Tell us how you really feel Sista!!!!!

Transcripts taken from CNN's "Larry King Live" Aired April 28, 2008

The panel included -

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, professor at Georgetown University (Obama Supporter)

Lanny Davis, he served as special counsel to President Bill Clinton (Clinton Supporter)

Flavia Colgan, columnist and editorial board member of the "Philadelphia Daily News (Obama Supporter)

Carole Simpson, former ABC anchor, now a leader in residence at Emerson College. (Clinton Supporter)

An excerpt of the conversation:

SIMPSON: Thank you very much. What I want to say is how much things have changed. When this race started, Obama had all of the attention, rock star, Obama girl, everything, everybody was flocking to him. And now look at where we are. And I was asked on this program, should Hillary drop out and I said absolutely not. Anything could happen. And look at what has happened. We have a confluence now of race and religion, two hot political potatoes, and Obama stuck right in the middle of it.

DYSON: Larry, can I say this? I think it's very important to say that Barack Obama himself has been brilliant in transcending these divisions, these bitter precincts of prejudice, and looking towards an America that he can unite. Even though he loves his pastor and distances himself from what he says that he finds [offensive], he calls on the American people to move beyond his paralyzing prejudices to unite as Americans. I think that's what we have to focus on.

KING: We have about a minute. Flavia, do you fear that Obama may become this year's Dukakis?

COLGAN: Look, the proof in the pudding is in the eating of it. And I certainly respect the viewpoints of the American voter. So far they have obviously chosen Barack Obama, in terms of delegates. And throughout the country, he's running a 50-state strategy. But I will respect whatever decision they make. I think that it's patronizing to the American public to think that we haven't made — and this is where I disagree with Reverend Wright — that we haven't made enough progress as a nation that someone like Barack Obama will not become president simply because of the color of their skin. I do not believe that.

SIMPSON: Oh, you better believe it.

COLGAN: I'm sorry. You can have your opinion.

SIMPSON: You better believe it.

COLGAN: I do not believe, based on my experience, that that is the case. I think it's unfortunate that this Jeremiah Wright thing -- and I think as a pastor, he should show more humility. And I agree with Carol that it's completely about his ego to come out at this time in a way that he knows will affect Barack Obama. I think that's unfortunate, because Lanny and I should come back on and talk about issues.

KING: I'm going to recommend to the powers that be that we bring this panel back for a full hour, so we can really hear things coherently. As we wind things up, visit our website, CNN.com/LarryKing. You can download our latest podcast, which is Laura and Jenna Bush. We've also got a special Jimmy Carter quick vote. As always, you can email upcoming guests. Tomorrow night, Joy Behar. Wednesday night, Michael Moore.

Music showcase for the week 4/28 – 5/2

TAWIAH

‏baby sol

Question: Why put a music link on your blog?Answer: Because radio sucks. Listen to individuals/groups that should be on radio

