Stock Market

!-- TradingView Widget BEGIN -->

Monday, November 25, 2013

Best Man Holiday Delivers-The Malcolm D. Lee/Spike Lee Joint Is A Must See Film!

Taye Diggs as Harper Stewart

Sanaa Lathan as Robin Stewart

Nia Long as Jordan Armstrong

Morris Chestnut as Lance Sullivan

Harold Perrineau as Julian Murch

Terrence Howard as Quentin Spivey

Monica Calhoun as Mia Sullivan

Melissa De Sousa as Shelby

Regina Hall as Candace "Candy" Murch

Eddie Cibrian as Brian McDonald

Jayda Brown as Kennedy

TBR Entertainment Review Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
The much-anticipated sequel to Best Man, Best Man holiday, delivers! Director Malcolm D. Lee’s subtle, yet calculated genius never gets in the way of the performances. Everyone involved in this production mastered they’re craft. If I take time out of my day mid-week, to see a movie, it has to impress.

I am not a big fan of the Academy Awards. If the dramatic performances in this movie fail to get Oscar nods, I told you so. The Academy Awards seem to not reward uplifting, Black cultural perspectives? This entity leans towards tragic, Eurocentric, hegemonic type Black acting. “Awe you poor negro,” type of thing. My man relax its just a movie. Dig that! Terence Howard’s character “Quentin,” provided the anchor within this body of work. Howard's character is off da chain! Nia Long’s radiant beauty and acting skills are to be expected. Her style is feminine and awe inspiring. Nia and Taye Diggs compliment each other. Did I mention how attractive my folks were? Black folks! Melissa, Sanaa, Nia, Regina, Monica man just fine!

No deeply philosophical expressions within this piece, so you should consider yourself lucky. Morris Chestnut and Monica Calhoun’s artistic assertions raised the bar for the rest of the crew. Chestnut dealt with betrayal and moral strength, his range is obviously multi- layered. Chestnut should be playing an epic role featuring Mansa Musa, etc. I imagine the ladies and gentlemen are going to love the beautiful people all over this picture? You relate to the cast; moreover, there the fraternity brothers, sorority sistas, or college buddies you went to school with. They’re from your block! When a group of entertainers come across as a down to earth persona, or effortlessly builds empathy for a character. “Come On Man!” “Talent”!

Harold Perrineau and Regina Hall created an interesting dynamic within the movies plot. Fellas what would you do if your woman did this? You see the measured growth of these icons within my generation. Hollywood needs to come up with more material for these cats! Sanaa Lathan and Melissa De Sousa gifted actors. De Sousa held her own with Terence Howard.

Directed by
Malcolm D. Lee

Writing credits
Malcolm D. Lee (written by)


Malcolm D. Lee (characters)


Produced by
Sean Daniel .... producer
Preston L. Holmes .... executive producer
Malcolm D. Lee .... producer

Original Music by
Stanley Clarke

Cinematography by
Greg Gardiner

Film Editing by
Paul Millspaugh

Production Design by
Keith Brian Burns

Art Direction by
Aleksandra Marinkovich

Set Decoration by
Peter P. Nicolakakos

Costume Design by
Danielle Hollowell

Makeup Department
Allan Cooke .... on-set prosthetics
Debra Denson .... makeup department head
Melissa Forney .... department head hair
Gary J. Tunnicliffe .... special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Dennis Chapman .... unit production manager
Jordan Brendan Finnegan .... executive in charge: Blackmaled Productions
Sean T. Stratton .... post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jeff J.J. Authors .... first assistant director
Luke Crawford .... second assistant director: USA
Alice Lilwall .... trainee assistant director
Gerrod Shully .... third assistant director

Art Department
Tory Bellingham .... property master
Sonia Gemmiti .... second assistant art director
Kevin Haeberlin .... Leadman
Michael Huschka .... assistant property master
Patricia Larman .... lead
Casey Erin MacIntyre .... set dresser
Michael Madden .... set designer
John Risso .... paint supervisor: re-shoot

Sound Department
Christopher Assells .... sound effects editor
Bobbi Banks .... dia/ adr supervisor
Harry Cheney .... foley mixer & editor
Lorita de la Cerna .... foley artist
Ken Dufva .... foley artist
Glen Gauthier .... sound mixer
Paul Hackner .... dialogue editor
Greg Hedgepath .... supervising sound editor
John 'Wheels' Hurlbut .... on set Pro Tools operator
Jason McFarling .... second boom operator
Frank A. Montaño .... sound re-recording mixer
Chris Navarro .... adr mixer
Larry Provost .... sound mixer
Steve Switzer .... boom operator
David Williams .... dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Tim Barraball .... special effects foreman

Visual Effects by
Barb Benoit .... digital compositor
Michael Bogen .... compositor: Level 256
Myong Choi .... compositor: Level 256
Patrick Clancey .... digital opticals
Scott M. Davids .... visual effects supervisor: Level 256 VFX
Rachel Faith Hanson .... visual effects producer
Dennis Murillo .... visual effects coordinator: Level 256
D. Eric Robinson .... visual effects supervisor
Amber Soucy .... post production visual effects coordinator
Doug Spilatro .... visual effects artist
Rob Tasker .... digital compositor

