Support Black Republican Candidates

The Democrats every election cycle like to brag about how Republicans have no black reprensenation in the congress or the Senate.

Today you have the power pull out your credit card and smash the Democrats teeth in with just 25 bucks.

This blog and it's contributors will be endorsing Lt. Governor of Maryland Michael Steele for Senate in Maryland.

The blog will be down until elections, Please pull out you credit card ......and help a Brotha Out..we need our Obama!!

Why Steele Matters?

If you are a Republican and reading this take note if Steele wins then he is a blue print for winning elections in every democrat state...and to Democrats that's scary!

Danna Brazile Al Gores former campaign Manager said that the Democrats need to be on alert Ms. Brazile said. "Once again, this should serve as a wake-up call to Democrats not to take their most loyal constituents and voters for granted."

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons -- who has helped register thousands of Democratic voters -- has endorsed Republican Michael S. Steele for the U.S. Senate.

A thank you to all who read this blog we ask that you come back after the elections and check us out!

Peace Out...................... www.steeleformaryland.com

*****Please donate at this links below*********

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>http://www.steeleformaryland.com/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

https://www.donationreport.com/init/controller/ProcessEntryCmd?key=T6F4V4C1E0

Also our very own contributor Marcus Skelton will be running for office.Marcus is one of a growing number of young African-Americans leaving the party of their parents and grandparents in favor of the GOP -- or choosing not to have a political affiliation at all.

According to the Boston Globe a Gallup Poll of minorities' political opinions indicated that black voters overwhelmingly favor the Democratic Party, and the percentage of African-Americans who consider themselves Republicans lingers at about 9 percent. However, according to the poll, of those blacks who vote GOP, most are under age 50 -- a generational shift that could be an opportunity for Republicans and a headache for Democrats.

While older black voters still have strong attachments to the Democratic party, political specialists say, younger African-Americans are less likely to be bound by tradition: They grew up in an integrated society, they don't have personal memories of the civil rights movement, and they are more focused on entrepreneurship and opportunity, two of the GOP's selling points.
''The question people are going to have is, who wants to build on the civil right movement's success -- closing the wealth gap, closing the health gap, offering people real access to opportunity?"

HipHopRepublicans.com wishes him well in his run for DC Counsil.

If you wish to Donate to his campaign his adress is here.Also his new website is up http://skeltonforcouncil.org/

To donate funds please send checks to:Friends to Elect Marcus Skelton2137 Suitland Terrace SEApt# 302Washington D.C. 20020Below is Marcus Skenltons reason for running.

Why Run for Council Member At-Large……….?

My decision to run for City Council is based on my strong commitment to community involvement and my belief that together we can make better decisions beneficial to the future for the District of Columbia. We have the opportunity to stop run-away taxing and irresponsible spending by electing Marcus Skelton for D.C. Council Member At-Large.

Because public education, public safety, and job growth are three hotly debated issues in our community. I am committed to meeting as many of you as possible and learning how you feel about these and other issues that affect the city because there are multiple solutions to every problem.

-I also believe that all citizens agree on a few principles.Bi-partisan government is beneficial to the future of the district because monopolies tend to lead to corruption.Strong values and community involvement keep our streets and children safe.The District of Columbia has a responsibility to prepare its youth to compete in today’s global economy.More businesses mean more jobs.Citizens need to keep more of what they earn to keep up with the rising cost of living.

-Marcus Skelton

You can see Marcus Skelton’s “Message to Downtown” on Comcast Candidates on Demand. Please click on the link below and forward to all your friends and family.

www.v4w.net/v.php?vid=Marcus_Skelton&clientid=cod

Support Black Republican Candidates

ALABAMA

Jeffery Ray Jones for Alabama Senate District 33

Tim Bryson for Probate Judge of Walker County

ARKANSAS

Chris Morris for Arkansas State Treasurer

Alphonso Nation, Arkansas Representative District 6

AMERICAN SAMOA

Amata Aumua for US Congress

CALIFORNIA

Raymond L. Chukwu, US Congress (CA-15th)

COLORADO

Senator Ed Jones re-elect to Colorado State Senate District 11

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Marcus Skelton for At-Large City Council

Tony Williams for DC Council Ward 6

Dennis Moore For Mayor

FLORIDA

Representative Jennifer S. Carroll to re-elect to FL House District 13

Eddie Adams, Jr. for US Congress (FL 11)

Ken Anthony for Hillsborough County Commission District 3

Donald Foy for Florida House District 14

Willis "K.C." Bowick for Florida House District 59

Armando R. Grundy-Gomés for Escambia Soil and Water Board, Group 2

Glorious J. Johnson - Re-elect to Jacksonville City Council, Group 5, At Large
Art Graham - Candidate for Jacksonville City Council, District 13

GEORGIA

Representative Melvin Everson re-elect to Georgia House District 106Representative

Willie Talton re-elect to Georgia House District 145

Deborah Honeycutt For US Congress (GA 13th)

Catherine Davis For US Congress (GA 4th)

