Black Tea Party Protesters: 'Sell Out Negroes'

Once again, African Americans who don't march in lockstep with the liberal politics of the NAACP are the target of racial attacks and slurs.

Members of the Tea Party are called racist.

From Gateway Pundit: Black Tea Party Protesters Called “Sell-Out Negroes” & Harassed Outside NAACP Meeting in LA (Video).

The new racism.
A group of black tea party patriots protested the NAACP in Los Angeles yesterday.

...The black tea party protesters were called “sell out negroes” by NAACP supporters at their protest.

“These “sell-out negroes” wish they were white… They have no business speaking for and joining with racists who want to kick them back into slavery.”

Video.



Very offensive.

Why is it liberals get a pass when it comes to their racist behavior?

Jeremiah Wright at the NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has retired but he's still in the limelight.

Wright is in the middle of a media blitz.

On Friday, Bill Moyers interviewed Wright. Video and full transcript here.

Sunday, Wright was the keynote speaker at the Detroit branch of the NAACP 53rd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner.

Wright's tour continues today.

Wright's appearance today at the National Press Club will begin the annual Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference. The conference, named for the noted religious scholar, will bring black religious leaders from across the country to Howard University. And at the center of the discussions will be the powerful and provocative tenets of liberation theology.

"Powerful and provactive" is a sanitized way of putting it. Angry and divisive might be more appropriate. In short, lies.

At Wright's NAACP speech Sunday, Barack Obama's spiritual mentor didn't sound like he did with Bill Moyers. This was not the soft-spoken Wright we saw with Moyers. The Wright who showed up at the NAACP dinner was the one we've come to know.

Watch the speech.

Jake Tapper writes:

Most of Wright's speech addressed the theme of the dinner, “A Change is Gonna Come,” talking about the differences between different cultures and races, saying "a change is coming because we no longer see others as being deficient…Different doesn't mean deficient."

"The black religious tradition is different," he said in comments that seemed to address the controversy about his sermons. "We do it a different way."

Wright discussed how different groups have seen other groups as "deficient." After saying English-speakers saw Arabic-speakers as "being deficient," Wright mentioned Obama almost as an aside.

"Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language -- is a language, it is not a religion," he said. "Barack HUSSEIN Obama," he said, emphasizing the Illinois senator's middle name dramatically, "Barack HUSSEIN Obama, Barack HUSSEIN Obama. There are Arabic-speaking Christians, there Arabic-speaking Jews, Arabic-speaking Muslims and Arabic-speaking atheists. Arabic is a language, it is not a religion. Stop trying to scare folks by giving them this Arabic name like it's some disease."

The bulk of his remarks addressed, however, different groups seeing each other as deficient. He acted out the differences between marching bands at predominantly black and predominantly white colleges. "Africans have a different meter, and Africans have a different tonality," he said. Europeans have seven tones, Africans have five. White people clap differently than black people. "Africans and African-Americans are right-brained, subject-oriented in their learning style," he said. "They have a different way of learning." And so on.

Oh my God. Wright is a real piece of work.

Because of his close and decades-long relationship with Barack Obama, Wright certainly knew that everything he said and did during his address would be analyzed.

"White people clap differently than black people"?

Really?

Africans and African-Americans "have a different way of learning"?

Their brains are different? Does science back that up?


This is racist tripe.

If you wondered whether the portions of Wright's sermons picked up and played by the media unfairly depicted Wright, wonder no more.

I wonder if Obama claps like his mom or his dad.

NAACP Hosts Rev. Jeremiah Wright

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright has a high-profile speaking engagement coming up.

The Detroit branch of the NAACP invited Wright to deliver the address for a major fund-raiser.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Controversial minister Jeremiah Wright will speak at the Detroit branch of the NAACP 53rd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner.

Wright, the former minister of presidential candidate Barack Obama, has been under fire for remarks he’s made during his sermons about race relations, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and black separatism. He recently retired as pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, a 10,000-member megachurch located in Chicago.

The Fight for Freedom dinner, which annually attracts about 10,000 people, will be held April 27 at Cobo Hall. The gathering is a key fund-raiser for the Detroit Branch NAACP, and is billed as the largest sit-down dinner in the country.

The Detroit branch website hasn't been updated yet to list Wright as the keynote speaker.



Although Wright is still "TBD," the page boasts of illustrious speakers at past dinners.

Beginning with Thurgood Marshall as the first keynote speaker, the Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner has brought to its platform a virtual constellation of distinguished speakers and entertainers, among them, Barbara Jordan, Roy Wilkins, Howard Thurman, Senator Edward Brooks, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, Governor Mario Cuomo, Senator Ted Kennedy, Chief Justice Earl Warren, Joint Chief of Staff, Chairman, General Colin Powell, Ron Brown, Kweisi Mfume, Lee Iaccoca, Sammy Davis, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Dick Gregory, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Vice President Al Gore, President Bill Clinton, Danny Glover, Julian Bond,Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Manning Marable, and Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee.

There are some very distinguished people on that list. There are also some controversial figures.

Why would the NAACP choose Wright to be the speaker for this year's event?

It is a fund-raiser. Perhaps Wright is seen as capable of selling plenty of tickets and bringing in lots of cash.

It's a shame that someone like Michael Steele isn't speaking. He was a member of the NAACP.

In a November 2005 interview with Jay Nordlinger, Steele discussed his affiliation with the group:

"Yes, it's true. That reminds me: I have to renew my membership." He stresses the bipartisan, or nonpartisan, roots of that organization. "Julian Bond and others have turned it into something else, but the NAACP was always above party and ideology, interested in only what was right, period." Steele is not yet ready to give up on it.

I don't know if he did renew his membership. I know the NAACP didn't want anything to do with Steele when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Whatever, I suppose an African-American Republican and potential running mate for John McCain wouldn't fit the agenda of Detroit's NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund dinner.

On the other hand, Barack Obama's spiritual mentor, the racist, anti-Semitic, America-hating Wright, is a perfect fit for the event.

Obama himself probably would have been the dream speaker for the fund-raiser, but Wright is close enough.
__________________

This is a pricey event. See what big bucks can buy.

W.E.B. DuBois Corporate Campaign:

Platinum $50,000

Photo With Keynote Speaker
60-Second Video Shown At Dinner
Two (2) Dais Seats WIth Keynote Speaker
Spokesperson has opportunity to give 1- minute remarks
Special recognition in Corporate Campaign video
Five (5) Tables of 10 (Three (3) in Priority Seating)
Website Link - Over 10,000 Visits Per Month
Promotional materials for attendees
Stand Alone Signage At Event
Double Page Spread, preferred placement in Souvenir Journal
Ten (10) Invitations To VIP Reception & President's Reception
Recognition As Co-Sponsor Of President's Reception
One Full Page Color Ad In Souvenir Journal
Sponsorship Of Six (6) Youth Tables With Signage
Video Credits
Comcacst Cable Re-Broadcast


Diamond $35,000

Photo With Keynote Speaker
60-Second Video Shown At Dinner
Two (2) Dais Seats WIth Keynote Speaker
Special recognition in Corporate Campaign video
Four (4) Tables Of Ten (10) - Two (2) Of The Four (4) In Priority Seating
Website Link - Over 10,000 Visits Per Month
Banner Recognition
Eight (8) Invitations To VIP Reception
Eight (8) Invitations To President's Reception
Recognition As Co-Sponsor Of President's Reception
One Full Page Color Ad In Souvenir Journal
Sponsorship Of Five (5) Youth Tables With Signage On Each Table
Video Credits
Comcacst Cable Re-Broadcast


Gold $25,000

One (1) Dais Seat WIth Keynote Speaker
Three (3) Tables Of Ten (10) - One (1) Of The Three (3) In Priority Seating
Website Link - Over 10,000 Visits Per Month
Banner Recognition
Six (6) Invitations To VIP Reception
Six (6) Invitations To President's Reception
Recognition As Co-Sponsor Of President's Reception
One Full Page Color Ad In Souvenir Journal
Sponsorship Of Three (3) Youth Tables With Signage On Each Table
Video Credits
Comcacst Cable Re-Broadcast

Agatha Christie, Steve Kagen, and Ten Little Indians

UPDATE: School to perform play NAACP had opposed
_____________________

In Liberty Township, Ohio, the decision was made to cancel a school play, under pressure from the local NAACP.

