By Nadra Enzi

Black folks are needed on both sides of the aisle in a predominately two-party system. Those in Republican ranks need to mobilize against the Sarah Palin coronation before it’s too late. Cynical strategists feel she demonstrates that any White person regardless of denseness equals the current president, Racial overtones are readily apparent and would be funny were stakes not so high.

Her brand of vapid conservatism, complete with crib notes on her palms, should frighten any Republican who’s ever argued America is a meritocracy. If this is the best the Far Right can offer, let’s disband the GOP and begin anew. How does Caucasian Conservative Party sound? Perhaps everyone else can join a Rainbow Republican Party? Black Republicans had better find their lost voices. Even the handful of party faithful among us hasn’t joined Palin’s parade. Her involvement with the recent Tea Party convention alone should spur immediate action, from chairman Steele forward. This august assemblage even applauded reinstating literacy tests!?!

She’s the last gasp of a mindset that cannot accept even symbolic loss to Black people. The Obama election wasn’t a wild ” Black Power ” revolt from a bad 60s B-movie. It proved the majority population will vote outside race when necessary. The Bush recession made Obama’s color secondary to promised economic relief. Governor Palin is an ethnic escapist dream where simple rural girls best slick urban intellectuals. The fact presiding over a convenience store seems beyond her is lost in transmission. This strategy all but assures the Republican Party being America’s ” non-Black ” party. That’s their right but it hands a large portion of the country over to Democrats with a bright blue bow atop it.

Smaller government. Lower taxes. Individual rights. Music to my ears. Striking up the band to play ” Hail To The Chief ” honoring a possible Sarah Palin White House victory is simply beyond the pale.

Nadra Enzi aka Capt. Black is a Republican activist who promotes crime prevention in Savannah, Ga. He can be reached at http://www.captblack.info & http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nadraenzi where you can listen to his new radio show.

Mississippi: McGlowan Announces Bid

Angela McGlowan today held a news conference in Oxford, Miss. to formally announce that she’s seeking the Republican nomination for Congress. The GOP is hoping to unseat Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.), who has held Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District seat since mid-2008. Ms. McGlowan, a FOX News analyst and tea party movement speaker, faces state Sen. Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo and former Eupora Mayor Henry Ross in the June 1 Republican primary.

The National Journal weighs Ms. McGlowan’s candidacy: “McGlowan’s candidacy will put the NRCC [National Republican Congressional Committee] in an awkward spot. Nunnelee is a highly-touted recruit, and he’s already been promoted to the ‘Contender’ tier of the ‘Young Guns’ program. Inclusion among the Young Guns does not denote an endorsement — several members face each other in primaries — but the NRCC has long been optimistic about Nunnelee….. Privately, GOP sources question how serious McGlowan’s candidacy will be. She has been a lobbyist for Steve Wynn’s gambling empire — something that won’t be as acceptable to voters in the northern-based 1st district as it would be to voters in the state’s gambling-friendly coast. Plus, she’s from the wrong part of the district. Childers represents an area stretching from the Memphis suburbs in the west to Tupelo in the east. McGlowan’s base in Oxford is in a less populated area.”

South Carolina: Tim Scott To Seek 1st Congressional District Seat

South Carolina State Rep. Tim Scott announced today that he is running as a Republican to represent South Carolina’s First Congressional District. The seat is currently held by Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.), who is retiring. “I’m a conservative Republican and I want to go to Washington to win our country back,” Mr. Scott, who is now abandoning his bid to be South Carolina’s lieutenant governor, said. “I believe America is at a crossroads, and we must quickly reverse the course the Obama Administration and the Democrats in Congress have charted of more government spending, more government involvement in the lives of its citizens, and ever higher taxes to pay for it.”

Mr. Scott was the first African-American Republican elected to the state assembly since Reconstruction. Before being elected to the state House, Mr. Scott served on Charleston County Council for 13 years. Mr. Scott will join an already crowded Republican primary field which includes: Paul Thurmond (son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond), Carroll Campbell III (son of the late South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell), tea party activist Katherine Jenerette, Charleston County School Board member Larry Kobrovsky, Isle of Palms City Councilman Ryan Buckhannon and former Brown aide Stovall Witte.

By Sonnie Johnson

White people, don’t be mad. This isn’t about you. This is about the Black communities constant need to equate Black History Month with “What White People Did to Black People History Month”. I have but one request. Don’t learn about what happened to Black people, learn what Black people did against all odds. We need a little change in perspective.