Stunts
Matt Birman .... stunts
Bobby Brown .... stunt driver
Howard Green .... stunt double: Taye Diggs
Angelica Lisk-Hann .... stunt coordinator
Angelica Lisk-Hann .... stunt driving double: Regina Hall
Moses Nyarko .... stunt double: Morris Chestnut
Alyssa Veniece .... stunt double: Melissa De Souza

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Denny .... camera operator: second unit
Greg Haddow .... rigging gaffer
Alan G. Kelly .... second assistant camera: "a" camera
Alex Leung .... camera utility
Malcolm Nefsky .... grip
Anthony Nocera .... digital video assist
Tony Rivetti .... first assistant camera: "a"camera, Los Angeles additional photography
Brett Roedel .... second assistant camera: d
Von Thomas .... digital imaging technician: second unit/additional photography
Phil Whitfield .... best boy

Casting Department
Ashley Gray .... casting assistant
Barbara Harris .... adr voice casting
Jonathan Oliveira .... casting associate
Kevin Schmitz .... extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nola Chaters .... costume buyer
Wayne Godfrey .... set supervisor
Wing Lee .... costume sewer
Loreen Lightfoot .... costume cutter
Michelle Lyte .... assistant costume designer
Trelawnie Mead .... assistant set supervisor
Sheila E. Pruden .... costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Jamal Bilal .... post-production assistant
Lauren Brandon .... trainee assistant editor
Dax Brooks .... additional editor
Diane Brunjes Robb .... assistant editor
Liam Johnson .... editor: epk
Dave Labich .... post-production assistant
Mitch Paulson .... supervising digital colorist
Peter Tadros .... second assistant editor

Music Department
Jonathan Hakakian .... music scoring engineer
Jonathan Hakakian .... music scoring mixer
Jonathan Hakakian .... pro tools operator
Paul S. Henning .... musician: violin
Tanya Noel Hill .... music editor
Jasper Randall .... vocal contractor
Jorge Velasco .... assistant music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Dana Howes .... transportation coordinator
Dave Kinnear .... rigging electric driver
Ted Nobles .... picture car co-captain

Other crew
Darleen Abbott .... first assist accountant: Buffalo Crew
Nick Adrian .... production secretary
Kait Dubblestyne .... production assistant
Katharine Duke .... 2nd assistant accountant: Buffalo Crew
David Dutchess .... set production assistant
Andrea Eisen .... on-set teacher
Mark Robert Ellis .... football coordinator
Wendy Gaboury .... key accountant
Brianna Goldie .... key stand-in
Terrisha Kearse .... Set Staff Assistant: Pickups
Ainslee Kennedy .... assistant production coordinator
Kyla McFeat .... first assistant accountant
Jessi Moore .... assistant football coordinator
Louise Muskala .... cast coordinator
Kait O'Leary .... assistant to director
Boris Radivojevic .... location production assistant
Erin Renton .... second assistant accountant
Davide Sauro .... assistant to Sean Daniel
Mike Sheldon .... assistant football coach
Sat Sidhu .... on-set teacher
Lindsay Somers .... key set medic
Chaz Strothers .... production assistant
Trevor Tuminski .... location production assistant
Michael A. Galasso .... production coordinator (uncredited)


Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)
Blackmaled Productions (as Blackmaled)
Sean Daniel Company
Distributors
Universal Pictures (2013) (USA) (theatrical)
Universal Pictures Canada (2013) (Canada) (theatrical)
Other Companies
Canada Film Capital tax incentive consulting services
EFilm digital intermediate
Hula Post editing systems
Liquid Soul Media marketing and promotion
Project First Aid Services set medical services
RCA Records soundtrack

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Degrading black professors‏

TBR-special to TBR, Ron Hasson
Dr. Christian Head was a respected surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). But because he is black, Dr. Head was the target of blatant discrimination -- including a public presentation that featured an image depicting Dr. Head as a gorilla being sodomized by his white supervisor.

Dr. Head fought back. After more than 100,000 people signed a petition supporting him on Change.org, his lawyers were able to secure a landmark settlement from UCLA. But Dr. Head was far from the only faculty member to experience racism at UCLA.

In fact, a shocking new study reveals that the problem is extremely widespread. As a national board member of the NAACP who lives in Los Angeles, I am abhorred that a prestigious public university like UCLA would turn a blind eye to the systematic degradation of its non-white faculty members.

That's why I started a petition on Change.org calling on California's attorney general, Kamala Harris, to launch an investigation into racism at UCLA to determine if civil rights laws have been violated and to recommend solutions. Click here to sign my petition.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the recent campus-wide study of racism at UCLA -- led by former California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno -- said that UCLA regularly ignored complaints about discrimination and retaliation. One Latino professor reported being called a racial slur by a colleague in front of his students. He says he was told that reporting what happened to him would only "cause more trouble."

Since UCLA refuses to take action to address systemic racism on campus, it's time for Attorney General Harris to step in.

As a strong woman of color in California leadership, Attorney General Harris is uniquely positioned to take swift and decisive action to address UCLA's pernicious culture of discrimination. I know that if thousands of people sign my petition, Attorney General Harris will respond, just as a petition created key pressure to enable Dr. Head to win his settlement from UCLA.

Click here to sign my petition calling on Attorney General Harris to launch an investigation into systemic racism at UCLA.


Thank you,

Ron Hasson

Los Angeles, CA



Thursday, November 14, 2013

Veterans jobs moving overseas‏

 


TBR-John Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, Chairman VoteVets.org
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that you've been reading about is a bad deal for veterans and military family members.