Obama’s Big Chicken Has Come Home to Roost

Poor Senator Barak Obama. He has tried to run a race neutral campaign, but people won’t let him do it. Senator Hillary Clinton, Republicans, and Rev. Wright won’t let him do it. Obama wants to bring the races together to fight crime, poverty and tax cuts. If it could possibly work, it could be a beautiful thing. I personally think the “pie in the sky” concept is wishful thinking. If anyone could pull this off though, it would have to be Obama. No one else is really interested in working together and crossing the political aisles. Before we can sing Cumbiya and run through the hills, Obama has to deal with something that he should have taken care of a while ago. Obama knew that he attended a church where they taught black liberation based scripture. He knew that Rev. Wright was not the kind of person that would go quietly off into the sunset. He knew that the sermons of his former minister were recorded for videotapes, CD’s and whatever else that could be bootlegged. The fact that he chose to ignore this is why he is catching Hell now. The Media, Republicans and Hillary are not going to let go of this one. They all know weapons of mass distractions when they see one (especially the Republicans). Hillary is not going to let this go because she thinks that she is winning. Which is an entirely different story involving imaginary mathematics and two rogue states. But I digress….
Hindsight would have told Obama that he might want to find another church to attend. A church that was similar to his view of a multi-cultural America. Maybe a church that was more conservative without all the hollering and hooping that goes on in most black churches. He should have known that white folks might be scared by that kind of behavior. By Presidential standards catching “the holy ghost” might be seen as undignified. Do you think Nancy Reagan ever caught “the ghost”? She was consulting with them during her husbands presidency. A person like me can go to a church like Trinity United Church of Christ. See I’m not running for any public office and I’m not trying to win over any votes. I don’t have to answer to the mainstream media for anything that I have done in my past. When you are in the limelight, you have to watch everything you do and say. I don’t understand why Obama’s campaign staff didn’t see this coming. I don’t know why Obama didn’t see this coming. Does he really believe that he can campaign on the issues and sidestep the drama? I wish I had some advice for him but I don’t. He is stuck between black folks anger towards whites and white folks ignorance towards blacks. If he can maneuver this landmine, it will be one of the greatest American feats of all time. If this pulls him under, then he will be another democrat has been. I truly hope it is not the latter. I do believe Obama wants to change the landscape of politics in America. I also believe he just might be the guy to do it. First, he is going to have to learn how to manage campaign problems better. Politics is a dirty business and you have to be one step ahead of your opponent. Because as we have seen, when the chickens finally do come home, they eventually end up getting cooked.

Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight

This has been a tough week for Black men in American. Especially if you were running for president, were shot 50 times and didn’t pay your taxes. I can’t wait to see what next week brings. I hope that people were paying attention this week and learned some valuable lessons. I learned that people disguise racism as patriotism. I also learned some black folks like being ignorant and happy. The most important lesson I learned this week was don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. It is impossible to “kill them with kindness” when running for public office. You have to beat your opponent over the head until they beg for mercy. Senator Clinton proved that it’s better to beat your opponent down than talk about issues. She believes that even though she is behind in the race, she is still winning. Go Figure!!! I generally don’t know what kind of math that is, but I think it’s not taught in America. The North Carolina State Republican Party decided to run a commercial against Senator Obama and other Democrats even after Senator McCain and the Head of the Republican National Committee told them not to (unless that was a trick as well). It’s too late for peace and reconciliation. It is time for Obama to take his gloves off and start slapping people silly. Or have his minions to start slapping people up side their heads. He needs to bring out commercials remind us about 4 dollar gas, foreclosures, layoffs and the dilapidated infrastructure of roads, and bridges. He needs to remind people of Monica Lewinsky, Travel gate, Whitewater, Paula Jones, and The Impeachment. Obama, you have got to fire off some shots man. You aren’t going to be able to stop Fox News or Rev. Jeremiah (wright sermon wrong time) Wright, but you can put the breaks on the Clinton Express. You are in a street fight so you have to use street rules. And one of the rules of the street is: Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight!!!!!!!!!

Pastor, Rev. Dr. Michael L. Pfleger

Bill Clinton becomes president of Kenya. Seriously!!!!

I thought this was odd but then again I have seen a lot of odd things this year. I just hope this kid doesn’t run into an African Monica Lewinsky.

Music showcase for the week 4/21 – 4/25

Choklate
Donnie

Question: Why put a music link on your blog?
Answer: Because radio sucks. Listen to individuals/groups that should be on radio

Goodbye Killadelphia. We hardly knew you.

Senator Clinton got a win out of Pennsylvania tonight. I would say congrats, but I’m still not feeling her or Bill. See you when you come to the Tarheel State.

