A Couple Things

Sarah Palin as the America’s Margaret Thatcher

Obama is the Internet President

Transition Govt

Obama sets up transition govt website. Includes organizational chart that demotes president and vice president to serve under the Constitution. =)

 

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_government_manual&docid=214669tx_xxx-3.pdf

Thought of the Day

With the appointment of Gibbs, Emanuel and Axelrod to key White House positions. The new center of the political universe is now Chicago, Illinois

Barack Obama Elected President of the United States of America

Take it in.

Sister Sarah She Ain’t

http://www.theroot.com/id/48601

Haterz

by Beve

There so many instances of hateration going on I don’t know where to begin. There’s the now famous instance of “terrorist” and “kill him” being shouted at a McCain/Palin rally. Or, the “bomb Obama” heard at a down-ticket rally for Saxby Chambliss.  Now some ballots in NY have turned up with “Barack Osama” written on.

Thoughts on the Looming Election

By Dr. Anon

As the debates draw to a close, and everyone’s fever for Election Day reaches blistering levels…

I hope you all take the time to become *informed* … TRULY INFORMED.

By all means, go and exercise your “ceremonial” right to vote, and may the best candidate prevail—but more so–May the People Prevail.

Many feel as if this election, with all of its historic implications, may usher in the Dawn of a New Amerikka…Indeed, I feel in these hopes–we are all like children, waiting on the promise of a good–true–word.  But this is the beauty of being child-like:  to have the capacity to dream, and the courage to pursue said dreams.

But, do not think that a Super-Structure such as Capitalism–which by it’s very nature fosters institutions of inequality–that such a beast will pass away the morning of November 5th.  That beast we’ve all been in bed with for too long, and our very core is saturated by its influence–the breath of its rhetoric is as a poisonous fume, suffocating our ability to not only dream of a different–a new PARADIGM, but to also have the Will Power to FIGHT for such.

Who am I, to hold such doubt in this *Grand* system of ours?  Who am I to share my sentiments of cynicism and contempt in the wake of this election?
I am but one of MANY–born in a foreign womb where Western Hegemony has always been the looping lullaby near the infant’s crib, hypnotizing the mind while coercing us to drink the hemlock of deceit from its bosom; I am one of MANY who was robbed of our ability to imagine a world where the shackles of oppressive systems could be obsolete, and instead–we had our dreams Dictated to us…One of MANY who have been directly and indirectly affected by the very mechanisms created to not only Build this country, but to allow its Oppressive system to self-perpetuate, and as much as we hate what we have often times felt from its bitter sting, we still seek to hold this system to its highest ideals.  We are still the lonely child who doesn’t give up on ‘Daddy’s’ promised visit, although the moments have leaped to multiple decades, and even centuries…still with no sign of ‘Daddy.’

We are encouraged to feel included in the dialogue of America, to profess our patriotism unto the end–all of this while lying on our backs with boots upon our necks–and we still scream AMERICA as we choke!

Those who profit from this SYSTEM need not actively feed us with its hegemonic melody; we have long since learned the tune, and have been humming it to ourselves and to one another, creating harmony in the discord…

What am I saying?  Is it that because of all of the crimes this SYSTEM has committed against the very souls who die and LIVE in/by its name –one should not exercise their rights to vote and fight to dream of a day when such atrocities –both blatant and sublime–will no longer be the lot of the people?  Emphatically, No!  Never in my short time on this Earth have I seen such an involvement in the political process by members of my generation, let alone several generations.  I applaud all who continue their struggle.

But consider this:  if the status quo remains in tact, and ultimately naught has changed save the representative faces who assist in maintaining this Systemic Mechanism, what then shall we do?  Will we have had enough of the looping melody?  Will we be prepared to aggressively Change the Tune?  And what of the consequences of those choices–will we have the courage to face ourselves?

I pray you all find what you seek in this election, or be prepared to TRULY exercise your RIGHTS.

Misery at St. Anna

by Theloniousjay

Spike Lee is a master of his craft and one of the great storytellers of African-American experience. Yet, even the great ones catch an L sometimes.

