Lip Plumper - Shopping Tale of the Exploding Lips

I thought my favorite lipstick had been discontinued three years ago. So imagine my sheer glee when a Sax make up guy with an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt found a handful in the samples section. But like any woman who's about to spend an unusually high amount for a tube of gloss, I decided to survey the counter to make sure this was in fact the best bang for my buck. And that's when I ran across The Plumper.

"That's a plumper," Brad remarked, very bright eyed and bushy tailed as I surveyed the rival shimmery bronze. "It gives you full fantastic lips. It's so hot right now."

"What do you mean it gives you full fantastic lips?" Surely, Brad must have found something ironic about sharing the virtues of full lips to an African American woman, but he proceeded to explain anyway.

According to Brad, the plumper had ingredients that made your lips fuller, sexier, hotter to which I responded to myself "Yeah, right."

"Is that safe?" I asked Brad, recollections from killer beauty doc American the Beautiful still haunting me. He smiled that "I guess we'll know in ten years" kind of smile and I agreed.

But with one swab of the plumper, my lips started to tingle and burn, like I'd painted them with liquid Tic-Tacs and acetone. Brad said I'd get used to it and as I waited for the icy fire to a wane I looked in the mirror noticed this plumper had one heck of a gleam. Tingle aside, the plumper gave my favorite gloss a run for it's money in pure shine factor, and after having a bevy of sales guys do a cross cultural lipstick comparison, I said to heck with my discontinued favorite and bought the plumper.

Let me remind you, the plumper was not made for me, my family or any one totally unconcerned with lip size. The whole culture of collagen injected lips is stamped with a does not apply sign in my life world and affairs. So why buy the plumper? Well, I didn't expect it to work. I figured it was another cosmetic industry scheme like at home teeth whiteners or hair growth stimulators, some new product who's effectiveness is hard to measure.

Well, it took all of five minutes for me to walk from the across Michigan Ave. to my car before I realized this Plumper stuff was potent. My lips were ice cubes, stinging into numbness. It felt like the Black Hawks were playing ice hockey on my pucker. My heart started racing like I'd ran a marathon and I could feel the icy hot sheets formerly known as my lips expanding like glaciers. By the time I got to the car and checked the rearview mirror, I looked like a bee had stung me in the kisser. To which I said "I'm taking this crap off."

I ran back to Sax, testing the limits of the 15 minute parking breaks zone, found Brad and made a switcheroo before scrubbed that plumper crap off.

"Dude, that tingly feel never goes away," I said. "And my heart was pounding."

"Yeah, that's what the other customers say. Not everyone likes it"

"No kidding."

I did some reading on the phenomenon, and apparently the plumper is the rage in make up circles. There are a host of review and product sites. Some formulas use a traditional lip-plumping ingredient that stimulates collagen and boosts hydration. Others use ingredients that help retain moisture, which gives lips the appearance of being fuller. Some work, some don't.

But don't expect any more plumper updates from me. I'm done with the icy hot bee sting.

A Voters Headache: Terrorists, Bradley Effects and McCain's Defense

All these rumblings regarding Sen. Barack Obama and his mythical terrorist ties now have Sen. John McCain nervous. After launching a Republican lead smear campaign with Gov. Sarah Palin tying Obama to radicals and rumer mills falsifying a Obama Muslim upbringing, it appears that the nastiness of it all and the increased racially cloaked remarks from audiences at McCain affairs caused McCain to defend his opponent.

If Obama does win, McCain said, reassuring a voter, you have nothing to fear. "He's a decent man, a family man."

Gee, thanks.

I can't commend someone for taking an action they're supposed to take, but there is an irony in that the McCain campaign stoked these fears intensely over the past week and after some disturbing commentary with news cameras in attendance, had a change of heart and decided to back off.

I'm not sure if this was sincere or just another ploy to win voters. But I can say that the fear tactics are highly aggravating. And they're not working.

When people are worried about their retirement savings, keeping their jobs, and trying to figure out how to keep up with mortgage payments, they could care less about a connect the dots affiliation between a presidential candidate and a former radical.

Speaking of being annoyed, I'm also bothered with the new found media infatuation with the Bradley Effect, a phrase coined after the former L.A mayor was predicted to win as governor of California. Pollsters later found that many white Americans reported they would vote for Bradley but changed their minds in voting booths due to Bradley's race. Some argue that the Bradley effect could play a role in Obama's race and that his slim lead in the polls is not due say an upswing in Obama voters tired of the economic downturn, but rather a result of some indiscernable number of white voters lying to pollsters.

But the Bradley race was 20 years ago. While I get that their aren't many high level races with African American candidates to compare Obama's campaign, too, I think the analysis of the Bradley Effect is totally misleading and that the same elements aren't applicable in the Obama race. While a casual debate on the matter may be entertaining to some, there is no quantifiable data to substantiate or explain its relevance in this election.

Frankly, between these terrorist charges and Bradley effects fears, I've been highly annoyed by recent campaign tactics and coverage. Rehashing old news to fan fears is a strategy we were all familiar with in the primaries.

The real issue is the economy. Obama's position on the economy was strong before the current market flip flop and it's ironic that his knowledge on this matter may be the key to victory.

VP Debates- The Non Answer to Your Own Question

Expectations for Gov. Sarah Palin's debate performance were so low, that short of her collapsing on stage, she'd be applauded by her supporters.

Really, is she supposed to get points because she can pronounce Ahmadinejad?

However with debate strategy now topping the headlines, I too have a question.

When did not answering the question become a suitable debate strategy?

Palin was incredulous in her decision to answer what she wanted to answer and in some cases not addressing the question at all.

While one could possibly get away with changing the subject on a question or two, to design an entire game plan around avoiding the question and instead raising your own questions to answer is perplexing. Knowing how confusing her non answers would be she remarked and 'that she might not answer the questions the way Biden or the moderator may want her too but will speak directly to the American people.' Yeah, well, the moderator is there because the American people can't exactly get their questions answered by yelling at their flatscreen.

But in an attempt to take control, Palin decided to ask her own questions, which she didn't bother to answer either.

Furthermore, when did winking at the camera become acceptable in a debate format? Call me observant, but Gov. Palin winked at the camera at least three times. Coy flirtatiousness may work fabulously for actresses on Leno, but to inject the wink in a vice presidential debate is absurd.

Sen. Joe Biden proved himself to be knowledgeable, wise and passionate on foreign and domestic affairs. Some feared that his style might be too overbearing for Palin, another backhanded smack to the progress of women (implying a that a woman can debate a man 'aggressively.') However, Biden was incredibly diplomatic, flipped McCain's 'Maverick' monitor on it's head, and linked McCain's policies to President Bush's. Palin, oddly didn't rebut any of Biden's attacks on McCain, seeming to stick to tried and true info she'd memorized instead. She also made some very odd remarks regarding the expansion of the Vice President's role that were diametrically opposed to the U.S constitution.

I don't want to be a Palin basher. I would hope that despite differences in ideology, she would at least prove herself to be a capable leader on the world stage. I too am a woman. But while she may have guts and drive, that alone is not enough to lead our nation.

Don't Take My Debate TV

I thought my ears were deceiving me when I heard that John McCain aimed to cancel the presidential debate and suspend his campaign.

I flipped to WVON, caught a snippet and ran to my laptop to verify. There is was, confirmed on the New York Times website.

McCain wants out.

So much for those ballroom, bar and hall rentals. I have received more emails for debate parties and viewings in the past two weeks than I can count. News radio, tv and web banners are hyping the debate like it's a heavyweight champion fight.

I guess it is, well, if it happens.

Supposedly, McCain wants to take these precious two days to work on the economy. Wisely, Barack Obama stated that with just 40 days left until the leader of the free world takes the reigns, the American people deserve to know the candidates' views on the matter and wants the debate to go on.

The story goes that Obama initiated the call to McCain, suggesting that they make a joint statement regarding the economy. Six hours later, McCain jumped the gun and made his crash and rash announcement, taking Obama's good intentioned jesture a step further and recommended ending the debates.

