"Chocolate Rain" by Tay Zonday

Here is the top video on YouTube.com. An original song by Tay Zonday

"Chocolate Rain"

Chocolate Rain/Some stay dry and others feel the pain/Chocolate Rain/A baby born will die before the sin

Chocolate Rain/The school books say it can't be here again/Chocolate Rain/The prisons make you wonder where it went

Chocolate Rain/Build a tent and say the world is dry/Chocolate Rain/Zoom the camera out and see the lie

Chocolate Rain/Forecast to be falling yesterday/Chocolate Rain/Only in the past is what they say

Chocolate Rain/Raised your neighborhood insurance rates/Chocolate Rain/Makes us happy 'livin in a gate

Chocolate Rain/Made me cross the street the other day/Chocolate Rain/Made you turn your head the other way

(Chorus)

Chocolate Rain/History quickly crashing through your veins/Chocolate Rain/Using you to fall back down again
[Repeat]

Chocolate Rain/Seldom mentioned on the radio/Chocolate Rain/Its the fear your leaders call control

Chocolate Rain/Worse than swearing worse than calling names/Chocolate Rain/Say it publicly and you're insane

Chocolate Rain/No one wants to hear about it now/Chocolate Rain/Wish real hard it goes away somehow

Chocolate Rain/Makes the best of friends begin to fight/Chocolate Rain/But did they know each other in the light?

Chocolate Rain/Every February washed away/Chocolate Rain/Stays behind as colors celebrate

Chocolate Rain/The same crime has a higher price to pay/chocolate Rain/The judge and jury swear it's not the face

(Chorus)

Chocolate Rain/Dirty secrets of economy/Chocolate Rain/Turns that body into GDP

Chocolate Rain/The bell curve blames the baby's DNA/Chocolate Rain/But test scores are how much the parents make

Chocolate Rain/'Flippin cars in France the other night/Chocolate Rain/Cleans the sewers out beneath Mumbai

Chocolate Rain/'Cross the world and back its all the same/Chocolate Rain/Angels cry and shake their heads in shame

Chocolate Rain/Lifts the ark of paradise in sin/Chocolate Rain/Which part do you think you're 'livin in?

Chocolate Rain/More than 'marchin more than passing law/Chocolate Rain/Remake how we got to where we are.

(Chorus)

plez sez: someway, somehow... this video has gotten over 2 million hits over the past 3 months on YouTube.com! the video is so strange, the music (if you want to call it that) is so strange and different, i couldn't resist posting it on plezWorld.

looking at the lyrics, it seems that this song is some type of social/political commentary on being Black (references flipping cars in France, the bell curve controversy, raising housing insurance rates, every February washed away (that's Black History Month), the same crime has a higher price to pay, etc.). your thoughts?

Michael Vick on Atlanta Radio (V-103)

As linked from the WVEE (103.3 FM), Porsche Foxx's exclusive interview with Michael Vick on V-103 on Monday morning.

Like It Or Not: Clinton-Obama 2008

Even though, I don't agree with his conclusion, Francis L. Holland's blog entry on a Clinton-Obama ticket raises a few salient points and I would like to include his blog entry as a counterpoint to the plezWorld blog entry on their recent spat concerning foreign policy.

The following blog entry by Francis L. Holland is cross-posted at the Francis L. Holland blog and Skeptical Brotha.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama share the same essential challenge in the 2008 election: They have to defeat the white male supremacy paradigm - at least in terms of its hold over the 2008 presidential election - to end the 43 term white male monopoly of the presidency.

If Barack Obama weren't Black, then everyone would speculate - even more than they do now - about his potential as a vice presidential candidate. And he would look damned good as a vice presidential candidate on the Clinton ticket.

We certainly ought not refrain from this speculation simply because he is Black. Barack Obama obviously has a future and I believe his future can and should begin as vice president in the Clinton II Administration.

If he and Clinton are equally bought and sold to the Establishment, as Skeptical Brotha contends at his AfroSpear blog, then they have a lot in common that should recommend Barack Obama for participation in such a pairing.

