And With Octuplets You Get Fourteen!

Yeah... you read that correctly, the woman who was undergoing fertility treatments and delivered eight babies earlier this week in California, already had six children at home. Her oldest child is 7-years old.


CNN.com reports that the young woman is living at home with her parents - the story makes no mention of a husband - and her father is scheduled to return to Iraq soon (as a contractor).
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Excerpts from the CNN.com article:

The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that Angela Suleman said her daughter had the embryos implanted last year, resulting in the eight births.

"They all happened to take," Suleman told the Times. "I looked at those babies. They are so tiny and so beautiful."

The woman declined to have the number of embryos reduced when she discovered she was carrying multiples, the Times reported. The six older siblings range from ages 7 to 2, according to the newspaper.

Suleman said she was concerned about her daughter's homecoming because her husband, a contract worker, is due to return to Iraq.

In the meantime, the mother, who remains unidentified, appealed for privacy while she recovers from giving birth, medical officials said Thursday.

In her written statement delivered by Dr. Karen Maples of the Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center in California, the woman who delivered eight babies in five minutes said she would soon make public the details of her "miraculous experience."

The six boys and two girls -- ranging in weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces -- are doing well following their Caesarean-section delivery at the Bellflower hospital, doctors said. They were born nine weeks premature.

Dr. Mandhir Gupta, a neonatalist, said all but one of the octuplets are now breathing on their own. That baby might be taken off breathing equipment Friday.

Caring for eight premature babies is a challenge. Duties are being shared by a large team of hospital nurses and doctors for the time being. Two nurses have been assigned to each child, and all the babies are receiving fluids, proteins and vitamins intravenously, Gupta said.

"We feed them. ... We change diapers. ... When they cry, we console them," Gupta said. "When the mom comes and touches the babies, you can definitely see their expression on their faces and body. They are very happy."

The babies, who are being referred to by letters of the alphabet, will remain in the hospital for at least seven more weeks.

Baby H made headlines for its surprise appearance during the delivery, which took months of preparation by a team of doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. Watch a report on babies' progress »

The mother will not be able to hold her babies for another week, Gupta said. They are still fragile, developing intestines, he said.

Doctors initially thought the mother was pregnant with seven fetuses. She was hospitalized seven weeks ago and ordered to bed rest.

During the seven weeks, a team of 46 physicians, nurses and other staff members prepared for the births. When they started the delivery Monday, they were in for a surprise.

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Octuplets' Mother Update (02/01/2009): This woman is sick... and the doctors who are complicit in implanting more embryos in this woman should be barred from practicing medicine. Read the Yahoo News story here...

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plez sez: it ain't none of my business - i don't know why i felt compelled to post this in plezWorld - but why in the heck would a mother of six children be going through fertility treatments? and seeing as her youngest child is only two years old... what would make her think that she would need (...thoughts wander off aimlessly...).

...but FOURTEEN kids?!? all under the age of 10?!?

plezWorld throws a quick glance into his thinning wallet

not trying to be funny, but who is gonna pay to feed all them children?!?

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the CNN.com article about how the doctors were only expecting seven babies.

Read the CNN.com article about the octuplets.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Job Loss Leads to Family Tragedy

A man apparently despondent about losing his job killed his wife and five children before turning the gun on himself. In one upstairs bedroom, the bodies of twin 2-year-old boys were found beside their dead mother. In another bedroom, 5-year-old twin girls and their 8-year-old sister lay next to their lifeless father.

The bodies of five children and two adults -- the children's mother and father -- were found Tuesday in a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington. Ervin Lupoe apparently called 911 and contacted a television station by fax before committing suicide, authorities said.

A suicide note found at the scene "indicated a business dispute" between Lupoe and Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. In the faxed note to KABC, the man said he was despondent over an employment situation, police said.

Kaiser Permanente said Lupoe and his wife, Ana, were both former employees of the medical center. Both had been terminated, with Lupoe's termination coming last week.

