NBJC: Obama’s Reality on Civil Rights, Gay Rights

National Black Justice Coalition
1638 R Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009
www.NBJC.org


Obama’s Reality on Civil Rights, Gay Rights

Essay by Jason W. Bartlett
Deputy Director, NBJC

President Obama made powerful, significant statements at the June 29th LGBT Stonewall reception, but I fear that the most telling words have been lost by the mass media. Obama’s words relate to the intersection of sexuality and race, and they foretell the difficulty in moving the agenda forward—a mission the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) was founded upon and been advocating ever since our inception five years ago.

Many gay and lesbian people wonder how it can be that a Black President has not moved more quickly on LGBT rights. They ask out loud how it can be that President Obama does not see gay rights as the next frontier in our nation’s civil rights struggle. What many of my white gay brothers and sisters need to realize is that Obama absolutely understands the intellectual argument that equates advancing gay rights to America’s civil rights struggles. He said as much in his speech. But he is a President whose constituency—and I do not mean white, Middle America, but his constituency of Black Americans—does not stand with him or follow his argument on civil rights encompassing LGBT rights.

Obama’s enlightened perspective on the gay rights struggle is seen in his admonishment to himself: “It’s not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel African Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half century ago.”

This understanding of the LGBT disinclination towards patience—just as Black civil rights heroes could wait for justice no longer—was neither welcomed nor accepted by many in the Black community. The initial reaction to this argument was demonstrated by the popular radio personality Tom Joyner, who immediately took offense to the comparison the morning after Obama’s speech. During the debate on marriage equality on the Connecticut House floor, I personally heard murmurs and invective from an African American colleague who bemoaned the mention of civil rights heroes and struggles as the case was made for marriage equality. Some people take offense personally that white gays and lesbians would take inspiration from civil rights icons, as many have a feeling of ownership and personal attachment to the civil rights struggle and its philosophy.

Are these feeling legitimate? Or do they point to a wider incidence of homophobia in our Black community? President Obama noted in his remarks that that we need to open the hearts and minds of those that don’t fully embrace their “gay brothers and sisters.” He goes on to say that he has “…spoken about these issues not only in front of you, but in front of unlikely audiences—in front of African American church members…”

This statement is telling and provocative. It demonstrates that President Obama is clearly aware that a disproportionate number of African Americans are not ready to embrace gay rights. Who is willing to bridge this divide to make the demographic shifts necessary for politicians, the media and the country to move progressively on LGBT rights?

NBJC believes that President Obama is ready to do the hard lifting and we are prepared to assist him in this effort. We are also willing to challenge the homophobia that exists in our community. For example, we will be working with the NAACP at their centennial convention and encouraging their members to recognize that one of their own, Bayard Rustin—a leader and organizer of the 1963 March on Washington—was a gay Black man. This is something the NAACP has yet to do.

In addition, we call on our white gay brothers and sisters—just as President Obama did—to recognize that they have work of their own to do in communicating with communities of color. All too often, Black LGBT people extend our hand to work with our white colleagues, as we did in California on Proposition Eight, and all too often our white brothers and sisters stay frozen in a black/white construct that is still too separate and unwelcoming.

Many don’t recognize that this is the next battle. We believe President Obama will move the agenda forward, and NBJC will be just as diligent as other LGBT leaders in prompting our President towards action. We also look to Michelle Obama. She was at the reception as well, and many of us noted her presence and facial expressions that told it all; Michelle may be our fiercest ally.

It is the responsibility of all of us—Obama, Black leaders and White LGBT leaders working together—to persuade the President’s closest and most loyal constituency, communities of color, towards real progress.

AIG Gives Out Millions to Execs but Received Billions in Bail Out

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090316/ap_on_go_pr_wh/aig_outrage

I know that you all know that I am intelligent....but this shit right here makes me want to just cuss and slap the dirt shit out of somebody. The freakin audacity!!!

How DARE they receive $170 billion in bailout money but turn around and pay out over $170 million in bonuses to corporate executives. What in the hell are they being rewarded for? Being greedy? How in the hell does that work? What the hell kind of system is this? I am glad that the republicans are going off about this, actually I don't believe enough people have made enough noise honestly. (I will be composing my letters tomorrow when I get to work). Check out the link and read it for yourself....