LIBERTY TWP. -- A widely performed school play has been canceled by Lakota officials after a recent meeting with a local NAACP official.

The internationally acclaimed play - Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" - was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.

But Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP branch, recently complained to Lakota officials that the play, based on Christie's 1939 mystery novel, was inappropriate for a school production.

Hines said the book's original title and cover illustration used for its initial publishing that year in England was a racial slur toward blacks and included a cover illustration of a black person and a hangman's noose.

"The original title was 'Ten Little (N - - - - - -),' and it is important to say that because that was the actual title," Hines said Monday.

The title of the international bestseller was widely changed after 1939, and school theater productions in America have performed the murder mystery play as either "Ten Little Indians" or "And Then There Were None" for decades since.

Hines claims that a lack of racial diversity among Lakota's students and teachers allowed the play to be chosen despite the history surrounding its original title.

"It's a lack of diversity knowledge on their part. Diversity is not a way of life in Lakota," Hines said.

But Hines, who operates GPH Consultants - a diversity training company - in West Chester Township, said that despite his strong protest, it was Lakota officials' idea to cancel the play in response to his complaints.

"After learning of the play's origins and the hurt that it caused, we had hoped to use the performances as a way to create a discussion about diversity of all kinds in our community. However, students and staff continued to raise issues, and it was quickly obvious that bad feelings about the play were much more widespread and strong than originally thought. The best action seemed to be to switch to a different play," Weidlich said.

Keith Kline, Lakota East principal, said: "Certainly, it was a tough decision but one that needed to be made.

We must be sensitive, unless we're talking about Democrats.

Take Steve Kagen.

As a candidate for Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, he said:

"I want to thank you for driving me around the district this morning. I really appreciate you getting me here almost on time," he says to laughter. "Our excuse, uh, in Oneida was, well we are on injun time. They don't tell time by the clock. Our excuse here is I'm a doctor and we're never on time."

He, of course, was elected.

Take Robert Byrd.

As a U.S. senator, in March 2001, appearing on FOX News Sunday, he said:

"There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."

Ex-Klansman Byrd, of course, is the longest-serving senator in the history of the United States.

But the NAACP must not let a high school production of an Agatha Christie play go forward.

Yes, the group must speak out against her racism.

Forget about bigoted comments made by Dems currently serving in the U.S. House and Senate.

Democrat Carla Blanchard Dartez and Buckwheat

Sometimes I find the stupidity of politicians absolutely astounding.

This is one of those cases.

Carla Blanchard Dartez made a major blunder.

HOUMA, La. (AP) -- A white state lawmaker in a runoff election called a black civil- rights veteran who had helped her campaign "Buckwheat," angering the NAACP, which urged voters to kick her out of office.

Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat, acknowledged that she ended a Thursday night conversation with Hazel Boykin by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat." Dartez had been thanking Boykin for driving voters to the polls.

Buckwheat, a black child character in the "Little Rascals" comedies of the 1930s and '40s, is viewed as a racial stereotype.

Boykin, 75, helped desegregate restaurants and the parish school system in the 1960s. Her son, Jerome, is president of the Terrebonne Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"I've never had no one talk to me that way, and I considered it a racial slur," Hazel Boykin said. "I know the meaning of it; it's just like the N-word."

On Monday, Jerome Boykin held a news conference asking voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.

"The NAACP is going to do all it can to see that she is not re- elected," he said. "At this point, the NAACP is not concerned about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. If a Republican is elected because of her racist remarks, that's her responsibility."

..."I made an insensitive comment, and I regret my choice of words," she said Friday. "I have apologized to both Hazel and Jerome Boykin. The Boykin family has been a huge help in my campaign for re-election, and I did not mean to offend them."

But Hazel Boykin said Dartez still has not personally apologized.

Dartez has represented parts of Terrebonne, St. Mary and Assumption parishes since 1999. She has said she does not intend to drop out of the race.

I don't know if "Buckwheat" is just like the N-word, but there's no question that it's a racially-charged name.

What was Dartez, this DEMOCRAT, thinking when she called a 75-year-old woman "Buckwheat"?

I don't understand how anyone could be so stupid. As an elected official, you'd think Dartez would be more careful with her choice of words.

I also don't understand why there's disagreement about whether Dartez personally apologized to the Boykin family.

That's a simple fact. She did or she didn't. I think Hazel and Jerome Boykin have more credibility than Dartez. I'm inclined to believe their version of events.

Thankfully, the NAACP has come out against Dartez. It would be disgraceful for the NAACP to give Dartez a pass simply because she's a Dem. Unfortunately, it's frequently the case that the Dems are held to different standards than Republicans.

If the Washington Post can destroy George Allen because of "Macaca," Dartez should certainly be booted out of office for "Buckwheat."

Another Controversial Halloween Dummy

Let me repeat this warning:

DO NOT INCLUDE A DUMMY HANGING FROM A NOOSE IN HALLOWEEN YARD DISPLAYS.


(Photo: Neal McNamara / The Herald Bulletin)

Add another dummy to the graveyard of racist Halloween decorations.

Along with the troublesome dummies in Greenfield, Wisconsin, and Madison, New Jersey, a dummy in Anderson, Indiana caused a stir.

A Halloween display featuring a “monster” hanging from a tree by a rope was dismantled Sunday afternoon under protest that it resembled a human being lynched.

Eleventh Street resident James Warner took issue with neighbor John Agee’s display, saying that it too closely resembled a lynching. Warner and Madison County NAACP President James Burgess confronted Agee Sunday afternoon; Anderson police were called, and Agee agreed to take down the display.

Agee contends that the display — which depicted a human-shaped dummy hanging from a tree, and two other dummies dead and bloodied beneath the tree among humorous fake headstones — was just in the scary spirit of Halloween. He said that he’s used the same display before, when he was living in Pendleton, and never had any problems.

“They’re just eerie creatures, monsters,” said Agee of the characters in his display. “You could say they’re from space if you want to.”

The display was located in Agee’s front yard, which is on the corner of 11th and Locust streets.

Warner said the hanging dummy might incite a retaliation from “outsiders” against Agee and the neighborhood. Burgess said the display was a civil rights violation.

“I didn’t like it,” said Warner. “I’m thinking that it could cause trouble.”

Anderson police mediated the dispute, which grew heated at times, and ultimately determined that there was no legal issue with the display. Police Sgt. Tom Brown told Agee that he had done nothing criminally wrong, but did not speak to either Warner or Burgess.

Agee, with officers watching, cut down the hanging dummy, and dismantled the entire display. He said his First Amendment rights had been violated, but he did not want to cause a problem with his neighbors.

It seems that 2007 marks a turning point in Halloween displays.

A dummy hanging from a noose is not acceptable. NO NOOSES.

Case closed.

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Racist Halloween Display Nightmares

This Halloween figure of a man hanging from a tree was taken down after passers-by objected. (Photo/Tom Lynn)

Apparently, this is a nationwide phenomenon.

Outdoor Halloween displays are coming under fire for alleged racist elements.

If you are considering turning your yard into a ghoulish fright site, DON'T INCLUDE A DUMMY HANGING FROM A NOOSE.

Greenfield, WISCONSIN:

A dark mannequin figure was hanging from a tree in front of a Greenfield home. Some members of the African-American community complained it was insensitive and had racial overtones.

The homeowner has taken that figure down, but neighbors didn’t see this as a racial issue.

“It didn’t really strike me as anything unusual. It just looked like part of the graveyard scene,” neighbor Julie Salmeron said.