This is coming from one angry Black woman who only now is learning what the schools refuse to teach. We learned about slaves, sharecropping, and Civil Rights, but there was never a true conversation about the Black Faces and who they were as People. The power of Black History is not in the pain of slavery, the injustice of Jim Crow, or the segregation of the ’60’s. The true motivating force behind Black History are the INDIVIDUALS who wielded extraordinary strength againt overwhelming odds.

Normally, a myriad of names would enter the spotlight but what’s the point? We will hear they invented this, said that, or became the first to…..whatever. We will learn they were spit on, hung from trees, and separated from their families. Then February will fade and so will all those Great People until next year. As a people, we should be ashamed.

We glimpse over a Rich American Black History and claim Africa as our homeland. Why? Africa didn’t want us, that’s how we got on slave ships. Our ancestors’ African enemies won, rounded us up, and sold us off to build up their territory. We were casualties of War or God had a plan for us. He knew that this GREAT NATION lay on the horizon and would be incomplete without his beautiful Black Children.

Should we forget where we came from? NO. But we can’t forget African Kings like Gezo of the Dahomey who said “The slave trade is the ruling principle of my people. It is the source and the glory of their wealth……the mother lulls the child to sleep with notes of triumph over an enemy reduced to slavery….” Now, this may sound silly but I have a little more hatred for another black man that tries to break my spirit. While we picture Kunta Kinte being broken in America, imagine how he felt when his own kind lead him to those ships and away from everything he had ever known. Turned from a man into property long before he reached America.

And this is where the BS starts. The constant chatter and talk about my personal attachment to master or my inability to couple reality with history. It’s my inability to uncouple reality with history that makes me write articles like this. I can’t look past people like Anthony Johnson, one of the first slaves to reach America. He worked, got his freedom, made some money, and bought himself an indentured servant, John Casor. When Casors time was up, he demanded his freedom. Johnson said “NO” and went to the courts to maintain possession of his property. He won and Casor became his slave until death do them part.

A black man, who was once a slave himself, knew the potential of America and took advantage. Was it right? Of course not. But it happened. Since the very inception of slavery in America, black men have been slave owners. Even when their brothers and sisters were in chains, they were looking out for their own self interest. That’s important imformation to have in this day and age of blacks leaders like Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Don’t you even say it. No, we are not going to talk about white slave owners, it’s Black History Month. I want to talk about the strength of a WOMAN. Imagine having no rights due to the color of your skin and top it off with having no respect due to your gender. Imagine not only risking your life on the Underground Railroad but also trying to protect yourself in a male dominated society. Image you’re Harriet Tubman trying to convince a slave God has ordained their freedom and all they have to do is trust a BLACK WOMAN.

While we revel in the wonder and strength that is Harriet Tubman, she would be nothing if there weren’t people willing to follow her. They had jobs, shelter, food, and a structured existence but they RAN away from it all. They left everything and everyone they had ever known because GOD had sent them an Angel and Guide away from the conformity of slavery. No longer was everything given to them, now they had to work for it because “not even God will do for man what man can do for himself.” Nannie Burroughs

Another great lesson to learn in this day and age. Slavery is about conformity and acceptance. You conform to your surroundings and you accept what ever is handed to you. While we fester in Ghettos and public housing accepting welfare and food stamps, there is a modern day Harriet Tubman. She is a mother that walks her child to school everyday in Chicago because she believes God has ordained him to be more than a street thug. Now imagine her son looking at the holes in her shoes or naps in her hair, wondering if he should have faith in this BLACK WOMAN.

And this is just part one. Both good and bad aspects of Black History told without white people. A focus on how the Matriarchs and Patriarchs of our history treated each other, in addition to their contributions to America. A glaring mirror into what is loss when we value the actions of others and forget the inaction of our own. A plea to remember not just inventions, but faith in God, character, determination, and strength.

Sonnie Johnson holds a degree in communications. She is a lover of Hip Hop and unlike most Republicans thinks it can be an artistic vehicle to change. Star blogs at http://didshesaythat.com/ she goes by the pen name Sonskystar

http://hasan2010.com/

A candidate for public office in 2008, Ali Hasan ran as a Republican in Colorado’s House District 56, which encompasses Summit, Eagle, and Lake Counties. Ali received around 47% of the total vote, winning his home area of Eagle County, as well as receiving the endorsement of the Vail Daily, in running against Democratic incumbent Christine Scanlan.