It's this assumption that the American people are idiots that I take issue with. Obama's numbers are up, McCain has repeated frequently that the economy is his weak point, he's not the most intriguing speaker in the world and the haste to cancel the debate makes McCain look like he's running scaird.

There is no spin to make this action look lofty. Citizens deserve to see their presidential candidates debate during this unique time.

The debate should go on.

Economy Matters- Dumb it Down

With the economy being the talk of the town, I've found myself either talking to people who are de facto economy experts or explaining to people just what the heck is going on.

I've probably done a little more of the later than the former. In fact, I found myself in a circuitous explanation on the whole affair with my mom for like an hour. In my attempt to be as simple and thorough as possible, I realized that I had a hard time explaining it in part because the concept of a mortgage backed security doesn't really make any sense. How can you create an industry that people invest in backed by a debt bundle with no actual or liquid value? But that's another conversation.

At any rate, while watching political pundits on TV turned economic experts, I've discovered something else.

Explaining the mortgage backed security fiasco cannot be done in a sound-bite.

There's no condensing this stuff. Forget making the whole matter neat and easy for the common man. There are no winning sports analogy, no bare knuckle moose wrestling metaphors, and no patriotic slogans to explain this mess.

While I've heard a few commentators manage to at least de economize the language, I still hear people tossing in peanut gallery remarks that have nothing to do with the matter at all.

Politicians with any savvy know that if you can't say it in a soundbite, you might as well not say it at all. That's in part what's happening. People are trying to spoon feed an elephant. If you're talking to an audience who get skittish when explaining stocks, well you still owe them a hearty expression on the matter. Pull out some charts, make some graphics, anything but don't act like a few cowboy quips will put those who don't know at ease.

There are so many misguided catch phrases tossed around to sway the masses on the government Wall Street bail out blaming "overcompensated Wall Street CEOs" or "they're giving money to the people who got us in this mess and not the people who lost their homes." There's even a proposed march planned on Wall Street, which I don't understand either.

Oddly, Pat Buchanan was one of a handful of political pundits turned economist who explained the whole deal in a comprehensive three sentences. I was impressed. Barack Obama proposing that American citizens be viewed as investors and should benefit from the upside of their tax dollars in a bail out. A smartly worded statement as well.

While, the television medium is not typically the home for complex brain activity, when it comes to explaining the economy in this day and age, it has to be.

Family That Preys - The Return of the Smack

I saw The Family That Preys Together last night.

I won't review it. And I won't ruin the ending, but I do have a question which analyzes a scene, which implies the trajectory of one of the characters, which could be a spoiler, so read with caution.

That said, drum roll please . . .

Is there ever a justifiable reason for a man to smack a woman? Is the movie smack back?

Sanaa Lathan's character, a savvy corporate woman who loathes her blue collar husband (Rockmond Dunbar) is having an affair with her high profile boss. She makes some pretty heated comments, spewing some lines that no woman with any sense would ever say to a man without either a can of mace in her hand or her foot on a gas pedal, bags in the trunk, while pulling off on a drive way. At any rate, she makes these mind blowing revelations to her husband in front of the rest of the fam and POW, her mild manner husband smacks the beejeezes out of her and she goes flying over the counter. No one runs to her aid, no family tackles the husband. The next scene, her mom is icing her down and I believe the sister, played by Taraji Henson says something like "Wow, I never saw him that angry before."

I'm not saying her revelations weren't worthy of a smack. I'm not saying that the do good husband didn't have his reasons. I'm just saying I didn't exactly like the repercussionlessness of it all. Domestic violence is domestic violence, justifiable smack down or not. And I was uncomfortable with the fact that all is fair in love and war, including a heavy handed man knocking out a woman.

Before you answer, I have to refer to that comic genius Chris Rock who said no one is above a beat down, just don't do it. "There's a good reason to kick an old man down a flight of stairs," he said. "Just don't do it."

Back in the 30s flicks, women were smacked all the time. With the changing of the times, education on domestic violence, the justifiable man smack had disappeared from film imagery.

So while, the smack might move along the plot, I echo my comedic hero. "Just don't do it."

TKO - Economy sends lipstick gate packing

The economy trumps lipstickgate this week.

Thank goodness.

Despite my self imposed temporary exile from 24 hour cable political news viewing due to last week's Palin overdose and the global pig attack, I am still avidly listening to radio and of course reading. And it's great to see everyday people having hearty water cooler conversations about financial instruments and institutions and actually wrestling with some of the real causes of the overhauls in the market instead of being the ra ra squad for political propaganda football.

It's a thumbs up to the Democratic process that analysis of strategy for the moment has taken a back seat to the real issues that citizens of all walks of life are experiencing - issues that our presidential candidates should be addressing in the first place.

But Obama for the most part has been trying to divert the conversation back to the economy for some time now. But news outlets treated his speeches as a teaspoon of cod liver oil compared to the cotton candy antics of the Palin/'McCain camp (My inversion's intentional). He had to toss in some rogue small town metaphors about a pig to wedge his economic arguments back into the limelight. Too bad it took the sudden closing and sale of some of the nations oldest financial institutions for the economy to top the news line up.

That said, I think it's the problem solving aspect rather than the dooms day angle of the economy that concerned people should be engaging themselves in. To quote Melody Hobson of Ariel Capital who spoke on Al Sharpton's show earlier today, the worst is over and done with. Now it's time for the work.

Books Ink - Knight in a Shining Bookstore

I'm a bookstore addict. Give me a cup of tea, a magazine rack and a couple of bookcases and I'm in readerholic's paradise.

So imagine my excitement when I attended the reopening of Books Ink, a quaint bookstore in the Beverly area of Chicago. I was knighted to teach a screenwriting class there at the end of the month (SHAMELESS PLUG at the end of the story).

In the age of Amazon and the omnipresent chain store it's cool to see someone who is dedicated to the cause of the independent. Nearly 100 people came out. It was very community friendly affair with tables for self published authors promoting their works a host of raffles, and the chipped in services of a coffee shop. After my hunger induced visits to the cake and pasta line, I made my bookshelf rounds and was surprised to find a unique collection of books including a novel on Ira Aldridge, the Shakespearean actor who toured Europe in the 1800s; a biography by fashion editor Andre Leon Talley; a self published book on the first black catholic priest, and a children's book on Barack Obama.

It was a reminder that independent bookstores are incredible relevant and versatile, despite the competition, - a fact, that futurist, I'm sure, are boggled over.

The concept of the book on demand, online orders has revolutionized the book business. While searching online for books works great if you know what you're looking for it's totally overwhelming for browsers.

Books Ink, founded by Constance Shabazz featured mostly hard to find readers on African American life. Although most major bookstores have popular titles, rare books are still hard to come by. They are even harder to find if you don't know they exist.

Moreover, there are a watershed of self published writers looking for homes and launching pads for their work. While Internet presence is a must, a brick and mortar site can't hurt, and is a great companion tool for grassroots marketing.

But the coolest thing is that Books Ink doubles as a community resource hosting book readings, book clubs and classes (SHAMELESS PLUG: I'm teaching a screenwriting class there beginning Monday, Sept. 29th).

After doing a series of writers workshops, I've found that the need for accessible writing/book friendly classes are a must have in our communities.

So during a time when technology connects us more than ever, opportunities to bond in person are increasingly precious.

Cheers to the indie bookstore. May they continue to thrive.

Books Ink is located at 1835 W. 103rd. Call 773-445-9984 for details on Screenwriters Ink Courses.

Lipstick Politics and the Pytharorean Theorem

Feeling shut in by the McCain/Obama lipstick debates, I decided to cruise through the aisles of Borders and find something intellectually stimulating to take me away from the absurdity of the political sphere.

It was a bit difficult at first, trying to find the magazine without Gov. Palin and the shotgun, so I made a hard left to a section where I could be modern day election free - The Greek Classics.