Mary Wilhite For Georgia House District 22

ILLINOIS

Eric Wallace, PhD for Illinois State Senate District 19

Marc A. Wiley for Illinois State House District 80

Karl J. Cook for Illinois State House District 38

INDIANA

Eric Dickerson for US Congress (IN-7)

LOUISIANA

Benita Williams Scott for Assessor 5th Municipal District

(Algiers)David Parker for District E in New Orleans

Harold Williams for East Baton Rouge School Board

MARYLAND

Lt. Governor Michael Steele for US Senate

Ron Miller for Maryland Senate 27th district

Rene Swafford, Anne Arundel County Council Candidate

Monifais Tarjamo,Charles County Commissioner

Loretta Gaffney, Maryland House of Delegates District 13

Corey W. Pack, Candidate for the County Council of Talbot County

Clarence W. Bell, Jr., candidate for Baltimore County Executive

MASSACHUSETTS

Bob Parks for Massachusetts State House 2nd Franklin District

MICHIGAN
Senator Bill Hardiman re-elect to Michigan Senate District 29

Larry DeShazor for State Representative District 61

Charity Jones for State Representative District 6

Melvin Byrd for State Representative District 8

Joel Wilson for State Representative District 95

Edith Floyd for State Representative District 2

MINNESOTA

Obi Sium for US Congress (MN 4th)

Dan Williams, State Sentate District 54

MISSISSIPPI

Yvonne R. Brown for US Congress (MS-2)

MISSOURI

State Representative Sherman Parker for US Congress (MO-2)

NEVADA

Senator Maurice Wasington re-elect to Nevada Senate District 11

Lynette Boggs McDonald, Clark County Commission

NEW YORK

Ed Daniels

- Republican Candidate for Congress, 15th District

- Harlem, USA

http://www.nycrepublican.org/daniels/index.htm

Jim Coleman for NY State Assembly 88th district

NORTH CAROLINA

Dr. Ada M. Fisher For US Congress (NC-12)

Vernon Robinson For US Congress (NC-13)

Olga Morgan Wright for General Assembly House District 58

Jim H Bention Sr., For North Carolina State House District 69

Frankie Roberts, North Carolina General Assemby District 18

Pearl Burris Floyd, re-elect as Gaston County Commissioner

OHIO

Secretary of State Ken Blackwell for Govenor of Ohio

Jimmie Hicks, Jr. For Ohio State House District 9

Don McLaurin, State Senate District 5

OREGON

Bruce Broussard for Oregon for US Congress (OR-3)

Senator Jackie Winters re-elect for Oregon State State District 10

Lynn Aiello for Oregon State Senator District 3

PENNSYLVANIA

Lynn Swann for Governor of Pennsylvania

Ron Holt for Pennsylvania State Senate District 4

RHODE ISLAND

Lloyd Monre for State Senate District 18

TENNESSEE

Novella Smith Arnold for Shelby County County Commission
Derrick Bennett for US Congress (TN 9th)

TEXAS

Michael Williams re-elect to Texas Railroad Commissioner

Ken Bryant for Texas House District 27

VERMONT

State Auditor Randolph D. Brock, III re-elect as State Auditor of Accounts

WISCONSIN
Rick Baas for State Representative

Lynn Swann tackles Ed Rendell

GOP challenger Lynn Swann streaks past Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell in first debate



By pennpatriot

If tonight's debate was an actual football game, Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann would have been named the player of the game. The fact is Swann had a very surprising Superbowl like debate performance against a very tough, seasoned political veteran.

Swann entered tonight's gubenatorial debate with an offensive campaign strategy that seemed to dazzle everyone watching even the lengendary Ed Rendell. Swann seemed more youthful, speedy and energized while Rendell seemed frustrated and slow on his feet. Any objective viewer of the debate must conclude that Lynn Swann's performance was superior to that of Ed Rendell.

There were so many positive for Swann.

Coming into the debate many Pennsylvnania media types and political pundits questioned whether or not Swann would be able to demonstrate a "comand of the issues" that face Pennsylvania. Tonight Swann answered those questions and more.

Not only did Swann demonstrate a command of the issues, he even seemed more comfortable debating them than our three year, incumbent Governor. During the debate Swann even caught Rendell using his own tax cut numbers to criticize Swann's plan to cut business taxes.

For being a political newcomer Swann was unusually calm and poised during the debate. He was confident. And in my opinion, I think Swann actually may have benefited from debating Rendell on his home field of Pittsburgh. Swann had his game face on and Rendell looked like he was washed up.

Furthermore, something very important happened during tonights debate that will make things very interesting in this race. If you are a voter desperately trying to find a candidate that is focused on change and reforming Pennsylvania, Lynn Swann came across as the clear choice.

Swann invoke the Commonwealth Foundation several times when responding to questions and hammered Rendell for signing the pay raise. Swanns property tax reform proposal and tax cut plans seemed to make sense while Rendell was stuck defending a record that as Swann said, "hasn't produced results".


Early poll results agree:

At 9:10 PM, A KDKA website poll indicates that 71% of viewers think Lynn Swann won the debate.