The owner says she never intended to offend anyone. The homeowner said the family hung the same mannequin last year for about six weeks without a single complaint and she was surprised by the negative attention it received this year.

The offensive Halloween decoration has been removed, but a makeshift cemetery remains in the front yard with about half a dozen headstones and a partially buried coffin with skeleton heads poking out.

Lenard Wells, a community leader who says a number of people complained to him about the display, says he’s glad the figure has been taken down.

"Sometimes we may forget we may be only a few blocks away from insensitivity," said Wells, the director of adult education at Concordia University South Center. "The question becomes, why couldn't they see the insensitivity of this Halloween display?"

I find it interesting that the homeowner used the same display, the same mannequin hanging from a tree, last year at Halloween without any complaints. Six weeks and not a word.

A lot can change in a year, I guess.

Is the problem that the mannequin was dark? Had the "body" been lighter in color would the response have been the same?

This same sort of "insensitivity" reared its ugly head in a similar Halloween display on the East Coast.

Madison, NEW JERSEY:

Chesla Flood couldn't believe her eyes. A hangman's noose circled the neck of a black-hooded, jeans-clad dummy suspended from the chimney of a house in Madison.

Flood called her mother, Millie Hazlewood, who reported the Halloween display to police. She wasn't the only one. Police went to the property at least three times starting Sunday, and even the mayor asked the homeowners to take down the figure.

At 8 last night, the family relented, saying they feared for their safety.

"It's no more like freedom of speech anymore," Cheryl Maines said. "My son had to take this down because these people have blown this thing out of proportion."

Before the figure was removed yesterday, Madison Mayor Ellwood "Woody" Kerkeslager said "the appearance and the suggestion (of racism) is there, and it's inappropriate."

At least four recent noose displays -- one each in Jena, La., and Philadelphia and two in New York City -- are drawing renewed attention to a potent symbol of racism, lynchings and the era of Jim Crow segregation.

Unlike those incidents, the Madison figure was part of a Halloween display, and for two days, homeowners Cheryl and David Maines, the borough's superintendent of public works, refused to budge. They said they had done nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People denounced the display as offensive, racist and insensitive.

"I think there are many people who understand the significance of a noose as it relates to the history of African-Americans," said James Harris, president of the NAACP's state chapter. "We thought we lived beyond the era when people felt it was okay to have that type of display."

Last night, the Maines family said they would be replacing their Halloween display and erecting a sign reading: "Thanks to the assistance of Millie Hazlewood and her friends, Halloween and Christmas decorations will no longer be celebrated here."

In this report from The Star-Ledger, staff writer Melissa Castro mentions a Halloween dummy in the same breath as other noose displays that were clearly meant to be racist expressions.

That's unfair.

I do think that a distinction needs to be made between good-natured Halloween decorations using dummies and intentionally racist symbols.

I feel sorry for the families that meant no harm, but were attacked for their holiday displays.

Personally, we've never gone the scary, graveyard route when it comes to Halloween decorating. But if we had received complaints about something in our yard being racially insensitive, I wouldn't fight it. I'd remove it right away.

I wouldn't want a holiday to turn into a nightmare. I wouldn't want to offend anyone.

That said, I think people need to lighten up a bit.

These are Halloween displays!

You know, ghosts and goblins and graveyards.

They aren't evoking images of lynchings of African-Americans.

Not EVERY noose should be taken as a racial offense.

In our nation's history, people of all ages, every race, and each gender were put to death by hanging.

In the 17th century, "witches" were hanged in Salem. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, hanging was the standard method of execution in the U.S. colonies and the new nation. Think of the Old West.

In the 20th century at Nuremberg, Nazi war criminals were sentenced to death by hanging.

People still die that way in other countries. Homosexuals in Iran and Saddam Hussein are some recent examples.

Did the NAACP address the images of those ACTUAL hangings as being insensitive to African-Americans? Did the group complain that U.S. media outlets were insensitive for showing the hooded Saddam Hussein hanging?

I'm not diminishing the "significance of a noose as it relates to the history of African-Americans," as James Harris puts it. It's real and it's disturbing.

I'm merely saying that perhaps one wouldn't be offended by the Halloween displays if one would take the context into consideration.

Context matters.

It's Halloween, not a KKK rally.

Reading and Race: Wisconsin's Children Left Behind

In the 2006 Wisconsin gubernatorial race, Gov. Jim Doyle ran on his record of great successes in education.

Although it's been changed since then, Doyle's campaign website boasted:

Governor Jim Doyle: Fighting for Our Schools, Lifting Up Our Kids

Governor Jim Doyle’s mother was a teacher. First Lady Jessica Doyle has been an educator for over 25 years. Governor Doyle is a product of Wisconsin’s public schools.

He knows the value of education, and just how important good schools are.

As Governor he has fought for our public schools – and he’s gotten results.

Increasing Expectations, Standards, and Opportunities for All Wisconsin Students

Wisconsin has the best public schools in the country. Wisconsin students score at the top in national tests like the ACT. But Governor Doyle knows that we cannot sit back and rest on our laurels. He believes that high expectations of our students, and high standards in the classroom, are the keys to continued success.

If Wisconsin has the best public schools in the country, then the country is doomed.

Doyle was touting the accomplishments of the public schools even as national studies were pointing out the sorry state of education in Wisconsin.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Milwaukee public high schools have one of the worst graduation rates in the country among large school districts, according to a new report that takes the unusual step of trying to make comparisons across large school districts as well as states.

Ninety-four of the 100 largest school districts in the country have higher graduation rates than Milwaukee, where the graduation rate is 45%, according to a study by the Manhattan Institute, a think tank in New York.

That's a horrible ranking, nearly rock bottom.

That was good news compared to the latest figures on reading and race.

The average reading ability for fourth- and eighth-grade black students in Wisconsin is the lowest of any state, and the reading achievement gap between black students and white students in Wisconsin continues to be the worst in the nation.

Those are among the facts found in a mass of testing results released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education, the latest results from a long-standing federal program called the National Assessment of Education Progress. It is the closest thing to a nationwide standardized testing program for reading and math ability.

The gap between blacks and whites was worse in Wisconsin than, say, Louisiana? Yes.

The average score for black fourth-graders in reading was lower than, say, Washington, D.C., or Alabama? Yes.

"I find it very distressing to look at this," said Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction. "There isn't anything more important (in education). This is the civil rights issue of our country."

"It's upsetting to me," said William Andrekopoulos, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. "This is the very reason why I've been talking about improving instruction over and over again."

In the area of education alone, I don't understand why Wisconsin voters gave Doyle another term.

His claims that he made education a top priority in his first term are BS.

He has failed miserably.

Wisconsin has the worst racial gap in the nation, the WORST!

...Wendell Harris, chairman of the education committee of the Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP, said, "I know we've got to do better in school, there's no question about that."

But, he said, "really, from my standpoint, (it's) families. . . . We can't keep making excuses for parents."

Harris said many parents live amid difficult circumstances, but "we have to do our best to try to get our children educated whatever our own circumstances are."

He added, "We have to become more willing to hold everyone accountable and not just the teachers."

Burmaster said the high and rising level of poverty in Wisconsin was a big factor behind the gaps. She said she wanted to know whether other states had the same proportions of students from low-income homes as Wisconsin.

"It's not just an achievement gap," she said. "It's an economic gap. It's a gap in health. It's a quality of life gap. All of those things influence student achievement."

I give Harris credit for holding parents accountable and acknowledging their important role in their children's education.

I think the poor performance of students has a lot to do with a lack of parental involvement and support.

If parents aren't bothering to make sure that their children show up at school, it follows that the students from those homes would do poorly.

Burmaster seems eager to point out that Wisconsin's dead last ranking isn't about the quality of education in the public schools.

She may be the Wisconsin superintendent of public instruction, but she's declaring herself to be free of responsibility for the poor performance of Wisconsin's students. The problem is poverty, and not her fault.