Clinton IS going to win the nomination, and then half of all AfroSpear bloggers (and their constituents) are going to lose enthusiasm, unless Barack Obama is also on the ticket.

Field Negro says:

Sorry Francis, I am still not feeling Hillary just yet. I just can't get past her flip flop on the Iraq war, and her slick attempt to weasel out of her fickle convictions. Still, it would be nice to see America join the 21st Century and elect someone besides a white male as President.

And plezWorld predicts:

Hillary Clinton will head the 2008 presidential ticket, and in an attempt to shore up the south, she will select a southern democratic senator or governor (think John Edwards of north carolina or Tim Kaine, governor of virginia)... i'm still pulling for Barack Obama, but i think the novelty will wear off when the primary season kicks in and the gloves come off.

Black folks will still come out to vote in droves, because for some reason you people still love the Clintons.

As Skeptical Brotha observed, Barack Obama is NOT Jesse Jackson; he lives in a different historical moment and a radically different social context, and the proof of this is the reception he is receiving. His success is heavily influenced and supported by his times, and the success of Jesse Jackson was a prerequisite to creating the times in which we now live, such as they are.

Read the entire blog post here.

plez sez: in an earlier blog post, Francis L. Holland left a comment stating that he agreed that Hillary will probably get the Democratic nomination and that a large number of Blacks will want Obama on the ticket as her vice-president. i tend to agree with Francis L. Holland to a certain extent: Hillary will probably win the nomination and Black people will generally prefer that Obama be the VP on the ticket... BUT i feel the reality is that Hillary will win the nomination, Black people will prefer that she pick Obama as her running mate, but she'll go with Edwards or Richardson as the VP!

neither Hillary nor Obama brings the other one any NEW VOTES come general election time... they are both Northern Liberals, both are rich Ivy League elitists (not saying that this is a bad thing), both are minorities (duh!), and both can lay claim to the bedwetting tax-and-spend liberal wing of the Democratic party (Blacks, women, anti-war doves, etc.). but Clinton is going to need a white southern man (or definitely a non-northerner) to get those much needed votes (in Tennessee, Florida, etc.) that Al Gore and John Kerry couldn't secure against W.

Clinton-Obama Foreign Policy Feud

On Monday night (July 23, 2007), the Democratic presidential contenders took to the stage in South Carolina to answer questions submitted by "real people" on the CNN "YouTube Debate (follow the link to see the question and each candidate's answer)." For the most part, the submissions to YouTube.com were far more creative and interesting than the boilerplate, rote responses by the Dems.

Things were going along swimmingly until there was a question about meeting with foreign leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea.

Watch the YouTube.com video below:

As you can see from the video, there was a BIG difference of opinion by the two leading candidates. Since Monday evening, both Clinton and Obama have dug in behind their statements during the debate. A number of newspaper articles have been written about the two contenders taking of the gloves and going toe-to-toe on this one (read articles here, here, and here).

Obama has since referred to The Hillary as "Bush-Cheney Lite." He contends that another Clinton presidency will result in a continuation of a failed foreign policy.

Clinton's camp has referred to Obama as "irresponsible and, frankly, naive." She thinks that meeting with foreign leaders requires diplomacy, strategy, and tact that Obama doesn't have.

I happened to catch a segment on CNN's "The Situation Room" where men from each campaign held a mini-debate over which candidate was "right" and which one was "wrong."

plez sez: the question as asked by the YouTube.com submission mentioned meeting with these foreign leaders "without precondition during the first year of your administration." i am not a statesman by any stretch of the imagination, but i would tend to think that ANY meeting with a foreign leader would carry some conditions and diplomatic "mumbo-jumbo."

but i do like the SPIRIT with which Obama answered the question: he states that unless there is a change in approach, we will continue to have the same FAILED foreign policy that led us to war in Iraq! he correctly asserts that Reagan met with Gorbachev during the Cold War with Russia, Nixon went to China, and JFK had discussions with Russia during the Cuban Missile Crisis. i agree with Obama, i don't see how you can avoid firing missiles at your "enemy" if you've never sat down with them to discuss your differences.