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plez sez: this story brought tears to my eyes. the loss of hope and the loss of life is tragic.

there is something terribly wrong with our society when our lives are so identified by how many zeros are on our w-2 forms or what kind of car is parked in the driveway or who is sending your paycheck. thousands more people are looking at job losses in the coming weeks and months... it pains me to think how many hundreds of unemployed people are looking at ending their life due to a job loss.

i believe before we'll fix this economy, something must be done to repair our country's fragile psyche.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the AJC.com article about the Lupoe family tragedy.

Read the MSNBC article about the job loss tragedy.

Read the CNN.com article about Lupoe family tragedy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Obamas Denied Early Access to Blair House

An Obama transition spokesperson says the family initially "explored the idea" of moving into Blair House early so that daughters Sasha and Malia could start school on schedule. President-elect Barack Obama will not be moving his family across the street from the White House early, despite his request to do so. Blair House, which incoming presidents traditionally occupy 5 days before inauguration day on January 15, is apparently booked in the early part of January.

The family was told there were previously-scheduled events and guests that could not be displaced.

Sally McDonough, spokeswoman for First Lady Laura Bush, is quoted as saying, "The Blair House, the President's guest house for visiting dignitaries, is available to President-elect Obama and his family starting January 15, as is historically the case."

A State Department official said he didn’t know of any foreign dignitaries staying at Blair House in early January. A White House official said that President Bush does not have family or friends from Texas staying at Blair House during the period which the Obamas requested. But Blair House, the official said, has been booked for “receptions and gatherings” by members of the outgoing Bush administration. Those receptions, the official said, “don’t make it suitable for full-time occupancy by the Obamas yet.”

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The Obama transition spokesperson emphasized the White House has been "extremely accommodating" to the Obama family, adding that the entire process has been "smooth and friendly."

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plez sez: i applaud the Obamas for wanting to have their girls in school at the beginning of january AND as much as plezWorld can't wait to see Obama in the Oval office AND say goodbye and good riddance to bush; this isn't a big deal. if its tradition for the new first family to move into the guest house 5 days prior to inauguration, then the bush administration has used its prerogative and has booked the house up until that time with other engagements; i don't see a problem.

now who they have booked in blair house and why so close to the end of his term when he ain't doing a damn thing is another story... and another blog post!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the New York Times article about the booked Blair House.

Read the CNN.com blog article about how the Obamas cannot check in early at Blair House.

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Getting In The Spirit In plezWorld

i brushed the cobwebs and wayward spiders off of the four large bags and large box that contains the family christmas trees early this morning. there is one 9 foot pre-lit tree for the living room and one hulking 12 foot pre-lit tree that goes in the family room.

each tree takes a foot stool and about an hour to assemble. my wife and daughter will do the ornaments, bows, and glitter.

i like to throw on some festive soul christmas music to sing along with so the task doesn't become a chore.

then there is garland for the banisters and the fireplaces along with our christmas stockings over the fireplace. and the large wreaths with red bows that flap in the wind on the front doors.

a large cup of hot chocolate with some mini marshmallows never hurt.

okay... plezWorld is getting in The Spirit!

Doing 85 on I-85

Road Trip Sunday - I'm somewhere on the 480-something miles of I-85 between Dinwiddie County, Virginia and DeKalb County, Georgia. My family accompanied me to Hampton, VA to attend the funeral of a dear family member over the weekend.

plezWorld on President-Elect Obama

I listened to Barack Obama's victory speech the other night. Actually, I listened to it more than once. My eyes still tear up when he says, "Yes we can."

He was measured, sober, inspirational, and oh-so presidential. It was a simple speech, but he clearly articulated what needs to be done to right the American ship. He talked about what this country needs to do over the next eight years, he was honest and said that many of the things that he plans to accomplish will not be done by the end of his first term.