Of note, John McCain’s Presidential campaign received around 37% of the vote in House District 56, one of Colorado’s most liberal-leaning State House Districts. In gaining 47% of the vote, Ali demonstrated popularity with all voters, with his knocking on 22,000 doors throughout House District 56 as his proudest campaign work.

Ali Hasan is an award winning Film Director and Screenwriter. Hasan owns the film production company RABIA LLC, a small business based in Colorado. In working as a filmmaker, Hasan has won 36 awards for his film directing, including Grand Jury Honors from the Provincetown Film Festival, Best Film Honors from the Breckenridge Festival of Film, and Honors from the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. Hasan’s latest film, RABIA, is currently being distributed worldwide by Elypse Films and has also been archived by the Brooklyn Arts Council into their permanent collection.

Hasan’s latest film, BENAZIR, a biopic about Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is in development. The screenplay to BENAZIR, written by Hasan, has received recognition from Creative Screenwriting Magazine, through their AAA honors, as well as recognition from Script Savvy and The Writers Place.

Hasan has served as a public school teacher (TYRO) in Los Angeles at Franklin High School of LAUSD. As a political pundit, Hasan was a regular guest on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, as well as CNBC’s The Dennis Miller Show. Hasan has appeared frequently on Fox News and currently provides commentary to BBC Radio. Hasan’s political writings regularly appear in the Vail Daily.

An expert snowboarder, Hasan received his BA from Occidental College and a Masters in Film Directing from Chapman University. Hasan was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and raised in Pueblo, Denver, and Eagle County. Hasan’s first political work was as a little boy in Pueblo, where he joined his mother in knocking on doors for Ronald Reagan back in 1984.

Hasan currently lives in Eagle County. Heroes are his parents, Dr Malik and Seeme Hasan.  Ali also deeply loves his siblings, Asma, Aliya, and Rehan.

By Dr. ADA M. Fisher

Shutting our ears to some justifiable criticism of Obama’s policies could kill past gains for blacks and the poor, particularly in the area of education.  Rumor had it that the Obama Administration budget was to cut $85 million from the HBCU’s, about $67 million from Native American institutions and increased the amount to Hispanic universities from $95 to $98 million.  It is clear policy for such may be driven by population growth favoring those likely to vote Democrats in; however there is more to this than meets the eye.
 
All of our colleges and universities, particularly the small ones with high tuition depend of federal assistance to make education affordable.  Given that grants are not performance justified as they should be, loans have been loosened as bad as those which prompted the mortgage crisis rather than make banks the lender of choice. 
 
This makes the government function more as a central bank which isn’t its role.  Schools which are doing all they can to educate are tellers now having dumped in their laps the management of government loans and collection on such.  This requires more administration and staff for these institutions which they have to pay.  This further mandates penalties on them if students don’t repay loans in which schools had little say.  If student collection failure rate exceeds a certain level, say 25%, further monies will not be available to their matriculating institutions for students based on need.
 
George W. Bush was never given credit for providing more funding for HBCU’s that any president including the African American community’s beloved “Bill” Clinton.  Bush reportedly found $85 million in unused title III monies which he designated to help struggling HBCU’s since proportionately they graduate more black students than other colleges and universities. 

Now cometh forth Obama whose administration reportedly refuses to release this money, makes all schools responsible for collecting on loans that the government approves without the schools input and will inevitably force the schools into debt and possible bankruptcy when their students don’t repay the money as is now happening. 
 
Sound familiar.  (Not your house this time but your education!)
 
If this scenario is followed to its logical end, HBCU’s as well as smaller challenged private and rural schools, or those without endowments of more than $50-100 million may have their monies seized to repay loans of defaulting students.  In 30 years will more than a dozen black educational institutions exists if this madness continues?
 
Might I suggest the following to Senator Scott Brown and Republicans-Stop the Madness!                               
          

1) Save all of our educational institutions by removing them from the money lending business.  Put banks or an educational financing entity in charge which should be reluctant to make loans to those without the grades.                                                                                                     
          

 2) Don’t handicap colleges for the failure of students to repay loans.  Make the lending agencies and students accountable which also shouldn’t spare the government for another unfunded mandate. 
         

3) Assess no penalties to college dissimilar to what students are being offered, 10% of their income (endowment) per year and dissolution after 20 years. 

 Or consider allowing those banks which received TARP monies who hold these college debts to write them off against any repayment debts.
 

Dr. ADA M. Fisher is NC Republican national Committee Woman. a licensed school teacher and more school board member as well as a physician. Contact her at P. O. Box 777; Salisbury, NC 28145; telephone (704) 223-2321; Fisher@Getadoctorinthehouse.com.