I flipped through Antigone, as if reading it for the first time and found it to be unusually refreshing considering it's a Greek Tragedy. Antigone was bold one and prone to giving life or death "keep ya head up" kinds of speeches. The section was home to the Iliad and the Odyssey. I think subconsciously I was looking for the impossible dream of Greek writing - - - a new ancient Greek story. My search beat hearing rehashed opinions on barracudas and pit bulls and pigs and make up, so I decided to hang around the section a little longer.

That's when I discovered The Music of Pythagoras, by Kitty Ferguson.

Being an HBCU grad, Clark Atlanta University to be specific (GO PANTHERS), Greek history lessons were always buffered with the reminder of its Egyptian and Babylonian influence. So any mention of Pythagoras and his theorem was always quickly followed with "well you know the Babylonians knew that 2000 years before" or "he studied it in Egypt." Naturally, the book did nothing to contradict this. But Pythagoras was always a point of curiosity for me. Whenever I read up on ancient middle eastern history, Greek culture, or early Christian history, a sect of Pythagorean followers always popped up, so I figured I should read up on him.

Plato referenced him as the original philosopher king, a guy who's teachings changed Croton society and ultimately influenced Greek and eventually Roman culture. He was also in a quest for the mathematical order to everything.

On another day, I might have looked right past it, but the day before, I was talking to a friend of mine and we glossed over higher level math and joked that if I taught a math class I'd probably wind up making the kids do a play on formulas (not quite sure how we got on that topic), so when I saw the book I figured it was synchronicity.

And it's pretty doggone interesting, in part because there's so little known about Pythagoras, and what is known falls in the realm of folklore. But not only do they know very little about his personal life, there's also a total information gap regarding what this Samian taught. Pythagoras had a school and followers that lasted for centuries. What they taught exactly is a mystery.

The book came out this year, so it's the latest of the latest on Pythagoras. I give it a thumbs up.

It beats lipstickgate any day.

My Nightly Love Affair - Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews

I've been trying to ween myself off of my political news junkie syndrome and was hoping I could write something on bikram yoga, leadership frays, the falling of the leaves.

But just as I was about to write some diatribe on the blight of orange on the city's foliage, my heart skipped a beat. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews were removed from their nightly political coverage beats. They will do commentaries for the rest of the presidential election.

I was surprised.

Obviously Olbermann, a little more than Matthews, were Barack Obama supporters. But with right wing charges of overt liberalism, media elite Obama bias and Sarah Palin criticisms paraded by spinmasters as sexism, these two journalists were ripe for the blame.

I always thought of Olbermann's Countdown show as the anti Bill O'Reilly. Reilly, a right wing zealot is on at the same hour, and a segment of each Countdown show was dedicated to his demise. But during a time when virtually no political coverage isn't washed over in bias, I thought Olbermann's wit and honest criticisms, though favoring liberal thinkers was a nice counter balance to other coverage I've watched. Olbermann had a left leaning, usually younger audience that found another home away from reports via Internet, that addressed concerns from their perspective.

Matthews, on the other hand, who in my opinion gave keen, honest assessments on Hardball, a benefit from his days in the political trenches, seemed to merely find Obama's efforts more genuine than the McCain campaign. He was equally vigilant in questioning both sides, but was more impressed with team Obama in the end. Either way, I don't think this took away from his reporting ability, and frankly I'll miss his laser direct questions.

But I do look forward to their commentaries. No longer tied to walking the line of journalistic balance, I'm sure their zany opinions will be even more pointed. The dogs, so to speak, have been let loose.

Can't wait to tune in.

Palin Overdose - Escape from Alcatraz

I officially had a Palin Overdose, yesterday.

I think I might petition the American Medical Board or whatever organization you reach out to when it's time to report an undiagnosed ailment, because this thing is serious.

It's my fault, really.

Yesterday, I hopped to the laptop piping early and made the crucial mistake of turning on cable news and never turning it off.

As the news unfurled with analysis after juicy analysis, a 12 hour preshow to Sarah Palin's career defining speech, I think I heard every possible spin and strategy assessment repeated a gazillion times, each time with a slightly different twist to keep me hanging and wanting to hear the next analysis and rebuttal.

And it's not like I did nothing all day. On my way to my morning meeting, WVON had a lively discussions about the condemnation of teen pregnancy.

After the meeting NPR was talking about Palin's extreme conservatism.

When I got back to the office, it was more nonstop- Palin. The investigation regarding her brother, new revelations about her husband, her pastor; photo ops with McCain with her pregnant teen daughter and boyfriend.

It was inescapable. I wrote maybe two stories or so, did some interviews and had some conference calls. But in between every working moment I heard a new twist on Palin.

Her name must have bounced off my ear drums at least 12,000 times. Which is odd because it had never bounced off my ears before.

As the hour of the speech grew near, I found myself feeling claustrophobic.

Someone reminded me that Venus and Serena Williams were playing tennis as well.

"You've gotta be joking?" I said, speeding through the streets looking for an impenetrable Palin zone, shocked that something else was actually going on in the world.

I drove to my self proclaimed workout cottage and did several dozen butterfly kicks. I almost forgot this Palin fever. I felt refreshed, renewed. There is, apparently, something else going on in the world besides Palin's pending speech. But just when I thought I'd escaped the web of political spin I went to to freshen up and her speech was blaring on the TV screen.

So I watched it. I felt it was my duty after all the hype to have an opinion on it.

Obviously, I didn't agree with any of it. But that's not the point.

The point is, that when I returned to my fair laptop, my TV set was still on and the analysis was in full steam. But I was too deluded from stream of consciousness politico clouds in my brain that I couldn't turn it off. Weary, I fell asleep. But the news was still on, rewiring my dream sleep with enough political strategy to make me conjure up a few during REM zone myself.

I should probably call a campaign manager and share them.

Nevertheless, when I woke up, I felt like I hadn't gone to sleep.

Calm was only restored when a self imposed silence doubled as my aspirin and I was able to regain consciousness.

Boy, what a nightmare.

Marie the Flame, McCain and the Pin Drop

I really don't think I should know Marie the Flame of Florida.

But thanks to my devotion to political conventions, now I do.

I was editing some business stories last night while former Tennessee Senator and actor Fred Thompson was praising John McCain at the convention. The TV in one room and me in another, it was my preventive measure to stay work focused while still hearing convention rhetoric without being fully devoted to it.

Nevertheless, with a southern drawl and humor tinged commentary, Thompson elicited riotous applause. He said what I would expect him to say until roused by a canon ball of enthusiasm he threw in a quip about McCain's stripper girlfriend on the convention floor.

“In flight school in Pensacola, [Sen. John McCain] did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an ‘exotic dancer’ under the name of ‘Marie the Flame of Florida,’” he said.

The crowd went silent.

Then he added "And the reason I'm telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:

Now he followed this with a heartfelt tale about McCain's POW days and was able to rebuild excitement. While the pundits questioned a line Thomas made stating that McCain's POW experience didn't mean he should be president but showed his character (a line certain Democrats would be pummelled for) or a line Thompson misquoted regarding Barack Obama and abortion, I was still stuck on Marie the Flame of Florida.

I was stuck because I couldn't believe I actually heard it.

In fact, I text my editor, who was up rereading the stories I was editing to see if he heard the same thing. Surely, my ears hadn't deceived me. And he had.

Not one to stay on smut, I'm less amused by McCain's stripper dating days than I am by the need for either Thompson or some speechwriter to toss it in. Where exactly does this fit in the party platform? I'm assuming this wasn't in the approved speech or was it? Was this an ill advised effort to make the nominee one with the legions of men who spend their nights in strip clubs? The new "common man approach?"

How did that line make it past an editor?

I'd like to think that Thompson got excited by the attention of it all and thought he'd throw in some off the cuff folksy insight. But what was he trying to say? It was very boys club and conflicted strongly with McCain's efforts to woo women. By the sounds of the pins dropping after his raucous comment, I'm sure the audience was shocked, too.