Check out the latest poll results @ www.kdka.com

For more Pennsylvania Politics check out VoicePA

In Defence of Black Republican's

I often watch with amazement African American intellectuals perpetuate phobic rhetoric to black political participation in the Republican party.

The history of the Democrat Party and African American's is a long often sad history, the facts though speak for them self , through active civic participation African Americans eventually learned how to penetrate the Democrat power structure.

The success of the 60's civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer led to a wave of black elected officials through out the country well into the 80's. Fannie Lou Hamer used her plain-spoken manner and fervent belief in the prayer to break the doors of the Democrat establishment.

To then say that some how in 2006 that blacks who identify as Republican are some how disloyal or confused is absurd, hating Republicans because of political strategies of o fthe RNC in the 60's and 70's is some what strange.

It was with help from Republicans that the voting act was signed into law, many Democrats would not support the bill.

If past wrongs are a reason for non participation in American institutions then blacks should never try to be part of any institution in America, because many institutions pf power have a history of racism and the DNC is no exception.

Statements such as unlce tom, stupid, ignorant are simply political and psychological tools which seeks to exert in-group pressure on the black people!

While this tactic is used primarily against Republicans they have been used against any one "deemed" a threat to the Democrat's black voting base!

In effect this perpetuates a cycle, vote Democrat..Republicans are racist...such diatribes are getting old and tired.

Also given the long history of racism within the Democrat party, why are Republicans so impossible to work with?

Are they some how worse foes than t he racist democrats
of the 50's and 60's?

Is Newt Gingrich some how the equal to Bull Connor?

What is wrong if a group of African American's seek to participate in one of the oldest political parties on the planet?

What is so wrong with trying to be part of both parties, why is this such a threat?

Why should the Democrat Party have a monopoly on black votes?

Where is the competition?

In the 70's the Evangelicals (religious right" voted 80 percent Democrat, in fact Pat Robertson's father was a Democrat Senator for the state of Virginia.

In a matter of 30 years Evangelicals control many powerful positions of power in Washington.

Are you telling me that if this group can do it black people some how can not?

If you want to define policy you must be at the table where policy is discussed and policy is not always discused at the DNC hq.

Bringing up the past in a biased context to make Republicans look evil and Dem's great through diatribes of histroical rhetoric is simply another political trick to alert the "group" to ignore ideas which could threaten black conformity.

If you really want to change the racism inside any institution which dictates policy
you must first join it , embrace it, learn about it and seekc ommon groun, this is the principle one should get from Fannie Lou Hamer not that she was arguing that al blacks should be democrats and that Republicans were evil.

The legacy of the black Republican is not that of a starry-eyed white subservient loyalist, it is however a credible grass roots movement that deeply cares . Being identifies as a black Republican is not easy, it would be easier just to say I am a Democrat and go with the flow.

Black Republicans are evolving and there are libertarian, moderate Republican, Evangelical, to youre Hip Hop Republican like Lt. Micheal Steele of Maryland simply put this is abraod diverse group of people who are looking at alternate policies which they believe over time can create a better vibrant community.

Also not all black Republicans live in white, rich, areas often we live in black democrat districts, many of our congressman are Democrats, our parents, friends are also democrats. So we are hardly out of touch with whats going on, we live in Harlem, Detroit, South East DC, and LA.
In fact my congressman for two years was Charlie Rangel of New York City.We deeply care and love our communities when we see poverty, homeless, children having children, crimes waves we are forced by logic to ponder new alternatives.

We fill the best way to solve these and many other problems within our community is making sure our voice is heard at every table.

If Republicans past a budget that seems hostile to urban cities, it may lie in the fact that there was no alternate voice from that community who could articulate to that Representative why certain policies may work great for rural America but not the inner city.

With Republicans in the halls of power we need to reach out as never before as community and find common ground.


-Richie aka blk neo con

The Progressive Preachers..

Jim Jones was a progressive left winger whose intentions were to create an agricultural utopia in the jungle, free from racism and based on quasi-communist principles. Jones told his followers to think of him as the incarnation of Christ and God. He took hundreds of black people most no doubt Democrats to Guyana killed them all.






Father Divine (c. 1880 – September 10, 1965), was an African American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death. His full self-given name was Reverend General Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "the Messenger" and George Baker early in his life. He founded the International Peace Mission movement, formulated its doctrine, and oversaw its growth from a small and predominantly black congregation into a multiracial and international church.
Controversially, Father Divine claimed to be God. Some contemporary critics also claimed he was a charlatan, and some suppose him to be one of the first modern cult leaders.

Father Divine made numerous contributions toward his followers' economic independence and racial equality even if that was not his primary motivation.Toward this life, followers of Father Divine owned and managed property collectively. The movement strove to alleviate poverty by feeding the poor and through education in written English, which the Movement believed was the "universal language."



Fred Phelps

Phelps' voting registration in Kansas is Democrat.

Phelps has run in various Kansas Democratic Party primaries in Kansas five times, but has never won. These included races for governor in 1990, 1994, and 1998, receiving about 15% of the vote in 1998.