But what struck me the most about Tuesday night's oratory, was what he said without saying it... he was the personification of a sea change that needs to sweep through this nation. The crowd that he moved represented America and the words that he did not need to speak continue to echo in my mind.

"No more dancing in the end zone. Hand the ball to the referee and go back to your bench."

Gone is the 400-year mentality that implicitly and explicitly defined a slave-class in America. Gone are the feeble excuses of "why not;" Obama said that "anything is possible." We must remove the "no we can't" lexicon from our vocabulary and replace it with a new creed of "yes we can."

Ignorance, pettiness, self-hatred is no longer tolerated. Educate yourself and your children, and love the skin you're in. Brilliance, high mindedness, class, decorum, and poise are the new standard.

The world witnessed the rebirth of the American family standard: a strong-willed and intelligent father at the helm, an equally intelligent and poised mother to manage the hearth, and well-behaved, obedient, and cute children. Men, regardless of color, are now required to be husbands to their wives and fathers to their children. Women are required to demand nothing less of their mates. And children will thrive in a two-parent household. This is the American standard.

I could've sworn that I heard Barack Obama say that it is time for our boys to stop sagging and pull up their pants, go to school, sit up straight, and learn something. Obama said that there is no future in thuggery, misogyny, and self-destructive behavior. You will learn to respect yourself, your parents, and your community. You will not aspire to graduate to a jail cell. Your role models will no longer be thugs, pimps, ne'er-do-well athletes, nor hatred spewin' preachers... you will model your behavior on the President of the United States.

Obama said that our girls will be girls... not little women, not harlots, not "drop-it-like-its-hot" video vixens. They will respect their bodies, their parents, and their communities. You will model your behavior on the First Lady of the United States.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I have no idea how Obama plans to fix the economic mess. Will the government continue to take over more of the financial industry or will they allow the free market to correct itself?

Time will only tell what will be the shape of an Obama Administration foreign policy.

After running and winning the most fantastic presidential campaign in the history of our country, there is no doubt that President-Elect Obama will assemble a world-class administration that will be well suited to develop a thoughtful legislative, domestic, and foreign policy for the American people. We can all rest assured that this country is in good hands for the next eight years. President-Elect Obama will govern this country with an eye firmly affixed to our history.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

plezWorld is under no illusion that Obama will fix all of America's ills, but the tenor that resonates in this great land has already changed.

I have already made arrangements for my family to be in Washington, DC on January 20th to witness Barack Obama take the oath of office. I'll be staying with one of my fraternity brothers from college and his family (our daughters are the same age).

I will tell you now... I'll probably cry like a baby while Obama is taking the oath of office!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Read the CNN.com articles about how Obama has begun to assemble his administration and the work of his transition team.

Read the CNN.com article about George W. Bush's presidential legacy.

Read the New York Times op-ed piece about optimism of an Obama presidency.

Read the Washington Post article about how Bush and Obama will meet on Monday.

Read the Washington Post pre-election op-ed piece by Eugene Robinson about pride in Barack Obama.

Read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Fulton County, Georgia is still counting ballots from Tuesday's election.

Michelle Obama - What We Didn't Expect

Here is a letter that I received from Michelle Obama today:

plezWorld --

In the past week or two, another candidate's spouse has been getting an awful lot of attention.

We knew getting into this race that Barack would be competing with Senator Clinton and President Clinton at the same time.

We expected that Bill Clinton would tout his record from the nineties and talk about Hillary's role in his past success. That's a fair approach and a challenge we are prepared to face.

What we didn't expect, at least not from our fellow Democrats, are the win-at-all-costs tactics we've seen recently. We didn't expect misleading accusations that willfully distort Barack's record.

Barack Obama isn't relying on a former President of the United States to campaign for him.

He's relying on us -- you, me, and hundreds of thousands of people like us who are giving whatever they can afford to support this movement.

You have given generously to this campaign in the past, but we all need to stand up in the face of these new attacks.