Sure.

The frustrating thing about this is government officials will no doubt want to raise taxes to better education in the state. Raising taxes will negatively impact business, result in job loss, and increase poverty.

If as Burmaster suggests that poverty is the root cause of Wisconsin's dismal national ranking on race and reading, then the likely proposed solution, higher taxes, will only exacerbate the problem.

Granted, there are many factors that contribute to Wisconsin's disgraceful ranking; but Burmaster's shameless attempt to distance herself from the state's failing schools is pathetic.

Bad Newz Michael Vick

Time for the NAACP to comment on Michael Vick's "mistakes."

Let's review the NAACP's position:

We believe that the influence of the media is so strong that whatever people see on television and hear on the radio, they believe. The coverage of Michael Vick’s situation has been very negatively skewed, skewed to the point that we don’t believe the whole story is getting out. What we’re asking is that people not make judgments until he has had his day in court.

PETA and the Humane Society have been so vocal in their criticism of him because they think he might have harmed an animal. And this case is so high profile that it gave them an opportunity to get up on their soapbox and make news. So they’ve initiated writing campaigns to his sponsors and organized demonstrations outside the Atlanta Falcons training camp. They’ve done whatever they’ve done to bring negative attention to Michael Vick, and at that point it wasn’t about Vick as much as it was about getting publicity for themselves. We feel that’s wrong.

We’re not taking a position on whether or not he did it, nor are we condoning dogfighting. We’re merely saying that people shouldn’t rush to judge Michael Vick. When [Baltimore Ravens linebacker] Ray Lewis was accused of murder [in 2000], he was still afforded the right to work. [Lewis later pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a plea deal and the murder charge was dropped.] When [Los Angeles Lakers guard] Kobe Bryant was accused of rape [in 2004], he was still afforded the right to work [those charges were also later dropped]. My question is, are we suggesting that alleged rape and alleged murder is less important than mistreating dogs? He’s been told he cannot come to work because of this because the NFL wants to see if he’s violated the code of conduct, when all the evidence has not yet come out. We think that’s wrong. That’s not due process. It’s the media convicting him before his day in court.

Well, the NAACP no longer has to be concerned about Michael Vick's good name being besmirched.

He is pleading guilty.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Michael Vick's lawyer said Monday the NFL star will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's career in jeopardy and leaving him subject to a possible prison term.

The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although federal sentencing guidelines most likely would call for less. Vick's plea hearing is Aug. 27.

Lead defense attorney Billy Martin said Vick reached an agreement with federal prosecutors after consulting with his family over the weekend.

"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his actions and the mistakes he has made," Martin said in a statement. "Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

Martin later told The Associated Press he could not divulge any specifics of the plea agreement or how much time Vick can expect to serve in prison.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has barred Vick from the Falcons' training camp but has withheld further action while the league conducts its own investigation.

"We totally condemn the conduct outlined in the charges, which is inconsistent with what Michael Vick previously told both our office and the Falcons," the league said in a statement. The NFL added that it has asked the Falcons "to continue to refrain from taking action pending a decision by the commissioner."

The Falcons said they were "certainly troubled" by news of the plea but would withhold further comment in compliance with Goodell's request.

Read Vick's lawyer's statement.

I'd like to link to Goodell's statement, but I can't because he hasn't issued one.

According to John Czarnecki:

Michael Vick's NFL career is over.

By accepting a guilty plea today on those gruesome federal dog-fighting charges,

Vick won't escape prison and he could be sentenced to more than a year when he appears before U.S. Judge Henry Hudson next Monday morning.

No details of the plea agreement have been made public, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has no choice but to indefinitely suspend Vick.

...Falcons owner Arthur Blank wanted to suspend Vick when the indictment was handed down, but in order to recover any signing bonus money, the team needs Goodell to suspend Vick. Blank definitely feels betrayed by Vick, but another huge problem facing him is how will his fan base — 52 percent of his season ticket holders are African-American — react to the permanent loss of Vick, one of the league's most popular players. Some of Vick's fans in Atlanta actually believe that Vick was unfairly targeted by the Justice Department in this case.

But Vick dug his own hole here. Based on his plea, he lied to Goodell around the time of the draft when he said he was innocent of these charges. According to what his co-defendants said last Friday, Vick was killing dogs in April just prior to the draft.

And now it's likely all over for Michael Vick.

Since he entered the league in 2001, Vick has received more than $60 million in salary and endorsements. It's nothing short of ludicrous that he threw away such a career and earning power by being involved in an illegal dogfighting betting ring.

I still can't believe why someone so blessed would throw it all away like that. $60 MILLION!

Wasn't that enough?

Why would Vick need to turn to illegal activity?

It's not because he lived in poverty and felt he was trapped, no way out, no future.

It's not because he didn't have the ability to succeed.

It's not because he wasn't given the opportunity.

$60 MILLION and he chose to engage in cruel, inhumane games.

When is Goodell going to suspend him?

It seems like everyone knows it's over for Vick except Goodell.

In a telephone interview with the AP, Martin said Vick is paying a high price for allowing old friends to influence his behavior, but he emphasized that his client takes full responsibility.

"There were some judgment issues in terms of people he was associating with," Martin said. "He realized this is very serious, and he decided to plead so he can begin the healing process."

Healing process.

What a load!

This has nothing to do with Vick's buddies. It has everything to do with Vick willingly engaging in horrific brutality.

One has to have a truly blackened heart to torture living things.

How is Vick going to "heal"?

I don't know that it's possible for someone so cruel to change.

I don't think it's possible to do a complete personality transplant.

MILWAUKEE VIOLENCE: WAKE-UP CALL

Question: How many times will Milwaukee's leaders receive a wake-up call and ignore it? How many times will they keep hitting the snooze button when the alarm goes off?

Answer: Enough times to allow the city to sink into a state of chaos.

Mayor Tom Barrett insists that the city is not in crisis.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm says that Milwaukee is "remarkably safe." (That's a direct quote.)

Common Council president Willie Hines tells CNN, "There's no racial tensions that exist within the city of Milwaukee."

Aldermen, the ones against the anti-gang loitering ordinance, the ones with spaghetti spines, fail to take action to address the problems.

Local NAACP officials cry racism rather than call for order, and align themselves with thug politicians like Ald. Michael Mcgee.

There is a stunning lack of leadership in Milwaukee. The incompetence is at jaw-dropping levels.

This hasn't just become evident with the Juneteenth Day violence, although that is the incident that currently is putting the city in the national spotlight.

The skyrocketing gun violence is a long-time trend.

The violence at Milwaukee Public Schools is routine. Some of the most troubling incidents are assaults on teachers and staff, and brawls that involve thug students AND their thug parents.

And then there is the heartbreaking murder of innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, such as 4-year-old Jasmine Owens, dead because she was playing outside early in the evening.

Overnight alone, there were seven people injured in six shootings. In less than twelve hours, seven were shot.

Seven people were wounded, including a 19-year-old man who is in critical condition this morning after a shooting at 11 p.m. in the 2900 block of N. 12th St. A 17-year-old girl was also shot in this incident.

Other than the victim in critical condition, those wounded in the shootings are in stable condition today, police said.

There are no suspects in custody in any of the cases, according to police.

The shooting started in the city about 3:15 p.m. yesterday when a 26-year-old man was shot near N. Holton and W. Burleigh streets.

That was followed by other shootings in:

*The 1300 block of N. 36th St., where a 29-year-old man was shot about 9:15 p.m.

*The 3700 block of W. Garfield Ave., where a 17-year-old male was shot about 11:30 p.m.

*The 4500 block of N. 30th St., where a 23-year-old male was shot about 1:15 a.m.

*The 3200 block of N. 13th St., where a 19-year-old male was shot about 1:50 a.m.

Milwaukee has seen violent crime leap 27.7% in the city.