I don't know where Marie the Flame is now, but I'm sure she never expected to get a shout out at the Republican Convention.

Katrina Shadows- A Convention and Gustav

I was writing during most of the Labor Day break.

During my escape from the laptop, I watched some of the Republican Convention. To prioritize the possible impact of Gustav, convention organizers scaled back and dedicated much of the convention to addressing relief efforts.

Politics, it was noted, was put aside.

Each of the states impacted by the storm have Republican governors, most of whom did video packages on the state's relief effort for the convention. But it was odd that Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, the state hardest hit by the storm a Republican rising star of Indian did not do such a video. At one point, he was a likely vice presidential candidate.

Either way, Gustav was an eery reminder of the federal administration's failures regarding Katrina which hit just three years ago. New Orleans and much of the coastal towns in Mississippi are still ravaged by the storm. Thousands of Katrina victims can't return home. And the efforts to rebuild one of the nation's greatest city's has been unbelievably slow.

Katrina was one of the Bush Administration's greatest failures to its citizens. With all the controversy over Iraq, memories of Katrina had taken a back seat, until now.

So while the conventioneers storm efforts were noted, it was nearly impossible to shelve those awful horror stories from years past - a city drowning before our eyes and a president who allowed it to.

Katrina can't be forgotten.

Women for Hire - Palin's Crowning

I wonder if it's really progress when a woman gets a job simply because she's a woman.

As the media scrambles to get more info on Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, I take issue not with her capabilities but the fact that her sex and positioning alone put her above other worthy contenders both women and men.

Would a guy who was mayor of a city with 85oo strong and lead as governor for 18 months be tapped to be a VP contender?

Of course not. He wouldn't even be in the running.

Even if the VP selection was limited to Republican women, it's Palin's image and the spin of her story, that of a young driven mother of five with one kid headed for war and another with Downs Syndrome, that's stronger than her national credentials.

She's not even an advocate of the core issues that define the woman's movement, including equal pay and reproductive rights.

While she might be a great lady, smart and capable, none of that was a deciding factor in the decision.

The selection is an insult to women everywhere.

Palin's in for quite a ride. The political buzzards are swarming and I wonder in the hype of it all if she has any idea what she's just walked into.

Palin is charged as running as a maverick, waving the banner for working women while supporting a candidate who's proposed policies mimic the much maligned Bush administration. She benefits from the women's rights movement while simultaneously undermining the very rights the movement's fore bearers fought for. And she's about to go under one heck of a microscope.

It reminds me of Obama's Senate bid when the Republican party nominated Alan Keyes, a African American serial candidate who didn't even reside in Illinois but was propped up as a worthy opponent. I suppose the hope was that he'd split the black vote. Keyes probably figured that if nothing else, he's build some solid relationships in the party. That never happened. He only embarrassed himself.

Palin is expected to woe women. While she's no Keyes, she is a political pawn.

And that's not progressive.

Where's My Flag? - ObamaRama, Pat Buchanan's pride

I was headed to Kung Fu class last night when I realized that I would miss arguably the most important moment in Barack Obama's campaign thus far. With history pending, I called my instructor and prepared for the moment to unfold.

I watched MSNBC as an excitable Keith Olbermann, with a released version of the golden speech in hand, read three powerful paragraphs nearly spoiling the whole surprise of it all. Granted, he was caught up in the magnitude of history, too. But imagine some giddy reporter on that memorable day before the Lincoln memorial "teasing" the audience with King's "I Have A Dream." "Oh, this is amazing. And then he says' Let freedom ring . . "

I called my girl Gina and complained that this guy was reading the speech before the speech, but my rants were putting me off focus. History was on speed dial and I needed a videotape to record it all. I hit the streets and rushed to a drug store and like Superbowl night or the legendary Bulls Championship games, the far South side was a ghost town. Not a kid or a straggler in sight. And no one was at Walgreens either, which is why I bought the tape in two minutes flat, catching Joe Biden's intro on NPR as I raced to get back home.

The speech was amazing. And lest I be criticized for mimicking Michelle Obama's misread comments on being proud of her country for the first time, I will say that I felt uniquely American and felt a rush most people get from watching action flicks. But this wasn't Morpheus' speech to Zion in the Matrix, it was real life. The sentiment was echoed by Gina who called me afterwards yelling "Democrat's, What?" And then we agreed to buy U.S flags.

Sometimes with the racial and class issues we tackle in this country, we can forget that our struggle and quest for civil rights is born in the promise of a Constitution that promises so much, including the pursuit of happiness. Every struggle and protest in our history was an effort to make good on that promise. Obama spoke of the American Spirit. He said our nation's wealth isn't in how many millionaires we have or the might of our military or our culture. It's in the American Spirit.

And it's this American Spirit that we all buy into. The belief is that if you work hard you can be whatever you want to be, you can live the life you choose, you can provide for your family. It's a core belief echoed by ministers, teachers, rappers, parents, and volunteers alike.

But the icing on the cake was watching Pat Buchanan, a staunch Republican who in his previous commentary on the election walked a tight rope between party punchlines and glee over the gut fighting of the race, was stunned by Obama's speech. Buchanan, who in watching these pundits, I've come to respect as a savvy guy with key insights into campaigning despite his politics, had been criticized Obama during much of the race for not sticking it, so to speak to McCain. Obama wasn't tough enough. Buchanon wanted Obama to go for the juggular. And with speech in hand just minutes before Obama took the stage, Buchanan was flabberghasted. A former speechwriter, he remarked "this is a speech."

After the speech, fellow pundits stood silenced as Buchanan gushed over the magnitude, the power, the reach of the speech. He sounded like a proud father reading Obama's speech point for point and his fellow pundits were speechless. Chris Matthews, another reporter who once reported that Obama's speeches made his thigh tingle, said "to hell with his critics" and hailed this moment as a great in American history. Matthews even thanked Buchanan for crossing party lines and admitting to the glory of the hour.

And for a moment I could feel people putting politics, decorum and special interest aside as they stood receptive to change.

I'm glad I stayed home to witness history. Even if it came live via the small screen, it was a big moment that I'll remember.

Impossible Dreams- Barack's Grace Under Pressure

In a few hours, Barack Obama will give his acceptance speech, securing the Democratic nomination and becoming the first African American to represent any major party for President.

I missed the emotional roll call yesterday, but I did see the aftermath - veteran civil rights leaders in tears, longtime party members with reddened eyes and it brought home to me just how impossible some people thought this moment would be.

I never thought it was impossible. I'd say it was a generational thing, but little over a year ago, before Barack's prominence, many people my age didn't think it was possible either. "We'll never see a black president in our lifetime," they'd say. It was such a self defeating belief, so entrenched in fears stoked by our nation's past, that it was sad to see the pessimism so alive in people so young, the very people who would determine the shape of our tomorrows.

There's a fear to hope. A fear of the mountains to climb and mental blocks to slay. A fear of the disappointment, the racism. But without vision, the people perish. Without hope our future looks like yesteryear.

Obviously, I want Barack to be president. It will be interesting to see what impact his race has on people's belief in their own possibilities and limitations. Many still probably can't quite wrap their brain around what it means. What does it say about our nation? Our neighborhoods? Our lives?

For starters, I can say that any strife I've experience doesn't compare to the ridiculousness he's had to deal with recently. His patience and ability to rise above the mess is mind blowing. He was never anchored by the hater machine, which in some cases came from the people he least expected.

And obviously, cable news doesn't ruffle his feathers, either.

Barack is the ultimate modern day example of focus, inspiration and grace.

He's also an example of a leader who operates in integrity. I don't know why some wannabe
leaders believe conniving, backstabbing, duplicitous behavior well intentioned or otherwise
is the way to achieve. While it may seem effective in the short run, it always ends in their own unravelling.

In my own daily squabbles, whenever I feel the tug of the mudslingers and that playground instinct inches to the surface, I just think on how Barack dusts off his shoulders with a smile and I switch gears, too.