Please make another donation of $*,*** today: Obama for President

Barack's unwavering opposition to the war in Iraq, his outspoken support of women's rights, and his call for leadership that will transform our party and our country have all been mischaracterized in the past two weeks.

We've seen disingenuous attacks and smear tactics turn people off from the political process for too long, and enough is enough.

It's time for a change. It's time for a new kind of leadership and a new kind of politics in our party and in our country.

And while Senator Clinton has a former president in her corner, I'll put my faith in a movement of a whole lot of people who are ready for change.

South Carolina votes in 48 hours, and more than 20 states will make their voices heard in less than two weeks on February 5th. Now is the time for all of us to step up and take personal responsibility for making change happen.

Thank you,

Michelle

plez sez: my family continues to support the candidacy of Barack Obama over that of the other democratic contenders. in response to my buddy, francis holland, i do not support clinton on the ticket with Obama (when he wins the nomination)... and in the unlikely event hillary wins the nomination, i pray that Obama is not on the ticket, because i'm going to have a HARD TIME voting for her in november!

i just got off of the phone with my wife and plezWorld will be making another donation to the Obama Campaign this evening!

SugarPlum & Candy Cane Cookies

The SugarPlum's school is out this week for the holidays. For the past couple of days, SugarPlum and one of her friends from her class are engaged in an extended playdate (3 days and counting...). Monday was the movie "Enchanted" and shopping at the mall. Yesterday was "Alvin & The Chipmunks" and shopping at the mall. Today was the Waffle House for breakfast, accompanying me to the barbershop, a couple of intense rounds of Hullabuloo, getting their nails did (my daughter has a small Christmas tree painted on her big toe nails), whipping up some chocolate milkshakes, and baking some cookies out of her friend's Christmas Cookies Cookbook.

Imagine the division of labor between 6- and 7-year old Montessori School students while trying to modify a recipe on the fly, successfully mixing all of the ingredients, facilitating the construction of candy canes made of dough, and then baking one batch of cookies. One breaks the eggs, while the other mixes them in a bowl. One measures the flour, while the other measures the sugar. I added the peppermint extract to the recipe, so that the cookies will taste more like a real candy cane.

The girls didn't appreciate the final product (it was more fun making them and they didn't look enough like a candy cane to them), but my wife and I really enjoyed the cookies. They are buttery, light, with a hint of almond and peppermint in each bite. I'll have a few tonight with a glass of milk after the girls are tucked into bed.

plezWorld Candy Cane Cookie recipe:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon red food coloring

Beat together sugar and margarine until creamy with an electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract; set aside. Mix flour and baking powder; stir into butter & sugar mixture. Divide dough in halves: mix almond extract to one half, mix peppermint extract and food coloring with the other half. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Divide each half into 32 pieces; (and here comes the hard part) roll each into a 5-inch rope. Twist together one red and one plain rope and bend end to form candy canes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container. Makes 2-1/2 dozen candy canes.

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring!

WTF? - Contraceptives in Middle School

Yes, the title of this post is correct. The health center in King Middle School in Portland, Maine can now dispense birth control pills to girls... without parental consent!

On October 17, 2007, the Portland School Committee in Portland, Maine voted to allow the health center at the King Middle School in Portland, Maine, to offer birth control prescriptions to its students, who range in age from 10 to 15.

Excerpts from the ABC News report follows:

The Portland School Committee voted 7 to 2 last night to allow the health center at the King Middle School in Portland, Maine, to offer birth control prescriptions to its students, who range in age from 10 to 15. Dr. Pat Patterson, the medical director of School-Based Health Services in Portland said she was "thrilled" with the vote.

Proponents of the proposal tacked up black-and-white posters of a baby, contrasting the cost of raising a child with the cost of birth control, while several opponents bowed their heads in prayer. National and local media jostled for positions at the front of the room.

Mary Ibrahim, another Portland resident, said that just because kids may be having sex doesn't mean they should be having sex. And offering birth control services is a form of encouragement. "Let's be leaders. Let's be parents. Let's be grownups," said Ibrahim.