Conscience Rule to Be Overturned

UNITED STATES: "Health Workers' 'Conscience' Rule Set to Be Voided"
Washington Post (02.28.09):: Rob Stein

The Obama administration recently proposed rescinding a US Health and Human Services regulation that shields health workers who refuse to participate in care they perceive as violating personal, moral or religious beliefs. The proposal will be subject to a 30-day public comment period, officials said.

Finalized in December, the HHS regulation accommodates doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health workers who refuse to perform abortion or assist in its provision and other similar services. Federal funding would be cut to state and local governments, hospitals, insurers, clinics, and other entities that do not obey the rule.

The regulation was sought by conservative groups who said health workers were increasingly subject to being fired, disciplined or otherwise penalized for trying to exercise their "right of conscience." The conservative Family Research Council and US Conference of Catholic Bishops, among other groups, condemned the Obama administration's move to rescind the rule.

However, women's health, family-planning, and abortion-rights advocates criticized the old regulation's language as being so broad as to potentially create a major barrier to health services.

"We've been concerned that the way the [Bush era] rule is written, it could make it harder for women to get the care they need," an HHS official said on condition of anonymity. "We recognize and understand that some providers have objections to providing abortions," the official said. "We want to ensure that current law protects them. But the Bush rule goes beyond current law and seems to have upset the balance."

A new rule would be more specific to abortion, the HHS official said. Some predict the new rule would ensure access to care while protecting workers who object to abortion.

Letter to NY Post From John Legend

Open Letter to the New York Post

Dear Editor:

I'm trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that's not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can't imagine what possible justification you have for this. I've read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It's about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I'm personally boycotting your paper and won't do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I'm well aware of our country's history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don't need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,
John Legend

Some Republican Governors Discuss Turning Down Stimulus Money

OMG! The madness has got to stop!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_bi_ge/bucking_the_stimulus

RECOVERY NOW ONLINE!!!!

(Taken from the website)

Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors. As soon as we are able to, we'll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics.

Increased STD Prevention Funding Via Stimulus Bill

UNITED STATES: "Economic Stimulus Bills Allot Millions for STD Prevention"
Washington Times (01.29.09):: Stephen Dinan

On Wednesday by a 244-188 vote, the House approved an $819 billion economic stimulus bill that included $335 million for STD prevention. The Senate version directs $400 million to CDC "for the screening and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV."

While the House measure passed, it was not without criticism. Some Republicans said earmarking money for fighting STDs makes no sense in a bill designed to get the US economy back on track. Following a personal appeal by President Obama, Democrats removed a separate $200 million set-aside that would have boosted contraceptive coverage under Medicaid.

The Senate is expected to debate its stimulus bill next week. That measure too will be challenged by Republicans. "Senate big spenders will never be underbid in wasting tax dollars. But how in the world does STD research create jobs?" asked Wesley Denton, an aide to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

But Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairperson of the Senate Appropriations health subcommittee, defended the allocation as one of the bill's noteworthy achievements, along with $870 million for pandemic influenza preparedness and $75 million for smoking cessation.

"This initiative includes grants to communities for health promotion, immunization programs, health screenings and counseling, smoking-cessation programs, scholarships and loan repayment for health professionals, research, and evidence-based disease-prevention strategies," said Harkin.

President Obama's Inaugural Speech

Bush Responds to Questions Upon His Exit

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090113/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

New Policy Permits Health Care Workers to Opt Out of Providing Care

UNITED STATES: "Rule Shields Health Workers Who Withhold Care Based on Beliefs"
Washington Post (12.19.08):: Rob Stein

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced broad new protections for health workers who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable. The ruling takes effect in 30 days, just before the change in administrations. It cuts federal funding to any entity that does not accommodate those exercising their "right of conscience." Certification verifying compliance is required of more than 584,000 health care organizations by Oct. 1, 2009. Implementing the rule will cost more than $44 million.

The 127-page rule covers numerous services, including the provision of birth control pills, Plan B emergency contraceptives, other contraceptives a worker might consider to be abortion, abortion, and issuing referrals to obtain such care. The regulation could also protect workers who object to providing care to unmarried people or gay men and lesbians. The language of the rule stresses it does not prevent an organization from providing any type of care.