Business $chool

………mediocrity is what's rampant. Excellence is rare." -Don Cheadle


When I first heard about schools paying students to do work, I almost fell out of my chair. Do you mean all this time I went through high school for free? I’m still suspicious about this program because Newt Gingrich is involved. Why would a Republican promote paying students for grades but attempt to banish welfare? It sounds like a set up to me. Learning is something you do because you love doing it. Once you start paying people to be scholars, high school will look like the National Basketball Association. You will have overinflated paychecks and lazy job performances. With all that being said, I wonder can I get high school back pay?

Bean Pies and Cheesesteaks - Questions for Governor Rendell

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate.” - Governor Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania

I have three questions for Governor Rendell that I would like answered before the close of the Phillabama/Bamaburg Primary.

Did the same white folks that would not support Senator Barack Obama vote for you? I mean, I see you kickin’ it with The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Will Senator Hillary Clinton reject and denounce you?

Have you ever read the The Final Call?

ABC vs. VH1 in the dumbing down of America

Everyone seems to be upset about the Democratic debate on Thursday night. Even my mother called me sounding very sad. She didn’t want to watch the debate, for full disclosure my mother is a die hard Barak Obama supporter, because she had a bad feeling. My mom is not a psychic in case you were wondering. She decided not to watch because she knew what I knew. What every American should have known but didn’t. People must don’t know what a setup looks like when they see one. Looking at the highlights from the debate, it looked like Custer’s Last Stand. I haven’t seen a man take blows like that since Mike Tyson fought Buster Douglas. He should have known the deck was stacked against him with George Stephanopoulos asking him questions. Didn’t people know that he worked for President Bill Clinton during his first term in office? If you look up the word “conflict of interest” in the dictionary, you will see pictures of George Stephanopoulos, Dick Cheney, Simon Cowell and Clive Davis. I believe that debate should have been on VH1. It would have fit in well with their other programming. I think it could have aired right after Flavor of Love.
The debate and Flavor of Love are similar because:
1. There is drama early in the beginning.
2. They brush over the important details.
3. Someone ends up walking away feeling abused and used.
4. At the end you (the viewer) realize that you wasted an hour of your life.
All that was missing was a crazy woman that was………. Ooops! I guess they had that too.

Back in Black

Say What? Are black folks trying to do television news again? Bob "Pimping ain't easy" Johnson tried that already and the results were disastrous. The news was cancelled and replaced with strippers, ho’s, wannabe ho’s, pimps, players, scallywags, skeezers, bloods, crips and thugs. It was like going to the waffle house after a party. Lets hope this time things will be different.

About BTNC: Black Television News Channel will be the nation's only provider of 24/7 cable news programming dedicated to covering the unique perspective of African American communities. BTNC will provide access to information and educational programming to meet the specific needs of this growing and dynamic community, which is a major consumer of subscription television services. BTNC will provide a new voice that represents African Americans in mainstream media and fosters political, economic, and social discourse. BTNC's programming will shed light on the unique social, economic, and political challenges facing urban communities and help close the "image gap" that exists today between the negative African American stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media news and our enterprising black communities.

Music showcase for the week

Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators

Janelle Monae

Question: Why put a music link on your blog?

Answer: Because radio sucks. Listen to individuals/groups that should be on radio.