Amanda Rowe, the head nurse in Portland's school health centers, emphasized that students must have a signed parental permission slip to use the student health center. Although, by state law, if a student requests confidentiality, health care workers must honor it. Meaning birth control pills could be prescribed without a parent knowing.

Rowe said that patients fill out an 18-point health history form and risk questionnaire. If a student indicates that they are having sexual relations, the "discussion begins and includes a strong counseling component" said Rowe.

Overall, over the past four years, there were a total of 17 pregnancies at Portland's three middle schools. And that's why the caregivers felt so strongly that offering birth control prescriptions would fill a desperate need. "Many parents are not being honest with themselves. They just don't realize the extent of risky behaviors these kids are engaged in," said Amanda Rowe.

Read the entire ABC News article and view the accompanying video here.
And read the AJC article here.

plez sez:
[EYES BUGGING OUT OF MY HEAD IN AMAZEMENT AS I READ THE ARTICLE]

WTF?!?

maybe i'm just stuck in the 70's, but since when has schools been in the business of "planned parenting"?!? i believe that sex ed should be part of the school curriculum, but i am four square against this asinine reasoning for providing 12-, 13-, and 14-year old girls with birth control pills. if the school finds out that little mary jane is playing hide the ding-dong with the little boys at her school, she shouldn't be given a month's supply of contraceptives and sent back to the boys' locker room... i would think that little mary jane's parents (or legal guardian) should be notified and sexual education counseling would be necessary for the entire family.

by allowing youngsters to circumvent the authority of their parents and exercising "their privacy rights" without parental consent is WRONG! this practice shouldn't be done in high schools and it damn well shouldn't be done in middle schools. who would expect a 13-year old girl with the hots for some horny jock on the football team to make a reasonable and level-headed decision about whether to engage in sexual intercourse with that boy? much less decide whether or not she should be popping birth control pills so that she doesn't get pregnant... UGH! this story has made me ill.

if the parents have to be notified if the school nurse gives your child an aspirin, they surely should notify the parents if they are dispensing hormone-altering drugs! this is flat out wrong and those board members who voted for this provision should be removed from office.

and with the free pills, these kids will now think they have free reign to be sexually active and promiscuous... i have no doubt that the rate of STD's will climb dramatically in this community.

Issue with KFC Commercial (2007)

KFC Commercial (Family sans Father)

plez sez: it was about a month ago that i saw this commercial while watching television with my wife and daughter. we have a DVR, so i went back and watched it a few times... each time i saw the commercial, i got angrier and angrier: where was the father? why was there no mention of the father? why wasn't there at least another chair at the table for their father? since the theme of the commercial was "best part of the day," why wasn't there a mention of having the family together for dinner, even though the father couldn't be there, was the best part of their day?

at first, i thought that it was a case of trying to find hidden racism under every rock... but everytime i see this damn commercial, something just boils in my stomach.

i know that at least 70% of the households in our Black communities are headed by a Black woman. it is a sad reality. but is that a reality that needs to be justified, no, glorified by KFC? they are selling fried chicken, for Christ sakes, i don't want them making something that should be abnormal seem like it is normal. a family, regardless of race, should have a loving mother and a nurturing father. there will be cases when this is not possible - gay couples, ne'er-do-well spouse abandons the family, children raised by other family members, etc - but this should be the exception, not the rule!

call me old fashioned. call me disillusioned. call me a Republican (HA HA HA)! i don't want my 6-year old daughter growing up thinking that it is okay for her to raise 2 or 3 kids without a husband. and i don't want some damn KFC commercials telling her that either!

the issue surrounding this commercial has cropped up on some other blogs that i frequent. what follows is my reaction on those blogs.

plez on African American Dad:
My wife and I saw the same commercial a few weeks ago; we actually paused the program we were watching and replayed the commercial two or three times! I’ve only seen it that one time, but we were taken aback by the “hidden racism” that is so prevalent in so many aspects of the media! Like you, I tried to find it on YouTube, because I had planned to post it on my blog.

