe otherwise.

Hold The Soap, cRappers!!! - Last week was a banner week of rappers and the judicial system as not one, but two cRappers got sentenced to prison bids for the most ungangsta of acts, probation violation. Lil' Boosie will be asking fellow inmates to "wipe him down" as his efforts to have Jesse Jackson intercede on his behalf failed (Jesse had better things to do) to persuade the judge. His faux pas? Violating house arrest. Sentence: four years. Even worse, Gucci Mane ruined my "biggest rapper alive in 2010" prediction by getting himself sentenced to 1 year in the clink for not completing enough community service hours. This numbnut, who actually killed a man a few years ago, only did 25 of his required community service hours, and now his Traaap House will be a jailhouse. Throw in Lil' Wayne (headed to jail), and TI (headed home soon) with these two fellow Southerners, and you'd have one helluva Don Cannon mixtape. Don't drop the soap, fellas.

Don't Drop The Soap Either, Dolla Bill. - Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, he of the brilliant $90,000 in the freezer wrapped in aluminum foil fame, got sentenced to a staggering 13 year prison bid last week. Let the record reflect that libruls get hard time when they screw up too.

Iverson's A Free Man. - Well, AI and The Grizzlies decided to part ways, making The Answer a free agent yet again. Word is the Knicks are suddenly interested, but as well as Toney Douglas is ballin', I have no idea why. A far better fit is Charlotte, a team with a bunch of non-shooting PG's, where AI could get some major burn immediately. Then again, this is Bob Johnson we're talking about, so you know his cheap a$$ isn't about to pay AI, knowing he too might have to cut bait in a few weeks. My smart money says AI gets a big dollar offer in Europe and is outta here for good. What a sad end to a once certain HoF career.

One Dope Song. - I don't have the YouTube link (it ain't up there yet), but peep this new Phonte jawn (courtest of 2DopeBoyz) and please explain why this guy isn't a megastar yet. I just can't figure it out.

AverageBro.com Ends Its Longtime Ban On That Woman. - Yep, the ban is over. Tune in here tomorrow, and you'll see what I've wanted to say about you-know-who since July.

Question: Got any news you wanna share?

The AB.com RoundTable.

2009-11-17T00:06:00.000-05:00

[Editor's Note - AB.com is an equal opportunity soapbox, thus the inclusion of frequent Guest Posts to keep things well-rounded, avoiding the echo-chamber effect. The AB.com Roundtable tosses out a handful of questions to our AverageContributors™ and runs the best replies. On deck today are Tunde, Ebonie, Greg Dragon, Michelle Huxtable, and my main man Modi from DCtoBC.com, a guy whom I aspire to be as cool as when I grow up. Show their blogs a lil' love then you get a moment.]

I usually edit the RoundTable responses for the sake of brevity, but all 5 contributors really bought it this time, so I'm running their answers in their entirety.

Question One - A week later, many are saying President Obama is being too light on Ft Hood shooter. Conservative outlets are even suggesting that Obama's hesitance to label this as an act of terrorism, or to call out Islam, is a sign of weakness and political correctness gone awry. Many even use him handling of the Skip Gates incident as proof that America (in this case the Army) is too scared to call a racial/terrorist spade a spade for fear of being labeled racist. Is Obama being as forceful in his handling of this incident as he should be?

Ebonie - Is Obama being as forceful in his handling of this incident as he should be? Even without knowing what was behind the Fort Hood shooter’s actions, some people are already speculating that this occurred because he was Muslim or suggesting that Muslims should go through more intense scrutiny to join the military than everyone else. So at this point with many facts of what led to the rampage unknown, I’m glad that President Obama hasn’t jumped to conclusions and started decrying the rampage an act of terrorism against America or some sort of Islamic threat.

Modi - Maaaaan, you ain't never lie! Did you hear Rush (Limbaugh) going HAM on Rocky? Oh, and quick sidenote: I call Barack Obama "Rocky" because he's the underdog. People always criticizing and chastising, praying for the man's downfall, yet he's still standing. But I digress. Rush was getting on Rocky for not calling the Ft. Hood massacre an act of "terror". I think Barack just doesn't want to say anything crazy before he knows his facts. He runs a freaking country for Christ's sake. He'll call a spade a spade when he has all the facts, but until that happens, he's got to be as diplomatic as possible.