Hillary is leading in the polls, but i'm still feeling the fresh (albeit inexperienced) perspective from Obama.

Vick Banned from Training Camp

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has ordered Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to stay away from the team's training camp until league officials complete a review of his indictment on federal dogfighting charges.

In a letter to Vick today, Commissioner Goodell said: "While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy."

plez sez: regardless of what you think about dogfighting (if ya fer it or agin' it), the NFL is a big business and they will not tolerate the perception that one of its biggest stars actively participated in gambling rings and other illegal activities. even though, i'm not in agreement with this action, the NFL has banned Michael Vick from participating in training camp with the Falcons (and probably even playing with them in the upcoming season), until they are able to "clear" him of the charges in the indictment... which ain't gonna happen!

so much for due process, so much for what happened with the Duke Lacrosse Team last year, so much for what happened with the murder charges against Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis... Michael Vick is GUILTY until such time that he can prove that he's NOT GUILTY!

"Baldwin Hills" on BET

BET (Black Entertainment Television) Network recently released a schedule of new original programming. They've released a standard fare of Black-oriented shows, including: "Hell Date," "Take the Cake," "S.O.B," "Hot Ghetto Mess," and something called "Baldwin Hills." It seems that "Baldwin Hills" is a Black-version of MTV's "Laguna Hills."

According to the BET synopsis of the show, "Baldwin Hills' is

"...a reality docu-drama that explores African American teenage life from the point of view of 11 upper-middle class teens. BALDWIN HILLS, also known as the Black Beverly Hills, is an upscale Black neighborhood in Los Angeles where pro athletes, TV and movie stars, doctors, lawyers and engineers live. This reality show will focus on kids who split their time between school, the beach, pool parties, high-end shopping, and driving their parents' (or their) luxury cars. Some of them are smart and hard-working, while some of them are spoiled and overly entitled."

A Los Angeles Times article is quoted,

"The Unusually Entitled Young Person has become a familiar TV trope in recent years, but save for reruns of "The Cosby Show" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," black teens in this income bracket are largely absent. (Another rare exception is MTV's routinely glorious "My Super Sweet 16," which is equal opportunity in its selection and presentation of spoiled young people.)

The innovations of "Baldwin Hills" stop there, though — these kids are, by and large, just as frivolous as their peers down the 405. They attend parties (thrown by Jordan, one of their own), shop at Christian Audigier (except for Staci, who, shops at Rainbow) and inch tentatively toward romantic mismatches."

plez sez: i was SHOCKED! having pretty sworn off BET because of its lack of quality and original programming, i was pleasantly surprised when i watched the first three episodes of "Baldwin Hills" (which airs on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm ET). the kids and their families look and feel very familiar to me, i quickly identified with their lives as middle class Black teens coming of age in America.

after 4 seasons of expletive-filled "College Hill" which began its last season with a bloody brawl between two of the female cast members and suffering through week after week of unintelligible shows where one could not follow the dialogue with all of the bleeped out curse words, i was ready to throw in the towel on ALL of BET's evening programming.

it has been quite refreshing to see some clean cut, attractive, respectful, and ambitious Black kids on television. my wife has already identified which girls (Willie and Gerren) she wants my 5-year old daughter to be like and which boys (Moriah and Gaven) she would want my daughter to date (when she is old enough, of course).

and with the addition of "Run's House," it appears that some good, clean, wholesome family entertainment can finally be found on BET. i'd like to give them kudo's on a job well done!