I have started a personal BOYCOTT of KFC as a result… that commercial had me steaming! I will have to be one HUNGRY Negro to EVER cross the threshold or buck up in the drive-thru of another KFC, for as long as I live (or until this offensive commercial is retired.

How in the HELL is KFC going to air/broadcast such an offensive and racially biased commercial of a Black family without a father! I still cannot get over the fact that in 2007, I am seeing negative images of Black families shown on prime time television! How many WHITE and BLACK families have seen that commercial and thought in the back of their minds how NORMAL that must be in our community… I am sick!!!

plez on Booker Rising:
shay, thanks for sharing the commercial, i looked for it on YouTube a few weeks ago and couldn't find it.

i don't like the commercial. the first time i saw the commercial, i wondered out loud to my wife about the absence of the father in the scene. i don't want KFC making social commentary via their commercials about the "situation" of Black single parent households while slingin' fried chicken to the masses!

and if i read the comments above correctly, many of you within the Black community are fine with the preponderance of fatherless households in the US and don't mind KFC legitimizing it in their commercials. i don't like it and i feel that this commercial by KFC is a deliberate and offensive attempt to portray our Black families in a negative light!

i don't want my daughter to view even ONE ad that says her family of 3 kids can be HAPPY without a responsible father in the picture. as such, i've decided that i will no longer patronize KFC's restaurants.

for me, it's not right... and it's not okay!

emphasis was added for this article

hat tip: African American Dad & Booker Rising

Clarence Thomas - The Bitter Justice

Clarence Thomas is back in the news. Not only has the Supreme Court begun the fall docket, but he has released a new book, "My Grandfather's Son," for sale. Justice Thomas is doing the obligatory book tour to tout the book in hopes that millions of Americans run out to buy it. I haven't read the book, but if his interview on 60 Minutes and other articles on the matter are any indication, this book will be quite a read.

I ran across a very interesting article on Reason Online entitled "Native Son, Why A Black Supreme Court Justice Has No Rights A White Man Need Respect." It was in 1857 during the Dred Scott case when the question was raised as to whether Blacks were or were not property and therefore if they had or had no rights as a human being. Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney is quoted as saying, "A Negro has no rights which a white man need respect." This article (dated February 1992) gives an in depth analysis as to how Clarence Thomas was the victim of a very old idea called racism:

One of the major reasons for the persistent problem is that millions of white adult Americans define "racism" as its most pathological manifestations: wearing white gowns and hoods, burning crosses, tarring and feathering blacks, hunting them down with dogs. Because those same millions of white Americans would not dream of committing such atrocities; because they vote for political representatives who pass civil-rights bills; because they applauded Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall; because they respect the changing nomenclature by which certain blacks wish to be addressed, they imagine themselves to be free of racism.

What they have never learned is that racism is an idea, a very old and intransigent idea. That idea exists on an unbroken continuum -- all the way from a form that is fully conscious to a form that is unconscious. Its manifestations can range from the most grossly offensive and scornful invective to a compulsive noblesse oblige that cannot permit itself to make any criticisms at all. But whatever the degree or kind of racism, it invariably contains a double standard: The racist simply does not treat black individuals the same way he treats whites.

The effect of stereotypes on blacks is a sense of being unseen, as in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The effect on whites is the corollary: They do not perceive blacks as real or make the same fine discriminations among blacks that they habitually make among whites. In the last analysis, they do not perceive black individuals; they perceive black skins. And this remains true at every step of the continuum.

It should not, therefore, come as an insuperable shock that the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court were a racist phenomenon. The "nice" kind; no Simon Legrees or fiery crosses here. But racist nonetheless. Setting aside old segregationist Strom Thurmond, who conscientiously counterfeited a dead man and may, for all I know, actually have been dead, the other senators participated, singly and collectively -- and unwittingly -- in a process that ceaselessly generated negative stereotypes about Thomas.

