Unfiltered Opinion

The L.A. Times Takes A Turn At Tabloid Journalism

The Los Angeles Times is apologizing for publishing an article about the 1994 shooting of the rapper, Tupac.   The article implied that Sean "Diddy" Combs was involved in the shooting. It was the The Smoking Gun   that revealed that the Times article was largely based on fake FBI reports that were made by a man sitting in a jail cell.  The fact that the prisoner, James Sabatino managed to con a Pulitzer Prize reporter and editor at a major newspaper is amazing in itself.  This is a perfect example of what happens when a newspaper relies on documents and anonymous sources to produce an article without carefully checking and rechecking all provided information.  I think the owners of the Times know that apologies are not going to be enough to resolve this error.  They are going to have to open their checkbook.

Thanks For The Apology, But.......

The Florida state legislature has apologized for its role in slavery.  The Miami Herald article included the following:

'The Legislature expresses its profound regret for Florida's role in sanctioning and perpetuating involuntary servitude upon generations of African slaves,'' said the resolution, sponsored by black lawmakers."

Before, I go on any further, why does the reporter have to write  "black lawmakers"?  Why can't the reporter just say "lawmaker"?  Are there articles that say "white lawmakers"?  Maybe the media should start saying "biracial lawmakers"?  Oops, I forgot the rule - if you have at least one parent that is black, than the child is automatically black, not biracial.  Sorry - I digress - back to the apology.

I know some blacks, especially older blacks, have always felt the need for states, companies, schools, etc. to apologize for the role they played in slavery.  I have never understood why the apology was needed. I could understand if it was the slave master apologizing to the slaves or children of the slaves.  I'm glad the apology makes some blacks feel better, but it doesn't do anything for me.

This is an example of some legislators apologizing for something that they had nothing to do with.  Is it the white person's fault if his family tree includes a relative who owned or profited from the slave trade? I don't think so.  I am definitely not apologizing if someone combed my family tree and found out that I am descended from one of the tribes in Africa who sold slaves to Europeans.  That's what's wrong with this country now. Everyone is apologizing for anything that is said or done that may upset or offend someone.  It's gotten to the point, I don't even know who is sincere when they do apologize.

Now, I hope these "black lawmakers" can pass some legislation that really will help the community - I mean the  "black community".  The last time I checked this resolution is not going to stop the flow of black males joining gangs and going to jail. 

By the way, what is wrong with Republican Governor Charlie Crist?  When asked about reparations, Crist did not shoot the idea down.  As a matter of fact, he seemed open to the idea, when he said, "if we can determine descendancy, certainly.''  Blacks will never receive reparations for the tragedy of slavery.  I would settle for the forty acres and a mule.  However, if Florida decides to get in the reparation business, I will definitely make a move to the Sunshine State.  I do have student loans to pay back.

On Second Thought........

I guess Hillary Clinton "misspoke" last week when she said that she was not going to comment on Barack Obama and his Jeremiah Wright problem.  Clinton is now making it known that she would have never continued to listen to sermons by someone like Wright. 

Clinton is right, but she should have said it last week. This has been my problem with her whole campaign.  They have consistently been afraid to attack Obama because they were overly sensitive to being called racist.  The only reason Clinton is commenting on the Wright controversy now is because she wants to deflect attention away from her exaggerated Bosnian visit. 

Clinton made these comments to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  It's a good move on her part. She needs a big and convincing win in Pennsylvania.  Clinton also knows that her comments about Wright will have to at least share the front page with any criticisms of her Bosnian gaffe.  Her comments also will put Obama on the defensive and force him to talk about something he would like to put behind him.

Hillary Clinton - What Else Have You Misspoke About?

Hillary Clinton - for a person to be so smart, she sure is stupid.  Clinton has finally admitted that she "misspoke" about her much celebrated Bosnia trip twelve years ago.  I can understand a person making a mistake once when commenting on a trip that was made a long time ago.  What I can't understand is how a person, in this case Clinton, can keep making the same mistake on several occasions. 

The bottom line is this - Clinton lied about the Bosnian trip and all of the sniper fire.  Barack Obama lied and continues to lie about his relationship with Jeremiah Wright.  John McCain lies about Mitt Romney during the Republican primary campaign. This is what politicians do - they exaggerate and lie.  This is why, as an independent voter, I am not satisfied with the choices for president.  I guess I will have to vote for the candidate who lies the least and does not try to make a fool out of me while doing it.

The Obama's Are Not Poor

Barack Obama's campaign released his tax returns from 2000 - 2006.  TaxProf provides a nice summary and quick analysis of the returns. 

I do not think that candidates for public office should have to release their tax returns.  Their returns are private and contain personal information.  The candidates should be afforded the same right to privacy that all citizens enjoy when it comes to their tax information.  I don't blame Hillary Clinton for delaying the release of her returns and I would not have blamed Obama if he had not released his. 

I think it's funny when politicians succumb to public pressure and release their tax information.  However, I think it's funnier when the tax forms reveal that Clinton and Obama are millionaires, but they insist that they know what it's like to struggle in today's economy.  I only wish I could struggle like they do.

I also think people are getting too excited about the upcoming opportunity to review Clinton's tax forms.  What are they really going to find?  Everyone knows the Clinton's are millionaires.  Everyone knows former President Bill Clinton is paid well for his speaking engagements.  I assume what political opponents really want to review are the Clinton's investment portfolio.