Critics of the regulation are promising to lobby the Obama administration and allies in Congress to reverse it, while supporters vow to defend it. The American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Hospital Association, family planning groups, abortion rights advocates, and others oppose the rule. Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have introduced a bill to repeal it.

Officials at hospitals and clinics predict the rule will cause service disruptions and force family planning and fertility clinics, for example, to hire employees even if they would refuse to provide services.

"Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience," said HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. The regulation was championed by Concerned Women for America, the Catholic Health Association, abortion opponents, and other conservative groups.

For more information, visit http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-30134.htm.

The Daily Voice: Clarence Thomas Gunning for President-elect Barack Obama

Clarence Thomas pushes Obama citizenship case onto Supreme Court docket

Staff Reporter | Posted December 4, 2008 12:50 PM
http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/12/clarence-thomas-pushes-obama-c-001412.php




The controversial effort to challenge Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship got unexpected support when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pushed the issue onto the Court's docket for Friday after it had been rejected last month.

The Court will decide on Friday whether to consider a New Jersey case against Obama that charges the president-elect has not demonstrated his U.S. citizenship, as required by the Constitution.

The case, Donofrio v. Wells, was filed by Leo C. Donofrio against New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells and heard by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

On Monday, November 3, an application (08A407) for a "stay pending the filing and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari" was submitted to Justice David Souter, who denied the request on November 6.

A week after Souter's rejection of the case, the application was refiled and submitted to Justice Clarence Thomas. Instead of rejecting the application, Thomas distributed it to his colleagues, and the issue was scheduled for conference on Friday, December 5. A brief from Donofrio was filed the day before Thanksgiving and the conference is not set to take place, according to official Court records.

While the justices are convening inside the courthouse, demonstrators will be gathering outside for a vigil in support of the case.

The New Jersey case is one of several challenges to Obama's election, including a federal suit by Philip Berg from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Pennsylvania , and one by former presidential candidate Alan Keyes in California . The Supreme Court refused to hear the Berg case after the lower court held that the plaintiff lacked standing to bring the suit. Several other suits filed have been dismissed in Hawaii and Ohio .

The Obama campaign argues that Barack Obama is a naturally born U.S. citizen, born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961 and his birth certificate has been validated by officials in that state.

The latest move by Justice Thomas was first reported by the Washington Afro-American newspaper, which described it as a "highly unusual move."

The Electoral College is scheduled to meet on Dec. 15 to certify Obama as the next president of the United States .

"Donofrio is questioning Obama's citizenship because the former Illinois senator, whose mom was from Kansas , was born in Hawaii and his father was a Kenyan national. Therefore, Donofrio argues, Obama's dual citizenship does not make Obama 'a natural born citizen' as required by Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution," according to the Afro story.

After Souter rejected his case, Donofrio followed the rules of procedure for the Supreme Court and re-submitted the application as an emergency stay in accordance to Rule 22, which allows an emergency stay request to be given to another justice, at the choice of the petitioner, according to the Afro story.

"Thomas's actions were rare because, by custom, when a justice rejects a petition from his own circuit, the matter is dead," the Afro reported.

If the Court accepted the case and ultimately overturned the election results, it would be the second time in 8 years that the Court had intervened in a presidential election. Thomas, the only African-American member of the Supreme Court, famously participated in the controversial Bush v. Gore case in 2000.

In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state of Florida to suspend its recount of votes that could have determined the winner of the election. In the end, George W. Bush defeated Vice President Al Gore by 537 votes in the state of Florida .

Phill Wilson on World AIDS Day & Election of President-Elect Barack Obama

An Open Letter from Phill Wilson, CEO, Black AIDS Institute On the Election of President-Elect Barack Obama & The Potential to Strengthen the National AIDS Response

December 1, 2008

Today is World AIDS day and I'm thinking about President-elect Barack Obama. As a 52-year-old Black gay man with HIV, I have many reasons to welcome the inauguration of Barack Obama. A big one is that an Obama administration has enormous potential to reinvigorate a struggle that has been allowed to flag over the last eight years: our national fight against HIV/AIDS.

With our country facing so many national challenges - two wars, a financial meltdown, and the growing threat of environmental devastation - it may be tempting to relegate the AIDS epidemic to the lower rung of national priorities. Yet that would be a grave mistake. Every year, more than 56,000 people in this country contract HIV.