Mitt Romney & Democrat-Bashing Sign

As most right-wing Republicans do at this stage of the nomination process, they spend an inordinate amount of time in South Carolina. TMZ.com reports that this grammatically-challenged sign maker was none-too-proud to display her dislike for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In case you have problems understanding this illiterate person's chicken scratch, it reads, "No to Obama, Osama, and Chelsea's Moma."

plez sez: it wasn't enough for MITT ROMNEY to pose with the slack jawed rebel sign maker, but then he had to hold it up for everyone to see. Lumping BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON in with OSAMA BIN LADEN is a bit much... even for a flip-flopping conservative like Romney.

then again, south carolina does have the lowest high school graduation rate (at 49.2%) in the united states!

In Rotation - Funky Friday (Part IX)

It's Friday evening, the week is over, I got a Heineken sweating all over my desk, and this iPod is thumpin' away in my ear to some uncut P-Funk! This "P-Funk!" Playlist is helping me get my head right.

Enjoy... but please don't fake the FUNK!

"Mothership Connection (Star Child)" from the Tear the Roof Off (Part 1) LP by Parliament


"If you hear any noise, it's just me and the boys..."

"Do Fries Go With That Shake" from the Greatest Funkin' Hits LP by George S. Clinton

I can't even tell you what this song does to me... that's right, make it bounce!

"Drop The Bomb" from the Drop The Bomb LP by Trouble Funk

Some DC Go-Go Music getting in with the funk: "Can we "Drop The Bomb" on Super Grit Crew... now Super Grit Crew, now what you gonna do?!? DROP THE BOMB!"

"Maggot Brain [Live]" from the One Nation Under a Groove LP by Funkadelic

If you ain't never saw Parliament-Funkadelic live, then you've never been funked right. This haunting melody and funky guitar solo gets in your soul... and stays there!

"Can't Stay Away" from the Back in the Day: Best of Bootsy LP by Bootsy's Rubber Band

Some slow funk.

"Funkentelechy" from the Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome LP by Parliament


10 minutes of unadulterated funk for ya... definitely in every real fan's Top 10.

"Icka Prick" from the Best of Funkadelic 1976-1981 LP by Funkadelic

Makes me wanna say something nasty.

"Mr. Wiggles" from the Tear the Roof Off LP by Parliament

This song was part of the Aqua Boogie phenomenon that spread across America in the late 70's... and yes, I went to the concert with goggles and snorkel!

"Lunchmeatophobia (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet)" from the Best of Funkadelic 1976-1981 LP by Funkadelic

Think! Think! It Ain't Illegal, Yet!

"Children of Production [Live}" from the Tear the Roof Off LP by Parliament

"We're gonna blow the cobwebs out your mind."

"Bootzilla" from the Back in the Day: Best of Bootsy LP by Bootsy's Rubber Band

Bootsy's signature song: "I come equipped with stereophonic funk producing disco inducing twin magnetic funk receptors, I'm perfect for bumpin', you see!"

"Flash Light" from the Tear the Roof Off LP by Parliament


The ULTIMATE Party song... 'nuff said!

"Standing on the Verge of Getting It On" from the Standing on the Verge of Getting It On LP by Funkadelic


For the funky people: "People... what cha doing? Standing on the verge of getting it on, we're getting it on!"

"Cosmic Slop" from the Best of Funkadelic 1976-1981 LP by Funkadelic

This song contains my favorite opening guitar riff of all time. I found this live version on YouTube... simply awesome!

Now, that you've been adequately funked... get the funk up and spread the word. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

BONUS CUT:

Dr. Funkenstein with The Mothership (LIVE)

"...pre-occupied and dedicated to the preservation of the motion of hips!"

The Falcons, Michael Vick, and Dogfighting

Statement from the Atlanta Falcons

“This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months. With today's news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael [Vick] works through the legal process toward a conclusion. We are disappointed that one of our players -- and therefore the Falcons -- is being presented to the public in a negative way, and we apologize to our fans and the community for that. Obviously, we are disturbed by today's news from Virginia. However, we are prepared to deal with it, and we will do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out. We have a season to prepare for and training camp opens next week. Our plan is to continue to do everything we can to support our players and coaches.”