Grace under pressure is possible.

Cheers

Democratic Convention - Family Junkies

Watching the Democratic Convention is a treasured past time in my family. We look forward to it the way others look forward to the Olympics, the Black College Classic.

Some years its better than Christmas.

It stokes the fires of the American Dream, somehow connecting the political struggles of the past with hope for the future. With all the political, historical analysis that's tossed around the family table as I grew up, there's also a bit of nostalgia, too.

I remember my family huddled around the table watching Jesse Jackson deliver his convention speech in 84'. I remember my dad video taping it with our spanking new VCR, and I remember how we, dad, mom, little brother and me played it over and over again, jumping up and down with every and ebb and flow of Jesse's fiery words - as excited about his campaign as we were about our ability to play it again and again. "Keep hope alive," he said.

Then I remember my dad saving that same video tape a whole four years and taping Jesse's next speech in 88'.

I would sit in front of that TV screen watching the endless speeches, the crowds in American flag pins and hats, the people from every corner of the nation . . . fully believing in the promise of America and my responsibility to do something and be somebody.

My generation didn't have the same kind of freedom fighting stories my parents had. We didn't have those personal memories of Martin Luther King; I was too young to vote for Harold Washington; and the opportunity for marches and protests to prove our meddle in the hard won fight for human rights were few and far between.

But that rush of historical significance could always be found watching the Democratic Convention. And I looked forward to the day when I could vote.

I thought about that today while I was watching the convention with my mom. She teared up as Teddy Kennedy took the floor. And after Michelle Obama spoke she jumped up to give me a high five.

In the legacy of Democratic Conventions, this is certainly the most exciting one.

As far as family viewing goes, it's the Superbowl, NBA Championships and Martin Luther King's B-Day all in one.

Go Obama!

Straight No Chaser- Writers & the Bottle

The New York Post just did a funny story on writers and drinking.

Apparently, the writers love affair with the bottle that was the hall mark of legends like Hemingway and others, has gone the way of the typewriter.

Gone are the days when writers cohort at the local dive - the days when tortured souls clutched a pen in one hand and brandy in another channelling their life through ink.

Gone too are the days when publishers, editors and the like felt like accommodating such folks.

The article featured my friend Kenji, who confirmed that writers nowadays are more into yoga and juice. The lush life having gone old school, he says, hard drinking is "something your parents do."

Which isn't to say that writers don't drink, they just don't drink to write. Or they don't drink to write and then write about drinking. Or if they do drink to write they don't write about it, they just drink and think about it and write about something else.

The only drink I guzzle while writing is a cup of green tea. I have some wildflower honey I'm really digging. And in this green is cool world, doling over my favorite teas doubles as the perfect libation for self indulgence.

Funny how times change.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08202008/entertainment/writers_on_the_rocks_125199.htm

Sho Nuff - True Shogun of Harlem

I was talking to my sister the other day. We both know Julius Carry aka Sho Nuff's mom, and she was checking in to be sure I knew about his transition.

Sho Nuff, the venemous kung fu villian in The Last Dragon is a pop culture icon. Who knows how many city-fide kids enrolled in karate class after what is probably the only urban aka black martial arts flick to hit the big screen in the 80s. That movie rivaled Coming to America in oneliners. Like a true thespian who cut his teeth on the likes of Shakespeare, Carry made lines like "Who's the Master" and "Kiss my converse," lines that could have been the corniest ever in the mouth of a lesser actor be the coolest catch phrases of the decade. The flick featured heartthrobs Taimak and Vanity, who's posters lined more teen walls than I'm sure they're aware of. But Sho Nuff was the film's superstar, later to be reearthed in Busta Rhyme videos and hip hop lore alike.

My sister and I discussed this and then she made an interesting point. Unlike other larger than life icons, whose images loom and symbolize an era (Mr. T, Flava Flav, George Jefferson etc), Carry never played himself.

You didn't see Carry sporting his Sho Nuff gi years later, he didn't try to hawk cereal, go on The Surreal Life or spend his days in the camera lens screaming "Kiss my converse." He went on to play low key cool roles in TV shows and lived a respectable life beyond the boundaries of his iconoclastic character.

You have to respect that.

He'll be missed.

Back in Space

After much debate with myself, I'm back in blogger sphere.

And just in case you're wondering, I won. Not that I couldn't win, obviously. But I did spend a lot of time juggling the possibilities of what this space could be. Is it my heartfelt journal open to the legions in cyberspace? Is it a mirror of my quirks and fantasies? My quack happy days? Or is it just a serendipitous update of whatever I find interesting. In this nouveau marketing world where everything you do, you doggone well do yourself, I figured it's okay for it to be all of it and neither of it at the same time. In essence, it's totally me.

I figure that should be interesting enough.

Peace & Green Apples
Ytasha

Failing Grade: The Souljah Boy Remix

I returned to anti flip mode and watched Souljah Boy Tellem aka Souljah Boy 's video for “Let Me Tell Em.”

The video opened with a public announcement of sorts about violence which I thought was a skit until the song started playing. Like Supaman, this song was accompanied with a dance, too; a sea of braided up teens posturing with invisible AK-47 and or assault rifle in hand. The symbolism was disturbing but the teens looked so happy doing their choreographed routine, that I dismissed the violent metaphors as being no worse than singing Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff."

Then I watched his video “Yaaahh” where he complains about the duties of fame and cries that too many people want his autograph.

And in the popular double video format, a clip of his latest song “Report Card” came on and my jaw hit the floor.

The chorus plays off of Rich Boy's “Throw Some D's On It” aka “Throw Some D's On That Bitch”, an ode to rims and spinners. Kanye's infamous verse in the remix flipped the song into a now ironic ode to breast implants

But this kiddie version was different. Teen hearthrob Souljah Boy was flossing his disdain for school. He pleaded with teachers that they offset his straight F's with some D's.
The lyrics go something like this:

"Ayyyy Soulja Boy Chillin Dog I Just Got My Report Card Looked At It/ All F's Took It To Tha Teacher Desk(Throw Some D's On That Bitch)/ I Just Got My Report Card(Throw Some D's On That Bitch) Just Got My Report Card Ayy.

Throw Some D's On That Bitch is the chorus.

Cleverness aside, it is an all time low for how teen stars are marketed, jump kicks the malady of under-achievement to new heights and once again sends an anti-education message echoed all too frequently in urban communities. Souljah Boy ends the segment with a crooked smile meant to double as boyhood innocence, where he says he's just playing and that kids should stay in school.

How did this song make it off the school yard? What irresponsible adult, said "oh, yeah, let's push this song to the kids of America?"

Adult hip hop stars and their teams have explained irresponsible lyrics away by slapping warning labels on cds. They tell angry parents on panels across America that their music is written for adult ears only, arguing that if you raise your kids right, they'll resist the omnipresence of the airwaves and and won't buy the song in the first place The argument is chock full of holes, but at least they recognize the inappropriate nature of the song for kids.

But you can't use this rationale with Souljah Boy, a Georgia born teen who's colorful videos are shot in classrooms and school gymnasiums. His music is hardwired for teen ears and teen ears only.

I was disappointed.

For the past few years, I've taught weekend classes to teens and discovered that a number of them believed a grade of D was acceptable. Some students had invested in the dream deferred, believing that as long as they showed up to school, got a point above failing and did the absolute minimum to pass, they'd somehow stumble into a windfall of prosperity that would make up for everything they never learned. While they all wished for their own slice of the American pie, the link between academic excellence and a happy future was foggy at best.

So to now give these same misguided students a song to sing that justifies low expectation, crystallizes self defeating attitudes, and promotes a dire form of self sabotoge that jeopardizes their future is just plain unacceptable.

"Report Card" gets a failing grade.

The Brainwashing Resistance: I don't wanna like "Low"

I'm a channel flipper. A remote flicker.