The self-appointed czar of blackness has left the building

I will start off by saying that I never had a problem with Tavis Smiley. I don’t want this to be confused with me hating on the man. I don’t know what is going on with his abrupt departure from the Tom Joyner Morning Radio Show, but the timing is awfully suspicious. In recent months he has been giving Barak Obama the business, or for those that are more street affiliated “the bizness”, for not doing whatever it is that Tavis thought he should be doing. The list ranges from not going to the Tavis Smiley presents “State of the Black Union” to not speaking to “black issues”. Now I will admit for full disclosure that I do watch the State of the Black Union on C-Span. I will also admit that the program does need some re-tooling in its format. There are too many people on the dais and sometimes they tend to go off the subject. Sure, who doesn’t like Dick Gregory sticking it to “the man”, but when “the man” is sponsoring your program you might want to rethink who you invite. Even though the corporate heads of Wal-Mart are use to being called everything under the sun, I don’t think they like words like “cracker” and “white boy” being used while their logo is in the background. It’s hard being militant these days because it just doesn’t pay the bills. Craig Hodges wore a dashiki to the White House and you haven’t heard from him since. It must be hard trying to fund the revolution on a shoe string budget so I guess you would need a corporate sponsor. With an impressive sponsorship list such as Wells Fargo (home foreclosures), Exxon Mobil (high gas prices), and Wal-Mart (outsourced labor to foreign countries) you have the makings of a high profile event. I’m surprised Bob “pimping ain’t easy” Johnson didn’t come up with this concept. Oh yeah, he is not in the business of uplifting black folks, just tearing them down. Tavis brought this on himself with his perceived bias against Obama. I believe he did start out really trying to help black folks but somewhere after the books, television shows, and radio shows he lost focus. He became a brand. Which is a good thing if you are Dwayne Wade but if you fighting for the people, that is not your ultimate goal. You see what a lot of our so called “black leaders” don’t realize is you can’t be a Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael and an Earl Graves, Sr. at the same time. As the old saying goes “man can’t serve two masters”. You can’t verbally lambast Obama and then throw Hillary Clinton softball questions particularly after her husband’s outbursts in South Carolina. I know that the Clintons are near in dear to the hearts of some black folks. I will admit for a period of time, I even drank from the Clinton kool-aid. I know that people know what they are getting with Hillary versus the unknown. It just seems to me that if Tavis, who says he loves black people, should be more neutral in his commentary. I have been listening to him on the Tom Joyner Morning Radio Show and he never calls Hillary into question. He still hasn’t said anything about her “Secret Bosnia Death Trip” with Sinbad and Sheryl Crowe. Why can’t Clinton catch some of this “heat” as well? As John McCain would say “My Friends”, I don’t know but it’s starting to look like the fix is in. Lawd have mercy say it ain’t so Tavis is on the take. Tavis can’t be in the pocket of the Clintons. No! The man that loves his people is now being paid off by “the man”, or in this case “the woman”. This could be bad news for Tavis Smiley followers - individuals that buy his books and that go to hear him speak. They truly believe in him and if he is on the take it would be a shame. Again, all this is pure speculation and there is not a smoking gun to prove guilt or innocence. I hope that Tavis gets back to the grassroots level activism that his idol Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in. Leave the grandstanding to Puff Daddy because he is way better at it than you are. Don’t be afraid if Obama wins the presidency, because activism will still be needed. Racism, Sexism, and Classism are still running rampant more than ever. So Tavis, the next time you talk to Exxon Mobil let them know about the outrageous gas prices and what they should be doing to make it easier for us regular folks. The next time you take Obama to task, make sure you call Hillary out as well. Don’t become like so many of these civil rights relics living off their past glory and present day monetary gain. If you are upset because some black folks aren’t feeling you right now, don’t worry because they’ll come around. We are the most forgiving people on this planet. If you don’t believe me, ask O.J. Simpson. He doesn’t get down with black folks like that. The last time he was around black folks was in county lock up. If you look outside his last court hearing, you watched black folks protesting for his release and selling “the juice is loose” t-shirts. I don’t believe this will be the last time we hear from Mr. Smiley. Besides who else is going to let Al Sharpton, Cornel West, Dick Gregory and Louis Farrakhan on a stage together. All brought to you by Pizza Hut of course.

Obama slips, falls and Hillary is right there not ready to catch him. Notes from a Non-Pollster.