The United States Congress should vote it down.

The deal, negotiated in secret between the United States and eleven countries, expands upon the NAFTA model that has sent many good paying manufacturing jobs previously held by veterans overseas.

Our veterans should not have to participate in a race to the bottom for wages against countries that have non-existent minimum wage and worker safety laws. This trade agreement would exacerbate that problem and make it harder for veterans transitioning to the private sector to find jobs.

What's more, according to the nonpartisan organization, Public Citizen, the legislation threatens prescription drug prices for active duty personnel on TRICARE and veterans who use the VA.

Sign our petition to Congress: The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a bad deal for America's veterans, and they should vote it down.

We expect Congress could act on this legislation as soon as this week, so making your voice heard today is important.

Thank you for adding your name.

The stakes are high.

Jon Soltz
*******************

TBR-John Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, Chairman VoteVets.org
President Obama and the Congress have made tremendous progress reducing the unemployment rate for veterans since the start of the Great Recession.

It'd be a shame to reverse course now.

But that's just what Trans Pacific Partnership would do -- known as "NAFTA on Steroids" -- the trade agreement would hasten the departure of even more manufacturing and service sector jobs that the U.S. economy has already been hemorrhaging for decades.

If you or your family have been impacted by jobs being shipped overseas, we'd love to hear from you. Please let us know here:

http://action.votevets.org/manufacturing-jobs

There has always been a great relationship between veterans who return home and the manufacturing jobs that support their families when they leave the service.

Help us stand with them today.

All the best,

Jon Soltz @JonSoltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman VoteVets.org



Friday, November 8, 2013

Historic $17.5 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment to Build Intellectual Capacity at Tribal Colleges




TBR-Press Release courtesy Jamie Aguilar
The American Indian College Fund announced a historic grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in February of 2007. The five-year, $17.5 million grant initiative, named Woksape Oyate, Lakota for "Wisdom of the People," aims to build the intellectual capital of tribal colleges. The initiative will allow tribal colleges to tailor their programs to address their individual needs, while strengthening the entire tribal college system.

Through a multifaceted approach, Woksape Oyate will dramatically enhance recruitment, retention, and development of tribal college faculty, staff, and students. Leadership development programs, increased fellowship, and sabbatical opportunities for staff and pipeline programs to bring the best and brightest students back to teach at their tribal college will be developed during this initiative. Institutional capacity will also be enhanced by creation of development offices and recruitment of highly qualified faculty.

Lilly Endowment is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family: J.K. Lilly-Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli, through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. The Endowment is a separate entity from the company and is devoted to education, religion and community development.


Select a school below to learn more ...

Aaniiih Nakota College

Bay Mills Community College

Blackfeet Community College

Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Chief Dull Knife College

College of Menominee Nation

Diné College

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

Fort Berthold Community College

Fort Peck Community College

Haskell Indian Nations University

Institute of American Indian Arts

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College

Leech Lake Tribal College

Little Big Horn College

Little Priest Tribal College

Navajo Technical College

Nebraska Indian College

Northwest Indian College

Oglala Lakota College

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College

Salish Kootenai College

Sinte Gleska University

Sisseton Wahpeton College

Sitting Bull College

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute

Stone Child College

Tohono O'odham Community College

Turtle Mountain Community College

United Tribes Technical College

White Earth Tribal and Community College




Sunday, October 27, 2013

Justice For Quinten


TBR-Special-to-TBR
My special needs brother, Quinten Douglas Wood, died after suffering from medical neglect and abuse -- even though I called child welfare services and asked his school to watch for signs of neglect. I'm calling for an investigation into Oklahoma’s Child Welfare Services and Midwest City Public Schools to hold neglectful parties responsible for my brother's death and ensure other children don't suffer the way he did.


I was living hours away when our brother, Cameron, told me about the severe neglect going on in their home. At the age of 14, Cameron was responsible for all of Quinten's daily care -- bathing, feeding, and diapering him, as well as taking care of the household chores while he was being severely physically abused as well.

Prior to the neglect, Quinten was a healthy child who enjoyed Star Wars, listening to music, and being loved and held. Though he couldn't talk, he would laugh and giggle at everything. He and Cameron were best buddies and went everywhere together. Cameron was Quinten's bodyguard, and Quinten was Cameron's best friend.

Three weeks before Quinten died, I alerted the Oklahoma Child Welfare Services to the abuse and neglect going on in their home. I called Child Welfare Services at least once a day, every single day for almost a month. The social worker assigned to the case visited Cameron at school, promising him that she would do a home visit the very next day. Cameron told me that every day he'd hold Quinten and say, "Just be patient Bubby, Sissy is sending someone to save us."

No one ever came.

The teachers at Quinten's school were notified to look for neglect months prior to his death, and they did not fulfill their obligations as mandatory reporters. If Oklahoma Child Welfare Services had done their job and followed through with a home visit, they would have found Quinten and Cameron's living conditions deplorable. Either of these agencies could have saved Quinten's life.

Please sign my petition calling on the Governor of Oklahoma to investigate the Oklahoma Child Welfare Services and Midwest City Public Schools to hold neglectful parties responsible for my brother's death and ensure other children don't suffer the way he did.