For those of you who are interested, this site allows to you to view the tax forms of past president's who decided to share their private tax information with the public.

Is There Something In The Water In Florida?

Everyone on earth knows that if Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton cannot win the democratic nomination before the convention in Denver, there will probably be a brokered convention.  I think it's safe to say that the Democrat's do not want that to happen. What most people would not guess is that there is a possibility that Al Gore, of all people, could be the Democrat to take on John McCain in the general election. 

I know that scenario sounds crazy, but that is what U.S. Representative Tim Mahoney (D-FL) has suggested could happen if there is a brokered convention.  Mahoney said the following:

"If it (the nomination process) goes into the convention, don’t be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket,”....."A compromise candidate could be someone such as former vice president Al Gore"......"If either Clinton or Obama suggested to a deadlocked convention a ticket of Gore-Clinton or Gore-Obama, the Democratic Party would accept it."

I can't believe people cannot get over Al Gore.  I like Gore and I think he would have made a good president.  However, Mahoney is crazy if he thinks that Obama and Clinton would step aside for Gore so he could battle McCain for the presidency.  Obama and Clinton have battered each other for months in a bruising nomination process.  I would love to be in the room if someone would suggest to Obama or Clinton that  they should think about serving as Gore's vice-president for eight years and then run for president - again.

Now that's the kind of video I would like to see on You-Tube.

Can You Spell - Stupid?

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is not allowing a young girl to participate in the national competition because of a clerical error by her school district.  Scripps is penalizing the student for the following reason:

"North Platte R-1 School District officials' application said only Platte County R-1. Because the application failed to use the word "district," it was missed in a database search that spelling bee officials used to contact districts that made the mistake".

This is a situation that calls for Scripps to use some common sense.  The school district did not purposely mess up the application.  There is no way Scripps should penalize the student because an administrator or staff person forgot to put "district" on a form.  Scripps should allow the girl to participate in the competition.  It's a spelling bee, not the Final Four. 

 

This Woman Has Too Much Time On Her Hands

While scouring the newspaper sites a few days ago, I came across an article title that caught my attention, "What Does Disney Have Against Mothers?"  I decided not to read the article because I thought it was going to discuss an issue that affects some mothers, like breastfeeding in public places.  Well, I happened to see the article again today and I decided to read it.  Not so much for the content of the article, but I was desperate to read anything that did not mention Clinton, McCain, Obama and Wright.  Bad decision.

The woman who wrote the article is wondering why the creators of the popular Disney movies are devaluing mother's.  She mentions several of the popular Disney movies, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmatians, Pocahontas, Bambi, well, you get the picture.  She also wrote the following:

"I find the absent mommies more disturbing than the dead mommies. It bothers me when they are invisible, like Belle's mom — gone for no reason and unneeded. At least the deaths are seen and felt as tragic events, signifying a life-changing moment for the characters, which they eventually overcome. But when the moms just don't show up, it feels cold. It plants a haunting seed of doubt in a 3-year-old's mind that we can abandon our children even when there are no barracudas chasing us".

If she feels the movies are planting seeds of doubt in her 3-year old, then maybe the 3-year old shouldn't be watching the movies. I have 3 children and they have watched most of the popular Disney movies on DVD.  Not once, did they ever ask my wife and I what happened to Snow White's mother.

People are getting a little too weird for me these days.  Obama can sit in a church for 20 years and wants the world to believe that he does not agree with everything his "crazy uncle" believes in. Now this woman is reading too much into Disney movies.  I think they are both out of touch and in need of help.

Sharpton Doesn't Know How To Be Quiet

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I didn't care that Al Sharpton said that he would not be endorsing Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.  I also said that anybody with any common sense would know that Sharpton was supporting Obama even he did not say it publicly.  Well, I guess Sharpton is feeling left out of the news cycle because he has made it clear that he supports Obama.  He's just going to support him quietly for strategic reasons. 

Note to Sharpton - to do something quietly means that I should not hear or read about you at all.

Obama - An Analysis Of The Man

I had mixed feelings yesterday after listening to Barack Obama's speech on race relations in America.  I applaud Obama for his willingness to talk about the issue of race.  I thought is was a well intentioned speech that fell short of my expectations.  I understand and appreciate Obama's life story because of my own similar life experience.  I did not like how he attempted to denunciate Wright's hateful rhetoric while at the same time excusing it on a historical basis. My problem with Obama is that he tries to be all things to all people instead of just being himself.

Obama tried to explain how different races of people could view Wright's video clips and have different feelings about what they saw.  This is where Obama disappointed me because he had the opportunity to say that the people who did not like Wright's rantings included people of all races, not just whites.  I also did not like the fact that he insinuated that the Trinity Church services are the norm at other predominantly black churches every Sunday. This is not true and Obama knows it.

Shelby Steele authored an op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal in which he discusses Obama's ability to appeal across the racial lines. It should be noted that Steele is black and conservative.  To many in the black community he is ignorantly considered a "sell-out" or an "Uncle Tom".  Ignoring his critics as usual, Steele does a great job of talking about the dynamics of how certain blacks have positioned themselves to appeal to whites.  In this discussion, he also compared Obama to Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan. 

I thought Steele's article was right on point.  It was not negative and demeaning.  It was just an honest assessment of the racial divide in American and how some blacks choose to navigate it.  For those who are interested, here is a link to an excerpt from Steele's new book, "The Bound Man" in which he talk abouts how Obama is trying to navigate the mine field of racial identity.