h/t HelloNegro.com

As much as people dislike Howard Stern’s radio grandstanding and incredibly boorish behavior on the radio, it seems he alone has chosen to brutally critique the uniquely Hollywood spectacle surrounding Oscar nominated Precious star Gaborey Sidibe. Stern takes Hollywood — a place that celebrates beauty over talent almost daily for engaging in such an awkward circus.

Listen for yourself:

While I don’t agree with Sterns choice of words, or his out-right skewering of Sidibe, I do agree there is a heavy dose of hypocrisy from Hollywood during the Oscar process. Beyond the Oscars spectacle I found the movie ridiculous for several reasons…

1.) A very similar book was written 40 years ago by Toni Morrison — “The Bluest Eye.” I have read the book and Precious immediately seemed to be an inferior knock-off 40 years too late; yet, very few people pushing the “Precious” movie have bothered to point out the amazing similarity to Morrison’s much more complex master-piece.

2.) Ishmael Reed’s New York Op-ed that summed up the Precious Movie for me:
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Just a few short weeks ago David Paterson not only appeared to be clearly out of the New York Governor’s race, he also seemingly had the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over his head by a mere half a thread. However, given the troubles of Eric Massa (D-NY 29), New Yorkers have found a politician they can hate more than Paterson.

What’s worse than trying to cover-up the sexual harassment and domestic abuse by a subordinate ? Well it helps to remember the old saying in politics by Edwin Washington Edwards, 4 time governor of Louisanna “The only way I can lose this election is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.” (On his 1983 Gubernatorial election against incumbent David C. Treen.) via http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edwin_Edwards

Well Eric Massa appears to have done close enough for Government work …. and the villagers are in pursuit of a juicer story than Governor Paterson’s atrocious behavior.

Joshua Green @theAtlantic
Then came last week’s news that Massa, a 20-year Navy veteran elected to the House in 2008, was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly groping three young male staffers. Massa sort of denied it, while claiming that the House Democratic leadership had set him up.

One of my favorite songs.

Barack Obama is on the March to Close on Healthcare

Add your name now to join OFA’s campaign to fight alongside President Obama in the final march toward health reform — and stay tuned for national actions and events in your local community in the coming days and weeks.

click here to see what’s up at Organizing for America and the final march for healthcare

HelloNegro.com has an interesting piece about black leadership in the 21st Century. I’ve briefly discussed black leadership during the Tavis Smiley and Al Sharpton feud.

I’m working on a longer piece that will try to but those thoughts into perspective as black Americans have gradually developed more access to power structures within the government. So, while there is only an single appointed black senator, we have a black president … odd…

HelloNegro.com asks:

Who are the leaders of the Black Community today?

Go there and comment HelloNegro.com

The Jihad Jane and Joe Stack cases show that terrorism is not described in easily glib language as the editors at Newsweek.com would have us believe. Instead, terrorists come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicity and causes for their outrage. We have to consider the act as the definition of terror as opposed to definining terrorism by the perpetrators. That should prevent people like congressman Steve King (R-IA-5) “empathetic” toward one act of terror while admonishing others ( I thought Republicans didn’t believe in empathy btw ).

While it may make people feel better to create imaginary profiles of terrorists, as the recruitment of Jihad Jane shows, given a firm profile terrorist will simply adjust and adapt.

Founding Congressional Black Caucus member John Conyers (D-Mich.) wife Monica Conyers has been found guilty of corruption and has been sentenced to three years in prison.

h/t TalkingPointsMemo.com

onyers suggested that she was the victim of “badgering” last summer when she acknowledged a conspiracy to take bribes for her support of a Houston company seeking a sludge contract. U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn says her plea deal was voluntary.

Conyers is the wife of Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers. She quit the council in June.

Prosecutors also want the judge to consider allegations that Conyers and an aide collected $69,500 from people seeking help from the city. Her lawyer denies the claims.

I don’t understand how these people believe they will not be caught.

More proof that Rush Limbaugh shouldn’ tbe taken seriously as a political analyst, and is really just an entertainer. At times more of a shock entertainer, but most of the time moderately amusing host. Whether people who don’t like him want to admit it or not, it does take talent to fill up three hours with talk…

However, a lot of the time you get gems like today.

I don’t know. I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica

R. Limbaugh.

Costa Rica has a combination of government and private health care systems in the world, which are controlled by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (aka: the “Caja,” or CCSS), where citizens and legal residents pay about 10-11 percent of their incomes to access the government-owned monopoly insurance system.

Costa Rica has a government sponsored network of some 30 major hospitals and 250 clinics. The CCSS system is tasked with providing low-cost health care to Costa Rican residents, and has been in place for more than six decades.

droogie@DKos

oops.

How’s a CBC member so conservative in such a safe democratic seat?

These are the sort of questions Tavis Smiley should be asking of Artur Davis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama%27s_7th_congressional_district

35.5% White, 61.7% Black, 0.6% Asian, 1.3% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% other

It has come to light that Mr. Davis has “pulled a McCain” and said that he will suspend his campaign, come back to D.C. and vote no against health care.

I wonder how his constituents feel about that no vote…

Harold Ford Selfish Party Hack

(Ford isn’t even a partisan loyalist, he really is only concerned with having a position IN the establishment).

We all know politicians (and even their families) have monstrous egos. From the average do-gooder running for local office, up to the presidential races, all the entrants believe that they can do the job — or even worse are running for office for the publicity (Al Sharpton, Carol Mosely-Braun, Ron Paul, Mike Gravel).

My all time favorite is Alan Keyes, who has run for president in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2008 as well as been a Republican nominee for senate (in various states) in 1988, 1992, and 2004.
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