Save for a special election in Florida’s 19th congressional district, the May special election in Hawaii’s 1st congressional  will be the next snapshot of American popular opinion on the road to the November elections this year. FrumForum sat down with Charles Djou, the Republican candidate in this upcoming race.

Unlike Florida-19, which was won by President Obama by over thirty points in 2008, Hawaii-1 looks to be a district where voter dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party could lead to a Republican pick-up. While still quite blue (D+15 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index), Hawaii’s 1^st congressional district has gone to the GOP in the last four governor’s races.

Further, the special election is set up in winner-take-all format, meaning that there are no primaries. With two, maybe three Democrats in the race, Djou thinks that Hawaii-1 could be the inverse of one closely-followed special election in upstate New York: “I think that my special election could essentially be the inverse of the New York-23 election, with the Democrats splitting the vote.”

Read More Here - Is Hawaii Home to the Next Scott Brown? http://www.frumforum.com/is-hawaii-home-to-the-next-scott-brown

Campaign Site -  Djou for Hawaii - http://www.djou.com/

By Nadra Enzi

Tea parties. Conservative backlash to Obama’s policies, a most peculiar institution. I didn’t vote for the president. Truthfully, voting seems a charade. Back to tea parties. They are a suspected as the new neo-conservative delivery vehicle. Mostly White; overwhelmingly Christian in a political sense; uninterested in urban America.

Lower taxes- amen! Less government? amen again! Individual rights? Three for three! Liberalism means limitation for urban communities: more money on the EBT card passes for urban Democratic strategy. Still, can a tea party movement moving against this president serve my interests? Not likely. While disliking the current version Democratic Party, the GOP hasn’t done anything to stem my Republican reluctance. Instead of a politically right strategy, they’ve opted for an extreme right wing strategy with deep neo-conservative roots, apologies to chairman Michael Steele.

 His presence offers desperately needed balance on this side of the aisle. The domestic equivalent of Bush march toward Iraq loudly unfolds on his watch, with predictable results. Add devotion to presumptive presidential candidate Sarah Palin and doubt mounts.

When Justice Thomas assailed his Senate confirmation committee as a ” high tech lynching ” urban onlookers wonder if the same applies to the tea party movement. Bush era super spending didn’t prompt outrage. Obama continuation of Bush bank bailouts hasn’t drawn parallels. Double standards abound. Too much government in Republican hands presents the same danger as Democratic over reach.

 Had tea parties begun last Administration I could feel their pain better. Opposing big government once the White House changed hands is disingenuous. Such contradictions give the Left ample ammo to mobilize around racism allegations- their strongest rallying cry. That’s why overlooking offenses until the other party wins undermines such advocacy.

” High tech lynchings ” are welcome upgrades from nooses. Their intent however is no less diplomatic. Urban America watches from afar, wondering if the bad ‘ol days are being reloaded. Whether tea parties are high tech lynchings remain to be seen. From where I’m sitting, the view isn’t good.

Nadra Enzi aka Capt. Black is a Republican activist who promotes crime prevention in Savannah, Ga. He can be reached at http://www.captblack.info & http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nadraenzi  where you can listen to his new radio show.

“Sweet Dreams” is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). Written and produced by Knowles, James Scheffer, Wayne Wilkins, and Rico Love, the track was released as the album’s sixth single. It was solicited to U.S. Top 40and rhythmic contemporary radios on June 2, 2009. An unofficial remix featuring Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj was included on the No Ceilings mixtape.

The single has peaked at number one in New Zealand. The song has also peaked inside the top five in the United Kingdom, Australia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Hungary and the top ten in the United States, Germany, Turkey and Norway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Dreams_(Beyonc%C3%A9_Knowles_song)

By Joseph C. Phillips

Appearing on television and radio is good for my career.  Every time I show up in the media it sells books and further legitimizes me as a cultural and political commentator and answers a question that, alas, has been asked far too frequently of late:  “Whatever happened to…”
 
Last week I canceled an appearance at the last minute in order to attend my youngest son’s gymnastics tournament and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.  I had originally planned to miss the tournament.  I explained to my son that “Daddy had to work.”  He was disappointed, but he understood.  Early in the morning I changed my mind and I am glad I did. 
 
During the team competition the top three teams battled back and forth through all six events.  My son’s team was in second place going into the final round and spirits were high as the high-bar was our team’s best event and my son was the team’s strongest high-bar competitor.
 