Michelle Hux - Regardless of how he handles it he'll be chastised. If he doesn't call out Islam, the people claiming Obama is a Muslim will have a field day. If he does, he'll be labeled a racist. I think the way he handled it with caution is how he is supposed to handle it.

Greg Dragon - How about we ask, do a lot of us Americans need something to do? I will say yes, can brown Barry breath? Forceful or not, anything that man does will be seen as bad.

Tunde - I can seem some people's concern on Obama not calling this an act of terrorism but what is calling out Islam going to do besides piss of Muslims in American and around the world? If he does that, one thing you can bank on is an increase in terrorism attacks. Yes this was one man, who happened to be Muslim, but how can you condemn a whole religious sect based off the actions of one individual? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Question Two - Writing tell-all books seems to be the latest hustle, but how much do we really care? Recent weeks have seen President Obama's half-brother outing Obama Sr. as a wifebeater, and Andre Agassi admitting he was a meth-head.

Are these folks truly "cleansing their souls" or just out to get dough?

Tunde - I really think I'm going to write my own tell all book. Its going to be called, "Scandal, Sex and Halle Berry: The True Story of Our Love Affair". Of course all of it will be exaggerated but if everyone else can make money off selling tell all book then so can I. I wonder what publishing company would buy the writes to my book.

Michelle Hux - I'm not a cynical person but let's be real. As far as Obama's brother, he's doing it for the money. His dad is dead so it won't evoke a sense of shame in him causing him to apologize. His mother is no longer alive so it isn't for her closure. President Obama already revealed that his dad was abusive in his own memoir. So the point... is money.

Ebonie - It’s about the money. All of these “cleansing my soul” tell all’s get a big side-eye from me. Especially President Obama’s half-brother. During a TV interview he gave recently, he kept insisting that the main purpose of the book was to bring light to the issue of domestic abuse and it was bigger than him. Uh huh. Just keep it honest and admit you’re trying to cash in book sales by being a relative of President Obama.

Modi - Well, let's deal with Obama's half-brother real quick. Barack Obama's "Dreams From My Father" was required reading for the class of 2009 coming into Boston College. In fact, he spoke at our convocation, and it was incredibly inspirational. In the book, he never claims his father to be an angel. He was a drinker, and he was abusive. We already knew that. So homeboy doesn't really have much to say beyond what we already figured out through inductive reasoning. Of course that man is BS'ing. Just look at that his picture! Agassi is a completely different story, dude. Nobody just spills every little minute detail to the world for no reason. This is something that every other human in the world has - personal, embarrassing stories. I think that the money is cool, but it wasn't for it. He's lived a lot of his life in the public, and he probably felt guilty that he put up such an act or a front for so long. Lying to his supporters for so long can't sit well on your conscience. It's either that, or he's shitting all over people very discretely. "I was on crystal meth and I was STILL making millions." That kinda stuff. Highly doubt that's the route he's going though

Greg Dragon - Lol it’s the newest hustle going… AB answer me this, it is very obvious that folks don’t like reading and probably a huge reason why the rich stay rich while the poor don’t read and learn…(that’s another discussion). So who the hell are the “readers” buying these books for it to be even seen as lucrative? Wouldn’t a sex tape bring in better money?

Question Three - The DC Sniper was executed late last week. If you're from the DC Metro Area, and remember that terrorizing Fall, what are your feelings about seeing a man put to death?

Modi - The Dc Sniper was probably one of the scariest things that has happened in my lifetime. One of the shootings was right by my house at a place that I frequent, so Lord knows that could have been me. You had to live in fear, not knowing where these bastards would strike. It even stopped our homecoming weekend celebrations at Sidwell that year, and nobody even complained, because they knew how serious the situation was. I don't think I can even answer this question. Taking lives shouldn't be punished by death, but then again, what is a just punishment? Life in prison? You're still living, which is a blessing. I couldn't even give you an answer to this. I just think it's very sadistic to see people get excited over an execution like they were the day the sniper was to be executed.

Tunde - I'm from the DC area and I was a junior in college when the killings took place. I remember it like it was yesterday. I personally don't believe in the death penalty. How can a person decide if another man lives or dies. For all those who are for the capital punishment, how many of you would have the heart to physically pull the lever or inject the needle?

Michelle Hux - I'm from the DC area and I read an article about how execution gives a sense of closure. It doesn't. It doesn't change the fact that our lives were truly changed. My brother's football games were cancelled (as were most outdoor activities at his school). Killing the DC Sniper doesn't change any of that. Seeing a black man be put to death in general just makes me feel some kind of way. I've always been one to think that a shot and a few last breaths is an easy way out so I feel like he hasn't been punished. I feel worse for his teen accomplice who is serving life in prison.