Sign Valerie's Petition











Wednesday, August 28, 2013

42 Laws of Maat Under Kemet Law and Goddess Maat


TBR-Reference
Kemet is the name the native African people of the country now known as Egypt called themselves in their surviving writings. Many scholars refer to the people as "kmt" or Kemet. The surviving artifacts of the Kemet viziers and scribes evidence that Kemet rule of law was “Maat,” contained at least in part in observing the 42 Laws of Maat.

The Goddess Maat as the Cosmological Origin of Kemet Rule of Law

Heliopolis-era creation stories from the Kemet people report that in the beginning Atum emerged from the Isfet (chaos) of Nu (primordial waters). Atum created the god Shu (personification of air/cool dryness) and goddess Tefnut (personification of moisture) from Nu. Shu is depicted in the Kemet iconography as an ostrich feather.

Under Kemet cosmology, Maat is designed to avert chaos (Isfet) and maintain truth (Maat). The symbol for truth, justice, balance, and order is the Goddess Maat. The iconography for Maat in the hieroglyphs depict the single ostrich feather (Shu), worn atop Goddess Maat’s head.

During the reign of Pharaoh Menes, around 2925 B.C.E., after the unification of upper and lower Kemet, archaeological finds evidence administration of the 42 Laws of Maat among the Kemet people as deduced from Kemet coffin texts or funerary papyri dating from this period.

The Duat, the Hall of Two Truths, and the Weighing the Ka (Heart)

The duat (underworld as the place for judgment) is where the popular Kemet funerary scene of the Hall of Two Truths is depicted in the various versions of the “Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Papyrus of Ani,” edited by E.A. Wallis Budge. A closer interpretation of the title from the Kemet language is said to be “Book of Coming Forth by Day.” The Budge translation was a funerary text written for the "coming forth" of Kemet scribe Ani.

In Chapter 30B of The Papyrus of Ani entitled “Chapter for Not Letting Ani’s Heart Create Opposition Against Him, in the Gods’ Domain,” we see the deceased scribe standing before his own heart/soul (ka) on the scale of Maat. On the opposite scale is the Goddess Maat’s feather of truth (Shu). The head of the Goddess Maat is depicted atop the scales of justice. Thoth, also known by other names such as Tehuti, stands holding a tablet and a writing tool to record the results from the scales. The ibis-headed Thoth is the patron saint of Maat scribes and priests.

Petitioner Announces the 42 Divine Principles of the Maat

In Chapter 125 of The Papyrus of Ani, we find the petitioner led by Anubis into duat and pronouncing his/her 42 affirmative declarations, listed below from Budge’s public domain translation of the 42 Divine Principles of Maat:



I have not committed sin.

I have not committed robbery with violence.

I have not stolen.

I have not slain men or women.

I have not stolen food.

I have not swindled offerings.

I have not stolen from God/Goddess.

I have not told lies.

I have not carried away food.

I have not cursed.

I have not closed my ears to truth.

I have not committed adultery.

I have not made anyone cry.

I have not felt sorrow without reason.

I have not assaulted anyone.

I am not deceitful.

I have not stolen anyone’s land.

I have not been an eavesdropper.

I have not falsely accused anyone.

I have not been angry without reason.

I have not seduced anyone’s wife.

I have not polluted myself.

I have not terrorized anyone.

I have not disobeyed the Law.

I have not been exclusively angry.

I have not cursed God/Goddess.

I have not behaved with violence.

I have not caused disruption of peace.

I have not acted hastily or without thought.

I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.

I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.

I have not worked evil.

I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.

I have not polluted the water.

I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.

I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.

I have not placed myself on a pedestal.

I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.

I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.

I have not taken food from a child.

I have not acted with insolence.

I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.

After the petitioner’s testimony containing the 42 affirmative declarations, the weighing of the ka for truth, and the reading of the scales, it is said that the doer of Maat is administered Maat. If the petitioner is deemed by the Goddess Maat to be in substantial compliance with the 42 Laws of Maat the petitioner passes from duat to the Field of Reeds (Arus) where Osiris sits as the final gatekeeper.



References:



"Maat the Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt," by Maulana Karenga (Sankore Publisher, 2006).

"The Book of the Dead," edited by E.A. Wallis Budge (Gramercy Publisher, 1995).

“Maxims of Good Discourse” writings of the notable Kemet vizier and scribe Ptah-Hotep (accounting of some procedural laws under Maat).

General Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for legal or tax advice.


More on this topic42 Laws of Maat Under Kemet Law and Goddess Maat

Vanessa Cross

Identifying the Ethnicity of the Moors

Dolores Bundy

The History of The Black Codes of 1865

Kristin Peoples

The Origins and Evolution of Money in Africa

Tongkeh Joseph Fowale

About

Terms

Privacy

Suite101 is one of the web's largest independent publishers, home to more than 20,000 experts, writers, teachers and travelers since 1996.

Made in Vancouver, Canada.



Vanessa Cross Vanessa Cross is a freelance writer who writes about international trade, business law and small business development issues.