My son went last.  He looked good; toes pointed-legs straight, lots of height and then he stumbled.  My son missed an element – an element he can do in his sleep.  He finished with a decent score, but much lower than normal.
 
Anyone that has watched a televised Olympic gymnastics competition can tell you that a step on the landing results in a one tenth of a point deduction.  That afternoon the difference between the first place team and the third was one tenth of a point; literally one step.  There was a tie for first place between our team and a team from Redondo Beach.  The other team won the tie breaker and our boys took their place on the second step of the podium.
 
Afterwards I gave my son a huge hug; he had performed well all day.  He fell into my arms in tears.  To his young (and competitive) mind the difference between his team taking first and finishing in second place was the missed element in his routine.
 
My heart broke for my son.  It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.  I have three sons and have wiped many tears over the years – some of them my own.  Disappointment is part of life and salving the wounds of disappointment is part of a parents’ job description. Call it the bittersweet experience of parenthood; bitter because the tears we kiss away are always salty; sweet because these moments flavor our lives forever; they remain with us as parents and are part of the glue of trust that bonds our children to us. 
 
I held my son as tightly as I could.  I kissed his face and wiped away his tears.  I whispered to him over and over again how proud I was of him–how proud his mother was of him.  It had been a long weekend; he was emotionally and physically tired.  I wanted to hold him up.  I thought that if I held him tightly enough he might understand how deeply and utterly in love with him I am and that would make everything better. 
 
I was recently asked to contribute some thoughts to a book aimed at young women aspiring to have it all: career, family and marriage. “What would you tell your daughters?” was how it was put to me.  As it happens I don’t have any daughters; I have 3 sons and what I tell them is the same thing I would tell them if they were girls; it is the same thing I learned last week. Professional success is important; it can do wonders for our self-esteem to say nothing of our bank accounts.  It provides us with status, luxury and comfort.  None of these are bad things. 

However, at the end of the day life is about relationships.  Never miss the opportunity to wipe away your child’s tears, or hug them in celebration.  If you miss the opportunity to laugh with your best girlfriend until your sides hurt; make love to your spouse late into the night, sip tea with your grandmother; listen to your fathers old stories or any number of other wonderful moments because you are chasing professional success you will have missed a great deal.  More importantly you will have missed the point.  At the end of our journey on this side of the darkness neither our children nor anyone else will care about our degrees, awards or how much money we saved the company.  Everyone will, however, remember the warmth of our hugs, the tenderness of our kiss and the spirit of our laughter.
 
Have at it.
 
Joseph C. Phillips is the author of “He Talk Like a White Boy” available where ever books are sold. He is best known as one of the stars of The Cosby Show.

By Dennis Sanders

That said, Doughtery echoes one complaint I’ve heard from other young conservatives and some not so young: this belief that one can be a conservative and yet have nothing to do the Republican Party. This is what Doughtery said:

Because you’ve made yourself a prostitute for the GOP, a cynical and corrupt organization since Reconstruction, all of your young geniuses are tainted. People don’t respect their ideas, because they can’t assume they are genuinely held, rather than cynical ploys to keep Joe Palinsupporter in line. (emphasis mine)

None of this makes sense to me. First, if all you are going to do is just write pieces for some conservative magazine and never vote, then I guess it makes sense to not want to have anything to do with the GOP. Or for that matter if you are involved in creating some kind of third party that adheres to conservative principles. The reality is that if you are a conservative and want to have some impact, there is only one game in town: the conservative party in the United States, also known as the Republican Party. Political Parties are the vehicles that tend to move the political ideologies. A conservatism without the Republican vehicle isn’t going very far and certainly won’t get anywhere with the Democrats.

I can understand why people like Daughtery don’t like the GOP. Political Parties have to be involved in the nitty gritty of politics. Political parties have to work to raise money for candidates and try to appeal to a wide audience which means having to dilute your ideological beliefs. Political parties also have to govern and that means making compromises. It means that a President Bush has to give money to banks to prevent a Second Great Depression. It means that a President Reagan will raise taxes to try to tame a deficit. It means a President Nixon will create an EPA to deal with a growing environmental problem.

Of course for someone like myself who considers himself a moderate, I tend to like political party that is able to be a bit more flexible and pragmatic. Also, I have to wonder who corrupted who: conservatism or the Republican Party? I do know that before the conservative resurgence that began with Barry Goldwater, moderates like me had a place in the GOP. Now we are holding on by the skin of our teeth, if that.