Support for Al Gore

Phelps supported Al Gore in the 1988 and 1992 elections In his 1984 Senate race, Gore opposed a "gay bill of rights" and stated that homosexuality was not a choice that "society should affirm".
Phelps has stated that he supported Gore because of these earlier comments. According to Phelps, members of the Westboro Baptist Church helped run Gore's 1988 campaign in Kansas. Phelps has stated that he hosted a Gore fundraiser in his home attended by about 500 people. Gore spokesman Dag Vega declined to comment; "We are not dignifying those stories with a response.

Also, Fred's son, Fred Phelps Jr. held a fundraiser, which Al and Tipper Gore attended, at his home in Topeka, and Fred, Jr. served as a Gore delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention.


-As Democrats try to find that old time religion they may on occasion encounter some bumps in the road

Michael Steele Campaign Announcement

Watch this inspiring video about Michael's commitment for the people. ... (more)

Is there blood on his hands?

As Kofi Annan prepares to stand down as UN secretary-general, Adam LeBor investigates the accusations made against the world’s chief defender of human rights


THE CASE AGAINST KOFI ANNAN

The bodies were still warm when Lieutenant Ron Rutten found them: nine corpses in civilian clothes lying crumpled by a stream, each shot in the back at close range. It was July 12, 1995, and the UN-declared “safe area” of Srebrenica had fallen the previous day. The lush pastures of eastern Bosnia were about to become Europe’s bloodiest killing fields since 1945.



Refugees poured into the UN compound. But the Dutch peacekeepers (Dutchbat) were overwhelmed and the Serbs confiscated their weapons. “From the moment I found those bodies, it was obvious to me that the Bosnian Serbs planned to kill all the men,” Rutten said. He watched horrified as Dutch troops guided the men and boys onto the Serb buses.

Srebrenica is rarely mentioned nowadays in Annan’s offices on the 38th floor of the UN secretariat building in New York. He steps down in December after a decade as secretary-general. His retirement will be marked by plaudits. But behind the honorifics and the accolades lies a darker story: of incompetence, mismanagement and worse. Annan was the head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) between March 1993 and December 1996. The Srebrenica massacre of up to 8,000 men and boys and the slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda happened on his watch. In Bosnia and Rwanda, UN officials directed peacekeepers to stand back from the killing, their concern apparently to guard the UN’s status as a neutral observer. This was a shock to those who believed the UN was there to help them.

Annan’s term has also been marked by scandal: from the sexual abuse of women and children in the Congo by UN peacekeepers to the greatest financial scam in history, the UN-administered oil-for-food programme. Arguably, a trial of the UN would be more apt than a leaving party.

The charge sheet would include guarding its own interests over those it supposedly protects; endemic opacity and lack of accountability; obstructing investigations, promoting the inept and marginalising the dedicated. Such accusations can be made against many organisations. But the UN is different. It has a moral mission.

It was founded by the allies in 1945 to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights”. Its key documents – the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the genocide convention – are the most advanced formulation of human rights in history. And they have been flouted by UN member states for decades.

A more specific charge would be that, under the doctrine of command responsibility, the UN is guilty of war crimes. Broadly speaking, it has three principles: that a commander ordered atrocities to be carried out, that he failed to stop them, despite being able to, or failed to punish those responsible. The case rests on the second, that in Rwanda in 1994, in Srebrenica in 1995 and in Darfur since 2003, the UN knew war crimes were occurring or about to occur, but failed to stop them, despite having the means to do so.

Charge one: Rwanda

That in 1994, Annan and the DPKO refused the UN commander General Romeo Dallaire (below) permission to raid Hutu arms caches, despite his warning mass slaughter was planned, that they failed to inform the security council, and failed to clarify the extent of the genocide

Unamir, the UN mission to Rwanda, was deployed in October 1993 to implement the Arusha peace accords, with the aim of ending the civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis. The Hutu government continued to plan a mass slaughter of Tutsis. By January 1994, ethnic tension was at boiling point. The 2,500 Unamir troops were under-equipped. Dallaire lacked everything from intelligence-gathering capability to batteries for troops’ torches.

By January 1994, Dallaire had received detailed information about the planned mass murder from a source inside the Hutu militia known as “Jean-Pierre”. The general asked the DPKO for authorisation to raid the arms caches and offer sanctuary to Jean-Pierre and his family. On January 11, 1994, he cabled New York: “Since Unamir mandate, he [Jean-Pierre] has been ordered to register all Tutsis in Kigali. He suspects it is for their extermination. Example he gave was that in 20 minutes his personnel could kill up to 1,000 Tutsis.” He said he planned to raid the arms caches within the next 36 hours. He concluded: “Peux ce-que veux. Allons-y” – “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Let’s go.”