Posted on Nov 1, 2009


Saturday, August 24, 2013

With Gov. Pat McCrory in the audience, Colin Powell blasts North Carolina's racist voter law


TBR-Special to TBR, Daily KOS

A Republican who thinks North Carolina Republicans are making a big mistake.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was the keynote speaker at the CEO Forum in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wednesday evening. After introductory remarks, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory left the stage to listen to the retired general from the audience. Last month, McCrory signed into law new voter restrictions that will make it harder for the poor, disabled, student and minority voters to cast ballots. He did not address the law in his remarks. Powellsaid:
"I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote," said Powell, a Republican, at the CEO Forum in Raleigh.
"It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs," Powell continued. "These kinds of actions do not build on the base. It just turns people away." [...]
"You can say what you like, but there is no voter fraud," Powell said. "How can it be widespread and undetected?"
Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, also said the new law sends the wrong message to minority voters. "What it really says to the minority voters is ... 'We really are sort-of punishing you,'" he said.
Of course, McCrory, the Republican-dominated state legislature, and similarly minded legislatures elsewhere will blow off Powell's criticisms. Just as they have blown off the same criticisms from others. The goal is still to suppress enough votes to shave a few percentage points from the Democratic tally, enough in some races to throw the victory to Republican candidates. If they can get away with that, and the U.S. Supreme Court has made that effort easier with its Shelby decision, then they will continue to do so no matter what Powell and other highly placed critics have to say.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

How to Get Two More Votes Against "Big Brother"


TBR-Rep. Alan Grayson 
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives came very close to ending the National Security Agency's unconstitutional and illegal surveillance of every American. An amendment to do just that fell a few votes short.

The "intelligence community" pulled out all the stops to defeat this amendment. Members of Congress were told that if we did not allow the military to collect enormous quantities of data on every single American citizen, the next "9/11" would be on our conscience. NSA General Keith Alexander held four hours of secret briefings on the Hill, just before the vote. Republicans Michele Bachmann and Tom Cotton treated the amendment as though it were the End of Days. Bush-era counterterrorism officials who failed to prevent the 9/11 attacks swore that domestic spying is necessary to prevent new 9/11 attacks. (In the world of counterterrorism, apparently, failure makes you an expert.) Even the White House, sadly, weighed in in favor of continued pervasive domestic surveillance.

Despite this, 111 Democrats -- a majority of all the Democrats in the House -- joined 94 Republicans and voted to end domestic spying. That's 205 votes against the secret surveillance state. Among the votes against surveillance was Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, the original author of the Patriot Act, and highly respected among right-wing Republicans on national security issues. Even some of the Members who voted wrong on this amendment clearly were with us in spirit, but they were cowed by the fear of being blamed for some hypothetical future terrorist attack.



This large number of House Members voting against the NSA was a stunning rebuke to the "intelligence community". This was the first vote on this issue, but not the last. To win, we need just 11 more House Members with the courage to stand up for our rights.



And I know how we can get two more: by electing them. One can come from a district in Massachusetts, which was vacated when former Congressman Ed Markey was elected to the U.S. Senate. Another can come from a district in Pennsylvania that is being vacated because the current officeholder is running for Governor.

I know candidates in both districts who have a realistic shot at winning these seats. Both candidates strongly oppose unconstitutional domestic surveillance, and both have said they would have voted with me in favor of ending it. I have mentioned one already -- Daylin Leach, from Pennsylvania. The other candidate is Carl Sciortino in Massachusetts, a state legislator who has opposed the expansion of state wiretapping authority.








(Fmr.) Rep. Alan Grayson



And here's Leach on domestic spying:



"The NSA policy that the Amash Amendment attempted to rein in is an outrageous shifting of the historic balance between liberty and security. It abandons not only the requirement of individualized suspicion, but of any suspicion at all. It allows the government just to collect,en masse, the phone records of hundreds of millions of Americans. It allows the government to know who we call, when, and for how long we speak, every time we use the phone." 



And here's Sciortino:



"I have opposed pointless wiretapping in Massachusetts, and I will fight against it in Congress. Protecting individual liberties is something progressives must stand up and fight for. Unwarranted spying on law-abiding Americans is a violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. I would have been proud to have voted in favor of reining in the NSA. Putting aside the fact that it is not even clear that this NSA policy is, in fact, making us safer, that broad justification is insufficient. The noble end does not justify ANY means. We as a people must be wary, not only of those who would make us less safe, but also those who would make us less free. We must defend our borders, and our liberties. And we must do so in an open, transparent and thoughtful way."



If we help elect Leach and Sciortino, that's two more votes to stop the NSA from spying on us. But more than that, if we can demonstrate to current Members of Congress that there is real support by voters and donors against this illegal surveillance, then we can win those Members over to our side. Right now, all too many of them get their campaign money from the Spying Industrial Complex ("SIC"). Let's prove that there are both money and votes on our side of this important issue.



Please contribute to the Leach and Sciortino campaigns today. Let's put more people in the People's House who will stand up for our freedoms.



Now, these are True Blue Democrats.



Courage,



Rep. Alan Grayson



P.S. Please share this on Facebook or Twitter.

Monday, July 29, 2013

James Irby, MS Blackman, still missing? Walls, MS police chief (Gary Boisseau) is fired under the intense scrutiny. NAACP introduces heavy allegations!



TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday, May 4th, 2013, James Irby disappeared from the face of the earth! It was by chance I contacted the Baltimore, MD, NAACP HQ office, offering my services. I spoke with an old friend, and she referred me to Charles Hampton, Vice-President, legal redress committee, NAACP MS State Conference. Mr. Hampton’s tenacity and professionalism stood out immediately! Mr. Hampton cut right to the chase when spoken to,” James Irby had minor brushes with the law, I want to get his record?” “Walls, MS police department gave conflicting statements of James Irby’s location during the traffic stop,” said Mr. Hampton. Vice-President Hampton suggested an apparent cover up, by the Walls, MS police department. He asked me to help him continue with a fact-finding mission. Mr. Hampton mentioned the FBI’s involvement with the case. Agent Walter Henry, FBI civil rights division, would meet with Mr. Hampton in the near future.

On 6-3-13, I received a call from Mr. Hampton that the James Irby case was closed, and the Irby family was satisfied with FBI agent Henry’s findings.

What?

On 6-10-13, TBR contacted the mayor’s office, speaking with a Kathy Gordon, Town Clerk, City of Walls. “I heard he (Chief Boisseau) was going to give a press conference as well; I will forward your contact information.” “I will be quite honest, that’s all I know.” She never called back, so I contacted the departments Assistant Chief Harris, on 6-11-13, Assistant Chief Harris made the following comments:

TBR asked Assistant Chief Harris, "Is Mr. Irby still missing?“ "James Irby is still missing?" "Where did officer Zack Jenkins pull Mr. Irby over at"? “Highway 61 southbound-south of church road/near Brentwood manufacturing facility.” “Officer Zack Jenkins said he ran across north bound traffic fleeing incident.” “Got cadaver dogs (2), they followed trail towards Highway 61 southbound were the trail ended.” “I think someone probably picked him up?” “I will provide you with police report."

On 6-17-13, I met with Assistant Chief Harris at the Walls, MS police department office. He had a difficult time explaining where his officer pulled Mr. Irby over. I explained the concerns the NAACP had with the excessive number of African-Americans/Memphians being pulled over. After retrieving the police report I left.

The intrigue started to build. Why would an individual admit to driving issues, light up a cigarette, get on the cell phone with a family member, and then run into a southern marsh? A later conversation with Mr. Hampton revealed the continued impounding of the Irby’s family vehicle (1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass, green in color, MS tag). A number of people following the case found it peculiar officer Zack Jenkins was placed on leave, right after the Irby incident. On 6-8-13 I was pulled over by a Desoto county sheriffs deputy Coleman, after we dispensed with the pleasantries, and I was told I drove to close to a routine traffic stop, he asked me about the James Irby matter. He was told it was an ongoing investigation. I realized MS law enforcement new I was on the map. The Officer who pulled me over let me go. Yeah interesting? I went out the next day just to get a reference as to the topography of the presumed location of the traffic stop. Imagine acres of farmland, an adjacent marsh in the near distance, and Brentwood manufacturing plant off to the side. Where did Mr. Irby end up or go? Anyone else would have halted an investigation after the Irby family said they were satisfied. Mr. Hampton was not easily swayed. FBI agent Henry, reviewed videotape of Officer Jenkins stopping James Irby, later surmising no apparent wrongdoing. Several people presented a wide array of unanswered questions. And then a bombshell was revealed to TBR on 7-19-13, Walls, MS police Chief Gary Boisseau, was let go! VP Hampton hinted around or suggest a misappropriation of approximately $5300, from the aforementioned police department!  “I am in contact with a man from Florida who claims Walls, MS police stole $300.00 from him when pulled over.” I know my readers want to know if the department is shaking people down during traffic stops. I will continue to research this very issue.

On 7-24-13 at 1630 I received a returned call from the interim chief.

I asked the following questions: (1) Are you now the chief of police? Yes I am the interim chief. (2) Why was the past chief let go? The mayor called a special session removing Chief Gary Boisseau. He handed me his keys as he left the building.

Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, Officer Lent Rice, informed TBR the department did assist with a department helicopter and hydro-tek (amphibious vehicle) in the search for Mr. James Irby. “Mr. Irby is still missing” said Officer Lent Rice. Sheriff Rasco said his department will help authorities with any of the department’s available resources. The NAACP State Conference president and vice-president are planning a detailed news conference at a later date. There may have been some vandalism to Mr. James Irby vehicle as well? TBR will inform its readers, when the NAACP convenes a news conference.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Uncle Sam = Big Brother?‏ Rep. Alan Grayson's Eloquent Call To Action!

TBR-special to TBR Rep. Alan Grayson
In George Orwell's novel 1984, "Big Brother" is the dictator of Oceania. No one knows whether Big Brother is a real person, or simply the personification of the dictatorship. Big Brother spies on every citizen through "telescreens." Everyone is reminded constantly, "Big Brother is Watching You." Let's compare that to the recent revelations about the Orwellian-named National Security Agency (NSA), an arm of the U.S. Department of Defense. News reports in the Guardian and the Washington Post have uncovered a secret court order dated April 23, 2013, issued to Verizon. Verizon is the largest cell phone company in America. The court order requires Verizon to give to the NSA "all call detail records or ‘telephony metadata' created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls. " "Call detail records" are records of who you called, when you called, and how long you spoke.

The court order in the news reports is classified, and it's marked "Declassify on: April 12, 2038."

There is no reason to think that the NSA singled out Verizon. So that implies that the NSA is collecting records of every telephone call that you and I make, even local telephone calls. In fact, Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who worked at the NSA, told reporters that he could get the records for the calls from the President's own personal cell phone.

