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Showing posts from March, 2008

King Kong, Le Bron

Le Bron James is the first black man to appear on the cover of Vogue Magazine. A black talk show host was complaining about the cover, saying that Vogue was making him look like "King Kong." I saw the cover last week, it didn't even occur to me that Le Bron was being pictured as a monkey or sexual demon. I will just point out that Gisele Bundchen looks rather happy to be in Mandingo's arms.

Kwame charged with perjury

Kwame Kilpatrick, during happier times. He was charged with perjury earlier today. I'd love to hear a sermon by Rev. Wright about the case.

Rush Limbaugh gets the "Wilder Effect" wrong

Rush Limbaugh : That's known as the Bradley Effect or the Wilder Effect. In the case of Doug Wilder running for the governorship in Virginia, Tom Bradley running for governor of California, in pre-election polls they had huge leads, and going into Election Day it was assumed (both candidates were black) both were going to win. They both lost by sizable percentages. The pollsters decided, "We've been lied to here. People didn't want us to think that they were racist so they told us they were going to vote for Bradley or Wilder when they really had no intention of it." So it's interesting how many people are actually answering questions about Obama that way. * The reality is that Bradley barely lost while Wilder barely won.

The Pound Cake Law

"People with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack -- and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from?" --Bill Cosby, May 17, 2004 "Pound Cake" speech * * * According to the March 14 edition of the Palm Beach Post: On Tuesday, voters in Riviera Beach overwhelmingly approved a new law that would make it a crime to wear pants that show skin or underwear . The first offense carries a $150 fine or community service. A second infraction carries a $300 fine or more community service . There's also a crackdown in Kansas . * * * * Question: Is this only a problem in public schools? This sounds like another argument for school uniforms. * It has been pointed out before that the baggy pants style comes from prison (prisoners not allowed to

Some of Rev. Wright's supporters

From the March 19 demonstration against the Iraq War at San Francisco’s Civic Center Park [posted by Green Little Footballs ]

Obama's passport file

Keith Olberman seems to be the first to report on Maura Hardy's connection to someone in the state department looking at Obama's passport file. Long-term state department official first appointed by Reagan, Clinton ambassador, etc. Unrelated Blast from the Past file: Feds Investigate Dems' Obtaining Steele's Credit Report

Bob Barr--Libertarian candidate?

Bob Barr may run for president, as a Libertarian . I wasn't even aware that Libertarians were going to run someone in 2008. And it won't take long to forget that Barr did run as a Libertarian... By the way, it was great to see the photo of Bob Barr doing something I have rarely seen him do in public--smile. CJL

Jeremiah Wright was Clinton White House guest

The Barack Obama campaign has clearly been damaged by his long-term relationship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright. The Hillary Clinton campaign has been remarkably quiet about Barack Obama's troubles. As the old political strategy goes: remain quiet while your enemy is committing suicide. Here's a photo of Rev. Wright at a Clinton White House function, posted by The Politico . A photo may say 1000 words--and that's even more words than the Clinton campaign apparently has uttered about Obama and Wright. CJL Linked by African American Political Pundit ,

Quote of the Day, 1883

"I cannot see how any honest colored man, who has brains enough to put two ideas together, can allow himself, under the notion of independence, to give aid and comfort to the Democratic Party in Ohio or elsewhere." --Frederick Douglass, quoted in McFeeley's Frederick Douglass , p. 316.

Double Dog Daring Dellinger

Heller has been heard by the Supreme Court, now the justices will read and re-read briefs, and conference, and supposedly give us some kind of decision in June.  To reiterate my prediction:  Ban overturned, reasonable restrictions allowed, probably "rational" scrutiny of any laws, and no major effect nationally. That said, and setting aside my concerns about the court's treatment of  Miller , as something for another day, I was interested in this bit : In addition to the handgun ban, Washington also has a trigger lock requirement for other guns that raised some concerns Tuesday. "When you hear somebody crawling in your bedroom window, you can run to your gun, unlock it, load it and then fire?" Justice Antonin Scalia said. Roberts, who has two young children, suggested at one point that trigger locks might be reasonable. "There is always a risk that the children will get up and grab the firearm and use it for some purpose other than what the Second Amendme