On the whole I like Daughtery’s essay. The current conservative movement is embarassing and it makes it damn hard to say you are a Republican in public. I’m tired of the Joe the Plumbers and Sarah Palins who don’t have a brain between them, becoming what passes as intellectual heft among conservatives.

But I don’t think you can place all the blame on the GOP. It takes two to tango.

Crossposted at Republicans United

Dennis Sanders is a pastor living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has worked on centrist Republican issues for years, including stints as President of the Minnesota chapter of Log Cabin Republicans (a gay/lesbian advocacy group) and Republicans for Environmental Protection. Dennis blogs at NeoMugwump and happily lives with his partner Daniel and serves two cats, Morris and Felix

By Vanessa Jean Louis

There was a time in my life when I believed there was this system purposefully set up to keep Black people subordinated. Somehow, in the midst of that phase, I naively internalized that liberals were the only ones who acknowledged the proverbial “system”, and did everything in their power to change it. Then I found out about how liberal policies negatively impacted the Black Family. Liberals instantly became the object of my disdain.

So, naturally, if liberals were so “evil” the only place left for me to go was the other side, right?

I’ve openly identified as a Conservative Republican for a little over 2 1/2 years. I’m almost 26, and I realize that my opinions will continue to evolve. I don’t “co-sign” on everything Republicans say or do. I think independently. However, I find that most of my views align more perfectly with Conservatism, especially as it relates to the family-and the importance of keeping the mother-father nuclear family intact-something that liberals all too often negate. Liberals seem to think that government can supplant a married mommy and daddy and the human capital that is produced when children are raised in said family. Just ask anyone whose worked in “the hood” for years, like myself, and they’ll tell you that government cannot compensate for broken families that all too often produce broken people.

However, the last few months, I’ve found myself increasingly annoyed and gravely concerned with Republicans and Conservatives especially Black Republicans and Conservatives. It’s so easy to Bash Obama, and his followers. I’ve done my fair share of that. After a while, that gets old. What alternatives are we bringing to the table? The unemployment rate is hovering around 10 % nationally and runs even higher than that in certain areas in the US. If someone is out of a job and a Republican or Conservative calls Obama a “Socialist” or says he’s about “Spreading the wealth” most people who don’t understand the dangers of confiscatory government will simply say, “Hey, Obama better spread some of that wealth my way! I’m B-R-O-K-E!”

The question for Republicans, especially BLACK Republicans is: What are we doing for the people in the hood? What are our policy proposals that will help bring jobs to people so they can get off of “government”? I have respect for most of the tea party people-especially because I have friends who participate in them religiously. However, let’s keep it real, Tea party goers don’t care about the hood. What policies do we have for high-crime, low educational attainment, and the other social pathologies we see in the inner city.

According to many studies, and a recent Pew Research Survey, Black people’s views align almost perfectly with the Republican party-YET STILL only 2-3% of us identify as such? Something is terribly wrong.

So what’s causing the disconnect?

Well, for starters, I believe that there is a self-hatred problem we refuse to talk about. I believe that there are many of us on this side who are trying to brown nose to White people because we feel this inherent sense of inferiority. We bash our brothers and sisters, look down on them, and end up being part of a different plantation. Yeah, I said it. There’s a plantation mentality on this side too. Just the other day, a Black Conservative woman on facebook posted a picture of a defaced Michele Obama likening her to a gorilla. Again, not all of us (Black Republicans) behave this way, but many of us have identity issues and the rest of our Black brothers and sisters can see through it.

The other problem is the way we package the message. We live in a mixed economy. Most Americans are MODERATE. I heard Glenn Beck say that the other day! You think Rush Limbaugh isn’t a moderate? A few months back, when he was on Jay Leno, and Jay asked him if he wanted to get rid of Social Security and Medicare (FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS) altogether, Rush responded an unabashed, “No!” How moderate of him. Scott Brown is a Pro-choice Moderate. Michael Steele is a moderate too, and he constantly gets flack about it! Go figure! Americans are not extremely to the right, nor are they extremely to the left.

We, the people, believe in government regulation and taxation- but not to the point where it stifles creativity that produces economic growth. That’s the “right-wing” message people should hear. Ironically enough, I heard this lady on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show a few weeks ago vilifying welfare recipients-but she worked in the welfare office for over 20 years! All I kept thinking was, this lady has been able to pay her bills for 20 years and will collect a pension because of tax payer dollars that fund welfare programs and she’s complaining? I’m not advocating dependence by any means, I just find the hypocrisy a little alarming. Other people do too.

