While I was away doing my first full week of “Daddy Duty”…
so much was going on in the world! I must admit that sometimes my fingertips itched for a keyboard to broadcast my thoughts and questions, but I resisted. Now, however, I can let loose! Here are a few stories that caught my eye while I was away.
First, thanks for everyone who voted for me in the 2008 Black Weblog Awards. Faith in Action was a finalist in the running for best Faith-based site of the year, but we came up short. A blog called Gospel Fab won the People’s Award and The Infidel Guy Show won the Judges Award. (I must have gotten it wrong about this “Faith-based” Category. Gospel Fab is a gospel concert promotion site and The Infidel Guy Show is run by a self-described atheist. Not knocking the winning sites for what they do, but I thought that the category was supposed to recognize those who talked about…oh…I don’t know - their Faith maybe?) Again, thanks for everyone who voted for FIA and a special thanks to Chip for nominating this site. Click here for the full list of winners.
Now what in the world is going on in Detroit!?
This whole situation is a crying shame. The “Hip Hop Mayor” is going to jail. I remember reading a very inspiring article about Kilpatrick in Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s Trumpet Magazine a few years ago. It’s sad to see the Brotha fall like this. Who knew sitting mayors could get thrown in the slammer. Something in me wonders if this is an ominous foreshadowing of events for Baltimore.
Did anybody catch the Republican National Convention? I must admit, I loved it! Not for the talking heads who spewed venom into a highly amplified microphone broadcast across the world, but I loved the RNC and the DNC for that matter for the everyday citizens who interrupted the regularly scheduled puppet show to decry what is happening in this country. Live TV is great for so many reasons and The Uprising would not be hid from the focus of the government’s media glare. I saw “9-11 Truthers” disrupting “political” conversations, protestors giving riot police fits, and journalists like Amy Goodman getting arrested while trying to report what was going on outside the propaganda convention halls. Even the “ground noise and static” that was John McCain’s speech fell victim to the courageous expression of Code Pink and Iraq Veterans Against The War. Check out this vid of Iraq War Vet, Adam Kokesh, at the RNC Convention.
By the way, you’ll remember my admonition not to sleep on the Green Party, but keep your eyes open as well for the “Ron Paul Movement“.
Paul has attracted a very dedicated following which gathered in Minnesota to hold its own convention called the Campaign for Liberty after the Republican National Convention wouldn’t allow him to speak. Ron Paul’s convention brought together some 10,000 people! The “Ron Paul Movement” does a fantastic job of breaking through the mainstream blackout on their candidate. Ron Paul gets more coverage on mainstream media than any other grassroots or third party candidate and that’s largely due to the demands of his followers. They flood the mailboxes and clog the phone lines of mainstream press until Paul is invited as a guest. This political machine is very organized and strategic. In addition, I must admit that after watching Paul’s convention on the greatest show on television - CSPAN - I may have been baptized a bit into the Ron Paul pool. If there was ever a modern republican that I agreed with on some major policy issues, then Ron Paul is that republican. In a move to strike against the establishment, Paul will have a major press conference today encouraging his followers and all others disenchanted with the two-party political system in this country to vote for a third party candidate. Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, and Bob Barr are among the candidates invited to the press conference. I’ll post the vid as soon as I have it.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Congrats on the new addition to the Brown household!
I feel sorry for Kwame Kilpatrick. First, let’s not call him the “Hip-Hop Mayor”. He only got that title because he is under the age of 40, where everyone knows that the true hip-hop generation is 40 and over (do the math for yourself). Secondly, Kwame forgot to follow Player Rule #4,080 (”If you are going have a side breezy, don’t call and/or text her on the work phone!”) - this brother never heard of Hotmail???- and Rule #4,081 (If you get caught, man-up!!!). Did he not realize that lying in court of law is a crime??? I did some additional background research and found that Kilpatrick had several chances to avoid this outcome, but because of his arrogance he tried to fight the charges until it was crystal clear that he not only lied, but tried to cover up his mess with $8 million dollars of the taxpayers money in cash strapped Detroit. Although Kwame had all of the outside appearance of a person that was ready to lead with integrity, he still needed seasoning.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Kwame should have learned from what happened to Mayor Barry in Washington DC that black officials, and mayors, are not allowed to get away with what their white counterparts can get away it. I can recall when both Kwame and his mom, the Congresswoman, spake at one of our Congressional Black Caucus meetings. She was so proud of him and his turnaround from being an underachiever when he was in junior high and high school.
Like Bill Clinton and others, he knew that they were out to get him, why be so cavalier? And now they are after my man, the Wright Reverend! In either instance, the problem with men going after women has been with us before the foundation of the world. And kudos to Ron Paul and the individuals who support him. We must destroy this two Party system, it is redestroying America - what a joke. Consider the game playing that is going back and forth between the two campaigns.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Rev C., do you really think “they” were after Kwame like “they” were after Bill and now the beloved Rev. Wright? I think Kwame and Barry’s situations are similiar because they both were drunk with power and the feeling of invicibility that comes along with it. Kwame abused his power to cover his butt.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
To put K. Kilpatrick in the same sentence as Marion Barry is a crime. Kwame was a third rate knock-off who behind the strength of his mon rose to power. Detriot on a good day is like D.C. when King was killed. Be that the case, the black men in position of power seem to have a weakness for the females. Dr. King, Jesse, Barry, Kwame, the Wright Reverend(a white woman at that) and countless others. The one man who once he got on the straight and narrow and devoted his life to black people that didn’t get sidetracked was the great, great, Brother Minister……Malcolm X.