Shirley Sherrod and the "scary" topic of race...

Okay, I kept seeing Shirley Sherrod's name in my time line on Twitter and I was curious about who she was and why her resignation was so important.



Now, as I was watching Nightly News this evening, they showed the clip that apparently started all the talk and my first thought was "Oh damn, lady! Why would you say that?!" Her losing her job, in that moment, after seeing that snippet, made sense. If I had seen a clip of a white woman making that same comment regarding a black farmer, especially with all the hell they've been going through, I would say "Heck yeah, she should resign!" The way this clip was shown makes one question her [Sherrod] ability to perform her job without prejudice. Now we all see that the comment was apart of something benevolent, not malicious. I've been busy today so I only just now found out what the ruckus was. My opinion on this? Give Sherrod her job back.




Fact is, she was explaining how working with this white farmer caused her to overcome her initial prejudice. She says in the video that she realized she "couldn't live with hate..." and that "we have to work together...it's sad that we don't have a room full of whites and blacks here tonight be[cause] we have to overcome the divisions that we have..." Sounds like someone reformed, to me. So why is the Department of Agriculture's Secretary, Tom Vilsack, sticking with this whole resignation? Why would the White House continue to back the decision, but say that they had nothing to do with the decision? The entire situation that Sherrod was discussing is something that happened long before she began working for the Department of Agriculture. So it's not like she carried her prejudice into the new job, right? Why stick to this decision when it has turned out to be a bad one, born of a sliver of an entire speech?

And the farmer, whom Sherrod helped, the one who was the topic of her story, supports her? He and his wife are appreciative of the work Sherrod did to keep them out of bankruptcy? Vilsack, White House, it is okay to admit a mistake and rectify it. Give Sherrod her job back.

Let me also say that the whole issue of race in the age of Obama is pretty crappy. Why? Because every time a case of race or racial discrimination pops up, folks want to say that the President has to be sensitive about the way it is handled. Now, in theory, this may be fine, maybe even accurate. But my problem is this: why the hell is it suddenly so important for our President to be sensitive to such issues? Shouldn't this have been required, expected, long before now? Every president should be required to handle race in a sensitive manner. You mean to tell me that the first bi-racial (or self-identified Black) President is incapable of handling race? So every white president prior to administration was automatically deemed capable? Were former presidents reminded almost daily of race and held to the fire when dealing with such a sensitive issue? I don't think so...to be fair, I cannot recall ever seeing this much coverage on the way The White House handled race. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Oh! And to the NAACP? You stay losing! How can she be giving this speech, in its entirety, at an NAACP function, but the NAACP jumps on the bandwagon against Sherrod? The organization just can't seem to get right...

HILARIOUS!!!!

Ed Lover had me at work about to fall out in tears! His commentary was so on point and hilarious! Every time I see one of those Lil Mama pictures, I die laughing! And Chris Brown's bowtie? OMG!!! I had no idea someone produced some Obama basketball shoes! What kind of fuckery is that?! Those things look so wack! Yes, I said WACK! The only thing those shoes would be good for is for smacking Joe Wilson upside his dumb head! That video is hilarious and because of it, I am a subscriber of Ed Lover's YouTube Channel...C'mon Son!

Makes you feel warm and fuzzy : )

A friend sent this to me via email (Thanks Gabby!)...

"This is the most powerful photo in the series. Remember they are not supposed to shake hands, but the two brothers couldn't resist the historic moment. The black royal cop never imagined in his wildest dream that he would usher a black American president into the British corridors of power. Nice."

Presidential Address & Repubilcan Response....

These are the things that caught my attention last night during our President's speech and the strangeness that occured afterward...

• Number one...Michelle looked gorgeous, as per usual (I just love our First Lady!)
• "The cost of action will be great, but the cost of inaction will be greater..." This is common sense to me...
• "Govern with a sense of responsibility..." Instead of fear; those with common sense should understand this...
• "Not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country..." I think asking every American to commit to at least one year of higher education was one of the best moments in last night's address. Another one was when the President said, once again, that responsibility begins at home! Parents need to make sure their children are prepared for what the world is going to ask of them.
• Something that had me scratching my head....Why did everyone get up and start clapping when the President brought up the deficit we inherited? As a matter of fact, a better question might be...why did everyone keep standing and clapping throughout the address?

Now...here are my thoughts on the Republican Response (perhaps this has more to do with the mouthpiece they used to make their statement...)