The NSA has not denied that it is collecting call records on every America. On the contrary, the NSA sees nothing wrong with it.

I see three fundamental problems with this:

This is worse than the proverbial "fishing expedition"; this is like putting the entire ocean through a sieve. It makes a mockery of the Fourth Amendment's requirement that government searches be "particular."

This assumes not only that everyone is guilty until proven innocent, but that everyone is guilty. The Fourth Amendment limits searches to cases of "probable cause," meaning that a prudent and cautious person would reasonably believe that the search will yield evidence of a crime. Obviously, most phone records have absolutely nothing to do with the commission of any crime.

Providing this information to the Department of Defense violates the fundamental principle that our military does not operate on American soil, against American citizens. That principle has been embodied in law since the 1870s. From this perspective, providing this personal call record information to DoD is no different from providing it to the CIA - another agency that is not allowed to operate on US soil.

The news reports also reprinted five pages from an NSA PowerPoint presentation about the NSA's "Prism" program. According to that NSA presentation, the NSA collects information "directly from the servers of these U.S. Service Providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple.""What information?", you may wonder. This information, according to the NSA presentation: "E-mail, Chat-video, voice, Videos, Photos, Stored data, VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol], File transfers, Video Conferencing, Notifications of target activity - logins, etc., Online Social Networking details [and] Special Requests."

The PowerPoint presentation in the news reports is classified, and it's marked "Declassify On: 20360901" (Meaning Sept. 1, 2036.)

The plain meaning of this, in the context of the presentation, is that the NSA is pulling unlimited amounts of e-mails from Microsoft's hosted Hotmail accounts, e-mails from Google's hosted Gmail accounts, search records from Google's search servers, private "friend" communications from Facebook's servers, the content of telephone calls from Skype's VoIP service, etc., etc.

Regarding the Prism program, despite what the presentation specifically states, the NSA contends that it cannot actually collect information directly from the servers of all those internet service providers. The NSA also has put out that it collects such information (e-mails, photos, call content, etc.) only for foreigners not residing in the United States. Honestly, I don't know how the NSA could do that in any reliable manner, because Google, Microsoft, Facebook and all the others have no way of knowing your citizenship or your residence. But that's what the NSA is saying.

The bottom line is that the NSA evidently is getting call information on virtually every phone call by virtually every American, it is definitely getting the e-mails and call content of foreigners, and it may or may not be getting the e-mails and call content of Americans.

So is Uncle Sam actually Big Brother? I won't dwell on the convoluted intimate relations that would be necessary to make your uncle also your brother. Rather, as noted above, the essence of Big Brother was that "Big Brother is Watching You." Uncle Sam isn't physically observing you at all times - that much is true. But if Uncle Sam is receiving information about every phone call that you make (as the NSA concedes), and Uncle Sam has access every other electronic communication of yours, including your e-mails and web browsing and storing it all (which the NSA disputes), then yes, Big Brother is Watching You.

I think that it's wrong, and it has to end. As do the 13,000 people in 24 hours who signed the petition supporting our legislation at www.MindYourOwnBusinessAct.com. Because we can't protect our freedom by destroying it.

I understand that there may be some people who see no problem in the Department of Defense monitoring their communications. I also understand that there are some people who have been so traumatized, so terrorized, by terrorism that they are willing to give up all of their freedom - all of everyone's freedom - for the promise of some safety.

I am not one of those people.

Click here for freedom: http://MindYourOwnBusinessAct.com/

Courage,

Rep. Alan Grayson

"Ain't the pictures enough, why do you go through so much,

To get the story you need, so you can bury me.

You've got the people confused. You tell the stories you choose.

You try to get me to lose the man I really am.

-Michael Jackson, "Privacy" (2001).

P.S. I'll say it again -- Please, please, please forward this to your friends, and urge them to sign the petition. Twitter, Facebook, everywhere.


Saturday, May 25, 2013

"King Maker" A Crafted Message Within Politics


Mr. Leighton Bradford, Dr. Bradford, and President Clinton.

TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief

I look back on my days with the Clinton/Gore campaign and marvel at the once in a lifetime opportunity. We slept on cots, ate very little, and attempted to matriculate through college. I remember how gracious President Clinton was to his staff and well-wishers. I was still attending classes at ASU in my BDU's, raising hell with my professors, and writing for the AZ Informant newspaper. The chair of the political science department requested my presence. I met with him, and he informed me I would be working with the Clinton/Gore campaign representing the college. I admired President Clinton and was excited about working with the campaign. The opportunity helped me forget the war or "Desert Storm". The people in my family wanted me to be nice and don't piss anyone off.

 I was a brash cat, always about justice and uplifting my race. How would I intertwine the ensuing opportunity with actual change? The thing that irritated me about most blacks in Arizona; had to be their bourgeoisie mentality or wealth or status is more important than equality, freedom, or a chance at an opportunity.  A crafted message within politics is what President Clinton and the AZ coordinated campaign had. It's what is lacking in the mid-south.

What I saw from President Clinton was not an act! While working with the President's advance team, I saw nothing but brothers, veterans & women securing his effects. It was not just about political theory or what I was studying, but the brass tacks of running a political campaign. We were called "King Makers"! A still have fond memories of Sam, Melodee, Beth, etc... I remember when Melodee told me I was the press avail coordinator, and we had to facilitate a visit from the actor Danny Devito! Man! I was like what? I never forgot what Mr. Devito told us, "Now listen, I don't want to be seen in a white limousine" "I'm serious Leighton".  I laughed my ass off but met his brother and he at the Hyatt regency, where Devito helped to raise $35,000 in one night! For the first time since 1948 (Truman) a democratic president won the state of Arizona!