And every time Flo Rida's "Low" comes on I switch the station.

I don't know why exactly. It's something about that catchy chorus that rubs me all wrong.

The lyrics go something like:

Shawty had them Apple Bottom Jeans [Jeans]/Boots with the fur [With the fur]/The whole club was lookin at her/She hit the flo [She hit the flo]/Next thing you know/Shawty got low low low low low low low low

Then I switch.

I fully enjoy the power to size up a song or music video in 8 seconds and switch before its pending wackness high jacks my brain and an incessant head bop tricks me into thinking its not so bad . . . when it is.

I change stations in my car like a speedracer changes lanes because I refuse to be beat over the head with bad music.

And playing it 750,000 times on every station every day isn't going to change my mind.

I won't be whipped into praying to the heavy rotation wack music god.

Then one day "Low" came on and I didn't switch. And when the song was over I didn't vomit. The hip hop gods didn't thump me over the head with my own copy of Beats Rhyme and Life and lightening didn't strike.

Thus the beginning of my foray into the anti flip, a stark departure from the brainwashing resistance.

I was growing tired of switching stations, annoyed that my high musical standards made it look like I had attention deficit disorder. I was weary of the switch.

So I made it official: I would learn to love something about the music I hate.

I don't hate everything. I'm not a neo hip hop hater, a new south basher, or the mad rapper.

But for every dirty club ditty that gets the blood flowing, there's another one that makes me want to climb a wall.

So its these songs (we all have THAT SONG) that I made myself watch and find some ounce of creativity in the sess pool of ridiculousness. Lucky for me, a whole string of em ran on one video station uninterrupted.

I watched Gucci Mane's "Icy"; Plies' "Shawty"; Sean King's "Take You There"; Flo Rida's "Low" followed by his latest "Elevator" as in "She's stuck on the elevator." I watched a whole slew of songs I usually flip from.

Then I started laughing. These artists weren't anti artistry, they just had a keen knack for making super silly songs.

It helps if you're in a club. The bass from the subwolfers overpower the senses, a drink or two blurrs the lyrics, and if you shake really fast you can whip yourself into a self induced frenzy and pretend you're dancing to something else.

But I was in my living room.

I just couldn't take this stuff seriously anymore. It didn't help that it was topped off by a hip hop commentary that included David Banner and Princess arguing over when you're too old to be "Lil" as in "Lil Wayne."

Rivetting.

My anti flip stance lasted for less than an hour and I flipped to CNN for a Wisconsin primary update. In addition to the anti flip, I'm currently weening myself from an addiction to political analysis and election results. Obama was in the lead, so I switched back.

Fortunately, Rihanna's "Don't Stop"; Janet Jackson's "Feedback " and Snoop's "Sensusual Seduction" came on reminding me that talent lives. Dem Franchize Boys followed it up with "Talkin Out Da Side of Ya Neck" which I quickly addicted as my dirty south get hyped song.

I took a break from music appreciation 101 and flipped back to CNN. Obama won. I caught his powerful speech which was as long as my anti flip hour. But It was a reality check.

There's more to change than flipping channels.

Political Pundits: Obama Confusion

Pundits suck.

Granted, I understand that this year's election is one of the most unpredictable races in history. But the rotating pundits who frequent CNN, MSNBC and FOX news are unusually confused when trying to explain Barack Obama's wins.

No alliances dubbed as predictors in the past seem to be relevant this year. If these talking heads can't break wins down along racial, gender, or economic lines, they're lost.

When Obama won in Louisiana, talking heads credited the black vote. They don't consider that in Louisiana, he had a smaller margin of victory compared to his big wins in Maine and Nebraska, a largely white electorate. But rather than analyze his wins in Maine and Nebraska, and analyzing his blue collar appeal, they choose to focus on Louisiana and credit the black vote for winning the election.

When Obama loses in the California primary they note that Latinos voted for Clinton 2 ro 1 and conclude that Obama's made no headway among blue collar whites. But when he wins in Nebraska, Maine, North Dakota, and Kansas, majority white states with blue collar populations, our expert pundits are mum. There's no analysis about his support in states where the ethnic populations are miniscule, no break down of blue or white collar whites or the much buzzed about young college crowd. In fact, they predict that Obama will do well in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, again, because of the sizable black populations and upscale whites. But they speak as if no other demographics live in these areas, and if they do, they don't fit into Obama's demographic so they don't count.

The most obvious blunder, is the frequently referenced belief that all Latinos are voting for Hilary, in part due to the large support in California and Nevada. They ignore his Latino support in Illinois and New Mexico, preferring to paint Latinos as unanimously supporting Hilary. With Texas hailed as Clinton's omnimous firewall to Obama's rise, the assumption is that Latino voters will support her enmasse. No polls have been taken, and worse, no Latino pundits or experts are brought in until, the the night of Obama's Potomac primary sweep. The two Latino guests I caught while flipping stations are both from Texas. Both agree that the Latino Democratic vote is split by age in their state, with younger voters going for Obama and seniors largely advocating for Clinton. The news staffs are shocked. And when one young Latina guest notes that Latinos are not some homogeneous group, news staff are stunned again. And in a moment of enlightenment, one commentator notes that he made a shocking discovery: Twenty percent of the voters who voted in the last Texas primary are African American. As if to say, you mean black people live in Texas, too?

Finally, as the night wore on, pundits admitted that Obama seemed to outpace Clinton in all categories in the Potomac primary including white men, white women, African Americans, Latinos, and young voters.

But if they'd done this same analysis with other states he'd won like Georgia, Alabama, North Dakota, or Alaska, maybe the February sweep wouldn't have been such a stunner.

Black Creativity: Celebration in Film

The Museum of Science and Industry presents Black Creativity 2008: The Magic and Science of Cinema and Television.

The exhibit opened for private review on Tuesday and was packed with local arts supporters. It runs through March 31.

The exhibit includes info on current film notables, many with Chicago roots, including myself (which was quite a surprise to see, really). It's a kid friendly exhibit, allowing children to experiment with their on camera talents. Moreover, it includes memorabilia, classic movie posters, and the dining room set from Soul Food. The museum's admission is free through Jan. 31.

However, the coolest part about the exhibit is that it's not just a retrospective, but rather a reminder that film and television is a living, breathing entity with real people behind the scenes.

While I may be one of these people, for many its a radical shift to think about the creators instead of the creation. To know that the shows and films that fill our lives began with an idea someone found relevant. Somebody, somewhere had an idea they wrestled with for weeks, months even, and spent the better part of a season hammering away on a laptop. Or some talented technician working 18 hours a day for a month capturing crystal clear audio that reaches the ears of an audience unscathed. The collective audience doesn't think about these people. But these in the trenches workers are as much a part of the American fabric as Superman and The Lone Ranger.

So a toast to all those who work behind the scenes. Your work is appreciated.

Camel Polo: Sport of the Summer

Dubai is all the rage right now. While flipping channels, trying to find something intellectually stimulating to watch, I ran across a show on polo in Dubai.

I know nothing about polo, unless you count the outfits and uber rich cache. I probably know more about Dubai, by way of Hollywood film festival reviews and financial news, than I do about polo. So it was cool to see a show combining two things I knew next to nothing about, somehow merged in one.

According to the show, polo is hot in Dubai. Apparently, a Middle East polo competition is in development. Polo is one of those networking sports. And the participants say it's a lot more interactive than horse racing, even if you own a horse.

But because polo is mostly a sport for the wealthy, polo enthusiast and eager money makers are exploring ways to introduce the sport to the masses. One of those ways is an emerging hybrid sport: camel polo.

As we speak, there are people training camels to respond in the way horses do. It will be a cool tourist attraction, say developers. The camels they showcased looked a bit unruly, with muscle toned polo lovers trying to wrestle them into form. They needed some practice.

Nevertheless, the trainers were pretty excited and they figured it would be a fun game for friends on an adventure filled trip to Dubai.