Glad I'm Not A Democrat

The reason I'm glad I'm not a Democrat is simple - by the rules of the game established by their very own Liberal selves, if I don't vote for Obama, I'm a racist.  If I don't vote for Clinton, I'm a sexist.  Given that large numbers of Democrats have  voted for one or the other, that can only mean that the Ds are either racist or sexist or both.   I would say that the only solution that the Ds have to this conundrum is to find and run people like  Shirley Looking over this morning's posts, I would also note in passing that I'm envious of Casey's ability to use the word "Negro" without flinching.  I'm a product of my times, I guess, and even have difficulty suggesting people get ahold of one of the more interesting social studies out there, this book . J. Underhill

From Magic Negro to Malcolm X

Not to say this is worth celebrating, but tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of David Ehrenstein writing a piece in the Los Angeles Times calling Barack Obama a " Magic Negro ." That is, a black person who makes white people feel good. Rush Limbaugh thought it was ridiculous. His team quickly came up with a hilarious parody, which you can download here for free (scroll to the bottom, hit "free," on the second page, "scroll down to the password, wait for the timer to expire, type in the password, then download). Fast forward to a year later--Barack Obama is now Barack X. Is anyone questioning if he is black? Now the concern is that he will wear a Dashiki and give the Black Power salute at his inauguration. With his approval ratings in freefall because of the controversy over pastor Wright, Obama will give a major address on race. Perhaps he should try to convince folks that he really is a Magic Negro. CJL

Under The Helicopter, Basket In Hand

It's good to be close to those on top.  Your mistakes get pushed off onto others, you get important notices before The Little Guy, and rules, by and large, do not apply to you.  Banks are concerned about their bottom lines - what business isn't? - but have no problem getting the goods from both ends, not only a handout from the Feds, but there appears to be no trickle down to their customers from the taxpayer's...I mean, the Federal government's...generosity. It looks like it may really be helicopter drop to get the economy moving again.  I may have to reconsider my libertarian tendencies long enough to get out a basket and see what falls in. Or not.

Manufactured cases

My former Cato Institute colleague Bob Levy is profiled by the Associated Press for his role in the challenge to the DC gun ban. One great thing about Levy is that he tells it like it is. As the article quotes: And Levy freely admits the case is manufactured, not one that bubbled up by chance from the district's steady flow of criminal cases involving guns. He wanted presentable plaintiffs to make a case for gun rights, not criminals. "We didn't want crack heads and bank robbers to be poster boys for the Second Amendment," he said. Is there a problem with this case being manufactured? I heard a talking head on the radio complaining a while ago that this case wasn't from real DC residents, that it was from outsiders. What's wrong with that? There may be some times that it takes an outsider to challenge an injustice or bad law. Did DC residents claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was an outsider who should have minded his own business? And about the case being &

Was Obama voting "present" in church, too?

1) A few months ago I suggested to an Obama supporter that I thought Obama was keeping Rev Jeremiah Wright around to fend off charges that Obama isn't black enough. After all, how could you question the blackness of a man going to the church with a pastor like Wright? In a year, Obama has gone from being "black in an unusual way" to Malcolm X. 2) The Clintons have engaged in some race baiting, but not even in their dreams would they have tied Obama to a firebrand like Rev. Wright. It would not have seemed believable that a Harvard Law graduate would be attending church of such a fool for two decades. Well, I guess Harvard Law grad Eliot Spitzer makes anything about Harvard Law School believable now... 3) Apparently it is a strategic tactic in the Illinois state senate for politicians to vote "present." Perhaps Obama was just voting "present" in church when Rev. Wright was going off. 4) The Clintons survived sex scandals, Whitewater, etc. That Obama'

"self-hating blacks"

Harry Alford of the National Black Chamber of Commerce : "While there are some great Black Republicans such as General Collin Powell and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele they are vastly outnumbered by the celebrated self-hating Blacks like Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, and Shelby Steele. Good solid thinking progressive capitalists (with the general philosophy of the Republican Party) who happen to be Black find themselves isolated and on the defense."