Greg Dragon - I am pro death penalty, and watching the interview with his wife drove home more reality to me of this man, he needed to be put down a long time ago, he was a ticking time-bomb. I think the situation was held down very quietly given the damage this brother did. The abuse (mostly mental) that he did on his black wife, combined with his struggles as a black militant trained to fight under a white president’s lead is a case study in itself. Even his execution was silent, no real coverage on it etc. Is serial killing so normal here that we have become desensitized to it? It freaks me out how no-one cares.

Question Four - Are there double standards in cheating? It was recently revealed that Shaquille O'Neal has been having an ongoing affair with the fiance of fellow NBA player Gilbert Arenas. Most comments in the blogosphere seem to be slamming the young lady for being a tramp, while simply giving Shaq (who was married) a free pass. Do people generally perceive a cheating woman as being less moral than a cheating man? Why?

Greg Dragon - There's a double standard in most things male/female, this can be blamed on the respective roles we have only shed in the last 20 years. Now that everything is nice and even between the sexes, you have to expect that there will be remnants of the past brought to light. Women used to be at home, the trampy ones were in Saloons, Brothels and the like, a man could sew his seed and come home to business as usual. For most of us swapping that scenario makes the man seem weak and the woman immoral. Not our fault we think this way, we have the media, parents and the past to blame. Any cheating is wrong be it man or woman. NBA and NFL players are like Military wives…

Michelle Hux - I guess for other people there is a double standard but when I first heard about this I thought Shaq was just so triflin. First of all not that I condone cheating but out of all the groupies in the world, you have to choose a fellow brotha's fiance? Really, Shaq? Really? I don't see a woman cheating as less moral than a cheating man. They're both ridiculous people who were too cowardice to leave their significant others to engage in sexual activities with someone new.

Modi - To answer your question, yes. People generally perceive a cheating woman as being less moral. Why? There is no explanation for that. It's just nature. Innate, if you will. And I don't think they're giving Shaq a free pass. We just already expect that from Shaq. In high school, I used to babysit for a woman whose baby mother was a player on the 76ers, and who actually got me and my man floor tickets to a Heat game through Shaq. The stories she'd tell about the guy were ridiculous. She paid me so well that you'll never heard those stories, but my point is, Shaq is grimey already. We've been embracing that. His wife has left multiple times, hasn't she? Gil's baby mother isn't even cute to me. She fucked up. Gil was treating her like a queen, he took her from whatever situation she was in and made her life wonderful. But uh, wouldn't it be brilliant if while Shaq was with Gilbert's baby's mother, Gil was kickin' it with Shauntie? That'd be the ultimate twist.

Tunde - First I wonder if Agent Zero will dap Shaq up when the Wizards play the Cavs. I do believe there is a double standard in cheating but in this case it make yougin look like a NBA groupie. The victim here is Arenas although I'm sure he's probably getting his in anyway.

Question Five - What started out as a simple BET Awards Show skit has been greenlit for production. Skank Robbers, starring Jamie Foxx as Wanda and Martin Lawrence as SheNehNeh will be hitting theaters next year.

Meanwhile, a serious drama like Precious struggles to even get shown on enough screens. What, if anything, does this say about the finicky tastes of black moviegoers?

Michelle Hux - I just don't understand why we keep doing this to ourselves. How often do black men have to dress up as black women in order to get laughs (I'm talking to you Tyler Perry.) There's a commercial with Evander Holyfield dressed up as a woman for Taco Bell. Taco Bell! It wasn't even that funny of a commercial. I like comedy as much as the next person but we should really support both.

Greg Dragon - It says that most of us would rather have a laugh than watch some depressing sh-t like Precious. They lost me at the light-skinned teacher consoling the ugly, fat, dark skinned girl right after her monologue of wanting a light skin boyfriend with good hair. As a moviegoer and reviewer, I have noticed a trend with theater audiences – I rarely see black folks unless it is a movie that is 90% black (read Tyler Perry), a horror movie (we come out in droves), or a comedy with an African American lead. Anything else and I am a raisin in a bowl of milk at the theater. So Precious doesn’t surprise me, it will be touted as a powerful black experience – by white people, it will not make record numbers and will be nonexistent in most Blu-Ray collections. For me its just another boring stab at Oscar-Bait and it will win too, just like Amelia… yawn.