 As Secretary Clinton's campaign ramps up, I am torn between the loyalty I have for the Clinton's, and my disagreement on but a few key issues. My country is reeling from economic woes and reality television. Well, the financial crisis is serious and has destroyed lives. As a heterosexual Christian your faith is truncated and turned against you. The DNC forces you to deal with absolutes. My experience with Mississippi has made me wonder how democrats ever won an election. A crafted message espouses a decent living wage, health care, veteran hiring, made in USA etc...  President Obama must not let extremist actions, destroy our civil liberties.  As a small business owner, I cringe at outsourcing and the claim that the veterans I served with in the USAF and went to college with, can't turn this thing around! Third party politics will be the demise of the aforementioned entity; unless OWS, Votevet.org, African Americans and the poor, are heard and integrated within the crafted message. We must not succumb to the modern industrial war complex, President Eisenhower foretold. The trenches of a campaign are in the mid-south. We must create parity along all lines of human endeavor. My dream of ending hunger and disease will be accomplished. Just hire my fellow American graduates and let us get to work!






Monday, March 11, 2013

Not on my campus‏! One judge called a GEO prison a "cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions"

The GEO Group makes $1 billion a year running private prisons like these -- and now they want to spend some of that money to put their name on a stadium on my college campus, Florida Atlantic University.

TBR--Gonzalo Vizcardo
The private prison company the GEO Group has been found to run some of the most disgusting prisons in America. One judge called a GEO prison a "cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions" -- places where children were placed in solitary confinement, guards sexually assaulted inmates, and prisoners regularly attempted suicide.

The GEO Group makes $1 billion a year running private prisons like these -- and now they want to spend some of that money to put their name on a stadium on my college campus, Florida Atlantic University.

This is not okay with me. I'm a student at FAU, and I will not see my university help a notorious prison corporation whitewash its name on the side of the tallest and most prominent building on my campus, which can be seen from the highly-trafficked I-95 highway and from the many office buildings and residential neighborhoods near my university. I started a petition on Change.org calling on FAU's President and Board of Trustees to reverse their deal with the GEO Group to license naming rights for a stadium on campus -- will you click here to sign?

Private prisons are hugely problematic, because they run prisons based on profits, not what's best for prisoners or for society. For example, an NPR investigation in 2011 found that GEO Group prisons have far fewer guards than government-run prisons. Prisoners have even died waiting for medical attention.

In fact, the GEO Group's prisons are so bad that the state of Mississippi kicked them out of the state entirely, as did Australia in 2003. I don't want their name on my university's stadium if an entire state and country kicked them out.

Students and professors on campus are angry -- we've staged protests at the university president's office, and she's even agreed to meet with us this Friday. I know that if enough people sign my petition, she and the Board of Trustees will see that giving the GEO Group good PR isn't worth all the bad PR they'll get for making this deal.

Click here to sign my petition calling on FAU's President and Board of Trustees to reverse their deal with the GEO Group to put their name on the side of a stadium on campus.



Thank you,

Gonzalo Vizcardo

Lake Worth, Florida


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Soul Solace excerpt from e-book


TBR Leighton Bradford Editor-in-Chief
It’s funny how an individual’s mortality serves as a self-evaluating vehicle of your overall existence.  Ashes to ashes and dust to dust go us all. As I write, I reflect on the pictures sitting on my neglected desk, indicative of the sovereign winds, blowing in eternal change.  Life held ever so dear, only after it sponsors what makes the soul significant.  Sier rose from his semi-conscious state, as though he was Lazarus emerging from the grave.  Silence is all around the clinical walls, whitewashed, sterile, and indifferent.  The nurse begins to methodically check the brothers’ vitals as if nothing is new or different. 

A faint murmur comes from Sier.  A hushed silence pervades every aspect of the Intensive Care Unit.  Anxiety abounds, as our presumed hero un-asses fate and impending doom.  You can hear a pin drop in the room; a distant whimper is the only apparent thing that drowns out an uneasy stilled silence.  This brother dares to dream of life no doubt.  A life so neat, a life so fragile, all he seems to want is life.  “Sier! Please answer me!” “God almighty, help him, help him!”  “Dear Heavenly Father we are in need of your grace. A grace that will enable us to cope Father, Lord help this man, help him.” 

 Each page of life is turned towards judgement day.  The conceptual meaning warrants most people attention.  Tupac Shakur once said, “Niggas" gon hate you for whatever you do." Mandee remembers hearing Sier refer to Tupac’s quote.  The quote sits idle, as she gazes into the eyes of her bedridden man.  She ponders this phrase or gesture, Sier borrowed so frequently from “Pac.”  Her face resolute, but troubled; tears welled up in her lovely eyes.  Those eyes seem to be a mirror towards the soul, beyond a mere encroachment or physical trait. Will the window reveal her essence?  Shall our couple meet the fate that lies before them?  Please imagine Sier and Mandee sitting all alone in the hospital room, neither of them not knowing what lies ahead.  And the days wane not necessarily revealing its basic intent.

intellectual property of BE