The devastation is worst among Black Americans, who represent nearly half of all new HIV infections, including two-thirds of the new cases among women and 70% of the new cases among adolescents.

AIDS clearly has affected certain groups more than others. But as Senator Obama said in 2006: "We are all sick because of AIDS - and we are all tested by this crisis. It is a test not only of our willingness to respond, but of our ability to look past the artificial divisions and debates that have often shaped that response."

AIDS, in short, is a sickness at the very heart of the American family. Like any family, America must respond to the sickness in its midst by displaying both solidarity for those who are living with HIV and a determination to make sure no one else gets infected.

We cannot relegate the AIDS fight to the government alone, not even with President Obama at the helm. So, here are several high-priority actions that Americans and our new government, together, should immediately take to reinvigorate our fight against HIV/AIDS:

Support efforts to develop a National AIDS Strategy

The U.S. government requires all foreign countries that receive assistance from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to have a national strategy to respond to HIV/AIDS. Shockingly, America has no national strategy for its own epidemic. No national targets are in place for reducing the number of new HIV infections or lowering the annual number of AIDS deaths. Multiple federal agencies own different pieces of the national AIDS response, yet in the absence of any national coordinating mechanism they stumble over each other, fight for turf, and leave critical priorities unaddressed.

President-elect Obama has committed to put in place a National AIDS Strategy. However, communities affected by AIDS - not bureaucrats -- must drive the development of this strategy.

Partner with the Obama administration to strengthen HIV prevention

HIV prevention accounts for a paltry 4% of total spending by the federal government on domestic HIV/AIDS programs. That's an outrage.

The Obama administration must make good on its campaign promise to strengthen national prevention efforts. Yet when opposition surfaces to needle exchange or school-based HIV prevention programs, we must speak out and persuade decision-makers that true "family values" don't allow more HIV infections to occur when proven methods exist to prevent them.

The disproportionate vulnerability of Black gay men to HIV infection stems in no small part from the prevailing stigma associated with homosexuality. If we are serious about lowering the rate of new HIV infections, we must actively oppose stigma and promote acceptance in our churches, schools, and local communities.

Make knowledge of HIV status a universal community norm

The CDC estimates that more than one in five people living with HIV don't know they are infected. Such people are often diagnosed late in the course of disease, which significantly reduces life expectancy. Late HIV testing also contributes to the spread of HIV, because people who are unaware of their infection are more than three times more likely to expose others to the virus as people who know they are HIV-positive. Here, too, our new President will need our help establish a social norm that every person should know his or her HIV status. We need to urge everyone to get tested, and to explain, again and again, the benefits of getting tested.

Deliver treatments to those who need them

In 2006, 15,000 Americans died of HIV-related causes. Yet, while our government's global AIDS efforts enjoyed double-digit increases each year between 2005 and 2008, categorical domestic federal programs for HIV treatment and prevention failed to keep pace with inflation. Especially scandalous is the lack of any funding increase for the Minority AIDS Initiative since 2004, even though nearly 100,000 Black Americans have become newly infected with HIV since that year. We need to insist that Congressional appropriators deliver the funding that is urgently needed to address this national priority.

Build community capacity on AIDS

Throughout much of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, mainstream Black organizations stayed on the sidelines. Thankfully, that has changed. Organizations like the Black AIDS Institute, the Balm in Gilead and the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS have assisted leading Black organizations and historically Black colleges and universities to develop organizational action plans on AIDS.

Unfortunately, we're still not where we need to be. In 2006, private U.S.-based foundations gave less than a tenth of their HIV-related contributions to activities in this country. Less than a tenth! While we continue to help Africa and other hard-hit regions, we need to put out the fire here at home.

The new administration offers enormous promise for a new day in our nation's long struggle against HIV/AIDS. However, President Obama and his team won't be able to reinvigorate the national AIDS response on their own. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Yes, we can!

Yours in the Struggle,

Phill Wilson

phillwilson@blackaids.org

Black AIDS Institute
1833 W. 78th St. Ste. 200
Los Angeles, CA. 90057-4257
213-353-3610

---

info@blackaids.org

http://www.blackaids.org

Just Stopped In.......

WOW!