Lee’s public spat with Clint Eastwood over the absence of African-Americans from his much-celebrated war dramas was the biggest promotional device for Miracle at St. Anna. Regardless of which side of the argument one fell on, expectations for Miracle were high, especially after taking on a so-called god of the industry. Justified as his beef is however (though I would argue less with Eastwood than with the Hollywood way in particular), I had a nagging suspicion that whatever Miracle would be, it wouldn’t be on a plane with other war epics – for better or for worse.

The sour relationship between Lee and the Hollywood guard is no secret, so when I read a Variety review of the film’s bow at Toronto, I figured that others might follow suit.  That particular reviewer seemed to take a bizarre pleasure in using the word ‘nigger’ in his assessment, although there is neither rampant usage of the epithet in the film nor is it one long ‘blame whitey’ tirade. Several other reviews I noticed, from traditional newspapers to black entertainment blogs all seemed to have their penknives drawn as well. How bad could it be?

It’s pretty bad.

Viewers assume that the characters they are meant to care about are the four men we follow in the Buffalo Soldiers regiment. However, there is less effort spent developing them than on the gaggle of Italian supporting characters they meet in the Tuscan countryside. Only in snippets of poorly-written dialogue are the soldiers’ feelings about their involvement in the war made evident. Conversely, the story of Angelo, the lad whom the soldiers encounter along the war path and who certainly plays a crucial role in the final moments, gets full treatment. Add this to the stories of two sparring Italian Partisans, father-daughter tensions, and general Nazi mania and you have a recipe for a disorienting narrative progression. And even as someone who doesn’t frequent many war flicks, there isn’t enough action to hold you through 160 minutes.

I actually don’t have that much of a gripe with the lack of, as the soldiers put it, ‘boom boom.’ American war epics have never been attractive to me, partly because I know as an historian that black contributions to every American conflict since the Revolutionary War (what up, Crispus Attucks!) have been overlooked. Additionally, my own taste for drama in films skews toward subtle, psychological thrills and less so pyrotechnics. But, especially as the sculpted head that plays talisman to the narrative is the result of a battle at Florence, more combat scenes would have grounded the film and solidified its place in the war film canon.

What excited me about Miracle, despite its letdowns in other areas, was its ability to present a brand new perspective on familiar events without simply being a black Patton. Through the film, you can see hints of the soldiers’ frustration with a country that denies them freedom in spite of their having fought and died to grant it to others. Especially in an Obama year, any reminder of past struggles serves as a tool to advance and evolve the black American narrative. Even with the difficulties Lee faced in finding funding for the film, I’m sure other black filmmakers will meet the challenge to bring the myriad other stories to light.

The film’s greatest accomplishment, then, is in its ability to inspire viewers to extract their own significance from it – but unfortunately, that’s the only one. You could read the Wikipedia entry for that.

Election Ramble

by Rudolph

Man, this election is getting ridiculous.

Between snow machines, increasing foreclosures, right-wing Christians, “red-neck” baby daddies, economic collapses, and postponed debates (I didn’t know you could do that!). What’s next?

All this is happening while this country is at such a critical time. We are no longer the supreme empire that we once were—we are now teetering on the edge of third world status.

I don’t say that to add to the paranoia around the condition of our country, but rather, to encourage urgency in everybody, not only in our elected officials, but in ourselves. We can no longer believe that a free market will work for us. It never has, and it never will. Fortunately, while republicans have long stood by their belief that whatever is good for business is good for the people, they are now seriously retrenching and seeing the benefit of regulation. Unfortunately, we need bailouts in not only the financial sector, but also in the inner-ciy, in the classroom, in the hospital, and in the home.

With all that said, I believe that with every crisis, there is opportunity. We have an opportunity to get engaged in what’s going on, vote for someone responsible, and encourage our elected officials to think in a nuanced way about the economy, foreign policy, and the serious issues happening in our community.

Let’s be responsible in November.

Sidenote: I’m watching CNN and they’re showing clips of poor Senator McCain running around the capitol trying to find something to do while Congress was finishing up an increasingly urgent bailout. Meanwhile, Obama is so graciously holding himself back from blaming the man for holding everybody back, and Palin is looking like a blithering idiot with Katie Couric. Also, Wamu just failed.

Hello world!

Here’s to happy blogging!