I used FEDERAL financial AID when I went for my undergraduate and graduate degrees! In 2007-2008, 66 % of all undergraduates used Financial Aid for college. As Republicans/Conservatives, we need to articulate what this “limited government” catch-phrase slogan signifies as applied in real life. When we talk about limited government, are we advocating that we cut off all financial AID? Even uber-right wing libertarians have conflicting messages of what exactly constitutes limited government. We can’t simply say, “We need limited government!” as a reactionary response to every proposal made by liberals!

One of the main issues in the inner city is educational attainment after broken families. It’s not just about offering inner city students vouchers. It’s more than talking about dilapidated schools, unmotivated kids, and/or antiquated teaching styles. What urban policy platforms are we drafting? I’ve slowed down my writing because I refuse to lose my identity in the Republican Party. I’m doing more than listening to talk radio and Fox News for this week’s talking points. I want to understand economic policy so I have an alternative when Liberal Democrat’s present theirs. We can criticize people on the left all we want for coming up short when it comes to urban renewal, job creation, and health care reform, but what are we presenting as viable alternatives? It’s time to elevate the dialogue.

Who’s with the Afroconservative AKA NAPPY HEAD REPUBLICAN?

Vanessa Jean Louis better known as the “afroconservative”, has been working in the inner city as a school counselor for the last several years.She is a self-described “urban conservative” who believes in strong families, school choice vouchers, and fiscal policies that help lift people out of poverty-not perpetuate deleterious cycles of government dependence. Vanessa holds a Master’s degree in Counseling but she is currently working towards a second Master’s Degree in Political Economy.

vanessa@afroconservative.com

http://blog.afroconservative.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/machosauceproduction

By Shermichael Singleton

The president announced a 3.8 trillion dollar budget for fiscal year 2011. Now take a pause and allow your mind to comprehend what you just read, 3.8 trillion dollars. The plan is to create new jobs and “invest in the economy,” the government is basically going to spend its way out of recession.

I would like to know where this money is going to come from,it all sounds good and maybe under a good economy it would be good but how are we going to afford the presidents proposed budget.  “We’re going to pass a country to our kids’ that’s basically insolvent,” said U.S. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

It seems Democrats fail to understand a pertinent point which is, when you’re in debt you can’t just spend your way out of it.Democrats have failed to answer these key questions:

1.      Where is this money going to come from?

2.      Are we borrowing it from one country or multiple counties?

3.      What are going to be our interest rates?

4.      How long do we have until we have to repay this money back?

5.      How much is it going to add to our ridiculously high deficit?

6.      Finally, is spending money we don’t have the only way we can “invest” in our economy?

I think those are crucial answer that the government owes the American people, after all it is us they are putting in debt. Democrats appear to be in a “state of denial” about how to get out of debt, it’s as if Democrats have a credit card with an unlimited spending limit and they keeps wiping and swiping away. The last thing you want to do is to add more debt to what you’ve already accumulated.

The problem is Democrats pass one budget and when that one doesn’t work they write up a new one and pass it. There needs to be one consistent budget with freezes in departments that are not critical to the overall operation of government of safety and defense of America and its allies, that freeze should not include education. 

Once this budget comes to fruition Democrats need to look at the full financial picture, which means taking into account that they will be handling this nations next generation of Americans a country that we simply we simply can’t afford. The debt ratio is going to equal to if not higher than the average American income and we can’t say we’re going to tax the wealthiest American’s because they only represent 1% and 1% can’t cover the other 99.

This “Illogical Optimism” of Democrats and President Obama does not fail to surprise me. I just don’t see it being plausible and I think many Americans would agree with me when I say, when you’re in debt the last thing you do is spend more.

The state of our economy is becoming gloomy each day, and  “Financial Catastrophe” seems near. Hopefully Democrats are held accountable for what may possibly lead to one of the biggest financial catastrophe’s in U.S. History.

Shermichael Singleton is the co-founder of the College Republicans at Morehouse College.  His political acumen and maturation is well beyond his chronological years. He truly understands the government and how it works in addition to the politics necessary to be successful at keeping America at the forefront of innovation, prosperity and Homeland Security. In a constellation of starts, he shines bright. Upon encountering him, you would immediately know he is destined for greatness.”

 Shermichael’s New Blog - http://www.singletonpost.webs.com/

A press release from Log Cabin Republicans calling for the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Board Chair Terry Hamilton made the following statement: 

“As this country remains committed to a strong national defense, now is the time for the President and Congress to act swiftly and decisively to repeal the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy….This policy has reduced the strength of our military forces, by disqualifying and dismissing soldiers with valuable skill sets that are critically needed. It is time for the United States military to join the ranks of our allies such as Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Israel, Australia and Canada and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.”