Ok, so much has happened since the last time that I really came on and gave my thoughts to something. Mainly due to my increasing responsibilities at my primarily place of employment MOCHA and these darn college classes that are wearing me out (they always want me to write....lol).

So ok, as you all probably know by now, our new President-elect is Illinois Senator Barack Obama, but what some of you may not know is that he has literally hit the ground running in post-election strategy planning and meetings with officials in varying capacities. I am so in awe, I would be remiss if I didn't add that his acceptance speech brought tears to my eyes. For your review, in case you haven't watched it enough, I posted the clips below. This election and specifically the results, have made me feel very proud (for one of the first times in my life) to say that I am American. Finally, it appears that the glass ceiling has been obliterated and people can finally start to have open and honest dialog about their differences, while at the same time celebrating our similarities. To his credit, John McCain delivered a (seemingly) heartfelt speech giving much credit to the Obama campaign and his ability to mobilize American's around his platform. (There is so much to be said for community organizing!!!!!!!!).

Additionally in the news, Obama has started going about the business of identifying potential candidates for cabinet positions, being very clear about his intention to retain a bipartisian cabinet. The world has taken notice of American and our presidential selection, and I believe wholeheartedly that this election also did some potential healing of our international image.

***********
Obama Acceptance Speech Part 1

Obama Acceptance Speech Part 2

Martin: The Republicans Are Desparate

(CNN)--Watching Sen. John McCain and top Republicans swing wildly in their attempts to slam Sen. Barack Obama, with less than two weeks ago to go before Election Day, is like watching an old fighter --clearly out of gas, his legs turned to rubber, and all he can do is grab, hold, punch behind the back, just anything to try to win.

McCain's campaign is no longer about issues. He and his supporters want to bring up anything and everything to derail Obama, and nothing is sticking, so they just keep returning to their old bag of tricks.

In the past two weeks, we've seen Minnesota Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann make one of the most audacious statements ever, suggesting that Obama holds anti-American views, that other members of Congress have the same views, and that the media should launch a widespread investigation to ferret them out.

No, seriously, she said that on MSNBC's "Hardball."

It didn't take long for the folks on the left to get ahold of her comments. After the video spread like wildfire, Democrats across the country pumped $700,000 into the campaign coffers of her opponent. The normally talkative Bachmann is now on lockdown, not granting any interviews, as she has to work hard to hold onto her seat.

Then you have former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who was caught suggesting that if Obama wins, he is going to put in place the policies of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Now, Gingrich has absolutely no clue what policies Wright advocated, but he wants to scare the dickens out of voters by literally making stuff up about Obama.

Cindy McCain, who has barely moved her lips during this campaign, is now accusing the Obama campaign of running the dirtiest campaign ever, and lighting up the New York Times and others for their viciousness. Never mind what's happening in her own backyard with all of the false and outlandish comments coming from her husband, his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, and their supporters.

They are now in full blame-the-media mode.

Then you have both McCain and Palin slamming Obama for essentially being a socialist. We shouldn't be surprised that it's come to this because we already had radio hosts like Lars Larson, Glenn Beck and others trying to paint Obama for months as being a Marxist. Now the junior senator from Illinois is a student of Lenin!

This has totally gotten out of hand, but instead of trying to castigate Obama and tar and feather him, the Republicans should look inward and look at how their actions have seriously harmed this nation.

The Republicans ran Congress for six years. The Republicans have held the White House for the last eight years. The Republicans have advanced the deregulation agenda that played a major role in creating the financial mess we are currently in.

The Republicans have led the foreign policy we have in place that has destroyed the moral authority we once held. Their president is one of the most unpopular in history, so bad that he and Vice President Dick Cheney can't even come out of the White House to campaign on behalf of McCain because they are so reviled by Americans.

Can someone please remind these folks of this?

Every campaign says they want the election to be about the issues, but when McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis made it clear that they want it to be about character and not issues, well, we should have realized we would get to this point.

That's why we're hearing so much about Bill Ayers. That's why they've spent more time blasting out statements about ACORN than real policy points.

It's pretty sad, really. It's sad that instead of making it about a vision for America , they want it to be about the castigating of a good man. It's sad that McCain can't fully articulate an economic plan that encompasses all Americans, instead of redistributing income upwards to the super rich.