There was no will and no way. Annan’s office replied, in a cable signed by his deputy, Iqbal Riza: “We must handle this information with caution.” Dallaire warned of mass slaughter, but Annan counselled prudence. “No reconnaissance or other action, including response to request for protection, should be taken by Unamir until clear guidance is received from headquarters.” Dallaire was furious. The next day his boss, Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh, replied to Annan, backing Dallaire, emphasising that Jean-Pierre only had a maximum of 48 hours before he was due to distribute the arms for the massacres. Annan’s reply, again signed by Riza, was negative. He ordered Dallaire not to proceed with the planned raid. It was, he said, beyond Unamir’s mandate under resolution 872. This was untrue. UN mandates were interpreted by DPKO officials as they saw fit. Resolution 872 mandated Unamir to “secure the city of Kigali” within “a weapons-secure area established by the parties in and around the city”. This was sufficient mandate. Dallaire was not even allowed to help Jean-Pierre. “The overriding consideration is the need to avoid entering into a course of action that might lead to the use of force and unanticipated repercussions,”
Annan’s cable concluded.

Had Annan permitted Dallaire to carry out his raids, the genocide might never have taken place. Not only did Annan and Riza twice refuse this, they then sat on his fax. They neither alerted other UN departments nor brought Dallaire’s warnings to the attention of the security council. The council then downsized Unamir from 2,500 troops to around 250. Dallaire stayed on. He helped save thousands of lives but, tormented by memories of those who died, he later became depressed and attempted suicide. He retired in 2000 and is now a senator in the Canadian parliament, active on human-rights issues.

Charge two: Srebrenica

That from July 6 to July 11, 1995, Unprofor, the UN mission in Bosnia, repeatedly failed to authorise air strikes to save the town, despite having the means to do so, and was in grievous breach of its obligations to protect civilians

Srebrenica was one of six “safe areas” under security-council resolutions 819, 824 and 836, passed in 1993. UN commanders could call for Nato air strikes but only to defend themselves. UN officials were obsessed with preserving the UN’s neutrality, over and above its humanitarian obligations. Probably none more so than a Japanese diplomat called Yasushi Akashi.

Akashi was the political chief of Unprofor. On May 7, 1995, the Bosnian Serbs shelled Sarajevo, killing and injuring several people. General Sir Rupert Smith, the British commander of Unprofor in Bosnia, recommended Nato launch an air strike. Akashi withheld permission. He sent a cable to Annan arguing that air strikes might “weaken Milosevic [the Serbian president]”, who he believed was needed to help negotiate a peace settlement. By refusing to make a distinction between aggressor and victim, and by treating both as equal partners, the UN became a de facto ally of those carrying out the atrocities.

Conditions inside Srebrenica were appalling. More than 20,000 people, half-starved and diseased, were jammed into the town. Fleas, cockroaches and vermin flourished. The Bosnian Serbs refused soap and disinfectant for the inhabitants, and fuel and ammunition for UN peacekeepers. “There was no support from Unprofor headquarters in Sarajevo,” recalls Ron Rutten. “They did not care what was going on. From the moment we got there, in January 1995, we were sitting in a mess, surrounded by the Bosnian Serbs. All the major troop-contributing countries to Unprofor knew what was happening. There were SAS guys who were sending messages to General Smith in Sarajevo. I listened to their messages; they were reporting about everything.” But none of the information had any effect.

The Serbs launched their final attack on Thursday, July 6, and the town fell the following Tuesday. The UN refused its commanders’ repeated requests for air strikes, claiming they didn’t fall within the UN guidelines. Outnumbered, the peacekeepers fired only over the heads of the advancing Bosnian Serbs, fearful they would be wiped out if they fought. Once the town fell, Rutten and the other troops looked in vain to Lt Col Thomas Karremans and his deputy, Major Robert Franken, for leadership. Rutten tried to convince his commanders to get the civilians inside the UN compound and alert the world. “Fighting the Serbs would have been a suicide mission because of our poor logistics and useless ammunition. But we could have done something more.” Nothing came of his plan. “At the very moment when we needed leadership, Karremans and Franken gave us no direction. Every soldier was prepared and willing to do something, but nobody was given the command.”

Rutten forced his way into a building known as the White House, which was holding hundreds of men and boys. Their identity cards and passports were piled up outside. Their terror was almost tangible. “You could smell death. I saw the men, I saw the passports and how it was organised. How much more do you need to see to be sure that this is well prepared? The Bosnian Serbs were trying to erase the whole male population.” Despite Rutten’s protests, Dutch troops helped the Bosnian Serbs take the men and boys away. He photographed the process. They believed that by keeping order the prisoners would be in less danger, says Rutten. “The troops thought they could stop the atrocities by guiding people onto the buses. But we should know our history, what happened when people were taken away.”

Perhaps the greatest betrayal was of Ibro Nuhanovic, a local man who had assisted Franken. One of Nuhanovic’s sons, Hasan, worked as a UN translator. Ibro and Hasan were listed as UN staff. Ibro’s wife, Nasiha, and his younger son, Muhamed, were not. The list was the difference between life and death. Despite Ibro and Hasan’s pleas, Franken refused to add their names, and ordered them off the base.