Washington, DC) - In advance of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing tomorrow on the legislative efforts to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy with expected testimony from U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Log Cabin Republicans issued the following statement:

“As this country remains committed to a strong national defense, now is the time for the President and Congress to act swiftly and decisively to repeal the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” stated Log Cabin Republicans National Chairman Terry Hamilton. “This policy has reduced the strength of our military forces, by disqualifying and dismissing soldiers with valuable skill sets that are critically needed. It is time for the United States military to join the ranks of our allies such as Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Israel, Australia and Canada and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military,” continued Hamilton.

A survey conducted by Gallup showed that fifty-eight percent of self-identified conservatives and Republicans support repeal of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. According to numerous sources, since the policy was enacted over 13,000 servicemembers have been discharged, including at least 500 under the Obama Administration.

“Log Cabin Republicans remains committed to working with allies in the House and Senate to ensure repeal of this policy legislatively,” said Hamilton. “As this process works through Congress, President Obama must use his full executive authority to suspend prosecutions and instruct Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department to suspend its defense of the policy in the Courts. The President cannot have it both ways; he must be in favor of using every avenue to overturn this policy, not just the one that gives him the most credit,” concluded Hamilton.

Currently, Log Cabin Republicans vs. The United States of America, is the only direct challenge to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, filed in the wake the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas. It is also the only contemporary legal challenge to this policy to succeed at the district court level. One of the injured parties named in the case, Alexander Nicholson, is a former U.S. Army Human Intelligence Collector who speaks multiple languages, including Arabic, and who was fired because of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law just six months after 9/11. Another injured party in the case, listed simply as ‘John Doe,’ currently serves in the Armed Forces and would face a discharge if his identity were revealed.

From the folks at GayPatriot.com

Obama Not Repeating Clinton’s Mistakes on Gays in Military

Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director - “Today, we are going to get more of what we have, unfortunately, come to expect from the Obama administration when it comes to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal - lots of talk and little action.”

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen will testify in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. “It’s going to be Ground Hog Day on Capitol Hill,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud - the only national organization for gay conservatives and their allies. “Today, we are going to get more of what we have, unfortunately, come to expect from the Obama administration when it comes to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal - lots of talk and little action.”

According to press reports, Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen will offer nothing new, but will tout a decrease in discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” “Decreases in ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ started under the Bush administration,” continued LaSalvia. “Apparently the irony is lost on this administration. After a year of blaming President Bush for everything, these same folks are now going to try to take credit for decreases in discharges that began eight years ago on George W. Bush’s watch - it’s almost laughable.”

In addition to touting a decrease in discharges under the discriminatory policy, Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen are expected to announce the creation of a group that will assess how to carry out full-repeal, if and when repeal happens. “Talk about a political slight of hand. Instead, of telling us how he will repeal the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, President Obama and his administration is putting together a group to study how to implement a policy the President hasn’t lifted a finger to pass,” said LaSalvia. “What has this administration done to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’ They haven’t even even bothered to issue a statement of administration policy in support of the repeal legislation pending in Congress they claim to support.”

“It is time for this administration to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal,” concluded LaSalvia.

Few authors have ever achieved the popularity that the novelist and essayist Ayn Rand (1905-1982) did.

With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943 and Atlas Shrugged in 1957, Rand became a full-blown cultural phenomenon, selling millions of books and inspiring countless readers—ranging from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to actress Angelina Jolie—with her moral defense of capitalism.

A refugee from Soviet Russia, Rand argued that capitalism was the best way of organizing society not simply because it was more efficient than communism but because it allowed the individual to fill his or her potential. A self-declared “radical for capitalism,” Rand emphatically rejected collectivism of all stripes and embraced “man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”

Decades after her death, Rand’s work is hotter than ever. In an age of massive government intervention into every aspect of the economy and personal lives, sales of her books are way up and a movie version of Atlas Shrugged is in the works. References to Rand are everywhere from Mad Men to The Colbert Report to The Simpsons and there’s even a new critical appreciation, as evidenced by two new biographies, Ayn Rand And The World She Made and Goddess of The Market: Ayn Rand And The American Right.

Approximately four minutes long and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, “Rand-O-Rama” analyzes the 21st-century Rand renaissance.

It is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand. Go here for more information, other videos, and related materials. http://reason.org/rand

For downloadable versions of all videos, go to http://reason.tv