Modi - Well, I don't know if it says anything about the taste of black moviegoers. It's pretty monumental to have Martin and Jamie in the same flick. But if we want to make an argument about their finicky tastes, we could make the same one that is made in music. You have artists like Nas and Black Thought / The Roots making progressive music (for the most part), but they won't sell like Soldja Boy. Black people want entertainment. Tyler Perry's movies are so heavily criticized, but they do great work at the box office because they are cathartic (yep, check that dictionary, I'm bringing out the words, baby), while portraying black culture in such an entertaining manner. People deal with enough seriousness in real life, movies (and music for that matter) is for people to get away from reality for a bit. There's a time and place for everything.

Ebonie - Why am I not even surprised that “Skank Robbers” is hitting the big screen? I’d rather see “Precious,” but as long as there’s an audience for movies like “Skank Robbers” they’ll keep getting the green light. If people are willing to pay for bad movies just because there aren’t that many black films on the big screen and they want to see black folks on film, then movies like “Skank Robbers” will keep getting made.

Tunde - Black moviegoers in general like to see ignorance and coonery. This explains why directors like Tyler Perry have a higher career income than Spike Lee. You can say I'm hating but the overall message of Madea Goes To Jail or Daddy's Girl can't be better or more powerful than X or Do The Right Thing. I refuse to believe that. Please go see Precious. I plan to.

Question: Is Obama being too PC? When are you releasing your tell-all? Skank Robbers or Precious? Wanna join the next edition of The AB.com RoundTable?

The Problem With... Terrorists And Guys Named Rudy.

2009-11-16T00:03:00.003-05:00

Poor Rudy Guiliani. Imagine, if you will, for a moment how this guy must feel.

He does a generally good job cleaning up the streets and bringing money into NYC, but he's such a douchebag that nobody likes him until 9/11. He unsuccessfully tries to push for an end to term limits (something his successor actually gets passed) so he can milk the 9/11 cow a few more months, but by then, folks are handing him a one way ticket out of town. His ill-fated run for President doesn't even make it past Florida. And to make it worse, his own estranged kids actually voted for that Obama fella.

Yeah, that's gotta burn.

So it's no shocker that Rudy sees the possibility of another 15 minutes or relevance now that Eric Holder made the risky decision to try Sept 11th mastermind, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in lower Manhattan.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, mayor of New York at the time of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said on Sunday that the Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the attacks, in a civilian court in Manhattan would unnecessarily cost millions of dollars for security, create legal advantages for the defense and symbolically deny that the United States is at war with terrorism.

“It gives an unnecessary advantage to the terrorists and why would you want to give an advantage to the terrorists, and it poses risks for New York,” Mr. Giuliani said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He also interviewed on ABC’s “This Week” and “Fox News Sunday.”

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced on Friday that the United States would try Mr. Mohammed in the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, just blocks from where the World Trade Center towers were brought down by the attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Mr. Holder said that a military commission would try five other detainees held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, because they are accused of committing crimes overseas.

Mr. Giuliani that said Mr. Mohammed and four other accused Sept. 11 co-conspirators should have also be tried by a military tribunal. But his criticism was shrugged off by Mrs. Clinton and David Axelrod, a top adviser to President Obama, in an appearance on the same program. He suggested that Mr. Giuliani was contradicting himself since he had on previous occasions voiced praise for trials for suspected terrorists in civilian courtrooms. “He may have changed his views but we haven’t changed ours,” Mr. Axelrod said.

Mr. Axelrod also pointed out that since 2001, 195 cases of terrorism have been prosecuted in civilian courts and 91 percent of them have resulted in convictions.

Also duly noted: terrorists have been tried in NYC since 2001, and 100% of them have resulted in convictions, so it's not like these guys are gonna get off scott free under any circumstances. Gucci Mane, Lil' Boosie, and Lil' Wayne have a better collective shot and avoiding jail time than these idiots. Besides, let's face it, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's trial is going to cause a big kerfuffle regardless of where it takes place. You could try him in Topeka, and folks there would complain too.

That said, I suppose I could see the potential for controversy here. I didn't have a relative die in the Twin Towers, but if I did, chances are I might not be too crazy about the guy who more or less planned the whole thing getting due process just a block away from the scene of the crime.

So, I guess you could play it both ways.