And how do the leaders respond?

Sheriff David Clarke believes, "Some of these neighborhoods are going to have to be occupied by the police 24-7."

Ald. Tony Zielinski pushed for an anti-gang loitering ordinance to get thugs off the streets. Mayor Barrett hasn't decided yet whether or not he will veto the measure.

Ald. Bob Donovan has railed against Mayor Barrett for his failure to lead decisively and take dramatic action to counter violence. Donovan suggested bringing in the National Guard to help patrol the city's most dangerous areas.

Only a handful of leaders in Milwaukee don't need a wake-up call. They get it.

The majority of the city's leaders are in denial.

It's as if they think by hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock, they can go on sleeping and ignore the reality that they MUST WAKE UP and face the harsh reality of day.

It's a disgrace. It really is. They are failing the people they were elected to serve.

Tom Barrett is being exposed as Milwaukee's version of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

Michael McGee, William Jefferson, and the NAACP

The allegations against Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee, Jr. just keep on coming.

The latest:

Ald. Michael McGee used his anti-crime Rapid Response Team as a way to solicit bribes from business owners in his district, a federal search warrant released today alleges.

The warrant says that McGee extorted money by saying giving money to the team would improve the area where the owners operated their businesses, the warrant says. Those who didn't contribute would be punished by having their licenses withheld, the warrant said.

In one case, McGee extorted $20,000 from a business as a "commitment" to the team, the warrant said.

FBI agents searched the organization's office on June 3.

Yeah, McGee is a real team player, isn't he?

The guy is an absolute disgrace.

Given that the apple doesn't fall far from the elder McGee's tree, McGee the younger was destined to be a sleazeball.

He has delivered on that in spades.

What I do not understand is how leaders in Milwaukee's African-American community have the nerve to align themselves with McGee by holding a rally, a "prayer vigil," to show their support for him.

MILWAUKEE -- Several dozen Alderman Michael McGee, Junior supporters held a protest Thursday afternoon on the front steps of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. They say McGee's 100 thousand dollar cash bail is too high. They want him released on a signature bond.

“This is about justice. And this isn’t justice right here, what’s happening to him, right now, to have his bail be so high, I would do this for anyone," said protester Stanley Richmond.

McGee supporters say that all of the other Milwaukee aldermen charged with crimes got out of jail on a signature bond and were allowed to stay at home until they were convicted. Many think McGee is being unfairly targeted because he stood for things many other people in city government opposed.

"We having a problem in our community right now where and we feel like our leadership is being targeted for the stance that they take in our community,” McGee supporter Lamonte Harris said.

The other aldermen charged with crimes weren't plotting to kill someone or "beat down" people.

McGee is being treated the way he is because of the way he is, because of his history -- having multiple identities, using two Social Security numbers, making threats of violence, lying in court, etc.

To suggest that McGee's bail is high as revenge and a means to punish him for where he stands on government issues is absurd.

The response from some of Milwaukee's African-American leadership is truly disturbing.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"The purpose for the rally is to really highlight the injustice that is taking place," William Muhammad, minister of Muhammad's Mosque No. 3 said Wednesday.

"They are holding him like a political prisoner," said Muhammad, a McGee supporter.... "It is unfair, unjust and wicked. Anyone who cares about justice should come out and express it."

...Jerry Ann Hamilton, president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the fact that McGee still remains in jail is "grossly unjustified."

"Bail is not meant to be punishment," Hamilton said. "Bail is intended to secure the defendant's appearance in court and prevent fleeing. Ald. McGee has many roots in this community. He is not a flight risk."

NAACP local president Hamilton apparently has confidence in McGee's character. She doesn't believe he's a flight risk. She's entitled to her opinion, but the decision on bail isn't hers to make.

And minister William Muhammad's remarks are really irresponsible.

McGee is no political prisoner. Good grief.

It's as though these people are doing everything they can to compound tensions.

The support McGee is getting in Milwaukee reminds of Democrat Congressman William Jefferson's supporters in New Orleans.

There, too, ministers and the president of the local NAACP chapter have come to Jefferson's defense. They are also playing the race card and painting the criminal as the victim.

Read more.

In both the case of McGee and the case of Jefferson, the NAACP continues to lose credibility.

Simply put, the group has lost nearly all semblance of integrity. This once great civil rights organization too often is now little more than a front group of hacks and extremists, promoting people and policies that actually run counter to its professed mission.

William Jefferson the Victim

Instead of singing "We Shall Overcome," supporters of corrupt Dem congressman William Jefferson are singing "We Shall Overlook $90,000 in Your Freezer."

It amazes me that so many people are so quick to enable a crook like Jefferson.

NEW ORLEANS -- Supporters of a Democratic congressman charged with bribery and money laundering harkened to their civil rights days on Wednesday as they denounced the allegations against U.S. Rep. William Jefferson.

The group, including ministers and the president of the local chapter of the NAACP, alleged the 16-count corruption indictment was the work of a Republican White House and Justice Department scheming to target black Democratic leaders and shift attention from legal troubles of Republican congressmen.

"When it's all over, Bill Jefferson will stand up like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. He will stand up in the South and he will be victorious," said the Rev. Samson "Skip" Alexander.

The news conference attended by about 50 people was a sign Jefferson hasn't lost friends in New Orleans, which re-elected him to a ninth term from Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District in December 2006 despite an FBI probe of his African business dealings.

Prosecutors say Jefferson used his influence as co-chairman of the congressional Africa Investment and Trade Caucus to broker deals in numerous African nations, and that he demanded kickbacks for himself and for family members. He is also charged with bribing a Nigerian official.

He allegedly received more than $500,000 in bribes and demanded millions more between 2000 and 2005. He has pleaded not guilty.

The group said they would raise money for his legal defense and offer public relations help through the Justice for Jefferson Committee.

"Justice for Jefferson Committee."

"16-count corruption indictment was the work of a Republican White House and Justice Department scheming to target black Democratic leaders."

"Civil rights days."

"When it's all over, Bill Jefferson will stand up like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. He will stand up in the South and he will be victorious."

What is with these people?

Really.

The evil George Bush and his Justice Department have schemed to bring down black Dem leaders.

Yeah, right.

Unbelievable.

RELEASING THE HANDCUFFS

The Milwaukee School Board is having second thoughts about using flexible handcuffs to restrain out of control, violent students.

The Board is wimping out.

The message:

We don't want to offend anyone.

Violent students make the schools a dangerous place, but we don't want to hurt their self-images by restraining them while in the midst of violent outbursts.

We would rather put others -- students, faculty, and staff -- at risk than effectively manage the troublemakers.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The yellow light that the Milwaukee School Board gave last week to allowing safety workers in schools to use plastic handcuffs on students who need to be restrained may turn red next week.

Continued strong opposition to the idea, particularly in the African-American community, and major changes this week in the makeup of the board have dimmed prospects for the proposal taking effect.

Peter Blewett, a leading critic of the idea, was elected president of the board Wednesday night and, within 24 hours, called a special meeting to take up the subject at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Milwaukee Public Schools central office, 5225 W. Vliet St.

"Personally, I would like the handcuffs to be taken off the table," Blewett said Thursday. He said he would like a broad-based group to come up with recommendations on what should be done to improve safety in schools.

Better safety strategies are needed, he said, but given the impassioned opposition to the handcuff proposal, "It's hard to make progress on the issue if the idea of handcuffs is still on the table, even if there's a delay about implementing it."

Later Thursday, Superintendent William Andrekopoulos said he was withdrawing the idea to give MPS safety aides training on how to use the flexible handcuffs before full board approval is given. That was a step approved by the board last week.

Andrekopoulos said nothing would be done to pursue the idea in the near future. He said he wanted a broad community discussion of what steps should be taken to improve school safety. His goal, he said, was to use that as a way to develop plans to be put before the board in the fall.

"We pulled our training," Andrekopoulos said. "We are not going to do any training. . . . Our only action right now is more communication around the broader themes."