In case you haven't heard, every news outlet (here, here, and here) is reporting that Michael Vick (quarterback and fading wunderkind of the NFL Atlanta Falcons) and 3 others were indicted by the federal government for running an illegal dogfighting operation, raising dogs for the purpose of dogfighting, and executing those dogs that did not perform while dogfighting. Read the entire damning indictment 18 page indictment at The Smoking Gun).

plez sez: in an earlier post, i implored Michael Vick to change his ways... my pleas were obviously a bit late! now, i'm not going to take the easy route and call him a thug and a hoodlum (if the shoe fits...), but i am going to say that this is putting the home team (Falcons) in a rough spot this coming season. we were dreaming about returning to the playoffs, it appears that we'll be LUCKY to win 2 games!

Vick hasn't played very well the last two seasons; there is NO WAY that he is going to excel in a new offensive scheme with a new head coach while having the spectre of a prison sentence hanging over his head! and to add insult to injury, the Falcons traded away his backup QB (Matt Shaub) and picked up a pedestrian (at best) Joey Harrington from the Dolphins (and he couldn't take the QB job away from a Dante Culpepper on a bad wheel!).

the Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank is very image conscious; i can see him looking at ways to unload Vick before the season starts!

i know that he's innocent until proven guilty, but Federal indictments are no laughing matter and they are rarely executed without lots of corroborating evidence and cooperating witnesses. i just don't see Vick weaseling out of this one (as i said before, he has been walking a tightrope of trouble since he showed up... i think the rope just broke).

and lastly, i have such fond memories of growing up with my family dog; Ace was a black Labrador retriever. long walks in the woods, him retrieving tennis balls out of the Hudson River, romping in the snow, wrestling in the yard, or accompanying me on my paper route... my dog was a fixture and a gratifying experience of my youth. i cannot imagine the ANIMAL who would raise a dog to be mauled and maimed and killed while fighting for sport... the barbarous nature of such an existence escapes me. if he was as involved as the indictment reads, i hope Michael Vick burns in HELL!

SCOOP: Vernon Jones in 2008 US Senate Race

Vernon Jones is the current DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer (equivalent to Mayor in a city), he has held that post for two 4-year terms. He received his start in politics as a Georgia State Representative, working at the "gold dome" for 8 years. A lifelong Democrat who holds the highest office in a predominantly Black suburb of Atlanta, Jones plans to unseat Georgia's Senator Saxby Chambliss, a Republican in a red state, in the 2008 election cycle.

On Saturday, July 21, 2007, Vernon Jones is expected to announce his candidacy for the office of US Senator from the state of Georgia.

plez sez: this will be a very interesting election cycle. with hillary clinton and barack obama energizing the grassroots, i would expect that the democrats will enjoy a record turnout on election day IF clinton and/or obama are on the 2008 presidential ticket. but georgia is still a red state which has rarely elected a Democrat in a statewide election, except for thurbert baker (a Black man who has been appeasing the right wing electorate since he took the helm as the state attorney general - see genarlow wilson post). ambassador Andy Young ran for the governor of Georgia in 1990, but couldn't win the democratic primary! And saxby chambliss unseated decorated Vietnam War Veteran, triple amputee, and incumbent senator max cleland in a nasty Senate campaign in 2002... needless to say, jones will have his work cut out for him. and to make matters even more difficult, there is another democratic hopeful in the journalist-turned-politician dale cardwell, who is a pretty popular guy from an atlanta news station.

THE PREDICTION
(hey, i'm getting good at this, see my NBA Draft post):

• there will be moderate improvements in iraq, but the country will still be clamoring for a change in direction(and as i've already told you in earlier posts, we're going to be in iraq until those oil wells run dry).
  
• HILLARY CLINTON will head the 2008 presidential ticket, and in an attempt to shore up the south, she will select a southern democratic senator or governor (think JOHN EDWARDS of north carolina or TIM KAINE, governor of virginia)... i'm still pulling for BARACK OBAMA, but i think the novelty will wear off when the primary season kicks in and the gloves come off.
  
• Black folks will still come out to vote in droves, because for some reason you people still love the CLINTONS.
  
