On the Next . . . Sick, Sad, World

As if this world isn't sick enough.
Must we endure George H.W. Bush slobbering all over Barbara.

ew. Ew. EWWWW!!!!

Toledo WHAT! Rollin' Hard in the 'Ledo!

Please excuse my ghetto demeanor, but I just had to say that. If you haven't heard or watched CNN over the weekend of October the 15, 2005, you may not have noticed a slight skirmish of a story in Ohio. Apparently, the self-proclaimed Nazi party of the United States decided to march in Toledo, Ohio in protest over a dispute a local white resident was having with black gangs. OK so far. I have nothing against people exercising their first amendment rights, even if I don't agree with them. HOWEVER, my problem is with the chosen venue and the history of the two, three, and four groups involved.

First of all, most protestors do not march throughout residential neighborhoods. These events usually take place at a courthouse, capital building, etc. But let us just say that this protest needs to happen in a residential area. Fine. They received proper approval. Fine. My question involves judgment of the city's officials, especially the mayor, who is black. Here is the question:

Why would you knowing allow a group known for inciting violent reactions and behaviors to march in an environment where violence is inevitable? I know that the black mayor does not want to be sued by Nazis because he would not allow them the freedom of speech, but at the same time he has a commitment to his citizen to keep them safe. Were the citizens of Polish Village (where the march was to take place near) given the chance to dialogue about this group's visit? Were the black citizenry (also where the march was to take place around) given this option?

I know that part of town and it is predominantly black and poor. With the history of violence, of lynching, of rape, of cutting off penises and displaying them in pickle jars on corner stores; why do you think these people reacted this way? Black people did the 'ignore it and it will go away' all the way up to the 60's. Yet there are still states that have not made lynching illegal, just as the federal government had not done years before.

If someone is known for killing you, why would you allow them free reign to advocate it in front of your house?

I'm not saying that the violence was justified, but it damn sure wasn't unexpected. The City of Toledo needs figure out if the citizens' rights are worth sacrificing versus hatemonger visitors'. Because of a dim-witted move by the city's administration, damage was wrought, people were injured, tempers were heightened, and hate was fed.

To the Administration of Toledo, Ohio: Pick up a fucking chess set and learn how to play the game.
To the Nazis: In the words of George W. Bush - Mission Accomplished.

UFO Freakiness!!!

OK kids. It's Halloween time and also my favorite season. So you will have to bear with me as I post some spooky (meaning "scary" and/or CIA) happenings.

Today's feature is UFOs (Unidentified Flying Object to those not in the know). There are Google maps of the US with sightings data from the National UFO Reporting Center. Here is a bit of the September 2005 visualization.

FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN INTERNET BANK CONTINUES

(October 3, 2005) — BankBlackwell (in organization), the first-ever African-American Internet Bank, has extended the completion date for its public stock offering to February 23, 2006. BankBlackwell is offering up to 1,664,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $10.00 per share. The Bank is offering its common shares directly to individuals and institutional investors.

BankBlackwell is pursuing a national grass-roots capital raising campaign that seeks to place Bank ownership in the hands of the community it serves. BankBlackwell is dedicated to creating wealth in the African-American community and is seeking investors who live in and support our community.

BankBlackwell intends to operate as a savings bank focused on offering selected financial services over the Internet to African-American individuals and churches and to all customers who seek value and convenience. BankBlackwell has received approval from the Office of Thrift Supervision to organize a federal savings bank and from the FDIC for federal deposit insurance.

www.bankblackwell.com.

Really . . . who knew?

I really have no explanation for this or this.

It was an off day.

Have You Seen This Man . . . Blog???

This has to be one of the greatest blogs I have read. It fits my sense of humor to a 'T'. Definitely someone to watch. Grrr.

Better Take Your Vitamins Before You Protest, Boys and Girls

Now I'm not too much of a tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist, but take this into consideration. On September 24th during an Iraq War protest, which featured the controversial Cindy Sheehan, the environmental air monitors picked up something strange on DC's national mall. Apparently, these monitors that help to detect signs of bio/chemical terrorism picked up evidence of a small amount of the disease agent Francisella tularensis, commonly known as "rabbit fever".

Now only 5% of untreated cases are fatal, but it does make for an uncomfortable time for the 95% majority. The non-contagious disease causes sudden fever, chills, muscle aches and pneumonia-like symptoms but is easily treated with antibiotics. Now this is a rare thing to find on the national mall when the majority of the 200 or so annual cases are in rural environments. Most people get infected with direct contact with a rabbit carcass (hence the name) or with a tick or other insect. My question:

Why was this rare, rural bateria air-borne and circling our nation's capital during a war protest with enough concentration to be detected by a BioWatch system?

All I'm saying is make sure you take your vitamins before you protest, boys and girls. Or at the very least, take a face mask.

Google "Cronyism", Watch the Bush Administration Roster Fly By

By now, all Americans should know (or at the very least speculate) that governments are not build to tell its citizens the truth. The purpose of government is for people to come together and do things for the common good that we otherwise could not do alone. That said, what government has become is a giant baby-sitter for adults who only need to be sat sometimes. Government is there to keep us from killing each other in our irrational, irresponsible momentary lapses in judgment. It is a good thing.

However, the government is run by the same sometimes irrational, irresponsible people it is attempting to protect. That is why we use our basic documents (U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights) for guidance. All good. Now flash forward to the conformation of Judge Roberts and the nomination of Harriet Ellan Miers (???) to the Supreme Court for lifetime (LIFETIME!) appointments. These are the people who will be interpreting how our laws benefit the common good. Roberts who could not answer the question "Would you agree that the opposite of being dead is being alive?" in a straightforward fashion. This administration is the most pitiful and underhanded I have seen. All governments lie. That is a fact. The primary reason they do is to, supposedly, protect its people. The name of protector given to this administration is a misnomer. Just as in the case of Mike Brown, someone is being shoveled through under the guise of our best interest when in reality it is just cronyism. If you cannot give a judgment in a confirmation hearing (Roberts) or you have no experience as a judge (Miers), how can you be expected to do your job? Lifetime appointment. That is the most frightening thought ever.