"I want to hear from the community - what do they want us to do?" he said.

Way to lead, Andrekopoulos!

I wonder if he'd like to comment on the incident at Vincent High School on Thursday.

An assistant principal at Milwaukee's Vincent High School received a cut to his arm when he attempted to intervene in a fight involving a 16-year-old girl who then threw a vase at him and shattered a mirror inside the school office, Milwaukee police said today.

The school administrator, 45, was treated for his injury, said department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz, and the 16-year-old girl has been referred to Milwaukee County juvenile authorities for possible charges of felony battery to a teacher and criminal damage to property.

Schwartz said the fight started about 1:50 p.m. Thursday when the 16-year-old threw a 14-year-old girl into a garbage can inside a classroom at the school, 7501 W. Granville Road.

The students were taken to the principal's office, where the 16-year-old reportedly continued to fight the younger girl.

After throwing the vase and shattering the mirror, the older teen was taken to the ground and held until police arrived, Schwartz said.

The 14-year-old complained of pain to her stomach and a sore hand. The 16-year-old had cuts to a finger.

Do you find the description of this fight troubling?

I think it's a horrible scene.

Will this elicit the same outrage that the handcuff proposal has whipped up?

It should, but it won't.

And what's the best that Andrekopoulos can do?

He backs down and throws the problem of violence in schools out to the community to solve.

Imagine a doctor telling a patient what treatment is most effective to treat an illness. The patient doesn't like the sound of the treatment. Then, the doctor responds by asking the patient what he would consider a proper approach to treat the problem.

That's nuts.

The handcuff proposal is one of several steps MPS administrators have taken to improve safety this year, including the assignment of full-time police at two high schools, stricter enforcement of a cell phone ban, additions of safety aides and more spending on services for students with mental health emergencies.

But the handcuffs have prompted the largest furor. The power of the image of kids in handcuffs, coupled with specific concerns about the idea and criticism of the short window for public reaction, have turned the idea into a hot-button matter that has brought politicians, organizations such as the NAACP's Milwaukee chapter and radio talk-show callers into action.

Maybe it's just me, but I find the image of two girls fighting in a principal's office, throwing a vase, smashing a mirror, and injuring an assistant principal pretty powerful.

Personally, I think it's a far more powerful image than a student in FlexiCuffs.

Why aren't incidents of violence like the one at Vincent High School "hot-button matters" for politicians and the NAACP's Milwaukee chapter?

Why is so little expected from these MPS students?

Looking for racism?

Look to the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Milwaukee Public Schools: The Handcuff Solution

The Milwaukee School Board's decision to proceed in developing a policy for the use of flexible handcuff restraints on violent, out of control students is being debated outside of Wisconsin.

ABC's Good Morning America brought attention to the story.

They're used on criminals, inmates and terrorists.

Soon, the pinch of plastic handcuffs could be felt by unruly students, too.

Good grief. How dramatic!

Not surprisingly, ABC distorts the plan.

A few problems with ABC's report:

1. ABC equates students with prisoners and terrorists. That language is emotionally charged. Its story isn't a report; it's an editorial meant to rally support against the proposed policy.

2. ABC refers to handcuffs being used on "unruly students." That's a very poor choice of words. Define "unruly." It sounds like a kid might be cuffed for talking in class at an inappropriate time or for not sitting still and being attentive in class.

That's unfair. We're not talking about run-of-the-mill misbehaving. We're talking about dangerous students, the ones that need to be tackled to the ground to control.

3. ABC fails to fully address the severity of the problem of violence at MPS.

The lib media propagandize again. Same old, same old.

On the local level, an editorial and a column in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel criticize the school boards' cuffing plan, sort of.

True to form, the JS Editorial Board is incoherent.

It argues that students are already being restrained and being taken away in handcuffs by police. It cites this reality as a symptom of the real problem -- inadequate mental health services for children.

(Can you say "higher taxes"?)

The board agrees with the policy as a necessary evil born out of the failure of federal and state institutions to care for troubled kids.

The Madison-based Wisconsin Family Ties says nearly 90,000 school-age children statewide have serious mental health disorders and that most of them are not receiving the help they need. Executive director Hugh Davis blames, in large part, lack of government funding.

Treating mental problems at a young age would save society both money and trouble later.

So the out of control kids are mentally ill or disturbed.

Is it possible that the out of control of kids don't have parents around to discipline them?

Could it be that the diagnosed "mental problems" are really behavioral issues that stem directly from a lack of parental supervision and involvement in the kids' lives?

Is it possible that more government funding won't address the real source of violent kids -- bad or AWOL parents?

Yes to all of the above.

If only there were more funds, more government involvement, then handcuffs wouldn't be necessary.

In effect, the board is arguing that the reigning chaos at MPS could be alleviated with tax increases.

Gee, I didn't see that coming.

Right. In the end, the editorial is more about a justification for higher taxes than anything else.

Also weighing in on the cuffs controversy is Journal Sentinel resident race-baiter Eugene Kane.

He writes:

To his credit, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent William Andrekopoulos knows he blew it on this one.

The top guy at MPS didn't realize the visceral impact a new policy allowing a form of handcuffs to be used on misbehaving students would have on certain parents.

Particularly African-American parents who live in daily fear of the possibility their child might actually turn up in handcuffs. Black mothers in particular who are determined to keep their sons out of the grip of a criminal justice system that has become second nature for far too many black males.

Andrekopoulos, of course, is struggling to come up with a solution for disruptive behavior by some MPS students with emotional or mental problems that can threaten the safety of other students, faculty or themselves.

He didn't realize his support of the handcuffs policy would disappoint - even outrage - some black parents, a black School Board member and the local NAACP. But he does now.

Andrekopoulos admitted Monday that announcing the new policy without an adequate campaign to educate the public was the wrong move.

"I didn't understand what the image of kids in handcuffs would mean to some people," he said during an interview at MPS headquarters. "I understand that now."

I suppose Andrekopoulos has to cater to the parents.

He needs what little cooperation he can get from them. He certainly doesn't want to alienate the few parents who are still concerned about their children's education.

Although Andrekopoulos isn't backing away from the policy, he's trying to take a softer approach.

It's unfortunate that he has to appease alarmist critics and race-baiters.

Kane speaks of black mothers "who are determined to keep their sons out of the grip of a criminal justice system that has become second nature for far too many black males."

He makes it sound like the thugs are victims of the criminal justice system.

If the mothers were able to keep their sons from breaking the law, they would never be in the system's "grips. "

I'd like to see some personal responsibility. Breaking the law is a choice. If kids end up in the criminal justice system, it's because they chose to go wrong.

Andrekopoulos shouldn't have to apologize for managing students' thuggish behavior, but he does.

Kane gives some of Andrekopoulos' reasons for supporting the handcuff policy.

...Andrekopoulos said it was more dangerous for staff and teachers to restrain a student physically than use the handcuffs until the student can calm down.

Another factor, Andrekopoulos said, is that Milwaukee police don't respond quickly enough to reports of unruly students. In his early years as an educator, Andrekopoulos said, cops would respond within 15 minutes. These days, "it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour."

With quicker police response, he said, MPS likely wouldn't be considering handcuffs at all.

Cops are too slow. Blame the cops' response time for the little angels being put in flexible cuffs.

Yeah, that makes sense.

...Also, the handcuffs would never be used to punish students for bad behavior, which was a concern for many who questioned the policy.

"That was our fault. We didn't explain it," he said.

What's he talking about? Andrekopoulos explained it. It was clear from the beginning that the policy wasn't about punishment. It was clear the cuffs would only be used as a last resort.

What the superintendent said he needed most these days was help from the public.

"I need advice and guidance from the community," he said. "We need to find out what level of involvement the community is willing to accept in order to keep our schools safe."

In many ways, Andrekopoulos is the one wearing handcuffs with this controversial new policy. He seems quite aware of that fact.