Initially, the attack caused few ripples at the DPKO. Annan was away. The secretary-general, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, was travelling. Shashi Tharoor, the DPKO team leader on Yugoslavia, was on leave. So was General Sir Rupert Smith. On Saturday, July 8, Boutros-Ghali, Annan, Smith, and other senior UN officials met in Geneva. They barely discussed Srebrenica. Incredibly, they sent Smith back on leave. By the time Tharoor finally returned to his desk, Srebrenica had virtually fallen. It was left to Peter Galbraith, the then US ambassador to Croatia, to alert Washington. “In Akashi’s world, the reaction to something like this was that the UN had to be careful because it was dangerous and could lead to military action. The UN always needed proof and they had strategies to ensure there was no proof. They would sit on reports or ensure the information was not highlighted, and when it was reported to the press it just became more of the same from Bosnia.”

Once out of Serb-controlled territory, Dutchbat got roaring drunk and danced in a line. The men and boys of Srebrenica were also being lined up, but not to dance.

Charge three: Darfur

That the UN, in particular the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), repeatedly ignored reports from humanitarian officials of atrocities because they were politically inconvenient, and that the UN still refuses to take action to stop the slaughter

The crisis in Darfur erupted in 2003 after rebels rose up to demand a greater share of resources. Khartoum’s response was ferocious, launching a systematic “scorched earth” campaign. Hundreds of villages have been burnt down, over 2m people displaced, and over 400,000 have been killed or died of disease or malnutrition. Rape is used as a weapon of war. The perpetrators are members of a militia named the Janjaweed: trained, armed and funded by the Sudanese government.

The UN has launched a large-scale humanitarian operation that has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But the powerful DPA helped ensure little pressure was exerted on Sudan over Darfur, for fear of jeopardising an accord that ended a separate, decades-old conflict between the government and rebels in the south. Over 10,000 peacekeepers have been deployed in Unmis, the UN mission to southern Sudan, to implement the accord, but there are still none in Darfur. “There was a fundamental feeling among very senior people that Darfur was a very inconvenient development and they would rather not know about it,” says Dr Mukesh Kapila, the former UN humanitarian chief in Sudan, seconded by the British government in March 2003. He set up a crisis cell, dispatching human-rights investigators across Darfur. Kapila sent reports to the secretariat detailing abuses committed by the Janjaweed and the Sudanese army and how they were protected by the Sudanese government. None had an impact in New York. “Trying to alert the DPA about what was happening in Darfur was like speaking into a well, where your words just disappeared into nothingness. I told them this was not purely a humanitarian issue, it was a political issue as well. But the DPA washed their hands of Darfur.”

Despite Kapila’s warnings, Annan did not speak publicly about Darfur until December 2003, almost a year into the crisis. It was only after Kapila gave an interview to Radio 4’s Today programme in March 2004, describing the carnage, that his boss, the UN humanitarian chief, Jan Egeland, briefed the security council. Before he left Sudan in April 2004, Kapila sent a lengthy memo to the DPA leadership, other senior UN officials and Annan’s chief of staff, Iqbal Riza. It detailed a “scorched-earth policy” of “organised pogroms” of “extreme violence”. He asked Riza to pass a copy to Annan. “Nobody could say I had not followed the proper track.

I had made repeated representations within the secretariat and to important countries on the security council. I had documented the human-rights violations and every time there was an incident I wrote to the Sudanese government.” Like Dallaire and Lt Rutten, Dr Kapila stood up for what he knew was right. “Because of my experience in Srebrenica and Rwanda, and because people in authority have a personal responsibility for taking action when dealing with extraordinary crimes against humanity, I had a duty to speak out.” He didn’t receive a reply.

Part 2
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2368626_2,00.html


Part 3
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-2368626_3,00.html

Defining Corruption: TransCorp Nigeria

Chippla Vandu, a Nigerian-born moderate blogger, writes: "Olusegun Obasanjo claims to be fighting a war against corruption in Nigeria. One is however left wondering if he saw nothing immoral or wrong about a sitting president, and a public officer, buying a significant number of shares in a conglomerate that in turn had been busy buying up publicly traded companies. By acquiring millions of shares in TransCorp, Obasanjo seemed to be telling the very people he governs that he finds it quite difficult to discern what constitutes a corrupt practice.

Furthermore, according to renowned Nigerian lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, Obasanjo violated the 'Code of Conduct for Public Officers' as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution. Such a man is simply not fit to lead a war on corruption. To make matters worse, the sanctimonious Mr. Obasanjo recently laid charges against his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, on the floor of the bi-cameral Nigerian legislature.

He requested that Abubakar be impeached for corrupt practices. Abubakar hit back hard, opening what may be called 'a can of worms' by bringing forward evidence of corrupt practices against Obasanjo. The upper house of the Nigerian legislature—the Senate—finally decided to probe both Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar for corrupt practices with regard to funds allocated for petroleum technology development.

Should both men be found guilty (which would most likely be the case) they should both be impeached. Anything short of that would be a waste of time, a waste of public funds, an insult to people who work hard day and night in Nigeria in order to make a living, and a sanctioning of the presence of miscreants in what ought to be respectable political offices in Nigeria."

Another Tragic Death

Angela Winters, a black moderate blogger, writes:

"Every American soldier's death in Iraq or Afghanistan is heartbreaking. This one caught my eye because of its unique situation. This sister was a second lieutenant and the first female graduate of West Point to die in Iraq. Emily Perez was killed while patrolling southern Iraq near Najaf on Sept. 12 when a roadside bomb exploded under her Humvee. She is local, from Prince George's County [in suburban Washington, D.C.] and has a long history of family members who have served our country."