• this surge in Black voters will ensure that VERNON JONES wins the democratic nomination.
  
• but the US is no more ready for a woman president than Georgia is ready for a Black senator... both will lose in close races.
  
• here's a surprise for ya: MITT ROMNEY will be the next president and of course, SAXBY CHAMBLISS will remain in the Senate... you heard it hear first and me wishing for something different will not change the outcome!

i received an e-mail message scoop on this announcement earlier today. i know Vernon Jones, we are members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and are members of the same alumni chapter. i wish him the best in his bid for the US Senate.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Conclave

Last week, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. held its 78th Grand Chapter Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am an advisor for my fraternity chapter at Georgia Tech (The Lambda Delta) and I was a representative of the chapter during the business meetings, caucuses, election of new officers, and in the hospitality suites.

Minneapolis is a clean midwestern city and just about every professional Black man that I saw during my visit was a Kappa man (there are very few Black residents in the city). I enjoyed the fraternizing, and hanging out with two Brothers who pledged me back in 1982 at Georgia Tech, as well as, Brothers from my alumni chapter from Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA. I was able to reconnect with friends that I have made over the last 25 years, and also met many more for the first time. I even had an opportunity to visit and tour the University of Minnesota (The Psi) Chapter fraternity house with a number of undergraduate members.

Kappa Alpha Psi Song - "Stroll Down Kappa Lane"

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded on January 5, 1911 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana by ten Black male students. We hold our Grand Chapter Meeting (or Conclave) every 2 years in a different city in the United States. Our next Conclave will be held in Washington, DC in 2009 and our Centennial Conclave will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Now, it's back to reality! *smile*

One Word Meme

i found this little ditty over at Old Dog New Trick blog. it seems simple enough, but i found it to be more challenging than it appears. give it a shot and either post your answer in my Comments or on your blog.

Use ONE WORD for each answer.

Yourself: content

Your Partner: asleep

Your Hair: faded

Your Mother: saint

Your Father: deceased

Your Favorite Item: PDA

Your Dream Last Night: nothing

Your Favorite Drink: Coke

Your Dream Car: Escalade

Your Dream Home: current

The Room You Are In: office

Your Fear: truth

Where You Want To Be In Ten Years: beach

Who You Hung Out With Last Night: family

You’re Not: easy

One of Your Wish List Items: millions

The Last Thing You Did: farted

You Are Wearing: clothes

Your Favorite Weather: hot

Your Favorite Book: Irving ("A Prayer for Owen Meany")

Last Thing You Ate: ice cream

Your Life: duplicitous

Your Mood: whimsical

Your Best Friend: wife

What Are You Thinking About Right Now: answers

Your Car: Explorer

What Are You Doing At The Moment: blogging

Relationship Status: married

What Is On Your TV: nothing

What Is The Weather Like: humid

When Is The Last Time You Laughed: earlier

Congressman Hank Johnson Joins Call to Impeach Cheney

Atlanta Progressive News reports that US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) has joined 10 other members of Congress in supporting US House Resolution 333, a bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.

Rep. Johnson says:

"I believe it was time to send a message to the Vice President and to the Executive Branch as a whole. I have certainly been displeased with the operations of the Executive Branch, particularly with regard to the secrecy, the incompetence, and the lack of cooperation that is coming out of the Vice President’s Office. I think the response to [reject] the subpoenas was the last straw."

Read the entire article here.