Andrekopoulos has a challenging (AKA nightmarish) job.

It's easy to be an armchair quarterback; but I don't think Andrekopoulos is being tough enough.

This statement bothers me:

"We need to find out what level of involvement the community is willing to accept in order to keep our schools safe."

The level of involvement shouldn't be in question.

Whatever policies are necessary to keep schools safe are the ones that need to be implemented.

How can kids learn if they're fearing for their safety? How can teachers teach?


In spite of his apology, I don't think that Andrekopoulos mishandled the matter.

I think there are a lot of people in denial about the real issue here.

It isn't the handcuffing of violent students.

The problem is that parents and the community are more concerned about the use of these flexible restraints than they are about safety at MPS and the protection of students, staff, and faculty.

The handcuff outrage du jour is drawing a lot of attention. That's the focus, as if it's the most important issue facing MPS.

Meanwhile, the schools continue on their downward spiral and all of society pays the price.

Handcuffing Milwaukee Public School Students

On Tuesday of this week, a Milwaukee Public School Board panel approved the use of flexible handcuffs to control violent students.

The full board met last night to vote on the measure.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A handcuff policy that appeared to be in something resembling handcuffs was approved late Thursday by the Milwaukee School Board after three hours of debate that was frequently angry, intense and downright confusing.

The net effect of the tumultuous meeting seemed to be that planning to begin using flexible, plastic handcuffs on students whose behavior is considered dangerous to themselves or others will continue, but a revamped School Board with four new members will have to give an OK before restraints can be used. They will not be used in any school during this school year.

Since the idea was publicized Saturday, it has become a subject of debate, with numerous political leaders in the African-American community and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People criticizing the idea and saying there had been inadequate opportunities to give public opinion. Thursday's meeting was the second this week in which the School Board spent hours on the subject, and debate was stormy.

Question: Why are leaders in the African-American community and the NAACP outraged over the use of restraints on VIOLENT students but not similarly troubled by the behavior precipitating their use?

At the end of the night Thursday - and in its last action as a group - the board voted 7-1 to approve the handcuff policy proposed by Superintendent William Andrekopoulos, but with major constraints on implementing it. But the 7-1 vote was really a 6-2 vote because member Peter Blewett voted in favor as a political maneuver; the board majority then refused to allow him to change his vote.

"Obviously, this is a very heated item," Andrekopoulos said in proposing the go-slow approach to handcuff use. He said that all rules related to handcuffs would be approved by the board before the policy is implemented, that there will be efforts to get public input on use of the restraints, and that training of MPS safety workers on using the handcuffs will be open to the public.

"What's important here is for us to move slowly, but to still move," Andrekopoulos said.

That's the problem with MPS and the board in a nutshell: MOVING SLOWLY.

In the midst of a crisis, it's not wise to go at a snail's pace.

...Earlier, [Charlene Hardin] angrily attacked the plan as a way to "shackle" students that will only bring more safety problems to schools and turn schools into prisons. In tears, she said she and opponents of the idea had not been truly heard.

"You didn't understand, you didn't care," she said. "What are you trying to do, destroy the public school system?"

Hardin needs to get a grip.

I'm sure she's genuinely concerned about students, but her anger is misguided.

She's expending all this emotion, flipping out about schools becoming prisons.

Well, right now, sticking with her imagery, schools are uncontrolled, unsafe territory, crime scenes.

Drastic circumstances call for drastic measures.

Would Hardin prefer to have the violent perpetrators ruling the schools rather than regaining order?

That puts everyone in danger, not only students and faculty but eventually the community at large.

Violence in the schools isn't going to stay within their doors.

It spills out into the rest of society.

Milwaukee's children are the city's future.

If those children aren't controlled in school and learn to be functioning members of society, their futures and the future of Milwaukee is very, very bleak.
____________________________

Two 17-year-olds were apprehended by police after a robbery this morning.

I'm guessing they were handcuffed and the cuffs weren't the flexible variety.

I'm also guessing these two criminals were either truant or had dropped out of school.

I doubt that they earned their diplomas early or have a GED. Just a guess.

Read more.

Insincerity: The Imus Suspension

Radio talk-show host Don Imus speaks with Rev. Al Sharpton (not pictured) during Sharpton's radio show, in New York, April 9, 2007. (REUTERS/Chip East)

The lib media are so weird.

What's the big story right now? Don Imus.

Iran, Iraq, Election 2008 -- those stories are taking a backseat to the morning talk show host.

The Imus controversy is being promoted like it's the latest reality show.

In the grand scheme of things, who cares about Don Imus?

I don't.

In the minute scheme of things, I don't care about him.

I don't listen to his show, but I know he stepped over the line and used a racial slur.

Imus made his remark the day after the Rutgers team, which includes eight black women, lost the NCAA women's championship game to Tennessee. He was speaking with producer Bernard McGuirk and said "that's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos ..."

"Some hardcore hos," McGuirk said.

"That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that," Imus said.

In my opinion, what he said was highly objectionable.

It's a popular opinion, shared by many.

On Monday, Imus apologized for his racist remark, was browbeaten by Al Sharpton,and received a two week suspension starting next Monday.

OK. Whatever.

Enough already.

This is Entertainment Tonight, People magazine stuff. Taken at face value, it's not a major story. Imus is receiving a ridiculously disproportionate amount of attention.

NEW YORK -- Don Imus' morning talk show will be suspended from CBS Radio and MSNBC for two weeks following protests about his reference to members of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos," both networks said Monday.

MSNBC, which telecasts the radio show, said Imus' expressions of regret and embarrassment, coupled with his stated dedication to changing the show's discourse, made it believe suspension was the appropriate response.

"Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word," the network said.

The suspension begins next Monday.

Imus, who has made a career of cranky insults in the morning, was fighting for his job following the joke that by his own admission went "way too far." He continued to apologize Monday, both on his show and on a syndicated radio program hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is among several black leaders demanding his ouster.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said that Imus' suspensions would not halt the protests.

"This is a two-week cooling off period," Jackson said. "It does not challenge the character of the show, its political impact, or the impact that these comments have had on our society."

Imus could be in real danger if the outcry causes advertisers to shy away from him, said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. The National Organization for Women is also seeking Imus' ouster.

...Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP board of directors, said it is "past time his employers took him off the air."

Imus was mostly contrite in his appearance with Sharpton, although the activist did not change his opinion that Imus should lose his job. At one point Imus seemed incredulous at Sharpton's suggestion that he might walk away from the incident unscathed.

"Unscathed?" Imus said. "How do you think I'm unscathed by this? Don't you think I'm humiliated?"

I'm not defending Imus.

I can't boycott him because I'm not one of the few that make up his insignificant audience. The guy is not entertaining. He's annoying.

If Imus got the axe, I wouldn't consider it a loss. I wouldn't know the difference.

All the usual suspects are lining up to condemn Imus -- Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond.

As ugly as Imus' remarks were, I don't think Jackson, Sharpton, Bond, and other hypocrites should be casting stones.

Jackson and Sharpton are anti-Semites.

Where does anti-Semite Jackson get off leading protests against Imus?


The Rev. Jesse Jackson leads a protest outside Chicago's NBC Studios Monday, April 9, 2007, calling for the firing of radio talk show host Don Imus for his offensive comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Time for another Jackson boycott, I guess. Nevermind that Jesse Jackson, moral leader, called Jews "Hymie" and New York City "Hymie-town."

And Al Sharpton, another moral leader, referred to Jews as "diamond merchants."

Recall this incident:

In 1991, Sharpton turned the death of a black child in a traffic accident in Brooklyn, involving a Hasidic Jew, into a racial incident. Sharpton led 400 protesters through the Jewish section of Crown Heights. There were four nights of rock- and bottle-throwing, and a young Talmudic scholar was surrounded by a mob shouting, "Kill the Jew," and was stabbed to death.