Urban Photo's

I found these picture's while searching Google Images
they capture the artictic side of urban life in America.

Picture of the Week

http://www.thepeoplescube.com/

Farrakhan Illness Casts Doubt On Nation Of Islam

Ailing and in seclusion at his Michigan home, Minister Louis Farrakhan recently ceded leadership to an executive board while he recovers, saying the movement must prove that it "is more than the charisma, eloquence and personality" of one person. But some of those who have watched the Nation Of Islam evolve over decades believe that the organization — known as much for the dark suits and bow ties of its followers as for its doctrine of black supremacy — will falter without a dynamic figure like the minister in charge. "When Farrakhan dies, my prediction is the movement will split," said Lawrence Mamiya, a Vassar College professor and an expert on black American religion. "I don't think this movement can be governed by a board. It runs off the charismatic energy of one person."

Minister Louis Farrakhan has firsthand experience with a messy transition at the top. He had to rebuild the Nation of Islam in the late 1970s, after W.D. Mohammed, the son of the late Nation leader Elijah Muhammad, broke away and moved his followers toward mainstream Islam. While the Nation Of Islam has obviously survived, no one can say how successful the revival has been. A longtime target of federal surveillance, the movement is highly secretive and suspicious of outsiders. Even researchers who follow the group closely do not know for sure how many members or mosques it has, how much money it takes in or whether it is shrinking or growing. Yet Mr. Farrakhan's popularity among many blacks is clear. The hundreds of thousands of black men he drew to the 1995 Million Man March in Washington, D.C. are only one example. He is popular with hip-hop artists, who praise the Nation Of Islam in their music, and a trusted mediator in gang conflict. This support is baffling to many outsiders, who remember Min. Farrakhan only for his most provocative comments, including calling Judaism a "gutter religion" and saying Adolf Hitler was "wickedly great." "The Nation of Islam has always been a symbolically important organization as a cultural symbol of defiance against the American state," said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University. "At the Million Man March, most of those people were not members of the Nation of Islam. They were supporters of Farrakhan and his brand of critique of American politics."

Min. Farrakhan has haltingly tried to move the Nation Of Islam toward traditional Islam, which considers the American movement heretical because of its view of Elijah Muhammad as a prophet — among other novel teachings. Orthodox Islam teaches that there has been no prophet after Muhammad in the seventh century. He has also played down some of the group's more controversial beliefs. The Nation of Islam teaches that whites are descended from the devil and that blacks are the chosen people of Allah. Mamiya said leaders no longer preach that message, although it is still taught in some mosques. Analysts agree that the movement continues to see its greatest growth in American prisons. Many members are offenders, ex-offenders or relatives of convicts.

Two men could possibly succeed Min. Farrakhan: Ishmael Muhammad, a son of Elijah Muhammad, who is assistant minister at Mosque Maryam; or Akbar Muhammad, a long-shot candidate who is based in Ghana. Ishmael Muhammad did not respond to a message left at the mosque. To many, the movement may seem like an anachronism — more suited to a time when segregation was the law and any opportunities blacks had they had to create for themselves. But observers say the Nation Of Islam will have an appeal as long as racism and poverty plague the community.

http://bookerrising.blogspot.com/

New Book By Ayaan Hirsi Ali

-The Somali-Dutch moderate-conservative feminist and vocal critic of Islam - who now lives in the United States, and works at the American Enterprise Institute - has a new book out (geez!) over in Europe. It is the former parliamentarian's autobiography, and it is called Mijn Vrijheid (My Freedom).

Black Incomes Surpass Whites In Queens

William Weston, a sociology professor and moderate Democrat writes: "That is the title of a fascinating article in the New York Times by Sam Roberts. We can see the point quickly with some numbers: $46,000 = average household income in the United States $50,960 = average white household in Queens $51,836 = average black household in Queens. By contrast, in neighboring Manhattan, $86,494 = average white household $28,116 = average black household. What is the difference in black achievement in the two boroughs?

First, blacks in Queens are more likely to be immigrants. Second, blacks in Queens are more likely to be married. Within Queens, the immigrant difference is clear: $45,864 = average black native-born household $61,151 = average black immigrant household. Married households in Queens have an even bigger advantage: $70,324 = average black married native-born household $84,338 = average black married immigrant household And which factor matters more, marriage or immigration?

Clearly, marriage is the more important factor in raising household income. Married couples make about 50% more than unmarried households, even though many of the unmarrieds have two or more adults in them. Queens shows the future of black achievement in America. Immigrants are likely to lead native-born African-Americans. But married couples, wherever they were born, will lead more."

Endorsing Farrakhan's Man?

By Joel Mowbray

Heading into November, Democrats potentially have a story that ought to be both feel-good and helpful in appealing to a small, but growing constituency. The Democratic Congressional candidate for Minnesota’s very blue Fifth District is on the verge of becoming the first-ever Muslim elected to Congress.