Voters might not be bitter in small towns but I am. I am so sick of this un-democratic primary. The more Hillary talks the more she turns me off. If I could just get her to shut up and sit down, I wouldn’t need to take Rolaids while watching the nightly news. Recently my wife told me they were planning on having a debate in Raleigh, NC before the primary. Another debate? I wonder what new information we will be able to find out from this endeavor. I’ll tell you what it is, not a damn thing! I don’t have any scientific polling documents in front of me, but let me take a crack at this. 25% of Americans will vote strictly on the issues (healthcare, economy, education, etc). 75% of Americans (the rest) will vote using their gut (race, gender, can I have a drink with this guy at the bar etc). Do you know why I say this using my unofficial un-scientific polling non-documents? People in this country will vote against their own self interests out of fear. Remember when everyone voted for Bush “2” or Bush “Duh”, depending on if you are in a Republican or Democrat household, because he was going to stop gays from marrying. Let’s see how that worked out. Oh yeah Gay people are still getting married (sort of). Thanks Bush! You saved us from a lifetime of going to weddings where there would be two male statues on top of the cake. Meanwhile Bush has been spending our currency like a drunken sailor at port in Madrid. I’m not pushing a pro-gay agenda but to be that naïve to think lesbians would storm the White House wearing overalls and mullets is pure foolishness. This is along the same lines as the ignorant concept that a mysterious “Black man” will take your job because of affirmative action. Blacks, African Americans, or whatever we are being called this month, make up 12% of the United States population. If you dropped a bomb in Harlem, Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, Compton, Watts, South Central and Washington D.C. we would probably be at 4%. I will remind you again that all this is from my unofficial un-scientific polling. The numbers could possibly be off a bit so take that into consideration when reading. Anyway, as I was saying in the beginning, I am sick and tired and ready for this thing to end. Gathering all this data together for you to not learn from is tiring. It’s hard being a non-pollster.

When did Moses go wrong?

Charlton Heston went from
supporting civil rights to this:

In an address to students at Harvard Law School entitled Winning the Cultural War, Heston said,

"The Constitution was handed down to guide us by a bunch of wise old dead white guys who invented our country! Now some flinch when I say that. Why! Its true-they were white guys! So were most of the guys that died in Lincoln’s name opposing slavery in the 1860s. So why should I be ashamed of white guys? Why is “Hispanic Pride” or “Black Pride” a good thing, while “White Pride” conjures shaven heads and white hoods? Why was the Million Man March on Washington celebrated by many as progress, while the Promise Keepers March on Washington was greeted with suspicion and ridicule? I’ll tell you why, Cultural warfare!"

McCain supporter shows his ignorance

When they are gone, how shall we remember them?

What a crazy week! First Bobby Brown is coming out with a tell all book. Then my barber left town without even telling me. What am I suppose to do now? A barber is more than just someone that cuts your hair. They are marriage counselors and therapists as well. I was with this guy when he use to cut hair in a rinky dink barbershop in a really bad neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood where people sell meat out of the pockets of the coats that they wore. These weren’t Japanese coats that were refrigerated by some new modern science. I’m talking about triple fat goose jackets and long leather trench coats. I never bought any of the meat but I heard the pork chops were very tasty. They also had someone that took orders for basketball jerseys. You would tell them what you wanted and miraculously the jersey would appear in the size you requested. This was not a representative of the store that walked around to each barbershop advertising goods and services. This was just some dude that would steal what you wanted and charge you less than half of what it originally costs. This was before the economy took a nose dive so I can only imagine what he does for cash now.
My barber kept saying he was going to leave but I didn’t believe him. He said a lot of stuff that was questionable so how was I to know he was serious this time. I never took any of his marriage advice because it was the kind that would either get me thrown out the house or locked up. I never did take him up on his offers to go to the club because it would either get me divorced or locked up. I remember barbers that use to cut hair when I was growing up. They were masterful hair technicians that were wise in their knowledge of the world. They were middle aged men that grew up listening to the Temptations, O’Jays, Earth Wind & Fire. I also remember back in the day when if my mother forgot the haircut money, they wouldn’t mind if she went back home to get it. The barbers I deal with now are younger and they grew up listening to Hip Hop. They have an edge to them that previous barbers didn’t have. So the advice that is given is more Ludacris than Teddy Pendergrass. Even though I never took any of my barber’s advice, I still listened to him anyway. I just shook my head, paid my money and dapped him up until the next time we’d meet. I always thought that this guy was going to get arrested, killed or die from a mysterious disease. I will eventually find someone else to cut my hair. I don’t know what my next barber will be like. I’m sure they will have some kind of advice that they want to dish out. I’m also sure they will know someone that sells “stuff” for half price. I will probably do what I always do after getting my haircut. I will shake my head, pay my money and dapp them up until the next time we meet.