In spite of Sharpton inciting riots and spewing hateful rhetoric, he took a holier-than-thou stance on his radio show when he publicly flogged Imus.

Read the transcript here.

Sharpton is demanding that Imus resign.

And what did Sharpton do after his anti-Semitic outbursts? Instead of begging forgiveness, he ran for the Dem nomination for president!


Rev. Al Sharpton listens to a caller on his radio show as he and radio personality Don Imus appear face-to-face on the program, in New York Monday April 9, 2007. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)


Apparently, the "reverend" Jackson and the "reverend" Sharpton only believe in forgiveness for themselves.

Like Sharpton, Julian Bond wants Imus canned. What a hypocrite! The chairman of the NAACP is an absolute disgrace.

Here's a sampling of a few of his choice comments:

Civil rights activist and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond delivered a blistering partisan speech at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina last night, equating the Republican Party with the Nazi Party and characterizing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, as tokens.

"The Republican Party would have the American flag and the swastika flying side by side," he charged.

Calling President Bush a liar, Bond told the audience at the historically black institution that this White House's lies are more serious than the lies of his predecessor's because Clinton's lies didn't kill people.

...He referred to former Attorney General John Ashcroft as J. Edgar Ashcroft. He compared Bush's judicial nominees to the Taliban.

...In July 2001, Bond said, "[Bush] has selected nominees from the Taliban wing of American politics, appeased the wretched appetites of the extreme right wing, and chosen Cabinet officials whose devotion to the Confederacy is nearly canine in its uncritical affection."

Bond can't claim any moral high ground.

This whole thing has become a joke, a media circus. Someone call in Judge Larry Seidlin. At this point, he's about all that's missing from the Imus saga.

I think everyone involved is exploiting the matter.

It's like a contrived event, a staged publicity stunt by media whores.

Imus, Jackson, Sharpton, and Bond are all getting exactly what they want -- attention.

MSNBC may get a bump, temporarily of course, from all the press.

Imus' apology tour is just goofy. The posturing by his critics is embarrassing.

What's missing from all the professed outrage and Imus' repeated apologies is sincerity.

I believe that Imus truly regrets his statement and I believe that people were genuinely offended.

So apologize and move on.

If you don't want to support Imus, then turn him off. Don't listen to CBS radio. Don't watch MSNBC. Don't watch NBC, either.

During primetime on Monday, NBC was hoping to capitalize on the controversy du jour by plugging an EXCLUSIVE Today show interview with Imus scheduled for Tuesday morning.

How many exclusive interviews is Imus planning on doing?

It's ridiculous.

When I think of all the horrible, slanderous things that come out of Rosie O'Donnell's mouth, I wonder why people don't demand that she be fired.

Perhaps the people that are offended by O'Donnell's daily stupidity are able to deal with her vitriol by taking a different approach to make her stop.

They seem to understand how to use the TV remote.
_____________________________

After seeing Imus with Matt Lauer and Al Sharpton on Today this morning, I'm convinced that all parties involved are milking this for personal profit.

The double standard at play, Imus' offensive remarks compared to Sharpton's drivel, is so glaring that the debate between the two men over the matter has no credibility.

The Imus remark has snowballed into this huge deal.

While it's valid to debate standards of decency on the air waves, this story has spun out of control.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Al Roker says it's time for Imus to go.

The strikingly hypocritical Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board, defender of racist radio personality Michael McGee, Sr., says the same thing -- time for the curtain to come down on Imus.

Spivak and Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel give a taste of some of the most flat-out racist, anti-Semitic, violent bilge on the air.

Every so often, you just have to turn on ex-Ald. Michael McGee's "Word Warriors" radio show on WNOV-AM (860) to hear what the self-proclaimed commander is spewing.

Thursday morning was one of those days.

Less than 24 hours after his son, Ald. Mike McGee, was arrested in a courtroom, accused of threatening his former girlfriend, his father was on the air offering up a smorgasbord of anti-Semitism, threats of violence against the city of Milwaukee and rants about the difficulty of growing up McGee.

...First off, the elder McGee started with a little humor, if you can call it that.

"Look, I have a joke for you - well, not really a joke," said a female caller. "But what (does) July mean?"

"What do July mean?" replied the commander. "The Jews lie."

Caller: "Uh-uh, and what do picnic mean?"

Commander: "Picnic mean, pick a (n-word)."

(This is a reference to a bogus Internet story about the origins of the word picnic.)

Caller: "There you go. Y'all have a good day."

Again, I want to make it clear that I'm not defending Imus' offensive remark.

It's also clear that the way this entire incident is playing out is drowning in hypocrisy.

There's a lot of shame to go around. Many apologies, for past and present sins, are in order.
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Condi, Watermelons, and Selective Outrage

HEY, DANNY GLOVER!

HARRY BELAFONTE!

JESSE JACKSON!

AL SHARPTON!

GET OUTRAGED!

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED! ORGANIZE A PROTEST! QUICK!

At least call a news conference.

(Crickets chirping)

Here's more racist drivel directed toward a conservative African American, and it's being disseminated on a college campus.

From the Seattle Times:

Bellevue Community College President Jean Floten apologized Wednesday at an emotional open-campus meeting called after students complained about what they said was a racially offensive math question used on a practice test.

...The hour-and-a-half meeting, attended by more than 150 people, opened an important dialog, but more needs to be done, said Chelsey Richardson, one of the students who brought the issue to college officials.

When she felt her concerns weren't taken seriously, Richardson went to the media and to the Rev. Wayne Perryman, a Mercer Island civil-rights activist. Perryman sent out an e-mail to friends across the country, some of whom belong to conservative and civil-rights groups. Those friends forwarded the e-mail, creating a snowball effect. The college has since received hundreds of e-mails, said Bob Adams, spokesman for BCC.

I bet Al Gore sometimes kicks himself for taking "the initiative in creating the Internet."

An e-mail can be heard 'round the world.

...Richardson, 25, said she found the question on a practice test for a math final she was studying for in March. The question read, "Condoleezza holds a watermelon just over the edge of the roof of the 300-foot Federal Building, and tosses it up with a velocity of 20 feet per second." The question went on to ask when the watermelon will hit the ground, based on a formula provided. The question propagates a racial stereotype and denigrates Secretary of State Rice, said Perryman. While Rice's last name wasn't mentioned, the reference was clear, he said.

Way to blow that whistle, Chelsey! Good job!

...The college declined to release the name of the teacher who wrote the question. Floten said the teacher has apologized and requested cultural-sensitivity training.

Oh, come on.

The only reason that teacher apologized is because he/she was caught. That request for cultural-sensitivity training is a joke.

This teacher isn't about to change his/her stripes. If a teacher would go so far as to put a question like that on a practice test, that individual will not suddenly transform into a tolerant, fair, decent person, fit to teach at a community college.

This is a PR move by Bellevue. It's damage control.

Insincere apologies are worthless. I can't stand them.

The test question was originally written with the name of a comedian, Gallagher, whose signature shtick was to smash a variety of objects, often watermelons. Later, the question was rewritten, and the name was changed to Condoleezza, Floten said.

The teacher went out of his/her way to change the question! The only possible motive was to take a swipe at the Secretary of State.

I think in addition to cultural-sensitivity training, the teacher could use an anger management class. Maybe a time-out is also in order.

In an e-mail to students, faculty and staff, Floten said she took "personal ownership that this act of institutional racism could happen despite a collegewide initiative pursued over many years to establish a safe and tolerant place for all to learn."

What does Floten mean by "personal ownership"?

I guess as the president, she holds herself accountable for the incident. It's great that she's not passing the buck, but how does she intend to hold the teacher accountable?

A slap on the wrist seems inadequate.

Why aren't activists like Glover, Belafonte, and Sharpton demanding more?

Why isn't the NAACP having a fit?

Why isn't Jesse Jackson organizing a boycott?

Why?

BECAUSE CONDI IS CONSERVATIVE.