But embracing the candidate poses enormous risks. Keith Ellison has a disturbing history with the Nation of Islam and has received financial and other help from a self-identified supporter of Hamas.

Keith Ellison

Over the next two months, the Democrats will need to embrace or distance itself from Ellison. Democratic credentials on national security could be undermined if they fail to denounce a candidate closely allied with someone that a senior Democrat described as having “intimate connections to Hamas.”


Known for months has been that Ellison was involved in the 1990’s with the Nation of Islam, which even he now concedes is racist and anti-Semitic. In a letter of apology to the local Jewish community, Ellison claimed that he was never a member of the NOI and thus didn’t realize until later the organization's ugly ideology. But according to press accounts at the time, Ellison served as NOI spokesman at a 1997 public hearing where he defended—in his own words—“the truth” of a government official’s supposed comment that “Jews are the most racist white people.”



Only learned recently and far more troubling is Ellison’s seemingly tight connection with Nihad Awad, co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), whom he met almost two decades ago at the University of Minnesota.



Ellison’s campaign obviously has downplayed the affiliation with Awad. But here are the facts: Awad headlined a fundraiser last month that the campaign estimates netted $15,000 to $20,000, and in July, and it appears that CAIR's co-founder bundled contributions totaling just over $10,000. (The campaign issued a terse denial on the latter point, though it refused to explain away overwhelming evidence to the contrary.) The campaign has gone so far as to suggest that Awad did all this without having any contact with someone he’s known since the late 1980’s.



The Democrat’s supporters have taken a different tack. Rather than defend Awad or downplay his connections to the candidate, Ellison partisans have attempted to paint attacks on the candidate as overtly partisan or even bigoted. A Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist, for example, recently suggested that Ellison is under attack solely for being Muslim.



But it is top Democrats that have issued some of the most stinging rebukes of CAIR. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s second-leading Democrat, has said that CAIR “is unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its association with groups that are suspect.” Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has stated flatly that CAIR “has ties to terrorism.” Sen. Schumer has special disdain for Awad and CAIR’s other co-founder, Omar Ahmad, saying in a 2003 hearing that both men have “intimate connections with Hamas.”



The words most damning to CAIR, though, have been uttered by its co-founders. At Barry University in Florida in 1994, Awad declared, “I’m in support of the Hamas movement.” Addressing a youth session at the 1999 Islamic Association of Palestine convention in Chicago, Ahmad glorified suicide bombers who “kill themselves for Islam”: “Fighting for freedom, fighting for Islam, that is not suicide. They kill themselves for Islam.” (Transcript provided by the Investigative Project.)



Despite representing the Nation of Islam and currently affiliating with Awad, Ellison has received the unabashed support of the Minnesota Democrat-Farm-Labor Party and its activists. He won the party’s official endorsement in May, then won what was essentially a three-way primary last week with 41%. Praise has not yet poured in, however, from national Democrats.


While Democrats need to win every seat possible race in order to take control of the House, distancing the party from Ellison likely would not cost him the victory in a district Kerry won with 71%. Which means that Democrats could give Ellison an ultimatum to sever ties with CAIR and Awad without risking losing the seat.


Even if cold-shouldering Ellison could result in a win-win, the party would risk alienating Muslims, a small, but potent voting bloc in several key states. Democrats might well prefer to bask in the glow of “first Muslim in Congress” stories that are sure to start running even before November.



Right now, Democrats in Washington appear divided. The Democratic National Committee referred this columnist to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and that organization dodged questions about the candidate, offering only this platitude: “We feel confident that Minnesota families will decide to send him to Congress this November.”


At a certain point, especially if controversy surrounding Ellison and his affiliations mounts, national Democrats likely will respond decisively. But even if they choose to remain silent, his welcome on Capitol Hill if he wins, particularly what committee assignments he receives, could be scrutinized not just by Republicans, but even many Democrats.


No wonder national Democrats are taking their time.


Article from Frontpagemag.com

The Last King Of Scotland Trailer

In an incredible twist of fate, a Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) on a Ugandan medical mission becomes irreversibly entangled with one of the world's most barbaric figures: Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Impressed by Dr. Garrigan's brazen attitude in a moment of crisis, the newly self-appointed Ugandan President Amin hand picks him as his physician

I SUPPORT DUNKIN' DONUTS...

By Michelle Malkin


...because they support our immigration laws.

Beginning today, all 5,000 of Dunkin' Donuts franchisees will be required to participate in a government database program to verify that workers are here legally.



The company was responding to customer concerns about illegal employees. Only 6,200 out of the nation's 8 million employers participate in the screening program, by the way. (Hat tip: Polipundit) The open-borders crowd is up in arms, of course, because enforcing the law = profiling!

All the more reason to buy a dozen chocolate sprinkleds plus a box of Munchkins on your lunch break today. Or shop Dunkin' Donuts online here.
National security never tasted so good.

Who altered the Mark Foley emails?

***Updates at bottom Link***


The blog Passionateamerica is on to this

http://passionateamerica.blogspot.com/2006/10/foleygate-mark-foley-emails-altered.html