It's sad that his only answer to the economy is tax cuts, when we need a much broader answer.

Much can happen over the next 13 days. I've seen campaigns won and lost with less time on the clock.

McCain will continue to throw jabs, swinging wildly, ignoring the game plan he came into the fight with, hoping something -- anything -- connects against the jaw of his younger, more fluid opponent. And like any aging fighter, as the rounds tick away, he could get even more desperate and fearful. So hold on to your seats. Lord knows what will come out of the GOP side over the next 13 days.

Editor's note: Join Roland S. Martin for his weekly sound-off segment on CNN.com Live at 11:10 a.m. ET Wednesday. If you're passionate about politics, he wants to hear from you. A nationally syndicated columnist, Martin has said he will vote for Barack Obama in November. He is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith" and "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America ." Visit his Web site for more information.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama; Criticizes McCain

Barack Obama

What must it feel like?

To carry the hopes and dreams of an entire race of people on your shoulders?

As much as I hate to say it, I know beyond a doubt that the next four weeks are going to be nasty. He's leading, and there are people who simply cannot stomach the idea of his beautiful family living in the White House. There will be smears, all sorts of slander and lies, the likes of which you've probably rarely seen. So everyone, please, we MUST pray for this man!

And please . . . make sure you VOTE! Vote early if you can!

McCain Endorses Threats to Obama

McCain was speaking today in New Mexico, doing his usual personal attack on Barack Obama, as the stock market plummeted (you can see the ticker next to McCain, dropping as he speaks - an apt reminder of what McCain was refusing to talk about today), and McCain asked the crowd "who is Barack Obama?" Immediately you hear a McCain supporter yell "terrorist." McCain pauses, the audience laughs, and McCain continues on, not acknowledging, not chastising, not correcting.

This is the man that many of you apparently want as President? Someone who would irresponsibly endorse hatred and violence? I am truly appauled, not by his actions (because I expect this from him); but at the American people whose values and perspective are in alignment with his.....

THIS IS REALLY SOME SCARY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!

Countdown Special Comment on Sarah Palin' Hysteria (OWNED!)

Special Comment from Keith Olbermann on McCain / Palin Attacks on Barack Obama

KEATING ECONOMICS: John McCain & The Making of a Financial Crisis

John McCain wants you to forget about his role in our country's last major financial crisis and costly bailout: the savings and loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s.

But voters deserve to know that the failed philosophy and culture of corruption that created the savings and loan crisis then are alive in the current crisis -- and in John McCain's plans for our economic future.

We just released a short documentary about John McCain's role in that financial crisis -- watch it now and share it with your friends:

http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo

Voters should know the facts about John McCain's poor judgment -- judgment that has twice placed him on the wrong side of history.


Thanks,

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

What They Don't Want To Talk About

Obama for America

Stephaun -- Over the weekend, John McCain's top adviser announced their plan to stop engaging in a debate over the economy and "turn the page" to more direct, personal attacks on Barack Obama. In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they want to change the subject from the central question of this election. Perhaps because the policies McCain supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend. But it's not just McCain's role in the current crisis that they're avoiding. The backward economic philosophy and culture of corruption that helped create the current crisis are looking more and more like the other major financial crisis of our time. During the savings and loan crisis of the late '80s and early '90s, McCain's political favors and aggressive support for deregulation put him at the center of the fall of Lincoln Savings and Loan, one of the largest in the country. More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion. Sound familiar? In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee. The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts -- and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain. So at noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, we're releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis" -- it will be available at KeatingEconomics.com, along with background information that every voter should know. Watch a preview right now and share it with your friends. The point of the film and the web site is that John McCain still hasn't learned his lesson. And this time, McCain's bankrupt economic philosophy has put our economy at the brink of collapse and put millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes. Watch the video to see why John McCain's failed philosophy and poor judgment is a recipe for deepening the crisis: http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo It's no wonder John McCain would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack's character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters. But if we work together, we can make sure the focus stays on the economy -- and how to fix it. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Thanks, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America P.S. -- The documentary will be live at noon Eastern at www.KeatingEconomics.com.

Paid for by Obama for America This email was sent to: stephaunelite@yahoo.com To unsubscribe, go to: http://my.barackobama.com/unsubscribe