Read HTML version of US House Resolution 333 here.

plez sez: i have been in a funk lately, because all those democrats who are sitting in Washington, DC because of voters like me didn't seem to conducting the business that voters like me sent them there to do. this whole episode with Iraq (and Sadaam Hussein) has been bugging me since before Colin Powell presented the UN with that bogus intelligence about Iraq's nuclear capabilities. and the Bush Administration has been cause for consternation since they stole (yeah... STOLE) the goddamn election in 2000!

so finally, a breeze of fresh air seems to blow in Washington, DC... Dennis Kucinich got the wheels in motion and 10 members of Congress have signed onto his resolution to start cleaning out the stench of the Bush Administration, beginning with that VILE ASSHOLE named Dick Cheney! i know this resolution won't see the light of day and will probably never come to a vote, but at least SOMEONE is saying SOMETHING about the sad state of affairs of our executive branch. the resolution begins:

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Resolved, That Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

the articles of impeachment are quite thorough.

but i am really beaming with pride because MyCongressman (and neighbor) Hank Johnson (of the Fourth Congressional District of Georgia) has signed on in support of the resolution to impeach dick cheney. i'll admit that i have been getting kind of antsy in wanting Congressman Johnson to get into the fray and start displaying the kind of leadership that got him elected to his first term in Congress. he took out a frisky and populist Cynthia McKinney (THANK GOD!), and i wanted him to establish some type of legacy that will get him reelected next year (because Ms. McKinney is still very popular in this neck of the woods). this action should silence his critics and reduce the chance that she'll arise from the ashes of her political [sic] career!

lastly, George Bush is not blameless in all of this MESS... and i'm looking forward to similar articles of impeachment for W to surface to end the tyranny of our 21st century King George (just in time for Independence Day)!

What's Your Political Persuasion?

You Are a "Don't Tread On Me" Libertarian

You distrust the government, are fiercely independent, and don't belong in either party. Religion and politics should never mix, in your opinion... and you feel oppressed by both. You don't want the government to cramp your self made style. Or anyone else's for that matter. You're proud to say that you're pro-choice on absolutely everything!

What's Your Political Persuasion?

plez sez: i scooped this little "blogthing" while perusing over at Booker Rising.

i have to agree with the assessment given: especially, after Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence, i don't trust our government (especially, the Feds) as far as i can throw them! i occasionally feel oppressed by politics and i'm most certainly depressed by the ridiculousness of religion (especially the one i'm supposed to be part of), so i definitely don't want the two mixed (on ANY level). i want the government to leave me (and my family) alone and i promise to stay out of the government. as far as i'm concerned, your rights END where my rights BEGIN... and as long as we are in agreement with that, life is GOLDEN!

if i could only find someone to vote for who shares my beliefs!

Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence

Hot off the wire, the AP reports that President Bush has commuted the prison sentence of Scooter Libby. I. "Scooter" Libby is the former Chief of Staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, he was convicted of lying to the prosecutors who were investigating a leak of the identity of CIA operative Valeria Plame in retaliation for her husband's repudiation of the Bush Administration allegation of attempts by Sadaam Hussein to purchase enriched uranium. He will forgo the 2 1/2-year prison term for his part in the CIA Leak Case. It appears that Bush will still "allow" Libby to pay the $250,000 fine and take 2 years of probation.

Statement by President Bush:

"I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

Read the entire New York Times article here.

plez sez: everyone who is surprised by this, raise your hands.

OK... i'm not seeing many hands. OK... i'm not seeing any raised hands!

i predicted this in an earlier post.

when the truth about the CIA Leak and the bogus "proof" that was used to launch our war against Iraq comes out, i'll probably be too old to care. but i'm sure a jail cell would've been all the incentive Scooter Libby needed to move that date up 50 years or so... Bush and Cheney couldn't afford to have him spend even one day in jail for their crimes... i'm sure he's loyal, but i doubt he's THAT loyal.

i'm sure that trial was enough for his wife and family... i know if it were me, i would've been singing like a canary as soon as i put on that orange jumpsuit! *smile*

all kidding aside, isn't this enough to begin impeachment proceedings against the President: he has usurped the powers of the judicial system for his own benefit.

oh, Scooter has to be on probation for 2 years (WOW!) and he still owes the $250,000 fine (didn't his supporters raise MILLIONS of dollars in his defense)... he's probably better off now than he was 2 years ago! i was expecting this (the commutation) to happen, but shouldn't there be some ramifications for the President just wielding his power as if there is no Constitution? someone please help me understand what the HELL is going on in this country!