On a somewhat related note, the usual suspects are all up in arms over a plan to ship some Gitmo detainees to various prisons throughout the US.

Obama administration officials will visit a virtually empty Illinois prison this week as a possible location to house foreign terrorism suspects moved from the Guantanamo Bay prison President Barack Obama has vowed to shut, the state's governor's office said on Sunday.

"They are weighing their options and Illinois is among them," said Robert Reed, a spokesman for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, a Democrat.

The plan being considered for the Thomson Correctional Center, pitched by Quinn in a recent meeting with Obama, calls for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to operate it as a maximum-security prison and lease a portion to the Defense Department to house fewer than 100 Guantanamo detainees.

A preliminary economic impact analysis found that federal operation of the facility could generate between 2,340 and 3,250 ongoing jobs. The analysis estimates that the overall injection of funds into the local economy would be between $790 million and $1.09 billion over the first four years.

Many Republicans have been harshly critical of the idea of moving Guantanamo prisoners to the United States, saying it could encourage further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

"I can't imagine the people of Illinois would like to have these prisoners incarcerated in their state. There may be some local officials who are going to support it, but I expect it will be a huge issue up in Illinois, probably in the U.S. Senate race up there next year," U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told "Fox News Sunday."

Fort Leavenworth in Kansas and a facility in Standish, Michigan, were other sites officials have said were also being considered.

I don't particularly care for this specific plan to purchase a prison and house as many as 100 detainees in a single facility. Why? Sure, this might result in some jobs, but why not simply disperse a small number of detainees across several dozen facilities nationwide? Call me crazy, but it seems like these guys have strength in numbers. Why then, pool them together in facility that they'll more or less occupy by themselves? Isn't that somewhat counterproductive? I'm not counter-terrorism expert, but I'd say you want as few of these people fraternizing as possible.

Am I right, or am I right?

Besides, SuperMax prisons are secure enough as is, there's no need to buy a prison just to bring a few hundred jobs to your home state. If it smells like cronyism, then darnit, it prolly is.

I mean, c'mon, why isolate these guys from the rest of the criminals of the United States. Would you rather have some terrorists pooled together in rural Illinois, or would you rather have them sharing a bunk with this guy?

Or this guy...

I rest my case.

Question: Do you have a problem with the upcoming terrorist trials in NYC? Where should Gitmo detainees be placed?

Giuliani Criticizes Terror Trials in New York [NYT]

Illinois prison eyed to house Guantanamo detainees [Reuters]

Yep, This Is A Real Commercial.

2009-11-15T00:19:00.002-05:00

Seriously, enough of the double entendres. I get the whole "hokey/culthis can't possibly translate into sales.

In case you're wondering, yes, this is courtesy of the same folks that invented this monstrosity.

* Hat tip to Listen To Leon. [Pause]

Do Rappers Watch The News?!?

2009-11-14T13:53:00.001-05:00

Mama, I'm In The Paper (Again).

2009-11-13T14:15:00.005-05:00

Another week, another Washington Post Express shout out.

What's new? We major. Moving right along...

Washington Post Blog Log - 11.13.9 [web]
Washington Post Blog Log - 11.13.9 [PDF Print Edition - p.39]

* Kudos To Marrio for the heads up.

Why The GOP Stays Losing

2009-11-13T09:44:00.002-05:00

Today's episode of Random GOP Ridiculousness...

The Republican National Committee's health insurance plan covers elective abortions for its employees, an option Republicans strongly oppose in health overhaul legislation that Democrats are trying to push through Congress.

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele learned of the policy's abortion coverage Thursday through a news report and immediately instructed staff to inform the insurance carrier that the RNC wanted to opt out of elective abortion coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.

"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele said in a statement. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled."

Gitcho said the policy has been in effect since 1991.

The GOP platform traditionally includes strong anti-abortion language. All House Republicans, except one, voted for an amendment imposing restrictions of coverage for abortions in the health care bill that passed the House last Saturday. Inclusion of the abortion restrictions prompted an angry backlash from liberal House Democrats, and some are now threatening to vote against a final bill if the curbs stay in.

The memo said the RNC received a phone call from a reporter on Wednesday asking whether the RNC's health care policy, through Cigna, covered elective abortions for employees. On Thursday, Politico.com published a report citing two sales agents for Cigna who said the RNC's policy covered elective abortion.

The Cigna employees said the RNC didn't choose to opt out of abortion coverage when given the opportunity, Politico.com reported.