Booker T defeats WEB, again

The big "debate" a century ago among black Americans was whether blacks should focus more on economics or politics. To simplify things, it was Booker T saying that blacks needed to focus more on economic development whereas W.E.B. Dubois focused on political activism. We can clearly put Mr. Blackonomics James Clingman on Booker T's side. I read an enlightening e-mail by Kenneth Price that discussed the current political situation and how Black people are so emotionally invested in the upcoming presidential election. One point centered on the fact that other groups in this country are not wringing their hands about who will be president; they are not losing sleep over the next election and, in many cases, they couldn’t care less who wins. Of course, those groups to which the piece referred were busy taking care of their businesses and aggregating their resources among themselves. I know, I know; they have not been through what we have been through. * * * Politically

Question for Anti-Illegal Immigration Activists

Radley Balko asks a great question of anti-illegal immigration activists: "If you’re adamant that you only oppose illegal immigration, then do you also support vastly expanding the number of legal visas the federal government grants to low-wage, low-skill workers (which at the moment is an exceedingly small number)?" I've been asking anti-illegal immigration people that same question. Booker Rising recently highlighted one of my quotes on immigration. "As people often point out to me, I'm almost always in the minority when the issue is illegal immigration. 1) I oppose punishing private employers for hiring illegals. 2) I support taking laws against such hiring practices off the books. 3) I don't oppose laws preventing the various levels of governments from hiring illegals. 4) If the various levels of government are serious about punishing illegals, then they should prevent them from receiving government services or benefits. 5) It isn't the government&

Quote of the day

From a Steve Chapman column on legalizing prostitution: "What one New Orleans mayor said applies to a segment of every human society: 'You can make prostitution illegal in Louisiana, but you can't make it unpopular.'"

On The Character Of Characters

What Casey hits on in the post below, regarding "character" and Rush's blatant misunderstanding of same, highlights the problems of people who are not terribly literate or educated (regardless of their claims) attempting to interpret 200 year old language. I discovered this in elementary school, looking at older documents that were full of "ye" and stange looking "f" letters. Turned out that the "y" in "ye" is actually shorthand for "th," while the funny "f" is actually the equivalent of the German S-zet - a double "s." What Adams or Madison or Hamilton (whenever Rush finally gets it right) describes in the Federalist #69 is not the "character" of the executive, but rather what today we would call "characteristics of the office of president." There is, by the way, excellent reading in there for those few still interested in comparing the current administration's actions with wh

Character of the President

A couple of days ago in a conversation about Eliot Spitzer and morality in politics, Rush Limbaugh said the following: Our last caller wanted to know -- he's a Republican, but he doesn't like this morality in politics, it's not in the Constitution. Actually, it is in the Federalist Papers in the section in which the criteria for the president was being written and debated about, the number one aspect in the Federalist Papers, I think it was John Adams in this case -- I think it was John Adams writing number-one, most important thing in the executive was character. Federalist #69, written by Alexander Hamilton, outlined the duties and responsibilities of the president. Limbaugh then had a change of heart about the author: It was James Madison. Actually, he wrote one-third of the Federalist Papers, the forerunner of the Constitution. He also was the principal author of the Constitution. It was James Madison in the Federalist Papers who laid out the requirements for the e

Guest Host Introduction

Greetings, gentle readers. The kind and generous owner of this blog, Casey Lartigue, after noticing that I had been frequently posting in the comments section of late, has graciously offered to allow me to toil occasionally here in the fields of his wisdom. This demonstrates either that high intelligence and copious education do not always yield smart decisions, or else that Casey's getting lazier in his old age and simply wants to shift the burdens of his work onto others. Having known him for nigh on a decade and a half now, it may be that the correct answer is "both of the above." Casey and I met while we were both working in Korea.   Well, he was working and I was pretending to work.   We were generous posters on the expatriate list serve there, Kexpat (motto:  "Welcome to Kexpat.  Now unsubscribe."), a rather hobbesian place where only the strongest and meanest survived.  Needless to say, Casey flourished there and it was only through his guidance and pro

Cartoon--a Democrat working for a Republican

Washington Post , Tom Toles

"Take that boy down"

Here's a promo running on XM 169 and 1450 WOL for Al Sharpton's radio show. Guest Ralph Nader is quoted as saying that a Clinton aide said about Barack Obama, "...and a source close to the Clintons said 'they're gonna take that boy down,' the Clintons, taking Obama down." You can download the short clip here . Has Nader said this anywhere else? Or only to a black audience? CJL