Remembering a Revolutionary

In our remembrance of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let’s not forget that the man being honored and revered was a rebel. He was an individual that bucked the authoritative system of America. When people talk about him they always talk about the “we shall overcome” MLK. The one that talks about white kids and black kids holding hands. Republicans use him to explain why we don’t need affirmative action. Democrats use him to explain why we need a reformed education system. Every Black History month we pay honor to him, sing some songs, hold hands and promise to be better citizens. Meanwhile in our high school history books, Black History goes like this:

1. Blacks were slaves.
2. President Abraham Lincoln was so wise and kind and he freed all the slaves.
3. Blacks lived under Jim Crow laws.
4. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. popped up and helped free Blacks from oppression.
5. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever.

Now I’m not trying to knock the message of MLK, because it is a good message. What I’m concerned about is which message are we receiving? In his later years before his death his focused changed. He still believed in civil rights but also focused on workers rights, poverty and ending the Vietnam War.



Let’s review this again:

workers rights (health care, a living wage that keeps up with the economy)

Poverty (the poor, the working poor, the homeless)

Vietnam War (War on Terrorism)

He talked about all the things that are so unpopular to talk about now. Politicians don’t want to talk about healthcare, Corporations don’t want to talk about the living wage and Vice President Richard “Trick Dick” Cheney doesn’t care whether you like the war or not. Here was a preacher that was called a traitor by whites and blacks for speaking out against Vietnam. His own people didn’t want him to go to Memphis, Tennessee to help with the sanitation workers. He had everything to lose and nothing to gain. He believed that it was important that we took care of Americas less fortunate (not just black folks).
It is unfortunate that the “Radical” MLK is not given the same respect as the “Civil Disobedience” MLK. I think the radical MLK‘s message is very timely in regards to our modern day reality. It shows that even though he was critical of the U.S. and its issues he still loved his country. It should inspire us all to want America to live up to its promise. Instead we take the easy message that fits into our agendas. When we as a people can talk about what makes us uncomfortable and how we can fix it. We will truly be paying honor to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The India Blood Racket

When I was in college, I remember some students gave blood plasma to make extra cash. It seemed like an easy proposition. You didn’t have to rob a bank or work long hours. You just turn your head and let them prick you with a needle (or so I heard). Now if you were a college student in India, your experience might be a little different.

CNN Black in America

CNN is going BLACK in July! No, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not getting a talk show - the guests would never get a word in. CNN will be doing stories on black folks in America in July. I’m currently watching, (Apr 3, 2008), their program on the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination titled “Eyewitness to a Murder.” I always thought something was fishy with the whole ordeal. This is probably the biggest cover-up since R. Kelly used that chap as a toilet. He hasn’t spent a day in jail and we still don’t know who killed King. Let me give props to my fellow blogger, BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS, for getting the info from CNN.

Pre - Killers

This is crazy. I couldn’t even pour piss out of a boot when I was in 3rd Grade.

Michigan is for Lovers

What is really going on in Michigan? First Kwame Malik Kilpatrick, Detroit’s favorite Mayor, was making love on the phone and now U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s husband, Thomas Athans, was caught with his pants down. Athans was caught on tape coming in and out of a hotel. The lady he was visiting is currently facing prostitution charges. I guess Mayor Kilpatrick is the smarter of the two because he didn’t pay for the sex.