To be honest, it looked a little dangerous. But it was nice to know that someone thought the prospect of camel polo was worth investing good time and money into. I found it comforting that these carefree sports lovers had a mildly kooky dream they were dead set on bringing into fruition. While I'm sure the developers had friends who they ran this idea by; people who no doubt said, "Camel polo? You gotta be kiddin me!" these tried and true dreamers continued on.

How refreshing.

Everyone Go Get Your Doctorate

I have attended two race based seminars at a highly esteemed University that will remain nameless and each time I've been woefully disappointed.

The presentations, given by visiting professors who are well adept at academic jargon and phraseology, couldn't seem to get past their words and jumbled concepts to make a clear, concise point.

In fact, they missed the point.

I have had the tedious pleasure of listening to an academician discuss his analysis of identifying bias in white Americans. When asked what factors may have contributed to those who were not biased, he responded that he didn't know. In fact, he hadn't thought about it. But a fellow academician in the audience had a theory. Maybe, she said, they had some sort of brain dis function where they couldn't discriminate, like, when they saw an Asian person, they didn't recognize them as Asian and therefore, they couldn't attach any racist stereotypes to them. The class thought it was a workable theory.

(Drop you jaw here)

Then I listened to another professor, who wanted to ascertain the essence of blackness. He wondered if cultural arts like jazz or the stylistics of African American preachers, were really just outgrowths of racism. If there had been no racism, he wondered, would these talents exist?

What?

Granted, trying to assess the identifiers for bias or trying to identify "blackness" in any kind of scientific module is difficult at best. While jazz, or gospel music, or even the plethora of black preachers might not have been created without slavery, the artistic talents of music making or colorful speaking predated racism's existence. But he didn't get that. He was too stuck on what is blackness.

So my advice to anyone with any sense, anyone who can make an argument, write, think, or break down concepts, please, please, please go get your doctorate. We can't have this disjointed logic spreading across the halls of America's Ivy League.

Orator- The New Four Letter Word

When did making a good speech or two become a bad thing?

I didn't plan on dealing an inordinate amount of blogspace to what are now daily Obama talking points spawn by the Clinton camp. I find myself following the presidential primaries like a never ending football game and I feel a bit manipulated.
However, in the wake of the "fantasy" comments hurled by former president Bill Clinton, in reference to Obama's campaign, as well as the mildly twisted commentary about Lyndon B. Johnson's role vs. that of Martin Luther King's in the civil rights movement, the use of words is under more scrutiny than ever. Campaigns, media pundits and the like just love what I call code words. And in a race that both camps want to say is not about race or gender, the race is in fact so exciting because of race and gender, and the campaign is chock full of words with double meaning to remind you so.

Orator is one of those words.

Political spinners are playing into the embedded popular history consciousness by playing on words that are entrenched in history. While there's been quite a bit of media analysis on the fantasy and King statements, few are looking at the Hilary camps use of the word orator.

Obama's been accused of being an orator: a charming guy who gives really nice speeches. A man who can master words to touch hearts and move masses.

While this is positioned by the Hilary camp as a very limiting thing, a trait that somehow belies action, we'd be foolish to ignore that words have power.

American history and lore, our glorious past are rife with noteworthy orators. "Give me liberty or give me death" "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" "Four score and seven years ago. . . etc, etc." Let's face it, our national icons were some pretty doggone good orators. Where their oratory skills failed them, we can at least say they wrote some amazing speeches.

Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Sojouner Truth, Barbera Jordan ,Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass and others are heralded for their speeches. Now granted, they took some dramatic actions as well. But their words, their speeches shaped a time, a movement that left an indelible print on America.

There were many intelligent strategists who surrounded King, many of whom designed the Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized The March on Washington, etc. While these strategist were arguably more knowledgeable of politics and had more experience in organizing, these loyal intellects didn't have the ability to move people. King, through his words and presence, was able to galvanize people of all ethnic groups, classes and sex, to raise individuals to new heights and take actions they didn't think were possible. That's a talent and a rare gift.

The African American tradition is rooted in oral tradition and people who chose to speak for justice in the face of hostility. Churches and other religious institutions, civic organizations, civil rights groups and others in African American history are entrenched in traditions of fine orators.
In fact, one could argue that to even snag leadership in the midst of social change, it is a requirement to have oratory talents. Aspiring leaders had to be able to rouse crowds with words of inspiration. But that's just the point. Orators stimulate action, typically through their own action. So it's no surprise, that most of the so called great civic leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries were also great speech makers.

Let's be clear, an orator is not some rote term for men and women who can use fancy words. Orators move people. They're change agents. For a country that's always prided itself as a beacon for democracy, with the First Amendement protecting, above other things, freedom of speech, there is no doubt that orators and speech making is as American as stove fresh apple pie.

Ummm, yum.

Cry for Me New Hampshire

When did crying become a political strategy?

Granted, after Iowa's blow out, Sen. Hillary Clinton had every reason to want to be dismayed. While she may have been saddened by Obama's win, her decision to tear up in a New Hampshire coffee house, in my opinion was a calculated choice. Hopefully, I'm wrong. Hopefully, it wasn't a visual image sent around the world to answer critics who say she's too stoic. Hopefully, the first serious contender to be the first woman president of the U.S would not resort to crying to feminize herself. Hopefully, one of the most powerful women in the world did not resort to the same tactics that Southern Belles and Damsels in Distress play into hoping for pity. Please prove me wrong.

She found her own voice, she said in her New Hampshire victory in a grey floral jacket, a contrast from her sharp business suits. And she said it with a softened voice, a departure from her authoritative posturing. Maybe it's the real Hillary. Or maybe she runs by any means necessary.

Time will only tell.

Obama Haters: Wrong Side of History

Obama Haters: Wrong Side of History

I find it incredibly weird that a number of African American notables have come out to publicly bash Obama, as if their pockets are personally hit if he wins.

While clearly, people can vote for whoever they want to vote for, these African American Hillary zealots make some very strange arguments for why she and not Obama should win. If they argued that Hillary has a better platform, she represents African American interests, or that she has a stronger record, then I could understand. We could all be engaged in a philosophical discussion about who has the better agenda and move forward.

Even if these supporters said that they are indebted to Bill Clinton and that voting for Hillary is their way of paying him back, I'd understand. It's no secret that many African American heavyweights were solid Clinton supporters. But they're not making these arguments.

Noteworthy individuals with big names and media savvy, people who have never so much as publicly announced who they vote for, are now calling up radio stations, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Michael Baisden Show, leveraging their name to get quoted in the media, and sounding like raging lunatics looking like nothing short of haters as they attempt to burst Obama's political balloon. The "he's not black enough" argument isn't working. The "he's inexperienced" argument has been crushed. So what, precisely are they afraid of?

My Little Cousin Bought Me A Playboy T Shirt

Typically, I wouldn't wear Playboy paraphernalia. Not that I have anything against them. I find Hugh Hefner to be interesting, fascinating even. As for his plethora of bunnies, who they are never had much impact on who I chose to be.

When you look at all the commendable work the Playboy Foundation has done from breaking black comedians into the white club circuit to avid fundraising to kicking off The Playboy Jazz Festival (they even sponsor one of the film festivals that launched my film career), you have to think twice about blanketly labeling everything as anti-anything. But in the aftermath of the Lil Kim, Pam Anderson craze with "girl power" doubling as feminism, preteens sporting thongs and grown women dawning french maid outfits in the name of female liberation, I tried to avoid some of the obvious off shoots of patriarchal duality, like me, a self proclaimed writer indie type with a serious social consciousness wearing a Hustler and Playboy T shirt.

Not that I haven't done it before. I did wear a shirt with a minuscule bunny once while driving through Pennsylvania. It was my driving T shirt. And the hicks who ran the highway snack shop gawked, thinking their bunny girl fantasy had just sauntered in the door. Not quite. And during the leather pants is hot craze, I had some skin tight leather-like pants with a tiny, nearly microscopic bunny on the back pocket. But never have I worn a flaming red T with a gigantic bunny, and there's a reason for that.