The author goes on to lay out the racist stereotypes that were applied Thomas from the day he was nominated by President George Bush (the first) until the day he was confirmed by the Senate:

The Nomination President Bush LIED when he told the nation that Clarence Thomas was the "best" candidate and that he was not chosen because he was Black. Everyone knew that there were other candidates as qualified as (or more qualified than) Clarence Thomas and he was only nominated because he was Black. The nomination was an affirmative action move to maintain a Black seat on the Supreme Court by a party who was against affirmative action.

The Art of Evasion Supreme Court nominees normally do not answer questions about how they will rule on specific situations that may come before them on the bench (i.e. abortion, affirmative action, death penalty, etc.). This works well for white candidates, but when a Black man is evasive, he comes off as being dumb! This label of being not as well-versed on the issues has dogged Justice Thomas since he took his seat on the bench. To this day, it has been implied (and explicitly expressed) that Thomas is a dim-witted right-wing puppet with no original ideas.

The Character Issue Thomas was held up as a clean, obedient, yes-man for the Republican party, he had a "mentor" in Senator John Danforth who had to vouch for Thomas's impeccable credentials as a lawyer and judge. Although, Thomas had a career outside his short time clerking for Danforth, it was essential that he had a white man who could stand for him and "assure" the Senate Committee that this was "a good one"!

The Abortion Issue Thomas was asked almost 100 times to explain what his legal and political opinions would be on any upcoming abortion case. Since no Supreme Court nominee would touch that question with a ten foot pole, Thomas ended up taking the Fifth over 100 times... see the Art of Evasion above!

Anita Hill The article states that Thomas's favorite book is Richard Wright's Native Son, the story of Bigger Thomas, a young Black man who is wrongly accused of the rape and murder of a white woman in the South in the 1940's. The biggest fear of any Black man during that time was to be accused of even looking a white person in the eye, much less, being accused of a sex crime and murder against a white woman! Any Black man was a dead man. Fast forward to 1991 and imagine the horror (and irony) of Clarence Thomas being accused of a sex crime (harassment), a "he said-she said" crime where he could never ever prove his innocence. As with Bigger Thomas, Clarence Thomas was subjected to a "high tech lynching."

Black-on-Black Blacks were turned against Clarence Thomas on Day One and he was NEVER given the opportunity of redemption. He was introduced as a conservative, Black Republican, a devotee of Ronald Reagan and everything liberal, Black Democrats were against... so he has carried that House Nigger title without ever being given the benefit of the doubt. To my way of thinking, this is probably the most damning and most egregious form of racism... turning one Black man against another because of politics. This has divided us and conquered us at every turn since our shackled ancestors walked off that very first slave ship.

Another article of note is from the Washington Post. As a result of a hard life, Justice Thomas lashes out at just about everyone in his new book. The article states that "Justice Clarence Thomas settles scores in an angry and vivid forthcoming memoir, scathingly condemning the media, the Democratic senators who opposed his nomination to the Supreme Court, and the "mob" of liberal elites and activist groups that he says desecrated his life." The article (and 60 Minutes interview) shed some light on why he is so bitter:

Family Life Abandoned by his parents and raised by a stern and authoritarian grandfather, it appears that Thomas never felt loved or wanted by anyone. When he dropped out of seminary school, his grandfather kicked him out.

The Segregated South The blatant racism with which he was raised always looms over his relationships with Blacks and whites.

Religion Thomas had plans on becoming a priest, but disparaging remarks by priests concerning the MLK assassination made him question his religion and was the impetus of him dropping out of the seminary.

Law Degree Although, he received a law degree from Yale, he credits affirmative action for diminishing the value of the degree thus making it difficult for him to find a job after graduation, more than anything, this appears to be the reason why he is against affirmative action and quotas. To this day, people talk about how he was the benefactor of affirmative action, but his counter is the double edged sword that casts doubts on the value or worth of those who benefit from it.