So, I guess this means Mike Steele and Co. really need ObamaCare.

Question: How silly is this?

RNC Insurance Plan Covers Abortion [HuffPost]

Whatever Happened To... H-Town?!?

2009-11-13T09:32:00.003-05:00

Not that you asked, but seminal 90's R&B trio H-Town has a new album, and a new song featuring.... wait for it... Jodeci.

There's nothing particularly impressive about this song or video, I just wanted someone to tell me which cracked out member of Jodeci that is doing the intro. The "other dudes" in Jodeci never sang, so I don't know their names. Is that DeVante or Mr. Dalvin? And why doesn't he have a dental plan of any worth?!?

See, that's why we need universal healthcare. Cause there's no excuse for that sorta grill.

Question: Is that DeVante or Mr. Dalvin?

AB.com Guest Post - It’s Not Memorex So It Must Be Live: Live Notes From The “Sweet Science” of Boxing

2009-11-13T00:09:00.003-05:00

[Editor's Note: My Main Man Chris N. goes in the larger than life experience of watching boxing live. Show some love in the comments.]

Regular readers of AverageBro will recall AB’s recent frustration with the overpriced, over-hyped and under-delivering world of Pay-Per-View boxing. A few weeks back, he wrote about attending the title fight at the George Mason University Patriot Center, where Jimmy Lange successfully defended his WBC USNBC Jr. Middleweight Championship against a formidable challenge by Jonathan Reid.

Now, I am taking up Average Bro’s “Average Nation®” invitation to his readers and adding my own thoughts from that great night of boxing. The fact that Jimmy Lange retained his title and DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley won his comeback bout is old news by now, so I am offering a series of overall comments and observations, now that I’ve had time to let it all settle. (For a complete news account of the evening, read and hear what Gary “Digital” Williams had to say in his “Boxing Along The Beltway” blog entry on for September 26th.

• This was Jimmy Lange’s 8th headline bout at the Patriot Center since he garnered national attention on the original season of The Contender on NBC. (That first season was the only one on primetime television, with Sugar Ray Leonard, Sylvester Stallone, and Jackie “The First Lady of Boxing” Kallen, the head of ICE Promotions, who promoted the live card.) What’s been remarkable is that all eight have been arena shows. In boxing there are “club shows” and “arena shows.” The biggest difference is that club shows attract hundreds and arena shows attract thousands. Anybody who watches boxing regularly on ESPN, Showtime, VERSUS or HBO knows that the vast majority of boxing cards are club shows. For a non-world title holder to headline an arena show is unusual. For one to headline eight of them, averaging slightly under 5,000 attendees per show, is practically unheard of.

• Another major difference between arena shows and most club shows is that you don’t see a lot of “professional opponents,” those who are brought in because, in all likelihood, they will lose to the favorite. (To be clear, professional opponents are not paid to take a dive, but rather are of marginal talent and expected to be a safe bet for whoever is the local hero/favorite son.) In the case of this Patriot Center card, the fighters were so evenly matched that two of the first three fights ended in draws. In fact, by the time the fifth bout began I began to fear that the fighters were too evenly matched and we’d go the whole evening without a single knockout. (Watching a live boxing card without a single knockout is like watching a football game that is won entirely on field goals.)

• The fear of a KO-free evening didn’t last long into the fifth bout, as Tony “Mo Better” Jeter dropped Keith Gross with the most decisive single-punch KO in recent local memory.

I don’t think the ref got past two on the “ten-count” before he waved the fight over and motioned anxiously for the ring doctor. One note to Tony, though. I’m sure that there must be a section of Emily Post or Gloria Vanderbilt somewhere that specifies the proper etiquette of, before circling the ring and motioning for the crowd to cheer louder, waiting until your opponent has regained consciousness. Fortunately, he had a cornerman who yanked him back for a brief sportsmanship brush-up.

• Back to the subject of draws, I have never understood why nearly all professional boxing matches are scheduled for an even number of rounds. Unless one has given up all hope of a win, nobody finds satisfaction in a tie. All it would take to remedy most of these draws would be an odd number of rounds. I understand why the “standard” 15-round title fight was reduced to 12 rounds after the highly-publicized tragic death of Duk Koo Kim in 1982, following his title fight with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini. But why can’t there be more 4-round matches, or 7, 9, or 11-round matches?