• Waaaaaa Waaaaaa Waaaaaa...lol...Gov. Bobby Jindal sounds real corny
• Why does Jindal keep saying "We believe Americans can do anything" Are those in government not Americans too?
• Isn't the President asking all Amreicans to step up? So why does Jindal keep saying that Dems are relying on government alone?

What did you think of the address?

WHY?

You know, I'm all for justice and wrongs being made right, but why is the family of Geronimo, an Apache warrior, naming President Obama in a lawsuit? The family contends that a secret society at Yale University stole the skull of Geronimo. But what does Obama have to do with this? In fact, Bush's grandfather is believed to be the one who actual stole the skull for the secret society; shouldn't this lawsuit have come up at some point in the years that George Bush Sr. and George W. were in The White House? Someone...anyone...please help me to understand this?! To read more about this click here.

Most Beautiful Couple Award goes to....

The President and First Lady make marriage look so good!
Don't you agree!

Salary Cap for Executives...I'm cool with that...

According to CNN.com, President Obama is expected to make an announcement today concerning the salaries for the executives of large companies, especially those companies asking to be bailed out. The president wants salaries capped at $500,000. For the most part, this is a great idea. I say for the most part because I think that $500,000 a year is still high. I would be happy making $50,000 a year, so perhaps my view is kind of skewed? I'm sure that these executives are going to balk at this salary cap because they have gotten used to making millions a year; this will be a shock to their systems, but ask me if I care...go on...ask...NO I DON'T CARE! According to the CNN article, companies who really want to pay their exces more than $500,000 can only do so by paying the excess through stocks and only if STOCKHOLDERS approve of it. Also, the stocks cannot be made liquid until the company pays back the money it borrowed from the government. This means that they'll actual have to earn their salary...no stockholder in his or her right mind will approve of execs being paid more if the company is doing poorly and losing equity....great concept, right?

Mr. President - Oath of Office

Still have Obama-fever? I know I do! Here is a video clip that a family friend put together and has allowed me to share it with others. Thanks Armone!!!! You deserve many props for this!!!

Another WTF moment...

Okay, I shouldn't even give this topic any attention, but I need to get this out of my system...I turned to Shade 45 radio yesterday afternoon and caught part of a conversation between the show host and a caller. Apparently Rude Jude (the host) does not trust politicians (of course this includes Obama). I can't fault him for not trusting politicians...that's his personal trust issue to deal with. I do, however, find fault with what some callers were saying about Obama being the first African-American president. One caller, a black man, said that he was tired of hearing Obama being called the first African-American president. According to this caller, Obama doesn't know or understand the "black experience" in America because he (Obama) isn't African-American. This guy said that Obama's ancestors weren't slaves, so how could he understand the struggle? I'm summarizing here, but that's the gist of what the caller was saying. The host agreed with the caller. I do not. The way I see it, if Barack Obama walked down the street and encountered a racist cop, for example, he would be seen as a black man. There would be no distinction made between whether or not his ancestors were apart of the struggle. Also, how do we know that his ancestors were not slaves? So his father was African and his mother was white...that doesn't mean that slaves are no where in his paternal or maternal ancestry.I'm willing to listen to dissenting opinions because they make people think and sometimes broaden minds. I know everyone can't agree on everything, nor should they. I think that yesterday was such a positive, optimistic day and it upset me that people were focused on something as small as this. Am I wrong in my thinking?

What a day....

I feel like I'm going to burst as I sit here at work, watching the inauguration of Barack Obama. I know I'm going to cry because I think about the fact that my grandmother and grandfather passed away before he could witness this moment. I cry because I think of all the people who are no longer here to see this day. This is soooo amazing to me (I know I'm not alone in this feeling). I just want to ride this feeling for as long as I can. I wish I was in that crowd today because I know it would be that much more intense. All those people standing out there today; all those people there with one purpose...celebrating change and optimism. How anyone find fault with this time in our history, I just don't understand. I can tell you one thing...no one is going to kick me from my section of Cloud Nine....lol, the naysayers might as well join the rest of us!

Yeah....I'm a comic book geek...

Yep, I've slowly rediscovered my love of comic books. As a kid, one of my cousins introduced me to the X-Men and for a long time after that I loved the comics and cartoons. Eventually, I grew away from them. With the recent surge of comic book movies, my love was rekindled. Today, I pre-ordered the 2nd printing of the Spiderman/Obama comic book. I am extremely excited to see what it looks like and to read the story line. Another comic book that I am curious to read is the new Black Panther storyline. All I know at the moment is that the new Black Panther is a woman...how empowering (wink)!

Obama - Whatever I Like

A friend just sent me this in an email...I had to share this with others because it simply too funny! Thanks YouTube!!!!