The Playboy symbol is so weighted. For some its the porn empire, the glitterized version of male domination at its sleekest. For others its cutesy, female fun or unabashed pride and confidence at its lusty peak. There's just one problem. My little cousin gave it to me for Christmas. He loves me. And I don't think sexism or female pride was on his mind when he saw it. He probably thought it was kind of cool and that I was gutsy enough to pull it off without either of those beleaguered interpretations distracting from my shine. So I put it on. And guess what? I didn't morph into a purring dominated sex kitten, nor did I suddenly get a rush of faked female pride. I felt very much like me with a T shirt That said I (bunny symbol) you.

There's power in redefinition. Let's remember that.

If I Were an Iowan - Close Enough I'm From Illinois

If Barack Obama winning Iowa isn't a sign of change, I don't know what is. The Illinois senator spoke to the idealist in the American patheos and inspired 39% the Democratic caucus, out distancing John Edwards by some 8% and leaving front runner Hillary Clinton trailing at third. All conventional wisdom said that Obama was a novel contender, but would never crack the racial barriers that paralyze the nation. A liberal black man winning the majority of the vote in a red state that's 97% white speaks volumes. He proved to the establishment, both black, white and otherwise, that well, they aren't as established as they think. He proved to the pessimistic, demoralized and the naysayers that hope is a word that must be backed by action. Many Americans still believe in what our Constitution aims to protect, they want to believe their leaders are defending their freedoms, and want to restore our nation as the beacon of hope our history classes tell us we're supposed to be. Iowans were willing to look past race, ethnic heritage, divisive politics and focus on the issues. Kudos to Iowa for challenging other states to follow suit.

2007 Hit List: 10 Worst Civil Liberties Violations

Forget the New Year’s “in and out” lists. In the ACLU’s list, the Constitution is always in, says the ACLU.

For the New Year, The American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office looked back on 2007 with its top-10 list released today, “2007: The Year We Didn’t Get Our Freedom Back.” It documents the top 10 worst threats to our civil liberties in 2007 as well as the top 10 reasons not to lose complete faith in our government.

Topping the “worst” list was allowing illegal NSA spying to continue and allowing Guantanamo Bay to remain open. Topping the “best” list were the recent strides to reduce the disparities in sentencing for crack offenses and cocaine offenses. This year, the U.S. Sentencing Commission changed its guidelines to make sentencing for crack offenses fairer and applied them retroactively, and the Supreme Court decided just weeks ago in Kimbrough v. U.S. that judges could depart from the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s guidelines to give shorter sentences.
The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

“For the past six years, our rights have been on the chopping block. If 2007 was the year we didn’t get our freedom back, 2008 will be the year we demand it. Our holiday wish list is simple: We want our Constitution back. It doesn’t even need a ribbon. This New Year, we resolve to hold our leaders accountable. We hope they will resolve to follow the law.”

2007: The Year We Didn’t Get Our Freedom Back
Top 10 ways our government failed us:
1. Not putting an end to warrantless NSA spying. Congress instead has continued to let the NSA spy without warrants and is considering letting the telephone companies off the hook for spying on Americans illegally. The Senate debated FISA last month before the holiday recess, and in a gift to the American people, legislation that would have forgiven telecom companies for spying on their customers and given the NSA more freedom to spy on Americans was not voted on. Congress is expected to take up the legislation when members return later in January.

2. Not repealing the Military Commissions Act or restoring habeas corpus. Despite a valiant effort and near success, an amendment to restore habeas corpus received 56 votes when it needed 60 votes. The support in the Senate indicates that legislation to fix the Military Commissions Act could pass. The Supreme Court will also issue a decision in 2008 regarding habeas corpus.

3. Not closing the Guantanamo Bay Prison. January 11 marks the sixth anniversary of the arrival of prisoners to Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners have been held without habeas corpus rights for six years. The ACLU is organizing people across America to wear orange that day in recognition of the shame the prison has caused for all of us.
The number of inmates shrank this year to 355, having started at over 700; officials expect the prison to close one way or another in 2008. But Guantanamo’s closing will not necessarily mean the end of holding prisoners without due process, especially if the Military Commissions Act is still in place.

4. Not giving due process to immigrants and denying life-saving health care in immigration detention facilities. Although the comprehensive immigration reform bill ultimately failed, even that legislation would not have given immigrants badly needed basic due process rights. Congress failed to pass legislation this year securing those basic human rights for immigrants.

5. Allowing the CIA to destroy interrogation tapes. The executive branch claims it can investigate its own wrongdoings, but the ACLU demands an independent investigation that the law calls for and that the scandal warrants. The attorney general’s announcement that the Department of Justice will investigate the tapes’ destruction is a good start, but it does not go far enough. We want real independence, coming from outside the executive branch.

6. Not repealing the Real ID Act. Several states rejected Real ID this year, but the federal government still believes its invasive, costly, doomed program can be a success.

7. Not fixing the terrorist watch list, which is filled with errors. Hearings have been held, reports have been written and the public has spoken: The list – approaching one million – is too large to ever be effective as a security tool.

8. Letting Judge Michael Mukasey off the hook after he would not admit that waterboarding is illegal under six different laws. It’s simple: Waterboarding is torture, and torture is not acceptable. Mukasey’s denial did not mark a restoration of dignity to the Justice Department.

9. Foot-dragging by the White House in getting to the bottom of a disgraced Gonzales Justice Department. Alberto Gonzales ran a politically motivated Justice Department that did more to stunt justice than promote it.

10. Stripping the hate crimes amendment from the Department of Defense appropriations bill. The House, in a stand-alone bill, and the Senate, in an amendment to the DOD bill, voted for the first time to allow certain crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to be designated as hate crimes without compromising free speech. But the amendment was stripped from the DOD bill in a conference committee.

Top 10 reasons not to lose complete faith in our government:
1. Real changes were made to start fixing the unfair sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine that disproportionately affect minorities. The U.S. Sentencing Commission changed its recommendations to be more just in sentencing for crack offenses, and it applied those changes retroactively.

Perhaps the biggest victory was the case Kimbrough v. U.S., in which the Supreme Court said judges were free to issue shorter prison sentences for crack cocaine offenses, bringing them closer to the sentences for powder cocaine. The ACLU wrote an amicus brief supporting departure from the guidelines.

2. Senators stood up to the Bush Administration’s push for permanent warrantless wiretapping authority and immunity for the telecoms. It was a historic moment. A group of senators stood up to warrantless wiretapping and immunity for telecommunications companies, shutting down the Senate Intelligence Committee’s power grab of a FISA reauthorization bill – for now.

3. A federal judge struck down the national security letter provision of the Patriot Act that allowed the FBI to collect personal data secretly without a judge’s authorization.

4/5. Senators voted against a $300 million Real ID funding bill. Although $50 million was eventually appropriated to Real ID in December, an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill this summer that would have given millions more to the program failed.

6. The House passed a bill to offer more protections for reporters and their sources. The bill wasn’t perfect, but it was a victory for the First Amendment. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted the Senate’s version of a reporters’ shield bill out of committee.

7. Legislation was enacted to reauthorize and reinvigorate FOIA. The House and Senate passed a bill to enforce the Freedom of Information Act and ensure that government agencies are accountable to it – and President Bush just signed it.

8. Religious discrimination wasn’t written into the Head Start program. Members of Congress voted not to remove civil rights protections prohibiting the hiring of teachers, staff and volunteers based on religion in Head Start programs.

9. A majority of senators fought valiantly to save habeas corpus. A bill passed the House and won a majority of votes in the Senate – 56 - 43 – but it needed 60 votes. However, the vote shows Members of Congress are making a strong attempt to restore basic rights.

10. The American people wanted a change in Congress, and they went out to the polls and voted. We have faith in the American people to fight to restore their rights. We hope the next president and members of Congress elected will take civil liberties as seriously as we do.