Senate Confirmation Hearings Everyone is familiar with him lashing out at the Senators with his "high tech lynching" comment. The process left such a bad taste in his mouth that he credits that process with ruining his life and he frankly hoped that he did not get confirmed.

Self Hate It appears that he doesn't understand why every Black person does not get up and work like HELL to uplift the race like the grandfather who raised him. I think he looks out at Black America and sees (by and large) a group of lazy and shiftless niggers! It seems to me that he is ashamed to be a member of this race.

View and read the transcript of the 60 Minutes interview here.

plez sez:I watched 60 Minutes on Sunday evening and discussed the Clarence Thomas interview with my wife. We both agreed that he has to be the most bitter man alive. He is so filled with disgust about his life and how that shred of a life that he had was utterly destroyed during his Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings.

As a moderate, plezWorld has taken a vastly different approach to Clarence Thomas as evidenced in my Clarence Thomas: American Hero post. For some reason, I've been able to muster up some empathy for the misunderstood and sad man who is Clarence Thomas, only the second Black Supreme Court Justice.

In his book, Thomas writes of his Senate Confirmation Hearings, "The mob I now faced carried no ropes or guns. Its weapons were smooth-tongued lies spoken into microphones and printed on the front pages of America's newspapers. But it was a mob all the same, and its purpose -- to keep the black man in his place -- was unchanged." It is obvious that he understands that he was a victim of racism, I don't think he understands that the Republicans who propped him up where as racist as the Democrats who attacked him.

Clarence Thomas is a sad and bitter man who appears to find no joy in being a member of the highest court in the land. In the television interview, he had a difficult time even referring to himself as a Black man. To me that was the saddest revelation of all: he hates life, he hates what life has done to him, and above all, he hates himself. That is sad...

Good Night, My SugarPlum!

I just came down to my office to check e-mail before watching some Monday Night Football. As is our custom, every night when we tuck my daughter (The SugarPlum) into bed, my wife and/or I sing that enduring classic from the Lawrence Welk Show: "Bubbles in the Wine."

After a few kisses, SugarPlum is off to dreamland for the remainder of the night.

The SugarPlum Version
Good night, sleep tight,
And pleasant dreams to you,
Here's a wish [kiss] and a kiss [kiss]
That every dream comes true.
And now 'til we meet again...
Adios, au revior, auf weidersehen... Good Night, SugarPlum![kiss]

It's funny that both my wife and I remember this song from our childhood, watching The Lawrence Welk Show on Sunday nights before 60 Minutes with my family.

Truly, a "kinder and gentler" time.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

plez sez: this day will always be indelibly engraved in my mind and more so today because this is the first time that 9/11 has fallen on a Tuesday since 2001.

i happened to be home from work that day, because it was the day that my daughter came home for the first time: she was only 12 days old... two weeks ago, we had a BIG A** 6th birthday party for her at my subdivision's pool and clubhouse. twenty-five of her close friends from school and the neighborhood were in attendance. they splashed in the pool. they ate pizza, cake, and punch. and they hammed it up on my daughter's karaoke machine.

like millions of Americans, i watched in horror as the very symbols of our way of life first stood lifeless with smoke billowing from their windows and then witnessed them crumble into piles of rubble at the feet of New York City.

my stomach churned as accounts of the Pentagon attack and the plane that went down in Pennsylvania surfaced.

the "war on terror" was subsequently launched. we sat and watched as our civil liberties were restricted. we sat and watched as our president demonized an entire religion and then invaded a sovereign nation. we continue to sit and watch as over 3,700 U.S. troops have given their lives to our "war on terror."

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 will always be remembered as the most joyous day of my life as i started my life: a new father holding my beautiful daughter for the very first time... and i will always remember it as the day that we became more callous and hateful as a nation, like when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor or when James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.

"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!