• If you are a boxer making your ring entrance standing atop the back of a motorcycle, dressed in red spandex tights and sporting a space helmet over your Mohawk haircut, you better have the ring performance to back it up. Fortunately for DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, he was able to pull off this entrance, while being flanked by a procession of “junior space aliens,” (one of whom he inadvertently kicked in the helmet while dismounting the bike.) While Corley won the unanimous decision over Harrison Cuello, he will need to step it up a notch before he re-invents himself as “The Extra Terrestrial” moniker with which is trying to replace “Chop Chop.”

• Perhaps the scariest part of the Corley fight was when he stumbled backwards and would have likely fallen through the ropes, had he not been grabbed by the referee. The same thing happened when Jimmy Lange did fall through the ropes against Grover Wiley. (In Lange’s case, it was only his father’s being in the right place to break his fall, which kept him from landing head-first on the concrete floor.) I’m certainly not the first to warn that boxing ring aprons (the square of floor that extends under the ropes, surrounding the ring,) needs to be extended before a fighter is seriously injured.

• Judging by the crowd noise, signs and tee-shirts, the undercard fighter with the largest fan contingent present was neither Corley, Jeter, nor undefeated prospect Bayan Jargal, but rather Jennifer Salinas, AKA either the “Bolivian Queen” or “Bolivian Bombshell.” Return invitations to these cards are as much a matter of box office as performance, and Salinas, in her victory over Caitlin Dance, should have easily had her return ticket stamped on both counts.

• One of the ring announcements receiving the loudest cheer was the scheduled induction of the aforementioned blogger Gary “Digital” Williams into the Washington, D.C., Boxing Hall of Fame. He will join last year’s inductee Henry “Discombobulating” Jones, as one of the relatively few honorees outside of the locker room and business office.

• In the past Patriot Center cards, the question has been raised about why four ring-card girls are necessary to parade the cards around the ring, designating which round is ahead. (It’s usually phrased as either a blonde joke, or a light bulb joke, ie. one is needed to ____, and the other three are needed to _____.) Well, after this night, we know that the real answer to “Why is it necessary to have four ring-card girls?” is “Because three ring-card girls can’t handle it.” The promoters tried downsizing to three, and paid the price. One round was missed entirely, another round was preceded by the wrong-number card, and one poor gal proudly strutted around the ring announcing “Round 5”….at the conclusion of a four-round fight

• And finally, if you are new to boxing and attending your first live fight card, welcome. But please take a few seconds to glance at the names on the bout sheet before standing up and shouting “Go Black Trunks!”

Question: If you are a boxing fan, what was the best live show you ever saw? And if you are not a boxing fan, which sport do you think benefits most from the live, collective experience, as opposed to watching the flatscreen in the privacy of your own home?

“Saturday Night Fights” was promoted by ICE Promotions and publicized by Brotman ▪ Winter ▪ Fried Communications. Christopher P. Nicholson is a full-time independent writer based in Sterling, Va. He can be contacted at cpnich@aol.com

Kick Rocks, Lou Dobbs. John King's Got This.

2009-11-12T11:22:00.005-05:00

Not that you prolly care either way, but CNN's Lou Dobbs finally got tired of being the sole voice of haterism and decided to to switch teams. And boy, did he go out like a gangsta.

Anyone with half a brain knows this is just a nice way of saying "See ya'll on Fox News". Actually, Dobbs is likely headed to the fledgling Fox Business News Network, which is stockpiling a team full of hater castoffs like John Stossel and Mr. Nappy Headed Hoes himself, Don Imus. What a lineup! It's like adding Mark Teixeira to the Jeter and A-Rod of Haterism. Bravo, ~~Steinbrenner~~ Roger Ailes. Bravo.

Kick rocks, Lou. You shall not be missed.

Of course, somebody had to inherit that lousy 7pm time slot now, and the list of candidates is already floating around. So I'll make my final pitch to CNN...

HIRE SCREAMIN' A. SMITH, please!!!!

[PM Update: Sorry Screamin' A.]

Lou Dobbs's replacement may not draw the same kind of ratings as his predecessor, but he won't cause the same kind of headaches, either.

The network announced Thursday that John King will be getting a new show at 7:00 p.m., following the sudden departure of Dobbs, a long-time fixture whose increasingly strident politics have made him an awkward presence on a channel that strives for a middle-of-the-road image.