Bad time for Democrats

A few weeks ago people were wondering what John McCain would do to keep himself in the spotlight. He hasn't done a very good job of that so far. But in the meantime, in just the last week... Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from her position with the Clinton team--and with people charging that she is a racist. A member of the Obama team stepped down after calling H Clinton a "monster." The Democrat contenders have been trading charges. A Democrat governor has resigned in disgrace after getting caught in a sex scandal. Democrats are trading charges over what to do about delegates in Florida and Michigan. With H Clinton refusing to concede for the good of the party, things should be even more exciting over the next couple of months. CJL

Dershowitz on victimless crimes

I have conflicting feelings watching Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz discuss Eliot Spitzer's troubles. On the one hand, I'm yelling, "you idiot!" But then just as quickly, "damn, that's a good point." What I've liked about Dershowitz for quite some time is his attack on victimless crimes and outdated laws. Of course, when someone says "victimless" crime, busybodies will find someone--a wife, girlfriend--who has bruised feelings and call that person a victim. If that doesn't work, then "society" is said to be threatened. My understanding is that "victimless crime" is meant in a legal sense--adultery is a civil, not legal, wrong. In his 1992 book Contrary to Popular Opinion , Dershowitz attacks victimless crimes and outdated laws, concluding one column: "The righteous hypocrite vote in this country has always been stronger than the vice vote." CJL

Geraldine Ferraro on Obama

Geraldine Ferraro may be correct when she says: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." --As it has been noted, Obama was a lightly experienced politician when he was selected to give a prime-time address at the 2004 Democratic convention. It may be true that a white man would not have been given that opportunity so quickly. And? --Many people have various reasons for getting selected or highlighted for opportunities. Hillary because of her last name, Obama because of his race, Ferraro because of her gender, McCain for his military service, others because of where they went to college or who they know. Obama shouldn't apologize for the decisions that others made to highlight him. Obama may have been highlighted because of his race, but what he is doing with it is still extraordinary. --It may

Spitzer

According to various news reports... Eliot Spitzer --1590 SAT score --Princeton University graduate --Perfect score on the LSAT --Harvard Law School graduate --Editor of the Harvard Law Review --married to a Harvard Law School graduate --former Attorney General of New York --(still) Governor of New York --Most well-known moralizing and hypocritical John of 2008 But I hope he doesn't resign. * It is good to have known hypocrites in office. It is hard to see a known hypocrite as a political savior. * He engaged in a victimless crime. As delicious as it would be to have governor Spitzer get the treatment that attorney general Spitzer gave to people, this shouldn't be national news and he shouldn't be under pressure to resign. * This is probably bad news for the Clintons. People tired of the "old politics" and scandals of the Clintons will get a good reminder of what they are trying to get away from. CJL

"Immoral Leverage"

Immoral Leverage by Casey J. Lartigue Jr. March 10, 1998 The Korea Times When Kim Hak-Sun stepped forward in August 1991 to acknowledge publicly that she had been a "comfort woman" for the Japanese army during World War II, it seemed that it was the beginning of the end of the contentious issue. After all, how could the Japanese government continue to deny that thousands of young women were used as sex slaves for its military when the former comfort women, led by Kim, were stepping forward to tell their painful stories? Instead of resolving the dispute, Kim's emergence marked the start of a new phase of the bitter battle. The Japanese government, which had previously denied the "comfort girls" were forced into sexual labor, immediately denied official government complicity. After Japanese history professor Yoshimi Yoshiaki published government documents in 1992 refuting that claim, the Japanese government at last confessed government involvement. While se

Column on The Root

I've got a column on The Root. It addresses Bruce Bartlett's suggestion that Republicans should support reparations for slavery. CJL The GOP's Next (Black) Idea? Trading slavery reparations for affirmative action. By: Casey Lartigue | Posted: March 5, 2008 at 11:41 AM Concerned that Republicans haven't tried hard enough to reach out to black voters, Bruce Bartlett, a former advisor to President Ronald Reagan and treasury official under President George H. W. Bush, suggests a shocker: Republicans should come out in favor of reparations for slavery. Republicans for reparations? Bartlett makes the suggestion in Wrong on Race , an expose on the "hidden" racist history of the Democratic Party. Bartlett skewers former Democratic presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Woo