A former White House correspondent with impeccable straight-news credentials, King now hosts the Sunday morning show State of the Union, which will remain on the air for the time being. His new show will also focus on politics -- although presumably not on the sort of angry immigrant-bashing and conspiracy-mongering that reportedly caused CNN president Jon Klein to order Dobbs to tone down his rhetoric or find a new perch.

Wow, talk about "outside the box" thinking! Great move, CNN. Giving a guy who's already boring as all getout for 4 hours every Sunday morning his own, surely boring as all getout daily show is the decision making of champions.

Mediocrity, FTW!!!

Dobbs was already getting clobbered by HLN and Backyardigans reruns in this time slot, and he was mildly newsworthy. Is CNN trying to set some low ratings record? Do we really need another milquetoast, middle aged white guy on cable TV? Haven't they reached their quota already?

Damn, who's a brotha/sista gotta sleep with to get a show around here?

Question: Who should CNN have hired to replace the disgraced and departed Lou Dobbs? Is John King boring vanilla to you too?

John King replaces Lou Dobbs at CNN [DailyFinance]

As If Being A Wizards Fan Wasn't Hard Enough Already...

2009-11-12T00:47:00.000-05:00

[Editor's Note: Yes, I know this one toes the fine line between sports and gossip. No, I do not care. I wouldn't have batted an eye at this had the franchise player for my favorite team not been involved. That's my story, you know the rest.]

Ya'll know I ride for one team and one team only (Oops, two. Can't forget my Heels), and if you follow this blog, you know last season was pretty rough for the resident Washington Wizards fan. Franchise player Gilbert Arenas had his 28th knee surgery, the coach got fired, and the season was in the crapper by the end of training camp. It was the sort of indignity no fan should have to suffer through, unless that fan happens to cheer for the Clippers.

This year was gonna be different. Arenas would be back healthy, the team picked up some nice players via trade, and hired an experienced coach. We were gonna make to the NBA Finals, and I'd be right there next Summer on 7th Street for the parade.

Of course, like all sports pipe dreams, this one is shortlived. Arenas is back 100%, but now the rest of the team can't stay healthy, and the squad is off to a disappointing 2-5 start. As if things couldn't get any worse, witness the latest indignity, courtesy of (who else?) the Cleveland Cavs.

Another cheater bites the dust. The same credible source who hipped us to the Shaq and Shaunie O’Neal cheating/divorce drama almost two years ago has given us more juicy info. And it aint looking good for the homie Shaquille.

Said source tells YBF that they have run across emails regarding a secret sexual relationship between Shaq and Wizards baller Gilbert Arenas’ fiance Laura Govan. And Laura is actually friends with Shaunie. Drama!

Allegedly, Laura and Shaq have been friends in public…and more than friends in private…for the past 5 years. Supposedly they’ve been flying to each others’ towns and meeting up at different events. They even allegedly spent time together last Christmas when Shaq was still playing in Phoenix. Laura just so happened to be there “visiting her sister”.

How crazy is it that Laura and Gilbert are about to have their third child next month and have been engaged for a while now? Those two have aired their dirty laundry in the past though and people have accused Laura of being a gold digger. So it’s not too surprising YBF finds this out now.

Looks like Shaq may still be up to his old cheating ways. He and Shaunie got back together the first time, but if all this turns out to be true, who knows what’ll go down.

I gotta tell ya', for all those folks who blame NBA players for being bed hopping whores, this is proof that you can't even catch a break when you do attempt to wife a chick. Just how sh*tty does a guy feel finding out his "fiancee" is sleeping with (and might even be pregnant by) a player from your arch rival, the very opponent that's presented the biggest obstacle in your career ascent by toppling you from the playoffs 3 straight years? Man, that's gotta suck.

As for Shaq, damn player, you just want to be taken to the cleaners, don't you? Not that I have any firsthand knowledge, but if I got caught creepin', and my wife could take HALF, but for some reason decided to give me a reprieve, I'd prolly keep it in my pants and spend a lot more time in the hotel room playing Wii Sports. That massive divorce settlement Juanita Jordan got will look like chump change compared to the cake Mrs. Shaq is about to come up on.

I've said it once, I'll say it again: if you're rich and famous, strap up (or get yourself fixed), and do not get married! Evar.

Now if you'll pardon me, I'm going to cancel my Wizards partial season tix.

Question: What sorta Nuthin' But Africans soap opera Negro Nonsense is this?!?

Shaq’s Pimp Focus is Strong..Sleeping With Gilbert Arenas Fiance. [YBF]